Emma Joan Tallis

chapter twenty-four: Defense Party

"We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
~ Winston Churchill

~*~

"When you asked me to get onto a Quinjet with y'all, I wasn't expecting to get this close to the Empire State Building," I said as I held onto the nets hanging overhead.

"Says the woman who happily ziplined onto a moving train," Steve said as he too held on for dear life.

"Hush," I muttered.

"Stark, we're heading northeast," Natasha said on the comms.

"What, did you stop for drive-thru?" Stark asked, and I rolled my eyes. "Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you." I strained my ears to hear what was happening, and was rewarded with the sounds of gunfire.

"Riding in the back isn't fun when you can't see what's happening," I muttered.

"Emma," Natasha said, "you think you can jump?"

"Where?" I asked as I made my way to the front.

"There," Barton said as he pointed at Loki and Thor fighting like when we were kids.

"Nevermind," Natasha said as as Barton swerved to avoid the blast Loki sent at us. I didn't have a good grip on anything, and so I went flying backwards. Steve grabbed my waist and kept me from ramming into a door or ceiling.

"Thanks," I said as I grabbed onto a net.

"I thought you said you couldn't fly," Steve said humorously.

"We're landing," Natasha warned, and then we slammed into the ground.

"You call that landing?" I asked.

"We didn't blow up," Barton said with a shrug as he opened the ramp.

"Point," I conceded as I followed them out of the quinjet and onto the street. I looked up when I heard a roar, and saw a giant monster flying out of a portal. "And I thought the beast on Jotunheim was big."

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked.

"I'm seeing, still working on believing," Stark replied. "Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

"Banner?"

"Just keep me posted."

"Now what?" I asked as the Chitauri began to fire on innocent civilians and stick to the side of buildings like some sort of demonic insect.

"Get the civilians to safety," Steve said.

"Okie dokie," I muttered as I ran to some people who were running and screaming. There wasn't a safe place to go, so I directed them to the nearest building and told them to stay away from the windows.

I heard a chain of explosions and looked up in time to see Loki flying overhead. I ran to follow him and found Steve with the others. "Those people need assistance down there," Steve said.

"We got this. It's good. Go!" Natasha ordered.

"You think you can hold them off?" Steve asked Barton.

"Captain," Barton said. "It would be my genuine pleasure."

"Em, you're with me," Steve said and I ran after him as he jumped off of the bridge.

"I'm the only one who can keep up with you," I muttered as Steve jumped over a car. "There are some officers, maybe they can help."

"On it," Steve said as he landed on top of a taxi.