Rise (An Avengers Story)

Chapter 14

I would go with everyone to help escort the civilians out of the area, and Bruce went to get Nat. I watched as Tony flew to the Church. That must be where Ultron is. I was debating whether I should help or not, but I realized that the more people help evacuate, the fewer civilians will be here when our focus is centered on Ultron. However, we did not have a whole lot of time. I turned around and saw metal bodies with blue, glowing eyes coming up from the cracks in the ground (right behind me). I looked around, and they were everywhere. The one behind me grabbed my ankle, but it didn't have a good grip, and I yanked it away from it before stomping on its head. Steve and Clint were fighting off the robots while Wanda and I were ushering civilians off the bridge (Loki was multitasking). Wanda created a shield, at the end of the bridge, with her powers. Everyone was panicking and running in different directions. A blast from one of Ultron's robots hit the forcefield near her, and she fell. The force field collapsed as well.

The ground was cracking. We had to hurry and get everyone out of here. The cracks went around in a big jagged circle. The ground started to float upwards towards the sky. I looked towards the bridge and saw Steve standing at the edge. The people we brought over (to our side) huddled together with friends and family. Loki and Wanda stood beside me as we saw everything unravel. The land that was floating started to crumble at the edges. Steve starts giving another speech to everyone through comms. "Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job, tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt them back. You get killed; walk it off." I looked at Loki, confused. "How in the world do we walk it off if we're dead." Loki chuckles at my smart comment as we continue to destroy Ultron's minions.

The four of us...Clint, Loki, Wanda, and I were trying to help someone get to safety when we were attacked. When Wanda attacked one of the robots, a whole lot more came, and that was when Clint grabbed Wanda dove through a window for cover. Loki grabbed me as well but teleported us to the same location. Wanda was freaking out. She was crawling on the floor murmuring. "How could I let this happen?" She was hyperventilating, and Clint crouched down over to her. "Hey, hey, you okay?" He rests his hand on her shoulder. "This is all our fault." She says above a whisper, and I crouch down beside her. "You didn't know what you were doing," I reassured her. Clint takes a completely different approach. "Hey, look at me." He says in a raised but almost fatherly kind of voice. "It's your fault, its's everyone's fault. Who cares? Are you up for this? Are you?" I go to say something, but Clint starts again before I can say anything. "Look, I just need to know. Because the city is flying." He started to stutter...probably still trying to make himself believe that this is happening. "Okay. Look, the city is flying, we're fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense." A shot was blasted through the wall and hit Barton. He grunted in pain as Wanda gasped in surprise and shock. He shot an arrow through the tiny hole in the wall and crouched back down to face Wanda. "But I'm going back out there because it's my job. Okay? And I can't do my job and babysit. Ask Taylor if she will...she's had a lot of experience." I punched Clint in the arm hard. He smirked at me thinking his jab was funny. He looked back at Wanda. "It doesn't matter what you did or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. Stay in here. You're good. I'll send your brother to come to find you. But if you step out that door,  you are an Avenger." They stayed crouched like that in silence for a good bit. "All right. Good chat." Clint and Loki head back out there, but I stay seated beside Wanda. "Everything will be alright...just take your time." I get up and follow the other two.

We were down and surrounded. Clint got shot, Loki went off the find his brother, and I couldn't turn surprise attack while invisible (Ultron must have upgraded them knowing what my powers were). I tried, but they knew where I was. When Clint and I thought we were gonna die. I looked up, and Wanda walked out the door. I knew she had it in her. She tore them apart with her powers, and Clint shot a couple of the others. The three of us nodded and started heading to another part of the city. "All right, we're all clear here." Clint said into the comms. Steve responded, "We are not clear. We are not very clear!" Steve yelled and made me flinch. "Alright, coming to you." Clint says into his comms, and we head towards the rest of the team. Pietro ran in and picked up his sister. "Keep up, old man." Then they were out of sight. Clint raised his bow, "Nobody would know." I heard him murmur to himself before putting the bow down at his side. He started running, and I did so as well to catch up with him. "The last I saw him, and Ultron was sitting on him. Yeah, he'll be missed. I miss him already." He sounded sarcastic to me.

We ran a long way, but we finally made it back with the team. We gathered around in the church, and I saw Loki. I ran and hugged him as soon I saw him. He groaned in pain but returned my hug. "Romanoff, you and Banner better not be playing 'hide the zucchini,'" Stark commented, talking to Nat through comms. "Relax, shell head. Not all of us can fly." She comments smartly before appearing beside Tony. "What's the drill?"

"This is the drill." Stark points at the metal thing behind him. "If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose." Hulk jumped down onto one of Ultron's robots and roared. Then right behind, Ultron slowly comes down from the sky.

"Is that the best you can do?" Thor yells out to Ultron, and Loki shakes his head, "Shut up, Thor." He mumbled, then slipped his hand into mine. He interlocked his fingers with mine. Ultron raises his hand, and more of his 'men' come running in a herd from one direction. "You had to ask." Steve sarcastically comments. "This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?"

"Well, like the old man said...together." Hulk roars, and we stand in a circle attacking Ultron's robots. They start coming from all different directions. They were coming in fast too. Vision and Ultron fought above us. Once Ultron was out of the church, Thor and Tony joined him in taking down Ultron. "You know, with the benefit of hindsight..." Ultron did not get to finish as Hulk punched him and flew through the air pretty far. He then turned to Ultron's robots and ran after them. The robots ran and flew away into the sky. Wanda stayed behind to protect the core while Steve went around the city looking for other civilians, and Cap told everyone else to get to the boats. Loki and I made it onto one of the boats provided by SHIELD along with Clint. Clint saw that a woman's child was trapped, and I told him that I would go.

I went to get the kid when Clint saw that a ship was getting ready to fire at us; he ran after me to try and protect both the child and I. Loki realized it too late because he got there by the time he got there, I would most likely be dead. Even before Clint made it to me, I turned around to shield the child with my body. I felt someone grab me just before I could get shot, and when I opened my eyes, I was sitting with the child in my arms away from where I last stood. I looked up and saw Pietro. He was swaying on his feet and was covered in giant bullet wounds around his chest. I looked up at him with tears in my eyes, knowing that he saved me twice now. "You didn't see that coming?" Then he fell to the floor, and I couldn't stop myself now. The tears just poured down my cheeks. I was crying for Wanda, but also because I felt as if we could have been friends. I set the kid off to the side behind the car and crawled to Pietro to check his heartbeat. Steve and Clint ran over to our destination. I got up picked the child up in my arms while Clint picked up Pietro's. I brought the kid back to their mother and then sat with Loki. I was crying so much the tears were falling rapidly down my cheeks. I could only imagine how Wanda felt. We lost Hulk in the Quinjet that Ultron used to shoot at us. Nat tried contacting him, but he didn't turn it around.