MANHATTAN PART TWO
There were crashed cars all around us,people were pushing us upon running away; Natasha and Barton were only a few blocks away,helping as many as they could manage,while taking out some of the Chitauri as well.
Steve and I were out of breath,his shield smacking my walls in order to find the right angle to take as many heads on it's way back as possible. Bellow the cement there were infinite iron rods,heavy as they were,and so I had some form of advantage,piercing through their armor-like skins with as many rods as could fit through them,dark blood falling down in pools.
“Steve,on your six!” ,i said and he turned around to punch one of them,throwing his shield to other three coming for behind. Our voices were loud as they had to be in order to be heard.
“Duck Pearse!”,he yelled and I slid down as his shield landed on a chiaturi right above the spot where my head was just two seconds ago.
“Stop Pears-ing me; we need to move” ,i said and we ran off further in the city with our breaths cut short.
There were police cars blocking the way,the officers seeming even more nervous and distressed than the citizens whom were hiding anywhere they could.
One of them accidentally shot a bullet right at me as I run on them,and had I not stopped it in between my fingers,my eyes glowing white as I did,i'd be in a bad place.
“I-ah-uh so-sor”
“Yeah,saveit. Stop sitting on your asses,we need to minimize the civilian damage as much as possible” ,i ordered.
“Who are you to order us? Does the army even know anything? Why should we just do what you say?” ,another one approached me.
He was cut short though;
I tapped my foot down only lifting it to kick a wall which dragged four chitauri on a building,smashing them to a pulp. But more were coming; I flipped with a jump,flames covering my entire perimeter as they were shot on the ones coming,burning them black.
Steve landed on a car just before the same officer,cutting the necks of as many as were coming with his shield on hand.
“That's why”,he turned to the dumbfounded officer. “there need to be men in these buildings; we can't let the civilians run off into the front lines,take them trough the basement or the subway”
“ Keep them away from the streets,away from the crossfire”,i butted in just as I took out my blades,cutting out two chitauri thrown at me.
“I need a perimeter as far back as 39th”,Steve continued .
The officer was just standing all frozen up,looking at us,sweat coming down his forehead.
“Go man,we don' got all day for fuck's sake!” ,i yelled at him before punching one on the head with fire.
The man turned around,his movements swift. “You heard them! Do as they said,one unit to lead the people away,don't let anyone on the streets,and one unit to form a perimeter as far back as 39th. Now! “,he ordered his men and they all run in groups,just like soldier ready to carry out their task.
At least we had some help.
“Does that mean i'm your best girl now Rogers?” ,i laughed and he lowered his head to hide a smirk.
“If nothing more I think i'm your best boy here Pearse” ,he said and I chuckled.
We then felt a power-wave,lightning coming out,concentrating on one single spot as the skies roamed above it.
“So Thor's here” ,i huffed. “Yo,Playboy,how're things up there?”
I asked as we both ran towards the lightnings,only to find Tasha,Barton and Thor all together and all busy; Thor smacked his hammer down and electricity ran through every chitauri around us until they fell down.
“Bad. Tthese flying turtles are only growing in numbers”,his voice was muffled up by the intercom and all the shootings,him flying in between them.
“We have to do something about them”
“Yes,that's the whole point” ,i said with irony filling my mouth.
“We're a team. We will deal with them as one” ,Steve said and I turned around to see him.
He smiled at me,and there was something about that smile; I felt some confidence roaming inside me. A team,ain't that right? Damn you,Reeta...guess you were right after all.
“I have to deal with Loki “,we heard Thor speaking.
“You're not the only one wanting to punch the guy here. He did me a good one on the Quinjet,i gotta at least kick him once”
“Yeah,the guy tampered with my mind. You people get in line”, Barton said,his voice followed by a big explosion and I twitched as it almost hurt my ears.
Just then we heard a small motor sound and turning around we saw the doctor coming down in a tiny bike. He stood up,taking a look on the situation.
“Doctor! The man of the day,we missed you here” ,i said. He looked at me and Natasha.
“I..I really-”
“Don't go soft on us doc” ,i said with a smile. “If nothing more,please get the exact opposite”
The doctor gave me a puzzled look,but as the pieces went to place he nodded,his lips pursed as he began marching away in slow steps.
“Stark? Banner's here” ,Steve said to him.
“Hell,Cap this must be the first good thing coming out of your mouth. Tell him to get suited; there's a party coming down”
Before long Tony showed up in our vision field,the gigantic worm following behind as the doctor was huffing and gradually getting greener and bigger.
“This doesn't really look like a party to me..” ,Natasha huffed.
“Yeah,well still not the worst one i've been in” ,i mumbled with opened eyes and parted lips as the worm was getting closer.
It's movements resembling ripples,just like a fish swimming in deep waters.
The doctor was now all swollen up,his Hulk form completely finished. He punched the worm sending trembling vibrations all over it's body as it had now stopped moving entirely.
Tony came back shooting with his arm at a certain point inside the worm and it cracked entirely.
Steve held his shield up covering Tasha and nodded at me; I moved my arm above my head,the road getting up in a big wave to cover us all as the burnt pieces of it's body were coming down fiercely like hail.
The chitauri all hurled at us in one voice,looking down from the buildings and their machines,Hulk's own growl coming out even louder; I put down the wall I had created.
Steve was on my right,Tasha on my left, Playboy ,Thor,Barton and Hulk all in their place as we were now forming a circle as to have them look at us,ready to take all they had to throw.
“Let's play” ,i said twirling my blades in between my fingers.
Just then,as to humour me, an entire horde of those worms,along with even more chitauri soldiers came all out from the portal.
Steve gave me an unamused look,if nothing else.
“You just had to..”,he was speaking through his teeth,but eventually let it go as I shrugged.
“On your call Cap” ,Tony said.
“Alright “,he huffed, “Barton you go up,your eyes on everything,reporting whatever you see” ,Barton nodded.
“Stark,you got the perimeter,three blocks that's our limit – don't let anything go out”,his eyes were strict,as was his voice.
Tony nodded and grabbed Barton,flying up.
“Send Thor and Tasha up”,i whispered to him and he turned,all puzzled.
“Right. Thor,take Nat and go up there. Light the portal,you got your lightning,smother it as much as you can,and Nat you get Selvig,do what you can to make him snap out of it. Without his help we don't got anything”
Thor shook his head in understatement,grabbing Tasha from the waist as they flew upwards.
“Hulk-” ,Hulk turned to look at us, “Just do your thing”,Steve shook his head and Hulk smirked before going full berserk,smashing everything on his way.
“Somehow this doesn't look too reassuring..”,i mumbled under my breath.
“And as for you-”,he now turned to me,only continuing after sending his shield away to hit two chitauri approaching,the shield passing through my ears. “You stay with me”,his shield came back to his hand.
“Damage control,protecting civilians-”,he was counting them on his fingers,his eyes fixed on me. “And kill off as many of these things as possible”
“That all?”,i laughed walking passed him. “Man,and here I thought i'd be getting something serious on me for once” ,he chuckled.
I started running towards a newly emerging crouch made from the road,which I then used as a foothold to then push me up; red flames began forming around me,a warm veil as I landed and it exploded towards those coming close.
Small ripples sent from my feet and cuts with the aid of my scimitars; Steve was only a few feet behind me,smacking those he could and sending to me the unwanted us,to either cut down or burn.
We could see Thor's powerful lightning rods all headed towards the portal,some of the machines coming down getting caught on a chain of explosions. It was a good idea,having him do that. We did have a ThunderGod by our side after all.
“Yo,Rogers-”
“Yeah?”
“Civilians on the third floor- i'm going in” ,i pointed towards a tall building on the block ahead,people running up and down which we could see through the many windows. A few chitauri shooting inside.
“Need help getting up?”,he turned to me,his eyes small yet wholesome,a radiant warmth coming from them.
“Nah. Who do you take me for?” ,i said with a smile seeing how this was a rather satisfying response for him,and began running off,sliding with the concrete in between the Chitauris as Steve's shield had my back.
I pulled each fist at a time,liquid concrete beginning collecting together,one crouch equaling one fist,the chunks coming from right and left to make a small column,tall enough to use as a foothold. I was still running until I reached a car turned upside down; I jumped on it to then use the flames coming under my feet as impetus to land with one foot on the column,kicking it down i flip jumped inside the building,through the smashed window. Some shreds pierced my skin,but having survived a direct hit from Hulk- I was too arrogant to admit the pain.
I was quick to raise a wall before me as I fell on my knees, preventing some beam shootings to hit me. I put it down,the people all crouched up,hugging each other,some even crying. It must have been truly frightening. Not being able to fight, truly recognizing your own weakness as to defend your life..that is beyond enraging,as it is terrifying.
“Not today sweetheart” ,i said to one of them approaching me with it's gun as I burned it all the way with a kick.
The people lifted their heads,some glimmer of hope on their eyes as I pulled out my scimitars.
There were five of them inside; I cut those I had the room to,while used the walls to smash the others down. But I couldn't use too much of the building,or else it'd collapse down.
“You need to evacuate the building. Now!” ,i said in a loud,strict voice as soon as I chopped up the last head.
My face and clothes were all covered in dried up blood,some theirs,some mine. The all got up,hesitant at first.
I bent my knees facing the window and began slowly pulling my arms to my chest,one after the other,creating a few steps on the column I had used before getting in,while I made it a little bigger,enough to directly touch the window. I wouldn't expect them to jump.
“Come on now,quickly,chop chop!” ,i ordered standing on the top of the column and moving my hands as the people were running down.
“Wait- wait” ,a middle aged woman stopped in front of me,blood falling down her forehead. She was out of breath,her short blonde hair died red. “Who are you?”
“I'm Persephone” ,i said bluntly,my eyes fixed on the people behind her whom were coming towards us in order to get out.
“Like the goddess!”,she exclaimed and I put on a soft smirk.
“Yeah. Just like that”
“The destroyer of death”,she huffed and I tilted my head,my eyes now fixed on her.
“The..bringer of death”,i corrected her shaking my head for emphasis.
“Oh,darling,no. You see,i'm a scholar. I've been studying ancient Greek throughout my most adult life. There are many ambiguities about Persephone's name's meaning. One of them is what you said yes,but there are others as well”,she was looking at me with eyes glowing.
“You see, Persephone is the Queen of the Underworld, but she also came back up to our world of the living again, so having defeated death it is only fitting to call her the Destroyer of Death. And,in that manner,having also come back from the dark world of the dead she is also the Bringer of Light”,she explained.
“Bringer of..light?” ,i repeated her words in a muffled voice.
“We were sure we were gonna die- and then you came! You snatched us away from Death's grip! You are as your name suggests,the Destroyer of Death” ,she took my hands in her and I was dumbfounded,almost frozen.
“Thank you” ,she spelled out,the words dragged in her mouth.
“Margaret! Come down,it's gonna collapse!” ,a man yelled from the ground as the building took in an explosion,it's structure trembling.
“Ah” ,she turned,leaving my hands to fall down. My brows were knitted. “I'll speak of you” ,she said mid way down. “To my children,to my husband- they will all know of your name,i guarantee you that” ,she finished with a radiant smile.
“Wha- no,wait don-” ,the rocks began falling before I could speak.
I jumped down,the fire coming from my palms keeping me from crushing to the ground as I flipped back,landing on my feet. But this woman,Margaret..she was gone.
“The bringer of death,Persephone. Your mother was right to name you like that after all”
My father's words echoed inside my head.
The destroyer of death,ain't that right? Yes,i preferred that one much better.
I chuckled.
I should be the one thanking her.
Thank you,Margaret.