"You're up." Maria called, and Arianna looked up in surprise from where she was leading people to the lifeboats, to see another armour-clad figure fly out of the Helicarrier.
She grinned, especially as she heard Rhodey join their communications line, saying enthusiastically: "Yes! Now this is gonna be a good story."
"Yep. If you live to tell it." Tony quipped as he appeared beside War Machine, and Rhodey shot back: "You think I can't hold my own?"
"We get through this, I'll hold your own." Tony replied, and Arianna wrinkled her nose.
"You had to make it weird." Rhodey commented, voicing Arianna's thoughts.
She smiled briefly before she became serious once more and she helped the last passenger onto the lifeboat. She called: "Okay, we're good to go!"
"Number six boat is topped and locked." Specialist Klein confirmed over the comms. "Or, uh, or stocked," he added, stuttering nervously, "topped. It...it's, uh, full of people."
Arianna chuckled, making a mental note that once this whole mess was over and if she made it out alive, she'd have a chat with Specialist Klein. He sounded like he'd be interesting to get to know. With that, she moved to her super-soldier's side, helping him direct people into another lifeboat. Nat and Pietro had gone off to help other civilians into the lifeboats that flew all around the circumference of the flying city.
"Thor," Tony suddenly called, "I got a plan!"
Arianna and Steve looked up sharply, exchanging hopeful looks but it dimmed as Thor answered grimly: "We're out of time. They're coming for the core."
"Rhodey," Tony ordered, "get the rest of the people on board that carrier."
"On it." Rhodey answered, and Arianna shared looks with Steve as Tony called, a little teasingly: "Avengers, time to work for a living."
Steve reached out to Arianna, and she hopped onto his back. His arms wrapped themselves securely around her thighs as Arianna took his shield, and the super-soldier took of at a run towards the church, placed exactly in the centre of the city. They arrived at the church, joining most of the team as they assembled, and Arianna was relieved to see Clint looking fine.
He was standing with Wanda, and aside from a few dirt streaks neither seemed to have been hurt. She climbed off Steve, nodding at Clint as relief washed over his face as he gave her a once-over as well, just as Pietro also dashed up.
"You good?" He asked his sister, checking her quickly even as she nodded and replied: "Yeah."
Arianna watched them, taking in the close way they interacted. She'd noticed it before, but it was both intriguing and somewhat heart-warming to see just how much they cared for each other. Well, it was heart-warming now that they weren't teaming up to kill the people she loved.
Arianna caught Wanda's eye as the thought went through her head, and Wanda gave her a tentative smile. Arianna grinned back, making Wanda's smile soften and become more genuine. Steve raised a brow at her, clearly amused.
Arianna elbowed him playfully as Tony called into his comms: "Romanoff? You and Banner better not be playing hide the zucchini."
Arianna laughed as Nat answered teasingly: "Relax, Shell-head. Not all of us can fly."
She joined the team, pulling up in a truck she'd commandeered and, judging from the bits of machinery smashed on the front, used to drive right through several of Ultron's robots. As Nat jumped out, joining Arianna and Clint, she asked: "What's the drill?"
"This is the drill." Tony replied shortly as he pointed to a small metal podium that Arianna realized must be the Vibranium core.
"If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose." Tony continued.
The team's faces became grim, becoming focused once more just as Ultron flew up. Arianna turned with the others to face him as he hovered a few feet away from the church, and Thor shouted defiantly at the robot: "Is that the best you can do?"
Arianna's eyes widened as Ultron simply gestured his hand and an entire army of his robots came running and flying from all over to stand behind their leader. The ex-SHIELD agents' mouths had all parted slightly in horror while Wanda's face paled and Pietro's jaw clenched.
Thor's mouth had also fallen slightly open, while Steve sighed, asking Thor sarcastically: "You had to ask."
Thor glanced back at the super-soldier sheepishly, while Ultron smirked, saying mockingly: "This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted, all of you," he gestured at the Avengers, "against all of me."
Arianna's grip on her pulse knives tightened, and she exchanged looks with Nat as Ultron finished dismissively: "How can you possibly hope to stop me?"
Arianna's jaw tightened at his arrogance, and she was gratified- and a little smug- when Tony answered firmly: "Well, like the old man said."
He glanced at Steve, who looked back in surprise as Tony finished: "Together."
The Hulk roared in agreement, as Tony glanced back at Arianna to see her grinning at him. It was a little tight, given the impending fight, but it was genuine and warmed his heart. Tony turned back to face the army with the rest of his team as Ultron pointed his hand.
The robot army launched itself at the Avengers, who simply took a fighting a stance and met the army head-on. Arianna placed her feet apart in a slight crouch as the robots came at the Avengers from all sides of the circular church, entering through various points in the many archways. The Avengers simply drew themselves in a tight circle around the vibranium core, stopping all robots from coming any closer.
Arianna slashed, kicked, parried and ducked as robots came running and flying in from all directions. Beside her, Clint took out the longer-range targets while Steve covered her on all the ones she missed. Behind them, Nat, Wanda and Thor were pulling and smashing apart robots with their various skills as Tony fired away all the robots coming at them from a distance.
Pietro was running around at light-speed, breaking apart robots as they entered the archways, while Vision took to the air to head off the robots coming in through the collapsed roof. Hulk roared and ran about outside, preventing as many robots as he could from entering the citadel at all.
Steve grabbed a robot in a headlock, snapping its head off as Arianna stabbed a robot and sliced it cleanly in two. She swung around to stab right into a robot Clint had missed, before whirling around to swipe again at a robot Steve held in another headlock grip. Her swing chopped the robot's head off, and she ducked as Steve smashed his shield onto a robot behind her.
The Avengers continued to fight, becoming one defensive body as they each covered one another. Wanda's powers kept any robots from coming closer to the core as DELTA and Steve spread a little further out to take out robots in the middle of the church. Pietro, Vision, Tony, and Thor ran and flew about the small church perimeters and ceilings to take out the robots entering the church and any of the airborne ones that Steve and DELTA missed.
Hulk came running in, finished with his job outside, to help the team as he smashed all the robots in his sight. He joined the Avengers in taking out the remaining robots as Ultron finally joined the fray. The furious robot flew in, tackling Vision and punching him aside.
The android wasn't that easily dissuaded, and Vision quickly retaliated, firing his mind stone power at Ultron and shooting him right in the chest. Ultron went flying out the church, Vision right behind as he kept the beam from his mind stone fixed firmly on Ultron. Thor quickly followed Vision outside, and Tony joined them as the three took on the largest hurdle.
Inside the church, the rest of the Avengers finished off all robots that were left, and Hulk went running outside. Pietro disappeared as well while Arianna bent over, clutching her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
Wanda, Nat, and Clint were in similar conditions, the four exhausted and needing the brief respite. Steve placed a hand on her shoulder, his face equally weary but concerned for her.
"I'm fine." Arianna promised between gasps as she slowly stood upright once more. Steve watched her worriedly, but didn't comment as Nat and Clint also straightened painfully. Wanda, noting their resilience, also grimaced but stood up tall once more.
They all stiffened once more as Thor interrupted, calling sharply: "They'll try to leave the city."
The Avengers inside the church tensed immediately, but Arianna exhaled in relief as Tony replied firmly: "We can't let 'em, not even one. Rhodey!"
"I'm on it." Rhodey answered immediately.
Arianna sighed in relief, but they weren't in the clear yet. Steve was clearly thinking the same as he ordered the Avengers: "We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats."
He nodded at DELTA, adding as he glanced about the city outside: "I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you."
He met eyes with Arianna, who didn't look happy to be separated. But they both knew better than to let personal feelings bias their judgements, and she nodded once in understanding as he finished.
"What about the core?" Clint questioned as he glanced at the vibranium core.
Before anybody else could respond, Wanda answered: "I'll protect it."
They all looked at her in surprise, and Arianna was particularly intrigued when Wanda looked at Clint as she said firmly: "It's my job."
Arianna and Nat glanced at Clint curiously, taking in his somewhat surprised but also proud expression. He nodded once before turning to his girls and calling: "Nat. Ria."
The pair nodded, and Nat followed Clint out as Arianna glanced at Wanda one more time. Clint must've motivated her somehow. Arianna realized. Sometime during the battle… just like he mentored me once.
She met eyes with Wanda as the thought passed through her head, and Wanda nodded slowly. Arianna raised a brow, but simply turned to go after her friends. She noted Steve watching her anxiously now that the others were moving, and she called over her shoulder to the him and Wanda: "See you two back on the boats."
Arianna ran off to join Clint and Nat in a convertible Clint had managed to 'borrow', missing Wanda's momentarily astonished expression and Steve's soft grin.
Wanda P.O.V.
The super-soldier glanced at Wanda once more, as the young woman's face morphed into a small smile. Wanda had been surprised by Arianna's warmer thoughts since the battle had begun, and it made her a little happier- more than she'd thought possible. It was harder to say with the others, but it seemed Arianna had joined Clint and Steve in accepting Wanda and her brother.
Wanda glanced at Steve as the thought passed her mind and she felt his eyes on her. Steve's face was slightly worried as he watched her, his eyes holding concern for the young woman and Wanda was once again struck by the warmth in the Avengers. It was something she hadn't expected, and she nodded back firmly, showing him she could handle things.
Steve finally headed out as well, moving in the other direction from DELTA as he ran towards the city. Wanda watched the man run off thoughtfully before she turned back to the core, ready to do her duty.
There was a flash of silver, and Pietro appeared beside her as he returned from taking out the last of the robots left on the flying city that he could find. Wanda checked him quickly for injuries before she ordered: " Get the people on the boats."
"I'm not going to leave you here." Pietro argued, but Wanda cut him off sternly: "I can handle these."
As though to prove her point, a robot came flying towards them and Wanda swiftly dealt with it, blasting it to pieces with her power. Pietro shrugged in grudging agreement as Wanda finished as though uninterrupted: "Come back for me when everyone else is off, not before."
Pietro hummed in reluctant agreement, starting to move away unhappily and Wanda ordered sharply: "You understand?"
"You know," Pietro said at last as he turned back to his sister, "I'm twelve minutes older than you."
That made Wanda laugh, and she chuckled as she tossed back at her brother: "Go."
Arianna P.O.V.
Arianna rolled her eyes from her seat behind Clint and Nat, as Clint commented while he drove them down the ruined streets: "I know what I need to do. The dining room!"
Nat glanced at Clint and then looked back at Arianna, rolling her eyes as well, while Clint continued, ignoring them as he planned: "If I knock out that east wall, it'll make a nice work space for Laura, huh? Put up some baffling, she can't hear the kids running around, what do you think?"
Clint swerved the car sharply around some debris, while Nat commented easily: "You guys always eat in the kitchen anyway."
"No one eats in a dining room." Clint scoffed, and Arianna pointed out: "You mean, no-one named Barton."
"I don't see you and Cap eating in the dining room, either." Clint pointed out. "Or Nat, or Tony, for that matter."
Arianna shrugged, conceding his point as they arrived by the last lifeboat. Clint stopped the car sharply, just as they heard a roar in the distance. All three heads whipped around in the direction the sound had come from, before Arianna and Clint glanced at Nat.
The redhead was still staring at the area the roar had come from, and Clint pointed out a little worriedly: "We don't have a lot of time."
"So get your ass on a boat." Nat answered flatly as she opened the car door and hurried off. Clint and Arianna watched her go worriedly, before exchanging looks.
"She'll be fine." Arianna said firmly, and Clint shot back: "I know she will."
Neither commented on how it sounded more like they were trying to reassure themselves than each other. 'Sometimes', Arianna thought with a sigh, 'we really do worry too much about each other. And from Clint's face, he's thinking the same thing as I am'.
She grimaced back as Clint, who had been watching her, pulled a face.
"Yeah, who needs mind powers?" Clint said a little sarcastically. "Wanda's powers aren't as impressive as I thought they were."
Arianna snorted as the pair got out of the car, Arianna hopping out the side. She tossed back lightly: "Say that to her face."
"Yeah, and then she'd probably control me to kick myself in the ass." Clint pointed out. Arianna chuckled a little as she and Clint hurried towards the lifeboat, both pausing a little by the boat's edge.
Clint glanced at Arianna as she turned to look out worriedly, and he said softly: "Cap'll be fine, too."
"I know he will." Arianna answered quickly, perhaps a little too quickly, and Clint pointed out: "Cap would kill me if you weren't on the boat when he got back."
Arianna pursed her lips, and Clint sighed before he tugged her gently onto the boat. Arianna stepped backwards as she continued to scan the area, and Hawkeye finally pointed, saying: "You happy, now?"
Arianna's eyes lit up even before she looked in the direction Clint indicated. Steve had appeared out of the dust and debris, leading a few people towards the lifeboat. The super-soldier was also scanning the boat area quickly, and his face softened in relief the instant blue eyes met hazel.
Arianna smiled, and Clint muttered in annoyance: "Yeah, times like this I'm not so happy you've got a boyfriend."
"Shut up, you have Laura." Arianna shot back, making Clint smile just faintly.
It disappeared as he and Arianna tensed and Arianna glanced back as they both heard a woman crying anxiously from inside the lifeboat.
"Costel?" A young, blond woman called worriedly. Clint was already scanning the area intently as Arianna glanced back at the woman before turning back to look around the debris while the woman continued desperately: "We were in the market. Costel?!"
Clint spotted a small, boyish figure trapped beneath some fallen concrete off to one side of the ruined market place. His lips pressed together as Arianna saw the direction of his gaze and also peered through some flames from a burning car to see the same boy, most likely who the woman was looking for.
"I got it." Clint muttered as Arianna made to move. She paused, hesitating as Clint took off at a light jog towards the trapped child.
Arianna watched him worriedly, but relaxed a little as Steve also spotted Clint's movement and kept an eye on the agent. The super-soldier sent the civilians he had been escorting on ahead, and Arianna stepped forward to help the people onto the lifeboat as Tony called: "Thor, I'm gonna need you back in the church."
"Is this the last of them?" Thor asked Steve quickly, nodding at the civilians Arianna was helping onto the lifeboat.
"Yeah." Steve confirmed as he stopped beside Thor, still watching Clint every so often. "Everyone else is on the carrier."
"You know, if this works," Tony called warningly, "we maybe don't walk away."
Arianna tensed as she helped the last person onto the lifeboat, but Thor just answered determinedly: "Maybe not."
Arianna's face filled with worry once more as she turned away from strapping in the last Sokovian, looking back out at Thor and Steve. She relaxed just slightly as Pietro appeared, coming to a stop beside her, and Arianna glanced at him. The pair nodded at each other in silent greeting, Arianna sighing a little. 'At least that was one more back safe.' She thought, before Arianna's eyes slid back over to Clint.
Clint was just pulling the boy out of the rubble and making to head back to the lifeboat when they heard the sound of rapid gunfire coming from Nat's side of the city. Arianna's head whipped around as the Hulk roared, and the Avengers quinjet came zooming around the corner. Her eyes widened and her blood ran cold as Ultron fired once more, the machine laser-gun firing rapidly down onto the ruined streets.
"Steve!" Arianna called sharply as the laser rained down on the super-soldier and Thor, and she almost breathed in relief as Steve barely managed to get his shield up in time to block the blasts. Thor had also dived aside, avoiding the gun firing down in a straight line onto the streets.
But Arianna's relief was short-lived as she saw exactly where the quinjet's path would lead.
"Clint!" Arianna screamed in horror as the agent turned to see the jet's fire coming right towards him. He would never make it, not while carrying the boy- Costel- and it was clear from his expression that he knew it. Clint's face became grim and filled with determination as he simply turned his body to at least shield the boy from the blaster fire. Arianna took a step forward, her body reaching for the man she considered her brother even though she knew there was no way she could reach him in time.
There was a whoosh beside Arianna as a sudden, sharp gust of wind blew passed. Time seemed to slow, and Arianna stared as her foot landed one step off the boat, her brain struggling to comprehend what had happened in that one second. The bullets had rained ever closer to the archer, but even after the quinjet had flown passed, Clint stayed crouched… unharmed, thanks to a car suddenly appearing before him and the boy, shielding the agent from the gunfire.
Arianna's heart dropped like a stone as she stared in horror, watching numbly as Clint slowly lifted his head and saw exactly what, or rather who, had protected him. Clint's mouth dropped open slightly as he stared at Pietro, who met his gaze as he stood, unable to move from where he'd been forced to stop after dragging the car out in front of Clint.
"You didn't see that coming." Pietro murmured with his last breath before he toppled over and fell towards the ground. Arianna finally managed to break free from her frozen stupor, and she ran for the fallen man. She knew he'd be dead, even before he reached the ground judging by the many bullet wounds in his body, bleeding through his suit.
But she couldn't stop herself as she ran over while Clint placed the boy down to bend over and check Pietro's neck. Steve ran over as well, arriving beside Clint just before Arianna did, while Thor turned away grimly before he flew off to do his duty.
Clint met their eyes, and his look said it all. Arianna's eyes filled with sorrow as Steve's face became grim, while Clint turned back to the boy. Arianna leaned down, helping Steve as he bent down and picked up Pietro's body. Steve carried Pietro, following Clint as the archer carried the boy back to the lifeboat.
Arianna walked by Steve's side, none of them saying a word, even as Clint passed the boy into his relieved mother's arms and Steve gently placed Pietro onto the ground in one corner of the lifeboat. Steve glanced at Arianna briefly, his gaze questioning and she nodded.
"I'll stay with him." She confirmed, and Steve nodded as well. He wrapped an arm around Arianna gently, hugging her briefly and she closed her eyes as she leant against him. She accepted his support for one second before she opened her eyes and stood upright once more. Steve let her go, moving to check the city one last time just in case, while Clint came over to join Arianna and Pietro.
Clint sat down heavily on one of the open seats beside Pietro, waving off a medical personnel as he muttered: "No, no. I'm fine."
The man turned to Arianna, who also shook her head without even looking over. Her gaze was fixed morosely on Pietro, occasionally flickering to Clint. His eyes were also trained solely on the Sokovian lying between them, only leaving to glance over at Arianna briefly as he made to lie down.
"It's been a long day." Clint muttered as he lay down on the seats, and Arianna nodded.
"It sure has." She murmured.
Clint didn't say anything else, just keeping his head turned to stare sadly down at Pietro's bloodied form. There were no tears... not yet. They couldn't. Sometimes... sometimes, when it was just too much, not even tears could wash away the pain. Arianna watched over the pair silently, also quietly mourning the young man's loss. They hadn't been friends, but she had the feeling they could have been. And that lost possibility made the grief harder to come to terms with.
There was a loud rumble, and Arianna glanced over to see Steve running back for the lifeboat. She stood up sharply as the city began to fall down, Steve jumping onto the edge of the lifeboat just in time before the ground fell beneath him.
Arianna also moved away from her seat to peer sadly over the side of the lifeboat, watching as Sokovia went into free fall, the flying city picking up speed as it tumbled towards Earth. The lifeboat lifted away, heading towards the Helicarrier, and Arianna's brows knit anxiously. There was no sign of Nat or Bruce, and she had no idea where Wanda was.
Oh, God. Wanda. Arianna realized. Wanda must've felt Pietro's death through her telekinetic powers. It was probably why the vibranium core activated and went into reverse-thrust: Wanda's grief would've distracted the young woman from her task. Not very professional, but only to be expected and really, at the moment, all Arianna could feel was pity for the sibling left behind.
'If she even made it out.' Arianna thought anxiously. She hadn't seen Wanda come out, and if she was still on that rock... It was at that moment when the whole flying city below them cracked, breaking into thousands upon thousands of pieces that rained down more harmlessly into the ocean below.
Unfortunately, while this meant Earth was safe from Ultron's plans, it didn't guarantee Tony and Thor's survival. Tony could easily have been crushed by one of the still enormous pieces of rock, as could Thor. Please, please. Arianna begged in her mind as she leant over the edge of the lifeboat.
Arianna jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder, and she turned to see a wearied Steve. But despite the exhaustion etched across his face, his blue eyes were determined as he looked down at her, while he called over his comms: "Fury, status report on the team?"
"The Hulk carried Romanoff onboard before he jumped after the quinjet and Ultron." Fury replied, and Arianna let out a sigh of relief. That was one.
Steve gave her an encouraging smile, as Fury continued: "Vision also grabbed Wanda Maximoff before Sokovia blew, and they're both safe here. Colonel Rhodes is out looking for Stark and Thor. No word yet on the two, but we did capture a heat signature in the ocean."
"Just one?" Arianna interrupted anxiously.
Clint also lifted his head from his spot on the seats while Steve wrapped an arm tightly around Arianna's shoulders in comfort. Fury replied calmly: "So far, yes, but-"
"Aw, is that all you've got, Nick?" Tony's voice suddenly called over the comms.
Arianna's eyes widened before her face broke into a watery smile while Clint dropped his head again with a small smile and Steve sighed in a mix of relief and annoyance at Tony's cocky tone. Fury answered dryly: "I knew it'd take more than an entire city falling on you to kill you, Stark."
"Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?" Tony wondered.
Steve cut in as he returned to business: "So Thor?"
"Found him, he was in the water. He's fine, I think he's just knocked out." Rhodey called over the comms.
"Bring him up, I'll have medics on standby." Fury ordered.
"Yes, sir." Rhodey called back as Steve added worriedly: "And Banner?"
There was silence for a beat, and Arianna's heart dropped.
"He's gone MIA." Fury replied quietly.
Steve's arm tightened around Arianna, rubbing soothing circles as Tony also remained silent. Fury continued glumly: "His last known position was on the quinjet, where he turned Romanoff's communication off. With the quinjet on stealth mode, our hands are tied."
The team lapsed into silence. Tony and Arianna's tinkering had ensured the quinjet was completely untraceable in stealth mode, even to their own tech. Little had they known that would come back to bite them - hard - in the asses.
'Now we've lost Bruce as well.' Arianna thought sadly. 'Poor Nat.'
It was looking like a very bad day for the women on the Avengers team, if you could count Wanda as an Avenger now. And even though the losses were less of a blow for Arianna, she felt each keenly and she mourned for both the men they'd lost and the women left behind to deal with the heartbreak.
Steve wrapped his other arm around Arianna, hugging her close, knowing how she was feeling. Arianna welcomed the warmth that he provided, and despite her heavy heart, she felt a little better as she laid her head against Steve's chest and felt his strong arms around her, grateful that at least, he was alive and beside her.