All I have to say at the start: guys? Not cool. Not cool at all.
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The comm was roaring in Steve Roger's ear, four different voices yelling their confusion and alarm. Iron Man was swearing up a storm, demanding information and eyes on target and generally cursing Loki up, down, and sideways, Hawkeye was telling him to shut up and what the hell was happening up top, Widow was just bursts of static, and Thor was also demanding to know what the heck was going on. Hulk was just a distant roar in the background, blending in with the sounds of the invasion.All Steve knew for sure was that Leah and Natasha had been heading up top when there was a green explosion, and one of the chariots had fallen, unmanned, to the ground next to Stark Tower. Loki had disappeared into the penthouse of the skyscraper shortly after. Everyone was on the ground except for Natasha and Stark, and as long as Romanov's comm was offline, they couldn't get any solid info. Stark couldn't get up there himself as he had to draw a pack of Chitauri off of an office building, and so they really had no idea what had just happened on Stark Tower. -Can anybody even see what the fuck is happening up there?- Iron Man snapped, voice frustrated and angry. Steve ran, trying to get a clear line of sight on the top of Stark Tower. He wove between cars and rubble, smashing Chitauri warriors aside with his shield with just the right amount of force—not too tiring, but it still kept the aliens down. He jumped over a fallen set of streetlights and skidded around a corner, and finally, finally he had a clear view of the Tower.Needless to say, it wasn't looking too good. Chunks had been taken out of it, most of the glass in the windows was shattered, and where it had previously said 'STARK' all that remained was a forlorn 'A.' The blue beam of light was still slicing a hole in the sky, eerie sea-colored portal going strong. Chitauri chariots buzzed around it like a swarm of angry bees, squadrons peeling off regularly to terrorize the streets below. Leviathans were just as terrifying as they had been at the start of the battle, twisting around skyscrapers and moving on, but they, at least, were coming with decreasing frequency. But all that wasn't what made Steve's eyes narrow and zero in on the top of the tower. No, he scrutinized the balcony up top because he saw something that made his heart pound—intermittent flashes of yellow light and blue bolts fading into nothingness when they shot off the edge of the tower. They were getting brighter and brighter, and Steve felt a sick sense of dread."Hawkeye," he said slowly. "You got eyes on our girl?"There was a long pause. -I do now,- came the wary tone eventually. -I'm in position, I've got eyes on target...Loki's on top of Stark Tower—--Then shoot him,- Stark snapped, the noises of his repulsors in the background.- —and Le—Volt is with him,- Clint finished, the dread Steve was feeling in the back of his mind firmly in the marksman's voice."...is she turned?" Steve asked eventually, eyes locked onto the top of the tower, where there was an almighty flash of yellow, and no answering blast of blue. -No,- Hawkeye said immediately. -No, she—she's still fighting. SHIT—- Clint suddenly went silent."What happened?" Steve demanded, hand clenching around the strap of his shield. His entire body was tense, tips of his fingers trembling and he found his feet moving forward at a determined march before he even knew what was happening. He squinted, trying to get a better look at what was happening on top of Stark Tower, but he didn't have the angle Clint did.-He's got her by the throat,- came Barton's tense voice. -Oh, fuck, he has the staff—-Yeah, Steve was running now. He was blocks and blocks away, a lucky break in the buildings the only reason he could see at all. He was too far away, and too slow, and the Tower was too tall for him to be able to do anything, but maybe he'd be able to contain her—-LEAH!-Steve flinched as the comm unit in his ear roared, but that wasn't Clint's voice—that was all Stark, angry and shocked and just plain scared. The Captain skidded to a stop, boots throwing up dust as he froze solid, staring up at Stark Tower because oh, God, Leah. There was a blinding flash of yellow light, and when the spots cleared from Steve's vision, there was a dark form plummeting off the edge of Stark Tower, barely-visible arms and legs flailing as she twisted. The form was almost indistinguishable from the concrete of the tower from this distance, but the sudden, snapping threads twisting around it were a signature. Steve's heart was in his throat, mouth hanging open."STARK, GET HER NOW!" he shouted, fear in every line of his body. -I can't!- came the responding roar from the billionaire, and there was something terrifying in his voice. -I'm pinned down, too far—oh, fuck, someone grab her!-And even as Steve heard the words, he knew they'd be too late. The small figure, twisting in the air, was far too close to the ground for even Tony to save, until it fell out of sight, blocked by a building.There was silence on the comms. Dead silence. Steve didn't move a muscle, and he'd be surprised if anyone else was still fighting. They had already lost someone. A teammate was dead, fallen off a tower, and they hadn't even finished this war yet, one way or another. He hadn't known Leah that well-he certainly wasn't as close to her as Stark or Banner-but she had seemed like a good kid. All Steve could think of was another teammate, another friend of his, falling off a train into a long, long stretch of snow. He was snapped back into the present by an explosion behind him, nearly knocking him off his feet and definitely giving him a wakeup call. Steve spun, bringing up his shield and blinking away the the blurriness in his eyes. They would mourn later. Now, they would avenge her.
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Okay, guys. We're going to have ourselves a little talk.
This talk is about reviewing respectfully.
This is one of the shortest chapters I have ever posted to any story in my entire life. Do you know why? Because I got so many reviews saying 'Dude, not cool' or 'Wow, really?' I'm going to be perfectly frank. You don't know what's been happening with my life outside of the internet. I could offer the usual excuses here, but I know people are going to be fed up with me no matter what, so, I won't.
Guys. Being rude is not going to get me to write faster. In fact, it will only make me more irritated and less likely to write. I've put up with slightly off-color reviews in the past because it was one out of ten, but 80% of the reviews I got for Chapter 10 and the Chapter 11 update? 'OMG WRITE FASTER HOW DARE U LEAVE US HANGING.' I did get some nice reviews, and thank you all very much for that,but overall?
Not. Cool.
So this is me putting my foot down. If I get reviews complaining about how short the chapter is? THE STORY IS DONE. I mean it. I will stop writing, post a final chapter saying how and why the story was canceled, and that will be that. You may call me childish for this, but I am being no more childish than the people complaining about the lack of a chapter.
I am sorry for not posting Chapter 11 when I said I would. But that in no way excuses this behavior. Hence, an ultimatum.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. And, as always: thank you to the pleasant reviewers.
-Hoppiholla