Disclaimer – I do not own anything you recognise. The Avengers and the characters therein, belong to Marvel.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Hulk roared in challenge, and it was like a dam burst at the sound. Ultron's sentries launched forwards, some running, some soaring through the air and other clambering over the crumbled rocks like insects.

The Avengers immediately closed ranks around the core. Nadia swallowed thickly, her mouth dry and throat tight, but she gathered what courage she had left for the fight ahead.

The sentries descended on them like a wave, but they were promptly beaten back. Thor swinging his hammer in deadly circles, Natasha firing her guns with lethal accuracy and Clint using what arrows he had left in conjunction with the sharp ends of his bow. Steve merely used his shield or his fists to beat his enemies back, and Tony used his repulsors to shoot the robots right out of the sky. Wherever there was a gap in their protective circle, Pietro covered it, moving so quickly it appeared as if he was in multiple places at once, shredding the sentries down to confetti. The Hulk took great pleasure in ripping the sentries arms and legs off, even using his teeth to bite the head off one. Vision covered them from the air, while Nadia and Wanda used their powers to pull the metal menaces apart.

The piles of robot bodies grew higher around them the longer the battle went on, but no sentry was getting through the Avenger's barricade. Nadia realised quickly that her knives weren't helping all that much against her enemies, and so took to using the elements to drive them back. Her fire melted them down to blobs, her earth swallowed them up into the ground and her air tore them apart. She had no water available, but the sentries bodies were all filled with oil and with a simple gesture, they crumbled like paper in her fist.

Their numbers depleting, Ultron himself joined the fray, attacking Vision in his frustration, but the android was more than a match for him, especially when Vision began to use the power of the gem in his head. Tony and Thor followed Vision out of the church, seeking to land a devastating blow to Ultron.

Suddenly the field was clear, and the sentries were defeated. The metal bodies littered the floor, oil leaking and making the ground slick. Panting, Nadia glanced around, her teeth on edge and hands shaking.

'Is that all of them?' she wondered aloud. Natasha met her gaze.

'No. Some of them retreated.'

'They'll try to leave the city,' Thor said.

'We can't let 'em, not even one. Rhodey!' Tony sounded out of breath and panicked.

'I'm on it!' Rhodey replied quickly.

Nadia quickly assessed her remaining teammates, eyes searching for any injuries that were dire. Finding none that concerned her, she let out a small breath of relief.

'We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin.' Steve instructed, 'You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you.'

'I'll come with you,' Nadia volunteered. Aside from Steve, she was the best equipped to handle the high altitude. In fact, the others were looking a little pale and were breathing a little shallower than normal.

'What about the core?' Clint asked, gesturing with his bow.

'I'll protect it.' Wanda quickly offered. Clint shot her a look and she gave him a small smile. 'It's my job.'

Clint nodded in assent and then looked at Natasha. 'Nat, this way.'

Steve and Nadia took off in the other direction, keeping to a steady jog that had Nadia thanking heaven that she had insisted on accompanying Steve on his early morning runs. They were able to cover ground quite quickly, finding a few families huddled in the rubble of crumbling buildings, scared and crying. They slowed their progress to a brisk walk, so that the civilians could keep up with them as they wound their way through the streets towards the lifeboats.

'What were you going to say before?' Nadia asked suddenly, the thought popping into her head. Steve frowned in confusion.

'When?'

'Before. When we were in front of the town hall and we all thought that…well…' Nadia trailed off with a shrug. She caught when Steve's eyes widened in comprehension and to her astonishment, what seemed to be a blush crept up the back of his neck, although it was hard to tell with all the dust that he was covered in. 'You seemed like you were going to say something.'

Steve shook his head. 'It's not important now. We can talk about it later.'

Nadia looked away from him, surprised. 'It was important enough to say at the end of the world, though?'

Steve didn't dignify her with an answer, but she swore the pink tinge on his cheeks and neck grew brighter. That only piqued her curiosity more.

'I promise to tell you when we have our feet safely back on the ground.'

'I'm holding you to that, Rogers.' She replied, just as they turned the corner into the main courtyard in front of the town hall. The stragglers they had found hurried towards the safety of the lifeboats.

Thor stepped forwards, his ripped scarlet cape fluttering behind him. 'Is this the last of them?' he asked, watching as the remaining Sokovian civilians boarded the lifeboats.

'Yeah. Everyone else is on the carrier.'

'You know, if this works, we maybe don't walk away.' Tony said sombrely through the comms.

'Maybe not.' Thor agreed.

Nadia placed her hands on her hips and glanced around the deserted area. There were three lifeboats standing nearby, each bustling with people as they hunched together, holding their dear ones close.

Gunshots rang through the air and Nadia whipped around. Their quinjet had been hijacked, and was now firing huge rounds down upon them. Steve quickly grabbed Nadia around the waist, pulling her into his chest and swivelling around, his shield pressing into her back as they ducked behind a statue nearby. She shut her eyes as she gripped his uniform tightly in both hands, her forehead pressing into his shoulder. Somewhere she heard the Hulk roaring in outrage. But just as soon as the gunshots started, everything went silent.

Steve was practically crushing her to his chest, using his body as a shield against any potential threats from her. In the ringing silence, he pulled away, meeting Nadia's eyes for a moment before they disentangled themselves and turned to look in the direction that the quinjet had flown – just in time to see Pietro Maximoff fall.

Thor took off into the sky, presumably to meet Tony at the core, and Steve snapped his shield onto his back. They both took off running towards Pietro at the same time, skidding a little in the dirt when they reached him. Nadia's stomach rolled in horror as she fell to her knees beside the boy.

Pietro had been shot multiple times, the bullet holes the size of golf balls. Blood poured from his wounds, but his eyes were open and stared ahead glassily. Clint stepped out from behind the car, his eyes wide as he looked down at the young boy. Nadia gently touched her fingers to the side of his neck. Finding no pulse, she pressed her lips together in a firm line as she closed Pietro's eyes.

'He's gone.' She said rather unnecessarily. Steve's jaw clenched and Clint pressed his eyes shut.

The picture before them couldn't be clearer. Clint had spotted the little boy that lay next the car still within the city and had gone to retrieve him. But unknowingly had stepped into the line of fire as Ultron had shot at them. Pietro had obviously seen what was about to happen, and pushed the car in front of both Clint and the little boy, saving their lives.

But at the cost of his own.

'Come on. We have to move.' Steve said gently. Nadia got back to her feet, feeling older than her years. Steve leaned down gently and gathered Pietro into his arms, turning towards the nearby lifeboat. Clint cradled the little boy close as he followed Steve, a shocked expression on his face. Nadia brought up the rear, eyes scanning for any remaining sentries that Ultron may send their way.

Steve lay Pietro on the floor of the lifeboat, taking care to be gentle. After reuniting the boy with his family, Clint stepped close to where Pietro lay and lowered himself onto the seats closest to him and closed his eyes. Nadia swallowed thickly, turning away from them and taking one last look around for stragglers, her steps loud in the silence of the abandoned town. She and Steve were the last ones on the Sokovian meteor.

For a breath, everything was calm, and then Nadia's stomach rolled like she had just missed the bottom step on a set of stairs. She turned towards Steve and shoved him with all her might towards the lifeboat, just as the ground underneath dropped out from under them. Steve landed safely on the ramp of the lifeboat and Nadia hovered in the air, the currents holding her aloft. She checked to make sure he was okay before casting her eyes downwards, on the enormous rock that was hurtling towards earth, powered by vibranium thrusters.

Without waiting, she dropped from the air, letting gravity carry her. She heard Steve call out to her in alarm, but his voice was lost on the wind. She was in her element; the sky was as familiar to her as the earth and she had no fear of falling.

'Thor, on my mark.' Tony said, his words jumbled. In response, the sky lit up with lightning, striking silvers and blues in the dust-darkened sky. 'Now!'

A huge thunderclap followed by an explosion echoed across the mountains as Thor and Tony destroyed the meteor. If fell apart like a sponge cake, crumbling and collapsing in on itself. Tonnes of rock and debris fell towards the earth below and Nadia halted her downward descent and took a breath. She held out her hands and pulled. There was the familiar singing in her blood when she used her powers and she grit her teeth together. She was already tired from the battle, but she could not in good conscience let the people on the ground be crushed by whatever remained of the meteor.

At her command, the dirt, rocks and boulders halted in mid-air. Anything metal she had to stop using air, and the effort made her gasp. She'd never used two elements like this before, and her arms shook with the effort. She inhaled, and on the exhale, she brought her hands together in a clap that echoed for miles. The rocks collided with each other, grinding and smashing to harmless dust pieces. The metal she pulled apart with sheer will through the air, tiny pockets deep in the material her source. Nadia inhaled again, steadying herself as she felt incredibly weak, and on the exhale let go of her control. The dust and metal particles that made up Sokovia's main city floated away like a cloud, harmless and quiet.

Rubbish, clothes and pieces of furniture were beyond her control, but they splashed harmlessly into the lake nearby, missing what remained of the town, thankfully. Fatigue settled so deep into Nadia she felt in in her bones, and she lost all control. She hurtled towards the lake below, the deep blue water rushing up to meet her faster than she thought possible. Panic set in, and she motioned to the water and then drew her arms in and above her head, pulling the water up to meet her halfway and draw her into the freezing depths. The temperature was a shock, like ice had been injected directly into her veins. Her fatigue gone in the face of hypothermia, Nadia kicked for the surface, gasping in a deep breath when she broke amongst the waves.

Panting, she looked around for the shore, and frowned when she saw a familiar head of blond hair surface not too far from her. Heart drumming in her chest, Nadia swam over to the figure quickly, their face becoming clearer the closer she got.

'Thor!' she called out over the waves and he spun in the water towards the sound of her name. Relief and anxiety flitted across his face at seeing her, and he paddled to meet her halfway.

'Are you alright?' he asked, reaching a hand out to her arm and gripping her tightly. Nodding because her teeth were chattering too hard to answer, Nadia gestured towards the bank of the lake.

'C-c-come o-o-on, b-b-before w-we fr-re-ee-ze.' She said, nearly biting her own tongue off as she did so. Thor's lips turned down in displeasure at her predicament, but there wasn't much he could do. So they set out of the shore, kicking and splashing through the icy waters.

The bank was made of cobbled stones, worn smooth by the waves over years of exposure. Nadia dragged her body from the water and lay on the stones in a heap, gasping for breath in the cool air. She was so tired, her whole body ached, but she kept her eyes fixed on Thor, who was hunched on all fours, soaking wet and trying to get his own breathing under control. Breathing deeply, Nadia felt the heat that resided deep within her own body still and sat up, bringing her hands over her mouth and nose and she exhaled hot flames over her skin. She kept breathing fire for a few moments until she felt less unstable in her own skin.

'Are you feeling better?' Thor asked, his lips a little blue.

'A bit. Are you alright?'

'I'll be fine.' He waved a dismissive hand and sat down, crossing his legs and turning his eyes upwards. 'I've been in colder places than this.'

They sat side by side, the air around them a little warmer than it had been thanks to Nadia's fire-breath. Her bones still ached and her eyelids felt heavy, but she fought off sleep. The scratches and cuts on her body began to sting and bruises would no doubt be forming all over her body in lovely shades of purple.

Thor pointed into the sky, 'Look!'

Following his arm, she saw a huge shape emerge from the dust and clouds, the familiar chopping sound of the helicarriers engines bringing a smile to her face. The enormous vessel manoeuvred like a dream. Reaching up to her ear to speak to Steve, her face fell when she found that her device had fallen out.

'Do you still have your comms?' she asked, but Thor shook his head.

'It fell out when I hit the water.'

They watched at the helicarrier landed in the large open area a couple hundred yards away. As the engines powered down, Nadia wobbled to her feet, her head spinning. Thor followed her lead, getting to his own feet and they began to walk around the lake, the crunch of pebbles under their boots and their frostbitten breaths the only sounds between them.

The ramps of the helicarrier lowered, six doors the size of barns, and the people of Sokovia began to disembark. SHIELD agents that had arrived on the helicarrier scurried amongst them, helping the elderly or injured off and medics racing about. Nearly all of them were wrapped in fluffy orange thermal blankets as they trudged towards what remained of the town.

Nadia spotted Natasha and Steve the moment they disembarked the helicarrier, Nat's bright hair and Steve's shield was always a dead giveaway. They were looking around frantically, but it was Steve who spotted Nadia and Thor. He broke into a sprint, tearing down the bank of the lake so fast it was almost impossible.

As he got closer, his expression became clear and it was full of worry but he didn't slow his speed and Nadia held her arms out and open to him. When he reached them, he skidded to a stop in front of her, kicking up rocks as he went, and swept her up into an embrace, crushing her body into his chest. She could feel his arms trembling, his warm breath on her neck and the grip her hand on her as he held her to him.

Nadia took a moment to be thankful. She was alive, and so was he. The world was safe once again, and her family had made it out of an impossible situation. She tangled her fingers into his hair and burrowed her face deeper into his neck, feeling it was a little easier to breathe.

'You weren't answering on comms.' He mumbled into her neck, 'I was so worried.'

''M fine. I lost the earpiece when I hit the water.' She replied, neither of them loosening their grip on one another. The tension in Steve's shoulders and back was relaxing the longer he held her, and Nadia was in no rush to break their embrace. He was so warm and she greedily stole it from him, her own body still shivering a little from her dip in the lake.

'Jesus Rogers.' Natasha panted as she finally caught up to them, 'I think bullets have left guns slower.'

She felt him smile against her neck, and finally eased his arms from around her, setting Nadia's feet back on the ground. Thor had been watching them with a small smile on his face and Nadia's cheeks tinged pink.

Natasha barrelled forwards and yanked Nadia into a bone-crushing hug, her own relief evident in the gesture. It was a quick embrace, and Natasha was soon stepping back and wrapping an orange blanket around her friend shoulders. She offered the other to Thor who took it with a murmured thanks.

'Are you alright?' Natasha asked and Nadia nodded.

'Yeah. Just tired. You?'

Her grin was a little wobbly, but Natasha replied, 'Never better.'

'Where are the others?' Thor wondered. Steve put a protective arm around Nadia as they all turned and walked back towards the helicarrier.

'Tony and Rhodey are in what remains of the city coordinating search and rescue. Clint is in the med-bay. He's going to be okay, just needs a couple of stitches.' Steve replied. 'Wanda is with her brother.'

Pietro's blank face flashed in Nadia's minds-eye and she shivered again. Steve's grip around her shoulders tightened.

'Vision?'

'He's sweeping for any remaining sentries that Ultron could use to escape. He won't let them get far.'

'What about Bruce?' Nadia asked. 'Has he shrunk down yet?'

There was an awkward hesitation before Natasha answered. 'He's gone.'

'Gone?' Nadia repeated, 'Gone where?'

'We don't know. He took the quinjet that Ultron hijacked. It was still in stealth-mode and we can't track it that way. He was still the Hulk the last time I saw him, but…' She trailed off with a shrug, but the rest was clear.

Bruce was gone. And he wasn't coming back.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. Nadia had lived and worked beside Bruce Banner for years now, had considered him a friend even, and he just…leaves? No warning, no goodbye. What made the entire thing worse, was the devastation in Natasha's eyes that she was fighting so hard to conceal.

Nadia slipped her free hand into Natasha's and gave it a squeeze. Natasha didn't let go until they reached the helicarrier.