When will this end?!

I stand on the side of a mostly destroyed road, surrounded by partially destroyed buildings and the chaos of an attempt at at world-take-over. I'm ushering as many people as possible into a large bank that has seemed to go unnoticed by the Chitauri so far, breathing heavily as I watch terrified people pour into the relative safety of the building. I've faced only a few Chitauri today by sheer luck, and managed to keep my magic a secret from the masses since I am usually able to surprise the Chitauri and kill them quickly. But I'm becoming concerned. I don't know how much longer we can hold these brutes off. The NYPD is being overwhelmed, and I have nearly revealed myself a couple of times saving policemen's lives. The Avengers are doing their best, and I've caught glimpses of most of them fighting off Chitauri from time to time, but there's only six of them. We need more help.

"I think that's as many as we can hold!" I shout to the nearest police officer. She looks at me, face covered in grime and exhaustion. The first responders are tiring, too.

"I'll take these people to the-"

Suddenly, an explosion right where the officer was just standing throws me backwards. I land on my back harshly, but quickly stand back up, leaping out of the way of another blast from a Chitauri foot soldier. Flicking my wrist, I summon Loki's knife again, and pray that it is enchanted to always hit its target. Then I send it flying at the Chitauri that just killed the police officer. To my grim satisfaction, the knife buries itself deep in the alien's chest, ending its miserable life. But a moment later, multiple other Chitauri appear out of nowhere, frightening the people even more. The people instantly scatter, most of them trying to get inside the bank. The Chitauri follow them, shooting at random and killing many. I do my best to kill several of them in return, but there are too many. Loki's knife in my hand is now covered in blood, and I am tiring quickly.

Then, I hear the sound of guns firing, and I look down the street to see the US Army pouring into the streets, shooting at the Chitauri. My spirits are lifted for a split second, but then I realize they won't make it here in time. The bank is surrounded by Chitauri, the people inside cornered like rats. I throw Loki's knife once more, hitting my target, and then summon it back to me, jumping behind a pillar. How in the nine realms am I going to-

A loud crash interrupts my thoughts, and I look up to see a flash of red and blue disappear inside the second story window of the bank. Captain America! My spirits lifted once more, I emerge from behind the pillar, throwing the knife and catching a couple of Chitauri at the door to the bank off guard. A brief fight ends with both dead at my feet, and I reach down, pulling the knife out of one of them. Then, an explosion from above startles me, and I watch in amazement as Captain America comes flying out of the window and crash lands on the hood of a car not fifteen feet from where I stand. He lies there for a moment, wincing in pain, and then slowly pulls himself up and off of the car. Then more first responders arrive in a fire truck, rushing inside the bank and pulling the people out, checking for injuries. I watch them, breathing heavily, and wipe the knife off on one of the dead Chitauri, sending it back to wherever it came from. Then I stumble away from the entrance to allow the first responders better access to the people inside. When I turn to look back at the Captain, he's gone.

Since the US troops have this area under control now, I head back down the street towards Stark Tower, watching warily for any hostiles. I can hear the echoes of Hulk's roaring from another area of the city, the screams of terrified humans, and the explosions resulting from Chitauri shooting at the Avengers and/or civilians. This battle is about to end, but it's not over yet. I watch the skies, looking for Loki, Natasha, and Clint. They should be here any—

Just then, more shooting erupts from behind me, and I spin around, shading my eyes. A smirk crosses my face, and I stand still, watching the next scene—er, event—unfold with satisfaction. Natasha, riding atop a Chitauri alien and controlling a flying craft, is being chased down by my former captor. I haven't seen Loki since last night, but it feels like it's been a month. Or longer. I watch as he shoots at the Black Widow unsuccessfully, and I can almost feel his annoyance from here. She swerves her craft from side to side, coming closer and closer to me with each passing second. All of Loki's shots go wide of his target, and I can't help but snicker. The great Loki of Asgard, unable to take down one woman. Natasha takes her craft up in the air, almost right over my head. She's headed for Stark Tower, but she's also trying to get the would-be king in Hawkeye's sights. I crane my neck, looking up at the tops of nearby buildings, and can just barely spot Clint because of the mid afternoon sunlight glinting off of his arrow heads. He releases an arrow straight towards Loki, and a moment later, Loki's craft explodes in midair. I see a flash of green falling from the sky onto Stark Tower, and I wince. "Oh, I bet that hurt."

Then the Hulk leaps up into the Tower, and I can hear his roar of fury from here.

"Aaaaaand I bet that hurt worse." I laugh slightly, knowing what just happened to the god of mischief, but I'm too tired and upset to do much else. Then, another explosion above me startles me, and I look up to see chunks of building hurtling towards me yet again. More Chitauri have just entered the area, and destroyed Clint's lookout, sending part of the top of the building hurtling towards the ground. I dive out of the way of the falling debris, just barely avoiding getting squashed like a bug. Showers of dust and concrete particles rain down on me, but it doesn't hurt like I expected it to. I pull myself up, looking at my elbows and hand side. They're only barely scratched, but I landed pretty hard on them when I threw myself to the side.

I shake my head in confusion, and continue walking towards the Tower. I don't really have a solid purpose in going there, but I suppose that the fact that everyone I know in this world will congregate there shortly is drawing me towards it. Besides, when will my next chance to get inside Stark Tower without having to go through security come? Probably never. Decision confirmed.

I walk up to the tower's entrance, and am annoyed to find a couple of Loki's men still standing guard. Are you kidding me? They've just been standing here throughout this whole attack?! I turn myself invisible before they see me, walk up to them, and take one of the men's high-tech rifles out of his hands. This causes both of them to jump with surprise, but I use the butt of the rifle to knock one out before either one can do anything. Unfortunately, the other guard's response is to raise his own rifle, point it in my direction, and start shooting blindly while backing up. I throw myself to the ground, but my shoulder gets grazed anyway. I gasp with pain, but am forced to ignore it for the time being. As soon as the guard stops shooting, I carefully stand, rush over to him, and slam the butt of the rifle into his head, knocking him out cold. I breathe a sigh of relief when he collapses at my feet, and decide to stay invisible for the moment, just in case there are other guards in the tower. I look down at the rifle in my hands. I think I'll keep you, too.

I step inside the tower warily, just as I hear what sounds like thunder outside. I frown, and glance back outside, my eyebrows lifting when I see alien crafts falling from the sky, and Chitauri foot soldiers collapsing to the ground. One corner of my mouth turns upward. They did it. The battle is over. I look around at the destruction caused by these creatures, remembering a small family of five, and the creatures that lowered that count to four. My grip on the rifle tightens. Good riddance.

Now to deal with their leader.

Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for reading! That's a wrap on the battle. Next up, Loki and the Avengers.

AuthorsDream, signing off.