Giant robot bugs. Again. Couldn't something be stolen without genetically manipulated creatures or hordes of themed machines being involved?
"Any communication from Stark or Spade?" Rogers asked, cutting an ant in half with his shield, making sparks fly from the robot.
Natasha rolled her eyes. Their most recent marksman had asked them to call him Spade, no doubt hoping it would help endear him to the Avengers, and they would, in turn, not send him on his way, like all of the others. It wasn't working. But Rogers was nice enough to use the call-sign and humour the kid.
"I have heard nothing from them," Thor said, hand going to his ear. "Should Stark not be here by now?"
"Something's wrong," Rogers said, noting what Natasha was just noticing, how close the others were. Usually they were separated more during a battle, by multiple city blocks, even.
"They drew Hulk away and it quieted down." The giant bugs had stilled. Her sense of dread spiked.
"Get out of the open," Steve ordered, as he started sprinting to the nearest building. "Now!"
Natasha quickly disappeared into the shade of an alley.
A grunt sounded over the comms and she turned in time to Thor hit the ground. Her eyes immediately moved up the buildings.
"We've got a sniper!" she called out.
"Thor's not moving."
"Did you see where the shot came from?" Natasha asked.
"No. Where are Spade and that SHIELD team?"
The comms crackled and then Stark's voice cut through, "They got held up. Looks like someone wanted you guys alone; they're trying to block any communication in and out of your area. Good thing I'm a genius."
"What's your ETA?"
"About two minutes. Traffic's great up here."
"Can you still talk to SHIELD?"
"Yeppers."
"We need medical; in the area and on standby. Thor took a hit and is not moving."
"What do you mean 'he's not moving'? I thought we were dealing with oversized bugs again. What the hell could they do when bullets bounce off him?"
"Well this bullet went through." Natasha snapped.
Tony went silent for a good fifteen seconds, then he was back, his voice deadly. "A sniper?"
Natasha winced internally. Ever since the Harlem River incident, Stark had been obsessed with finding the sniper responsible for Clint's death. Anyone that had dared take credit for it had quickly changed their minds when faced with Stark's wrath.
"Looks that way," Rogers sighed. "Do you see a vantage point Widow? My position's a little too open to look."
Natasha quickly peeked around the corner. Rogers was in a building's entryway, hiding behind a pillar.
"I couldn't see where the shot came-"
She was interrupted by a cry from Rogers. She glanced around again and saw Rogers, on the ground, holding his shoulder.
"Cap is down!" She saw the angle. The shooter was on her side of the street. Her eyes were drawn back to Steve as he cried out in pain again and began to convulse. It was then that she saw the dart in his arm. She swore as she turned and raced to the apartment building's fire escape and began climbing. "The shooter's ready for us, Stark, you need to stay away."
"Say again?"
"They lured the Hulk away, they had a bullet that was able to hurt Thor, Rogers' metabolism breaks down just about anything and he's convulsing on the ground right now. This isn't an attack on the city, they're after us."
Tony went silent again. "Is Thor dead?"
Natasha paused a half a second on the ladder, then rolled over the top and onto the roof, landing silently and low. "I don't know."
"I'll be there is ten seconds."
"No, Stark!" She quietly hissed. She needed to move fast. Where was the sniper? To have a clear shot to Steve's arm… she started sprinting over the roof tops, but she couldn't see anyone.
"Coming in behind you," Stark announced.
Natasha turned around and saw Stark, headed straight to her, when a whistle sounded behind him, getting his attention.
No.
The sniper had moved.
Tony turned around as she caught sight of a masked shooter. As he let an arrow fly.
"Stark!"
The arrow hit his chest, through his armor and straight into the arc reactor.