The golden magic rose like a tide and swept everything in its way: cars, still running people, buildings, trees… the team. Embraced it all, taking it inside and trapping it like dense tree sap. In the midst of the magic, people started to scream.

'Take the civilians out of here!' They heard someone order the shield agents- too late.

Clint closed his fist around the amulet dangling from a cord around his neck, and waited for the nightmarish visions to unfurl before his eyes. Down on the ground, Steve lifted his shield and tensed. A few meters away, Natasha trained her gun on the beast and fired without pause. Inside the jet, away from the magic grasp, Bruce's breath caught inside his throat. Auburn eyes trained onthe shining metal suit flying through the golden field, still in close combat with the dragon-like creature.

'Do you think he will need help?' The yellow monster inside hissed mockingly. 'You think he will go through the same agony again? That he will call for you?' He toyed with his fears like playing piano keys, before Hulk silenced him again. Bruce closed his fingers on the bench he was sitting on and said nothing. His eyesfocused once more on the red and golden form, fast and violent in the storm that was quickly rising above New York.

Tony waited a second once he was immersed in the golden hue, expecting himself to be bombarded by images and pain; but they didn't come. Nervously, the engineer let out a breath he didn't know had been holding. A smirk came to his lips.

It looks the amulets are doing their job.

'Hey, Cap! How do you feel about some roasted dragon?' He called out.

'Don't think I´ve got any mustard, we will have to do without,' Hawkeye's sassy voice came from the com. Not far away Tony could see him, explosive arrow on the bow and firing.

'Focus,' interrupted Captain's exasperated, but fond voice. 'Looks like this creature can't breathe fire when using magic. Go for the head, we have to take this monster out before it starts flaming everything again.'

'Or disappears like the last time,' Natasha added, unmoved by the creature's growl at being shot at, fluidly dodging a lash of its spiked tail.

Suddenly, the light became brighter, turned blindingly white.

'Shield brothers and sister, this magic is to explode!' shouted Thor as he came down from the sky, intent on protecting Natasha, who was too far away from the Captain to be protected by his shield. 'Friend Tony…!'

'I know!' yelled Tony, flying towards Clint even when he could not see him in the violent light – his sensor locating his teammate's position as the brightness came to its impending culminating point. His body collided with the archer's, tackling him to the dirty roof, only a second before the air went up in flames.

The vibration of the blast threw cars against buildings and metal shards and crystal against bodies; people were slammed against concrete and flew through storefronts, and the jet shook like a paper plane hit by a wind blast.

The force threw Steve against a wall, and his back cracked the bricks with the force of the impact. It was only his shield that protected him from the fire and the car fender, that otherwise would have pierced right through him. Thor curled around Natasha, taking her in his arms, his feet planted firmly on the ground. If it hadn't been for that, they would have been blasted away. Still, the flames scorched Thor's cape and burned part of his leather armour. Shoot fell from his fair, singed by fire, strands.

The heat came immediately after the blast, creating an inferno, burning their lungs and throats and taking all the oxygen away. Steve used his free hand to cover his mouth and nose. Natasha did the same with her arm. Thor endured it, unwilling to risk even so little a move and have his shield sister be wounded. Clint – crushed beneath Stark's heavy metal armour – also pressed a hand against his lower face, coping with it as best he could.

Then – as suddenly as it came –it was all gone, leaving behind agonized screams, black sulphurous smoke, blood, and destruction – but no dragon.

'Fucking fuck!' grumbled Hawkeye, coughingfrom the lingering smoke. 'You all ok?'

Steve took in his surroundings; the dragon was gone, but left a massacre on its way. People could be seen gutted and mauled, and heard thrown the debris, asking for help, crying and shouting. S.H.I.E.L.D. had vacated nearly the entire street, but there had still been civilians there. Steve grunted and managed to get to his feet, if a little shaken up. A good hundred meters away, Thor lifted his head and slowly let Natasha go, showing Cap, with a gesture of his hand, that they were okay.

'We are all…' he stopped mid-sentence, because no, everyone was not well 'the team's ok, Hawkeye. How are you and Iron Man?'

'I think we're ok' came Clint's voice.

Steve let out a sigh, relieved that his team was safe, but couldn't get rid of the painful squeezing of his heart upon seeing so much pain, sadness and rage. He pushed it aside to help, and went to the nearest to him woman, trapped under what seemed to be a twisted lamppost.

'Please, please help me…' she muttered, shaking. She was an elderly lady with white hair. Now dyed stark red with blood.

`Don't worry miss, we will take you out of here,' he said and immediately started lifting the scraped metal. Thor, Natasha, and some SHIELD agents that had survived the explosion and weren't too badly injured started helping, too.

oOo

Bruce shook his head slightly, getting rid of the momentary disorientation caused by the sharp movements the jet had just made.

'You ok?' asked the pilot.

'I'm good. What about the team?' He remembered listening to some conversation through his earpiece, but he had been too confused by the jet shaking in the air, to make much of it.

'They seem to be ok. Cap, Thor and Black Widow are helping the wounded.'

'And Hawkeye and Iron Man?' Bruce felt dread speed his heartbeat.

'Haven´t seen them yet.'

The scientist lifted a hand to his earpiece.

'Iron Man… Tony, can you hear me?'

'You think he could be dead?' the creature inside him laughed.

Bruce swallowed, eyes fixed on the destruction far below, Hulk roaring inside.

oOo

'Hey, Tony, care to move? I'm not implying you're fat…, but your armour weights a ton.' Silence.

'…Tony? You there, buddy?' The armour suddenly felt a lot heavier than before. 'Tony? Tony! Can you hear me?' There wasn't any answer. 'Fuck!'

Immediately, Clint wiggled underneath Tony, dread weighting him down like a rock inside his chest. They had been the nearest to the beast, and the closest to the epicentre of the explosion. The damage something so strong could have caused… Hawkeye clenched his teeth, and finally got out from underneath the armour. He sat up, looked at his friend… and cursed.

'Cap, we need help over here!'

It looked like some huge debris had hit the armour with enough force to dent it inwards. The left flank of the armour was totally wrecked, dark blood oozing from the wounds. Clint forced Tony on his back, searching for the slot that would open the helmet. It took a very long minute, but finally he found it. The metal unlocked, uncovering Tony Stark's painfully pale face. Mercifully, he was breathing – if shallowly.

'What happened, Hawkeye?' Cap's strained voice came from his earpiece.

'The explosion destroyed the left flank of Tony's armour. He's unconscious and bleeding, and I can´t assess the damage with so much metal covering the wound.' As he was speaking, Clint took his leather vest off and pressed it to the wound, slowing the blood flow. 'Cap…!' A roar cut him off. An incredibly strong roar they knew very well.

'Hulk.'

To be continued

Gaia: Thanks for lifting my spirits and don´t worry, I will be updating soon. I had a little delay since I wasn´t home for a few days, but hopefully it won´t happen again. ^^ Yeah, Bruce didn´t have enough with only the green monster. Marvel obviously though he needed a yellow one, and I agree wholeheartedly. XD (The Devil Hulk is character from Marvel comics, I didn´t invent it, just took the thing and twisted it some more XD) I´m happy you think the narrative was well constructed. ^^ And remember; I´m evil. So don´t hate me when the next chapter comes up. XD (I´m answering here since you werent connected when writing your review.)