Clint flew this ship a lot better than me, even with one of its wings destroyed and a giant hole in the back. I moved to sit in the back seats as Nat joined him in the front and peered out of the back as Cap joined me.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, seemingly not wanting the two agents to overhear. "You don't look so good."
"I'd feel better if we could just get back," I agreed, gripping the seat tightly as the ship jerked suddenly, one of my hands brushing against his. "Sorry."
"Its fine," he replied with a smile and shifted to hold it properly. "Don't worry- we'll definitely get back."
I squeezed his hand as I swallowed nervously, all the determination and ardour of my previous efforts having drained me emotionally and physically. Hoping that this would all be over soon so we could get back and forget this all ever happened, that the Chitauri forces here would never reach Earth and we could all sit back and laugh about this.
"We've spotted the Tesseract," Clint said and we both jumped up, standing behind their seats as we looked through the cracked screen. Sure enough, in the distance there could be seen the familiar blue glow of the cube. "It's time to get our ride home."
As he spoke, another red light began to flash on the dashboard and the one remaining wing on the left side shuddered, the engine beginning to smoke violently. With that engine failing even Clint was having difficulty making the ship stay straight and it began to spin violently as it headed towards the ground.
"Déjà vu anyone?" asked Steve as we crashed into the ground again, hitting a regiment of Chitauri as we landed.
I was less prepared this time and felt my bones rattle in my body as we hit the ground. Within moments the Chitauri hoards were clambering onto the ship, Nat and Steve pulling me behind them as they started to battle, Clint preparing his bow and arrows as we forced them out and onto the open ground.
"Stay close," Clint told me as he began firing off arrows and I nodded wordlessly as I stood next to him, looking around for some sort of weapon I could use to defend myself. A Chitauri dropped dead by my foot and I picked up the long, thin gun that I had often seemed them using.
I'd never really told anyone, or given it any serious thought before, but I found that the killing of Chitauri didn't bother me. I figured though that it was because they weren't, and indeed didn't look, very human- instead more like hideous monsters. Loki I'd only been able to blast because I was ticked off at the time, but I don't think I could hurt another person.
All this I contemplated as I shot at them, many of the shots hitting their armour and doing nothing except to ward them off slightly.
"I can't see why Fury wanted to send you back," Clint said to me, in a tone that was usually reserved for talking about trivial things such as the weather. "You're very… adaptive to these situations."
"Finding out you're in a fictional world tends to do that to you," I replied in the same tone. "Makes everything else less shocking."
We were now fully surrounded by the Chitauri and struggling to make fast progress to the Tesseract.
"Do you have a plan?" Nat asked Steve, who had copied my idea and had took one of ther weapons to stop them venturing too close. "Because we're in trouble here."
"They're sending the ships over," I told the others as those bizarre two-man… bikes or whatever sped over. "Quite a few of them."
"Big trouble," corrected Nat and she fired at one, smoke erupted out the bottom before it exploded and knocked another out of the sky.
"And a Leviathan is making its way over," I observed, watching the large creature snake its way here, its fins skimming the heads of the advancing army.
"Really big trouble."
Obviously we weren't going to be going anywhere soon and we formed a circle as we took out advancing troops. But there were plenty to replace the ones we shot and it soon began to feel very hopeless.
"You might want to put this on," said Steve, handing me an earpiece which I quickly put on.
"You only just gave it to her?" I heard Tony say. "And we put you in charge."
"You could give us a hand over here," interrupted Nat before they could start an argument. "We have a Leviathan and several ships making their way over."
"Well I'm trying to take down the mother ships," countered the playboy, and I wanted to punch him as the space around us grew ever smaller. "Ask Blondylocks to help you."
That was when something large and green bolted towards us, ploughing through the Chitauri and vaulting over our heads to land on top of the Leviathan.
"Getting the Tesseract is our priority now Stark, which will be hard to accomplish once the Chitauri have killed us," pointed out Nat. "Get over here."
The genius could be heard sighing before I saw the flash of his armour head towards us, Repulsors firing at the army as he approached. Clouds began to swirl overhead, thunder booming and lightning flashing across the sky.
"That's very nice," I said as it began to rain heavily.
Sorry Miss Attwater, said Thor over the com- who knew he knew how to use it.
"It's fine," I replied with a sigh. "It's a very dramatic way to battle."
"Think we'll win an Oscar?" Tony asked, and shot overhead before coming to land next to us.
"Duck."
We all hit the floor as he used the move he had in Iron Man 2, the red lasers cutting overhead and taking out quite a few of them. There were explosions in the distance as lightning struck down the larger of the ships and the Hulk smashed anything that got too close.
The Chitauri were all hissing and screeching, the rain pouring down and explosions left, right and center. I could barely make out anything with all this noise and relied more on instinct to find the aliens that were most likely to be a threat as they advanced. The ones which gave no thought to their own safety as they leapt to attack us.
"You look like you could use a little help," I heard a voice whisper in my ear. I turned to look but could see nothing but Steve battling several of the aliens. But I didn't have to see the person to know who it was. "Your so-called healing power… it is your magic."
Magic? I had magic? I felt a sense of elation momentarily, but knew that the knowledge wouldn't be much use to me- I wasn't suddenly going to become an all powerful magician. And as if sensing my… dubiousness, a hand grabbed mine and for a split second I wondered what was going on when I felt a sudden weight appear.
"A weapon worthy for my apprentice," whispered the voice.
Apprentice? Since when had I agreed to that. I looked down at my hand and in shock realised that the weapon I had been given was none other than Loki's sceptre. In its mini form. It felt like it was humming with power and for a moment I stared at it before holding it up, firing at the Chitauri.
The ones that had dodged the blast had spotted it and were backing away with a hiss, obviously recognising it and its potential brainwashing capabilities. They didn't know that I had no clue about hot to do that, unless it was just a simple case of poking them in which case beware, and I decided to use that to my advantage as I ran in the direction of the Tesseract, the Chitauri parting as I fired off a few blasts but trying to attack my back which I couldn't defend.
"You're playing a dangerous game here."
I looked to see that Thialfi had reappeared at my side, his green eyes seeming to flash with glee and amusement.
"Care to cover me?" I asked, and the amusement spread to the rest of his face and he fell in step behind me.
"What are you doing?" demanded Steve over the com, making me flinch at the loudness- I'd forgot I turned it up. "You're going to get yourself killed."
"As we all are if we don't get the Tesseract," I countered. "Besides, the stick of destiny is driving them away by just being here."
Obviously only Stark got the reference and for a moment I thought he might spill the beans on that one.
"She'll be fine, Cap," he said. "I think Rock of Ages is finally ready to help."
That he is I thought as I looked back at Thialfi and shook my head in wonder. Sometimes I wondered if his being obvious was all on purpose.
"Good luck," said Tony. "Hopefully you'll do a better job of getting it than I did- they've got that barrier up again."
I just grinned, the realisation that we would be going home soon spurring me on and the fact that we could now win.
"Time to get our ride home."