The Hulk's roar had just stopped reverberating in Elsa's ear. And with the number of troops still pouring from the portal… clearly… they'd only seen the first wave of this invasion. This war.
"Call it Captain," Tony offered.
"Barton on that roof . Eyes on everything, call out patterns and strays," Captain Rodgers turned to the Iron Man. "Stark, you've got the perimeter, anything gets more than three blocks out you turn it back or you turn it to ash."
Barton turned to Tony. "Give me a lift?"
"Better clench up Legolas." And they were gone.
"Elsa, your ice is the best defense we've got for civilians. Barton'll direct you relative to the tower. There's ways to the underground dotted around, just get them off the streets." Elsa nodded.
A moment later, Barton's voice echoed in her ear. "I've already got something. Block towards the tower and a block to your right, the Chitauri have people trapped in department store a block towards the tower then a block to your right. Too many to engage at once. Windows are busted though, think you can get them out?"
"I can," Elsa said, and began running. Block… easily understood. At the first large street, she made the requisite right turn. She kept to cover, running near the stopped vehicles that littered the roads, and went unnoticed by the Chitauri looking for larger groups to terrorize.
The "Department Store" was a bit harder to understand, but Barton's "On your left!" got her attention. It was large building, with what must have originally been a glass wall, but it was shattered and gone now. She could see people backed towards the edge… and the solution came to her. Before Anna was forced to forget about her magic, they loved using ice as a slide.
She aimed her magic, not daring to hit any of the people inside, just below the edge, curving it downward in a gentle ramp. She gave it just enough of a banked corner to allow it to level off before it came down to ground level. After she looked around a bit, and saw no obvious fliers or attackers, she began to shout.
It took people about a minute (and Elsa was pretty sure that someone actually glanced out the window rather than actually hearing her) before anyone came, but out they did come. One by one, people came out, and though some were clearly terrified of exiting via ice slide, it was apparently better than staying with the Chitauri.
They skidded to onto the rubble, and a few just got up to keep running. One or two others locked eyes with Elsa, mumbled thanks, and took off. Others, including a father with a pair of daughters (who clearly had enjoyed sliding more than *anyone* else), clustered around Elsa, as if she was some sort of guardian angel sent to protect them.
"Barton," Elsa asked her communicator, "Where is this underground?"
"Block to the left of the portal from where you are. Back the way you came. Cross the street and keep going."
Chitauri had found the escape route, and were beginning to line up to fire into the crowd. Elsa returned fire, ice flying from her hands. "This way," she ordered, and began to run. The crowd moved with her, and Elsa realized, too late, that group of civilians this big attracted attention.
And not the good kind. A small swarm of flyers had located the party, and energy bolts rained upon them. Some were hit, and one of the child's screams echoed back in Elsa's mind. She could hear Anna crying for help.
Fear, helplessness, desperation. These were emotions Elsa had felt before. But in the glance Elsa got of the seared wound on the child's leg, sent a surge of an emotion she had felt strongly only once. Anger. The last time she'd felt like this, she'd lost one hundred and fifty years and killed an entire city. She focused her magic.
This time, she had Anna whispering in one ear, and Phil Coulson in the other. "We trust you."
And she let it go.
There was no personality to this construct, just her rage at the ones who were killing people. Innocents. The giant snowman leveled a single ice fist and punched the Chitauri right off his flying device.
It roared Elsa's anger back to the sky, acting a signaling device for even more foes. Energy weapons burned holes into the snow, which would eventually be really effective. Another alien went flying over a roof.
"I told you. Intelligent constructs. Nice move, Narnia." echoed Tony's voice in her ear.
"Move!" she cried, helping the injured child into her father's arms. "Underground!"
She was told later that the giant Snowman held out a lot longer than she had thought. While it wasn't mobile, apparently the challenge of testing themselves had drawn the Chitauri like flies. And swatted them just as easily. The heat and energy weapons had, however, eventually melted it.
Once they'd been seen to the safety of the civilians. (Barton said something about Fury having sent a "Medic" in via the tunnels) the rest of the war was blurrish to Elsa. She could remember pieces.
"Elsa," came Barton's voice. "Tony's coming hot. Can you set up an ice wall for his pursuers?" She'd already taxed her powers more than she ever had in her life… and she was beginning to feel exhausted. "I think so, I'll be ready."
About ten seconds later, Tony did a low flyby, and behind him Elsa created one last wall. The sound of three flyers slamming into it was music to her ears.
"Barton, I'm exhausted, I need an out…" Elsa began.
"I can close it! I can close the portal!"
"Do it!"
"Don't! I've got a Nuke headed straight for the city… and I know where to put it."
"Team's gathered half a block from your position, Elsa," Barton replied. "I've got you covered."
Elsa's slow tired jog was interrupted by the noise of Tony's flying, turning up to the portal itself.
Everything went quiet for a moment. The others were just ahead of her, and with one last burst, arrived at the group, panting.
The moments ticked by after Tony vanished through the portal. After about half a minute, "Shut it, Nat."
"No," responded Elsa. "They've stopped coming. Another minute. Give Mr. Stark..."
And there he was coming back from the portal.
"Son of a gun," Rodgers said. "Nat, close it."
"He's not slowing down!" Thor exclaimed.
Closing her eyes, focusing her energy one last time, Elsa made it snow. Not fancy, not over a large area, but right where Tony was going to fall.
Of course, it was all for not. The Hulk jumped up to intercept the Stark-Missile from the air, grinding against the building to slow himself, before finally landing in the snow pile himself. Snow flew everywhere.
Tony had survived. They found Loki, beaten to near death. Elsa assumed the Hulk was responsible for this.
After that, it was just mop up. Thor, the Cube, and Loki returned, with a flash, to Asgard. Natasha and Barton (as well as Captain Rodgers) were to report to Fury.
"Come with us," Tony offered. "Look, I know you're not a science nut like me and Dr. Banner, but I'd like to chance to analyze your powers. I can give you the chance to exercise them even better than Fury can, and I have the advantage of not having lied to you. And Pepper can help you adapt to the 21st century. She likes projects. And she's not a spy who's always trying to figure out how to use you as an asset."
"It's one of the reasons she's stayed with Tony so long," Dr. Banner interjected slyly. "Dr. Samson's a friend of mine, if he doesn't think this the best idea, then we'll figure out what is."
Tony eyed him, then grinned. "Don't worry. If Fury wants you, he'll throw a tantrum and come find me in my office. We'll get your friend Olaf as well."
Elsa smiled. "Thank you, Tony. I don't think the helicarrier is the right place for me."