Out of the window of the quinjet, Leila could see the crowded buildings of Manhattan below the thin layer of clouds. Stark tower became clearer as the jet moved closer and she saw two figures on the platform outside.

One was Thor, dressed in battle armor with a flowing red cape. Leila breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her friend was alright. The other man was lanky and menacing, with a staff in one hand and a curved-horn helmet of gold on his head. She guessed he was Thor's infamous brother, Loki.

"Nat?" Barton asked.

"I see him," Romanoff confirmed. Barton circled the jet around the tower to face Loki. Romanoff reached for the weapon controls around her and began shooting the jet's massive guns. Loki retaliated by aiming his staff and blasting the jet with a magical blast, sending it careening towards the ground.

Leila and Steve grabbed onto the handles above their heads, knuckles turning white as the world spun around them. Barton took a series of sharp turns to maneuver the jet around buildings, causing Leila to be crash against the wall. An explosion rocked the jet and It spun, crashing into an open lot.

The four ran out from the ruined jet towards Stark tower. "We've got to get back up there," said Steve.

They dodged around fleeing civilians and wreckage as they sprinted, but a loud mechanical roar caused them to stop and look around in confusion.

A large hole was forming above Stark tower, humming with blue energy as aircraft flew out. A huge beast comprised of metal and flesh alike soared through the city, its huge fins crashing into buildings.

Smaller, more human-looking creatures jumped out from its mass onto buildings on the ground, holding huge guns.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked into his earpiece.

Tony's voice came a few moments later, slightly broken up but discernible. "Seeing. Still working on believing. Where's banner? Has he shown up yet?"

Steve looked confused. "Banner?"

"Just keep me posted."

The four humans were on an overpass, and they looked down to see civilians fleeing while chitauri chased after them. They crouched down behind a taxi, weapons drawn.

"We've got civilians trapped down there," Barton said. He had retrieved his bow from the sheath on his back. Romanoff had two pistols and Leila hefted her assault rifle.

A flying craft whizzed by overhead, blasting cars and rubble into the air. Civilians screamed and ducked.

"Loki," Steve said, adjusting the strap on his shield. "They're fish in a barrel down there."

"We got this. It's good, go." Romanoff said.

"Do you think you can hold them off?" Steve asked.

"We got it," said Leila.

"Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure," Barton said as he nocked an arrow and shot into a crowd of aliens. Romanoff similarity aimed her pistols with expert precision, chitauri dropping left and right.

Leila helped civilians out of a broken-down bus, pointing them to a path out of the city. One alien started to slash a staff at her. She impulsively held a hand up and a flaming hot barrier formed in front of and above her, slicing the staff in half.

She held up her assault rifle and shot at the alien, taking out a few more close by. After a few more minutes of fighting Steve returned, and the four of them formed a lethal team as they aimed, threw, shot.

A charge in the air sent Leila's arm hairs up, and a spike of lighting scorched the enemies around her. She looked up and smiled to see Thor flying to the ground. He landed with a stagger, looking almost weak, and Leila rushed over.

"You okay?" She asked, eyes scanning for any visible injuries.

"I'm- I'm fine." He said, but it didn't escape her notice how he was favouring his right side.

"What's the status upstairs?" Steve asked.

"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable." Thor answered.

"Thor's right, we have to deal with these guys first." Tony said from over the transmitter.

"How do we do this?" Asked Romanoff.

"As a team," as soon as the words left Steve's mouth, Leila winced. Sure, these people were good fighters -especially good considering Leila had never battled like this and she probably needed the support- but she only trusted Thor.

Captain America, Iron Man, Doctor Banner -the hulk-, they were all stuff of legends. Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, S.H.I.E.L.D. legends. Leila was just a curious astrophysicist from upstate New York with an unpredictable ability to control heat.

"I have unfinished business with Loki," Thor said.

"Yeah? Well get in line," scoffed Barton.

"Save it," Steve said, and started walking towards Stark Tower. "Loki's going to keep the fight focused on us, and that's what we need. Without him, these things could go wild. We got Stark up top. He's going to need us to..." he trailed off when the sound of a motorcycle approached.

"So, this all seems horrible." Bruce Banner said, getting off and walking towards the group.

Romanoff shrugged. "I've seen worse."

"Sorry."

"No, we could use a little worse."

"Stark, we got him." Steve said.

"Banner?" Asked Tony.

"Just like you said."

"Then tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you."

Leila saw a massive beast crash into a building and head towards them. Tony was flying in front of it, leading it, dressed in his full iron man suit.

"I don't see how that's a party." Romanoff said, exasperated. The beast flew closer and Doctor Banner started walking towards it.

"Doctor Banner, now might be a really good time for you to get angry." Said Steve.

"That's my secret, Captain. I'm always angry."

Doctor Banner started growing, muscles tripling in size and skin turning green until he was the Hulk. He roared and grabbed the beast's nose, stopping it and flipping it. The metal plates on its back collided and popped off. Tony flew up and shot energy blasts into its exposed skin.

The beast collapsed, causing a trail of wreckage as it crashed into the ground. The Avengers stood in a circle, warding off any aliens who dared get close.

The massive portal in the sky caught Leila's attention as more giant chitauri flew out.

"Guys," Romanoff warned the others, and everyone looked up.

"Call it, captain." Said Tony.

"Alright, until we can close that portal, our priority is containment." Steve proceeded to give directions to the different heroes. Barton on the roof; Tony flying around the perimeter; Thor going up and battling at the portal; Leila, Romanoff, and Steve staying on the ground. The Hulk was going to do what he did best: smash.

Chaos erupted over the enemy army as the Avengers tore through aliens. Lighting crackled through the clouds; blasts from Iron Man lit up the sky; arrows whizzed overhead; roars and crashes signaled the Hulk's success.

Leila mowed down row after row of aliens, assault rifle buzzing in her hands. Romanoff took down enemies with guns and fists alike, and Steve's shield separated many a head from bodies.

Once the aliens stopped advancing, the three had a chance to catch their breath.

"Captain, none of this is going to mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal." Romanoff said, panting and leaning on a staff.

"Our biggest guns couldn't touch it." Said Steve.

"Maybe it's not about guns." Leila looked up at the gaping portal, holding up her fingers to try and get an approximate measurement.

"If we want to get up there, we gotta have a ride." Steve's eyes followed the crafts flying above.

"I'll get a ride." Romanoff said, starting to walk backwards. "Could use a boost, though."

Steve held up his shield so she could jump onto it. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah. It's gonna be fun." It sounded like Romanoff was convincing herself as much as the other two. She ran at the shield and leaped onto it, Steve pushing up. She grabbed onto one of the flying crafts and it whizzed out of sight.

Blasts of enemy fire flew over Leila's head, and she readied her gun. Steve ran towards the group of aliens, shield in hand. Eventually the two headed in separate directions, and Leila was left by herself.

Her assault rifle ran out of ammo quickly, so she switched to her pistol. Leila winced as a blast from one of the enemy's staves hit her side. She yelled, throwing her hands forward as a beam of pure heat erupted from her hands and reduced the aliens to ash.

Leila pressed a hand to her side and drew it away to find it soaked with blood. She panted and kneeled down to give herself a rest but her relief was short-lived. One of the massive chitauri had turned down the street she was on and was headed right towards her.

She crouched down behind a roadblock and hoped it hadn't seen her. She had dropped her pistol across the street, and there was no way to get it. The beast was flying closer and near the ground, fins scraping the concrete. Leila squeezed her eyes shut and threw her hands over her head, waiting for the pain to come, but it never did.

Leila opened an eye to see the large beast trapped by a blue barrier. She could feel her strength draining as she kept her hands outstretched and a foul smell reached her nose. A glimpse of flame then smoke filling up the barrier the alien was trapped in made her realize the beast was burning from the inside out.

Once no flame was visible, she let go with a cry and the barrier burst, scattering ashes all over her and the street. Leila's chest heaved as she gasped breaths of acrid, foul air.

-

Thanks for reading!!