╔═══ · 。ﾟ🕸: *.🕷 .* :🕸ﾟ.  ═══╗
BATTLE OF SOKOVIA

"A hero is someone who has given his
or her life to something bigger than
oneself."  —Unknown
╚═══ · 。ﾟ🕸: *.🕷 .* :🕸ﾟ. ═══╝

Novi Grad (Sokovian Capital)

Location: Sokovia, Europe

May 6, 2015

"WHAT'S the plan guys?" Aurora questioned the co-leaders of the Avengers. The quinjet was steadily flying in the air as she briefly glanced out the glass window. She placed the earpiece inside her ear, checking that it worked until she felt the black mask in her other hand. The mere thought of being a hero terrified her, not for the reason that she's not ready... it's that she's not worthy of that title.

Aurora felt a hand on her shoulder, swiftly seeing it was the God of Thunder staring down at her. His sincere smile seemed to ease all her worries away in mere seconds, her tense body relaxed against his touch. Thor reassured the young girl calmly that she's ready for this, everything she's done proved so. But is she?

Was she truly ready to become an Avenger?

And become the very thing she was sworn to destroy?

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out." Steve declares to the team, eyeing everyone with a firm stare. But Aurora knew better than even he was worried about this.

Clint dropped off the Maximoff twins near the capital of the city, splitting up to help civilians to safety. The young Stark saw how Wanda's powers transmitted throughout the streets, causing citizens to come out of their homes. People merging into large groups as they tried to safely cross the capital border. She was impressed by her abilities and bravery in going on a dangerous mission, reminding her when she first started her HYDRA missions.

Next, they let Bruce and Thor try to find Ultron's hideout base somewhere, and hopefully, find Natasha too. While Tony aided Clint in finding a spot to land, the teenager placed the mask on, confidently taking on the title as the next Avenger. Aurora loaded her two handguns along with some backup ammo, before packing it in the thigh holster with her small mirror. If only she could say to HYDRA to fuck themselves for the misery they put her through.

Instead of making a perfect soldier, she turned into a powerful warrior.

"We keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right." Steve continued to the remainder of the team, taking his shield before ordering them to split up. Aurora followed closely behind Steve, knowing that her father was going alone to Ultron.

Loud footsteps and mutters echoed through the streets, civilians escaping for a chance to stay alive. Aurora spoke in their native language, directing them to safety as she made sure that no one would be left behind. The teenager walked closer towards the small public fountain, standing on the granite as she shouted for them to listen. Some were surprised... yet others were frightened to find the infamous female assassin there, subconsciously hurrying up to get away from what she was holding.

"I guess that's one way to make them hurry," Aurora grinned to herself, seeing people cowering in fear of her. Although she didn't want to admit it, having control of people's fears and emotions is a powerful thing. Essentially, allowing her to do anything she wants without a care in the world.

"Aurora, what did we tell you about pointing your gun at people's faces," Steve called out to her, directing civilians to cross the bridge.

"To make sure that it's loaded before using it?" Aurora answered innocently, glancing at Steve with a large smile. The Captain shook his head softly, rolling his eyes discreetly at the moment before feeling a low rumble on the ground.

Ultron's army merged from the ground, breaking their way through the concrete as Aurora loaded her gun swiftly. People began running for their lives once the robots started to attack the heroes, therefore the teenager ran to create some distance between them. She pushed people away from her when one robot fired from above, causing her to shoot it multiple times before it fell to the ground. More appeared within seconds, thus she used the robot she shot down before tossing it towards them.

Some were hit by the force, yet three managed to dodge it and attack Aurora with their guns. The teenager gritted her teeth, finding a nearby car and tearing the door off its hinges. Shots were fired, luckily she used the door as a shield as she used her guns at them. Unfortunately, she used all her bullets to which she shouted in frustration, "Fuck!"

More robots appeared that forced Aurora to retreat until she had an idea upon seeing her mirror. Swiftly tossing her gun into the holster before pressing a button on the side of the mirror. It released small electric darts towards the robots, causing the machines to malfunction and hurl to the concrete. Aurora regained her breath, glancing at Steve who also attacked the robots. At this point, she knew her guns would be pointless against hundreds of robots, deciding to switch to her powers.

"Behind you!" Steve hollered to Aurora, tossing his shield as she ducked to find two robots about to attack her. The shield sliced through the robots and landed against the side of the building, she swiftly ran after it while the machines chased behind her. Once she grabbed it out, Aurora tossed it back to him as she shot energy beams to the robots flying in the sky.

"Thanks. But they're too many of them," Phantom responded through the comms, her eyes darted around her surroundings as civilians screamed in panic. It was difficult multitasking in helping civilians escape yet destroying the robots, what didn't help was how outnumbered the Avengers were.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking violently, causing the streets and bridges to break in mere moments. Phantom narrowly missed the large crack under her feet, seeing the trail go on for miles. She ran towards Steve in an effort to help, but stopped after observing the bridge tear apart and how they were slowly levitating in the air. "This can't be good...." Aurora muttered to the Captain, feeling her hands clenched tightly along with her muscles becoming tense.

"It's not," Tony answered through the comms, hearing what his daughter said. Buildings were collapsing, cars being crushed and destroyed, with people possibly getting killed within the crossfire. Aurora formed a large enough energy shield to protect them from the falling debris, yet she knew that wasn't enough.

"Do you see? The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure." One of Ultron's robots spoke through the mics, causing Aurora to glare at the robot before blasting an energy sphere that disintegrated it.

"Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal." Ultron's voice declared once more, seeing another robot beside Steve, who dismantled it with his shield.

"It isn't over yet," The teenager yelled, spotting three of Ultron's robots coming after her rapidly, the logical thing she did was running towards them before leaping on one to tear the arms apart. She repeated the process with the other two machines until Aurora placed a small EMP dart on one's head. Immediately, she created a small portal that made her land safely on the ground near Steve, seeing them explode made her satisfied with her work.

"Cap, you got incoming." Tony tried to warn Steve but it was too late since he crashed against a car. Aurora winced at the thought of the impact, probably going to leave him sore for a couple of days.

"Incoming already came in. Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely." Steve muttered softly, having trouble getting up but since the young Stark was nearby, she gave him a hand.

"The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt them back. You get killed... walk it off." Captain America insisted calmly to everyone. Aurora nodded her head as she saw people trying to leave, thus she created a portal that was from the other side of the capital. One by one, they traveled through safely and quickly, not knowing if they would have another chance at escaping.

Unfortunately, one of Ultron's machines grabbed the girl abruptly, lifting her off the ground. She struggled under the tight grip from the robot's arms around her shoulders, wincing at the lack of oxygen she was receiving as she got higher and higher in the air. Aurora became lightheaded after seeing how high she was going, yet she had to do something. Without a second thought, she grabbed her necklace and pulled out the dagger, aiming it directly at the head.

Aurora didn't realize that after shutting down the electric system that she was free-falling rapidly towards the ground. She placed the small dagger away, making sure that she wouldn't lose her mother's necklace. Aurora tried creating a portal or something to make her levitate but the thought of death was undeniable. Her eyes fluttered in and out of consciousness, her body doing everything she can to make her stay awake.

When she thought her life was about to end, a strong pair of arms wrapped around her waist. The teenager swiftly grabbed on tightly, not wanting to let go of whoever rescued her. "I got you, Aurora," Thor muttered softly, swinging his hammer to return back to the city. She nodded her head softly, internally grateful that he saved her.

Eventually, Thor gently dropped her onto the ground, making sure she wasn't injured or anything severe. Aurora took a moment to regain her strength, before standing on her feet with a small smile to the Asgardian, "T-Thank you, Thor."

"No need to thank me, Aurora. We need to look after one another like family," Thor declares before realizing what he said. Afraid he spoke too much, Thor nodded his head to her as he helped Steve defeat some robots. Phantom thought of what he said for a moment, but it would have to wait since nothing seems to stop Ultron's army.

Phantom continued to guide people away from the damage, hoping her father would find a solution soon. The teenager grinned upon seeing Natasha join in with Steve, glad that her friend was safe. Shouts alerted the girl, noticing incoming smoke crawl throughout the flying city. She manipulated the air to draw the carbon emissions away, grunting that they were running out of time.

"The next wave's gonna hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?" Captain America's voice ringed through her earpiece, glancing over at the array of people crowding around each other.

"Well, nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear." Tony suggested nonchalantly, thinking it was the only way to finalize the mission.

"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan," Steve retorted, fastening his shield as he strolled towards Natasha.

"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're going to have to make a choice." The billionaire continued, Aurora finally found Steve as she ran towards them. She muttered to herself something about the heels being comfortable and how she wanted to take a long nap after the mission.

"Cap, these people are going nowhere. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock...." Natasha stated to the male super-soldier, who swiftly cut her off with a small stare.

"Not 'til everyone's safe." Steve insisted, not realizing Aurora stood beside Natasha. Black Widow nudged the girl's arm softly, smiling at the new suit she was wearing.

"Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there." Natasha remarked but Steve was set on what he wanted to do.

"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it." The Captain ordered firmly. Aurora agreed with his decision, but how could they rescue everyone if it was just them.

"I didn't say we should leave," Natasha started at first, causing Steve turns to look at her, "There's worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"

"Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better." Nick Fury was heard through everyone's comms, the small group spotting a large aircraft hovering in the air. Aurora grinned brightly upon seeing that help had finally arrived. The Helicarrier soared through the air, Fury calling out to them, "Nice, right? I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do."

"Fury, you son of a bitch." Steve muttered to him, Aurora's eyes practically bulged out in shock.

"Oooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Nick retorted playfully, something the teenager chuckled at before seeing the lifeboats fly in towards them.

"Let's load 'em up," Steve ordered the Avengers, Aurora already ahead of him as she guided the people towards the lifeboats. She tried reassuring them in their native language, many whispering gratitudes to her while others simply wanted to be rescued. Nonetheless, people getting rescued was their top priority, seeing that the battle isn't over yet.

Meanwhile, Thor kept Ultron occupied by distracting him from seeing SHIELD rescuing civilians. Ultron continued to hit Thor until he wrapped a hand on his neck as he sneered, "You think you're saving anyone? I turn that key and drop this rock a little early and it's still billions dead. Even you can't stop that."

"I am Thor, son of Odin, and as long as there is life in my breast, I am... running out of things to say! Are you ready?" Thor muttered as Ultron was taken by surprise when Vision used Thor's hammer to hit him. The android throws the hammer back to Thor, as he commented, "It's terribly well balanced."

Thor briefly glanced at him, "Well, if there's too much weight, you lose power on the swing, so."

Not too far from them, Aurora continues to defend herself while keeping them occupied to save the people. A large group of robots advanced towards her when Natasha arrived inside a towing truck, "Get in!"

Without wasting time, she hopped right in and Natasha floored the gas pedal, crushing everything on its path. Tony's voice came online to the two females as he asked Romanoff, "Romanoff? You and Banner better not be playing 'hide the zucchini.' And has anyone seen Aurora?"

Aurora chuckled at the joke, causing the older woman to roll her eyes at her. She commented cooly, "Relax, Shell-head. Not all of us can fly. And she's here with me."

After a minute, they joined the rest of the team with Black Widow asking Tony, "What's the drill?"

Tony immediately points to the Vibranium core as he answers, "This is the drill. If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose." Aurora nodded her head, spotting Ultron showing up from a distance.

"Is that the best you can do?" Thor shouted to Ultron, however, instead of feeling intimidated, he summoned his army of robots to join him. Everyone stared at the God of Thunder in disbelief, seeing possibly hundreds of robots with their leader.

"You had to ask," Steve grunted annoyed, slightly glaring at him.

"This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you, against all of me. How could you possibly hope to stop me?" Ultron confessed sinisterly. Aurora felt her eyes turn to a hazy blue hue that correlated with her glowing hands.

"Well, like the old man said.... Together," Tony said, Hulk yelling at Ultron as they soon fight off the incoming army at full speed. The Phantom created an energy shield for herself before swinging in towards a row of robots. To say the least, she thought it wouldn't work since it wasn't like the vibranium shield.

Robots surrounded them through the destroyed church, mercilessly attacking without remorse. Aurora created a small portal that redirected the flow of the robots to burn under the heat of the core. Everyone was fighting together, all for the same cause in saving the human race. On different occasions did she help Thor or Wanda distract the robots as they destroyed some more.

Ultron attacked Vision against the crumbling wall before he was hit out by the infinity stone power source. Thor summoned a lightning bolt, while Tony used his repulsors in full blast, and Aurora decided to join in with a large glowing energy beam. A small trail of blood appeared from her nose, straining her eyes at the maximum effort she was exhorting. A few seconds later, they stopped.

"You know, with the benefit of hindsight...." Ultron starts but suddenly Hulk knocks him far away and the robots start to retreat.

"They'll try to leave the city," Thor realized what was happening.

"We can't let 'em, not even one. Rhodey!" Tony hollered to his best friend, the War Machine who immediately spotted the incoming robots fleeing the city. Aurora headed back toward the rest of the team, seeing how exhausted and tired they were.

"We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you." Steve insisted with a strong stare, eyeing them cautiously.

"What about the core?" Clint asked as he pointed at the machine in the middle of the city.

"I'll protect it. It's my job," Wanda volunteered, Aurora gave her a nod in respect as she checked the others started to leave.

"I'll see you later then," Aurora farewelled to her and Pietro, following behind Steve, Clint, and Natasha. She split up with them after spotting a small motorcycle, testing the motor before sipping through the streets. Her hair whipped in different directions, the sensation that she once lost... felt better than ever. The teenager reeves the engine harshly after seeing the large hole in the middle. A crushed car from her left was enough to make a ramp, therefore, she swiftly stepped on the gas pedal and soared through the air momentarily.

After getting back on concrete safely, she found two lifeboats filled with passengers going away towards the Helicarrier. Grinning that they were safe from Ultron's army, reassured her that everything was working out. She saw another lifeboat nearly filling up as she glanced back at the sky to see the familiar Iron Man suit. "Dad I want to help," Aurora called him through the comms.

"And you will when you get your ass on that lifeboat," Tony remarked seriously, wondering why she was willing to risk her life when she's only fifteen years old.

"But—!" Aurora tried replying but her father rudely interrupted her without missing a beat.

"No, but's. You are going on or so help me," Tony groaned to which Aurora muttered profanities under her breath before getting on. It wasn't fair that she was placed inside while the others were risking their lives right now. And that's what she should be doing... because that's what heroes do.

Just when the lifeboat was about to leave, Aurora jumped off and started to help others join and find the other boats. It might have been a stupid decision but it was better to stay as a hero than leave like a coward. A small voice echoed by her ear, none other than Ultron— well, one of his robots called out to her, "You think you can hide the truth but they will find out... And when they do the blood would be on your hands."

"Until then, I don't plan on getting the human race extinct from existence," Aurora retorted as she used her bare hands and tore the body apart.

"Is this the last of them?" Thor questioned, referring to the people getting onto the lifeboats.

"Yeah. Everyone else is on the carrier." Steve voiced in, staring at the lifeboats heading towards safety.

"You know, if this works, we maybe don't walk away." Tony realized something, a thought that might put them to ease.

"Maybe not," Thor replies curtly. Phantom didn't hesitate in running after the remaining machines at full speed and destroying the bodies. After doing that, she checked one last time for any civilians as she decided to slowly go inside the lifeboat. But, suddenly she felt a strong shockwave surge somewhere near the church... and it could only be one person, Wanda. Did something happen to her? Maybe her brother? At the moment, Aurora was clueless about it, until she felt the ground falling as she leaped inside.

Breathing heavily and uneven didn't help with her body aching in pain. She musters the strength to sit down as she stares at the city free-falling, hoping that Tony is okay. The young Stark didn't want to worry but the fear of something could go wrong filled her with terrifying thoughts. Thankfully, the core and the city was destroyed by the force of Tony's arc reactor and Thor's lightning bolt. Aurora sighed in relief, coughing heavily as she tasted the metallic blood on her lips.

Hissing after accidentally hitting her rib cage proved that she may have fractured it. No one she knew was around her, but at least everyone was going to be okay. Medical SHIELD personnel inspected her injuries and concluded that she fractured two ribs and suffered a large wound on her shoulder. She wondered how she got those injuries yet again, everything was always a mystery to her.

The teenager slowly felt her body relax, causing her to not worry about herself rather than the others. A familiar Asgardian found her lying on the lifeboat, gently carrying her before taking her back to the team. At that point, she was unconscious but protected in his arms. And without her knowing, Thor would do anything to protect his niece... and that's a promise he'll keep.