The streets were littered with the bodies of the fallen, thick with smoke and the stench of battle.
After escorting trapped civilians into the subway for safety, Captain America, Steve Rogers sent off the police officers who had come to assist before turning back to buy more time for the evacuation.
One man standing against an army.
The Chitauri seemed endless.
Some descended from hovering skiffs, others rappelled down from the backs of massive, armored leviathans.
Cold, ruthless, and relentless, these alien soldiers wielded semi-automatic pulse rifles, firing streaks of violet energy as they communicated in a language no human could understand.
Wave after wave, they charged at Captain America.
Individually, they were no match for him. But their sheer numbers were a different story.
As the battle raged on, Steve's uniform became torn, his helmet was lost, and countless scrapes and bruises covered his body.
His breathing grew heavier, and his shield—unwavering as it was—began to tremble under the relentless barrage of energy blasts.
But none of that was enough to break him.
He was the world's first superhero, a true super soldier—the only one among the Avengers who was, at his core, a soldier.
Another squad of Chitauri fell before him, their bodies stacking up as evidence of his defiance.
More were approaching.
Steve tightened his grip on his shield, his steely gaze locking onto his next targets.
"Come on…" He panted, steadying himself. "I can do this all day."
The enemy responded with a storm of purple energy bolts.
Recognizing his resilience, the Chitauri opted for overwhelming firepower, launching a relentless long-range assault in an attempt to bring him down.
Steve crouched low, raising his shield.
The indestructible vibranium absorbed the blasts, shielding him from harm.
But defense alone wouldn't win this fight.
As the Chitauri closed in, they began to surround him.
Even with the shield, he couldn't cover every angle. If they succeeded in attacking from both sides, he would be in real trouble.
Then, in the midst of this dire situation, a small black metallic sphere landed among the Chitauri soldiers.
The aliens hesitated, exchanging confused glances.
Blue energy lines flickered across the surface of the sphere.
Then—
It exploded into a swarm of razor-sharp blades.
The airborne shards scattered in every direction, slicing through the ranks of the Chitauri with surgical precision.
In an instant, a dozen of them were cut down.
The survivors whirled around in alarm, searching for the source of the attack.
They didn't have to wait long.
A dark figure dropped from above, landing with a heavy impact.
His left arm—a mechanical prosthetic—snapped forward, launching a shockwave hammer straight into the ground.
'BOOM—!'
A blue energy wave erupted outward, sending Chitauri and debris flying.
In midair, the remaining enemies were gunned down by an automated weapon system.
Steve stood frozen in shock.
The figure lowered his weapons and straightened up.
As his mask and visor retracted, he smirked.
"Yo, old friend. Long time no see. Remember me?"
Steve's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Ba… Bucky?!"
"In the flesh," Bucky Barnes confirmed with a grin, squeezing the trigger of his mechanical arm's weapon to finish off the remaining Chitauri.
Lowering his weapon, he approached Steve, his expression carrying years of unspoken emotions.
"Seventy years, Steve. For two guys pushing a hundred, we sure are one unlucky pair."
Steve exhaled, struggling to find words.
"Bucky… Is it really you? You're alive? How did you get here? What happened to you all these years?"
Bucky chuckled.
"Oh, buddy… That's a long, long story. Where do I even start?"
Before he could say more, the roar of an engine cut through the air.
A sleek, deep-red Akira motorcycle drifted smoothly into place beside them.
Dismounting with effortless grace, a striking red-haired woman removed a weapons module from the bike's front section.
The detached unit quickly transformed—splitting into two compact, hybrid weapons that seamlessly connected to her combat suit.
"Gentlemen," Natasha Romanoff purred as she approached, her form-fitting black bodysuit both stunning and battle-ready.
"Now's really not the time for catching up. We've got company."
Steve blinked, realizing he had barely met her before.
"And you are…?"
"Natasha Romanoff, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. In short, Bucky's partner."
"Well, it's a pleasure, Agent Romanoff." Steve nodded firmly.
"But as much as I'd love to chat, I think we've got more pressing matters."
Around them, Chitauri forces regrouped, tightening the noose.
The three warriors instinctively fell into formation, standing back-to-back.
Steve raised his shield.
Bucky's mechanical arm shifted into various weapons.
Natasha's dual firearms charged up, her suit adjusting into full combat mode.
"All in," she said. "No one gets out alive."
Gunfire erupted. Shields clashed. Explosions lit up the battlefield.
Alone, Steve had barely held the line.
But with Bucky and Natasha at his side, this street would become an unshakable foothold, hammering a wedge into the Chitauri's advance and keeping Manhattan out of their control.
Then came a low, unearthly bellow.
A Leviathan, one of the massive armored space-whales descended upon the battlefield, its enormous frame blotting out the sky.
Steve's jaw tightened.
Even with their combined strength, taking it down wouldn't be easy.
The Leviathans were the toughest part of the invasion.
Just as he was about to order a tactical retreat into the nearby buildings, the sky cracked open with a blinding flash of lightning.
Thor.
The lightning bolt surged through the clouds, striking down multiple Chitauri ships.
But then, something strange happened.
The remaining lightning, instead of fading, suddenly coalesced—as if drawn by an unseen force.
It focused into a singular, blinding spear of energy—then plunged downward toward the Leviathan in front of them.
'BOOM—!'
The beast's head exploded in a brilliant cascade of electricity.
A silver-white blade shot through its body, piercing deep into the ground.
Then, from the swirling mist of blue energy, a figure emerged—graceful, poised, and deadly.
The Leviathan's corpse crashed behind her, sending tremors through the street.
She dusted herself off, stretching casually.
"Phew! Good thing Thor threw down some lightning. Not sure how else I was gonna deal with that big guy."
She turned to the trio with a smirk.
"Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes, Agent Romanoff—glad I caught you. I'm here with your next mission."