On the bridge, many people who hadn't managed to evacuate were still in their cars, but the bridge deck beneath them could no longer support the weight and began to collapse.
Captain America saw the situation and immediately rushed over, grabbing the rear bumper of a car. But the bumper quickly detached, and two cars plummeted downwards.
Fortunately, Thor arrived from below, seeing that there were still people alive inside the two cars. He immediately swung his hammer and charged downwards.
Captain America used the detached bumper to knock away an Ultron sentry, then looked down. He made eye contact with Thor, a silent understanding passing between them. Thor, with a mighty heave, tossed the woman from one of the cars upwards.
Captain America, clinging to the edge of the bridge, reached down and grabbed her hand. "I've got you! Just look at me!" He said, his voice strained but reassuring.
He began to pull himself up, using his superhuman strength to haul her to safety. Just then, an Ultron sentry approached. "You can't save everyone!" it sneered.
Suddenly, a shield embedded itself in the sentry's chest. It continued to speak, its voice distorted, "You'll never..."
But before it could finish, Captain America raised his arm, magnetically recalling his shield. With the same motion, he flung the sentry off the bridge. "Never what? Finish your sentence!" he called down, a hint of grim satisfaction in his voice.
Thor tossed the other car back onto the bridge, then landed beside it. Two people, their legs weak with terror, scrambled out. They had thought they were about to die.
Captain America, seeing Thor's relatively late arrival, quipped, "Well, were you taking a nap?" The words were light, but the underlying tension was palpable.
Elsewhere
Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, used her Widow's Bite gauntlets in a forward roll, attacking the legs of an Ultron sentry. She finished it off by plunging the electrified device into its neck.
Captain America arrived on the street, which was swarming with Ultron sentries. He leaped, dodging an attack, and landed beside Thor, who was punching another sentry away, protecting fleeing civilians.
They exchanged another look, a wordless communication between seasoned warriors. Captain America stomped on his shield, launching it into the air. Thor swung Mjolnir, striking the shield with tremendous force. The shield ricocheted, taking down several sentries before embedding itself in a car.
Thor then raised his hammer, deflecting an incoming sentry upwards. He spun in mid-air, his hammer a blur, knocking away a swarm of attackers. One of the sentries crashed into a fuel tanker, the resulting explosion engulfing several more.
Ultron himself flew in, witnessing the scene. "Thor!" he roared, his voice filled with rage. "You're so annoying!"
He charged, grabbing Thor by the throat and carrying him away from the battle.
Hawkeye was firing arrows with frantic speed, but the sheer number of Ultron sentries was overwhelming. He was starting to be overrun!
He took down a few, only to have four or five more drop down in their place. Hawkeye took cover behind a car, letting out a sigh of frustration.
Just then, the door behind him opened. Wanda, having composed herself, emerged with an air of determination. Without even turning her head, she used her chaos magic to seize control of an Ultron sentry.
She forced it to fire its energy cannon at its own allies, then, with a surge of power, ripped it in two. The destroyed sentry crashed into another, taking it out as well.
Seeing Wanda's return, Hawkeye sprang up, firing two arrows simultaneously, each striking a sentry in the head.
Wanda concentrated, gathering a ball of powerful crimson energy. She unleashed it at the closest robot, the blast wave destroying the two behind it as well.
They exchanged a look, a nod of mutual respect and renewed resolve. Hawkeye was relieved to see Wanda back in the fight.
He spoke into his comms, addressing the other Avengers. "We're good here!"
Captain America, smashing his shield into an Ultron sentry, sending it crashing into a car, roared back, "We're not good! We're far from good!" He then ran and planted his feet on the shield wedged into the robot, cleaving it in two.
"Alright! Be right there!" Hawkeye replied. The next second, Pietro zipped in, scooping up Wanda and disappearing in a blur, leaving only a teasing remark in his wake: "Keep up, old man!"
Hawkeye didn't even see them go. He aimed his bow in the direction they'd vanished, his expression a mixture of annoyance and grudging admiration. "Nobody would know! Nobody!!!" He lowered his bow, still fuming slightly.
After a two-second pause, he grudgingly returned the arrow to his quiver and started running after them. "The last I saw him, Ultron was sitting on him! Yeah! He'll be missed, that quick little bastard! I miss him already!" He muttered to himself, a mix of sarcasm and genuine, if begrudging, affection in his voice.
_________________________________
"Hahaha! What a pair of rivals!" Natasha laughed, rarely seeing Hawkeye so flustered.
Hawkeye shrugged, a wry twist to his lips. He'd gotten his own back on Pietro, so they were even, but being called "old man" by a young speedster still stung.
"Wanda's pulled herself together. Her power has clearly increased significantly when she's focused!" Tony observed. He didn't understand the mechanics of Wanda's magic, but he'd seen her grow from a tentative novice when they first met to a formidable force. The Maximoff twins progress. But the Wanda from Kamar-Taj after training was much stronger, and had far more tricks from studying under Gu Yi. At the very least, she should have open a portal and returned the lasers, instead of being knocked down.
______________________________________
Ultron slammed Thor into a church, throwing him through the air. Thor crashed into a pillar before he could regain his balance, collapsing to the floor.
Ultron landed, wasting no time. He used his gravity manipulation device to rip a massive stone slab from the floor and hurled it at Thor. Thor, just getting to his feet, was struck again, sent sprawling backward.
Ultron pressed his advantage, unleashing a flurry of punches. Thor, battered and disoriented, couldn't defend himself. Even Mjolnir lay on the ground, out of reach.
At another battlefront, police officers were using their patrol cars as cover, exchanging fire with Ultron sentries. Pietro, with Wanda in his arms, flashed into the middle of the firefight. The police captain, seeing them, immediately shouted, "Hold your fire!!!"
Wanda unleashed her magic, destroying several Ultron sentries. Pietro, intending to charge at the remaining enemies, extended his hand. But a stray bullet, fired from behind him, grazed his arm.
Pietro stopped, examining the wound with a look of exasperated disbelief. He turned to look at the police officer who had fired the shot. The officer looked back, a mixture of innocence and apology on his face, before sheepishly turning away.
Pietro could only spread his hands in a gesture of helpless resignation, accepting his bad luck.