Where Eli had just left the three, a massive battle was raging. Captain America (Steve Rogers) deflected Chitauri blasts with his shield while pushing forward through the street. The vibranium disc ricocheted between two soldiers before snapping back into his hand.
Nearby, Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) fought a cluster of Chitauri in brutal close combat. She ducked under a blast, flipped one alien over her shoulder, ripped the weapon from its hands, and fired it into two more rushing toward her.
Across the street, Hawkeye (Clint Barton) fired arrows in rapid succession. One exploded mid-air, another discharged electricity through a group, while a third pinned a Chitauri rider to a wall.
Lightning suddenly ripped across the sky.
A blinding bolt slammed into an approaching squad, vaporizing them instantly as Thor crashed down beside the Avengers.
He staggered slightly before straightening.
"What's the story upstairs?" Captain America asked.
"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable," Thor replied grimly.
A red-and-gold blur descended beside them as Iron Man (Tony Stark) hovered above the street.
"Thor's right," Stark said. "We gotta deal with these guys."
Captain America nodded. "Loki's going to keep this fight focused on us. That's what we need. Without him, these things could run wild."
He pointed upward, preparing to give orders.
"We've got Stark and the kid up top. They need to—"
The roar of a motorcycle interrupted him.
Everyone turned as Bruce Banner rolled to a stop. He calmly parked the bike and walked toward them while explosions echoed through the city.
He looked around at the chaos.
"So… this all seems horrible."
"I've seen worse," Natasha replied.
Banner gave an apologetic shrug.
"Sorry."
"No," she said calmly. "I really could use a little worse."
Suddenly the ground shook.
A massive shadow rose behind Stark as a gigantic Leviathan burst through the street, smashing cars aside as it charged forward.
Everyone prepared to fight.
"I don't see how that's a party," Natasha muttered.
Banner stepped forward toward the creature.
"Dr. Banner," Steve said carefully, "now might be a really good time for you to get angry."
Banner kept walking.
"That's my secret, Captain."
He turned.
"I'm always angry."
His body expanded violently as he transformed into the towering green giant known as Hulk.
The Hulk roared and prepared to punch the Leviathan but suddenly a white streak tore across the sky.
A sonic boom shook the street.
Eli slammed into the Leviathan's skull like a missile.
The creature's head exploded instantly, purple blood and shattered armor spraying across the street. The massive body continued forward for a moment before collapsing.
The Hulk's punch landed a split second later, smashing the carcass even deeper into the asphalt.
Chunks of armor and flesh flew toward the Avengers.
Tony blasted them out of the air before they could hit.
Above them, Chitauri screeched from rooftops and hovercraft.
Hulk roared back.
Iron Man floated down slowly. Hawkeye pulled another arrow from his quiver.
Thor lifted Mjolnir as lightning crackled around it. Black Widow checked her pistols while Captain America tightened the grip on his shield.
Eli descended from the sky to join them.
They stood together in a loose circle.
Above them, the alien army shrieked.
From the top of Stark Tower, Loki observed the scene with a cold smile.
"Send the rest."
The portal widened.
Two Leviathans emerged this time, followed by dozens of Chitauri riders.
Even more shapes could be seen approaching behind them.
Black Widow spotted them first.
"Guys…"
Tony glanced upward.
"Call it, Cap."
Captain America stepped forward.
"Alright, listen up!"
"Until we close that portal, our priority is containment."
He pointed to a rooftop.
"Barton. I want you up there. Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays."
Hawkeye nodded and sprinted toward the building.
"Stark," Steve continued, "you've got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back—or turn it to ash."
Tony saluted mid-air before blasting away, carrying Barton with him.
"Thor," Steve said next, "you and the kid try to bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You've got the lightning, so light the bastards up."
Then he looked directly at Eli.
"Kid, you take out whatever makes it through. Especially the big ones."
He paused.
"Can you do that?"
Eli nodded.
Steve gave a small smile.
"Then welcome to the Avengers."
Eli grinned and gave a quick salute.
"Thanks, Cap."
He launched into the sky beside Thor.
The battle exploded again.
Hulk leaped from building to building, smashing Chitauri riders mid-air. Thor stood atop a skyscraper and summoned lightning storms that slammed directly into the portal.
Iron Man rocketed through the air blasting enemy hovercraft out of the sky while Hawkeye picked targets from above.
Eli streaked through the streets chasing a Leviathan that was releasing Chitauri soldiers.
He slammed into its side with compressed air, forcing the massive creature to slow.
The soldiers jumping from its back were immediately met with ice spikes or wind blades.
Eli accelerated to supersonic speed, sonic booms shattering nearby windows.
Insurance companies were definitely going to hate this.
He crashed into the Leviathan's head and released the blue plasma energy he had absorbed earlier.
The creature exploded into a cloud of purple mist.
Eli shot upward toward the portal again, tearing through Chitauri formations.
High above in the Helicarrier, Nick Fury watched the battle across multiple monitors.
Maria Hill approached him.
"The council wants to speak with you."
Before she left, Fury asked "Have we found anything on the kid yet?"
Maria shook her head.
"No records. No identity. Nothing."
Back on the ground, Iron Man knocked Chitauri flyers toward Hawkeye's arrows.
Thor and Hulk together brought down another Leviathan in a massive crash.
Across the city, another Leviathan was heading toward a skyscraper filled with terrified civilians.
People inside screamed.
Just before it hit Eli slammed into its head, the impact forced it downward and It crashed into the street instead.
Eli landed on its back.
He ripped off a piece of armor and drove it into the back of the creature's skull.
Then punched it deeper like a nail.
The Leviathan went still.
Eli looked up.
More Chitauri were pouring from the portal. Too many, Way too many.
He looked down at the corpse of the Leviathan, then broke off a small piece of its armor and thought "this should be my 9th so only 3 slots left" and he smelted it.
New abilities surged through him.
[Abilities gained:
Super strength improved (can now lift up to 30,000 kg)
Tougher skin
Can safely carry other beings while flying
Anti-cellular degeneration (no aging past peak condition)
Alien endurance (can survive in space)
Improved flight control]
Eli clenched his fist.
He was stronger.
Much stronger.
He floated into the air.
Without a comm like the other Avengers, he amplified his voice using wind.
"Guys!"
"None of this matters if we don't close that portal!. So think of a way to reach it and shut it down!, I'm going to hit them where they're concentrated and reduce the numbers!"
He shot toward the portal like a missile.
Below, the Avengers looked up.
"What is he doing?" Black Widow asked.
Tony suddenly understood.
"He's thinning the herd before they get through."
Captain America frowned.
"Tell the kid to come back. That's a one-way trip."
Tony sighed.
"He doesn't have a comm."
Eli blasted through Chitauri soldiers on his way up, Wind blasts, Ice spears, Plasma bursts.
Everything in his path exploded.
He reached the portal entrance.
And started attacking the incoming army directly.
It worked.
Far fewer Chitauri were making it through.
But then three Leviathans charged straight toward him.
Behind them came dozens of Chitauri riders.
Above them, the massive mothership loomed.
Thousands more soldiers were preparing to deploy.
Eli looked up.
"Oh sh—"
The Chitauri opened fire.
Energy blasts slammed into him.
He absorbed as much as he could, but the force still pushed him back.
Then a Leviathan smashed into him head-first.
He was driven downward.
Still under constant fire.
Below, Tony cursed.
"I'm going to help the kid!"
But more Chitauri attacked him.
Every Avenger was being overwhelmed.
Eli looked down.
If he and the Leviathan crashed into the ground, the nearby building full of civilians would collapse.
He released nearly all the energy he had stored.
A massive shockwave detonated around him.
The Chitauri squadron behind the Leviathans exploded instantly.
But another Leviathan slammed into him from the side.
They crashed into a nearby building.
The top half of the building began collapsing toward another full skyscraper.
Eli blasted out of the rubble.
Ice grenades.
Wind blades.
Ice spikes.
Every Chitauri chasing him was shredded.
Then he flew upward and caught the falling structure.
Wind currents wrapped around it holding the pieces together.
He looked up.
Two Leviathans were exiting the portal.
"No you don't."
With a roar, Eli threw the entire collapsing building at them.
"Catch, you ugly flying worms!"
The building smashed into both Leviathans.
Just then Eli saw Iron Man flying past carrying a nuclear missile.
Tony shot straight toward the portal.
And into space.
The next phase of the battle had begun.