The corridor lights flashed in warning as the metal floor echoed against the hard soles of their boots. She was falling behind, her strides unable to keep pace but he figured this was better. He would be the first to encounter any combatants but then she was suddenly at his side.

She's using portals to keep up.

"Just keep running straight!" she shouted to him and they both passed through the next one and were transported to the end of the hall. Steve turned towards the center of the ship at the newly present intersection, immediately finding enemies bearing down on them. Never breaking his stride, he sent his shield flying ahead into the chest of one of the cachectic appearing creatures, catching it on the rebound to block the weapon of another. In his peripheral vision he saw two of the others vanish, their cries of alarm lasting only a moment longer than they did.

Feeling a cold burn across his cheek, he barely dodged the crackling blue end of a staff and planted his foot into the maw of his remaining attacker. The thing stumbled backward and disappeared, its momentum carrying it through a portal.

They started to run again but the ship listed, slowing their progress as they had to frequently check their balance. Steve practically sighed in relief as they finally came to the bridge where a lone pilot pulled furiously at the controls. He cracked his shield against it's skull and it slumped over, unconscious.

"Where should I crash it?" asked Darcy, staring out the navigation window, her eyes wide and skin pale. He followed her line of sight, a sickening feeling churning in his gut as the buildings below began to draw closer. This was more than just a 'populated area'... it was a major metropolitan city.

"Over an ocean. We don't have much time."

She nodded jerkily, her hand reaching forward but both of their attention was drawn back to the entrance behind them at the sound of echoing shouts.

"The portal!" he instructed, pointing to the window as he ran to investigate.

The creatures... it must have been the entirety of the remainder of the ship... were pouring out of adjacent corridors, all sprinting toward them with fury on their faces. He withdrew his sidearm, unloading the clip as he backed away closer to Darcy so she could hear him.

"There's too many. They'll have to funnel through this doorway but I won't be able to hold them off for long." He glanced at her as he reloaded. Her face was grimaced and perspiration beaded on her brow but she gave a single nod to indicate her understanding.

The shouts of the approaching horde would have drowned out anything else said and he focused his weapon, firing on them with rapidity and precision. The first wave through stumbled with their injuries, collapsing and tripping a few behind them as his ammunition started to run low. Darcy's arm snapped out behind her, a portal covering the entrance and the deluge of enemies stopped.

"Can you hold both?" he asked as the last enemy on this side of the portal fell.

"I'll have to," she said through gritted teeth. He swallowed thickly as his attention returned to the window, flashes of the Antarctic playing in his mind.

There will be no waking from this one.

He figured they had fifteen seconds... if they were lucky... til impact.

"Darcy..."

Ten seconds.

"You can do this," he muttered, his hands gripping the railing in front of him as their dive became more precarious.

Five seconds.

"I know you can."

The last words came out a whisper, the buildings so close he could make out the birds that were abandoning their high rise nests for cover. He heard a strangled desperate shriek erupt from Darcy and he braced himself, eyes open, ready to meet the death that had nipped at his heels the moment he'd come into this world. If it was anything like last time, he would feel nothing.

And then he blinked and there was an open blue ocean as far as he could see.

Relief was one hell of an emotion, thought Darcy. She'd put this heady, blissful state up against love any day.

She had done it... sure, in her usual manner of last minute reprieve, but still... she hadn't let the Avengers or T'Challa down. Steve's faith in her had not been misplaced.

Her hand dropped as she closed the portal but managed to maintain the one at the entrance despite her fatigue.

"What now-" she asked but was cut off as the ship started to dive more rapidly, the nose tipping to where they could no longer see the horizon. In the same instant, Steve's arm banded around her, pulling her to his chest. Their surroundings started to vibrate violently, pieces snapping off and slamming into the wall behind them. She felt the familiar shifting of gravity as they lifted into the air, their only tether being Steve's grip on the railing. Alarms starting screaming all around them.

They were in free fall.

She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and reached up, twisting his uniform in her fists and yanking on it to get his attention.

"Let go!" she shouted, motioning to his white knuckle grip on the rail. He searched her features for only a second before he did as she asked. They flew backwards, passing into her awaiting portal, the blaring alarms being replaced by howling wind.

Panic washed over her when she did not feel the expected gravity shift.

Shit. We were still falling, just slower than the ship, and not traveling up.

"Hang on!" she yelled as she lifted her head to get her bearings.

The horizon... where are you... god dammit... yes!

They passed through another portal, and this time the sudden force of gravity threatened to pull her down away from him but Steve shifted one arm higher on her back to hold her secure. It seemed like forever until they slowed and she thought frantically of where to drop them, exhaustion threatening to overwhelm her.

So this was what Barton was talking about...

Her eyes met Steve's as gravity brought them to a halt. In a sudden flash of inspiration, she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and created the final portal beneath them.

It wasn't often that Steve found himself to be of no use. He despised the feeling as it had plagued him his entire childhood, the lack of power to do anything about his circumstances.

But there really wasn't a whole lot he could do as Darcy sent them hurtling through the sky. Well, nothing except make sure they did not become separated and take the brunt of the landing to let her survive.

Steve Rogers, super-airbag.

He watched as she looked around them, trying to figure out how to land them safely out of this mess and his stomach lurched as the world seemed to turn upside down.

Another portal.

He could feel her hand slipping from his uniform and pulled her closer, shaking his head a bit to reorient himself and was relieved to feel them finally slowing down. He pulled back to look at her. She was conscious but her eyes unfocused as she muttered to herself under her breath. They were weightless in that split second before they started to fall again, the hair that had come loose from her ponytail wafting around her face and her eyes met his, a small smile curving on her lips.

Beautiful.

It was ridiculous, he knew, to be thinking this... at this moment... after what they had been through but he couldn't quite bring himself to care.

The never-ending ocean beneath them vanished, replaced by familiar jungle and he moved his hand to the back of her head to cushion her fall into the lake below.