CHAPTER 7: WHERE'S SULLY WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
The explosion tore through the metal hull of the ship, shutting the engine down. The Helicarrier stumbled in the air and a chain reaction of explosions blasted through the vents and air ducts, fire blooming all around. Massive pieces of debris fell and smoke billowed from the Helicarrier. The retro-reflective panels started flickering, disengaging as the ship faltered and began to drop, struggling to maintain its course.
The center of the room detonated, throwing them all aside. Natasha, Sadie, and Bruce, who were in the back, were sent flying out the window to the levels below, crashing down amongst several pipes. Tony and Steve were flattened against each other and Percy had his head slammed into the wall.
Tony and Steve looked at one another, both still in shock at what had just happened. "Put on the suit," Steve said, snapping to attention.
"Yeah," Tony agreed and the two helped one another up, racing out of the room.
All the agents on the bridge began clamoring and rushing around in a panic, trying to understand what had just happened. In the armory, agents grabbed guns off the racks, arming themselves and bracing for the next attack. "All hands to stations," an agent over the PA announced.
Fury shook his head, trying to clear it and take stock of the situation. "Hill!" he panted into his earpiece.
"External detonation," Hill reported from the bridge, looking at her screen, red lights blinking all around her as everything slammed into emergency mode. "Number Three engine is down." As soon as she said it, other agents repeated it and took off to help deal with the problem. She turned and ran over to the nearest agent looking over the damage. "Can they get it running? Talk to me."
"Turbine looks mostly intact," the agent assessed, looking at the damage through his monitor, "but it's impossible to get out there to make repairs while we're in the air."
Hill blinked and sighed as he said that, looking at the monitor as well. That was what she had expected and feared. "We lose one more engine, we won't be," she said. She then held up her hand to her earpiece again. "Somebody's got to get outside and patch that engine," she told Fury.
"Stark, you copy that?" Fury relayed.
"I'm on it," came the reply.
"Coulson," Fury continued. "initiate defensive lockdown in the detention section then get to the armory." As he said that, Sam looked up, only one thought on her mind. Before anyone could notice her, she was gone. "Romanoff?" Fury questioned.
Below in the inner workings of the ship where they had landed, Natasha strained against the pipe that had slammed her foot into the ground, not making any headway. She saw Sadie next to her, struggling to get up as well. "We're ok," she said with a gasp, admitting defeat for a moment.
She then looked over at Bruce and saw his fist clenching and clenching, heard his shaky breaths, and some him trembling all over. A wave of pure fear washed over her. "We're okay, right?" she asked shakily.
Barton led the team of seven men across the landing pad, jogging slightly. He pointed at a vent access point and one of his men jumped on, kicking the grate down where it landed with a crash. The man leapt down after it, followed by the others. Instead, Barton threw a rope down and slid down after, landing smoothly.
"Keep that engine down!" he ordered.
"Yes, sir," his men replied.
"Detention, wait for cameras to go dark," he told another man.
"You got it."
"Stay close," he said to the last two men and took off, the men at his heels.
Steve and Tony rushed through the large chambers of the Helicarrier where workers and agents ran around, trying to keep everything in order after the explosions. When they reached a fork, Tony pointed aside. "Engine three," he said, nodding. "I'll meet you there."
Steve nodded back and ran away, heading for engine three. Tony turned ahead to the compartment they had installed just for him. He pushed a button on his screen and the doors opened, revealing his armored suit. He pushed another button and the suit powered on, eyes and chest piece glowing, ready for action.
Bruce lay on the floor, groaning and clenching his fists continuously in an alarming way.
"Doctor?" Natasha asked but he didn't answer.
"What's wrong?" Sadie asked, shaking her head as she got to her hands and knees. "What's happening to him?" Then her eyes widened as it hit her. "Oh."
"Bruce?" Natasha said, ignoring her. "You got to fight it. This is just what Loki wants." As she talked, she saw him rise up a little, his whole body shaking and straining. She felt her heart pounding louder as she watched. "We're going to be okay. Listen to me."
"You hurt?"
Natasha looked up and saw two engineers running over to them. She quickly waved them off, urging them to run away from the scene. There was nothing they could do. The two took one look at Banner and knew instantly, taking off as fast as they could.
"We're going to be okay," Natasha continued desperately, turning back to Bruce. "All right?"
"Listen to her, Doctor," Sadie cut in. "You need to calm down. Don't let it in or whatever happens. Fight it."
But it didn't seem like the doctor was listening. His grunts were becoming deeper, more bestial, and his back was hunching up. He was transforming. Natasha had seen the footage, knew what he could do. He would be able to tear this ship apart. And he wouldn't hesitate to do the same to her and Sadie.
"I swear on my life, I will get you out of this," Natasha promised him, pounding the floor with her fist for emphasis and inwardly begging that this would work, that she could cut through to him. Otherwise, everyone here was screwed. "You will walk away and never ever-"
"Your life?" Bruce yelled turning to her. But his voice wasn't Bruce's anymore, much deeper and more monstrous. She took one look at his face, into his eyes, and she knew. They had lost. The Hulk was loose.
Natasha and Sadie stared in horror as Bruce suddenly lurched back, standing upright, his whole body tensing. His shirt tore in the front and his skin then began to turn green, his muscles seeming to ripple as the extra strength and power was poured in, the man panting and groaning the entire time as he transformed into the strongest creature on Earth.
Sadie couldn't look away. She had never seen anything like this before. It was like there was something deep inside Bruce Banner that wanted out, tearing its way to the surface. A monster in the flesh. She had seen many nightmarish things in her life, but this one took the cake.
Natasha turned back to the pipe trapping her foot and redoubled her efforts to free herself. Bruce's shirt was ripping apart as his muscles grew. She didn't have long. She was already out of time really. But if she was free, she had a chance.
"Sadie!" she gasped, straining.
Sadie jumped from her position, transfixed by the Hulk's transformation, and moved to the pipe. "I got it," she muttered and grabbed onto it. They both pulled but it was still too heavy.
Bruce had begun shuffling across the floor as the transformation deepened, completely hunched over now. He dropped off the low platform they were on to the concrete floor below, now looking twice his original height. His shirt tore more, a green back emerging from beneath. Then he stopped, and turned and staring at her.
Natasha stopped, staring right back deep into his eyes. "Bruce," she whispered, realizing that they were still his. He was still there, if only for a few seconds. And she saw two things in there. She saw him say I'm sorry and she saw him say run.
And then he was gone, shaking his head madly as his body shook, the transformation entering its final phase, until the shirt was completely torn off and the Hulk stretched out, groaning loudly in pain.
They were officially out of time. Natasha yanked on her leg and Sadie strained against the pipe as hard as she could. "Come on, come on, come on," Sadie chanted, pulling up as much as she could. This had to be the heaviest pipe in the world.
The Hulk lurched to his feet and stumbled a few steps, pounding his fist into a power cell and crumpling it, causing the lights to suddenly wink off and casting them all into shadow, bellowing all the while.
With one last heave, Natasha finally managed to heave her foot out and quickly jumped to her feet, gasping in relief. Sadie then dropped the pipes back down with a clang!
They both turned and looked up.
The Hulk slowly turned around, glaring at them with pure hatred, his whole body shaking with rage and power.
"Uh oh," Sadie muttered.
"Move!" Natasha cried and started running for a stairwell. The Hulk instantly started after her.
Sadie threw a Slow spell at him and the beast started moving at the pace of a sloth. Sadie grinned in relief but then felt a shaking in her gut and saw the Hulk's body trembling even more. "Not possible," she muttered and started running just as the spell broke.
Natasha was already halfway up the stairs but Sadie took them two at a time, running as fast as she could.
Natasha suddenly turned around. "Jump!" she yelled and Sadie acted without thought, leaping above her just as the stairwell was yanked out from beneath her, hitting the floor. She grabbed onto the pipes above her and landed on the upper catwalk next to Natasha.
They both glanced down and saw the Hulk glaring up at them. They started moving at the same time, rolling over a large pipe and running again just as the area they had landed on was suddenly thrown aside, clanging around them and barely missing them. They were running out of room though.
"Here," Natasha pointed, swinging off the catwalk and back down to the level below, moving fast. Sadie followed her, her heart beating a mile a minute. They raced off the platform and under a network of large pipes and tubes, hiding themselves as the Hulk roared in rage behind them.
Far above, in the detention section, the Hulk's cry echoed and Loki looked up and grinned in satisfaction.
"Bring the carrier about to a 1-8-0, heading south!" Fury ordered as he ran onto the bridge. They had to move fast if they wanted to stay alive. "Take us to the water."
"We're flying blind," an agent responded. "Navigation's recalibrating after the engine failure."
Fury glared at him, walking forward. "Is the sun coming up?" he asked.
The agent looked confusedly outside and then back up at Fury. "Yes, sir."
"Then put it on the left," Fury told him. "Get us over water." The agent quickly began to do just that. "One more turbine goes down and we drop," Fury told him. He glanced out the window as well, praying they still had time. More than a hundred souls were on board. And he would not lose them today.
Steve yanked the door open and met an agent wearing a mask who quickly said, "thanks," before moving back to help carry out another injured agent. Steve moved past them to where the platform fell away into open air, blast marks and shattered metal surrounding him and a gaping hole to the open sky confronting him. He honestly had no idea what he could do to help here, but he had to do something. "Stark!" he cried out. "Stark, I'm here!"
"Good," came the reply and Steve saw Iron Man fly in right to the opposite wall. "Let's see what we got."
Tony looked at the damage, taking it all in. "I got to get this superconducting coolant system back online before I can access the rotors, work on dislodging the debris." As he talked, the suit projected a hologram of the inner workings of the turbine, highlighting the areas of the most damage. He had a lot of work ahead of him, but if anyone could do it, he could. He was the only one who could, actually.
He flew forward and pushed a large piece of metal back into position before pointing over to the side. "I need you to get over to that engine control panel and tell me which relays are in overload position," he said before focusing elsewhere.
Steve nodded, following his finger. He ran forward, jumped and grabbed onto a still-intact pipe, using it to throw him across the divide in the floor and onto the opposite platform.
Iron Man ripped away pieces of metal, creating a hole which he flew into, entering the inner section of the turbine.
Steve looked at the wall and spotted a compartment door. He grabbed it and pulled it open. His heart sank as he saw all the circuits, wires, gears and other small pieces of metal and tech. He had no idea what it was or how it was working.
"What's it look like in there?" Tony asked.
"It seems to run on some form of electricity," Steve replied in defeat, unable to offer anything better.
"Well, you're not wrong," Tony replied dryly.
Sam ran as fast as she could, pushing past agents and workers, panting with each step. This was his plan. He was making his move, his escape. And she couldn't let him. She had let her father escape once and he had almost caused the end of the world. She wouldn't let it happen this time. She would stop this Loki, here and now.
She hit the detention level and rounded the corner, spotting the dead guard on the floor and knowing her worst fears were confirmed. She rounded the corner through the doorway just in time to see the cell door open, Loki waiting on the other side.
"No!" she cried out and charged forward, axe in hand to stop him, when a hail of gunfire interrupted her. She stopped and threw herself behind some cover, hissing as a bullet grazed her arm.
"Ah, the demigod," she heard Loki say. "I see you've decided to return, to see if you can truly take on a god." She could hear the sneer in his voice. "Well come on then. Let's see what you can do."
She clenched her teeth and then stood back up, flicking her eyes over to the gunman but he had backed off, gun pointed down. It was just her and Loki.
He stood there, waiting, tauntingly. He held out his hand and then made two small gestures for her to come forward, his expression mocking.
Sam felt a growl rumble within her and she did charge. And then she changed, transforming midair into a lion, her claws sharpening and teeth elongating. Loki stared up, expression changing to one of shock and Sam had a few seconds of gratification.
Then her claws flew right through him and she landed badly on the catwalk, the image of Loki disappearing without a trace.
Sam was so confused that she didn't see the punch coming. All she knew was that something hard hit her in the stomach and then she was sent spinning through the air, her body roiling from the pain. She landed on her paws, wincing from the blow, and looked up. Loki was watching her more apprehensively now.
"A shapeshifter?" he mused. "That is something I did not anticipate. Not like it will make a difference."
Sam glared at him. Oh she would show him how much of a difference it would make. She had gone toe-to-toe with the Fenris Wolf in this form. A bland copy of her father would be easy. She was just aching to get her claws in him.
She leaped again but again the figure vanished before she landed. "Where are you?" she growled. "Come out and fight, you coward!"
Loki's laugh echoed around the chamber. "So brash. Just like my brother. I'm surprised you wouldn't be a child of his counterpart's instead of mine. No matter. Unlike him, I fight by my rules. Which means I win by any means necessary."
Sam suddenly stumbled from a blow to her ribs but when she snarled and turned, the figure was gone again. She swung her head around, desperately searching but there was no one else there except for the gunman. Deciding he was better than nothing and not liking the look of that gun, she charged him instead, teeth bared. But the gunman didn't react to her approach and it was only at the last second that she realized why, barely managing to stop herself from crashing into the wall as his figure disappeared as well.
She shook her head and switched back. Her lion form wasn't helping right now. She hefted her axe and turned back to the chamber and froze. Now it was full of Lokis, packed to the brim, all grinned maniacally at her.
"What, seeing double little girl?" the Lokis asked. "How am I fingers am I holding up?" They each held up two fingers.
Sam felt the rage boiling inside of her. He was toying with her, making her make a fool of herself, playing like a cat and mouse just like her father. She was so sick of these games, even if they weren't technically his. She held up her axe and charged.
She whirled and slashed and cut and twirled all the way through the mass of Lokis, chopping through as many of them as she could, hoping that one of her blows would land. But each one just passed through. She tried to remember which ones were the illusions but it was impossible. They seemed to blend into each other and she was pretty sure Loki just dispensed with the ones she cut and created new ones. All she was accomplishing was tiring herself out.
It was when her axe swing faltered slightly that she felt him strike again, kicking her square in the back. She whirled around rapidly and struck the Loki that was standing right behind her, cutting him right down the middle, but just another illusion.
Another blow came to her side and she grunted, feeling like her lung collapsed there, but she managed to swing out quickly. Again, another illusion.
"Ooh, close that time."
Sam desperately swung again in the direction of the voice.
"Ah, almost."
She swung. And swung and swung. Sweat beaded her forehead and her limbs ached but she kept it up, continuing to swing and miss with Loki keeping up a running commentary. "Not quite." "Ooh, almost had me." "Ah, not even close that time."
She was panting wildly now, gasping for breath, but she refused to give in. She would take down this would-be god and drag him back to Asgard for Odin's judgment, inshallah.
"You know," she said in between pants, "all your talk about teaching me the true power of a god. That was just talk, wasn't it?"
"No, it was a promise." Sams turned around back to the entrance and saw a Loki standing there with a gap around him separating him from all the others. She knew, this was the real one. "I was just waiting for the right moment."
Sam was done waiting. She had her target. Time to take him down. Heaving her axe up one more time, she charged with all her strength, ready to bring her weapon down on that condescending bastard.
He merely grinned at her approach. And then, when she was feet away, his arms shimmered and a scepter appeared in them.
Sam's eyes widened and she tried to duck or dodge or anything, but her aching limbs refused to respond. The scepter glowed blue once and then fired. Sam had enough sense to turn her axe inward to absorb the blow but it wasn't enough. It hit her like a cannon blast, rocketing her into the wall. She felt all the air explode out of her, her spine feeling like it was splintering from the landing. She dropped to the ground, her limbs feeling like jelly, stomach burning in agony. Her hand had caught the worst of Loki's blast, it feeling like it had been dumped in acid.
She could barely lift her head when she heard his approach. So he lifted it for her, yanking her up into the air. She gurgled and tried to fight him off but she was either too weak or he was too strong. "You really thought you could stand against me?" he asked incredulously. "I am a god." He then slammed her back into the wall and a loud moan escaped her lips as a fresh coat of pain covered her. "And you," he whispered in her ear "are just an insignificant mortal."
With that said, he then hurled her across the room. She landed badly, her shoulder smashing into a railing and twisting painfully. Her body hit the metal catwalk and her nerves flared from the impact. She tried desperately to move, to get up and keep fighting. But she couldn't even wiggle a finger. Her mind was fading and the last thought she had before it all went black was that she had failed.
Natasha and Sadie stepped carefully, keeping their eyes and ears peeled around them for any hint of movement, the big pipes, tubes, and other large machinery obstructing their vision. Which was good, since it was also obstructing the Hulk's vision.
Neither of them were fully prepared for this. Natasha didn't know she could fight someone of that size since none of her weapons would be effective and she knew she couldn't outrun him. This was an enemy that was so far beyond her. She had seen the aftermath of his battle with the Abomination in Harlem. Seen cars and buildings twisted and crumpled like tin cans. She shuddered at being caught in those fists.
Sadie had only fought one beast with that amount of strength before, Babi god of baboons, and she had required godly assistance to beat him. The Hulk had gone straight through her spell like it was nothing. And with his speed, she didn't know if next time she'd have the time to prep a stronger one.
A shadow fleeted overhead and both ducked their heads, their breathing quickening as heavy footsteps thudded nearby. Sadie's heartbeat was so loud that it seemed impossible no one else could hear it. Natasha could feel cold sweat trickling over her skin. Neither could remember the last time they had been this scared.
The footsteps came to a stop and Natasha gestured to move, both silently going around a corner, weapons raised; Natasha with her gun and Sadie with her staff. They moved carefully, eyes roving around for any warning of the Hulk's approach.
"RRRAAAAWWWWRRRRR!"
The Hulk's bellow was like thunder and the two whirled to face him, his jaws quivering in rage, ready to attack.
"Drowah!" Sadie commanded and the golden hieroglyphics shined in front of her before a mystical boundary separated them from the Hulk appeared in front of them just as he crashed into it. Both him and Sadie stumbled from the blow.
Sadie gasped, trying to recover. She had never felt that level of power except for Apophis himself. And that had been more magical. This was natural, raw power. She was barely holding on from that one blow.
Izzie, she muttered in her mind. Help me.
She granted access and felt the goddess enter her mind and spirit, empowering her. The Hulk bellowed again and charged, slamming his meaty fists onto her shield but fell back. Even more enraged and frustrated to be blocked by something it couldn't see, the Hulk struck wildly at the invisible thing denying him his prey. Sadie went down to her knees but got back up, the strength of a goddess on her side and even that not being enough. They weren't going to last like this.
"Natasha!" she said through her teeth, clenching them so hard they felt like they would break at any second as the Hulk continued to pound away at the magical barrier.
"What?" Natasha asked, eyes wide at the Hulk's attack.
"I…need…you…to cause…a…distraction," Sadie said between breaths, gasping for air as she held on for her life. Each blow was like a sledgehammer on her skull.
Natasha held up her gun, eyes flickering up to the steam pipe above them, having already noted it before. "Ready when you are."
"Three," Sadie muttered, "two, one…now."
She dropped the shield just as the Hulk's fists came down, causing him to miss and stumble. Natasha instantly fired off a shot, hitting the pipe directly and causing a blast of steam to come shooting out straight into the Hulk's face, making him roar in surprise and outrage, smashing the pipe to pieces.
"Run!" Natasha ordered, pulling Sadie up and behind her. The two took off at full speed down the passageway and round a bend, running right into a long corridor with what looked like metal doorways stationed every few yards.
Natasha glanced back and saw the Hulk tear his way down the bend, his girth so large that everything around him was smashed apart in his charge. She turned back and picked up the pace, Sadie in front of her now.
The Hulk roared, randomly tearing apart anything that got in his way as he chased down his quarry. Pipes burst, metal shrieked, and panels were flattened. Sparks were flying all around him from the debris. He was unstoppable.
Natasha could feel him coming, his presence looming closer and closer. She threw her arms over her head as she ran, trying to protect it from the flying metal around her. They weren't going to make it. That was clear. But she never stopped running. She had to try, even if there was no hope, she had to try. In a way, she felt sorry for Banner after this. If she died, even though he wasn't responsible, he would feel all the guilt. She wondered why that thought was going through her mind right now.
And then the Hulk's fist slammed into her side and she went flying, spinning through the air before hitting the wall and then falling to the ground, slumping on her side there. Sadie gasped and paused for a second just in time for the Hulk's other fist to strike her, sending her into some stacked containers which promptly fell on top of her, burying her.
The Hulk stumbled past both of them into the far wall, cratering it from the impact. Not even fazed, the Hulk stared at his prey on the ground as Natasha sat back up, gasping in pain. He growled at her and moved closer, hand stretched out and Natasha could do nothing but stare back, panting in fear at what was coming. The hand raised up to strike her and Natasha braced herself for the blow when something came flying out of nowhere, ramming right into the Hulk and sending them both crashing through the wall to the other side, rolling on the ground and sending workers stumbling back in a panic, the pieces of the metal wall clanging beside them. They had landed in a hangar bay, many jets and other vehicles sitting around for repairs.
The Hulk instantly looked up and growled over at his new foe as Thor looked up as well, a wary look on his face. Around them, the workers took one look at the Hulk and took off in a panic but the Hulk didn't care, fixated on his new enemy.
Natasha slumped back in relief, blinking at the near miss and just lay there.
The Hulk circled Thor, sizing up its enemy, snorting and roaring all the while as Thor watched carefully back before throwing a punch. Thor easily dodged it and the overhand strike before launching a punch of his own, hitting the beast square in the jaw and sending him spinning around. He struck out wildly as he came around and Thor dodged again. The Hulk roared aloud and then raised his arm up, bringing it down on the puny thing with all of its strength.
Thor caught it on his forearm and still almost staggered from the blow, bringing up his other arm to help support himself, the Hulk grunting as he pressed down harder, surprised that this small thing was standing up to him.
So this was the beast they were afraid of, the monster inside of Banner they all feared. Thor hadn't known what to expect but it certainly wasn't this. "We are not your enemies, Banner," Thor said, trying to reason with him as his muscles strained to hold him back. "Try to think."
The Hulk seemed to scoff at that and lifted his arm back up, Thor being raised up himself just enough for the Hulk's other fist to slam into him and send him sailing across the chamber and crashing through some crates, creating a large hole between them.
Iron Man blasted the last of the debris out of his way from the small tunnel he had carved into the side of the turbine, finally on the other side. He looked down, seeing the damage and inwardly calculating what had to be done. He had suspected from the beginning but now, looking down on it, he knew for sure what the best, and really only, way was. And he hated it. So very much.
"Ok, the relays are intact," Steve reported, pushing them back into the slot. "What's our next move?"
"Even if I clear the rotors, this thing won't re-engage without a jump," Tony explained to him, assessing the best way to start. "I'm going to have to get in there and push."
"Well, if that thing gets up to speed, you'll get shredded," Steve warned him. He may not know much about engineering, but he knew that much.
No duh. Tony clearly already knew that. "That stator control unit can reverse the polarity long enough to disengage maglev and that could-"
"Speak English!" Steve interrupted. He was ready and willing to do what he needed to do. He just needed to know what it was and he couldn't do that if he had no idea what was being said to him. It was why he preferred working with the army. Their orders were clear and precise. Everything now was way more complicated. And he wasn't just thinking about Stark and Banner's scientific jabber.
Tony had to stop himself from rolling his eyes and sighing in frustration, blinking hard instead to regain his composure. This was why he hated working with other people. "See that red lever?"
Steve looked to the side and spotted it on the other side of the now divided and broken chamber. He instantly prepared himself to jump.
"It will slow the rotors down long enough for me to get out," Tony continued. "Stand by it. Wait for my word."
Steve leapt across and landed smoothly, clutching the railing as he did and looking at the red lever, already waiting.
Thor grunted loudly as he smashed into more crates before finally rolling to a stop, coming up on his knees, the Hulk's roar echoing behind him.
He lifted his head slowly, breathing in and out, and rubbing his nose, checking it for any signs of blood. He hadn't felt a punch like that in years. The Hulk roared again and he smiled, his warrior blood rising, calling him to battle. And he was ready to heed it. No more playing nice. Time to take this beast down.
He lifted his hand out, fingers outstretched, calling. He could feel the pull inside of him, the power coming. His hammer, his weapon, his strength. He could hear the vibrations in the air, its metallic singing as it answered his call, and could feel its approach just like he could feel the Hulk's approach behind him, both powering towards him.
Then Mjolnir crashed through more crates, breaking them apart and landed right in his hand. On that second, he turned and spun from the floor, wielding his hammer up into an arc that landed square on the Hulk's jaw as he came in for a punch, knocking the brute back with such power that he flew through the air into a nearby jet, crumpling the vehicle beneath the monster's weight.
The Hulk got back up, breaking more of the jet, and growled loudly, building himself into a fury, before turning and ripping off the jet's wing, throwing it with deadly accuracy. Thor ducked the lethal projectile, it slicing through a jeep instead, and came back up to throw Mjolnir right back at the beast. The Hulk easily snatched it out of the air but was then hurled back along with it, slamming to the ground alongside it. The Hulk angrily tried to get up and use the hammer as a weapon but it refused to budge, remaining on the floor. Enraged now, the Hulk turned and got to his feet, pulling on the hammer with all its strength until its feet began to crack into the floor from the pull. And yet, the hammer still refused to budge, sensing his unworthiness.
The Hulk suddenly turned too late as Thor jumped up, kicking him in the face and sending him stumbling back, before turning and picking up the hammer easily. He jumped up again, wrapping his arms around the Hulk's thick, meaty neck. The Hulk bellowed in frustration, yanking on Thor's arms but they held fast, causing the Hulk to get even angrier, flailing his fists wildly before launching himself upwards.
Fury's screen beeped at him as he zoomed out of the turbine section to view the whole ship. Stark was handling it for now. Time to focus on other problems. Mainly big green ones. "We need full evac on the lower hangar bay," he told Hill as she passed him.
She nodded in response and kept moving towards the exit, gesturing to other agents to follow her. She was just a few steps away when a small object rolled in front of her. Her eyes widened and she was already leaping aside as she yelled out, "grenade!" just as the bomb went off. She flipped over the railing into the lower level, smacking down with a groan. The room dissolved into panic as agents either reached for their weapons or dove for cover, smoke from the blast filling everywhere.
Fury grabbed his gun from its holster and moved to the side of the door as two gunmen made their way in wearing bulletproof vests, automatic rifles raised. He watched carefully as the first passed before lunging out and grabbing the second one's gun and then punching him in the throat with the butt of his gun, causing the man to cry out. The first gunman whirled around but Fury shot him in the chest, knocking him down, before twisting the second man around and dropping him as well. He turned and punched the first gunman, who had been getting back up, with his gun, flooring him again. He then lifted the second gunman up and kicked him in the chest, forcing a moan from the man's chest.
He saw a shadow from the corner of his eye and looked up to see a third gunman lifting his rifle right at him. He ducked his head, already knowing it was too late, when another gunshot rang out. The gunman landed backwards, headshot. Hill eyed him coldly, gun barrel steady.
Hulk and Thor crashed through the floor and into the ceiling, separating on impact, the large pipes bending from their combined weight. The two were flung in opposite directions, Thor landing with a grunt of pain, dust and metal and other debris falling around him. He grimaced, trying to get back up, when he heard a loud snarl and the Hulk's hands grabbed him and hefted him up. The monster heaved Thor over his back and then slammed him back down, then picked him up again and hurled him across the room, Thor smashing into a metal pole before hitting the ground, groaning. The Hulk was so much stronger than he expected. He didn't know if he would be able to subdue the beast. Before he could think on that further, he heard the Hulk bellow again and looked up just in time to see a large metal container fly at him. He only had time to brace himself before it hit him, throwing him into the wall where large chunks of metal and concrete landed on top of him.
The Hulk sniffed loudly and then started walking forwards, swatting another container out of its way, wanting to make sure the puny insect was defeated. But before he could take another step, a powerful spout of water shot out of nowhere and blew straight into the Hulk's face, stopping him in his tracks. He growled and roared in frustration, swatting at the water and stepping aside, but the water kept it up, following him around.
The Hulk roared again and then lunged forward, punching at the floor and causing a small shockwave that dissipated the water spout. He grunted in triumph until it felt a sudden jolt of pain from its backside. He howled and twisted around, fist already swinging, but the figure responsible ducked underneath and came up swinging as well, the sword slashing down on the Hulk's fist, causing him to howl in pain again.
Percy took a step back, sword at the ready. "Sorry about that, Doc," he apologized, watching the Hulk carefully. "But you're not really yourself. And since everyone else is down for the count, guess it's my turn up to bat." He didn't know if he'd gotten that right, and he didn't care. Even after seeing the footage, the Hulk took his breath away. It was hard to equate the timid and brainy Doctor Banner with this green goliath standing before him, muscles bulging like cannonballs. Percy would know, he'd had experiences with a few.
The Hulk glared at him, literally shaking with a rage, before suddenly striking. But Percy was ready for it. He dodged to the side as the fist came down and the stabbed it with his sword, the Hulk roaring again. He really didn't like stabbing the guy since there was a person in there who seemed like a decent man. But he needed to do something to weaken the Hulk or else he was about to become a pile of Percy-mash.
The Hulk lifted both his arms up and brought them down in double hammer strikes, but Percy was already moving, rolling between the Hulk's legs as the fists came down. He came up and turned, swinging Riptide up in a deadly arc that cut up the Hulk's back. The Hulk bellowed again, louder this time, and Percy winced from it. "Sorry Banner," he muttered.
Then the Hulk suddenly swung out with its fist and Percy barely managed to duck beneath it. "Buddy, I've gone up against actual giants," he said, dodging another strike. "And they were big. At least three times as big as you. You're not even Alaskan giant big. You're more…Canadian size." He was so glad Frank wasn't here to hear him say that.
But apparently the Hulk didn't like being compared with Canadians. He lunged out with an arm and Percy tensed but the Hulk hadn't lunged for him. Instead, he lunged to the side, next to a pile of machinery, desks, containers, crates, and other equipment. And with one shove, sent it all hurtling directly at Percy.
"Oh Styx!" he cursed and dove out of the way but not fast enough as a container bashed against his leg, tripping him up. He fell hard and looked up to see a large, metal desk falling right towards him. He rolled to the side and it crashed down next to him, showering him with metal fragments. Before he could even blink, it creaked and then fell down on top of him, trapping him underneath.
"And you might be better than them," Percy muttered, twisting around as he tried to get free.
He then heard the heavy thuds and felt his heart sink. A few seconds later, the desk was lifted off him and tossed to the side with another loud crash. The Hulk glowered down on him, emerald eyes burning with rage.
"Hey there, big guy," Percy tried, smiling up at the big guy. "Why don't we call it a draw?"
The Hulk lifted up his massive foot over Percy.
"That's a no."
The Hulk brought his foot down just as Percy lunged upwards, stabbing Riptide directly into the Hulk's foot, causing him to stumble back in pain, bellowing out again. Percy seized the chance and rolled out of the way, ducking behind a pillar. He breathed in deep and inspected his blade. There was just the tiniest drop of green blood on the tip. He stifled a groan and closed his eyes. He could keep this up for as long as he wanted and he wasn't going to make a dent. The Hulk was too strong, his skin too thick. And Percy was going to tire out long before he did. Eventually, the monster would get him. He needed a new plan. But what? He couldn't use his main source of strength, water, here. He had been lucky in his first attack that there had been a small water pipe below him, enough to distract the Hulk. But it wasn't enough for a full-on attack. He was in a metal ship hundreds of feet in the air, the last place a son of Poseidon should be fighting. There was no water around for him to use.
A sudden roar interrupted his thoughts and a chunk of pillar above him was suddenly torn away with a shriek of metal. The Hulk appeared, crumpling the metal pillar in its hands before dropping it, his teeth seething as he looked down at Percy.
Percy lifted his sword up, not sure what else he could do but keep fighting until some backup came. The Hulk lifted its fists and Percy prepared to dodge again.
"Sa-wi!"
The Hulk suddenly stumbled back as if it had been punched, tripping over the large metal desk, and falling over. Before it could recover, another word called out, "Tas!" and large cords struck out and wrapped themselves around the goliath, cocooning him.
Percy turned and sighed in relief at the sight of Sadie who was limping towards him. "Hey," she greeted. "What'd I miss?"
"Not much," Percy replied with a grin. "Just jolly, big green over here tearing up the place."
"Yeah I know, I got the brunt of that downstairs," she replied, wincing as she held her ribs. "My magic's not enough. He just blasts right through it. I don't know how to stop him."
"Me either," Percy said solemnly, watching the Hulk struggle, the cords around him already looking like they were strained to the max. He estimated they had less than a minute before the big guy snapped them all. "All I can do is strike and dodge, and that's barely doing anything. If I could use my powers, it'd be different."
Sadie looked up sharply. "Powers?" she asked. "Like water?"
"Yeah," he nodded.
"How much?"
"What?" He frowned at her and saw she was serious. "Um…I don't know. A lot. To take him on, a lot," he grasped his sword tighter as he saw several cords snap.
"Okay," Sadie nodded, eyes gleaming. "You need water. You'll get some water." She then held out her staff and began chanting. Percy frowned again, wondering what she was doing, when the Hulk let out another roar and half the cords snapped off. He instantly began to struggle harder, writhing across the floor and tearing at the remaining cords.
"Uh, Sadie?" Percy asked hesitantly. "If you're going to do something, do it now!" But she was still in her trance, eyes closed. The air seemed to shimmer slightly around her.
The Hulk ripped off the rest of the cords, throwing them to the side.
"Sadie?"
The Hulk turned and glared at him, fists lifting menacingly.
"Sadie!"
"Maw!" Sadie yelled out and golden hieroglyphics shined in front of her:
And then a swimming pool's amount of water suddenly appeared around them, flooding the room.
Coulson entered the armory, heading right for the locked section in the back. He was supposed to have gone to the detention level first, but when the guards on site had failed to respond back, he had grown suspicious. The likelihood was that Loki had broken free. And if he had, then Coulson was going to need some big guns to take him on. Or maybe just a big gun.
"We've got a perimeter breach!" an agent on the PA system announced as Coulson made it to the locked section, placing his thumb over the scanner and then moving his head forward for the eye scan. "Hostiles in S.H.I.E.L.D. gear. Call-outs at every junction."
The screen turned green and the container clicked open.
The second the water landed, Percy was in his element, fresh strength surging through him. He thrust out his hands and the water answered, the currents heaving up against the Hulk and forcing him to trip up. The Hulk bellowed again but it was soon drowned out as the water went over his head, forcing him under. Percy grimaced and then twisted his arms around, the water following his movements, transforming into a whirlpool. The Hulk thrashed in the water but was soon lost to the currents, the water spinning him around and around, furniture and metal floating alongside him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free, the water always forcing him back.
"Wow," Sadie muttered taking it all in. A funnel cloud of water spinning in a room. It was like a mini water tornado. "That is impressive."
"Thanks," Percy replied, concentrating hard. "But it isn't over yet."
Even as he said it, the Hulk managed to grab the floor and sink its fingers in deep, holding fast. Percy narrowed his eyes and focused in, pushing the currents harder. The Hulk felt the water rage harder against him but refused to give in, simply digging into his perch even more. Then, he lifted one meaty fist up and slammed it down into the ground, breaking through.
"Uh oh," Percy muttered and pushed harder but the Hulk had already raised his fist again and brought it down even harder. The floor cracked and broke apart and the Hulk fell through. He landed on his feet, crouching down as he did to absorb the impact, and then sprang back up at an angle, smashing through the floor right in front of Percy and Sadie.
They both were sent flying back, but Percy instinctively called to the water and it responded, flooding over to him and catching him and Sadie before they landed. As soon as he did, Percy was up again and focused all his power. The water around him formed up under his command, swirling into deadly spikes that then shot out. The Hulk cried out as he was suddenly bombarded by water spikes. He held up his hands, trying to swat them away but there were too many. Percy kept up the bombardment as the water kept refreshing itself, but he knew he couldn't keep this up. The water wasn't supposed to be like this. It liked to be free, constantly moving, and keeping it trapped up in this room was wearing him down just as much as fighting the Hulk with it was. He was running out of time and energy.
The Hulk now had ripped part of the wall away and was using it as a shield to advance and Percy prepared the water to lash out at him when Sadie intervened, a bolt of pure white light blasting out of her staff and striking the Hulk in the chest, disintegrating his makeshift shield and forcing him back, his chest smoldering. She then lifted her staff up and swung it in a circle. The debris in the room lifted up and then flew right at the Hulk as he was getting up, knocking him back down and burying him under a hillside of metal and equipment.
"See how you like it," Sadie muttered, panting and Percy noticed she was just as tired as he was, her magic draining her as well. "Hopefully that will keep hi-"
The debris hill exploded and the Hulk emerged, pounding his chest for emphasis.
"Never mind," Sadie slumped. "Hope you've got an idea cause I'm fresh out."
Percy grimaced and then concentrated, planning on sending the water rushing and trapping the Hulk when suddenly, he heard a sharp whistling sound. He glanced up to see an object fly through the air and strike the Hulk right in the head, staggering him. The object, a hammer, stopped midair and then hurtled right back into Thor's open hand.
"Require assistance?" he asked and without waiting for an answer, charged. The Hulk swung his fist but Thor leapt over, bringing his hammer down on the beast's head. The Hulk hunched over from the blow and Thor then punched him in the face before slamming the hammer into the Hulk's chest, rocketing it backwards near the windows.
"Forgive me, Banner, but this is for your own good," Thor said and lifted his hammer up above the fallen Hulk.
Faster than should have been possible, the Hulk rushed forward, punching Thor so hard Percy could feel the impact across the room. The thunder god was blown back until a watery fist materialized, catching him. Thor shook and then rubbed his head before nodding his thanks at Percy who nodded back.
The Hulk glowered at all of them but before it could make a move, Percy thrust his hands out again. The water rushed forwards, all of it streaming across the room and washing over the giant. It formed into thick ribbons and tentacles, wrapping themselves tightly around him and holding him fast. The Hulk bellowed loudly in frustration, straining against these new confines but Percy wouldn't let him go. He could feel the pain in his gut, the ache inside. He wasn't going to be able to hold this long. "Sadie, Thor," he said. "If you've got one last move, do it now. I can't hold him long."
"On it," Sadie nodded, holding up her staff.
"We will take him down," Thor agreed and hefted his hammer. Together, the two charged forwards, weapons at the ready.
In one sudden move, the Hulk broke his arms free from the water ropes and Percy's concentration slipped. The Hulk then held his arms out for one brief second before clapping them together with all his power.
It was like a bomb had gone off. All the air, the dust, the debris, the water, everything went hurtling back. The three of them went weightless as the shockwave caught them, slamming them into the wall so hard that Percy's entire body shook from the impact. He collapsed, feeling his power drain away as the water washed out of the room.
Fury and Hill fired shots at the doorway, trying to keep the enemy back. Other agents were running for the exits or for cover around them while another diligently kept working, trying to keep the ship up in the air.
"We have the Hulk and Thor, Kane, and Jackson on Research Level 4. Levels 2 and 3 are dark," the PA announced.
"Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart!" Hill yelled at him, continuing to fire.
Fury fired as well and managed to drop another enemy gunman. "Get his attention," he replied. This was plan B since Loki was occupying plan A. Get him off the ship at all costs. Under no circumstances would Fury let the Hulk bring this ship down.
Hill hunkered down and adjusted her earpiece to the correct frequency. "Escort 6-0, proceed to Wishbone and engage hostile," she ordered. Outside, one of the escort jets proceeded towards the rear of the ship. "Don't get too close," she warned.
"Copy," the pilot replied, flying slowly between the large engines towards the research stations, its revolving thruster in the back allowing it more maneuverability. It flew up carefully, closer and closer, until the pilot saw a small explosion of wind from one of the floors and a large green figure at the center of it. He lifted up his visor and took hold of the trigger. "Target acquired," he reported, moving in just a little closer so he could aim better just as the Hulk knocked back a smaller figure.
"Target engaged." He pulled the trigger and the aircraft's guns blazed to life, firing multiple rounds at the creature.
The Hulk stopped in its tracks, feeling the pounding and biting of the bullets on his back. And his rage grew. When would these ceaseless, annoying attacks end? He turned, seeing the remaining glass window shatter from the stream of bullets, and held up his hand to cover his eyes.
Thor dove for Percy and Sadie, pulling them behind some cover.
The Hulk growled in frustration, stepping forward slowly, before having enough and dropping his arms, roaring in rage at the puny thing firing at him. The other enemies were down. Time to put this one down as well. He charged forwards.
The pilot's eyes widened as he saw the Hulk jump, his heart jumping right alongside straight up into his throat. "Target angry, target angry!" he yelled out, pressing down harder on the trigger as if that would help.
The Hulk soared through the sky before landing on the nose of the jet, causing the aircraft to spin through the air. The Hulk clambered upward, leaving dents in the metal, and lifted his arm to punch through the cockpit when he lost his grip and slid down the other end of the jet. Instead, he punched through the metal there, tearing out wires and machinery and causing smoke to billow out.
The jet quickly began to descend and alarms flashed all across the cockpit. The pilot panicked, trying to stabilize the jet and force the Hulk off but controls refused to respond. Fires were appearing all over and the Hulk was tearing apart everything he could get his hands on. The jet was descending fast, still spinning around and around as it fell towards the ground, a wing snapping off and twirling away.
Admitting defeat, the pilot leaned down and yanked on the eject lever. The canopy flew off and his chair ejected into the air. But before the pilot could do anything else, the Hulk lashed out and grabbed his chair, preventing him from moving. The Hulk roared once and then angrily threw him away where he flipped over in the air once before activating his parachute, beginning a calmer descent.
A few seconds later, the jet exploded and the Hulk was thrown away, bellowing in pain all the while as he fell towards the Earth.
Iron Man stood on the hole, his laser cutting through damaged rotors easily. Once done, he tossed away the clip and jumped down, dislodging the rotor and letting it fall away, activating his thrusters to fly back up. That was the last of it. Now came the hard part. He just hoped Capsicle was standing by.
On the other side of the turbine, two masked gunmen came out of the doorway, guns raised. Steve watched them carefully as they came in, confused. Why was S.H.I.E.L.D. sending in armed gunmen to this spot? There was no need. He watched carefully as one of the gunmen reached behind his belt and pulled out a grenade, unclipping it. Realization hitting him, Steve jumped across the chasm just as the gunman threw the grenade, swatting it out of the air before it could hit the turbine and damage it even more. The grenade fell down the chasm into the open air and exploded safely.
Steve turned to the gunmen. He had to take these guys down fast and get back to the lever. He just hoped Stark hadn't started up the turbine yet. He jumped across several jutting pieces of metal down to the doorway and punched the gunman in the face, knocking him down. He grabbed the upper girder for support and kicked out at the other gunman, first knocking his gun up and away and then kicked him right in the chest, forcing him down. His gun clattered onto the upper catwalk.
The first gunman swung a fist, trying to take him off guard, but Steve dodged the blow and grabbed the man at the back, pushing him forward. The man's arms pinwheeled as he stumbled past the broken railing and then fell over the side, screaming all the way.
Steve ran forward to make sure the other gunman was down when he saw another gunman emerge from the entrance, firing right at him. He ducked to the side and looked around, spotting a loose piece of metal next to him. He grabbed it and threw it, forcing the gunman back into the hallway as the metal hit a broken panel on the wall, causing sparks to shoot out.
Using the distraction, Steve turned and jumped up to the previous platform, vaulting over the railing just as the gunman reemerged, firing at him again. He picked up the fallen gun and started shooting back wildly, trying to get his opponent to back off. The gunman ducked and hid against the side wall, out of Steve's vision. He kept up the shooting, needed the gunman to stay there at least. He was running out of time. He slowly backed off towards the lever, hoping to handle this before Stark needed him.
On the bridge, another gunman emerged from the hallway, firing three shots at them but Fury fired back twice, both finding their mark and the man fell with a cry.
"They're not getting through here, so what the hell…" Fury mused, eye still locked on the entrance. This plan was stupid and reckless of them, almost like it was a-
Barton, hiding in the rafters, loosed his arrow and it exploded in the upper section of the bridge. Several agents were sent flying from the blast, screaming out. Another arrow exploded in the main area, sending more agents flying and the rest in a panic.
Picking out a special arrow with slight bulges on the sides, Barton turned slightly and aimed. Fury spotted him from below but was too late as he fired right next to the specific computer monitors. Fury began shooting at him but he disappeared, his mission accomplished.
The bulges of his arrow opened to the sides and several long metal spikes poked out. They instantly fit right into the sockets next to the computer monitors. All the screens started flickering and turning off seconds later, the program the arrow had carried shutting them all down. The main screen on the bridge beeped and zoomed in automatically on one of the forward turbines, stating: MALFUNCTION. ENGINE 1 POWER LOSS. Outside, the turbine stopped spinning, powering down.
Fury looked over at the still flickering screens, wondering what had just happened, when the PA came online again. "Engine 1 is now in shutdown," the agent announced. As he said it, Agent Sitwell rushed over to the screens but they were all black, nothing he could do. Still, he took a seat and frantically got to work to try and save the engine.
The metal supports around the bridge suddenly groaned and the whole room began to tilt, several agents falling over, as the Helicarrier began to fall. On the top decks, the containers that hadn't been tied down began to slide around freely, crashing into Quinjets and falling over the side.
"We are in an uncontrolled descent," the PA agent stated.
"Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1," another agent reported.
Fury felt his stomach sink along with his ship, looking around at the chaos in the room and imagining it all over the ship. All these people, these agents, were about to die unless they got one of the engines back online. And that was out of his hands, which he hated. But there was something he could control.
"It's Barton," Fury replied. "He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy."
Natasha Romanoff had been shivering against the wall for some time, barely focusing after her encounter with the Hulk and the closest she had come to death in a long time. Her mind had gone blank and she had just been focusing on breathing when she felt the ship slide and fall and then heard Fury's report. The name, Barton, struck a chord in her and she was suddenly alert. She had to stop him, bring him back. She was the only one who could. She held her hand up to her earpiece and said, "this is Agent Romanoff. I copy." She then summoned all her strength and got back up.
Thor sat up the second Sadie finished Fury's report. "Loki," he muttered and made to take off out the door when he stopped, looking back at Percy's unconscious form. The amount of power he had used had wiped him out.
"It's fine, I've got him," Sadie assured him. "You go take care of your brother." Thor nodded and ran out the doors, heading to the detention level.
Iron Man flew up to the side of the rotors, pressing his gauntlets against it, feeling the ship going down. He had to power up the turbine now before they crashed. He pushed into the rotor, trying to get it and the whole turbine moving.
"Stark, we're losing altitude," Fury told him.
"Yeah, noticed," Tony replied. It was kind of hard not to notice, really. He pushed more power into his leg thrusters and pressed harder against the hard metal. The first shove was always the hardest. Once he got it moving, it would be easier. He gritted his teeth, shoving against the rotor with all his strength, when he felt it. The rotor began to move, creaking and straining, the cracked and broken edges sparking and falling off, but it moved. He kept pushing and it moved faster. All the other rotors followed along, moving in a circle around and around. He just had to keep it up for a little bit longer. He just wondered if they had that kind of time.
Steve fired another round as he saw the gunman reappear, hoping to get him to back away again. The man ducked and then came out firing his own round, the bullets striking the wall behind Steve and sparking off it. He winced and backed up, sliding a few feet back. And then he realized his mistake as his foot landed on a loose piece of metal, sliding out from underneath him over the edge, his foot going with it and then his whole body.
Gasping in panic, he reacted fast and flung his arm out, grabbing out at a pipe in the wall but his fingers slipped off. Still grasping, he hit a dangling cord and instantly latched onto that, holding on with everything he had.
Thor raced down the hallway towards the detention level, barely taking note of the dead guard outside the room as he barreled in. He came right to a stop in the doorway as the cell door opened, Loki waiting patiently on the other side.
"No!" Thor cried out and charged forwards without thinking. All he knew was that he had to stop Loki before more damage was done. He bolted up the steps to the cell, Loki seeing him coming down and raising his arms in defense, and Thor jumped right at him. And then he passed straight through the illusion of his brother into the cell, landing with a grunt. He glanced back and saw the cell door close behind him, sealing him inside.
He jumped to his feet, whirling around until he saw the real Loki standing behind the glass wall watching him with a disappointed expression. A gunman stepped away from a panel, evidently being the one to lock the cell.
"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Loki asked curiously. "Your little Valkyrie friend did," he nodded over and Thor looked over at Sam's slumped form. "But, then again, she doesn't know me as well as you do. So it's much more embarrassing for you."
Barton ducked under the girder as he walked along the upper catwalk, bow in hand, passing by some large pipes and ignoring all the agents clamoring in the distance as well as the alarm bells constantly ringing. He only had one mission: return to Loki and get them off this ship.
Until he felt there was someone behind him.
He fluidly nocked an arrow and turned, aiming it and firing but his opponent, Natasha Romanoff, had grabbed the bow and kept it pointing away from her, the arrow firing off to nowhere. She twisted the bow, trying to wrest it from his hands, but he whirled around and knocked her back with his elbow, then spun and brought his bow down like a club. She backed up fast, then spun herself and kicked him in the face, forcing him back this time as he gave a soft cry of pain.
Natasha used his distraction to vault beneath the catwalk to the narrow underbelly. When he went to follow, she jumped back up on the other side, taking him by surprise, and kicking out at him in the chest, grunting as she did so. Even as he stumbled back though, he reached for an arrow and nocked it, aiming right at her and firing. She spun up in time on a pole in time, the arrow shooting past, and swung to the parallel catwalk. Barton jumped over as well and swung his bow several times at her. She dodged the first two but then blocked the third. He grimaced and pushed harder against her with it before flipping it around on her, the bowstring landing behind her guarded arms. He then pulled back on his bow with Natasha resisting, before lunging forward suddenly, the string snapping her arms forward as well until they smacked painfully into the bow.
She winced and he pressed the advantage, pushing her right up to the railing and leaning her against it hard. She grunted and then kicked him and struck him across the face, sending him staggering away slightly and forcing him to release his bow. She swung it over her shoulder and pulled out a knife. He did the same, holding it dangerously. They knew each other's moves, their fighting styles. This could go on for hours. But Natasha didn't have hours. She was still hurting from the Hulk, feeling every blow even more, and he was moving robotically. She had to find a way to end it, fast.
Angry, Thor lifted his hammer and slammed into the wall, the glass cracking around the impact. Instantly, the metal clamps holding the cell loosened, threatening to drop it. Thor stopped, grimacing, and stepped back while Loki just watched wide-eyed for a moment before smiling.
"The humans think us immortal," he said conversationally as he walked over to the control panel. "Should we test that?"
Thor's eyes widened. Surely he wouldn't? Even if they were on opposite sides now, surely Loki wouldn't actually try to kill him? His brother couldn't be that far gone.
A sudden yelp and a thud distracted both of them and they turned to see the gunman fall unconscious, Agent Coulson standing above him with a large gun in his arms, the wide barrel pointing directly at Loki. "Move away, please," he said to the god.
Loki held his hands up, backing away. Thor held his breath, eyeing the situation anxiously. He was filled with frustration at not being able to help, at being trapped in this cage thanks to his own foolishness and brashness. He just prayed his friend could handle it.
"You like this?" Coulson asked as he held up the gun, eyes still trained on Loki. "We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does," he added with a shrug. He pressed a button and the barrel of the gun lit up as it powered on, humming to life and glowing a bright orange. "You want to find out."
Then he let out a gasp of shock and pain as a blade ripped through his chest, Loki now standing behind him.
"NO!" Thor roared, pounding his fist into the wall. He watched as the illusion of Loki on the dais faded and Coulson collapsed, his suit turning a dark red. Thor gritted his teeth as he glared at Loki with loathing, something he had never felt towards his brother before. He wanted to smash Mjolnir down and make him pay for his friend. He wanted to smash out of here and rush his friend to safety. But he couldn't. All he could do was watch.
Loki walked past Coulson's panting form back to the control panel. He looked over at Thor and gestured to the blood on his spear in a helpless manner, as if he had no choice in the matter, that it couldn't be helped. He did it all with a sly smile on his face. He then lifted up one of the dials on the control panel and held his hand over the button underneath. Thor watched him apprehensively. Before he had doubts, but now those were fading. He didn't recognize this monster in front of him, this being who enjoyed killing, who took pleasure in the mayhem he caused. This couldn't be his brother.
His eyes followed as Loki pressed another button and the bottom section of the chamber opened up to the open sky, wind billowing around in a funnel, trying to drag the cell down. Loki turned and held his hand over the big red button. Thor stepped back, looking down at the hole, and back at Loki. He knew, even if he didn't want to believe it, he knew what was about to happen. And yet, he still prayed that it wouldn't.
And then Loki pressed the button, the clamps released, and the cell with Thor inside dropped through the hole into the sky, falling with terminal velocity to the ground far below, tumbling through the air as it did so.
Barton slammed his arm down and Natasha blocked it with a grunt, kicking out at his exposed side. He winced and backed off for a second before whipping his knife at her face but she grabbed his arm, kicked him again, and then bent his arm into a painful angle. He cried out painfully and she doubled down on her grip. She hated doing this to him, but he wasn't himself. He wouldn't hesitate to put her down in this state, so she couldn't hesitate either.
Barton threw his knife out, catching it in his left hand and whipping it again which Natasha barely managed to duck under. She grabbed his left arm before he could attack again and tried to trip him up but he resisted, instead trapping her arm around his in a deadlock, the knife pointed at her face. They stayed that way, pushing against each other, Natasha's back against a girder. Barton suddenly grabbed the back of her head and trying to pull her forward into the blade. She panted as she held back, her entire body straining to push against him.
She couldn't hold this position long though. He was currently in a much better physical condition than she was. She had to find something to throw the odds in her favor. Her eyes landed on his arm and its exposed skin. Acting fast, she lunged forward and bit down on his arm as hard as she could. Barton yelled out, his grip loosening, and Natasha broke free. She then flipped over his arm as he doubled over, grabbing him around the arms, and slamming his head into the railing with a clang!
Barton slumped over, groaning in pain, hands flailing slightly as he tried to recover. He hit the ground and then got onto his hands and knees, leaning back up. Natasha watched him carefully, ready for any sudden moves. He breathed out softly and then looked up at her. "Natasha?" he asked curiously blinking, eyes still a vibrant blue.
Natasha eyed him for a split second before punching him in the face, knocking him flat and out cold. No hesitation. She couldn't take the chance.
Thor tumbled around inside the cell, dashed from floor to ceiling to wall again as the cell constantly flipped around in the air. From the short glances outside, he could see the ground coming nearer and nearer, but every time he tried to get a grip on something, he slipped away. He didn't know if he would die on impact but he wasn't willing to find out. He needed a way out of here now.
He threw himself, or tried to anyway, at the crack in the glass he made earlier, but mistimed it and hit it too early. He tried to recover. swinging his hammer as hard as he could, but he was too late, the hammer just swinging in front of it as he was sent flying back again. He rolled off the floor, the hammer clanging against the metal, before making another attempt, this time cracking the glass a little but still not enough.
The ground was coming in too fast. He didn't have time to try again. And he couldn't try to break another window as the glass was too thick. He needed momentum. He swung off the ceiling to the wall opposite the one with the crack and planted his feet firmly against it, grabbing hold of the metal bed as well to hold him there. He could see the ground coming up out of the corner of his eye. He had seconds left. He had to break through now. He aimed right for the crack and the launched himself forward, Mjolnir breaking through the glass wall and flying him away just as the cell crashed into the rocks, smashing into a million pieces and a cloud of dust.
Thor himself crashed into a field, sending up a storm of soil as he bounced off it, his hammer flying out of his grip. He tried to recover but just landed again and caused a small mound of dirt to leap up off the ground again. He rolled away from it all, tumbling head over heels across the field completely out of control before finally rolling to a stop. He groaned and just lay there for a moment, needed a minute to recover.
Loki flipped the dial back, watching where his brother had been. He felt a slight twinge of sadness that it had to be this way. But Thor would never stop hounding him, so he had to be removed. He was probably still alive. Thor was one of the strongest gods. But hopefully he was out of action. Finished here, Loki turned to leave.
"You're going to lose."
Loki stopped, pausing for a second, and then turned around, facing Coulson. "Am I?"
Coulson stared back at him, eyes squinted slightly, breathing heavy, the weapon still in his hands. "It's in your nature," he said softly.
"Hmm," Loki smiled at him. "Your heroes are scattered," he said, walking forward. "Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?" he asked curiously.
"You lack conviction," Coulson replied.
Loki glared down at him. "I don't think I-"
Coulson pulled the trigger and the weapon powered up, firing off a bolt of golden energy that struck Loki in the chest, blasting him into the wall and detonating, blowing him through in a cloud of smoke. He rolled away, stunned and shocked.
Coulson stared off into the distance calmly. "So that's what it does."
Fury stood staring at the screen in front of him as the PA shouted, "all hands to crash stations immediately," repeating it several times. He stared at the altimeter, watching it drop below 18000 feet and keep descending. It all rested on Stark now.
Tony kept pushing the rotor as fast as he could, going around and around again and again, but he could also feel the ship descending. JARVIS had their altitude at the top of the screen and it was going down way faster than he would have liked. He poured more power into the thrusters and shoved his whole body into the rotor, yelling as he pushed with all his strength.
This time he could feel it, the rotor was speeding up, going faster and faster. He saw on his screen that the turbine was almost there. He just needed to keep it up for a little longer, make it go just a little faster. He poured all he could into it and felt the rotors go even faster, spinning around at a rapid speed. He also felt the rotors beginning to slip away, moving on their own now. Time to bail.
"Cap, hit the lever," he said.
On the other side of the turbine, Steve still dangled in the air, the wind whipping him around. "I need a minute here!" he yelled back, doing his best to climb up the slim cord. Now was the worst possible time to get the message.
"Lever," Tony responded, a little more anxiously. "Now!"
Steve felt a flashback of a similar situation, of a friend dangling just out of reach and him unable to help. Now it was reversed and yet he still needed to help. He couldn't let it happen again, couldn't let someone else die on his watch. No matter what. He heaved himself forward, hand over hand, gritting his teeth and ignoring the aches in his arms until he crawled back onto the platform, nearly collapsing there.
Then, there was a burst of gunfire as the gunman saw him, bullets sparking around him. He winced but kept going, keeping low.
Tony kept pushing on the rotor until he suddenly felt it leave him, pushing ahead. He watched it go with wide eyes until his back hit the rotor behind him.
"Uh oh," he mumbled right before his suit fell underneath, sliding right between the rotors. They instantly began to pummel the suit, tossing him around the turbine, biting into his armor. "Help!" he called out, doing his best to try and get out of there but the rotors were too fast. His armor was good, but it wouldn't last too long like this. He had seconds before he became Tony-purée.
Steve leaned upwards and grabbed hold of the lever, pulling it down firmly.
The bottom rotors slowed for a second and Tony dropped below, falling for a split second before he reactivated his thrusters. They sparked a little, trying to recover from the damage. One shorted out for a second, dropping him a few more feet in the air, before it turned back on. He then leaned forwards, pouring power into them and flying to where Cap was.
Steve was getting up on his hands and knees and the gunman was firing another round when Tony came swooping in, ramming right into the gunman a couple yards back into the hallway. Tony rolled off the man, groaning. His eye lights flickered off.
Steve looked over at him, panting. That had been too close. For both of them.
The Quinjet took off as Loki walked on board. He sat down and watched the ramp close up. His body was still throbbing from the gun blast. If he hadn't already stabbed that man, he would have done it again. But he knew the agents were coming and probably the others. He had to leave. Not that it mattered. He had removed some of their strongest members and damaged their ship. His mission was over. Time to begin the war. He smiled to himself at what was coming.
And there's Chapter 7. Again, so sorry for being late. I really didn't mean for it to take this long but I got distracted by a lot of different things. Also suffered some Writer's Block. I'm still going to try and finish the story before Christmas and I'll try to get the next chapter to you soon. I hope you like the Hulk vs. Percy fight and hope it kind of makes up for the lame Percy vs. Thor fight. And I am also sorry if you think I made Sam weak here. I needed to have her lose badly to Loki here so she can come back stronger later. Until next time, please review and stay safe.