The fact I based this on the final battle in Black Widow despite still not seeing the movie (as I'm writing this chapter in May 2022. I did watch it by the time I published).
Chapter 213: Pins & Knees Part Three
Half a Present Romance
Iqadi uses her claws to grip the outside of her team's helicarrier. Mid-air, she scratches as she slides but finally gets a grip and climbs. She throws her legs over the edge before standing and running towards Apollo who's in the middle of the lot.
"I thought you could fly," Apollo says.
Iqadi narrows her eyes which are evident with the mask. "I thought you were the Son of Thor."
"That's mean."
They laugh as the barricades pour in, going through men and guns like nothing. They don't even need the elements or weapons but solely their hands and skills. Merida dives in from their quinjet above, using her bow as a battering ram since she doesn't think these men are worth her arrows.
Except one.
Merida snaps off the arrowhead on one and skips it like a rock on a pond. Oil spills everywhere and the men slide around mindlessly.
"Congratulations on your engagement," Iqadi says to Apollo since their fight is currently preoccupied with regaining their balance.
"Thank you," Apollo responds.
"So on a scale of Xavier and Sigyn to Emily and Daniel, how long till your wedding?"
Apollo calls his axe over. "Ask Freya."
"What is Freya doing?" Merida asks. "You could've brought her to whatever the fuck this mission is."
"Royal protocol bullshit."
"Ah…" Iqadi mutters, looking up at the sky nostalgically. "I remember when Imanu had to do the same."
Merida laughs a bit, pointing at Apollo with an arrow. "Saying bullshit with your Asgard accent made my day."
"Can we try something?" Apollo asks, spinning his axe with a mischievous grin on his face.
"What?" Iqadi asks despite mirroring his expression through the mask.
"How much lightning can your suit hold?"
"How much can you throw at me?"
"Wait!" Merida exclaims. "Let's get an all-clear that we can just blow this bird out of the sky. But first things first, I'm getting out of here."
Merida loads her bow with a grappling hook arrow. She aims it at their bird and fires. Once it's secure, she rappels back up to get ready to get the team out of here.
-o-
Electric Blonde
Xavier: We're all good. Everyone get out.
"You heard the boss," James says as he blasts someone. "My soon-to-be former boss."
Angela smiles at him as Emily flies in. They're about to all head out but James's bad knee seizes up and he falls to the ground. Tears spring to his eyes as he crouches in a fetal position. He tries to reach for his knee but it hurts.
If he could describe the pain, it's like his knee exploded and all the pins are pointing everywhere else than where they're supposed to be. He's light-headed and nauseous, everything spinning around him.
"James!" Angela yells.
A sector of their helicarrier explodes. Angela staggers to her feet as Emily yells for the Matriarch and a reading.
"Fucking failsafe!" Emily screams. "Shut it down. Get out of here! Matriarch!"
If he could, he would.
James' head slumps forwards. He wants to scream but no sound comes out except a cry agonizingly.
The propellor on their end explodes, taking that whole sector of the helicarrier with them. James doesn't have the time or energy to react before he flies out with the debris.
-o-
Half a Present Romance
Merida climbs onto the dock of their quinjet. She looks down at her team and Apollo and Iqadi wave her off before she runs back to the pilot's seat. Once she's strapped in, they look at each other excitedly.
Apollo spins his axe, charging it with lightning. "Are you ready?"
Iqadi opens her arms. "Hit me."
"What happens if I kill you?"
She shrugs. "Asgard-Wakanda diplomacy issues, possible war. But don't let that stop you."
He doesn't want another second before calling lightning from the sky and aiming it at her. Iqadi steps back a little, laughing at the lightning sparking out of her as her suit takes it all in and builds the energy. If it can harbour her lightning, it can cradle his. She hopes it doesn't seep through and burn her let alone maybe kill her. That'll be something she brings back to Wakanda and fixes.
"Stop!" Iqadi yells once her suit is at max capacity. When he pauses, she looks at the lightning in her fingertips and grins. "You ready?"
"Hit me!" Apollo yells, opening his arms.
Iqadi takes a running head start before pouncing. The moment her fist hits the ground, everything crumbles before them. Lightning fizzles and bursts through the helicarrier below them. Seconds later and it blows. The impact sends them flying off opposite ends laughing as they fall.
"Oh, thank god I got off that shitshow," Merida says.
-o-
Electric Blonde
"I got this!" Emily screams as their helicarrier falls apart before them. "Get him! Matriarch, where are you?"
Angela didn't even need Stark's words to have her jump out of the helicarrier where James flew out. However, she noticed that James flew out the other way so she turns around and sprints across the helicarrier as it explodes all around him.
The floor breaks beneath her feet and she slides down the panels into the crevices. Angela lands on her feet and continues running. She looks ahead and sees the south windows approaching. She rolls her shoulders and leads with it as she speeds. Angela launches herself and smashes through the panelling before diving down.
The wind stings her eyes as she dives and kickstarts her jet pack. She glides through the air, sliding between two slabs. Angela jumps a little at the sound of a neighbouring quinjet exploding.
"Oh god…" Angela mutters, seeing the giant mess falling from above.
With more debris comes more difficulty in finding James. He shrank to save himself but it makes it harder for her to find. Her heart races, pounding in her ears so loud as she flies around mindlessly. If anyone is barking in her earpiece, she can't hear them.
Then she sees it. Big chunks of debris are shrinking in the blink of an eye.
Angela zips over and James grows back to his normal size for her to catch him. He grunts when she takes him in her arms and her breathing quickens as tears form in her eyes. She has never seen him in so much pain and it unnerves her that it's now when they're in a crisis with debris raining above them mid-air and explosions in every corner.
"Hey, hey, stay with me," Angela says to James, holding his face with one hand. "Okay? We'll be okay."
James doesn't respond but stares at her blankly. His head droops but she can tell he's trying to keep it up. She isn't sure if he registered her words but at least he can see her.
Angela looks up and the tears fall. She isn't sure where anyone else is. She doesn't even know where the helicarrier she leapt from if it's even still there.
"Xavier, where are you?" Angela yells into her earpiece. "Where's Sigyn? I need you to take James. He's down, we're falling down, and I got him in the debris storm."
Angela isn't sure if her message got out or if she got an answer.
"I love you," Angela tells James. Her voice shakes as if it's the last time she'll ever say it to him. "We'll be okay."
She looks down and sees one of Sigyn's portals opening and she almost sobs in relief. Sigyn opens her arms below and catches James before the portal closes. Angela quickly wipes her tears before she flies back up to finish the mission.
-o-
United Shades of Green
"Alright, James," Sigyn says as she lays him on the floor of their quinjet while Xavier pilots through the raining debris. "Talk to me if you can."
James looks at her with vacant eyes. Sigyn gently holds his chin and tilts his head. She peers in closer to look into his eyes before checking for a pulse. Sigyn turns to see Xavier standing behind her before crouching to look at James.
"What happened?" Xavier asks. He cuts open James' uniform on the bottom half of his leg, leaving the material and exposing the now bright red area.
James grunts as he tries to reposition himself but stops when Xavier and Sigyn try to help. "My fucking knee hurts like a bitch."
"Did you get it looked at?"
"Yeah."
"When?"
"Before we got here."
"And? Were you cleared?"
James pauses. "Not really recommended that I should do anything on it. I've been trying not to use it."
Sigyn bites down on her lips. Don't laugh at James' joke. Do not support this. She glances at her husband and sees his expression shift from concern and worry to anger. She knows this conversation won't go well so she'll have to pilot while the shitstorm falls.
"Are you fucking joking?" Xavier asks him. "And you still came here?"
"Babe, not now," Sigyn says calmly.
Xavier ignores her. "You should've told me so I wouldn't have let you come here and get hurt."
James rolls his eyes. "Keep your martyr shit to yourself. You're giving me a headache."
"You have no-"
"Xavier!" Sigyn yells. "If you keep talking, I'm kicking you out of the quinjet."
"Sigyn-"
Sigyn doesn't care enough to hear the rest of whatever he would say, even if it was an apology but she doubts it. She waves a hand of magic and expels him from their quinjet. He returns on a helicarrier with Daniel. If he's mad, he can smash something with her equally angry teammate.
Xavier: The Mrs. It really does wear off.
Sigyn scoffs, grinning as she conjures a pillow for James to get more comfortable. Sigyn runs back to the pilot's seat to fly, circling the scene. She hears The Hulk passively grunting in agreement with him.
Xavier: Get to James. His knee with the pins is fucked up.
Sigyn watches the Hulk about to jump to the quinjet. She's about to give him easy access with a portal but stops when his head turns Apollo recovering from blowing up their helicarrier. Iqadi's still free-falling so the Hulk jumps after her.
"Oh boy…" Sigyn mutters.