The three of them scramble to get up. Both Tony and Steve grab each one of Freya's arms and hoist her up with them. Exiting the lab, Steve and the two Starks quickly make their way through the hallways as they listen to the chatter over comms.
"Hill?!" Fury calls out, a hint of pain in his voice.
"External detonation. Number three engine is down." Maria leaves her comms open as she speaks to other crew members. "Can they get it running? Talk to me."
Tony and Freya suddenly come to a halt. Forcing Steve to skid to a stop next to them. They wait near the storage container that holds Tony's Iron Man suit and continue to listen in as another agent's voice is heard over their earpieces.
"Turbine looks mostly intact, but it's impossible to get out there to make repairs while we're in the air."
"If we lose one more engine, we won't be," Maria mumbles. Freya and her father look at each other, knowing exactly what they need to do without saying a word. "Somebody's gotta get outside and patch that engine," Maria informs them.
"Starks, you two copy that?" Fury asks.
"We're on it," Freya confirms.
"Coulson, initiate defensive lock down in the detention section, then get to the armory," Fury orders. "Romanoff?"
Freya holds her breath when she doesn't hear a response from her at first.
"We're okay," Natasha strains out.
Freya exhales, relieved to hear her voice. She puts her hand to her earpiece and speaks out to her best friend.
"Red, stay in one piece, please."
"You too, Merc," Natasha replies. Freya turns her attention back to her dad and he gives her a nod.
"Engine three," Tony tells her. "I'll meet you there."
She nods and takes off in a sprint toward the engine without even waiting for Steve. He scrambles after her and catches up. As they sprint down the hall, they weave in and out of the crew members that are trying to stumble to safety. Suddenly, a loud, animalistic roar echo's through the carrier.
Bruce had changed. The Hulk is loose.
Freya and Steve skid to a halt and look at each other with wide eyes. Her mind instantly goes to Natasha.
"Red? You okay?" Freya asks over comms. She doesn't receive a response and begins to panic. "Nat?" More silence. "Natasha!"
Still getting no response, she looks up at Steve. For the first time since he's met her, he sees complete, unbridled fear flash across her face. Knowing she's terrified for the redhead. Steeling herself, she continues toward the engine. Praying her best friend is okay.
Approaching the door to engine three, she brings up her right hand. Silver wisps envelopes it when she takes hold of it with her telekinesis. She flicks her hand to the side and the door is ripped off its hinges. This reveals crew members that had been trapped by the explosion. They support an injured man as they run by her and Steve and shout a quick, "Thanks!" Stopping at the edge of the platform, Freya and Steve look around at the damage. They see a section is now missing as a result of the attack.
"Dad! Dad, we're here!" Freya shouts over the wind.
"Good. Let's see what we've got," Tony replies as he flies in, now in his Iron Man suit, and begins to assess the damage. Not having the tech available at the moment to look at the engine like her father can, Freya stands by and waits for instructions. "We've gotta get this superconducting coolant system back online before I can access the rotors, work on dislodging the debris." Tony begins to mess with part of the engine wall before turning to them. "I need you two to get to that engine control panel and tell me which relays are in overload position."
"On it," Freya nods. He turns back to the engine and locates pieces of debris on the outer wall he can remove. This enables him to hover inside it and he quickly disappears "Want a lift?" Freya asks Steve.
"Huh?" he looks at her in confusion.
Before he can say anything, she leaps off the edge and begins to float up towards the control panel. Looking down, she reaches a hand out and silver wisps engulf the Captain. Using her powers, she takes hold of the soldier and lifts him up with her. Steve's eyes go wide as he looks below him. Seeing nothing but open air. Resulting in a look of panic on his face. Freya reaches the platform with the control panel and sets the Captain down next to her. He grabs on to her arm to steady himself.
"You could've warned me!" he practically screeches.
"I asked, didn't I?" she asks with an eyebrow raised in amusement. Turning back to the control panel, she slides it from the wall and crouches down to get a better look. Steve is by her side instantly as he crouches down next to her. "Okay, Dad, we're here!" she calls out.
"What does it look like in there?" Tony asks. She opens her mouth to respond, but Steve cuts her off.
"It seems to run on some form of electricity."
Freya grins at him, knowing the poor guy is completely out of his element at the moment.
"Well, you're not wrong," Tony sighs in annoyance. "Merky, you know what to do."
"Yep, gimme a minute." She looks over at Steve and points at the control panel. "See how some rows are flashing and some are completely dark?" He nods his head and watches as she explains. "Flashing means that entire line of relays is overloaded. Dark means somewhere along that specific line of relays, one of them is not fully connected. It's like a string of Christmas lights. If one of the bulbs gets disconnected, it messes that area of the string up."
She watches him to make sure he understands before she continues. He gives her a quick nod, indicating he's following along.
"Relays are connected in groups of five. Flashing relays are simple. Just reset the relays by disconnecting the main wire and reconnecting it back to the panel." She points to a group of dark relays. "These aren't too complicated either, just tedious. You'll need to check each relay in the group to make sure it's properly intact in order to restore full power. Got it?" she asks. Steve nods more vigorously this time. "Perfect," she grins. "You take that area of the panel and I'll get this one. Meet in the middle." He nods again and they get to work. No more than a minute later, the control panel is reconnected and all of the relays are working properly. "Okay, Dad, the relays are intact!"
"What's our next move?" Steve asks as he pushes the control panel back into the wall.
"Even if I clear the rotors, this thing won't re-engage without a jump. I'm gonna have to get in there and push," Tony informs them. Steve's head snaps over to Freya, noticing the apprehensive look on her face.
"Dad..." she warns. She knows they'll be able to get him out if they reverse the polarity, but it's still risky.
"Merky..." he jokingly mocks her.
"If that thing gets up to speed, you'll get shredded," Steve tells him.
"That stator control unit can reverse the polarity long enough to disengage maglev and that could-"
"Speak English!" Steve interrupts Tony. Freya chuckles and speaks up before her father can sass back.
"We've got it, Dad. Just be careful." Turning to Steve, she points at the wall on the other side of the gap. "See that red lever?" Steve follows her hand and nods. "It'll slow the rotors down long enough for him to get out. We just have to hit it when he gives us the word." She turns to Steve and starts to bring her hand up.
"No! No, no, no, no, no. I'm good this time. Thanks," he quickly declines. Shrugging, she floats across the gap and turns to watch Steve. He takes a couple steps back before leaping over the gap and gracefully landing next to her. "See, I got it," he smirks at her.
She just shakes her head and grins. While they wait for her dad to call for the lever, Freya can hear the faint sound of rapid gun fire in the background followed by a roar. She instantly worries about Natasha. Wondering if the woman who's basically her sister is okay. Steve watches her with concern. Noticing the worried expression on her face. Attempting to distract her, he strikes up conversation.
"So..." he says slowly. Freya looks over at him with one eyebrow cocked and waits for him to continue. "After this is all over, you still up for that coffee?" he smiles shyly.
"Of course," she smiles back and nods. Her worry briefly subsiding.
"We've got a perimeter breach. Hostiles in S.H.I.E.L.D. gear. Call outs at every junction," Sitwell announces over comms.
"Shit," Freya sighs. "That's bad. Really bad."
"Why?" Steve asks.
"There's a reason why Loki's specifically using S.H.I.E.L.D. gear and weapons," she frowns. "Clint must have told him."
"What are you talking about?" he presses.
"All S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are standard equipped with armor piercing rounds. For all of their weapons."
"What?" Steve asks in confusion. "Why, though? Why do they need such heavy ammo?"
"Because of me," she smiles sadly.
"What?!" Steve yells angrily.
"It's in case my powers take over," she shrugs. "Normal ammo can't penetrate my skin. Armor piercing rounds seem to do the trick though."
"Yeah, well, that's gonna change if I decide to stick around," he frowns. Freya smiles lightly at his sentiment.
Movement down below by the door catches their attention. They turn and watch two men in S.H.I.E.L.D. gear approach. They quickly glance at each other wearily before turning back to the men below. The one closest to them takes out a grenade and pulls the pin. Freya's eyes go wide, realizing that these guys are in fact Loki's men. Not seeing the two of them, the man tosses the grenade at the engine where her father is. Before she can do anything, Steve leaps across the gap to a platform near the control panel and swats the grenade down into the open air below where it explodes.
She watches Steve as he jumps down to the men. He the one that had thrown the grenade with a hard right. Effectively sending him to the ground. The second guy attempts to shoot him, but the soldier is quicker. He kicks the gun out of the guy's hands before landing a solid kick to his chest. Sending him flying and knocking him out cold. The kicked gun flies through the air and lands at Freya's feet. She sees the first guy getting up and attempt to go after Steve. Before he can even lay a hand on him, Freya uses her powers and takes hold of the guy. He screams as she chucks him off the side of the helicarrier. Steve looks back up at her and gives her a thankful nod.
Suddenly, a third man appears in the doorway while Steve's back is turned. Noticing the gun, Freya quickly throws up a barrier in front of the Captain and blocks the incoming gunfire. Bending down, Steve grabs a piece of metal debris. Leaning around Freya's barrier, he quickly flings it at the man and forces him to take cover. Steve turns around and jumps back up to the platform with the lever and lands next to Freya. He picks up the gun at to her feet and fires towards the door. Forcing the man to retreat again.
"See if you can help your dad get the engine running. I've got this," Steve says.
"Are you sure?" she asks and he nods in response. "Be careful, Cap." As she turns and starts to fly up to the engine she hears Steve respond.
"You too, Merc."
She turns and they share a quick smile before she quickly makes her way up to her dad. Flying up and over the engine wall, she spots Tony as he's dislodging the last few pieces of debris. Floating down between the blades, she approaches him.
"What can I do to help?"
His head whips around to her.
"Uh, not be here inside the engine would be a good start. I need someone on that lever when I call for it."
"Cap can handle the lever," she narrows her eyes. "We need to get this engine up and running as soon as possible. I'm helping you, Dad."
He thinks for a moment and sighs.
"Fine. But when I tell you to get out, you better damn well listen to me, young lady. Understand?"
"Yes, Dad," she rolls her eyes.
Suddenly, the air shifts. Looking around, she can see the ship starting to fall at an awkward angle. They hear Sitwell's voice over comms.
"Sir, we've lost all power to engine one."
"It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?" Fury asks. There's a brief silence before Freya hears a voice that has her heart soaring with joy.
"This is Agent Romanoff. I copy."
She can tell by her voice that she sounds shaken up, but she trusts that Natasha can get Clint back. Tony and Freya share a look and immediately fly over to one of the engine's propellers to start the jump process.
"Starks, we're losing altitude."
"Yep, we noticed!" Tony shouts back. "All right, cmon Merky. Show me what you got!"
Tony grunts as he starts to push. Freya is next to him at an awkward angle as she attempts to stay in the air and push at the same time. Slowly, the propeller begins to move. Sparking as the outer edge drags along the engine wall. Freya grits her teeth and growls, putting everything she's got into it. The engine gradually starts to get back up to speed. She can hear her dad yell next to her. Trying to push as hard as he can.
"Freya, get out of here!"
"I'm not leaving you!"
"Go!"
"But, Dad-"
"NOW!"
Listening to her father, she quickly flies up and out of the engine. She watches as Tony goes in circles below her.
"Cap, hit the lever," Tony orders the soldier in a strained voice.
"I need a minute here!" Steve yells. Freya's head whips over to where Steve had been. Her eyes go wide as she watches him climb up some broken cables hanging out over the open air.
"Oh, my God! Steve!"
Within seconds, she's landing on the platform and starts to pull him up. While her back is turned, she suddenly feels a searing pain in her side. She yells out in pain and looks down to find a bullet wound straight through her left side. Steve's head jerks up at the sound and his eyes widen with worry when he sees her injury.
Glancing over her shoulder, Freya sees the third guy that Steve had been holding off pop out from behind a wall and fire again. She tries to duck down, not realizing the man had still been there. Another round clips her shoulder, making her yelp in pain again. Steve hears her again and uses whatever strength he can to hoist himself up. Looking back ahead, she sees Steve starting to pull himself up on the platform. Turning on the guy with the gun, she throws up a barrier to protect them. The gunman is only peeking and firing momentarily. Making sure that Freya isn't able to get a hold of him with her powers.
"Lever, now!" Tony calls out.
"Cap, I need you to hit the lever!" Freya shouts over her shoulder as she blocks a barrage of incoming gunfire and winces.
"Help!"
"Dad!" Freya yells in panic as her head jerks over to look at the engine at his plea.
She sees him randomly drop out the bottom of the engine as he struggles to stay in the air. His flight systems intermittently stalling. Looking back over her shoulder, she sees Steve holding the lever while he reaches up from the ground. A blur of red and gold flies past her and tackles the gunman. Instantly knocking him out cold. She lowers her barrier and turns to help Steve up off the ground. When he finally stands up straight, she pulls him in for a hug.
"Don't ever scare me like that again, Spangles."
"No promises," he chuckles and instantly returns the hug. His deep voice makes his chest rumble against her head. Sighing, she pulls back and smiles up at him. He looks down at her with a worried frown though as he checks over her wounds. "You should get those checked out," he says while inspecting her side and shoulder.
"Oh, no I'm fine," she waves him off.
"Huh? Freya, you were just shot. Twice. You really should-"
"Steve, I'm fine," she chuckles. "I can already feel them healing." She looks at her shoulder and hums. "See, I told you I heal fast."
Steve's eyes go wide when he looks at her shoulder and literally sees the wound healing right before his eyes. She pats him on the arm with another chuckle before turning and making her way toward her dad. Jumping down from the platform, she jogs over to her father and helps him off the ground next.
"You okay, Merky?" Tony asks worriedly when he sees the bullet wounds.
"Oh, yeah, nothing to be worried about," she smiles.
"They're already healing, huh?" he smirks.
"Yep," she chuckles.
As they stand and look around, her chest suddenly constricts. Making it hard for her to breathe. She reaches out with her left hand in an attempt to grab on to something to steady her. Making contact with her father's suit, she grips it as she tries to stay on her feet. Her right hand comes up to her chest. Forming into a fist as she struggles to get air.
"Merky... what's wrong? Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Tony asks as he starts to panic.
With wide eyes, tears begin to roll down her face as she stares straight ahead. She barely feels Steve land next to her from the platform above. He grabs her arm, trying to figure out what's wrong as well.
"Freya, hey. What's going on? What's wrong?"
It's like her soul has gotten a piece of it ripped away. A hole there now. Representing the person that's now gone.
"Phil..." she whispers. Steve and Tony look at each other in confusion and worry. Trying to put the pieces together as she begins to sob. "Phil.. No, no, no..." Freya falls to her knees. Her left hand comes up to cover her mouth as Fury speaks over the comms.
"Agent Coulson is down."
"A medical team is on its way to your location," Sitwell responds.
"They're here. They called it."
Tony falls to his knees next to his daughter. Trying to keep it together as he does his best to console her. Steve kneels down next to her as well. Rubbing his hand in circles on her back in an attempt to comfort her. Freya releases a pained scream that shakes the entire helicarrier. Her head hangs as she continues to sob. She doesn't even notice when Tony pulls her to him and rests his head on hers.
