Danny dodged another glowing claw and countered with a heavy boot, kicking the ghost square in the chest and sending it tumbled into its comrades. Danny swivelled around to give an uppercut to the jaw (or where he thought its jaw would be) of another unrecognisable blob sneaking behind him. In the confusion he saw Thor beating an ectopus with childlike glee, his hammer swinging madly. Tony hovered overhead aiming blasts at the black-scaled dragon.
Aragon roared as Tony's fist planted itself into the side of his face, his head whipping back with a snarl, sharp teeth gnashing at the retreating robotic figure. Rearing back onto his hind legs, Aragon forcefully stamped his remaining legs into the ground, forming hollowed craters where his feet had planted themselves into the pale marble.
Danny pin-wheeled as the ground shook, stumbling back as wide clefts spread across the floor, running up the large pillars either side of the nave. Thor stood still, eyes focused on the ginormous dragon in front of him, unflinching as it bared its teeth and roared.
Tony dove to attack again, aiming between Aragon's eyes as the dragon stretched his mouth wide, blue flames flickering deep within its throat. Danny cringed as Tony was encased in the ball of fire, forcing him back and colliding with a stone column, collapsing next to the statue of Saint Benedict.
Turning to the dragon, Danny found Aragon's large red eyes narrowed on him, a wheezing laugh escaping his smoking maw, "Halfa, you're next," Aragon crowed, rising back onto his hind legs, sharp claws glinting in the dim light.
Vlad intervened, casually brushing dust off his white suit, "He's not the primary objective, Aragon. I'd recommend taking out the easier prey first." He smirked at Thor, who gripped his hammer's handle tighter with a sneer.
"Ha! Do not think so low of me, you disgusting beasts! As if a Draugur could ever beat a god!" Thor mocked, his bravado unwavering as Aragon reluctantly turned on him, "I shall show you the true power of an Asgardian!"
Clutching the tether of his hammer tightly, Thor began to twist it, gaining momentum. Having seen this attack directed at him more than he'd liked, Danny hurried back out of range towards where Tony laid.
Thor let out an angry scream as he let go of the band, the heavy stone flying at Aragon, too fast for the dragon to dodge.
The hammer collided with the Draugur's ribcage with a crack, throwing the dragon across the main tribune to crash into the golden angels moulded above Saint Peter's throne. Vlad and Loki quickly ducked out of range of the falling dragon, a scowl marring Loki's face as he watched his grand chair be crushed under Aragon's mass.
Pulling his eyes away from the scene, Danny brushed loose bits of rubble off Tony who grunted when Danny jostled him too roughly.
Danny hissed through his teeth apologetically, "Are you okay?"
With slow movements Tony slid back his paint-peeled mask, his face a patchy red covered in welts. Danny grimaced at the sight of the burns, "For the most part. I obviously need to make some my adjustments on my suit though," Tony admitted, "This thing can take on the exhaust of a rocket shuttle and not get charred. That overgrown lizard takes one shot at me and I look like the day's special at a Korean barbeque."
Danny chuckled weakly at Tony's bad joke, touching the older man's forehead, "Here."
The halfa felt a shiver run up his spine as he coaxed his ice powers out. A weak jet of cold spread across the Tony's face to travel across the rest of his body, simultaneously cooling his smelted suit. Tony sighed in relief as Danny's energy began to a trickle.
Tony batted Danny's hand away once the stream of cool had died. Sitting up, the Ironman rolled his shoulders, checking his warped suit for impeding damage. Tiredly, Danny fell backwards onto the uneven floor panting slightly. He could feel his stamina draining at an alarming rate the more he used his ghost powers as a human.
Running a hand through his matted wet hair, Tony grinned easily at Danny, his face no longer as red or swollen, "Thanks, kid."
Danny smiled back, too exhausted to reply.
A loud crash made Danny jump. Swivelling his head, he found Thor shouting incoherently as he was pinned down by dozens of ghosts, who were tossing ectoblasts at him each time he was able to wrangle himself free. Aragon loomed over the god, favouring his foreleg.
"Whoops. Guess we forgot about those guys," Tony nodded at the ghosts, patting Danny on the shoulder as he stood. Burnt flakes of red and gold paint rained down on the unhappy halfa, "Okay, round two, big boy."
Powering up his thrusters, Tony kicked off, flying towards the ghosts holding Thor.
Danny heaved himself up to follow Tony, when a flash of green and white caught his eye. Vlad and Loki were slipping away from the fight through to the Northern Transept. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Danny rushed after them, snatching a broken pew leg as he rushed out of the tribune.
Sneaking after the pair, Danny lifted the large chunk of wood in a fashion similar to a baseball bat, his footsteps almost silent over the screeches and battle cries of ghosts. Danny was only a few feet behind them now – it would only take one good blow to take them out of commission. Danny swung the pew leg back—
A thick black tail smashed into the ground in front of Danny, showering him in sharp shards of marble and forcing him to jump back. Danny flinched with a scream as a sliver split the skin beneath his eye, leaving a long thin trail of red and was thankful that his SHIELD uniform had once again taken most of the damage. He didn't have time to consider investing in one of his own as Aragon's tail whipped out again, catching the halfa in the back and catapulting him further down the confession hall.
Danny flew through the air, a cry of surprise tearing itself from his throat, only to be followed by a shout of pain as he smashed through a stone banister at the altar of Processus and Martinian, rolling to a stop at its base with a groan.
"Really, Daniel, you actually thought you could sneak up on us?" Vlad's boot clicked jauntily as he strode closer to Danny's fallen figure, Loki's slower metallic clinks not far behind.
Danny coughed uncomfortably, "Well, at least I don't look like I've just escaped a bad Halloween party."
Danny heard Vlad scoff, affronted, before an explosion of white pain spread across his lids.
With a sharp yip, Danny yanked his arms into himself, cradling his crushed fingers as soon as the heavy metal-plated boot had relinquished its hold.
Danny squeezed an eye open to find Loki's face hovering above his own, "You might want to watch how you speak to us, half-breed. You wouldn't want us to accidentally expose something about you that we shouldn't, would you? Especially since this is not your fight to lose."
Danny glared up at Loki, "I won't let you destroy the earth if I can help it."
"Who said anything about destroying the earth? I want to rule it, not obliterate it, foolish creature," Loki narrowed his eyes at the halfa, "Besides, what do you owe the earth? From what I've been told, you are even scorned by your own birth-parents. Why would anyone want to protect something that fears them so greatly?"
Danny's teeth clenched, "Because it's the right thing to do."
Loki threw his head back and laughed, "Your logic makes no sense! You wish to save the world from fear when you are one of which it fears the most! Martyrdom does not suit you, Daniel. You would be much more suited to rule alongside us," The god stretched out a pale hand to the younger boy with a composed grin.
Danny hesitated before stretching out his own uninjured one, grasping the god's in a firm grip. Loki smirked victoriously at Vlad who growled in response, when he suddenly wrenched his hand back with a yelp, his palm smoking. Feral eyes swivelled onto Danny who wheezed a laugh, the green glow of his hand absorbing back into his skin.
Loki lashed out frustrated, kicking Danny's bruised ribs. Danny gasped in pain, rolling further towards the altar to come to a stop lying face-down, moaning softly.
Twisting his head, Danny found Loki's face smirking victoriously, while Vlad looked on, "You're eons too early to take us on, ghost-freak, but you're far from expendable at this point. You're worth far to me this time around than that brainless hulking green mass your so-called 'Avengers' call a companion."
Vlad sneered down at Danny from his spot next to Loki, "Let's see how truly loyal a mindless beast can be when you bait it without consequence."
"What did you do?" Danny gritted out painfully.
"Now why would you think I did anything, Daniel?" Vlad waved his hand flippantly, "The good doctor should really learn to control his temper; especially if he puts so many others at risk," Vlad's fangs peeked out from between his blue lips.
Placing a hand on the god's shoulder, Vlad continued, "We will see you again soon, Daniel, consider our proposition. Oh, and give your mother my regards when you can," With a slight shimmer, both Vlad and Loki disappeared.
Danny grunted as he rolled onto his back, staring up blankly at the mosaic of the two martyred saints above the altar. The dull thud of his blood in his ears drowned out the sounds of the battle in the nave as he reflected on Vlad and Loki's words. What was he doing here anyway? How did this become his fight?
Danny felt a wave of homesickness rush over him. He wanted to be at Fentonworks, ignoring his nagging older sister and laughing at his overzealous parents. He wanted to go to school to hang with his friends and, for just one day, act like a normal teenager.
With a shuddering breath, Danny slowly reached into a concealed pocket on his chest-plate, nervously pulling out the phone he had borrowed from SHIELD. Danny groaned at the sight of the cracked and punctured screen, hurling it across the room angrily. The phone clattered across the floor, scraping to a stop a short distance away.
Danny collapsed on his back to stare up at the mosaic, studying the artwork keenly, before sighing in resignation. Tony was right, it really was inevitable that he ended up here, he was just as much a martyr as the saints in the painting, no matter what Loki and Vlad said. He definitely didn't feel like a saint, though; he felt like a do-gooder idiot. At the thought, Danny felt the bitter taste resentment rise into his throat, burning like bile as he thought of the Avengers and SHIELD.
A resounding boom met Danny's eared as he craned his neck back to the fight. Thor had hurled Aragon's limp body through the dome of the Basilica, a gaping hole letting in the Italian sunset's unfiltered sky. Pinks and oranges splashed throughout the Basilica as Danny felt a warmth inside him grow, banishing his hatred.
Nodding to himself, Danny painfully shoved himself to his feet, swaying slightly as he stumbled towards a damaged banister and leaned heavily against it, his mind focused on letting his ghost powers flow over him. Concentrating, Danny felt the familiar tingle run through him as a flash of white overcame his vision. His soreness numbing as his energy was revitalised, turning from a sharp pain to a dull ache that he quickly shoved into the back of his mind.
Standing tall, Danny grinned. It was time to prove Loki and Vlad wrong.
With a burst of speed, Danny flew through the open gap of the dome, cheekily calling out a friendly, "Hi, Thor!" as he zoomed past the surprised god into the streets of Vatican City.
/ / /
Natasha ran next to Clint, puffing slightly as they dodged through the narrow streets. They had lost Steve a few blocks back when he had twisted away from the group as a distraction. As courageous as the move was, Natasha wasn't going to follow the captain's lead, especially after hearing Banner's angry snarls shortly after the team broke up.
Looking around worriedly, Natasha spied the large colonnades of Saint Peter's Square between the architectures, "Up to your left!" she called out.
Clint made no sign of hearing her other than to lean his weight to the side as not to lose his drive, Natasha copied his movements as they rushed out onto the main street, turning sharply and bolting through the wide-set colonnades towards the Basilica. Their only hope was to keep out of range of Banner's monster and hope it calmed down before it found Steve.
Speeding past the Obelisk, Natasha caught sight of a figure in black dropping out of the sky to land at the base of the stone statue.
Twisting on her heel, Natasha didn't hesitate to fire at the figure with her handgun, emptying the cartridge at the white-haired Draugur.
The bullets slipped over the zombie-ghost's head as it ducked, embedding themselves into the Obelisk. Six small holes centred directly were the Draugur's head had been.
As Natasha reached for another cartridge, Clint pulling his bow string taut next to her, the Draugur roared out, "Will you stop shooting at me! I need to talk to you!"
Clint simply let his arrow fly. It would be impossible for even an amateur to miss the Draugur, let alone a master archer, the distance was far too short for the monster to dodge.
But the arrow simply went straight through the Draugur's semi-opaque head, shoving itself into the stone to join Natasha's bullets.
The Draugur growled, "Am I going to have to take that away again?" It chastised Clint, its head turning tangible as it stepped out of the Obelisk's shadow, pointing at his quiver. Clint cradled the case in response.
"What do you want, Draugur?" Natasha spat out, hand resting on the belt that held her cartridges.
The Draugur raised its hands up in a peaceful gesture, "I just want to know where Doctor Banner is. Vlad and Loki said something about him losing control and I just want to help."
"Who's Vlad?" Clint stretched his arm back towards his arrows.
"He's a ghost – or a Draugur – whatever you want to call him, in league with that god-guy with the helmet hair."
Natasha narrowed her eyes, "And how are we supposed to trust you, Hell-monster?"
The SHIELD spy noted the tightening of the Draugur's mouth, "You'll just have to, won't you? Do you have any plans to stop Doctor Banner?"
"Tch," Natasha heard Clint mutter, resignedly lowering his hand from his arrows, "Last we saw, he was heading east, towards Rome."
"Barton!" Natasha sniped, refusing to turn her head, keeping the Draugur in her constant eyesight, "What are you thinking?"
"Got any better ideas?" Clint retorted, hefting his bow over his shoulder. He stared pointedly at the Draugur for a moment before breaking eye contact and turning away, continuing his trek down towards the Basilica.
Natasha pointed her empty gun at the Draugur's head threateningly, "Watch it," she threatened, before hurrying after Clint. Reaching his side she looked back, the creature was gone.
Turning around, she punched Clint in the arm, "You just let that… that… thing go?" She cried.
Clint frowned at her, "Of course I did. If that Draugur could match Thor, there's no way we would've even had a chance."
"But what about Banner?"
Clint smirked darkly, "I haven't met anything yet that could take on that guy. I wouldn't be worried – it's a win-win for us."
Natasha eyebrows rose, "How so?"
"We get rid of the Draugur along with all of Bruce's pent-up rage. Easy solution."
"You still took a stupid risk just walking away from that Draugur unprotected." Natasha roughly grabbed the bullet cartridge at her hip, expertly loading her gun in example.
Clint shrugged, "Loki isn't the only one who likes to be dramatic," he motioned toward the Façade, "Let's go."
/ / /
Steve dodged through an alleyway as a fruit kiosk flew by his head, crashing into a building with a splatter of juices.
Racing through the narrow juncture, Steve shoved himself past the large industrial bins, impulsively leaping over loose garbage bags littering his path in an effort to escape the colossal green figure trailing closely behind him.
A roar erupted from the entrance of the alleyway as the clatter of bricks smashing against the ground met his ears, edging frighteningly closer.
Racing out onto the open street, Steve took a sharp right, heading towards the Basilica. He had passed over the border between Vatican City and Italy five minutes ago and was desperate to push his way back over the line before any civilians' lives were risked. Steve couldn't help but curse at SHIELD; they were supposed to be surrounding the perimeter, yet Steve hadn't seen a single one.
A heavy thud made the war-veteran looked over his shoulder. Banner's creation was bounding toward him, swinging its arms like a gorilla, using its knuckles to gather speed. The ground rattled with each leap it took.
Steve pushed himself forward, ignoring the burn in his lungs. He was exhausted – there was no chance of escaping the fast-approaching beast, its eyes savage and unrecognisable.
Italy's sunlight was quickly fading over the horizon as lights began to bleed from windows. Steve faltered as he attempted to twist in his steps away from the outskirts of Rome, halting to a stop as he attempted to re-strategize.
The footfalls were coming closer yet the captain stood strong, closing his eyes and focusing on the rattling breaths of the monster, estimating the length of its hurdles.
The deep grunts were almost upon him as Steve flung his shield out behind him, colliding with the Hulk's head and leaving a solid dint in the red, white and blue disk. Steve dashed out from underneath the creature's outstretched arms, which blinked stupidly in surprise, charging back to where Saint Peter's dome peeked out over the old storied structures of Vatican City.
A fierce cry pierced the air as the pounding returned with more vigour. Steve cursed – the monster had recovered from its shock much faster than he had expected.
A green hand flicked into Steve's peripheral vision a second later, before quickly disappearing again with a whistle of wind and a resounding crash. Steve didn't stop, feeling shards of rock and asphalt spatter against his back, his adrenaline kicking in at the close call.
Rounding back into the alleyway, Steve didn't hesitate to jump on top of an industrial bin, hoisting himself over the lip of a building. Crouching low, Steve glanced behind himself in an attempt to gage how far he was from Banner's creation.
The streets were empty. Confused, Steve crawled over to the edge and peeked down to the road. A long stretch of the ground had a deep fractured imprint of the monster's body where it had apparently been hurled. Leaning further out over the lip, Steve listened with keen ears as dark growls emerged from the shadows on the other side of the street.
Steve ducked his head lower as the monster bowled out of the dark in an almost frantic manner, clawing at its back with its heavyset hands and an agitated look on its face. What in the world was it doing?
The monster seemed to have managed to grab hold of whatever it was clawing at, flinging it over its shoulder with a cry of triumph. A humanoid figure flew off the Hulk's back into a wall with a cry and a crack, shaking its white head.
Steve's eyes widened – it was the Draugur, Danny. Clambered to its feet, Steve heard the Draugur taunting the mutant further away from the city lights.
"You know, when they say they want the world to 'go green' I think you took it way too literally!"
The captain gaped in amazement as Danny ducked out of the way of the charging beast, sending it smashing through a nearby wall. With a laugh, he skipped back out of range, closer to the Basilica. Jeering mutterings met Steve's ears as the Draugur flounced around in a seemingly carefree manner.
The behemoth pounded its way through the building next to Steve's hideout, its mouth curved into a vengeful sneer, before it once again charged at Danny. The spectre swooped away, speeding off toward Vatican City, the green beast following close behind.
Steve waited with baited breath as the last of the Hulk's cries died out along with Danny's sardonic laughter. The quiet was chilling, except for the yowls of stray cats wandering the streets. Sighing in relief, Steve pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaustion had kicked in to replace the fear-filled adrenaline.
Stretching his arms out in front of himself, Steve's eyes narrowed in thought. For a second, he could have sworn he'd seen Danny wink up at him as he flew past.
Pushing the thought back, Steve hurried off to find the others.
/ / /
Danny rolled to the side through the air as Banner's creation made another grab at him. The beast was right on his tail – literally. Danny could feel its large hands swiping at the end of his ghostly appendage, before his tail slipped out of its grip once more, much in a way Skulker had a habit of doing.
Danny grumbled to himself as he took a wide left, looping around the streets in a wide circle to minimise damage. Steve Rogers had better have been thankful for his intervention – the last thing Danny had ever hoped was to be on the receiving end of another one of Bruce's bad moods.
Slipping through another building and turning invisible, Danny raced to the parallel wall, hearing an eruptive boom follow shortly after, signifying the monster's unorthodox entrance. The halfa was at least glad to find that the small city had been evacuated.
Sliding out the brick wall on the other side, Danny groaned as the sound of propellers overhead. He had hoped too soon. Glancing up, he found a team of newscasting helicopters hovering above, cameras pointed out across the city at the damage he and Banner's mutant-self had left.
The Hulk burst out of the wall, bits of concrete flying out and hurtling through neighbouring windows as it leapt out onto the street, growling as it whirled around in search of him. Danny ducked low despite his invisibility.
Cheers erupted from the helicopters as they moved their way over to the beast, cameras swivelling to get the best view of him. Danny could see the cameramen and pilots chatting excitedly to one another and pointing at the green monster in admiration.
He gasped as the Hulk's lip curled back in distaste at the sight. Before Danny could react, the monster had torn an antique lamppost out of the ground with a roar, before hurling it at the closest chopper. The lamppost collided with the rotor of the Channel Ten autogyro, snapping it from its mast to send it careening down to the earth. Terrified screams emitted from the helicopters as Danny dove forward, becoming visible and ducking under the main cabin, squaring his shoulders. It was heavy; Danny could feel sweat building at his temples as he struggled to keep the chopper airborne, which continued to fall from the sky at a slower pace, quavering unsteadily as Danny grasped at its smooth base desperately with short fingernails.
Green met his vision before he was ripped away from the helicopter, sending it plummeting into an open-style café, glass-top tables shattered as iron-wrought chairs buckled under the weight. The helicopter screeched to a stop a short distance away, lying on its side.
Danny was shoved deep into the road, asphalt scraping through his skin-tight suit as he grunted in pain, the beast's enormous hands pinning his arms down to his sides as he struggled to free himself.
"Gyah! Lemme go!" Danny cried, the ache in his ribs from Loki flaring up in the Hulk's tight grasp.
The creature bared its cinderblock molars, his rancid breath fluttering Danny's hair as he raised a fist—
A large metal plate collided with the closed hand, knocking the brute off balance and forcing him to release his grip on Danny. Rolling out from under the colossus, Danny didn't hesitate to rush over to the fallen helicopter, peering through the smashed glass into the cockpit. A pretty dark-haired news-reporter stared back in shock, eyes wet. Her two companions knocked out cold on either side as they hung strapped to their seats.
Diving inside, Danny ignored the woman as she began to babble incessantly in Italian, unclipping the cameraman and pilot from their seats and carefully balancing them over each shoulder. Turning to the reporter, he awkwardly moved to unclip her from her seat when she slapped at his wrist with a sharp curse and shoved her phone in his face. Danny blinked uncomfortably as the woman began to bawl, still gibbering in her native language while trying to keep the mobile steady.
Moving slower for the woman to see, Danny released the hold of her harness, holding her steady as she regained her balance in her heels. Waiting patiently for her breath to even out slightly, Danny turned around, gesturing towards his back with a calming smile. The reporter nodded in response, her eyes slightly blank as she clambered onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he gripped behind her companions' knees.
Intangibility crawled over him and he heard the woman gasp in surprise, her phone angled next to his head. Ignoring the device, Danny pushed off, the woman gave a squeak of surprise, and soared out of the helicopter in the direction of Rome. The woman began to talk again, speaking loudly in his ear over the wind at the phone. Danny turned his head away from the noise, chalking up her odd behaviour to shock.
Reaching the perimeter of Rome, Danny landed, dropping to his knees to let the reporter climb off. The woman's legs let out from underneath as she fell to the ground, panting heavily with wide eyes. Danny gently placed the two men on the ground beside her and stood up straight. Turning, he found the woman watching him, weakly holding her phone out at him. Confused, Danny smiled comfortingly at her, before hovering off the ground and zooming back toward Vatican City.
/ / /
Steve ducked behind the Maître d'hôtel's podium, his heart pounding loudly as he struggled for breath. He had lost his mask in his escape and his blond hair was falling into his eyes. Banner's monster was stalking agitatedly outside of the restaurant, searching for him with rabid want.
Lifting his shield with abject misery, Steve traced the indentations with his fingertips – the shield was close to snapping apart, thin cracks streaking the metal top, the paint having become dull and lifeless after the battle against his once-friend.
Steve smacked his head back against the podium, the old wood felt sturdy and comforting behind his head as he felt his eyes flutter shut in exhaustion.
"You know, for an old guy you're pretty stupid."
Steve's eyes snapped open in shock. Danny sat only a few feet away, resting casually in a rustic oak patron's chair, a silvery glow becoming evident in the dying light.
"I-I'm sorry?" Steve spluttered out.
Danny shrugged, "Well, there's that saying that the older you get, the wiser you get, but I guess that doesn't work with cryogenics – the cold must kill off all your brain cells or something," he crossing his ankles on top the accompanying table, reclining back with a grin, "That was probably one of the dumbest things I had ever seen – not that it wasn't appreciated, of course!"
Steve opened and closed his mouth, gawping like a fish, "What are you doing here?" he hissed.
"Helping you, obviously. You didn't think I'd actually leave you alone with 'big, green and scary', did you?"
Steve didn't respond.
Danny rolled his eyes, taking his feet off the table top, "So, got a plan? Because I'm fresh out."
Steve rubbed his forehead tiredly, whispering, "It would probably be best to lay low. I'd never had a chance against Banner, especially after everything that's happened. You might, though."
The Draugur scoffed, "No way could I go up against him – I'd die! Can you imagine how much spinach that guy eats to turn that green? Popeye's got nothing on Bruce."
The veteran released his tensed shoulders at the Draugur's attempt at humour, relaxing into the wooden podium, "I thought you were supposed to be the bad guy?" he mumbled to himself.
Danny caught his words anyway, "So does everyone else apparently," Danny clucked his tongue, "You don't have to whisper, you know. The nine-foot ball of muscle is all the way up the other end of the street now."
An awkward silence filled the restaurant as Steve floundered for what to say. Conversations were not his strongest point.
"So," Danny droned out, "Why'd you save me back there?"
Steve bit the inside of his cheek, "It was only fair," He admitted, "You saved me back at the border when it wasn't even your fight. The only way to repay my debt was to respond in the same way. A life for a…" Steve's brow furrowed, "Do you even really have a life?"
"Ouch," Danny's expression was one of hurt.
The Avenger fumbled with his shield, "Sorry, that was rude of me. I mean, it wasn't really your fault you ended up this way, right?"
Danny looked uneasy, "Can we not talk about this? I don't exactly feel comfortable talking about my—"
A sharp crack met Steve's ears as the wood and glass entrance blew off its hinges, a large shadow blocking the doorway. Steve scampered back, rolling out of the projectile's way as it struck the podium, "Whoa!"
Danny had shoved himself to his feet, brandishing his wooden chair in front of him as a weapon waiting as Steve hurried to stand beside him.
The beast was hunched over due to the low ceilings, dust falling around his head as he rammed itself into a rafter. He snuffled as he shook his head violently to remove the dirt, his chest rumbling in agitation.
"Got a plan, Captain?" Danny asked, his skin giving off an unearthly glow in the night, like a beacon.
"Not yet, I need more time to think."
Danny lifted the chair higher, mouth pulled tight, "My plan then."
Steve raised his eyebrows, "And what's that?"
"Dunno. I don't actually have one. Just go for it, I guess." Danny replied, turning to charge at Banner's other half.
Swinging his chair wildly, Danny forced it down on the behemoth's skull, which broke apart with a clatter. Danny backed away slowly, as the beast glared, unharmed, "Well, I'm out of ideas."
The Hulk lunged at Danny, who let out a sharp bark in shock and dodged to the side, tripping over a tablecloth and sending a vase smashing to the floor in a mixture of porcelain and water. Rolling over to his back, Danny fired a green blast from his palm, hitting the monster in the jaw and sending its head reeling back to smack against another rafter. The beam split under the force. Steve watched the movement intently.
"Captain! A little help, please!" Danny called, sending another blast at the monster, missing as Other-Bruce made a wide swipe at the Draugur, forcing him to jump back at the last minute. The blast left a reasonable-sized hole in the ceiling.
Steve's eyes widened in realisation, "Danny! Shoot the restaurant down!"
Danny teetered from on top of a dining table skirting blows, "That's your plan? Have the place crush us all? Nice work, genius! The army must have been really desperate to appoint you as captain!"
Steve ignored the jibe, "Just do it! I'll be back!" Running through to the back of the restaurant, Steve headed for the kitchens. Shunting past the panel door, he raced to the nearest cupboards frantically for something to use to help the Draugur, pulling out ingredients and cleaning products. Yanking open a final cupboard – tearing the doors off their hinges in his haste – Steve smirked before yanking out the large, metal canister.
Dragging the heavy tank through the swinging kitchen door, wary of the green beast, Steve called out, "You alright, Danny?"
A muffled cry was all his response as the structure rattled. Steve could detect the distinct smell of burning wood as more rafters were blasted. Dragging the gas tank out, the captain watched as the ceiling began to sag dangerously, most of the support beams destroyed, flames licking at its fuel source hungrily. The Hulk had been thrown back by one of Danny's blasts, pounding the ground angrily, spittle rained from his open mouth as he attempted to free his frozen leg. Danny was on the other side of the room, lying down in a bed of glass and brickwork, eyes unfocussed, covered in cuts and bruises.
Grabbing the semi-conscious Draugur by the front of his black and white outfit, Steve rushed out the destroyed doorway into the dark, Danny stumbling behind.
Hurrying to the other side of the street, Steve turned to Danny, "Shoot it now!"
Danny blinked slowly at him, "What?" He asked stupidly.
"Shoot the building! It's already unstable!"
Raising a weak hand, Danny scrunched his face up, fabricating a ball of green energy up in his palm. Heavy thumping could be heard from the restaurant as the Hulk continued to attempt to free itself.
"Do it now!" Steve cried in the Draugur's ear.
Danny jumped at the sound of Steve's voice, blasting the energy ball at the building. It sped through the destroyed wall before being swallowed in darkness. Steve couldn't breathe in the quiet of the night.
A deafening crack broke the silence, the brick walls curving unnaturally until they were no longer able to support their own weight. The building caved in, tumbling down into itself, when a large petroleum-filled fireball burst out of the centre, throwing stray pieces of burning wood and stone at the duo.
Steve and Danny ducked to the side, hobbling further down the street away from the burning restaurant. Both of them were panting as they seated themselves on the ground.
"I think," Steve grinned, his chest heaving and ears ringing, "That did it. Not one of my most brilliant plans I admit, but it did the job."
"Ugh." Danny replied, looking faint.
"Hey, are you okay?" Steve extended a hand out to the Draugur worriedly.
Danny didn't respond, instead collapsing on his side with a low moan.
"Hey, Danny!" Steve called out, shaking the white-haired Draugur's shoulder, "Come on, get up!"
A white glow emitted from Danny's centre making Steve flinch back in surprise, dragging himself away from the fallen body. Rings formed around the Draugur's waist, spreading across the rest of him. Steve covered his eyes at the blinding flash, lowering his arms carefully as it died away, leaving only the cheery glow of the smouldering restaurant as his light source.
Crawling over to Danny's side, Steve hesitantly rolled the beaten Draugur onto his back and gasped.