Chapter 18 – Carrier Battle
As everyone quickly left the ruined lab, Darcy grunted and pulled herself up from the floor. Thinking fast, she reached her hand out, calling for her old friend.
After a few moments, something broke through the wall nearby and flew perfectly into her hand.
Gripping down on Mjolnir, Darcy was consumed in a flash of light and electricity. Once it subsided, Darcy was now Thordis, and quickly rushed off to help the others.
But before she could, Mjolnir pulsated with light, and a voice that Darcy hadn't heard in over a year suddenly spoke in her thoughts.
Find Loki!
Obeying the voice, Darcy quickly raced towards the detention area.
ooooo
Tony and Steve quickly rushed to the cargo levels. As they passed several panicky agents and technicians, Tony quickly faced Steve.
"Engine three. I'll meet you there."
Steve nodded and left Tony, who approached a sealed cargo compartment. Taking out a small remote, Tony pressed a button and the compartment opened, revealing his Mark VI armor, still bearing some battle damage from the fight with Sif.
Tony smirked as the suit's eyes lit up.
ooooo
Coulson and Carrie quickly scrambled out of the medical bay, confused as several agents were running around wildly. Taking out his walkie-talkie, Coulson contacted Fury.
"Boss what's happening?"
"We have boarders. All armed and dangerous. Barton is with them."
"Shit…" Coulson muttered. He quickly turned to Carrie. "Go to your quarters and stay there, got it?"
"What?" Carrie said, confused. "But I want to help!"
"I know." Coulson told her. "But your just a kid. I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened to you.
"But…"
"Carrie, go." Coulson said sternly. Carrie watched as he left, sighing in frustration.
ooooo
Natasha struggled against the rubble pinning her leg down, and started to panic when she saw Bruce himself was struggling and trying to keep in his… condition. He grunted and gripped his head in pain, and Natasha could see his veins throbbing.
"Doctor?" Natasha tried. "Bruce?"
At the sound of Natasha's voice, Bruce calmed slightly, but was still panting, the transformation getting too powerful for him to contain.
Natasha tried to sound gentle, something she was never to great at. "You've got to fight it. This is just what Loki wants!"
Two technicians came into the room, looking at Natasha worriedly. "Ma'am? Are you hurt?"
Natasha glared at the two and waved her hand angrily, telling them to get out. They quickly scurried out of the room. Bruce grunted in discomfort, and Natasha could see his muscles contorting slightly.
"Bruce, listen to me. We're gonna be okay, alright. I swear on my life I will get you out of this, you will walk away, and never..."
Suddenly, Bruce whipped his head towards her, and he spoke with a loud, booming voice unlike his own. "Your life?!"
Natasha yelped and shrunk back in fear as Bruce stood up, gripping his head. As she desperately tried to pull her leg free, Bruce's muscles started to grow and his skin pigments started to change as well. He fell to his knees and rolled over to the far side of the room, howling. His body started to grow to the point where his shirt and pants started to ear, and his feet exploded out of his shoes. He turned to Natasha, giving her one last knowing look. Natasha's face paled as his blue eyes turned a bright green.
"Bruce…"
Bruce grunted and flexed his torso, and what was left of his shirt was ripped off. Getting up to his feet, Bruce sauntered over to a gas heater and beat his fist against it, howling. A white mist sprayed out of the ruptured tank, and Natasha finally managed to pull her leg free and get up. She looked at Bruce warily, and she felt her stomach clenched in fear as the Hulk slowly turned its head toward her. It's body shook in rage and his face screwed up into a frightening snarl.
Natasha did the only thing she could think of. Run.
The Hulk grunted as it raced after her, and Natasha quickly climbed up a row of steps. The Hulk swiped its hand out to grab her, but she quickly jumped up to a nearby ledge, gripping the railing and flipping over onto a catwalk. The Hulk instead swiped the stars away, and roared in anger as the Widow fled.
Racing across the catwalk, the Widow nearly fell through the floor as the Hulk yanked a grating out from under her. Luckily, she swiftly leapt forward and down a shaft leading to the Helicarrier's pipeline. Not looking back, Natasha quickly crawled through the narrow pipeline as the Hulk let out an enraged howl that echoed throughout the ship.
ooooo
Nick and Soladat quickly rushed to the bridge, and found the entire room in chaos. The BridgeTechs were desperately trying to retain altitude. Instinctively, Fury started spouting out orders.
"Bring the carrier to a one eight zero heading south!" He shouted. "Take us to the water!"
One BridgeTech stood up, facing Fury with a disbelieving look. "We're flying blind, sir. We're still recalibrating after the engine failure."
Fury glared at the agent. "Is the sun coming up?"
The agent gulped nervously. "Y-yes, sir."
"Then put it on the left!" Fury shouted. "Get us over water! One more turbine goes down and we drop."
"Fury? Fury do you copy?"
Fury blinked and quickly took out his walkie-talkie. "What is it captain?"
"Me and Stark are at the third engine and making repairs, but we've got multiple hostiles pinning us down!"
"Damnit." Fury said and quickly turned towards Soladat. "Archangel, get to the third engine and help Stark and Rogers, asap!"
Soladat nodded. "Right."
Soladat raced out of the bridge, and Fury redirected his attention to keeping the ship stable. During all the confusion, one thought suddenly entered Fury's mind. Where the hell was Voyant? During all the craziness, the woman hadn't been seen or heard from.
Did she abandon them?
ooooo
Gun in hand, Natasha quietly and carefully navigated through the dark corridors of the sublevels. Sweating in nervousness, Natasha walked past a large heat conductor, when she hear a small trace of movement. She glanced at the direction of the noise, and jumped when the Hulk suddenly sprang up from behind the conductor, roaring loudly.
Natasha quickly raised her gun and shot at the gas pipe above the Hulk. A white mist sprayed out and blinded the Hulk, who waved his head around in frustration. Natasha ran away and through a number of electrical conductors, glancing back to see if the Hulk was there.
Her eyes widened when she saw the Hulk turn around the corner and race at her at inhuman speeds, plowing through all of the electrical conductors, sending sparks and pieces of rubble flying in every direction.
Natasha covered her eyes as sparks flew in front of her face and singed her cheeks. She kept running, but stumbled slightly as a quake from one of the Hulk's footsteps nearly knocked her off balance. Before she could regain composure, she felt a large fist strike her side and send her flying into a nearby wall. She hit the wall with a thud and then fell down to the ground, clenching her side in pain.
Natasha breathed in fear as the Hulk approached her slowly, snarling. Natasha closed her eyes when the Hulk lifted its hand, preparing to deliver a very hard backhand.
But it never came.
Something jumped at the Hulk and plowed him through the wall. They landed right in the middle of a hanger, where several pilots and agents scrambled away from the pair in surprise.
Natasha breathed heavily, shocked and relieved that she was still alive.
The Hulk grunted as he stood up to face his attacker, and was surprised to see a beautiful woman with black hair and a medieval-like gettup.
Wielding her sword and shield, Sif watched the Hulk move around her menacingly, growling at her. He swung a fist at her, which she narrowly ducked and then swung the blade of her weapon. The Hulk let out a scream of pain as the blade actually slashed through his normally impenetrable skin, and dark blood oozed from the cut.
The Hulk touched the wound and nearly exploded with rage when it saw the blood. Glaring down the Asgardian maiden, the Hulk raised his gigantic arm up and brought it down on Sif. Sif quickly raised her shield up, and jerked slightly when the force of the strike nearly drove her into the ground. Sif grunted as she tried to push the Hulk away.
"Stand down, ogre!" Sif hissed. "We are not your enemies!"
Sif slowly pushed herself up, but inadvertently left herself open to a fist. The punch struck her right in the face and sent her sailing away from the Hulk, through a number of canisters, walls, and jets, with the friction of her sliding against the ground finally slowing her down.
Beating his fists together, the Hulk roared over at Sif and slowly approached her. Suddenly, the Hulk saw movement in the corner of his eye, and ducked just in time to avoid a plane that had been flying in his direction. The jet collided with a second plane, and both aircrafts exploded. The Hulk growled and turned towards the direction of the attack, and cocked his head in confusion.
Standing there was a young girl with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes, clad in a white long-sleeved shirt with gray stripes and jeans.
Carrie backed away slowly as the green muscle-bound brute approached her, growling. Looking down at the Hulk's feet, Carrie saw him walking over a number of downed electrical cables.
Feeling the cables with her mind, Carrie manipulated the wires, commanding them to wrap around the Hulk like a snake.
The Hulk looked down in confusion as the cables seemed to just come alive and ensnare him. They wrapped up around his body and tightened, and the Hulk howled angrily as he struggled against them.
Seeing that the Hulk was beginning to break free of his restraints, Carrie looked over at a large crate. Blinking her eyes, Carrie made the crate levitate from its position and fly directly at the Hulk. The Hulk doubled over as the crate smashed against the back of his head. One stray cable straighten out below him and he tripped over, falling flat on his face.
The Hulk howled and roared in fury as he ripped free from the cables. Facing Carrie with a murderous gaze, the Hulk roared, and Carrie yelped and ran.
Carrie ducked beneath several airplane wings and supply crates while the Hulk just barreled through them. The Hulk attempted to squash the puny human with his fist, but she leapt away and the fist hit the ground, causing the floor to cave in slightly. Spotting an open floor grating, Carrie crawled inside the tight space, and barely avoided the Hulk's grip as he failed to reach in and grab her.
Carrie crawled beneath the floor, trying to move away from the Hulk, but the beast's enhanced hearing was able to pick up on the girl's movements. Carrie screamed as a fist smashed through the ground only a few inches from her face. She turned quickly away from it, but another fist smashed right next to her. She attempted to wriggle away from the green hand as it felt around for her, but the Hulk located her arm and grabbed her.
Screaming, Carrie kicked as the Hulk attempted to pull her free. She beat the fist with her free hand, but this, of course, had little effect.
Looking up from her position, Carrie looked at the Hulk in the eyes. The green orbs glared back at her, and Carrie saw nothing but rage and fury that could not be quenched.
Seeing no other alternative, Carrie reached out with her mind. She scanned the monster's brain, and in an act of desperation, she prodded. Painfully.
The Hulk released the girl and gripped his head, howling in pain. Screaming, the Hulk fell down on his knees, gripping his head as the foreign presence overwhelmed his senses. He didn't even see the Asgardian woman leaping in from behind, sword raised.
The Hulk gripped his shoulder as the sword impaled through the back and came out the front. Sif landed a few feet in front of him, and looked up at the Hulk, smirking. The Hulk gripped the sword's hilt, and stumbled backwards, landing on a jet plane, which crumbled beneath his weight. He wrenched the blade free from his shoulder, grunting slightly from the pain, and glared back down at Sif, shaking with rage.
Tossing the sword aside, the Hulk ripped a wing off of the plane and hurled it at Sif, who ducked Matrix-style, and the wing slid past Carrie, who watched the spectacle with amazement.
Sif closed in on the Hulk, dodging a strike and then delivering a swift uppercut that caused the Hulk's head to jerk back. Looking down, Sif pulled her leg back and then swung a hard kick in between the Hulk's legs.
The Hulk howled in pain and gripped his crotch, faltering slightly. Sif looked smug for a moment, but only for about two seconds before she gave a yelp of pain and rubbed her leg.
Regaining his composure, the Hulk snarled down at the Asgardian and delivered a kick that sent her sliding across the ground. Noticing her sword, Sif quickly picked it up and rushed back at the Hulk. She swiftly moved to the side to avoid a punch and then drove the sword up through the Hulk's arm. The Hulk howled with pain and gripped Sif's head, yanking her and the sword away from his arm. He lifted her up and then plowed her into the ground, and the entire floor caved in.
Sif was able to swing the sword against his chest, slashing it. The Hulk backed away, grunting, and Sif sprung up to her feet, swinging the sword up and delivering an up-slash against his chest. The Hulk howled and gripped his chest, and Sif made an agile jump over the Hulk's shoulder and delivered a second slash.
Gritting his teeth from the pain, the Hulk spun around to face Sif, and before she could even react, the Hulk clapped his hands together, creating a huge shockwave. Sif screamed as the shockwave pushed her away from the Hulk and right into the wall.
The wall broke slightly from the impact, and Sif fell down face first. She groaned in pain as she tried to pull herself up, but something grabbed her by the throat and pulled her up. Now face to face with the Hulk, Sif glared into the beast's angry gaze, refusing to be intimidated.
She coughed and wheezed as the grip around her throat tightened, and the Hulk growled at her. Her warrior's pride getting the best of her, Sif spat in the Hulk's eye, and the Hulk grunted as he shook his head.
Snarling back at the Asgardian, the Hulk brought his free fist back, and then plowed it right into Sif's torso. Sif wheezed and grunted as the Hulk repeated the assault again and again and again and again. Then, the Hulk brought his fist back farther, and the next punch was extra hard. Blood flew from Sif's mouth and hit the Hulk in the face, but he didn't even seem to mind.
Satisfied, the Hulk plowed Sif into the ground, and roared at her in victory.
Sif was now barely conscious. She had not been this physically wounded since her bout with Darcy one year ago. She watched helplessly as the Hulk loomed over her.
Studying his fallen opponent, a piece of Bruce Banner seemed to surface as the Hulk looked down at the woman in horror, realizing what he had just done. But at the last second, the Hulk persona resurfaced, and the Hulk snarled in fury and then raised his fist, beating it down against Sif's face.
Sif was knocked out instantly.
ooooo
With the Hulk preoccupied with Sif, Carrie slowly and carefully pulled herself free from her hiding place. Suddenly, a hand gripped her shoulder, and Carrie yelped and thrashed about.
"Get away!" She screamed, and the hand let go as she slapped it away.
"Relax!" A familiar voice said. Carrie blinked and looked up to see Xegh Hikesh standing there. He shook his head at her. "You should not have tried to go against Bruce Banner in his current state. You are lucky to be alive."
Carrie took an offered hand and was pulled up to her feet. "I'm sorry… I wanted to help…"
"It is not important now." The Prothean said. "You must find refuge and get away from the chaos."
"But…"
"Do as I say!" Hikesh yelled, and Carrie quickly nodded. Hikesh slowly turned to the direction of where the Hulk was beating Sif. "I will contest Banner."
Carrie blinked. "You? What are you going to do?"
Hikesh took a deep breath. "Something I have not done for a long time."
Carrie watched as Hikesh removed his red, shell-like armor, leaving him in only a sleeveless black jumpsuit. Putting his hands together, Hikesh closed his eyes and breathed, and Carrie stepped back as the dark energy field appeared around him. Then, he put his hands back, and started screaming as the green aura intensified, and Carrie was actually blown back on her rear from the intense energy.
To Carrie's shock and horror, the Prothean's body began to change. He actually seemed to grow a few feet taller, and his muscles pulsed and bulked up. Veins were surging up around his body. The jumpsuit was stretchy and didn't tear from the growth. It wasn't over yet though. Hikesh's head elongated into a strange tapering-shape while his mouth was elongated as well. His teeth elongated and sharpened, and his shoulders sprouted two large shoulderpads. To top it all off, a pair of insect wings sprouted out of his back and fluttered slightly.
His green aura faded away, and the creature that was Xegh Hikesh let out a loud sibilant roar that rivaled the Hulk's.
Carrie, doing the only thing she could think of, let out a loud, bloodcurdling scream that echoed throughout the Helicarrier.
ooooo
Darcy navigated through the Helicarrier and finally came across the corridor leading to Loki's detention cell. Upon entering, she saw an armed man opening the cell, and Loki was stepping out of it.
"Loki!"
Loki looked up with wide eyes as Darcy raced at him. He braced himself for the impact, but instead of slamming into him, Darcy passed right through him and let out an oomf as she entered the glass cell and slammed against the side. She fell back on her butt, and quickly got up to see Loki shimmering away.
Looking around, she saw the real Loki standing by the control panel. Smirking, he flipped a switch and the cell closed, trapping Darcy inside.
Darcy glared at Loki. "Not funny."
"It's kind of funny." Loki said, smirking.
Darcy wasn't amused. "Let me out. Now."
Loki chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. We both know what you're capable of with that." He motioned towards Mjolnir.
Glaring, Darcy beat Mjolnir against the glass. One strike caused the glass to crack, and Loki stepped back in surprise. Darcy struck the glass again, and the cracks grew wider.
"For the love of Odin, stop!" Loki shouted, and Darcy stopped, but was still glaring at the god of lies.
"Now you're telling me to stop?" Darcy said incredulously. "You're the one who should stop! Why can't you just leave my planet alone?"
Loki frowned. "Why do you insist on defending these lowly creatures? You yourself are above them. If anything you should be ruling them!"
"Me?" Darcy said. "I happen to be a human myself, genius."
"Are you really?" Loki sneered. "You have evolved, Darcy Lewis. With Mjolnir in your hands you have become a goddess! You and I could work together and take this world for ourselves!"
Darcy glared suspiciously. "Why the sudden offer? Last I checked you wanted to kill me."
Loki glared, and then sighed. He turned away from Darcy. "There has been much turmoil in me after what happened in Asgard. When you first picked up Mjolnir, I hated you, as I had spent centuries living in the shadow of my brother, and I wasn't about to spend another eternity in the shadow of a mortal. And to this day, I still hate you. I hate you for crawling in my head as he did, for overshadowing me in strength and power."
Loki slowly turned to face Darcy, and she was surprised to see that his expression had softened.
"I hate you because you are beautiful to me." Loki said, and Darcy's eyes widened in shock. "I find myself longing for you. Every waking day, my urge to see you weakens me. I thirst, I hunger, and it cannot be quenched so easily. You have affected me in ways no one has ever done."
Darcy just stared at the Asgardian/Jotun in shock. "What do you want from me?"
Loki stepped up to the glass. "I want you to join me! Together we can take this world for ourselves. You'd be a queen, live in wealth and power for all eternity!"
Darcy studied the Asgardian and thought over the offer. She closed her eyes, sighed, and shook her head.
"No."
Loki blinked. "No?"
"That's right." Darcy said, glaring. "No. I'm not like you, Loki. I don't want to rule and I don't want to hurt anyone either. Your dad gave me this hammer so I could protect the world from threats like you, and I plan to fulfill that goal. I won't betray my promise to enslave humanity. Not for anything."
Her eyes narrowed. "Not even for you."
Loki looked at her without expression. He sighed. "I see."
He slowly turned around and walked over to the control panel. "I had hoped it would not come to this, but I see you insist on maintaining this foolish bravado."
Darcy's eyes widened when Loki put his hand on a switch, and he looked at Darcy sadly. "I regret this, yes, but you have left me no choice. Farewell, Darcy Lewis."
Before he could flip the switch, the sound of a man grunting in pain directed the pair's attention to the left. Loki blinked when he saw the agent that had freed him was now lying on the ground unconscious, and Agent Coulson was standing over him with a strange looking weapon in his hand.
"Step away please."
Carefully, Loki put his hands up and backed away from the console. Darcy smiled in relief. Seeing that Loki was studying the weapon, Coulson smirked.
"You like this?" He asked. "We collected tissue samples from Gangr after you sent him to Earth last year. Figured out how to harness the energy. Hasn't been tested yet though. Why don't we just test it out right here and now?"
Coulson held down the trigger, and blue icy energy started to charge in the gun's holster. Loki stood there, unnerved and didn't even try to run. Releasing the trigger, Coulson fired a blast of icy blue energy. The blast struck Loki square in the chest, and while the force of the blast caused him to stagger slightly, it didn't seem to have any real effect on the mischief god.
Coulson's eyes widened in shock as Loki seemed to actually be absorbing the ice. The god smiled evilly as his skin suddenly turned blue and his eyes blood red. Darcy paled, recognizing the form all too well. Coulson stopped firing the gun, and looked in horror as Loki absorbed the icy energies into his body. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, and the blue skin slowly faded as his skin returned to its original hue. He blinked, and his eyes slowly changed back to normal.
He smirked at Coulson. "Is that it?"
Coulson started to back away, but Loki was enveloped in a flash of gold and suddenly materialized in front of Coulson. Coulson didn't even have time to react when Loki jerked the scepter forward and impaled it through his stomach. The blade came out his back, and Coulson grunted in pain.
"Coulson!" Darcy gasped, putting her hand up against the glass.
Loki looked at the agent in the eyes, smiling, and with a jerk of his scepter, a blast of blue energy blasted Coulson away from the scepter, and also left a large bloody burned hole in his torso. Coulson slammed against the wall and fall down on his side, gripping his wound. He was coughing and wheezing in pain, and blood seeped from his mouth and wound, staining the polished floor. His gun was discarded on the floor, and Loki put his foot on it and crushed it with ease.
Loki scoffed at the agent, and then turned back to Darcy. "Mortals. I keep telling you that they are a nuisance."
Darcy was still looking at Coulson in shock and horror, and then turned her gaze to Loki, and she looked quite pissed off. "You didn't have to do that!"
"I know." Loki shrugged, and then smiled. "Force of habit."
"You bastard!" Darcy yelled, and started beating against the glass again. Loki just looked at her sadly, and turned back to the terminal. He rested his hand on the switch, flipped it, and the hatch beneath the cell opened. Wind blew through the room, and Darcy looked down at the open hatch with wide eyes.
She looked back at Loki, and her eyes were almost pleading for him not to push the button. But sadly, that was not to be.
"Now, for the final time." Loki said. "Goodbye, Darcy Lewis."
Loki pressed the button, and Darcy yelped as the cell was dropped down through the hatch, and plummeted from the Helicarrier.
Loki watched the cell fall in silence, and sighed. He flipped the switch, and the hatch closed. Slowly, Loki started to make his way out of the room, when a wounded voice caught his attention.
"*Cough* You…"
Loki looked back at Coulson, and was surprised at how well the agent was holding onto life. The mortal was stronger than he thought.
Coulson glared. "You're *cough*. You're gonna lose..."
Loki smirked. "Am I?"
"It's in your nature."
Loki scoffed, and marched towards the fallen agent. "You're heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?"
"Standing right behind you."
Loki blinked at the new voice and turned around to see who it was that spoke just now. But as soon as he turned around, he was suddenly backhanded right in the nose. Loki gripped his face in pain, shocked at the amount of force behind the attack. Before he could see who it was, another hand struck him right in the stomach, and the added force sent Loki sailing through the air, past a surprised Coulson, and against a wall.
Coulson looked at where Loki had flown in shock, and then looked over to see Claire Voyant standing there, smirking evilly.
Loki grunted, gripping his face, and pulled himself up. He blinked at the woman who struck him, as he did not recall seeing her before. Nevertheless, he glared at the foolish maiden. He would not let a mere mortal impose him in such a manor.
However, this was no mere mortal.
"Now," Claire said, smirking and stepping forward, "lets see how much of a god you really are."
There's chapter eighteen. Probably the longest chapter I've written for this story so far. Next chapter, Hikesh fights the Hulk and Claire Voyant fights Loki.
Now, I gave Hikesh a new form that would give him a better advantage in hand to hand combat. The form kind of looks like the Collectors from Mass Effect 2, except not a zombie-like. More will be explained on it later. And also, I know not many people seem to like Claire Voyant, and that's okay, cuz I'm not really planning on her being a heroic character. In fact she's like the total opposite of a heroic character.
Review pleaz. Til next time.