Natasha's hand rested gently on Hulk's massive forearm.
The giant's breathing was ragged. The madness in his eyes slowly receded.
Green faded.
Bruce Banner curled up on the cold deck, shivering like a frightened child.
Everyone exhaled in relief.
The relief lasted less than three seconds.
BOOM—!
A violent explosion erupted from the portside aft section of the Helicarrier. The entire vessel lurched sideways, tilting so sharply the deck nearly became a wall. Metal screamed as it twisted. Red warning lights flashed everywhere.
"Engine Three explosion! We're losing power! We're going down!"
Agent Hill's voice rang across the ship.
"Altitude dropping one hundred feet per second!"
"We're done!" a young agent shouted in panic.
"Shut up!" Fury roared. "Engage backup power! All deck crews to Engine Three!"
On the flight deck, Levi grabbed the weakened Banner and shoved him toward Natasha.
"Medical bay. Now."
He looked up.
The massive turbine engine belched smoke and arcs of electricity. Its blades were warped, jammed against the housing. The Helicarrier had begun spiraling downward.
"I need the suit," Tony's voice crackled through comms as he sprinted for his workshop.
"Cap, hold the deck together," Levi ordered. "Tony, outside. Get those blades moving. I'll handle the core."
"You?" Tony snapped. "Do you even know how complex that—"
"Less complex than your tin can," Levi cut him off. "Move."
A sonic boom followed as the red-and-gold Mark VI shot skyward toward the crippled turbine.
Steve's steady voice echoed through internal comms, directing agents, restoring order.
Levi vanished.
---
Engine Three – Core Chamber
He reappeared inside hell.
The explosion had gutted the chamber. Thick energy conduits hung severed, blue arcs snapping violently. The air reeked of ozone and molten alloy.
The primary energy regulator was half-destroyed.
"Cheap construction," Levi muttered.
Engineering schematics—copied from Stark and Vanko—flashed through his mind.
Two seconds.
Root cause identified: main energy diversion valve.
For a normal engineer, this would take hours.
Levi extended his hand.
[Spatial Severance]
Invisible force sliced through twisted debris. Mangled metal fell cleanly away, exposing core pipeline interfaces.
He glanced at an intact alloy panel nearby.
[Spatial Shaping]
The multi-ton slab twisted like clay under invisible pressure, folding and restructuring into a refined diversion valve—more efficient than the original.
He fitted it into place.
"One last step. Energy calibration."
He closed his eyes.
With the Greatest Mage of the Nine Realms talent, he could see the chaotic energy streams raging inside the conduits.
He placed both hands on the piping.
Divine power and Tesseract energy intertwined.
He guided the turbulence—reweaving, realigning, stabilizing.
---
Outside the Carrier
Tony strained against the enormous turbine blade.
"It's too heavy!" he grunted. "Thrusters maxed!"
"I've got teams unlocking the axle manually!" Steve replied. "Hold it!"
Warning alarms screamed inside the suit.
Then—
The turbine shuddered.
A low hum resonated from within.
The jammed blades began to turn.
Slowly.
"...He did it!" Tony breathed.
Engine Three roared back to life. The downward spiral halted.
The Helicarrier stabilized.
Crisis averted.
---
Core Chamber
Levi released the conduit and exhaled.
Then—
A familiar energy pulse flickered through his senses.
The Mind Scepter.
Direction: Loki's cell.
His expression hardened.
He vanished.
---
Detention Level
Too late.
Loki's glass cell stood empty.
Only a grinning illusion remained.
At the corridor's end—
Phil Coulson lay in a pool of blood.
The scepter had pierced straight through his chest.
Loki's portal device still hummed faintly.
"Coulson!"
Levi knelt beside him.
Coulson's life was fading rapidly.
"He's… going to Stark Tower…" Coulson coughed blood. "Said… best view… open a door… bring his army…"
"Don't talk." Levi tried channeling energy to stabilize him.
Useless.
The Mind Stone's corruption was devouring his life force.
"Tell Cap… my cards… still need his autograph…" Coulson's voice weakened. "And… don't let Fury… use my death… to motivate them… that's… cliché…"
His hand fell limp.
Silence.
Levi stood slowly, staring at the lifeless eyes.
He wasn't close to Coulson.
But the fury rising inside him was cold and absolute.
Not grief.
Insult.
Loki had played him—right under his nose.
A crash overhead—
Thor dropped through the ceiling, slightly battered.
"I saw you knock him down," Thor said grimly. "Where is Loki?"
"Gone," Levi replied flatly. "New York. Stark Tower. He's opening a portal for his army."
Tony and Steve rushed in from the other side.
They saw Coulson.
Froze.
"He killed Coulson," Steve said, voice tight with rage.
"He'll pay," Tony answered, removing his helmet. His eyes were ice.
The four of them stood in silence beside the fallen agent.
The air had changed.
This wasn't strategy anymore.
It was war.
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