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❄️ Chapter 27 — Fire in the Sky
The Helicarrier drifted like a wounded beast in the night sky. Smoke poured from ruptured decks, flames licking at the steel bones of the fortress. Its turbines struggled against gravity, whining with the strain of keeping the giant afloat.
Inside, alarms wailed like a dirge, red lights casting everything in shades of blood. The ship was breaking—not only from the outside assault, but from within.
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INT. HANGAR – CHAOS
Spider-Man dropped from a ceiling girder, tumbling to the scorched floor as a green juggernaut burst through the wall. Hulk's massive frame glowed faintly with the corruption of Loki's scepter. His veins pulsed blue like rivers of fire, his roar shaking the chamber.
Spidey's spider-sense blared so loud it hurt.
"Okay, note to self," Spidey muttered, springing backward as Hulk's fist smashed where he stood, the floor shattering. "Never let green rage monsters borrow jewelry from homicidal gods."
He fired twin webs, yanking Hulk's arms against the support struts. For a moment, the giant was bound. Then, with a snarl, Hulk ripped the struts free, using them as clubs.
"...Right. Should've seen that coming."
Hulk swung the twisted steel like twin bats. Spider-Man dodged by a hair's breadth, rolling under one and rebounding off the wall as the second shattered a cargo shuttle into pieces.
Spidey shot another webline, slinging himself between dangling pipes and consoles. Hulk followed with mindless fury, smashing aside anything in his path. Each blow tore deeper into the Helicarrier's ribs.
"Come on, big guy!" Spidey shouted while darting across the walls. "I know you don't mean this! Normally you're all 'Smash bad guys,' not 'Smash coworkers!'"
His webs blanketed Hulk's face. The giant ripped them away with a roar, eyes blazing blue.
For a split second, Spider-Man hesitated. His spider-sense screamed at him to flee, but his heart whispered that somewhere inside, Banner was still there, trapped.
Then the wall thundered with lightning.
Thor descended in a storm of wind and fury. Mjolnir clanged against the floor, lightning dancing across its surface. His cape snapped in the gale as he strode forward.
"Stand aside, young spider," Thor commanded, his eyes locked on Hulk. "This is no foe for thee."
Spider-Man hesitated, then swung back. "Fine. But, uh, try not to level the whole ship? We're still standing on it!"
Thor raised Mjolnir. "This rage must be quelled!"
Hulk charged. Thor met him halfway.
The collision was apocalyptic. Hulk's fists smashed against Mjolnir, shockwaves rattling the entire ship. Thor slammed his hammer into Hulk's ribs, sending him crashing through a bulkhead. Hulk burst out seconds later, hurling the debris like shrapnel.
Thor caught it midair and swung, smashing it back into Hulk's chest. The giant stumbled, then retaliated with a ground-shaking punch that hurled Thor through a line of fighter craft.
Spider-Man swung in, webbing two SHIELD agents out of the blast zone. "Hey, muscle-bros! Launch pad! At least give the rest of us a chance to live through this!"
Thor gritted his teeth, Mjolnir spinning. He bellowed in Asgardian, driving Hulk backward with a storm of blows, each one ringing like thunder. Slowly, inexorably, the battle was forced toward the open launch deck.
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EXT. HELICARRIER – ENGINE BAY
Beneath the ship, Iron Man flew through smoke and sparks. His HUD screamed warnings as one turbine hung lifeless, dragging the entire fortress downward.
"Alright, kid, rookie hour's over," he muttered into comms. "Nova—time to prove you're more than a crash test dummy."
A golden streak landed beside him—Sam Alexander, Nova helmet gleaming, sweat poured from his back as He looked at the titanic rotor, bent and jammed.
"That thing's gonna puree me!"
"Exactly," Tony said. "Your job is to not get pureed. Get inside, push the rotor into alignment. I'll stabilize the engine. Don't worry—if you fail, the worst that happens is we all die screaming."
Nova's jaw dropped. "That's supposed to be reassuring?!"
"Kid, if I was trying to reassure you, I'd lie."
Nova muttered a curse and shot into the turbine, cosmic flames trailing behind. The blades shuddered as he braced his hands and shoulders against them, pushing with all his might. Metal groaned. The rotor shifted a fraction.
Inside the HUD, Tony's readouts flickered green. "That's it, rookie! Just hold it steady!"
"Easier said than—AAAAHHHH!" Nova cried, straining as the turbine fought back, threatening to shred him.
Tony blasted stabilizer beams into the joints, sparks flying. "Welcome to the Avengers, kid. No one tells you the job sucks until you're already hired."
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INT. HELICARRIER – CORRIDOR
Clint Barton stalked forward, scepter in hand, eyes glowing blue. His steps were steady, purposeful. The path to Loki was clear—until Natasha Romanoff stepped from the shadows, batons drawn.
"Clint," she said, her voice low, almost pleading. "This isn't you."
His bow snapped open with a flick. No hesitation.
Arrows flew. Natasha moved like water, weaving between them, closing the distance. Barton's knife flashed, her batons sparked, each strike echoing with years of trust now weaponized against each other.
"Fight it, Clint!" Natasha growled, blocking a vicious slash. "You're stronger than this!"
For a split second, his eyes flickered. His arm trembled. Then Loki's magic surged, and he attacked harder. Natasha's jaw set. She couldn't save him—not now. But she could stop him.
The duel raged down the corridor, two of SHIELD's finest locked in bitter combat.
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INT. CONTAINMENT – SAME TIME
Fury and Hill led the Defenders—Luke Cage, Iron Fist, White Tiger—against hordes of enthralled SHIELD soldiers. The agents fought with no regard for their own lives, tearing apart consoles, ripping wires, planting explosives.
"They're not here for us!" Hill shouted, ducking under a rifle butt. "They're here to cripple the ship!"
"Then cripple them!" Fury barked.
Luke slammed a pair of soldiers into the wall with bone-crunching force. Iron Fist's glowing hand dropped three with surgical precision. White Tiger moved like a blur, claws slashing weapons apart.
But the agents kept coming, silent, relentless. Their eyes burned blue with Loki's control.
"Don't hold back!" Fury shouted. "Knock 'em cold or we all go down with this bird!"
The Defenders fought with everything they had, their youth hardening into steel under the fire. One by one, the enthralled agents fell unconscious. But the damage was done—the ship groaned under sabotage.
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INT. LOWER DECK – CONTAINMENT CELLS
Loki leaned lazily against the glass of his cage as the carrier quaked. Enthralled soldiers swarmed the console, eyes vacant. The locks disengaged with a hiss.
Loki stepped free, stretching as if from a long nap. His smile was cold, patient, inevitable.
He drifted toward a darker chamber. Within reinforced cells waited other prisoners: Vulture, snarling; Sandman, swirling restlessly; Absorbing Man, chains glowing with suppressor tech. And beyond them—the Frightful Four: Trapster, Thundra, Wizard, Klaw.
Loki's gaze lingered on them, lips curling.
"Bring me my scepter," he whispered.
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EXT. LAUNCH PAD – APOCALYPSE
Thor and Hulk clashed under the open sky, each blow an earthquake. Hulk hurled a wrecked fighter at Thor; Thor shattered it with a single strike, sparks cascading. Hulk tore a section of the deck free, swinging it like a club. Thor blocked with Mjolnir, lightning splitting the night.
Spider-Man swung frantically through the chaos, pulling trapped agents out of the carnage. His lungs burned, his mind screamed—but he refused to leave.
"Note to self: never sign up for babysitting duty between a thunder god and a rage monster!"
At the deck's edge, a young SHIELD officer stared at the chaos. Barely twenty, hands shaking, he sat in the cockpit of a fighter jet. His instincts screamed at him to fly, to live.
But then he saw the destruction, saw Thor struggling, saw his comrades fleeing.
"No," he whispered. "No it not time to run.it time to be a hero."
He throttled forward. The jet roared, slamming into Hulk with full force. Metal screeched as the beast was dragged off the deck, both plunging into open air.
Midair, Hulk roared and ripped the jet apart, seizing the cockpit in his fist. His hand closed around the pilot, bones cracking under pressure.
The officer gasped in agony but met the monster's eyes with defiance.
Thor struck like a thunderbolt, smashing Hulk away and catching the broken soldier.
The young man coughed blood, lips curling weakly.
"You were brave," Thor whispered, his voice heavy with sorrow. "A warrior. You shall feast in Valhalla. Do you have last words?"
The officer smiled faintly.
"…Yeah. Mama raised no bitches."
His eyes dimmed. Thor bowed his head, grief carved into his features. Lightning roared above as he laid the warrior down.
Then, with Mjolnir blazing, Thor turned back toward the Hulk.
The battle was not yet done.
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❄️ End of Chapter 27
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