Inside the transport, the cabin shook violently. Loki's hands glowed with scepter energy as he tried to take back control from the chaos Natasha had created, but each surge he sent was either absorbed, redirected, or short-circuited by her webs. Sparks flew from the consoles, screens cracked, and panels rattled, making it feel as though the vehicle itself was resisting him.
Natasha could feel it—the Tesseract throbbed in Selvig's hands, unstable and almost reacting to the venom and webs coursing through her body. The demonic spider familiar inside her chest pulsed urgently, pushing her to act harder. She couldn't fully move her limbs, but she realized that her mind alone had become a weapon.
A loud metallic groan echoed as the front wheels scraped against jagged rocks. The cliffside narrowed dangerously. Loki's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. "Enough! Control yourself!"
Inside her mind, Natasha whispered back: Not yet… just one more push.
The transport jolted as a perfectly aimed concussive blast from a S.H.I.E.L.D. drone hit the rear. Rocks tumbled down the mountainside, and jets swooped closer, forcing Loki to adjust the vehicle's shields and speed. The Tesseract's glow flared, pulsing blue light like warning beacons inside the cabin.
Natasha's webs, fully integrated into the transport's systems, tightened like invisible chains around the circuits. She sent a final, concentrated pulse of venom energy through the network she had created. The engine screamed, sparks erupted from the scepter's points of contact, and a panel exploded near Loki's knee.
"NO!" Loki roared, trying to take control again. Green lightning arced wildly across the walls. Selvig stumbled, holding the Tesseract with panic on his face as the case wobbled dangerously.
Then, with a shuddering cough, the engine died. The shields flickered out. Gravity pulled the transport's momentum, and it teetered violently on the cliff's edge. One wrong move could send it plunging into the ravine below.
From above, S.H.I.E.L.D. jets closed in, guns trained but careful. Drones hovered at angles to keep the vehicle contained, forming a cage around it.
Natasha's eyes glowed even brighter, venom like molten veins running down her arms. She couldn't fully move, but she had enough control over the systems to prevent the vehicle from tipping entirely. Loki had underestimated her power.
Time to finish this, she thought, sending a last pulse through the webs. Sparks flew, systems shorted, and the transport shook violently as Loki fought to stabilize it.
The balance of power had shifted inside the cabin. For the first time, Loki's confidence faltered. The Tesseract, once fully under his command, now hovered dangerously, almost within Natasha's reach.
Fury watched, eyes narrowing. "She's done it," he muttered. "Keep them steady… and get ready to move in."
But Loki's green eyes blazed with fury. A sly grin formed across his face. "You think this is over?" he hissed. "Not yet."
He slammed his hand on the scepter, sending a surge of energy through the transport's systems, reaching Natasha. The venom in her veins reacted violently, the demonic spider familiar inside her shrieking in resistance, but Loki's amplified control, powered by the scepter and the Tesseract, forced her body to obey.
Her muscles tensed against her will, her fingers twitching against the webs she had painstakingly placed. The threads strained, then snapped under the magical backlash.
"No—!" Natasha's inner scream echoed in her mind, but she couldn't fully move. Loki's laughter filled the cabin, dark and triumphant. "Submit, Natasha. Accept it. You're mine… for now."
Her glowing eyes dimmed slightly as the venom receded, the spider familiar retreating. Loki leaned back, smirking, seeing Selvig clutch the Tesseract, still intact.
Loki's hands glowed again, stabilizing the transport just enough—but it wasn't fast enough. The vehicle suddenly lurched and plunged over the edge of the ravine, metal screeching as it fell.
"Go after it!" Fury shouted, slamming his fist on the console. Jets roared, diving after the falling transport. Drones zipped into formation, tracking every movement.
Inside, Loki cursed, glancing at Black Widow. Her body was stiff, controlled, but her eyes flashed with the faint glow of the demonic spider familiar. She sent webs from her fingertips, forming a protective lattice around the cabin. Sparks flew, but the web cocoon held, shielding Loki and Selvig from the worst of the crash.
Fury's team dove into the ravine after them, skimming the cliffs and following the fall. Every sensor tracked the descent, but when they reached the bottom, scanning desperately… there was nothing.
No transport. No Loki. No Selvig. No Black Widow.
The ground was empty except for a few scorched rocks and the faint, fading glow of the Tesseract energy. They had vanished.
Fury clenched his jaw, eyes narrowing. "Damn it… all of them. Gone."
Maria Hill's comms crackled. "Sir… where are they? No heat signatures, no wreckage… it's like they disappeared."
Fury's eyes hardened, scanning the ravine floor. The faint shimmer of the Tesseract's energy was all that remained, a ghost of Loki's chaos.
"He's gone," Fury said, teeth gritted, voice low and firm. "Start the Avengers initiative. That's our only option now."
Maria Hill nodded, fingers moving over the comms. "Understood, sir. I'll get the message out immediately."
Fury looked back at the ravine, tracing the cliffs, the rocks, and the scorched earth. "Search carefully. There has to be something… debris, tracks… anything at all."
"Agents, sweep the area," he ordered. "I want every inch of that ravine scanned. No shortcuts."
Teams of S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives fanned out, climbing down the jagged cliffs, probing the rocks and the scorched ground. Drones hovered above, scanning with infrared and electromagnetic sensors. Every crevice, every boulder, every shadow was scrutinized—but the results were the same: nothing. It was as if the transport and everyone inside it had simply vanished.
Fury, satisfied that the search was being handled, turned and strode back to the helicarrier. The wind whipped across the decks as he boarded the lift, the roar of the engines beneath him filling the air. He had work to do, and time was short.
The briefing room aboard the helicarrier was quiet, subdued. Fury entered, and the low hum of the ship's systems echoed through the chamber. At the far end, a familiar figure sat quietly, hands folded on the table—Captain Steve Rogers. His presence alone brought a weight of history to the room.
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