The chain of explosions plunged the Helicarrier into chaos.
Alarms screamed through every deck.
Emergency bulkheads slammed shut.
One of the primary engines had been crippled, and the massive flying fortress was now fighting to stay in the air.
If this had been an ordinary ship, sinking into the ocean at least left room for survivors.
But nine thousand meters above the Atlantic...
There would be no lifeboats.
Only gravity.
The Avengers, who had been arguing only moments earlier, were scattered across the carrier by the blast.
Where each of them ended up was pure chance.
Captain America had been lucky.
He and Tony Stark landed together and immediately headed for the damaged engine.
Natasha Romanoff...
...had considerably worse luck.
The explosion blasted her down an entire deck.
She crashed into the engine room, where twisted steel pinned one of her legs beneath a collapsed support beam.
Before she could free herself, she heard an all-too-familiar sound.
Bruce Banner was losing the battle.
His body convulsed violently as muscles swelled beneath his skin.
"Dr. Banner," Natasha said, forcing calm into her voice while desperately trying to pull herself free.
"Stay with me."
"I’ll get us out."
"I swear it."
Banner looked at her through eyes already beginning to glow green.
"My life..."
His voice deepened.
"...for yours?"
Bone cracked.
Muscle exploded outward.
Bruce Banner disappeared.
The Hulk took his place.
Natasha finally ripped her trapped leg free.
Standing her ground against the Hulk wasn’t bravery.
It was suicide.
She retreated into the maze of machinery, pistol drawn despite knowing it wouldn’t matter.
Silence.
Then...
A massive green face burst from the darkness with a deafening roar.
Natasha barely had time to react.
Something suddenly wrapped around her waist.
That familiar sensation.
Her cheeks flushed faintly before she was yanked sideways.
"She’s mine, big guy."
A sultry voice carried unmistakable challenge.
Natasha looked up.
Sarah.
Already transformed into her demon form.
"I won’t let you touch her."
Black Leather snapped through the air like a striking serpent.
CRACK!
The enchanted whip lashed across Hulk’s face, turning his head.
It didn’t hurt him.
It merely made him angrier.
He roared and charged.
Sarah smiled confidently.
Then grabbed Natasha’s hand.
"Run!"
She had absolutely no intention of fighting the Hulk head-on.
I’m here to rescue the beauty, not wrestle a mountain.
Call it cowardice if you want.
I call it excellent survival instincts.
The two women sprinted through the damaged engine room, vaulting over wreckage and weaving between collapsed machinery.
Their speed was impressive.
The Hulk’s was simply unfair.
He ignored every obstacle.
Walls.
Pipes.
Machinery.
He smashed through all of it without slowing.
Within seconds he was right behind them.
His enormous fist swung.
"Move!"
Sarah shoved Natasha clear.
The punch landed squarely on her instead.
She flew across the compartment and slammed into the floor.
"Cough..."
She remained there, breathing weakly.
One hand pressed against her chest.
She looked heartbreakingly fragile.
Even the Hulk paused for the briefest instant.
That instant was all Sarah needed.
The softness vanished from her eyes.
Black Leather shot forward again, wrapping tightly around Hulk’s ankle.
She pulled with all her strength.
The enormous brute lost his footing and crashed flat onto his back.
Sarah’s wings erupted.
One powerful beat carried her beside Natasha.
When she landed, she frowned delicately and continued clutching her chest.
Natasha hurried over.
"Are you hurt?"
Worth it.
Sarah smiled inwardly.
The punch had certainly hurt.
But a demon’s body wasn’t so fragile.
Her pitiful appearance earlier had been entirely deliberate.
She’d even slipped a touch of her natural charm magic into the act, buying the opening she needed.
Now...
She had another opportunity.
"I’m fine..."
She forced herself to wince.
"We should keep moving."
She took Natasha’s hand again.
This time...
Natasha didn’t let go.
Their escape didn’t last much longer.
Thor arrived like a thunderbolt, intercepting the Hulk and drawing the raging giant away.
Only then did the two women finally collapse against the wall, breathing hard.
"We’re alive..."
Sarah sighed.
After several long moments, Natasha spoke quietly.
"I owe you my life."
There was no teasing.
No sarcasm.
Only sincerity.
Sarah’s heart nearly floated out of her chest.
She maintained her pained expression anyway.
"I’m just glad you’re safe."
Natasha looked down.
Their hands were still intertwined from the escape.
She hesitated...
...and chose not to pull away.
Elsewhere aboard the Helicarrier, another three-man strike team advanced cautiously toward the command center.
They rounded a corner.
A woman in Asgardian armor stepped into their path.
Sword in hand.
"This prey is mine."
The commandos instinctively raised their rifles.
Then realized...
She wasn’t speaking to them.
She was looking past them.
A towering blue-skinned demon carrying two enormous axes emerged from the opposite corridor.
His crimson eyes glowed with savage anticipation.
"Whoever gets them first..."
"They belong to that person."
The commandos slowly turned.
Caught between Sif...
...and Taylor.
All three shared the exact same thought.
Where are our snipers?
Now would be a fantastic time for them to start doing sniper things.
Sif snorted.
Her longsword split into twin blades.
Taylor answered with a feral grin, swinging both massive axes onto his shoulders.
The distance vanished in an instant.
Steel collided.
The impact echoed through the corridor.
When the shockwave faded...
The three commandos were no longer standing.
Pieces of them were scattered across the floor.
Sif lowered one blade.
"Well fought."
Taylor grinned wider.
"You too."
Without another word, both warriors dismissed their weapons and headed off in search of fresh opponents.
Neither had any intention of wasting time competing over the same prey.
They weren’t the only hunters stalking the Helicarrier.
Another strike team hurried through a maintenance corridor.
No one blocked their path.
No one fired a shot.
All three suddenly froze.
Their bodies began to soften.
Skin.
Muscle.
Bone.
Everything melted like wax beneath a furnace.
Not one of them managed to scream.
By the time they hit the floor, nothing remained except three bubbling pools of yellow sludge.
Hidden in the shadows, Evenson calmly brushed a thumb across the ring on his right hand.
Salaris’s Dark Strike.
A legendary artifact truly lived up to its reputation.
It amplified the destructive power of Corruption far beyond anything he’d managed before.
He wrinkled his nose at the foul-smelling remains.
"...I hope the cleaning staff doesn’t come after me with a mop."
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