Clark gave a firm push, and the previously tilting, descending Helicarrier jolted from the impact. With Clark's immense strength stabilizing it, the massive ship slowly returned to a level position.
"Tony, Clark's holding the Helicarrier steady—go check if you can repair the two left turbines," Fury instructed after Clark left.
"On it." Tony didn't have time to argue with Fury anymore.
"Natasha, where are you? Are you okay?"
After giving orders to Tony, Fury contacted Natasha through his earpiece. He remembered she had been nearby earlier—but now, she was gone.
"I'm fine… though maybe not for long," Natasha replied, her eyes locked on Banner, who was struggling to contain the transformation triggered by the explosion. She had a bad feeling.
Then she whispered into her earpiece, "That blast might've triggered it. Banner is about to transform."
"Doctor, are you okay? Hold on—Loki wants you to transform!" she shouted toward Banner, trying to calm him down. She then lowered her voice to Fury. "Director, where's Clark? I don't think Banner can hold it much longer."
"Stall him if you can. Clark is busy holding up the entire Helicarrier—he can't help with the Hulk right now. We'll have to deal with this ourselves," Fury replied, heading toward the command center to assess the ship's condition.
If they could fix the turbines, Clark could be freed up, and Fury knew: once Clark was mobile again, most of their problems would disappear.
"┗|｀o′|┛AAAHH!"
But before Natasha could answer, Fury heard a monstrous roar in his earpiece.
"Damn it—the Hulk's out!"
Back in the lab, Diana also heard the roar and instantly understood what it meant. She remembered what she had told Coulson earlier about Banner. That rage-filled voice had to be Hulk breaking free.
Without hesitation, Diana bolted in the direction of the roar.
"Oof!"
Hulk had zeroed in on Natasha, who had caught his eye the moment he transformed. Now, she was dodging his furious attacks, barely staying ahead of him.
Despite her agility, Natasha was no match for Hulk's raw power and monstrous speed. After a prolonged chase, he was closing the distance.
"Banner, calm down!" Natasha shouted, but it was no use. Hulk was no longer listening—he was nothing but rage incarnate.
His only thought now was to catch the tiny, squirming bug in front of him and crush her.
Almost there… almost…
Hulk raised his massive fist as Natasha entered striking range—and brought it down with brutal force.
BOOM!
But the blow didn't land.
A second blur intercepted the punch—Diana had arrived.
She blocked the attack with her arms crossed before her, her silver gauntlets flashing as they unleashed a powerful shockwave.
BOOM!
The shockwave hit Hulk like a truck, blasting him down the hallway.
Not letting up, Diana immediately rushed in, refusing to give Hulk a moment to recover. She had already gauged his strength during their brief clash—this wasn't someone she could underestimate.
While Diana was occupied, Clark had lowered the Helicarrier to about 10,000 meters. He had to descend slowly to avoid hurting the crew—rapid descent could cause fatal G-forces to many on board.
But as he glanced down and saw only 8,000 meters between the ship and the ocean, Clark grew tense. His internal energy reserves were dangerously low.
Normally, lifting 8,000 tons wouldn't even phase Clark—but this wasn't just about lifting.
Two factors were draining him:
The magical energy pattern reinforcing the Helicarrier's lower structure.
The ship's combined weight and gravitational acceleration, which made supporting it much harder than expected.
If not for the magical buffer under the ship, Clark's force alone would have punched a hole through the hull. So to avoid structural collapse, he had to burn a massive amount of magical energy to distribute the force evenly.
And unfortunately, Clark's energy reserves were still limited.
If he had just a bit more, he could've carried the Helicarrier and its passengers safely to the ground in seconds.
But with what he had, he had no choice but to lower it slowly and carefully.
Still, even as he focused on supporting the Helicarrier, Clark remained mentally connected to everything happening inside:
Tony and Steve working to repair the damaged turbines.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents battling Loki's shape-shifting infiltrators.
Diana clashing with the Hulk.
Thor, now flying back to the Helicarrier after being blown off during the explosion.
Thor's first stop upon returning was the containment cell—and seeing Loki still inside it brought him relief.
Loki, in turn, cracked a subtle smile. The moment he'd been waiting for had arrived.
Truth be told, Loki could have escaped the Hulk-proof cage at any time. Though designed by S.H.I.E.L.D. to hold Banner, it was nothing to someone like Loki, who came from a realm with technology and magic far beyond Earth's.
But Loki had chosen to stay.
Because even if he broke out, he had nowhere to go—he didn't know how to teleport or fly. On a Helicarrier surrounded by Clark, Thor, and Tony, escape was impossible.
If he wanted to get off this ship, he had to get rid of those three first.
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