"Alright, alright," Tony said, shrugging as he looked around the massive structure. "So you dragged us out here just to show off your flying aircraft carrier?"
Nick Fury smirked. "Oh, not at all."
He gestured toward the bridge. "Agent Hill—let's give our 'Iron Super-Man' a look at a real Helicarrier."
Maria Hill, serving as acting executive officer, began issuing crisp commands.
"Check rotors."
"Rotor systems verified."
"Stabilize position. Prepare full ascent. Maximum output."
"All engines green."
With a deep mechanical roar, the Helicarrier rose from the ocean. Four colossal turbine engines at each corner provided vertical lift, while twin rear jet arrays delivered horizontal thrust.
"Emergency protocols engaged. We've reached operational altitude, sir," Hill reported.
"Good," Fury said. "Let's disappear."
"Optical camouflage activated."
Panels shimmered.
The Helicarrier faded into the sky—cloaked from sight.
Fury turned to Tony smugly.
Tony examined the structure, unimpressed.
"Not bad. Don't forget—you're using turbine tech I designed."
He tilted his head. "But this brute-force lift approach is an aerodynamic crime. As the original engineer, I strongly object."
Fury laughed. "You want it to do barrel rolls too?"
"Why not?" Tony replied lightly.
Fury's instincts flared.
Tony clenched his fist.
The Helicarrier shuddered violently.
"What are you doing?!" Fury barked, gripping a railing.
"Simple," Tony said. "Testing its limits."
And his own.
An invisible magnetic field enveloped the carrier.
Acceleration surged.
Past theoretical max velocity.
Past safety margins.
Under Tony's bio-electromagnetic field, air resistance diminished dramatically. The massive vessel sliced forward at extreme speed.
"Holy—! Stark, are you trying to kill us?!" Fury shouted as the external landscape blurred into streaks.
Everyone braced—
Except Thor.
Thor's eyes lit up. He began spinning Mjolnir with growing anticipation.
Fortunately, the high-speed sprint didn't last long.
Even Tony had limits.
Pushing the Helicarrier to dozens of Mach under its own lift power was already taxing. Counteracting drag with his magnetic field consumed the majority of his mental stamina.
He eased off before structural stress became catastrophic.
The carrier stabilized.
Tony exchanged a look with Thor.
No words needed.
They walked toward the exit.
Natasha sighed. "Men."
"Be grateful those two walking nuclear weapons don't decide to flip the ship," Coulson muttered beside her.
Outside the Helicarrier – Open Air
Red-and-gold met silver and lightning.
Repulsors and thunder clashed in brilliant arcs across the sky.
Shockwaves churned the ocean below—waves rising violently.
Sea life suffered the collateral damage. Some unfortunate fish were electrocuted mid-leap. Others had metallic traces ripped from their bodies by Tony's magnetic manipulation and launched back like improvised ammunition.
Thor absorbed the "fish artillery" with stoic dignity.
Low damage.
High humiliation.
Back inside the bridge—
Fury hugged Bruce Banner enthusiastically.
Unlike Stark and Leon, Banner was someone Fury felt he could actually manage.
If coordination with General Ross went smoothly, Hulk might become Fury's most controllable… fourth nuclear-level asset.
"Damn it," Fury muttered under his breath. "Where the hell is Leon?"
"Excuse me?" Banner frowned.
"Oh—nothing. Just concerned those two are going to attract the U.S. military."
Banner nodded. "Fair."
He glanced toward the bridge windows. "How long do you need me here?"
"Until we recover the Tesseract."
"Understood."
Coulson briefed him on the search efforts.
"We monitor every networked camera, phone, and device on Earth. If it's connected, it's potentially ours."
"But the target has vanished. The Tesseract's energy signature remains on Earth—but pinpointing it has proven impossible."
Banner folded his arms thoughtfully.
"You need to narrow the parameters."
"How?" Fury asked.
"How many spectrometers can you acquire?"
"As many as you need."
"Place them outdoors. Calibrate them for gamma radiation. I'll write a tracking algorithm to filter background noise and identify anomalous spikes."
"That should reduce the search to a specific region—maybe even a city."
Fury nodded. "Agent Hill, set him up."
As Banner departed, Steve Rogers approached Fury.
"Are you just going to let them keep fighting?"
Outside, the duel intensified. Lightning and magnetism interfered with some onboard systems.
"Why not?" Fury countered. "Afraid, Captain?"
Steve shook his head. "Strength is useful. But wars are won by unity."
Fury stared out the window. "Sometimes unity isn't enough against gods."
He smirked. "Care to wager?"
"On what?"
"Who wins."
"Thor," Steve said.
"I'll take Stark," Fury replied, tapping his temple. "Brains."
The Duel Escalates
Thor stood breathing heavily, exhilarated.
"Tony! Consider yourself honored. You are only the second opponent to excite me like this!"
"Second?" Tony scoffed. "Who's first?"
"You know."
"Leon," Tony said casually. "Yeah, he's strong. Doesn't mean I can't beat him now."
Thor laughed. "You've yet to witness his true might."
Tony waved it off. "Focus. We're deciding who's the big brother."
He tapped his helmet.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.. Ready to end this?"
"Always, Sir."
Thor raised Mjolnir high.
The sky darkened instantly.
Lightning branched like the roots of Yggdrasil, converging upon the hammer.
The power rivaled half of what Thor once unleashed against the Destroyer.
He wouldn't kill Tony.
The armor had proven durable enough.
"THUNDERSTORM!"
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