Marvel - The Blood God

Looking at the departing Quinjet, Hulk roared angrily, but his frustration was futile. The jet was beyond his reach. Enraged, he turned his attention to Coulson, who was still standing nearby. This enemy could be dealt with.

Coulson, without hesitation, drew his pistol and fired at Hulk. The bullets bounced harmlessly off the green giant's skin, barely slowing him down. Hulk advanced, his massive hand ready to grab Coulson and crush him.

Coulson smirked, unfazed. "What a shame. I was just starting to enjoy myself."

Before Hulk could grab him, Betty Ross's voice came over the intercom. "Hulk, just knock him out. Don't kill him."

Hulk growled in irritation but followed Betty's instructions. His massive hand closed around Coulson, ready to incapacitate him.

Coulson chuckled lightly. "I'll handle it myself. I don't trust you to be gentle." Before Hulk could react, Coulson slammed his head against the deck, knocking himself unconscious.

Hulk froze, stunned, and then bellowed in frustration. "Hulk hates you!" he shouted, almost shaking the walls.

Betty sighed audibly over the speaker. "Coulson really is something else. What kind of person knocks themselves out just to deny Hulk the satisfaction?"

Hulk huffed but turned his attention away from Coulson, leaving the unconscious man where he was.

Meanwhile, Tony Stark and Rumlow escorted the Quinjet further away, ensuring Loki's escape. Natasha and Steve watched them go but chose not to pursue. The helicarrier's situation was too dire to focus on anything else.

At the control room, Ivan Vanko finished typing the final line of code, and the system began to stabilize. Hill quickly restarted the remaining engine, but her relief was short-lived. The helicarrier was too close to the water, and it was too late to regain full altitude.

"Even with the engines back online, it's going down," Hill said grimly. "At least the damage will be minimized. Maybe we'll get lucky and keep it afloat."

The computer's automated voice began counting down: "Impact in one minute. Fifty-nine. Fifty-eight..."

Ivan, who had donned his armor again, muttered, "Not sticking around to be fish food." Without waiting for orders, he activated his jet boosters and flew out of the control room.

Outside, Betty and the others were already in the air. Watching the helicarrier's slow descent, Betty shook her head. "It's still going down," she said, her voice filled with concern.

Ivan shrugged. "Well, Maverick wasn't wrong. He always says this thing is a disaster waiting to happen."

Betty glanced at Ivan, exasperated. "Do you ever stop mocking the boss?"

Ivan grinned. "He's not here to hear it, is he? Anyway, he'd laugh too. He loves this kind of chaos."

With the helicarrier only moments away from hitting the water, Ivan activated his communicator and contacted Maverick. He quickly explained the situation and asked, "When are you getting back? Things are falling apart without you."

Maverick's voice came through clearly, though tinged with irritation. "Tony's been controlled? Seriously? The script's gone completely off the rails."

"More than you know," Ivan replied.

Maverick sighed. "Let the carrier fall. Once it's done, get everyone back to New York. Loki's going to open the portal there. Don't worry—I've got everything under control."

Ivan chuckled. "You? Have everything under control? That's a first."

Maverick ignored the jab. "Live stream the crash. I want to see it when I get back."

"Figures you'd want a front-row seat to the chaos." Ivan laughed, turned on his camera, and began recording.

The helicarrier slammed into the ocean moments later, sending massive waves cascading outward. Water shot nearly 100 meters into the air as the enormous vessel settled partially afloat.

In Manhattan, a group of mercenaries quietly moved into position outside a small villa. Their orders were clear: capture the target.

Inside the house, Mindy Macready was lounging on the couch with her only friend, Lina, a sharp-tongued girl in purple clothing.

"How many family buckets have you eaten already?" Mindy asked, staring at her friend in disbelief.

Lina, biting into another drumstick, retorted, "I'm not fat. You're heavier than me."

Mindy groaned. "Exactly! You eat three times as much as me every day. How are you not heavier? What kind of freak are you?"

"I just have a great metabolism," Lina said, unbothered. "Do you have more chicken? The welfare center only gives us one drumstick every few days. It's way better eating here."

Mindy rolled her eyes but before she could reply, a scream sounded from outside. Jumping up, she quickly checked the monitors. On the screen, she saw a man in a suit caught in one of her traps, screaming as he tried to free himself.

Next to him were three others who clearly weren't neighbors dropping by for tea.

"Finally, some action!" Mindy exclaimed. "Super-killer girl's making her comeback!"

Before she could grab her gear, however, a team of bodyguards from the neighboring villa swarmed out, efficiently capturing the intruders and dragging them away. Mindy groaned, deflating.

"Ugh, Master is so annoying," she muttered. "Why'd he have to move in a whole security team next door?"

Lina blinked, confused. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Mindy said, throwing herself back onto the couch. "Want more chicken? I'll order takeout."

Lina perked up instantly. "Yes! Another family bucket!"

Mindy rolled her eyes again but pulled out her phone to order. "You're lucky you're my friend," she muttered. "A very weird friend, but still."

In a nearby alley, a masked mercenary clutched his bleeding stomach and staggered toward the villa. He had stabbed himself, hoping the injury would earn him sympathy from Mindy. Instead, he arrived too late to warn her of the mercenaries' plans.

"Guess I'll just sell the blood to those vampire freaks instead," he muttered, pulling out a small jar to collect the dripping blood.

Back in California, Maverick, who had been monitoring the situation, called Mindy. "Mindy, get to the manor. I'm sending a helicopter to pick you up."

"I don't need to run," Mindy replied stubbornly. "I can handle a few thieves."

Maverick sighed. "I know you can. That's the problem. I don't need a trail of dead bodies right now. Just go. If you're good, I'll get Ivan to make you a custom battle suit."

"Deal!" Mindy said quickly, then added, "I'm bringing Lina. She's not safe on her own."

"Fine," Maverick agreed before hanging up. Turning to Lilith, he frowned. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s behind this, I'm sure of it. Loki doesn't know enough to pull off something like this."

Lilith nodded. "I'll handle the media and leak the situation in New York. We'll make sure everyone knows what's coming."

As Lilith got to work, Maverick walked to his modified sports car, pouring dragonfire into its systems to enhance it for the journey. Moments later, the car lifted into the air, engulfed in crimson flames, and streaked toward New York.

By noon, the chaos had spread to the airwaves. "Trish Talk" aired an emergency broadcast, warning of Loki's plans to open a portal in Manhattan and unleash an alien army.

Panic gripped New York as the news spread. People scrambled to evacuate, but gridlock and confusion reigned. The mayor fled on a private jet, leaving the city in chaos. The NYPD found themselves leaderless until George Stacy's commanding voice broke through the comms, rallying officers and heroes alike to restore order.

In Washington, President Ellis furiously demanded answers, berating his intelligence agencies and calling for immediate action. The military mobilized, but it was clear—without Maverick, New York was on the brink of disaster.