Coulson's Death

Natasha placed her hand on Hulk's arm.

The Hulk breathed heavily, the madness fading from his eyes as he changed back into Doctor Banner. He curled up on the cold deck like a frightened child.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

But they had not even finished exhaling.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion came from the rear left side of the Helicarrier. The entire ship suddenly tilted to one side, and the deck beneath their feet nearly turned vertical. The shriek of twisting metal made their scalps tingle as red alarm lights flashed in every corner.

"Engine Three has exploded! We're losing power! We're falling!"

On the bridge, Agent Hill's shout spread throughout the Helicarrier over the public channel.

"Altitude is dropping one hundred feet per second!"

"We're finished!" a young agent shouted desperately.

"Shut up!" Fury's roar drowned out every other sound. "Activate the backup power! All ground crew, report to Engine Three immediately!"

On the deck, Chu Hang grabbed the weakened Banner and tossed him toward the approaching Natasha.

"Take him to the med bay."

He looked up at the massive turbine engine, which was spewing black smoke and electrical sparks. Its blades had warped and jammed against the supports. With the ship thrown off balance, it had begun spiraling downward through the air.

"I need my armor." Tony's voice came through the comms as he ran from the bridge toward his temporary workshop.

"Captain, handle the deck. Don't let them turn into a complete mess," Chu Hang said into the communicator. "Tony, handle the outside. Straighten out that thing's blades for me. I'll fix the core inside."

"You? Fix the engine?" Tony's voice was full of doubt. "Do you even know how complicated that thing is? It's—"

"It's not much more complicated than your tin can," Chu