"Hahaha! You're asking a veteran from 70 years ago to understand these modern technologies. That's really putting too much pressure on him!"
Rhodes laughed heartily, but Tony was speechless. As someone with genius-level intelligence, it was frustrating for him to acknowledge that some people simply couldn't grasp concepts that seemed elementary to him.
Captain America turned his head away somewhat embarrassedly. Even now, when he looked at the engine control box, he thought it was just a pile of circuit boards and had no idea what each component was actually used for.
Wanda, who had been intently watching Banner's divided soul, couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth curl upward as she tried to suppress her amusement at the exchange.
[Natasha moved stealthily through the ship's corridors, trying to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible to avoid detection. Sweat beaded on her face, and her controlled breathing betrayed just how tense and focused she was in this deadly game of hide and seek.]
[The ship's emergency lighting cast long shadows that she used to her advantage, pressing herself against bulkheads and pausing at every corner to listen for Hulk's movements.]
[She could hear Hulk's thunderous footsteps echoing through the ship's corridors, each impact making the deck plates vibrate beneath her feet. Her heart pounded as she gripped her service pistol, knowing full well that conventional weapons would be useless against the creature hunting her.]
[Just as she thought she had found a safe passage, Hulk's massive form suddenly burst through the ceiling above her with a bone-rattling roar that reverberated through the confined space.]
[Black Widow was startled at first, her training warring with natural human fear, but she quickly recovered and immediately fired several rounds at a high-pressure gas line running along the ceiling above Hulk's head. The bullets punctured the pipe, and pressurized gas began hissing out in a thick white cloud.]
[Hulk swiped at the escaping gas with annoyance and easily destroyed the entire pipe section with a single powerful blow, sending metal fragments scattering.]
[Natasha seized this brief distraction to sprint away, but her earlier injury when the debris had pinned her legs was affecting her mobility. Her gait was uneven, and she couldn't achieve her usual fluid running pace.]
[The enraged Hulk pursued her relentlessly, his massive fists demolishing support pillars and bulkheads as if they were made of cardboard. Sparks flew from damaged electrical systems as he carved a path of destruction through the ship's interior, gaining ground with every thunderous step.]
[Eventually, despite her best evasive efforts, Natasha couldn't maintain the distance. As she rounded a corner, Hulk's enormous arm swept through his running motion and caught her with a backhand that sent her flying.]
[Fortunately, this was just the natural swing of Hulk's arms while running rather than a deliberate attack, so while the force was still tremendous, it wasn't delivered with his full power. Although Natasha hit the bulkhead with a sickening impact, she survived the blow, though she was clearly injured and winded.]
[Hulk's momentum carried him forward until he crashed into the opposite wall, the impact causing the entire section to buckle. Natasha, stunned and in pain, could only watch helplessly as Hulk shook off the collision and began advancing on her position with predatory intent.]
[She tried to push herself up but her body wasn't responding properly. Pain shot through her ribs and back as she struggled to even sit upright.]
[Just when Hulk raised his massive fists to deliver what would certainly be a killing blow, Thor arrived like a bolt from Asgard and tackled the green giant with the force of a thunderclap. The impact sent both combatants crashing through the reinforced bulkhead and into an adjacent section where dozens of SHIELD personnel were stationed.]
[The staff were initially frozen in shock at the sight of Thor and Hulk grappling on the deck, then their survival instincts kicked in and they scattered in all directions, seeking any available cover.]
[Natasha finally managed to take a full breath and felt a wave of relief wash over her as the immediate threat was neutralized.]
[Hulk pushed himself up from the deck and faced Thor in a tense standoff that lasted several heartbeats before the green giant decided to take the initiative. He charged forward with his fists raised.]
[Thor sidestepped the first wild swing, then ducked under the second, and when Hulk overextended on his third attack, the God of Thunder seized the opening and delivered a powerful right cross that snapped Hulk's head back and made him stagger.]
[Hulk immediately retaliated with a backhand swing, then brought his other fist down in a devastating overhead smash. Thor avoided the backhand but was forced to raise both arms to block the downward strike. Even with his Asgardian strength, he struggled against Hulk's raw power and was driven to one knee.]
["We are not your enemies! Banner! Try to remember who you are! Calm down!" Thor shouted as he strained to hold back Hulk's crushing blow, but the next second Hulk's free hand caught him with an uppercut that sent him flying backward.]
[Thor crashed into a stack of supply crates, and the impact split them open, spilling ammunition and equipment across the deck.]
"Thank God Thor got there in time! Otherwise, Natasha would have been killed!" Rhodes said, visibly relieved at the outcome.
Hulk, who had been engaged in his ongoing internal struggle with Banner, saw how close Natasha had come to dying at his hands and fell into a contemplative silence.
Hulk possessed his own intelligence and consciousness. Through the sky screen broadcasts, he had learned many things - including why 3rd Generation Spider-Man Peter Parker was beloved by people, and he also understood why humans feared him. However, it was still difficult for him to let go of his deep-seated resentment toward both humanity and Banner.
Wanda and Strange exchanged meaningful glances when they observed this. They hadn't expected that Hulk would be affected by the sky screen videos and that his eternal conflict with Banner might actually be showing signs of resolution.
[Back at Engine Three, Tony had successfully cleared all the debris and obstacles from the turbine housing, and encouraging news came from Captain America's position.]
["Alright! All these control switches are functional! What's the next step?" Captain America called out as he managed to get the engine control panel back into its proper position.]
[Tony hovered near the massive turbine assembly, his suit's sensors analyzing the damage: "Even if I can get these rotors aligned, this thing won't restart without a significant power boost! I'm going to have to get inside there and manually push-start it!"]
[Captain America was alarmed when he heard this plan: "Tony, if you're in there when it starts spinning, you'll be torn apart!"]
[Tony's voice carried the confidence of someone who had done the calculations: "The stator control unit can reverse the magnetic polarity! That will give me just enough time to disengage from the magnetic levitation system before the blades reach full speed!"]
[Before Tony could finish his technical explanation, Captain America interrupted with exasperation: "Just tell me something I can actually understand!"]
[Tony paused, realizing he was overcomplicating things again, then sighed and simplified: "See that red lever over there? When I give you the signal, pull it down! That will slow the startup sequence and give me time to get clear! Just stay at your position and wait for my command!"]
Rhodes chuckled and translated: "What Cap is really saying is: 'Tony, can you please speak like a normal human being?'"
Tony rolled his eyes and chose to ignore Rhodes' commentary. Instead, he turned his attention to the magnetic field detection device that Jarvis had brought over, hoping to understand how to perceive soul manifestations.
It seemed unfair that only Wanda and Strange could observe Banner's spiritual condition. He was genuinely curious about what a soul actually looked like when separated from its physical form.
This also connected to the ongoing mystery of Natasha's "soul exchange." Even now, they still didn't know with whom Natasha had exchanged souls, which was why Banner, despite being able to bring everyone else back with the Infinity Stones, had been unable to restore her to life.
The fact that even the sky screen had confirmed she truly could not return was sobering evidence of just how severe the consequences of soul exchange could be.
[Meanwhile, on the other side of the ship]
[Thor pushed himself up from where Hulk had knocked him down, maintaining a defensive crouch. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand and noticed blood, which only served to awaken his Asgardian warrior instincts.]
[As Hulk's roar echoed through the hangar bay, Thor raised his right hand and began summoning Mjolnir. Just as Hulk charged forward and leaped into the air with both fists raised for a devastating blow, the enchanted hammer finally flew into Thor's waiting grasp.]
[In one fluid motion, Thor spun around and struck Hulk with Mjolnir, the impact sending the green giant flying across the hangar bay.]
[Hulk crashed directly into a parked fighter jet, the force of his impact sliding the aircraft several meters and cracking its tail section. Fuel began leaking from ruptured lines, creating a dangerous situation.]
[The collision only made Hulk angrier. He grabbed a section of the fighter's wing that had been torn loose and hurled it at Thor like a massive projectile.]
[Thor dropped into a sliding crouch as he ran, the improvised missile passing just over his head and embedding itself in a military jeep behind him, completely crushing its upper half.]
[Deciding that restraint was no longer an option, Thor drew back and hurled Mjolnir with all his strength. Hulk instinctively reached out to catch the flying hammer, but instead of stopping it, he was carried along by its momentum and slammed into the deck.]
[When Hulk tried to push himself back up, he discovered that his right hand, which was gripping the hammer's handle, seemed to be pinned to the floor. He stared at his trapped hand in confusion for a moment, then got to his feet and attempted to lift Mjolnir with both hands.]
[Despite straining with such force that the steel deck plating beneath his feet began to buckle and warp, Hulk found that he absolutely could not lift the enchanted weapon.]
[While Hulk was struggling futilely with Mjolnir's worthiness enchantment, Thor rushed forward and drove his knee into Hulk's face with Asgardian force.]
[Then he reclaimed his hammer and leaped onto Hulk's back, wrapping his arm around the giant's throat in an attempt to apply a chokehold. Hulk roared in fury and began thrashing wildly, spinning and bucking like an enraged bull as he tried to dislodge his Asgardian opponent.]