The forced partnership began immediately.
Natasha took the lead, her movements silent and efficient as she navigated the dense, rugged terrain.
Lucifer, despite his bruised ribs and lingering exhaustion, matched her pace, the Tier 6 Force Field now fully recovered.
Natasha, however, was not focused on evasion; she was focused on Lucifer.
As they moved, she kept the conversation deceptively casual, subtly attempting to profile him.
"You covered the entire plane with that field,"
Natasha stated, leaping over a fallen log with fluid grace.
"That takes massive energy output. Is it innate, or does it draw from external tech?"
Lucifer vaulted the same log, his movements stiff but effective.
"It draws from my focus,"
He answered, letting her misinterpret the source.
"Concentration is everything."
"And the endurance to hold that much power,"
She pressed, her signal remaining an analytical, cold calculation.
"You're clearly pushing your body past its limit. A drug regimen? Or just a raw genetic anomaly?"
"Overtime,"
Lucifer deadpanned.
"I'm very loyal to my job."
He knew she was simultaneously sending bursts of data through her satellite comms, updating Fury on the "newly classified Level 7 asset with force-field generation capabilities."
He didn't care. Let them worry about the mechanics; he had a delivery to make.
They had been moving for less than an hour when Lucifer's system screamed a warning.
[Threat Detection: Immediate Ambush.]
[Threat Level: B (Reinforced Mercenary Squad - 6 Targets)]
"Down!"
Lucifer yelled, recognizing the terrain feature—a narrow pass between two granite outcrops—as a classic choke point.
He threw himself and Natasha behind a massive boulder.
The air immediately filled with the sound of automatic fire. The mercenaries, having quickly located the jet, were now sweeping the area.
"Six hostiles, three armed with plasma cutters,"
Natasha whispered, already pulling a combat knife.
"I can take them out in sixty seconds, but we risk damaging the data card."
Lucifer saw the calculation in her eyes: She was going to use him as bait.
By observing his combat style and power usage, she could gather more valuable intelligence than simply ending the fight quickly.
His Basic Empathy picked up on her Intentional Inaction and Manipulative Assessment.
Lucifer felt a familiar wave of intense dislike wash over him.
This wasn't the practical, necessary action Raven would take; this was a calculated, cold-blooded utilization of a partner for personal gain.
"Don't bother,"
Lucifer said, his voice flat. He reached to his wrist.
"I've got this."
"Shield Up!"
He activated the Tier 6 Force Field around himself. It shimmered, a visible cocoon of dense, silvery-liquid metal, strong enough to withstand a plasma cutter.
The bullets glanced harmlessly off the shield.
Lucifer didn't wait for his opponents to regroup.
He pulled out the 'Sleeper' Pulse-Stunner that Stark had given him.
He focused the Force Field into a small, rigid platform under his feet, launching himself upward and over the boulder.
He landed on the high ground, the mercenaries looking up at the shielded, glowing figure with confused shock.
Lucifer didn't hesitate.
He began rapidly firing the Sleeper at the nearest targets, utilizing the three-minute duration of his shield for an aggressive offense.
ZZZT! ZZZT! ZZZT!
The non-lethal kinetic pulses hit three targets in rapid succession, dropping them instantly into non-responsive heaps.
The remaining three, armed with the heavy plasma cutters, focused their fire on Lucifer.
SZZZSSSH!
Three intense bursts of blue-white plasma hit the Tier 6 Force Field.
The liquid alloy shield absorbed the heat and kinetic energy without visible deformation, only flashing momentarily.
Lucifer felt the tremendous push of the energy, but the shield held firm.
[Tier 6 Force Field Overloaded! Sturdiness 90%]
[Tier 6 Force Field Activated (3/10)]
He used the shield's resistance to stabilize himself and fired the final charges from the Sleeper, incapacitating the last three targets.
Lucifer jumped down from the rock, the shield dissipating as its duration ended.
He was breathing heavily, his ribs protesting the impacts, but he was victorious, and the data card was safe.
Natasha emerged from behind the boulder, her face devoid of emotion, but her eyes were burning with focused intensity.
She was already recording the aftermath on a discreet device.
"Impressive energy signature. You're an effective field operative, Morningstar,"
She said, her praise sounding like an itemized assessment.
"We could have used the plasma cutters to breach the final line of defense at the San Francisco facility. They're valuable."
Lucifer stared at her, the sudden rush of anger overriding his exhaustion.
"You could have ended that fight in thirty seconds, but you didn't,"
He countered, pointing at the downed, twitching mercenaries.
"You chose to let me take the hits and use up my power so you could record my energy output. That's why these people keep finding us."
He knew the reason for her inaction, and it enraged him more than the pain.
"It was a calculated risk for future operational advantage,"
Natasha replied coolly.
"No,"
Lucifer spat, pushing past her to retrieve his pack.
"It was mid strategy. You valued a data point over immediate efficiency and partnered safety. You're a tactical genius, but you're a terrible comrade."
He zipped up his backpack, comparing her cold, utilitarian calculus to the genuine, volatile rage Raven had displayed when she thought he was in danger.
Raven's help was terrifying but anchored in protection; Natasha's help was a means to an end.
Raven, the world-ending demon's daughter, valued him as a person. Natasha, the supposed hero, valued him as a weapon to be cataloged.
"I need a partner who wants to finish the job, not run an unsanctioned performance review,"
Lucifer muttered.
He checked his system.
[Current Status: Mercenary Threat Neutralized. Proceeding on foot.]
Lucifer slung his pack onto his shoulder and started walking, leaving Natasha to stare at the neutralized mercenaries and the fading signature of his force field.
"The San Francisco facility is sixty miles west of here,"
Natasha said, quickly catching up, her professional mask back in place.
"The clock is still running, Morningstar. Where are you heading?"
"The nearest road,"
Lucifer replied, not slowing his pace.
"I'm a logistics consultant, Agent Romanoff. When the plane fails, you hire a new vehicle."
He pulled out his phone, already scanning for nearby transport.
The only thing Lucifer liked less than dying was missing a delivery window.
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