When the car finally rolled to a stop at the gates of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ethan turned to Katie with a smug grin.
"Well? Trust my skills now?"
Katie folded her arms, tilting her head in mock consideration.
"Barely passable," she said, not wanting to completely crush his enthusiasm for learning to drive.
"Alright, now to find a parking—"
Before Ethan could finish his sentence, a loud crash echoed from behind.
The car jolted, and through the rearview mirror, he saw the unfortunate victim of his parking skills—a classic red convertible, now sporting a sizable dent in its hood.
Silence hung in the air for a moment before Ethan sighed, got out, and surveyed the surrounding parking spaces.
Then, with a casual motion, he grabbed his car, lifted it effortlessly into the air, and set it down perfectly within the lines of an empty parking spot.
"See? Much safer than reversing," he said, shooting an awkward grin at Katie before dragging her toward the entrance.
Coulson was already waiting outside.
He barely raised an eyebrow at Katie's presence, quickly returning to his usual composed demeanor.
Given how many times he'd read through her file, it wasn't a surprise.
"Where's Ghost Rider?" Ethan asked.
"Right here."
From behind Coulson, Johnny Blaze stepped forward, his expression calm but wary.
Ethan flashed a grin. "Everything settled with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"More or less," Johnny nodded.
"I signed an NDA. S.H.I.E.L.D. will help keep my identity secret, and they'll be providing protection for Roxanne."
"Alright then," Coulson said, already turning to leave. "You guys talk. I've got things to handle."
As soon as Coulson disappeared into the building, Ethan clapped his hands. "Let's move."
Johnny followed, but his expression shifted when Ethan led them toward a car. "Wait… you're driving to Kamar-Taj?"
Ethan shot him a look.
"Relax, we're going to the New York Sanctum first. Then we take the portal. What, you thought we were road-tripping to the Himalayas?"
Johnny rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, that makes more sense."
Then, as if remembering something, he frowned.
"You know, speaking of portals, why haven't you learned to use one? You rely on that bike way too much. It's kinda embarrassing that the literal Spirit of Vengeance can't open a door."
Johnny chuckled, a little embarrassed.
"If I get the time, I'll try."
Just then, from the other side of the garage, Coulson's voice rang out, filled with grief and rage.
"WHO HIT MY DEAR LOLA?! I SWEAR, I'M GIVING THEM A BULLET FOR EVERY SCRATCH!"
Ethan froze, realization dawning.
No wonder that car had looked familiar.
He turned to Johnny with a sheepish grin.
"Uh… hey, mind doing me a favor? My car might've had a tiny accident. Think you could… fix it?"
Johnny sighed, but seeing Coulson storming toward the parking lot, he decided that staying out of this mess was more trouble than getting involved.
He waved his hand, and a faint, fiery glow spread across the damaged car, restoring it to its former pristine condition.
"Thanks, man. You're a lifesaver." Ethan quickly hopped into the driver's seat, but then hesitated.
After a beat, he got back out, calmly lifted the car out of the parking spot, then climbed back in and started the engine like nothing had happened.
Katie and Johnny exchanged glances before silently getting in as well.
·······
An hour later, they were driving through the heart of New York.
Johnny glanced out the window, taking in the towering skyscrapers.
"Wait… the New York Sanctum is in the middle of the city?"
As the car sped through the city, weaving between skyscrapers and flashing billboards, Johnny's brow furrowed.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" he asked, arms crossed as he glanced outside.
"Because I swear, that exact billboard just flashed by for the third time."
Ethan sighed, gripping the wheel.
"Okay, I admit there may have been... a minor miscalculation. But according to my ability, the New York Sanctum should be right ahead."
"Yet every time we drive in, we make seven turns and—surprise—we end up back where we started," Katie pointed out dryly from the backseat.
Johnny ran a hand through his hair, his gaze narrowing.
"Spatial magic. They're messing with us."
"No kidding," Ethan muttered.
He put the car in park at a narrow street corner wedged between two towering buildings.
"Alright, we're walking from here. I just need to analyze the structure of the enchantment. Shouldn't take long to find a weak point."
"Or we could just bust through it." Johnny's voice took on a gravelly undertone as hellfire flickered in his eyes.
A moment later, flames erupted around his body, his human features giving way to the charred skull of the Ghost Rider.
With an ominous creak, the red Rolls-Royce Phantom beside them began shifting.
Metal groaned as hellfire licked its frame, reshaping it into a monstrous infernal machine.
The sleek luxury car twisted into a burning chariot of destruction, adorned with jagged spikes, glowing crimson wheels, and a menacing flaming skull hood ornament.
Ethan's eyes sparkled. "I gotta say, Johnny, I think I just fell in love with my car all over again."
"Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it." Ghost Rider grunted before the driver's seat and passenger seat suddenly flipped over, launching Ethan and Katie into the back.
"Wait, what the—? You only know how to ride a motorcycle!" Ethan protested as he scrambled upright.
Johnny turned his flaming skull to look at him, voice rough as gravel. "I'm a professional."
Ethan muttered under his breath, but before he could argue further, the hellcar's engine roared to life.
The air around them trembled from the sheer force of power radiating off the vehicle.
"Hold on tight," Ghost Rider warned.
The four exhaust pipes twisted into skull-like shapes, releasing streams of hellfire.
Then, with an explosive burst, the hellcar launched forward, tearing through the narrow streets like a bat out of hell.
Katie yelped as the world blurred around them, her grip tightening on the seat.
Ethan, meanwhile, braced himself as he felt the space around them ripple unnaturally.
"The magic is destabilizing!" he called out over the roaring flames. "We're breaking through!"
As the street ahead shimmered, a gateway of swirling light materialized in front of them.
The enchanted chariot didn't hesitate—it smashed straight through the portal at breakneck speed.
The world around them shifted.
For a moment, nothing but white-hot energy was pressing against them.
Then, as quickly as it came, the pressure vanished.
The light dissipated, revealing a completely different scene.
The towering glass buildings of New York had been replaced with the intricate stone architecture of the New York Sanctum.
A grand portal sat in the middle of the road, pulsating with arcane energy.
Several sorcerers in flowing robes had just emerged, their eyes widening at the sight of the hellish vehicle hurtling toward them.
Too late.
"BOOM!"
A deafening impact echoed through the Sanctum's courtyard as one unfortunate sorcerer was sent flying across the steps.
The remaining sorcerers froze in stunned silence.
Ethan, rubbing his temples, glanced at Ghost Rider. "You said you were a professional."
Ghost Rider, staring at the crushed portal and the groaning mage on the ground, took a long moment before replying.
"Yeah... a professional in hitting people with a badass flaming vehicle."