⋆.ೃ࿔*:･𝐢𝐢. and i can confirm she made a curious child

𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒, but "boring" would never be one of them. In her ten years of living, she had already filled the pages of seven journals, each brimming with the vibrant stories of her adventures, thoughts, and dreams. None of those pages contained the sentence, "I am bored."

Growing up constantly on the move, Ingrid had learned early on that her life was anything but ordinary. Most children her age went to school, played with friends, and had a routine. Ingrid, however, had spent her childhood evading the US Army, always on the run with her father.

Today, as she wandered the massive battleship, her eyes wide with wonder, Ingrid realized that her life was about to become even more extraordinary. The battleship was unlike any place she had ever been. Its sheer size and complexity were overwhelming, with its labyrinth of hallways, high-tech equipment, and the hum of machinery all around.

"Dr. Banner," someone called out, breaking the serene moment as Ingrid stared up at the clear sky and the sun. The brightness and vastness of it all filled her with a sense of awe. Despite the call, she continued to gaze around, her eyes dancing between the endless blue above and the colossal battleship beneath her feet.

Bruce gently took her hand, grounding her amidst the grandeur. "Oh, yeah. Hi," he responded, turning toward the voice. "They told me you'd be coming."

Ingrid, still absorbing the sights, was barely aware of the conversation until her father gave a small squeeze to her hand. "This is my daughter, Ingrid," he added, his voice filled with a hint of pride.

Ingrid's attention snapped back to the present, and she looked at the man standing before them. "Steve Rogers," he introduced himself, extending a hand.

Ingrid took his hand, shaking it slightly. "Hi," she responded softly.

"Word is you can find the cube," Steve said, shifting his gaze from Ingrid to Bruce.

"Is that the only word on me?" Bruce responded.

"Only word I care about," Steve replied with a slight smile, attempting to ease the tension.

"It must be strange for you, all of this," he said, trying to steer the conversation towards Steve's perspective.

Steve glanced around, his eyes landing on a group of men in training. "Well, this is actually kind of familiar," he said, a touch of nostalgia in his voice.

"You might want to step inside in a minute. It's gonna get a little hard to breathe," Natasha interrupted, her tone calm but firm as she walked over to them.

Steve turned to her, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Is this a submarine?"

"Really? They wanted me in a submerged, pressurized metal container?" Bruce interjected sarcastically.

As they moved closer to the edge, Ingrid's excitement grew. Four enormous lift fans mounted on the sides of the Helicarrier roared to life, creating a powerful gust of wind.

The ground beneath them trembled slightly as the ship began to rise. Steve and Ingrid looked out over the edge, their expressions mirroring each other’s awe as the Helicarrier ascended into the sky.

Bruce stood back, a smile on his face. "Oh, no. This is much worse," he said, his voice laced with irony.

Steve, Bruce, and Ingrid walked through the bridge of the Helicarrier, their footsteps echoing softly against the metal floor. The bridge was filled with activity, with agents bustling about, monitoring screens, and communicating across various channels.

As they entered, Natasha glanced back at them with a slight smile. She nodded towards Director Fury, who was already making his way over to them.

Fury extended his hand to Bruce, who hesitated for a moment before shaking it. "Doctor, thank you for coming," Fury said.

Turning to Ingrid, Bruce gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ingrid, this is Director Fury," he introduced. "He's in charge here."

Ingrid looked up at the imposing figure before her. She straightened her posture slightly, trying to match the serious atmosphere around her.

"It's good to meet you, Ingrid," Fury said, his voice softer but still carrying the weight of authority. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Thank you, sir," she responded, her voice steady.

"So, uh... how long are we staying?" Bruce asked, a touch of uncertainty in his voice as he looked around their surroundings.

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the clear," Fury replied.

"Oh yeah? Where are you with that?" Bruce asked.

Fury turned to Agent Coulson, who stepped forward to explain. "We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cellphones, laptops—if it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

Natasha, standing slightly apart from the group, turned her head to address them. "That's still not gonna find them in time."

"You have to narrow the field. How many spectrometers do you have access to?"

Fury raised an eyebrow. "How many do you need?" he countered, ready to mobilize whatever resources necessary.

"Call every lab you know," Bruce instructed. "Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?"

Fury nodded. "Agent Romanoff, would you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please?" he said, turning to Natasha.

Natasha nodded and walked off, leading Bruce and Ingrid down the hall. The corridors of the Helicarrier were a blend of sleek, modern design and bustling activity, with agents moving purposefully in all directions.

"You're gonna love it, Doc. We got all the toys," Natasha said over her shoulder, a hint of a smile in her voice.

"Really? Do you have a Commodore 64?" Bruce asked.

Natasha glanced back, a puzzled expression on her face. "I'm not sure," she admitted.

Bruce chuckled softly. "Oh, you're very young, aren't you?"

"You always bring your daughter everywhere you go?" Natasha asked.

"Of course," Bruce said, acknowledging Natasha's observation. After a brief moment of silence, he continued. "She's not like other kids. She's..." He trailed off, searching for the right words to describe his daughter's unique abilities.

"Weird," Ingrid finished his sentence for him.

Bruce rolled his eyes playfully, shaking his head. "Don't say that," he chided gently.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the exchange. "Weird how?"

"Many ways," Ingrid replied simply.

Just then, Natasha stopped abruptly at the door of a lab. "And here we are. Have fun," she said with a smile before walking away.

Bruce and Ingrid exchanged a glance, sharing a moment of silent amusement at Natasha's departure. Then, with a shared sense of excitement, they stepped into the lab.

"Wow, this place is amazing," Ingrid exclaimed, her voice echoing in the spacious room as she took in the high-tech surroundings.

Bruce smiled at his daughter's excitement as she sat down on a nearby chair, dropping her backpack on the floor next to it and taking out a book.

"Reading Frankenstein again?" Bruce asked, glancing over at her. Ingrid simply nodded, already fully immersed in her favorite book.