.ೃ࿔*:･𝐯𝐢𝐢. are you ready for it?

𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐃 𝐒𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐎𝐍 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄, feeling the cool, hard surface beneath her. She gingerly held an ice pack to the back of her head, the cold seeping through her hair and into her scalp, eliciting a sharp wince as she closed her eyes tightly. The room was filled with a heavy, somber silence, broken only by the occasional rustling of paper and the quiet hum of the ship’s systems.

Steve, Tony, and Fury were gathered at the table, their faces etched with concern and fatigue. Maria Hill stood off to the side, her posture rigid, eyes scanning the room. Fury, his expression a mix of determination and sorrow, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small stack of cards.

"These were in Phil Coulson’s jacket," Fury said, his voice carrying the weight of loss and frustration. He tossed the cards onto the table, and they scattered, some landing haphazardly, others lying still. Steve reached out and picked up one of the cards, his eyes widening as he noticed the smudges of blood that stained them.

"We’re dead in the air up here," Fury continued, his tone growing more resolute. "Our communications are down, we’ve lost the location of the Tesseract, and we have no idea where Banner or Thor are. I’ve got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Think I had that coming."

As he spoke, Fury began to pace around the table, his presence commanding attention. "Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. But I never put all my chips on that number, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative."

Tony glanced up, his face betraying a flicker of recognition and unease. Fury pressed on, his voice gaining strength. "The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes."

The room fell silent as Fury’s words hung in the air, heavy with significance. Tony’s gaze hardened. Without a word, he stood up, the chair scraping against the floor, and walked out of the room, leaving the others to ponder the gravity of their situation.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Ingrid sat around the conference table, alone, for what felt like forever. The once-cold ice pack had now melted, leaving a small puddle of water in the plastic bag on the table. She stared at it, tapping her fingers lightly on the tabletop, her boredom growing with each passing second.

The door to the conference room slid open, and Steve entered, followed closely by Natasha and Clint. Ingrid’s eyes lit up as she saw them, and she sprang up from her chair, her sudden movement catching their attention. Just from the determined looks on their faces, she knew where they wers going.

"Can I come with you guys?" Ingrid blurted out, her voice filled with a mix of eagerness and desperation. The trio turned to face her, exchanging uncertain glances.

Steve opened his mouth to respond, but Ingrid, sensing hesitation, quickly added, "I mean, you probably need any help you can get."

Steve sighed, his expression softening as he looked at her. "Look, kid. We appreciate the offer but..."

Ingrid sighed deeply and turned to Natasha, her eyes pleading. "You know I can help. I promise I'll be careful. Please, Ms. Romanoff."

Natasha looked at her for a long moment, the silence stretching between them. Finally, she sighed in resignation. "Call me Natasha."

A relieved smile spread across Ingrid's face as she hurried to catch up with them, falling in step behind Steve, who was leading the way through the lower hangar bay. The sound of their footsteps echoed off the metal walls as they approached the sleek jet waiting for them.
As they stepped onto the jet, a SHIELD engineer stepped forward, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Hey, you guys aren’t authorized to be in here."

Steve's voice was calm but authoritative. "Son, just don’t," he said, dismissing the engineer’s objection with a wave of his hand.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

The Quinjet flew toward Stark Tower, which was emitting a brilliant blue beam into the sky. Clint and Natasha were in the cockpit, piloting the plane with practiced precision. As they approached their target, they released the cannon gun, its powerful blasts cutting through the air. Tony, in his Iron Man suit, zoomed past them at high speed, engaging the Chitauri troops head-on. The Quinjet’s continuous fire tore through the enemy ranks, sending them spiraling out of control.

They flew through the smoke and debris, heading straight for Stark Tower. The city below was a warzone, with Chitauri soldiers wreaking havoc and destruction everywhere. As the Quinjet rounded a building, Clint and Natasha blasted away at the Chitauri army that dared to fire back at them. Suddenly, one of the wings was grazed by enemy gunfire.

"Nat!" Clint exclaimed, his voice tinged with urgency.

"I see 'em," Natasha replied, her eyes narrowing as she maneuvered the jet.

Loki, standing on Stark Tower, spotted the Quinjet and smirked. With a swift motion, he aimed his scepter and unleashed a powerful blast at one of the jet’s rotor blades. The rotor caught fire instantly, and the Quinjet began to plummet toward the ground.

Inside, Natasha and Clint held on desperately, trying to maintain some control. Steve and Ingrid clung to the roof, their bodies jolting with each violent impact as the jet grazed buildings on its descent. The Quinjet crashed onto the street with a thunderous boom, skidding to a halt amidst the wreckage.

Natasha and Clint quickly removed their headsets and opened the ramp, urgency etched on their faces. Steve and Ingrid followed, leaping out of the jet and onto the chaotic streets of New York.

"We gotta get back up there," Steve said, determination in his voice. They sprinted toward the overpass, their eyes fixed on Stark Tower. As they reached the overpass, they froze, their hearts sinking at the sight before them. A giant Chitauri warship emerged from the portal, bringing with it an even larger army. The warriors leaped onto the sides of buildings and crashed through windows, attacking civilians without mercy.

Ingrid’s eyes widened in horror, but she quickly steeled herself, knowing there was no time to waste.