.ೃ࿔*:･𝐱𝐢𝐢𝐢. terror in the nightfall

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐍 𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐃. It seemed to follow her wherever she went, latching onto her skin and seeping inside her bones. From a young age, she had felt its cold grip, a shadowy companion that never truly left her side.

Her father had often told her it was normal to be afraid. "Everybody is afraid of something," he would say. "Monsters under their bed, darkness, heights, spiders." But Ingrid, even as a child, considered any sign of fear a sign of weakness. She was determined to be strong, to be unyielding.

The way she lived her life left little room for fear. Growing up with a father who could turn into a giant green monster whenever he got angry meant she was always on the move, always hiding, always running for her life. By the time she was ten, she was already fighting aliens and saving the world. She couldn't afford to be scared.

When she was just five years old, Ingrid declared she would never feel afraid again. It was a bold statement, made with the fierce determination of a child who had seen too much, too soon. Bruce and Ingrid had been on the run for almost a year by then. When she made her proclamation, it brought a rare smile to Bruce's face. He assumed she was joking.

But once he saw the determined expression on his daughter's face, he realized she was completely serious. He knelt down to her level, his eyes softening as he tried to explain. "Fear is a normal human emotion, Ingrid," he said gently. "It's a response to recognizing danger or a threat. Fear is crucial. It keeps us safe."

Ingrid listened intently, her young mind absorbing his words. She loved her father dearly and respected him more than anyone else in the world. If he said that fear was important, she believed him. After letting his words sink in, she understood that fear was an important signal of danger, something she was also very familiar with.

That night, Ingrid made a new declaration. She still vowed to never let fear control her, but she also promised herself something else. As afraid as she might be, nobody would ever know. She would keep her fear hidden, a secret weapon she would use to stay sharp, to stay alert, to stay alive.

Tonight, though, after Ultron's attack, Ingrid had broken the promise she had made to herself eight years earlier. As much as Ingrid wanted to hide it, she was very afraid. Something about Ultron made chills run down her whole body.

Maybe it was the way he looked—disheveled, broken, oil dripping, and wires hanging loosely from his metallic frame. His form was unsettling and mechanical, like a nightmare brought to life.

Maybe it was his voice—raspy, robotic, cold. Each word he spoke carried an eerie detachment, devoid of any warmth or humanity.

Or maybe it was what he said—that he wanted them extinct. Ingrid trembled slightly when she remembered his chilling words.

She tried focusing on what was in front of her. She sat on a stool, chipping off her nail polish with nervous energy. Her knees were hues of blue and purple, with some red, a testament to the battle she had just endured. She had a few stitches for the deeper cuts and a few band-aids for the surface ones.

Images of the previous fight flashed in front of her every time she blinked. She could still see the chaos and the destruction. Each memory was a fresh stab of fear, making her feel like she was still in the midst of the battle. Ingrid realized that she needed something new to focus on, something to anchor her in the present.

She looked up at her dad who was lost in thought, his brow furrowed with concern. Then she glanced around the lab, noticing that the team was deep in discussion. Determined to distract herself, Ingrid tried her best to listen.

"All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch," Bruce said, his voice tinged with frustration and defeat.

"Ultron," Steve repeated, his voice grim. It was as if that name had been on his mind as much as it had been on Ingrid's.

"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other," Natasha said, her voice steady but her eyes reflecting a deep concern. The thought of that made Ingrid's skin crawl, a shiver running down her spine.

"He's in your files, he's in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?" Rhodey interjected, his tone grave.

"Nuclear codes," Maria Hill said as she carefully pulled glass shards out of her feet.

"Nuclear codes. Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can," Rhodey added.

"Nukes? He said he wanted us dead," Natasha said, her mind racing through the implications of their situation.

"Not dead, extinct," Ingrid corrected her, trying to hide the tremble in her voice.

"He also said he killed somebody," Clint added, his voice low and tense.

"But there wasn't anyone else in the building," Maria said, confusion etching her features.

"Yes, there was," Tony interjected, bringing up the now-destroyed 3D image of JARVIS' consciousness on the screen.

Bruce walked over to it, his eyes widening in disbelief. "This is insane."

"JARVIS was the first line of defense. He would've shut Ultron down, it makes sense," Steve said, trying to piece together the situation.

"No, Ultron could've assimilated JARVIS. This isn't strategy; this is... rage," Bruce corrected, his voice laced with concern and realization.

At that moment, the lab doors flew open, and Thor barged in, his face a mask of fury. Without warning, he grabbed Tony by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

"Woah, woah, woah! It's going around," Clint said, stepping forward cautiously, his eyes darting between Thor and Tony.

"Come on. Use your words, buddy," Tony choked out, his voice strained under the tight hold Thor had on his neck.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark," Thor said, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Thor! The Legionnaire," Steve interjected, and Thor reluctantly let go of Tony, who fell back.

"Trail went cold about a hundred miles out, but it's headed north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again," Thor reported, his frustration evident.

"The genie's out of that bottle. Clear and present is Ultron," Natasha said, her voice filled with a quiet urgency.

Helen Cho, who had been examining the robotic remains, looked up with confusion. "I don't understand. You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?"

Tony, who was typing on one of his computers, started laughing—a dry, almost manic sound. Bruce subtly shook his head at him, trying to signal him to stop.

"You think this is funny?" Thor asked, his voice a low growl.

"No. It's probably not, right? Is this very terrible? Is it so... is it so... it is. It's so terrible," Tony said.

"This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand," Thor said, his frustration clear.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this," Tony retorted.

"Tony, maybe this might not be the time to—" Bruce started, but Tony cut him off.

"Really?! That's it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls."

"Only when I've created a murder bot," Bruce replied.

"We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?" Tony argued, his frustration bubbling over.

"Well, you did something right. And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different than SHIELD," Steve said, his disappointment evident.

"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?" Tony asked.

"No, it's never come up," Rhodey said dryly.

"Saved New York?" Tony asked.

"Never heard that," Rhodey replied, shaking his head.

"Recall that?" Tony pressed. "A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it. We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all day long, but that up there? That's... that's the endgame. How were you guys planning on beating that?"

"Together," Steve declared, his voice unwavering.

"We'll lose," Tony said, his tone laced with defeat.

"Then we'll do that together, too," Steve replied, his resolve unshaken. Tony sighed, turning away, but Steve's words hung in the air. "Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."

.ೃ࿔*:･

Ingrid had previously excused herself to go to sleep, but now she realized that falling asleep would be impossible after everything that had happened.

Here, in the privacy of her own room, Ingrid didn’t have to try and hide her fear from anyone. As a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks, she felt a weight lift just a little bit, though the terror remained.

She clutched her sheets closer to herself, seeking comfort more than warmth. Her fingers gripped the fabric tightly as if it could shield her from the horrors in her head.

In the darkened room, she tried to blink as little as possible, afraid that if she opened her eyes, Ultron would be standing right in front of her. The silence of the room was both a comfort and a torment. It was a respite from the chaos outside, yet it seemed to amplify her fears. Ingrid lay there, heart pounding, eyes darting around in the darkness as if expecting to see the cold, mechanical eyes of Ultron watching her from the shadows.

A sudden knock on her door made Ingrid flinch slightly. But when she heard her dad's voice from the other side, she felt a wave of relief. "Ingrid, it's Dad. Can I come in?" Bruce asked.

Ingrid quickly wiped her tears away, sitting up in bed. She cleared her throat, trying to mask the shakiness in her voice. "Yeah!"

Bruce entered her room, closing the door behind him. He made his way to sit on her bed. "I didn’t wake you up, did I?" Bruce asked softly, his concern evident.

"No, no, no," Ingrid shook her head, avoiding his gaze. She looked down at her lap, the weight of the night still pressing heavily on her. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep after everything."

"I get it," Bruce said softly. After a moment of silence, he continued, "I wanted to give you something."

Ingrid looked up from her lap, her curiosity piqued. Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out an earpiece. Ingrid furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Try it on. And press the red button," Bruce explained, a small smile on his face.

Ingrid carefully placed the device into her ear and pressed the small red button. Suddenly, a black mask with red details appeared, covering the bottom half of her face. It matched her suit perfectly.

"It'll supply you with oxygen when you're walking through smoke," Bruce said. "At least until you learn how to control it, of course."

Ingrid's face lit up with delight. She pressed the button again, and the mask disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. She took another good look at the earpiece, her smile growing even wider.

"I figured you'd need it. We've got a big fight coming," Bruce said.

Ingrid looked up at him, a mixture of excitement and hesitation in her eyes. "You'll let me... fight?"

Bruce nodded. "Well, you'd do it either way. It's better if I let you fight than if you had to sneak out on missions."

Ingrid squealed in excitement, enveloping her dad in a hug. "Thank you! This means so much to me."

"There are some rules, though!" Bruce said, making Ingrid pull away to look at him. "You always need to stay close to at least one of us." Ingrid nodded enthusiastically. "And I don’t want you anywhere near Ultron."

Ingrid smiled, her confidence returning. "You don’t have to tell me twice." She pulled her dad back into a hug. "It’s a deal."