rusted [pжавый]

Henny approached the table where the most unlikely group on Earth was gathered, discussing the motivations of the Asgardian god who was now locked up in the most secure containment cell in the world.
Bruce Banner argued that his mind wasn’t the issue because he was insane, while Thor, the other Asgardian god, was trying to find a way to defend his brother.

— He’s not insane, Dr. Banner — she said cautiously, drawing the group's attention.

Natasha stared at her, but Henny knew her trainer’s mind was struggling to focus due to Clint’s alarming situation.

— In fact, everything about his actions shows that he’s not shaken enough to be imprisoned. You need to stay alert. He doesn’t plan on staying here for long.

— And who are you? — Thor asked, intrigued by the sudden arrival of the woman.

— Agent Stark — she smiled but didn’t dare extend her hand to the man. — I’m in charge of the cognitive models department here at SHIELD.

The god frowned at her explanation, a clear sign that he had no idea what she was talking about.

— I study brains, you know, that thing we use to think. I suppose some Asgardians have one?

She didn’t realize the teasing tone in her voice until she saw Steve cough to stifle a laugh and Dr. Banner smiling awkwardly at her.

— Stark, huh? — Thor didn’t seem to take it personally. — You’re more pleasant to look at than your father, but you have the same sharp tongue.

— Anyway — Bruce shook his head, redirecting the conversation. — I think it has to do with the mechanics. Iridium—why do they need iridium?

— It’s a stabilizing agent.

Everyone turned toward Tony’s voice as he entered, whispering something to Coulson.

— That way, the portal won’t collapse like it did at SHIELD.

He walked over to Hennessy, kissing her cheek before moving on to tease Thor, throw sarcastic remarks about the entire base, and, as expected, mention the Hulk to poor Dr. Banner.

Hennessy Stark glanced around to see if she was the only one who had noticed the device her father had planted on one of the computers.

***

— Excuse me — Hennessy asked, entering the laboratory where Tony and Bruce were working, receiving a smile from the latter.

— Miss Stark — Bruce greeted her, but the uniform seemed to remind him of a detail. — Agent Stark? Sorry, I’m not sure how you prefer the formalities.
— Doctor works — Tony said without taking his eyes off the computer.

— Oh, really? — Bruce’s look was one of admiration. — I see genius runs in the family. Did you also graduate in physics from MIT?

Hennessy blushed.

— That’s very kind, Dr. Banner. But this field, I leave it to you radical scientists. I’m a Ph.D. in Molecular Neuroscience and Neural Activity Cognitive Processes.

— Which is a fancy way of saying she wants to know who’s crazy and who’s not — Tony now moved closer to the two.

— I didn’t need any training to figure that out about you, Tony — she said to him but winked at Dr. Banner, who laughed, enjoying the interaction between the two.

— Tony? — he made an offended face. — Why are you calling me by my first name, Henny? What did I do?

— I’m working — she shrugged. — It’s Agent Stark to you, here.

— You sound like Pepper when you go into business mode.

— Well, someone has to take things seriously. Dr. Banner — she moved closer to the man, who had turned his eyes back to the computer to avoid looking at them. — I’m going to interrogate Loki now. Do you have any more information for me?

— I’m sorry, Agent Stark — he genuinely seemed sorry. — Not yet.

— Hey, hey, what’s this about you interrogating Loki? — Tony said, exasperated, and Hennessy sighed at the man’s outburst.

— Come with me — she asked him, nodding toward the door. — Dr., can I borrow your assistant for a few minutes?

— Of course.

— Assistant — Tony followed her, irritated. — You’re going to mess with that murderer, Hennessy?

— Lower your voice — she stopped abruptly and turned to face him, causing the older Stark to almost bump into her. Henny looked around and, when she replied, her voice was almost a whisper. — I told you I was developing interrogation techniques.

— Yeah, but I thought you’d let other people apply them, not that you’d do it yourself. That’s not what I agreed to.

— I know — she ran her hands through her hair, trying to remind herself it was just the man’s concern talking. — But we’ve had better results when I do it myself. I’m good at it, Dad — she said the word even quieter, afraid someone would hear and it would sound unprofessional.

— Henny — Tony called, mimicking her tone of voice. — I don’t care what results you’ve had. If you don’t want to do it, just say the word and I’ll take you out of here. Fury can lick my...

— No — she cut him off, very quickly. — I want to. I like my job, and we’ve been having great results. I want to go.

— I can go with you — he made an attempt, anything to not leave her unprotected near Loki.

That earned a small laugh from the girl.

— I don’t follow you every time you put on the suit and go out to fight, do I?

— I just want to protect you.

— I know, Dad — Henny managed to smile at him. — And I know that device will make sure you get alerted if anything goes wrong with the cell containment.

— What? How? — Tony’s eyes widened at her, and Hennessy pulled his wrist, pleased to see that the watch she had given him displayed ‘Surprise.’