Banner believed that even the most gifted individual needed years of study to achieve a certain level of knowledge, as was the case with himself or Tony Stark. In his mind, the Storm Swordsman, a superhero on par with Iron Man, should have been around the same age as Tony – about 30 years old.
After all, besides being a brilliant scientist, he also wielded magic, and learning magic must take a considerable amount of time, right? Therefore, Banner was sure that the Storm Swordsman wasn't young. But when he turned to his interlocutor, he saw something that surprised him.
"What?"
Turning around, Banner discovered that the Storm Swordsman's nanosuit had already been removed while he was examining the laboratory. He expected to see a man in his thirties, but before him stood a tall, attractive young man who looked no older than twenty. The face beneath the suit was completely unexpected.
"Something wrong? Is there something on my face?" Noah asked, noticing his expression.
"No, no, I just wanted to ask… Mr. Storm Swordsman, how old are you? Sorry, I don't mean to offend you, I'm just curious," Banner cautiously asked the question, afraid his words might seem impolite.
"Sixteen."
"What? Sixteen?"
Banner was completely bewildered. He thought it was a joke. It was hard for him to believe that someone so young could achieve such outstanding results: develop a state-of-the-art nanosuit and master magic. Perhaps he started learning in the womb?
"Why would I joke, Dr. Banner? We should discuss how to deal with your problem," said Noah, who had seen this reaction many times before.
"Right," Banner recovered. Now wasn't the time to dwell on age when a dangerous enemy was lurking somewhere, keeping a close eye on him. The main task was to deal with this threat.
Noah gestured for him to follow, so they could discuss how to find the person who created the mutated dogs. This task required careful consideration, because although he knew who might be behind it, he still didn't have information about their location.
"Are you really sixteen years old?"
"Want to see my ID?" Noah replied with a smirk (in the US, driver's licenses are commonly used as identification).
"No, that's not necessary."
…
"Lee, any plans?" Banner asked.
"Um… Dr. Banner, I saw that after transforming into the Hulk last night, you took the bodies of those mutated creatures with you. Where are they now?" Noah pondered, recalling the footage from the video recording showing the dogs created using Banner's blood. Perhaps these bodies could still be useful.
"Hmm, let me think… Those two corpses are in the forest near Mexico City. Do we need to go there?" Banner remembered the forest where he woke up and that he had left the mutants' bodies there, simply covering them with leaves.
Noah nodded, activated a holographic screen, and opened a satellite map. Lissandra had previously hacked the satellites and now had full control over them. Although formally the satellites belonged to other countries, she was actually controlling them without raising suspicion. Thanks to this, he could use them to observe the Earth's surface at any time.
"Do you remember approximately where it was?" Noah asked, showing the map of the area surrounding Mexico City.
"I think it's here," Banner replied, pointing to a forested area.
"Lissandra, help us find it," Noah asked, deciding that Lissandra would handle it better and faster.
"No problem."
The image on the screen began to change, and within a second, Lissandra located the place where Banner woke up. This greatly surprised him.
"Is that an artificial intelligence?" Banner asked, hearing Noah call Lissandra by name. Hearing a female voice, he thought it was probably an AI, since Iron Man had his own artificial intelligence, and he assumed the Storm Swordsman would have one too.
"Yes, her name is Lissandra. Dr. Banner, we're going there, do you want to join us?" Noah replied casually, watching the map where the exact location appeared. Now, with the coordinates, the portal could be opened with maximum precision. Blue sparks crackled, and the portal opened.
Banner decided to go with him, and they stepped into the portal together. By that time, evening had already passed, and the forest was plunged into deep darkness. Night had fallen, and darkness enveloped everything around them. The piercing cries of insects and the mournful sighs of birds could be heard in the darkness, causing an unpleasant feeling of anxiety in anyone who found themselves in this place.
Whoosh...
Noah folded his hands into magical signs, and several runes from Kamar-Taj appeared before him. Then a sphere glowing with white light emerged, dispelling the darkness around them. Startled by the sudden brightness, birds perched on branches flew away with flapping wings.
This was one of the simplest spells he learned at Kamar-Taj. He considered it quite useful, and besides it, he had mastered many other minor spells. After all, knowing a variety of techniques was never superfluous.
Banner was no longer surprised by such things. Although he was curious about the nature of the magic Noah wielded, he decided they could discuss it later.
When the light illuminated the area, Noah looked around. Several fallen trees confirmed that the Hulk had indeed been here. Scanning the surroundings, he noticed a pile of leaves under which, as Banner had said, the bodies were hidden.
With a wave of his hand, he summoned a gust of wind that scattered the leaves. Two twisted and strange bodies of mutated dogs appeared before them, their greenish blood already seeping into the ground.
"Found them," Noah nodded, and Banner approached.
Now that the target had been located, all that remained was to transport the bodies to the laboratory for examination. He used magic to lift the portion of earth soaked with gamma-radiated blood, deciding it was best to take it with him. He didn't want any giant mutant worms suddenly appearing in this place.
Banner, amazed by this sight, took a few steps back. His curiosity about Noah's magic only grew with each passing moment. He even began to wonder if this magic could help him get rid of the Hulk. He planned to discuss it with Noah when the opportunity arose.
"Okay, time to go back," Noah said, turning towards the portal. Behind him, a huge chunk of earth with the two bodies floated in the air.
He widened the portal, which was initially intended for only two people, to accommodate the earth as well. He and Banner returned to the laboratory, where they now had to find out if these bodies could help them locate the main enemy behind all this.
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