"Dr. Banner, hello."
The voice on the phone belonged to a young man, which greatly surprised Banner. He had assumed that the Storm Swordsman, like Tony Stark, would be a middle-aged man. Moreover, this stranger immediately addressed him by name, despite the fact that he was calling from someone else's phone.
"Um... hello. Is this... Mr. Storm Swordsman?" Banner asked hesitantly. Of course, he spoke quietly so that none of the passersby, including the person who lent him the phone, could hear him.
"Yes, Dr. Banner. Have you made up your mind?"
"Made up my mind? Um... in a way, yes. I'm having some problems, and I need your help," Banner guessed that the Storm Swordsman was referring to their previous conversation. He had offered his help, and now, faced with new difficulties, Banner decided to take him up on it. If this person could actually stop those who were hunting him, it would be a huge relief. He was tired of constantly running.
"Good, I'm aware of the situation. Just tell me where you are."
"WHAT?! I haven't said anything yet! Are you sure you don't want to listen?" Banner was a bit stunned. He hadn't even had time to explain his problems, and the person on the other end already claimed to know everything. It seemed suspicious.
"No need. Someone created mutated creatures to capture you, right? It's already been on the news. It's better if you tell me your current location."
News? What news? Were journalists and TV channels that well-informed now?
"Okay, I'm on XX Street in XX City."
In reality, as soon as Banner called, Noah asked Lissandra to pinpoint his location. He was now going to open a portal, but for that, he needed to know exactly where Banner was to properly configure the spell.
"Lissandra, can you hack into their satellites and determine Banner's exact location?" he asked, pressing the mute button on the phone.
"Of course, Noah. Just a moment," Lissandra replied.
For her, possessing advanced technology, most local tech was child's play. Just a few seconds later, satellite imagery appeared before him, showing Banner's current location.
"Alright, Dr. Banner, go into the nearest alley. You can return the phone to its owner," Noah unmuted the microphone and spoke to Banner.
Banner glanced at the phone and then started looking around. It seemed to him that the Storm Swordsman was watching him, aware of everything that was happening. However, despite a thorough search, he didn't see an armored figure anywhere, but he did notice the mentioned alley.
"Okay, can I hang up?" he asked, but without waiting for an answer, he thanked the passerby and returned the phone.
Heading into the alley, Banner heard people around him discussing last night's events. Although they spoke in Spanish, he had learned to understand basic phrases over the years of wandering through different countries. He expected to hear mentions of a "green monster," but instead, they were talking about a terrorist attack, and no one knew who was behind it. They assumed that anti-social terrorists were responsible.
"The Storm Swordsman said it was being discussed in the news, but something doesn't add up..." he thought, approaching the alley, and suddenly froze in surprise.
A figure in black armor stood leaning against the wall in the alley. He immediately recognized him as the Storm Swordsman, the same person he had just spoken to on the phone. How could he have gotten here so fast? Did he predict in advance that he would ask for help and arrive here beforehand?
Many thoughts immediately rushed through Banner's mind: perhaps this man was the one who orchestrated all of this. But Noah, noticing the rapidly changing expressions on his face, realized that Banner might be jumping to the wrong conclusions, and so he called out:
"Dr. Banner, don't just stand there, come here."
Noah didn't offer any further explanation, but simply made a few circular motions with his hand, and a blue portal opened on the alley wall.
"WTF?!" What he saw made the usually reserved Banner curse.
Just a moment ago, he had suspected this man of being the mastermind behind all his troubles, and now he was suddenly using something utterly incredible.
"My God! What is that?" Banner approached cautiously, trying to understand what the glow was. Inside the circle, he could make out... a living room?
"A portal, can't you see? Or do you think it's a 3D hologram? Let's go," Noah said, and without waiting for a reply, he stepped into the blue glow.
"Oh God, I hope this is just a dream," Banner muttered, looking at the blue glow. He didn't know what it was: magic or spatial technology. Approaching the blue portal cautiously, he noticed the Storm Swordsman, who had just passed through it, watching him from the other side.
"Don't touch it, or you'll lose a hand."
Banner immediately pulled back his hand, which he was about to touch the blue circle with, and resolutely stepped forward. A spacious living room greeted him on the other side. Looking around, he noticed passersby and cars flashing past the window, and the streets were filled with signs in English. He couldn't help but ask:
"Where am I?"
"New York."
Banner took a deep breath, trying to calm down and suppress the emotions that could trigger a transformation into the Hulk.
"Is this spatial technology? Have you already mastered it? You were able to move from Mexico to New York in an instant?" he asked incredulously, looking around the room again, where the blue portal was gradually disappearing. Then he looked at Noah.
Noah, paying little attention to his astonishment, took a few steps and plopped down on the sofa with a thud, which immediately sagged under his weight due to the heavy armor. This was his old house in Manhattan. Although he no longer lived here, the living room remained clean because he regularly returned to recharge the totem he kept in the room and to tidy up using magic. This was not only convenient but also helped him hone his control over magical powers.
"It's magic."
"What? Are you joking?" Banner couldn't believe his ears. How could someone talk about magic while wearing armor decades ahead of modern technology?
"This must be some advanced spatial technology; I couldn't even imagine that you..." he didn't manage to finish his sentence when he was suddenly lifted into the air by some invisible force.
Banner panicked; his body hung in the air, and he desperately flailed his arms and legs, trying to regain his balance. During his struggle, he noticed blue glimmers emanating from Noah's body as he sat on the sofa.
"Okay, okay! I believe you! It's magic, magic, alright?!" he shouted. If he had been wearing a heart rate monitor at that moment, he would have seen his heart racing.
Noah just smiled, gently lowering him to the ground with magical power. He could already feel a wild, untamed power awakening within Banner.
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