"Yes! We found him!" Banner exclaimed joyfully.
Traces left by the Leader during his escape appeared on the upgraded scanner's screen. Although some time had passed, and the residual gamma radiation should have dissipated, the process was likely slowed down because he used underground tunnels for his escape. Even after more than a day, his traces could still be detected.
Banner also noticed something else: there were multiple sources of gamma radiation in the underground tunnel. It seemed the Leader was accompanied by mutated creatures. He hoped the Leader hadn't sent them in different directions to confuse them.
His fears were confirmed. Following the gamma radiation trails to the exit of the underground tunnels, they noticed that the red lines on the scanner – indicators of gamma energy – began to diverge in different directions.
"Lee, look at this," he said, showing the screen to Noah.
"It seems this guy is quite cautious," Noah thoughtfully scratched his chin. This was to be expected – with such a large brain, the Leader wasn't a simpleton. He undoubtedly knew about their search methods and had taken precautions.
"But that's not a problem. He didn't account for this," he displayed the magical pattern on his wrist. This tracking spell was the key to capturing their target.
"Yes, magic... Let's give Dr. Sterns a surprise," Banner grinned. It was unlikely that the Leader would anticipate the existence of magic.
Having determined the exact location, Noah decided to act immediately. Following the compass's guidance, he was going to find the Leader and complete the mission that had been on his to-do list for far too long. He checked his equipment and donned the PROJECT armor.
"Banner, are you coming with me?" Noah asked, transmitting the coordinates from the gamma scanner to Lissandra so she could adjust his navigation system.
"Hmm... I think I'll stay here for now. I can't fly and would only slow you down. But when you find him, I want you to bring me to him. I need to ask him personally why he did this," Banner replied after a moment of thought.
"Alright," Noah nodded, opening a portal. His armor rose into the air and quickly disappeared into the teleportation light.
Banner watched as Noah vanished into the portal, and when it closed, he took out his phone. He needed to call his girlfriend, Betty. They had barely spoken in the past two days, and she must be worried.
...
"Vwoom..."
A glowing blue circle, hovering about a meter above the ground, opened in a dark and damp place. A black silhouette emerged from it.
"Leader, you have a knack for picking locations," Noah said as the glowing circle closed and darkness enveloped everything once more. But this didn't hinder him. With his enhanced vision and high-tech mask, he could see his surroundings perfectly.
It was an abandoned sewer junction, used for wastewater drainage. The stench in this place was unbearable, but fortunately, his armor could isolate odors.
Noah turned towards the sewer opening from which the Leader had apparently emerged.
"Gamma energy detection system activated. You can now see the residual gamma radiation," Lissandra's voice echoed in his ears.
After completing the modifications to Banner's scanner, he asked Lissandra to integrate it into his armor. She quickly accomplished the task, installing the device into his system. Thanks to the readily available detector technology, the work went quickly.
"Thanks, Lissandra."
A soft chuckle came from the speakers.
An image of red trails appeared on the mask's screen – the Leader's escape route. Now he just had to follow this line.
Taking flight, he left the foul-smelling sewer junction. Surveying the surroundings, he noticed that there was no one around – as if they were in a deserted area. However, the scan revealed something strange.
"There's a body here," Noah said, looking at the red mark on his display. He could make out a human body lying on the ground.
"And the death wasn't pleasant," he added, approaching the body. It was an ordinary person dressed in casual clothes. His phone lay nearby.
"Lissandra, find out who this person is," Noah said, picking up the deceased's phone. Unlocking it, he checked what the person had been doing before their death.
"Object detected."
"Object acquired, preparing to report to headquarters..."
These were the last two sent messages on the phone. Apparently, the second message hadn't reached its recipient – the person was killed before they could send it.
"Object? It seems this guy wasn't just a random passerby," he looked thoughtfully at the screen. It was becoming clear that this person wasn't just a random civilian.
"Noah, I've already found information about this body," Lissandra's voice echoed, and the deceased's file appeared in Noah's field of vision.
"Let's see… Eric… A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent? Since when is S.H.I.E.L.D. involved in this?" He was surprised to learn that the deceased was an agent of this organization.
"Alright, let's find the Leader first, and then we'll figure out who's involved – S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra," he thought and took to the air again, continuing to follow the red trail indicating the Leader's path.
The trail split into false leads several times, left by the Leader as distractions. But as soon as Noah used the magic compass, the problem was solved: the needle clearly pointed to one of the red trails – the true path.
Whoosh~
Noah's flight speed was so high that he created a gust of wind behind him, causing trees to tremble and birds to take flight with frightened cries.
After some time, he noticed several figures ahead.
"One, two, three, four, five, six... And those creatures around them. Everything adds up," he used the scanner in his mask to mark all living objects within sight. Besides the Leader, there were several armed men, and mutated creatures lurked in the shadows.
"Excellent, time to call Banner."
Buzz~
A portal buzzed open in the air.