"Noah, do you know who these people are?" Nick Fury asked. He hoped Noah could provide some useful information, given his ability to see the future.
"Not sure. Want me to interrogate them myself?" Noah offered. In reality, he knew they were Hydra agents, but he decided to let Fury figure it out for himself. Telling him directly that half of S.H.I.E.L.D. was infested with Hydra would be too much. Fury wouldn't believe such an absurd claim anyway.
"No, that's not necessary. If you can, bring them to me," Fury refused, planning to interrogate the captured agents himself. He had his own professional methods, and he was confident he could make them talk.
"Although... No, wait. Take them to location XXX. I'm not going to interrogate these 'colleagues' at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters."
Fury changed his mind and decided it would be better to interrogate them at a secret location to avoid causing a stir. There were likely more moles within S.H.I.E.L.D., and he wanted to avoid unnecessary attention.
"Alright, meet me there. I'll arrive shortly," Noah agreed, checking the coordinates of the specified location. He deactivated the hologram and ended the conversation.
Using magic, he gathered the unconscious agents into a pile. Banner, who had been observing Noah's actions, approached:
"So, is it over?" he asked, slightly bewildered.
"Well, almost. The biggest problem is probably Samuel Sterns. As for General Ross... As far as I remember, you're connected to his daughter, right? Without that connection, everything would be simpler. But now we have to proceed slowly and carefully," Noah replied, shrugging. He wasn't well-versed in the complexities of Banner's relationship with the Ross family. Perhaps later he could arrange for Ross to retire, and then he wouldn't have time to chase Banner.
But those were plans for the future. Sterns was eliminated, and unless Banner revealed himself, his location wouldn't be discovered. The problem with Ross could be solved later; there was no rush.
"Phew, is that so," Banner took a deep breath, feeling relieved. It seemed that the endless cycle of running was finally over. Now, thanks to Noah's help, he no longer had to fear General Ross's pursuit. Noah needed his intellect, not the Hulk's power. Now he could live a normal life – finally, the bitterness receded, and new hope appeared on the horizon.
"Noah, take me home, okay? The person you're meeting with is clearly not someone ordinary, so I'd rather not go," Banner said. He had overheard some of Noah's conversation with Fury and understood that S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't a simple organization. His experiences in recent years had made him wary of such agencies, and he had no desire to meet with government officials.
"Alright, go back then. By the way, you can just relax for the next few days. Once you've recovered, I'll start loading you with work. If you want to leave the island and venture out into the world, you can use the boat or the helicopter," Noah said. He remembered why he had invited Banner – to help accelerate his research and take some of the workload off his shoulders.
Banner nodded, reminding himself of the conditions of Noah's assistance. He had already seen the mentioned boat and helicopter while walking around the island. However, he didn't intend to leave this place anytime soon... unless it was to spend time with Betty. Then these vehicles might come in handy.
Noah had prepared the helicopter and boat in advance for "ordinary" people like Banner to use. Although he hadn't yet mastered creating permanent portals, he decided that ordinary vehicles would suffice for now. Of course, they were built by him, using Lissandra's technology. He had also upgraded his own black car. Perhaps in the future, he would try to create his own Transformer, but that was for later.
Noah opened a portal for Banner, leading back to the island, and after waiting for him to leave, he switched to the coordinates provided by Nick Fury and opened another portal to reach the designated location.
Whoosh~
Noah found himself in a deserted area. He looked around, surveying his surroundings. Several bodies, hovering in the air, appeared behind him, and he gently lowered them to the ground. These agents were sturdy; a short fall wouldn't hurt them.
He glanced at his watch, realizing that Fury and his people likely wouldn't arrive so soon – they didn't have such a convenient means of transportation as portals. While waiting for their arrival, he decided to check the latest news.
During the time he was busy searching for the Leader, nothing particularly significant had happened in the world. Tony Stark was still making headlines. But, more interestingly, with the appearance of Iron Man and the Storm Swordsman, more masked heroes like Daredevil were emerging. Consequently, criminals were also becoming more active. The world had begun to change after Stark's triumphant appearance. Things that lurked in the shadows were gradually coming to light.
"Well, that's not my concern. They'll just create new missions for me," Noah muttered, continuing to browse the news. He was interested not only in American sources, but also in news from other countries, both overt and covert. He had already noticed that his recent activities in Tibet were mentioned in the news, but this information was soon suppressed, likely by the Spear organization.
About ten minutes later, Noah sensed the approach of an aircraft. It must be Fury's people. A Quinjet appeared from the clouds before him and began to descend smoothly. Nick Fury, clad in his black leather jacket, emerged, followed by Coulson.
"Since you've arrived, take them," Noah said, pointing at the still-unconscious Hydra agents, and turned to leave.
"Wait, Noah," Fury stopped him. Glancing at the agents, he asked, "You mentioned they were looking for Samuel Sterns. Where is he now?"
Fury wanted to learn more about Sterns. He was curious why these people were after him.
"That guy's dead. I killed him," Noah replied with a shrug.
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