Vol 2 Ch 47

"That was just one circle around the borders. Do we need to run more?" Garfield was panting while he said that. Ace could not say that; she was about to kneel over from exhaustion.

"Good, let's have a break. Now, let's do some pushups, and then we can run some more." Loki's voice sounded like that of a demon to Ace and Garfield. They could not even stand straight. "Don't worry, I will do it with you." Loki smiled as he got on his hands. "W will even do it with one hand."

Ace and Garfield, having no choice, had to get on their hands.

"Straighten your stomach," Banner said as he guided them through the motion. "Keep your posture straight. We need to work your core." Banner began to correct any inconsistency that he could see.

"Just ten, and then you can have some water." Some light shone from behind him as Banner looked like an angel to them right now.

And so slowly and with great difficulty, they completed their pushups. After each one, Bruce would encourage them.

And so when they both were done, they fell to the ground.

"So tired, cannot move a muscle," Ace muttered.

"Here, have some water." Bruce gave them water bottles. Both Ace and Garfield guzzled them both down.

"I can feel some life coming back inside me," Garfield said.

"I can breathe again." There was a content smile on Ace's face. She swore to herself she would never prank Bruce again. No, she would work hard to protect him from her father's scheme.

"Good, now that you guys are rested, let's work those your legs," Banner said after a few minutes. Just enough for them to get a little rest.

"Demon," Garfield muttered to himself.

The angel turned out to be a demon in disguise.

Ace berated herself for falling for both of the adult's tricks. She should have expected this. Banner must have picked up some things from her own father. There would be no mercy from her. After today, she will have no problem enlisting Garfield's help.

"Now, go," Banner yelled at both of them.

It was more limping than running as they both trudged ahead. 

Getting an idea, Garfield turned into a cheetah and began to run.

Banner appeared at Garfield's side in a flash of green and picked him up by the back of his nape. "Good initiative, never play fair. But this is training, no powers. Is that understood?"

Garfield nodded and turned back into his human form. 

Banner nodded at him, and so Garfield began to run again.

Loki and Banner continued this until Ace and Garfield could not move a muscle. Both of them twitching on the ground.

"Oh look, they both are tuckered out." Loki approached.

"Hate you so much dad." Ace tried to move, but she could not. The ground felt so pleasant to her right now.

"Let's get them both to bed." Loki picked up Ace and slung her over his shoulder. Banner followed his motion with Garfield.

"So, your nutrient solution will allow them to recover from their sore muscles after a good night's sleep." 

"Yeah." Loki nodded.

Hearing this, Ace knew that she would also be facing this hell tomorrow. She gulped. She should not have asked for training.

"Don't worry, you both need a strong body to do the cool shit we do," Loki explained. "You both would be training without us soon. The feeling of getting stronger like this through your own effort becomes addicting after some time. No matter what you want to do, you need strength. You need strength to live freely to protect the people you care about. " 

Ace closed her eyes and remembered the days of torture in the lab. Loki, Garfield, Banner, and Betty. She could not bear to lose anyone. She would train harder than anyone.

Garfield remembered his days at the circus, no. He would live on his own terms from now on. "I see. I want to do the red thingie, Dad." Garfield. "I want to live as I want, and I want nothing to happen to you guys."

Banner laughed at that. "I am not so easy to get rid of. Both of you can depend on us. If you ask for help, we will come running."

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(The next day)

"Are you sure about this, Betty?" Banner was holding her by the shoulder as he was talking to her.

"Bruce, you know that this is important. If this works, we can solve world hunger. We can save millions of lives. Starvation will be a thing of the past." She kissed Banner. "Now, help me look over the data. Everything needs to be perfect."

Banner shook his head. "I still don't like the fact that you are using the Hulk's Blood as a growth serum."

"You know that is not true. I just isolated the specific radiation that can promote plant growth. These frequencies will have no effect on humans. Besides, there is no way that they can get your DNA from this." Betty reassured him as they both were looking over her research.

"But this is Gotham, the crime capital of the world." Banner tried one last time to get Betty to reconsider her decision, but it was in vain.

"Banner, I must do this. So much can depend on this, which may be necessary for us to start a new age. I must try."

Banner sighed as his thoughts moved towards her protection.

"Alright. Just be careful."

Betty was surprised. "Just like that."

"If you are stubborn about this, I will not stop you. Still, let's go through your presentation one more time." Banner replied.

"Thank you, dear." Betty gave him a full-body hug as they prepared for her presentation.

"So, who is going to be in this meeting."

"A few representatives from a few companies hosted by the Wayne Foundation." There was a smile on her face.

"Oh, excited to see Bruce Wayne." 

"He wishes." Betty laughed at that.

"Just be careful." Banner did not say anything further. The only one who could fund Batman was the Wayne Foundation. Everything clicked for him when he hacked into the list of canceled military projects by the Wayne Foundation. Most of Batman's equipment resembled the Wayne Foundation's prototypes. Prototypes that could not be implemented due to their prohibitive costs.

That was why he knew that Bruce Wayne was Batman. The fact that he saw Bruce Wayne at the circus, followed by Batman, cemented those facts in his mind. He opted not to tell Betty yet. Maybe, after some time.

"Anyway, where is Loki?" Betty asked. Loki had been suspiciously missing.

Banner shrugged. "Something about finding stark in a cave."

"Oh." Betty paused and gasped. "You mean to say that he found Tony Stark. Why is that not on the news yet? Are you not going to help him?"

"You know Loki, he has his own side gig going on. Besides, he does not need any help from either me or you. If it gets too dangerous, he can just go into his other dimension and ignore everyone else. He could even walk through them. He is in far less danger than either of us could ever be. "

"As for not being in the news, they may be doing something together. The military may be keeping it quiet. I am not sure right now."

And so time progressed, and it was time for Betty to depart from Loki's Sanctuary.

She would just have to say goodbye to Banner, step through the portal, and be in her apartment in New York. From there, she could travel to Gotham."

"So, how long is the conference going to be in?" Bruce asked.

"A few days, nothing major," Betty replied.

"Good, I have packed enough for a few days." Banner sighed in relief as he stepped forward.

Betty was about to nod when she realized what Bruce Banner had said. She turned around and saw Bruce in light Khakhi clothes, accompanied by Garfield, sitting on his shoulder. A bag in his hands.

"Karen is babysitting Ace, so don't worry about her." Banner stepped towards the portal.

"But --" Betty stammered, but Banner interrupted her. "You are not the only one who can be stubborn. Come on, let's go to Gotham. The Kid has a seal on him to hide his skin color."

"It is dangerous there," Betty spoke once more.

"Do you really think I will let you go to Gotham alone? Besides, I have been training the Kid the last few days, so he will be alright." Banner stepped through the portal.

If she was going to be this stubborn, then he would be as well.