Chapter 174: Time to Meet Him
"This thing... it's even worse," Banner muttered.
Compared to Steve's amazement, Banner's face darkened as he realized what they were standing on. The thought of being aboard such a large aircraft carrier made him uneasy. If he lost control of his anger here, unleashing the Hulk would be disastrous.
He would much rather stay on solid ground. If he lost control on land, at least people would have somewhere to run from the Hulk's rampage.
"Dr. Banner, we won't do anything to make you angry," Natasha Romanoff said, noticing his discomfort. "Trust us, everything will be fine. Come with me."
Banner knew there was no getting off this ship now, so he took a deep breath, steadied himself, and followed Natasha. Steve glanced at Banner but said nothing. He could see that Bruce harbored deep reservations about his powers, particularly his relationship with the Hulk.
This resistance was likely to reduce the chances of the Hulk appearing, which was reassuring for the moment.
The three of them entered the interior of the Helicarrier. Inside, Steve was greeted by the sight of countless technical staff working on various tasks. Through the transparent windows, he could see the vast blue sky stretching out before him. He was left speechless by the scale of the operation.
The technology he was witnessing here was beyond anything he had seen, even in the military's top-secret projects. He imagined that if not for the alien threat, this aircraft would have stayed disguised as just another naval carrier, floating quietly in the ocean.
"Let's disappear from view," Nick Fury ordered from the command deck as the crew reported in.
"Activate the reflective panels," a female agent relayed the command.
Suddenly, the massive Helicarrier vanished from sight, becoming invisible to the world below.
"Thank you for coming, Dr. Banner," Fury said, stepping down from the control platform and walking toward Banner with a friendly smile.
"Thank you for inviting me... politely," Bruce replied, shaking Fury's hand briefly before withdrawing it. "But I have one question. How long do I need to stay here?"
"I admit our approach could've been more polite," Fury said, his expression genuine. "So, I apologize for that. But we need your expertise, your help. Once we secure the Tesseract, you're free to leave."
Bruce wasn't naïve. He knew that Fury wasn't just after his scientific knowledge. If things escalated, they would likely want to harness the power of the Hulk. However, Bruce suppressed his irritation. This wasn't the time to let anger take hold.
"How are you progressing?" Banner asked, cutting straight to the point.
Fury, relieved to see Banner cooperating, gestured to Agent Coulson.
Coulson took over the explanation. "We've been scanning every camera we can tap into worldwide. Phones, laptops—anything connected to a satellite is under our surveillance."
At this, Natasha interjected, "That might not be enough. We could be running out of time."
"You need to narrow your search," Bruce said. "How many spectrometers can you access? I can write an algorithm to help cluster the data. We should be able to eliminate several areas at least."
"Can you get me a workspace?" Bruce turned to Fury, ready to help despite his reluctance.
Fury, prepared for this, nodded. "Agent Romanoff, would you take Dr. Banner to his lab?"
The Hulk, Fury knew, was a wild card, even for Bruce. But he had learned that there was one way to mitigate the Hulk's destructive power—by keeping someone the Hulk cared about close by. Bruce's emotional connection to certain people could help bring him back from the brink.
This was why Fury specifically wanted Natasha to accompany Banner. He hoped that over time, they could develop a bond that might allow them to safely use the Hulk when needed. If things went well, Banner could become a crucial asset, transforming into the Hulk to defend against future alien threats.
Even if that wasn't possible yet, Fury believed that with time, Bruce would come to trust them more.
Natasha found it a little odd that Fury had asked her to personally escort Banner. It wasn't like this task required any special expertise. Anyone could show him to the lab.
"All set up, Dr. Banner. I think you'll find the lab has everything you need," Natasha said as she led him.
"Good," Bruce replied, following her.
Though their first meeting had left a bad taste in his mouth—since Natasha had set a trap to lure him in—Bruce couldn't deny that she was an incredibly attractive woman. And while he might not have been thrilled about the circumstances, he was still a man. He could forgive a little deception for someone like her.
Meanwhile, as S.H.I.E.L.D. scrambled to locate Loki, a breakthrough finally came.
"After cross-referencing the data, we've identified someone with a 79% facial match," a bald tech reported from his station.
Coulson had been in the middle of a conversation with Steve, asking for his autograph on a trading card set, when the report came through. He quickly excused himself and rushed over.
"Where is he?" Coulson asked.
"Stuttgart, Germany. Königstrasse 28," the tech responded, zooming in on the data to provide the exact location.
Steve, observing the exchange, realized that Loki wasn't hiding anymore.
"Captain looks like it's your turn to step up," Fury said, turning to Steve.
Steve knew that with Tony still not on-site and Banner not in control of the Hulk, he was the best option for this mission. Nodding, he accepted the task.