Just as Henry was fully immersed in his research, faint footsteps echoed from the spiral staircase once again.
Banner and Blonsky came down.
They took in the sight of the lab and the man focused on the holographic projection in front of him. Sharing a quick glance, both looked a bit awkward and uncertain.
The luxury of this villa screamed money at every corner. One of them was a highly educated scientist, the other a hardened soldier, but neither had ever been in an environment like this.
"Hey, you two." Henry didn't turn around, just greeted casually—
as if they weren't captives dragged from New York, but simply a couple of friends visiting his home.
"Sit wherever you like, make yourselves comfortable. Just don't break my sofa. If you do, I'll deduct the repair bill from your future salaries."
"Hello, Mr. Stark." Banner replied, sounding a little reserved.
Everything here fascinated him, but it also made him uneasy.
Blonsky just gave a nod—that was greeting enough. Compared to Banner, he was far calmer. Years in the military had trained him to remain vigilant no matter where he was.
Banner moved closer, eyes scanning the rapidly rolling data in the air. A puzzled look came over his face.
"This is… nanotechnology? You've been studying this lately?"
Henry's fingers danced across the projection, filtering useful information. He gave Banner a glance, then went back to work.
"What can I say? My armor got smashed to pieces by your green friend. I need something tougher to patch up my wardrobe. Can't exactly keep going around in rags, right? That'd ruin the image of an international icon like me."
Banner winced, guilt flashing across his face.
"Sorry… I couldn't control him."
"No need to apologize." Henry said casually, still not looking up.
"Just make sure you give me a good hand against enemies later. Think of it as paying me back for ruining my clothes."
Henry wasn't bothered. Of all things, money was the least of his worries.
Then he turned to both of them.
"You guys can rest a while until I'm done with this. Or grab a drink from the bar—consider it part of your employee benefits."
Blonsky shrugged—he had zero interest in the complex data. Without hesitation, he went over to the sofa and sat down, closing his eyes.
Banner, however, hesitated. He didn't leave. Instead, he slowly walked to Henry's side.
At first, he was just curious about the complicated data and formulas, but as he kept watching, his expression changed. His brilliant mind kicked into overdrive.
After a while, he suddenly pointed at one of the models.
"There's a problem here."
Henry raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue.
Banner cleared his throat.
"The energy transmission model for the nanoparticles shouldn't look like this. According to quantum entanglement theory, the energy transfer should be… practically instantaneous, not with such an obvious… delay like in your model. It doesn't fit conservation of energy."
Henry stopped his hand mid-motion. After listening, he gave a faint smile.
"Oh? Is that so? Then what do you think it should look like?" He asked with real interest.
Banner quickly laid out his reasoning, offering clear insights and a new theoretical approach. He wasn't sure nanotech could actually be realized in practice, but that didn't stop him from running through the theory.
Henry listened quietly, a smirk tugging at his lips.
So you're finally showing your genius, Dr. Banner. I thought all you did was turn green.
When Banner finished, Henry clapped him on the shoulder, his tone full of appreciation.
"Not bad. Welcome to the genius club, Mr. Bruce."
Banner gave a small smile. When it came to being called a genius, he wasn't modest.
And so, he joined Henry in diving deep into the nanotech research.
Sometimes they argued heatedly. Other times, they shared a knowing smile at a breakthrough idea.
Time slipped by unnoticed in their fiery academic debates.
Eventually, Henry had Jarvis shut down the holograms.
"Looks like nanotech won't be figured out overnight." Banner rubbed his tired eyes, feeling both exhausted and exhilarated.
The atmosphere here—it was freer and more stimulating than any university he'd ever been in.
"No, I don't think it'll take that long." Henry shook his head, confidence radiating from him.
"I will make it work."
"You're smart—it's only a matter of time." Banner said sincerely.
For him, talking with Henry was both a pleasure and a challenge.
"Of course. I've got plenty of confidence in myself." Henry shrugged, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Then he glanced at the figure lying on the medical platform and added with a grin, "Besides, we've got another genius sleeping right here. Once he's up, with three of us working together—what problem can't we solve?"
Only then did Banner notice Tony, and confusion flickered across his face.
"What happened to him?"
"Just a minor surgery." Henry replied offhandedly.
"You know how it is—when you're older, the body gets a few glitches."
Banner nodded, not pressing further.
Henry slipped on his suit jacket from the sofa, then asked the air,
"Jarvis, have their places been arranged?"
"As per your and Mr. Tony's instructions, residences in Los Angeles have already been purchased. They're ready to move in."
"Perfect. Good job." Henry nodded approvingly.
He looked at Banner and Blonsky.
"Alright, let's go."
"Not waiting for Mr. Stark?" Banner asked.
"Let him sleep. It's only noon. The press conference isn't until three. He was exhausted last night—he deserves a good nap." Henry answered casually.
With that, they headed down the spiral stairs to the first floor.
In the garage, Henry tossed two sets of car keys and brand-new phones to them.
"Take those cars. The phones are yours too. Jarvis will send you the address of your homes. The base will be ready soon. For now, get some rest—then we'll officially get started."
Both men nodded.
"Drive them out."
They each got into a ridiculously expensive sports car.
Hands in his pockets, Henry strolled out of the garage to the villa's front door.
Moments later, Banner and Blonsky drove the cars out.
Henry gave them a casual wave goodbye.
Then, right before their stunned eyes, he shot into the sky—straight up in his tailored suit!
A faint bio-field shimmered around his body, shielding him from the fierce wind pressure of high-speed flight. His carefully styled hair didn't even get ruffled.
The two men in the cars stared at the sky where he'd vanished, speechless.
Banner sighed inwardly. Just yesterday, they were life-and-death enemies. Now… they were preparing to be teammates.
This world really was strange.
Neither spoke again. They simply started their engines and drove toward the address Jarvis had given them.
***
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