Chapter 357: Finding the Hulk
Scott's humbleness made Sam look away in slight embarrassment.
"So, who exactly are our opponents?" Scott asked curiously.
Steve and Sam exchanged a glance. Steve spoke solemnly: "The other Avengers."
"That's absolutely crazy." Scott's heart rate began to pick up. Despite the danger, he found himself getting excited.
Canada
Deep in a forest, there stood a secluded, ordinary-looking log cabin.
"Hey there~" Natasha Romanoff pushed open the half-ajar wooden door and called out to the inhabitant.
Bruce Banner, who was squatting on the ground studying a wood carving, spun around. He looked at Natasha in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
Natasha's lips curled into a slight smile at his stunned expression.
Three minutes later, the two were sitting on stools. Banner was absentmindedly poking at the embers in the fireplace with a stick.
"I didn't expect so much to happen to the Avengers after I left," Banner said, unsure of how to feel about the current chaos.
Natasha raised her head, watching him. "I think you've already guessed why I'm here, right?"
"Mmhmm." Banner put down the fire poker. After a long silence, he said, "You guys need the Hulk."
"No, we also need Bruce Banner." Natasha reached out and grasped Banner's rough, warm hands.
Banner froze for a moment, then awkwardly pulled away with a faint smile. He stood up. "I've lived in peace here for a few months."
He walked slowly out of the cabin, with Natasha following closely behind. Outside, Banner gazed at the vibrant woods surrounding them. "It's beautiful here, isn't it?"
"It is." Natasha felt the tranquility of the forest. It truly was a wonderful place. If she weren't on a mission, she would have loved to spend the rest of her life in a place like this.
"The Avengers used to have the Hulk to blame. Now... they have a new target for condemnation: a teenage girl who can't control her own power." Banner's voice was laced with mockery toward the government and a sense of weary cowardice.
"Don't you find it hilarious?" Banner continued. "A hero who fought in World War II, who sacrificed himself for his country, and a group of Avengers who stopped an alien invasion... are now wanted criminals?"
Banner was utterly disillusioned. Incompetent and cowardly—those were the words he used to describe the authorities. To turn heroes into fugitives was, in his mind, their greatest "achievement."
Natasha stood behind him in silence. She didn't know how to argue because she felt he was right.
"Go back, Natasha," Banner said, picking up an axe from a tree stump. "I'm not an Avenger anymore."
"But—" Natasha reached out.
Banner interrupted her. "I don't want to go out there just to become another wanted man in the government's eyes. Goodbye."
He walked into the depths of the forest. He still had wood to chop. Living here, Banner had completely isolated himself from humanity. No electronics, no news. His only entertainment was a handmade fishing rod and the nearby river.
Natasha watched his silhouette disappear into the trees and sighed. "I told them it wouldn't work..."
Just last night, Stark had contacted her, asking her to bring Banner back to help control the deteriorating situation. Natasha hadn't wanted to disturb him. She knew Banner; he would fight an external enemy in a heartbeat. But asking him to fight his own teammates? He would never agree.
"Mission failed," Natasha said into her wrist communicator.
Less than ten seconds later, a message came back from Stark: Fine. If he wants peace, don't disturb him.
"I'm coming back," Natasha said, the weight finally lifting from her chest. She looked toward the direction Banner had gone and shouted, "Goodbye, big guy!" Then, she turned and left the forest.
Deep in the woods, Banner heard her. He wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat. He raised the axe and swung it violently into a tree.
THUD!
The Mansion
Wanda looked at the man in front of her with shock. "Why did you come for me?"
"Cap needs help." Clint Barton, Hawkeye, stood before her. Steve had sent him to break Wanda out of the villa.
"But I'll only make things worse," Wanda said, looking down at her hands.
Clint shook his head. "We need you."
He glanced around and quickly fired two arrows into the floor near the exits. Without waiting for Wanda's final decision, he grabbed her arm to lead her out.
BOOM!
A silver blur slammed into Clint, knocking him back.
"Clint!" Wanda cried out.
Clint crashed into a counter, rubbing his stinging back. "That hurt..."
"Wanda isn't leaving," Pietro Maximoff said coldly, standing protectively by his sister.
Clint stood up, wincing. "Really? I've only been retired for five minutes and everything goes to hell."
"If things are a mess, we should prevent them from getting messier. If Wanda leaves, it will only get worse," Pietro said. He believed he was doing this for her own good. If she stayed, the media storm would pass and she'd still be Scarlet Witch. If she left with Cap, she'd be a fugitive.
"You should consider the consequences of your actions," Pietro warned, moving to teach Clint a lesson.
Clint pulled an arrow from his quiver. Pietro's eyes narrowed as he prepared to dash forward. Clint smirked.
Zzzzzzt!
The arrows he had fired earlier released a powerful electric field the moment Pietro entered the perimeter.
"ARGH!" Pietro couldn't react in time. The current surged through him, leaving him convulsing on the floor.
"Pietro!" Wanda moved to help him.
Clint stopped her. "Relax, he's fine. It's just enough to make him take a nap."
Wanda looked at her brother with worry. How could she watch him suffer?
Clint saw her hesitation and shouted, "Do you want to atone?! Or are you just going to mope around here and wait to go to high school?"
Wanda's eyes cleared. Her resolve hardened. "Let's go," she said.
Clint breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew."
Wanda turned to her brother. "I'm sorry, Pietro."
PEW! PEW!
Suddenly, two laser beams shot from out of nowhere, incinerating the electric arrows. Pietro collapsed to the floor, panting heavily. "That was for real..."
"Looks like the real trouble is here," Clint muttered. Steve had warned him there were two guards: Quicksilver and the one who made everyone's head ache—Destiny.
"How are you feeling?" Silas walked over to Pietro and offered a hand with a smile.
Pietro rolled his eyes and took the hand. "I didn't think you guys would play for keeps."
"Destiny..." Wanda's gaze was conflicted. She really didn't want to fight him.
Clint whispered to Wanda, "Don't go easy on him, or I'm going to get killed."
"I know," Wanda nodded awkwardly. Clint was starting to regret this; he felt like an outsider trying to break up a family dispute.
"Stark asked me for a favor," Silas said, breaking the silence.
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