Chapter 4
The street light changes to a white figure walking and the small throng of people start across the pavement. Cars sit impatiently and once they pass, quickly continue on their way.
Most people don't stop, don't look back, for the sake of time and the fact that they have a destination in mind.
Except for one, near the back of the already retreating group.
From a distance, he could barely stick out. He's tall, but at par with some men that he passes. In the time where fall is slowly descending into winter, he wears a hood on his head and his hands are stuffed into his sweatshirt pocket.
No direction is set in his mind. He follows the people in front of him and absentmindedly glances to the sky. It's overcast, with only small signs of rain in the future.
People pass by him without a second glance, and when the people in front of him enter a large restaurant, he keeps walking.
The cold wind rushes by him and he shivers, stuffing his hands farther into his sweatshirt. He continues walking, eyes cast to the pavement. He looks up again as he turns onto another street and sees the burnt remains of the arcade.
"LOOK OUT!"
The figure in front of him was thrown back into nothing and disappeared. He turns to face the swipe as it knocks him across the face and back_
He jumps and his eyes open quickly as someone hits his shoulder as they pass. Panting, his hands are twisted in his hair, in an attempt to steady himself. Slowly, he removes his hands from his hair and looks around, hoping no one saw him.
No one gives him a second glance on the almost empty street. The person who had bumped into him hasn't looked back.
Then why does he feel like someone's watching him….?
He glances back and in the darkness, swears he sees a gaze, paralyzing him and burning….
He turns his head away and begins walking past the arcade quickly. Sticking around will only cause more problems, so he doesn't stop until he's to the next block.
When he slows, he stuffs his hands back in his pockets.
He can see the sun setting on the skyline and the lights around him begin to glow. His sleeve slid back to show his arm had lines that glowed bright in the dark. Sighing as he notices, he pushes his sleeve back down to cover the lights. The sky continuously grows darker and he joins the darkness.
"Any sign of them?"
Two people look up from the computer, as the third continues to work, to meet the gaze of Fury.
"None." The female answers, looking back over the worker's shoulder, glancing at the screen. "It's almost as if they disappeared without a trace…"
"Well what strength are you looking for?" She turns her head and her eyes narrow at the sight of the second man.
Dr. Banner clasped his hands together when she didn't answer immediately. Of course she would be mad…he did leave them all behind_
"Anything unusual will pick up on the radar." She finally says in return, daring to look him dead in the eye.
He looks down to his hands, "Perhaps…perhaps their signatures won't be…off the charts. Check the average amount of radiation."
"Average?" The worker looks to him finally, and Bruce could see the tinge of fear in his eyes at the sight of him. "But_"
"It's going to be messy, yes. But hypothetically, you can trace the origin and tag them so we can find them. Yes?"
After a couple moments of silence, the worker nods and starts his new task. Bruce sighs, unclasping his hands.
"Romanoff. Rogers." The two turn to Fury on his command, "Go into the field and take the team. If that doesn't work, we'll have to find them manually."
"And how we will find them that way?" Rogers questions.
Fury looks back up to him as he had just turned away.
"According to Mr. Flynn…they glow. Now go."
The two exchange a look, before nodding, and pass Fury. Romanoff doesn't look back, but Rogers does to see Bruce look down and away from them and join the worker at the computer.
CRACK
The sound makes the man scramble away from the wall in a fright. He quickly blinks away the sleepiness, and his gaze flicks up to the man standing above him.
"This is private property. Beat it!"
The man cracks the stick against the wall again, and he reacts in a blur. His feet leave the ground faster than he can register and yet land smoothly once again. He turns back to see the man, suddenly not so intimidating, look to him in shock. Before the man with the stick can say a word, he's already tearing away from the alleyway and onto the street, not looking back.