At the scene, the tension finally broke.
Agent Phil Coulson took a step back, lowering his stance.
He knew when to push—and when not to.
After all, the last time S.H.I.E.L.D. had asked General Ross to deal with a situation involving vampires, the intel had been wrong. The result? Heavy losses on Ross's side.
If Coulson pushed again now, it wouldn't just be a disagreement—it would burn the bridge completely.
And when it came to threats like mutants or worse?
They needed Ross.
Ross snorted as Coulson backed off, his expression easing slightly.
"Good," he muttered.
He waved a hand, and soldiers immediately moved in, lifting Connors' unconscious body and securing it for transport.
Might as well put those Hulk-containment systems to use, Ross thought. Green's green.
Then he turned toward Noah, a satisfied grin forming.
"Come on, kid," Ross said. "Let's get out of here before the media shows up. I'll buy you dinner—don't tell me you're busy again."
To Ross, Noah was a rare find.
Every other time he got pulled into operations like this, it ended in losses or failure. The easy wins? Those never made it to him.
But Noah?
The kid found the target, handled it, and had it gift-wrapped before Ross even arrived.
It didn't get better than that.
"Sorry," Noah said without hesitation. "I've got plans."
Ross frowned. "Plans? What could be more important?"
He waved dismissively. "You're not busy with that book nonsense, are you? Or that deal with the Kingpin? Drop it. I'll introduce you to someone better—another colleague of mine. He's been wanting to meet you."
Noah raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who?"
Ross smiled.
"William Stryker."
"He's very… passionate about dealing with mutants. Big fan of you being a baseline human. Wants you on his side."
Noah: …
Internally, Noah sighed.
I wasn't going anyway. Now I definitely'm not.
Stryker was trouble.
The kind of man who didn't just distrust mutants—he hunted them.
And more importantly…
Noah was a mutant now.
If Stryker had any kind of detection tech?
That would get awkward fast.
"Yeah, I'll pass," Noah said casually. "You can tell him I'm not interested."
Ross blinked. "Not interested? Why?"
Noah shrugged. "I've considered working with mutant protection groups before. I don't think we'd get along."
That answer actually made Ross pause.
Given Stryker's personality…
Yeah, that tracked.
"…Fine," Ross muttered. "I'll let him know. But seriously, what's so important?"
Noah glanced toward George Stacy, then smiled.
"Dinner with the police commissioner's daughter sounds better than dinner with you."
George, who had been directing officers nearby, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He turned—
—and locked eyes with Noah's perfectly innocent smile.
Ross stared at him.
"…That's your reason?"
Then he scoffed. "Please. I've got a daughter too. Single. I could set you up."
"No thanks," Noah said with a wave. "Maybe next time."
Ross's eye twitched.
Before he could respond—
Noah bent his knees slightly—
—and launched into the air.
A burst of force cracked the ground beneath him as he shot upward, disappearing into the sky in an instant.
Elsewhere, Coulson stepped into a quieter area, speaking into his earpiece.
"Director, Ross took the subject. We couldn't stop him. He also blocked our attempt to bring Noah in for questioning."
On the other end, Nick Fury listened calmly.
"That's fine," Fury said. "Let Ross have the Lizard. As for Noah… I'll handle him personally."
Before him, a large screen displayed footage—grainy, but clear enough.
Noah's fight.
Frame by frame.
Around him, a group of scientists scribbled calculations, analyzing every movement.
"That doesn't make sense," one muttered. "Based on the force output, his kick should've shredded everything he was wearing. Not just the pants leg."
Another rolled his eyes. "You're worried about his clothes? The guy just kicked something through a building at near-sonic speed."
"But his growth rate—look at the comparison from nine days ago," the first insisted. "His speed has more than doubled. His strength's increased several times over."
"Then he was holding back before," someone else said. "Or now. Either way, we're not seeing his limit."
The room quieted slightly.
At the center, Fury tapped the table once, his expression unreadable.
Back at the school—
Away from the crowd, Gwen sat quietly on the steps, waiting.
Then—
Two hands covered her eyes from behind.
"Guess who."
She sighed, half amused, half exasperated.
"…You're not subtle."
She turned and immediately wrapped her arms around Noah, her voice soft with relief.
"My dad didn't give you trouble, did he?"
"Nope," Noah said easily, returning the hug. "We talked. He went back to work."
She nodded, leaning against him.
"You've been hard to reach lately," she said. "What have you been doing?"
"Training, mostly," Noah replied. "Also took in a mutant at the factory."
Gwen stiffened slightly.
"…A mutant?" she asked. "Guy or girl?"
Noah didn't even hesitate.
"Girl. Pretty, too. But don't worry—we're strictly friends."
Gwen puffed her cheeks slightly, clearly not convinced.
Noah laughed.
Then, before she could react—
He lifted her into a bridal carry.
"Wait—what are you doing?" Gwen yelped, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You said I owed you a movie," Noah said with a grin. "Let's fix that."
Energy surged around them, cushioning her as he crouched slightly—
Then jumped.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as they shot into the air, heading straight toward the city.