The phone rang three times.
Then came the sound of wind and water lapping against rocks on the shore.
"Lu?" Bruce Banner sounded surprised, his tone retaining its habitual gentleness.
"It's me."
Lucian leaned against the edge of his desk, swirling the unfinished whiskey in his hand.
Ice clinked against the glass.
Contacting Banner had not been a spur-of-the-moment decision.
In genetics and radiation, very few people could decisively outclass Banner.
"Did you need something?" Banner asked tentatively.
Lucian smiled and spoke frankly. "To be honest, I do need a little help from you."
The other end went quiet for two seconds.
Then came a long sigh from Banner.
"Looks like my vacation is over." There was a resigned smile in Banner's voice.
"Send someone to pick me up. You should know where I am."
"But you'd better hurry. All the bait I just cast has gone to feeding the fish down there. It's frustrating to watch."
"Don't worry. This won't take up too much of your time."
The call ended.
Lucian set his phone on the desk and looked at his wrist.
Jade Balance automatically brought up Banner's real-time location.
The coordinates placed him beside a remote lake in northern Canada.
He certainly knew how to pick a spot.
Lucian put down his glass, raised his right hand, and drew a circle in front of his chest.
Kamar-Taj's mystical portals required precise spatial perception.
He had never visited or even seen this lake. All he had in his head were the coordinates and satellite terrain map Jade Balance had provided.
Golden sparks scraped and danced through the air, rotating somewhat sluggishly.
Two seconds later.
The golden ring stabilized completely, and a cool, moisture-laden breeze blew through from the other side.
On the lakeshore, Banner had just fastened the latch