Banner took his hands out of his pockets and turned his head to the left and right, seeing only the barren wasteland around him. It was a good place for a talk with a godlike being, because as much as Banner would have preferred the talk to be peaceful, he knew how it was going to end.
"Alright Trixie, I'm here. Can the others hear me?" Banner spoke aloud, waiting a few seconds before he heard the mare's voice in his head.
'Yes Banner, we can all hear you. The spell is working.'
'I still think this is a bad idea,' Captain Marvel's voice said with the sounds of worry in his tone.
"I will be fine, Billy. This is something that I have to do. I want to hear both sides of the story about this war before I commit myself to fighting to a single side. The three of you are on standby for when this all goes south, right?" They affirmed that they were, giving Banner a brief moment to take in a deep breath before he was ready. "Do it."
"SHAZAM!"
Banner heard the thunder echoing across the landscape, waiting until it had died down until he slowly sat down in the dirt and crossed his legs, placing his hands on his knees and closing his eyes. He let no thoughts enter his mind while he meditated, not breaking his pose until he felt his skin tingle with an otherworldy power. In response to the sensation, he slowly opened his eyes and looked up into the sky, seeing the man who looked down on him.
'Golden lightning bolt? Godly powers? Black attire? This is him,' Banner thought as the man easily floated down towards him, his cape slowly swishing in the breeze as he floated near Banner. "Hello there. You must be the one called Black Adam. I have heard a great deal about you."
"Indeed I am. But you have me at a disadvantage, because I do not know who you are," Black Adam responded as he narrowed his eyes. Banner watched while the being's eyes moved faster than he could see as Black Adam studied the one sitting before him. "I will ask you to identify yourself and what you are doing here, human. If you do not answer, we will have a problem"
"There will be no need for violence. I'm just here to talk," Banner said calmly in reply as he motioned for Black Adam to sit down. Adam raised an eyebrow before he floated down and crossed his legs while still in the air. "I am Doctor Bruce Banner and I am from Earth. But you already guessed that. What you might have also guessed is that I am a champion of the silver mare." Banner felt the air crackle around him as Adam narrowed his eyes and Banner wondered if the talks would already break down, but Adam made no movement to attack.
"I assumed as much. No mere mortal would be so calm in front of me. But why are you out here alone, Banner? If you wish to fight me, then know that you will not win." Banner watched as Adam looked past him and off into the distance for a brief second, telling Banner that Adam did not believe he was here alone.
"I am not here to fight, I'm here to talk," Banner repeated for Adam, once the man had turned his attention back to him. "Luna told me about you, about how you're a monster that slaughtered everything in your path and corrupted her sister into trusting you and letting you run free...that you are nothing less than a god of death."
"And you do not believe her?" Adam asked with a curious look.
"I have found that I can rarely trust the words of rulers. I sought you out to get your side of the story," Banner said as he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "I've lived nearly all of my life being tricked by others to fight for them, so this time I'm making sure that I know all the facts before I wage war." Adam took in Banner's words for a moment before nodding, respecting the man before him enough to answer.
"My story is one of pain. On my world I was the ruler of a nation called Kahndaq, a powerful nation yet a peaceful one as well. But then the day came when I lost everything, when my nation was wiped off the map," Adam began with strength in his voice, never letting Banner hear any of his pain. "At first, I believed that the United States had unleashed the destruction upon my land, so I wiped out their leaders and slaughtered their congress. It was only years later that I discovered that the God of War had been responsible for the destruction of my people and had used me as a weapon to wage war."
"I know what that feels like," Banner said with a small nod.
"I was then sent here by a power once greater than mine, where I was taken in by Celestia and her daughters. For years I was a part of their family, protecting them as if they were my own. But the day I regained my power was the day I lost Sunnysmiles, one of Celestia's daughters. Then the day came when I was too late to save Radiance," Black Adam said with a scowl. "I have no doubt that Luna has told you of all the acts of death and destruction that I have caused, so I will not speak of those acts. But the tale I am sure she has twisted was the death of the Elements of Harmony. I assume you know whom they are?"
"There are all close friends of mine," Banner said calmly, keeping his emotions to a minimum as Adam nodded with a small frown.
"As they were mine. Know that she is right in saying that I did kill them, I will never deny responsibility for that, but what you must know is that it was an accident. Their magic clashed with mine and the backlash..." Banner cracked open his eyes and focused on Adam's face, able to see behind the strong mask that he wore to see hints of pain in his eyes--pain that he knew all too well.
"I was once the monster that she described me to be, Doctor Banner, but I cast that man aside long ago," Black Adam continued. "But now I wish to ask you a number of questions. Do you know that it was Luna who separated from her sister, because of her hatred and that she created an army to fight against her sister? That she is responsible for this war?"
"No, I cannot say that I knew that," Banner said with a sigh, figuring that Luna was hiding something.
"Or that the silver mare, as you call her, is the one who brought the humans to our land that killed Radiance, the Queen's daughter? Or that she has gathered the six of you to unleash a darkness upon the land to destroy the Queen and her nation?" Again Banner had to sigh, knowing that when he got back to the base, he would have to speak to both Luna and Ryan about what Adam was telling him, if it were the truth. "I may be guilty of a number of sins that I wish I did not have to carry, but do not believe for an instant that the ones you fight for are guiltless. All of us have blood on our hands."
'He does make a compelling argument for his side, but just like Ryan, there is more that he is hiding. I wonder if I can get it out?' Banner mused for a moment before speaking. "There is one point of yours that I must argue with, and that is that the silver mare said that she brought us here to fight against the sphere of destruction." Banner saw Adam's face twitch, telling him to keep pressing. "Do you know that this sphere will soon be unleashed upon this land?"
"If I believed what the mare said, then I would deal with the sphere. But I destroyed it, so it is clear that she is lying," Black Adam said with hatred as he uncrossed his legs and landed on the ground, walking over to Banner with narrowed eyes. "And I believe that I have listened long enough. You are going to come with me."
"I do not want to fight you, Adam. I will need to think about what you have said, but I do believe that we can find a peaceful solution to this war," Banner suggested, but he saw Adam's eyes go cold.
"No Banner, I cannot allow that. You may be a reasonable man, but the mare is not. I have seen what she has done to a number of worlds as well as what she has done to mine," Adam said as he placed a hand on Banner's shoulder, allowing the doctor to feel his power. "And if you truly are one of her champions, then she will come for you. They all will. And when they do, I will end this war myself."
"I'm far more dangerous than I look, Adam. Don't do this," Banner said as he reached up and grabbed hold of his glasses, taking them off and placing them within his pocket. He felt Adam tighten his grip and knew that he was being given little choice. He then reached up once again and placed his hand over Adam's. Black Adam wondered what he was about to do before, against all of his reasoning, the skinny man grabbed hold of his hand and flung Adam into the sky. Adam caught himself almost immediately and he spun to face the doctor...only to see that he was transforming before his very eyes. The doctor's skin turned green before his body began to expand, growing larger and more muscular until he was larger than Black Adam.
"What strange magic be this?" Adam asked as the green giant looked up at him with a huge grin on its face.
"Sorry genius, but this isn't puny magic. This is sheer power!" The Hulk roared as he flung himself towards Adam with one fist brought back, Adam still in shock as the green monster slammed his fist into the god's face and sent him flying into the ground, where the force of the blow carved out a trench with Adam's body. "Heh, so much for that god. Even goldilocks takes more hits than--"
Hulk couldn't finish that sentence because Black Adam decided that Hulk's face would look better with his elbow in it. He struck like a bolt of lightning and slammed the point of his elbow into the Hulk, sending the jade giant skidding back. Hulk wiped his nose with his hand and glanced at his fingers before smiling up at Black Adam.
"I...felt that," Black Adam muttered as he took up a fighting stance, both eyes locked on the Hulk with both caution and calculated coldness. "You were right, Doctor Banner, you are dangerous."
"Sorry to spoil your fun, but Banner's taking a back seat right now. Call me Hulk," Hulk said as he slammed his fists together, generating a small shockwave. "And I'm the strongest there is. Now let's see how strong you are!" Hulk roared as he hurled himself into the air with both arms extended. Adam threw himself up after the Hulk and drove his shoulder into the Hulk's stomach. but before he could build up any real speed Hulk drove both of his fists into the god's back, driving Black Adam into the dirt below and decimating the ground. Adam groaned as he looked up to see Hulk falling towards him shoulder first, a smile on his face.
"GAMMA CHARGE!" Hulk yelled as he landed shoulder first, hurling chunks of rock and debris into the air. But as Hulk rose back to his feet and looked down, he found that Black Adam was already gone. Hulk spun around to take a knee to the jaw that snapped his head back, followed up by three quick strikes to his solar plexus. Adam's hand wrapped around Hulk's throat and dragged him into the air, where Adam tossed him a little above his head before slamming him back into the ground.
"The strongest there is? You may be strong, as strong as a titan, but do not believe that you are the strongest," Adam said as he crossed his arms and looked down as Hulk pulled himself out of the crater, the smile still on his face but it was more a mad smile then a happy one. "Now, come Hulk, let me show you why I am the champion of this land."
Faster than Hulk registered Adam flew forward and kicked Hulk in the teeth, snapping his head back once again and nearly knocking him over. Hulk recovered quicker than Adam had anticipated and took a monstrous green hand to the chest that flung him into the dirt. Adam flipped out of his slide and skidded to a stop in time to see Hulk slam his fists into the ground, sending a tidal wave of stones towards the Dark God. Adam took to the skies to avoid the attack, rocketing back down to catch Hulk with a kick to the legs that knocked Hulk into the air, where he was helpless as Adam pointed his arm at him.
"Feel my power! Der not kazam!"
Magical lightning imbued with the power of the gods struck down the green behemoth and drilled him into the dirt beneath Adam's feet, where he remained in the new crater smoking and motionless. "You were a strong foe, but it seems that you were not strong enough," Adam said as he walked over to the crater. "Now then, you are coming with me and--" Hulk's leg shot out and caught Adam in the gut, skipping him across the ground like a stone over water. Hulk pulled himself out of the smoldering crater with a snarl, the smile gone from his face.
"That wasn't half bad. Way stronger than the lightning goldilocks hit me with," Hulk snarled as Adam floated back to his feet, noticing that the Hulk seemed to be getting bigger. "But all that light show of yours did was make me angry. You wanna see what happens when I get angry!"
Hulk roared with power as he hurled himself forward towards Adam, who landed on the ground as he braced himself for the oncoming attack. With all of the rage he had built up, Hulk swung forward with his fist, Adam responding by holding out his hand to catch the punch. The two collided and the force of the impact splintered the very ground beneath their feet, creating a shockwave so massive that the clouds above their heads were blown away by the force. But down in the battle, the only look on Hulk's face was not one of victory nor rage. It was one of sheer confusion.
"How?" Hulk asked as he looked forward at Black Adam, who had not only caught Hulk's punch with one hand...but he also hadn't budged from where he had planted himself. Hulk's blow hadn't even moved the god from his spot. Adam's response was to twist Hulk's arm, turning him to the side and leaving him open for another boot to the face that sent him staggering back.
"As I said Hulk, you are not the strongest there is. Allow me to show you who is," Adam said as he rocketed forward towards the Hulk, electrifying his fists as he did so. He vicious uppercut caught Hulk in the jaw, lifting the jade giant into the air despite his weight. Adam flew up after him and drove his knee into the Hulk's jaw, keeping him stunned as Adam reached out and grabbed Hulk by the throat. "This battle is over. Sha-"
"ADAM!" Black Adam had barely registered the words before a red and white blur slammed into his back, forcing him to release the Hulk as the two dug a trench with their bodies. Adam shook his head to recover before a fist to his jaw hurled him into the air, the god reaching the lower atmosphere before he stopped him.
"That voice," Adam muttered before rocketing back down to the planet below, coming to a stop in front of the one who had attacked him from behind. Adam narrowed his eyes as they rested upon the white cape and hood, as well as the golden lightning bolt, knowing full well who stood before him. "Captain Marvel. It has been a long time. But I do not believe that you are the one I know. Your attire is different and your eyes seems...stronger."
"My eyes aren't the only thing about me that has gotten stronger," Marvel said with a scowl as he brought both of his fists up in front of his face, taking up a stance. "And you might not be the Black Adam I defeated, but you're Black Adam and that means that you're trouble. And I stop trouble."
"Stay out of this, kid, this fight's mine," Hulk growled as he walked up besides Marvel, but Adam snapped his fingers to create a blast of lightning that shot from behind Adam's head and lanced into Hulk's chest, knocking him back down to the ground.
"Do not bother getting up, Hulk. You are indeed strong, but this is a fight you cannot be a part of," Adam said as he narrowed his eyes, slowly beginning to walk towards his foe. "Come child." Adam threw a right towards Marvel's head, which Marvel blocked with his right hand before catching Adam's arm with the other hand. He tightened his grip as his other hand took hold and he swung Adam over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground back first before Marvel followed up with an elbow drop to Adam's chest, pushing him into the ground even further.
"You've gotten slow old man," Marvel said as he pulled Adam out of the ground and hefted him onto his shoulders, spinning him around before hurling him into the air. Yet again, Adam recovered quickly and delivered both of his boots into Marvel's chest, sending him skidding backwards.
"And you are still far too sloppy with your form. What mockery of a fighting style is that?" Adam asked as he dashed forward and went to drive both of his legs into Marvel's gut, but the moment he stuck his legs out Marvel leapt into the air and dropkicked Adam in the chest, this time sending him crashing into the ground. Adam kicked up to his feet in time to see Marvel wrap his arms around Adam's torso and slip behind him, suplexing Adam over Marvel's head and dropping him onto his neck.
"It's a little twenty first century fighting style called professional wrestling mixed in with some tricks I picked up in a few fighting games. But unlike the wrestlers, I don't pull my punches," Marvel said with a smirk as he threw lightning-fast lefts and rights that Adam deflected with equally quick speed. Adam was so focused on blocking the punches that when Captain Marvel threw a kick he didn't have time to react. The kick caught him in the gut and doubled him over, giving Marvel time to grab both of Adam's arms and hold them behind his back before he flew up into the air.
"Thundering tigerbomb!" Marvel yelled as he flipped Adam over his head, grabbed around his waist and drove the both of them into the ground below, powerbombing Adam into a new section of the wasteland that hadn't been completely broken yet. "How do you like that, Adam? Are you going to stay down or do I need to set up the finisher?"
Adam's response was to burst forth from the rocks and deliver lightning fast punches and kicks to Marvel's entire body, chopping the Captain in the throat before backflip-kicking him in the jaw, grabbing hold of Marvel's leg as the kick knocked him into the air, before 'ragdolling' him into the ground at Adam's boots.
"Despite all of your newfound "skill," it seems that you still prefer to monologue instead of finishing the job," Adam said as he placed a boot on Marvel's chest, the Captain shaking his head free of cobwebs as he looked up at Adam. "That is an issue I have never had a problem with. Now then, it is time--" Again Adam was interrupted by a giant green fist to the jaw, this time the blow caught him off guard and hurled him up towards the upper atmosphere.
"What the heck was that for, I was winning?" Marvel asked the Hulk, who narrowed his eyes up to where Adam had gone before looking back down at Marvel, then picking him out of the dirt.
"Trixie just got word from Batmare and Ryan. They've taken out the tower," Hulk explained. "There's no longer a need for us to keep fighting."
"But we're winning! We can take him out here and now, and finish this!" Hulk looked back up at the sky as Marvel said this, wishing that it could be so easy.
"I'd rather not take that risk and neither would Banner or Trixie. You've been out-voted, kid," Hulk said as he tightened his grip on Marvel and leapt back to where Trixie was, landing in an azure circle next to the unicorn. "Alright, I got him. Let's go." Trixie nodded as she finished her spell, the azure magic enveloping all of them for a moment, before they all vanished an instant later. A few seconds after the three of them vanished, Black Adam slammed back down into the dirt, looking around for his foes.
'Odd. I can sense that there was magic used here, but it feels like a mixture of Sombra's and...Trixie's?' Adam thought to himself in confusion, trying to trace the spell before he heard the sounds of massive wing beats and turned to see the purple and green dragon named Spike land in front of him. "This had better be important, Spike, I am trying to locate those who oppose the Queen."
"It is. We've just gotten word that one of our towers in the mountains has been deactivated. The guards there say that a human and a pony in a bat suit snuck inside and destroyed the orb. Zonoro engaged them, but they managed to get away," Spike relayed to Black Adam in a bitter tone. Adam processed the news before he looked around at where he had battled with Hulk and Marvel.
'So, you only wished to talk, you said? Clever, Doctor Banner, very clever indeed,' Adam thought with a nod of his head, acknowledging his foe. 'But how far does your cleverness go, for we shall not fall for the same tactics again.' Adam then turned to Spike, who was awaiting Black Adam's command. "I shall check on the tower and then inform the Queen of what has happened. I want you to gather the other Judges and tell them to pick a tower. We shall not let them lower the shield."
"Alright Black Adam, I'll do it right now," Spike said as he took to the skies, leaving Adam alone once again. Adam looked down at his hand while Spike flew off. The battle with Batson reminded him of the time he had fought him on Earth, when he wrongfully believed the United States to be responsible for the death of his nation. And then his thoughts drifted to the wizard.
'No Adam, you did what was needed. Focus on defeating the mare and finding the sphere of destruction,' Adam thought as he took to the skies as well. 'When this is over, then there will be time for mourning.'