"Is everyone alright?" I said with a frown as I let down the barrier I had erected out of telekinetic energy, the attack seemed to be over.
Looking around where we were standing, I felt like patting myself in the back for how my barrier had kept out not only the explosion but also it's heat cause the forest were standing in the middle of before was now gone and we now stood in the middle of a barren wasteland.
"We're fine." Laura said with a grunt as she dusted off her shoulder, with the rest of the gang following soon after.
"So…" I looked up at the sky for a moment before turning to Betty. "What are the chances that this was the work of your daddy dearest?"
"Not very high since I had Valeria check his whereabouts before and he still should be somewhere in the Middle East at the moment, but I wouldn't truly rule it out with him." She said with a huff as she helped Bruce back to his feet, who looked just a tiny bit greener than normal.
"As a matter of fact you should keep your telepathy up in order to make sure he doesn't just jump out of a bush or something." That would be easy since there were no bushes left after that explosion.
"Just bombing is from afar, the villains of this age seem to have no sense of honor. Not even that bastard Augeas would have had the nerve to attack me like this." The local demigod complained as he got up. He had been the one closest to the edge of the barrier and therefore the explosion, which showed with the wild way his hair was standing and the singed tips of it. "Then again, Augeas was a little bitch who couldn't even take a leak without several servants by his side so that might be less about honor and more along the lines of him not having the balls for it."
"Dude, stop talking about balls." I said with a deadpan before turning to Bruce. "You got any idea who might want to do this other than Ross?"
"Do you want a list or something?" The bespectacled scientist deadpanned at me before leaning down on the ground and picked some dirt up, which he then sniffed. "Though for this instance, I would say I have a pretty good idea." He said with a sigh as she dusted his hands off. "Not many of my enemies who can access ion based explosives like these."
"Great, we gotta deal with that egghead now." Betty said with a scoff and I finally realized who they were talking about.
"Sterns?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, getting one in return from Bruce.
"Yes, but how do you know that?" Oh no, he actually questioned my meta knowledge.
"Don't bother with it Bruce, Damian knowing things he shouldn't know is just the norm." Fortunately Betty came to my rescue with a groan, looking like someone who had long since given up on hope. "We have more pressing concern right now anyway. You know, like Sterns."
"My apologies but can one of you please give some information about this 'Sterns'?" Ororo asked with a frown as she walked towards us, looking decidedly unhappy about being left out of the conversation.
"Samuel Sterns, also known as the Leader, is a gama mutate like me. Except instead of becoming a giant rage monster, Stern ended up becoming extremely intelligent." Bruce said with a crossed expression, looking unhappy about the way their powers worked. "It also caused his head to become so large that being called an egghead is something of an understatement for him."
"He's also obsessed with 'defeating' Bruce because that's how super villains are." Betty piped up with a huff. "If he knows that we're here, then it's only a matter of time before he attacks again."
"True, which is why I believe it would be the best option to evacuate the area and leave him, his ego should be big enough to keep him company."
"Or you could turn back into Hulk and we all could just crash his dumb plans before they become an actual problem later on." They had reunited less than an hour ago and they were already arguing like an old married couple, it almost made me jealous.
"Taking the fight to Sterns without knowing about his plan can cause far too much collateral damage. Putting innocent lives at risk."
"Lives are at risk every moment that overgrown brain tumor walks around, the so called collateral damage you talk about is a necessary sacrifice."
"Your reasons are that of a brute!"
"And yours are that of a spineless little bitch!"
As their argument kept going, I decided to do the smart thing and keep my distance from them. Much like everybody else were doing.
"Is this how the rest of the gods felt when the goddesses were fighting over that golden apple?" And giving some nonsense commentary from time to time.
Honestly, I could see both of their arguments as valid but I definitely found Betty's idea far more suitable. The Leader was far too dangerous to be allowed free rein, the mad man was one of the smartest beings on the planet. Give him too much time and he would have some sort of science mumbo jumbo that could take some true powerhouses down. It definitely would be for the best to eliminate him as quickly as possible.
Though the fact that I didn't care that much about the 'innocent lives' Bruce was talking about might be influencing my decision as well. Then again... oh, not again.
"Everybody get ready, we got company." I said as I transformed into a fully Burning Martian form, flames licking the edge of my skin and claws sharpened. Right before four large booms echoed throughout the air as four individuals landed right in front of us.
"Well well well, looks like that head case was telling the truth." The one in the very front, a man in a green jacket with a purple mask who had a very big crowbar in his hand. "Bruce Banner and his friends, ready to get their teeth kicked in."
"Wrecker." Bruce said with a displeased frown on his face. "You work for the Leader now?"
"I work for anyone who is willing to pay me for beating up wanna be heroes like you." The now named Wrecker said as he swung his crowbar in the air. "Now then, let's have some fun!" Which he then swung forward as he ran towards us.
"Gah!" Only to go flying back as my fist met his face.
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