Disclaimer: I do not own Martian Manhunter or any DC character. I have not now nor ever will make any money from their use in my fiction.
A green skinned woman slept peacefully in a dim room, covered by a dusky colored blanket. She heard her phone chirp in the darkness. She reached blindly for it on the nightstand, cursing when it fell off and clacked hard onto the ground. By the time she retrieved it had gone silent. She dragged her finger across to open her phone just in time for the caller to try again. A red background filled the screen with a little yellow circle and lightning bolt. "Wally?" She croaked into the phone.
"Heyyyy girl." His familiar voice rang out in her ear.
She looked at the top of the phone to see the time before answering. "Wally it is 3 AM. What do you want?"
"I'm on monitor duty."
"Why would you be on monitor duty?" The man had the attention span of a gnat.
"Hey, ever since you took that sabbatical we've been rotating." He said quickly, trying to move the conversation along. "Whatcha doing?"
"I'm sleeping Wally."
"You can talk while sleeping? Neat. Anyway, I was thinking maybe you could come up here to talk a little."
"You mean do your work for you." She huffed, her groggy mind coming fully awake since it didn't seem the conversation was going to end anytime soon. "It's not much of a vacation if I show up to the watchtower."
"Nah, it's just so boring Mimi. You've got to come up here and keep me company… and help me with work of course."
"Of course." She grumbled.
"Hey, don't be like that. I totally got you covered. I got like… three types of nachos, a pizza or seven, tons of ice cream and those weird cookies you like so much." He tempted. "Plus I'll make you one of those fancy coffee drinks if you ask real nice."
That did actually sound kind of good. "I don't know…"
"If you don't I'll be emotionally devastated!" He wailed.
She allowed a short chuckle to escape her lips. "You are being a little dramatic don't you think?"
"Not really. This place is like… so boring. Also we haven't hugged in a couple months and that is just not right."
"You don't need me to hug you." She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes.
"Nah, but I think you need me to hug you." He said softly.
She flinched at that and decided to ignore the truth of his words. "You got that girlfriend remember? Don't you think she'll be jealous?"
"Of course not." His voice had slowed down considerably. "You haven't been down there sulking again haven't you? Have you even tried to go out and meet anyone yet?"
She could lie to him she supposed, but what was the point? "Not yet."
"Mimi…" He chided.
"I'm going out tomorrow." She said firmly.
She could hear him tsking into the receiver. "You're going out tonight."
"The watchtower is not going out."
"True." He finally relented. "But you need some socialization." He cooed. "Come up here. I can run around like crazy and you can try to make your skin plaid and hang upside down off the ceiling like a bat. We'll wreck up the place."
She probably wasn't going to get any more sleep anyway. She tossed the covers off of her and put her feet on the ground.
"Did I hear you get out of bed?" His voice perked up again.
"Yes."
Wally let out a whoop. "You won't regret this."
"I'm sure I won't." She got in a good stretch before heading to the bathroom.
"I'll send out a boomtube just outside town to pick you up."
What did he say? "A boomtube? Why not just use the transporter?"
"Because it's not as dramatic." Wally chirped. "Plus I wanted to try it out."
She paused at the bathroom door. There were just some things she wasn't going to remain on the phone for. "As soon as you stop talking I can get ready."
"Okay." He was quiet for maybe a second. "Oh and Mi?"
"What?" She grumbled.
"What are you wearing?" He had a sing song tone.
"Goodbye Wally."
"See you soon." He answered cheerfully as she pressed down on the red button to hang up.
After a quick shower she was in the air flying away from Central City. A tear in the sky formed up ahead which at first she assumed was the boomtube Wally produced. Suddenly she felt a pull from the portal ahead and it even started moving towards her. She tried moving away from it as soon as she realized something was wrong but it followed her relentlessly. "Wally!" She cried out. "Is that you?! Is that the boomtube?"
"Is what me?" She could hear Wally ask in her ear, his voice slightly concerned. "You are still miles away Mimi."
"It's following me." It was almost upon her.
"What's following you?"
Her eyes widened in panic as it felt like her body was being torn apart by the rush of light that consumed her. "He-!" Her voice was cut off suddenly.
"Mi…" Wally started, checking his ear piece to make sure it was still working. The signature from her cell and communicator disappeared abruptly. "Mi are you there?" A feeling of dread flowed through him as he reversed the flow of the boomtube to go down by Central City. He called in their friends to alert them to what had happened. He stood up and rushed to the portal. He had a horrible feeling he wasn't ever going to see his friend again.
Dr. Saul Erdel and his young friend and assistant Dr. Wilbur Mitchell watched his invention come to life.
"Now, you are sure it won't break this time?" Wilbur asked slowly. "It works right?"
"You helped me rebuild it."
"Yes, but this is your invention." Wilbur didn't like how he wasn't exactly being reassured by his colleague. He slapped his lab coat, a puff of dust making plums in the sunlight leaking in from the window. "And as cool as dying in a fiery ball of death sounds I would like to live at least a few more years."
"Yes yes." The older man smoothed out his mustache as he ran the final checks.
That seemed to be enough for Wilbur to momentarily forget his concern as he looked at the ring of machinery appreciatively. "This is just like stargate."
"What's that?" Dr. Erdel clucked his tongue at him. "At any rate, you need to step back a little."
"Oh yes." Wilbur moved to where his colleague stood. "I can't believe this is finally happening."
"Well I have you thank Wilbur. I would have never thought of bringing over someone from another universe entirely if you haven't mentioned it to me."
"Do you think your friend will be happy?" Dr. Mitchell asked nervously. "Is he coming today?"
"J'onn? Oh I didn't tell him about what I'm up to." He did ask him to come by later today though, just in case. He simply asked if he wouldn't want to visit his daughter's grave, J'onn hadn't stopped by in a long while. "I doubt he would approve." He said more to himself.
"I see." Wilbur pulled his protective goggles down over his eyes. "Well maybe he will once we bring a friend over." He looked at the control panel and located the signature of the Martian they located earlier. "This one looks like the best candidate, I've been watching her for weeks. She is the last of her kind in her world."
Dr. Erdel approved. "Good, we don't want to split up a family."
"If everything seems okay on your end I'll start." Dr. Mitchell urged.
"Let's get started then." His invention was pretty straight forward. Find the signature, make visible contact and then pull them through. "I see her."
"I'm turning on the teleporter now." They both watched as the ring of light absorbed the panicked Martian on the screen.
Dr. Erdel turned to Wilbur. "There will be a little delay, but she will be here soon. Try not to move too quickly, she might be disoriented."
"I'll bet." Wilbur nodded. "I'll let you handle her. You have the most experience with Martians." He yelped as a burst of light filled the room, followed by a loud tearing sound.
Mi was in mid-scream when she appeared suddenly. Her entire body trembled as she felt herself reform. She had to look down and check just to make sure she was all there. A man's voice interrupted her panicked thoughts.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Erdel. What is your name?" Erdel spoke in the Martian language J'onn had taught him to put her at ease, when she took a moment to answer he grew concerned. "Are you feeling alright?"
Mi looked at the man at first, not sure what to make of her situation. Suddenly faint recognition dawned on her features. "You again?" She hissed at Erdel. Her clothes seemed to spring to life, strips of fabric wrapping her around her body like black snakes until she was completely covered from head to toe. A single particularly angry looking red eye peaked out from behind the shroud.
Only then did the two scientists notice she was carrying some wicked looking blades on her hips. She looked like she sorely wanted to use her weapons on them. Oh lord, not again! Dr. Erdel threw his hands up in surrender. "Please, I didn't mean any harm!"
The woman ran up to Saul and pulled him by his collar until they were nose to nose. "What is wrong with you? What do you want with me? Why do you keep bringing me here?"
"Nothing! I don't want to do anything with you." Dr. Erdel cried. "I've never brought you here before. This is the first time I brought you from a parallel world."
"Parallel world?" Mi felt a chill go up her spine. She tapped her ear a few times to see if her communicator would work. Nothing but static rang out on the other end. Oh God! Wally and her friends must be so worried. "Send me back." She demanded.
"I… I can't!"
"You brought me here with no way to return me home?!" Mi was starting to lose her temper. She resisted the urge to the shake the cowering man.
"He's right!" Wilbur cried out at her sudden movements, putting a desk between himself and the woman he perceived as a threat. "Please calm down. We brought you here for a friend."
"Brought me here?" She looked up to see Wilbur, the man with red hair. Wally? No, he was much older and looked a little different. "For a friend?"
"Yes." Dr. Mitchell turned white as a sheet when she set her sights on him. "A green Martian like you."
Her lips made a hard line, not that they could see it. "I am not some thing you can hand over to a friend." Her eye went back to Dr. Erdel.
"No, no, of course not." He squeaked.
"I'm glad you understand." Mi hissed. "Do not summon me here again." She released Dr. Erdel and he sank to the floor. "This is your last warning old man." She wasn't about to harm him, but she felt maybe if she rattled him he might get the hint and leave her alone once and for all.
She launched herself through the ceiling, angry enough to punch a hole through it rather than just phase her body and leave it undamaged. The man with the auburn hair made a shrill yelp, giving her the momentary satisfaction of scaring someone for wronging her.
"Dr. Erdel!" Wilbur ran to him and checked his older friend to make sure he was unharmed as part of the ceiling caved in around them.
"I'm fine." Erdel puffed, standing up with Dr. Mitchell's help. "That was a little disappointing." He let out a long breath of air to calm himself. "But at least she didn't seem completely unbalanced. She was just upset that we brought her here."
"This was not a success!" Wilbur cried, gesturing to the broken ceiling, which had fallen and crushed his friend's invention. "She is a lunatic." He didn't even see her hit the ceiling, she seemed to send some unknown force through it. It was terrifying.
"We don't know that yet." Dr. Erdel defended stubbornly.
"I'm sorry Dr. Erdel." Wilber pushed a trembling hand through his messy hair. He didn't want to argue. Part of him wished to stay and help but what could he really do? He looked positively green around the gills. "If you are good here. I would really like to return to my hotel."
"Of course Wilbur." Dr. Erdel agreed, a little surprised he wanted to depart so soon after such an event. "After such an experience you probably need to lie down."
"I do feel sick." Dr. Mitchell admitted.
"J'onn should be here soon." Dr. Erdel thought he would mention, he knew how excited his colleague had been to meet a Martian. Perhaps he would feel better if he met a friendly one to counteract the fright he just experienced. "Would you like to meet him?"
"No, I don't think I will." Wilbur said sadly. "I think I've had my fill of aliens for the day."
"I understand." Erdel nodded. "Please try not to think too badly of them. They are just a little different."
Wilbur snorted, that was an understatement. "Thank you. I'll be on my way." Dr. Erdel walked him to his red rental truck and watched him as he slammed his door shut.
"Drive safely." Erdel slapped the hood of his truck.
Wilbur was still visibly shaken. "If I don't get eaten on my way to town you mean."
"You'll be fine." Erdel waved him off, trying to figure out what he was going to say. He had a lot of explaining to do once J'onn arrived.
That had not gone well at all. "I hope you are not cross with me J'onn." Dr. Erdel followed dumbly behind the much larger man.
J'onn didn't even bother to look back at him. "Cross is too kind a word. I am livid."
Saul stifled a chuckle, never having seen the Martian actually display such an emotion before.
"This is no laughing matter." J'onn chided. "You unleashed yet another martian through the portal. One would think that after having your daughter attacked by D'kay you would maybe consider the repercussions before bringing a monster into the world." He paused before adding. "I'm starting to worry about you."
"This one didn't seem quite so unbalanced as D'kay though."
"You said she was carrying weapons." J'onn reminded. Martian bodies were already weapons in of themselves. Why she would need them he couldn't fathom.
"She didn't use them on me or my assistant Wilber."
J'onn snorted, as if that were any indicator.
Dr. Erdel did concede. "She was frightful looking though. Only one eye poking out of a bunch of black bandages. She looked like she was staring in one of them ninja films."
"She could have been too stunned to use her weapons against you." J'onn reasoned. "Going through your machine isn't the most pleasant experience."
"She didn't looked stunned." Dr. Erdel defended. "She looked like she knew what she was doing."
"Hm." J'onn wasn't so sure about that.
"I thought you would be happy." Dr. Erdel panted, trying to keep up with J'onn's much longer stride. "There is someone out there like you who isn't a total nut job."
J'onn finally spotted his daughters grave ahead in the clearing. It was a simple blank stone that he hadn't thought to engrave it in the human tradition. It had been so long since he had come. Even at his busiest he usually managed an annual visit to her grave site to place a flower or a toy on the rock. He couldn't believe he let three years slip past him. As they drew closer he was confused to find a shiny red apple, a little bottle of something to drink and a white envelope resting on top of it. "Saul?"
"Not mine." He threw up his hands.
J'onn snatched up the letter. It appeared to be addressed to him so he tore it open and read it.
"Looks like martian." Dr. Erdel pointed out, looking at the envelope. "That's your name right?"
"Yes." J'onn was confused by the letter. It was almost as if the writer believed that he himself had been entombed here.
"Well, don't keep me in suspense." Dr. Erdel prodded. "Who's it from?"
"M'yri'ah."