a Justice League story
by Merlin Missy
Copyright 2005
G
Characters and situations? Not mine. DC's, Warner Bros., and also Bruce Timm. Set somewhere in the first season of JL. By request for Mara Greengrass.
"We could go as backup."
"Sorry, Lantern," said Superman. "The natives of Nebulon Five can't see the color green. You and J'onn would be almost invisible and that scares them."
"It's trimming on the uniform!" he said. He realized he sounded like he was whining. "Fine. But when you get into trouble ... "
"We'll call."
John watched the Javelin-7 take off, carrying everyone but John and J'onn. It's not so bad, said J'onn in his head.
"I hate it when you do that," John said out loud, and then joined him in the control room. Truth be told, and he could only tell the truth to J'onn, he liked the Martian. His stoic presence was a relief after spending any length of time around Flash.
"But you wanted to go."
"Sounds kind of petty, doesn't it?"
"Not really. I enjoy spending time with them as well."
"And that's why you live up here on the station, thousands of miles away from everyone else?"
J'onn shrugged. "I like the quiet."
"Speaking of quiet, since they've got the ship, I need to get Batman if he's going to stand his watch."
J'onn inclined his head. John ringed up a personal field and headed out of the station.
He hadn't gone more than half a mile toward the planet when he spied the asteroid, maybe twice the size of a tractor trailer. "Well that's odd." He changed direction. The trajectory didn't seem to be endangering Earth, as it drifted slowly by on a tangent, but he hadn't seen it on the screens and J'onn hadn't said anything. He scanned with his ring, but the surface was covered with what looked like sulfur dust; he couldn't see inside.
John touched his comm. "Hey, J'onn, turn the sensors in my direction?"
"I see the asteroid."
"Can you check the path and composition of this thing?"
"Scanning." There was a drawn-out pause. "Interesting."
"Interesting how?"
"It has a thin crust. I am having trouble seeing what is beneath."
"Does it look dangerous?"
"No. But just to be certain, I'd suggest trying to push it further away from Earth."
John grabbed his ring arm and formed a giant scoop, then began to push the asteroid up out of the plane of the solar system. Something felt peculiar, and he stopped suddenly.
"J'onn ... "
"Green Lantern, move to a safer position immediately. I believe you may have compromised the crust."
It was a gentle push, John thought. The asteroid jerked suddenly, and then John knew exactly what was happening without even asking.
"J'onn, that's no asteroid."
A talon punched out of one side as a fissure opened.
"Now detecting life signs," J'onn said over the comm.
Less than a minute elapsed from the first crack to the final push free. It was hideous: grey and scaly, with too many eyes and sinuous fins.
"Congratulations, " John said. "It's a ... something." The alien turned most of its eyes to John, and swam toward him. He backed off, but it followed. He beamed backward; it paced him easily.
"Uh, J'onn? What's going on."
"It may believe you're it's mother." John swore J'onn was trying not to laugh.
John sent him a very specific mental gesture.
The End (No, I mean it.)