When she felt the bed beneath her as she awoke, she believed that the events that had transpired were just a dream. But the man standing above her quickly perished the thought. Britannia gasped and reached for her gun, that for some reason he had not moved from the nightstand; but a metal bracelet held her around the wrist. The handcuffs jingled as she tried to pull herself free from the bedpost.
"You gave me your word," John pointed out, his voice now giving a hint of annoyance.
"Yeah well that was before I had the Martian standing in my living room!" She retorted loudly.
"Please keep your voice down Ms. Valenti-"
"HELP! HELP SOMEO-" she began to yell but a strong hand clamped over her lips before she could finish the last word.
"I thought you would be different from the rest of the humans! But no, you are all the same, always afraid of anything different from you. And you question why I take this human form," he reprimanded her, raising his voice slightly.
There was silence. His tone surprised her. The sound of conviction in his words made her stop struggling and simply look at up at him with slightly apologetic eyes. The silence was broken by a loud frantic knock on the door.
A voice from the other side of the side spoke in rushed English with a Spanish accent, "Señora Valentine! Is all alright? Señora Valentine!"
Britannia pulled John's hand away from her face and whispered, "Un-cuff me!" He hesitated but after another series of knocks he complied. Britannia made her way to the door as fast she could and opened the door, hoping she didn't look as groggy as she felt. At the door was a stout woman with black hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Her face was full of concern for her neighbor.
"Sorry Mrs. Dominguez… I left the TV on in my room… sorry if I woke you…" Bri apologized with a small smile.
"Are you sure? Está todo bien?" The woman tried to look into the dark apartment but Britannia blocked the doorway.
"Yes everything is alright… don't worry… have a good night." The door was shut in Señora Dominguez's worried face as Britannia turned back to John, who was now standing in the bedroom doorway.
"Lets just set the record straight…" Britannia began, "I'm not afraid of you. I treat you like I would treat any other intruder that handcuffs me to my bed."
"Then why are you more comfortable with this form…" he gestured to his human appearance, then quickly morphed into the moss green alien he truly was, "…than with this one?"
"Its not your form, Mr. Jones… It's who you are…" she flashed him a not so friendly look, "you talk about all humans being the same? Well I could say the same for super powered beings… Sure you save the universe… You save the planet…" pause, "…and then you pose in front of the cameras. Don't take this as me not being grateful that there's someone out there helping the galaxy… but while you guys are up there zipping around the stars, the streets turn to shit! The few heroes that still prowl the streets stick to their own cities. Batman in Gotham. Green Arrow in Star City. But guess who is suppose to be guarding Metropolis? Superman. Oh the great Superman. His statue towers over us like he's a god amongst mortals! But I guess he is. A god amongst mortals I mean. And I guess he's too good to clean up mortal trash. Every now and then when he needs another spot in the papers he'll save a puppy from a tree or rescue an old lady from a robber."
John stood there silently as he listened. Her words rang with conviction, making him stand still and open his ears.
She paused for a second as she walked over to the files sitting on the mantle. She spoke softer now, "he has no interest in catching people like the bible killer. He wants something quick with not too much investigation. He's out catching a jewelry shop burglar while the streets run red with blood and corruption…" her tone was morose as she finally ended her soliloquy.
John stood close behind her, frightening her slightly when she turned around. "Is this how the people truly view us…?"
"Well… not everyone… but mostly…" She sighed, "Look… the shiny lights and cameras can get anyone… It's just a matter of learning to turn your back to it when the time calls for it. And trust me… it calls for it…"
The Martian thought for a moment before responding, "I left the Justice League because I did not know what I was fighting for. I saw humans destroy humans for a precious metal or for currency. I did not have the drive to continue saving humans that as far as I knew, were on their own self-made path of destruction. I am giving my best attempt to learn more amongst humans as one of their own. I gave myself one more chance to learn what is in a human. Perhaps this can be a learning chance for you as well. This may be what you call fate."
She blinked, "some fate… but okay. Fine. I won't report you to the police if that's what you're getting to. But… I prefer if you stay in human form for now. This…" She gestured to his Alien form, "… is a little unnerving."