Chapter 41: Strangers in the Night
Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman, Green Lantern, and Adam Strange belong to DC. No infringement is intended.
Most days Adam Strange was pretty content with the way his life was going. He was a superhero on two different planets. He got to travel across the galaxy by riding a beam of light. He had a super suit that allowed him to fly and more science fiction gadgets than anyone could ask for. He was the champion of the planet Rann and a founding member of Earth's first superhero team, the Justice League. On most days, he really loved being him.
Most days. But not today.
"You need to work on your focus, Gardner," the smooth voice of Green Lantern Thaal Sinestro intoned. Adam wasn't sure how the purple-skinned alien did it, but he always managed to sound condescending, no matter what he said.
"Shut up, purple pie man, and let me concentrate," Gardner complained.
Adam knew that Superwoman (call me Kara, Adam!) had reached an agreement with the Guardians of Oa regarding future cooperation in this sector of space. It was a good idea in general, of course. The Green Lantern Corps was the primary peace-keeping force in the universe, but with each of them being responsible for an entire galaxy all by themselves, it figured that they couldn't deal with everything alone. And having a Green Lantern on one's side was always a good thing. Well, maybe not always. It actually depended on the Green Lantern in question.
Anyway, the Guardians had basically given Kara – and by extension the Justice League – their blessing as being the primary protectors of this region of space. They also wanted their representative, Guy Gardner, to forge closer ties with the Justice League. Adam had briefly considered going on his knees and kissing Kara's feet in thanks for her refusal to make Gardner a member of the League, at least for the time being.
Still, she had agreed to a form of cooperation, which apparently included keeping an eye on things when Gardner and his mentor – the Green Lantern called Sinestro – were operating on or near Earth. Such as today. And with Kara, Diana, and Batman currently being sidelined after battling Mongul (and Adam didn't know whether to be pissed or glad that he had missed that, considering the state the other three had been in), that had left only J'Onn, Green Arrow, and himself as potential baby sitters.
Adam had drawn the short straw. Literally. He couldn't prove it, but he was sure Green Arrow had cheated.
"Your construct is not solid enough," Sinestro chided. "It should look like this!"
They were currently in Metropolis, where a fire had broken out in the industrial district that threatened to spill over into the city proper. Already several buildings were in flames and the fire was rapidly spreading. Multiple fire trucks were already on the job, but having a hard time approaching the conflagration from all the necessary angles.
Guy Gardner's ring was projecting a massive wall between those buildings already ablaze and those still untouched, looking to stop any further spread. It was an impressive display of power, but Adam could see that the edges of the construct were blurry here and there and it flickered occasionally. Sinestro was projecting a wall of his own now, cutting off any further spread of the fire on the other side of the affected area, and, if not for the green glow, it would have looked entirely solid and real.
"Show-off," Gardner muttered, beads of sweat on his forehead. The air above the industrial sector was scorchingly hot. Adam had sealed his suit to escape from the heat and smoke. Sinestro, a green shimmer around his body, looked utterly untouched and kind of bored.
"The local fire fighters are advancing to your right," Sinestro said. "Open a gap in your wall to let them through!"
Gardner grumbled again, but did as he was told for once. Apparently cooperating with locals was part of the curriculum Sinestro was teaching. Good luck with that, Adam mused. What little he had seen of Gardner so far did not make him optimistic on that front.
Adam figured the two Green Lanterns had things under control for the moment and were not in danger of coming to blows (at least not right now), so he decided to help out below. There was little in his arsenal of weapons that would be of help extinguishing the flames, but there might still be people trapped somewhere. Double-checking to make sure his suit was sealed, he flew down and scanned for life signs.
Five minutes and three rescues later his scanners picked up yet another bunch of life signs in a burning building just ahead. Making his way into the warehouse, he spotted a group of four people huddled in the far corner, desperately trying to stay ahead of the flames that had boxed them in. By the look of things, they were homeless, probably just looking for a place to stay for the night, and the fire had taken them by surprise.
"Hang on," Adam yelled, flying towards them. "I'll have you out of here in..."
His words were cut off when the ceiling above gave an almighty screech and he looked up to see the support beams begin to break apart. The entire roof of the warehouse was about to come down in a shower of burning wood. His suit would protect him – probably – but there was no way he could get four people outside before it all came down.
His mind raced, trying to figure out some way to beat the odds. Maybe if he grabbed two of them with his arms, wrapped his legs around the third...
Suddenly a blur shot past him and a moment later there was a figure hovering near the ceiling, bracing the crumbling support beam. The warehouse was dark except for the flickering light of the flames, so Adam only saw an outline. The figure looked to be pretty small, dressed in baggy clothes that were already smoldering. It was wearing a hoodie and facing away from him, so he couldn't see a face, but then he clearly heard a voice.
"Get them out of here, idiot!"
Adam shook his head, broken out of his stupor. He quickly did as told, gathering two of the trapped people to him and flying them outside past the flames as quickly as his rocket pack could. Five seconds later, he was back inside, grabbing the other two and bringing them to safety as well.
He was barely outside when the warehouse finally collapsed. He quickly scanned the surroundings, searching for any sign of the person who had helped him save these people. From the corner of his eye, he saw a blur disappearing into the shadows, ditching a burning hoodie in the process.
He caught the briefest impression of a black T-shirt with a familiar symbol on it before the person vanished from sight.
Adam quickly checked his life signs scanner, but there was nothing to be found. Whoever that had been, they were moving so fast they were already outside the scanner's range. Taking a moment to make sure that the four rescued people were safely in the hands of the paramedics, he took to the skies again and sought out the two Green Lanterns.
"You two didn't happen to see a flying girl wearing a Superwoman T-Shirt just now, did you?" he asked.
Sinestro merely raised an eyebrow, while Gardner grumbled something about there being way too many super females already.
"You are certain the meta-human that aided you was female?" J'Onn asked.
"Positive," Adam replied over the coms. "I couldn't get a good look at her, but the voice that called me an idiot was definitely a girl's."
Adam's surety seemed to imply that he had been called an idiot by females before, but J'Onn would not comment on that.
"And she displayed powers of flight and super strength?"
"Yep! She braced that support beam long enough for me to get everyone out. And considering how close she was to the flames, we can probably add some degree of invulnerability to the mix, too. I tell you, J'Onn, when I saw that she was wearing a Superwoman T-shirt, I briefly wondered whether Kara might have any further family she's kept under wraps so far."
J'Onn chuckled. "A reasonable assumption, perhaps, but I can assure you that this is not the case. The origins of our mystery girl must lie elsewhere."
"Well, we should keep an eye out for her. From the way she was dressed, she either threw together a disguise in a hurry or doesn't really have much in the way of clothes. Either way, she might well be a future Justice League member, I'd say."
J'Onn nodded, agreeing with Adam. During the last few years, the number of meta-humans active on Earth had multiplied rapidly. Apart from the Flash in Keystone City and now that mystery girl in Metropolis, they had heard rumors about a winged hero (or possibly a winged duo) operating in Midway City, a man who could stretch his limbs like rubber in Boston, and someone who could grow to tremendous size on a Native American reservation. And that was just the United States of America. There were also rumored sightings of meta-humans in Russia, China, Africa, and across several European countries. The Justice League kept watch over all of them as best as they could and occasionally – such as in the case of Green Arrow – they would approach one of them for membership.
Having heard about the winged people in Midway, Karen had simply smiled and said she needed to schedule a visit to an old friend really soon.
"Should we call up Kara about our mystery girl?" Adam asked. "She seems to be a fan, after all."
"Not yet," J'Onn shook his head. "Karen needs time to recover from her ordeal with Mongul and the Black Mercy. Let's see if we cannot find out more in the meantime."
Adam nodded, agreeing. "Okay, I'll go back to Green Lantern watching then. Oh, by the way, Sinestro told me that he would like to talk to you, J'Onn."
"To me?" J'Onn asked, surprised.
"Well, he said, and I quote, 'I would like to talk to the last of the Martian Manhunters'. I figure that's you."
The Justice League Watchtower had just passed into the shadow of Earth when the Green Lantern arrived. J'Onn awaited him in the airlock and led him to the observation deck of the orbital station, which had become their place to entertain guests (the few that were invited). The night side of Earth was visible through the large window, the lights of the populated areas below twinkling like tiny stars.
"Thank for your agreeing to see me, J'Onn J'Ones," Sinestro said, lowering himself into one of the chairs.
"I was surprised when Adam Strange relayed your request," J'Onn replied, sitting down as well. "It's been a while since anyone specifically wished to speak to me. I am curious."
Sinestro nodded, folding his hand in front of him and looking quite pensive.
"I heard that Kara-El and some others of your group fought against the monster that killed Abin Sur. He was defeated?"
J'Onn nodded. "Indeed. Mongul came to Earth to take revenge upon Kara-El for denying him the War World. He did some damage, but in the end he was defeated. He will not hurt anyone ever again."
"Good," Sinestro said, nodding. "I am glad my old friend can rest easier now."
"I doubt you came here only to inquire about Mongul," J'Onn remarked when Sinestro went quiet for a while. "Adam Strange could have easily given you that information."
"I have read up on space sector 2814 ever since I was assigned to serve as Lantern Gardner's mentor," Sinestro began. "The reason why the Guardians are interested in forming an alliance with your group is that they see you as the future stabilizing power of this sector. A role once fulfilled by the Kryptonians and, before that, by your people."
"That is true," J'Onn said, wondering what the point of all this was. "During the height of our civilization our Manhunters served as law enforcement officers in large parts of the galaxy."
Sinestro nodded. "Yes. It was a time of peace and order for this sector of space. I have found numerous records indicating that your people and the Green Lanterns of that time worked together as well."
"The Green Lanterns were respected on Mars," J'Onn agreed. "We had much in common with them."
Sinestro nodded again, still seemingly trying to figure out what to say. "How did you... when your people died and order collapsed into anarchy... how did you deal with it?"
Karen had told him why the Guardians had sent Sinestro to Earth, so J'Onn quickly realized the true point of this question.
"Not very well for quite some time," J'Onn admitted. "More than once I considered giving up and joining my people. I hid away in the ruins of our world for centuries, clinging to my leftover duties and ignoring everything else. It was only when I encountered Kara-El that I regained a semblance of self and began to live again instead of simply existing."
Sinestro didn't reply, simply looking down on his clasped hands.
"I hear that your sector of space is among the most peaceful and orderly in the entire universe," J'Onn said. "You fear that it will not remain so?"
"Green Lanterns are supposed to master their fears," Sinestro replied. "Only then can we use the Green Light to its fullest extent. To allow fear into our mind is to become vulnerable."
Sinestro looked up. "And yet I cannot quite banish the worries that plague me. All throughout history no era of peace and order has ever lasted."
"Nothing lasts forever," J'Onn reminded him. "As much as we would like it to. All things are transitionary."
"You and Kara-El have lost everything," Sinestro said. "You saw your worlds die and yet you go on and try to start from the beginning all over again. I am not sure I would have this kind of strength, were that to happen to me."
J'Onn leaned forward, putting a hand on Sinestro's shoulder. "I cannot answer that question for you, Green Lantern, and I sincerely hope that you must never find out. I can only give you a piece of advice that I wish someone had given to me before my world died."
"What advice?" Sinestro asked, looking up.
"Savor the good times while they last. Be prepared for the future, but do not let the worries of what may come ruin that which is."
Sinestro chuckled. "You make it sound easy, J'Onn J'Onnz."
"It certainly isn't," J'Onn replied. "I can imagine the thoughts that plague you. When we Martians were at the height of our power, none of us believed there was anything in the universe that could threaten us. Then my people died and for endless years, I wondered what we could have done differently. How we could have been better prepared, what measures we could have taken, if there had been something, anything we might have done to prevent our own doom."
"Did you ever find an answer?"
J'Onn shook his head. "None that had any worth or would in any way change what had happened."
"I keep thinking that I need to do more," Sinestro confessed. "The power of the Green Light is vast, but still limited. If I had more power…," he trailed off.
"Then sooner or later you would still encounter someone more powerful than you," J'Onn finished for him. "And all the while your quest for more power, more safety, more control will only take you farther and farther away from those you wish to protect in the first place."
Sinestro gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean?"
J'Onn gestured towards the viewing window, where the night side of Earth was still visible in all its splendor. "We have built our Watch Tower up here, far above the world we protect, but none of us live up here. We live down there, among the people. Because if we keep looking at them only from up here, we will eventually forget that they are people and not just tiny little lights, far away."
He looked at Sinestro. "It's something Kara-El once told us. People like us, with so much more power than most, must always be aware that we are still just people. Down there on Earth, there are humans who worship Kara-El as a goddess due to her power. Her greatest fear is that someday she might start to believe them."
Sinestro mused on that thought. "Would that be so bad? Would she not be able to protect and nurture them better if she had their absolute devotion and loyalty? Absolute power?"
"Perhaps. But there is a saying that we have discovered is common on Krypton, Mars, and Earth as well: Power corrupts. The Earthlings also say that the road to damnation is paved with good intentions. If one seeks more and more power, even for the noblest of reasons, sooner or later the acquisition of power becomes an end, no longer a means."
Sinestro looked out the window at the face of the Earth.
"Thank you for your time, J'Onn J'Onnz," he finally said, turning towards the Martian, extending his hand. "You have given me much to think about."
J'Onn shook his hand. "If you need to talk again, Sinestro, I will be here. However, I recommend talking to Kara-El as well when the opportunity presents itself. Much of what I have said today I have learned from her example."
"I am looking forward to it then," he said, taking his leave.
End Chapter 41
Author's Note: I really need to put more of Adam Strange into this story. He is really fun to write, though how much my portrayal of him has to do with the DC Comics character is debatable. Oh well. Anyway, more glimpses of a strange newcomer here in this chapter. Who could it possibly be?
Only the second-ever chapter without Superwoman and not even a Superboy to be seen anywhere. But you get J'Onn and Sinestro having a heart to heart, too. Hope that helped.
