Superman was up in his arctic fortress. He was trying to rearrange things. This place was the closest to Krypton he was ever likely to get. He looks around. It just seemed so baron and cold inside. He wanted to show this place to Lois. But not like this. They had just rung in the new year together and now here he was back at work. Sometimes he felt he didn't give her the time she deserved.
"Kal-El, I have reconfigured your computer's main hard drive." Brainiac says from behind.
"That's great Brainiac, thanks." Superman says.
"It took me five hours, twelve minutes, and thirty-eight seconds; it would have been faster if you let me plug into the computer directly." Brainiac says.
"It's fine as is." Superman says.
Brainiac was always trying to plug into Superman's main drive. Superman wouldn't allow it however. He feared breaching people's privacy. Perhaps it was the farm boy in him being distrusting of machines. Plus, Brainiac was still plenty powerful as he was. Especially in the robot body Professor Hamilton had built for him.
Suddenly the computer started beeping.
"What is it Brainiac?" Superman asks.
"There's someone outside." Brainiac says.
How could anyone have found me? Superman thinks to himself. There were so few people who knew the location of his fortress. Superman went to the front gate. He opened it to see two glowing red eyes in the snow.
"J'onn?!" Superman called out in surprise and relief. It had been a while since he had seen the Martian.
"Hello Superman, how have you been?" J'onn asks.
"I'm fine, come on in. You must be freezing." Superman says.
"Actually, the temperatures on Mars get much colder than up here." Brainiac says.
Superman ignores the android and welcomes J'onn J'onzz into his home.
"Come, can I get you anything?" Superman asks, not that he had much here to offer.
"I have just come to speak." J'onn says.
"Well go ahead. How have things been?" Superman asks.
"Things have gone… okay. I got an apartment in Chicago and have opened up my own private investigation agency." J'onn says.
"That's great!" Superman says.
"I have also adopted an identity similar to your Clark Kent. I have people call me John Jones." John says with a smile. Half realizing the joke he just made of the play off his actual name.
Superman didn't fully get it as he doesn't think of Clark Kent as his secret identity, rather than who he actually is.
"So, what can I help you with?" Superman asks, moving along the conversation.
"I have spent a lot of time meditating, trying to remember what happened on Mars." J'onn says.
"Do you remember anything?" Superman asks.
"I get flashes here and there. The invading bug creatures and such. But I still don't recall what I was guarding." J'onn says.
"How can I help?" Superman asks.
"Well, there is something I do remember." J'onn says.
"Oh?!" Superman responds, intrigued.
"I have thought I was the last survivor of my planet. But through my meditation sessions I recalled something vital. Before I sealed myself away, I had a niece I looked after, M'gann M'orzz." J'onn says.
"A niece?" Superman exclaims.
"Yes, I wanted to protect her from the destruction of my planet." J'onn says.
"So, what happened to her." Superman asks.
"I built a crude craft to send her off world. When she was a baby, I sent her here, to earth." J'onn says.
Superman has to take a moment to process what J'onn was saying. This story sounded so familiar to his own.
"So what happened to her?" Superman asks.
"I don't know." J'onn concedes.
"That was forty-eight years ago." He continues.
"Forty-eight." Superman says softly. He thinks to himself, that was some fifteen years before he reached earth.
"I risked everything to save her. And now I don't know if she survived." J'onn says.
"Brainiac, get me a list of any UFO sightings from the fifteen years before I landed on earth." Superman says.
"I'm on it at once Kal-El." Brainiac says.
"I can't thank you enough for this." J'onn says.
"I'll do everything in my power to help you." Superman says.
"I have found two UFO sightings from the time period that the Martian, J'onn J'onzz, has described." Brainiac chimes in.
"Well where were they? Superman asks, almost impatiently.
"One touched down in Northern Wales, the other in New Jersey." Brainiac says.
"I will go to Wales." J'onn says.
"Shouldn't we stick together?" Superman asks, afraid that J'onn doesn't not exactly know how to interact with humans.
"I am a private investigator. I am not inept at interacting with the human species." J'onn says.
"Did you read my mind?" Superman asks.
"I wouldn't do so without permission, but the expression is written on your face." J'onn says.
Superman tightens up his face. I need to work on my stoic expression like Bruce, Superman thinks to himself. Wait a minute, Batman might actually be able to help with this, Superman thinks.
J'onn touches down in Wales. He looks around. This part of the world just seemed so much smaller and less congested than the American world he had been accustomed to over the past year or so. After taking a moment to take it in, he returns to his mission. It's time for his search for his niece to begin.
Clark sits at his desk at the Daily Planet. His desk is filled with old achieve boxes from the basement of the building.
"Oh no, what are you looking for today?" Lois asks as she sees Clark researching.
"You remember that Martian I told you about?" Clark asks, his voice getting low.
"Oh yeah, what was his name, John?" Lois says.
"J'onn." Clark corrects.
"Anyway, he came to visit me today." He continues.
"What did he want?" Lois asks.
"He claims that he has a niece on earth. He sent her here to survive Mars' destruction. Not unlike what my parents did for me." Clark says.
"So where is she now?" Lois asks.
"We don't know." Clark says.
"How can I help?" Lois asks.
"I'm researching a UFO sighting in New Jersey from almost fifty years ago. I'm just looking for any information on it I can find. And I-" Clark hesitates.
"You what?" Lois asks.
"I was going to ask Bruce for help." Clark says.
"What, are you two going to be best buds now?" Lois asks.
"No, but this is going to involve some level of hacking and breaking into government or military property. And something tells me he's skilled at that." Clark says.
"Instead of someone who lived on half the military complexes in this country growing up." Lois says.
"Did you spend time in New Jersey?" Clark asks.
"No. But my point stands." Lois says.
"Lois, I'm grateful for any help you can give me, but this could be dangerous." Clark says.
"Gosh your corny." Lois says with a smirk.
"Get going, I'll cover for you." Lois says.
Clark thanks her as he departs.
Lois turns around to see Perry coming through the office.
"Lois, where's Kent off to?" Perry asks.
"He's chasing a lead chief." Lois says.
"I had a story for him." Perry says.
"I think he's headed out of town." Lois says.
"So he's just assigning himself stories out of town now? That's what he does?" Perry asks.
"Y- yes." Lois says, hesitantly.
"Well for some reason he never charges plane tickets or cab fare to the company, unlike some people." Perry says, staring at Lois.
"Sucker." Lois shrugs.
Clark walks up the steps of Wayne Manor. He knocks on the door. Alfred opens it up.
"Mr. Kent?!" Alfred says with surprise.
"I need to speak with Bruce." Clark says.
"Master Wayne doesn't take house calls." Alfred says.
"It's urgent." Clark says, desperately.
"Come in." Alfred concedes.
"Master Wayne is sleeping right now." Alfred says.
"It's one 'o'clock, on a Wednesday after noon." Clark says, perplexed.
"Yes well, running a multinational corporation will do that to you." Alfred says, cheekily.
"Where's Jason?" Clark asks.
"It's the first week of his new semester at school following winter break. Not that he's too happy about it. Now let me go fetch Master Wayne for you." Alfred says.
Clark looked around the manor as Alfred walked off. It was so big, and open. It almost felt more like a museum than a home. Clark walked to a room right by the entrance. Inside he spotted a massive picture. It was a photo of Bruce, and who he assumed were Bruce's parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne. Bruce looks young in the picture. He must have been seven or eight when it was taken. It must have been just shortly before their murder.
"Mr. Kent! What can I do for you?" A voice said from behind.
Clark turned around to see Bruce standing there. He was wearing a robe with his hair unkempt. The top of his robe was open revealing a large bruise on his chest.
"Bruce, are you okay?" Clark asks with genuine concern.
"I'm fine, why are you here?" Bruce asked coldly.
Clark paused for a moment, trying to find his words.
"Do you believe in aliens?" Clark asks.
"I kind of have to." Bruce says, annoyed with the absurdity of the question.
"Yeah okay, but other than me, what if there were other aliens among us?" Clark asks.
"The Martian." Bruce states.
Clark raises his eyebrows.
"I make it my business to know." Bruce says.
"Let me get to the point. The Martian, J'onn, sent a craft here with his niece inside. We believe it may have touched down in New Jersey forty-eight years ago. I figured if anyone knew something about it, or could point me to someone who does, it'd be you." Clark says.
"I'll look into it." Bruce says.
"That's' it? I'm trying to help out a friend and-
"I said I'll look into it." Bruce reiterates.
Clark leaves feeling like he won't be getting much help from The Batman. He then calls J'onn to see if he is having any luck.
"I think I've reached a dead end here. All the evidence suggests that this sighting was nothing more than hysteria during an earthquake." J'onn says.
"I'm on my way to New Jersey now. I'll see what doors I can open there." Clark says.
"I'll head that way. See you later." J'onn says.
Clark heads to the Stonehenge building in New Jersey. This is it; this is where the supposed UFO sighting happened so many years ago. A sense of relief came over Clark when he realized there was no reported UFO sighting in Smallville during his research.
Clark makes his way to the roof of the building. He looks out at North Hudson Park. That is where the UFO landed, supposedly. Even though it was nearly a half century ago, Clark hoped to see some clue.
He looks out, and tries to focus in. He can hear everything. Birds chirping, car horns honk, the keys on computer keyboards being tapped. But one voice sticks out above all else.
"THIS IS IT, THIS IS WHERE THE ALIENS LANDED. THIS SPOT HERE. THEY HAVE FOUND US. THEY ARE COMING." Clark hears this and follows it to its source.
In the park, Clark sees and old man. He has long grey hair, and a long beard. He is wearing an old tattered brown jacket. He is likely homeless. Clark approaches him as he goes on about the aliens that landed here.
"Um, excuse me." Clark says.
"ALIENS ARE AMONG US. ALIENS ARE AMONG US." The man yells.
"Excuse me." Clark says a little louder.
"THEY'RE HERE. THEY'RE HERE." He shouts.
"Hey!" Clark finally shouts back to get his attention.
"Hey man, they're here." The man says back to Clark.
"Who?" Clark asks.
"The alien's man, they're here." He says.
"What aliens?" Clark asks.
"They landed here, right here. I tried to warn everyone, but no one wants to listen. Everyone thinks I'm crazy." The man says.
"I'm sure they don't think you're… crazy." Clark says, as he looks the man over. His cloths are nothing more than rags and he's covered in dirt as well.
"They do man. But I know what I saw." He says.
"You have a name?" Clark asks.
"George. George Swardski." He says.
"Well George, why don't you tell me what you saw."
"It was a long time ago man. Nearly fifty years. But I saw it man. I used to work at a gas station right over there. One night I saw a ship fall out of the sky." George says.
"A ship?" Clark inquires.
"Yeah man. I saw a ship man. I ran over and tried to investigate. The ship was so hot, I couldn't touch it man." George says.
"So what did you do?" Clark asks.
"I came back the next day man, and there were these military dudes here man. They blocked off the area and took it away man." George says.
Clark was trying to process the story. He wanted to believe George, but his mind seemed somewhat deteriorated.
"Perhaps I can help." A voice says from behind Clark. Clark turns around to see J'onn.
"I'm sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Clark Kent from the Daily Planet. The in my friend John Jones, he's a private investigator." Clark says.
"Are you going to tell my story man?" George asks.
J'onn puts his hand on George's forehead. There's a white flash and J'onn can see that night from George's view. George is pumping gas for a customer at work. He looks up to the sky and sees something falling, fast. The object crashes into the park. George approaches it. He sees a ship, or the burnt remains of a ship. He tries to get closer, but it's too hot for him to approach. It's late at night and there doesn't appear to be anyone else around. He decides to sleep in a nearby bush. He will wait for it to cool and then continue to investigate.
When George wakes up, just a couple of hours later, there are military vehicles around the area. They are loading up to craft and moving it out. George decides to follow. The truck makes its way to a military base. The sign outside says Fort Dix Army Base, in Burlington New Jersey. George decides to try and sneak in. Not two feet into the gate, George is caught.
The agents on base assume he has something to do with the UFO. He is taken for questioning. George is electro shocked over and over in an attempt to make him forget what he had seen. But though some parts of his mind are altered, he remembers to ship. He has spent every day since then in the park trying to warn about the coming alien invasion. But to no avail. Just then, J'onn disconnects from his mind.
"Wh- what did you do to me?" George asks.
"I tried to help you." J'onn says.
"You- you're one of them, aren't you?" George accuses.
"George-" Clark starts.
"ALEIN'S. THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE ALIENS!" George screams pointing at Clark and J'onn.
Clark and J'onn back away, as no one really pays attention to George's claims.
"I know where to go." J'onn says.
J'onn and Clark head out, and go to Fort Dix Army Base. The two look on, trying to plot a way into the base.
"So what do you think?" Clark asks.
J'onn closes his eyes and concentrates.
"I can't sense anything." J'onn says.
"You know J'onn, there is the possibility that your niece isn't here." Clark says.
"SHE HAS TO BE." J'onn snaps.
"Shhh. How do you propose we get inside?" Clark asks.
J'onn rises to his feet an morphs his body. He transforms into the form of a U.S. army general.
"You stay here." J'onn says.
"J'onn wait-" Clark tries to warn, but J'onn heads for the base.
Clark didn't like this. He thought J'onn was too naïve to human ways to do this mission discretely. Clark had no way on to the grounds himself. Of course, it would be easy for Superman to enter.
As J'onn entered to computer lab, all of the soldiers stood at attention.
"At ease." He says.
J'onn scans one of the soldier's minds for the password to the computer. Not something he'd normally do, but he was desperate. He then begins his search for his niece, M'gann. As he searches through files, he comes across a classified file called sector thirty-seven. J'onn gets frustrated as he cannot access the main file. He bangs on the desk. Some of the soldier's look over at him. J'onn tries to reign in his emotions so he does not draw attention to himself. Through further research he finds hints to a subject being held in this sector thirty-seven.
J'onn convinces himself that his niece must be there. He rises from his seat and approaches one of the soldiers in the lab.
"Soldier, where is sector thirty-seven?" J'onn asks.
"I- I don't know what you're talking about sir." The soldier says.
J'onn scans his mind. He's telling the truth. He knows nothing of sector thirty-seven.
J'onn leaves the lab and heads outside. He sees soldier's training in the field. Everyone seems to double their efforts when J'onn, disguised as a general, walks through.
As J'onn looks across the field, he notices someone. There is a scientist on the other side. One of the same scientists that studied him when he first came to earth, Dr. Erdel. J'onn crosses the field to confront the doctor.
"Doctor." J'onn says.
"General. What may I do for you?" Dr. Erdel asks.
"I need you to take me to sector thirty-seven." J'onn says.
"Under whose authority?" The doctor asks.
J'onn reads the doctors mind looking for an acceptable answer.
"Amanda Waller." J'onn says.
"Very well." Dr. Erdel says, nervously.
Dr. Erdel takes J'onn to a small office room. The room looks rather quaint and unassuming. The doctor slides a bookshelf out of the way to reveal a secret elevator. J'onn and Dr. Erdel enter the elevator and head down to sector Thirty-seven.
"So what is your business in sector thirty-seven?" Dr. Erdel asks.
"That's classified Doctor." J'onn says.
"Well it seems like you'd be able to tell me." Dr. Erdel says.
J'onn says nothing and he stares forward.
The elevator door opens and the two enter a dark hallway. At the end of the hallway J'onn can see and enormous vault door. The door itself must be at least twelve inches thick, if not more. J'onn tries to sense if his niece is inside, but he can't sense anything.
"Open it." J'onn says.
"But general-
"OPEN IT!" J'onn demands.
The doctor does as instructed. The inside is dark. J'onn can't see anything at first. But then, something appears. It's a green female Martian inside some sort of a stasis field. It's her, it's M'gann.
"M'gann!" J'onn shouts out!
As he approaches her, he is stopped in is tracks. A ring of fire ignites around him.
"Did you not think I was on to you?" Dr. Erdel says.
J'onn falls to his knees. Martians were weakened by the heat for the flames. He couldn't concentrate. His disguise morphed back to his true Martian form.
"We've had half a century to study Martian physiology, you really think you stood a chance?" The doctor says.
"M'gann, no." J'onn says, weakly.
Just then the entire facility begins to rumble, and Superman bursts into the room. He claps his hands together to blow out the fire around J'onn. J'onn is still in a weakened state.
"Did you not think we'd be prepared for you Superman?" Dr. Erdel asks, sinisterly.
He hits a button and the room turns green. The lights were infused with kryptonite. Dr. Erdel reignites the fire around J'onn. Both J'onn and Superman struggle. It seems that the doctor has them beat.
The lights then go out again.
"What?!" Dr. Erdel yells in surprise.
He fumbles with his controls, but as he does, something is thrown at them. He sees… a boomerang. A bat shaped boomerang. Dr. Erdel turns around, and is met with a fist to his face. Red emergency lights pop on. Pellets are thrown around J'onn that extinguish the fire. With the kryptonite lighting shut down, Superman regains his bearings. He looks up in a haze and sees Batman.
"You came." Superman says both in shock and relief.
"We need to get out of here." Batman says.
Superman goes over to check on J'onn. He's hurt, possibly severely, but that won't stop him from getting to his niece.
"We must free her." J'onn says.
Superman rips the containment chamber apart. He holds her in his arms. Her eyes open slowly. When her eyes open fully, she sees Superman standing over her. Batman is right behind him. Her eyes turn green as she begins to dig into their minds. She does so with such furry and anger. Both Superman and Batman fall to their knees.
"M'gann Stop!" J'onn calls out from behind her.
She turns around to see her uncle J'onn. Seeing another Martian calms M'gann.
"We're here to help you." J'onn says.
J'onn puts his hand on M'gann's forehead and psychically reveals everything to her. Her heritage, Mars, earth, Superman, everything.
"You… are my… uncle." M'gann asks.
"Yes, and these two helped me find you after all of these years." J'onn says.
M'gann looks over at Superman and Batman. Both are still reeling from her psychic attack.
"Sorry." She says softly.
"No, M'gann, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left you trapped here for all these years." J'onn says.
Superman looks around at all of the experiments that have been done to M'gann. It grosses him out. This could have been his fate if the Kent's hadn't found him. He feels guilty that it wasn't. That M'gann had to suffer instead.
"We have to report this place." Superman says.
"To who? This is U.S. military property. We're the trespassers." Batman says.
"Please, let me take my niece and disappear. Please do not report on this Clark." J'onn pleads.
Clark had never intended on making this a story for the Planet, but he agrees.
"I can never thank you enough for what you've done for me. J'onn says.
"It's really Batman we should thank. Maybe there's something to this whole team up business." Superman says.
"Not likely." Batman says.
Superman frowns. He was hoping to see a lighter side to Batman.
"I guess its best we get out of here." Superman says to J'onn.
He turns back to Batman, but Batman is already gone. Superman, J'onn, and M'gann all head out.
The next day at work Clark tries to quietly head into the Planet. He went on this trip unauthorized and didn't come back with a story.
"KENT!" Where have you been?" Perry asks.
"I uh, I was chasing a lead." Clark says.
"Well what was this lead?" Perry asks.
"There were reports of a UFO sighting." Clark says.
"Hmph, Superman reveals himself, and now there's a new alien every week. Trust me, I held out hope for Elvis to be alive for years. Reading all the tabloids. But eventually I had to accept it. And you have to accept that there aren't going to be alien stories cropping up." Perry says.
"Yes sir." Clark says.
Back in sector thirty- seven at Fort Dix, Amanda Waller, and General Sam Lane study the damage. They turn on a screen revealing Lex Luthor.
"Waller, what can I do for you." Lex asks.
"I trust news of the damage here has made it to you?" Waller says.
"Indeed, not one or two, but three of these freaks joined forces for this one. And now you're out a subject." Lex says.
"This was calculated. We need to take the attack to them now." General Lane says.
"Not so fast General. But them working together means we should start looking into making a task force of our own." Waller says.
"This was an act of war." General Lane says.
"It very well could be perceived that way. If necessary, what is the status update on project doomsday?" Waller asks.
"Still at least six months away." Lex says.
"Make it three." Waller says.
"As you wish." Lex says.
Lex hangs up and looks out over his lab. He looks at the corpse of Faora. The Kryptonian threat he so proudly vanquished. The one whose cells were going to make doomsday a reality.