Chapter 2: First Encounters

ATLANTIC OCEAN
FEBRUARY 13, 7:56 AST

It was Friday morning when the crew from Cape Canaveral finally came within the vicinity of the island. Once there, the head of the task force: General Samuel Lane, gave his crew the rundown. He had been chosen to lead the group as he had to ensure that air and space travel would not be affected by any possible hazards brought by the meteor. Plus, he knew that there was the possibility that some of the superheroes back in America might need to be of assistance, and he was surprisingly glad of that ever since his encounter with Superman.

"Listen closely, ladies and gentlemen. We're to do an important job and do it right," he said in his no-nonsense voice. "This meteor is safely away from populated areas, so we can all be relatively at ease knowing no lives have been affected by this unexpected impact. But we're not out of the woods yet. NASA and the government need to know if this rock can pose any other hazards to the Earth or its people, so it's up to us to find out as much about it as possible. Any questions?"

"No, sir!" the crew replied in unison.

"Good," replied General Lane. "Now let's form up and get on that island. We've got a meteor to analyze. Execute."

With that, the helicopter landed about four hundred yards from the meteor and the crew disembarked. In minutes, the investigation began with some of the analysts scanning the massive rock for possible residues or radioactive energy and others checking its temperature, structure, age, and mineral composition.

"We're getting heat readings from this thing, but no radiation," one scientist reported.

"No residue either," said another.

"Sir, we've run a number of scans on this thing already, and this is completely unfounded," a third scientist said to General Lane. "Whatever this thing is made of, its composition isn't on the periodic table. In fact, it appears to be a recent addition to the number of meteors in existence."

"Then we'll have to take a sample back to the Cape for expert analysis," said General Lane.

So one of the analysts took a small pick and approached the meteor to get a chip from it, but the moment he touched it, there came a high-pitched whine that seemed to be emanating from within the meteor. Then there came a weird voice like nothing any of them had ever heard from the exterior, as if it was part technology as well as organic material, and the voice spoke in a confusingly garbled alien dialect.

One of the other scientists asked, "What is that? Some kind of warning?"

The group hoped it was, but General Lane could tell by the voice's tone that this was something else entirely. "It's a threat."

Suddenly, the voice cut out, and there came a rumbling, cracking sound that the crew assumed was an earthquake. Then one of the scientists called, "That's no earthquake! It's coming from the meteor!"

It was all too true, for before the group's eyes, a huge hand punched through the meteor's exterior and a rumbling growl echoed from within.

General Lane yelled, "Clear out! Move! Move! Move!" and the group ran for the helicopter when the thing inside the meteor tore its way out. The crew was almost to the chopper when they turned and got a good look at it, and what they saw made their hearts skip with fright. A creature that looked like a giant made of stone was emerging from the meteor, and it wasn't the only one. An arm resembling a tree limb was scrabbling at the exterior, followed by a pair of golden wings, something like giant claws, and even an arm made of fire.

Luckily, the crew made it to the helicopter and General Lane ordered immediate takeoff. But as they made their escape, a massive fireball soared through the air and blasted the tail, causing the helicopter to whirl out of control, and General Lane was thrown from his seat. Unfortunately, the latch on the side door broke from the excessive jostling and he began the two hundred and fifty-foot descent toward the rolling sea deprived of a parachute.

General Lane merely took a breath and closed his eyes, waiting for the terrific pain of breaking bones and loss of consciousness. But to his bewilderment, he found himself landing on a fountain of seawater that cushioned his fall. While General Lane was glancing around to see what was going on, the fountain slowly lowered him down until he was sitting on a humpback whale.

"Do not worry, General. You are in good hands now," said a strong, calm voice.

General Lane looked around for a moment and then saw a second whale on his left, and on its back was a well-built man with wavy blond hair, sea-blue eyes, and a fine beard. Unlike the General, this man was clad in a wetsuit with an orange top and green tights that seemed to be covered in scales. He also had green gloves and a golden belt whose buckle was a letter "A" that looked a lot like a spearhead, and in his right hand was a trident of gold. And General Lane knew who was in his company.

"You're Aquaman, aren't you, sir?" he wondered.

"I am, indeed," the Atlantean hero-king replied.

General Lane felt relief at the thought that the king of a city no one had believed existed had helped him, but then he remembered that he wasn't the only one in danger from those monsters that had attacked and he cried, "Wait a minute! Where's my crew?"

"Rest assured, General. They are safe," Aquaman replied.

Nothing could be closer to the truth, for the rest of the analysis crew had been rescued from the helicopter by a gigantic octopus and were now mounted on the backs of dolphins, who were clicking and squeaking gently as if glad to have human company.

Then Aquaman said, "Those strange creatures have left the island, but I shall find out more of them later. In the meantime, General, you and your crew will be brought to a research ship where you can all receive any necessary medical attention and send reports of your discovery back to the United States."

With that, he sent the message to his sea-dwelling friends, and in half an hour, the report was made.

Back in Metropolis, Clark Kent had just returned to the Daily Planet from completing an interview with Jefferson Pierce, a new teacher recently hired at Metropolis High School who was already making a remarkable impression on teachers and students alike. He returned to his desk and began typing the results of his interview when Lois Lane, his closest coworker, dropped by. She looked a little surprised, and Clark became curious when he noticed she was staring at the front cover of the morning newspaper.

"Clark, look at this," said Lois, showing him the paper's headline: SURPRISE RESCUE AT SEA. METEOR INVESTIGATION TURNS DANGEROUS. "My father was out investigating that meteor that crash-landed yesterday on an Atlantic island. Apparently, he and his crew were attacked by a bunch of 'element monsters' when they were studying that thing and ended up rescued by Aquaman."

Clark looked at the article and gave a surprised look when he reached the quote from Lois' father.

"'Stone giant?'" he wondered.

"I know," Lois said with a sense of dry humor. "Some might say my old man's getting cracked, but he's not so skeptical about this stuff thanks to his first encounter with Superman, not to mention the few other superheroes popping up around here."

Clark gave a nod for a moment, then checked his watch rather swiftly and noted the time: 11:30. He stood up quickly and said, "Well, I'm off to Bibbo's place for my lunch break. Want to come with, Lois?"

"I think I'll just stop at the Planet's cafe today, Clark," replied Lois politely. "See you later."

With that, Clark left a note on his desk and then took the bus to Bibbo's, where the jovial chef gave him a welcome smile and then handed him a recently revised menu. Clark didn't need to worry about what he chose as his Kryptonian body could take even empty calories and convert them into energy, so he ordered a seafood lunch of fish and chips. When he had finished and paid for the check, he returned to the Daily Planet without delay. But when he came to his desk, he found a handwritten note that wasn't from anyone he knew. It read:

Superman,

Meet me and Batman in Washington D.C. at 8:00 tonight at the Washington Monument.
The subject of this morning's news report has put the people of Earth in critical danger.
Other heroes have become aware of this threat and we will need their aid to counter it, yours especially.

J. Jones

Clark was very startled. No one he was familiar with knew of his superhero identity except Ma and Pa Kent back in Smallville and the only other hero who knew his identity was Batman. But this mysterious person seemed to know Batman personally, and judging from the urgency of the note, Clark had to assume that this person knew the details of the creatures that had attacked the investigation crew that morning. So he kept the note in his pocket for the rest of the day and continued with his work.

At seven forty-five, Clark returned to his apartment and at once removed his suit and his glasses, revealing his costume underneath and with it, his true self: Superman, the champion of Metropolis. Without a moment's hesitation, he took to the sky and flew out of Metropolis on a direct line for the capital.


WASHINGTON, D.C.
FEBRUARY 13, 19:57 EST

In only twelve minutes, Superman arrived in Washington and touched down at the Washington Monument. No sooner had he landed then Batman appeared as if he had literally walked out of the shadows.

"I take you got the message, Clark?" he asked.

"I read the note and then came here to meet with you and its writer," Superman replied. "Will he be arriving soon?"

"He's already here," Batman said shortly.

No sooner had he spoken than a middle-aged African-American man in a blue suit calmly approached the two superheroes. Superman gladly shook his hand and said, "Are you the one who placed that message about the morning news on my desk at the Daily Planet?"

"I am," the man answered in a deep voice. "I have been observing both you and Batman and considered meeting with both of you tonight as your abilities would be of help to Earth in thwarting the invasion."

"You know why these elemental monsters are here? How?" Superman wondered.

"Because I observed them when they made their presence known," he replied. "Now I must tell you how."

Then before Superman and Batman's eyes, the man's features and outfit began to change until he was entirely different from a human. His skin was a brilliant green, his head had a more prominent brow, and his eyes were bright red. In place of a suit, he was clad in a black one-piece uniform with a blue cape held by two brooches and red bands of fabric crossing his chest in an X-shaped formation.

Then Superman realized the truth of this fellow. He's from another planet like me, he thought. He wanted to befriend this newcomer, but pushed the thought aside for the sake of the emergency.

"I hope you won't think me disrespectful, but Superman and I need to know who you really are," Batman stated.

The stranger hero replied, "My name is J'onn J'onzz, and I am a citizen of planet Mars."

Superman and Batman shared looks of astonishment, for neither of them had considered that Mars was inhabited, but they focused on the matter at hand and Superman said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, J'onn J'onzz. But how did you come to Earth, and why meet with us about this invasion?"

"My story may sound similar to Batman's and yours," said J'onn. "On Mars, I am what you call an officer of the law. Nearly fifty Earth years ago, an experiment conducted in an effort to make contact with other worlds resulted in the discovery of matter transportation. It transported me from my home world to a laboratory in the city named Chicago, where I encountered the human scientist responsible for the experiment. He became frightened of me as he did not know that life existed on Mars and the strain was too much for his heart. I knew that I was stranded on Earth and could not return home without aid, so I chose to adapt to living here and sought to use my abilities to protect the innocent, not frighten them away."

"I can relate," Superman said, giving J'onn a meaningful expression. "But how do you know why those elemental beings are here?"

"I have looked into their minds and have found they are more intelligent than they may appear," J'onn explained. "These beings are intent on conquering Earth because they are seeking a new ruler for their world. They are contesting each other to see who can claim the most territory and enslave the largest amount of Earth's population."

Superman frowned at that. He knew that there were humans like that who desired to claim domination over the whole Earth and often contested with each other when they weren't working together, and treating the world and its people as a prize for one man to rule was the mark of tyranny any way one looked at it.

"Then we have no choice. We must fight these invaders. If we don't, they will cause great destruction over the whole planet," he urged.

"That does seem the only option, but we can't do it alone," replied Batman.

"Then we need to gather more help," Superman surmised.

"And we will," said J'onn. "But we must hurry. I have sensed that one of them is headed for New York City. The invasion has begun."

With that, Batman took a remote from his belt, and in only ten minutes the Batwing jet touched down a few yards from the monument. Batman leapt in and said, "I suggest we meet on the edge of the city and regroup before we determine our plan to counterattack."

Superman and J'onn nodded, and then took to the skies with the Dark Knight following alongside. While they went on, Superman took the opportunity to say, "You know, J'onn, as a superhero, you'll need a superhero identity to be addressed by if you want to keep villains from interfering with your civilian life."

"I already have," the Martian lawman replied. "On Mars, the term for those who pursue lawbreakers to bring them to prison is 'manhunter'. Thus, I have given myself a superhero identity that the people of Earth would understand my purpose best by: 'Martian Manhunter.'"

Superman gave him a smile and began considering forming a friendship with J'onn. Not only did working with others go so well with him, but he had someone he could connect with. He only hoped that any other heroes who would help them were as willing to trust this rather wise newcomer.