"Garfield."

The green child turned from where he was playing with Monkey in the trees to see his mom waiting for him on the porch. His face broke into a huge grin. "Mom!"

Jumping down from the tree he race back over to his house. "Where's dad? Did you guys get here alright?"

Marie didn't answer, merely smiled at her son and leaned down, stroking his cheek affectionately. "My baby boy…"

Normally Gar would immediately recoil at being 'babied' like that, but he didn't pull away, instead leaning into the touch, instantly soothed by his mom's presence. "I'm glad you guys got to the states okay, I was worried!"

She smiled sadly, not responding but instead pulled him into a protective hug. "I love you Garfield."

"Rita's pretty," Garfield continued, glancing up from his smothered view-point, "and she's really nice, mom! She saw that I was green and didn't even freak! Well, okay, she kinda did, but she's not scared of me! And Stan is a nice guy too!"

She pulled out of the hug, going back to petting his head. "I'm glad, I know they'll protect you."

Garfield grinned in confusion. "They don't need to protect me, especially now that you're here…" and it suddenly occurred to Garfield that he wasn't in Fawcett City, but back on the preserve. "Mom, why are we here?"

Monkey scurried up onto his shoulder, giving a brief cry of affection before jumping onto his mom's shoulder. Marie smiled somewhat sadly. "Your father's coming too, I came a bit sooner than he did."

Garfield looked at her, bemused. "What do you mean? What happened to Fawcett City?"

"You know I love you, don't you Garfield?" Marie looked earnestly into his eyes, blatantly ignoring his question.

Garfield frowned at his ignored question, but answered. "Of course I know you love me, mom!" He hugged her again, squeezing her with all his might. "You said you'd love me, no matter where I was or what I became, I remember."

"I love you." She repeated, and Garfield realized with a jolt that her voice sounded wobbly, sad. Was Marie crying, like she had before he got on the plane? "I love you so much Garfield."

"I love you too, mom." Garfield didn't know what else to say, but it felt like something more needed to be said. "I know you'll always love me just like I'll always love you."

Marie pushed away, tears in her eyes. Monkey crooned from her shoulder sadly. "Good-bye, Garfield." Before he could respond, she pushed him off the porch; Monkey's shriek the last thing he heard as he started falling towards the ground-

The green child jerked awake in the back seat as a car next to theirs honked in irritation, the other city sounds soon intermixing with it. It took a moment for Gar to realize he was still in the car with Rita and Stan. And Stan, noticing the boy's sudden awareness, looked back at him in amusement. "Don't worry kid; we're almost back to the pent house. You were conked out there for a good chunk of time."

"I was?" Garfield asked blearily, shaking his head to get rid of the last remnants of sleep. He had been dreaming, but he couldn't remember what about. He felt like Monkey had been in it though, and something to do with the Savannah…? Well, it wasn't important anyway. How could he fall asleep during his first ride in a big city? "So do you guys get to see Super Heroes all the time?"

Rita laughed softly, turning around so she could converse with the boy. "Now why would you think that?"

"You guys live in the States! Not only that, you live in a big city!" Garfield threw his hands in the air dramatically, like it was obvious. "America gets all the good heroes! Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, Miss Martian…" The boy continued to ramble off.

"Well," Stan interrupted with a smile still dancing on his features. "We don't see much of them; Fawcett City is in pretty decent order. Though this is Shazam's city."

"Who's Shazam?"

"A Superman wannabe."

"Dear," Rita grinned at her fiancée, turning back to the Logan boy, "he's a lesser known hero, though his powers are similar to Superman's. Who knows? Maybe you'll see him while you're here."

"Maybe, but don't count on it." Stan cut in again, maneuvering the car into a parking ramp. "He's lesser known because he doesn't go up against a lot of big baddies. Though I'm not complaining, the last thing this city needs it a Superman class rogue gallery."

Garfield was about to ask more about it, but was cut off as Rita called out in a sing-song voice. "We're here!"

Gar looked around at the dank parking lot. "No we're not!"

Rita laughed slightly. "Well, we're almost, just up the elevator." Thus saying, she departed out of the car, making sure to grab the shopping bag full of necessities for the young boy while he stayed with them a few nights.

Carefully, the green boy readjusted his hoodie so he wasn't exposed again, quickly hiding his hands in his pockets as he got out of the car. Dan watched shrewdly, Garfield's hoodie blocking the sympathetic expression on his face. As the three of them crossed the lot and entered the elevator, Stan took note of an individual slinking away towards the entrance, ignoring them. There was nothing about his appearance that was troubling, but Stan felt a frown form on his face all the same.

Oblivious to Gar and Rita's chatter, he watched the man until the elevator doorway closed completely.

XXX

After they had gotten into the apartment and shown Garfield around (who frequently made comments along the line of 'it's so big!' and 'you guys live here by yourselves?' and 'can I play with that?'), they had sat down to discuss why Garfield had come in the first place.

At first, the boy had been a bit reluctant in his telling, beginning with how he had first met Megan and her part in saving his life. But with Rita's soft encouragement and Stan's attentive interest, they finally got the boy worked up into telling them every detail with childish glee. "And then mom and dad decided it'd be safer for me to take the plane home instead of with them. So Radar picked me up, flew me here, and you know the rest!" He gestured to his green skin for emphasis, the hoodie being taken off long ago.

"I can't believe you were essentially driven out of Quarac." Rita shook her head in disgust. "You never should have been exposed to that, Garfield. Some people, they don't even see us- people like you, I mean, as real humans anymore."

Garfield fiddled with his T-shirt, trying to ignore the ache in his stomach that knew Rita was right. "Well, not all people are like that. My parents aren't. You guys aren't." He smiled happily at them. "And you know, I think I'm technically part Martian now, which is so cool!"

Stan shook his head in amazement. Whereas Rita had listened to the story with motherly horror, and though Stan was appalled as well, he was fascinated by Gar's transformation. "You can really change into any animal?"

"I'm not sure." Gar sheepishly ducked his head. "I think so, but I haven't tried them all yet."

"How many have you done so far?"

The green boy looked towards the ceiling, beginning to count off on his fingers. "Um… I think something like fifteen? Seventeen?" He looked back at Stan. Unlike the other scientists, who had either been trying to cure his problem or that scientist that tried to hurt him, Stan was only interested in accepting him, and seeing how he could better understand Gar's gifts in order to help him. "It's not always easy, if I don't know a lot about the animal, I have a hard time concentrating into turning into it. I think that's why turning into a monkey is so easy, because I played with Monkey so much back home. But…" He glanced out the window at the twilight scenery, thinking of his parents. "When I turned into the wolf, that had been easy, even though I'd never done it before…"

"It's probably connected to your reaction time, and your desperation." Stan subtly laid a hand on Rita's knee. "A lot of times we find power from within we didn't know we had when the situation is desperate enough. I believe you have a lot of potential with your gifts, Garfield." Rita nodded her head in agreement.

Garfield felt a smile bloom on his face. He hadn't known Stan for long, but he was kind of like Radar's boss, someone who didn't give out compliments often. And when he did, it was best to pay attention. "You really think so Mr. Dayton?"

Stan nodded thoughtfully. "I do, in fact, when your parents arrive to the states, I think we should discuss with them if you can't stay with Rita and me for a time. You see, me and a fellow associates are forming a group we're currently calling the Doom-"

A loud knock to the door cut the man off, and the trio turned to look at the doorway. The knock came again.

"Who could that be?" Rita frowned in confusion. "It's nearly eight in the evening, were you expecting someone dear?"

Stan frowned. "No, I wasn't. Garfield," He glanced towards the boy even as he walked up to the door. "Why don't you go upstairs to your room for now, just in case."

Garfield wilted slightly, reminded that not everyone accepted his strange appearance. "Okay…"

A third bang sounded on the door. "I'm coming! Calm down!" Stan called agitatedly. Rita stayed seated at the couch, her stomach twisting uneasily. Stan peaked through, finding a delivery man with a package. Brusquely he unlocked the door and began swinging it open. "Yes, yes, how can I help- ARGH!" the man was thrown back as the delivery man bodily flew into him, sending him to the ground.

Garfield, who had almost been to his room, hurried back down the steps in time to see a swarm of uniformed men invade the living space.

Rita was immediately on her feet, her lithe form dodging the punches and grabbing hands while also taking out the few that came near her. Stan was on the ground, wrestling with the delivery man. Garfield watched in horror as one man snuck around the actress, a tazer in hand. He rushed a few more steps down, intending to tackle the man. "Rita, behind you!"

Swiftly Rita turned and punched the man's lights out, but she wasn't the only one to have heard his warning. A uniformed man, still in the doorway, turned and faced him. "There's the boy! Apprehend him at all costs!"

"Oh no you don't!" Stan finally kneed his assailent in the stomach, rolling him off him and grabbing a nearby bronze sculpture as a weapon. "Rita, we're going to need Elasti-Girl for this one!"

Garfield watched in shock as Rita suddenly expanded and grew twice her normal size, punching out a few men who happened to storm through and then grabbing a downed one and throwing him at the remaining attackers. "Garfield Logan, you run upstairs and lock your door until we come get you!" One of the men snuck past her, reaching for Garfield's frozen form. But before he could even get close Rita's arm grew out and grabbed him, hurtling him into the far wall. "Go Gar!"

Snapping out of his shock, the young boy raced up the stairs, adrenaline pumping through him as the sounds below escalated. He had briefly seen Stan reach for a helmet that had been on the mantel, probably intending to use that as a weapon too. Should he stay and help? No, Rita told him to go upstairs. And Rita- He entered and locked his door quickly, suddenly engulfed in darkness, the noises fading into the background of his frantic breathing. Rita was a meta? Was she a hero? Or- or could she be a villain? No, no way. But he'd never heard of a hero like her before…

His eyes widened as he heard a brief scream from Rita and Stan, then an almost hushed quiet. "Uh oh…" Had they- could they have just-? And what are they going to do if they find me? Garfield looked frantically around the guest bedroom, trying to find a place to hide without success. Multiple feet were coming up the steps. Where could he go? What could he do?He backed away from the door as the knob jiggled, then when it didn't give; whoever was on the other side began to ram it. "Go away!" He yelled fearfully, eyes still scanning the room until they finally settled on his last option; the window.

There was a pause in the ramming. "Open the door, boy!"

He ignored them, running over to the window and hastily trying to find a way to open it. There were none. What had he expected? They were forty-eight stories up!

The ramming resumed after he failed to respond, and the door seemed to bend more with each passing hit.

Garfield banged on the window, briefly wondering if he screamed someone outside would hear him. Forget it, I can't break it this way. He forced himself to calm down, thinking back to his animal book. What could break the glass… Inspiration coming to him, his limbs mutated till he was on all fours and growing thick fur. The mountain goat backed up a few steps before charging the glass panel.

It shattered at first hit. Those horns were harder than he had thought. Quickly visualizing himself as a human he changed back and broke away the remaining glass so he could stand on the sill.

Wow, he was really high up.

He felt a wave of vertigo assult his already panicked systems. Living in the Savannah with his parents, the highest he'd ever been on a building was the barn rooftop, which couldn't have been more than two stories. This is a lot higher than two stories… And it didn't seem like there was any way to get out from here either! No ledges, no people to call to. How was he going to get away?

"Kid, freeze!"

Oh no! Garfield whirled in panic, seeing the men break through the door. However, he spun too quickly, and his momentum caused him to lose his balance.

Throwing him out of the forty-eighth story window.

XXX

"He what?"

"Our target… managed to evade us, sir."

"And exactly why did a child manage to get away from a group of elite mercenaries?"

"Sir, we posted no men on perimeter buildings, nor were any window spotters placed."

The Commander grit his teeth, trying to keep from ordering the man's termination. Not until the man at least finished this horrid report. "And if I may ask, why was there no posting for such scenario?"

He turned and found the man was sweating bullets, a look of horror on his face. So he realized his position after this failure. Good. "S-Sir, we were under the impression that we were apprehending a child with potential genetic abilities. However, there were no specifications as to the nature of these abilities. He is a minor with no known physical or mental excelling, and no connection to the League or any law enforcement. We also kept in mind that he was over forty stories high."

The child leaped from that high? Well now, P'Simon really caused a stir for whoever this was. Or perhaps the boy was merely farther along in his new abilities than they had first considered. He turned towards the window once again, looking out over the city. "And do we have a clear notion of what he… became?"

"Team C burst into the room as he fell and… changed. They report it appeared to be a pigeon."

"A pigeon." He whirled on the man, ready to call in his guards to dispose of the waste in front of him. "And pray tell, commander, how should I find a pigeon in the middle of a city harboring more than three hundred thousand?"

"H-He was also reportedly, green, sir."

He narrowed his eyes dangerously, testing for any loose words. "Green."

"Yes sir, the very same color as when the kid is in his… human form."

"Hmm…" Once again he turned back to his window, smirked when he heard the commander's inaudible sigh of relief. "Well, we've lost a great opportunity, and our benefactors will certainly be disappointed." Infuriated would be a better word. "But I can see you're eager to salvage the situation. Begin the search process. I want this meta hunted down and captured before we get the authorities involved." He listened as the steps hastily drew away from him. "And," Blast it, what was the wretch's name? "Derkins?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I do not tolerate failure a second time."

"Y-Yes sir."

So… yeah… I know it was fast paced… but you guys have been waiting, right? So your okay that it came out like it did, right? BTW, this chap is dedicated to Noah Rhodes, who's been pushing to see it updated.