Chapter 11 – The aroma of devotion
Present day. Sahara desert.
It is 80 degrees Celsius, and J'onn is covered with fragrant leaves and flowers laying on a cool stone like alter. CJ Marlowe, fully immersed in her roll as Rhoomjhemz, is chanting Martian funeral vespers. Her beautiful and melodious voice provides an entrance into The Kingdom of Peace for J'onn. The combination of physical and psychological pain has J'onn locked in a river of ice as his skin boils and his brain begins to bake inside his skull.
Images of his daughters from Mars and Earth flash through his mind. Silent tears roll down his face as he thinks of seeing one set of daughters, while sadness overtakes him at leaving the other set behind. The bone eater watches him with sadness and reverence. "No other death could be more worthy than this one. Your sacrifice will save planets my son, and your soul will be released to the stars. Know that they are eager for a new brother..."
2 hours later. D.E.O
Alex looks at the ultrasound, the MRI, and still can't believe Kara is alive. Alex triple checks her current findings. No broken vertebra or damaged cartilage even; this makes no sense: Alex muses. Alex stares at the test results again with disbelief.
Alex is waiting on Kara's blood test results when Lena walks in. "I came as soon as you called; is she okay?" Lena, chicly dressed as always, is in a perfectly tailored black silk jump suit with matching Italian loafers. Alex blinks several times, taken a back by Lena's sudden appearance and her perfume.
"She's alive." Alex finally says. Lena eyes the agent suspiciously. "What aren't you telling me?" A buzzer goes off; Alex jumps off her stool and runs over to the blood sequencer. Pulling out the samples she takes them over to a microscope. While looking at a sample Alex calls Lena over. "What does this look like to you?" Alex moves over giving Lena a chance to look into the microscope. At first Lena sees a bunch of cells attacking each other, but when she turns up the magnification she sees something else. "Nano bots?" she looks at Alex bewildered. Alex nods. "I've never seen anything like this; they look organic!" Lena looks back into the microscope fascinated. As Lena happily observes the patterns on the slides Alex comes to a decision...
Present day. Sahara desert.
"Know that it is with great sadness that I do this" the Rhoomjhemz says as she uncovers J'onn's baked swollen body. She hears a thud behind her. She looks over her shoulder to find the green, white Martian M'gaan. M'gaan walks toward the bone eater pleading. "Don't do this. He is beloved by many; he has done so much good." M'gaan knows what the bone eater is; she kneels before her. "Take me instead, grace and virtue run deep in my bones." The Rhoomjhemz considers her request. "I will not grant your request child, we both know that between the two of you he is more virtuous. Cowardice, deceit and self interest still poison you. You know who to pray to, to be delivered from that!" M'gaan clinches her jaw. "If your sister were here you wouldn't dare harm him!" The bone eater laughs. "True. I wonder were G'randaam 'Our Lady of Virtue' is? Oh that's right she's not here! Now leave me to my feast child." M'gaan scowls but does not move. The bone eater lets out an exasperated breath. "Have it your way then..." The bone eater extends her nails and moves towards the Martian. M'gaan leaps over the bone eater and snatches J'onn from the alter. Clutching his swollen baked body, she takes to the sky like a rocket.
The bone eater shakes her head sadly. Looking at the now empty alter, she knocks on the stone three times. Within seconds J'onn's body materializes. She whispers. "What is mine, is mine child." Placing her hand reverently on J'onns neck she extends her nails...
4 hours later. The D.E.O
Alex watches anxiously as a multi-limbed android pushes Kara's spine back into place. Lena and Winn are beside her monitoring the force and pressure of the android's arms, while she monitors Kara's vital signs. Alex isn't aware she has been holding her breath, until she hears Lena's voice in her ear instructing her to breathe. Taking a big breath Alex nods blindly. She is aware Lena is holding her hand, and that Winn is rubbing her upper back, but all that her senses can perceive are Kara...