Chapter 8: The Man From Mars
In the headquarters of the Department of Extraterrestrial Operations, an alert began showing up on several monitor screens.
"What do we have?" a man in a suit with white hair questioned, walking into the room.
"Director Faraday, we've detected a transmission reaching into deep space." one of the agents reported.
"Point of origin?" Faraday asked.
There was a moment of silence before the answer came out.
"Dr. Erdel's lab in South Gotham." the agent answered. "Guess he managed to get a signal out."
"What I want to know is if he got an answer back." Faraday insisted.
"I think so, sir." the agent told him. "Something piggybacked on the signal. I think… I think something used the signal to transport themselves to Earth."
Faraday scowled in response.
"Assemble a strike team. I want to know what came through and what they want." Faraday ordered.
Agents moved quickly to mobilize, grabbing their weapons and preparing to head out.
…
In an observatory in South Gotham, Dr. Saul Erdel was lying prone on the ground, a hand on his chest. An inhuman figure stood over him, cradling his body gently. The doctor wheezed, attempting to speak to the creature holding him.
"I'm so sorry..." he apologized. "A-all I wanted... Was to send a signal… to Mars. H-How could I have known it would-"
He winced, his fingers digging into his shirt from pain.
"-teleport you here..." he gasped before coughing. "I suppose we both got the shock of our lives… but your heart must be... stronger than mine… Whoever you are… forgive… me..."
With that, Dr. Erdel's head fell back as his eyes closed. The creature gently laid him down on the ground before standing up. This revealed the being to be a tall, slender green man with a long head and glowing red eyes. He had three fingers on each hand, and two toes on each foot. He did not appear human in the slightest, but despite his terrifying visage, his eyes bore the weight of loss and sorrow. This being pulled a lab coat off of a chair, gently laying it over the doctor's body.
At that moment, the door to the lab was kicked open, and several DEO soldiers poured inside. The creature turned towards them in shock, as if sensing their hostile intentions. When they saw the creature, as well as the covered body of Dr. Erdell, all hell broke loose.
"That thing killed Dr. Erdel!" One man shouted.
"On the ground!" Another ordered.
The creature did not understand what was going on, but it could feel the hostility and anger directed at it. It held its hands up in an attempt to appear non-hostile, sliding onto its knees. The soldiers all trained their guns of it as two soldiers shoved it face first onto the ground. They slapped a pair of cuffs on him, keeping him pinned there as Faraday approached. He met the creature's eyes, his own filled with hatred, anger, and a twinge of fear.
"You're gonna suffer for this, freak." Faraday promised. "Get it out of here."
The creature was forced to his feet, roughly dragged out of the lab as medics gathered up Dr. Erdel's body. The creature's entire form rippled slightly, as if his skin was made of liquid, but it settled down almost as quickly as it started. It then allowed itself to be shoved into the back of a van, closing his eyes as the doors slammed shut.
…
Back at the DEO, Faraday went into the Morgue to get a report from the coroner. The coroner was looking over Dr. Erdel, making some notes on a clipboard when the man walked in.
"Talk to me." Faraday requested.
"I was able to figure out how Dr. Erdel was killed relatively easily." The coroner reported. "It was a myocardial infarction, better known as a heart attack. The doc got one hell of a scare and his heart couldn't take it. Honestly, it was going to happen sooner rather than later. He had a history of heart related issues."
"So the creature was just the straw that broke the camel's back." Faraday pieced together.
"Essentially, yes." the coroner agreed. "Your creature didn't kill Erdel, at least not intentionally. It was an accident."
"As far as we know." Faraday replied. "For all we know, he could've done something to the doc to make it look like a heart attack."
"If you're so worried, why not have that astrobiologists take a look at it." the coroner suggested. "If anyone can figure out what makes that thing tick, it's her."
Faraday thought about it for a moment, then gave a nod.
"We need to know what we're dealing with." He decided.
He walked out of the coroner's office, already grabbing his phone.
"Call Dr. Miller." he ordered. "Tell her to prep her lab. We've got a new specimen for her to examine."
…
Dr. Kari Miller's lab was full of various star charts, chemistry sets, and biology tools. Several rock samples littered shelves, each labeled in correlation with comets and meteors that came to earth. At present, she was studying a fascinating meteorite that was emitting a bright green glow. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was giving off an unknown radiation.
"Subject is composed of a material not found on the periodic table." she said into a voice recorder. "Radiation levels appear non-toxic, but prolonged exposure may prove that to be false. Keeping the sample contained in a lead-lined container when not being studied to avoid any long term exposure."
As she put the green rock inside a lead lined box, her phone went off. She pulled off a pair of latex gloves, tossing them into a biohazard box before grabbing it.
"Miller." she answered.
"Dr. Miller, you're needed on a priority one specimen." Faraday declared. "My men are bringing it to you as we speak."
"More meteorites?" She questioned. "I'm still examining the samples you brought me from the archives."
"No, an organic life form." Faraday clarified.
Dr. Miller's jaw dropped as she jumped to her feet, eyes wide at the prospect.
"You encountered alien life?" She questioned, her voice betraying a giddy excitement. "Is it Superman?"
"No. Something new." Faraday answered.
"Bring it in and I'll take a look." She promised.
…
Sometime later, soldiers dragged the creature into Kari's lab. As the wrestled him inside, Kari turned towards them. The clipboard she was carrying dropped out of her hand when she saw what was going on.
"What the hell?!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"
"Bringing you the specimen." One of the soldiers replied.
"That's not a specimen!" Kari screamed. "That's a living creature! I thought I was being brought a body, not a living being!
"Director's orders, ma'am." the other soldier insisted. "He wants to know how this thing works and what makes it tick."
Kari was seething in rage, bending down and grabbing her clipboard. She then proceeded to whack the soldiers with it repeatedly, much to their shock.
"Out!" she shrieked, continuing her assault with the clipboard. "Out of my lab! Now!"
The soldiers compiled and quickly exited the lab. Once they were gone, Kari went over to the creature and set down her clipboard, taking a few deep breaths. It watched her, wary yet curious of her. Once she had regained control of her emotions, she reached for it. It flinched for a moment, then felt the cuffs on its arms being removed.
"There, that's better." she said, tossing the cuffs onto a table. "Feel free to sit down. I promise I won't hurt you."
The creature raised what she assumed was an eyebrow, clearly confused by what she was saying. She let out a sigh.
"Right, alien." she remembered. "You probably don't understand a word I'm saying."
The creature then moved in close to Kari, leaning in until their foreheads were touching. It's eyes glowed red as Kari felt something probing her mind. She was shocked at first, but the creature gently placed both hands on her head, as if to assure her everything was okay. After about a minute, it let her go and the intrusion stopped. She looked at the creature in surprise and confusion.
"What did you just do?" she asked.
"I scanned your mind so that I may learn your language." the creature explained. "I apologize for startling you, but I felt it was the only way we could communicate."
Kari was at a loss for words. The creature, who by the sound of its voice was a male, waiting patiently for her to come to her senses once more. When she did, she let out a long breath.
"Just… warn me next time." she decided before clearing her throat. "I'm Dr. Kari Miller. Do you have a name?"
"Yes." He confirmed. "My name is J'onn J'onzz."
"Well, J'onn, on behalf of the DEO, I apologize for how you've been treated." she told him, looking him over and seeing multiple bruises and abrasions. "I can patch you up, if you'll let me."
"I… would appreciate that." J'onn replied.
...
Later, Kari finished patching up J'onn as best she could, telling him about the DEO as she did.
"Believe it or not, we're supposed to be a deep space monitoring operation." she told him. "However, after the appearance of Superman, among other incidences, our operations were expanded to the study of extraterrestrial life. Up until now, all I've ever studied is meteorite samples."
"I suppose meeting a real alien must be a shock to you." J'onn surmised.
"Oh you have no idea." Kari let out.
"I believe I might." J'onn corrected. "The man who summoned me here, his heart gave out when he saw me."
Kari paused for a moment.
"Dr. Erdel..." she realized, a note of sadness in her voice. "You're the one everyone's saying killed him."
"I assure you, I meant him no harm." J'onn insisted.
"I believe you." Kari assured him. "You don't seem like the kind of person to kill indiscriminately. If you were, you would have escaped the second I took those cuffs off you."
"You possess great understanding." J'onn shared. "Greater than most other humans I've seen today."
"Try not to judge us too harshly." Kari begged. "We're a superstitious lot, and more than a little xenophobic. But if you take the time to get to know someone, you'll learn there's more to them than meets the eye."
"I will take your word for it." J'onn replied.
"So, where are you from?" Kari asked.
"Mars." J'onn answered.
Kari blinked.
"Mars?" she questioned. "But Mars is uninhabitable. No signs of life."
"That is because… I am the last of my kind." J'onn lamented.
Kari's gaze became sympathetic.
"I'm sorry." she said softly, taking his hand. "I can't even imagine how hard that must have been."
"Harder than you can imagine." J'onn told her. "To be alone in the universe… to know you can never hold those you love again…"
"It's like there's a piece of your soul missing, one you'll never find again." she compared.
J'onn looked towards her in surprise.
"Then you do understand." He told her.
She nodded.
"My parents died in a car crash when I was still in college." she told him. "I miss them every day."
J'onn placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Before any more words could be exchanged, Faraday walked through the door.
"What do you have for me, Doctor." He requested.
He then took note of the scene before him, with Kari sitting across from J'onn, and J'onn free of any restraints.
"What the hell?!" Faraday let out, pulling out his gun.
J'hon quickly put his hands up as Kari got in between him and Faraday.
"That's not necessary, Director." she snapped. "Put the gun away."
"How did it get free?" Faraday demanded.
"I set him free." Kari answered. "Why didn't you tell me my 'specimen' was a living being?"
"I didn't think it was important." Faraday explained, lowering his gun but still keeping it out.
"Well, it was." Kari snarled. "J'onn isn't some meteorite, he's a Martian."
"J'onn?" Faraday repeated. "You're on a first name basis with that thing?"
"So what if I am?" Kari challenged. "He hasn't done a damn thing to warrant the kind of treatment you've been giving him."
"It was found with a dead body." Faraday reminded.
"Dr. Erdel had heart problems long before J'onn showed up." Kari reminded him.
"Still doesn't make this… Martian Manhunter innocent." Faraday retorted.
Kari gritted her teeth.
"Look, J'onn is not your enemy." she insisted. "So why don't you pull that stick out of your ass and give him a chance."
"Kari, enough." J'onn insisted. "I do not want any hostilities on my part. What can I do to prove I am not your enemy?"
"How about telling us what you can do and why you've come to earth." Faraday listed off. "And while you're at it, stop manipulating my astrobiologist with-... whatever you're doing to her."
"I did no manipulating, I can assure you." J'onn told him. "I was just trying to be a friend."
Kari smiled a bit at that, but Faraday was not amused. He turned to her with a cold expression. "Just get me the information I need, then send this thing back to its cell."
"No." Kari declared. "I'm keeping HIM here in my lab."
"And why should I allow that?" Faraday questioned.
"Because should you lock me in a cell, I will take a vow of silence and you will never learn a thing from me." J'onn shared. "But permit me to stay with Dr. Miller, and I will tell you everything you wish to know."
"On top of that, you and I both know I'm the only qualified Astrobiologist in the United States." Kari added. "I'll walk out of here and you'll be searching basements for a sub-par replacement."
"Alright!" Faraday relented. "He can stay. Besides, if what you're saying is true, this Martian Manhunter may prove a valuable asset to the DEO."
"Thank you." Kari said with a nod. "Now kindly leave so I can continue my work."
"Of course." Faraday allowed, exiting the room.
Once he was gone, Kari let out a long sigh.
"Well, that was nearly a trainwreck." she voiced. "Sorry about that."
"It is alright." J'onn reassured. "I knew my presence here would be met with some hostility."
"Understatement." Kari muttered. "Still, at least we've managed to negotiate for better treatment. Though if I don't get him the information he wants soon, I have a feeling he will renege on the deal."
"Then we better get started." J'onn decided. "What would you like to know?"
The two sat back down and Kari picked up her clipboard.
"Well for starters, how old are you?" she asked. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Approximately 600 years old." J'onn answered. "Give or take a decade or two."
Kari's pen stopped writing for a moment, but started right back up again just as quickly.
"Okay then." she let out. "And you said you were the last of your kind. You… mind telling me how that happened?"
"My kind was locked in a centuries long civil war with our ancient enemies, the White Martians." J'onn answered.
"White Martians?" Kari repeated. "Guess even aliens have race wars."
"I suppose so." J'onn agreed. "While the green martians were more peaceful and scholarly, the white martians were born warriors, and wanted nothing less than to wipe my kind off the face of the planet."
"I guess they got their wish." Kari mused solemnly.
"Indeed." J'onn replied solemnly. "I… lost my wife and daughters during the final days of the war."
"I'm sorry." Kari apologized.
"It is alright." J'onn told her. "After the war came to an end, I search the planet's surface for survivors… there were none. I soon came to realize that I was the last son of Mars. A few days after, a strange signal reached my planet. When I went to return it, the signal somehow transported me into your Dr. Erdel's lab. He took one look at me and promptly collapsed."
He sighed, looking away.
"I only wish I could have understood his final words." he said remorsefully.
This time, it was Kari's turn to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Knowing him, he was probably apologizing for dragging you to our messed up planet." she told him. "Dr. Erdel was like me. He saw the best in people, and he no doubt would have been right there with me defending you from Faraday."
"That is encouraging to hear." J'onn said.
Kari smiled a bit, then pulled her hand away.
"Here's a question that is bugging me." she went on. "How did you pull the english language out of my head?"
"Martians have the innate ability to read minds." J'onn shared. "I suppose I should've told you that sooner."
"Yeah, would have been nice to know." Kari admitted. "What else can you do?"
J'onn then stood up and morphed his body to look exactly like her, right down to her clothes.
"I can take on the appearance of just about anyone." He explained in her voice.
"Whoa..." Kari let out.
He then morphed back into himself and continued on.
"I can also change the density of my body, allowing me to pass through objects at will." He went on. "I also possess the ability to fly."
Kari jotted all this down, then one more question came to her.
"If you could pull all this off, if you have all these powers, why not escape when you were captured?" she asked. "Or when Faraday's men were roughing you up?"
"I have nowhere to go." J'onn told her.
"Oh." Kari let out. "I see."
A loud rumbling noise filled the lab, much to both of their surprise. Kari put a hand over her stomach, blushing slightly.
"Guess I skipped lunch again." she muttered. "You hungry?"
"A little, yes." J'onn answered.
…
Later, Kari brought in some burgers from a local fast food joint, handing one of the bags to J'onn.
"I ordered you a basic cheeseburger with extra fries." she told him. "I also got you an oreo milkshake. The joint makes the best milkshakes in the country."
"Thank you." J'onn replied, taking the food.
They are in peace, Kari occasionally typing on a computer with one hand while eating with another. He saw she was writing up the report Faraday had asked for, noticing she was stressing his willingness to cooperate and having to delete several sentences that addressed Faraday by a variety of expletives.
"You and Director Faraday seem to have a complicated relationship." He observed.
"Faraday is a narrow minded man who doesn't trust anyone that isn't a white american." Kari voiced. "Honestly, I had to deal with a lot of misogynist BS when I started here because of him."
"I'm sorry you had to endure such unpleasantness." J'onn consoled.
Kari looked at him, cracking a small smile.
"You were brutalized, wrongfully imprisoned, yanked from your home, and stripped of everyone you loved, and you're apologizing to me?" she questioned. "You're quite the conundrum, J'onn."
"I suppose I am." J'onn admitted as he finished his shake. "This treat is quite delicious."
"Glad you like it." Kari smirked. "I think I have some plain oreos in my mini fridge if you're still hungry."
"I would like that." J'onn agreed.
He helped himself to the treats, sharing a smile with his new friend.
Just for the record, Kari Miller is an OC my co-author, Author of the Insane, is using in her own story, How I Met The Justice League. She has a personal connection with J'onn there as well. Feel free to check it out