M A R T I A N M A N H U N T E R
M A R T I A N M A N H U N T E R
Mention:
@RubyA presence came to the doors of his mind. Vast and powerful, but definitely unknown.
I’ll come see you later, J’onn.J’onn swallowed down his shiver, but firmly acknowledged the appointment then went about his duties; getting the protesters booked, taking care of the injured, filing the paperwork. All the while ignoring the lingering dread. There was no need to worry about what would happen until it did.
Thankfully, the Captain let all of them who had helped with the protest head home as soon as everything was wrapped up. J’onn was glad to get back into the beloved trench coat and fedora for the walk home, then doubly glad to see that his landlady was away, visiting friends no doubt. And his nearby neighbors were away. If things went wrong, there would be no one else put at risk.
Once in his own apartment, he took a deep breath, then screwed up his shoulders. Then, he took out the chicos, poured them onto a plate, then set them onto the coffee table by the unfortunately dusty couch, allowing himself one little one for moral support. Then he headed to his kitchen, got water boiled on the stove, got out the mugs he’d been gifted at some party or other, then took the teapot the landlady had ‘needed to get rid of’, and placed the teabags and hot water into the pot then brought it all out to the coffee table as well. When he felt Jean approach, he poured out the tea into the nicer mug.
”Good evening. Do you prefer cream or sugar? Reality felt thinner as she walked the sidewalk with the woman in the red coat and dark rooted, reddish tipped hair, deep in conversation even as they weaved between people, couples, groups, and the ever-present scaffolding and warning cones of New York City sidewalks. Wanda Maximoff had spent the evening with Jean; a long, quiet, intense conversation that only came to end because Wanda got a request and Jean had J’onn left on her appointment list for the day.
Coffee in one hand, other hand slipped into her jean pocket, black form fitting leather jacket that looked a little too punk for her with leather lacing along silver rings up the spine in the back of the jacket, a clue it was from Storm’s punk days, not her own closet…but then sisters always did steal each other’s clothes. And Jean deeply missed her sister Ororo in the moment as she was forced to pull away from Wanda, disturbed by their conversation.
”Sugar, please. Be there soon. On foot.”Her hair was pinned up in a high resting ponytail, dark and scarlet red, shadowing and shimmering as she moved between lighting, her upstate New York girl showing, she thought, with the old hiking boots she wore, even if maybe it was just in her own head. For a girl who grew up hiking the Adirondacks, it was just second nature. She knocked gently, her mind at Mars, even as she waited for him.
Steadily, he placed a teaspoon of sugar in the tea, then headed for the door. He took a moment, stood straighter, then opened up for her, still keeping his human form but with a smile to his face.
”Welcome.” Then he presented the tea to her.
”Please, come in. Then he opened the door wider and gestured towards a worn couch. Jean’s eyes as they took in the apartment would see the worn but pleasing rug, the faded blue couch, the sturdy old-fashioned coffee table, the more tacky shelves near the window. But other than those touches, the apartment was incredibly barebones and the overall atmosphere was one of a place that was almost home but still had that lingering air of discomfort and unsettledness of a recent move. J’onn’s emotions were tightly under control, but the underlying wariness was still quite perceivable despite his outward calm and pleasantness.
“Thank you, J’onn, and thank you for inviting me,” she slipped in past him with tea in hands, sipping as she went, her eyes doing a quick scan, her mind doing a quicker scan, both instinctive, reflexive upon entering a new space for someone who has done, and seen, as much as she had. Her voice was warm, honey coated, her green eyes alive with the light of the room, and only that, but it was enough to make the green shine as she stared at him.
“Is it me who unsettles you, or the Phoenix? Because I’m not the active Phoenix host.”
I don’t think.He stilled, then shook his head.
”I suppose I have become out of practice in this.” Then he headed for the far side of the couch and sat down, grabbing a chico and some tea for himself as he did so.
”It has been, some time, since I’ve spoken with another telepath. What you host certainly is beyond my experience or knowledge…” He allowed himself a moment to tentatively sense it, then drew away as the impression of fire grew stronger.
”My uncertainty though lies more in what you will want now that you have found me.”Her smile widened, a natural radiance of humor and warmth, her voice dipping into a softer tone, “J’onn, I apologize if the chaos of the moment made the psychic impression I left tense or causing uncertainty in you in any way, that was never my intention…I just know what it’s like to hide. And I know how it feels to stop having to hide…between the two, I prefer the latter. And you look like someone who’s ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”
She motioned to the apartment around, “Well, either that, or you’re about to be the most upvoted ‘malelivingspaces’ post on Reddit soon,” the said, the hint of a tease trailing her voice as she spoke, a tiny grin forming at the corners of her mouth.
He softly smiled himself.
”I have been rather negligent in actually making my abode comfortable, I know…” But that smile quickly grew somber.
“...Could you really insure I wouldn’t need to hide? And what would be the price for that aid? Those that would be after me, are quite powerful in their own right.”“The X-Men don’t ask for anything in return for helping those in need, J’onn. I think if you do they revoke your superhero card, and I’ve had mine all my adult life, so I’ve grown a little bit attached to it, I think.”
There was a grain of truth somewhere in the bit, but even that grew to a close as she considered the totality of his words, the heart of his questions, “Could I? I don’t know. Could I cover every potential danger in every moment? Or could I clean it up on the back end with the Phoenix if I needed to?...I don’t know, messy questions with no clean answers. Could WE? Absolutely. I’m blessed to have friends that I can always count on. I would carefully consider it from all angles, if you have people to talk to, talk to them about it. It’s a major decision, even if you decide on a secret identity at times, fully you at other times. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. But yes, J’onn, you’d absolutely have the X-Men behind you if you needed help of any kind. That I can say without hesitation. That’s a clean question with a cleaner answer.” She smiled, big, bright, proud of the values the organization she had spent her life with stood for.
He stared at her, basking in her brightness and surety. Had he ever been as certain in something as she was? He wanted that. But still he hesitated, looking down towards the floor.
”I would and will help mutantkind, even if the other X-Men won’t have me. I will answer any X-Men call for help if I’m in any position to do so. I will never be your weapon though, even if it’s taken as betrayal.” His grip tightened on his tea as he locked down on images of the past, though few slipped through to Jean.
Martian Eyes filled with fear and horror as J’onn’s own hands locked them in irons.Two White Martian teens, brother and sister, forced to watch as their father and his cohort burned in the fiery hall of judgement.A Green Martian Doctor trying to bargain for a young man’s life. “He’s a fully functional member of society, Manhunter. His being non-psychic shouldn’t be a death sentence! Just let me-J’onn continued on.
”I, quite like the life I have built. It can be rather ordinary most of the time, but it is one I have made and one where I can be of help to those that need it. I certainly would be willing also to use the authority I have to help mutantkind as I can. If you are truly offering friendship…” Here, he allowed himself to look back up at her.
”I will make sure to offer friendship in kind.” Her expression, her smile, all softened in that moment as her heart truly came to the surface, her hand putting the finished teacup down to reach out to give his nearest elbow a gentle touch, “No deal, J’onn. Our friendship and help don’t come with strings: that’s the deal. I’ve seen Martian history. I’ve seen your history, maybe your future…..” her voice trailed badly, as if even her mind could get lost in the vastness that was cosmic memory.
She shrugged, slowly, coming back with a long inhale, “Mutants have eyes on Mars, that’s the other thing I wanted to tell you.”
Despite himself, he started to sink into that touch. When had been the last time…? Then he jolted.
”Eyes on Mars? Why? When did they get up there? Have they been discovered?” In her mind, she could hear the unspoken questions.
”Has it changed? What is home like now? How are the people there?”Jean hesitated, but forced verbal transparency, “What can I tell you? I’ve found myself one of the leaders of a mutant state, so what becomes state secrets? They wanted some place that would be harder for the Sentinels to reach, I think, and Mars seemed like a good choice. We became convinced we could terraform the planet. Not part of it; the entire planet. We have what we call ‘mutant circuits’…basically us layering our powers to achieve some greater effect than we could ever achieve by ourselves. Combine Magneto, Storm, and Iceman alone and you get some pretty compelling science at a planetary scale, Omega mutants capable of such feats. I told them Mars wasn’t empty, like they thought. So they want to take a look. I think that means a team to go look. What team? I’m not sure, yet. It’s being decided by Erik and Scott.”
J’onn stood up.
”I thank you for being able to spare my people from having their world terraformed underneath them.” Then he started pacing about, hands behind him clenching and unclenching.
”Whoever ends up traveling to Mars wouldn’t be immediately in danger. The heads of state are greedy and power-hungry, but they can understand the principles of simple gravity and mathematics. I was their only hope for perhaps matching an average Earthling in terms of strength if an Earthling invasion were to come. The protocol before I left had it so that any discovered visitors, and the space watchers are killed if they miss anything so they’re not likely to miss any typical space vessel, have quarters prepared for them to treat them with cordial hospitality. Then they’d be either encouraged to leave, discretely disposed of, or…” He paused, swallowing.
”Or if they intrigued Mal-” Like a lightning burst, Jean could feel the ripples as something within J’onn’s very own mind mentally shocked him, keeping him from finishing that thought. Outwardly though, he barely twinged.
”...The Doctor, the uh Chief Scientist and so the Head of the Government Division of Scientific Advancement…If a visitor intrigues him, he has full authority to seek to, recruit or ‘recruit’ them for scientific advancement or to help serve the people. Anyone you send would…” He turned fully to Jean.
“Let me talk with whoever is arranging this mission. My info may be two Earth years out of date, but it’s only a Martian year so it shouldn’t be that far off. If they decide that an expedition still needs to be sent, then at least those sent would have more warning of what’s ahead!” Jean’s head tilted, just so, at the Martian before her, “Mental block?”
”In a sense…” He self-consciously touched his head.
”It is…part of some leftover, what is basically a Martian form of brainwashing. I’ve been able to chip away at some of what had been established within the consciousness and outer unconsciousness. As you’re likely very aware of though, dealing with the deeper levels within the mind is much riskier, especially when seeking to undo psychic locks that another placed within there. And especially if you’re diving down alone…Most of what’s left doesn’t affect my day to day life though, so it’s been alright. It should wear away in time.”“I can help. We can help. When you’re ready, if you ever want. If we can make Logan wear a suit, I think anything is possible.” Her gentle smile became a gentle grin with the inside joke, the barb thrown at her dear friend, and sometimes lover, a fun little thing she could ask forgiveness for later. “I’ll talk to Magneto, or Storm, and see who is heading this Cosmic team. In the meantime, feel free to come by Xavier House any time. In any form…..I can feel them, you know? On Mars. My telepathic range easily includes the entire solar system. I can feel them, read them, if I want to push. They don’t have a clue I’m there. Just an interesting fact I thought you might want to know.”
”Such power…” And she was just freely offering him aid?
“I will take your invitation to come by. Perhaps not today, but someday soon.” Finally, he allowed his Martian form to ripple out with a smile, then offered a hand.
Thank you, Jean & Phoenix.”“Just Jean works, thanks, J’onn. See you soon.” She smiled, thanked him for hosting her once more, and slipped out, hands sliding into the pockets of the jacket as she hit the sidewalk, eyes and mind scanning buildings and cars along the street, She didn’t get very far before her body outlined in vibrant pink before flying off under telekinetic propulsion into the New York City night sky.
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