The observation deck was empty at 2 AM, and J'onn was sitting alone; the only lights on in the area were above him. He stared up at Mars, the planet that he once called home.
He felt completely alone, and he was only staring, doing nothing else. He was just existing.
Carrying the weight of being the last Martian was a constant pressure on his back. He was the only one left who spoke the language and the only one who could remember their beautiful cities.
The silence was broken by a notification sound and a holographic screen appearing behind him. He turned around, and the screen said only two words: FOR YOU.
J'onn's posture shifted, his mind racing with thoughts. His first thought was to trace the file's origin.
He ran it through every security protocol and firewall to try and figure out who sent it and from where. Nothing.
The file was like a ghost. It had no traceable data. It just simply appeared. That alone told him who had sent it. Sophist.
J'onn's jaw tightened, and his hands moved to close the file and alert Batman. He hesitated, his finger hovering over the button. If Sophist sent this, then it was to help him. To make him stronger. That was the pattern.
That meant J'onn needed to see what was sent. He pressed play.
The screen flickered to life. At first it was just darkness, and then the grainy footage became crystal clear. Then an abandoned building came into view.
A blur of movement rushed through the screen, too fast for the camera at first. Then it adjusted, and the figure became visible.
Green skin and red eyes. J'onn leaned forward, his breath ragged. The figure phased through solid objects; it shifted into different forms and even became invisible.
It was a Martian.
"That's not possible," J'onn whispered.
The evidence was clear and undeniable. It was another Martian. Still alive and here on Earth.
The emotion hit him fast and hard. Pure joy and hope. He wasn't alone anymore. After decades of believing he was the last one left, the only being in the world who knew how brilliant Mars was. A survivor. A Martian was out there alive, and he had no idea they existed.
His posture changed. The weight he had carried for so long was lighter. Not gone but less heavy.
He watched the figure move through the footage. Female, he thought, and young by Martian standards. Her use of abilities wasn't as smooth as his, suggesting inexperience. But that didn't matter. She was alive.
She was real. For the first time since his home was destroyed, he felt something besides grief when thinking about it. He felt hope.
The footage continued, and another figure entered view. The Martian was fighting someone. The camera angle shifted to reveal Sophist.
He studied the footage. The Martian fought with overwhelming aggression. All her attacks carried a certain fury he hadn't. t seen before. She wasn't thinking straight.
She was trying to kill Sophist with pure brutality. That observation troubled him.
His mind raced again. Why didn't he sense her? He searched Earth and Mars multiple times, searching for anyone. Just one Martian and never got a response.
The footage ended, and silence returned. J'onn sat motionless staring at the video. Then he replayed it, and he was swarmed with a range of emotions.
Hope. That he was no longer alone and another Martian survived. Confusion. Why is she here and hiding? Guilt. For not being there for her. Unease. Why did Sophist send this, and how did he find her before he did?
J'onn slowly stood and moved closer to the screen, and he paused the footage. He reached out his hand as if he could touch her.
"You survived," he whispered. He paused and his hands dropped. "How long have you been here?"
He had to find her. There was finally another Martian out there. Another person who understood. A connection from his life on Mars.
The screen flickered, and J'onn stepped back. Text appeared across the screen. 'You're not alone. You just weren't looking.' The words were loud in J'onn's mind, and seconds later the file deleted itself.
Now no-one else was able to see the footage sent to him except him. He made it replay in his mind to make sure not even a single detail was forgotten.
Sophist had found another Martian and then sent proof of her existence to J'onn.
Why?
He was trying to teach him something. That would be the obvious answer. But what did he have planned for him, and how was she involved? What 'test' was awaiting him?
J'onn didn't know, but he knew that he had to find the other Martian. He needed to find her and ask her so much.
He turned away from the window and left the observation deck. He started pulling up all the data and logs and started to search for any possible proof as to who she was.
An hour later J'onn found Batman in the strategy room, who was reviewing security footage. He didn't look up when J'onn entered.
"I need to talk to you. Privately," said J'onn.
Batman's fingers paused the footage and closed the files. "What happened?" he asked.
"Sophist sent me a video file. Untraceable," J'onn replied.
"What did it show?" asked Batman.
"Another Martian. Alive and here on Earth. They were fighting," he replied.
Batman paused for a few seconds. "You're certain?"
"I know what I saw. Her skin. Her eyes. Her abilities. She's real, Bruce. I'm not the last one," J'onn said, his voice quiet.
Bruce turned to fully face J'onn. "How long have you known about her?"
"I didn't. That's the issue. She's been here for who knows how long, and I never sensed her. I never even knew she existed." J'onn moved to the window and looked out into space.
"She's hiding?" Batman questioned.
"Almost certainly. Otherwise, she would have answered my call, right?" J'onn replied.
"Why would Sophist show you this?" Batman asked, moving next to J'onn and standing beside him.
"I don't know. That's what concerns me. It looked like he was testing her, like what he did to me and Shayera. Then he sent me the footage, no strings attached." J'onn said, his jaw tightening.'
"He's established a pattern. He builds you up physically but also emotionally. He helped Hawkgirl, and now he's helping you," Batman said.
"He knew what it would mean to me: finding out I'm not alone," J'onn said.
"I'll help you, J'onn, but be prepared for the possibility that she doesn't want to be found, and if that's the case, she might be hostile," Batman replied.
"I know. But I have to try", replied J'onn.
"I'll start searching for the other Martian for you and see if I can figure out where the footage was sent. It might give us a clue as to who Sophist is," said Batman.
"Thank you."
"You're not alone, J'onn. You still have the league," Batman replied, glancing at him.
J'onn nodded, grateful. He wasn't the last one anymore, and that changed everything.