Chapter 13: Strange Visitor From Another Planet and a Helping Hand
The news cycle, usually obsessed with Supergirl, had found a new target: the mysterious, shape-shifting alien known as the Martian Manhunter. J'onn J'onzz's identity had been exposed, thanks to the ever-charming General Lane, and National City was in an uproar. Fear, suspicion, and a healthy dose of xenophobia filled the air. Adam watched the unfolding drama with a grimace. Seriously, Lane? Can't you just chill for five minutes?
He saw Alex, usually so composed, looking strained and worried. J'onn was her father figure, and seeing him hunted like an animal clearly pained her.
Adam found Winn looking stressed, monitoring the news feeds. "This is a nightmare," Winn muttered. "General Lane is going full McCarthyism on J'onn. And Senator Crane is just fanning the flames."
"Yeah, well, politicians and fear-mongering go together like peanut butter and existential dread," Adam quipped, though his tone held little humor. He leaned over Winn's shoulder, pointing at a news clip of Senator Crane giving a fiery speech. "You know, I've noticed Senator Crane has a habit of making… convenient appearances. Almost like she's being fed information. And her rhetoric sounds suspiciously similar to some leaked D.E.O. documents I 'accidentally' saw online once. Probably just a coincidence, but hey, if you wanted to discredit someone, exposing their hypocrisy is usually a good start."
Winn looked at him, a spark of an idea in his eyes. "Discredit her? You think she's connected to something?"
"Let's just say she's a little too eager to jump on the 'alien menace' bandwagon," Adam said with a shrug. "And sometimes, the loudest voices are the ones hiding the most. Just a thought. And if you wanted to, say, provide J'onn with an alibi that would make him temporarily 'untraceable' from D.E.O. surveillance, you could always, you know, 'accidentally' create a ghost signal. For a few hours. Just enough time for him to disappear."
Winn's fingers were already flying across the keyboard. "A ghost signal… that's brilliant! It would buy him time!"
"I try," Adam said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go make sure no one tries to arrest Cat Grant for being too fabulous. You know how these witch hunts go."
Later, as a public demonstration against aliens turned into a chaotic mob, Adam found himself in the thick of it, trying to usher frightened civilians away from the escalating tension. The crowd surged, pushing and shoving, and a heavy camera rig, set up for a news report, was knocked over, tumbling directly towards a young woman.
"Oh, for crying out loud, again with the falling objects?" Adam thought, his eyes widening.
[ADAPT SYSTEM: Host in danger. Threat: Falling heavy object. Adaptation: Doubled physical strength and reaction time.]
His body moved before he even registered the command. He lunged, his hand shooting out, catching the heavy camera rig with surprising ease. He felt a surge of temporary strength, the metal frame barely registering as weight in his hand. He gently, almost casually, set it aside, feigning a strained grunt. "Whoops. Almost had a bad hair day. And a very expensive insurance claim."
The young woman he'd saved stared at him, her jaw hanging open. "You… you just caught that!"
Adam offered a sheepish grin. "Yeah, well, I've been working out. And I have surprisingly good reflexes. Must be all those video games." He quickly moved on, continuing to guide people away from the danger.
J'onn, who had been observing the chaos from a distance, saw the impossible feat. He saw the ordinary human catch a heavy object with one hand, saw the subtle, almost imperceptible speed of his movement. His already cautious respect for Adam deepened. "He is more than he appears," J'onn thought, a new enigma added to his already complex life. "And he helps. Without question."
After the dust settled and J'onn had managed to evade capture (thanks in part to Winn's "ghost signal" and Senator Crane's sudden, politically damaging scandal), Adam found J'onn in a quiet corner of the D.E.O.
"Rough day at the office, huh, Green Guy?" Adam quipped, offering him a bottle of water. "Being an alien superhero is never easy. Especially when the government wants to dissect you."
J'onn took the water, his expression unreadable. "You… you helped, Adam. More than you know. Your… insights. They were… useful."
Adam shrugged. "Just trying to make the world a little less hostile for my alien friends. And hey, if you ever need a new disguise, I've got some ideas. I'm thinking fake mustache, Groucho Marx glasses. Really sells the 'I'm not an alien' look." He offered J'onn a small, knowing smile.
J'onn actually chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. "Perhaps another time, Adam. But thank you. For everything." He looked at Adam, a new understanding in his eyes. "You are… a strange visitor from another planet yourself, in a way. But a welcome one."
Adam felt a quiet sense of triumph. He was gaining J'onn's cautious respect, a significant step. He was becoming part of the team, not just a bystander with a cheat sheet.
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