Cay'an lived in an apartment under the name Kiera Nash. The place was minimal in nature. No photos, no plants, no books, nothing that would suggest that someone actually lived here beyond just existence.
This wasn't supposed to be her life; it was a mission. Cay'an stood at her window and looked at all the people, their inner thoughts a constant noise in the background that she'd gotten used to filtering out.
Humans were nothing like her people on Mars. They seemed more distant and 'loud' compared to her race.
She pushed her thoughts aside and focused on why she was really here. Her single goal that remained in her life. To kill Martian Manhunter, the supposedly last son of Mars.
The traitor.
She spent months tracking him, learning all the details of his life and the heroes under the name Justice League. One day she would find her moment.
She could count the Martians who survived on one hand; those remaining heard of his efforts on Earth and his contributions, seeing him as a symbol that carried on their culture. Cay'an knew better than that.
She learned the truth behind him, about who he really was.
TWO YEARS AGO
Cay'an was standing in a reconstructed memory of what was once Mars. It wasn't real; it couldn't be. Mars was now just ash, but everything was made so perfect it made her heart ache.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice said from behind her.
Cay'an turned around to see another Martian. "Who are you?" she asked, though she was sure she already knew the answer.
"Ma'alefa'ak. I believe you knew my brother." He inclined his head.
"J'onn," she whispered.
"Yes. I've been searching for survivors but found very few. But you...are strong. Untainted by Earth's influence." Malefic moved closer, the space rippling around him.
"Earth's influence?" she asked.
"Come. Let me show you something." He gestured, and the space started to shift.
What once showed Mars now dissolved, replaced by images of J'onn living on Earth, standing with the Justice League and surrounded by humans.
He was laughing at a joke made by the Flash, eating human food in their restaurants, and adopting their way of life.
"He survived. When billions died, J'onn survived." Malefic said softly.
"That's not his fault."
"Isn't it? He was one of our best, a protector. When the fires came and our people screamed, where was he?" His voice remained calm.
The images shifted, replaced with Mars burning and J'onn hiding under the rubble.
"He could have helped. Could have tried to save even just one, but instead he shaped himself small and hid under the rubble. So he could live when our children burnt." Malefic continued.
"You make it seem like what he did was betrayal." Cay'an clenched her hands.
"No. But what came after? He didn't even look for survivors. Didn't try to rebuild and didn't even try to find what was responsible."
The images changed to J'onn guarding humans while he called them friends.
"He replaced us; Mars died, and he simply...moved on," Malefic said quietly.
"He's a protector. It's what he does; he values all life..." Cay'an replied, shaking her head.
"More than he valued ours? Where is he now, Cay'an? As we speak, where is he?" Malefic moved closer.
Cay'an didn't answer.
"On the watchtower, standing with the humans, protecting their planet and living their life. Tell me, has he spent even a single day trying to find the rest of us? To try and help us?" His voice dropped.
"I...I don't know," she answered.
"Well, I do. Because I've watched him for decades, and I can assure you the answer is no. He made Earth his home. The Justice League his family. He chose them over his own people." Malefic's eyes held hers.
The space shifted again to show John Jones, J'onn in disguise, living a human life. Dating their women, eating their food.
"He's comfortable. Content. While the memory of our home fades with each passing year, while our language dies because no-one speaks it, and while our culture dies because our great protector, who hid like a coward, chose humanity over us. After he abandoned us!" Malefic said.
Cay'an felt something crack from inside her. "Then where were you? If you're so devoted to Mars, where were you when it burnt?" She demanded.
"Imprisoned. By my own people, for a crime in my youth I have deeply regretted ever since. I was locked away, unable to help and unable to die with my family in honour. I was already buried before the fires. Already forgotten." Malefic said quietly and looked at her directly. "But I'm here now, trying to find other survivors, trying to preserve what's left. While J'onn plays hero for aliens when he couldn't even be bothered to be a hero for us." He gestured at the images that showed J'onn's life on Earth.
The word 'alien' landed. That's what humans were to Martians. Aliens. Not family.
And J'onn chose them.
"He's letting us die because it's easier to just start over." Malefic said.
Cay'an stared at the images. J'onn laughing. J'onn was living life like everything was fine. All while she woke up every single day feeling like her soul had been carved out.
"He's a traitor. He chose his own comfort over his duty to protect. He chose to survive while everyone else died." Malefic said, simply.
Cay'an stayed quiet for a long time, the images surrounding her. "What do you want from me?" She said finally.
"Justice. Not revenge. He chose to abandon Mars, to let our civilisation die so he could prioritise his own life over ours. Earth over our home," he said, meeting her eyes. "Someone should hold him accountable for that choice."
Cay'an didn't break down; she made a decision.
"Show me how I can find him," she said.
"You already know where he is." Malefic smiled sadly; the space around them dissolved.
PRESENT DAY
J'onn needed to die, not for revenge but for Mars.
Cay'an moved through her training routine, preparing for their eventual encounter. J'onn was a protector of her people, so he was a good warrior; she needed to be ready.
"He chose them over us!" replayed in her mind throughout the day, a promise to make him pay.
She'd seen the evidence firsthand and heard the truth from his brother. Ever since she had observed him. J'onn lived through the death of Mars and simply moved on.
That was unforgivable. She would make it right.
Across the city in his apartment, Mike stood looking at his holographic board. A new entry.
It contained a photo of the woman named Kiera Nash. Brown hair. Unremarkable. But he knew who she really was.
Mike studied the image. He knew about her two weeks ago after finding her records and observing her. He vaguely remembered her from one of Martian Manhunter's comics and thought she would make a good final test. Soon it would be time to start his next project.
DEEP SPACE
Beyond Earth. Beyond Mars. Beyond the Milky Way. The void was silent and empty except for a small movement.
Drifting through the darkness was something ancient. Older than humanity and older than some stars. It was slow. It didn't have a purpose; it just existed, moving through the universe without a care.
Starro the Conqueror.
Its body was massive, measuring around half a mile long. A smaller fragment detached from the main body. It started to drift towards a galaxy. Towards Earth. Patient and inevitable.
Mike studied his plans in the dark, unaware of what the future held for him.