The apartment was modest. Two bedrooms and a small kitchen with a living room barely large enough for the couch and TV. J'onn was standing in the kitchen at around 6:45 AM, making breakfast for two.
During his time on Earth, he learned to appreciate the delicacy of coffee. He was making the classic eggs with toast and a glass of orange juice. Normal human food. Cay'an emerged, still half-asleep, wearing pyjamas they bought together a few weeks ago. The concept of 'sleepwear' was foreign to her. Earth was strange.
"Morning," she mumbled, moving to the coffee pot with the skill of an addict. (She drank coffee for the first time a week ago).
"Good morning. I made extra. I wasn't sure if you wanted," J'onn said, plating the eggs and setting them on the table.
"Yes. Thank you," she replied, sitting down.
She added around ten teaspoons of sugar to her coffee and took a sip. She made a face before adding more sugar. This was the routine now. They started living with each other three weeks ago. It was a way for J'onn to help Cay'an integrate into Earth and learn from him. Cay'an ate quickly.
"You have that meeting today. The Justice Legion or whatever," she told J'onn between bites.
"Yes. 2 PM."
"Are you going to tell them about me?"
"Not yet. When you're ready."
Cay'an nodded. She appreciated that. She wasn't ready to be the other Martian survivor his colleagues wanted to meet and study. For now just learning to be a person was perfectly fine.
"I'm going to the library, researching more Earth history. They really wage war on each other very often," she announced to J'onn.
"That's good. Are you comfortable with going alone?"
"I'm not a child."
"I know, but only two months ago you'd never been to a library before, or used a computer, or..." J'onn started to retort.
"I'm adapting. I don't need supervision," Cay'an replied, her voice sharp.
"Just asking," J'onn replied, raising his hands.
It was silence for a while. A little uncomfortable. There is a tension between them of people trying to be a family but not knowing exactly how to. Cay'an finished her eggs and rinsed her plate before heading back to her room to change. J'onn cleaned the rest up, giving her space.
Cay'an returned at 5:30 PM carrying a stack of library books.
"Mrs Amber helped me get a library card. She said I could borrow up to five books at the same time," she announced, proudly holding up the plastic rectangle like a trophy.
"That's good. What did you get?"
"She said these would help me understand human emotions better than textbooks," Cay'an replied, placing the books in front of J'onn.
J'onn examined the titles. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Kite Runner. The Book Thief.
"I'm making dinner. Pasta. I found a recipe that seemed manageable," J'onn said.
"You don't need to cook for me every night."
"I know and I'll cook anyway. You can choose whether to eat or not," J'onn replied.
"I'll eat," Cay'an replied with a small smile.
"Why do humans fight so much?" she asked over dinner.
"On Mars we had a psychic connection. Conflicts were visible to everyone, and that transparency prevented escalation. Humans are more isolated. They can't feel each other's pain directly. It makes violence easier," J'onn answered.
"Is that why we're not supposed to connect telepathically with humans?" she asked.
"Partially. Also because connecting would mean risking attachment. Attachment means..." J'onn answered.
"Loss. When they die."
"Yes."
"Malefic used my fear of attachment to convince me that forming a connection with anything but a Martian was a betrayal. That my isolation was a strength," Cay'an replied, looking at her plate.
"It's not."
"Are you connected with anyone?" she asked, now looking at J'onn.
The question hit him harder than probably intended.
"I'm working on it. Same as you. We're both learning."
"Learning together?"
"Yes. Together."
Cay'an smiled and returned to her pasta. J'onn felt something he grew unfamiliar with. The feeling of family.
After fifty years he had forgotten that such a connection was so valuable and possible. Cay'an was teaching him just as much as he was teaching her. Just by being there.
Sophist was watching from a rooftop a few blocks away. He'd been monitoring him since he returned five days ago. J'onn had changed.
He was eating regularly and maintaining the apartment. He was showing up to Justice League meetings more often and was actually living a life. Then there was the other Martian.
J'onn had taken her in and built something that was remarkably close to a family. It was unexpected.
...
Fifty miles away, in an unmarked facility underground. A man dressed in a labcoat stood before the containment unit.
A woman was shackled to the ground. Her skin was pale with her long black hair flowing upwards in an ethereal way. She was dressed in a sleeveless black corset paired with thick high boots, the same colour, and a necklace adorned around her neck. A purple sash was wrapped around her body, trailing in wind that wasn't there.
"What are the subject's vitals?" asked a man, now standing behind the other.
"Stable. The project seems to have been successful, though for the last few days she seems... inactive," the other man replied.
"Interesting. When do you think she'll be ready for use? The higher-ups are beginning to worry with our rate of production," asked the man.
"Everything seems fine, but I'd recommend we keep her under surveillance for a while longer," he replied.
"The government has spent billions on CADMUS. We have to start producing results," replied the other.
"I think they'll be pleased with this one. You shouldn't have to worry much longer," replied the man.
"What should we call her?"
"We keep calling her by her original name, Bette Noir."
As the scientists talked about her, she stayed in a trance. Searching for someone to talk to. A psychic connection. Someone she could lure towards her to help her escape before she consumed their mind.
It wasn't going to be long before she found her target.