Arrival (3)

POV - General (3rd Person)

"Are you sure he has no ulterior motives, Diana?" a man dressed in a black and stone-colored dark grey costume said, a stylized bat on his chest and stretching to either shoulder where a black cape was connected. His face was uncovered, his cowl falling loosely behind his head and joining his cape. His steel blue eyes looked across the long but relatively narrow table at Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman, or Diana, sighed before nodding, "He was absolutely crushed when those foolhardy detectives made it clear he didn't exist here, Bruce. Utterly and completely. I'd like to say that over my long life I hadn't seen such soul crushing despair but I've seen it enough to notice it clearly in others." Her pause was filled with another sigh and a grimace of past memories, "I've also seen enough people try to fake it," she admitted before meeting Bruce's eyes, "And that young man wasn't faking it. He needs help. Our help."

All Bruce, the bat-themed hero, did was hum in response. Steepling his hands in front of his mouth as his eyes looked off into the distance, mind hard at work trying to figure something out. Trying to figure someone out.

"I agree with Diana, Bruce," the third person at the table said. He was a tall and broad man, built like a Mr. Olympia and outfitted in a dark blue costume with a red cape and a pentagon-diamond shape on his chest outlined in red with a yellow inside it and an 'S' on top of that. He shared his eye and hair color with the other two at the table but his face was much more expressive than either.

He leaned against the table and looked down at his hands, "I can at least partly understand his situation. From the viewpoint of having a strange biological difference when compared to others and not understanding it at all. But for him...it must be even more disconcerting. To have lived a life as a completely normal person only to end up in this kind of situation? It would be hard for anyone."

Diana, who was sat next to him, placed a reassuring hand on the man's caped shoulder and met his glance with a small but similarly reassuring smile before she dropped her hand and looked back to Bruce, "As Clark said, Bruce, this change is an upheaval on the life Ethan had lived before. A life we know is the truth because of my lasso."

Bruce hummed in response again. Neither of the other two felt offended by his noncommittal reply either. Both Diana and Clark had known the man for years, so they knew he'd rarely share an opinion without knowing all the facts. He was far from a talkative person even then.

Suddenly, a robotic voice was heard from speakers throughout the room and a gate of some kind to the right of the table lit up and turned into a portal of swirling white energy, "Recognized, Black Canary, 13. Recognized, Soranik Natu, A-37," the voice said and in walked two women through the portal before it closed behind them.

The nearest of the women, a beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes was wearing a black, one-piece bustier-leotard combination under a blue lapelled jacket, with gray stockings with seams running up the front and back. She wore black, heavy, calf-length boots that thudded against the metallic floor and had black fingerless gloves that went up her forearm past the elbow to her biceps and a black choker. The second woman was much more exotic in appearance with bright red skin and metallic grey eyes with flecks of green while she wore her black hair short-ish in length, and she was dressed in a tight-fitting suit of black and green.

The blonde held up a hand in greeting before gesturing to herself and the red-skinned woman of presumably extraterrestrial origin, "I looked over the footage as soon as you sent it to me. Is he here?"

Diana stood from her chair and approached the woman, nodding as she spoke, "Yes, he's in one of the on-base dorm rooms. When I left him he was looking through a history book to see if there's any other differences between his world and ours but it's pretty clear..."

"He's trying to distract himself. Got it," the blonde gave a nod herself, "I'll go and see him then." She caught the worrying gaze of Diana and gave a lighthearted smirk, "Already feeling protective over him, are you? That's not like you, Diana."

"Well," she sighed in response with a half-smile/half-grimace, "It's hard not to be when he looked so wounded the first time I saw him. I have no idea how therapists like you don't do it, Dinah."

The blonde, Dinah, gave a sad smile of her own, "You get used to it."

With her piece done, Dinah turned and walked off with a determined look to her face. Diana and the other two who'd watched their little friendly back-and-forth turned their gazes to the red-skinned woman, "Soranik. It's a pleasure to meet you once again, my friend," Diana greeted her with a smile before it withered somewhat, "I only wish it was on better terms and that I'd contacted you to catch up, not so we could use your medical expertise."

"Nonsense, Diana!" Soranik replied with indiscernibly accented English, "I'm glad you called me, actually. Between my missions for the Corps, training and resting, I'm actually looking forward to some relaxing time doing some medicine." She looked and gave a nod to both Bruce and Clark before addressing the former specifically, "So? Let us go to your facilities so I can get used to them."

Everyone nodded in reply, the two still sitting men standing and all four of them walk toward a separate door to the one Dinah took moments earlier.

. . .

POV - Ethan Blaine (1st Person)

I closed the history book in my hands and put it down on the bed next to me. I did my best to not look out the window next to me, the thought of looking into space again much too soon. Having been in the Attack Ball not too long ago...let's just say I'd had enough of the uncertainty of space and it's vastness for a good while.

So, instead of that, I looked up at the ceiling as I let myself collapse back onto the double bed. The room I was in was pretty bare bones but I was fine with that. The bed was almost too comfortable thought.

It was when I found myself falling asleep that I heard a knock at the door and I bolted upright.

"Yeah? Come in," I called out and the high-tech door slid open and I was met by two people I hadn't thought I'd ever meet.

Seeing them also told me Wonder Woman wasn't the only almost 'too' perfect woman in this world. Like if you take the unrealness of a comic book character and made them real. It was simultaneously fascinating and unsettling.

Both of them were around 5'11" but that's where the similarities ended.

The one on the left was a blonde with her hair cut short and around chin length. She was wearing her costume which consisted of a white leotard, blue boots and gloves, a similarly colored belt with a golden buckle and a red cape secured by a circle of golden metal on her right shoulder. I kept my eyes above her chest but it was pretty obvious she was...very well-endowed in that area. Easily scene by the boob window in her white leotard.

Her face was like Wonder Woman's in a way. High cheekbones, full lips and a defined jawline but there was a softness to her face Wonder Woman didn't have. Something more sensual about her too, especially with the eye make-up she was wearing.

She was, in one word, a bombshell. Of epic proportions.

It was Power Girl. And her icy blue eyes were looking at me with...understanding? I guess that's understandable.

The woman next to her was actually my favorite heroine, though I understood that had nothing to do with my current situation. She was a person, not a character from a comic book. My pre-conceived biases could fuck off, basically.

Piercing but dark blue eyes looked over at me inquisitively yet also with a sheen of friendliness. Pale skin with a spattering of freckles across her checks and presumably across his nose but the mask she was wearing over her upper face didn't let me confirm or deny that. Her auburn hair flowed out from under the back of her bat-themed cowl and out onto her cape which was black on the outside and yellow inside. The latter color going well with the other yellow-colored items she had. Her utility belt, her gloves and boots, and the bat-shape on her chest. The rest of her costume was dark blue except for the fabric on the outside of her legs which was black.

If the girl next to her was a bombshell with a body that'd have your jaw hit the floor, then the redhead had the body of a fashion model...without being fragile-looking or skinny at her. She looked graceful. Lithe. Like a dancer or a gymnast.

Batgirl.

Just as I was having my mind blown, Batgirl took a step into the room and smiled at me, "You're the guy who was found in the Atlantic, right?" she asked, pulling my mind back into gear.

"Yeah," I said a little too forcibly. I was a bit too tense, maybe a little craggy from being tired and...hungry. Ah, the infamous appetite of the Saiyans. Shaking the useless thoughts from my mind, I took a step toward the two with what I hope was a polite smile and lifted a hand for a handshake, "Yeah. My name's Ethan. And you two are?"

"Members of the League," she replied before gesturing to herself and then to Power Girl, "I'm Batgirl and this is Power Girl," she explained and I had to act like I didn't already know that, so I put on a confused expression. Batgirl caught that, thankfully, and gave an awkward smile, "Right...you come from a different Earth."

I damn near flinched at the reminder. After reading a history book, it was all too fresh in my mind; the fact I'd never see my family again, that is. That I was stranded on an Earth completely different to my own.

Power Girl and her Kryptonian eyes must've caught my flinch in 4K because she nudged Batgirl with her shoulder a little harshly, "I think--" she said pointedly while giving a glare to the woman next to her, "--what Batgirl is trying to say is we're sorry you're in such a situation."

"Y-yeah," Batgirl said sheepishly, "Sorry, Ethan. I just wasn't thinking," she apologized and that was almost worse. The pity.

"Pity won't get me back home, Batgirl," I lightly snapped before realizing I'd let my annoyance get the better of me. Sighing, I apologized, "Sorry, I'm just...tired. It's been a hell of a day and I was just about to get to sleep before you came knocking at my door so you two are to blame for my crankiness, really," I joked with a somewhat forced laugh. I was annoyed at the reminder of my circumstances but I didn't want people to act like they were walking on eggshells around me either. That'd just annoy me even more.

God, I feel bloody bipolar. I go from smiling and feeling like I'm living my teenage-years biggest fantasy, to snapping in annoyance at the mention of one thing. Everything was just so intense for me now. Every emotion ramped up to a heightened level and so reactive and impulsive too.

No wonder Vegeta was such an arsehole at times.

"Don't worry about it," Power Girl said, crossing her arms under her rather buxom chest, "I went through something similar after some weird events. Woke up living a completely different life, different memories. Thankfully I found out who I was with the help of this Earth's Justice League." She stopped and the topic was obvious still hard for her to talk about but she was pushing through the discomfort to try and comfort me - I was thankful for it. It reminded me I wasn't the only person in the universe (multiverse?) to ever suffer. Even with a situation like mine I wasn't unique.

The thought/sentiment wouldn't make me feel normal again. I don't think I'd ever feel anywhere close to *normal* again. But it did ease the overall turbulence and tension in my mind that had seemingly been a constant since I'd got here.

Power Girl spoke again, "What I'm trying to say is this: Keep your chin up and just put one foot in front of the other. The League will do their best to help you, Ethan." Her words were comforting, even when said with such a serious face. Or was it because they were said so seriously that they were so comforting? I've got no clue.

"Thank you, Power Girl--but seriously, that's weird to say," I laughed before explaining to the two suddenly confused women, "No heroes on my Earth. Like, none. At all. A few vigilantes, I guess, but none of them wore costumes and had superhero names." I stopped to give a light, nearly inaudible chuckle before continuing, "It's just weird to say. To see. If it weren't for the fact I was on a high-tech space station orbiting Earth and the fact I was teleported here, I wouldn't believe a thing that book said," I gestured to the history book still on the bed.

It wasn't just ancient history. It was a thick book filled with hundreds and hundreds, maybe even thousands of pages, and it covered all of modern history too. When the League was formed, their first battle together against your run-of-the-mill alien invasion, the numerous other times they'd saved the world...it was like ready an encyclopedia about a comic.

Batgirl's eyes looked to the book and then back to me, curiosity blazing in her eyes. I grinned in response and so did Power Girl. Obviously Batgirl was a curious one usually and I wasn't a special occasion for her. Figures.

"Ask away, if you want," I said and Batgirl looked to me as if to say 'really?', so I shrugged, "I've gotta get used to talking about it, so why not start now? It sucks to think about it but maybe it'll help me in the long run. You know, up here," I tapped my temple with a finger. "Besides, there's a few differences I can tell you about if you're curious," I admitted.

I mean, why the hell was the Roman Colosseum in Greece? At least Italy still has the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Poor guys had one of their wonders stolen--from my perspective, anyway. They have a new one in it's place - some sort of massive statue erected to Mars, the God of War.

Batgirl's eyes lit up, "Really? Like what--" she was cut off by a deep and guttural growl. A harsh rumble that could shake mountains to their very foundations--!

It was my stomach. My stomach was rumbling and making ungodly sounds.

Power Girl couldn't stop herself and burst out laughing, "Tired, huh? I've got it on good authority that the reason you were so cranky is because of whatever was making that sound," she said in between her laughs and I flushed with embarrassment. Stupid fucking stomach and it's new appetite. She must've seen the light dusting of red on my cheeks because her laughter picked up with a new intensity. Stupid fucking shame and it's new intensity.

"Did they not feed you or something? You sound starved," Batgirl giggled but her eyes held a worry that actually caused my embarrassment at such a loud stomach rumbling to abate almost entirely. When I nodded to her question, she frowned a little before quickly turning it into a small smile, "Want us to show you the way to the cafeteria? It's not too far from here and it's about time we ate something, right, Power Girl?"

The woman in question stopped her laughter and wiped an imaginary tear from her eyes, regarding Batgirl with a thinking expression before nodding, "I could go for some food, sure."

I was tired. Really tired. Wanted to sleep and then sleep some more after that. Usually I would've asked for a rain check and then slept. But bloody hell was I likely to try eating my mattress if I slept now, so I gave a nod to her offer.

I felt like I could eat an entire cow.

. . .

"It...it shouldn't be possible, right?" Batgirl murmured with eyes the size of saucers, "He's a big guy and all but--but where's all that food going?"

"...I have no idea," Power Girl said, equally as speechless.

Meanwhile, I was eating my twenty-third plate of food. A delectable steak done just right at medium-rare and with a side of some fluffy chips and onion rings. Even a little bit of salad too. And I ate it all. Within ten seconds, the steak, the chips, the onion rings and even the salad were all in my stomach.

I now knew why Saiyans enjoyed eating so much. It wasn't just the act of eating your fill either. It was the tastes. My human tongue might as well have been coated in plastic in my past life because now I could taste everything and just like with my emotions, the tastes were so much more intense. So much more...full. Complete, even. Everything tasted amazing. Which I'll admit is partly because the machine that made the meals was built by some super genius to make top-quality food to satisfy even the pickiest eaters. But I was pretty sure I could eat a McDonald's burger and still feel like it tastes like Gordon Ramsay made it.

Sitting back, away from the table, I pat my stomach. Still flat and adorned with washboard abs, even after the ungodly amount of food I'd put away.

I was still kinda hungry but this would do. For now, anyway.

Looking up, I saw Power Girl and Batgirl alike both looking at my and then down to my flat stomach and then back up at me like I was some sort of anomaly. Knowing what I'd just done, I kinda agree with them.

"Ethan..." Power Girl said with a somewhat stunted look, "I can do some funky stuff but I can't put that much food in my stomach. Are you finally full?"

I awkwardly laughed in reply, averting my gaze a little, "Uh, not really. I could go for more food but this is enough for now." The only reason I'd had this much already is because I knew the League could afford it with someone like Bruce Wayne/Batman bankrolling them and because the machine that fabricated the food apparently had a stockpile of raw materials and energy that could last feeding the entire League every day for a decade or two.

Batgirl was still looking at my stomach from over the table, her face dazed, "I know you said you weren't human anymore, Ethan - the monkey tail sold that part - but seeing you put this much food away is just shocking. Like, seriously, where does it all go?"

"If I had an answer, I'd give it to you," I shrugged with a light laugh. I felt much better after eating some food. Both physically and mentally. I'd always been a bit of a foodie and now that I'm kinda a Saiyan, it's obviously gotten more pronounced. Nothing better than eating away your troubles, after all.

"I could probably get an answer, if you didn't mind," Power Girl said suddenly and I looked to her, gesturing for her to continue. She brought a finger up to her eyes, "I can do this thing with my eyes. Lets me see through things. Like an X-Ray. I could use that while you ate to, you know, see what happens." Batgirl, hearing her, turned to her and then back to me, her eyes basically begging to know what did indeed happen.

I stopped and thought about it for a second. I felt like I should care or feel...invaded by the thought of someone using X-Ray vision to spy on my internal organs. But I didn't. It was odd but I almost felt proud by their curiosity and especially by their shock and awe at how much I could eat.

It was weird but in the end, I nodded, "Sure. Just don't look too far down," I casually said with a wink. Again, I felt a bit shocked by such confidence. But it flowed through me so naturally, like I was meant to be like this. I kinda liked it. I felt good, all things considered.

Power Girl scoffed in reply, "You're a good-looking guy and all, Ethan, but I'm not an amateur," she said but from the lascivious glint to her grin, I could tell she wasn't overtly against the idea.

Batgirl stood up suddenly and rushed over to get me another plate of food and soon returned with two burgers. I accepted the plates with a thankful smile and picked up one of the burgers after placing both plates down in front of me. I took a big bite out of it, basically cleaving the thing in half before chewing a few times and swallowing.

I looked to Power Girl and saw her eyes trailing down my throat and toward my stomach, obviously following the food. Then her eyes widened, "Woah," she simply said.

"What? What happened?" Batgirl insistently asked.

"The food hit his stomach acid and just...melted," she said with wonder, "Like, 'instantly converted the food to nutrients' type of melted. Why the hell is your metabolism so fast?" she asked me with a similar tone of wonder.

I shrugged, "Gotta be, I guess. Strong body needs a lot of food. Kinda like athletes but amped up to eleven."

Batgirl raised an eyebrow at that, "Strong body?" she asked, "How strong?" she wondered aloud.

"Honestly? I have no clue," I said with a genuine tone.

"Oh?" Power Girl intoned before smirking competitively, "Wanna find out how strong?" she asked, a obvious challenge in her words.

My blood roared at the thought of it. I knew she was strong but I'd been distracted with eating until now. Now, however, there's was very little to stop me from rising to the challenge...except common sense. "If you're asking me to arm wrestle you or something like that, I'll pass. I saw some of the stuff you did in that history book and I know I'm not *that* strong," I joked but it seemed to physically hurt me to admit such a simple fact while also not giving my Saiyan blood the challenge it sought.

But despite my new changes, I wasn't an idiot. I didn't know my limits exactly but I did know I wasn't anywhere near a Kryptonian-levels of strength. Not yet, at least.

The last part of my internal monologue placated the desire for battle to something a little easier to handle.

Batgirl cast a disapproving look to Power Girl who just clicked her tongue and pouted, "I think what she means to say is we could show you the way to the gym," she looked back to me, "There's plenty of stuff there for you to figure out just *how* strong you are, Ethan."

Friendship ended with desire to battle. Desire to train is my new best friend.

Both of them looked over my shoulder just as someone spoke from behind me in the distance, "I'm afraid that will have to wait, guys. Ethan has a visit with a doctor and then I'm sure he'd love to spend more time with you girls."

I looked over my shoulder and wondered when it was that I'd stop being so shocked at how hot the women in this universe were. Standing not too far from us by the door to the cafeteria was Black Canary looking like a teenager's wet dream. Hell, I'm not a teenager anymore and she's basically mine already.

And what's this about a doctor's appointment?