Arrival (4)

"Ground rules," I said to the five people in front of me, arms crossed and trying to look more confident than I actually felt. I was glad for my Saiyan physiology and altered mind at this point - I could bluff it up with the best of them now. "No blood tests. No tissue samples. No collecting of any DNA," I rattled off the main points before punctuating it with a frown, "At all."

Wonder Woman nodded in reply, "Of course, Ethan. We really only want to see if there are any immediate threats to your well-being."

A red-skinned woman I didn't recognize spoke up, "It will be hard to do a proper testing of him without any of the things he mentioned," she said while still messing with some sort of hard-light touch pad in her hands. I didn't recognize her but I did recognize the suit she was wearing.

She's a goddamn Green Lantern. And apparently also one of the forerunners on Xeno-Biology in the whole galaxy.

"I agree with the Doctor," a cold, almost emotional voice spoke up. Batman. "We need to do blood work to check for any potential pathogens his body may be carrying. Tissue samples from certain areas would help figure this aspect out as well," he paused and stood where he'd been for the last minute or two - off to the side, standing ramrod straight and having not moved even a little - "We're already taking unnecessary risks just by standing near him without proper PPE*."

(*PPE = Personal Protective Equipment.)

...I hadn't thought about that. Then again, I doubt that's his only reason for pushing the issue.

Pre-conceived biases can go to hell, sure, but I don't know of a Batman who doesn't exercise a "healthy" dose of paranoia either. I'd rather not end up in one of his contingency files if I can help it. So I stood my ground and locked eyes with the white eyes of his domino mask.

Superman stepped in when an awkward silence broke out in the room, "Okay, you two. No need to get all worked up. Especially you, Batman," he gave the brooding bat-themed hero a sidelong glance before looking to me with a smile that was so genuine it was almost blinding, "Ethan. Could you let Doctor Soranik take some of your blood, please? I'll make sure it's destroyed right after. I promise you."

I met his gaze and thought of giving into the urge that told me to just say yes but then I shook my head in reply, "I'm sorry but no can do. My blood should stay where it's supposed to be: inside me."

He sighed in response, "Can I ask why?"

"I don't fully trust you," I said plainly before looking to Wonder Woman, "I'm grateful that you listened to me. That you didn't interrogate me or give me the third-degree...but I came with you because I hoped you guys wouldn't cut me open like a cadaver in a morgue or treat me like your next science project. I'm not about to willingly let you guys do that either otherwise I should've just stayed in the government's care."

Things went quiet with that said. That was until Wonder Woman spoke up, "I understand, Ethan, don't worry. We'll just have to endeavor to earn your full trust in the future and for now, we'll run tests that don't betray the trust you've already given us. Okay?"

"Sure," I replied while internally thinking about what she'd said. Full trust, huh? I doubt it'd ever happen but maybe I'm being a bit of a pessimist. I...don't think of myself as a paranoid person. Never really had much reason to doubt people this wholeheartedly but I haven't been in a situation that called for it as much as this either though, have I? It's not every day you find yourself alone in what you once thought was a fictional universe.

Ignoring the melancholy that wanted to surge into my mind, I looked to the red-skinned doctor - Soranik, apparently - and asked, "So, what do you need me to do?"

She looked to me before motioning for me to stand next to her, which I did. Walking across the room, I glanced to Black Canary who'd been just watching me since we'd entered the medical ward. Other than introducing herself and saying she wanted to talk to me after my tests, she hadn't said much else. Just watched. Probably getting a gauge on me.

If I remember correctly, wasn't Black Canary a licensed therapist or counselor in certain shows or something? My memory was foggy about the finer details of DC but it'd explain why she wanted to talk to me.

I barely held back a shiver at talking to a therapist again. But I should try it a few times, see what happens. It helped before, after all.

But for now, I had to focus on the tests. Had to make sure they didn't try to pull a quick one on me or anything. The paranoid thought would've surprised me if I hadn't already experienced the mental changes brought on by the more...let's say extensive changes brought into being throughout my biology by whatever brought me here--Focus, Ethan. Focus.

Standing next to the doctor, I realized I was standing on some sort of reflective pad and by then a ring rose up from the ground around me and began scanning me. Up to the top of my head and then back down to my feet. It completed this a few times and Soranik's face scrunched up more and more before finally she clicked her tongue and the ring dropped to the ground. She turned to me, looking up from her tablet, and pointed at my chest, "Take off that body suit, please. It's messing with the scans."

...What?

"...What?" I asked aloud and mentally, feeling like I'd been struck by a lightning bolt. What kind of situation was this turning into? Fucking hell.

"Take off your clothes. I can only get some information on your hands and head with that stuff on. Even that's less clear than it should be," she clicked her tongue again and turned to Wonder Woman, "I thought you said this equipment was top of the line?"

Wonder Woman scrunched up her brows in confusion, "It is. We put a lot of money into the development of it and based the designs off of technology from other races in the universe we're on friendly relations with. It shouldn't have a problem scanning Ethan."

Soranik looked to her face, gazing at it and inquiring for any sign of trickery or lies. But she found none, presumably, because she gave a light sigh, "Whatever is happening is happening but I know it's because of whatever that bodysuit is made out of. It's messing with any energy trying to get through it. Probably some sort of advanced radiation or energy protection built into it or the material is inherently like that. Either way, if you want me to run my tests it's gotta come off."

Just as the Greek warrior princess was about to speak up, I just sighed and reached to the neckline of the suit. I'd messed about with the suit in my room and it was extremely stretchy. Despite looking nothing like it I'd say it's the same kind of material as regular Saiyan under armor, minus the shoulder pads and torso piece, obviously. As such, it was easy to pull it wide enough for my shoulders to get free and allow me to pull my arms free until it was hanging around my waist.

"Since it seems like no one's gonna ask me I'll just put it out there; I don't wanna get undressed in front of five people," I said before gesturing to Soranik, "I'm fine with the doctor. I can only hope she's as professional as she looks, though."

"We're not leaving you unsupervised," Batman moved for the first time since we'd entered the room and took a step toward me. His tone caused a surge of anger and annoyance to claw it's way to the forefront of my mind and I scowled at him.

"You left me unsupervised before this. What's changed now?" I asked with a harsh tone before sneering, "Do you seriously want to see me get undressed or something?"

Just as he was about to answer, Wonder Woman stepped to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'll stay and look over the procedure, Batman. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen." She looked to me at the last part and I knew she meant the same to me too, and that she'd be professional about this too.

I wasn't exactly shy about getting naked. I'd been to bathhouses abroad before. Saunas too. Not like I had anything to be ashamed of. But I wasn't an exhibitionist either. So I'd rather avoid getting naked in front of a group of people while they studied me like an animal in a cage. Even two people was kinda pushing it, making annoyance build up behind me eyes and in my head. But I took a deep breath and let it exude out of me with the exhale.

Gotta do what you gotta do. Especially if it gets Batman and his paranoia off my behind.

Saiyans are known for their aggression. Their brutality. Their desire to fight and to a lesser degree conquer. But I wasn't raised a Saiyan. I was--and still do think of myself as--a human. Mentally, at least. I know what'll happen if I let my new urges control me too much: I'll black out like I did in that interrogation room. Both the detectives and I should count ourselves lucky I was so overridden with emotions at that point and didn't act on any Saiyan instincts. They'd have died and I'd be branded as a murderer. An alien murderer, no less. And I doubt the justice system looks too nicely on those.

So in the end, I fell back on the impulse control I gained as a human. All humans gain a degree of impulse control as they grow up. If you can't control yourself and your urges, you either become a criminal or a social pariah.

I took that impulse control and wrestled with the urges now inside me. At the end of the day, I refused to let those urges make a bad situation even worse.

But I could already tell it was a losing battle. A temporary measure that wouldn't last for much longer. The thought of working out popped into my mind and I resolved myself to do just that when I got the chance. Best way to work off extra mental energy is to workout until your body can't move and all you can focus on is your exhaustion...as coach would say, anyway. Usually when I came to him in a bad mood or whatever. Worked out then, so it should help now. Even if the situation is completely different.

Should stave off my Saiyan urges a little longer too. I'll think of a longer term solution when I actually get a chance too.

By the time I came back to myself, everyone had left the room but the doctor and Wonder Woman. So, I completed my state of undress and stood there naked. Not much had changed downstairs and it'd basically stayed the same size. Which was good - if anything, I now had an overall body size matching the admittedly prodigious size of my dick. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.

Not that it seemed to bother either of the women in the room. True to my thoughts on the two of them, they were the epitome of professionalism which set my mind more at ease. The ring slid up once more, scanning me again and Soranik began tapping at the hard-light tablet again.

Within a few moments, her eyes had gone wide.

"What is it, Soranik?" Wonder Woman asked the stunned alien doctor, obviously curious about what had caused such a reaction in her. So was I, in fact, but I had a few guesses in mind.

Soranik looked up from her tablet and gave me a hard stare while answering the question, "His body is just...odd. Very much so like a human in terms of organs and structure. But there are definite differences. Metabolism is through the roof. Unnaturally high brain activity around his amygdala, pituitary gland and hippocampus. And that's not even getting started on his bone density, muscle density, skin toughness and ratio of motor units to muscle fiber recruitment. There's also a reading of some sort of odd cell clusters in your body, focused around your lower back and tail" She paused. A lengthy, awkward length filled with tension as she continued to stare at me before she finally broke her own silence, "I can't help but wonder what you are. Your biology is quite perverse."

"Really? Is it truly so odd?" Wonder Woman said before sparing me a glance, "I mean no disrespect to you Ethan but you're much weaker than me and others in the League," she said before turning back to Soranik, "You've done scans on them before. Why be so surprised by Ethan's?"

I very nearly growled at her admission. But I caught that urge and held it back with everything I could. I had the distinct urge to prove her wrong--and I could. I would. Training, I had to do it. A fervent urge--no. It was a *need*. Like eating or drinking water or breathing air. It thundered through my body like electricity, echoing the desire mirrored deep inside my blood. The need only got more intense as I truly looked at my situation.

The universe I was now in...wasn't a nice place. There were Heroes, sure. Hopeful and decent men and women who wanted to safeguard the masses and the moral values of freedom and peace. That no one person should be used and abused by another person just because that person had the means to do so.

I could stand behind them. Let them protect me. But even I knew I didn't want that. Saiyan-side because it hated the thought of others getting to fight while it couldn't. My more rational side didn't like it because it knew one day they wouldn't be there to protect me.

Or they'd be the ones coming after me, instead.

And that wasn't even thinking about the fact that there were other people who worked for the complete opposite side. Villains. Not all of them were completely evil. Quite a few of them were just trying to do something for themselves or someone they cared for and that made them come to blows with Heroes. But there were truly evil people here. People who had no redeeming qualities and only wanted to hurt, maim and kill people for their own insane reasons.

The need thrummed harder as I realized that for all intents and purposes, I was stuck in this reality. Stuck among these people who were fighting and some of these people were really strong.

Emotions aside. Urges and desires aside. Everything else *had* to take a step back for the need. The need for strength. I didn't have to be the strongest existence in the universe, no, but I had to be strong enough to protect myself. I had to be strong enough to be left alone.

No more than a second or two had passed but something had clicked into place in my mind. I wasn't one-hundred percent fine but I'd found something to work toward. Something to focus on.

Oblivious to my mental resolve and change, Soranik answered Wonder Woman's question, "Yes, but the members of the League I've checked out are usually the peak of their species or the result of a mutation that gives them their advantages. Some of them even have a mysterious 'energy'--" she held her fingers up in air-quotations, "--to thank for their increased physical or mental capacities. Not to mention none of you have shown the same level of pliability and adaptability as Mr. Blaine's cells have. He's nowhere near wherever his limits lie."

Pride welled up in my chest and this time I didn't squash the feeling. It felt nice, like I was being appreciated. Even if my more rational mind said she was just stating facts and they weren't compliments...I just took them as that.

"Ethan has an energy of some sort - maybe that has something to do with his augmented physique?" Wonder Woman pondered with an interested tone. Soranik shook her head in reply, however.

"He may have some sort of energy but his physique is how it is because that's how his DNA is. I'd need a sample of his flesh to be sure," she looked to me, "Which I know isn't happening as of yet," she looked back to Wonder Woman, "If he has some sort of energy, have you ever thought that maybe it's a natural product of his body? Not a supplement his body needs for his enhanced nature?"

...Clever. She was real clever. To work that out in the short time she'd known about me.

Because that's what Ki was. The metaphysical representation of the physical, for the most part. There are other factors like spirit and the mind, but for Saiyans the body is a major component for why they have so much Ki. More so than Humans who have to rely on Meditation and Ki Exercise to truly grow their Ki to a usable amount. Not to say that either species needs only those things. Saiyans need Ki Control Exercises and Meditation, and Humans need physical training. But their priorities lay in what they're good at, first and foremost.

Which is why Goku and Vegeta do gravity training, while Krillin focused on Ki Control. Both species have their talents.

Not to mention that Ki could enhance you when you use it to do so.

Yet I digress. It's odd she figured out that line of thought so quickly but I guess it is DC. Geniuses here make geniuses back home look dumb and slow by comparison.

"Hm," Wonder Woman hummed in thought before looking to me, "Do you know anything about that energy of yours?"

I shrugged, "A little. Not enough, really," I admitted. I wasn't a wiki-goblin, after all, and I hadn't watched Dragon Ball for a while, too busy with work and studying to really focus on much like reading manga or whatever anime. "I really only know the basics and what it can do, if used correctly anyway and I don't know if I have that figured out either. I have a general feel for the energy but that's about it," I said before looking to the ring that had become one with the floor again, "Can I get dressed or are the scans done?"

Wonder Woman looked to Soranik, who gave a nod and spoke, "I've done the checks. He's not carrying anything contagious or deadly enough to be picked up by the scan. Best to be cautious and play it safe by keeping him away from populated areas for a week or two."

Best I could hope for. Not that it was even that bad either - I'd just gone through a pandemic. Quarantine and everything. A few weeks was nothing to an experienced quarantine veteran like me. Besides, they had food to die for up here and apparently had a gym as well. So even my Saiyan instincts couldn't be too worked up either.

...Though, admittedly, if they try and keep me here indefinitely I'm gonna have to work out an escape plan. Make a run for that whats-it-called? The Zeta-thingy...Zeta-Tubes, that's the one--I could make a run for one of them if I really had to. Superman and even Wonder Woman can't *always* be up here. Batman is fast for a human but I doubt he's faster than me. It'd be his gadgets I'd have to look out for.

I thought through all this as I got dressed. They could help me and I knew they'd at least try, so while they do that, I'll focus on training.

It's been a while since I was last in a gym. I'm genuinely looking forward to it.

. . .

"Okay, so maybe it's a stupid question but are you sure the floor can handle this weight?" I asked because I had a basic understanding of how physics works.

Power Girl scoffed but Black Canary nodded to my question, "The floor here is the same as every floor on the Watchtower. It's made of an advanced alloy and it's nigh-invulnerable to most conventional forces. So go crazy, Ethan," she smiled and I returned it with a nod.

She'd spoke to me after I left the medical ward. Asked if I'd want to have a chat sometime soon and explained that she was in fact a licensed therapist and counselor. Long story short, I said yes but I wanted to focus more on working out for now. She asked why I wanted to work out but I didn't give her a solid answer because there really wasn't a need to tell her - it's not like I could tell her I knew about Darkseid, is it? Hell, I don't even know if *they* know about Darkseid yet.

But if she pushed the question in the future, I'd just point her toward a modern history book. Pick any page in that book and you'd get a reason for why you need to be able to defend yourself.

I was thinking about bringing up learning how to fight to either her or Wonder Woman, so I'd have to explain my thought process eventually. I did some combat sports back on my Earth but nothing nearly as advanced as what I'd need for survival in this messed up place.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I bent down and gripped the bar I was about to lift. It had two medium-sized boxes attached to either end of the bar and both of them let off a nearly silent hum I knew I wouldn't be hearing if it weren't for my Saiyan senses. I didn't understand nearly half the stuff Batgirl rambled off about the bar/high-tech box combo but it had something to do with gravity and simulating higher and higher weights.

Right now, it was set to a single ton by my own suggestion. Truthfully, I had no idea how much I could lift. Saiyans lived and thrived on a very harsh planet that had ten times the gravity Earth did; they could comfortably lift ten times their own body weight when under the effects (or lack thereof) of Earth-level gravity.

Before I left the med ward, I'd asked Soranik if that machine took in my weight and height. It had. Turns out I'm a solid 6'7" and a healthy 101kg. Maybe a bit over the healthy range if you used BMI but that never really accounts for a lot of muscle or for it to be as dense as mine is. If anything, I should weigh more than I do but whatever Saiyan muscle is made up of just has a better power-to-weight ratio. So it can be much denser than human muscle (and much more powerful) while still weighing around the same amount.

Anyway, 101kg. If you multiply that by ten, you get just over a ton. So I wanna see my limits but I don't wanna try and lift too much straight away and just embarrass myself if I can't lift it. So I'm playing it safe to start with.

I took a deep breath and gripped the bar tightly before heaving up in a deadlift movement. But it felt wrong. Too light. Like I'd somehow dropped the bar as I picked it up and yet I could still feel the sturdy metal in my hands. Grinning to myself, I lifted the bar further up my body and onto my chest before pushing it up above my head. It was more straining than just getting it to my waist but still far too light when I thought about the weight I was lifting.

This weight is akin to a small car. It isn't even that far off of a decently big car either.

Putting the bar back down, I looked to Batgirl who was at the console for the weights, "Double the weight."

She looked at me for a second before nodding and pressing a button. The humming got a little louder but not by much. I was nowhere near their limits. The thought didn't deter me; far from it, it actually made me more determined to find them. To reach the point where the machines were the thing found lacking and not me.

I gripped the bar once more and lifted in a fluid motion. Instead of starting with a deadlift motion, I went with a clean and jerk lift from the get-go. The bar came with me, heavier for sure, but still manageable and rested on my chest/collarbone area before I lifted it above my head.

Wasn't even 50% of my strength. It was getting close, yes, but I still had more in the tank. Not to mention stamina - I only felt more and more invigorated. Like I was finally waking up for the first time in a long time and someone had injected coffee straight into my heart along with a chaser of adrenaline.

The fact I was a stranger in a strange universe, that I was alone in my ordeal and that my family and friends were an entire universe away...it all melted away.

I put the bar down, "Double it," I demanded without even looking to the one I was making such demands of. I felt...alive. For the first time since I'd got here, where I was just going with the motions of those around me, I was doing something for myself. Not for help or for advice or because they had a keen ear and could listen to my plight. No, I was doing this for myself. And I reveled in the sensation.

This next lift was much harder. Four tons of weight strained my arms, my muscles growing nearly as taut as they could, my bones feeling like I was carrying a small mountain. Yet you wouldn't know it was so because my face was split in a wide smile, teeth and everything on show.

Because ever so surely, my arms brought the weight with me as I stood and my chest proudly held the weight aloft as I switched to pushing it upward instead of pulling it. When I finally pushed it all the way, I dropped it back down with a loud but dull bang, "Add another ton," I said. I knew eight tons was too much for me. Now, anyway.

I'd work my way there and then beyond it. I'd keep going and going until the damn machine couldn't keep up.

So, with three spectators, I lifted the bar one more.

Oddly, I was looking forward to pushing my limits and I thought that just maybe...being a Saiyan wasn't so bad after all.