J'onn found the box on his desk in the watchtower. It was small and wrapped in plain brown paper. It came with no card or postage. It was just a box sitting on his desk.
J'onn didn't touch it immediately, instead standing in the doorway and using his vision to scan the package. No wires or mechanical components were visible. It seemed like a plain box, but something felt inherently wrong with it. J'onn didn't know why but he had a feeling this Sophist at work.
J'onn stepped in, closing the door behind him while he stared at the box. His first instinct was to tell everyone in the tower.
It would have been the correct response, but instead he waited another minute. Sophist had left a box in his room. It could have been a bomb. It could be a threat.
J'onn sat at his desk and reached for the box, stopping a few centimetres away. He opened his comm, almost reporting it. He then closed it.
Whoever Sophist was, what he did was cruel, but every scenario he had put him through, he became better. Stronger. It didn't make his methods acceptable, but it made the box feel less like a threat and more like a way to open communication.
J'onn unwrapped the box. Inside was a single package of Chocos. The cookie he had developed a fondness for throughout his life on Earth. He stared at them.
Despite everything he felt something pull at the corner of his mouth. Sophist had managed to find out about his love for Chocos. Of course he did. J'onn picked up the box, and then his room disappeared.
Mars.
The plains of the outback stretched in every direction, the twin moons hanging in the lavender sky. J'onn stood still. It hurt, but at the same time it was so beautiful.
"This isn't real. I want to be clear about that. This is simply a reconstruction," Sophist said from behind him.
J'onn turned, Sophist standing not far from him.
"Why?" J'onn asked.
"I wanted you to see that I've been paying attention... It was beautiful," Sophist answered, looking at the landscape.
"It was home."
"Yes, it was."
They stood in silence.
"I'm not your enemy," Sophist said.
"You've endangered countless civilians and tortured not only me but Hawkgirl with your sickness. To try everyday to destroy us, not physically but psychologically..." J'onn replied.
"I know what I've done, and I'm not asking for forgiveness. I've never wanted you dead. I need you. I need heroes like you," Sophist cut him off, meeting J'onn's eyes.
"What made you like this?"
Sophist paused.
"Come. I want to show you something else," Sophist said, extending his hand.
J'onn stepped forward, but he didn't take his hand. Sophist then moved his hand on his shoulder, and then the world shifted.
His first apartment on Earth. It was small and dark, full of second-hand furniture. He remembered it well, from the creak of the third floorboard to his landlady, who smelt of citrus.
"I believe you lived here for eleven years. Trying to build a life while grieving you, Martian one," Sophist said.
"I remember."
"You kept a small red stone from Mars. Right on this small shelf. It's in your quarters at the watchtower now, isn't it?" Sophist replied.
"You went through my quarters."
"You make it sound like I'm a stalker. Though that actually isn't that far off if you think about it. You've never made friends before. You just kept... isolating yourself," Sophist replied, moving to the window.
"I was protecting myself."
"I know. You didn't want to lose any more than you already did, but isolation isn't protection. I believe you've learnt that now with Cay'an... sorry, I mean Kira. Now you even have a whole group of friends to drink with at the Cornerstone," Sophist replied, turning to face J'onn.
"How long have you been watching?" J'onn asked, staring at Sophist.
"For longer than you can even imagine... I waited until I thought an intervention was in order," Sophist replied.
"And now what?"
"Now I'm watching you build something. I may have pushed you, but in the end you did everything yourself," Sophist answered.
The world shifted again. His current apartment.
Kira was there, reading at the table, seemingly oblivious to the two of them. J'onn started to walk around.
"She's not real. I haven't approached her since our first encounter," Sophist said, moving to stand beside J'onn.
"Why is she here?"
"Because, to you, she is the most important thing in the world. You took her in, a stranger," Sophist answered.
"She was alone."
"So were you. A found family."
"She calls me J'onn."
"Sure, but the dynamic is..."
"Of a family, yes. She's healing, finding herself."
"Because of you."
"Only she can do that. I'm simply lighting the path."
"That's what a father would do... I'm showing you this so you can understand what you've built. So you know what comes next," Sophist replied, turning away from J'onn.
"What comes next?"
The world shifted again.
White walls with flurescent lighting with a generic table in the middle. On the table was a single item. A small recording device. Sophist was no longer with him.
J'onn stood for a long moment, his eyes on the device. Then he sat, still looking at the device. J'onn moved his hand, his finger on the play button. Sophist's voice filled the room.
"You've spent a long time trying to understand what happened on Mars. What caused it? What is simply a disaster or a weapon by the White Martians? You've never really found an answer. But deep down, no matter how much you try to bury it, you had an idea. I know what caused the death of Mars. I also know who caused it. A fellow Martian. I believe someone has already come to mind. I have the proof you want and the identity of the perpetrator. If you want to find out who killed your world, you must do one simple task. You'll have to catch me," the recording ended, with Sophist laughing.
J'onn looked at his hands. He stood and pocketed the recording device. Then he was back in the watchtower. He clenched his hands.