The plaza in downtown Denver had already been evacuated, with a police perimeter blocking entry. News helicopters circled at a far distance, cameras focused on the figure in the middle of the square. Sophist was back.
He had his black wings spread out wide dramatically against the afternoon sky. Two containment pods were hovering beside him on each side. He teleported there fifteen minutes ago, making his demand as the civilians ran in terror.
"Hello again, Martian Manhunter. If you don't arrive in thirty minutes, I will release the beings trapped in these pods, a familiar race, I believe. White Martians," he said, a megaphone in his hand.
J'onn arrived sixteen minutes later, flying towards Sophist. He landed fifty feet in front of him, ready for a fight.
"Sophist."
"My dear friend, thank you for coming," Sophist replied, teleporting and seated on top of one of the pods, his legs dangling over.
"I don't believe we have a relationship beyond hero and villain," J'onn replied, his eyes starting to glow red.
"That upsets me. After all, I helped you find Cay'an. Now look at the two of you, so close and almost... family. It's quite touching to watch," Sophist responded.
"Is that a threat?"
"What! Of course not. Why would I give you all that just to take it away? I have some class. A person shouldn't take back their gifts to another. Now, back on track. I have two White Martians here for you today. Don't ask how or why, and just know it was a very annoying and tedious task. Are you ready to rumble?!" Sophist responded, tapping on the pod below him.
"The wings. Where did you acquire them?" J'onn asked.
"A gift from a friend. I think he's a friend. I'm not really sure," Sophist answered.
"I don't like them."
"Oh. Ok. That actually kinda hurts. Thankfully, I have the perfect revenge. Are you ready, kids?" Sophist replied.
"What kids are you asking?"
"Ay, ay, Captain," Sophist said, releasing the pods.
The White Martians exploded out, a male and a female, both with expressions of rage. They were contained for two days, tortured by flames from the man in a weird suit.
Now they were free in a city, with prey everywhere. The male roared and launched for the police perimeter. J'onn reacted.
J'onn intercepted him mid-flight and grabbed him, driving him into a concrete fountain. The impact cratered the stone with water erupting as the male rose, snarling. The female was invisible behind J'onn, appearing at the last second with her claws extended.
J'onn phased, her attack passing through. He spun and resolidified, catching the female's throat. She bit down on his arm, drawing green blood and tearing his flesh. J'onn headbutted her, sending her flying backwards.
Both of them recovered, circling J'onn as he stood between them and the city. They attacked together, the male growing to fifteen feet tall while the female started to shapeshift between multiple forms.
J'onn blocked the male's strike, twin beams of energy punching through his shoulder from J'onn's eyes. J'onn shifted and became intangible, the female passing through. He grabbed her and slammed her down into the plaza.
The female went intangible, phasing through J'onn and resolidifying behind him, swiping at his neck. J'onn spun and used his telekinesis to push her away, pinning her against a wall. The male crashed into him, the two of them crashing through a shopfront with glass and debris exploding. They rolled and grappled.
J'onn headbutted. Once, then twice, then three times. The male's nose shattered. J'onn created a psychic knife and thrusted it, trying to attack its mind. The White Martian threw up mental barriers to block before countering with his own telepathic attack.
J'onn's mind staggered with images of Mars burning and Cay'an dying. Sophist already made sure to break him mentally before. He was unfazed.
J'onn severed the connection, like cutting a rope with a knife, the attack backfiring. The male screamed, and using the opening, J'onn used his vision to burn holes through its chest. The male collapsed.
The female split into ten forms and started her attack. J'onn used his telekinesis to create a sphere of energy around him. As the forms of the female bounced off, J'onn exploded the sphere outwards, sending all of them flying.
They crashed through buildings as the male roared, back on its feet. This time it went invisible. J'onn closed his eyes, tracking the male from the sound of his thoughts. The male was above him, diving with its blade-like arms extended.
J'onn moved out of the way, the blades burying into the concrete. J'onn grabbed the male's leg and swung him in a wide arc, sending him flying into the centre of the plaza. Three of the female forms attacked from behind.
One of them landed their strike. J'onn grabbed that one and threw it into the other. The last one phased through them both and resolidified, its claws swiping across J'onn's face, scratching one of his eyes. The pain was immense.
The male attacked from his side, the two going airborne. They crashed through a second-storey window, desks exploded, and computers shattering as they rolled through. They traded blows.
J'onn got on top and pinned the male to the ground and started to slam his fists down. The male quickly phased out before resolidifying behind J'onn. The male grabbed J'onn's head, trying to snap his neck.
J'onn's neck disappeared as he shifted his form. J'onn grew spikes from his back, impaling the male as it tried to keep its hold. The male screamed and let go, the pain being too much.
J'onn used his vision, burning holes through his head. The male collapsed, dead. The female converged all its forms. She grew to twenty feet, enraged at the death of her partner. J'onn met her head on.
They crashed together mid-air, grappling. She bit his shoulder, and he drove his fist through her stomach. The two of them tried to crush each other's minds.
She tried the same thing as the male, creating illusions of Mars burning. J'onn showed her all the terror and a level she couldn't imagine. She screamed, the sound shattering all the windows in a three-block area.
She tried to escape, phasing and flying away. J'onn tracked her, the two of them heading towards a crowd of civilians.
He couldn't let her get there. He intercepted and grabbed her. She struggled, becoming fluid. J'onn contained her in a psychic cage. She screamed again, a mix of rage, grief and hate.
"I'm sorry," J'onn said quietly.
He used his Martian vision and burned away her core. She stopped moving and collapsed to the ground.
J'onn was floating in the air, breathing hard with green blood on his face, but the wound that it came from finally closed. J'onn returned to the plaza, and Sophist was already gone.
The screens in the area all turned to breaking news, recounting the event.
Breaking News
Martian Manhunter defeats White Martians, released by Sophist – The Fallen Angel