Miss Martian the Mind Master

Early in the morning, long before the sun was supposed to rise, Jonah heard a knocking on his balcony door. Jonah got up and dressed quickly. At this point, he was used to visitors arriving via his high-up balcony. Doesn’t anybody know how to use a front door anymore?

However, instead of one of his usual visitors Jonah discovered that it was Miss Martian standing on his balcony.

The alien wore her hero costume, a dark unitard with a red cross. The hood of her blue cape did well to hide her face in the dark night, but Jonah recognized her regardless.

“Good evening.” Jonah started simply, not revealing his anticipation of her arrival. “Or should I say good morning?”

“I’m sorry if I woke you, Porter. I forgot the Watchtower’s time zone. I should go.”

“It’s fine. I’m awake now. Come in. I try not to let ladies freeze to **** outside my property.” Jonah held the door open for Miss Martain. “Do you need anything, Miss Martian? Water? Coffee?”

“No, thank you. And please call me Megan. That’s my earth name.”

“Ok, Megan. What can I do you for?” Jonah sat at his small coffee table and motioned Megan to do the same.

The green woman gracefully pulled down her hood and sat on the circular wooden chair. She shifted nervously in her chair.

“It’s well… I wanted to thank you for saving me yesterday.”

“It's fine, really. It’s what we are supposed to-"

“No, please.” Megan cut him off. “I heard what you did for me. I don’t remember it myself, you see. You dove into the fire and tried to save me. I got us both stuck in the mirror dimension.”

“We got out eventually.”

“But we might have not.” Megan stood to her feet. “I appreciate your humility, but please accept my sincerest thanks.”

Megan was shaking slightly as she commanded Jonah to recognize her.

“I apologize.” Jonah stood to meet her gaze. “You are welcome for my help. I’m glad that I saved you.”

The dangerous psychic let out a big sigh of relief as if the debt of gratitude was a weight that was too much to bear.

“I’ll make it up to you someday, I swear,” Megan said with a bright smile. She looked like the picture-perfect cute girl with defined dimples and shining freckles. “As for now, next time you come to the cave, I’ll bake you whatever you want! We don’t get many visitors, so it’ll be fun.”

A small silence hung in the air. Jonah could tell that the visit would benefit the lonely alien girl more than it would him. As much as he likes baked goods.

“It must get lonely sometimes.”

“Sometimes.” Megan admitted, “I’m the only team member that lives in the cave full time, so it's often just me there.”

“The other team members have their own families and lives.”

“Of course, and that’s great and all. But ever since my uncle…passed.”

Jonah touched her shoulder, which she accepted warmly.

“You know, and not too many people know this, I’m also an alien of sorts.”

“Really?” Megan studied Jonah.

“Yes. I’m from a parallel universe. A different earth. So, I understand what it means to be alone.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I trust you.” Jonah lied. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Miss Martian's heroic qualities. He just trusted his ability to manipulate and control her more than he trusted her ability to keep a secret.

“I’m sorry, that must be hard.”

“I’ve learned to manage.” At this point, Jonah had spent enough time with his powers to know when women have marinated in his pheromones and charm for long enough. A skill he did not have beforehand. “Human connections can bridge any amount of loneliness.”

Jonah caressed Megan's cheek with a gentle hand. Her big eyes and small face looked up at him in wonder. All he had to do was lean in and kiss her.

When Jonah’s lips touched the young woman’s, she froze, seemingly surprised by his approach. This shock quickly passed as she acquiesced to his kiss. Megan had many questions running around her powerful mind, which mainly revolved around why. Why was he doing this? Why her? And why was she enjoying it so much?

M'gann M'orzz was a romantic at heart. She had spent far too much time pouring over American sit and rom-coms to understand human culture. This small sample size and her tastes and bias shaped how she views courtship. So, if her hero wanted to sweep her off her feet, who was she to say no? It didn’t hurt that he was a handsome older guy with strong hands and a pleasant personality. She struggled to remember if she had always thought this way about Porter. She did not struggle hard since it felt so right.

Eventually, the kiss ended, and Megan was left speechless.

“Have you been kissed before? Jonah asked.

“A couple of times. But never like that.”

“It’s the adrenaline, the emotions.” Jonah brought Megan closer to his body. She was still cool from the cold night air, so his warm embrace was doubly effective. “Nothing like almost dying to help you live a little.”

“That sounds right,” Megan responded, her heart beating heavily.

“How does it feel.” Jonah drew a single finger across her exposed skin. “To use a human body?”

“Weird.” Megan giggled. “But it has its benefits. Earth bodies are so much more sensitive.”

Megan leaned in for another kiss, and Jonah satisfied her desire. Due to her inexperience with both the female and male forms, Megan was a poor kisser. She was clumsy and clunky. But where she lacked in finesse, she made up for with enthusiasm in her reactions.

“Tell me something, Megan.” Jonah worked his way to her neck.

“Mhm?”

“This body of yours. You must have studied the female form pretty closely. Did you base it on anybody in particular?”

“Well.” Megan blushed and fidgeted under Jonah’s questioning and touch.

“Show me.” Jonah commanded.

Megan took a step back from her admirer. She spun elegantly as her clothes began to morph and disappear as shapeshifter willed them away. When she finished her twirl, she was standing completely naked. The warm lighting of Jonah’s living room revealed every inch of her skin. Despite not knowing human modesty, Megan shifted once again. She attempted to cover her chest and pelvis with her arms.

“A talented shapeshifter indeed.” Jonah continued his physical admiration of her body.

Megan’s human form was approximately that of a 20-year-old woman. Jonah worked his way down her petite body. He caressed and kissed down her skin. She had just enough body fat to be soft with a healthy, toned torso. Finally, Jonah made it to her smooth pelvis, and hidden between her legs was her unblemished womanhood.

“Wait!” Megan exclaimed with a moan.

“Do you understand now? Jonah returned his head to Megan's level and held her gaze. “The power of physical connection.” Jonah gripped the inside of her upper thigh. “The beautiful balance between pleasure and vulnerability.”

“I think I’m beginning to understand.”

“What is it like on your world?”

“We have something similar. The intersection between two minds is complex and beautiful.” Megan breathed.

“Can you show me?”

“I can try. Open your mind to me.”

Jonah struggled to open his mind to her. His lie earlier was surfacing; he did not trust her. She was unknowingly following his plan strictly, but he still doubted himself. However, the **** of her desire pushed through, and Jonah felt himself relax to her psychic power.

Once Megan was inside Jonah, mind, his perspective began to shift. This mental exercise was far more vivid than before when he had intruded into her mind. Jonah’s senses were more viscerally rooted in their combined minds. His senses were attuned to what his psyche was experiencing.

“There’s no need to resist me. I will not hurt you Jonah.” Megan’s voice sounded within Jonah’s mind like she was speaking from the other side of his ear.

“I never told you my name.”

“You didn’t have to. It was not well hidden. It is a core part of your identity, so it floats freely in your subconscious mind. Though other identities are shrouded to me.”

“Ok, M’gann.”

“So, you do understand.” Megan laughed at the mention of her real name. The girl’s laughter was paired with an overwhelming warmth that permeated the space. It felt excellent. Once it left, it made Jonah feel cold. “When our minds are connected like this, thought, feeling, and memories blend together. There is no more intimate act between my people, but of course, there are different levels to it.”

“Levels?”

“Yes levels. Kind of like, how do you call it? The bases for human sex.”

“Ha. Yeah, I think I understand.”

“Don’t worry Jonah. I know this is your first time, so I’ll be gentle.” Megan teased.

While Jonah did enjoy the more confident Megan, he could not let her dominate the experience more than she had to lest his plan would go to waste, and she would discover his true motivations.

Their conversation over Megan pushed their mental link further and deeper. Where once the surface layer of thoughts and emotions connected them, now their subconsciousness and trains of thoughts are connected. Jonah began to see flashes of Megan's more recent memories, including the battle with the rogues and the fear that came with it. That fear was an example of the vulnerability she was showing him. Jonah had to control his thoughts and reveal only the **** he could afford. As painful as it may be to him.

“Your mind is a lot stronger than most humans.”

“I’m full of surprises.”

“I’d like to see more.”

Jonah subtly guided Megan into his memories. He would show her his far past. A time he usually tried not to think about. A time before Porter, before Dead-ringer, a time when he was his weakest.

Megan felt the nauseating dry heat that constantly hung throughout Jonah’s childhood. In the heat, she saw his darkness. Abstracts of another life on another world. Visions of a rotten father and an absent mother. A small boy. A lack of control.

Jonah could feel the sympathy radiating off of Megan. It disgusted him almost as much as the sight of his younger self disgusted him. She was a better person than he was, that was for sure. That was why she was a real hero.

Grabbing his feelings for Megan, Jonah pushed them both into her mind. He could revel in her vulnerability now that he had put up his part of the bargain. The two moved through the mind consensually. Jonah was surprised by the ease with which they navigated her memories and feelings. In comparison, his first trip through his mind was like a jungle expedition compared to a seaside drive. Not that it was entirely pleasant, the experience of dredging up old memories rarely is, but it was strangely cathartic as a pair.

The two eventually followed the unseen train of thought to a memory Jonah hadn’t seen before. This one was far more vivid than the others. Instead of viewing the memory Jonah felt like he was inside it. The strength of the feelings and the clarity of its events overtook Jonah, and he lost Megan briefly.

They were standing on what Jonah guessed was a Martian hanger. An alien ship loomed largely over the group of grotesque green creatures. Jonah guessed again that that was what Martian’s really looked like. Once the shock wore off, he could more closely examine the aliens and understand their construction. They stood tall with light and bony bodies. They had no mouths, yet their words were heard clear as day. A group of larger Martians wished the smaller individual good luck on a journey. Despite their foreign visage, Jonah could recognize M’gann as the alien who was leaving.

“This was the day I left Mars.” Megan reappeared beside Jonah. Longer lost in the memory.

“Why are we here? What is this feeling? Shouldn’t this be a happy memory?”

“In some ways, it is. This was the day I left my entire life behind me. I have never felt so **** before or since.”

“Thank you for showing this to me.”

Jonah approached the younger version of Megan. With every step, the scene around him grew blurrier, and the mental image of Megan's core became clearer. Right in front of Jonah was a person’s mind wholly stripped of every wall and defense. The scene was overflowing with fragility and trust.

Jonah placed his two fingers on the head of the young girl. In the material realm, Jonah regained enough movement to grip Megan’s body close to his own. Embracing the woman, he stole her powers.

“What’s happening? That’s not right. You shou-”

It was too late; she had already let the Trojan horse in.

“For what it’s worth. I’m sorry. You have a magnificent mind.”

Uncontested, Jonah pushed himself into her very being. He filled her with everything. His every memory and motivation filled her like an empty vessel. His personality overpowered and washed through her psyche. Once he was done, her understanding of him would rival his own.

The new mindscape they shared was barren. Ripe with potential that their two minds shared. They stood alone on the red sands of Mars. Or was it the Mojave? The heat was stifling.

“How do you feel?” Jonah asked.

“Empty.”

“We can fix that. Together.”

“Thank you,” Megan said with a serene emptiness.

“I’m sorry for the severity, but I needed your help. This was the only way.” Jonah explained.

“I know.”

“So, you understand?”

“I offer my love to you Jonah.” Megan reached out a gentle hand for him to hold.

Jonah pushed her hand away from him.

“I promise to return your mind to you once I’ve made the proper alterations.”

“Then I will help you reach what you desire.”

“Control.”