Recovered from archived instant-message correspondence

  Participants: Superboy (Conner Kent) and Miss Martian (M’gann M’orzz)

  Exchange Log Date: Feb 18, 2045

  C. Kent

  god-mother-fucking-damn it

  M. Morse

  Conner?

  Hi.

  That sounded dramatic. What happened?

  C. Kent

  I found more goddamn tech.

  M. Morse

  More like the stuff from last week?

  C. Kent

  Yeah.

  But worse. So much fucking worse.

  M. Morse

  Okay… define worse.

  C. Kent

  It’s not wrecked.

  Not melted. Not torn up.

  The others had been through a damned fight and showed it.

  This one looks like it’s waiting for one.

  M. Morse

  Waiting?

  C. Kent

  It’s intact.

  Not empty either.

  The others felt gutted. Like whatever they were meant to do had already been done.

  This one feels… loaded.

  M. Morse

  You don’t usually swear this much unless something’s really bothering you.

  C. Kent

  Yeah, well, I’m very much not steady.

  M. Morse

  Okay.

  Where are you?

  C. Kent

  Still in Metropolis.

  South of the last site. Underground.

  M. Morse

  Did you go looking for it?

  C. Kent

  No.

  That’s what’s so fucking irritating.

  I wasn’t scanning. Wasn’t searching.

  Something felt off, so I doubled back.

  M. Morse

  “Felt off” is officially a pattern now.

  C. Kent

  Good. I trust that more than the League’s polished bullshit reports.

  M. Morse

  That’s… fair.

  My uncle isn’t dismissing it either.

  C. Kent

  How do you even get that much out of him?

  Wally once got seven whole words strung together and we threw a parade.

  M. Morse

  He raised me these last few years. I know what he means when he chooses certain words.

  Telepathy helps.

  You’re not missing hidden context.

  Walk me through what you’re seeing.

  C. Kent

  Lead.

  Lead fucking everywhere.

  Lining. Casing. Layers.

  There’s a maintenance panel on the underside that isn’t fully shielded — probably so whoever built it could service the damn thing without giving themselves as much lead poisoning. That’s the only reason I can see anything at all.

  The rest of it? Solid. Intentional.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Trying to push my vision through it already gives me a headache. Add that much lead and it’s fucking brutal.

  M. Morse

  So whoever installed it expected a Kryptonian to find it.

  C. Kent

  Yeah.

  There are four of us.

  So that’s a hell of a coincidence.

  M. Morse

  Planned around you isn’t the same as targeting you.

  C. Kent

  Feels targeted. Feels personal as hell.

  M. Morse

  Strategic, not personal.

  Metropolis is practically a Kryptonian crossroads.

  If someone wanted it discovered, odds are it’d be one of you.

  C. Kent

  Still feels like someone flipping me off from underground.

  M. Morse

  That reaction tracks.

  C. Kent

  There’s spacing in the layout.

  Components aren’t crammed together like the other damned sites.

  There’s room between them.

  Like it expects energy to move through it.

  M. Morse

  That sounds deliberate.

  C. Kent

  Yeah. Infrastructure.

  Not debris.

  M. Morse

  Something meant to function.

  C. Kent

  My description of this thing is going to be shit.

  I’m not a fucking tech wizard.

  M. Morse

  You’re better at recognizing systems than you think.

  C. Kent

  Or it’s just obviously not dead.

  M. Morse

  Not dead how?

  C. Kent

  The others felt like busted computers.

  You can smack the damned thing all you want. It’s not turning on, and you know it.

  This doesn’t feel busted.

  It feels powered.

  I just haven’t figured out how yet.

  And I think the fucking thing is waiting.

  M. Morse

  Waiting for what?

  C. Kent

  That’s the problem.

  I don’t like wondering if I’m standing next to the fucking trigger.

  M. Morse

  You haven’t touched it.

  C. Kent

  No.

  I’m standing back and swearing at it.

  M. Morse

  That sounds very you. And very safe.

  C. Kent

  Don’t sound so relieved.

  M. Morse

  I’m relieved you didn’t punch it.

  C. Kent

  Still fucking thinking about it.

  M. Morse

  Conner Kent.

  C. Kent

  What? It would feel good.

  Only reason I haven’t is because I need it in one piece.

  If I hit it at even half strength, I could crack the casing.

  M. Morse

  You said it seemed designed to communicate?

  C. Kent

  Yeah.

  There are antennae. Ports.

  Looks like it expects external input.

  M. Morse

  So more receiver than transmitter?

  C. Kent

  Maybe both.

  Maybe whoever built it doesn’t want random shitting idiots sending signals.

  But it’s not broadcasting, the league would have noticed that fucking much.

  …You talked to J’onn, right?

  M. Morse

  I did.

  C. Kent

  And?

  M. Morse

  I think the League misunderstood him.

  He didn’t say it was Martian.

  C. Kent

  That is not fucking reassuring.

  M. Morse

  He said the method felt old.

  Deliberate.

  Applied oddly.

  C. Kent

  That’s worse. That’s so much worse.

  M. Morse

  He was careful. He wouldn’t claim it.

  C. Kent

  Meaning someone studied Martian design patterns?

  M. Morse

  That’s one possibility.

  C. Kent

  So we’ve got something that thinks like a Martian without being one.

  Great. Fantastic. Love that for us.

  M. Morse

  Or someone imitating Martian structure using different technology.

  C. Kent

  Still hate it.

  I just don’t want to be the only one losing sleep over this shit.

  M. Morse

  You’re not.

  You’re just louder about it.

  C. Kent

  Again, it's a gift

  M. Morse

  Again, debatable.

  C. Kent

  I hate that this keeps happening when Clark’s gone.

  It’s like the universe waits until he’s busy and then dumps this crap on me.

  M. Morse

  Youve handled worse…

  C. Kent

  Do NOT fucking bring him up

  M. Morse

  You don’t have to handle it alone.

  C. Kent

  I know.

  That’s why I texted you.

  M. Morse

  And I’m here.

  C. Kent

  …Yeah.

  M. Morse

  Has it reacted at all?

  C. Kent

  Nothing.

  No hum. No spike.

  It’s like I don’t even fucking exist to it.

  M. Morse

  Then you’re probably not the trigger.

  C. Kent

  Or it’s smarter than me.

  M. Morse

  Those aren’t mutually exclusive.

  C. Kent

  Wow. Okay.

  M. Morse

  Tactically speaking.

  If it were keyed to proximity or strength, you’d have triggered it already.

  C. Kent

  So it’s waiting for something else.

  That’s comforting..

  I’m writing everything down.

  Coordinates. Shielding pattern. Structure.

  Then I’m getting the hell out of here before this headache splits my skull.

  M. Morse

  Good plan.

  C. Kent

  I’ll send everything once I’m topside.

  M. Morse

  I’ll be here. Move, don’t linger.

  C. Kent

  M’gann?

  M. Morse

  Yes?

  C. Kent

  Just… keep texting for a bit.

  M. Morse

  Of course.

  You don’t have to sit in a dark tunnel by yourself.

  C. Kent

  …Yeah.

  M. Morse

  I’m not going anywhere.