Ethology for fun and profit

Thankfully the league had pulled some strings to get my doctorate from mars to be valid on earth (made it a doctorate in xenobiology) but I would have to earn a doctorate from Earth in order to teach ethology. So I came up with the plan to both write my research into Earth ethology and animal biology and film a show explaining my findings while showing my interactions with the creatures of Earth.

While the league figured out where I would attempt for my doctorate I was busy with M'gann immersing ourselves into more modern earth entertainment. It was very interesting to see what bands were the same, what movies were similar, and general history. I was very happy to find out that not only is Wutang forever it is also multiversal.

The look on Batman's face as he walked in on M'gann reading quietly in the watchtower blasting "Fuck the Police" by NWA would sustain me for years to come.

M'gann had surprisingly related a lot to older-school rap due to the messages of oppression and finding solace in the community. This led to me leading her to more readings such as Martin Luthor King Jr, Malcolm X, and the history of the civil rights movement in America and the ending of apartheid in South Africa. M'gann having found heroes who had gone through the same oppression that she had and managed to overcome it through protest and unity shed her green-skinned form embracing her roots. Now she looked like a normal ginger instead of a strange homage to Christmas which was a nice side benefit.

However, we were only staying with J'onn for around a month and when July comes around M'gann would move into mount justice where she would receive more training and join a team. I would be starting my scientific exploration of the world after she got settled in, M'gann, or as she insisted on being called Megan wanted me to join her in meeting the team she would be working with. It had taken some convincing for batman to allow that but he seemed to understand the need for familiar faces in such circumstances.

We would be arriving with J'onn by Zeta tube to meet the team in about an hour and I made sure to run through some earth customs that were different than mars for Megan

"Alright, while we speak through only telepathy on mars humans do not have the ability so their thoughts are extremely private to them, and can take great offense to even talking to them through telepathy. Make sure you explain fully what you are doing and how Mars differs from earth to preempt any misunderstandings, these are the sidekicks of superheroes though so they are probably more mature than most... hopefully" I explain to Megan. While she was doing an impressive job going off just TV there was bound to be things that she missed.

'Are you ready Megan, S'ol?' J'onn asks us

"Yes! I can't wait to meet the team!" Megan exclaims excitedly

"I am looking forward to seeing the place that Megan shall call home for the foreseeable future and finally getting planetside" I respond.

"very well let us go, we should not keep them waiting" J'onn beckons toward the Zeta tube

Megan rushes upfront and vanishes into light, J'onn and I follow a second later

I hear the ends of a conversation farther into the cave as I walk through the zeta tube

"wait five members?" a young-sounding voice asks

I can feel the curiosity and excitement at both the assignment of the team and the fact that they are getting a new member right away.

"This is the martian manhunters niece Miss Martian" Batman replies as we walk into view

"HI" Megan gives a shy greeting

"I'm liking this gig more every minute" Kid flash says to robin before noticing me looking at him and coughing

"Uhm welcome aboard I'm kid flash that's Robin, and Aqualad, you don't have to remember their names" Kid flash recovers quickly

"I am honored to be included" Megan returns happily

That's when the groups attention shifts to me and I take the time to introduce myself

"Hello, I am Miss Martians Cousin. I won't be joining this team as I am more of a scientist and author and while I can throw down with the baddest beasts in the wild I'm not the type to go looking for people to punch." I supply jovially

"Wait then why don't you look like Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian, you know all green?" Kid flash asks and I can't help but smirk

"Why don't you look like Aqualad?" I ask as sincerely as possible

This causes Kid flash to sputter and attempt to back peddle

"haha, don't worry about it, I am what's known as an A'ashenn or a white martian. There are few of us so we, unfortunately, face some prejudice from the more populous green Martians, that is one of the reasons I came to earth." I respond quickly to keep the boy from choking on his own foot.

Robin seems to be staring at me extremely intensely so I turn to regard the boy wonder.

"Is there something wrong with my face? I can change it, I mean I won't but I can." I ponder as I star at Batmans protege

"OH uh no, but you said your name is S'ol right? Did you write "Beneath Red sand"?" Robin asks eagerly

"Wow! yes I did, I knew that J'onn had brought one back but I didn't think any one had really read it" I respond

"I thought it was a sci fi book alfred picked up or something, does that mean it really is autobiographical? You really did all that stuff, the Black Trench is a real place?!" Robin is nearly shouting by the end of it

"Yes it is autobiographical everything that happened in the book happened to me, and yes the Black Trench is very real. worst two years of my life I swear if the Azathoth weren't so interesting I would never have gone there" I respond with excitement eager to talk about my passion

"wow" Robin says in slight awe

"Try and stay whelmed Rob" Kid flash jokes

"My apologies I did not mean to intrude, Miss Martian, is the one that shall be joining you all on missions I merely wanted to see where my cousin would be staying and meet her teammates" I back away to give Megan room to introduce herself and get to know her new comrades.

Turning to J'onn I ask 'Shall we head out I wish to get started as soon as possible and do not wish to take up more of your time.'

'Yes I do not wish to intrude upon their space, it is very important at their age' J'onn responds

'Make sure to train her mind well, she is exceptionally powerful it would be a shame for her ability to be wasted as it would be on mars' I say pointedly hoping to preempt a lot of issues down the road.

J'onn looks at me for a moment then nods agreeing with my reasoning, turning toward the zeta tube we enter and vanish to our next location

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We appear in an ally in Metropolis and head to S.T.A.R. Labs, both of us in our human disguises. S.T.A.R. Labs was an impressive building even in the bright futurist city, It stood tall and had its name emblazoned on the front in large gold lettering. I would be getting my doctorate through the organization as I had no reason or want to go through university again.

The program that I would be going through would consist of me giving them the data that I gathered from mars, no genetic samples, but video and analytical papers, and assisting in research into animals from Earth both meta and mundane. For Meta animals such as creatures that have mutated, been enhanced or in some other way acquired anomalous abilities I would be called in to either calm down and subdue the creature or to take it out the most efficiently.

The reason why I was ok with being the guy on call for the scary animals that no doubt inhabit this earth and terrorize the Populus daily is that it would give me a platform to start my show as well as give me leave to travel the world picking up the stranger and more powerful beasties of the planet.

S.T.A.R. Labs while funded by Wayne enterprises and is partnered with the justice league in some cases, they still accept public funding and the heads of the labs were pumped about getting even more publicity in the form of a dedicated show that in their words was "showing the adventurous side of science!".

Soon I would be on my way to seeing new and exotic creatures and maybe fighting them which was always a fun time. With my public persona as a metahuman shapeshifter with unique expertise in xenobiology, the Light will be positively salivating at somehow getting their mitts on me so I will undoubtedly end up throwing down with them in some way. Maybe make a mercenary persona and take any contract put out on me, that could be fun but also a hassle.

The future looks interesting, to say the least, I just have to decide where to go first. I seem to remember that there is an island of dinosaurs in the pacific...

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Locations to go to first:

Dinasaur island

Bana-Mighdall (Land locked themyscira)

Zambesi

Atlantis