Anderson Becomes and Receives a Blessing

Lt. General Anderson was being shown around the D.E.O. by Hank Henshaw's second in command Nikita, who is a human-looking alien. She speaks with professionalism and restraint, but hesitates when talking about the director. That is, when she talks about how she first came to be part fo the D.E.O. her voice goes quiet before becoming present. Director Henshaw returns from a mission and the 3 of them go up to the briefing room. And talk for a few minutes before Anderson's face gets the unmistakable 'down to business' look of an officer wanting to burn away irrelevancies.

Lt. General Mitchell Anderson: Okay there is one thing that confuses me about this whole situation. And that's you, director.

Hank Henshaw: How do you mean, General?

Lt. General Anderson: Nikita speaks very highly of you, I couldn't get her to say a bad word about you if I tried. And the entire time she's been showing me around she's let me form my own opinions about literally everything, not trying to sell me on how good a job you're doing, which was a pretty good strategy by the way. It's clear her loyalty is to you first and the D.E.O. second.

Hank Henshaw: Why would that be confusing to you? She's served under me for years. At the very least we have a history together.

Nikita: It's confusing to him because he knows the rest of that history. I told him how we met, how I came to your attention. And about the day everything changed. He doesn't understand what you could have done to change my mind about you.

Lt. General Anderson: It's not just that. When you were talking to me about your time here, you spoke of Hank with sadness in your voice. You told me the only thing you really felt for him was pity. But you're not scared of him, you're loyal to him. And I can tell you genuinely believe in him, you'd have to be blind not to see it. So my question to you Director is, what changed?

Hank Henshaw: (In quite a different voice) I did General, literally.

Nikita: Sa-jen, no.

Hank Henshaw: Nikita, I appreciate you having my back, but I appreciate telling the truth a little more. Keeping my secret is one thing, but I'll not have you flat out lie for me. General, here's the truth as any of us know it. (He shape shifts into his natural green form). Two years ago the original Hank Henshaw led a mission to kill me. Nikita was part of that mission. As was an agent named Jeremiah Danvers. Nikita vouched for me, to Jeremiah. Or actually more the other way around. She did everything she could to keep Jeremiah safe. And that man died saving me from Henshaw. So when I found her I brought her back here, to the D.E.O...and she's served as an agent under my command ever since. My name is J'onn Jo'nzz.

(reaction shots, looks of confusion and resignation until Anderson basically asks 'okay, what now)

J'onn Jo'nzz: Listen to me General. I'll surrender myself on one condition, that Nikita stays as she is. Don't discipline her for having a sense of honor.

Lt. General Anderson: (In a hard tone) I don't see why she should get off. She knew what she was doing and contrary to your assertions she outright lied for you. If she's a free individual, she had a free choice. One you ironically gave her. Believe me, there will be an investigation into this. And it will begin with her.

J'onn Jo'nzz: She was following my orders; she's done nothing wrong! (getting himself under control) General, you know Henshaw kept her here as a prisoner for years before deciding she should serve under him. She didn't have a choice back then. I gave her a choice when I asked her to stay. And she chose to keep my secret and help me serve with, well I honestly think I have done a good job here with what this place is supposed to be. But regardless of what I did with my name, and if it justifies my deception, I will NOT see her punished for being loyal to a friend, who happens to be her superior officer. She sees this as paying a debt, to Jeremiah if not to myself. Please.

Lt. General Anderson: Thank you for proving the kind of man you are J'onn Jo'nzz.

J'onn looked confused. Then smiled faintly. “That was a test, to see where my priorities stood?”

“I wanted to know if you would stand up for yourself or for her. If you were...If you reciprocated the trust and loyalty Nikita clearly has for you. Don't worry, I'm not about to haul into detention as a traitor. But this deception cannot stand any longer.”
J'onn Jo'nzz: I don't understand, what's the alternative?

Nikita: That you remain as director but admit who you are to the public. That way you are not viewed as a liar and will never fall under the suspicion of being a spy or some other kind of enemy. The deception has to end. Your time as Hank Henshaw can finally come to an end. But your tenure as the Director of the D.E.O. does not have to. I can stop lying for you and can be recognized as the man you truly are.  Being genetically engineered but never coming clean, one is a liar as well as an abomination. Being a wizard in a world where magic is outlawed. the only thing worse than having magic, was that Emrys had lied about it all those years. To give an example closer to home, if anyone ever figures out who Superman really is, he'd be the better for it if he actually told them himself rather than being found out. And you are no different than him in that regard.

No one saw it at the time but General Anderson's face went white.

Scattered notes of Anderson, Superman, J'onn and Nikita

“J'onn, congratulations. It's good to know things really are changing for the better around here.” Superman said as he clasped J'onn's hand lightly.

“You should thank Nikita, she's the one who convinced me to accept it. And of course General Anderson for making me the offer.”

“Is he here, I'd like to thank him in person.”

Nikita walked up with General Anderson at her heels. “I am unfamiliar with protocol in these matters so I'll fall back on my own peoples customs of formal introductions. Superman, I would like to introduce you to Lt. General Mitchell Anderson. General Anderson, I'd like you to meet a friend I believe needs no introduction whatsoever, Superman.”

“General, it's a pleasure to meet you.” Superman said extending his right hand. Lt General Anderson looked flustered as he accepted it.

“It's good to...meet you too...Superman.”

“So how exactly did this happen?”

“The general came for an inspection of the D.E.O. and picked up on the fact that Nikita had a much higher opinion of me than she did of the actual Hank Henshaw. I offered to turn myself in. And instead they convinced me to step into the light.”

“Well that couldn't have been an easy challenge.”

“It actually wasn't hard. Nikita made some pretty convincing arguments that I should stop living down to my own face, and that Director Jo'nzz had a much better ring than Director Henshaw.”

“I'm sorry, would you excuse me for a moment?”

“Of course General.” Nikita said simply.

“Of course General, you would know all this anyway.” Superman said simply.

“Thank you Superman.” General Anderson actually snapped to attention, gave a short, curt bow and excused himself.

“Okay that was weird.” Superman pondered aloud. “I wouldn't have expected a military general of all people to get unnerved around me.”

“Superman, I think 'unnerved' is an ironically appropriate choice of words.” Nikita said in a queer voice. “He's not tripping over himself; he's beating himself UP.”

“What possible reason could he have to do that, you just met.” J'onn intoned.

“I was beating myself up like that the first time you and I met, if you remember.”

“Good point.” J'onn said, smiling sadly.

“I'm going have to excuse myself and follow him. This is something...I don't have the words for.”

Nikita found Anderson standing against the back wall of the auditorium. “How do you know Superman?” She asked bluntly.

“It's pretty obvious I don't right? You heard him he just met me.”

“Exactly true. He just met you. It does not thrust both ways.” General Anderson looked at her, thunderstruck. “Your open-book nature makes it easier for me to read you. And what you feel for him is so close to the surface it might as well be painted on your skin.”

“Well I suppose that comes with the territory of being a low-level empath.”

“I don't read people, either telepathically or like a book. I sense the core or essence of most beings and the emotional vibrations coming off of them.”

“And what are your conclusions on the matter?” General Anderson asked stiffly.

“You are familiar with Superman but he doesn't know you. The only thing I can think is that you know a different version of him.”

Anderson's face instantly transformed. As if a lightning bolt had somehow vulcanized his skin into metal. “What do you know about that?” He asked in an urgent whisper.

“It's only a theory.” She responded easily. “My friend Winn told me about this idea in theoretical physics. 'Simultaneous realities in parallel places wherein our statuses are different but we have the same faces.' Does that sound right?”

“That sounds...weirdly accurate actually.”

“General, I can guess what happened between you and your Superman, at least in the broadest of strokes.” Anderson gave a 'go ahead' look with his eyes. “You didn't know he was anything but Superman. Whatever posting you had put you with him as completely as being director of the D.E.O. means J'onn has to deal with National City's highest profile alien. But you never trusted him...until it was...almost too late.” She thinks for a second. “Wait, were you the director of the D.E.O. on your Earth?”

“We didn't have one. The only aliens known to exist are Kryptonians. And I...screwed up badly. It took landing on a world with a red sun where the D.o.D. Had been taken over for me to realize how wrong I was. I'm pretty sure I died in that place. Then I woke up here, on this Earth.”

“You weren't here seeking redemption but someone decided to give it to you.” Nikita said quietly.

“That seems to be the only explanation. Do I infer correctly...” Anderson didn't let himself finish his question. “I guess it falls in the 'goes without saying' category at this point, that you won't tell anyone where I'm from.”

“Considering I don't understand where you're from, I'd say it works. Besides, we needed someone like you in our lives and the universe provided that. Someone who understood both the need and the weight of keeping secrets.”

“And was still a member of the military.”

“If it hadn't been you it might have been Colonel Harper. One of Hank Henshaw's closest mates. Do I need to elaborate on how much that would have sucked?”

“...No. No you do not.”

 “And that's how I came to serve at the D.E.O as a free individual. Under the real Hank Henshaw I was a prisoner, and then something like a ward of the state. I had a job to do and not much choice about whether, much less how to do it. J'onn made me an active agent of the D.E.O. I guess you would say he gave me a commission. But he is a little lax with me on smaller protocols.”

“Like wearing a DEO uniform.” General Anderson inferred.

“He knows what it would mean for me to wear one. You pleasantly surprise me." Anderson blushed.