A/N:
- Lena knows about Kara's identity.
- In my world, the DEO isn't a secret organization after Myriad.
- I'm sticking with the idea of Lena having two assistants.
- I'm also incorporating ideas from the comics and the DC animated movies about Project Cadmus in that it wasn't just some crazy organization Lillian created to get rid of aliens. (keep in mind that in s1 they showed the US military working together with Cadmus when they were shipping J'onn & Alex as prisoners to something they referred to as "Project Cadmus". Too bad they forgot that in s2).
- My background for Superman/Clark and Lex is a combination of content from the comics and the DCEU (meaning the movies) with some major changes to suit my story.
Disclaimer: not mine, never will be mine. All recognizable characters belong to their IP owners. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm only borrowing them for some harmless fun.
Chapter One.
Lena's alarm goes off for what has become her usual five a.m. wake up call. Her body is so used to it now that she no longer has to hit snooze a dozen times. Within minutes she is dressed in running tights, sports bra with a loose fitting tank top and her trusty pair of running shoes. She quickly puts her hair in a ponytail and grabs the arm band for her phone and checks to make sure her running watch/fitness tracker is charged and ready. She then heads to her kitchen and gets her hydration belt ready. She can't wait until it's cooler so she won't have to carry the extra weight in the form of water (well, at least not as much). At least it's early enough that she won't have to drown herself in sunscreen while she's out for what has now become her morning run around the park by her penthouse.
On the advice of her therapist after the Daxamite invasion, the mess with Rhea and as a way to help her manage her stress, Lena had started to take early morning walks. The walks eventually morphed into runs, which she switched to every other day, but still walking on her "off" days. She also added tai chi and yoga routines in order to avoid injury and to help her learn the arts of meditation and relaxation. Thankfully the tai chi and the yoga are something she can do following a set of DVDs and books instead of a class surrounded by strangers. She has to admit though, that ever since she started, she has slept better and she is not as quick to lose her temper when things don't go smoothly at work (which is to say, most days). And if she does lose her temper, she has discovered that she can calm down and refocus her attention a lot faster than before, resulting in better productivity overall. She hopes that this newfound Zen will help her identify situations where it may lead to avoiding powerful women taking advantage of her in her subconscious need for a good maternal figure.
Lena takes a look at her collection of energy gels and chooses the less vile of the flavours she has. Perhaps her next project should be developing an energy gel that doesn't taste like flavoured glue mixed with sand. She winces at the texture and taste and quickly washes it down with a glass of water. Yup, that should definitely be her next project. Athletes around the world would thank her if LCorp could develop fuel that will give them a quick boost of energy and electrolytes and not taste awful in the process. When everything is set, she heads to the door and grabs her keys. For a split second, she debates whether or not to grab the pair of earbuds beside the keys bowl. Her self-preservation instincts win, and she sighs as she steps out the door and locks it. She hates that she can't run while losing herself to her favourite playlist, but the last attempt on her life as she was leaving LCorp, has ensured that she will never walk around and not pay close attention to her surroundings. She pushes asides the dark thoughts swimming in her head. The whole point of these early morning runs is to help her relax. She's not supposed to spend the time brooding.
Lena presses her palm into the biometric reader for the elevator and shakes her head. How many people can say their home has such high end security? Once Lena reaches the main lobby of her building, the doorman and the two security guards by the main entrance nod in her direction. She wonders if she should vary her routine because there is no telling how easily some people may be bribed. She lets out a sigh and wonders if she'll forever be this paranoid and second guess just about everyone she meets. She then turns on the blinking LEDs she has clipped on the back of her hydration belt and fixes the reflective armband for her phone so it doesn't sit in that awkward angle. With one last look around the lobby and to the outside, she heads out into the early National City morning looking like a lit Christmas tree.
Lena walks to the corner and waits for the light to change and then walks into the park that has become one of her favourite places in the city. If for whatever reason there may be an attempt for her life, at least she now knows the park's layout like the back of her hand. She has mapped every route and path here so she can alter her course depending on what distance she wants to cover. The added bonus is that she should be able to easily slip past anyone following her. Once she is in the park itself, she picks up her pace. A quick look at her watch/fitness tracker for the time and she decides today, she'll do the four mile loop at an eight minute mile pace. As usual, within a few minutes in, her mind clears and she allows herself to lose herself to her surroundings.
Lena is winding down and starting her cool down routine in the grass off the path, when out of the corner of her eyes she notices something tucked under a few bushes. She is glad that it is now so close to sunrise that there is enough natural light for her see clearly. She stops her stretches and walks over to whatever that thing is. She is shocked to find a duct taped shoe box shoved under some bushes.
At first, Lena jumps back, thinking the worst. Her first thought is that someone has finally figured out that the billionaire CEO and only legal heir of the Luthor fortune likes to run in the early mornings. With so many paparazzi hounding her lately, she's actually surprised it's taken this long for someone to realize her new early morning routine. She then wonders which one of the people in her building sold her out. But even if someone had done that, it'd be a lot quicker, more effective, and less messy to just put a bullet in her head. Besides, even if the hired goons preferred the more dramatic and messier way of disposing of her, how in the world would they even know which route she would choose or at what pace she would run at? It's not as if it's ever planned. She usually makes her decision as she is walking to the park, using that little warm up as a way to gauge how she is feeling and how much she can or wants to push herself. Even on the days she's only walking, there is no way of telling which route she'll take or how fast she'll walk. The really paranoid part of her thinks that maybe there are similar boxes hidden and scattered around all the different pathways in the park. In a near panic, she is about to call out to Kara when she remembers things have been awkward between them ever since the Daxamite invasion. Instead, she pulls out her phone and is set to dial 911 when she hears a sound coming from the box. She is so startled, she nearly drops her phone. For a moment, Lena thinks she imagined the noise, but then she hears it again. It's some odd, muffled scratching. 'Definitely not a bomb then.' She thinks to herself. Besides, in her opinion, any competent bomb maker wouldn't make a device that would make any noise. Beeping or ticking would just alert people. To this day, Lena has never understood why so many movies and TV shows do that. Anyone with half a working brain would stay away from such a package in the first place.
The little bit of logic seems to make Lena rethink her paranoia. Depending on the distance of the route and the pace she chooses, Lena could be running or walking anywhere from thirty minutes all the way up to an hour. So randomly placing explosives seems like a total waste and unless someone is regularly watching her, there is no way of knowing when to remotely detonate a bomb. Anything on a timer that detonates before or after she's in range and at least half, if not the entire park would be closed for the proper authorities to investigate, even if no one were hurt. Against her better judgement and her usually sharp-survival instincts, Lena gives in to her curiosity (it has served her well as an engineer). She sits down cross-legged on the grass and gingerly picks up the box. The movement makes the noises inside the box louder before the weight shifts inside. Lena is so surprised she loses her grip and the box flops gracelessly on her lap. With the box's centre of gravity shifting on its own, Lena is even more curious. She puts the box down and fumbles with the multi-tool she has hidden inside her hydration pack. She quickly cuts through the tape and is stunned to find a kitten with mostly black fur inside it. She laughs when she notices that the kitten has a white tummy, a white face and a white streak that runs through most of its back. Her laughter dies down when she also notices the little thing is weak from what she puts down to lack of oxygen, poor nutrition and thirst.
Lena immediately calls her driver and makes her way to the closest exit of the park. She wants to give the kitten some water, but part of her knows she shouldn't move it. As she waits for her driver, Lena makes a quick search for animal shelters in National City and of course, they're all closed and none of them have emergency drop-offs. She makes a mental note to increase the donations to them so maybe they can have enough staff around to provide the city with emergency pet drop-offs. Considering the time, all regular vets aren't open yet, so she googles the closest emergency veterinary clinics to the park. When her driver gets there, she ignores the looks the woman gives her and quickly rattles off the address to her before putting up the privacy screen. As they drive there, Lena instinctively caresses the kitten.
"Are you a boy or a girl? And how in the world did you end up with such unique colouring?" Lena asks the kitten. She knows it's a dire situation because as time passes, the kitten moves less and less. The added oxygen after the lid was removed should have help the kitten perk up. Instead, the opposite happens. It gets to the point where she can barely make out the rise and fall that indicates the little thing is still breathing.
"I don't know what kind of monster would do that to you. All they had to do was drop you off to one of the local shelters. Besides, how could anyone not want to keep such a little cutie." Lena says softly. She hopes that the talking will help calm the kitten and at the same time, keep it awake. Maybe it's similar to humans and the longer she can keep the little thing awake, the better its chances will be. She continues to rattle off nonsense. At some point, she starts to talk about some of the things she is working on at LCorp. More than once, she looks at her watch to see how long it's been since they got in the car.
The eternity it seems to take to get to their destination is finally over. Lena doesn't wait for her driver to open the door. The moment the car stops, she lowers the privacy screen enough to tell her driver to wait before she is out of the car, and as fast as she can safely move with her cargo, she is through the main entrance. She makes a beeline to the receptionist.
"I found this kitten inside this box and it was taped shut. I don't know how long it's been there. I heard it move while it was still sealed, but the little thing hasn't been moving much since the car ride over. In fact, the kitten seems to be doing worse as time passes." Lena says as she gently puts the box on top of the counter.
The receptionist takes one look and presses the intercom to call out a veterinary technician. The new arrival immediately asks Lena what happened and once again, the CEO tells them all she knows. She is about to follow the tech into what she thinks is the examination room when she is stopped by the receptionist.
"I know you're trying to help, but they're going to treat the kitten in the back area where it's staff only. The treatment rooms are for referrals for pets that need to see a specialist who need an assessment. They're not for emergency cases like this one." The receptionist, a man named Joe (according to the name tag he's wearing) tells her.
Lena is about to protest but she knows the man is right. It's not as if she knows any of the kitten's history, and she isn't its owner either. After a slight pause, she falls into what Kara (even with them barely spending time together, she still can't get the honey blonde out of her mind or that she still thinks of Kara as her only true friend in National City) calls her business mode so she won't go crazy wondering what is going on behind closed doors.
"I want the best care for the kitten. Money is of no object. If you need to set up an account to make things easier, go right ahead. Just make sure the kitten is taken care of." Lena says in a no nonsense tone. When she has Joe's full attention, she gives him her personal information.
Lena doesn't know whether to laugh or cry when she sees Joe's grimace at her name. At least he didn't recognize her by sight alone. Thankfully, that's where it stops and the man is all business.
"Uh, Miss Luthor, were you thinking of adopting this kitten or would you want one of us to drop it off at one of the local shelters once we're done treating it?" Joe asks. "If you're not keeping it, there is no point in opening any kind of account, since there won't be a need to forward any relevant information to your regular vet. Also, thank you for sticking around. Not many would want to get stuck with the bill for the emergency care of an animal that wasn't theirs." He adds.
Lena does a double take at that. She wasn't expecting a compliment at all. Now that the adrenaline high is wearing off, she stops for a moment to think. Adoption never really crossed her mind. She remembers in one of the few semi-normal conversations they've had post-Daxamite invasion, Kara telling her how she talked Snapper into letting her write a series of articles aimed to promote all the animal shelters within National City, especially the regular ones, in the hopes of spurring a pet adoption spree. It had broken Kara's heart to learn that all shelters were at capacity, due to the unusually wet spring in National City. At least their part of California wasn't going through another drought. But the outcome was a higher than usual water level in all bodies of water surrounding and within the city, causing many floods, resulting in many homeowners not being able to care for their pets while being relocated as they waited for water levels to subside. Many pet owners had lost everything due to water damage and instead of just abandoning their pets; they did the right thing and surrendered them to the proper shelters. To many, while heartbreaking because they were losing a beloved member of their family, it also meant a second chance for said family member.
According to Kara's series, all animal shelters, humane society locations and SPCA centres were overflowing with unwanted pets of all kinds. There is no real way of knowing what kind of shelter the kitten would end up in. And if it's a regular one, the extra addition might just mean a death sentence to one of the older animals. That is something Lena finds unacceptable. If the staff here manages to take it to one of the no-kill shelters, then who knows how long the older pets would have to wait for a home because she knows people prefer kittens and puppies. In the same series, Kara highlighted how some of the older pets couldn't really handle the uncertainty of shelter living, taking a psychological toll on them. The idea of extending that kind of life to them is not a trade off she can live with. What's more, the thought of the little furball being just another one waiting for a new home for an undetermined amount of time, or being in a home with strangers leaves an unpleasant feeling in her heart.
Growing up, Lena never truly considered a pet as a viable option. It wasn't for lack of wanting, but more due to her circumstances. She liked the idea of a pet because she thought it would make Luthor Manor less lonely while Lex was away in college and her father was at work. While Lionel would have eventually given in, after he passed away and Lena was shuttled over to boarding school, the idea of pets was out of the question. Even if Lena wasn't away for school, Lillian would have never agreed. Once she was in college, all she wanted to do was to graduate early and leave Luthor Manor permanently as soon as possible. The place was no longer home. The moment she graduated with not only an undergrad but two masters, a PhD and an MBA, she packed her bags and set out to leave her mark in the world in the form a small start up with her best friend and eventual lover Jack Spheer. Her plan was to work away with minimum funds and wait until she turned twenty-five to gain full access to her trust fund and then expand slowly. That of course went sideways when Lex had been arrested, tried and then sentenced to multiple life sentences without the chance of parole to be carried out consecutively instead of concurrently. Because of a clause from Lionel's will, with the exception of a small percentage that went to Lillian, Lena became the only heir of the Luthor fortune.
Along with suddenly becoming the sole heir of the Luthor fortune came the mandate to take over and become the new CEO (and not just an acting one until a permanent one could be found) of LuthorCorp. Many legitimate investors were pulling out and distancing themselves as much as they could after word got out about Lex's obsession with Superman and his anti-alien sentiments were made public. Once Lex was arrested and a trial date was set, things were starting to look dire for LuthorCorp, with their stocks dipping significantly. After his conviction and sentencing, stock prices plummeted. No one reputable wanted the job as CEO, forcing the Board of Directors to reach out to Lena. Everyone knew that had Lionel not died so suddenly, he would have had Lena take over eventually. Everyone knew that since Lena was adopted, he was slowly grooming her to take over. No one dared mention how odd it was that Lionel Luthor never hid the fact he preferred Lena over his biological son (oh, if only they knew the truth). The fact that out of his two children, Lena was the only one whom Lionel willingly took to work and was patient enough to explain what he was doing and why never escaped anyone's notice. Neither did the fact that from an early age, it was very obvious that Lena was even more intelligent than her brother. There were rumours around that Lena's intelligence was the reason for the obvious favouritism and the reason why the man openly criticized and was so hard on his only son. Lionel's original path only changed after he had suddenly died of a massive heart attack. With Lena still underage and Lex working on his post-graduate degree, their mother Lillian had replaced Lionel as the new Chairperson of the Board of Directors while acting as interim CEO until Lex could take over. That worked for a while, and the company flourished even more (made more money) under Lex's turn as CEO. That started to change once Superman was known to the world, and it was too late when everyone realized everything Lex was willing to do in order to stop the alien threat. Once Lex had been convicted, the board had voted against Lillian becoming CEO again because the woman, while very intelligent and very accomplished as a doctor, didn't have a shred of business sense. Lena had only accepted her new position because she couldn't bear Lionel's hard work go down the drain due to the machinations of Lillian and Lex. While her father was a ruthless and greedy businessman, he wasn't evil nor did he have a hidden xenophobic agenda.
While Lena's working days usually are as hectic as can be, after hours things are completely different. Even before the mess with Lex her social calendar was about as exciting as watching paint dry. And truth be told, ever since her rift with Kara, she can't help the feel of loneliness that creeps up when she isn't working or forced to attend some work related function. Most people are still wary around her, no matter what she has done to make amends for things her brother and adoptive mother have done, so she never pushes her presence on others. She feels guilty enough without their glares or worse yet, their secret looks of disapproval when they think she's just like them. It doesn't help her sense of guilt that she indirectly helped the invasion that destroyed most of the city, even if most of the world doesn't know that little fact. Even with LCorp footing most of the bills for National City's reconstruction (causing many to think LCorp is trying to buy the world's favour to improve its image), it never feels as if it's enough. She wonders what would happen if people were to find out her role in that failed invasion, or that she isn't just a Luthor through adoption, but a Luthor by blood. Lena curses the fact that during their friendship, she has gotten used to spending her free time with someone. Not even when she was with Jack, had Lena ever felt lonely when they forced themselves to stop working and go home. In fact, back then, she was content with the time alone and at times even craved it. Ever since their current situation, as far as Kara's friends are concerned, she's back to being persona non grata in their eyes; going as far as telling Kara they were right about Lena all along. So the idea of a pet is actually a welcome one. Having the little furball around would make her evenings at home less lonely. Perhaps with a pet around, she can learn to enjoy her solitude again without resorting to work in order to keep her mind from brooding too much. And most important, a pet would never betray or judge her.
"I'll be adopting the kitten." Lena eventually says. She ignores the smile on Joe's face.
"Do you have any idea what is going on in there? Or how long he'll have to stay here for?" Lena asks. "Now that I'm adopting the kitten, I should be able to get information about treatment and a prognosis." She adds.
"I'm going to inform the doctor of the change while I get an update." Joe says as he heads over to door leading to where the kitten is being treated.
While she is waiting, Lena looks at the time. She has just enough time to go home and get ready for work. This is the first time in nearly a year since she has taken over as CEO that she is dreading going to work. While things aren't perfect, at least LCorp stocks have been holding steady and haven't dipped much since the rebranding; not even after the clusterfuck with Rhea. Though she wonders if that will change if word gets out just how involved Lena herself was with the entire thing (even if she was duped and totally unwilling after she found out). She looks at the empty reception area and the still closed door leading to the treatment area and makes up her mind. There is no way she'll be able to concentrate on work even if she were to know her still unnamed pet's prognosis. She pulls out her schedule to confirm there are not pressing meetings. She is supposed to be catching up on mind numbing paperwork as she has insisted on doing an internal audit of all of LCorp's activities, holdings and finances over the last fifteen years (the time it was still known as LuthorCorp, and it was under Lillian's and then Lex's control). She doesn't want any more surprises in the form of obscure shell corporations under LCorp's control being used by Cadmus. All she has to do is pick up the necessary folders while she is out getting supplies for her new housemate and work from home. She quickly fires a text for Jess informing her that she is taking the next three days off. That, along with the weekend should give her and the kitten some uninterrupted bonding time. The only downside is that she'll have to give up on any chance to work on her personal projects. She isn't even surprised when her phone buzzes with an incoming call seconds after the text is sent. She knew Jess wouldn't just clear her days without some form of explanation.
"Good morning, Jess." Lena says the moment she connects the call.
"Miss Luthor, is everything all right? Do I need to make an appointment with your personal physician?" Jess asks without preambles. Her mind is swimming with the possibilities of why her boss for the first time since taking over the company is taking any time off. Even when she was recovering from that concussion after being kidnapped by Lillian Luthor, her boss still showed up to the office to work the very next day. Hell, the only times Miss Luthor had missed work were when she was testifying against her mother and the time she was in jail when again, through interference from her mother, Miss Luthor had been framed for helping that Metallo freak (and helping her mother) escape. And unlike her mother or brother, Miss Luthor still showed up even if their National City headquarters was the epicentre of the Daxamite invasion, instead of hiding out from danger. Her boss's reason had been that she had to do everything in her power to stop it since they only have Earth to call home and there was no way Miss Luthor was going to let anyone take over their home. So in Jess's opinion, only a serious illness or accident would keep her boss from the office.
"Yes, everything is fine. I'm just taking a few personal days. Thank you for your concern." Lena says, knowing that is enough of an explanation. She has always been notoriously private about her life outside of work. "I hate to do this to you, even though I won't be there, I still need you to show up and make sure things run smoothly. Have Hector take care of messages. If everything in the next few days isn't crazy, you may leave early and forward the calls to your work phone and not Hector's." Lena says.
"Of course Miss Luthor. Is there anything—" Jess starts to say before she is interrupted.
"I need to go Jess. Unless it's an emergency, I don't want to be disturbed. Have a good weekend and I'll see you Monday." Lena says, quickly ending the call when she sees the door to the treatment area open. The first person out is a woman Lena assumes is the veterinarian, judging by the standard white lab coat she is wearing.
Lena puts her phone away, and is a bit wary when she sees the vet followed only by the receptionist. She frowns when she notices the tech is nowhere in sight with what is now her cat. "Is the kitten all right?" She asks worried.
"Good morning. I'm Doctor Devon Barrett. Nice to meet you." The vet says with a gentle smile.
"I apologize for my lack of manners. Good morning and likewise, Dr. Barrett. Lena Luthor." Lena says as she extends her right hand.
They shake hands and if the vet is surprised by her identity, she doesn't show it. Lena is pleased when she doesn't see the usual judgment apparent on most people upon a first meeting with someone named Luthor.
"Yes. The little guy is lucky you found him when you did. There is really no way of knowing how long he was in that box, but I suspect any longer and with the combination of the summer heat the lack of food and water and the very low levels of oxygen, he wouldn't have made it past two days at most." Dr. Barrett says.
"So it's a boy and he'll be okay?" Lena asks.
"The kitten is dehydrated and undernourished. His lethargy is mostly due to hunger. As a precaution, we're going to put him on some IV fluids to rehydrate him for the next hour or so. We'll then feed him some high calorie and high protein food to help him get back on his feet. We're also going to give him his first series of shots. I ran a full examination on him and with a little TLC and proper care; he should make a full recovery. Joe here tells me you're planning on adopting him?" Dr. Barrett says.
"I am, though I admit I'm very new at this. If you and your staff can recommend a local veterinarian for the remaining shots and future check-ups, and perhaps make some suggestions as to the best brand of food and whether or not I can start feeding him kitten food as opposed to having to still bottle feed him?" Lena says. "I've been giving this a lot of thought while I was waiting for an update. I even cleared my schedule for the remainder of the week so I can help little Pepé adjust to his new home." She adds, having decided on a name the moment she knew the kitten was going home with her.
"Pepé?" Dr. Barrett asks amused.
"With such unusual colouring, I already had a couple of names picked out, depending on whether or not the kitten was a boy or girl. Since it's a boy, Pepé Le Pew it is." Lena admits sheepishly, blushing so deeply that if she were in a cartoon, she'd be the colour of a fire engine.
"And if it had been a girl?" Dr. Barrett asks curious.
"Why, Penelope Pussycat of course." Lena replies with a huge grin. "I'm impressed. Not many people in this day and age know the reference." She adds when she sees Dr. Barrett chuckle at the name choices.
"I was going to say the same. Anyway we estimate Pepé to be around 3 months or so..." Dr. Barrett replies, offering Lena advice on how to handle and care for the kitten. "I'll have Joe print out a list of veterinary clinics that we are partnered with and we trust. Once you pick one, you can give them our information and we'll e-mail all relevant files on the little guy once they contact us. I'll also have Joe print out the URLs to a few reputable sites you can look for extra information to help you train Pepé how to use the litter box and how to divert his attention to scratching poles and how to trim his nails. If the nail trimming seems to be a bit of daunting task, you can always ask the staff here or at your regular vet to show you how. Then of course, there is always the option of having a reputable cat groomer do it." The vet adds.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Barrett." Lena replies, already knowing that along with all that information, she'll stop by a bookstore and pick out a few books on how to care for kittens. "How long do I have until Pepé is ready to be discharged? I want to know if I have time to get his supplies ready before taking him home." she adds.
"He should be ready in about an hour or two, but there is no hurry. We're after all, open twenty-four hours so take your time. Joe will have everything ready when you come back later. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate at all to call us." Dr. Barrett says with a kind smile. "What you're doing is great. That's one more life you have saved." She adds.
Lena nods and turns to leave. Since her father died and Lex went crazy, she isn't used to praise from anyone other than from Kara. It's very surprising the vet said "one more life" as opposed "a life". Maybe this is a sign that things may be looking up for her and her company. Perhaps people may start to believe that LCorp and Lena herself aren't the evil entities everyone thought them to be.
Her driver Emily jumps out of the car and opens the door to the back the moment Lena steps out of the clinic.
"Emily, take me home and wait for me downstairs please." Lena says before she gets inside and once again, puts the privacy screen all the way up. She uses the time to go through her e-mails. She smiles when she notices Jess has already sorted out the non-essential ones and marked the ones that require her attention.
Once she is home, Lena doesn't bother to shower. All she does is change out of her running tights and into a pair of yoga pants. Then she pulls a t-shirt over and ties a hoodie around her waist. She quickly googles the best pet supply stores in National City while she hastily eats a yogurt and a protein bar, and settles for one that is known to donate regularly to and works with local animal shelters and SPCA by having pet adoption days every weekend. She bookmarks the website before she shoves the tablet into a messenger bag along with her wallet. She fills her stainless steel water bottle and once again, she is out the door.
"Emily, take me to City Pets on Lexington and tenth." Lena says as she climbs into the back of her car.
The run for Pepé's supplies and the books Lena needs and wants go by smoothly. In less than an hour everything is done and she is on her way to her office to pick up the paperwork she will be drowning herself in at home. After a death glare or two when security doesn't recognize her, she ignores the double takes and jaw drops once her identity has been established. She rolls her eyes as she steps into the single elevator that has access to her the top floor where her office is. This is part of the new security measure of the new and improved LCorp headquarters. The logic being that a single elevator eliminates the chance of multiple access points to her once she is in her office. She does her best to hold back her laughter at the looks on Hector's face when she steps out of the elevator. She isn't disappointed when she gets a similar reaction from Jess once she steps into the area just before the double doors to her new office. Even on Casual Fridays once a month, Lena has always looked like she could grace the cover of any major fashion and/or business magazine (though secretly, she wishes she could just show up in her favourite PJs, or her usual lounging outfits of yoga pants/tights and t-shirts/hoodies).
"Miss Luthor. I thought you weren't coming in today?" Jess asks as she scrambles to get up.
"Don't get up Jess. I'm not staying. I'm only here to pick up some files I'll need while I'm away." Lena says as she approaches the double doors to her office. She stands by the retina scanner while she places her left (non-dominant) hand on the scanner before the doors' locks release and a panel hisses open to reveal a keyhole for another set of deadbolts for which only Lena has the key for.
Once inside, Lena closes and locks the double doors from the inside. She takes out a pen-like device and uses it quickly to make sure there are no hidden bugs in her office. She wouldn't put it past the DEO or other US agencies to continue to try and spy on her. After she caught someone (Winn) trying to hack LCorp's servers during the Medusa fiasco she had written the code for a new digital firewall and she had also built a physical one as an extra precaution. Thankfully, the DEO never realized Lena keeps a separate, stand-alone, offline and very heavily encrypted (she wrote the encryption key herself) server for her private projects or that the more sensitive information is stored only in hardcopy to cut down on the chances of cyber attacks. Once she is satisfied there are no bugs of any kind, she hits a button that turns the windows in her office opaque for anyone looking in while staying crystal clear inside. When she is satisfied no can see in, she walks over to a door that is hidden well enough to nearly disappear into the wall. She opens it to the small apartment with a bedroom and bathroom she normally uses on those days she works a little too late to bother going home. The logic being that it's pointless to have her driver take her home only to have to return a few hours later. She once again pulls out the pen-like device. When she is sure nothing can see in or listen, she walks over to a small glass cabinet holding a couple of chessboards. She bends over to the bottom one and moves a few pieces in a specific pattern in order to expose a keypad. She enters the code that reveals the biometric scanner on the wall beside the cabinet. It scans both her retinas and her left palm simultaneously.
A door hisses open to reveal Lena's personal lab. The only downside is that the new mini-apartment is significantly smaller. Other than the architect and the contractors she handpicked, no other living soul knows about it. Thankfully, they think it's just a safe room (that was what she had told them the room was going to be used for. She had to customize everything herself in her in her 'downtime') the rich and powerful have. With as many public attempts on her life, it's not that odd for someone like Lena to want a safe room built. She is not happy that there are people who know of this secret room, but at least using preppers as the personal team in charge of her new office had meant they are paranoid enough to keep her "safe room" a secret without needing to have her legal team draw up a series of creative NDAs without having to let anyone else in on the extra space. She doubts the DEO or any other American government agency would just take her world for the use of that secret room as her safe room only.
Lena goes inside her lab, makes sure everything is closed and locked before she makes a beeline for the walk-in safe holding not only the files she has been auditing but the schematics, materials and prototypes on her personal projects. After careful consideration, she picks out enough to hold her over the next four days at home. If she needs anything else, she can always come back. Lena hates being so paranoid, but there is no way of knowing what kind of damage can result to her company if people misused the financial trail and all the shell corporations used to hide Cadmus while LuthorCorp was under Lillian's and then Lex's control. When Lena has everything she needs she makes sure that the entrance to the lab is secured and nothing looks out of place. Hopefully, if she has somehow missed newer ways of surveillance (like those made with alien tech), they'll just think she went into her private mini-apartment to change and get ready for work. She also hopes that the modified cloaking materials and device from the Daxamite flagship will keep her lab hidden from prying eyes. When she is satisfied everything is in place and nothing looks odd, she exits her mini-apartment.
Lena then walks over to the balcony door and makes sure that the sliding doors are locked. She double checks that the new biometric scanners are in working condition. So far, the newest material used for her office's windows have been able to sustain (under testing) all known Earth-made explosives and projectiles (short of a nuclear denotation). She would love to see what Kara's heat vision or freeze breath would do to it or how much of her strength it would take to break the glass, but as of now, they're no longer in a place in their friendship for Lena to ask. Maybe once they figure out a way to fix everything she can ask Kara to try and break into her office using both the balcony and the double doors.
The only good thing that came from working with Rhea had been access to not only new and more advanced technology, but also to new materials and compounds not available before because the elements needed for them didn't exist on Earth. One of her current projects is to figure out a way to create them synthetically. No one knows she still has the schematics or the samples from Rhea. Thankfully, in her tunnel-vision and overconfidence, Rhea never revoked Lena's access to said materials and had gone as far as to teach Lena how to read Daxamite in order to expedite the reverse engineering and construction of the new transmatter portal. With luck on her side and some good karma (she's sure she's due for both), she is sure can figure out a way to merge the synthetic Daxamite materials with current materials made from naturally occurring terrestrial elements in order to produce something that not even the DEO will have access to. She is still unhappy that the DEO and the military, with the U.S. government's blessing have confiscated any all known Daxamite warships (at least they're all wreckages) after they thwarted the invasion all those months ago. At least she managed to destroy the portals before they got their hands on them. Lena doesn't think a single government should have access to so much alien technology. No one should have access to technology that will eschew power dynamics to the point that if abused, not much could be done about it, unless there were enhanced beings like Kara or Superman standing up against them. Lex and Lillian being proof of what can happen when people abuse their power. She wonders if Lex or Lillian will ever see that, or if they're so power mad and afraid of being less that all they see are 'would be' and 'could be' threats. She understands taking precautions but she'll never understand her brother and her adoptive mother's views that genocide is the only way to keep Earth safe. Lena's interest in the portals had been solely for the possibility of making the distribution of aid to developing nations a lot easier and to help the evacuation of areas after natural disasters faster and safer. Now, she wonders if there will ever be a way of doing that without the technology being abused. She can so easily see governments using that technology to invade others. She hopes she did a good job destroying them so they can't reverse engineer something similar from the wreckage.
Keeping yet another secret from everyone gives Lena new insight on what it's like for Kara, having to lie to everyone she meets because she can't afford to just spill her secret to anyone. And it's not just the "well, I'm an alien" but it now also carries the extra weight of other people's safety because of her alter ego as Supergirl. She has seen how with something as simple as Lois Lane being the reporter of choice for Superman has endangered her life. She understand all too well after Lex had figured out Superman's identity and had used it against him by threatening not just Lois Lane but Superman's mother as well. She still isn't sure why her brother (and mother, since it's very likely Lillian knows as well) never went public with Superman's identity. It had hurt that Kara didn't tell her about her true identity until much later into their friendship. She had figured out Kara was at least an alien when she found the prototype for her alien detecting device fried from the inside. The only other person who had access to it had been Kara the day she had shown her the prototype during their second meeting, and she hadn't worked on it since. After that, Lena started paying more attention and it was just a matter of time before she started to notice the physical resemblance between Kara and Supergirl. Then, it was just a matter of running Kara's and one of the many Supergirl's photos through a facial recognition software. She had also run recordings of voice samples for both through speech recognition software for confirmation. Lena had hoped that after she proved herself during the whole Medusa fiasco or the alien kidnapping fiasco that Kara would trust her enough. But it had taken Jack's death and Lena's near breakdown for Kara to finally come clean.
Lena inevitably thinks about her father's words; that no matter what, everyone has secrets. Still, she can't help but feel like a hypocrite because she had expected Kara to be completely honest while she herself still hasn't told another living soul that she isn't just a Luthor by adoption. That the name "Luthor" is her birthright. She has new understanding over the reason Kara had given her when she finally came clean. Add to that the fact that she has all this Daxamite tech and that Lena is solely responsible for banishing Kara's boyfriend, and she wonders if it's even possible to fix things with Kara. She wonders what Kara's reaction will be once the blonde finds out Lena has also been keeping secrets and if Kara will understand why these secrets are necessary. Hopefully what they went through when Kara told her about her alter ego will keep both their tempers in check and their tendency to act without thinking things through first. With one look at her watch, she tries her best to shake off the negative thoughts. She has a kitten to pick up and an apartment to cat-proof.
TBC.