"See you tomorrow, Ms. Luthor."
Lena's forehead wrinkled as she turned to peer out the window. The sun had begun its descent towards the skyline, illuminating the clouds in violet hues. She had lost track of time. Again.
She managed a smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Night, Jess."
Jess hesitated and glanced back at Lena. She opened her mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it. She dipped her head and nodded before walking out the door.
Lena sighed heavily. Her assistant did not approve of the late hours Lena kept. Oh, Jess had never voiced her disapproval, but Lena could tell by the way her assistant's lips tightened… She sighed, Jess meant well. She did, but responsibility was a fickle thing.
Lives depended on Lena, and if she had to suffer from dark circles under her eyes, so be it.
Jess was one of those lives that relied on her. She might be Lena's assistant, but she was a friend. Or, the closest thing Lena had to a friend. Besides Jess, she hardly spent quality time with anybody. Often, she buried herself in scientific journals and fact sheets. When she had to associate with others, she hid behind a mask of poise, engaging others with a subtle, yet well-practiced charm.
Her mother had always insisted she acted the part of a Luthor, even if she failed miserably at it.
She groaned. Lena tired of the posturing and political games, those damned games that the wealthy with their self-imposed importance liked to entertain themselves with. People were a means to an end, a pawn for the bigger play. At least, that is how her mother saw it. Those arrogant, fake mockeries of a human being filled her life like a bloated mass of spoiled apples. Your mouth would water as you gazed upon them, but their poison would churn your stomach!
She was always on her guard. Always. Never let them sniff out your flaws. Another one of her mother's lines, followed by, and 'god knows you have enough of those, Lena'.
Jess was the only person who got to see past the illusion. Lena could be herself in her presence, but was it real? Or, did Lena's money buy her assistant's loyalty.
Did it even matter?
In truth, Lena could count maybe two friends in her entire life, but she never felt connected. Most people shied away, avoiding her as if her brother's madness were her own. A tight fist constricted her heart. Lex always hovered at the forefront of her mind. She hated what he became…hated that she missed him. Hated that his obsession with superman killed the boy who had meant the world to her.
She hated that he wanted her dead.
Her throat felt raw, and she couldn't swallow the lump that choked her. So many threats. His latest letter…God, that had struck her like he punched her in the gut. It certainly felt like he had. He wanted her dead. Her brother—the brother she loved with everything in her—wanted her dead. Those damn words in that letter still tormented her.
Mother was right about you, Lena. You were never one of us. Your death is the only contribution you could ever make.
She closed her eyes. She remembered the last time she had visited him in prison. At first, there had been warmth in his gaze. But his face changed in an instant. The hatred twisting his features left a scar in her memories.
You disgust me, sister.
She shook her head, willing those thoughts to wash over her.
Nothing seemed real. But, the folder entitled Lex in a secret directory in her laptop hammered the truth into her skull.
He wants me dead.
Maybe I deserve it.
She glanced outside once again, and a blanket of dark clouds eclipsed the retreating sun. It was late, but she would rather be at the office with her work to distract her. She couldn't go home. She couldn't face another long night alone trapped inside her head.
She lifted her mug to her lips—the one Lex had given to her when she first worked at Luthorcorp as an engineer. Things had been simpler then. The coffee didn't penetrate the hazy exhaustion that seemed to slump her shoulders. She sagged into her chair with a glazed look in her eyes.
She could handle exhaustion. At least then, she would not drown in her nightmares. She wouldn't hear her mother derisive tone or see that withering stare that dominated her dreams. She wouldn't have to face her brother's ghost and its condemning voice. You'd didn't save me, Lena. You let me fall.
Pinching her lips together, she slammed her fist on her desk. Even if she was a disgraced Luthor, she was still a Luthor and a Luthor did not wallow in misery.
With another heavy sigh, she peered at the facts and numbers on the screen, line after line of data becoming a dull blur in the back of her mind. She couldn't concentrate. But, damn it, if she had another hour...
She rolled her eyes. Who was she kidding? She'd needed another hour all week, and the piles of reports on her desk had not shrunken. They had grown! She glanced at the clock and her whole body sagged. Another hour had passed without anything being accomplished.
She jotted down some notes on her latest project—the alien detection device. She could be proud of that. She leaned back and the edges of her lips lifted. The project was close to completion. She just needed to announce it to the board.
The device would bring peace of mind back to a world where mortals walked among Gods. No more would people live in fear. No more would they worry if their neighbor was…something more.
Lena had no ill feelings towards aliens, but she watched the news. She read the reports. She had heard stories of the devastation left in their wake. She thought of the situation with Miranda Crane. A White Martian had kidnapped and stolen Amanda Crane's identity and then posed as her. Lena couldn't imagine the chaos that would have followed with this alien infiltrating the government.
If Supergirl had not involved herself…
Yet, Supergirl had proven she could be dangerous as well. Supergirl, under the influence of a particular form of kryptonite, had become the monster Lena's family feared. She had rained chaos through National City.
Lena's head fell back against her seat and she closed her eyes for an instant. An alien had posed as a senator, and a hero had turned into a tyrant. And then there was her brother—stark mad and willing to kill millions with his insane obsession with eradicating alien life.
No, that wasn't true. Her brother did not want to kill them, he wanted to control them. He wanted their power, their skills, and their abilities. And, she took that away from him, ending his project and changing the company into a force of good. Hell, she changed the name from Luthorcorp to L-Corp. That action alone should demonstrate her resolve and put a giant target on her back.
Lex wanted her dead.
The world still hated her.
Her last name stained her. The world would always call her tainted. Only a few people believed she was more than her name, and it left her feeling drained. Why did she continue to fight when everyone stamped 'traitor' or 'murderer' over her head?
Once a Luthor always a Luthor.
The lights in her office flickered, followed by an electrical buzzing sound. The room went dark, and she hated the way her palms went damp.
All her life, Lena had been afraid of the dark. Afraid of the monsters lying in the shadows under her bed…lying in wait, clawing themselves into her mind. Her eyes darted around her office, seeking the window, but there was no relief there. It was already an hour into the evening, and storm clouds covered the last vestments of light that leaked from the sun or the silver glow of the moon.
Sounds echoed around her, the normal sounds of her building. The slight hum of her laptop or the quiet melodies from her sound system. Classical music helped her concentrate.
She stiffened when her addled mind turned normal everyday noises into something ominous.
She wanted to chuckle at the ridiculousness of the situation. She hated letting her fear get the best of her. Her mother had drilled into her the need for control. Control in all things. She inhaled a deep breath. She would conquer this inane dread.
She lifted her chin. She was a Luthor, and she had long outgrown such childish inclinations. Or so she thought.
The lights blinked on.
She shook her head at her antics. Her mother would love this, seeing her reduced to a cowering child. She could just imagine her mother's frown…Lena had always been a disappointment.
Why do I allow her to poison me?
The lights flickered, and then the room was swathed in pitch black.
Lena's heart raced, and her hands clutched her desk. Damn it. She hated showing weakness, hated the vulnerability. What the hell was going on? Even the backup generator was malfunctioning!
Damn it!
She did not have time for this, her fears, the damned situation with the power company and this failure with the backup. Someone would answer for this.
She'd deal with that tomorrow.
Lightning cracked against National City's skyline, and for a moment, the room was bathed in silvery incandescence. Thunder rumbled, and Lena swore she felt the building shake in rhythm to it.
The lights came on again.
Well, she wouldn't get much done this night. She reached for her cell. Her friend, Kara Danvers, had invited her over for 'game night.' Lena had instantly turned her down, but now, with her pulse running as if in a marathon, she would rather not be alone.
Plus, she always felt…alive in Kara's presence. Kara saw her. Kara never judged her. Kara befriended her, not because she wanted something, but because she genuinely wanted to know Lena. Kara wasn't on her payroll, she didn't have to pretend to like Lena.
Her mother's cruel voice echoed in the back of her mind. She only uses you for that next big story, you foolish child.
Kara answered on the first ring. "Lena!" Her voice poured into Lena, calming her like balm on an open wound.
"Kara, hi." She hesitated. "I was wondering if your offer still stands?"
"Offer?"
"Yes about tonight. Your game night?"
"Game night! Oh yes! Definitely! Yup." Someone in the background shouted something unintelligible eliciting muffled laughter. "I mean, it would be amazing if you came. It would be great! We have brownies, Lena. You'll just love my brownies. I mean…you don't have to eat them but I hope you do. "
Lena grinned, shaking her head. Kara never failed to bring a smile to her face.
Blink.
The lights blew out, and she'd have been blinded if not for the soft gleam of her cell phone. A scratching sound came from the other side of the room to the right of the door.
Scrape. Scrape.
The sound echoed like a dull nail grating down a chalkboard. The temperature chilled, and gooseflesh raised fast on her arms.
Lena inhaled sharply.
"Lena?" Kara asked, bringing her back to her senses.
"Kara, I…the power went out and…"
"Where are you?"
"At the office."
"Lena! You shouldn't be working this late!"
"I—yeah. I was just leaving. Should I bring anything?"
She cringed at the small tremble in her tone. Hopefully, Kara wouldn't notice.
Scrape. Scrape.
Lena reached in her purse, the metal of her gun cold in her hand. It steadied her nerves. She glanced towards the window and back at the door. The room appeared empty but the window was free of blinds and for once, she felt vulnerable. Naked.
She struggled to calm herself. All she had to do was get out of the building.
Scrape.
Instead, she froze in her seat.
"Bring yourself! That is all! It'll be amazing…great if you just bring yourself. Yeah."
Kara's animated excitement did not pull a smile from Lena's mouth. She caught movement near the door. Something solid detached itself from the wall.
This time there was no hiding that quake in her voice. "Kara…"
It looked a pool of crude oil poured out of the wall, solidifying until it resembled a human form. The palms of its hands pressed against an obsidian colored forehead. It threw its head back and a piercing shriek tore from its mouth. Lena's blood went cold.
Her purse dropped to the floor with a heavy thump and she couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her.
"Lena!" Kara's tone shifted into urgency.
The creature continued screaming, the body convulsing until it finally straightened itself. A thick, dark mist seemed to evaporate from its body.
"Not real. Not real." Lena whispered it over and over like a mantra.
"Lena, what's—"
"Kara? What's wrong?" Someone else said in the background.
"Lena." Kara paused. "Are you still in your office?"
Lena shut her eyes and opened them.
Blink.
The darkness melted away, and the office was once again lit with fluorescence.
Before her, where that shadow being had stood, a woman with bright golden eyes regarded her. Golden eyes that tickled the edges of her subconscious. But, before she could recall the memory, it faded.
Her mind was playing tricks on her. Lack of sleep would do that to her. There was no monster…the woman looked to be in her mid-twenties.
"Who are you?" Lena asked, her words hard and laced with authority.
"Lena." The woman's ragged voice interrupted her thoughts. "Run!"
"Who are you?" Lena stood in front of her desk, crossing her arms over her chest. "How are you…" She glanced at the wall the intruder seemed to have materialized from, and back to the woman. "How are you here."
Nobody could walk through walls. At least, not yet.
"There is no time! Run!" Golden-eyes' head snapped back towards the wall. "Go now! They're coming! Go!"
"Lena!" Panic tinged Kara's voice.
"I-Kara!" Kara's name sounded like a prayer. A plea. Any other day, it would have been embarrassing. Now, something primal pulsed in her blood.
The woman's sense of seriousness spurred Lena to action. She reached for her purse and dashed to the door, hoping her trembling knees would not buckle beneath her.
Kara's shouts increased in volume, but Lena couldn't make out what she was saying. Words were beyond her.
The phone went dead and Lena ran.