COPYRIGHT: The following is a work of 'fan-fiction' and no copyright infringement is intended against those who own the rights to Supergirl and all related characters. All original Characters are the possession and copyright of The Rainbow Writers.
Please note that while we are big fans of the TV Show, we are not up on every nuanced bit of history and lore, so if we get something horribly wrong... we're sorry in advance.
TW/Suicide: In future chapters there will be discussion between characters of suicidal/self harm thoughts and the statistical rate of suicide. While there may be passing reference to past suicidal thoughts, there is no plot points in this fan-fiction to suicide, no character death but we wanted to be upfront so that no reader is caught unaware and have to endure undue mental heath pain. We urge anyone who is experiencing thoughts of self harm or suicide to please reach out to anyone in their life they trust or to a mental health hot-line.
Pairing: Supercorp, Alex & Maggie Set: Season Two Episode Six 'Changing', Branch from Canon from this point out.
Note: Hi, for any of our long time readers who happen to catch this- Hi. It's been quite a long time and as anyone can imagine we have our reasons for being silent but hopefully some good will come out the continued Pandemic as we've found motivation to create again. For those interested we have applied to cross post at Archive but are waiting for approval. This may not be the continuation of any of our historical stories, but we hope you give it a go and enjoy it none the less. Long live powerful women everywhere! The Rainbow Writers (Kath and Beth)
Broken
Episode Two: Coming Out
By: The Rainbow Writers
Kara worked hard to balance the large carrying handles that helped her even move the stack of two covered trays of leftovers she'd come home from Lena's with, at the same time keeping the large pizza paddle tucked under her other arm. In the end despite her intention on just flying home, she had accepted the car that Lena had said was already arranged to get her there safely. Surprised when the brunette herself had actually driven with her to her place, and then continued on with the driver to take herself home in turn. She would have preferred it was the other way around, making sure that Lena was home safe because after all she knew she could take care of any unexpected attacks. After Lena's revelation of her recent altercation, she knew from now on she'd be keeping a closer eye on the youngest Luthor.
Pushing in finally once she'd had to use her super abilities to catch her keys mid air as she dropped them, she was instantly surprised to see her apartment was lit up and the television was on. Of course this mystery was quickly explained as her sister pushed up from her position lying down on the couch with a scowl on her face.
"Alex, what are you doing here? Is something wrong? You should have phoned me if the world was ending." Kara questioned her immediately afraid something bad had happened that she wasn't aware of. She moved to bring the awkward package over to the kitchen island.
"What do you mean what am I doing here? You knew I was coming here. The better question is where have you been, it's nearly 2 am Kara." Alex's tone was hard as her scowl stayed fixed looking at the large amount of stuff her sister had come in with a little confused.
"I thought you were joking about waiting up for me." Kara smiled at her with a soft shake of her head. "And I was making pizza with Lena, literally she had one of those awesome outdoor stone pizza ovens on her office patio. She can even toss her own dough, I tried once and didn't do too bad but it was lumpy." She laughed remembering how Lena had tried to up talk her dire first attempt. "She sent me home with all the leftover dough, toppings and stuff so that it wouldn't go to waste. Look..." She moved to pick up the carved wooden pizza paddle. "She even let me keep this because I thought it was so awesome, I can even use it in the oven here. Speaking of which are you hungry? I can make the most delicious pizza for you, well not as delicious at the ones I had but close."
"No I am not hungry and since when do you cook, least of all make pizza from scratch?" Alex's scowl was still constant. "And what have you been doing for six and a half hours?" She walked up to vaguely glance at the food laden trays. "You've saved the word in a quarter of the time that this pizza thing took up."
"Well luckily no ones life but mine hung in the balance, and Lena didn't mind if I stole toppings to munch on while the pizza was cooking so I managed to keep my stomach from eating itself." Kara gave another laugh. "And to answer your question..." She began to see what she could fit in her fridge with a quizzical look at the fact it wasn't all going to fit, so she pulled the top off the mushrooms to steal one and put it in her mouth. "We were making pizza, talking and having a few beers... with dinner she switched to wine but ya know, drinks." She shrugged at her sister.
Alex let out a long sigh.
"I told you to be home by 10." She said plainly. "Now an hours extension is okay but Kara, it's way too late to be... well..." Alex couldn't avoid the 'I'm Supergirl' look that was coming from her sister. "Lena has to be up I'm sure very early..."
"Alex..." Kara didn't let her sister continue as she moved over and put her hands lightly on her sister's shoulders. "I'm fine... Lena is a big girl, she'll be fine tomorrow. Now, what is going on with you? You are wound tighter then... something really tightly wound." She frowned softly. "Are you really that worried this is a giant Luthor plot to get me?"
"Yes." Alex said quickly but then she let out a slow loud breath. "No." She shook her head as she looked at the blonde. "I just..." She began to explain but just licked her lips, her eyes slipping down to look at the floor rather than at her sister. "I'm scared Kara." The words were almost whispered as the brunette wrapped an arm around herself.
"Then talk to me, even if it's just ideas, or maybes... I'm not J'onn, I won't hold it against you." Kara gave her shoulders a soft squeeze of encouragement.
Alex closed her eyes as she gave her head a shake. Then strangely she straightened out her back and looked directly at her baby sister.
"I think I'm gay." The words came literally blurting out of Alex's mouth.
Kara couldn't help but hesitate from reacting for a minute because if she was honest she had been expecting a long Alex monologue about how dangerous the Luthors were to Supers, and how it was only natural that Lena was working as an extension of her brother. Or even about how she needed to stay focused on her job as Supergirl and not let herself think she could have carefree evenings like the one she'd just enjoyed so for a split second she just stood there with her mouth gaped open like a goldfish.
"Gay?" She finally repeated the word as her sharp mind did a quick 360 to realize all of Alex's recent high strung vibe had been because of her own mental turmoil and in fact had nothing to do with Kara herself. "Alex..." She said her name in a soft voice taking a slow breath. "I love you." She said as a soft smile broke on her face as she saw her sister literally twisting in her own skin under her hands. "And we're going to move over to that couch, I am going to get the bottle of Whiskey out of the cupboard where I hide it for you, and you're going to tell me everything."
Alex lowered her head again seeming to be a little reluctant to move.
"It's not... I shouldn't have done this..."
Kara didn't let her say much more before she literally pulled her into the tightest hug the alien dared to subject her sister too.
"Yes, you should have, always... Alex... I didn't know why you were so rattled lately but if you've been thinking about this and doing what you do when you work yourself up into a milkshake as Mom would say, then yes you should have... because I want you to talk to me about it, everything, especially important things like this." She held her sister close as she spoke the gentle words. "You listen to every silly thing I have to say, there is no way I don't want you to do the same."
"Okay." The word was tiny as was the nod Alex gave her sister. "Thanks." She added.
"If anyone was keeping score you're up by a bazillion good sister points, so... don't worry about thanks." Kara finally pressed back a little and smiled at her. "Let me get the bottle, go sit down and breathe."
They both hung there for only a moment before Alex nodded and began to shuffle over to the couch, Kara moving to quickly get the glasses and the bottle before she began her walk in the same direction.
"Can I ask one quick question..." She looked at her sister with a quizzical look. "The reason you're so 'crazy' about me hanging out with Lena Luthor isn't because you have a crush on her is it? Cause you can call it and I will back off, those are the rules." She grinned at her sister.
Alex stared hard at the super hero and narrowed her eyes.
"No." She said pointedly. "Though with words like 'I will back off' you're making me worried you are."
"Back off your woman." Kara's teasing continued as she sat down. "Now more importantly, who do you have a crush on?" She beamed as she asked the question.
-x-
It was mid afternoon when Lena was sitting at her desk going over her emails from the morning when there came the most unusual sound of a knock on the doors that led out to her office patio. The weekends pizza activity had long since been cleared up, but of course the first thing she did was startle as who exactly was supposed to suddenly be on her balcony.
That framed in the glass was the familiar tall muscular figure of Supergirl answered the question of how and who immediately.
Pushing up from her seat Lena couldn't help but smile, all be it slightly quizzically as she tucked her hair around her ear and moved to open the door. Almost out of nervous habit she smoothed out the sleek black dress she was wearing, gold threads in a complicated leaf pattern trailing over one shoulder and down the front of the skirt.
"Supergirl... This is unexpected." She admitted. "I can't imagine there is anything I can help you with, so I'm honestly surprised to see you here." Lena leaned on the edge of the open door looking out onto the patio. "If there is something I can help with though, please just name it."
"You can value your personal safety a little higher then the tarnish that your brother put on your last name." Supergirl's body stayed tall and at attention as it always seemed to be. "It's come to my attention that perhaps I've been remiss in making sure you were safe here in National City."
Lena's look went from one of question to one of amused enlightenment. She shook her head and passed her tongue over her lips, making the deep red lipstick she'd chosen for the day look glossy.
"Kara." She said the name softly before looking up to Supergirl's face. "Really this isn't at all about anything you do or don't do." She straightened up and smiled. "Our mutual friend is..." Unlike the brunette she paused as if deciding to follow the route she had been going to. "Kara is sweet and lovely but she doesn't quite understand that I have to do... uncomfortable things sometimes..." She paused again.
"Actually I think our mutual friend is exactly right about one thing, there is no reason for you to face down enraged armed assailants, no matter how justified they may feel in directing their rage and anger at you Miss. Luthor." Supergirl took the pause to gently press in the opposite viewpoint. "I do understand that in your position, you have to rely on your own sense of bravery to face the complications of business that I admit I have little insight into but..." She let the word hang softly in the air. "Dodging bullets and being manhandled by the riff raff is my type of business and the business of the no doubt qualified security people you hire. How about in the future you talk to these 'upstarts' after they've been subdued not before?"
"That's the exact thing I don't want to do." Lena shook her head adamantly. "It's not just the world of business I am caught up in, it's the world of being a Luthor." She stressed. "I don't want to meet force with force, anger with anger, that's what my whole family is and I am trying to change that." She outlined. "I have to live with the fact that my brother has caused a lot of damage, a lot of hurt and I need to face the repercussions of that."
Through her response Supergirl had attentively listened and given a slow nod to her indication of 'wanting to change' things.
"It is obvious Ms. Luthor that you are a very determined woman." Supergirl gifted her almost with a smile. "And I had a feeling before I even flew over that you wouldn't give in to a change of tactics so easily, and for the record I admire you for that and how you want to approach all of this in such a head on manner. Just..." She gave a soft shrug. "I hope you won't see it as an intrusion if I... keep an ear out, just in case I can help when necessary."
"Please Supergirl it's Lena." The CEO softened her smile just a little. "And it not like I can actually stop you from doing anything so how about I offer the compromise of you do what you need to do, and I will do what I need to." She tipped her head slightly to the side, letting a curtain of long straight dark hair shift over her shoulder.
This elicited another head nod of agreement from the imposing woman before she began to step towards the stone barrier at the end of the balcony.
"Oh and Lena, if by any chance I can do anything else... like a flyby to help the fundraiser you're involved in for the Children's hospital. I hope you'll let me know." She seemed to pause just poised to fly off into the air in the way only she and her cousin could.
"I'll remember that." Lena stepped out onto the patio after her. "And if you happen to see Kara before I do..." She let a full smile pull on her painted lips. "Tell her worrying like she does will cause wrinkles." She chuckled softly and held up her hand in a firm goodbye motion.
This caused a broad smile to spread over Supergirl's face before she took off into the sky with enough wind to flow Lena's long hair softly back over her shoulders.
-x-
"Two more days till food truck Friday." Supergirl did a soft dance behind Winn's station in the main command center of the DEO, with her sister not far from her left shoulder and J'onn pacing around as they waited for any news on their latest 'questionable' alien sighting. "I hope you're fasting till then to keep up Alex."
"I heard that!" Alex called over to her with a smirk.
"Oh yes, Food Truck Friday." Winn's enthusiasm sounded a little, forced which in turn made the tall blonde behind him frown, a gesture he caught onto quickly. "And what I mean by that is 'yay'." He attempted the reply again. "I'm sorry it's just this..." He pointed to the wall of screens in front of them. "I don't even know if this is going to cancel out FTF." Sighing slightly the young man glanced at Alex briefly before looking at Supergirl again. "At least not letting us have the full weekend of it I mean."
"Mmmm work, it gets in the way of all the best stuff." Supergirl frowned a little. "Well hopefully we can work it out in between the Super Friends going on Friday night and then my repeat performance with Lena on Saturday afternoon. I'm going to eat at every truck if this 'thing'..." She motioned to the screens. "Doesn't mess up my plans."
"I suppose it's not that big a problem if I miss Friday and cover for everyone, having Saturday booked already to enjoy the food." He said with a laugh which stopped short as a cough came from over with Alex and J'onn
"I don't think the boss sees us as inter-changeable, sorry." Supergirl leaned into him with a soft chuckle. "I can't do you're job even with a manual, I'm hopeless."
"No no, you're well... super." He offered with a shrug, talking in the too fast way he did when he was trying to cover up for something.
"So..." Supergirl turned to rest herself on the desk beside him. "Who are you going to food truck Saturday with?" Her eyes showed her excitement that maybe he was going on a date. "Is it that girl from acquisitions?"
"No!" Just the way he squeaked the reply and shook his head repeatedly gave enough evidence that he did indeed have the girl in acquisitions on his radar but that she wasn't the person in question. "I'm going with... er... Alex." He pointed across at the dark haired Danver's sister who glared at him with smoldering eyes. "We are going to get samples of every food and test them... for non earth stuff." He babbled an excuse for their outing.
"Right." Kara couldn't help but look over at her sister and quirk an eyebrow as they started the silent conversation of 'what are you following me?'; 'I am not following you'. "I'm sure that's a good idea to do after we plan on eating all of it Friday night." She said the words loudly so her sister could hear.
"I have no idea what this conversation is about." J'onn interrupted every one and motioned to the wall of screens which had suddenly lit up with a red cross and bright flashing lights with several other red 'dots' appearing on the street overlay.
Winn instantly turned back to his keyboard, punching keys with rapid precision.
"That's the L. Corp building." He nodded to the screen the building surrounded now by a number of red dots.
"I'll keep comm open and update you on what I find." Supergirl was already running and off her feet heading towards the open window at the back of the office space out of the area.
-x-
The reason for the very visceral reaction from the DEO heads-up display became crystal clear to Supergirl as she flew close to the tall downtown building. In a full circle around the building starting at ground level and rising to at least 20ft up into the air was a shimmering orange red barrier. The strange 'wall' was obviously being generated somehow by eight individuals spread evenly around the buildings base.
Supergirl hung in the air for a moment and listened. She was able to figure out in an instant that the building was full of staff, all working late as they always seemed too and to her dismay one familiar heartbeat registered up on the penthouse level. She was all too familiar with the fact that this was Lena's space but she was instantly also aware that the CEO's heartbeat was surrounded by three unfamiliar heartbeats. One of which she recognized was not human the next moment as it gave a double noise to indicate the alien's heart equivalent organ had far more chambers then a human heart did.
It was easy for her to discern in a quick minute that whatever the attackers on the ground were doing, they were there as containment. The field looking capable of not only keeping people out but also keeping those already inside in.
"I need at least two full teams on the L-Corp building now, someone has erected an energy barrier of some sort to keep everyone inside and everyone else out. There is at least one alien signature, I'm going in through the penthouse to find out what they are doing and stop it." Kara relayed the information to Winn in the comm room, almost expecting that Alex and her team along with J'onn were already getting ready to be mobile at a moments notice.
"Kara no! You're outnumbered, wait till we get there, you know the Luthor building has lead lining in some of the floors and rooms, we don't know how many aliens are in there." Alex's voice called back through the comm, though it was obvious from the background noise she was on the move with her team.
"I might not be able to x ray it all but I can hear that their are dozens of people in the building at risk Alex, I can't just hang back." Kara disagreed with her as she came up to the side of the patio and hovered there to look inside quickly around the edge. Having to take a deep breath when she saw that there was eight foot tall creature of a man holding Lena against a wall a few feet off the ground and it didn't take her super hearing to hear he was yelling at her to give him a password of some sort or another. Another suspected human was by the door with a machine gun, while his partner was near her desk not paying any attention to the world outside. "Our alien is trying to get Lena to give him some sort of password, I bet it's Cadmus, whatever they want we can't let them get it."
The silence told her that the information was settling on all those listening in to the com and it was J'onn's voice that came back to her.
"Is there a way into the room and for you to be able to subdue all three of them. Do you recognize the alien species?"
"He reminds me of an Althrian, he's big, he only has three fingers on each hand but... he's not blue like he should be. And yes... be right back." Kara informed them as she glanced once more and then moved. She could vaguely hear Alex's objection in her ear immediately.
She went through the bulletproof glass of the pane beside the doorway knowing it was the easiest way through to reach the first man by the desk. As she flew by she hit him in the back of the head and he was barely starting his sink towards the floor when she literally landed with her feet hitting the second man mid chest before she almost cruelly used him as a redirect point to go at the alien. Taking him off his feet, she made sure to break his hold on Lena before she used the force of her movement to drive him not just off the CEO but across the room to bounce off the intact plane of bulletproof glass next to the one she'd broken.
With a momentary glance to check she was okay, Supergirl caught Lena as she fell to settle her on her feet before she moved over to the big creature as it tried to get up to its feet.
"Oh no, you're supposed to stay down or J'onn will lecture me." She jumped up a little to use the force she knew was now necessary to hit him with a hard roundhouse and knock him unconscious. "Are you okay Miss. Luthor?"
"Lena." The brunette somewhat shakily replied. "I'm okay, my arm's a little sore." She tried to down play the exquisite pain that filled her left side to the point that at the moment it was preventing her from moving.
"First sit down." Supergirl seemed to be pulling a chair from behind her desk over and guiding her down into it in an instant.
"I'm fine... my staff... they're in danger." Lena shook her head, staggering slightly as she tried to push up from the seat.
"You're injured Lena, please." Supergirl gently guided her to sit so she wasn't fighting gravity. "My next question was going to be what was he trying to get the password for? Where is this location? That is my next stop. Law enforcement is on it's way and should already be arriving downstairs." The mess of voices in her comm confirmed this for her.
"It's not up here, it's in my lab... underground." Lena nodded to the long plain wall in her office, and for the first time Kara noticed that there was an second 'private' elevator there, it's control hidden in a long piece of art. "That's the only way to get down there, it needed my..." Lena groaned slightly as she tried to shift to get something from her pant's pocket.
"There is no other way to get to this lab?" Supergirl checked as she heard reports from Alex and J'onn that they were having a firefight with those downstairs guarding the barrier.
"No, no other way." Lena shook her head, her attention pulled by the loud sounds of gunfire from the ground below, the sound especially loud because of the broken windows. "Go.. help the police." She motioned with just her head to the window.
"Please stay here till I come back, I'll make sure your staff is safe." Supergirl nodded and then headed out of the window again.
-x-
The next time that Supergirl arrived in Lena's office it was actually by coming confidently through the doors to her office like anyone would.
"All of the attackers will soon be in custody." She informed Lena of this as she moved towards only her, behind her a rush of black body armoured DEO soldiers filed in and headed to the three still unconscious attackers that the CEO had been forced to stare. Worried from time to time as the gunshots below continued what seemed like hours to her that they might wake up prematurely. "None of your staff was harmed, well other than someone on the third floor had an anxiety attack, rightfully so and they're being treated by paramedics already." She crouched down in front of the chair that Lena was still in. "Please, let me take you to the hospital now."
"I can't let you do that, I don't deserve priority treatment like that." Lena who's pale skin seemed even paler than usual, shook head tightly. "I'll make it down and a car can take me."
"Nonsense." Supergirl really didn't listen to her as she softly scooped her up into her arms and began walking towards the window. "Tell Agent Danvers that she can find Miss. Luthor at the General Hospital for a statement if it can't wait till the morning." She barked the order at someone who gave her a salute before she moved further out onto the patio and took to the air.
-x-
"Lena? Lena is this your section?" Kara's slightly panicked voice could be heard from beyond the curtain, probably as Lena still thought her head was spinning from being brought in to be safely dropped on the gurney by Supergirl at the direction of a nurse before the superhero had begged off the need to get back to L-Corp and help the police assess the attack and the casualties.
"Kara?" Lena tried to infuse her voice with its usual air of confidence and solidity.
"Thankfully I found you." Kara finally awkwardly fought with the curtain to come in before moving to the end of the bed. "Are you okay? Snapper called me to come down here right away when the police scanner lit up and it wasn't until I got a text from Supergirl that you were here that I even knew it was L-Corp that was attacked. Are you okay?" She repeated the question quickly moving to the side of the bed when she observed the way Lena was sitting uncomfortably.
"I'm fine." Lena replied, her voice and face softening, not really feeling the need to keep up her usual mascarade with the blonde. "A little bumped and bruised but after a couple of x-rays I'll be out of here." She looked at the worried woman beside her. "Look at you all Jimmy Olsen reporter on scene." She teased slightly.
"Technically but that's not why I'm right here." Kara shook her head as she motioned to the spot they were in. "I'm here because a friend was in danger and I need to know they're okay."
"I'm more worried about the people whose lives were in danger this evening because of me, because of something I created." Lena's mouth slimmed down to a hard line. "I need to rethink L-Corp's security."
"Not this minute, right now let's concentrate on you." Kara tried to refocus her. "What hurts?"
For a moment Lena didn't make a response, assessing how honest she was going to be, but as she looked at Kara's concerned face she breathed deeply.
"If you told me my arm had been ripped off and I didn't have it anymore I would believe you." She offered the truth.
"Oh Lena." Kara's frown was instant and pronounced. "Let me go check and see how long until the doctor can get in here to see you." She knew she was still worried even though she had quickly x rayed the arm on the way over and could confirm it wasn't broken but even Supergirl couldn't diagnosis other types of hidden damage.
"Really Kara it's okay, let them work at their pace." Lena shook her head. "In someways the other thing I am most annoyed about is that my favourite vase was broken and the lilies you send this week destroyed." She gave the blonde a weak smile. "But this will not stop us meeting up on Saturday."
"I can't do anything about the vase but don't worry, the lilies I'll replace." Kara tried to offer her some consolation within all the chaos. "And Saturday is going to depend on how you're doing, if necessary I'll pick up food and bring it too you."
"Oh no, I want to see how messy you get." Lena gave a light laugh, wincing as it caused to much movement. "Or whether or not it's just tomato sauce you have a problem with."
"Oh no I'm generally messy." Kara smiled back at her, just as the curtain behind them pulled open and a man in a white coat with salt and pepper hair was suddenly there.
"Miss Luthor, I'm so sorry for the wait I was just made aware you had been rushed in by Supergirl." The doctor's voice was full of apology and concern. "I am Dr. Rustican, head of the Emergency department, let's see if we can't get you feeling far more comfortable." He seemed to indicate to Kara to move with only a look and she did back up as he approached the brunette.
"I'll go do that reporter thing and come and check on you in a bit." Kara spelled out quickly catching dark eyes for a moment who seemed to confirm that her coming back was a good idea. "Tell him the truth." She added in a softer voice before she made herself press out to the hallway beyond.
-x-
Alex turned from where she was talking with J'onn as Supergirl literally marched her way swiftly down the short hallway to join them. It was obvious just from the look in her eyes that she needed answers and details of all that had happened and the older Danver's girl had drawn the short straw and was to be the one to give her what was in reality both good and bad news. Rather than starting to pass on this information though the brunette hung back waiting to see exactly how her baby sister was going to start this.
"What have we found out?" Supergirl asked the question as soon as she was in her sister's space, seeing the way that other members of the DEO were still milling around the building. Outside there seemed to be as many cop cars as there were dark SUV's that she knew were from her sister's organization.
"Over here..." Alex motioned with her head to a 'quieter' zone just steps away. "We got nothing..." She summed up looking up into her sister's eyes. "That is we have 17 dead assailants and more questions than answers."
"17 dead assailants? What happened? No one was dead when I left." Kara's eyebrows pulled down into a scowl wondering instantly how things could have gone so bad and no one had even bothered to call her on her comm link.
Alex pressed her hand into her jacket pocket and pulled out a short plastic vial. In the bottom of it was a small about of black, almost oil like goo. She held it up for Kara to see.
"Just as they were being loaded into police transports, they all keeled over, holding their heads, dead by the time they hit the ground." She said somewhat flatly.
"What about the lobster alien that attacked Lena?" Kara questioned immediately sure that he out of all of them had to be able to resist whatever had taken the 'human' assailants.
"This I though to grab from the floor of the DEO van where I found him dead as soon as the others began going down." She tipped the vial, the thick substance barely moving no matter how much it was inverted.
"Tell me everyone has come to the same conclusion that I'm coming too... CADMUS." Kara seethed the name of the rogue operation.
Alex tipped her head giving Kara her best 'who else' look.
"We did however get a small break, though I'm afraid that it raises questions and I'm afraid raises more Red Flags." Alex tucked the vial away again and removed a folded note from the same pocket as she drew back her hand. "We know why they were there." She offered unfolding the paper carefully before literally turning it around for Kara to see. On it were scratched some words, obviously in an alien language. "Do you want to know what it says?"
"That language is not one I had to do in my lessons." Kara prompted her to explain as she glanced at the curly script.
"Get Luthor, Get to access to lab, take Harmonic Pain Resonator." Alex translated for her with a tight sigh. "You up to going to chat to your 'friend' about why she has something called a Harmonic Pain Resonator in her lab?"
"Yes, of course but..." Kara began to agree that she would and to explain that Lena was going to be at the hospital for some time getting checked out when she was abruptly cut off.
"You don't have to, I've already sent someone to cover it." Alex shook her head. "And to make sure she doesn't go any where but the hospital for now."
"Alex." There was a soft growl of disapproval in Kara's tone. "I put her on a stretcher myself and only left because a doctor was examining her. Not that you asked but I can confirm none of her is broken, but it's quite likely her left elbow is dislocated and there is considerable tissue damage to both of her arms and her ribs where I believe he punched her at least once." Her tone didn't improve. "Call your goon and tell them to watch she doesn't leave if you want, but I will be the one to talk to her about this Harmonic Pain Resonater."
"I'm not sure you can be impartial on this one Kara." Alex was blunt as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"I'm not sure that I'm the one having impartiality problems right now." Kara mimicked the stance. "You are the one who has already clearly decided that somehow Lena staged all of this for some diabolical Luthor purpose... right?" She hissed the question at her.
"Not at all, I'm saying CADMUS some how heard of her 'experiment', offered her a deal for it, she didn't like it and so they took it upon themselves to take it anyway." Alex countered. "Which alarms two issues..."
"You are speculating!" Kara shook her head hard enough to flow her hair around her shoulders. "You have no proof of any contact between Lena and CADMUS, you're just inserting that as an option. All we really know right now is that most likely CADMUS sent almost 20 lackeys and an alien they like enough to work with here to use alien technology to secure the building and take and experiment from L-Corp against Lena's will. Now I will agree with you... Harmonic Pain resonator doesn't exactly sound like a nice thing... but... we can't assume anything about it. For all we know it's a..." She tried to instantly find a good application. "Something that doesn't even work and is just down in L-Corps R&D because it's a dud."
Alex breathed in tightly.
"Have you even managed to get down into the secret R&D department anyway? Have you even laid eyes on this thing they were here to steal?" Kara asked the more important information in her mind.
"We can't access the elevator in Lena's office. It has some kind of encrypted lock." The older woman shook her head, obviously vexed by the issue.
"When I was hovering outside, before I stopped what was going on, the lobster alien that had Lena held three foot off the floor against the wall that he was periodically slamming her against kept telling her to give him the pass card. Which she clearly didn't, and didn't seem to have any intention of giving to him Alex." Kara tried to relax her voice a little to calm the situation down. "I know you desperately want to find a way to finally confirm that feeling..."
"It's not about that." Alex cut her off almost sharply. "I don't want to prove or find evidence that Ms. Luthor... Lena isn't good. It's about protecting you." She softened her tone.
"I know." Kara let her voice drop to a softer more sisterly one. "I know." She repeated with a soft sigh of frustration. "But please let me talk to her first, you can arrange a second interview tomorrow if you want faking some official FBI reason but let me see what I can get her to tell me first. If for no other reason Alex then maybe I can get her to hand over whatever this thing is so you can figure out why CADMUS would want to go to so much trouble to get it."
Alex was about to reply when Winn's voice broke through their com links.
"Hi just wanted to send you a heads up." He began. "Dr. Hoist has had a introductory look at claw boy. He's an Althrian." He revealed. "And before you say it, yes he should be blue.." Their friend continued. "He's been altered... dermatologically." He offered the fact. "Lesley says she thinks by way of tissue transfer but she wants longer to confirm and expand on that."
"I'm getting more and more of the feeling that we are not just a step behind CADMUS, we're ten steps behind." Kara grumbled her unhappiness about the new facts, even if she had been right about his species.
"Keep us updated of anything else that strikes you as important." Alex offered and then looked thoughtful at Kara. "Althrians... do they have shape shifting or morphing powers."
"Not exactly." It was Winn who replied. "But they do have the ability to copy things, make like a template or blueprint in their skin of pretty much anything." He offered.
Kara could immediately see how her sister was struggling to conceptualize what Winn was trying to explain.
"Althrians developed the skill on their home-planet because they shared it with a large number of carnivorous animals that hunted them. It was a kind of camouflage skill to allow them to better blend into their environment. If they wanted to hide behind a tree, they touched it and mimicked the bark on their skin for example. As the need for that dwindled and their race advanced, they began to sell themselves as spies to other species. If your enemy was building a weapon, and you wanted to know what it was, how it worked... an Althrian would infiltrate that world and simply touch the object and imbued a blueprint on their skin. No longer say turning grey because it was grey, but literally like taking putty and making an imprint of a key like that guy did in the movie I can't remember the name of to get out of prison." Kara tried to explain it all in a more concrete way. "Whoever sent him here, knew exactly who they were sending and they might not have even planned on taking the object, just getting a blueprint of it so they could recreate it."
Alex frowned a little but nodded, the facts clearer now but that made her feel no better about any of it.
"I'll have my men stay in place at the hospital but you can handle Lena." She gave Kara a short smile. "I don't even know what to think about just how big this job was, or what it was really even about."
"On top of that, usually someone who hires an Althrian wants them to get in and out as quietly as possible. All of this... was not quiet." Kara motioned around them. "Whoever arranged this knew that barrier, all those guys with guns downstairs, it was going to have more police and federal law enforcement responding to it then a terrorist attack would."
"Unless..." It was Winn's voice that piped in through the comm still listening to them. "CADMUS wanted to kill two birds with one stone, firstly get this dude to blueprint whatever nefarious thing they wanted and secondly make it look like another 'alien' attack that they could use to firm people to their cause."
"That makes sense." Alex affirmed and then looked at Kara with a softer smile. "Get to the hospital.." She instructed her sister and then frowned slightly. "For all we know she might still be in danger, particularly if she is or has the thing that is blocking whoever this was, from their goal."
"Call me if you have any updates and I'll let you know what she says as soon as I can." Kara nodded and started to march out the same way she'd come in.
-x-
"I'm glad that my unqualified appraisal that nothing was broken was correct." Supergirl decided to begin speaking the moment she stepped into the semi open door of the private room that Lena had been moved too. "But I also understand that I need to apologize for not arriving a few moments earlier to save you a great deal of discomfort."
"Supergirl, please." Lena shook her head, not actually shifting at all in the bed where she was resting, her left arm completely covered by a brace sling like apparatus which held it slightly elevated against her chest. "Once again you arrived just in the nick of time, I'm not sure I had any of my own plans to fall back on." She smiled softly though it was apparent that she was either still in a great deal of pain, or just exhausted by all that had happened.
"Well I have no doubt that you'll be ready for anything similar the next time." Supergirl offered softly knowing that Lena was already getting a reputation for the way she was renovating security at L-Corp. "I do have the uncomfortable task of asking if you're up to a few questions, as I'm sure you can guess my job entails more then just flying in with a good right hook."
"I'm not sure you would be the Super Hero you are if that was all it took." Lena pressed herself back into the raised back of the bed to sit up a little taller. "I'm as ready as I always am to answer any questions that you have."
"Maybe it's best that we start with you giving me a timeline of how things happened before my arrival." Supergirl started with the open ended question to allow Lena to fill in as much information to start before she asked about more specific things.
"I was working late, not an uncommon occurrence I can assure you. It was around 9:30 when I was first advised by my security team that there appeared to be individuals amassing around the building. That quickly escalated to the front lobby being breached." She explained. "I immediately ordered the lock-down procedure we have, it shuts down all elevators, escape doors and floor exits." She continued. "Somehow they must have over written the code, I was aware that the elevator was making floor to floor stops and I fixed all of the security camera's in the building to record." Lena looked at Supergirl with a quick head shake. "I issued instructions to all my staff to comply with any demands made of them and three minutes later my office floor was breached."
"Did they make any immediate demands when they entered your office?" Supergirl prompted her to continue.
"They demanded immediate access to my personal elevator." Lena nodded. "Which I can assure was more than a shock to me as there are only three individuals who know that one even exists."
"Those three people being?" She clarified the point immediately.
"Myself, Jess and Amy Laurence, my head of security." Lena replied instantly.
"Did they make any more specific inquiries that suggested why they wanted access to the elevator?" Supergirl pressed the specific again.
"No I don't remember so, when they did locate it, which didn't take long considering there is only so much office to check, they became frustrated that they couldn't access it, or just bash their way in." Lena arched her eyebrows momentarily. "That's when my 'friend' decided obviously I was the key to getting into it and he began his attempts to convince me to comply."
"Why didn't you just give them access to the elevator?" Supergirl asked the obvious question.
For a moment Lena gave the blonde a look and then tipped her head slightly.
"It is the only entry way into a place I would rather they didn't gain access to."
"I'm sorry to be blunt with my next question but I don't really see any other way to ask." Supergirl stepped softly closer to the bed. "Was the reason you didn't want them granting access to this location have anything to do with a Harmonic Pain Resonator?"
For a moment Lena's look went completely blank, as if Supergirl had asked her something the equivalent of are bananas really purple. She then seemed to mull over the Super hero's words, mouthing the words Harmonic Pain Resonator to herself before turning green eyes to Supergirl.
"Do you mean the PLAT module?" She scrunched her nose up slightly.
"Possibly, but the title I was given was Harmonic Pain Resonator." Supergirl gave a soft shrug that she couldn't make that particular connection.
"Who gave you that title?" Lena shook her head. "Supergirl as I am sure by now you have worked out that I have a top secret research and development lab beneath the site at L-Corp. A place where I work on my pet projects, things that come to me, often in dreams or thought. The HPR..." She stopped frowning ever so slightly at Supergirl as if assessing whether the blonde was trying to trick her or in some way set her up, but seeing nothing of the kind in the blonde's stance or look she continued. "In that lab is a project entitled PLAT, The Pain Locator, Assessment and Treatment module. It's fundamental core I took from a project of my brother's called the HPR, the Harmonic Pain Resonator."
"Which makes it clear whoever gave your attackers their information was working on knowledge of your brother's prototype, not your own." Supergirl gave a nod that she understood the situation a little better now. "What does it do?"
"Supergirl, I took the majority of my brother's old prototypes and schematics, to store them in a place that I could make sure no one could use them but so I could take them apart and see if there was anything valuable at their cores." Lena frowned slightly. "The HPR was in development to be a weapon, it was never operational and to be honest it would have never worked how the prototype was created." She shook her head again. "It was meant to create and then amplify pain waves, but what it lacked was a source, a pain wave isn't something you can create out of thin air. As it was it was little more than an amplifier that could be used to inflict greater pain on someone already experiencing it."
"Considering most of your brother's more cruel creations were singularly directed at injuring my cousin Superman, I can't see how it would have been an effective weapon against him." Supergirl offered the truthful observation.
"I can, because as my brother created it, it was MWV, Multi Wave variable. It could be used on anything, anyone, anything that felt pain... step one would be cause the victim pain, in the case of your cousin, I'm assuming something like Kryptonite, and then the HPR would amplify that over and over... not necessarily causing death... just suffering... torture." She offered.
"Was Lex's prototype operational?" Supergirl frowned slightly at the very idea.
"Not at all, I have stripped all the components and destroyed the power source." Lena explained. "Lex shelved the project years ago. Because the HPR operated on varying waves he couldn't stop it from effecting everyone in the area, including himself. It was ineffectual, if he was feeling even a twinge of pain when he operated it, it would have multiplied that by a thousand fold just like it would have it's target."
"I guess we should be thankful it wasn't controllable." Supergirl gave her a soft smile.
"But there was something in the concept, and that was what I turned it into, it can identify, lock on to pain at it's root, from there I'm adding a diagnostic element and a relief wave basically. Well I'm trying and to fix that to a machine, small enough to be of use in a medical clinic setting."
"I think that something like that could do a lot of good for a lot of people." Supergirl offered up the agreement to her general vision.
"Thank you." Lena actually paused a moment to give Supergirl a light smile. "But who would even know about the project, and by that I mean my brother's project not my rehashed version. My brother didn't tell anyone about these things. He only told me about things he was completely proud and excited about unveiling. I only learned about the HPR through the defunct prototype I found."
"That is the real question here." Supergirl agreed with her assessment of the issue. "Did your brother, even in passing, mention the name CADMUS?"
"CADMUS?" Lena looked confused again. "I've not read about or found any project or idea he was working on with that acronym." She revealed honestly. "But isn't that the radical group that is sending out scare videos, in sighting Alien hatred?"
"It is." Supergirl gave a soft nod. "They are heavy on my radar at the moment, but to be honest we don't have any identity for your attackers or proof of their motivation other than they were sent to retrieve the HPR."
Lena seemed to battle with herself before saying anything.
"Forgive me if this isn't helpful but..." She blinked green eyes at the blonde. "And I know I don't have any evidence..." She licked her lip. "I'm pretty sure the guy that rearranged the tendons in arm... wasn't human." She spoke carefully. "If this CADMUS is so anti all.. 'visitors' why would they use one as an operative?"
"That is one of the many questions I'm struggling with at the moment." Supergirl made the admission softly. "And clearly Miss. Luthor you are at heart a scientist and your skills in observation and categorization... well let's just say, trust them."
"Supergirl, I feel I should maybe.." She paused as she leaned a little and took what looked like a credit card from her pocket. "Maybe you should take this..." She held it out. "It's the only way into my labs, and I can see now that only having one 'copy' might be a bad idea." She looked into blue eyes. "That's not an open invite by the way, just if you need to and I can't help you... this way you can help yourself.. and maybe humanity."
"I graciously accept but... perhaps with the request that in the next few days when you're feeling well enough, a tour. Just so we can confirm that this PLAT is still where it should be and that none of your brother's research notes on the original HPR have been compromised." Supergirl put out the request gently as she reached to take the card.
"I'll be in my office in the morning if you like."
"I believe the doctor's orders were to take more than a few days to recover." Supergirl frowned softly.
"I'm the CEO of a very important and dare I say it successful company that has just been attacked. I'll be at my desk a 8, if they would let me go I'd say in an hour." Lena contradicted.
"Consider me your 8 o'clock then." Supergirl nodded. "With your permission, I may have one other trusted person with me who knows far more about the incredibly scholastic nature of what we'll be looking at."
"Kara's friend Winn?" Lena questioned with a smile. "I'd be happy to give him a look at a catalog of things that for him would be better than por..." She stopped and cleared her throat and shook her own head at what she had been going to say.
"That was exactly who I intended on bringing." Supergirl smiled at her brightly. "And don't worry Lena, you can blame anything you were about to say on the medication they no doubt gave you to help you control the pain you are experiencing." She relieved the embarrassment of what Lena had been clearly about to say.
"Could I ask you a favour in return?" Lena gave a slight look of appeal. "Our friend Kara is supposed to be around here somewhere. I don't want her waiting around all night to try and see me. If you could find her, assure her I'm fine... don't mention.." She made a weak attempt to move the braced sling. "Just tell her to go home when she's done, whatever they call base level journalism things."
"I believe I saw her in the ambulance bay speaking to a paramedic who was called out to L-Corp." Supergirl filled in the idea of what she should be doing.
"Really? Was he cute?" Lena smirked.
"Um... I suppose." Supergirl quirked an eyebrow.
"I'll know to tease her about it when I next see her.. I'll tell her she smells like man." Lena couldn't help but chuckle.
"Knowing Kara that will elicit quite the blush from her." Supergirl chuckled along with her. "But rest assured I will pass along your message and edge our young reporter towards home to get a few hours sleep."
"Thank you." Lena nodded. "I'm here for an hour or so apparently so if you need anything else from me, just come back."
-x-
"Seriously Alex, Lena has no knowledge of who could have known about the HPR or why they attacked L-Corp." Kara sunk down onto the couch next to her sister. "Because why would she be allowing Supergirl to take her and Winn on a tour of her top secret lab if she was hiding something in her top secret lab? And before you say it I know you have that place under surveillance and you would know if she goes there tonight to clear all the bad stuff out."
"Why would she even keep anything her crazed brother made or had?" Alex shook her head as she looked at her sister.
"Because as you once explained to me years ago when I asked why Madame Curie would keep doing experiments even when she figured out they were killing her sometimes discovers come from uncomfortable places." Kara gave a shrug as she leaned to steal some of her sister's tub of ice cream.
Alex breathed out hard and reached for a spoonful from Kara's tub.
"Is she okay? I don't think I even asked." She said realizing now that she had been more than obsessively focused on every single word that her sister and Lena had said over the last hour.
"Her elbow was dislocated, they popped it back in place but of course the tendons in the joint were injured. She's in this sling, brace thing..." Kara made a motion to her arm. "But... in proper Lena style she told Supergirl she'd be back at her desk now if the doctor's would just release her, that she's going to probably wait to go in tomorrow morning was apparently enough of a miracle in her eyes."
Alex made a small noise of acknowledgment.
"Maybe you, her and I are more alike than I think." She offered but then her tone darkened slightly. "If CADMUS is somehow in touch with, or has all the knowledge that Lex does..." She looked at her sister.
"Then Lena Luthor is in danger." Kara summed up what had already dawned on her with a hard frown. "I'm going to message Clark in the morning and make sure he does whatever he can to make sure that Lex isn't able to pass any messages along to anyone. But that won't help if the damage has already been done." She frowned harder. "Which means even you have to agree that keeping close to Lena isn't a bad idea at the moment."
"On that I will agree." Alex smiled slightly as she nodded at the blonde. "Just not too close."
"On that note, really you and Winn are going to the food truck fair on Saturday to test the food for alien interference? You are not good at lying you know that right?" Kara pointed at her with her spoon. "You want to spy."
"No..." Alex shook her head. "Though now with all this knowledge, I will be making it the primary mission." She winked at her sister.
"Fine, just don't take any embarrassing 'case picture' of me with BBQ sauce all over my face." Kara stuck her tongue out at her sister and stole more ice cream.
-x-
'Luckily...' Kara thought as she stood on the public sidewalk outside of L-Corp and typed text into her phone. 'Security shouldn't bother me here right away and if she doesn't respond I'll just have to hope that she's gone home again to rest like she is supposed too.' She sent off the quick but slightly rambling message to the company CEO who was probably many floors above her to check on how she was doing, trying in a way to fish for information she was already privy too and that was the fact that Lena had been at her desk early that morning despite her injuries to give Supergirl and Winn a guided tour around her 'top secret lab' and had indicated to Supergirl that she had a gaggle of messages and calls to return as the attack had caused some instability in the company shares.
In just a few short moments Kara's phone began to ring brightly, loud enough for a passerby to glance at the blonde to see if indeed she was the reason behind the sudden obtrusive noise. Kara answered the phone with lightening speed to say a quick word in greeting to the CEO who her phone had already given away was the caller.
"Hi Kara, typing texts right now isn't my strongest point, so I thought I would just call you." The other woman made the soft greeting.
"Hey..." Kara tried to sound as nonchalant as she could. "I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing today. I'm sorry I should have thought about how hard it would be to text and just called you but I didn't want to say wake you up where you're cuddled in your favourite comfy spot resting."
"I have one of those in my office?" There came a soft chuckle with Lena's reply. "I have however nearly finished the crisis calls and e-mails from share holders and subsidiary companies to assure everyone that nothing about business has changed. How is your day going? Any more trips to the docks or random hospital Q&A's?"
"No, because of how big the story is Snapper assigned the so called real reporting to a more senior member of the team. Though they may use my input to put together a line if I'm lucky." Kara made the soft joke about her work predicament. "But more importantly Lena, you're supposed to be at home resting, putting ice on your elbow and keeping it elevated." Her voice dropped to a soft empathetic sad one as she could only imagine the pain that the brunette was in. For her pain wasn't something she'd ever had to linger in more than the rarest of occasions but she knew what it felt like acutely to know it wasn't pleasant and that was with super powers. "Are you doing even the last two things like you're supposed too?"
"Now I have finished with all the emergency things, I was contemplating getting a tea and resting on the couch for a moment or two, I promise if I do that I will get ice for my arm." Lena offered the plan to Kara's appraisal. "If I had one I'd probably stretch to enjoying a doughnut." She laughed.
"Well considering what you went through last night there is no way you shouldn't get to indulge in a doughnut." Kara smiled but if she had to admit a plan started to form in her head. "How about... I'm not far from your office, I can go and pick you up something decadent for a treat, and then come by to drop it off and make sure you ice your arm at least once while I'm there. That is if there is no way I can use my powers of persuasion to get you to go home and rest completely, now that you've taken care of all the emergency issues."
"A visit from you is always welcome and gratefully approved of." Lena seemed to brighten a little. "Though there won't be any going home, not for a few hours yet." She added wanting to at least be honest with someone who was fast becoming her 'best' friend, at least here in National City. "And if you do decide to come over and bring something with you, make sure you treat yourself too, it might only be days from food truck day but treats are recommended daily."
"Okay, I'll round up some treats and well I'm sure Security will let you know when I'm on my way up in a few." Kara finished up the call with the usual greetings, unable to keep the smile off her face as she looked around and without a moments hesitation headed off in one direction first planning on making at least two stop on her way before actually heading into L-Corp.
-x-
"Jess said I should just come in." Kara pushed her way tentatively into Lena's office space, the main reason she wasn't just pushing the door open becoming apparent as the brunette turned in her chair with a beaming smile on her face to motion her in as she talked on her Bluetooth and she saw that Kara wasn't just carrying one small bag with a treat in it. But had a reusable bag from a local pharmacy chain, a brown bag heavy with some sort of take out and in her other hand was balancing a brightly coloured box that was most certainly from a bakery of some kind. The blonde mouthed 'sorry' when she realized Lena was on the phone and immediately got a head-shake and a hand gesture that she'd be no more than a quick moment before she could give Kara her undivided attention.
Without hesitation Kara moved over towards the couch at the other end of the room and eased the box safely down onto the coffee table before moving the two bags to sit on it as well. Then she realized as Lena finished up her call she was going to end up standing there acting as if she was trying not to eavesdrop when she had no choice in the small space, so she made the presumptive move for her to begin unpacking the containers that she had picked up from one of her former Bosses favourite 'salad restaurants' making the assumption it would be something that Lena would enjoy.
"That was your friend Winn." Lena smiled as she eased out from the desk and moved slowly over to where Kara was working. "He had a couple of questions about the 'trophy' I said he could take with him after he was here this morning." There was a look of pain and tiredness around Lena's eyes, but it was only really visible to people who were used to being with her. She was also a slight shade paler than she usually was. "This doesn't look like a doughnut." She added a smile coming to her painted lips as she walked to the large fridge that was in the office.
"Winn calls you now and in turn you're giving him presents? Should I be jealous?" Kara put forward with a bright grin trying to tease her softly. "Also I didn't think you'd have eaten anything and that won't help your body make building blocks to heal your arm."
Lena for a moment looked a little guiltily at the blonde, after all there was no missing the arm brace and sling, or the strapping that held it to her body. Which should have looked terrible considering her request of Supergirl had been to assure Kara she was just fine, but then she remembered what Kara has said about ice and elevation and she realized that Supergirl must have expanded on what she been told to reveal.
"Hmmm maybe you should be worried, though it's quite obvious that Supergirl at least prefers you. I told her to tell you I was fine."
"She did." Kara reached up to adjust her glasses. "Well she tried but as I had seen you in the emergency room I already knew you were injured so I finally urged her into clarifying that fine meant nothing was broken but that the doctors had been concerned with the soft tissue damage and put you in a brace." She let her look soften. "I didn't come back to bug you last night now did I?"
"You didn't." Lena acknowledged with a soft nod, retrieving a small ice pack from the fridge before coming over to stand near the couch. "So tell me what is waiting for us."
"I should have known you'd have them here." Kara bit her lip slightly and then reached into the pharmacy bag, pulling out a 'instant' ice pack first before adding next to it some over the counter painkillers and a muscle rub. "This is for everywhere else when the other muscles start complaining about your arm being in one position." She had honestly picked it up remembering when her adopted mother had sprained her arm after falling on a slippery surface, and with the joint in a brace of its own she had complained how the muscles in her shoulders complained after a few days of babying the wrist. "And I made the decision you would be an Advil girl because you could take less." She tapped the top of the box.
"I should hire you as a PA." Lena moved to sink down onto the couch a small noise of relief coming from her throat as she settled into a new position, she even slipped off her heels to tuck her feet up underneath her in the relaxed atmosphere they had created. "Would you believe I actually filled the prescription I was given at the hospital and have pills with me." She offered to Kara with a smile.
"Where are they? You should take one with food." Kara didn't sit immediately but instead moved to take the lid off of Lena's dish. "Artisan four organic greens and tomato with pomegranate salad." She moved to slip it beside the brunette and took the time to take a fork out of its plastic packaging before easing it into the side of the dish. "The chef's pomegranate vinaigrette on the side."
"Kara that sounds amazing." Lena smiled brightly and nodded to her desk. "There's a gift in there for you too, second drawer." She urged.
"Lena, you're the sick one whose getting spoiled, you're not supposed to have presents for me." Kara felt a soft blush coming to her cheeks as she quickly moved over to the CEO's desk and only moved to open the second drawer because Lena had instructed her too openly. When she looked inside it was easy to see the envelope with 'Kara' written across the front and the small prescription bottle next to it. She carried both back to the sofa and sat down. "How many of these do you need?" She didn't breech Lena's privacy and read the bottle, tucking the envelope on top of her closed container for safety momentarily.
"I actually haven't even looked at them." Lena made the honest admission.
"Do you mind if I read the label?" Kara checked softly seeing the immediate nod coming from the brunette and it was pretty easy for her to figure out that she needed to slip two of the pills out handing them to Lena, before she reached into the food bag to come out with two bottles of fresh pressed juice. "Should I open it now or wait until we've eaten?" She checked as she found herself suddenly doing nothing as she watched Lena go through the motions of taking the pills.
"Now is fine Kara, it's not something fantastic.. well I suppose it is in some ways, but it doesn't look it." She took the pills quickly and without question. Picking up her salad she carefully set it on her lap to enjoy. Easing the fork out of the side she encouraged the blonde by pointing the small plastic cutlery at her. "Go on."
With a bright almost childlike smile of anticipation, Kara carefully opened the envelope only to find within an electronic key card that had her name engraved in it next to the obvious microchip that made it work.
"Are you really offering me a PA Job? Because you know I'm a junior reporter now." Kara grinned at her brightly.
"What I'm about to tell you isn't going to blow your mind I am sure but.." Lena settled her back against the couch for a little stability. "I have a lab here in L-Corp." She offered. "I hesitate from calling it a secret lab because that makes it sound nefarious and it's not." She went on. "That is a passkey that can override both the main elevator and the elevator down to my lab." She went on. "Now I know this may seem a little... forward of me." The brunette looked into Kara's eyes. "But should anything happen to me in an emergency I need someone I trust to have access to that lab and to make sure nothing gets taken or given to the wrong person." She paused, green eyes sparkling as she kept her gaze constant. "Supergirl has a key but I suspect that she may be busy in the kind of emergency I'm thinking about and I need to know that someone other than me..." She paused. "I need someone I trust to be able to get the important things out." She motioned again with her fork. "The gold engraving of your name and everything is just me showing off." She admitted with a smile. "Though there is coding in that script that will literally give you access to everything that needs to not be found should I be..." She stopped for a moment. "Gone." She offered.
"First of all don't talk like that." Kara couldn't help but naturally bristle for a moment, not at the brunette directly but at the idea. "That is never going to happen but... thank you." She looked at the card again with a soft smile. "I promise only to use it if it is a real emergency and only to keep anyone from accessing things they shouldn't... though does it also work on Security downstairs? I had to take my belt and shoes off, things have already changed after last night."
"That will allow you, and only you to bypass most of security, so if you want to kill me, you'll have a chance no one else does." Lena offered back.
"Hmmm do I look like I have plans to kill you?" The blonde reached up to playfully tap her lip before she reached down into the pharmacy bag she had slipped beside her leg. "I was going to give you this just before I left in case you hated it but... to prove a point about where I fall on the scale on having plans..." She reached in and moved whatever was inside to slowly let the white fluffy head of a stuffed cartoonish rabbit begin to creep out. On her fluffy torso was a shirt with the words 'Get Well Soon' printed in bright red letters, with little hearts scattered around the words.
Lena looked at the soft looking stuffy and then up to Kara as she held it.
"No one's ever bought me anything when I was sick or injured before." Green eyes shimmered with honesty and emotion. "Thank you." She nearly whispered the word.
For a moment Kara was struck by the sadness of the admission but she tried to quickly sweep by it and not focus on the fact in case it would make Lena uncomfortable.
"Well traditionally you have to name her." Kara finally leaned the short distance to pass the stuffy to Lena, after Lena slid her salad tray onto the sofa again.
"Osgar." Lena offered almost immediately. "Though that's actually a masculine name, does she look like she can handle it?"
"Osgar the Rescue Bun-Bun, she can handle it." Kara grinned more as she watched Lena rubbing the soft fluff with her good hand. "She's supposed to sit on your desk after I go and remind you to go home!" She grinned. "And at home she is good at duties such as watching you while you sleep, being snuggled near to death, being used to prop up your wrist while you elevate your arm and stealing all the carrots from the fridge when you're not looking."
"All of them? I'll have to start doubling my carrot order." Lena smiled amused as she raised the toy to her face and lightly kissed it's T-shirt not wanting any of the red stain on her lips to mar the perfectly white fur. She then carefully tuck her in her sling. "Did you used to get presents as a child when you were sick?" Lena carefully maneuvered her salad back onto her lap.
"Yes." Kara nodded. "Sometimes a little more simple like my favourite desert or take out, but when something big happened it was always someone furry." She smiled at the brunette as she finally moved to open her tray to show she had a salad but it was filled with as many 'non-salad' ingredients as the restaurant could offer with chicken and cheese smothered over it. "Apparently it almost killed the chef to make it like this, according to the waitress I don't seem to appreciate the experience they are offering their customers, I could get a chicken Cesar salad anywhere." She gave a slight laugh. "I reminded her I was paying for it and it was on the menu." She gave a soft shrug seeing Lena's grin at her 'defiance'.
"I should give you a business loan and let you make your own restaurant, hire some good chefs, a pastry specialist..." Lena nibbled at her salad. "It would be fascinating to see what you come up with."
"Oh no!" The blonde shook her head as she tried to push down a mouthful of food before she ended up talking with her mouthful. "I would make a horrible restaurateur, you see how I eat, we'd never make money with the food portioned I'd make." She grinned before pushing some chicken into her mouth and then washing it down with a big gulp of juice. "Sorry, I skipped breakfast and I'm starved."
"You don't have to apologize Kara." Lena shook her head. "I just think it's phenomenal that you look the way you do, you must have the metabolism of a humming bird." She pointed out with a soft smile. "I should gift you a L-Corp fridge, you could keep it in your office and fill it with food."
"No, no more gifts for awhile." Kara shook her head softly. "You're the one we're babying right now, until your arm gets better all gifts are for you, okay?" She made the soft outline of an agreement.
"I thought we'd already agreed that food truck afternoon was on me." Lena gave Kara a quizzical look.
"That is a pre agreement, it stays in effect despite the new agreement." The blonde gave her a soft head tilt. "Isn't that how legals work?"
"I didn't know our friendship was on a legal or business base." Lena chuckled. "But for this I'm glad as it works in my favour."
"No, our friendship has no legal or business base." Kara clarified the fact. "But I didn't think I was going to win you over to letting me pay for food truck because of your arm, but I am definitely going to use it to spoil you while it's healing."
"I'm still going to send you flowers every Monday, they're not gifts, they're essentials." Lena pointed out. "Though .." Lena's smile wavered a little. "If you want to cancel Saturday I do understand, I'm a little clumsy with this and in crowds I will probably be rather... impatient with myself for trying to avoid people rather than just blustering my way as I normally would."
"Lena, how many times do I have to say this? If you're not up for the crowds on Saturday, I'll bring food truck food to you. The only way we're canceling is if you're not up to it." Kara reached out and touched her knee for just a tiny moment to underline the fact. "But if you're up to going, then we'll go as slow as we need to in order to make sure you're not jostled by the crowds."
"Is anyone else coming with us?" Lena asked casually as she enjoyed her salad. "Your friend Winn mentioned the event but I don't think he said anything about when he was going." She went on. "I think maybe Supergirl was going to surprise him or something by taking him, she gave him this sort of look when he mentioned it." The brunette smiled with amusement.
"Not exactly." Kara had to give a soft laugh remembering the incident from this morning. "My sister is making Winn go with her on Saturday afternoon, to do checks on the vendors, with all the recent activity in the city she wants to make sure the whole thing is on the up and up." She rolled her eyes softly. "So I apologize in advance if we 'accidentally' run into them, it was not my plan to share you with anyone, even for short amount of small talk." She couldn't help but smile at Lena not exactly re-reading to herself how the words could sound.
"Will there be ice-cream?" The brunette caught a drip of vinaigrette with her tongue as it threatened to slip of the forkful of salad in her hand.
"Yes, according to the website there will be two separate ice cream vendors." Kara tried to keep herself from watching the whole slow motion moment playing out in front of her, trying to put the twist in her stomach down to the fact she was eating slowly for her trying to appear more normal.
"And BBQ, burgers that kind of thing." She made the more general inquiry. "Oh and did you want me to wear some kind of disguise, a big hat, sunglasses, that kind of thing?"
"Nooooo..." Kara scrunched up her nose softy. "Do you like to wear disguises in public?"
"No but I thought will all the attention I seem to be generating here I thought it might be easier if I wasn't easily recognizable as Lena Luthor especially if the press hound us or something like that. I would hate you to get any kind of bias shown towards you because you were seen socializing with me."
"I'm not worried, I don't think you should be either." Kara shook her head. "And well maybe it will do some people good if they do recognize you, to see you're just like everybody else, enjoying a food truck festival to support the city and the local food bank."
"You are always so positive and optimistic aren't you Kara. It's so refreshing." Lena smiled genuinely at the blond. "Oh and as I think of it, please don't flash your gift around. It's unique and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you because the wrong people found out you had it."
"No one but us will know I have it Lena." Kara shook her head softly. "Not even my sister, unless there really is one of those big emergencies, deal?"
"I don't want you to feel burdened by this gift Kara." Lena underlined. "The opposite actually because if there is anyone I know who I can guarantee will make the right kind of decision, when the world seems askew, it's you." She smiled tenderly at the blonde. "You've given me so much with the gift of your friendship Kara and I want you to understand what that means."
"The great thing about friendship Lena, is that it's a gift for both people involved." Kara smiled just as tenderly back at her.
To Be Continued in EpisodeThree...