Rhone drove down the road and pondered what had just happened. Lex Luthor was a nice guy -- not a terrorist, which was good. However, she greatly enjoyed his presence. She didn't really want to leave him there in that castle alone, nor return to her hotel room alone. She turned up the Pink Floyd that was playing on her stereo as she thought she would like to tell him all of the things he had asked about and maybe more. But that would be dangerous. She had to recognize the fact that few would be able to understand what she truly was. Even if he got past the military thing, there was -- more. Much more.
She chided herself for thinking that they could ever be something. She had been alone since…. Well, she would always be alone in that way. It didn't mean they couldn't be friends, at least for the two weeks she would be there.
It dawned on her that this town had grown on her in only a little over a day. She had met a lot of really great people. Don't get attached, she warned herself. Never get attached. And when you leave, never look back. She decided to train before she meditated tonight. She needed to clear her head a little bit before she tried to focus her mind.
The next morning Lex pulled his Aston Martin into the parking lot of the Smallville Hotel. He pulled right up to the curb and got out. When he entered, a man at the desk look surprised. "Can I help you, Mr. Luthor," the man stammered.
"Can I get the room number for Rhone Chade?" Lex asked casually.
The man looked at his watch, it was 8:00. The man said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor, Rhone left two hours ago, she isn't in her room."
Lex looked at him. She left at 6 in the morning? She was one hell of a worker. Supervisor material. Lex hadn't seen that hour of day since -- well, ever. "Thanks," he said to the man behind the desk as he walked out. He scanned the parking lot; he should have realized her car wasn't there. If he ever wanted to take her out for breakfast, he was going to have to get up a lot earlier. Maybe he would just find another way to be a nice guy.
After a brief coffee stop at the Talon, Lex parked his car in his reserved space. Again, he was next to Rhone's car. He admired it for a moment; amazed that she built it. He had to at least get a ride in it before she left. Before she left? He didn't like the feeling he got in his chest at that thought.
He opened the door and went to his secretary; she was on the phone. She handed him a small pile of messages. He looked at them with his free hand. The other held a cardboard carrier with two cups of coffee. He could tell she was talking to a reporter of some kind because she had her head resting in one of her hands and the other was running through her hair. She was using classic phrases like "unavailable for comment." He was happy she stayed on the line and didn't pass it off to him.
He went into his office and set the coffees on his desk. He waited a few minutes and used the interoffice com to have his secretary call Rhone to his office. He started up his computer and started reading his e-mails.
A few minutes later, Rhone walked through the door. "Is there a problem, Mr. Luthor?" she asked, walking toward him. She was wearing a navy blue pants suit today. It was the same cut as the one she wore yesterday. He wondered if she ever wore her hair down. He also wondered if she went anywhere without that artist's tube.
"The problem is," he began, "you keep calling me Mr. Luthor." He gestured toward the coffee, offering it to her. He already had his in his hand. She looked at it with an uneasy look that he caught. "I didn't do anything to it," he said seriously.
She smiled widely at him, "Mr. Luthor, I didn't imply that you did." She continued, "I just don't drink coffee." It bothered her to think that he was so defensive. He must be accused of things all the time.
"Oh," he replied. Who the hell didn't drink coffee?
"I told you I'm boring, I don't drink alcohol either," she said picking up the coffee and walking out the door.
Where was she going? A few minutes later she appeared without the coffee but with a bottle of water from the vending machine. "Just so you know, your assistant likes coffee," she said when she sat down. Lex smiled at her, she was just one of those people. "What's on your mind?" she asked, opening her bottle of water.
Lex really hadn't thought he needed a specific purpose to call her here. He thought coffee would be enough. "I thought we could discuss how the invoice check was coming," he said.
"Considering I'm getting paid to just sit there, excellent," she said taking a sip of water.
He smiled again before taking a sip of his coffee. The sunlight was streaming in the window and reflecting off of his head. He looked beautiful. But then, it wasn't hard for an artist to find beauty in things. She would love to draw him, even though she couldn't do him justice. She realized what she was doing and cleared her mind.
He was about to speak when they both heard a soft ringing. Rhone knew what it was and instinctively reached in her pocket for her cell phone. He saw her go to turn it off, which was quite polite, but gestured for her to take the call. Maybe she would say something that gave him insight into her, his search last night for anything remotely personal about her was fruitless. She was twenty-two, but it almost seemed as if she didn't exist until a few years ago.
She hit the "Talk" button and said, "Rhone Chade," into the small phone. He had turned to his computer to check more of his e-mails, in an attempt to give her a little more privacy. He thought it odd that she hadn't said anything since her name; she was only listening.
Suddenly she got up, phone still to her ear. She picked up her artist's tube and started walking toward the door, "Thanks for the coffee," she said over her shoulder. She was out the door before he could reply.
It had been sometime since Rhone had left his office. He was beginning to think that he should go and look for her. He phone beeped at him, and he hit the office com button. "Yes?" he said into it.
"Mr. Luthor," he secretary said, "a message from Ms. Chade."
His eyes perked up, "A message?"
"She phoned and said that she would return in two days."
Two days? Who in the hell was that on the phone? He was going to ask her over for dinner tonight, a thought that occurred to him after she walked out the door. "Thank you," he said as he got up and walked the window. Her black car was gone.
The steel door to the observation room swung open. No one in the room moved. They all knew who it was. In some branches of the military, they would have been expected to get up and salute. Not this one, it was about the work. She wanted it that way, it was more important than her ego. She always told them that. That was why they followed her; she had filled some pretty big shoes when Bishop was lost to them. Besides, it's not like they actually existed anyway, so they didn't have to adhere to normal rules. "Report," she said as she walked to the large screen at the far end of the room.
A picture of a man with sharp features appeared on the screen with some physical appearance information scrolling underneath. "I know all that," she said coolly, "the new stuff." A few more images flashed onto the screen with more data. She walked over to a man with spiky black hair facing a monitor. "What do you think?" she said from behind him.
"I wouldn't have called for you if I didn't think that we should take him out," Griffin said, not looking away from his monitor. "He is a threat and has proven it. You've seen the guy's record," Griffin added.
"Agreed," she said turning. Rhone raised her voice to address everyone, "Alright, I want Griff, D, Awol, and Thaxx with me. We leave at 15 hundred hours. Everyone else, you know what to do." Most of the men got up and a few stayed seated. They knew what was expected of them.
"In international news, last night a chemical arms dealer known only as…" the radio said in a monotonous voice.
"What's up, Dad?" Clark asked.
Jonathon Kent held a finger up to his son and turned up the radio slightly. The announcer continued, "…was killed and a stock pile of chemical weapons destroyed when his previously hidden warehouse off the coast of Hong Kong mysteriously exploded. Authorities are investigating, but little remains…." Jonathon looked at Clark, the interesting news now over.
"Mom was thinking about inviting Rhone over for dinner tonight," Clark said.
A small smile crossed Jonathon's face, "I think that's a good idea." He liked the girl, despite what Clark had said about his -- observation of her. He and Martha discussed it and believed that they should still invite her over for dinner like they had offered.