Overall, the move from Canada back to Detroit had gone smoothly for Kara and her family. Markus had been wonderful, ensuring safe passage and setting them up with a safe place to stay. The registration process had been quick and painless. With the level of efficiency androids were capable of, they would all be legal citizens by the end of the week.
Ideally, Kara and Luthor would be looking for jobs in the near future. They would find a stable income, get a proper house, and build a real life for themselves and their daughter. But, for now, they were happy to accept the temporary accommodations that New Jericho had to offer.
By human standards, it was a very small apartment. Not even an apartment, really since it was retrofitted from cyberlife tower. It was two modestly-sized bedrooms and a common living area. It lacked things like a kitchen or bathroom, but since they had no need for those, it didn't really bother them.
They honestly didn't need a lot of space. It was cozy and safe. They were together as a family which was what mattered. Besides, Alice was over the moon having her own bedroom after spending so long sharing one with Rose's niece.
Honestly, Kara was mostly impressed that they had been given real beds. It could easily have been considered unnecessary since androids could power down in any position, including standing. But there was something indescribable about the feeling of sinking into a soft, warm mattress at the end of a long day.
Like she was doing right now.
"It feels like we are finally free," Kara sighed contently into the pillow. It was only a little after midday, but the hustle and bustle of getting moved in had been exhausting.
She felt the mattress dip as Luthor joined her on the bed. His presence only added to the comfort of her surroundings. "No more concealing what we truly are. No more living in fear of being discovered."
Kara smiled even before she turned to face him. "This was the right choice," she said with a certainty she hadn't felt in ages. "Canada was wonderful in its own way, but we still had to hide. Here…"
"We can finally be ourselves," he agreed.
She rolled over the plush mattress, coming to rest comfortably in Luthor's arms. He held her tightly without prompting, slotting her into his arms as though she had been built to be there. No matter what was happening, having him there always improved her mood, even if it was already positive. "It feels good," she concluded.
Luthor's sigh of contentment indicated that he agreed. He leaned his cheek to press against the top of her head. They stayed like that for a while. Quiet and content. Happy.
Kara would have been more than alright with staying like that for the rest of the day. Alice was reading, she would be well entertained for a few hours at least. They had settled as much as they could for the time being, so there wasn't anything pressing to do. She could finally relax.
At least, that was the plan.
Luthor tensed suddenly. A gasp that almost sounded pained escaped him and his whole body shook as though he had been electrocuted.
"Luthor?" Kara asked. She sat up just enough to look him in the eye, but he didn't meet her gaze. He looked spooked, staring at the ceiling as though seeing something that wasn't there. She shook him, hoping to get his attention. "Luthor, what's wrong?"
He blinked a couple of times, coming back to reality slowly. "I'm…sorry," he said slowly. "It just… I felt as though…" He shuddered again, curling in on himself. "It feels as though Zlatco is summoning me."
"That's not possible," Kara countered, understanding it was unhelpful, but needing to voice it anyway. Luthor had far more trauma from that monster, but the experience had still shaken her. "Zlatco is dead."
He sat up, still shaking from the phantom summons. "I know." His voice sounded distant. Disturbed. "It's irrational. Impossible. But I know what I felt."
Cara leaned close, wrapping her arms around him from behind and leaning her head on his shoulder. It usually seemed to comfort him, but the results were minimal this time. "I believe you. How can I help?"
"I… I don't know." Luthor pressed himself closer to her. "He can't have called me. There should be nothing for you to help with."
"But the feeling was real," she told him. "It doesn't matter if it's irrational or not. Whether it was a memory of what he did to you or something else, you felt it."
He took a deep breath. While breathing, for an android, was not as necessary, Kara knew that it helped to calm Luthor. Something about the air cooling his internal systems brought down his stress levels. She wasn't about to complain.
"It wasn't a memory," he insisted. His voice at least had lost its panicked edge. She would take improvement wherever it was. Kara didn't want anyone she loved to be in pain, least of all someone as kind hearted as Luthor. "This was… I think someone tripped the alarm system."
"What does that mean?" she asked, afraid of the answer. Zlatco couldn't be alive, it wasn't possible.
Luthor shook his head, just a little, contemplating what it could be. He was silent for nearly a full minute before he answered. "I believe there is someone at that house," he settled on.
That didn't exactly sit well with Kara. She was confident that Zlatco was dead, she saw him die, but anyone operating in that place left her with a bad feeling. There was always a chance the place had simply been sold, but who would want to buy a house with that sort of equipment in the basement?
"Who would be there?" Kara questioned aloud. She released Luthor from the hug, sitting next to him on the bed. "Why would anyone be there?"
"I don't know," he admitted.
Logically, there was no reason she could have expected him to know. She knew that, but she had grown so accustomed to relying on her husband for his insight. "Maybe it's someone just looking for shelter."
"It is possible," Luthor admitted, but he didn't sound convinced. "Perhaps it is just someone in need of a place to stay."
"You don't really believe that, do you." She took his large hand in her own, holding it as much for her comfort as his. They were stronger together. They always have been.
"There is no logic to it, but no." He brought her hand to his lips to kiss the back of it affectionately. "I feel a sense of maliciousness that I can't quite describe."
"We could go to the police," Kara offered. Her shoulder pressed against his, drawing warmth and stability from his protective frame. She hated that the memory of Zlatco could still shake her. She could only imagine what it was doing to Luthor.
He shook his head lightly, refuting her suggestion. "The police have better things to worry about than my anxieties over a dead man."
"If you have a bad feeling about this, we need to do something," she countered stubbornly. "You are the most perceptive person I have ever met, we can't ignore it."
"Kara-"
"No," she interrupted. "At the very least, someone being there is trespassing. That is worth the police looking into it. Besides," Kara took a breath to calm herself, leaning a little closer to him. "Zlatco is still there. What's left of him, at least. Someone… someone should do something about his body."
Luthor didn't look very comfortable with that notion. "I don't know, Kara. What if they have… questions about how he died."
"Then we tell them the truth." She rubbed at his back, trying to help relieve his tension. "He was mauled by a polar bear, Luthor. It's not like we can be held responsible for that."
"Still…" He sighed, clearly still bothered by the whole thing. "I don't know…"
If she thought he would be able to just forget about the whole thing, Kara would have stopped pushing. But this was going to weigh on his mind, she knew it would. "Why don't we call in anonymously then," she suggested.
The tension hadn't left him, but he nodded slowly. "That… could work," he agreed carefully.
Kara leaned up to kiss his cheek, glad they had reached a solution. "Good. I'll call then, you relax."
He turned Wrapping an arm around her waist and giving her a proper kiss before she could make the call, not that she minded, of course. She leaned into it, happily accepting the affection and giving it in turn. There was no measure to how much she loved this man.
She was smiling as she pulled back from the kiss, the anxieties in her chest chased away completely. Kara just hoped she could return the favor. "I'll call them," she reiterated. "Then, how about we get back to enjoying our afternoon?"
"That sounds perfect," Luthor smiled.
