A/N: This chapter is strictly from Kara's POV. I told you it would come back around ;) This will be written in first person. I own nothing but my car.
The noises were overwhelming. The light was too bright and everything was vibrant. It was painful. Lena offered to sleep in the one chair in our tiny room. She did of course. The woman was stubborn. Halfway through the night, the beeps and whizzing sound of an unfamiliar planet got to me. I turned my head, wide awake. My gaze fell on the slumbering human. Lena looked so uncomfortable. I stood, reaching out to her. On Terra, my own strength startled me. I had only spent a a limited time here, but inside my camouflaged ship. I never experienced the thrill of the yellow Sun. Kal-El tried to warn me. As gently as I could, I lifted the sleeping Terran in my arms. She was almost weightless to me. I held onto her as I settled in against the wall. Slowly, I shifted so the human rested in a small ball on my lap. Lena burrowed into me for my warmth. A sigh passed her lips, disturbing the strand of raven hair with her breath. The sound of her slow and strong heart grounded me. It was single handedly the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. It would not be possible without these powers the Terran sun gave me. I could not help but smile thinking back to how we ended up here.
I had just gotten back from a trip to Naldor when I heard Gin-Ze's gruff voice call out to the raven-haired slave that my mother decided to procur as retribution for the attack on Kal-El. I was not here when she arrived a month ago.
"I wasn't sure if you were calling for me, my name is Lena. Not Terran. Not Human. Not Trash. It's Lena." I had to hide my smirk. She's a spitfire it seems. Lena Luthor, figures her mother would be poetic.
A slap reverberated the empty hall and before I could stop, I hauled myself down to the pair.
xxSGxxSGxxSGxx
After treating the human, my feelings about the situation had shifted. Yes, I was angry, but she should not be here. As far as I was concerned, Lex Luthor's death was enough. Why take this Terran as well? She showed an intelligence that far surpassed most Terrans. Needless to say, she impressed me. Mother requested I take a sample, which Lena did not hesitate to provide. It was just a drop of blood the human reasoned. I knew better. With a purpose, I headed to my Mother's chambers. The Terran needed to be sent home.
"Mother, you must return the Terran home. She did nothing wrong!" I hissed. Mother rose to her feet from the cushion she sat on.
"We need her as leverage. If we are to maintain a friendly relationship with Terra, we need her." I frowned at the implication.
"So, she is a hostage?" I asked, fully aware that my bitterness seeped through.
No, not necessarily. She will wed someone from the Council, my Daughter." I scoffed at the idea.
"And if she refuses?" I asked.
"She will be the victim of an accident, causing her untimely death." I was shocked. Surely she would not imply she is to kill her?
"I will not allow her to die." Mother smirked.
"I expected nothing less from you, my daughter." she purred, placing her hand on my shoulder. I shrugged off her touch roughly. She tossed a crystal in my direction.
"Her file, dear. Her parentage, her mother's passing, everything you would ever need to know about her is on this datacrystal." I glared at her, turning on my heel, the crystal in my fist.
Mother always knew the best way to manipulate a situation to her own advantage. I should have seen it coming. The match, the coerced wedding, everything. I should have known. Kal-El seemed to have sensed it coming, but he wanted her dead. After the trip to Argo, I realized there were many social cues I did not understand. Terra is not Krypton and perhaps I should have been more patient and understanding. So I did what I could do best. Research. I knew I buried myself in the mountain of information to avoid speaking to Lena. Once again, the Terran did nothing wrong, but I definitely was not supportive. She is to be my partner in the next few weeks and I did nothing but push her away. Kal-El had found me in the study, looking over several data crystals. He stood by the entrance, leaning on the frame with his arms crossed.
He knew what I do when I am stressed. I hate that about him sometimes. How well he understands my habits.
"She is in the gardens again today." His voice carried through the room. I turned to him to look over my shoulder at him. "She looks sad. I think she blames herself for embarrassing you, Kara." I stiffen. But he did not stop.
"Humans, they are tactile creatures, Kara. It is not an invitation for mating, dear cousin. Most female friends on Terra loop arms. It is their way of communicating non-verbally." He paused, allowing the information to sink in. " It means she trusts you." I deflated. Even Kal-El sympathized with her.
"She has given you space, but she needs your support, Cousin. I told her you would be in here today. Let her help you." The sound of his footsteps grew distant, the familiar beep of the doorway sounded. Silence pursued. Continuing my search in Terran dating culture, I did not notice the door opening again. I kept mumbling under my breath about his pigheadedness, a Terran term that seemed to fit. I only knew she was there when I heard her clear her throat.
"Lena! A pleasant surprise, truly. Is there a problem?" I spun around, smiling, feigning concern I knew she was coming. Hopefully, it was enough to fool her.
"Netflix and Chill is a euphemism. Netflix is a television subscription. They have movies and television shows. The "chill" part is the sex. It's a blase term for having sex." Lena said, rounding the table to sit across from me. My eyes flicked to the crystal's holograph and back at Lena. Oh wow.
That conversation threw me through a loop. Lena Luthor was an enigma I have had the unadulterated pleasure of discovering. Terrans are more complex than the Kryptonians originally thought. There are so many nonverbal cues, and the best part? I am certain there will be more to discover as we grow old. I slipped Lena onto the bed, carefully to avoid waking her. Growing old. How strange. I never imagined myself paired with anyone on Krypton. I looked down at Lena. She had rolled over, cuddling the pillow I used to support my back against the wall, but did not wake. I suppose I was right. She is not from Krypton. Children were a far off concept. How many did Lena want? I exited the room, heading back the way we came before I spotted the medical bay. I began to walk. The base was impressive, for Terrans. Some of the tech they used was alien tech. Then again, the DEO does not formally exist. They had to get their equipment from scavenging. I looked around the medbay, trying to avoid touching anything. Much of it could be updated. Perhaps I can provide some technology from Krypton?
Clack, clack, clack.
I recognized the strike pattern of the military issued boots.
"Agent Danvers. What time is it?" I asked, turning slowly to face her. She headed straight for a microscope, pushing a slide under the lens.
"Early. Just after five." she replied gruffly. I sat on a bed near her. This antiquated microscope fascinated me.
"We have those microscopes in the medical wing of the Science Guild building." I said. Agent Danvers turned to me, intrigued.
"Well, they are relics on display. What we have is far more advanced. I am curious however. Can you show me how it works?" Agent Danvers stepped to the side, gesturing for me to saddle up to it.
That is where the human found us an hour later. Lena came shuffling in. Her hair was a mess, dark circles casted a shadow under her brilliant green eyes. She wore my jacket, wrapping the soft leather around her petite frame. I raised a brow curiously. Lena seemed to understand my question.
"Not all of us have Kryptonian body temperatures. I was cold." she grumbled. I had to hide a smile by returning my attention to the microscope. A voice cut through the silence.
"Can you tell me more about your physiology? I do have a PhD in medicine" Lena froze at the door. It was not something we discussed among ourselves. It was not something we felt the need to discuss. What she knew came from Lex Luthor's notes.
"Lena is right. Our bodies run hotter. I believe you use fahrenheit correct?" a nod was my reply. "101 degrees in fahrenheit. Because we run hotter, we need more calories on Terra…Earth." I corrected myself. "We have five chambers in our hearts versus your four." And so Lena sat next to Alex, the latter taking notes. It was my first test of goodwill towards the Terrans. After voluntarily giving away information, some of which could be used against us, a comfortable silence lulled over us.
"We originally came here to announce our upcoming nuptials." Lena threw out in an attempt to fill the void. Alex turned to her. "We wanted to show others that humans should not fear Krypton." She finished awkwardly.
"She is right. My mother proposed the idea and we agreed. We are to wed in just over two Earth weeks. It is aimed to solidify our alliance with Earth." Agreed is a loose term. Our hands were forced and I was unwilling to allow the human to become a mining slave. I had promised to allow her to live freely and I do not retract a promise. Not one of this scope.
"If you want to get information out, you do it via media, and Cat Grant is the Queen of All Media."
"What is…a Cat Grant?" I asked.
This was a difficult chapter to write. First person is not my forte. I feel I lose touch with my characters from the narrow scope of first person. Hopefully it wasn't a complete dud. I wanted to allow a moment to show how Kara feels, since Lena seems to be oblivious.