He and I were nearly a match for each other in strength, he over powering me slightly each time. That was until I reached adolescence. Then I started becoming stronger and stronger than him, and he couldn't control me anymore. He realized he needed a back up plan. That's when he brought on the Createan Man. The Createan man had powers that… that I have never seen in all the universe. He is able to manipulate a person's mind and body, stripping them of every one of their senses. When he takes over you with his mind, you cannot see, feel, hear anything. You are in udder and complete darkness. You can't even feel yourself breathe. You can't feel the passage of time. You are just alone. It is the truest and deepest hell. That's what he did to me, when I didn't obey him.
Kara could feel eyes on her wherever she went. They watched her as she had eaten her breakfast in the kitchen; they watched her when she walked through the hallway; they watched her when she went into her room. She wondered if the eyes also were in her room. The cameras she had spotted through the tower were obvious and didn't concern her; it was the smaller ones, the ones she couldn't see with her naked eye that worried her. She understood their concerns. She was unknown to them, a foreigner, possibly even a threat. They weren't cold to her throughout the early parts of the week, but they were pleasant and distant. Kara was used to distance. She had put distance between her and all her past relationships. She put distance between each of her classmate in university. If you don't get close, you can't get hurt, right? It's for this reason that when Bruce had knocked on her bedroom door and invited her to see his lab, and they ended up spending the afternoon together, Kara began to realize how much she craved closeness.
"Wow, this microscope is amazing!" Kara exclaimed, "I have never seen one so high tech before. The ones we use at school are cheap and super out of date."
"Yeah, everything in here is top of the line. Some of the machinery isn't even available to the public yet." Bruce seemed pleased to finally have someone other than himself excited about his lab equipment. "Tony has the hookup and was able to get me all this stuff."
"So, Tony just gave you a lab?" Kara adjusted the lenses to get a clearer picture of the slide.
"Yeah, I was originally brought on to the team for my scientific knowledge," Bruce looked down and rubbed the back of his neck, "But I proved to be helpful in some, ah, more physical areas too."
"I think you're amazing," Kara said with a big grin, walking over to inspect all the other toys, "Do you remember guest lecturing at NYU three years ago?"
"Yeah," Bruce perked up again, "were you one of the five people who wanted to hear my theories on cellular malfunctions in gamma ray exposed subjects?"
Kara grinned ear to ear as she nodded, "Yeah, its what spurred me into studying biochemistry. I actually left the lecture that day and changed my major to biochem."
"And you're in grad school now, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"How were you able to complete an undergrad in just two years?" Bruce's tone changed slightly as he asked. Kara could tell right away he was skeptical and maybe a little suspicious.
"Oh, I suppose you've done some homework on me?" Kara raised her eyebrows.
Bruce shook his head, and nervous laughed, "No, no, it was Tony. He background checks everyone. He knew things about my past when I fist met him that I didn't even know."
"It's ok. I know you all are a bit weary of me. I understand that. I don't blame you for being curious." A moment of silence past between them. Bruce regretted saying anything to make her feel uncomfortable, but he needed to know. "So, two years?"
"I don't sleep a lot. Or have a social life. That helps." Kara looked at Bruce and smiled.
He laughed and nodded, and then changed the subject, "I actually brought you in here for more than just a chat. I wanted your help with something." He pointed to a microscope already loaded with a slide.
"Really?" Kara came to where he was standing, "What could a genius like you need help with from a grad student?"
"They may call me a genius," Bruce replied, "but I've never been off this planet. And this microorganism..." he pointed to the slide, "I'm pretty sure, is not from here. I was wondering if you knew what it was."
Kara looked at the slide. She looked up at Bruce and shook her head, "No, I haven't ever seen something like this. I never really got an education before I came to earth, so I don't know much about other planetary microorganisms."
"That's ok. It was worth a shot. This little guy has been bugging me for a while now, I can't figure out where he came from, but I think I've ruled out anywhere on earth."
"Where did you find him?" Kara asked, looking in the microscope again.
"They actually found him in the water supply off the Hudson. They sent it to me to study, see if it was harmful or not."
"That's so weird." Kara furrowed her brow, "So is it? Dangerous?"
"No, not that I can tell. It just won't die. No matter the stimuli I give it or chemicals, it seems completely indestructible to everything. That's what kind of worries me. Not that it can do damage, but that maybe we won't be able to stop it if it does."
Kara looked at the ground. She knew that Bruce was talking about the organism. She knew that he was worried about it accessing the city's water supply. But she couldn't help but draw the parallels between this organism and her. Both not from here. Both the subject of fear from the humans. Both having them furiously brainstorm how to stop them if the time comes. In that moment, Kara's heart sank a little bit. She realized, even if she didn't do anything wrong, the humans may never fully trust her, simply out of fear of what she could do.
"Thank you so much for showing me around your lab. I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help." Kara smiled weakly at the doctor.
"Yeah, no, of course. Anytime." Bruce could feel the mood in the room change, but he didn't know why, "I'm just glad to have someone here interested in this stuff. I'll see you at dinner, right?"
Kara gave a polite smile and nodded as she walked out of the lab.
Why was this so hard?