Lena knew perfectly well why Kara stood her up. When the National City news station reported the boat capsizing that night, the CEO was unsurprised to see Supergirl fly onto the screen, diving in to retrieve the missing fisherman. Upon receiving two missed calls and a string of texts from Kara the next day, apologizing profusely with a story of "seafood poisoning," the Luthor wasn't actually upset, as the blonde likely believed.
What she didn't expect that night, however, were the fishermens' reports of "men with fins." The faint feeling - the one she couldn't quite place but had occupied the back of her mind since the first rover incident - had evolved into full-fledged panic. Though there could have very well been a number of aquatic alien species out there, the captain's description of his attacker was too on the nose. Lena needed to find out for herself, so she feigned tiredness that night to excuse herself from her conversation with Jess. The CEO then bolted to the harbor in her unmarked Porsche - stored in her private office garage in case of emergencies - as covertly as possible, zipping through the lower meatpacking district. Pulling into the abandoned pier, she had quickly surveyed her surroundings before exiting the car and jumping in. Approaching the underwater scene from a discrete vantage point at a very low depth, it was as she suspected: one, then three, Nodeis.
The aliens' fins and abilities - all akin to Lena's own - bore the unmistakable signs of halfbreeds from her planet. Upon slightly closer inspection (peering out from behind a boulder formation), none of them resembled anyone she knew. Then again, it had been 19 years since she departed her warring home planet of Nodeisi in a pod, trying to come to terms with the notion that she was the sole survivor. Nearly two decades later she had been proven wrong. The stunned Nodei didn't have time to process all the questions that flooded her head, as she soon realized that Supergirl was outmatched. Her stomach had dropped as she watched Kara struggle helplessly against two of the attackers. Anxiously gripping the coral next to her, Lena suddenly felt 9 years old again.
The Nodei's eyes had darted around the vicinity, looking for any signs of Supergirl's backup. She only knew of Agents Henshaw and Sawyer from their rover deposit. How many people were on her team? Regardless, it was doubtful that any of them could follow Kara down to such dangerous depths. Perhaps they were all in the chopper she had spotted circling the bay on her way over.
Lena looked back at the scuffle. A strangled noise came from Kara as she plummeted. Summoning all of her strength for a move she hadn't attempted since leaving Nodeisi, Lena raised her arms, manipulating the water above her into a cyclone pattern. The whirlpool grew rapidly in size and force after several seconds until Lena hurled it at the three figures in the distance, aiming so the calm eye would envelope Kara while hurling the two Nodeis far off course. Somehow it worked, the aftershocks batting the third Nodei away from Supergirl. Praying that she wasn't too late, Lena was by Kara's side in an instant, rushing her to the surface. The warmth that spread over her as the sputtering blonde nuzzled into her neck still hadn't subsided since the rescue. That, and the constant fear that a random bystander had witnessed the CEO sprout fins that night.
So no, the Luthor was not upset with Kara for missing their date. But her budding feelings for the Kryptonian seemed selfish to indulge, given everything that was transpiring. Pretending to be upset gave Lena the excuse to avoid the blonde while sorting out her current clusterfuck state-of-mind. After plenty of ruminating on the issue, all Lena could produce in response to Kara's notes of I feel truly awful about the other night, and I really enjoy spending time with you, maybe we can check out that eclair place you were telling me about? was a brief text:
Hey, Kara. It's not a big deal. Work is kinda hectic right now, maybe some other time.
Lena could practically see the blonde's crestfallen expression as she hit send. She sighed and put her phone down defeatedly, wondering momentarily if Kara would text back, pressing the topic further. Of course she wouldn't, the brunette thought sadly to herself, she respects my feelings.
But there was a major threat to earth, one that happened to come from home. How was she going to navigate this? She couldn't risk revealing herself. The stakes, she knew from experience, were too great. Besides, even if she did expose her abilities, the Nodei reasoned, would she even be a helpful resource to Supergirl and her allies? She didn't think anyone else survived a planet that she saw exploding behind her as she rocketed toward earth. It seemed now Lena knew the fate of only her family, who were all sentenced to death before the Nodei civil war even broke out. Whatever mission those three Nodeis from the harbor were a part of, Lena was in the dark.
Still, Supergirl was in over her head on this one. Lena intended to utilize her L-Corp resources to help.
Thus began the overtime in the lab. Over the next month, Lena still attended to her usual L-Corp work during the day, albeit rather distractedly, then heading straight for the lab at 5pm. Designing, building, and coding until the early hours of the morning became her routine. When she returned to her penthouse, the Nodei barely rested, then rose early, and repeated. Jess' check-ins became more frequent, the assistant finding Lena asleep on her worktable the next morning on more than one occasion. Realizing that she needed some way to blow off steam, Lena had a pool installed in her office to swim a few laps and recharge in between tasks. Of course, the pool setup came equipped with a changing room and shower, causing Lena to spend more all-nighters in the office without having to go home.
Devising an invention to aid Supergirl in the fight felt like the only certain move she could make. Lena desperately wanted to trail the Nodeis and figure out their motives, which would certainly entail utilizing her underwater abilities. But the possible repercussions if they discovered her in the process kept the CEO landlocked for the time being. Instead, Lena kept a close watch on the news. Two more rover attacks had transpired since the capsizing, all of which were promptly squashed by Supergirl and the team. The Luthor found it peculiar that there weren't any DEO deliveries to L-Corp in either instance.
During one of her work sessions, Lena was mulling over the usual questions: Why were fellow halfbreeds doing this? Are there more of them on earth? Assuming these were halfbreeds who had experienced the civil war on Nodeisi, attacking another alien - particularly one dedicated to justice - seemed so counterintuitive to her. And why were they using completely human technology in the rovers?
The chime of an incoming text broke the Luthor out of her musings. With a small flutter in her chest, she wondered if it was from Kara. Her momentary hope was dashed when she saw it was an out-of-town number.
Girl. Tried your office like eighty times! You know how to pick up a phone, right?
Lena laughed, realizing it was Sam Arias, her best friend and teammate in high school and college.
Nope, someone does that shit for me. The CEO responded cheekily. Amazing to hear from you. How are you?
A millennial mom stereotype in need of a fashion intervention. In Nat City for the weekend. Drinks tonight?
The CEO contemplated for a moment. The Luthors were the only ones who knew of Lena's alien roots, and even they weren't aware of her full capabilities, certainly not her fins. In a time when so much of her mind was occupied by this secret, the Nodei wondered if it would be impossible to hold back this info from Sam. Momentarily stretching, she felt the acute stiffness of her back and neck from hours of pouring over soldering irons and microscopes. It was time she socialized and changed up the view from her office walls. Besides, conversations with her best friend were refreshingly effortless - something she missed since the last time she and Kara hung out. With enough coded language - a practice she mastered quickly upon her arrival on earth - she could confide without blowing her cover.
Hell. Yes. Lena texted back, then readjusted her lab goggles and resumed her work, grateful to be wrapping up during waking hours.