"So I didn’t chase you away,” Lois told Kal-El the next morning when he joined her for breakfast. Lex had yet to arrive, and Kal-El had debated entering the room when he realized Lois was the only one there. He'd gone ahead in, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable by his absence.
He could pretend to not understand, he could hide behind his still formal ‘Royal airs’, as the two Clarks had frequently commented on. But that wouldn’t help matters, and he knew he had to show courage and allow his true self to show.
He flashed her a quick and friendly smile – one that brought to mind both Clarks.
“I am aware that you and Lex want me here at meals, and if I stay away, you may conclude that I do not care what you want. I do not wish for you to worry about my intentions – if I keep to myself, it will be harder for you to continue to believe that I am here to help.”
Lois regarded him in surprise. She had half expected him to give her a frustrating non-response, along the lines of “I promised to do my duty”, and she wasn’t in the mood to hear it today.
She gave him a small smile, and Lex, walking in, held up a glass of orange juice to toast them both.
“Well look at this. Equanimity.”
Kal-El felt … lighter… as he moved to join the scientists. He would always be on guard around humans, worrying that he might be projecting some kind of menace when none was intended, but he tried harder to channel the Clarks.
He wasn’t an earth-raised Kryptonian – pretending to be someone he wasn’t would not bring him any measure of peace – but he’d seen how the two doppelgangers had interacted with Lois, and the other Lois who had been enslaved, and he felt he could emulate that without seeming as if he was trying too hard.
Yesterday, he had stayed apart from the scientists, but this day he forced himself to be proactive with questions. One woman was celebrating a birthday, and Kal-El approached her and offered forth his congratulations on the day – after of course, her colleagues had all sung to her a traditional song.
She was bemused, but not overtly terrified by his singling her out. Lex had only called forth scientists who could work with Kal-El . Success meant not letting fear get in the way of science.
“Thank you,” she said, giving him a welcoming smile. “Do you celebrate birthday anniversaries in your culture?”
“Only certain ages,” he answered, trying to reward her bravery with some of his own. He felt very awkward talking about his people with someone who had been brutalized by his people.
“So not every anniversary, but those deemed important?”
“Yes.” He didn’t bother telling her that the royal customs were different from the non-royals – the last thing he needed to remind her was he’d once been ‘Lord Kal-El – ruler of new krypton.’
“What was the last one you celebrated.?"
This last question came from a man who had approached them, eager to join in the growing camaraderie. All the scientists knew that Kal-El would be easier to work with, and more likely to remain ‘friendly’, if he felt part of the team. They all understood the importance of creating a friendly and collaborative environment, but none had any idea how to put aside their own fears and let it happen. That Kal-El was reaching out was heartening.
“My coming of age,” he told them, his gaze dropping, recalling that event was the one that had led to the invasion, which had decimated earth.
“What does that mean to you,” Martha Kent asked, joining the group. Kal-El was fascinated by her – knowing her to be Clark’s mother – but he didn’t want her to know their connection – at least, not from him.
“It means I left behind being a youth, and took on the role I was born to do.”
“Leader of your people,” she nodded. “Right?”
He nodded. “I … was – disabled soon after. To me, my coming of age was very recent, regardless of how long ago it really was.”
“The years you spent in stasis – created a time jump in your mind,” Martha persisted.
“Yes.” Kal-El wished to end this conversation. He never spoke of his days in stasis and he still felt terror and helplessness when he allowed his thoughts to reflect on those terrible years.
“You were disabled because you refused to allow your people to settle on earth?”
“Yes. Although my refusal only made things worse for Earth.”
“Not to mention worse for you,” a man named Dr. Klein retorted. “Perhaps we would have been better off with a friendlier conqueror.”
Kal-El flushed in embarrassment.
“I cannot imagine how we could have peacefully co-existed. The abilities granted to us by your sun would have been difficult to resist – some of us could do it, but not all of us.”
“How are you so sure you can do it?”
“I left radiation emitters behind so that you could protect yourselves from an invasion from my people. If you wanted to kill me now, you could.”
“We haven’t exactly tested that, though," Dr Klein said, his voice edged with anger. "It's only your word, and a Kryptonian's word..."
“I … will not defend myself if you chose to do so.”
“We will die without your help,” Martha chimed in. “So we’re better off believing you mean what you say. I see no point in trying to hurt you in order to prove a point.”
Last edited by L; 02/15/18 04:45 PM.
