Lois asked to see him, and this time, he went to her office - not to far from his. He passed many earth people as he moved through the open spaces, and none of them interacted with him in any overt way – he would forever more be a predator amongst prey – hated, but feared- and thus – they would freeze and hope he wouldn’t notice them. He tried to be as harmless as possible in his bearing, he knew that his clone would walk the halls with arrogance and brutal dominance – so he modeled his own body language on that of his doppelgängers. Kal-El had been raised to lead, and with that, came comportment. Defying his own instincts took effort, but it was worth it. He would not add to anyone’s distress on purpose.
Her door was open and he gently knocked on it anyways, but he knew she felt his presence.
“How are things going,” she asked him for a status report. It had been a week since he had addressed those enslaved by the invaders and he had been working non stop to help with the necessary steps prior to leaving Earth. Those earth people who had developed an acceptable level of comfort working with the Kryptonians who were here to help, were never able to accept him. When he tried to help with rebuilding, or clearing out of rubble from rampant Kryptonian destruction of human structures – the fear was so strong he gave up. However on more than one occasion he had worked to save a life from immediate danger, because sometimes the work to be done was dangerous to earth people – yet they insisted on participating because they felt the need to keep an eye on what the Kryptonians were doing. Those times, he had been forced to lay his hands on people – and that had never gone down well - he terrified every single human being, with the exception of Lois Lane, and he even frightened her on a visceral level.
He told her of the progress that had been made, without offering up any expectation of praise. He was not here to be told ‘good job’ - he was here to resolve a broken situation that he had caused. He never forgot that.
“I know it’s hard for you,” she told him after he finished his report. “I appreciate that you keep at it, even though people treat you as if you are your clone.”
“I will continue to do as I must,” he said. “No appreciation necessary, but it is – appreciated,” he gave a small half smile at his overuse of the word.
“You are … making an impression - “
“I just want people to be at ease – ultimately. When we leave, we will never come back. I’ve spoken to your world military about red radiation protection against our return.
He had done so, allowing them to demonstrate the effect of radiation on him. They had exposed him to the radiation and then used sharp implements to draw blood. The leaders did not cower, cringe and try to turn invisible in his presence, but they still feared him – he knew it. That was why he allowed them the freedom to harm him. If they wished to kill him, he would not fight back and some of them had later apologized for their own actions in hurting him.
You handled that well A leader, who referred to himself as ‘President of the united states’ told him. He had answered him and all the gathered world leaders, with resolute acceptance. I could do no less had been his calm response.
“You will be happy to leave,” Lois said. “As will I be happy for you to leave, for whatever that means. Your tireless efforts are speeding up the process. So thank you. You and the others have kept their promises. Everyone accepts our authority without question or resentment.”
“As we should,” he said. “I have not had to insist, however – those of us who have remained are all of the same opinion that we owe you our full and untainted cooperation.”
“What will you do when you leave?”
“I will abdicate to Zara. Our – binding is null and void.”
“Did you annul it, or was it nulled by her actions in binding to him. Is this a punishment of sorts for her?”
“An owed debt of duty,” he answered. “She is not to blame. She is a victim.”
“As are you.”
“It was never her duty -”
“It was. She explained it to me. It was her duty to protect her bond-mate.”
“Regardless of how she sees it – and how our laws even see it- - I see her as a victim – one who has suffered enough, and one who will be free to live with whomever she wants. I hope only for her happiness. I know she will be an excellent leader.”
Lois smiled. A real smile. “She will be. I wish she could... remain. She is - dear to me. But -no Kryptonians can remain, and her duty is important. A strong leader like Zara will not allow this to happen again.”
He nodded. “No – she will not. I believe that too.”
“So what will you do?”
“I will be a member of our society – but not the leader.”
“Will you … find a bond mate of your own?”
“I cannot imagine - all my people had to interact with the clone. So – I will keep to myself. “
“That is … lonely.”
“I accept that. It is no less than what I feel I deserve.”
“Well – I hope for your sake that you find happiness – you actually do deserve it. You were a victim too.”
He gazed uncomfortably at her – knowing they were meant to be together according to the soul mate theory.
“I wish that for you as well,” he said simply, not elaborating.
Last edited by L; 03/18/17 06:50 PM.
