Family Name 1

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”Lena asked her friend and CFO of L-Corp Sam. The pair were on their way to Amnesty an alien bar owned by Kara Zor-El. Lena had never been to an alien bar before. She never had a reason to. Aliens were somewhat of a taboo topic in the Luther household. Her parents and brother believed that they were dangerous and shouldn’t be given the same rights as humans. They also believed that aliens should have to give up all their technology and knowledge for free. That belief is what led to both her father and brother going to prison for the rest their lives after it was discovered that they were kidnapping and enslaving aliens and forcing them to work at the family company. It was Supergirl who saved them and ever since then L-Corp hadn’t been able to get any aliens to work for the company. Lena had done everything she could to change their reputation including changing the name but nothing worked. Most of their products were at a stand still because the scientists that hadn’t been arrested for their involvement didn’t have a clue how to go forward.

“It’s the only way to get a face to face meeting with her. Unless you want to get yourself into some kind of danger and have her rescue you as Supergirl I can’t think of anything better.”Sam said.

“I honestly don’t think she would go out of her way to save me.”That was another problem Lena had. Kara Zor-El not only owned the leading company in alien technology but she was also Supergirl. World’s leading hero. She led the team known as the Super Friends and was the reason aliens were given the many rights they were given after she and her people saved the United States from six nuclear missiles sent by Russia. Supergirl being the one to rescue the aliens her father and brother kidnapped made it so no-one wanted to touch L-Corp for fear Kara would see them as her enemy.

“No matter what you believe Supergirl doesn’t discriminate. She would save you.”Sam knew for a fact that Kara would come to Lena’s aide. The woman was the paragon for good. Champion of the weak. She wouldn’t stand to the side and let someone get hurt no matter who they were.

“That’s true.”Lena couldn’t really deny that. Kara was to good of a person to let anyone get hurt. She even protected Lex and her father from the angry protesters that gathered around the court house during their trials.

Sam turned in her seat and faced Lena.”Alright we are here. Remember don’t stare at anyone and be polite. No matter what anyone says don’t take the bait.”

“I know.”Lena knew that people would say something but she wasn’t going to fight back. She would listen to all they had to say and try to speak to them calmly.

“Let’s go.”Sam waited for the driver to open her door before exiting.

“I can do this.”Lena took a deep breath before following. She ignored the looks and whispers that she heard as she made her way by Sam’s side to the door.

“Id’s.”The bouncer held out his hand.

Lena watched in interest when the man took both of their id’s and scanned them with some type of disc.”What are you scanning them for?”

“It’s a simple background check to make sure you don’t have a history of violence or anti alien views.”The bouncer told her.

“How in-depth of a check do you do?”Sam asked.

“This checks not only your criminal history but charitable donations you have made, social media post and any time your name came up with certain key words the device is set to search for.”The bouncer explained.

“Is that legal?”Lena had never heard of anything like it before.

The bouncer handed them back their id’s.”Perfectly legal. As a matter of fact House of El has a contract with the government to provide such devices to certain law enforcement agencies.”

“Of course it does.”Lena was in no way surprised that House of El would come up with such a thing.

“You have been cleared. Have a good night.”The bouncer put his finger on a scanner and the door slid open.

“Thank you.”Sam said as she made her way inside.”This is a lot nicer than I expected.”

“That it is.”Lena looked around and tried not to stare at anything in particular. It was hard though because the bar was like nothing she had ever seen before. Not only was the clientele diverse but some of the technology on display was unbelievable.

“It seems like Ms. Zor-El has been holding out on the public.”Sam had never seen half of the things available in the bar. She wouldn’t have even thought some of it was possible.

“Are you actually surprised?”Lena wouldn’t give all her secrets to the public. At least not right away. She would space things out to keep profits in the future.

“Let’s go get a table.”Sam grabbed Lena’s arm and led her to an empty table near the stage where a blue skinned woman with tentacles was singing a song in a language that she didn’t recognize.

“Do you see any other humans here?”Lena asked.

“I see a few human looking people. That doesn’t mean they are human however.”Sam had seen at least a dozen human looking people.

“We have a lot of regular human patrons.”A man in robes with the House of El logo on the front said as he approached the table causing both Lena and Sam to jump.

“Jesus.”Sam put her hand on her heart.

“I apologize. Part of my programing is to make sure that I am quiet to not draw attention to myself.”The man told them.

“What do you mean your programming?”Lena asked.

“I am an android that Ms. Zor-El created to work at the bar.”The android said.

“An android?”Lena wasn’t sure if she believed that or not.”Why have we not heard of androids existing?”

“If you were let in by Roy that means you are allowed to know of my existence. Ms. Zor-El prefers that some technology not be made public because she feels that humans need to grow on their own.”The android explained.

“That makes sense.”Sam did feel that humans should find their way in some areas.

“Is she ever going to release this technology?”Lena asked.

The android shrugged.”That isn’t something I know. My functions are to work at the bar.”

“Does she have other androids?”Lena figured if there was one to work at the bar there had to be others.”

“Yes she has many androids.”The android told her.

Lena tried to think of the instances Kara was seen in public. She always had an assistant with her and now Lena was wondering if her assistant was really an android.”I see.”

“Would you like something to eat or drink? We have many things that are safe for humans.”The android said.

“I feel like being adventurous. Can I get a drink not from earth?”Sam wanted to see what an alien drink was like.

“I will have one as well.”Lena figured if she was going to try something not from earth she should do it here as she knew it would be safe.

“I’ll be right back with something.”The android said.

Lena watched him leave trying to find any clue that he wasn’t human. It was almost disturbing that she couldn’t.”How many times do you think we have come in contact with an android and not known it?”

“That’s kind of a disturbing thought”Sam wasn’t sure how she felt about robots that could pass as human.

“Do you see any sign of her?”Lena asked.

Sam shook her head.”The person who said she was here is reliable. Maybe she is in some back room.”

“I guess that would make sense. I am however surprised that I was even allowed inside.”Lena wouldn’t have been as trusting as Kara was. Especially with all the technology on display in the bar.

“Yeah I was surprised as well.”Sam thought that there would have been some resistance to Lena.

“Here you are. One Lasso and one Redun.”The android said as he set two glasses on the table.

Lena took a sniff of her drink.“What planets are these from?”

“The Lasso is from Mars and the Redun is from Zeric.”The android told them.

“Do we pay you or do we pay at the bar?”Lena asked.

“You don’t have to pay for anything.”The android said.

“Why not?”Sam didn’t think they did anything to get free drinks.

“All the food and drink at this bar is free to patrons.”The android explained.

“You mean no pays for anything?”Lena didn’t understand what the android meant.

The android nodded.”Ms. Zor-El covers all expenses for patrons.”

“So no one pays for anything?”Sam asked.

“No, not at all.”The android told her.

“How does she stay in business?”Lena didn’t think that anyone could afford to pay for the expenses of acquiring all the alien food and drink and just giving it away.

“That is not something I know.”The android said.

“Huh.”Sam had known Kara was extremely wealthy but didn’t think she was that wealthy.

“With that said let me know if you need anything else.”The android bowed and walked away from the table.

“What to you think about all that?”Lena asked Sam.

“I think that Kara is likely spending at least one hundred million dollars a year if not more to supply this place with food and drink from other planets. Anything from Zeric is extremely hard to get. Especially anything to eat or drink.”Sam couldn’t imagine the cost Kara paid for half the things in the bar.

Lena winced at paying that much.”I knew she was wealthy but no one is that wealthy are they?”

“Her money definitely doesn’t come from the family that adopted her.”Everything about Kara’s adopted human family was well known by the public. They were at the forefront of the movement for alien rights. The story of the government trying to kidnap Kara and force her to work for them was all over the news. Sam had remembered the outrage from the public when they learned about the secret government organization that was weaponizing aliens and their want of a 13 year old girl.

“We really don’t know much about how she came to earth or what she brought with her.”Lena had done all kinds of research when Kara revealed herself to the public. The fact that a teenager was working as a superhero and helping humans had intrigued her because all she had ever heard about aliens were from her father and brother. She hadn’t really found much about her origins. It wasn’t even known what planet she came from.

“That’s true.”Sam had tried her best to put together a profile of Kara to help Lena come up with a plan to approach her but all she could find out was about her time on earth.

Lena took a sip of her drink.”This is really good.”

“Mine is too.”Sam said.

“I wonder what other drinks they have.”Lena would be coming back here again in the future even if she wasn’t looking for Kara. The bar had a relaxed atmosphere and Lena felt safe sitting there. She actually felt the safest she had in years even though she was surrounded by aliens.

“We should try some food.”Sam wanted to sample some non earth food.

“Maybe after we find a way to talk to Kara.”Lena didn’t want to wait around for food.

“Do you think we should ask the android?”Sam asked.

“That’s a good idea.”Lena held up her hand to get the android’s attention.

“What can I help you with?”The android asked.

“We were wondering if there was a way to get an audience with Ms. Zor-El?”Lena said.

“Let me check.”The android closed his eyes. Before Lena could ask what he was doing he opened them.”She said that she would be more than happy to meet you in her office.”

“She said yes?”Sam hadn’t expected that.

“If you would please follow me.”The android started walking away.

Lena quickly stood and jogged to catch up with him.”How did you ask her?”

“I have a direct link to Ms. Zor-El.”The android told her.

“I see.”Lena didn’t but decided to let it go.

The android opened a door for them.”She is right through there.”

“Thank you.”Lena walked thought the door only to stop suddenly when she saw the room. She had expected an office but instead it looked like what she thought was some type of lounge. It was hard to tell because everything about the room was foreign. Even the furniture was strange.

“Welcome to my office.”Kara greeted.

Lean opened her mouth to return the greeting only for it snap shut upon seeing Kara in person. She had seen pictures and videos of the woman but they did not do her justice. Kara was absolutely gorgeous. She looked like the embodiment of a greek goddess with her blond hair, blue eyes and a body that looked like it was sculpted out of marble. Something that was in full display by the outfit she was wearing that consisted of a tight tank top and yoga pants. An elbow to the side brought her out of her stupor.”Thank you for agreeing to see us.”

“I have been wondering how long it would take you to seek me out.”Kara said.

“I have tried to arrange a meeting with you but it has been hard.”Lena wasn’t lying. When her assistant called to set up an appointment she was told the earliest Kara could see her was 8 months in the future.

Kara frowned.”I wasn’t told about that.”

“You didn’t know?”Sam had assumed it was a polite brush off.

“I did not. As a matter of fact I told my assistant that if you reached out to schedule a meeting as soon as possible.”Kara told her.

“Seriously?”Lena wasn’t sure what to think of that.

Kara motioned to what looked like a sofa.”Why don’t we all have seat and we can discuss things?”

“That would be nice.”Sam took a seat on the couch and was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable it was.”This is the most comfortable piece of furniture I have ever sat on.”

“I’m glad you enjoy it. It is a common piece of furniture from my home world.”Kara told her.

Lena perked up hearing that.”Did you bring a lot of things with you from your home world.”

“A few.”Kara said.”Now what can I do for you ladies?”

Although Lena was disappointed that Kara didn’t answer her question Lena let it slide.”As you know after Lex and Lionel were found guilty and put into prison no aliens will work for my company.”

“Are you surprised by that?”Kara asked.

“Not at all. As matter of fact I expected it to happen. However I had hoped that once the public saw I wasn’t like my family that they would be willing to work with me. That isn’t the case however and because of that my business is not doing very well. We still have some products that make money but we haven’t been putting out anything new.”Lena hated to admit that to her competition but it was the only way to get help.

“”I have been impressed with the work you have been doing. I especially liked the scholarship program you set up for adult aliens.”Kara said.

“I know you have done much more than I could ever dream of achieving in the way of helping aliens but I want to do my part.” Lena was unnerved by the look Kara was giving her. It felt like Kara was searching Lena’s very soul. Lena had never felt so exposed and didn’t like the feeling at all.

“I believe you want to do good. However you still haven’t weeded out all the people who were involved in Lionel and Lex’s scheme. I want to help you but until you can clean your company of the poison that resides in it I can’t in good conscience give you my support.”Kara told her.

“What do you mean we haven’t weeded people out?”Sam had thought they had gotten everyone who was involved with Lex and Lionel out of the company.

“You may have gotten rid of the ones that were named as coconspirators but you failed to do a proper investigation on your own. You relied on company resources to find the guilty parties and in doing so you allowed their allies to help them cover their tracks. If you can’t even see that you are being manipulated than how can I have faith that this wouldn’t happen again without you knowing?”Kara asked.

“You know there are others and you didn’t say anything?”Lena didn’t know if she was more pissed or embarrassed. She was pissed that Kara hadn’t said anything and embarrassed because she had been played.

Kara shrugged.”I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. I may be Supergirl but it isn’t my job to say who can work at your company. That’s your job.”

Lena held back a wince. Kara was right. It was Lena’s job to know who worked for her.”You’re right.”

“That being said if you can get control of what is going on L-Corp I am more than willing to have this conversation again. However you need to show that you are running the company and the company isn’t running you like it has been so far. I can tell you are a good person and you mean well but good intentions only get you so far. You need to show that you won’t put up with anything like what your family did and that you are dedicated to making sure it doesn’t happen again. To do that you need to get rid of the cancer and prove that you would be willing to do anything to make this right. That means you may have to get rid of some of your brightest minds and biggest contributors.”Kara told her.

Lena thought about everything Kara just said. If she read into what Kara was saying that meant some of the most productive people in the company had been involved with Lex. Meaning they would need to be fired. That would cause another hit to their profits.”And if I do this you would vouch for me?”

“If you can get control of your company and prove that you are nothing like your family then I will personally collaborate with you on a project.”Kara offered.

“What?”Lena wasn’t sure she heard Kara right.

Kara smiled.”I believe you when you said wanted to do better and know to do that you will be making a lot of sacrifices that will probably be detrimental to your company. To show you my appreciation for your willingness to do the right thing no matter the personal loss I am offering to work with you to help you establish L-Corp as a company that is pro alien.”

“Say yes Lena.”Sam muttered.

“I just don’t know what you get out of this.”Lena was sure there was a catch. No offer this good didn’t come with one.

“I get the satisfaction of knowing that the people who were involved with Lionel and Lex that didn’t do anything that would get them arrested are still being held accountable for their actions. If I have to give you incentive to it I will gladly step up.”Kara told her.

Lena thought over Kara’s words. It would make sense that Kara would want to get back at the people who were involved that she couldn’t legally do anything about. Plus Kara was well known to always do what was right even when it was detrimental to herself. There were rumors of her being corrupt but those were mostly said by anti alien organizations. Kara was a lot more trustworthy than anyone other Sam in Lena’s opinion.”I will gladly agree to your terms.”

“Great and if you need help with investigating I will be more than happy to give you whatever resources you need.”Kara said.

“That would be helpful.”Sam thought that it would be very beneficial to have the Super Friends’ help.

“Actually do you think we could get one of the devices that the bouncer had?”Lena thought that would be a good place to start her search.

“Where would you like it delivered?”Kara asked.

“If you could send it to my home that would be best.”Lena didn’t want anyone at work to know she was working with Kara.

“Anything else you need?”Kara asked.

“I don’t suppose you have a legal way to search someone’s emails?”Sam figured if there were people in the company that were working with Lionel and Lex they would have emailed each other.

Kara nodded.”When we were investigating Lionel and Lex we were given a search warrant for all your company’s servers. The warrant is still in effect so if you want I will hire you as a consultant for the Super Friends so you have legal rights to look through anything you want.”

“You have legal rights to all my servers?”Lena was not happy to hear that.

“We didn’t use it to steal secrets. As a matter of fact if you want to get technical about things it’s you who stole secrets. You have never credited the aliens who made products for your company while they were being used as slave labor.”Kara said.

“Those aliens were compensated through the courts.”Lena had paid a lot of money in reparations to the victims.

“Yet you still make money off of their designs while they don’t get a cent in royalties like a regular inventor would get.”Kara told her.

“Honestly we can’t afford to pay royalties. We are barely hanging on as it is.”Sam admitted.

“But it is something we can look into in the future once we get everything under control.”Lena would make things right once they could afford to. As it was there was no way to pay anyone anything. She wasn’t even taking a salary for herself.

“I look forward to seeing that come to fruition.”Kara said.

“To do that we need to get the company back on track. So any help you can give us would be appreciated.”Lena had no clue how to run an investigation on this scale. That’s why she hired people to do it.

“Your email idea is a good place to start. If you want I can assign one of my team members who is well versed in the internet and can easily help you find whatever you are looking for in someone’s digital footprint.”Kara offered.

“You’re offering us one of the Super Friends.”Lena hadn’t expected that.

“I won’t force him on you.”Kara said.

“We will take their help.”Sam wasn’t going to turn down such an offer.

“His name is Winn and he will be at your office first thing in the morning.”Kara told them.

“Don’t you have to ask him?”Lena asked.

Kara smiled.”He’s been listening this whole time.”

“He monitors your conversations?”Sam thought that made sense.

“He isn’t suppose to but he and the rest of the team are very over protective. I of course could easily block his access but I indulge them because it makes them feel better.”Kara said.

“That’s very kind of you.”Lena would hate having her life monitored so closely.

“We may not be blood but we are a family and love each other very much.”Kara told her.

“That must be nice.”Sam didn’t have anyone other than her daughter Ruby and Lena. Her parents kicked her out when they found out she was pregnant. It was just luck that she had met Lena at the coffee shop she was working at at the time.

“It’s that love that keeps us all going.”Kara stood from her seat.”Now then Winn will be in your office tomorrow morning and the device you asked for will be delivered once you get home.”

Lena along with Sam stood as well hearing the obvious dismissal. Lena found that she was sad that her time with Kara was at an end.”Thank you for not only your help but your willingness to give us a chance.”

“Every one deserves a second chance to do the right thing.”Kara told her.

“I know this is a bit forward but do you think maybe I could get an autograph for my daughter. She’s a huge fan.”Sam knew that Ruby would be devastated if she didn’t come home with an autograph.

“Sure.”Kara walked over to a wall and pushed on a  panel causing it to fold open revealing a bunch of folders.”Just pick out the picture you want me to sign.”

Sam looked through the dozen different photographs settling on one with Supergirl flying with the city in the background.”Her name is Ruby.”

“That’s a nice name.”Kara pulled out a marker and wrote on the picture. Once done she handed it to Sam.”Is that good?”

“To Ruby with a mother like Sam your future couldn’t be brighter Love Supergirl.”Sam read out loud.”It’s perfect thank you.”

“Maybe when I come to work with Lena we could set up a time for me to meet her.”Kara suggested.

“I would win the mom of the year award if you did that.”Sam knew that Ruby would be over the moon if she got to meet her idol.

“We will have to set it up then.”Kara said as she walked them to the door.

“Thank you for your help Ms. Zor-El. You don’t know how much it means to me that you are willing to give me the chance to make things right.”Lena hadn’t expected Kara to even meet with her let alone offer so much help.

“Please call me Kara and you don’t have to thank me. You are trying to right the wrongs your house did. I personally know how hard it is to try and make the world see you as more than just a villain.”Kara told her.

Lena wanted to ask what that meant but decided that they had stayed long enough.”Good night Kara.”

“Good night.”Kara replied.

Sam waited until they were out the door before speaking.”That went better than I thought it would.”

“A hell of a lot better.”Lena agreed.

“I can’t believe she offered us one of the Super Friends.”Sam was just hoping that Kara would listen to their pitch. She didn’t expect kara would be willing to help as much as she was.

“I’ve never heard of a Winn though. Have you?”Lena asked.

Sam shook her head.”He may be someone without powers that helps them.”

“Do you think he’s an android?”Lena would really like to meet another one. She had tons of questions about them.

“Maybe.”Sam wouldn’t be surprised if he was.

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”Lena said Sam murmuring her agreement. Lena wasn’t sure how she was going to sleep with how nervous and excited she was for the next day. She wasn’t looking forward to finding out how many of her employees left had alliances with Lionel and Lex. She knew that it was most likely a lot. L-Corp was barely hanging on as it was and really couldn’t afford another scandal. Then again Kara was going to help bring them back from it and with Kara backing them they would get a lot of good will. Kara was the reason for her excitement. The woman was extraordinary and Lena couldn’t wait to have some time to pick her brain. It gave her a good incentive to get rid of the cancer attached to her company quickly. That way she would get some one on one time with Kara. Something she desperately wanted. Lena was very drawn to her and wanted to get to know more about her. Lena rolled her eyes at herself. She was acting like a Supergirl groupie. Lena would have to make sure she was on her best behavior around Winn the next morning. She didn’t want him thinking that she was trying to get information on Kara. Even though she was.