An Ocean of Fire- Supercorp AU

40- A New Bloom Arises

Lena rubbed a palm down her face. Her thumb caught at the edge of her eyebrow and she massaged her temple, squinting her eyes shut tightly against the pounding headache that had been invading her senses since yesterday.

Stacks of paper were spread out before her in haphazard piles, marks scratched across them in scribbled, intense notes. Several books were cracked open, corners of paper sticking out at all angles to mark important passages. The muscles in the back of her neck had tightened and her hand was beginning to cramp.

She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs, surveying the research before her. Her tunic sleeves were rolled to her forearms and unbuttoned to mid-chest. She tugged on it gently to let a breeze in against her damp skin. She reached for the glass of water that was sweating a ring into the wood of the desk and took a long drink.

The chief of scientific and medical research was attempting to create synthetic obsidian crystals in order to increase usage, but she was struggling with stability. She sighed and closed her eyes, pressing the cool glass to her cheek and letting her tired eyes drop shut.

A soft knock on the front door interrupted her thoughts, but she didn't even bother opening her eyes.

The door creaked open slowly, and she heard Alex's soft voice.

"Lena?"

"In the study," she replied.

Lena heard the door click shut and a few moments later Alex appeared in the doorway, bearing more water, a plate of food, and a book tucked underneath her arm. Lena glanced at the clock and cursed softly, realizing it was far past the dinner hour and she had missed it again.

"I'm sorry, Alex, I completely lost track of time- "

"Please. Don't worry about it." The knight captain gently placed the food in front of her, but Lena didn't reach for it. She happily accepted the water, and drained the glass.

Alex sat next to her, the book balanced in her lap, and gave her a cautious look of concern.

"You need to eat something, Princess."

Lena's lips pursed and she glanced away from Alex, her eyes seeking the blackened windows that looked out over a light-less sea. The moon was nowhere to be found this night.

"I know. I just... I think of her out there. Not knowing where she is, whether or not she's hurt, if she's safe... it just makes my stomach turn. Makes it kind of hard to eat."

"I understand. But you've lost weight, and my sister will kill me if she thinks that you aren't being properly cared for in her absence."

Lena smiled at her wryly and nodded, once, before leaning forward and plucking a roll of bread from the plate. She pulled it apart and ate slowly, chewing thoughtfully.

"Any word from Zor-El?"

"He arrived in Bolenth several weeks ago, but I understand that he left again shortly after."

This caused a frown to pull at Lena's lips. "Where did he go?"

Alex cleared her throat softly, glancing down at the backs of her hands and examining her fingernails.

"He is visiting the monarchs of the Alliance."

"He's already done that. Required support has already been garnered, what further approval could he need?"

Silence permeated the space between them, until Alex finally met Lena's eyes.

"Lena, they're going to kill Lex."

The raven-haired woman sat back in her seat again, her eyes glazing over as she stared off into space and contemplated that news. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.