Who: Lex Luthor & NPC Lena (Clone) & open to Talia When: Wednesday, December 14th, 2016 Where: Undisclosed LexCorp/Cadmus facility, underground What: Aptitude Testing Rating: Low
"Lena. Focus on the pencil." The little girl was wriggling in her seat, when she should have been concentrating. "Come now, just a few more tests, and then we're done."
Peering up at him, she chewed on her lip for a few seconds and then looked again at the motionless pencil. Staring at it, she finally settled and focused. Lex remained where he was, standing next to her, waiting.
Thus far, the child had shown no powers at all, not even those commonly found in Kryptonians. While this might have been worrisome, he'd told himself to be patient. While "pure" Kryptonians developed their powers early on, or at least aspects of them, Lena was something special, unique. She was a blend of them and something more. And given her age, it might be some time before some kind of power manifested.
She turned to him again, a look of confusion on her face. Holding back a sigh, he crouched next to her. "Just focus on it and think about something you'd like to see it do. Without touching it with your hands. Just ... imagine it." Nodding at the pencil, he patted her shoulder. "Go on."
Obediently, she did so, once again staring intently. Five minutes passed, with no result. "That's enough, Lena. Run along and play." He moved to sit in the chair opposite her, his fingers tapping in the data on his tablet. This was interrupted, however, to his surprise when Lena dashed over, throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his shoulder. Frowning, he shifted her in his arms, moving her so that he could see her face. "What's this ...." There were tears spilling down her cheeks and realization dawned.
"I am not angry with you," Lex said, his voice soothing, more gentle than it usually was. "Look at me, Lena. I asked you to try, and you did. You've done nothing wrong, I promise you." Sniffling, she cuddled into him, her fingers picking at his shirt collar as the green eyes met his. "You are very special to me, and we must be patient." Shifting again, he let her relax more fully into his arms. "I'm going to hand you the world one day... We'll make others ... like you ... to help you..." Smiling faintly, he patted the head full of red curls. "And until you're ready to step out onto the world stage .... we'll be patient."