Eddie had a certain fondness for Lex. He’d taken to him during their first meeting in his office shortly after his arrival. To Eddie Lex wasn’t a bad guy; he wasn’t a villain or an evil mastermind bent on world domination. Eddie got along with Chloe’s husband and did what was asked of him, but it was a real shame that he wasn’t seeing the whole truth and that he would refuse to look hard enough if told that his view of his boss wasn’t exactly accurate. Lex was nice to Eddie and that was all that it took. Somebody who could sit down and listen to him and then sympathize— or pretend to— was a person that he could watch out for.
“I’m human. We’re human and alien.” Eddie wasn’t looking at her as he answered, but instead at the alley’s exit, lightened by the outside world and the sun that shone brighter beyond their stretch of space. His answer was confusing and cryptic. He didn’t know if she would understand what he’d said to her, didn’t know if it would have made sense to anybody but Peter Parker, who would have understood out of experience.
Still crying but safe and forgotten by her predator, the young woman went up against the wall closest to her and bowed her head to her hands. Eddie didn’t notice, didn’t remember why he had wanted to kill her in the first place. She wasn’t of interest to him anymore and that made her secure. That was her ticket out.
“Come on then. I’ll take you to the car.” He walked out ahead of her, keeping his senses open, making sure that she was following him.