her world has been shaken and stirred. not a lot surprises lois lane— yet, there she was, wrapping her head around the big reveal. she could feel anger, it would be the cop out emotion . . . but truthfully, it felt like for once everything had fallen right into place. finding out the man she admired and the man she loved were the same person made her whole world make sense . . . feel⸺ complete.
after their private moment, that martha had so graciously offered— lois was still mentally and physically recovering. the intrepid reporter never felt more in love . . . not because he was superman, but because he trusted her enough to tell her.
lois isn't startled by his abrupt exit, if anything, she remains composed . . . until, she glances at the tv. the unfamiliar touch is warm and maternal⸺ something she didn't have much of growing up. “ well, it's not everyday you find out your boyfriend's an alien. ” she says lightly, with a soft smile on her lips. “ still, somehow . . . it all makes sense now. ”
Martha smiles warmly. When Clark had told her his intentions to tell Lois everything, she'd automatically been afraid for him — afraid that Lois would learn the truth and run, or hold it against him, or feel betrayed. But the woman is clearly made of stronger stuff than that. Even from their first meeting, it's obvious that Lois just fits into Clark's life, the way few people ever really have.
"I'm sure it does." Having been Clark's secret-keeper for so many years, she's all too aware how much of an enigma her son seems like when you don't know the truth. "I don't mean to step in where I'm not wanted, of course, but... if you have any questions..."
" lois hates you being here, " harley says, back to him. her office sits on the top floor of wayne tower overlooking gotham city. she thinks often of its namesake. bruce wayne was just a boy when he died; this scar of a building in gotham's skyline must have been his parents' way of memorializing the scar the loss left on their souls. she'd ask them, but the waynes keep to themselves, these days. " she won't tell you that, which is why i am. every second you spend here is a reminder of what she's lost. you know, she won't talk to me about your brother. " not kal, but clark.
harley's lucky, from what she's gleaned about the other her. here, she has this office, her talk show, the book deals. harleen has a face full of tattoos, a rap sheet a mile long. for lois, it's the opposite. for her, this life has been nothing but loss and anger, while her other has given her a family. a best friend.
nothing bonds women like an out-of-control ex. and yet, she's sure there's nothing lois wants more than to have the man she thought she married back. harley knows something about that.
she turns, now, motions to the chair on the other side of her desk. " are you here to tell me about your problems, tal? should i be worried about you joining a cult? " it's sharper than it needs to be. she carries grudges against a dead man on behalf of her friend. " is here really so much better than there? "
Tal spreads his arms in a slight shrug. "It's not so much a question of which is better as much as where I choose to be. And we all deal with reminders of things we'd rather forget." He's not trying to be dismissive, exactly — he's been trying so hard to be good, whatever that means. To do what Kal would do. It turns out that is much easier said than done. Especially when certain people seem to be resentful of his very presence.
"I think my doppelganger spent enough time in cults for the both of us." And it had gotten him killed. "I thought that perhaps you could provide me with some information, but if you're going to be hostile, perhaps I'll be on my way."
Jane's gloved hand was just about to grasp the bathroom doorknob when she heard a sudden knocking, followed by a woman's voice calling for Keaton from out in the hall. Damn it, she thought. It was bound to be one of the DEO agents, and Jane hadn't wanted to come into contact with any of them. They weren't HYDRA. They were just people doing their jobs, and she had no desire to hurt any of them. Her plan had been to sneak in, kill Keaton, and sneak out before anyone realized she was there.
Of course, she might still be able to pull that off. Clearly something had aroused the DEO's suspicions, but the fact that the woman in the hall was knocking rather than breaking down the door indicated that the DEO didn't actually know that the Winter Soldier was inside the apartment. The woman out there was doing a check, not mounting a rescue. And Jane, who really was very good at what she did, had taken care to close and lock Keaton's balcony door behind her when she'd entered. She'd left no sign of a forced entry. The only evidence that she'd broken in was her own presence in the apartment, and that could be concealed.
Let the woman from the DEO come in, talk to Keaton, do her check. All Jane had to do was find a place to hide and wait until the woman left.
With the shower running, Harrison Keaton couldn't hear the knocking, and the woman didn't wait long before opening the door and walking in. But by then Jane was out of sight, crouched inside Keaton's washing machine with the lid pulled closed. It wasn't a comfortable hiding spot -- she felt like ten pounds of shit stuffed into a five pound sack -- but comfort wasn't the goal. Most people wouldn't think to check for an assassin in the washing machine.
But Jane kept a knife in one hand anyway, just in case.
There's no response, but Alex can dimly make out the rush of running water — he's in the shower. She only hesitates for a second before opening the door with the spare key. Better for him to be moderately embarrassed than dead. (Supposedly.)
"Mr. Keaton?" she calls again, keeping a hand on her holstered weapon as she steps inside. "It's Agent Danvers."
The water shuts off abruptly, before an indignant voice snaps from the direction of the bathroom. "Ms. Danvers, this is highly inappropriate. I demand that you leave at once."
Alex ignores him, her eyes scanning over the living room, paying particular attention to the balcony door. No sign of anything, but... "Mr. Keaton, I have reason to suspect someone has access to the apartment. I suggest you stay there while I search."
"Ms. Danvers—!"
But if she leaves now, and something happens, it's the end of her career. So Alex carefully moves closer to the balcony and eases open the door. No sign of a forced entry, but the adjoining apartment is still dark. Surely someone would have turned the lights on after coming home late...?
Some instinct still nags at the back of her head. If she's right, then the assassin could still be next door... or he could have entered already. The thought propels her back inside, scanning for possible hiding spots. There isn't much, but she checks inside the front closet, behind the pantry door, underneath the table.
The small laundry room almost passes her notice. But she stops after passing it to take a step back. The washer and dryer are small, but if someone were flexible and determined...
"Ms. Danvers!" Keaton calls again, annoyed.
Alex disregards him, keeping her footsteps soft as she moves towards the washer, her hand outstretched for it.
her heels click against concrete floors; she's steadier in six inch heels than she is in flats, wearing a pencil skirt and a blazer that put any of her residency outfits to shame. ( she does abuse bruce wayne's credit card, though he doesn't mind ⸺ at least she isn't back in prison. ) the DOD has been hesitant to share much with her on this case; he's kryptonian, she knows, but not superman. she'd have texted bruce to text supes for more information, but after joker . . . she doesn't really care. there's nothing tal-rho can throw at her that's worse than what she's been through. sam lane doesn't like her, but he won't let her get hurt.
" mr. rho, " she says, settling into a chair across from his cell. it's nicer than the ones they used to put her in. at least he has books. " or do you prefer tal? " her eyes flick across the file she's only just been given; after a second, she tosses it away. she'll read it after; let her see what he wants to tell her, first. " harleen quinzel. i'm a psychiatrist, technically. i don't imagine i'll be medicating you today. you seem ⸺ cooped up. "
So they're making him see a shrink. Fascinating. What do they possibly think could be gained from that? Are they hoping for an apology? Or simply trying to understand the Kryptonian sociopath's mind?
"Mr. Rho. That's a new one. I don't think I care for it." The human honorific paired with the Kryptonian house name clashes in his ears. No. They should respect him in the Kryptonian way — it's all he has left. "Tal-Rho is my name. Family and friends call me Tal." Not that he has many of those. "And I don't believe you qualify as either, Ms. Quinzel."
He settles back lazily in his armchair, spreading his arms in a question. "So, if you don't plan to medicate me, to what do I owe the honor of this visit? No, don't tell me — you expect me to talk to you."
Jane arrived at the warehouse just under ten minutes later, with the Eradicator cushioned inside her backpack and the stolen kryptonite tucked into the lead-lined pouch on her belt. Morgan Edge was exactly where he'd said he would be, and Jane hadn't bothered with trying to conceal her approach. After all, the man could see through walls -- or at least some walls. She was still turning the puzzle of his blindness inside the vault over in her head.
"So," Jane said. "I got your lump of rock for you, just like you wanted. Let's talk about what happens next."
Tal applauds softly, slowly, as she enters the room. "Impressive work, Miss Barnes. I think we work rather well together." As though he'd done anything besides offer a few warnings and snarky remarks.
"As promised, I will make arrangements for the next stage of your little crusade. Simply give me a name."
Many of which were on my first blog before it got nuked. Let's go.
Jor-El
Jor-El is the son of Seg-El and Nyssa Seg-El, the older brother of Zor-El. He's the last patriarch of the House of El, one of Krypton's oldest and most esteemed houses. Most members are known for the Science Guild, but there have been several Military Guild members as well.
Jor is a softspoken but passionate. He struggles with anxiety and dislikes crowds, public speaking and attention — he'd much rather be locked away in his lab, working. He is also a man of genuine honor and integrity.
Jor's primary specialties are geology, geophysics, and astrophysics. The belief that Krypton is doomed has been passed down in the House of El for a few generations, but he's the first to really start pushing for the Council to take it seriously. (As we know, they don't believe him.)
Jor adores his niece, Kara. She has him wrapped around her little finger.
Jordan takes after Jor-El a lot. The social anxiety is larger from him, as is the stockier build.
Lara Lor-Van
Lara is the only daughter of Lor-Van and and Elora Lor-Van, the older sister of Per-Van and Zer-Van. Lara has also has two nephews, Per's sons Tir-Van and Lir-Van. The House of Van is an older house that's fallen from grace in recent generations, mostly known for the Artisans and Religious Guilds.
Lara's personality can be described with a wonderful quote from Farscape: "Soft, yes. Weak, no." Lara is gentle, warm, and kind, while also passionate and fearless. She carries herself with poise and grace, and is skilled at using diplomacy and policies to achieve her ends. She's also incredibly intelligent — Jor-El will openly admit to anyone who will listen that she's the smarter of the two.
Lor-Van arranged for Lara to be matched with Zeta-Rho, which she consented to out of a sense of duty. Zeta was a cruel and possessive man who largely viewed Lara as his property, even before they were matched.
Lara is also a member of the Science Guild, focusing on biology and neurosciences. She was assigned to be Jor-El's lab assistant, since it was viewed as a pointless task that would keep her out of the way. However she quickly came to recognize that Jor-El's theories were correct and they developed a close working relationship that gradually grew into more.
Lara leaving Zeta was something of a scandal. On Krypton, genetic compatibility is prized over everything else — you don't leave an arranged match for something as trivial as love. Even having an affair would be more acceptable. But Lara didn't care. She wanted to be with Jor, and far from Zeta, so she made it happen.
Tal was created in the birthing matrix (basically a big device rather than being carried naturally) using genetic material from Lara, which she did not consent to. Being unable to see her own son devastated her. It's the one thing she will never forgive Zeta for.
Lara also chose to give birth to Kal naturally rather than using the matrix, which raised some eyebrows. She was terrified that if Kal was birthed elsewhere, she would be forbidden to see him just like she was forbidden to see Tal, and she simply couldn't bear to leave behind another child. (I never liked the idea of Kal-El being the only natural birth on Krypton, it's a bit too special and Christ-like for my tastes. For my canon purposes, natural births on Krypton were unusual but not completely unheard of.)
Due to Zeta's possessiveness, Lara chose not to take Jor-El's name right away, which is why she's still referred to as Lara Lor-Van instead of Lara Jor-El. This did not bother Jor-El in the slightest — he likes that she's independent. She likely would have taken his name eventually, at a time of her choosing, but of course died before that could happen.
Holograms
The holograms of Jor-El and Lara at the various Fortresses contain full copies of their minds. However, an organic brain is needed for them to fully express themselves. As such, the holographic programs are noticeably muted and less expressive compared to the original people.
not to be boring but I like when evil characters.... well not become “redeemed,” more like they become domesticated. its just delightful when like an evil monstrous little bastard man goes from committing murder to getting mad someone misplaced their costco card or left the jar of mayo on the counter all day.
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