damage

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"I didn't do what they said I did. I may have done enough so that I don't know if I can prove my innocence."
- Dick Morris
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One morning, Lena was walking towards James's office at CatCo when James caught up with her. "Ms. Luthor, um, you approved an advertorial on page six," James said and Lena looked at him.

"Is there a question coming?" Lena asked.

"Well, I," James said before he cleared his throat. "I just wish you would have told me first."

"I didn't know ads were in your purview, Mr. Olsen," Lena said.

"Well, they're...they're not in my purview. It's...it's not a big deal, it's just that if we're gonna disguise ads as articles I think that it sends a bad message. People wanna know what they're getting, you know? They expect integrity from us. Just a perception thing," James explained right as they walked into his office together.

"Seventy percent," Lena said.

"Excuse me?" James asked.

"That's the deep discount on our print subscription rate. Seventy percent. That's what it takes just to get people to read. So I think an advertorial here and there is a necessary evil," Lena said and James started to hysterically laugh. The two turned towards the entrance of the office when they heard a soft knock. There they saw Kara and Iris standing there awkwardly.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," James said.
"Absolutely," Lena said.

The girls smiled as they walked into the office, but at the same time, they looked at the news behind them. "Good. Uh, James, I just came in to check and see if-" Kara started, but Iris stared at the TV.

"I think you're gonna wanna turn up the TV," Iris said and they all looked at the screen to see Morgan Edge was on the news at Luthor's Children Hospital.

"What is that scumbag doing in my hospital?" Lena asked.

"It was a nightmare. And we would've given anything for it to end, am I right? Then the Daxamites, the ships just up and left. You know why they left? It was a lead-dispersal bomb that drove 'em away. I have a colleague whose son was sick. Brought him here. There were other children in this hospital with the same symptoms. The doctors told me that there were other children in still other hospitals all displaying the same symptoms. Lead poisoning. You know, it's fitting that we're here, in this hospital. Lena Luthor built the bomb that poisoned these boys and girls."

"Do you have any proof?"

"I've gotta get down there," Lena said as she started to leave the office.

"Keep it down. Please respect the children. Let's take it outside, I'll answer your questions."

Alex's Apartment

Alex walked inside to find Maggie going through their wedding stuff. Maggie looked back at her as the door closed. "I was hoping you'd take longer getting home," Maggie said.

"I thought about it," Alex said as she stood in front of the counter. "That's only gonna get harder."

"I don't wanna feel like this," Maggie said as she got up, walking up to Alex. "I love you."

"Yeah. I love you...I love you back," Alex said, walking past her, not wanting Maggie to touch her.

"This can't be it," Maggie said and Alex looked back at her. "This is stupid. This is-"

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