Newton's Cradle

Jess sat at her desk finishing up a memo Miss Luthor had asked be ready by noon on Monday for distribution to one of the Research and Development sections. Having worked for Lena Luthor this long, Jess knew that exceeding expectations is what the woman did herself. So, Jess did no less. Checking the time on her computer, Jess saw it was 7:30 on a Friday night. With twelve hours of work behind her, and a full weekend in front of her, she stood and stretched deciding she'd had enough of L-Corp for this week. She's knocked on the door to Miss Luthor's office and waited for a response before entering.

"Come in," Lena replied.

"Miss Luthor? I'm going to head home for the night unless you need me for anything else," Jess informed her employer who hadn't looked her way yet. "I finished up that memo and emailed it to you for approval."

"Hmmm? Fine," Lena said, eyes fixed on the TV screen on the opposite wall, her teeth worrying on the pad of one of her thumbs. Lena made a vague gesture with her other hand; a pen gripped firmly in her fingers. "Have a nice...weekend."

Jess looked at the screen to see what had Miss Luthor transfixed. On it, Supergirl was doing battle with a group of aliens. They were humanoid but clearly not human. Their skin looked crystalline and jagged not unlike rock candy but definitely harder. They were making their way through downtown, and she was doing her best to slow them at least down while protecting the civilians that were attempting to escape their path of destruction. Jess went from watching the screen to watching her employer again. She noticed the way Miss Luthor's eyes would tighten every time Supergirl took a particularly bad hit, the way the CEO's teeth fretted at her thumb and finger's squeezed her pen a bit tighter.

"She'll be fine."

Lena startled as if having forgotten Jess was there as she turned to her assistant. "Excuse me?"

"Supergirl she'll be fine," Jess assured the CEO. "You look worried, so I just wanted to, you know...she'll be fine."

"Oh, I'm not worried. I'm just..." Lena waved her empty hand around a bit aimlessly. "I'm just a concerned citizen, that's all."

"Oh, well then you look concerned, so I just wanted to say that she'll be fine," Jess repeated.

"Of course she will," Lena said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I thought you were going home or going out and doing whatever it is people do when they aren't at work."

"You mean relax, have fun?" Jess asked with a smirk.

"Working for me isn't fun?"

"Of course it is," Jess agreed, trying to wipe the smirk off her face. "I mean, this is practically charity work. I can't believe you're even paying me to be here."

Narrowing her eyes, Lena placed her forearms on the desk and leaned forward as she leveled an intimidating glare at her assistant and replied, "I'll remember that when it comes time to do your review. When is that again?"

"Well...I..." Jess gulped.

"Oh, go have fun," Lena replied, turning her attention back to the TV and freeing her assistant from her version of humor. "See you Monday morning."

"Bright and early," Jess agreed. "I hope you have a nice weekend, Miss Luthor. You have some fun too."

Lena waved dismissively over her shoulder, her attention still on the screen. Suddenly she raised her hand and said, "Jess, wait."

Out of the room and the door half- closed behind her, Jess cursed silently to herself at her foiled escape then reentered the room. "Yes, Miss Luthor?"