All And Nothing

Decisions

After a lengthy discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of having interns, Lena and doctor Ricardo came to a decision. Her company would take three interns. One down in the lab, with doctor Berger, her lead environmental physicist. The second one would find her place in the theoretical area, pouring over books and creating new theories. She would stick with doctor Chén. The last one would shadow Lena herself, learning how she runs the company and observing how it is to be a businesswoman in the area of physics. They stood, shook hands, and they were off.

"Are you looking forward to having a nerdy shadow?" Camilla spoke, steadily keeping up with Lena's pace even though the woman was a few inches taller than her. And in heels. "Yeah, it'll be nice. Besides, I have you shadow me. Maybe you two can bond," She joked. Camilla paused at the top of the stairs, giving Lena a look of ridicule.

"You know I used to be FBI, right? Nowhere in my education have I ever been a physicist." They held their eye contact in complete seriousness for three full seconds, before bursting into laughter.Every time Lena stepped into her office, she felt humbled. Growing up, her life was filled with luxury. But only after she was adopted. This made sure she knew that everything she had was a blessing and not anything to take lightly. She walked around the room, her fingers barely brushing the white wall until she came to the large painting of the National City skyline. "I'm gonna ask for a drink, do you need anything?" Camilla had draped herself over her favourite chair and was holding a finger next to the intercom. "Uh, yeah. Glass of water, please." Lena moved on, sitting down at her desk and logging into her computer. She started drafting two emails, hearing Camilla order in the background. Both doctor Berger and doctor Chén had expressed interest in mentoring in the past, though that was back when the company was run by her adoptive mother. Back when many employees were afraid of their boss. She did her best to write a kind email. Anything to make sure they wouldn't feel pressured to accept their possible mentees. ---------Exactly a month later, the three students were standing in line at her desk. Lena and doctor Ricardo had put in many hours, selecting the correct ones, making sure they would be the best fit. Not just for the company, but for their mentors as well. The three newbies stood patiently, though they cast occasional nervous glances at Diaz, who was staring straight at them, with her arms crossed. Sometimes Lena thought Camilla was paranoid. Then she would be attacked, and she would be grateful for the paranoia. Now, Lena nudged her friend and gave her a look. With a sigh, Diaz sat down in her chair, on the edge of her seat. Nothing would stop her if one of these nerds attempted to hurt Lena.

"Welcome, to Luthor corp," Lena said, clasping her hands together as she stepped to face the girls.

"The name is under construction. You three have been chosen with careful consideration for both your goals and your skills as a future physicist. If all went according to plan, you girls know your place." They nodded, not taking their eyes off the woman in front of them. When Camilla buzzed the intercom, they turned around rapidly. She couldn't help but smirk at the wild eyes. God, whichever kid was Lena's was going to be in for one hell of a ride. Doctor Berger and Chén walked into the room, taking their place next to their boss.

"Miss Frost," Lena addressed the tall, curly-haired girl who definitely did not deserve a last name like 'Frost.'

"You will work alongside doctor Chén here," She gestured to the short woman at her right.

"In my theoretical department, but of course you already know that. Miss Robinson, you'll join doctor Berger in the lab." Her eyes quickly slid over to her own mentee.

"Miss Marquez, you will be my extra shadow for the next three months." She took the time to study her prodigy. The long, straight brown hair fell to her shoulders, dark green eyes almost hidden by her long lashes. She had a small scar on the edge of her left eye socket, white contrasting against the tan skin. She gave Lena a careful smile, and watched as the others shook hands with their mentors, then followed them as they left the room.

"As my extra shadow, I'll have to introduce you to my main shadow," Lena joked, waving Diaz over. Camilla stood taller than Marquez, and it showed by the set of her jaw.

"What's up Marquez, I'm Diaz." Camilla gave the girl a quick nod.

"Oh come on Camilla." Lena rolled her eyes. "This is my bodyguard, Camilla Diaz. She is ex-FBI-"

"And the rest of my backstory requires a security clearance," Camilla stated. Some apprehension showed in the green eyes, but she quickly shook it off.

"Okay, nice to meet you," she extended a hand towards Diaz. A brave gesture. Diaz opened up slightly, shaking her hand.

"I'm Reyna Marquez. Looks like we'll be spending a lot of time together." Her voice was steady and warm. When her hand fell to her side again, a small yellow flower bloomed on her hand. When she noticed it, she mumbled: "Oh come on Robin, you promised you'd be more careful." Lena raised her eyebrows. 

"You know your soulmate already? And please, have a seat." She sat down on her own desk chair, as Camilla moved back to her own. Reyna absent-mindedly rubbed the flower as she took her seat next to Lena.

"Yeah, I met him when we were in middle school together. It's kind of tough not to realise when he tackles you during a game of American football and flowers spread over his body as bruises spread over mine." She was silent for a moment, eyeing Lena's bare skin.

"Your soulmate seems to be quite careful. Do you know him?" From her chair, Camilla raised an eyebrow.

"No I don't," She admitted.

"Which is why I also don't know if it's a guy or not. Here, I'll show you how I work." She dove into a detailed explanation of her schedule. In the back of her mind, the knowledge that Marquez had her soulmate nagged at her. A mean little voice told her it wasn't fair. She pushed it aside. Everyone met their soulmates at different times. Camilla didn't know hers. Why should she be worried? Besides, how would she ever find her soulmate? There is no way to scan for people that were never injured.

Camilla held her open laptop on her knees, reading a lengthy message in the FBI's social platform. As much as she enjoyed spending time with Lena, she missed her old job sometimes. Busting down doors and investigating potential threats. After the last mission she had lead, Camilla didn't feel she was up for the job anymore. It ended well, everything went according to plan, that hadn't been the problem. The mental stress it had given her felt so heavy she needed a break. That had been three years ago. Even now, she was afraid to start again, and that was a hard enough thing to admit for her.