Kalbario: the collection is almost complete.
The childhood friend
the magical girl
the girl next door
the exiled princess
and now, the sleeping beauty
Great chapter man. Just with it could be a bit longer but at this point, not much is really happening. Maybe in the future.

Re: Eh, I feel like she falls into the "Older Woman(?)" archetype, emphasis on the Question Mark & Parentheses, given she's a clone... Basically, the exact opposite of the "Vampire Loli" troupe; think Evangeline Athanasia Katherine McDowell from Ken Akamatsu's Mahou Sensei Negima!
As for Length... I agree in part, but on others, each chapter has its own "story" to tell. A problem I've had on some of my previous work is "overstaying my welcome" on a chapter-by-chapter basis, some chapters being 10s of 1000s words long at "worst"; I could've split it into parts, but I just... didn't.

LoamyCoffee: I'm a little jealous of Ventus just having lunch with Galatea in her current outfit, gives me that morning after feel.
[This message has been truncated due to length]

Re: I wasn't aiming for a "morning after" vibe, but in retrospect, I can see what you mean. Remember, they're in an underground bunker facility, so the pickings would be a little slim after Cadmus' downsizing. She and Blackfire would get along quite well, both of them being very confident in their sexuality and being unafraid to make use of it.
Dr. Hamilton's relationship is one I'm curious to explore in one way or another. First time I'd seen him was in Superman TAS, so to see him turn so jaded by Justice League Unlimited really helped tie the whole Earth-12 DCAU together. And I always thought he was an interesting character because he really seemed to care about the living weapon he created; something you don't often see with "Clone Masters" of this sort.
Soft Retconning what happened to Dr. Milo was fun in its own way~
And yeah, despite the licensing disagreement or whatever, I always felt like Teen Titans was still a part of the Earth-12 DCAU. Mixing Static Shock and Justice League Unlimited was some of the best writing I had in my Teen Titans: Elements series.
What I did to Professor Milo wasn't aimed at Dr. Mar Londo from Legion of Superheroes, but I can understand the parallels being made. Even in the far-flung future in outer space, werewolves will always make for interesting storytelling; another of my favorite space werewolves is Wirewolf from Buzz Lightyear of Star Command~
As for the differences between Galatea and the Ultimen... That's just the vibe I got off of them; that in comparison, the Ultimen were made "on the cheap". Galatea's DNA being harder to source, makes it make sense that after her growth was accelerated, her metabolism was later stabilized so Cadmus could get the most mileage possible out of her; similar to what was done to the Sisters following the events of Project Radio Noise in A Certain Scientific Railgun. That Cadmus did not do the same with the Ultimen, just screams "cheap" if they'd sooner make new batches then "fix" what's wrong with them.
And yeah, Galatea always seemed like an interesting character, so I'm happy that I'm far-enough in my Teen Titans story that I can write her and one of my Flagship OCs into the same story.

GreedEman:*Reads chapter, notices new pairing*
Oh neat, Galatea was added. Fun chapter, and nice attention to detail with mullet Superman, though Milo's fate may have been a bit…graphic (not that he didn't deserve something horrid)

Re: While admittedly, Anthony Romulus has his own share of the blame, that doesn't excuse Professor Achilles Milo's role in things either.
On an unrelated note, if he was able to turn a pro athlete into a semi-legit werewolf, why didn't he just bring that to the table instead of his half-human/half-warthog? A little cybernetic augmentation, a little cloning, and some faux-werewolves could've gotten him a ton of secured funding...

*JLUxTT*

The training facility in Cadmus' tertiary facility wasn't nearly as robust as their D.C. branch, but the sled dropper did a good-enough job of warming Galatea up after she'd gotten some food in her.

Her entire point of pride had been that she was more-powerful than Supergirl in every way, at least in a straight-up fight; but collecting metaphorical bedsores in the "Vegetable Patch" for so long had caused her Argoan muscles to atrophy. Not massively, but enough that if Supergirl were still… around… that Kara might've been the stronger between the two of them.

"You're pretty good with that thing," Galatea hummed as Ventus "spotted" for her by the control panel.

"We have a similar setup back at Titans Tower," Ventus replied, having told her a little bit about himself as they ferreted out some sports bras and panties for her to work out in.

Unfortunately, that was all she wanted to wear, but he couldn't exactly force her to wear more clothing than that if she didn't want to.

Well, technically he could have with his Power Ring. But the payoff would be grossly disproportionate to the amount of time and effort that endeavor would've entailed…

At least she wasn't naked anymore.

"Alright, that's your fifth set of one-hundred reps. Now it's my turn," he said locking the palette into its upright position and setting the retrieval for the sleds.

Galatea, doing some light stretches as the last of the sleds was retracted into its wall bracket, took the time to appreciate the physique of her warden now that he wasn't wearing indigo-and-black monk robes; his Power Ring of course was still on his finger.

At present, his attire consisted of dull gray tight-fitting shorts and a muscle shirt to match. It was definitely more fun to observe his physique with the naked eye, since as he lifted the hundred-pound weights onto the barbell, she was able to see the delicious flexing of his muscles and tendons as he worked. He was certainly more fit than Lasser was despite the age difference, and definitely cuter. The white hair and heterochromatic eyes were also a pleasant departure from the norm, reminding her of the "anime" some of the interns smuggled in for her during her upbringing before Cadmus plugged the leak.

She had no doubt that if she tried to make a run for it again, he would just open up another portal and shove her through; possibly crashing into something far less pleasant than her old bed. So, for the time being, she'd indulge in the cute eye candy whose undivided attention she now held.

"So. I notice you're kind of superhuman. How'd that happen?" Galatea hummed as she spotted the six-hundred-pound barbell he'd prepped for himself.

"Deathstroke wanted a successor to his legacy, so he roofied me."

" . . . Wait, really?" she blinked.

"Yes, really," Ventus deadpanned as his muscles strained, the massive amount of weight still rising and falling regardless. "It completely fucked me up. Forced me to re-learn every limit I had, and some I didn't. I would've burned through sooooo many doorknobs if we actually used those in the Tower. And it was a good thing Raven was there when I accidentally broke Beast Boy's wrist with a high-five. Then again, that training incident with Robin... should've been an indicator in of itself..."

"And that stuff was meant to make him immune to truth serum?" she asked, recalling the mandatory briefings for all the major movers and shakers she'd had to endure. "Then what the hell does the U.S. government think is in truth serum!?"

"I have no fucking clue," Ventus sighed, still amazed at the ease he benched so-much weight. "Only thing that made my dose different was it didn't make me a raving loony."

"That is a plus, yes," Galatea hummed, eyes metaphorically laser-focused on the way his chest and arms flexed.

She decided to add a little weight of her own to the barbell, a pleased hum passing her lips as a bead of sweat trickled along his neck, and how he was still able to push back against her. Definitely wasn't a weakling.

Being grounded might be fun after all~

*JLUxTT*

"Whatever happened to him anyway?"

"He who?" Ventus asked setting the barbell on its bracket.

"Slade. The guy whose ticket you punched to join the Junior Justice League."

"Hot lava bath," he answered with a roll of his shoulder.

"Get out~!" Supergirl grinned with a playful slap to the shoulder.

Were he not superhuman, that'd have sent him careening into the wall with a broken arm.

"No, really. Waller has his slagged-up mask to prove it. In fact…" he said going for hit T-Comm. "Waller, yeah, it's me. Listen, I need GPS coordinates for Slade's mask."

"And why, pray tell, do you need those?"

"To show Tea I really 'killed' the guy."

"'Tea', is it? You giving each other cutesy nicknames already~?"

"Her full name's too wordy and came from the story about that Greek guy who couldn't get it up for real women," Ventus deadpanned. "Now you gonna help me or not?"

*JLUxTT*

"Huh… Well holy shit…" Galatea hummed as she stared through an indigo-colored rift in space-time to Waller's trophy room, Deathstroke's iconic two-tone mask just as half-melted as it had been when Waller's field agents collected it for proof of death.

"Yup. That's how it went down," Ventus hummed, snapping a pic with his T-Comm. before backing them away and closing the portal. "He was the biggest baddie the Titans ever fought, and ever since he bit it, supervillains have been showing up less-frequently."

"So then the Teen Titans won't mind you being here long-term~" she hummed as she bent down to eye level, giving him a teasing peek at her cleavage.

"I'm sure some of them will mind."

"Makes sense. Just how many 'girls' of yours have to make due without a bed warmer?" she inquired playfully as he averted his eyes slightly.

"I won't dignify that with a response," he said testily.

"Oh, come on. No need to be so sensitive about it~" she said batting her eyelashes.

"Hrmmmmmm…"

Galatea, recognizing it might be better to change the subject, asked-

"What'd you do with all that money anyway?"

"Most's in savings, but I'm a landowner, so there's that."

"Nice. Living that 'all-American' dream," Galatea hummed appreciatively.

She'd never really "owned" anything of her own; Cadmus had provided everything she'd ever needed since she'd become self-aware. However, she'd been taught enough about how the world worked that she knew being the owner of the land you lived on was a pretty big deal.

That, and Cadmus' "indoctrination/programming" had filled her head with all sorts of pro-American ideas. And while she had technically "drunk the Kool-Aid", she'd discretely "spat it out" at a later date, and only did what they told her because she was Hamilton's brainchild (and surrogate) and following their orders gave her free range to use her Emil-given powers however she pleased.

"So, you wanna hit the gym?"

"Or the showers, if you'd like~"

"You've been using your X-Ray Vision on me, haven't you?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that allegation~"

"Of course you'd say something like that…" he deadpanned.

*JLUxTT*

" . . . Why're you on the treadmill anyway? You can fly."

"Never skip leg day!"

"Huh… That's actually a pretty humanizing answer, coming from you," her warden hummed astride a cycling machine.

"Well, I was meant to be 'more human' than the gods up on Mt. Olympus."

"Ironic since you're basically a legit alien."

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm a farmer's daughter~" she pouted his way. "See this ass?" she asked floating up and angling her perky derriere toward him, a finger extended. "This is 100% 'Made in America'."

"I'll take your word for it…" Ventus hummed as he tore his eyes away from her body, a small pout coming to Galatea's features before she returned to her task, left to her own thoughts, including but not limited to-

'Why the hell'm I trying so-hard to impress him…?'

-she asked herself, an unfamiliar warmth filling her chest.

*JLUxTT*

The thing about the both of them being literally superhuman in an underground facility with no windows or even wall clocks, was that you could easily lose the entire day working out non-stop. It was only when Ventus' puck-shaped communicator chimed an alarm clock sound that the former brunette called it in for the day, his body drenched in sweat while Galata "glowed".

"You're really going to follow me into the locker room?" the wind-wielder deadpanned as Galatea quite-blatantly bypassed the women's locker room.

"All the better to see me with~"

"And you can't just peep on me through the walls like a normal person with X-Ray Vision?"

"Can't. Walls are lined with lead. And let me tell you, when Cadmus was setting down roots, those lead plating manufacturers made a fucking mint off of us."

" . . . Whatever, I'm not ashamed of my body," the brunette huffed, allowing her to follow him in for the same reason he didn't forcibly dress her in more clothing than what she was wearing.

An added caveat of a brain that operated at "peak efficiency" compared to normal humans, was that one was able to get over societal hangups much more rapidly. A few minutes of nude exposure between members of opposing genders never hurt anyone. Hell, apart from the Greeks at the height of their empire, the Japanese in modern bathhouses had communal bathing too. That and his own more-recent interactions with Terra, Kitten, Blackfire, and even Raven had largely inured him to the idea of nudity.*

Whatever excuse Waller had used in preparation for Galatea's awakening had apparently worked, because every locker was completely bare. This left the two of them plenty of places to discard what little clothing they currently wore, Ventus taking the time to fold them once or twice while Galatea just shrugged them off and tossed them into a locker in a pile. Ventus, making his way to the shower ahead of her, gave Galatea plenty of latitude to eye his naked body without the use of super-powered vision.

"You've really been through the ringer, huh, Vee?" she hummed, her hand going to her brow in sympathy as she eyed his scars.

"We can't all be invulnerable."

"Near-invulnerable, or I'd have won that fight," she countered.

"Maybe, but I doubt you'd be dumb-enough to get me from 'Zero-to-Pissed' again, so it's a moot point," he said hitting the warm water. There were no individual stalls, and even if there were, he wouldn't have bothered pulling out any of the curtains.

Not with someone around that unashamedly used X-Ray Vision on him.

"So how'd you get that one across your back?" she asked taking the showerhead next to his own, the water set to maximum heat.

"Thanagarian labor camp."

"And the one in front?"

"Killer robot."

" . . . What happened to your heart?" she asked after a moment.

"Stabbed out by Slade's crazed yandere fangirl of a daughter," Ventus huffed as he grabbed the soap and lathered up.

"Oh? What happened to her?" she hummed.

If Supergirl were still around, she'd have definitely gotten her back for what happened on the Watchtower. So to know that Kara wasn't around anymore, well... She felt kind of robbed, to be honest. Maybe that was why she was so-interested in her "keeper"; because she was bereft of purpose and clung to the most-interesting person she saw after waking up.

"She was tracking me by my bio-signature, or at least I suspected, so I had my old ticker rigged up to life support and every explosive Fixit had on hand at the time. After Rose opened the ambulance door and had her 'OH SHIT!' moment, Kitten crystallized the only body part of hers we were able to find, hung it over the living room door like a bigmouth bass."

"Huh. Didn't think heroes took 'trophies'."

"Not normally. Not unless an opportunity presents itself~" Ventus chuckled as he idly scratched at his sternum. "You're saying you never took trophies?"

"Nah. Dr. Hamilton frowned on that sort of thing."

"But not you killing people with Heat Vision?"

"Superman getting brain-jacked by Darkseid really soured him to things, okay?" she huffed defensively.

"Fair enough," Ventus shrugged. "But say you did collect a trophy from Supergirl; what would it have been?"

"Her cape? Maybe the insignia on her shirt," Galatea shrugged. "Cadmus had me run simulations against the League's founding members, so if I had gone up against them for real... Batman's cape & cowl, Superman's cape, Wonder Woman's lasso, Green Lantern's ring, Flash's boots, Hawkgirl's mace, Martian Manhunter's-"

"He's technically naked," Ventus cut in.

"What, like Frieza from Dragonball Z?" she blinked incredulously.

"Cadmus let you watch anime?" Ventus returned just-as-incredulously.

"Only until they plugged the leak. Said it 'polluted the mind'," Galatea waved off. "Come to think of it, I can probably watch whatever I want now~ Now that the 'war' is over, I mean."

"Hm. That could be something to do," Ventus shrugged. As far as hobbies went, binge watching TV was perfectly benign for a former assassin. "You know... I actually have something in mind I think you'll really enjoy~"

"Oh? Like what?" she asked, her chest feeling hot as she saw the nostalgic smile on his face.

"Ah, don't wanna spoil the surprise. Also have to check if the lounge actually gets streaming services."

"I'm sure they do. Back when I was still active and had the run of the place, I heard scientists and security gab about their favorite shows all the time."

"Well then, looks like we have a movie night lined up."

"Glad to hear it~" Galatea purred. "Hey, would you mind washing my back? I'm still a bit stiff from my long nap and I can't quite reach."

"Yeah, okay," Ventus sighed as Galatea turned away from him, exposing the back of her hourglass figure to him. " . . . "

"Heh. Guess I'm not as invulnerable as you thought I was," Galatea hummed as she felt his eyes fall onto the slight spiral-shaped burn scarring on her back, her hands and eyes falling to its matching twin around her naval, a self-deprecating chuckle leaving her lips. "Bikinis are probably out-of-the-question for me, huh?"

The worst of the damage had undeniably healed over while she was in her years-long "healing coma", but it was undeniable that the markings which remained would be permanent.

"Oh please. Even with the burn marks, you'd still be the hottest piece of ass on any beach," Ventus hummed as his lathered hands worked on her back, a pleased hum leaving her lips as she leaned into his calloused touch.

"Mmmmmm~ Honestly, I'm just glad my eyebrows grew back," she cooed as sparks of electricity went up her spine. Her face heating up as she heard the blood coursing to his member, a wicked smile came to her lips. "Why're you holding me at arm's length, cutie? Don't be afraid to really get in there~" she purred as she reached back and grabbed him by the wrists, drawing him in chest-to-back and wrapping his arms around her midriff.

"G-Galatea!" the wind-wielder yelped as she leaned into him, his erect member throbbing between pert, round cheeks as his back met the slick wall behind them.

"Honestly, I don't think I've ever been held like this," she said somberly, something in her tone growing desperate as she clung to him. "I mean, sure, I had a fling with a reporter, but that was to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for Supergirl to follow. Apart from dadd-Doctor Hamilton, I haven't really... connected with anyone. To most of Cadmus I was nothing more than an attack drone with superstrength and laser eyes."

" . . . Even if you were grown in a test tube," Ventus began, his words causing her to wince against him, "that you can still feel sadness and loneliness like this... Clone or not, that doesn't make you any less 'real'."

"I... I, wow, I..." she blinked as tears came to her eyes, unmistakable even under the showerhead. "I didn't realize how-much I needed to hear that. Thank you," she breathed.

"You're welcome," the Teen Titan returned, tightening his embrace around the lonely Supergirl clone. "Any time you want to talk, I'll listen."

"I might just take you up on that offer," Galatea hummed. "Soooo~ How's that 'all-American ass' treating you?" she purred over her shoulder. "Admiring the craftsmanship?"

"W-Well, Dr. Hamilton certainly did good work, I admit," he grunted, trying not to let it show on his face as he felt her cheeks clench around him.

"Good to know~" she grinned, pressing her lips to the tip of his nose before suddenly pulling away. "Come on, let's towel off and get to that movie night. Wouldn't want to run the water bill too high, would we?"

Galatea floating off an inch above the floor, hips swaying and water running in rivulets down her curvy body, Ventus found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the sight before he violently shook his head.

'Keep it together, man, you aren't here to add another notch to the bedpost. You're here to make sure Waller's pet Argoan doesn't go on a rampage...'

Dousing himself with cold water and biting back a yelp, as he stepped past the towel rack and started to dry himself off, he spied Galatea waiting for him, turned away from him and making a show of slowly toweling her body off.

"This girl's gonna be the death of me..." he muttered aloud.

"But what a way to go~" Galatea smirked over her shoulder, sending him a wink before she let the towel fall and got herself dressed. "You go get the movie started, I'll cook up some popcorn. Unless... there's something else you'd rather be doing~"

"Movie. I'd prefer to watch a movie right now."

"It's cute that you really think that~" Galatea giggled, donning her sports bra and panties before flying off.

"Reeeeally hope the bathrooms are a security blind spot..." Ventus groaned, mentally willing his re-growing erection down and gathering up his clothes.

*JLUxTT*

*Check out my Ride the Wind off-shot on Archive of Our Own. At-present (6/18/23) the R-Rated off-shot is still incomplete, but I'm past the halfway point. Be sure to leave comments so I can improve my craft.