Chapter Eleven

Downtown

Metropolis

United States

15:12 – Eastern Standard Time

March 13, 2007

Galatea was walking along the sidewalk with bags full of cheap clothes, not only for her but also a few for Emil. He had offered to carry them for her, but she honestly could barely tell she was carrying anything, whereas she knew he would struggle.

As they passed a large shop's bay window, something caught her eye. She slowed to a stop and a grin formed on her lips as she stared into the store. Emil stopped and took a few steps back, looking in. He frowned as he realised it was a costume shop, and it was selling fake super-hero costumes.

"Can I get a Supergirl costume?" she asked him.

His brow raised in surprise. "Why would you want that?"

"Well, since she's no longer Supergirl, she won't mind if I wear it and tarnish her image a bit."

Emil did not like that idea one bit. "Tea, that's really petty," he pointed out.

"I know," she admitted. "The thought just really amuses me, though."

"Come on, we should really be getting back."

She looked at him. "I wanna take a look inside."

"Tea, no," he said in a warning tone.

She scowled and stamped her foot hard. The pavement cracked and several car alarms went off. "You never let me do what I wanna do!"

Emil stared in amazement. He realised for the first time, that he truly was dealing with a teenager. A teenager in an adult body.

Galatea lowered her head. "Sorry," she apologised. "I feel like an idiot." she raised the foot she had used to stamp. The sneaker was completely wrecked. "Whoops."

"Let's just get out of here. People are staring."

"Yeah, sure."

They started to walk, passing a gawking man. She stopped and glared at him.

"Something the matter?"

"N-no," he said as he turned and fled.

She looked around, back at the staring, frightened eyes.

"Scared of me!?" she yelled at them.

"Tea!" came Emil's voice.

She ignored him, as she saw them begin to hurriedly move away. "That's right! Run away!"

"Tea, please. Let them be. We don't want to draw too much attention."

She shot him a dark look. "That's all you care about. Not bringing attention to us. I can't hide, dad. I need to be free."

"You will be. But scaring people isn't the way."

"I don't even know why they're scared. It's not like I care enough to bother hurting them."

"They don't know that. They don't know what your intentions are. Now let's go, before someone with authority notices us."

"Sure. We'll flee and hide like cowards." She took a few steps back, standing in front of the costume store. "But first." She threw her fist through the glass and picked the Supergirl costume off of the rack, before setting it ablaze with her heat vision.

She discarded the remains, as the people in the store stared in horror.

The clone looked back to her shocked father. "Let's go."

Metro Tower

Metropolis

United States

16:21 – Eastern Standard Time

March 13, 2007

Being teleported was something Nightwing had never experienced before. It almost felt like the fuzziness of pins and needles, just without the discomfort. Batman had not joined him, thankfully. Nightwing knew that he couldn't spend more than a few minutes with his former mentor, not without there being an incident.

The Dark Knight had told Nightwing that Green Arrow would be waiting for him to give him a tour around the tower. So far, there was just him and the teleporter operator stood in the large room. That quickly changed when the door slid open and the green-clad archer strode in.

Nightwing stepped off the large teleporter and made his way over to Green Arrow.

The archer smiled at him. "I'll be the one showing you the ropes, kid."

"I don't need to be shown the ropes and I'm not a kid. The name's Nightwing."

"I know. The Bat told me. I guess you'd have preferred it if he'd shown you around?"

Nightwing could have laughed over how wrong that statement was. "No. I'd prefer it if I never had to see him again."

"I heard there were problems in the Batclan. Didn't know those problems included you."

"It all stems from him," Nightwing said, stating what he believed to be the truth.

"Come-on kid, the Bat ain't that bad."

"As long as you maintain a professional distance it isn't 'that bad'. Get to close and his self-destructive tendencies will infect you."

"Ooaakaay," Green Arrow said, unsure of how to properly respond. "Well, come on, I'll show you around."

Nightwing only passively paid attention as he was shown around the Metro Tower. His thoughts fell on Barbara, and on how he had left her standing there by the riverfront. He regretted it, but he now knew that he could never be the friend that she needed. His emotions were too closed off, and his personality had become cold. It would be better for her if all ties to her life in the Batclan were cut off. It would be better for her if she could truly start anew without people like him.

He was too much like Bruce, and he knew sooner or later he would just end up hurting her. He couldn't bear that. So it was best to just leave and to not look back.

Perhaps the league was the new beginning he needed. As long as he didn't bump into Batman too often, that was.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a hand waving in front of his eyes.

He frowned, till he saw Zatanna stood in front of him.

"Oh, hey Zee," Nightwing greeted.

She shook her head, looking at Green Arrow. "I don't think he's heard a thing you've said since arriving here."

"Sorry, I was thinking," Nightwing said, absent-mindedly.

"Want me to show him around instead?" she asked the archer.

Green Arrow shrugged. "Sure, if ya want to."

"I wouldn't mind," she said. "I look forward to catching up."

Green Arrow glanced down the hallway. "Well, I'll go see how Speedy is doing."

Nightwing glanced over at him. "Speedy's here?"

"That's right, ya know him don't you?"

"Yeah, from way back when you and him had that falling out."

"We made up. You might make up with the Bat if you try."

"The problem isn't on my end."

"He has been distant as of late," Zatanna added, referring to the Dark Knight. "He'll come around eventually, though. He always does."

"Not this time," Nightwing said sourly.

"Well, I'll see ya later," Arrow said, moving off.

Zee gestured forwards. "I'll show you around, and won't bore you unlike Arrow."

"He wasn't boring me. I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Joining the league is a big decision. I understand that."

"It is. I was invited to join in a reserve role, but I think I want something more active."

"You know that active members now require an observation period and that they'll team you with Batman."

"If that's the case, then I'll stay reserve. I don't think I could be around him for extended periods of time. Not without punching him out."

"You'd do that?"

"Maybe," Nightwing said. "I don't really want to talk about it. Not my place to spread gossip."

"I don't gossip, you know that."

"Do I?"

"We've become friends over the last few years since I moved back to Gotham," she told him. "Don't act like we're strangers."

"Sorry. I don't mean to be a bastard. It's his influence."

"You really don't like him, do you?" Zatanna observed.

"Not anymore. I gave him a second chance when I returned to Gotham after quitting being Robin and became Nightwing. He seemed different at first, but in the end, he was the same old Batman."

"I suggest you talk to him. I don't think you're being fair."

"I've had enough of talking about him," Nightwing said, deciding to change the subject. "How 're things with you?"

"Pretty good," she said, before changing the subject. "Y'know, you should have sought me out when you were dealing with that cult stuff, y'know."

His brow raised in surprise. "How'd you know about that?"

"I was told by the guy you don't want to talk about anymore."

"Right, and how did he know?"

She shrugged. "Don't ask me. Regardless, you should have called me."

"They themselves weren't demons, they were just some cult. I put a stop to what they were doing."

"You could easily have found yourself in over your head."

"Because I'm just a normal guy without powers?" he asked, folding his arms with a frown.

"No, because you're inexperienced with the supernatural," she told him.

"I'm adaptable. Besides, apart from the guy who punched through a solid steel chain, they weren't an issue. The girl got away, though and I don't know where. The trail's cold."

"I could help," she offered.

"Thanks, Zee, but I don't think there's anything to help with."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. Best I can tell, she escaped the city. Might be in Gotham now. If that's the case, she's not my concern anymore."

"So she's no longer your problem because she's not in Blüdhaven?" she questioned.

"I can't patrol the world, Zee."

Zatanna decided to drop it. "You hungry?" she asked him

"What time is it?"

"Nearly half five."

"Sure," he accepted.

"I'll show you to the cafeteria."

Danville

Central City

United States

17:48 – Central Standard Time

March 13, 2007

Wally didn't see his aunt and uncle as much as he should and he knew that. They were more like parents to him as they were the ones that always looked out for him and always seemed to have the best advice. Iris was his Aunt by blood, whereas Barry was his Uncle through marriage. Without them, he didn't know where he would be. Definitely not the Flash, that was certain.

It was unfortunate that Barry's time as the Flash had come to an end the way it did. It still broke Wally's heart every time he saw him.

As Wally walked up the front path to the front door with Giganta close behind, he wondered if he had made a mistake bringing her here. A few days and she already knew his identity and soon she would meet the two people who meant so much to him.

As his knuckles wrapped against the door he knew it was far too late to do anything about it.

The two waited a few moments before the door opened.

"Wally," his aunt greeted.

"Aunt Iris," he said in return as the two hugged.

"Who's this?" she asked with a smile, looking back at Giganta.

"Erm, this is, erm Gina," he said. "Erm, Gina Gat."

'Gina' stepped forward and held out her hand. "Wally and I are dating. It's so good to meet you."

Iris' face lit up as she shook the woman's hand. "That's wonderful. Come on in, I'll go call Barry."

The two stepped inside and entered the lounge where they both sat down. A few moments later, his Uncle Barry wheeled himself in on his wheelchair, followed by Iris.

"Well, it's good to see you, Wally," he greeted. "I heard what happened with your job. Sorry about that."

"It's okay, you know how it is."

"The balance can be tough to get right," Barry agreed knowingly. "And who's this lovely young lady?"

Giganta smirked at Wally. "Gina Gat," she said, offering a hand.

He took it and briefly shook it, before kissing the back of it. "A pleasure. Though you look familiar, have I seen you before. On TV or something?"

"I doubt it," Wally said, forcefully.

"Are you a model?" Iris asked her. "I swear I've seen you from somewhere as well."

"No, no," 'Gina' said. "You're confusing me for someone else."

"Sure?"

"I'm sure," she replied with a warm smile. "Though do you honestly think I look like a model?"

Iris nodded. "You're got the figure, and you're certainly tall enough."

"I never thought about that line of work," she mused. "What do you think, Wallace?"

"Sure, I think you'd look good on the catwalk."

"Maybe I'll pursue it then."

"What do you do now?" Barry asked. "If you don't mind me being a little nosey."

"I sorta left my old employment," she told them. "Wasn't really my thing anymore."

"So you just quit?" Iris asked.

"More like things fell apart."

"Sorry to hear that," Barry offered.

"I'm not. I needed a change of scenery."

Wally cleared his throat. "Well, I need to talk to Barry about something."

"Sure," Iris said. "Both me and Gina will sit in the yard."

The two left, leaving the current and former Flash alone in the living room.

"How did you do it?" Wally asked after a moment.

"What? Keeping a job while being Flash?"

"Yeah."

"It wasn't easy. I also didn't have a league to worry about. I rarely ever left the city, so I could go take a 'toilet break' deal with an issue, then be back before anyone noticed. That's more difficult when you've been called to a problem on the other side of the world."

"But other leaguers manage to hold down a job."

"And any one of them might find themselves without one at any time," Barry told him. "Being a hero is perilous work, and I'm not just talking about the physical danger. Heroes skirt on the edge of losing their real-life jobs all the time. And don't get me started on private life. I'm lucky I met your Aunt Iris and you're lucky too. Gina seems like a lovely girl."

"Yeah, she is."

"Does she know?"

"Know what?"

Barry rolled his eyes. "Does she know your masked persona?"

"No," he lied.

Barry regarded him for a few moments. "Are you sure about that?"

"She doesn't know I'm the Flash."

"She knows, doesn't she," Barry concluded.

"What? No!"

"When did she find out?"

"She doesn't know."

"You can't lie to me, Wally."

The current Flash threw his hands into the air in defeat. "Okay, she knows."

"Did you tell her, or did she discover that you were Flash?"

"It was actually the other way around. She discovered Flash was Wally West."

Barry slowly shook his head. "You better hope that the relationship goes well and that if it ends, it ends on good terms and not poorly."

"I know all this. I'm gonna try and make it work."

"It better be more than try. She could literally ruin your life. She could also put your Aunt in danger."

"I know," Wally admitted. "It wasn't intentional, it just happened.

"That's how it was with Iris. But it was the other way around for me. She discovered that Barry Allen was the Flash."

"And look how things turned out," Wally said.

Barry slowly shook his head. "I wish you luck, Wally. You might need it."

"Thanks. Can we not let Gina know that you know that she knows my identity?"

Barry frowned. "Why?"

"Just, please?"

"Sure. What about your Aunt?"

"Yeah, keep it between us for now."

"I don't like keeping secrets from my wife, Wally."

"I'll take all the blame. I just need time to try and see where this is going, and I don't want to worry her."

"Okay, but you owe me for this."

"Sure, you name it."

"When I have something in mind, I'll let you know."

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to regret this?"

"Don't worry, it won't be too bad. Now, are you and Gina staying for dinner? Me and your Aunt were just about to start it before you came."

"Um, sure."

"Come on then, let's bring them back inside."

Midtown

Metropolis

United States

19:14 – Eastern Standard Time

March 13, 2007

It had been quiet in Pauline's apartment since the Galatea and Emil had arrived home. Pauline was still out at work and the two hadn't spoken much. Galatea had almost exclusively spent her time looking out of the window, down at the park, knowing that Emil was upset at her for how she had behaved. She, on the other hand, felt angry. Angry at herself, angry at her father and angry at the world.

The worst part was that she had to keep her frustrations locked away inside. She couldn't let them out, or else people could die. She didn't know why she even cared. She had no real connection to humanity, beyond the fact that they had 'grown' her.

No, that wasn't true and she knew it. Emil was another connection to humanity, and a strong one. He loved her like a daughter and she drew strength from it. But that strength only took her so far.

She clenched her knuckles, as she turned her attention away from the park, back into the apartment.

"I love you daddy, but you need to try and understand me more."

He looked over at her from where he had been sat in silence for the last few hours. "Tea, I've been thinking."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes I did, and you're right. I think you need more interaction with people, to try and get to know humanity. But I'm not sure that's possible. How you behaved outside that costume shop. You could have hurt someone."

"I'm frustrated," she said, looking back out of the window. "I mean, who am I? What is my place here?"

"Whatever you want it to be," Emil said to her.

"But it isn't is it?" she said, looking back around. "That's just you being stupid. I can't be whatever I want to be, can I?"

"Sure you can. It will take some time, and it'll be hard work. Together, we'll forge you a life. One that you can be proud and happy to live."

"But I have absolutely no idea what I want to be. I was taught to follow orders. If those orders were to kill, I killed."

"Tea, you're smart enough to make life whatever you want. You are clever enough to dream, and make your dreams a reality."

"Fancy words that mean nothing," she said bitterly.

"Tea," he said, before waving off whatever it was he was going to say. "Maybe you're right."

"Look, I really appreciate that you have faith in me. I just have no idea what I'm meant to do."

"Then we'll find out together, as father and daughter."

"Nice sentiment," she mumbled, "but I just don't know if I have a future. I just don't want to have to hide away forever."

"I'll be honest with you. It won't be easy forging a future, but we'll manage it. Just look at Superman. He's been at rock bottom, seen as an enemy, but he picked himself up. If he can do it, you can as well."

She knew exactly where he was taking this conversation. "So you're saying if I don't want to hide away, that I go around using my powers to help people?"

"You have the ability," he pointed out.

"But that's not something I want to do."

"Have you ever tried?"

"Have you?"

"I don't have superpowers."

"Neither does Batman."

"I'm not skilled or trained in combat. I'm also too old."

"So, you want me to be a hero?"

"I want you to follow your heart."

She scowled. "Which you hope makes me another Supergirl."

"No," he said in frustration. "You are your own person. There is no reason to feel like you have to live in her shadow. There's no reason to feel inferior to her. You are Galatea an individual and you get to choose your future."

She looked back out of the window. "If you say so."

She didn't believe what he was telling her. She had no idea what she wanted, so how could she possibly make her dreams a reality, when she didn't have any?

Watchtower II

Earth Orbit

21:05 – Station Time (EST)

March 13, 2007

Kara In-Ze had returned after spending an extended patrol day with Wonder Woman and had also just finished getting brain scanned by J'onn regarding her unfortunate mental link with her clone.

At that moment she was heading to her own quarters, hoping to catch a good night sleep. Tomorrow was the day she would be re-initiated into the league and she was rather looking forward to it.

She rounded a corner to see Superman talking to two people, who she passively recognised as Big Barda and Mister Miracle.

Superman looked passed them at her and waved. "Hey, Kara."

Kara walked over to them, Barda eyeing her almost like a predator as she did so.

"This is the Kryptonian girl, then?" Barda asked.

"Yes, this is Argo, formally Supergirl," Superman confirmed.

"So she is strong, then," Barda said, with a smile.

Miracle rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing you're going to want to spar with her at some point," he said to his wife.

"Yes, I want to test myself against her."

Miracle shook his head slowly, with a smile on his face. "Don't mind Barda," he said to Kara. "She likes to prove herself against other strong women. It's something left over from her days as the leader of Granny Goodness' Female Furies."

"Nothing wrong with it," Barda defended. "She doesn't look particularly strong, though," she mused. The former Apokalyptian then looked over at Superman. "But appearances can be deceiving," she said.

The Kryptonian ignored the implied insult. "I'm hoping you aren't going to want to fight every woman in the Justice League."

"Of course not. At this point, the only ones I see as worthy are the Amazon princess and Kara."

Kara couldn't help but smile at that. She felt somewhat proud to be put up on a pedestal with Diana. But she couldn't help but think that there had to be others. Shayera, for instance, was a pretty fierce warrior. Surely she could give Barda a decent challenge as well. Then again, from what she had heard, the Tamaranean girl that had arrived just last night could give Barda a run for her money.

"Well, as long as they agree, and you do it far away from anyone who could get hurt, then I suppose there's no harm in it," Superman said.

"I'll think about it," Kara said.

Barda put a surprisingly strong hand on Kara's shoulder. "Don't think too long. Think of it as training. Rarely do you get the chance to truly test yourself. Don't let the opportunity pass you by."

"I'll think about it," Kara repeated. "Now, I'm off to go catch up on some rest."

"Don't let me stop you," Barda said, releasing the blonde woman's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't," Kara said. "Superman," she said, nodding her head at him.

"Argo," he said in response.

Miracle offered his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Kara shook it. "You too. And you as well, Barda."

"Keep my offer in mind," Barda said.

"I know."

As Kara moved off, Superman called after her. "Remember, if you do, don't do it on the Watchtower. I don't want it brought out of orbit."

"Understood," Kara called back as she headed to her room, not really that interested in taking Barda up on her offer.

She stepped into her room and took a casual glance down at the Earth. It always looked beautiful from up here with its swirling clouds and beautiful blue oceans. It was a sight to behold and in a strange way, she was glad to be back here in this time. She had forgotten how much she had missed the simplicity here.

She yawned and stretched before deciding to go straight to bed.

Updated Dexember 2017