"I said what I said. These guys fell down the stairs." I asserted with my arms crossed as I stood before Galatea atop the stairs. Between us, the agents lay sprawled on the staircase floor, their bodies twisted at odd angles.
She gave a quick, skeptical glance at the downed agents sprawled around us before inspecting the staircase itself. Her gaze then returned to me, her expression incredulous, "You're expecting me to believe that an entire team of black ops agents just so happened to fall down a flight of stairs? WIth broken necks and limbs to add to that?" she countered skeptically.
"Some broken necks. And those that do are still breathing, though not for long without any medical attention." I replied.
Galatea raised an eyebrow and examined the incapacitated agents more closely. "Well, would you look at that, not all of them are dead," she commented, her tone still skeptical. "But still, you assaulted government operatives or at the very least obstructed their mission."
"How was I supposed to know that they were government operatives? For all I know they could've been supervillain goons or terrorists! Shapeshifters even, they exist!" I argued in my defense. Seriously, there's all kinds of scenarios that imposters could easily pop up, most commonly of the alien or android kind. However, I didn't want to point that out considering the present people fit into either category.
"Regardless, I'm going to have to ask that you come with me, so we can clear out this issue with my superiors. If you cooperate with me, I can put in a good word for you and we can clear this issue up." she offered in a friendly tone.
Aw, clever aren't you? And here I thought she was gonna go with her initial approach that I read from her mind of a simple brute force ultimatum. Then again, she assumed that I was an 'average' android before our meeting.
"Ok, but what if I didn't feel like going with you? After all, what authority do you have anyway? After all, since when did Supergirl start working for the federal government?" I questioned defiantly.
Galatea chuckled softly, "Ohohoho, despite the resemblance, I can assure you that she doesn't as I'm not her. As you can see, besides the difference in costumes, the difference is rather obvious, don't you think?" she asked as she cocked a brow while pressing her chest out.
"True, true." I easily agreed, enjoying the eye candy she presented, briefly because of manners, before looking back at her eyes, "And smokin' hot you may be, I still ain't going with you. Not too big a fan of Cadmus you see."
At the mention of Cadmus, Galatea's demeanor shifted. She narrowed her eyes and frowned, abandoning her previous friendliness, "Alright, tin can" she said with a determined tone, "then I'm going to have to be blunt here. My superiors want you brought in because you leaked our existence to those loose cannons, the Justice League. You somehow found out about us and that's a problem. If you don't comply, I'm authorized to bring you in as pieces of scrap." she warned.
I remained irreverent even with her threat. "Hmm, nope," I denied bluntly.
"Nope, huh?" Galatea repeated, her frown deepening. She shrugged, "Well, don't say that I didn't warn you."
Without warning, she rushed toward me, her fist aimed at my face. In response, my mind shifted into high gear with a combat module, the process akin to a fight-or-flight response for an android. My mental processing speed surged, causing her punch to appear to me like molasses pouring from a jar.
I easily dodged her attack and, in the speedster classic move, tapped her on the shoulder from behind.
She was alarmed but quickly whirled around to throw another punch, much faster this time but still too slow. But rather than dodge, I just caught it and I carried, because dragging implied that she could resist at all, her far out of the house, not too keen on damaging it any more than she already had.
I lifted her into the air and slammed her into the ground before she could fly out of my grip, the momentum and force indenting her into a Galatea-sized hole.
"What," Galatea muttered flatly, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. As her anger surged, she pulled herself up.
"Alright, I might have underestimated you, tin can. I won't be doing that anymore." She declared before lifting herself into the air and flying straight at me.
I caught her arm as she attempted to punch me, effortlessly lifting her over my shoulder and sending her airborne. Undeterred, she quickly reoriented herself through a twist in the air and launched towards me once more.
To which I simply stood there, unmoving until she was about to crash into me, as she then flew through an empty space and crashed to the ground.
Before I could muse up a taunt, a pair of red beams shot out from the ground at me. They moved quicker than she did, but I dodged them all the same with the tilt of my head. She fired a barrage of them but they proved just as successful as the first shot as I weaved and waded through each one, this time using my elasticity and flexibility gained from Martian Manhunter and Jack rather than just speed dodging.
"Hmm, you know, you haven't hit me once during our little bout," I taunted, my mechanical voice dripping with arrogance. "How about I throw you a bone? I'll stand right here and allow you to do your worst," I said, a wicked grin hidden beneath my shifting features.
Her response was a growl as she clenched her fists, determination etched across her face, and anger simmering beneath the surface. "You. Are. Dead," she gritted out.
As I had promised, I stood perfectly still, unfazed by her threats, and allowed her to make her first hit. Of course, I wasn't so foolish as to just take hits from a Kryptonian without precaution. With a swift transformation, I turned my entire body into Nth Metal, using my shapeshifting abilities to hide any visible details of such a change or the metal itself.
I didn't even budge from her first strike, which only seemed to fuel her rage. She proceeded to throw another and another, engaging in a rapid barrage of attacks, all directed at my chest. Each punch she delivered came at me faster and with greater force than the last, her anger increasing as she continued to try and break me.
Then, she threw one more punch, one that she believed would end the battle. To her surprise, I only raised a brow in response. My nonchalant reaction only fueled her anger further, and she unleashed a new barrage, combining the strength of her last attacks and continuing to pummel me.
"Why! Won't! You!" she roared in frustration.
Upon noticing that all of that effort had been in vain, she stopped to get some ground. Her rage still burned within her, as did her flaring eyes, and I knew she likely had something else in store.
"Die!" she roared she threw a single punch, this one blow carrying far more momentum than any she had thrown so far, hell it was more than I had seen from Superman against Brainiac.
Seems that she was about to unleash her full power. It was something that, despite her hits having done no damage to me so far, made me nervous considering how powerful Kryptonians can be once they stop holding back, as shown when Superman went all out on Darkseid, sending him flying high and fast through several buildings from a single yet devastatingly powerful blow. One that would have devastated anyone else who lacked a constitution comparable to a New God.
It was something to be rightfully wary of, and by all means, I should stop fucking around and take her down now or get the hell out of dodge, but…
I was curious to see what would happen. Besides, if Amazo could regenerate his head getting blown off from the inside, then a powerful blunt force to the chest is more than survivable.
And should the Nth Metal hold against Galatea's full power…
Once the punch connected, the effects were immediate, a shockwave erupted, and I was moved back a few feet.
And to both of our surprise, it had left a dent in me.
It felt surreal, more so once I put my finger to feel it. That my first fight, against a blow that would utterly ruin most beings had they been hit with it …wasn't much to me.
"All that for a dent?" I commented idly, though I was feeling real fucking smug about it and it couldn't be hidden even if I tried. I tanked a full-power blow from a Kryptonian! Sure, she wasn't Superman, hell, she was Argonian rather than a Kryptonian, but a genetically enhanced Supergirl was still very much something to be proud of.
"…what? What!?" she exclaimed in disbelief, "I put everything that I had into that! And all it gets is a dent!? A FUCKING DENT?!"
I could've added insult to my injury, as well as her ego's, by just fixing myself, since my original self had regenerated from an internal explosion via a self-destruct, to show that even her best wouldn't even last on me, but I happen to believe in Harvey Dent. Or rather, in her. And while bullying her was fun, I didn't want the woman to hate me if I went too far.
That'd make turning her away from Cadmus more difficult than it needed to be.
I've yet to even go on the offensive other than one move, a throw that moved her far further than she did to me and one she hadn't even managed to react to until it was already done. The other throw was more of a redirection than an actual attack. The only hits that she landed, out of the many she tried to make, were the ones that I allowed her to hit.
And with her best shot, it hardly phased me.
At this point, it should be abundantly clear that my victory would be a foregone conclusion if I went on the offensive.
She seemed lost, both in terms of strategy and spirit.
With the power of Supergirl, there were few on the planet who could truly challenge her in terms of sheer physical power. The only exceptions, as far as she knew, were the more formidable members of the Justice League. However, the gap between her and them paled in comparison to the chasm that separated her from me. Against the Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the greatest fear of a corrupt/government shadow organization, she at least had a chance.
To be fair, little could stand against my brand of bullshit.
"How?" Galatea rasped out, her anger giving way to confusion and still recovering from the amount of effort she had just wasted. Perhaps the most effort she ever had to exert, given by her seeming unused to such a prolonged fight let alone against a superior foe.
"Nanomachines, son. They harden in response to physical trauma," I explained, technically telling the truth. My nanotech wasn't the exact science of the nanomachines from the Metal Gear universe, but I certainly could replicate the effects thanks to adaptability and abusing Nth Metal. So much Armstrong said to Raiden, "That means you can't hurt me, Kara."
Now, the exact kind of friendship that Superman shared with Hamilton wasn't really that known to me, as my main exposure to this variant of the DC Universe was limited to the Justice League cartoons and Batman Beyond. So for all I knew, Superman could've told the scientist everything about his Kryptonian heritage, or only a few details.
Now, why did this matter? Primarily because of the reaction that the clone would have to the name she somehow shared a link to.
Her eyes widened in recognition of the name and a deep anger came forth, "My name is not Kara!" she snapped.
"That it isn't," I agreed with a nod, "Nor is it who you are, Galatea."
"How the hell do you know?" she demanded in shock.
I continued, my tone still measured, "And it shouldn't be either. You are your own person after all."
She froze at that, having not expected that from a complete stranger. And with that hesitation, I seized the opportunity to continue before she could come back to her thoughts, "Well, you should be. You have every right to be. But as you are now, you're just a slave."
"I'm no slave-" she began to counter but I didn't let up.
"You boast about being better than Supergirl, and objectively speaking, you are right. More training, more discipline, more skill, more developed, more powerful. Quite frankly it's utterly obvious who's the superior between you two. Yet, you still feel the need to be better than her. You still doubt yourself despite all of that. Because if you aren't better, you can't prove yourself as real. That you aren't just a clone."
"That's not who I am!" she protested, but I continued still.
"That's not who you are of course, but why wouldn't you feel that way were it not for Cadmus? Who views you as nothing more than just a clone of Supergirl, of Kara In-ze."
"They don't see me that way! I'm a vital asset-"
"Even worse than a clone!" I exclaimed, "At least a clone is a copy of a person, still a person nonetheless. You're just a tool to them, a weapon. Yet you happen to be alive, making you for all intents, their slave."
"After all, was anything you did for them out of your free will? Something that you weren't nudged towards out of conditioning? Did you have a choice that you made entirely on your own that hasn't been in service to them? All are born free in this country, yet you were born in chains."
Galatea fell silent upon my words, contemplating them. It didn't take too long for her to accept the harsh reality that they pointed out.
"Cadmus may view me that way, but my father Hamilton doesn't! He loves me, and it's for him that I do what I do. To help keep this country safe, to stand in defense against the greatest threats to the country should the Justice League go against it!"
Ah, she accepted what Cadmus saw her as but was still attempting to cling to the one thing she had valued most. For all that Vought and Vogelbaum failed to provide any source of familial bonds to Homelander, Cadmus had lucked out in forming one between her and Hamilton. However, having such a bond at all still didn't justify abuse or betrayal.
"Ah, yes. Professor Emil Hamilton," I started. She was so into her speech that she missed the fact that she just exposed her father as a part of Cadmus. A little unfortunate that we were outside and away from Batman's bugs but given how Superman would react to such a revelation, it was probably for the best that such was avoided for the moment.
"Considering that he's your father, he has to be the one responsible for your enhancements, you growth and development. For your very existence even."
"Exactly, which is why I know that he cares for me." She replied with reinvigorated confidence.
"Alright then," I nodded, "Allow me to do a bit of an experiment with you then."
"...it's not like I can stop you at this point." She pointed out in resignation, still burnt out. Not that she could even outrun me if she were fresh and going at full speed either.
"Now, as an android made of nanotechnology, such an exotic form of tech means that I come with some exotic features," I explained in a lecturing tone, even holding out a finger, "One of which being the ability to control metals lesser than my own."
"So you're a magnetic tin can then? Whoop de doo. Now why exactly should I care, it should be obvious that I don't have any metal on me."
"Not on you my dear, but inside of you, certainly."
Going by the frantic widening of her eyes, she got the idea for the completely wrong kind of metal that I was referring to. And while that could evolve into such a thing one day, "I was talking more about man-made metal rather than the naturally in man metal." I quickly interjected.
She glared at me for the scare but quickly became snarky again, "For such an 'exotic machine', seems that you aren't aware of what a tracker is?"
Oh, I have no doubt that what's inside her is certainly serving as a tracker, likely satellite-based even. (which annoyingly enough means that Cadmus not only knows about my relation to Ivo, since it was him who those agents were sent here for, but they also now know where I live.) But that wasn't exactly what I was talking about either. It's a feature that Luthor put into his own bizarre clone of a Kryptonian and one that Ivo put into me.
"And what if I told you that it was more than just a tracker?" I asked leadingly.
"What else could something that small be?"
"Ah yes, what else could something that small while also being located right at your brain stem be?" I asked cryptically to build up some suspense.
At her silent glare, I shrugged before dropping a hint just as sinister as the answer, "The answer may just blow your mind."
At that she stilled, realizing the severe implications in the pun.
"That's impossible!" she exclaimed, "There's no way that Cadmus would do that to its most vital asset, their only hope to counter Superman other than some green rocks! There's no way that Hamilton would put a fucking bomb in my head!"
In lieu of answering any further with words, I simply held my hand out as if I were receiving something. A gesture, both to signify that I would be doing something and a mnemonic to help me channel the power.
I pulled on the feeling of chip-sized metal from inside of her, it actually had been in the neck rather than the brain stem or the brain itself. Which does make sense I suppose, as I'm sure that Hamilton and Waller would've wanted that bomb in her as soon as possible but didn't want to kill Galatea by introducing her to Kryptonite for a procedure as prolonged and intensely surgical as the brain and brain stem would involve, especially at a young age. The neck was a safer spot to operate on with less possibility for lethal exposure while also still being lethal if detonated.
Which was fortunate for me since pulling it out of the neck was a hell of a lot safer than pulling it straight from her brain or the brain stem. Either would require a medical skill, technology, and environment that I did not have access to. Not without a great deal of effort since I doubt that procedures like that would've been common in 2003 outside of the most scientific of minds, and it'd be far too much of a hassle to in revealing too much of my capabilities.
So I pulled the chip from her neck, before speeding behind her and quickly cauterizing the wound with a focused blast of my heat vision layered with Scott's power to take effect on Galatea's skin.
I ran back to the previous spot with the chip in hand. "Low and behold, this. Now tell me, what do you see?" I asked as I held it out in front of her, having to crouch a great deal so she could view it close up from the ground.
She was wide-eyed as her hand was feeling the new burn mark on her neck and gazing between where I just was and where I stood now. After getting over another demonstration of my superiority over her, she looked at the chip flatly before replying just as such, "...a chip. Are you stupid?"
"No, though one could argue that I belong in an aslume." I quipped back. Though Batman would argue anyway should he ever find out about my crimes.
"You mean asylum?"
"No, I mean tell me what you see with your x-ray vision. And it won't be circuits."
She looked at the chip, her brows furrowing in conclusion as she saw what I did, "...I can't see anything." She admitted, her voice faltering.
"Ah, lead. The one thing that Kryptonians can't see through. Such an antiquated metal inside of such a piece of advanced tech could only mean one thing, no? Daddy Hamilton didn't want you seeing this."
"Now, why would he want such a thing?" Now, while I couldn't see what was inside either, but with Luthor's tech I was more than able to detect and sense what was inside. And so, when I crushed the chip in a pinch, the inside revealed-
"No no no no nonononnono!" she exclaimed in panic.
-A shard of Kryptonite.
"No! No! NO! NO!" she cried out as her legs collapsed, dropping her to her knees.
"If Hamilton feared Superman going rogue so much, wouldn't it stand to reason that he, along with a group fearful of Superman, would ensure that the Kryptonian they had utter control over had such a thing in place?"
"But…but I'd never-" she tried to vocalize, her voice shaky as she struggled to get the words out.
"What? Turn against your masters? If not from the conditioning, then surely from the threat of the death. And once they view you as too much of a threat, or no longer of use…"
"...why?" she asked, her voice nothing but a whisper.
"If you were made with the intent of being nothing more than a weapon, a tool, you get made with the intent to be disposed of eventually. Either no longer serving as intended or as needed."
"Trust me, I know," I continued, my voice softening, as I laid a hand on her shoulder, "It sucks when dad builds a self-destruct device inside of you."
"What did you do when you found out?" she finally asked.
"Well, I began, my tone reflective, "he was already dead by the time I found out. And he was dying of lung cancer, so any 'revenge' would be moot since all it'd do is put him out of his misery. So all I did was just bury his dead body."
Galatea absorbed my words, her expression pensive. "Now," I said, redirecting the conversation, "What do you want to do now that you've found out?"
"They aren't dead nor dying, not yet. And the only grave they'll get is rubble," she declared, her voice laced with determination.
"So, you want to kill them then," I observed, carefully watching her reaction.
"Yes!" she roared as she jumped back to her feet, her anger reigniting like a fierce wildfire. Her fists clenched, and her voice echoed with a potent mix of rage and hurt,"Whoever built the damn chip, did the procedure to put it in, authorized it, and da-Hamilton for allowing it! Especially him! How could he!?"
Meeting her fiery gaze, I couldn't help but to borrow a line from a similar situation, "He may have been your father, but he certainly wasn't your daddy. That said, you shouldn't kill him or the others."
Her furious pacing came to an abrupt halt, and she shot me a puzzled look. "What?" she questioned, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Ah yes, the ever so cliche 'revenge bad/don't kill' speech. Coming from me of all people, I know, I know, it's rather hypocritical. But, it's for a good reason, I swear.
For her own good really.
"You flying in with hell's fury before killing them will certainly make you feel good in the moment," I began, "Hell, it may even be therapeutic and just what you need. But, you know what they'd feel?"
"They'll suffer! That's what they'll feel!" she declared, her eyes filled with anger and burning with heat vision.
"Oh definitely, Kryptonians can inflict terrible agony upon those they unleash their fury on," I easily agreed. "But, while also dying in utter fear and agony, they'll also die knowing that they were right."
"WHAT!?" she cried out in outrage.
"After all, your actions would only validate their decision to implant that kill chip in you. That the only thing wrong they did was not having enough failsafes or killing you when they had the chance. If you go over there right now and kill them all, you'll only justify to them that what they did was justified."
"If what you want is to prove them wrong, that you aren't the weapon they can and should dispose of, just leave."
"After all of that, you're telling me just to leave."
"Yes," I confirmed softly yet firm, "You leave, and you're no longer their slave. To their orders or their fears. If you choose to leave, you choose not to validate their actions. You prove them wrong by living as your own person, living for yourself."
"…and what then? All I've ever known was being a Cadmus operative. I have nowhere to go." she questioned, uncertainty creeping into her voice.
I leaned forward, my eyes locked on to hers in a reassuring stare, "Go find yourself then," I urged, my tone gentle yet resolute, "You aren't Kara, you're not just her clone, you aren't Cadmus' slave, you're just yourself. You don't even have to be Galatea if you don't want to live by the name they shackled on to you. Now you just need to go and find who you truly are and what your place is in the world." A brief thought came to help her out by suggesting a name; though a problem with that is that giving her Powergirl's name, Karen, isn't going to work here at all and there's no equivalent in Marvel I could just borrow either.
As she contemplated this rather profound notion, a brief thought crossed her mind. She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked, her eyes seeking answers, "And what should be my place then? You're the one with all this shit you shouldn't be knowing, shouldn't you have the answers too?"
In the end however, I decided against giving her a name. Much like ogres, names could carry many layers after all. And a name was the foundation of an identity; one that could be given, but one that would best be found, "I can suggest, but ultimately that's up to you to decide. Your decision to make."
"…I'm surprised that you're not preaching that I go buddy up with the League." she remarked with some surprise.
Not surprised that she'd assume such, since all she knew about me was likely the little that Cadmus knew, that I was a whistleblower/informant and worked in some capacity with the Justice League. And had she been anyone else, I could see that being a valid suggestion to make. Hell, I would've done the same as I did with the Royal Flush Gang.
Batman with his wealth could easily set something up for her, Wonder Woman could be a mentor for her, and Superman could be an inspiration of hope for her to be better, to handle the fear and distrust of the world for their world-ending power.
Unfortunately, the timing of this along with canon insight makes this a painfully nonviable option.
I winced slightly before explaining why, "…alright, I'm going to have to impose something on you there. Do not run into the League, at least not for a while yet. A clone of Supergirl right when they've just found out about Cadmus' operations is gonna lead to some conflict I'd rather the both of you avoid. Especially with you and Superman. How Hamilton got your DNA was a major breach in trust between him and Superman."
"And that's my fault somehow!? Like I asked to be born a clone! Wasn't he supposed to be some kind of boy scout, a good samaritan, or was that really all an act!?" she ranted, bitterness lacing every word.
"He is for the most part, but he's also human. Raised as such and feels as such. Meaning that for all that he has his moral virtues, he does fall to human irrationalities as well. With you being the direct representation of his friend betraying him and exploiting the last remnant of his biological family in a dire moment of need, he and Kara are going to be touchy about that and you for a while."
"It sucks, and it certainly isn't fair to you, but it is what it is for now."
I let out a huff of a sigh before concluding, "Basically, as long as you don't try to kill everyone at Cadmus, go after Kara, or become a villain, then I support whatever it is that you want to do with yourself."
"And if you still find yourself lost, I happen to have a spare couch you could use. Just, if you come over and I'm not around, don't treat the stairs like you do the doors and you should be fine here."
Her gaze shifted toward the house, specifically at the doors, and a faint blush colored her cheeks. A sheepish expression crossed her face as she remembered her previous encounter with the doors.
Galatea sat in stunned silence, contemplating everything she had learned and the difficult choices ahead. Her anger had given way to a sense of clarity, and she was slowly coming to terms with the reality of her situation.
Galatea's eyes lingered on the house, a mixture of curiosity and hesitation in her gaze. She seemed torn between her desire to explore the unknown and the uncertainty of what lay ahead. With a deep breath, she finally turned her attention back to me.
"Thank you," she said, her voice filled with a hint of gratitude. "For helping me see the truth, for showing me there's more to life than being a pawn of Cadmus."
I nodded in understanding. "You're welcome, Galatea. Remember, you have the power to forge your own path now. It's not gonna be easy, but you can decide who you want to be. No one else."
As we stood there, contemplating her next steps, a sudden gust of wind rustled the leaves around us. It was a reminder that the world continued to turn, and we couldn't stay in one place forever.
"Look," I said, pointing toward the distant horizon. "The sun is setting. It's a new beginning, and you've got a whole world to discover."
Galatea followed my gaze and watched as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, orange glow across the mountainscape. It was a symbolic moment, signifying an end of one chapter and a start of another.
With newfound determination, Galatea squared her shoulders and looked back at me with a determined expression. Not the cocky one she showed from the beginning, but a more sincere one. "I won't forget what you've done for me. I'll find my own way, and one day, I'll prove them all wrong about me."
I offered her a reassuring smile (communicated through my visor/eyes at least). "I believe in you, Galatea. And remember, if you ever need a place to stay or someone to talk to, my door is always open." because something tells me that this won't be the last time that they'll be forcibly opened.
With a nod of appreciation, she took to the sky,
"But before you go off," I interrupted, stopping her in the sky, "let me get you something a lot less noticeable, than… what you got on right now. It's quite the sight, but alas, you'll want to avoid getting too much attention lest Cadmus find you in your… outfit or the League finding a doppelganger of Supergirl." I ran back in my home before coming right back out, throwing a pair of pants, a fur coat, and fedora that I quickly grabbed from Ivo's closet. Lastly, I just yeeted Ivo's credit card at her.
While going on a trip of self discovery and improvement is something anyone can do, not everyone can be Bruce Wayne and have travel costs be irrelevant.
She raised a brow at the rather concealing set of clothing but nodded her head in appreciation nonetheless. She waved me off before soaring into the fading light of the setting sun. I watched her silhouette disappear into the distance, feeling a sense of hope that she would indeed find her place in the world.
As the stars began to twinkle in the night sky, I turned and headed back into my house, leaving the doors open (or untreed), just in case she decided to take me up on my offer sooner than expected. For now, I was content in knowing that I had played a small part in helping Galatea, or whatever she'll call herself, find her own path, away from the servitude of her past and fall to the wayside in the future, and toward a brighter life.
I think that I handled this all well, well enough anyway. I probably could've given her a couch to sleep on but I don't want the League knowing about her right now, as I've told the clone, neither Clark nor Kara took too well to her just existing and I'd rather not have them ruin any progress that could be made. Or my house should a fight break out. Sure, I have Mercy on speed dial but that's beside the point, it'd be destructive physically and emotionally for the Kryptonian and Argonians to meet up this soon. Maybe set up a situation where Ma and Pa Kent were around to curb the initail anger upon her discovery.
And if Galatea really had trouble, then I could always point her in Dr. Fate's direction. That said, finding him is gonna be tricky given my lacking affinity for magic, seeing as while I received some of Wonder Woman's blessings, the same hadn't been said for her artifacts such as her bracelets or lasso. But considering how quickly Kent Nelson came in to take Sheyera and my other self in when they needed it, I don't think that any action on my end would be needed with him.
Or perhaps I could ask Mercy for a favor? Then again, perhaps that wouldn't work either. Not with the League and now Cadmus keeping a closer eye on her. But the woman was Luthor's head henchwoman for a reason, so she certainly could prove crafty if she needed to in avoiding attention. But that wouldn't really help Galatea either other than hiding her away.
Now back inside, I was confronted with my next issue now that Galatea was in the process of sorting herself out. Handling the bodies. Oh, Batman for sure already knows about them via the bugs, and if not him then likely Alfred, and is more than likely going to lose his shit, but with those bugs as proof, I'm innocent!
…ok, while I didn't actually kill all of them, nor did I push the mooks down the stairs with my own limbs, I suppose that by roaring out "WHAT ARE YA DOING IN MAH SWAMP!?" in response could be seen as provoking the accident by spooking them with the sudden introduction of a 10ft tall metal mandroid. And I may or may not have also used my telepathy to convey my displeasure as well. But that was more towards getting them to willingly leave, which seemed to work a little too well since that was how they all fell down on each other and the stairs. So they did end up leaving, this world. [sub]permanently[/sub].
And then there's the fact that I'd probably also have to deal with my home being now known to Cadmus as a hostile entity. But unless they sic Doomsday on me, who's somewhere in orbit at the moment, then there's not much that they could hope to do against me. Not with their still in development Ultimen (who were only the rebooted Superfriends), certainly not with whatever C and B listers Waller could rope into her Suicide Squad, and they sure as hell aren't going to fire that Kryptonite nuke on American soil (though if they did, that would be the perfect material to shut them down with no one involved getting out. prime shit show to leak all their files as well)
Still, I'll have to get those doors fixed quick, again, and see about getting a security system.
Oh, my stairs are certainly effective in removing intruders but for the sake of my poor doors I'd rather not have any intruders get inside in the first place.
Speaking of said intruders, I decided to just leave them there for the proper authorities, so Bats could analyze his crime scene as much as he'd like and give Waller a headache in covering this up.
Perhaps I could go on another walk and mess up another plot, be it by Cadmus or some other villain.
Now, while dialing the authorities to clean up this mess, as well as sending a bit of a message one of their body cams, let's check the news, you never know when something might going on in this wacky world of here.
Breakout at Strikers' Island
Oho, a prison breakout? So soon too? And it's not even Arkham Asylum?! Well, I'm not one to complain when it comes to free food, even if it'll be mere fast food compared to the gourmet meal that the League was.
Though, if I recall correctly, this ought to coincide with the scheme of somebody's. An ordinary fellow with an unoriginal name.
I quickly booted up the Power Ring and searched for more recent news and found that a woman had been admitted to a hospital due to suffering from a new kind of psychotic delusion. A Penny Dee.
Looks like the doctor is in. A Doctor Destiny in this case.
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This came out a lot sooner than I expected, ngl. (and a lot easier to get out than usual too. I think I got some of that crack from November back, not all of it tho) But hey! It didn't take a ton of months this time! Though I'll admit that this is a bit short on events, a bit of a mirror to chapter 5 of mainly containing of a fight scene but this time featuring more in an emotional dialogue. But still important, for what few happened; Amazo turned Galatea away from Cadmus and Doctor Destiny starts his plan against the League by setting some villains free. (plus what happened at the end of the last chapter gets cleared up)
Now, Amazo isn't Naruto with the ability to Talk no Jutsu people onto his side (yet), but some emotional manipulation via exploiting known fears and betrayal from a loved one worked well enough for what he was going for. Plus he did feel for the poor girl, so he was genuinely trying to help her out. And just letting go off and get revenge wouldn't be doing her any real favors, as that'd be supporting some rather unhealthy behavior. I could go more into it here, but I think that might be a debate that'll happen in the comments regardless.
To be honest, other than adding a bit more to the fight scene (I think that it's fine for the most part for how long it went) and the usual edits, I think that it's gonna be the ending to this chapter that might see some revision since that was kinda lacklaster lol. Back in July/August, I envisioned having this ending with a pissed off Batman incoming while there were more Cadmus agents as well in a dramatic mess, but (besides being way too cracky, was kinda high on praise + interaction when I had that thought) I figured that I could shelve Cadmus for a bit in favor of other villains since they'll still be out and about against the League as well. Do let me know what you guys think on that plot development, agreeable? Not?
Tbh still, I feel a bit complicated here since I'm introducing a day of the week villain so soon after having the League find out about Cadmus rather than having any sot of downtime but maybe it's realistic for DC anyway and Amazo is rather proactive for that. But since it has been about 3 days in story, this can fit considering that in the original episode, Batman hasn't slept in 3 days, which is definitely believable here with him lacking time to sleep in dealing with Amazo, the Brainiac issue, and Cadmus, in addition to his regular crimefighting stuff.
Now, for Galatea herself. She'll be off for some soul searching for a while. Perhaps I could even give a few glimpses on how she's doing every now and then, and since no one stays out of trouble for long in DC she'll certainly run into some of it. But she'll be back eventually.
And she'll get a new name as well, but tbh I can't really steal from Marvel since the only Supergirl equivalent, at the top of my head, is Carol Danvers but Worm made me not like the name so no. And I like her finding it on her own rather than Amazo just giving it to her (plus it calls back to that overly deep look into names that Amazo had back in chapter 10)
Now, with that; I hope that you guys like the chapter and please do leave me your thoughts.
P.S. legit spoiler for the story
when Amazo head up to space, she'll be tagging along. as for when? I plan on it happening during the Justice League transitioning into the Justice League International/Unlimited after Thanagar invades. that's all I'll say here.
