Sultan Asil Arslan-Hiatus: Ok… I really hope that this means we will get to talk more about the ridiculous scheme of Aresia in this story. Like let's put her in the story just so that we can call her dumb.

P.S. she was supposed to ended up on Themyscira very young so it is possible that she never got the talk about birds and bees but that also creates the question of how she ended up learning enough about chemicals and biology to create her weapon without learning that.

Re: Well, I poke fun at Aresia's plot in Ride the Wind on AO3, so there's that.
As for how she learned, it quite-explicitly showed that she'd been reading "forbidden texts" on Themyscira, one of which was unabashedly The History of Germ Warfare. Why the Amazons even had that material and didn't keep a closer eye on it, is another matter entirely.

LoamyCoffee: I just enjoy Flash.
I just find it fun that Tea is able to just be a regular girl around Vent.
Just keeping me fed with showing more to who Galatea is as a person, who she could've been in canon and I LOVE it.
[This message has been truncated due to length]

Re: Yeah, I really like the Earth-12 version of The Flash too. As for Galatea, well, she's kind of out of a job and the object of her enmity is functionally dead, so the only place to go from rock bottom is up. Writing for Kori in that segment was also tons of fun, because harems on her planet are fairly common (in my HeadCanon) but even then, she still misses out on some of the subtext~
As for Cadmus, at the earliest, they've been working on Clones since the end of Superman: The Animated Series, because Supergirl got injured to the point of needing surgery then, and that's when Dr. Hamilton collected the DNA to make Galattea.

*JLUxTT*

V: Superman. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice.

S: Any time. But why aren't we using video chat? Cadmus more than has the bandwidth.

V: Galatea listened in on one of my calls before. With the lead lining she can't see what I'm typing, let alone what's on this screen.

S: Fair. So what did you want to discuss?

V: You're aware that Galatea and Kara shared an involuntary telepathic link, right?

S: I am.

V: And you're aware of what I'm trying to do for her.

S: I am. And it's admirable you are attempting to do so.

V: Yes, well, that would've been infinitely harder if Kara were still around. You have my condolences.

S: She lives on in our hearts and memories.

V: Perhaps, but I still miss her. We only met a few times, but she was a good person. I'd hoped our friendship could've lasted a lifetime.

S: I'm sure she felt the same way about you and the others she had befriended.

V: But now we're getting off track. Are you also aware that Cadmus has files on all the League members, including but not limited to their secret identities as-applicable.

S: Unfortunately. How Waller kept a lid on it amazes me.

V: I… I have something difficult to ask of you.

S: What is it?

V: I want to take her to the Kent Farm.

S: WHAT?!

V: She already knows who they are, and now that she doesn't have Cadmus' "mission" to guide her anymore, she's bereft of purpose and direction. Having family, even an adopted one, would go a long way in rehabilitating her. I know they helped Kara when SHE was in a difficult place in her life.

S: Perhaps, but what you're asking…

V: I won't take her to them without your blessing. You have my word.

S: . . .

S: How would we even explain this?

V: It's not like they're virgins when it comes to "the weird". Just tell them the truth. I'm sure your dad would akin it to one of his old sci-fi paperbacks. And I'm sure your mom would enjoy having another girl around the house.

S: I'll need some time to think about this.

V: Take as much time as you need. However, I'd prefer that Galatea NOT become too-dependent on just me. Her googly-eyes are making me… uncomfortable. And not because of the X-Ray Vision.

S: If you're worried for your own safety, we can arrange immediate extraction.

V: It isn't my SAFETY I'm worried about.

S: Oh.

S: Oh?

S: Ohhhhhh!

S: Oh my.

V: Glad we're on the same page. And it isn't that we don't have everything we need down here, but honestly… it's getting a little claustrophobic.

S: . . . I feel like there's something you aren't telling me.

V: There's a lot about what's happening down here I'm not telling you. What's your point?

*JLUxTT*

A few days after their speech-to-text chat…

"Tea, how'd you like to take a day trip?"

"Oh? Where's this coming from?"

"Just figured you deserved a little more actual sunlight. That, and all this time underground's making me feel a little pent-up."

"I can help you with that~"

"Oh hah, hah."

"Don't worry, I won't go past second base unless you're ready," she reassured him.

After she'd vented her feelings to him, Galatea had actually dialed back on the flirtation. She still largely ignored personal boundaries, just not as often, and when not working out she wore more clothing than the sports bra and panties she'd teasingly traipsed around in before. The two of them still showered together, but the amount of skinship had dropped, instead choosing to casually chat like there were a dividing wall between them in a co-ed shower.

All in all, it was a positive change, showing that Galatea was starting to get comfortable in her own skin again after so long of being trapped in her own head.

That or wherever Kryptonian/Argoans went whenever they went into a "healing coma".

"Now all we need is some real clothes and we can go topside."

"I can help with that."

Scooping him up in her arms and flying down the hallway and up several flights of stairs, a minute later she set him down in a room that could easily be mistaken for a higher-end second-hand clothing store. As far as the eye could trace were countless racks and shelves of clothes, shoes, and other peripherals. Types of clothing for all seasons, all styles, in all sorts of colors. Everything from what a beggar on the street would wear all the way up to high-society galas were in representation. And it wasn't just western-style either; there was middle easter, far eastern, basically a little bit of everything.

"Where all the best undercover agents shop~" Galatea grinned, leading him by the hand to the heart of the storeroom. "So, what kind of weather are we looking at?"

"Middle America, on the warmer side."

"Casual for the countryside. Got it," she said flying over to the racks of jeans, the leather boots, and then the flannel shirts before dragging him over to the changing booths and setting him down on a bench. A shuffle of clothing later and Galatea stepped out, her wide hips and large chest making the 'country girl' look rather fetching. "Soooo. What do you think?"

"I think you're going to need to beat the boys back with a backhoe."

"That was what I was going for," she replied, undoing another button and airing out her girls. "I'll admit, it's a nice change of pace to finally wear pants," she said running her hands down shapely denim-clad hips.

"At least you didn't pick something with a cleavage window."

"I can always go with that if you want~"

"Don't. We're trying to keep it kosher."

"Well alright, then. How many changes should we grab?"

"About a week at the most, just in case," he said eyeing a shelf filled with carry-on luggage.

"So it's like a vacation?"

"You could say that. Do you know how to drive, at least? Flying would be a bit conspicuous where we're going."

"I learned for the sake of my cover. Hold on a second," Galatea said as she flew out of the room and into the hallway. A minute later she swooped back in, a satisfied look on her face as she held up a laminated card.

"Who's 'Karen Starr'?"*

"An alias. Had to call myself something when I dated that reporter~"

"Karen… Karen… Karen…" he said rolling it on his tongue. "Honestly, I think 'Tea' sounds cuter."

"You can always call me that when we're alone. Or when you want to make a statement~"

"Well… Where we're going, the people we're staying with will be in-the-know, so you can call yourself whatever you like. Just try to keep the superpowers to a minimum."

"Aye aye, my captain my captain~"

*JLUxTT*

Once the two of them had packed for a brief stay aboveground, they stood in an open field with a clear view of the sky, Ventus' finger to his ear.

"This is League Reservist Ventus to Watchtower. I need a reconnect to the roof of Titans Tower in Jump City for two."

"We read you loud and clear. Have a pleasant trip."

Shimmering lights flittering around the two of them, their layover in the Watchtower was extremely brief as they were almost instantly rerouted back to Earth. Once their molecules unscrambled themselves, the smell of the sea hit their noses, Galatea walking to the edge of the helipad to see Jump City on the horizon.

"Huh. So this is where you live," she hummed as she took to the sky, looking down at the whole of the island. "Not exactly a tropical paradise, but it does have its charm," she said as she spotted the patches of beaches and lagoons, as well as the spiderweb of well-worn footpaths radiating from the island's central landmark. There were small patches of vegetation here and there, but the island was slow to recover from when that first Gordanian ship had made landfall all that time ago.

"Well, we aren't going to be here long. Our ride is here," Ventus said as the familiar shape of a second-generation Javelin crested the roof before its VTOL engines let it come to rest on the helipad, the rear boarding ramp lowering allowing Cyborg to step out.

"Yo, Vent, how's it hanging!" Cyborg grinned holding out his fist.

"Cy, good to see a familiar face," the two bumping knuckles, a *clang* of metal and reinforced flesh meeting.

"So that's her, I take it?" Cyborg asked as Galatea came in for a landing, almost completely unrecognizable from the League's data files.

"It is. Did you get that Stealth Drive installed like I wanted?"

"Yup. Greywing and I finally managed to get it working, though those shop classes at Hive Academy might've helped too," Cyborg said as he walked the two of them into the cockpit and to the frontmost seat, where a new square of 3D-printed paneling housed a button that hadn't come standard with the original console. "We've got radar, optical, and hologram camouflage. Turns out Eugene was learning more than space-kung-fu."

"Good. I was hoping to keep things subtle," the wind-wielder nodded. "Are any of the girls here? I'd like to pop in if there's time."

"You probably shouldn't with present company."

"I'm right here you know," Galatea pouted.

"Which is exactly why you should get going," Cyborg said as he hurried out of the ship, patting the underside of the T-Javelin.

The boarding ramp closing, a myriad of probe-like devices extended out of recesses in the craft's hull before layers of holograms spilled out over the craft, helping it vanish from sight as it flew off into the wild blue yonder.

"God speed, you magnificent bastard," Cyborg saluted, the door to the roof kicked out a moment later. "And may god have mercy on my soul."

"Your only god is right here. And she's fresh out of mercy," Raven loomed ominously over him, neither Terra nor Kitten nor Blackfire looking anymore pleased.

"I want an excommunication."

-were Cyborg's last words.

*JLUxTT*

" . . . You think the Teen Titans would let me join?" Galatea asked once the ocean became a distant memory.

"You might be a bit overkill. If you want a room, well, there's certainly plenty to go around. But how 'bout we get Waller and the League off your ass before planning that far ahead."

"Fair enough," Galatea hummed as she got to her feet before going to the bathroom toward the rear of the T-Javelin. A moment later, Ventus' nostrils flared.

"Ooogh. What smells like burning hair?"

"Sorry, sorry. I'll be done in a moment," Galatea replied, stepping into the center aisle. "So, how do I look."

Hitting the Auto Pilot and looking over his shoulder, Ventus then spun the chair fully around to see that Galatea had cut her back-length hair into the bob she'd sported before.

"Did… Did you cut your hair with Heat Vision…?"

"Cadmus speculates the big blue boy scout does the same thing when he shaves," Galatea hummed as she took the co-pilot's seat.

"Huh…"

"Also did a little landscaping. My vulva's as smooth as a veal cutlet."

"TMI, Tea. T-M-I," Ventus said as he blushed up to his ears.

"Oh, you know you love it when I talk dirty~"

"Just… try to keep it PG when we get there."

"And where are we going exactly?"

"You'll see. For now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight."

"You know, I'm not actually used to someone else doing the flying for me," she hummed as she reclined in her seat.

The closest she'd ever come to something like this before her incident was when Cadmus sent them up to the Watchtower in those LexCorp-made Damocles-Class missiles. And even then she'd been in a five-point harness on what was basically an ICBM with excavator tools on the front.

"Hm… I kinda like it~" she hummed as she laced her fingers behind her head, letting herself ease up in a way that'd make her drop like a lead weight if she were flying herself.

"Happy you can find joy in the simpler things," Ventus hummed, minding the console.

*JLUxTT*

"Smallville?" Kara blinked a while later as she looked at the GPS readout. "Wait, are we going where I think we're going?"

"We'll see."

Of course, Galatea's suspicions proved themselves correct. The Javelin landed behind a large barn on the outskirts of town, its holographic cloaking technology disguising it as a mobile home. No-one was close-enough to see them land, but if someone did look that way, there wouldn't be anything too out-of-place.

"Just let me do the talking. You can introduce yourself when I give the cue," Ventus replied as they stepped out onto the property and making their way to the front door, an elderly couple stepping out to greet them.

"Oh, Vincent, it's so good to see you again," the elderly woman of the two said with a smile as she reached out to hug him. "What happened to your hair?"

"Occupational hazard, Ma. Listen, about why we're here-"

"Say no more. Clark explained everything in person," Jonathan Kent replied with a wave before turning his attention to their guest. "Though honestly, I kinda thought Clark would be the first one to bring a pretty girl home, yet the complete stranger we took in has him beat three to nothing."

"Ah… Yeah, sorry about that."

"Nothing to be sorry for," Martha replied with a smile. "Come in, come in. You must be famished after your trip. Vincent, have you been eating alright? You're a little thin."

"Maaaa…!" Ventus cried embarrassingly as he and Galatea were ushered in.

"It's just like my memories…" Galatea said as she ran her hand along the wallpaper.

A moment later, the padding of tiny pawed feet sounded on the kitchen tiles, an orange tabby with a yellow streak down his back looking up at Galatea with a confused look on his face.

" . . . Hey there, Streaky," Galatea said taking a knee and extending her hand, only for the cat's pupils to narrow into slits, his fur standing on end and a yowl piercing the air before he bolted from the room. "Heh. Guess Cadmus can't fool mother nature," she hummed as her-Kara's, beloved cat ran from her.

"Poor dear was devastated when Kara didn't come home. Yowled for hours and hours in her room," Martha hummed morosely.

"I miss her too," Ventus replied, Martha coming over and giving the white-haired teen a hug after setting a half-eaten pie down on the table.

"Eat, eat. You can tell us all about work after you've had your fill," the woman that raised Superman replied as she poured glasses of milk.

*JLUxTT*

"Heh. Who knew all those science fiction books I used to read would be less strange than non-fiction," Jonathan hummed after Galatea said her piece. Sure, Clark had already informed them of their potential visitor once he'd given Ventus the green light, but Galatea deserved to tell her side of things too.

To the clone's credit, she admitted her shortcomings, and showed a genuine desire to re-invent herself, now that Project Cadmus was decommissioned and her "nemesis" had passed away.

"I'm amazed you welcomed me into your home," Galatea replied, having never expected such a warm reception. After all, she'd in no uncertain terms confessed to trying to kill their 'niece' on more than one occasion.

Sure, it'd only been the two times, but that it'd happened more than once should've left them quite cross with her. Moreso than they appeared to be.

"People don't ask to be born, and yours was under trying circumstances," Martha said reaching across the table and taking her hand, Galatea's eyes beginning to water at the matronly affection washing over her. "And maybe it isn't really fair to say this to you, but having you here… it sort of is like having Kara back home. Like she never left."

"Except I'm not her. I could never be, her."

"No. All you can be is yourself. And that's just fine around here," Jonathan hummed as he tried to open a beer, Galatea reaching across the table and flicking the cap off with her thumb. "Heh. Kara used to do that too."

"You should've seen her the first time she tried to open a pickle car," Martha chuckled, celebrating the life of the niece that wasn't with them anymore. "You know, she had quite a high opinion about you."

"Me?" Ventus blinked when she looked his way.

"Yes. You and her only met a few times, but you left quite the impression on her. Imagine the look on her face when she found out we knew you from before~" Martha chuckled.

"How do you know Superman's parents?" Galatea blinked.

"A little charity can go a long way," Jonathan replied. "After all, if we hadn't taken him in when he'd needed a home, he might not've been the person you see before you now. Every little bit paid forward, you know?"

"No… I wouldn't know…" Galatea confessed. "But it doesn't mean I can't learn now."

"That's the spirit!" he grinned. "Since this is like a big old family reunion, how about we get some barbecue in town?"

"I could eat," Galatea grinned. "Pre-made meals from the Cadmus cafeteria are filling, sure, but they don't leave you satisfied like other things do~" she said throwing a look Ventus' way.

"Young man…"

"It's a metaphor!" Ventus quickly replies when Martha shoots him a cross look.

It didn't help that Jonathan was shooting him a thumbs-up from behind her shoulder…

*JLUxTT*

The Kent's barbeque joint of choice was Big Belly Barbeque, a subsidiary of the Big Belly Burger franchise. Though Smallville was a little middle-of-nowhere town, practically the "middle-of-nowhere" town, the franchise stayed afloat by the dedicated customer base; largely relatives of the store's employees.

That many of the ingredients used here were locally-sourced, also helped, and if you brought your own ingredients, they'd let you order "secret menu items" not necessarily approved by corporate. That was just the sort of place the Smallville branch was.

"Mmph! Oh god, this is so fucking good!" Galatea moaned between bites as she polished off an entire rack of ribs.

"I'll have what she's having," one of the nearby customers hummed as the pretty sucked traces of meat off the bone.

"Dear, language," Martha chastised lightly.

And of course, as Galatea's lips hugged the bone and pulled final slivers of meat free with wet slurping noises, it was probably the most-erotic thing many in the establishment had ever seen.

Then again, Galatea could juggle herring sandwiches and still be the most-attractive woman any of them had ever seen.

"Tea, you're making a mess," Ventus hummed as he wiped her face.

"Don't threaten me with a good time~" Galatea purred as she ghosted her fingers down his arm, Martha coughing loudly.

"So how long has… this, been going on?" Jonathan inquired.

"We're still working out the details," Galatea hummed thoughtfully.

"But aren't you already-"

"I've already been given the go-ahead. As-impossible as it feels sometimes," Ventus hummed when Martha said her piece.

"You know, if you wrote books and changed the names a little, you could probably make a killing," Jonathan hummed aloud.

Not that he ever partook himself, he was a God-fearing man who'd married his best friend, but when Twilight and the like made its sweep through Kansas, on some days it was all the girls in town talked about.

"Well howdy there, little darlin'~" a huge man in flannel with a ten-gallon hat greeted as he sauntered up to the table, his spurs clinking amidst an outfit that screamed 'trying too hard'.

"Howdy to you too," Galatea returned plainly. "Adios, pardner."

"Hey, now, don't be like that," the man said leaning on her chair and looming over her. "Jus' thought I'd intr'duce myself, maybe show you a good ta'hm."

" . . . Is this guy for real?" Galatea asked incredulously. "Am I on one of those prank camera shows?"

"I wonder the same thing myself sometimes," Jonathan hummed.

"Y'all should stay out of this, old timer," the wannabe cowboy hummed with an irritated growl.

"Dude, this is grain country, not a cattle ranch," Ventus huffed dismissively, the man snapping up his arm for a backhand only for the *squelch* of flesh meeting meeting the tines of a fork to sound through the air.

" . . . HAAAAUGH!" the grown man screamed as blood mixed with barbecue cause.

"Hey, jackass, you're getting blood all over my barbecue!"

"Well, he did try to backhand you…" Martha hummed, not really having it in her to defend the guy.

"We should probably go," Jonathan hummed, the extended Kent family rising from their seats and heading for the register before the unmistakable *click* of a revolver cut through the air.

"Now you wait just a darn-"

*CLANG!*

" . . . He pulled a gun on us. You all saw it," Galatea hummed awkwardly as the aluminum tray she threw rebounded off the man's head, sending his cowboy hat flying.

"It's… not that simple…" Jonathan sighed tiredly as someone called the police. "That boy might be a bit of a poser, but he still has a rich daddy."

"Oh, we'll see about that," Ventus hummed as he made a call of his own.

*JLUxTT*

"Huh. Guess you really did 'see about that'," Martha hummed as she watched the poser and his father run from the café with their tails tucked between their legs.

"Yeah, who knew having a government official threaten to audit their taxes would work so well~" Galatea grinned, feeling pretty good about how their little outing turned out.

"Oh trust me, Waller could've done much worse to get them off our asses," Ventus hummed as he helped Jonathan and Martha into their truck. "Don't worry, they won't be troubling you anymore."

"Well, we are paying their salary…" Martha rationalized.

It still freaked her and her husband out that the government actually knew about Clark being Superman, but then again, they did have the resources of an entire nation at their beck and call. Honestly, she was more amazed the person that knew was able to keep a lid on the whole thing.

"Hey Vee, wanna join me in the back?" Galatea offered. "Or would you rather I sit in your lap again~?"

"I-I'll sit in the back," the wind-wielder stuttered while Martha chuckled, the two reclining against the cabin as Jonathan drove them back to the homestead at a sedate pace.

" . . . It's nice out here," Galatea hummed once they left the town proper.

"Yes. It really is. Probably why Superman didn't turn into a raving loony like some of the other supers out there," Ventus nodded.

"Have you ever thought about… I dunno… just retiring, to the countryside?" Galatea inquired as she looked up into the great blue sky.

"I've entertained the notion, yes," the wind-wielder nodded as he followed her gaze. "But… not for a good while, yet. I haven't even reached drinking age," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," she replied. "You know, I've probably got some back pay coming to me on account of not croaking in that hospital bed. Maybe I'll buy a place of my own. Heck, I could build a place of my own."

"I'm sure the Kents would give you a parcel of land if you asked."

"I dunno… It's still a little weird, me staying in Sup-I mean… Kara's old room," the blond hummed as she drew in her knees.

" . . . If you hadn't been so hung-up on being a clone, if you hadn't been on opposite sides of all that, do you think maybe the two of you would've gotten along?"

"I mean… it'd be awkward as hell," the clone admitted to herself. "Maybe… Maybe if I'd seen Star Wars: The Clone Wars sooner, I'd have gotten over it? I mean, it seems a little silly to say it out loud, but I never really had any role models, real or fictional as I was growing up. Just that lingering 'doubt' about whether I was real or not."

"Guess that's an area where your flash-education was lacking," the wind-wielder shrugged. "But at least I was able to get through that thick head of yours~" he chuckled as he poked at her temple.

"So do you just have a thing for the bad girls or what~?" she grinned, remembering how almost all of his 'entourage' were either ex-villains from the start or in the process of reform.

"Let's call my tastes… 'diverse'," Ventus offered.

"Well, you've certainly got a whole buffet line to choose from~" she grinned as she gestured to herself. " . . . Thanks for taking me out here. I guess I needed it more than I realized."

"You're welcome," he nodded, Galatea sidling up to him and laying her head on his shoulder, the two enjoying the ride home.

*JLUxTT*

After a rather eventful lunch, Ventus and Galatea both helped out around the farm. Most of the chores had already been done, but what was left, the cloned Argoan blitzed through at an astonishing pace, something about being on the farm causing Kara's memories of the homestead to bubble to the surface. Ventus on the other hand looked completely at home helping Martha methodically prepare pies for a charity bake sale, the fresh country air doing him a great deal of good after days on end of recycled oxygen in a borderline claustrophobic bunker.

After accidentally traumatizing some poultry and livestock, Galatea decided to take stock of her accommodations; Kara's old room, never to again be occupied by its original tenant.

"I can't believe people are this stupid," Galatea hummed as she stared at the brunette wig on the mannequin head and a pair of coke bottle classes off to the side, wondering how the hell anyone could fall for such a cheap disguise.

Ignoring any possible indictment of the American education system, Galatea then turned her attention toward Kara's closet. All of the deceased heroine's clothes were woefully inadequate to accommodate her mature physique, and yet…

"Hmmmmm… Now this has possibilities~" she grinned as she flaunted herself in front of the mirror, Kara's midriff-baring tee practically a tube top around her prodigal bust, bearing a mouth-watering amount of underbreast while the super-short overalls complimented her hips and legs quite nicely.

"Hey, Tea, dinner's just about ready and-"

The cloned girl whirling to the bedroom door and realizing she'd left it open, Ventus' mis-matched eyes drank in a sight normally reserved for calendars or magazine centerfolds. A sight which Galatea was making no attempt to obscure but instead chose to flaunt further.

"Hey, I think I left some chores unfinished. Wanna help me out in the barn later? I can give you a reward~"

" . . . It's telling that I couldn't immediately say 'no'."

"So what you're saying is that's a 'maybe' then~" she grinned lasciviously.

"Let's call that a 'soft maybe'," Ventus blushed as he tore his eyes away from Galatea's fantastic proportions.

"Oh trust me, there won't be anything 'soft' about you when I'm through with you~" Galatea purred as the wind-wielder departed. Following on his heels a moment later was Streaky, the yellow tabby actually doing a double-take as it spied Galatea in Kara's clothes.

"Um… This isn't what it looks like?"

As Galatea wondered why she suddenly felt the need to justify herself to a domestic feline, Ventus swiftly threw himself into a very cold shower.

*JLUxTT*

*In the Justice League Unlimited cartoon, Galatea was Power Girl. In the comics based on Justice League Unlimited, there was a Power Girl by the name of Karen Starr and her origin was never elaborated upon because "Crisis on Infinite Earths" was never a part of the Earth-12 DCAU.
Here, I figure I should mix in both because Galatea never encountered a Power Girl up in the Watchtower. That, and with the "cleavage window" of her unitard, it's kinda obvious she was meant to be "Power Girl", even if something got lost in translation with the animators and/or script writers.