Chapter 96

November 5th 7:40 am.

 Galatea PoV

I watched with narrowed eyes as Black Canary talked to my human. It didn’t particularly bother me, as our relationship was more set in stone than hers. He was closer to me than he was with her.

She smiled as she tossed her hair back. She had complete control over the way she talked. Always engaging in flirtatious forms of communication, despite having said she already had a ‘man’. Her hips sashaying with exaggerated movement in order to catch the eyes of others.

Well, if she had a human then they must not have been all that great, huh?

As a human, she was weak. Similar to the other Titan who could only use a bow. Arjuna…Atalanta…something like that. Apparently, she could also scream very loud? She never really shows that ability, but I’m sure it wouldn’t really be too much trouble for me.

Those who have to rely on martial arts to make up for having no strength were pathetic.

I didn’t hate them at all. I just simply didn’t care.

They weren’t a threat.

…But Black Canary was different. For some reason, I simply find her presence irksome.

Logically it must have something to do with my human, Law. But the why seemed to elude me. Was it due to her spending time with him? But all the other Titans and Starfire did that. And I didn’t dislike them.

…Well, not actively, at least.

No, it had something to do with the fact that she was weak. But why did that bother me? What was the reason? Some of the other Titans were weaker, but it didn’t bother me. So why her?

Hmm…

Galatea.

With a frown I turned towards the sound. Somewhere beyond the tower, no, beyond Jump City, someone was calling me. Using a frequency that only those with enhanced hearing, like a kryptonian, could hear.

I attempted to use my x-ray vision to see just where it was coming from, but it was simply too far to get a good view. Eventually my interest started to wane.

We need to talk.

The voice spoke up again, causing me to hum. My eyes already looking elsewhere. It was becoming increasingly unlikely that I’d truly care for whatever they had to offer. Especially if they were so afraid as to call me from another city entirely.

If they were already using tricks in order to defend themselves, then they had to be weak. And if they were weak, they weren’t worth my time.

My eyes drifted over to Law, as well as Black Canary, as they began to leave the tower and into Jump City proper. Zatanna had also left earlier, but in a different direction. Likely to do with that girl Law had locked up.

Not sure why he didn’t put her in the Tower where I could’ve helped keep her down, but then again, she was just a normal human. One that seemed to focus on martial arts, so it wasn’t as if they were particularly threatening. Perhaps he simply didn’t feel the need against an opponent so pathetic.

So, now what was there to do?

Law was gone. Starfire who was the only other decent opponent to spar with was also in the city. Along with Beast Boy, who could show me more interesting shows. They were on a mission with Ravager and Raven.

That left…Cyborg, Kid Flash, Artemis, and Miss Martian.

…Who were all pretty boring. Artemis and Kid Flash were weak. Cyborg was mostly interested in just talking about his car. Miss Martian was actually surprisingly strong physically, but even so she was pretty terrible in using it. Flinching and being hesitant on whether to attack or defend.

A shame, considering I once saw her have the ability to sprout several arms out of her body. That could’ve been quite useful to go up against.

…Huh.

It seemed like I really didn’t have anything better to do than waste my time with the person who had called me.

“Alright then.”

I muttered before making my way to the roof. Blasting off the top of the tower to-

I paused.

Staying in the air for a moment as I surveyed the area. Something had caught my attention, but I didn’t quite understand what. Yet it was undeniable that my senses had picked up on something.

Immediately I located Law with my enhanced vision. Nothing was out of the ordinary there. The tower looked fine as well. Then it must have been something in the city or…

My eyes drifted over to the nearby ocean that the Tower was in the middle of. A cursory view didn’t show anything. My interest was already fading quickly.

Right, someone had called my name. Where had it come from exactly…?

I went into the direction where I had thought I heard it. Ripping through the sky in a burst of speed. Minutes passed as I left the city behind me. I could easily go faster if I really needed to, but I didn’t feel the need to really push myself. It would be another thing if Law had called out for help, or if Supergirl was involved.

Or, if Law called me by my name directly!

Then I could go as fast as possible, and crash down in front of him. Destroying the street and shattering the nearby windows of the surrounding buildings. Making a cool entrance, while Law trembles and looks up to me like a hero.

…Yes. Just like in those shows Beast Boy has shown me. Maybe even giving off a cool one liner. Like…’Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.’

This…this was really a good idea actually.

My excitement made me go faster than I meant to. Meaning I got to the spot quicker than usual. It was a few states over, in a big town, or a small city. Cadmus didn’t think that information was worth teaching me.

I was having to guess the approximate area I had heard the voice. Leading me to flying around slowly in a circle as I attempted to scout out the situation. Thankfully I didn’t need to do so for very long, as the voice started to speak up again.

This time instead of letting them speak, I simply zeroed in on their location. Landing down onto a concrete path leading to a very close by hotel. The nearby humans seemed to be startled, with the one who attempted to talk having to regain his balance and composure.

…The woman next to him however didn’t seem to suffer the same issues. Simply looking in my direction with a nonplus expression.

Superpowers then?

Ah, nope. A cursory glance showcased synthetic body parts. Though on the surface she looked completely human, her insides were anything but. Despite the amount of steel and wires hooked up inside her, she’d likely only be a bargain bin Cyborg.

That is to say, not worth my time.

The man who stood in front of the others cleared his throat. Adjusting his tie as he observed me. Despite being older and bald, the way he was attempting to size me up reminded me of Law.

Which means he was likely attempting to read my body language, and use what information he could obtain to his own advantage. Not that it really mattered. Such things weren’t going to suddenly give him a path to victory.

Mental games could only go so far.

“…It’s good to see you again, Galatea.”

The bald man commented, causing my eyes to flicker away. Instead surveying several of the other humans in the area. Likely some form of guards to help him in case of an emergency.

But none of them were even a fraction of the level of the bargain bin Cyborg.

“I’ve never met you.”

I commented causing his eyes to narrow a fraction. Annoyance that he hid exceptionally well. If I had been another human I wouldn’t have noticed the microscopic telltale signs.

“Of that I have no doubt. Last time I saw you, Cadmus was still keeping you in a vat. I’m pleased to see just how successful you’ve become.”

“…”

I stared at him blankly. Causing him to get even further anno-no, that wasn’t it. He wasn’t annoyed, he was…surprised? As if he was expecting something else.

The silence only lasted a few seconds before he continued on.

“But of course there is still one thing you haven’t achieved…”

This time it was my eyes that narrowed. My feet left the ground as I slowly lifted myself up in the air. Causing several of the guards to respond with pointing their guns in my direction. The bald man simply waved them down, telling them to hold their fire.

It meant nothing. As their weapons were rudimentary, and incapable of truly stopping me.

“Supergirl.”

He smiled.

“Indeed.”

This time he didn’t speak up. Instead, he stood there quietly. Waiting for me to respond in some sort of…power dynamic.

Pathetic.

“Speak.”

I commanded. A knowing smile spilled from his lips as he began to follow orders.

“My name is Lex Luthor, and I propose an equitable exchange. You do a small insignificant favor for me, and I give you the information you want. What do you think?”

He asked, but in truth he was only wanting a single answer. He extended his hand out towards me as if to shake it. As if I was a dog that needed to be trained.

The sheer arrogance he had was impressive. Amusing, even.

So of course, I wanted to see how he’d do when a wrench was thrown into his plans.

“Counter offer.”

The bald man paused. He lifted an eyebrow as if surprised by my words, but was equally intrigued as to the shift the conversation was taking. As if this conversation was a sort of game that he enjoyed playing.

“Yes?”

“You tell me what you know about Supergirl, and I let you all leave alive.”

“…”

That was obviously not what he expected to hear. As while he had decent composure, he couldn’t help but show how much my words had rankled him. Like most humans with more intelligence than actual power, he attempted to pick apart my words. See what he could play on, and what he could learn from.

His extended hand slowly lowered, as it became obvious, I wasn’t going to shake it.

“…How surprising. I didn’t expect a superhero such as yourself to jump so quickly to threats. How do you think the Justice League would react to this?”

“What they think matters not. If they get in my way, then I’ll just have to deal with them.”

On this, I had the same opinion as Law. He wasn’t very vocal about his opinion on the Justice League, especially when I was in ear shot. He wasn’t reluctant because I might disagree, but because I simply didn’t care as much as he did to be discreet.

There wasn’t anything that needed to be kept hidden, after all.

“Well then, I think you’d be interested in knowing tha-”

I had already moved in front of him. To me I had simply approached at a normal speed, but to humans it must’ve been quicker than their eyesight could process in that span of time. As they all reacted in various stages of panic. Even the bald human was becoming tense.

“Supergirl’s location. Tell me.”

My voice brooked no argument. For added flair, my eyes flickered red. Something that when combined with my ability to float in the air above them, usually caused most to be intimidated to the point of inaction.

Law had once told that out of all the Titans, my record of crime fighting had the highest percentage of being solved through non-violence. It wasn’t because I was fond of talking things out, or I didn’t like fighting. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

It was because when humans were faced with such overwhelming odds, where they couldn’t even conceive of a scenario where they win, they surrender and submit.

That is what it means to be strong. That is what it means to be weak. This was how the world worked.

The bald human continued to attempt to stand his ground. Silently gauging me in some sort of pathetic-

My ears twitched.

An explosion.

Having already wrote off these humans as non-threatening, I turned away towards Jump City. Attempting to gaze through buildings and forests in order to locate the source of such a loud boom.

Only for my eyes to immediately narrow as my muscles started to spasm.

I immediately turned my head back to the bald human and his lackeys, only to see him palm a green stone. Extending it outwards with a sly smirk. My feet quickly met the ground on unsteadily. My balance seeming a bit off.

“How very unfortunate. I didn’t want to play this card at all, but you’ve forced my hand. I must say, you’re much different than how I expected you to act, Galatea.”

I snarled in return. Genuine rage bubbling within me. These pathetic vermin…did they really think they could simply attack me and get away with it!?

Several of the guards stepped forward as he sighed. Shaking his head before tossing the strange stone in the air. With a closer look, I noticed that he had some sort of small compartment on his person that I couldn’t see through. Which is likely where the stone was held.

…On closer inspection, that stone looked similar to the shards Law had pulled out of my body. It didn’t seem to affect him or any of the others. The shards Law helped remove didn’t affect him either. Some sort of anti-kryptonian material then.

Understood. I’d need to make sure that this anomalous material wouldn’t be able to interfere with me in the future. Thankfully, I also knew exactly how I’d do it as well.

By asking Law.

“…But that’s not a bad thing at all. We may have only exchanged a few words, but I think I’ve grasped your mentality quite well. Do not worry too much, I will simply be taking a small moment of your time, and then you’ll be able to return to playing hero with your friends.”

He commented. His words making my eye twitch in annoyance. The sheer gall he had was something I hadn’t encountered since Cadmus. The way he spoke, he moved, he gestured.

He was talking down to me. As if it was a matter of course that he was better than me. That he was superior in every way.

How could I not be paralyzed in the face of such…such idiocy?  

The other humans quickly stepped forward. Entering within an uncomfortable radius around my person.

“Restrain her. You do not need to make the clamps too tight around the neck. Just making sure it’s on will do most of the work for you. After you’re done, put her into-”

TINK.

The shock of such a personality was quickly drowned out by my unyielding rage.

The bald human paused mid-sentence. His mouth slightly open as he slowly looked to his front where I suddenly stood. Gazing down at him even when we were both on the ground. My hand tightening over the stone. It didn’t seem particularly sturdy, as something started to give way.

The guards around immediately started to draw their weapons. Most being guns, but several being high tech weapons with some sort of vibrating blade. A few even attempted to pull me back by my shoulders.

“…How…?”

The man questioned in confusion as the stone shattered. Scattering all around us and causing him to recoil. My eyes closed as I was allowed to take a breath. Being under the effect of the stone made it a bit difficult to breath than normal, and seemed to weaken me considerably physically.

…But that’s all it seemed to do.

The bald man fell to the floor. Using his arm to shield him from the fragments before quickly standing up. His nerves quickly gathered as he took a few steps back and pointed at me.

I took a step forward to grab him, only to be hit in my side by one of the vibrating blades. As it returned, a cut on my side was formed. Blood spilling from the wound.

Ah, I see. The stone was destroyed, but I seem to still be somewhat affected by the scattered fragments. It was unfortunate, but I needed to crush them first in order to proceed.

I didn’t waste any time darting forward. My fists slamming into the front of a guard’s stomach and causing him to only go flying a few feet. Tch. I was really off my game.

“Livewire, I do believe it’s time for you to earn your keep.”

The bald man commented in a calm voice as a strange electrical snapping sound started to come from the nearby building. A protruding wire seemed to immediately snap free before flopping in the air.

Arcs of electricity seemed to come from it, each one being bigger than the last. Until finally it discharged in the shape of a tall pale blue figure. Her outfit seemed to open in the shape of a lighting bolt, exposing a bit of her breasts.

She grinned at me as I casually held up one of the guards before tossing him in her direction. Before he could even get close, electricity bounced off of her and onto him. He didn’t have time to so much as scream before he was hit with enough voltage to become a smoking husk on the ground.

“Eh, it’s not super jerk, but she’ll do. I’ll be expecting a little extra afterwards, Lexie.”

“Of course.”

He commented, seemingly unbothered as his robotic female assistant helped tidy up his clothes and straighten his tie.

I cracked my neck.

It seems like I might actually need to get serious for once.