Two days later.
The mountain was unusually still. The kind of stillness that only came before orders dropped like thunder.
I stood alone in the training room, barefoot on polished stone, katana in hand. The blade gleamed under the ambient lights of Mount Justice—its surface freshly cleaned, its edge still humming faintly with residual energy.
I had been rehearsing old movements. Patterns burned into my muscle memory—Ljósbrandr Forms One through Three, without energy output. No killing intent. Just discipline. Repetition. Focus. Control.
Control I was barely hanging onto.
The weight of silence pressed on me more than the blade ever could.
Until the Zeta-tube flared to life.
"Recognized: Batman. 02. Recognized: Wonder Woman. 03."
The training room door hissed open.
I didn't turn, but I heard them enter. Heavy boots—one set firm and deliberate, the other light but thunderous in presence.
"Eva," Wonder Woman's voice came, calm but direct.
I sheathed my blade in one fluid motion and turned.
Diana stood beside Batman like a reflection of day and night—gold and gray, warmth and cold judgment. She wore no armor today, just her standard uniform, but her gaze was sharper than any sword. Batman was unreadable, cowl concealing most of his expression, but the set of his jaw was tense. He was always tense.
"I assume this isn't a social call," I said, voice neutral.
Batman stepped forward first.
"No. This is your first field opportunity."
His tone was sharp, clipped, the kind that expected obedience—not questions.
He tapped a button on his gauntlet. A holographic map flared to life in the space between us, displaying a familiar stretch of coastline.
Santa Prisca.
A red marker blinked in the center of the island.
"Recon and sabotage mission," Batman began. "Intel suggests the island's venom operations have restarted. We've traced shipments to a new facility buried in the southern mountains. This one is producing a modified strain."
Diana added, "The Team is to confirm, infiltrate, and disrupt the operation. Non-lethal force only. Extraction in 48 hours."
Batman's gaze swept to me. "You'll be embedded. Monitored. No solo movements without command approval. If you go off protocol—"
"I get leashed again. I remember." My voice was flat. Empty.
But Diana didn't let that be the last word.
"Eva," she said gently, stepping forward now that Batman finished his mission debrief, "this isn't just a test. We need to know if you can function in a team. Take orders. Work with others without… falling into old instincts."
I met her eyes.
The memory of Vienna flashed behind hers.
"I haven't killed anyone in three weeks," I said quietly. "Is that what you're measuring me by?"
"No," Diana said. "We're measuring how much of you is still yours."
There was a pause.
Then Batman looked to the door. "The Team's already assembled. Report to the briefing room. Now."
He left, cloak sweeping behind him like a judgment fading into shadow.
Diana lingered.
She stepped closer. I didn't flinch.
"Are you sleeping?" she asked.
"Enough."
"Are the memories returning?"
"Only when I close my eyes too long."
She didn't frown. She didn't coddle. That's not who she was.
But she did speak gently.
"Don't carry this like it's your penance. Whatever was done to you—it wasn't your fault. The person who survived it, who's trying to live despite it? That person still gets to choose who they become."
I looked away. "What if I don't know who I want to become?"
She smiled softly. "Then that's what this mission is for."
Before I could say anything more, the overhead speaker crackled.
"Eva to Briefing Room. Report immediately. Mission launch in 20 minutes." Robin's voice.
I gave Diana a curt nod.
Then left the training room behind.
Mount Justice Briefing Room – 15 Minutes Later
I stood near the back of the circular chamber, arms folded. The rest of the team was already gathered around the holographic table, the map of Santa Prisca still hovering over it.
Kaldur stood at the head of the group, radiating his usual calm.
Robin was cycling through security footage of the island with his gauntlet-linked interface.
Superboy stood like a stone, arms crossed, jaw tight.
M'gann offered me a smile as I entered. I returned a small nod. Barely.
Kid Flash leaned over the table and whispered something to Robin—probably another joke at my expense. I ignored him.
Batman's voice echoed through the room from the holographic projector.
"Santa Prisca has heightened security. Expect advanced sensor grids, armed patrols, and metahuman assets guarding the facility. Your mission is to gather intel, sabotage production, and exfiltrate without detection. Eva, your priority is support and observation. No lethal force."
Robin glanced at me. "You okay with that?"
"I don't need a kill count to be effective," I replied.
He nodded.
"Then let's move."
The bioship hummed quietly as it cruised toward Santa Prisca under stealth mode, cloaked in a shimmering veil of adaptive camouflage. Its interior lights were dim, casting soft blues and greens across the cabin. Everyone was strapped in, silent for the first few minutes, letting the mission's weight settle on their shoulders.
I sat across from Superboy, diagonal to Robin and Kaldur. M'gann piloted the ship with serene focus, her thoughts calm but curious—she was scanning everyone's mood without probing too deep. Kid Flash sat two seats over, legs tapping with restless energy.
It was Robin who broke the silence.
"So, Eva…" he started, tapping away on his wrist computer, "I've read Batman files, but I like firsthand accounts. You mind telling us what exactly you can do?"
The others turned to look. Even Superboy raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Super strength. Enhanced speed. Accelerated healing. Precision reflexes. My body's been modified through multiple Runic methods, but the most defining aspect is my swordsmanship."
"That sword of yours," Kaldur said thoughtfully. "It radiates energy. Not unlike magic."
"It is magic," I answered, adjusting my gloves slightly. "Runesmithing, solar forging, and something ancient layered over it. It responds to me. But it doesn't tolerate others."
"What happens if someone else picks it up?" M'gann asked gently.
"They don't pick it up," I replied. "They burn."
Kid Flash leaned forward, grinning. "So you're basically a superfast, magically enhanced blade-dancer with a tragic backstory and anger issues." He snapped his fingers. "Got it. You need a code name. Something dramatic. How about…"
He gestured dramatically toward me.
"Katana!"
I stared at him.
Flatly.
"No."
He blinked. "No? C'mon. It fits! Sharp, deadly, elegant—"
"Also already taken," Robin chimed in, not looking up from his screen.
I turned back to Kid Flash. "I am not a weapon. I'm not a name you can slap on a T-shirt. I'm not a mascot. My name is Evalis. If you want to shorten it, call me Eva. Anything else will result in dismemberment."
Wally raised both hands in mock surrender. "Whoa. Chill. No need to go full rage-mode."
"I'm not angry," I said, tone deadly calm. "If I were angry, you'd know. You'd already be missing something vital."
Robin coughed to hide a laugh. Even Superboy smirked slightly.
"Right," Kid Flash muttered. "Mental note—no nicknames."
M'gann glanced back from the cockpit. "You sound like you've been through a lot."
"That's an understatement," I replied, folding my arms. "But we're here for a mission, not story time."
Kaldur nodded. "Then let us return our focus. Mission parameters: stealth entry, data retrieval, sabotage. No unnecessary violence. We strike fast and leave faster."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aqualad had already peeled off, diving silently into the cold ocean depths to handle the underwater approach. That left the rest of us—airborne, high above the jagged cliffs and dense jungle of Santa Prisca.
The bioship hovered in place, cloaked and silent, its undercarriage hatch hissing open. A zip line shot downward with a faint mechanical whir, anchoring into the soil below.
Miss Martian, Robin, and Kid Flash descended one by one, sleek and smooth, barely more than shadows gliding into the underbrush.
I ignored the line entirely.
Without a word, I stepped into open air and dropped.
The wind curled past me, but I didn't flinch. My body adjusted naturally, feet angled, knees loose, spine aligned. I landed soundlessly, the impact absorbed through my calves and hips, dispersing force with perfect control. My cloak fluttered once before stilling. Not even a leaf stirred.
I turned just in time to see Superboy descending—and immediately cursed under my breath.
He wasn't dropping. He was falling.
Hard.
Fast.
Loud.
The idiot was going to crater the jungle floor like a meteorite and alert every armed patrol within a two-mile radius.
My eyes narrowed.
In the split second before impact, I moved.
I slid forward, twisting my torso into a rising whip-step. My right palm struck his shoulder blade while my left foot pivoted back. I redirected his weight mid-air, channeling the force through my frame and down into the soil like a lightning rod. The technique was based on Tenchi-ryu—a redirection style of power-over-force. Mixed with my own enhanced reflexes, it was effortless.
Superboy didn't even have time to react.
He hit the ground gently—knees bent, impact dulled. No tremor. No sound. Just a soft rustle of disturbed leaves.
I held him for a moment longer to ensure full stabilization, then released him with a sharp push to the chest.
"Don't blow our cover," I hissed, voice low and lethal. "You stupid, invulnerable wrecking ball."
He blinked in surprise, catching his balance. "I was—"
"Falling," I snapped. "Like a brick with a superiority complex."
Kid Flash's voice chimed in from nearby, muffled slightly by his stealth mask. "Ouch. I think I felt that secondhand."
Robin crouched by a tree root, smirking. "Glad she's on our side."
Superboy glared at me, jaw tight. But he didn't argue. Maybe because he knew I was right.
Kaldur's voice crackled softly through our earpieces. "I've breached the intake tunnel. Proceed with Phase Two."
Robin gave a quick hand signal. "Let's move."
We slipped into the jungle like ghosts.