Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Human

Eve POV:

Mt. Justice — as our new base was called — came with all the amenities a budding young superhero team could need. A spacious combined kitchen/living room area, a training room with a sparring ring, an infirmary with high tech equipment I wasn’t even going to touch before someone taught me how they worked, and a hangar where M’gann’s semi-sentient Boiship rested happily.

There were also plenty of rooms for us to stay in. Wally, Robin and Speedy would be commuting from home, but the rest of us moved into the mountain. I decided to move in because it would make teambuilding a lot easier, but I would be visiting Zatanna at the Shadowcrest often. She was sad to see me move out, but offered nothing but encouragement, promising she would join us when her dad thought she was ready.

When we went back to the mountain this morning, Donna had quickly noted how much more confident and happy M’gann had seemed. When asked what had happened, M’gann waved her off promising she’d tell her someday. She wasn’t ready to open up with anyone yet, not even Donna, but I could feel her confidence growing by the second.

I was making lunch in the kitchen when Superboy’s arrival was announced. Both M’gann and Donna had gone off to speak with their mentors, and none of the others were here, so I had been alone in the mountain until now.

“Hey, Superboy!” I called out as he entered the living room. “Want some grilly cheese?”

He paused as he heard me and raised an eyebrow. “Grilly cheese?”

“Grilled cheese sandwiches,” I answered. “It’s supposedly the greatest thing humanity has ever made. According to an adorable imaginary eldritch abomination, at least. So, want some?”

He stared at me for a moment, frowning, before shaking his head. “You’re not making any sense. No. I already ate.”

“Alright,” I said and went back to making my own grilly cheese. “So, where’ve you been? Know where the other guys went?”

“No,” He answered simply. Then he hesitated before continuing, “I’ve been with Superman.”

That made me pause. “He talked to you?” I asked, slightly surprised. I had pushed him to do so, but he still seemed hesitant when I saw him last. “That’s great!” I beamed at him. “Glad he got his shit together!”

He sat down on the couch as I talked. While he still looked a little tense and his movements were somewhat mechanical, he was nowhere near the bundle of anger I would have expected him to be so soon after coming out of the tank. He hesitated for a while before speaking again.

“Superman told me you convinced him to speak with me,” He said pointedly before asking, “Why?”

“Hmm…” I considered before responding, “Beyond it being the right thing to do? Did he tell you about me? My meta-knowledge?”

He nodded. “He said you knew about everyone from comic books. That we were characters in a story.” After a brief pause he added, “Did you know about me?”

“Yeah,” I said as I put my culinary masterpiece into a frying pan and set the timer. “Well, I knew that you would be created, but I didn’t know the ‘when’ or ‘where’. Or, I suspected, rather than knew. Things here aren’t exactly the same as anything I know about, but the general strokes are similar enough that my knowledge has been reliable. So far, at least.”

He stared at me as I sat down on the couch opposite him, and kept staring for much longer than would be considered polite. It wasn’t an inappropriate stare. It was the stare of someone who just didn’t understand that staring could make people uncomfortable.

“What do you know about me?” He finally asked.

“I don’t like saying too much about potential futures,” I explained. “I know you’re a good person at heart, but who you want to be beyond that is up to you.”

“What about my past, then?” He pressed. His voice became more intense as he spoke, tinted with frustration. “I have no idea what Cadmus did to me. No idea… what I am. I know I’m a clone of Superman, but I’m only half kryptonian. I’m weak. Will I ever not be… inferior?”

“You’re half Kryptonian and half human,” I pointed out. “Two halves make a whole, last I checked.” An appropriate quote struck me. “‘It’s not who you are on the inside, but what you do that defines you.’ If you want to know who the human part of your DNA comes from, I’ll tell you. If you want to know what I know about your powers, I’ll tell you. But, in the end, it doesn’t really matter. You decide for yourself who you want to be.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. “Tell me. I want to know.”

“Alright. Remember, my knowledge is just a ‘maybe’, so it might not necessarily be correct,” I warned. He nodded, so I continued.” Right, so. It’s not really surprising when you think about it, but your human DNA comes from Lex Luthor.” His eyes widened a little at that revelation before he frowned.

“You’re right, it’s not surprising,” He said. “And my powers? Can I get stronger?”

“Again,” I reiterated. “Can’t be sure it’s the same here, but you should have some kind of tactile telekinesis. I think you’ll be able to use it to enhance your strength and senses to match a Kryptonian eventually. And even fly.”

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This time, his eyes widened even more and I could see a new emotion on his face. Hope.

“As I said,” I pointed out, not wanting him to get too excited only to be disappointed if I was wrong. “I’m not sure. It’s a possibility only, so don’t get your hopes up too high.”

“Yes,” He said and tempered his expression a little. “But it’s still a direction. Something to look at. Thank you, Arcana,”

“Happy to help, Superboy!” I said with a grin. “And just call me Eve. I’m not bothering with keeping it secret from the team.”

“...Conner,” He said hesitantly after a short pause. “Superman took me to see his parents. They said I needed a name. So I’m Conner now.”

“Conner, then,” I smiled at him and extended a hand. “I look forward to getting to know the real you.”

As he took it, I swear I could see the traces of a smile on his face as well.

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Conner and I ended up getting to know each other better while I ate my lunch. Well, it was mainly him asking me questions and me answering them. He didn’t even know himself yet, so that part would have to come later.

He was hesitant when I suggested he ask M’gann to help him explore his potential telekinetic powers. He seemed to think asking for help made him seem weak, and he hated feeling weak. Which made sense, considering his origin. He was even less thrilled when I suggested he ask one of the martians to check his mind for mental suggestions. He had to admit it was a possibility though, so I managed to draw a tentative “I’ll think about it,” out of him.

Not long after, the other boys showed up.

“Hey, gorgeous! Thanks for ditching us yesterday. Not cool.” Wally was in the kitchen making a sandwich barely a second after the zeta-tube had announced their entrance.

“Sorry, Kid. We needed a girls’ night. No boys allowed,” I told him. “Also, stop with the flirty nicknames. It’s really cringe.”

As Wally looked briefly stunned by my comment, the other three entered the room. Robin and Speedy were chuckling at his expense, while Aqualad just looked stoically exasperated.

“‘Bout time someone told him,” Speedy said with a grin. “I’m surprised Donna hasn’t decked him yet.”

“Hey!” Wally, who had gotten his feet back under him complained, “Girls like compliments!”

“We like heartfelt compliments,” I retorted. “What you’re doing is just sexual harassment.” Then to Speedy, “Sorry we ditched you guys yesterday. Wanted to befriend the girls before dealing with you degenerates.”

“Ouch! I’m hurt!” He said, grabbing his chest dramatically, but his grin told me he took the banter for what it was. Then he reached out a hand in greeting. “Speedy.”

Speedy was an athletic man with short, red hair. He looked to be about my age, but stood almost a head taller. He was certainly acting more mature than Wally. Like the others, he was in civilian clothes — throwing a nod to his alter ego with his red t-shirt.

“Arcana,” I said, taking his hand. “But just call me Eve out of uniform. I already know all your names, so it’s only fair.”

“Yeah, Green Arrow told me about that. Robin and Wally confirmed it,” He said. “Feel free to use mine when I’m not in costume. I don’t mind the team knowing.”

“My name is public knowledge, so use it as you please,” Aqualad — well, Kaldur, since I had his permission — inserted himself in the conversation to introduce himself. “I am Kaldur’ahm, but you may call me Kaldur. It is good to meet you.”

Kaldur was a muscular man with short-cropped platinum blonde hair that contrasted with his dark skin. He was about the same height as Speedy, but his face looked slightly younger. His broad neck had three distinct lines on either side — gills, I knew — and his arms were covered in tattoos.

“Likewise,” I replied, taking his extended hand before asking, “I assume you’ll be the team leader? Since you have military training, I mean.”

He looked surprised at my question but answered evenly, “The matter has not been discussed. And I am afraid command training has not been a major focus in my training.”

“Why do we need a leader?” Wally chimed in. “Isn’t this team supposed to be us proving we don’t need someone telling us what to do?”

“Do you need to be on this team to prove that?” I asked as I sat back down. “If that’s all you want, then can’t you just run off and do hero work on your own? I don’t think anyone’s gonna stop you. Hell, nobody can stop you. You have super speed.” All of them were looking at me like I had grown a second head.

“What?” I asked. “The Justice League doesn’t have a monopoly on hero work. If all you want is independence, going off on your own is the easiest way to get it. There are plenty of superheroes that aren’t in the League, and they still do good work.”

“We kinda do want to be in the League, though,” Robin pointed out.

“And you think the League just wings it every time they team up?” I asked incredulously.

“Um, yeah?” Wally said, looking confused. Robin actually facepalmed at that. Whether it was because of his friend’s ignorance or himself for failing to realize my point earlier, I didn’t know.

“They all follow Batman,” He said. “I don’t think he has been elected leader, but they all follow his lead.”

“Exactly,” I nodded. “Batman is able to stand on equal footing with people like Superman and Wonder Woman, not because of his fancy gear, but because his planning and decision-making skills are insane.”

“I’ve never thought about it before, but you’re right,” Speedy said with a thoughtful expression. “And, no offense, Rob, you’re not quite Batman. Kaldur is the natural choice.”

“None taken. And, yeah, I agree. Kaldur has my vote as well,” Robin replied before scoffing. “Heh. Can’t believe I didn’t see this earlier.”

“See what?” Wally asked, still somewhat confused at the direction the conversation had taken.

“This was probably a test,” Robin answered. “Batman wanted to see if we could figure things out on our own. Now that I think about it, it’s really obvious. Of course, we need a leader!”

“Ahh, I still don’t get why we need a leader,” Wally said. “But if you say so, I don’t mind Kaldur being in charge.”

Then we all looked to Conner, who just shrugged and said, “My vote is the same as Eve’s.” Which caused a few raised eyebrows, but no one commented.

“I am grateful for the trust you are putting in me,” Kaldur said, seemingly surprised that we all considered him to be the natural leader of our group. “I swear, I will not let you down!”