Department of History and Geology at Harvard University. While living on Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts, Vanessa grew up feeling like an awkward outsider in high school. During this time. she had the chance to meet Wonder Woman when her mother took in the Amazon when she first arrived in the United States. At first, Vanessa was jealous of Wonder Woman's beauty, but after Diana rescued her from Decay, the two got to know each other better. Nessie started to love Wonder Woman as an elder sister and dreamed of fighting evil alongside her. The trauma of her father's death and the suicide of her best friend, Lucy, made Vanessa start to blame herself for all the bad things that happened to people she cared about. Meanwhile, Doctor Psycho started to cause her to have nightmares. To help her daughter recover, the school counselor (under Psycho's influence) told Julia that Diana had to leave their house. Vanessa eventually recovered, but she could not forgive her mother for making Diana leave. She started to blame Diana for abandoning her. During this time, Vanessa became a target for Wonder Woman's enemies yet again by being kidnapped by the White Magician. She was eventually rescued by Diana. Her mixed emotions were a perfect target for Circe who decided to use her to get to Diana. Thus, using Sebastian Ballesteros (the latest Cheetah) as a lure, Dr. Psycho and Circe used periodic mental conditioning and physical implants to gradually transform Vanessa into a new Silver Swan and set her against her former friend. They programmed Vanessa's brain and turned the young woman into a killing machine, unleashing her upon Diana and Wonder Girl, who she considered a usurper of her "entitled" role. The result of this brought about the destruction of Cassie Sandmark's school and the death of over a hundred people as well as exposing Cassie's identity. Vanessa had become, effectively, a terrorist, but before Diana could attempt any resolution, the Imperiex attack and Circe's takeover of New York City occurred. After Circe was defeated, Diana took Vanessa to a hospital in Buenos Aires where she could heal. While she was recovering, Ballesteros abducted her. Veronica Cale, who hated and envied Diana, bought Nessie from him and transformed her further into a cyborg, sending her back to fight Diana. When Diana defeated Vanessa she begged Doctor Leslie Anderson to operate on her and