Whoo! I finally posted this! But seriously, why won't anyone review? It's literally only one person. Pweety pwease weview?
Diana stared at the person in the cage next to her, her mouth agape. For ten years, she'd never even dream of seeing this image again. Yet there it was, mere yards away and separated by an electrical barrier. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but when she looked over to Hippolyta, she saw that she looked how she felt. Slowly, Diana turned her eyes back to the person who'd she known for a year as Kat.
Curious, blue eyes met her astonished ones. "Di, is that really you?"
That ended any doubt troubling the older Amazon. Tears welling in her eyes again, she cried, "I can't believe it! You're still alive!"
Donna looked confused. "I am?"
"Yes!" Diana looked as if she wanted to charge through the cage to get to her sister, but knew the consequences of trying it.
Donna blinked, turning her head to look at Hippolyta. She saw shock, yes, but there was something else…Anger? "All I remember is seeing a flash, and then the next thing I know, I'm here. What happened?"
Diana barely managed to say, "You…you were electrocuted by the cage when you threw yourself at it in an attempt to get to Mageia. But…you…you were Kat then…"
At that moment, everything came rushing back to Donna. She remembered the entire past year with Diana as if it were a movie; she remembered how they met, how they quickly bonded, how they fought crime together, everything. As soon as she remembered those last moments, her mind flashed back to when she was a child, how she had to live by herself since she was eight and take care of herself since then. For the past ten years, she'd wondered what her place in the world was and thought she found it when Diana found her.
Diana turned to Mageia, who stood there in front of the cages watching them. "How? How did you know to do this?"
"I didn't," Mageia replied. "Not until I did my research. When I tested the samples, I discovered that all three were related."
"Of course," Donna said. "Mother created Diana by sculpting her from clay and breathing life into her while I'm her mirror image."
"Ah, but that is the tricky part," Mageia said. "If you are Diana's mirror image, why are you younger than her? Shouldn't you be her identical twin?"
Hippolyta bit her lip nervously.
"What are you trying to say?" Diana asked, an uneasy feeling in her stomach.
"All of the genes of the samples are related, yes, but you two," he pointed to the sisters, "possess another gene, and it's not human."
Diana was astonished. "What do you mean it's not human? We only have one parent!"
Mageia shook his head. "No, you don't. You two have a father, and he's not from this world. You see, I'm an expert at this. Out of all the cells I've observed, yours are by far the most unusual, and this is coming from the person who's observed cells from the other side of the universe. Yours are stronger than humans, much, much stronger."
"What do you mean?" Donna said, clearly confused.
He sighed. "You two have a powerful, godlike father, whoever he is." He caught the nervous look in Hippolyta's eyes and added with the smallest hint of a smirk, "Perhaps your mother can explain." With that, he left.
Donna immediately turned to her mother. "What does he mean by this? I thought we didn't have a father!"
Hippolyta knew that she'd have to swallow a lot of pride just to admit this. "You do," she nearly whispered.
Diana threw her hands up in shock. "Mother! You tell me the horror stories of men, yet you yourself bedded one?!"
Hippolyta had nothing to say, holding her head down in shame. "Who are you to tell me that men are a vile, brutal species, and then you sleep with one?!" Diana let out a breath of frustration. "Who is it, Mother?!"
Hippolyta merely pointed a finger up to the ceiling. In her anger-ridden mind, it took Diana a moment to figure out what she was trying to indicate. Shock replaced her anger, and her eyes became large as saucers.
"One of the gods?! You've bedded one of the gods?!"
Even Donna was taken aback by this. She was expecting a normal, human man, not a god. In a shaky voice, she asked her mother, "W-which one?"
"Hera's husband."
Now Donna's eyes were a mirror image to her sister's. "Zeus?! Are you saying Zeus is our father?!"
Hippolyta nodded. Donna had to sit down, she was so surprised. Diana, however, remained standing as her shock quickly became fuel for her already growing anger. Every single cell inside of her was screaming at her to strike her mother with everything she had, but the electrical barrier distancing them was still in the way. Her glare was already intimidating the blonde Queen, anyway. She'd never seen her daughter give her such a look, and she admitted that it scared her.
Diana's hands clenched into fists, shaking from the pent up anger and frustration coursing through her at that moment. She desperately wanted to punch her way through but didn't want to take any chance of hurting herself. She saw what it did to Donna, even if she was weaker. If given the right amount of time, the damage could be similar to hers, only the pain would last a lot longer than Donna's.
Donna noticed that Diana started pacing around, muttering things in Greek. Donna found herself unable to understand any of it, and it surprised her. She had lived as an American for so long that it corrupted her mind. After a moment, she wasn't surprised anymore that all she knew was English and a few basic words from other languages.
She shifted her gaze to her mother, who was still avoiding looking up. In all honestly, she didn't blame her; from what Donna could remember, their mother had taught them the dangers of men and how they were, and now her daughters discovered they had a father. But not just any father—the King of the Gods himself. Donna wondered how she had managed to do that, but didn't ask. She knew better than to get Diana worked up anymore. Calm and collected or not, everyone had limits, and her sister was dangerously close to hers.
They had to get out of there before one of them broke down. "Di," she called, gaining her older sister's gaze. "I think I have a plan to get us out of here."
The anger and betrayal was still evident in the Amazon's eyes, but she nodded, listening to Donna speak.
Mageia was typing on his computer, occasionally glancing at the Amazon in the middle cage. The walls were no longer glass, but now pure electric bars. He thought that they could somehow figure out a way to get through without hurting themselves because of it and changed it slowly overnight while they were sleep. He didn't have to lift a finger from his keyboard—all he had to do was press a few buttons, and the slow but enhanced transition began.
He noticed that Diana hadn't said a word since he came in there that morning. Something had happened the night before, he realized. He wanted to know, but had a feeling none of his prisoners would tell him a thing.
Donna was similar to Diana, but occasionally tried to get the older Amazon to speak. Judging from the lethargic queen on the other side of Diana, he hypothesized that whatever took place when he was gone was huge for them. He would have assumed that Hippolyta died if he didn't know any better. The most movement she made was occasional glances at her daughters, and that was it.
Suddenly, he felt something hit him in his back and looked out of the corner of his eye. Donna was standing by the "wall" of the cage, staring directly at him. "Yes?" he said, already impatient.
"Could you let me out for a little while?" she asked innocently.
Mageia gave her a bewildered look. "And why would I do that?"
She smirked deviously. "You said you wanted power, right? I'm Wonder Woman's baby sister, and I know everything about her." She turned her head briefly, "Right now she's asleep. If you let me out, I can tell you whatever you want to know."
His expression changed to skeptical. "Even if I did, you'd run away the first change you got, so my answer is no."
She smirked even more. "You see, I don't care much for my Amazon race right now."
Hippolyta glanced worriedly at Donna.
"I've been raised as an American for over half of my life. I thought I died when I was eight because of a sickness that I fell to. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the slums of Chicago on a rainy night. I didn't know who I was—I didn't know what I was. All I knew was that I was lost. After days of sleeping in various places and hunting for food, I found out that I 'had' the name Katherine Greene, going by the nickname Kat. I was listed as six, and I found a necklace with my 'mother' and 'sister' on it, who both died in a house fire when I was a baby. All of this was in a backpack I didn't know I was carrying until I saw my reflection."
Hippolyta's heart sank.
"For the next ten years, I had to live off of the streets, washing the little clothes I had in public fountains and puddles, and eating leftover food in trashcans. My permanent home was the park close to my 'mother's' old home, and I slept inside one of the tubes to crawl through. During the night I stayed there, and during the day I wandered around. Every day I used to always wonder, what did I do to deserve this? Did I do something wrong? If so, what could I do to fix it? Of course, I never got my answer.
"Last year, when I was 'fifteen', I was eating a soggy piece of bread when I heard about Wonder Woman on the news. She was in Chicago, stopping a bank robbery. I wanted to help, even though I knew I'd only get in the way. But I wanted to prove to somebody for once that I could be useful and charged to the bank…and surprised myself by hurtling dozens of men across the room with ease. We were finished within minutes. Wonder Woman introduced herself to me, and I did the same, and from there, we were partners, me known as Wonder Girl. I was just happy to have a friend for once."
Mageia looked bored. "What does this have to do with you not caring for the Amazons?"
Donna took the necklace off, showing it to Mageia. "When you reversed the magic used on me, you reversed the one on this as well. It's Diana and my mother, and I'm the baby. The Amazons altered their looks so I'd have something to remember my 'family' by. All these years I thought I was alone in the world, and I just so happened to have a family…" She gave Hippolyta a glare that rivaled Diana's. "I know the Amazons had a hand in this, and I want to cause them the same pain as I had to go through." Donna was surprised when her voice cracked—was she truthfully that upset over her "past"?
After what seemed like forever, Mageia smiled. "Very well, Amazon, I will grant you freedom, as long as you work with me." He typed a code into his computer, and the electrical bars disappeared. Donna hopped down, and the bars suddenly sparked back to life.
"So, what now?"
Mageia smiled evilly. "Today, we create the plans of destruction!"
Donna looked over to the computer. "So I assume that's what controls the cages?"
"Yes, it does. As a matter of fact, it controls every single electronic built inside of here."
"Where are we, anyway?"
He grinned, "My favorite place, Switzerland."
Donna nodded. "And you said that your computer controls everything?"
"Yes, why do you keep asking?"
"Just making sure." She turned her head to the cage that held Diana. "You heard that, right?"
"Oh, I heard everything." Just then, a fast object came spinning toward them. They both barely managed to dodge it before it sliced through the machine, destroying it completely. Mageia gasped, rushing over to it.
"No! You ruined it! Countless years of research, gone forever!"
"And this is why you don't turn your back on an Amazon." He turned around to see Diana clutching his wand in one hand. Before he could move, she snapped it in half, letting the remains fall to the ground. Slowly, she walked up to Mageia and grabbed him by his collar, pulling him close to her face. The anger was evident in her eyes as she said darkly, "You caged us and had us used like animals. I have half a mind to do the same to you, but luckily, I am feeling generous right now, as I have bigger problems to handle. But I promise you, if I ever hear about you anywhere, you are going to wish I have killed you now." With that, she turned and walked out of the room.
Hippolyta watched Donna run after her, debating on whether to follow them or not. They were furious with her, and she didn't know which one was angrier. It was only when she heard one of them call her name did she decide to move from her spot.
It took them a matter of minutes to get out of the place, due to Diana punching her way through the walls. "I am going to have to carry you since you can't fly," Diana said to her mother. "But I promise you, if you say something I don't like, you will know how it feels like to skydive without a parachute."
Hippolyta nodded, letting her older daughter wrap her hands around her waist and take off to the sky, flying away from the place with undeterred speed. Donna had to increase her usual speed just to keep up.
"You act as if you know your way around here already," she said to Diana.
"I have been here many times before own my own. Of course I know my way."
Donna smirked. "Let me guess, your lover is here, isn't he?"
Despite what she was feeling, Diana's face colored. "N-no! There is no man here!"
"Oh, that's right, you root for the home team. So, who's the lucky girl?"
"Donna!"
It was nearly nightfall by the time they were back in Themyscira. As soon as they were on the soil, Diana grabbed Donna's hand and nearly dragged her to the palace, ignoring everything around them. She dragged Donna to her room, where she locked the door. "Can you believe her?!" she nearly screamed. "Zeus is our father! Our father!"
"That means we are demigoddesses," Donna said quietly. "If Hera finds out, she's gonna kill us."
Fear struck Diana like lightning. "If she does find out, she'll kill us and our sisters."
Donna paled. "…Let's not think about that. She doesn't know, right? Since when does Zeus tells his wife about his affairs?"
"That woman has the eye of a hawk. But still, there are some running around that she has no idea of…" Before she could finish her sentence, they heard a knock at the door.
"This had better not be Mother," she growled, stomping toward the door. When she threw it open, she was surprised to see Aleka standing there, a smirk on the redhead's face.
"Look what the cat's dragged in," she said, her smirk growing at the noticeable look of annoyance on Diana's face. "I'm surprised you're still here."
"What do you want?"
Aleka's smirk grew even more. "What, I can't visit the demigoddess of Themyscira just for old time's sake?"
Diana's eyes widened. "You…you knew?!"
"Of course I knew. We all knew. Why do you think we were all insistent on you wearing your bracers 24/7?"
She hissed lowly, "I was told that they represent the suffering my sisters went through."
"Yes, they do, for us. For you, they hold back your power, your true power. You're a machine without them. Remember when you were five and you nearly killed a dozen of our sisters?"
She remembered that day clearly. She was angry throughout the day, and a group of the younger Amazons kept calling her "Clay," which pushed her over the edge. She was advancing on the last one by the time her mother came to her.
"Of course I do," she said. "What are you trying to say?"
Just when Aleka was about to answer the raven-haired Amazon's question, she saw something move behind her and peered over her shoulder. Her smirk deepened at the sight of Donna, who was glaring darkly at the redhead. "Oh, I see that you finally brought her back," she cackled. "It's about time. We were starting to think you'd never figure it out."
The Amazon sisters' hearts sank in fear of the third's voice. "What do you mean?" Diana asked, surprised at how small and feeble her voice sounded.
"Isn't it obvious? We all knew from the start that 'Kat' was Donna. Queen Hippolyta ordered her death to be faked in order to further protect you two from Hera's wrath should she find out. She had our magic users put her under a sleeping spell and then alter her appearance to fool anyone. Her mind was erased completely so that she wouldn't attempt to come back to us at any given moment." Aleka added with amusement in her voice, "You know, she was going to do the same to you, cast a sickness upon you and fake your death, but she was too attached to you to carry it out. Remember when you suddenly came down with the 'flu'?"
Diana remembered clearly despite the anger coursing through her at that moment. As a child, her favorite pastime was to fly through the clouds when it rained. She loved the feeling, and it gave her something that the other Amazons didn't possess: A sense of independence and the feeling of being able soar beyond her limits. However, after one night, she came down with a cold, which quickly turned into a horrible flu. Many times she'd heard the island's physicians say that she was near death, which often terrified her. Her mother was with her the entire time, and, albeit slowly, she got better.
"You're lying," she hissed.
Aleka's eyes gleamed sinisterly. "Am I? Just ask your mother the next time you see her. I assure you that she'll be surprised at how much you know." With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.
To say Diana was upset is an understatement. The thing was, she didn't even notice Donna, who was angrier than she was. Hippolyta faked her death! She made her think she was alone! For ten years, she was alone, and it was all her mother's fault!
"I'm going to kill her!" she screamed, suddenly springing to her feet and dashing to the door. Diana, hearing the outburst, barely managed to wrap her arms around the younger Amazon's waist to prevent her from going anywhere.
"Calm down," she said. Donna ignored her, squirming in an attempt to get out of her older sister's grip. She understood Donna's anger, and she was angry herself, but now her concern was having the teen with a clear conscious.
"Why should I?!" Donna screamed, now kicking at Diana's legs. "That woman we call our mother ruined my life! I was the one that had to live out on the streets! I was the one that had to beg just to get a meal! I was the one who…who…" She lowered her head, trying to fight back the tears of sorrow and betrayal threatening to spill out of her like a waterfall.
Diana noticed immediately, quickly ushering her sister back to the bed and sitting down with her, wrapping an arm around her small frame. Donna felt the sting in her eyes, but refused to let anything give away her vulnerable state. She had only cried three times in her life, and she was not willing to add a fourth to that list.
From the way her body was tense, Diana knew she was holding back. "Donna," she said, wrapping her other arm around her, "it's okay. It's okay to let go."
Donna tensed even more. Hearing permission to let herself go only made the tears well up in her eyes. "You and I know both that we Amazons don't cry," she nearly whispered.
Diana started stroking Donna's hair, feeling the teen relax a little. "Donna, we both broke that rule at least once in the past. The time I recall first is the day that began our ten-year separation." She chuckled somberly. "I broke it again not even a minute after you 'died'. That was the most emotion I'd ever let out at once."
"There was a distinctive reason for it," Donna retorted. "You couldn't help it. You were in despair, in pain, in agony."
"And just what are you in right now?" Diana countered. "You are in despair, pain, agony, betrayal, sorrow, anger, and so, so much more. I know you are because it is how I feel right now as well, but I know it is much stronger for you. At least I knew who my mother was all this time, and you just got your memory back by a stroke of luck. If we hadn't been captured, if I had acted out of impulse a moment too soon, I would have went on thinking you were the sixteen year old redhead I'd found a year ago during a bank robbery."
"What are you trying to say?"
Diana let a small smile stretch her lips. "I'm trying to say that these things happen," she said, still stroking Donna's hair. "We can't decide fate. We can't decide what happens. We can only accept it and move on, but you are not letting that happen."
"By not crying?"
"I know you almost never cried during these last ten years, Donna. Even though your memory was wiped clean, your subconscious was still aware of your Amazon roots. I can see the pain inside of you still, the feeling of betrayal of the world and loneliness. I would feel that way if I was forced to depend on myself at such a young age."
Suddenly, Donna tore out of Diana's grip, standing up and glaring at her older sister. "You know nothing about me," she hissed, the malice thick and evident in her voice. "I felt alone and betrayed, yes, but that's all you know. For ten years, I thought I was just another American orphan living on the streets. Do you know what that does to a person?" She chuckled bitterly. "No, of course not. While I was raised as an orphan, you were raised as a princess of an ancient civilization, destined to become a hero. I just happened to become one, all because of you. You felt pity for me, didn't you? You just thought I was just another 'problem' you had to fix."
Diana let her sister's words linger in the air for a moment before saying softly, "I never brought you in just because of pity. Yes, I admit I did pity you because of your background, but it is far from only that. I saw that you had potential to become something great in the future, as even though you hadn't stepped a foot in a school, you were brilliant. You were wiser than most teens your age, and you let nothing slow you down. You had all of the qualities of a hero, and I admired you for it. Plus," she took a deep breath, "you finally filled the void."
"What void?"
The older Amazon slowly lifted a finger, pointing to the left side of her chest. "You helped fill the emptiness I felt for so long. Since that day I forced myself to feel absolutely nothing, not wanting to feel the pain of losing someone close to me again. You taught me that the memories of those I spend time with are worth the pain that comes with it."
Donna felt herself trembling, but still refused to let any emotion reveal itself. Diana was on her feet now, slowly taking steps toward the teen. Donna started backing away, putting her hands up in front of her.
"Don't come any closer…I'll hurt you…"
Diana ignored her, still moving toward her. Frantic, Donna threw a few punches, but Diana blocked all of them, catching the last one. She saw the pleading, desperate look in her sister's eyes and said in a warm, comforting tone, "It's okay, Dee, to let go. I'm here for you, no matter what. Nobody is going to separate us ever again."
That did it. Her words broke the dam Donna was currently struggling to keep up, but failed. At first, a few tears slipped down her face as she felt her knees grow weak. She squeezed her eyes shut as the tears grew, frantically reaching for something to hold her up.
A strong hand grabbed hers. Donna knew it was Diana, who fell to the ground with her and securing her in a warm hug. She began whimpering as the dam collapsed completely, feeling all of her pent up anguish rush out of her. She buried her head in Diana's chest, letting her sobs rack her body.
Diana sat there, crying along with her sister. She knew Donna had more to cry over than she did, but the pain she was holding back as well finally surfaced as well. She secured Donna in her arms, not ever letting go. She promised she was going to be there, and she wasn't going to back down.
