Chapter 4
Get a good running start and hurl myself at the wall/Going to hurl myself against the wall: Warren Zevon
By pretending to be "overwhelmed," Diana had managed to get them a room for the evening so as not to alarm anyone when they were roaming around the castle.
She had overheard one of the diners telling an off-color story about a celebrity and an embarrassing incident in one of the bedrooms on the top floor and she took her chance that "weak females" could get access to one. Using some of the knowledge she had gained from Jane Austin novels, she waited until Batman had left the table and then stood up awkwardly. She said "my, it is warm in here," before swooning into his arms.
Batman had been a little suspect as Diana had never, to his knowledge, used "my" in that context, let alone faint, but played along, gently placing her on the ground and making a show of checking her vitals.
She counted to thirty and then opened her eyes.
"Oh husband," she said in a quiet voice mixed with horror and shame. "I have humiliated you. I beg your forgiveness."
He looked at her as if he suspected body snatching but caught on.
"No, darling, no," he said gently, stroking the top of her head as if she was a small child. "There is nothing to forgive. You just need to rest. I've asked too much of you today."
General Clousng, as if he too was part of the act, offered a bedroom on the top floor and immediately asked his wife to see to the preparations. Diana noted with disgust that she just turned around to one of the serving women watching the farce and asked her to make sure the room in question was prepared.
The general turned to Batman. "Come with me. I'll show you the room. Others will see to your wife," he said.
As he spoke, two women appeared and helped Diana to her feet and walked at her side, clearly awaiting another fall. Diana "stumbled" a few times but made sure that they got to the room without further incident.
The bedroom was simple but clean and attractive. There was a large bed situated between two windows. The bed linens, walls, drapes and throw pillows were in cream. In fact, the only color came from tapestries that hung on the wall. There were two large and comfortable chairs along one side with a small table in-between. Located in one corner was a small door that Diana presumed led to a private bathroom.
The women made sure that Diana was sitting in one of the chairs before leaving the room. Batman waiting several minutes after the general and the women had taken their leave before speaking.
"The door. Outside the banquet hall behind one of those tapestries?" he asked.
"Probably," she answered.
They waited for darkness to fall and passed the time planning about the best way to find the door, the fastest way to destroy the weapons and how to get off the planet without anyone figuring out what had happened.
As they were about to leave the room, Diana smiled at Batman.
"You realize that the banquet did not count as dinner after the mission, right?" she asked.
"Mission's not over," he answered and disappeared out the door and into the shadows.
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The door was behind the third tapestry they looked behind. It was an old wooden door and Diana had no problems removing it from its hinges. On the other side of the door were darkness and the sound of water lapping a distance away. Silently, Batman handed Diana a tiny flashlight and flipped his own on. There was a twenty-foot path and then a dramatic drop-off. At the end of the path were several torches, which they lit. Carved into the side of the cliff were hand and foot holds – clearly designed for sudden escapes. Diana walked to the edge of the cliff and flew down slowly, stopping at every cave entrance to look for the weapons.
At last she found them and activated the communicator.
"I'm about thirty feet down," she told him.
"I'm behind you," came the response in her ear.
"I hate when you do that," she said softly.
"I know," he said and quickly kissed her neck. "Let's go."
It was very similar to the layout from the bunker. The cave was open and, once they found and lit the torches, fairly well lit. There were fewer weapons than what was in the bunker but they were the same time.
Batman deftly removed the wiring from the first and turned to Diana. "Since we aren't melting these, we can leave the boards in, but when you crush them, there may be some sparks."
"All right," she said, standing the missile upright and pushing it in from the top as if it was an empty aluminum can.
For several hours, they worked only to the sound to the destruction. Finally, Diana smashed the last one and flew out from a tall pile. She was flush from the work but for the first time since leaving Earth, she was happy. That, for her, had been fun.
They divided the rest of the caves and after a while, felt confident that they had managed to get rid of all the weapons. When they returned to the door behind the tapestry, the castle was still silent, but the sun was rising. Diana replaced the door and the two crept quietly outside.
They were only a short distance from the Batplane when they heard footsteps. They ducked behind some shrubs and watched as four soldiers were marching with one female walking free and three chained together by the waists.
Diana started to stand up but Batman grabbed her shoulder.
"We have no idea what is going on," he warned.
"Only one way to find out," she said and began following the group.
She had seen the small, squat brick building outside the castle on their way in but had not given it any thought. It clearly was where the group was headed. They walked in silence. Diana kept herself hidden as she attempted to see what the crime was.
When they reached the building, the group stopped. Diana found a tree that gave her a clear sight of what was happening but blocked her from their view.
One of the males unlocked the door and turned to the free female.
"Tell them," he said firmly.
The free female turned to the women. "Your mates have joined the rebellion and have abandoned you. Tomorrow, we will make you available for loyal men to see if one will have you. If not, you will be put to death and your body will be delivered to the rebels as a message to them."
The three women said nothing and walked into the brick building.
Diana was prepared to charge when she felt Batman behind her.
"Princess," he said gently.
His word choice and tone told her that she wasn't going to like the next words he said. So, she decided not to let him say them.
"I am freeing those women," she said firmly. "You can join me or you can head back to Earth. Choose now."
He said nothing and stayed still. She waited until the guards were gathered around the side of the building. The female had sat down against a wall.
Batman had been about to ask what the plan was when Diana flew across the field and at the door. She pulled the door off in a single motion and, when the guards ran towards her, used it like a bat and swung them several feet through the air. The female stood up and ran towards the men, but got out of the way when the door sailed through the air towards them.
Batman pulled the door off of them and tied them up.
After letting go of the door, Diana disappeared into the building. There was the sound of breaking chains.
"Where?" he heard one of the women asked.
Oh no, he thought and ran to the doorway of the building. There were several coats along the wall, a toilet and sink, Diana, the three women and nothing else.
"Back to your homes," Diana responded.
"But our men are gone."
"Then go to your families," Diana said, her tone getting rougher.
"Our families? Without our men?"
"How," Diana asked, nearly in a shriek. "How are you unable to function without men? Why did you give them your power? Why did you give that up? You have intelligence, grace, compassion and strength. Use them! How could you let yourself be given from one man to another like a pair of used shoes?"
The women were clearly frightened by the Amazonian warrior, who in her rage was hovering a few inches off the ground. One, however, spoke.
"We have no power. We never did. There was none to give up. We are going to stay here. We will get new husbands and be happy again."
Diana looked at them. "Get out," she said in a barely contained rage.
They did. Seconds after the third cleared the door, Diana threw herself through two of the building's support columns and through a wall. The building collapsed. All the Dratrayans, who were all together now, shouted. Batman stood between them and the remains of the building, stunned at what he was witnessing.
Diana, who seemed to forget that Batman was there, walked over to them. Her eyes were ice cold and her face was set firmly. Her fists were clenched. She picked up the three guards by the rope Batman had used and held them several inches off the ground.
"Remember this day," she said. "This is the day you learned that you are nothing. You have stolen the power from my sisters, a crime that your entire planet is guilty of. I would kill you but I want you to tell the others. I want you to remember your humiliation as you realize your own insignificance and your stupidity. I want you to remember that women saw you and they will remember."
She threw them into the remains of the building. The females screamed at Diana looked at them.
"Sisters, you have ignored your destiny. You have ignored your essence and you have allowed males to rule over you. Remember. Remember that one of your sisters stood up to these men and they could do nothing to stop her. In fact, they were afraid."
She took another step toward them and the women all cowered together.
This needs to end, Batman thought and closed the distance between the two of them.
"Princess!" Batman barked, hoping to distract her.
"It's under control," she said, her eyes glued to the women.
"No. No it's not," he said, his tone matching hers.
She stopped and turned to look at him. He could nearly feel her rage and disgust rolling off her in waves.
"Let them find their way alone," he said calmly.
Her expression remained the same and she looked at the ruins of the building and the group of soldiers lying unconscious among the bricks. Then she turned to look at the women who were still clutching to each other as if they were drowning. But when she looked back at Batman, she was stunned and clearly terrified of what she had done. He stepped forward to take her into his arms and comfort her, but before he could touch her, she whispered.
"Oh Hera."
And trembling slightly, she looked at him, sobbed and took to the air.