The cool air conditioned wind blew through the tall shaft of the foyer of Washington's Museum of History, carrying with the scents from the various exhibits with it. In the center was a recreation of a giant prehistoric bear roaring defiantly on a patch of land as footsteps of the bustling maintenance staff and security bounced off marble floors and off high stone walls and arches, among them was Diana's boots which were headed for the office of Geoff Blankly, the museum curator.
Geoff Blankly oversaw everything from finances to the staff and was known to be more interested in prestige and money than actually the museum itself. Whenever in a bad mood, he would take his frustrations out on the staff, demanding impromptu meetings and making employee reviews based on who would kiss up to him the most. Although he rarely came over to the research department, it took Diana every ounce of restraint for her not to pick up the man by his collar and leave him hanging upside down on the flagpole outside. If there was anything she hated more it was bullies.
But today would challenge her patience since she had an appointment with Blankly to pitch her a new Justice League exhibit. Diana thought it would be an excellent way for the public to be better acquainted with the League, especially lately since she's had a feeling of disconnect from the general public due to the League's sudden expansion. If the exhibit was a success, she would even be able to consider if they could host an Amazon exhibit. The idea of sharing her home with people left her excited at the chance to fulfill her dream of connecting the outside world with Themyscira.
Riding on the high of possibility, Diana rapped on the large wooden door with the name BLANKLY etched into the door in gold letters. Dressed in a business outfit of a blouse and skirt, she waited a beat with a folder of graphs and documents she had spent all of last night on after developing the idea when she returned from the Watchtower. The project was born out of the restless night from the anxiety of her unpleasant task of telling Batman the truth of Cassandra Sandsmark. In truth it served as a welcome distraction even if she was feeling the effects from a lack of sleep.
"Come in." said a muffled voice.
Diana opened the door to the richly decorated room that reminded Diana of the study inside Wayne Manor but this office was filled with pretense. Scattered along the wood paneled walls were pictures of Blankly with various celebrities and public figures from black tie mixers and charity fundraising events. Behind the large carved wooden desk in the center of the room was a large bookshelf stood with a large collection of first edition of classic literature intermingled with pandering celebrity biographies. In front of the desk stood Blankly focusing intensely on a golf ball that lay on a strip of putting green, his hands clutched around a putter.
"Good morning Mr. Blankly." She said in her most pleasant voice.
Blankly's tall thin frame stood motionless as a mannequin. He was unusually young for a curator and looked even younger, only looking a day over thirty years old. No one really knew how old he really was since it was a well kept secret. Blankly was as tall as Diana with short cut hair pulled up into and styled into a messy look as if he had gotten out of bed. His brow furrowed as his close knit brown eyes held its focus on the golf ball at his obnoxiously polished Italian shoes.
"Good morning Ms. Sandsmark." He said before taking giving a gentle swing with his club against the golf ball, watching the dimpled sphere roll smoothly into an overturned coffee mug. "Whatever it is, make this quick. Unlike you researchers, my time is pretty valuable."
Keeping her smile and her mouth shut, Diana was sure that all the man did was practice his putting game all day when not on the occasional phone call with a girl he was courting.
"Well Mr. Blankly I have a new idea for an exhibit here at…"
"That's not your call. Take this through the proper channels." Said Blankly as he fished out his golf ball from the cup.
"I know. I just thought this idea would get some great media coverage…a…and…would pull in a large amount of money because..."
"What's the exhibit?"
"A Justic…Justice League exhibit. I have a friend in Metropolis that has a contact…" said Diana
"Pass. Thank you." Blankly answered without even looking at Diana as he lined his body up for another practice putt.
"But Mr. Blankly this is a great, great chance to…"
"Cassandra, that's about as ridiculous as that museum they're building to that idiot in Central City. This is a place of sacred history. Not some hyper colorful celebrities who rescue kittens from trees and dress like show girls. Let's try to keep our credibility here. We're the Museum of History. Not the Haley Circus, but it's not a bad idea coming from a research assistant." Scowled Blankly.
Her jaw clenched tightly to fight the urge to take his golf club away from him and show him a new way of using it. The thought of exposing her identity had become more appealing again just to see the look on Blankly's smug face at the realization who he had insulted. Again she marveled at how much restraint Superman held whenever he was bullied as Clark.
"Well…thank you for your time." Said Diana as she left the office.
The tone of metal hitting a golf ball was the only sound that she received on her way out.
Several hours later she felt refreshed as she waved goodbye to the last of the school children on their trip to the museum. Diana had not expected to enjoy being a tour guide for the day to the local elementary school but the experience left her considering coming into the museum on her off days to do it. Their questions had been so enthusiastic, reactions so pure that it took away the bad after taste from her encounter with Blankly.
But once again the feeling of crashing overtook her as she saw Bruce Wayne standing at the foot of the steps looking up at her. A cold lump grew in her stomach under the warm D.C. sun as she saw him walking up towards her dressed in a dark blue suit and a crisp, bright white button up shirt. She wished she did find him last night on the Watchtower before he had returned to Gotham but was too late to catch him. The information was too important for a phone call and she didn't want to catch him on patrol for fear of distracting Batman from his duties however this was not the way she envisioned telling him either.
"Hi. Am I too late for the noon tour?" he asked with his charming smile and shining jet black hair.
Seeing Bruce instead of Batman created an unexpected conflict within Diana instincts. Never more in her life had Diana wished for an attack from the Joker or Metallo or one of the various Captain's from the Flash's rogues gallery.
"I'm off…to lunch Mr. Wayne." She said as Diana tried to mask the churning feelings at the base of her stomach.
"Well great. I can pay for lunch then. There's this great place near Georgetown if you like Italian food." He said as he picked up his pace to match hers.
"I…brought a bag lunch…Bruce. I mean…Mr. Wayne."
This wasn't the way she wanted to reveal her true identity to him as he followed her inside of the museum like some happy puppy.
"Well I hear eating alone is bad for you. There's one of those over priced hot dogs vendors outdoors so in the interest of public health I should join you inside.'"
"When faced with an overwhelming army, the best tactic is to exploit the advantage by any means possible, whether it is terrain, training or equipment, so as to divide the attacking force, even if it means to fall back to a more advantageous point. Doing so properly would reduce the numbers of the opposing force thus making combat occur in your advantage." Diana recited to herself inside of her mind.
It was a lesson taught to her from a young age about fighting wars, a lesson from the battle of Thermopylae. In this instance the opposing force was her emotions around Bruce, leaving her at the frustrating disadvantage. She needed to confront him on her terms as Wonder Woman, instead of Cassandra.
"Cassie. Please stop." Said Bruce while grabbing her arm giving Diana the opening to turn around and face him.
"I'm sorry Bru…Mr. Wayne."
"Five minutes Cassandra. Please." He said with a shamed look of a school boy who was caught for being late to class.
"I'm sorry. I have to go." She said and turned abruptly and away as fast as she could without running.
Back inside of her research lab peppered among relics were tables with her fellow research assistants and researchers in the process of painstakingly cleaning a recent excavation from a local dig. The musty scent of dirt and dust among the relics was her haven from the outside world.
"Hey Cassandra." Greeted Allison.
Allison often was the first one to greet Diana whenever she returned to the lab. As always she was dressed with a crisp white lab coat over her jeans and t-shirt with a pen or a pencil tucked always over her ear. She was Diana's first friend when she arrived at the lab and they often spent time getting talking about each other's families, although most of the talking was done by Allison. Diana didn't mind and often enjoyed hearing about her children and her husband, which was a welcome change from the day to day activities of the League.
"What are you doing back so early? I thought you were supposed to go to lunch?" asked Allison
"I…just wanted to finish. With the clay carvings." Responded Diana as she sat down in front of a pair of dirty table filled with various clay objects.
"Well hope you don't mind if we traded then. I really want to try that Greek food place, also look out. Blankly is on the warpath about…whatever because that news crew is coming."
"Thanks Allison."
At the table Diana inhaled a deep cleansing breath to push away contradicting emotions that smeared her mind and grabbed the closest brush, joining the others around her in cleaning, cataloging and storing the various artifacts in front of them. She looked across the adjoining tables to see a new tour group approaching the window to watch the researchers work. The tour groups had the chance to ask the researchers questions provided through the speakers stationed above the window. Most of the researchers hated being bothered but interacting and informing tour groups were something Diana enjoyed that she was considered an unofficial liaison between the public and the research lab.
"So who has a question for our researchers? Anyone?" rang the tour guides voice
"I have one." Rang Bruce's voice.
Diana nearly dropped the priceless clay artifact in her hand. She ducked her head lower in an effort to shrink as much from view as possible.
"It's for the blonde woman with the glasses, the one who's brushing away some dirt, the one near the back." Bruce said. "So what are you working on?"
Diana continued to brush her clay figure without answer.
"Hey Cassandra, that guy's asking you a question." Said one of the researchers working across from her.
With resignation she looked up and pushed her glasses closer to her face. Rising from her seat she walked over to the microphone installed into the wall next to the glass.
"What is that piece you're working on?"Bruce asked.
"A Native American artifact, which was made as a totem to the god of the earth." Answered Diana
"Really? That is cool. I know this one girl who's really into those things."
"Well are there any more questions?" asked the tour guide to the group.
Diana took the moment to turn around and try to escape when Bruce's voice rang out over the speaker once again.
"I have another question. As the god of the earth was a woman because we all we're birthed from her correct?"
"Yes." Diana said turning to face him.
"If that's true, then would you like to have dinner tonight?" Bruce asked with a hopeful look on his face.
"Any other questions?" asked the museum tour guide.
"Yea. If you need a character witness, my friend here will testify to my character." Bruce said as he put his hands on the shoulder of a young twenty year old man.
"What?" the man exclaimed
"That's not a question sir." Corrected the tour guide.
The man felt Bruce's hand shoving something into his. As he looked down, he saw a twenty dollar bill folded neatly in a perfect square on the palm of his hand.
"Uhh…yea. Why not?" said the man half heartedly
"But if you think he's lying, if this guy's bothering you, I can take him away. I won't even ask for a reward, except for dinner, which I'll be paying for." Bruce answered to the chuckles of the crowd.
A smile threatened to crack Diana's stoic face.
"Just go out with him already and we can go on with the tour." Said a woman from the crowd.
Bruce seemed surprised by the crowd's sudden interest in their love life but Diana suspected he knew what he was doing all along. But he always had that talent for manipulating others to achieve a goal, a trait she was finding to be bothersome at this particular moment. Half the crowd seemed adamant on Diana accepting to have dinner with him as they joined in on the conversation, some yelling towards the microphone, wrestling playfully over each other's voices as others patted Bruce on the back. And as always, he had that smile.
"I'm sorry everyone but the tour has to keep moving!" said the tour guide much to Diana's relief.
Even though the crowd expressed their displeasure at the turn of events, the tour guide still managed to corral the group and keep everyone moving allowing Diana to turn around quickly to avoid making any further eye contact with Bruce.
An hour later the only thought on Diana's mind was of succulent lamb meat tucked with vegetables into a pita with a side of hot French fries. A dozen museum guests were peppered throughout the main hall along with a local news crew interviewing Blankly about an upcoming event at the museum. She scanned the crowd looking for Bruce, hoping that he was already gone from the museum, praying she could avoid him to get an hour to herself and to try not to fall asleep at her table before her food arrived.
Halfway to the exit a rumbling shook the marble floor that froze her in her in place. She furrowed her brow in confusion as she and the rest of the crowd searched for an explanation for the unusual quake when the fire alarm began to scream with a wall of smoke bleeding out from one of the upper floors. The crowd headed towards the exit without prompting the chance for Diana to slip away into the restroom. An instant later she emerged as Wonder Woman and flew up towards the billowing smoke.
"HELP!"
"Fire!"
"I can't see! HELP!"
Sprinklers poured water over head on the entire museum except the wing of Aztec history, which was consumed as intense heat pressed against her. Fire cracked a warning for her to stay away as Diana tied one end of her lasso onto a handrail and the other around her wrist and entered. She tried to stay beneath the smoke as much as she could.
"HELLO!" she screamed over the fire.
"It's Wonder Woman!" yelled a little girl when Diana found her and her mother.
"Follow the lasso out. It will guide you out little sister." Diana said.
She found a handful of people and carried two unconscious security guards to safety before plunging back into the fire, this time with a
"Hello! Come towards my voice!" yelled Diana into the black smoke and roaring fire.
"DIANA!" a familiar voice shouted. "OVER HERE!"
Diana coughed and headed towards the voice as the heat bit down harder on her skin when she found Bruce with an unconscious security guard draped over one of his shoulders. His jacket was gone and the once white shirt was a shade darker covered in soot. Smoke now filled the entire room, burning her lungs and eyes when she grabbed Bruce's arm with one hand and pulled the lasso tied around her wrist taut to follow the trail it left out.
Soon the chill of water against her skin signaled to Diana that they were safe as opened her eyes and rose to her feet, pushing the matted wet hair from her face. After untying the lasso from the handrail Diana helped Bruce to his feet when several firemen came running towards them. She took the moment to slip away to change back into Cassandra.
Outside cloaked in a heavy blanket sat Diana on a stone bench at the foot of the museum steps, dressed as a sopping wet Cassandra as Blankly, looking what she could only describe as neatly disheveled, holding an improvised conference in front of several news crew. Diana pictured him being one of the first ones out of the exit holding onto his precious putter.
"This seat taken?" asked Bruce as he sat next to Diana, covered in the same heavy blanket that covered Diana and handed her a hot dog.
A thousand excuses, exit strategies and battle lessons gave way to her hunger as she devoured her meal.
"You sure you don't want some ketchup or mustard?" asked Bruce as he pulled out several packet of condiments and two soda cans from his pockets.
"Mmfff!" said Diana as she reached for a mustard packet and pulled it open.
"Well while I got your attention here Cassandra, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you don't want to talk to me because of those reports of me and Faye." Bruce admitted as he smoothed out his disheveled hair.
"Mm." Grunted Diana as she concentrated spreading mustard over her hot dog.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it up front but…"
"No…it's ok Bruce." Diana said as she swallowed her meal. "You don't have to say apologize. I overreacted to the news."
"Cassandra, I'm not seeing her anymore. Faye's nice but…but…I guess I can only say that I wasn't impressed."
Diana looked away for a moment and smiled briefly before turning back to Bruce.
"I'm sorry. I had something caught in my throat." She said as she turned her body towards face him.
"I hope it's my heart." Bruce joked as he opened the soda cans.
"If that's the best line you used to win over Faye, then I might be forced to lower my standards if I wanted to keep seeing you." Chided Diana.
Bruce gave a hearty laugh that nearly infected Diana. She secured the memory of it away since she wasn't sure if she'd ever see it again when she would expose her true identity to him. But for now it could wait.
"Bruce, I'd like to talk more but…you see…I've…can we talk later? I mean we have…a lot…to talk about. Plus with my boss shooting down my idea for a Justice League exhibit…"
"Justice League exhibit?" Bruce asked quizzically
"I...I know it sounds..."
"No. Please tell me. I'm intersted."
It felt strange for Diana to tell her idea to Bruce and made her feel much more nervous compared to pitching the idea to Blankly. She half expected Bruce to put on his cape and cowl to lecture her in front of eveyone that the Justice League was a global and galactic resource, not a media side show for profit and that the idea was one of the most idiotic ideas he had ever heard (next to Flash and Booster Gold wanting to sew corporate logos into their uniforms)
"Well...I...the...Justice League is so interesting. They are a part of our history, world history even and with so many people intersted, I thought it might...be a good way to have people connect with them. But Mr. Blankly doesn't agree with me."
"That guy?" Bruce asked as he motioned to Blankly as he charmed the media.
"Yes." Diana said coldly
"I think I can help you persuade him."
"Are you sure? Blankly can be...pretty mean."
"Men like him are always mean. They're only nice to money and I happen to have some." Bruce said as he took a bite of his hot dog while eyeing Blankly turning away from the cameras.
"I'd love to talk about it more Bruce...but...I really...and...the firemen found me in a bathroom."
"I understand Cassie. I was nearly burnt up if it wasn't for Wonder Woman."
"Already another woman Mr. Wayne?" Diana joked.
"Well…I can say I was impressed. But not as impressed as she was." Said Bruce as he pointed to the little girl that Diana had saved earlier, bouncing up and down excitedly as she gave an interview about her experience being rescued by Wonder Woman.
The giant smile on cute face her face made it the perfect end of the day for Diana.
