Her initial thoughts are very foggy. Several stimuli partially register within her mind as consciousness slowly returns. An incoherent male voice seems to echo about her limp body. Sharp pain pulses through her lower spine. Breathing is labored. Her head throbs as if a stampede of cattle were running roughshod within her skull. Were she cogent enough to express herself, Wonder Woman would surely say something to the effect of "Merciful Hera, I feel horrible!" Instead, she can barely utter a groan.
It is truly a struggle for the heroine just to reach a sitting position. Her first two attempts fail. Extreme stiffness permeates her knees and elbows. Diana focuses her will. Ignoring her discomfort, she forces herself to rise. Now seated, the beleaguered Amazon experiences a fit of hoarse, uncontrollable coughing. For nearly a full minute, she gasps to overcome a windpipe severely inhibited by inflammation and phlegm.
"You sound even worse than you look!" the Joker grumbles. The villain derives no joy in this observation. Awkwardly pinned underneath rubble from the smashed interior walls, he is in considerable pain. "It's about damn time you came to, Sweets. I've been yelling at you for hours! Tried spittin' too, not that it did any good. Would have used my acid-filled boutoniere, but they wouldn't let me wear it with standard prison garb. Imagine that?"
"Hours?!" a woozy Diana asks with pitched concern. "How long? Joker, how long have I been out?" she prods as her incessant coughing makes conversation difficult. "How should I know?" the rogue snaps. "I was zonked for a while too. You've been snoozing since I woke up in this misery, thank you very much!"
"Great Hera!" the princess exclaims as she takes notice of her legs. Her horror increases upon the sight of her arms. Patches of an ugly, reddish-pink rash have emerged sporadically throughout her body. The affected skin is chaffed and sensitive. Worse yet, Diana's joints suffer from a greater malaise. Her knees and elbows are all grossly swollen. Her shoulders and ankles are similarly afflicted, but to a lesser degree. Wonder Woman inspects her hands and grimly recognizes that her fingers are beginning to puff up as well.
"Circe!" Diana growls in anger as she springs to her feet despite her balky knees. The Amazon knows that she has exceeded the six hour time limit invoked by her sadistic nemesis. Without proximity to any of her Justice League colleagues within the imposed time frame, the incantation retaliates with devastating fury. Her own physique is being ravaged, but her greater fear is that the same fate may be befalling her heroic friends.
Wonder Woman ventures into the demolished laboratory. She discovers the motionless form of Lex Luthor sprawled amidst debris. The criminal mastermind is breathing, but comatose. "His pulse is weak." Diana mumbles softly. "He needs immediate medical attention." The super heroine grimaces for this complicates matters all the more. She mustn't allow even the likes of Luthor to perish, but the JLA must be saved.
"Hey, you can't just leave me here!" the Joker objects as Wonder Woman turns toward the exit carrying Luthor. She leaves water and crackers at his side, but refuses to extricate him from the makeshift trap. "My leg's killing me!" he pleads. The ailing, yet determined princess glares back at the psychotic murderer. "You'll live Joker. Someone will be back to free you." Diana vows. As the Amazon enters the long stairwell to street level, she adds to her thought. "Hera help us all if that someone isn't me!"
*****
"This is utterly despicable, even by your treacherous standards Heracles!" She is the Olympian goddess of love and beauty. Her grace and loveliness are known to brighten even the darkest of rooms. On this day, however, Aphrodite acts out of character. She is angry.
"Aphrodite is always passionate in her convictions, but it is quite rare to see such a forthright display of hostility from her." observes Hera, the queen of the gods. "Of course, when one considers the misbegotten individual who is the cause of her discontent, it is rather easy to understand her reaction." Heracles scowls at his step-mother, a goddess who has always resented his very existence. They have learned to co-exist, but respect is a quality neither is willing to grant the other.
"Heracles, we approach you in this manner simply as a courtesy." Athena, the goddess of wisdom, calmly explains. "Your recent vindictive actions against Princess Diana are deemed unacceptable. It's bad enough that your ego compels you to continue your quest for vengeance against the Amazons. In this case, however, you assaulted Hippolyta's daughter while she is immersed in service to Olympus. You stole the golden lasso and sabotaged Wonder Woman's efforts against Circe."
"Know this Heracles," Artemis warns "the four of us plan to take our objections to Lord Zeus. Surely many of our fellow Olympians will rally behind our position, given the circumstances. Save yourself humiliation and avoid your father's full ire. Surrender Hestia's lasso and perhaps you can escape with minimal repercussions."
Heracles smirks at the quartet of goddesses as he rises from his seat. "I trust that's all you have to say?" he asks sarcastically. "Your idle threats do not intimidate mighty Heracles!" he boasts. "Take your baseless complaints to my father! I care not. It is the four of you who will be made to play the roles of the fool!"
As the half-god departs, Aphrodite, Artemis and Hera all interpret his statements as false bravado. Athena isn't so sure. "Heracles tends to be vain by his very nature," she privately reasons, "but somehow I don't sense that this latest dare was mere posturing. He isn't stupid; he had to expect our reaction. He must be up to something; but what? What am I missing?
*****
"Superman! I just received word of your emergency call. I've been on sabbatical and I'm afraid it took my government a while to track me down." On the large viewscreen in the Fortress of Solitude appears the familiar face of J'Onn J'Onnz. One of the seven founding members of the JLA, the Martian Manhunter has been on inactive status for several years since returning to his native Mars. He rarely crosses paths with his former colleagues, but remains loyal and ready to assist should the need arise.
"J'Onn, it's good to see you old friend." Kal-El responds. "You're looking well, which is not meant as mere small talk." The hero briefly explains to J'Onn the dire series of events which have transpired in the past few days. "The League is in a very bad way." the Kryptonian concludes. "Every Terran-born Justice Leaguer appears to have been afflicted with a virulent, non-communicable disease. Hal, Ralph, Ollie and Dinah are in critical condition; they are each being kept alive via respirators. The others aren't much better. Even Aquaman's meta-human physiology can't ward it off."
"With Hawkgirl missing, the ranks have been thinned to just Reddy, Hawkman and myself." Superman continues. "Katar and I are utilizing the Kryptonian equipment in my Fortress to search for a cure. Red Tornado is doing likewise up on the satellite. The best medical minds in the world are desperately working on this as well. I just don't know what we'll do if an answer doesn't exist in science!"
"How can you be so sure this is Circe's doing Superman?" J'Onn asks. "After all, Kryptonians are particularly succeptible to magic, yet you are unaffected by this disease." Kal ponders this point for a few moments. "I'm basing my conclusion upon a newspaperman's instinct." he replies. "The timing of all of this is just too coincidental. In addition, we're dealing with an enemy potent enough to seize control of Wonder Woman's mind and overpower Zatanna's sorcery. You're right about my being so vulnerable to magic; perhaps Circe simply doesn't perceive me as much of a threat to her plans?"
A momentary silence ensues as the two alien heroes reflect upon the situation. "I'll journey to Earth at once." J'Onn solemnly declares as he ends the transmission.
*****
During their many centuries of isolation on Paradise Island, the Amazons have evolved as a race. They have combined the gifts of their patron goddesses with their own indomitable spirit to achieve a strong and beautiful utopia. With ideal weather and an eternally young population, Themyscira is virtually free of disease or sickness.
When Princess Diana first journeyed to man's world, she was exposed to countless new germs, viruses, toxins and bacterial strains. Even her super-human metabolism took a couple weeks to adjust to the myriad of microscopic threats. The occasional cold, fever, headache or chills proved more a nuisance than a real hindrance to the Amazon champion. Once Wonder Woman became acclimated to her new environment, her hearty constitution amassed a formidable array of antibodies which under typical circumstances make her nearly immune to illness.
The nefarious incantation of Circe now attacks the princess in two ways. It continues to steadily drain her Amazon powers and abilities, which have dropped to roughly 55% of norm. Meanwhile the magically based viral agent assails her body. It is designed to devastate human physiology, particularly that of the Amazons. The primary target is the respiratory system; the victim becomes increasingly unable to intake and process oxygen, thus leading to coma and death. From the exterior, it appears that the greatest physical challenge Wonder Woman faces is her bloated joints which make movement exceedingly painful and difficult. To the contrary, it is the battle beneath her skin upon which the fate of the Justice League lies.
The super heroine slowly emerges from Luthor's cleverly hidden lair. The darkness of night provides good cover, but this is of little consolation to Diana. The relative lack of activity on the streets indicates it is early morning. Given that she had arrived in Metropolis around 9:30 AM, the Amazon realizes that it is now the following morning. "Heracles!" she mutters angrily, knowing she has lost up to twenty precious hours as a result of his interference.
While lurking in the shadows of an alley to avoid detection, Diana begins to notice her incredible recuperative abilties kicking in. Her breathing is growing more and more relaxed. Her fever has broken and the swelling in her joints is subsiding noticeably. "Praise the gods!" she thinks quietly. "My Amazon metabolism is warding off the effects of the disease!"
It takes ten interminably long minutes for her robot plane to soar close enough to their location for her limited telepathy to make contact. Diana had previously programmed the plane to covertly pass over Metropolis every half hour. Each fly-by was predicated upon a negative finding in the plane's scans for Kryptonian life signs in the vicinity of the Daily Planet building. "Superman's not in the area." Wonder Woman reasons. "That means he's either been afflicted with Circe's virus or he's off trying to deal with the consequences of it. Either way, there isn't much time!"
After anonymously dropping the unconscious super villain off at Metropolis General Hospital, the AWOL super heroine leaves the city. She flies very low to the ground to stay out of radar rage Her League access has been suspended; thus she encounters only scrambled signals on the JLA frequencies. Diana listens in on assorted police channels throughout the country. There are no direct references to the Justice League due to the sensitive nature of the crisis. Wonder Woman infers important specifics from the cryptic radio chatter. She must reach one of her colleagues swiftly and she concludes that Star City is her best bet.
*****
Wonder Woman disembarks from her invisible plane as it hovers a few feet above the roof of the massive Star City Memorial Hospital. The princess instructs the craft to remain in motion, circling the one square mile radius around the site. She is certain that both Green Arrow and Black Canary are being treated in the intensive care unit, most likely under heavy guard.
Diana coughs twice as she enters through a door on the rooftop. She hadn't noticed before, but this makes six coughs in the last minute. "Merciful Minerva!" she whispers aloud. "The virus is starting to affect me again?!" The heroine briefly considers aborting this attempt but she figures her window of opportunity is closing rapidly. "I've got to reach Dinah or Ollie while I still can!"
Wearing a light blue turtleneck sweater and white slacks from Diana Prince's civilian wardrobe, the heroine expects to blend into the hospital population. Her long hair is tied back in a bun and she dons a mousy old pair of eyeglasses. She attracts no particular attention as she emerges into a hallway within the facility's cancer treatment wing.
"The ICU has heavy security." Diana thinks to herself as she walks the corridors of the hospital. The effects of her affliction are growing more pronounced, but she manages to mask her difficulties so as not to draw attention to herself. "I'll have to walk a roundabout route to get close. Once I'm able to determine their precise location, I can work on getting past the guards."
The princess passes the radiology department. She carries a manila folder which she had subtly removed from a desktop. Appearing to have a physician's forms in her possession, she walks with a purpose. No one questions that she must have legitimate medical reason for being here.
The large, state-of-the-art intensive care unit is on the second floor of the five-storied main branch of the hospital. Sentries are posted in the elevators and at the stairways to preclude any unauthorized entry. Clearly Star City's finest hold Green Arrow and Black Canary in the highest regard and they have taken it upon themselves to ensure their safety. Wonder Woman scouts out the first and third levels. The lower floor is a high traffic area, but she finds the third tier to be fairly isolated. The heroine concludes that she should have the freedom of movement to get directly above the position of her stricken friends.
Unfortunately, her diminished powers and illness severely impede her Amazon senses. Diana is unable to listen in on the second floor activities from either above or beneath. She does not know which room her allies are located in. Without her magic lasso, she has no recourse but to slip inside the secured perimeter to obtain this crucial information.
Still on the third floor, Wonder Woman secretly eyes an armed officer walking the halls as a necessary precaution. She has noticed this man in her travels and correctly identifies his routine. He will proceed to the far end of the corridor, turn around and return to the elevator. Diana must act swiftly. Unnoticed, she hustles up the stairway to the 4th floor. The Amazon fights another nasty coughing spell as she makes her way to the elevator. She pries the entrance open and slides down the cable until she sets foot atop the elevator car.
"Praise Hermes! I made it here in time!" she privately rejoices as she hears the elevator doors opening underneath her. Only one pair of footsteps enter the car and they are unmistakably those of the policeman she seeks. Once the doors close behind him, Wonder Woman springs into action. The super heroine leaps through the trap door in the roof and attacks the astonished guard. She is unusually heavy-handed, landing a precision blow which renders him unconscious.
Diana overrides the officer's selection and punches in the 4th floor as the desired destination. Diana coughs fiercely as she removes the officer's outer uniform and performs a super speed change of clothes. She safely deposits the man in an unoccupied room and descends to the second floor ICU.
As the elevator doors open, the princess spies an armed sentry standing just outside the elevator. Thinking quickly, Diana raises her shoulders to give the impression of being huskier than she actually is. She pretends to talk into the police radio she also has commandeered. Her angle is intentionally such that the radio largely obscures her face. The guard merely takes note of the uniformed figure but he does not look closely enough to notice that she is an imposter.
"How am I going to get past this guy?" she wonders as the tense moment seems to last an eternity. Eventually, the doors begin to close. The guard reaches for his radio and looks away from Diana. "Here's my chance!" she thinks excitedly. With that, the Amazon whips through the ever narrowing gap. Her goal is to reach an unoccupied nurse's station at a corner fifty feet down the hallway.
The heroine sprints as swiftly, yet delicately as she can. Alas she isn't even halfway to her seemingly safe haven when she recognizes the awful truth. She may have just made the biggest mistake of her Wonder Woman career!
It is truly a struggle for the heroine just to reach a sitting position. Her first two attempts fail. Extreme stiffness permeates her knees and elbows. Diana focuses her will. Ignoring her discomfort, she forces herself to rise. Now seated, the beleaguered Amazon experiences a fit of hoarse, uncontrollable coughing. For nearly a full minute, she gasps to overcome a windpipe severely inhibited by inflammation and phlegm.
"You sound even worse than you look!" the Joker grumbles. The villain derives no joy in this observation. Awkwardly pinned underneath rubble from the smashed interior walls, he is in considerable pain. "It's about damn time you came to, Sweets. I've been yelling at you for hours! Tried spittin' too, not that it did any good. Would have used my acid-filled boutoniere, but they wouldn't let me wear it with standard prison garb. Imagine that?"
"Hours?!" a woozy Diana asks with pitched concern. "How long? Joker, how long have I been out?" she prods as her incessant coughing makes conversation difficult. "How should I know?" the rogue snaps. "I was zonked for a while too. You've been snoozing since I woke up in this misery, thank you very much!"
"Great Hera!" the princess exclaims as she takes notice of her legs. Her horror increases upon the sight of her arms. Patches of an ugly, reddish-pink rash have emerged sporadically throughout her body. The affected skin is chaffed and sensitive. Worse yet, Diana's joints suffer from a greater malaise. Her knees and elbows are all grossly swollen. Her shoulders and ankles are similarly afflicted, but to a lesser degree. Wonder Woman inspects her hands and grimly recognizes that her fingers are beginning to puff up as well.
"Circe!" Diana growls in anger as she springs to her feet despite her balky knees. The Amazon knows that she has exceeded the six hour time limit invoked by her sadistic nemesis. Without proximity to any of her Justice League colleagues within the imposed time frame, the incantation retaliates with devastating fury. Her own physique is being ravaged, but her greater fear is that the same fate may be befalling her heroic friends.
Wonder Woman ventures into the demolished laboratory. She discovers the motionless form of Lex Luthor sprawled amidst debris. The criminal mastermind is breathing, but comatose. "His pulse is weak." Diana mumbles softly. "He needs immediate medical attention." The super heroine grimaces for this complicates matters all the more. She mustn't allow even the likes of Luthor to perish, but the JLA must be saved.
"Hey, you can't just leave me here!" the Joker objects as Wonder Woman turns toward the exit carrying Luthor. She leaves water and crackers at his side, but refuses to extricate him from the makeshift trap. "My leg's killing me!" he pleads. The ailing, yet determined princess glares back at the psychotic murderer. "You'll live Joker. Someone will be back to free you." Diana vows. As the Amazon enters the long stairwell to street level, she adds to her thought. "Hera help us all if that someone isn't me!"
*****
"This is utterly despicable, even by your treacherous standards Heracles!" She is the Olympian goddess of love and beauty. Her grace and loveliness are known to brighten even the darkest of rooms. On this day, however, Aphrodite acts out of character. She is angry.
"Aphrodite is always passionate in her convictions, but it is quite rare to see such a forthright display of hostility from her." observes Hera, the queen of the gods. "Of course, when one considers the misbegotten individual who is the cause of her discontent, it is rather easy to understand her reaction." Heracles scowls at his step-mother, a goddess who has always resented his very existence. They have learned to co-exist, but respect is a quality neither is willing to grant the other.
"Heracles, we approach you in this manner simply as a courtesy." Athena, the goddess of wisdom, calmly explains. "Your recent vindictive actions against Princess Diana are deemed unacceptable. It's bad enough that your ego compels you to continue your quest for vengeance against the Amazons. In this case, however, you assaulted Hippolyta's daughter while she is immersed in service to Olympus. You stole the golden lasso and sabotaged Wonder Woman's efforts against Circe."
"Know this Heracles," Artemis warns "the four of us plan to take our objections to Lord Zeus. Surely many of our fellow Olympians will rally behind our position, given the circumstances. Save yourself humiliation and avoid your father's full ire. Surrender Hestia's lasso and perhaps you can escape with minimal repercussions."
Heracles smirks at the quartet of goddesses as he rises from his seat. "I trust that's all you have to say?" he asks sarcastically. "Your idle threats do not intimidate mighty Heracles!" he boasts. "Take your baseless complaints to my father! I care not. It is the four of you who will be made to play the roles of the fool!"
As the half-god departs, Aphrodite, Artemis and Hera all interpret his statements as false bravado. Athena isn't so sure. "Heracles tends to be vain by his very nature," she privately reasons, "but somehow I don't sense that this latest dare was mere posturing. He isn't stupid; he had to expect our reaction. He must be up to something; but what? What am I missing?
*****
"Superman! I just received word of your emergency call. I've been on sabbatical and I'm afraid it took my government a while to track me down." On the large viewscreen in the Fortress of Solitude appears the familiar face of J'Onn J'Onnz. One of the seven founding members of the JLA, the Martian Manhunter has been on inactive status for several years since returning to his native Mars. He rarely crosses paths with his former colleagues, but remains loyal and ready to assist should the need arise.
"J'Onn, it's good to see you old friend." Kal-El responds. "You're looking well, which is not meant as mere small talk." The hero briefly explains to J'Onn the dire series of events which have transpired in the past few days. "The League is in a very bad way." the Kryptonian concludes. "Every Terran-born Justice Leaguer appears to have been afflicted with a virulent, non-communicable disease. Hal, Ralph, Ollie and Dinah are in critical condition; they are each being kept alive via respirators. The others aren't much better. Even Aquaman's meta-human physiology can't ward it off."
"With Hawkgirl missing, the ranks have been thinned to just Reddy, Hawkman and myself." Superman continues. "Katar and I are utilizing the Kryptonian equipment in my Fortress to search for a cure. Red Tornado is doing likewise up on the satellite. The best medical minds in the world are desperately working on this as well. I just don't know what we'll do if an answer doesn't exist in science!"
"How can you be so sure this is Circe's doing Superman?" J'Onn asks. "After all, Kryptonians are particularly succeptible to magic, yet you are unaffected by this disease." Kal ponders this point for a few moments. "I'm basing my conclusion upon a newspaperman's instinct." he replies. "The timing of all of this is just too coincidental. In addition, we're dealing with an enemy potent enough to seize control of Wonder Woman's mind and overpower Zatanna's sorcery. You're right about my being so vulnerable to magic; perhaps Circe simply doesn't perceive me as much of a threat to her plans?"
A momentary silence ensues as the two alien heroes reflect upon the situation. "I'll journey to Earth at once." J'Onn solemnly declares as he ends the transmission.
*****
During their many centuries of isolation on Paradise Island, the Amazons have evolved as a race. They have combined the gifts of their patron goddesses with their own indomitable spirit to achieve a strong and beautiful utopia. With ideal weather and an eternally young population, Themyscira is virtually free of disease or sickness.
When Princess Diana first journeyed to man's world, she was exposed to countless new germs, viruses, toxins and bacterial strains. Even her super-human metabolism took a couple weeks to adjust to the myriad of microscopic threats. The occasional cold, fever, headache or chills proved more a nuisance than a real hindrance to the Amazon champion. Once Wonder Woman became acclimated to her new environment, her hearty constitution amassed a formidable array of antibodies which under typical circumstances make her nearly immune to illness.
The nefarious incantation of Circe now attacks the princess in two ways. It continues to steadily drain her Amazon powers and abilities, which have dropped to roughly 55% of norm. Meanwhile the magically based viral agent assails her body. It is designed to devastate human physiology, particularly that of the Amazons. The primary target is the respiratory system; the victim becomes increasingly unable to intake and process oxygen, thus leading to coma and death. From the exterior, it appears that the greatest physical challenge Wonder Woman faces is her bloated joints which make movement exceedingly painful and difficult. To the contrary, it is the battle beneath her skin upon which the fate of the Justice League lies.
The super heroine slowly emerges from Luthor's cleverly hidden lair. The darkness of night provides good cover, but this is of little consolation to Diana. The relative lack of activity on the streets indicates it is early morning. Given that she had arrived in Metropolis around 9:30 AM, the Amazon realizes that it is now the following morning. "Heracles!" she mutters angrily, knowing she has lost up to twenty precious hours as a result of his interference.
While lurking in the shadows of an alley to avoid detection, Diana begins to notice her incredible recuperative abilties kicking in. Her breathing is growing more and more relaxed. Her fever has broken and the swelling in her joints is subsiding noticeably. "Praise the gods!" she thinks quietly. "My Amazon metabolism is warding off the effects of the disease!"
It takes ten interminably long minutes for her robot plane to soar close enough to their location for her limited telepathy to make contact. Diana had previously programmed the plane to covertly pass over Metropolis every half hour. Each fly-by was predicated upon a negative finding in the plane's scans for Kryptonian life signs in the vicinity of the Daily Planet building. "Superman's not in the area." Wonder Woman reasons. "That means he's either been afflicted with Circe's virus or he's off trying to deal with the consequences of it. Either way, there isn't much time!"
After anonymously dropping the unconscious super villain off at Metropolis General Hospital, the AWOL super heroine leaves the city. She flies very low to the ground to stay out of radar rage Her League access has been suspended; thus she encounters only scrambled signals on the JLA frequencies. Diana listens in on assorted police channels throughout the country. There are no direct references to the Justice League due to the sensitive nature of the crisis. Wonder Woman infers important specifics from the cryptic radio chatter. She must reach one of her colleagues swiftly and she concludes that Star City is her best bet.
*****
Wonder Woman disembarks from her invisible plane as it hovers a few feet above the roof of the massive Star City Memorial Hospital. The princess instructs the craft to remain in motion, circling the one square mile radius around the site. She is certain that both Green Arrow and Black Canary are being treated in the intensive care unit, most likely under heavy guard.
Diana coughs twice as she enters through a door on the rooftop. She hadn't noticed before, but this makes six coughs in the last minute. "Merciful Minerva!" she whispers aloud. "The virus is starting to affect me again?!" The heroine briefly considers aborting this attempt but she figures her window of opportunity is closing rapidly. "I've got to reach Dinah or Ollie while I still can!"
Wearing a light blue turtleneck sweater and white slacks from Diana Prince's civilian wardrobe, the heroine expects to blend into the hospital population. Her long hair is tied back in a bun and she dons a mousy old pair of eyeglasses. She attracts no particular attention as she emerges into a hallway within the facility's cancer treatment wing.
"The ICU has heavy security." Diana thinks to herself as she walks the corridors of the hospital. The effects of her affliction are growing more pronounced, but she manages to mask her difficulties so as not to draw attention to herself. "I'll have to walk a roundabout route to get close. Once I'm able to determine their precise location, I can work on getting past the guards."
The princess passes the radiology department. She carries a manila folder which she had subtly removed from a desktop. Appearing to have a physician's forms in her possession, she walks with a purpose. No one questions that she must have legitimate medical reason for being here.
The large, state-of-the-art intensive care unit is on the second floor of the five-storied main branch of the hospital. Sentries are posted in the elevators and at the stairways to preclude any unauthorized entry. Clearly Star City's finest hold Green Arrow and Black Canary in the highest regard and they have taken it upon themselves to ensure their safety. Wonder Woman scouts out the first and third levels. The lower floor is a high traffic area, but she finds the third tier to be fairly isolated. The heroine concludes that she should have the freedom of movement to get directly above the position of her stricken friends.
Unfortunately, her diminished powers and illness severely impede her Amazon senses. Diana is unable to listen in on the second floor activities from either above or beneath. She does not know which room her allies are located in. Without her magic lasso, she has no recourse but to slip inside the secured perimeter to obtain this crucial information.
Still on the third floor, Wonder Woman secretly eyes an armed officer walking the halls as a necessary precaution. She has noticed this man in her travels and correctly identifies his routine. He will proceed to the far end of the corridor, turn around and return to the elevator. Diana must act swiftly. Unnoticed, she hustles up the stairway to the 4th floor. The Amazon fights another nasty coughing spell as she makes her way to the elevator. She pries the entrance open and slides down the cable until she sets foot atop the elevator car.
"Praise Hermes! I made it here in time!" she privately rejoices as she hears the elevator doors opening underneath her. Only one pair of footsteps enter the car and they are unmistakably those of the policeman she seeks. Once the doors close behind him, Wonder Woman springs into action. The super heroine leaps through the trap door in the roof and attacks the astonished guard. She is unusually heavy-handed, landing a precision blow which renders him unconscious.
Diana overrides the officer's selection and punches in the 4th floor as the desired destination. Diana coughs fiercely as she removes the officer's outer uniform and performs a super speed change of clothes. She safely deposits the man in an unoccupied room and descends to the second floor ICU.
As the elevator doors open, the princess spies an armed sentry standing just outside the elevator. Thinking quickly, Diana raises her shoulders to give the impression of being huskier than she actually is. She pretends to talk into the police radio she also has commandeered. Her angle is intentionally such that the radio largely obscures her face. The guard merely takes note of the uniformed figure but he does not look closely enough to notice that she is an imposter.
"How am I going to get past this guy?" she wonders as the tense moment seems to last an eternity. Eventually, the doors begin to close. The guard reaches for his radio and looks away from Diana. "Here's my chance!" she thinks excitedly. With that, the Amazon whips through the ever narrowing gap. Her goal is to reach an unoccupied nurse's station at a corner fifty feet down the hallway.
The heroine sprints as swiftly, yet delicately as she can. Alas she isn't even halfway to her seemingly safe haven when she recognizes the awful truth. She may have just made the biggest mistake of her Wonder Woman career!
