Wonder Woman Goes to the Circus
Major Steve Trevor thought he was used to facing death and danger of all stripes. Asking an Amazon queen to accompany him to the circus, however, shattered those previous notions. "Angel, look, I really needed to be alone with you at the circus." He realized what his words sounded like seconds after speaking them.
Wonder Woman, Queen Hippolyta to her friends and subjects, arched her eyebrows at the comment as the Holliday Girls arrived at the bus station. Steve shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that!"
"Oh? Then what did you mean?" She crossed her arms.
He pointed to a quieter portion of the station. "Look, I know that sounded bad, but listen, the reason I wanted you to come with me was business, I swear."
"At a circus?"
"Elva, she's a sweet kid, she's Ed's niece. She telegrammed me a few days ago. Something is going on at Ed's circus, and I was hoping you could help me investigate."
"I take it this isn't with your superior's blessing?"
"It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission and besides, I don't have any proof or any way of legally getting it in time. You, on the other hand, have no such restraints."
"Time? Is she in danger?" Wonder Woman grew serious.
"I'm not sure." As the last of the Holliday Girls got on the bus, Steve jerked his thumb towards them. "I'll let Elva explain once we get there."
WW
"Steve, I'm so glad you made it!" Elva wrapped her arms around him. Almost as fast she let him go and grabbed Wonder Woman's hand. "Thank you so much for coming! I didn't want Uncle Ed to know I asked for help."
"Tell me child, what is this all about?" Wonder Woman looked around the circus. The crowd was a decent sized.
"I thought it was my uncle's new insurance guys at first, but now I think it's somebody else." Elva pointed at a series of posters lining the midway. "Our elephants have been dying off one by one. The first was Jumbo six months ago, then Tiny, then Slugger, and now Flippy just last week!" Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Every death has been different, and everything gets pointed to natural causes, but I think someone in the circus is killing the elephants off and I don't know why!"
"Why haven't you contacted the authorities? This seems more their speed."
"I tried, but they didn't find anything, plus I think uncle called it off. I think he'd being threatened. Please Wonder Woman, you're my only hope!"
The Amazon queen was silent for a full minute. At length she placed her hand on Elva's shoulder. "Child, I pledge my lasso to your cause."
WW
The Holliday Girls enjoyed the circus attractions as Wonder Woman, now clad in less conspicuous clothes, sat in the stands with Steve. "I have to admit Steve," she plucked a small handful of popcorn from Steve's bag, "this is actually fun." She laughed at the clowns and marveled at the acrobats. For a second, Steve imagined the two of them as just a normal couple out on a date.
The elephant walking into the tent broke the illusion. "Check it out angel!" he pointed towards the large animal as it daintily stepped into the center ring and balanced on a beam.
The trainer, a slender Asian man with thinning hair, cracked his whip. The animal reared up on its hind legs. The crowd applauded, but the cheers quickly to cries when the elephant suddenly bellowed and fell from its perch. Trashing madly, its tusks became ensnared in the tent's support wires.
"Excuse me Steve" Wonder Woman leapt from her seat. Landing square in the circle, she uncoiled her lasso from around her waist and looped it around the elephant's neck. "Calm" she willed the animal to slow.
Her dress, ripped from knee to thigh thanks to her leap, proved to be too much of annoyance. Vowing to repay Etta for loaning it to her, she ripped the ruined garment off and tossed it aside as she walked the animal back outside.
The crowd continued to go crazy, although this time the reaction was more on the positive side. "What a show! Way better than what they did in Metropolis!" The crowd retook their seats as Ed rushed from his trailer and gasped at the sight.
"Somebody call my lawyer. I think we have a new star attraction!" Unseen by Ed, a shadowy figure silently cursed and slinked off into the night.
WW
After the crowd calmed down, Wonder Woman made her way through the gathered throng to speak with Ed. He was just as eager to talk to her. "Are you real?" The older man gasped as he pushed through the crowd.
"Indeed. Do you have a private place to talk?" She eyed Steve and Elva in the crowd as she slipped inside Ed's trailer.
"Ok, you're the real deal, I believe you, but why here? Are you snooping around?" Ed looked around the office, seemingly ignoring his guest.
"An odd tactic when trying to win someone over." The Amazon queen glanced around the trailer. She unhooked her lasso.
"What are you doing?" Ed backed up.
"Merely trying to get to the bottom of things; with your permission?" She gestured with the lasso.
Ed stuck out his hand. She looped the golden thread over his wrist. "Tell me, what is the truth of the elephant's deaths?"
Ed blinked. "I'm not sure. They keep dying, but they all look natural." With a flick of her wrist, the golden lasso slipped off of Ed.
"I believe you, but now we have to find the reason."
WW
In a dingy storefront office, two men sat. The words 'Strongarm Protection Association' were stenciled on the window, all the words badly faded. The oldest of the pair sat behind a desk that was almost as shabby as the man's coat.
The younger of the two idly scratched his nose. "Boss, when is this guy supposed to be here?"
"I told you before Slugger, he'll get here when he gets here." Mike Mulgoon drummed his fingers on the desktop. He wasn't used to waiting.
The door to the inner office opened silently and a tall man entered. "My apologies gentlemen, but I fear was unavoidably detained."
"Yeah, we heard," Slugger pointed to the radio in the corner. "The news guys said Wonder Woman showed up. Is that true?"
San Yen removed his hat and moved into the dim light of the sole lamp. "Regretfully yes; I doubt I'll be able to kill any more elephants this week. I suggest we postpone the next shipment until she leaves."
"Since when did you call the shots?" Mulgoon grumbled. "And I know these super types. Once they show up someplace, they don't leave until someone is locked up."
Yen narrowed his eyes. His hand slipped inside his front pocket, a display Mulgoon instantly picked up. "We will move when the time is right. You get nothing if we are exposed now."
"And if you keep killing those dumb animals, the circus goes bankrupt. I don't mind buying up a burned building or lot, but what exactly am I supposed to do with a circus that no one will go to?" Mulgoon's voice was steady, but the undercurrent of menace was present.
"As I have explained previously, all you need to concern yourself with is the money and making sure your friends at the docks allow my animals to go through customs with a minimal amount of searching. You will be amply rewarded for your efforts, I assure you." He slipped back through the inner door and closed it.
"Boss, that guy gives me the creeps." Slugger said at length.
"That my boy may be the first intelligent thing you've said all week."
WW
San Yen swore silently as he made his way back to the circus. "If I'm not back within the hour that blasted meddler Wonder Woman may cast her investigative net on me next!" San Yen heard rumors about the Amazon adventurer, but the one that chilled his blood the most were the ones regarding her magic lasso and its ability to find the truth.
San Yen was a spy. A fairly talented one at that, having been active in the United States a good ten years before the war was declared. Once he received his orders, however, he followed them out to the letter. As a circus performer he would be allowed to travel across the country without issue.
As an elephant trainer, he made sure to take care of his charges, mainly by killing them. Once dead, he was tattooing orders on various parts of the animal's corpse. From there, with the help of Mulgoon, the body would be shipped overseas and a fresh one sent back. The fresh elephant would also have orders sent with it. From there the cycle would repeat.
All of this was now in serious jeopardy thanks to Wonder Woman's appearance. "If I could simply kill her," an idea began to form, "I would not only save my mission, but I might even get a promotion. Imagine, humble San Yen doing what even the famed Dr. Poison failed to accomplish, killing Wonder Woman!"
WW
At the circus, the performers were still marveling over Wonder Woman. She downplayed her actions, insisting she was simply there for charity and to help the circus out. She didn't want to reveal her real reasons, lest she risk the real culprit fleeing before she could expose him or her.
"Thank you my friends, I simply wished to help your animals." Wonder Woman looped the golden lasso around her fingers. As she moved among the crowd, she made sure to lightly touch everyone around her.
They opened up about their fears, their hopes, and most of all, what they were doing the times the elephants died. She made her way through the crowd when one man roughly shoved past the clowns and headed back towards his trailer.
"Carney, what's the big idea?" Sullivan the clown shouted at the retreating man.
Dom Carney, the trapeze artist, wheeled to face them. "What's the matter with you rubes? This dame is fixing to replace all of us, isn't it obvious?"
"Dom may have a point." San Yen whispered to Molly the fat lady. Word quickly spread.
"I assure you, my intention was to save the animals, not put anyone's livelihood in jeopardy. Ed has asked me to stay for a few performances, yes, but only to drum up support for your own acts."
Carney spat at her feet. "Bull! How long can we stay on the payroll when Ed can hire someone who can do everything we do and a hundred other things beside? I don't know about the rest of you jokers, but I'm heading out before the old man finishes up the pink slips."
Several members of the show, San Yen included, rushed after the man. Wonder Woman silently watched them leave before slipping away herself. "Curious, his words do convey some truth, but without the lasso to verify, how do I know his heart is pure?"
WW
San Yen almost skipped as he walked back to Carney's trailer. "Perfect! With such a display, Wonder Woman will have the perfect suspect, and she will have the evidence needed too, once I plant it in that high flying fool's locker."
Once the other well-wishers had left, San Yen approached Carney, a bottle of whiskey in his hands. "Thanks for standing up for the rest of us Dom."
"Hey, someone had to say it." Dom took the offered bottle and drank deep.
"True, but you really don't think Ed will fire us, do you?"
"Why not? I heard that nutty dame can fly. What would he need a trapeze act for? Heck, what would he need you for? Your animals are dying left and right. I bet he'll make her the new trainer."
"Hmm, I hadn't thought of that." San Yen rubbed his chin. "Dom, you have a point. What we need to do is get rid of her!"
He spat. "Oh? And how do you suggest that smart guy? She's tougher than our strong man and faster than our horses."
"I have a plan, but I'll tell you when it's ready. Can I trust you to keep it under your hat?"
"Sure buddy, sure." Dom took a long swig from the bottle as San Yen walked away, a faint smile on his lips.
WW
The next day, Dom staggered into the main tent. "Geeze Carney, shouldn't you sleep it off before you climb up there?" Boffy the clown stared at the man's bloodshot eyes.
"Buzz off you greasepaint chugging jerk!" Dom snarled. "No jackass in funny outfits is going to screw me out of work!"
"You seem quite capable of doing that yourself." Wonder Woman appeared behind him. She was dressed in simple overalls and boots, as she had spent most of the early morning helping the roustabouts setting up the tents and concessions.
"Aw, what do you know?" Dom stumbled towards her. "I bet you couldn't do one simple spin on the high wire!"
"Maybe not, but I wouldn't partake of the vine before attempting it either." She stepped back, both to give herself some room in case he came forward and to stay ahead of the man's stench. "Like I said last night, I'm not here to replace anyone."
"And I say you're full of it!" Dom angrily waved at the roustabouts and clowns. "And I aim to prove it. Hey you guys, what are you doing?"
"Just putting up the net, like we always do Dom." A gray headed man wiped his brow as he hammered the final tent spike into the ground, drawing the net's support lines tighter.
"Well, take it down! I'm not going to perform with a net, and neither is our star!" The crowd, and there was a crowd by now, gasped.
"Mr. Carney, this is madness!" Wonder Woman protested.
"No, this is me proving that I can be the best and I don't need to doll myself up or use some kind of hocus pocus nonsense to impress a bunch of rubes!" Dom quickly downed a cup of lukewarm coffee and made his way towards the platform.
"You've got to stop him, he'll be killed!" Elva rushed over.
Unnoticed by all, San Yen watched from under the bleachers. "Perfect! With that fool Carney dying, I can slip away unseen!" He slipped under the tent as Carney started his ascent up the ladder.
Wonder Woman, however, simply swung her lasso in an arch and ensnared him. Yanking him down, she paused as he thrashed. "Hmm, he's telling the truth, at least in his mind. He's innocent of killing the elephants at any rate."
As the circus employees crowded around her, many offering congratulations or berating Carney, the Amazonian queen spotted the single employee she hadn't talked to rushing out towards a waiting car. She narrowed her eyes, committing the man's features to memory.
WW
Hours later, San Yen entered the Strongarm Protection Association through the secret door. "That fool Amazon has the perfect patsy. Gentlemen, I suggest we dissolve our partnership and move onto the greener pastures."
Mulgoon said nothing as McGee lit the older man's cigar. San Yen felt himself growing sweaty, despite the room's fans. "What is wrong with you? We have to move now!"
"Yeah, about that," Mulgoon slowly drummed his thick fingers on the desk, "I have to ask…who were you working for?"
"What do you mean?" A cold jolt of panic went through the spy's body.
"I had Slugger here write some of those funny symbols you're always writing down." He slapped a crumpled piece of paper on the desk. "Troop movements? Locations of army brass?"
San Yen's face hardened. "So, you know."
"We figured" Slugger McGee spat, his gun already drawn. "We may not do things above board, but we're Americans first!"
"Fools!" San Yen slipped a small vial in his hand. Dropping it to the ground, he stepped back as thick green and red smoke poured out. Gagging, both McGee and Mulgoon staggered outside, where they found themselves surrounded by a small group of armed men. San Yen, slipping a gasmask off, strolled outside. "I was serious when I mentioned wanting to dissolve our partnership, but I fear it will be a more permanent status."
Turning to the armed men, he spoke in flawless Japanese. "Kill them quick, it will look like a simple gangland killing."
"Yes commander!" One of the men saluted as he cocked the hammer on his rifle.
"Hold it!" a voice rang out from the darkness. Much to everyone's surprise, Wonder Woman stepped out from the shadows. Trevor stood beside her, his pistol drawn.
"You're all under arrest!" Trevor cocked the hammer and pointed at San Yen.
"Kill them!"
Wonder Woman moved in a blur. Leaping in front of Steve, she easily deflected the bullets with her specially forged bracelets. The soldiers emptied their guns at her, ejecting their now useless magazines, Mulgoon and McGee sprang forward, tearing into the men.
Wonder Woman noticed San Yen fleeing down an alley. Glancing to see Trevor tackling three men at once, she darted after the spy. With a smooth motion she slipped her lasso free and twirled at San Yen. It missed his foot by inches.
"Blast it!" San Yen swore as he drew his gun. "How could things have gone so wrong so fast?" He ducked around a corner. Aiming wildly, he forced himself to calm down. Straining his ears, he heard nothing. "Did I lose her?"
The muscled arm that broke through the brick wall and wrapped around his neck told a different answer. His vision swimming, Yen tried to fire his weapon. One tightened forearm later, he dropped it. A second later, he joined it on the ground, unconscious.
WW
The spies were loaded into the waiting police vans, along with Mulgoon and McGee, neither of whom protested; as "Trigger" spoke, "Hey, we're crooks, but we're American crooks. We'll do what we can to help make up for what we did."
"Well Angel, I think we did a pretty good job for a simple night out."
"Indeed Steve, but I do have to wonder what we'll do for an encore."
The major smiled. "You'll just have to wait and see about."
The end
Based on "Wonder Woman Goes to the Circus", first published in Wonder Woman I#1 (Summer 1942), with credits to William Moulton Marston (AKA Charles Moulton) (script) and Harry G. Peter (AKA H.G. Peter) (pencils and inks). Next time, the Master Plan of Paula Von Gunther!
Sensational mail
From They Call Me Bruce
A wonderful fanfic about a wonderful
I would guess lady? Thanks for the comments in any event
From a guest
I'm loving this. I hope you keep updating this
Thanks, and I hope I can too, although what with the time and all I may have to cut back on sleeping or eating. That, or go on a 40 hour day.
Anyway, that's all for now, but there will be more stories this year. I can't promise much in way of volume though, but there be more.
And be sure to an eye out for the upcoming issues
Detective Comics#7- "Dirigibles of Doom!"
Action Comics#8-"Into the Slums!"