RESOLUTION

CHAPTER 23

Protex and Primaid were with J'onn J'onzz in the lab. They had him stretched out on the exam table and were watching him writhe with pain from the probes that stimulated his nerve and brain centers .Protex laughed, "You may be wondering why we are even keeping you alive,Manhunter. Well, it is so you can witness the destruction of your adopted home. Your Justice League colleagues fled and left you here to die. And those that are fighting us cannot win while we can control the minds of the human population."

Primaid hissed, "You also helped kidnap my unborn children, J'onn Jonzz. That will not go unpunished."

Protex turned up the power on the probes and J'onn screamed. The White Martian sneered, "When I am through with you, Manhunter, you will wish you had never been born. You will tell me all the secrets of this Satellite and your League allies!"

The Satellite suddenly rumbled. Protex looked up. "What is that?"

Protex went to the nearest portal and he let out a sneer. The satellite was under attack by two thousand women in robotic chariots. He looked at Primaid. "We are under attack!"

She looked out. "They are many!"

Protex snapped, "We must gather our brethren. Stay with J'onzz!"He phased out and appeared on the observation deck. He was approached by a lower ranking Martian.

"Great Leader, we are being attacked by strange human females!"

Protex tried to use his telepathy to link with the women, but was unable to breach their Lansarian shells. He sneered, "Call our forces from the Earth. We need reinforcements!"

In five minutes time over five thousand Martians had appeared in the vacuum of space. The battle between the hordes and Amazons began.

Superman and Wonder Woman had to get into the Satellite. Diana donned winged armour fashioned by Pallas himself. This allowed her to fly through space without the need for breathing equipment. Using a piece of what was left of her Invisible Jet to cloak themselves, they flew to the far side of the moon. They went to the JLA outpost and used the transporter to teleport in.

Protex had left several Martians back in the control room and they turned, surprised, to see the heroes appear. They came at them. Wonder Woman drew her sword and held up her shield. She gave Superman a nod. "As we planned."

She took the Martians on, using her shield to take their blows, smacking them aside and expertly using her sword to disable them by lopping off a limb or a tail. Superman flew to the control panel, punched in codes and instantly the security protocols kicked in. Diana watched as huge sentinels appeared and engaged the remaining Martians in battle. The sentinels were not as merciful as she had been,they used lasers and burned the aliens into submission.

Superman shouted at Wonder Woman, "You go get Lantern and Hawkgirl. I'll get J'onn!"

Diana flew into the lift and knocked the button to go down to the holding cells. Superman simply burrowed down into the metal floor tearing straight through to the lab. He landed before Primaid. The Martian female stood before the Manhunter and was consumed with making him scream in pain. She had no idea with all the rumblings and explosions going on in space.

"Let him go!"

She turned and glared. "Kryptonian!"

"Release him!"

"One more step and I kill him." Her talons hovered about the controls. She glared at him and tried to probe his thoughts. Superman said dryly, "You cannot interfere with my thoughts."

She scowled. "How is that? What are you using to shield your mind to me?"

Superman smiled. "I'm not shielding my mind. He is doing it for me." He moved like lightning.

She felt the Kryptonian grab her claws and she gasped. Sitting up, even with the spikes in his brain and nervous system, was J'onn Jonzz. The Manhunter said icily, "A telepathic link. Only I and League members have been trained to use it. I turned it on when Superman got back into the Satellite."

Superman burned the probes with his heat vision from the Manhunter. J'onn rose and said ,"Thank you, Kal."

Superman looked at Primaid and said, "Don't even think of phasing. Or else I will use my heat vision on you."

Primaid glared at J'onn. "You cannot hope to defeat us. We will destroy..."

"Oh give it a rest," an irritated female voice said from the door. They looked up to see Hawkgirl, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman.

Shyera was tapping her mace in her hand. "Let me do the honours, why don't you?"

J'onn smiled. "I'm glad to see everyone is alright."

"What do we do with her?" asked Lantern. "They're very sly. One blink and she's gone."

Diana unhitched her lasso and said, "Oh I don't think so." She approached and threw the loop over the outraged Primaid.

The Martians were at a disadvantage in space. Since there were no civilians to get in the cross fire,the Amazons were ruthless in their use of fire power. They blew scores of them into flames. And to make matters worse, heroes who could fight in space had left earth and were joining the battle. Steel, Red Tornado, Booster Gold, Captain Marvel, Starfire, Dr Fate, Firestorm, Donna Troy, and Sentinel had joined the ranks. Protex battled his way to Hippolyta herself. He had downed scores of women on the way. He knew the value of getting to the Queen: strike her and he would strike at the morale of the women.

He phased in and out, until he came to her as she was engaged with some of his brethren. He waited, appearing behind her and his tail arced over his head, scorpion-like,the deadly tip about to strike her in the head. She heard a shout.

"Hippolyta!"

Out of nowhere a flash of blue and red sped towards her and stepped in front of her. She gasped and looked up to see Superman gasping as Protex's tail stabbed him in the shoulder. He gritted and yanked it out. Blood dripped from it. Protex looked up to see Hawkgirl with her mace, Green Lantern with his ring and Wonder Woman with her sword. All three were coming at him, he hissed and vanished.

Superman looked at Hippolyta, who was staring with her mouth opened. "Are you okay?" he asked.

He winced in pain and she helped him onto the chariot. She looked at the large puncture wound as it bled freely. "Gaea. You're hurt!"

He said, "It's nothing..."

"But it..." She felt around his scapular. There was an exit wound. "It went straight through. "She tore a piece of her own cape and tried to staunch the bleeding.

"Yeah, I know. Give me a few minutes...It'll pain like hell but I'll heal in time..."

Diana flew up to them and cried, "Kal!Gods,you are hurt!" She took the cloth out of her mother's hand. "I'll do that. Oh, Hera,it's a huge wound. It needs attending to..."

"There's no time. Let's cauterize and close it up. Give me your sword."

"What?"

"Give me your sword, please."

"But the puncture is as large as my fist!"

"Will you give me your sword, or do I have to take it off you?"

Diana grumbled and presented her blade. He heated up the flat edge with his vision until it burned red hot. He gave her an intent look. "Go on. Do it for me."

"But I..."

"I'll ask the Queen..."

"No. I'll do it!" She took the sword and pressed the blade against both sides of his shoulder. There was the stench of burnt flesh and he gave a suppressed groan. Diana gritted. "There. Done."

He glanced at it and asked whimsically, "How about binding up your handy work with a piece of my cape?"

Diana sighed and tore off an end of his cape and bound his shoulder tightly. "If it gets infected, it'll serve you right."

"Well, when I am dying of septicemia, you'll have the pleasure of telling me so, "he smiled.

Hippolyta looked on at this interchange with an even more astonished look on her face.

Protex reappeared in the lab of the Satellite and saw Primaid. She had the Manhunter on the exam table. Protex snarled, "Push the controls up to maximum! If we cannot get him to reveal the secrets of this satellite we will kill him!"

Primaid turned up the dial and the Manhunter continued to writhe and scream. He, however, did not go into any death throes as Protex expected.

Protex snapped, "Is it up on full?"

"Yes, Protex!"

"Then why isn't he dying?"

"I don't know, Protex. I..."

"Move,fool!" He pushed her aside and inspected the machine. It was at full capacity. He went to the Manhunter and glared, "I knew green ones were resilient but this is unbelievable. That would have fried his brain by now. How is he able to endure this? I cannot..."His claws reached for the Manhunter and they went through the green alien's body.

Protex turned and looked at Primaid in rage. "A hologram?"

Primaid morphed into J'onn Jonzz and pulled out from behind his back, a strange looking alien device. "No. A mental projection. I will give you a land to conquer, Protex. A land that has no boundaries or laws. Say hello to the Phantom Zone."

Protex screamed. "NO!Brothers!Retreat!"

The ray hit him and he was displaced from the Satellite into limbo.

The White Martians heard Protex's cries and stopped in alarm. "The Leader!They have captured the Leader!"

"Where is Primaid?"

"She is not answering our calls!"

"We need to flee!"

There were over two thousand White Martians left of those that were not floating injured in space or had not died when they had fallen and burnt up on re-entry. They felt Protex's despairing fury as he appeared in the wraith-like world of the Phantom Zone.

J'onn Jonzz's voice suddenly communed. "We offer you a chance to surrender. This Satellite has weaponry that can blow you out of existence; even if you shift phase, I will follow your psychic trail. Protex has been neutralized as have Primaid. And hundreds of your comrades are injured, or dying. Choose now."

The Martians looked up in fear to see portals open up in several parts of the satellite and cannons appear. Leaderless, and out maneuvered, they suddenly knew that they had been defeated.

The White Martians were placed in stasis and transported to an off world penal colony, courtesy of New Oa. Primaid was sent to join Protex in the Phantom Zone. Superman disabled the ion cannon at the Fortress. Priority was to next join their colleagues on earth to assist with the clean up operations. The Martians had not demolished as many buildings as Ares and Darkseid had done; but they had caused a significant amount of chaos and fear, when they had mind controlled people and caused them to attack and kill each other. The psychological effects were far greater than the physical damage. Hospitals and police stations were overflowing.

J'onn delegated Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, The Atom, Canary, and Zatanna to assist the emergency health services. The likes of the heavy hitters were placed on renovation detail. The Amazons also decided to lend their assistance. Hippolyta had half of the women return home with the injured or dead and half remain to help. She herself elected to stay back to help in the Satellite and send Artemis and Phillipus home.

"But , my Queen, our people will need to see you. Why must you remain here?" demanded Artemis.

Hippolyta gave her a patient look ."You and my most trusted advisor will be going to represent me. You can act for me and explain to the Senate what took place here."

Artemis said reluctantly, "Your confidence in us is most gratifying but how long do you plan to remain here?"

She gave Phillipus a meaningful look. "As long as it takes for me to do what I have to do."

Phillipus bowed. "We will await your Majesty."

Artemis had no other choice but to bow also.

Hippolyta met the Manhunter on the observation deck. He bowed ."Your Majesty. This is a surprise."

"I am here to help, if you would permit me."

J'onn said, "That is very kind of you."

"So, what would you have me do?"

"Well, I have Superman and Steel helping with the repairs. And Vixen and Dr Fate are with the injured."

"I have some skill as a healer."

"That will be much appreciated."

Hippolyta was in the infirmary assisting the two Leaguers with dozens of their colleagues who had been hurt during the incursion. She had just finished bandaging a gash on the leg of Dove when she looked up to see Superman enter. He walked forward. He could see Vixen with an irate Catwoman. She had sustained a head injury and Batman had insisted that she go to the Satellite where she would get immediate attention. Vixen was trying to get her agree to having a C.T. scan.

"Come, on it wouldn't hurt!"

Selina gritted, "I'm fine. I don't know why Bruce sent me here. I'm wasting your time! I could be helping him with Gotham."

"Look, you're not leaving here without that scan. Batman's orders. It doesn't even take long..."

"It's not that."

"What is it?"

Selina gestured to the machine. "I hate small confined spaces..."

"Oh, you're one of those. Well, we need to do this..."

"I'll do it," said the Man of Steel.

The women turned and saw him. He came forward and used his x-ray vision upon Selina's skull. After a few second he said,"She's fine."

Catwoman folded her arms and looked at him impressed."Well,Superman,that's quite a talent you have there. Thank you."

He smiled."Bruce would have had our heads if we sent you back without a proper check-up."

She laughed,"And I'd have been lectured all night. Well,Vixen,can I go... Gracious, Superman,you're bleeding!"

True enough,the blood was seeping out of the makeshift bandage Diana had tied about his shoulder. He said wryly,"Yeah,I think I aggravated it somewhat with all the heavy lifting."

Vixen asked,"What happened?"

Hippolyta stepped forward. "I'll tend to him. I saw the wound when he sustained it. Come this way, Superman."

Superman went to where she worked. Dove got up, and gave Superman a nod. "Hey, Supes. She's good. I hardly feel any pain."

"Sit down," said Hippolyta. He obeyed. She undid the bandage and peered at the wound. It was weeping and looked inflamed." My daughter was right. It's gotten infected."

She tore open sachets of saline and poured it over his shoulder. Then she took scissors and cut the blue shirt, so the wound lay bare. "Humph, you cauterized shirt and skin."

"Time was a luxury we didn't have."

She took up forceps and soaked cotton and began to clean inside the wound. "I did not get the chance to thank you for saving my life."

"It was nothing but you're welcome."

She took up a pouch and produced a handful of herbs he didn't recognize. "I underestimated you."

"I beg your pardon?"

She uncorked a vial of electric blue liquid and infused it with the herbs in a gally pot. The herbs seemed to melt away and as she stirred it, it turned into a paste. "You kept your promise."

Superman looked at her gravely. "Of course."

She used a spatula to put the paste on his wound. "My daughter told me that you have been a free man for some months."

"Meaning?"

"You still didn't go to Diana?"

"That's a moot point, isn't it?"

She took up a bandage roll. "I believed that although you care for my daughter, you could never understand her or the culture she comes from...she isn't just an ordinary woman with is a royal princes with a great heritage...She is complex as she is unique...How could any man dare to enter this world? But you. You do not seem afraid or intimidated by her. And she actually respects and listens to you."

He looked slightly amused. "You seem surprised by that."

"Well, she never listened to me. If she had we would never be in this situation, nor having this conversation. She is excessively independent and can be very stubborn."

"Yes, I know."

Hippolyta asked, "That doesn't bother you though?"

He replied briskly, "What bothers me isn't important. Are you finished?"

She pinned the bandage."Yes. The salve has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic-type properties. It should also help with the pain while you heal."

Superman stood up. Hippolyta reached out and held his arm. "Wait. What bothers you?"

"Look, what's the point?"

"Tell me, Superman, what bothers you?" Her voice brokered no opposition.

He sighed ."The thought of my enemies hurting Diana...Not being able to give her all she deserves...Despite this uniform, I live as an ordinary man, who works as a newspaper reporter for his living."

The Queen asked gently, "May I meet this man?"

He frowned. "I don't understand."

"I want to meet this reporter. Come on, Superman,I know time and speed is not an issue with you." She sat upon a chair and said rather imperiously, "I'll be waiting."

It took Superman a few minutes to go to his sleeping quarters, change into civilian clothes and don his dark frames. When he returned to the infirmary, the Queen was just coming off the intercom with someone. "Yes, J'onn,get it done be as fast as you can."

"Your Majesty, I am Clark Kent. It's an honour to meet you." He held his hand out.

Hippolyta stood up and shook his hand. Her eyes were warm as she asked candidly, "Mr Kent, are you aware that my daughter is in love with you?"

Clark stiffened, and stepped back. "With all due respect, your Majesty..."

She said wryly, "It's no use, Superma...I mean Clark...Hmm, I must get use to that name now. You don't have to pretend for my sake that you don't know or that you don't reciprocate the feeling .I can tell you do. And I can also see that there is no fearing or fighting the future. If that is what the Gods have planned for Diana, then so be it. If she must share her life with a man, I cannot think of a better one than you. You would cherish my daughter, I realize that now."

He seemed to blink and stare at her in disbelief ."You don't mean...?"

Hippolyta nodded. "Yes,I am withdrawing my request. It was shortsighted and selfish of me."

Clark didn't move. She quirked her brows. "Well,are you going to stand there all day and gape at me? I told J'onn to get her to return to the Satellite."

He gasped, "You what?"

"Yes, we told her that there is an urgent meeting of the original members. So, it might be wise if you change back into Superman."

Diana appeared on the platform of the teleporter. She stepped down and she walked towards the Manhunter, who was discussing with Steel the integrity of the current metal they had used to patch the gaping holes Superman had made earlier that day. She came behind them, looking around curiously. "Am I the first one here?"

J'onn glanced up. "Diana. Yes, you are. Why don't you go into the conference room and wait? You look tired."

She nodded. "Sure."

Unsuspectingly, she walked towards the meeting room. There was no one inside and she went to the sidebar and poured herself a glass of water and drank it eagerly. She slowly walked towards a window and peered out and sighed. It had been a long hard day. She looked at her bandaged palms and flexed her hands. It felt much better. She began to unwrap the bandage gingerly and let out a sigh of relief as she saw that the salve that Epione had put on it had healed the burn. She was unwrapping the next palm when the doors slid open. She looked up to see which of her colleagues had arrived.

Superman stood on the threshold. He had changed into a fresh uniform but his expression was unlike anything that she had seen. His blue eyes were enigmatic. She dropped the bandage. "Kal, you're here! Do you have any idea what this meeting is ab...?"

The Man of Steel did not reply. The doors slid shut behind him and he strode towards her and, to her utter astonishment, grasped her around the waist, drew her to him and kissed her long and hard. Diana gasped as he raised his head, she was virtually crushed in to his chest. "Are you crazy...?"

He murmured, "Totally..."

"But you said..."

"Forget what I said..."He kissed her once more, and this time she had no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him back. She sighed as he paused to look upon her face and stroke straying tendrils off her brow. She made a half hearted attempt at protest. "The others will come in and see us...The meeting..."

"There isn't any meeting."

Diana looked at him confused. "No meeting?"

"No. This was your mother and J'onn's doing."

She echoed, totally at sea, "My mother?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it .Come on, let's get out of here." He took her hand in his and she trailed after him, looking as if she was in a dream. They met the Manhunter, who gave them a casual look of interest. Steel simply tried to mind his own business. Superman asked, "J'onn, can I borrow her?"

The Martian replied, "Wonder Woman has been working on goodwill alone. And you need to take a break yourself. Will an hour do?"

Superman said, "That's perfect. Don't call us unless the Apocalypse is upon us. We'll be around."

The Manhunter bowed. "I'll try. Have a good...respite."

Diana blushed self consciously, as they headed for the transporter. "They know, don't they?"

"What? That we just made out in the conference room? Steel, I'm not sure. J'onn, definitely."

"Hera!"

Once they arrived on Earth, they took to the air. It was the early hours of the morning in North America, they flew hand in hand under the light of a huge golden moon, and came to hover above a ridge that overlooked a lake.

"Now, Mister,you owe me an explanation. What has my mother or J'onn to do with this?"

He put an arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. She leaned back and felt his chin on her shoulder. "During the battle with Gog, Ares let it slip to your mother that we had a child in the future..."

"Oh, that viper knew, did he?"

"Oh yes, and he made good use of it. Dropped it upon us at the most inopportune time. Your mother wasn't very pleased."

"No, I guess she wouldn't have been."

"Well, in her concern for you she made me promise not to ever let it come to that...to, um, never pursue a relationship that would end up with us having a child."

Diana turned her head. "She what! Of all the interfering, arrogant things to do! And you let her dictate to you?"

"Calm down. At the time I was struggling with the revelation myself. Half of me knew when I saw that child, that she was ours but the other half wanted to deny it. What Gog did to her and you, was too much to bear. I didn't even flinch when Hippolyta asked it of me. Half the world around us was in chaos and people were dying. It was only after things got back to normal that I realized that I had bitten off a bit more than I could chew. There we were, both single, and you clearly not indifferent to me...It was a very difficult time holding to that promise and keeping my hands off you...I even lapsed that day in the infirmary..."

She remarked wryly, "Sometimes you're too noble for your own good."

"Maybe, but I couldn't go against your mother's wishes. I put myself in her shoes...I thought of my own mother...Ma had given me her blessing a long time ago to live my life as I saw fit...Hippolyta is no different, but she was basing your future on her past. She didn't want you to be hurt...She just wanted the best for her child..."He stroked her bare shoulder ."I came to the Satellite to get my shoulder seen to..."

She interrupted, "Your shoulder! I knew it!" She turned in his arms to look at it. "Is it okay?"

"Yes," he replied, patiently allowing her to draw back the neck on his uniform to glance at the shoulder. "Your mother used traditional Amazon medicine on it. Happy?"

"I guess so...She is a very skilled healer herself."

"I'd imagine three thousand years of knowledge is nothing to scoff at."

"So she dressed your shoulder? And ?

"We had a bit of a talk."

Diana looked curious. "What did she say?"

"She basically did a one eighty on me. She admitted she had been wrong about us and ,er, lifted the ban..."

"How magnanimous of her."

"And she conspired with J'onn to lie to you to get you to come to the Satellite."

Diana conceded grudgingly, "Well, I guess she made up for her meddling."

He flicked her cheek with a finger and teased, "If we ever had a kid, you would be just as bad..."

"I wouldn't! I would try to be understanding and open and let her do what she wants..."

He interrupted, "Diana,if she took up with someone we believed unsuitable, you will not be sitting quietly and as a matter of fact neither would I. You know what I'd do? I'd keep one of those big swords that you have and mount it over the mantle for prospective boyfriends to see and ..."

She blushed and chided, "You're talking as if we are going to set up house and have children..."

He chuckled. "I'm jumping the gun, aren't I? One thing at a time. Though the thought is rather intriguing ..." He brushed her lips with his own. She wrapped her arms about his neck and they seemed to float upwards, rotating gently with the air currents. If campers or boaters had looked up into the night sky, they might have been able to see a silhouette against the moon, of two bodies almost melding into one, a cape billowing in the wind

"I can't believe this is actually happening." He held her tightly.

She stroked the hair at his nape. "I know. It's been so long since..."She shifted to look at him. "Hera, how long have we known each other?"

He replied, "I'd say about ten years..."

"And we're only now doing this? What was wrong with us?"

He coughed ."Well, technically, you didn't really see me in the beginning."

"What a blind fool I was. But you never once let me see that you liked me...Wait, now that I think back, you did. When we were turned into kids, we were deciding on splitting into teams...you wanted to go with me, didn't you..?"

"You blanked me then and when John told me I was blind about you and Bruce, well, I knew there was no hope for me. But I guess if I'm honest I fell in love with you since the time we fought Faust."

Diana reached up and stroked his cheek. "Oh, Clark, I may not have cared for you other than as a friend then but when you left the League it was like someone taking part of my soul. I guess even if I didn't understand it, I always loved you."

His lips claimed hers once more. Her arms went around his back and her fingers clutched at the material of his cape. He nuzzled her neck and kissed a trail of biting kisses down her throat, and came to stop near the swells of flesh above her bustier. Suddenly she seemed unable to hover, and faltered. He caught her up gently and, putting some space between them, muttered regretfully, "I don't think this is the neither time nor place for this..."

Diana looked puzzled and disappointed. "No? You don't want to?"

"Of course, I do."

"So why don't we..?"

"Do you have any idea what you're asking?"

"Not entirely but you've done it and I was hoping you could teach me..."She blushed scarlet at this admission.

He smiled tenderly. "We're due at the Satellite in ten minutes and this isn't something I necessarily want to rush with you...We've waited this long, Diana. Until things are back to normal, I'm guessing we can a bit longer."

Diana sighed. "I suppose you're right. It was very difficult to concentrate on hovering when you were kissing me like that..."

He had to laugh. Her candor was amusing .He said mischievously, "That's only a fraction of what I'm capable of, you know."

Her eyes danced ."I'll hold you to that promise, Mr Kent."

He took her hand in his. "I'm a man of my word. Come on, let's go back."