Somewhere near the mountains on the eastern border of Kasnia...

"I'm thirsty Dinah. Let's stop in the small town just ahead of us. We can grab a couple of drinks, and see what the local flavor is. As close as we are to the mountains, maybe someone will know something about the location on the NKFR camp."

"Why do I have a feeling that you are trying to get us to stop in a bar?"

"Well, I am thirsty," Helena replied, "besides you watch movies. That is always where the seedy people with information are."

Dinah scrutinized her companion, "RIGHT, and that is always where the fights start. Promise me you are not looking for trouble. I know you, and I can tell when you are antsy for a brawl."

Helena stayed quiet. She grinned slightly, and starting squirming in her spot a little.

"Do you have to pee, or are you evading the topic?"

"Both."

"Come on, but no fighting."

"That's not fair! I promise that I will not throw the first punch."

"Dammit Helena! No. We are here on behalf of the League and Diana. We shouldn't look for trouble."

"But if trouble finds us..."

"Make sure that it doesn't." Dinah grabbed Helena's hand and led her into the small town towards the only tavern she saw. As they walked through the door into the dimly lit establishment, the first thought Dinah had was that Helena better hover over the toilet. Dinah was sure that this place had never seen a disinfectant, much less operated under any health code.

"Go to the bathroom, and I'll grab us a corner table. No talking to anyone without me, and no dirty looks are to be given to anyone. I was serious about not starting something."

Helena frowned. "You are so bossy Dinah. I am simply going to use the bathroom."

"Make it quick."

Helena stalked away from her girlfriend and off to the corner where there was a sign that somewhat resembled the word restroom. She couldn't be sure, but she really couldn't hold it much longer. Seeing the grungy looking door handle, and knowing what a germo-phobe Dinah was, Helena sighed and used her foot to turn the handle to open the door. The stench that hit her nose was a mixture of years of grime, and urine. Helena almost gagged. When she entered the bathroom, there was a man standing at a urinal with his back turned to her.

She sprinted to a stall, and kicked the door closed behind her. As she squatted over the toilet, she took a quick peek underneath the stall at the man's legs. He had shorts on, and there was a black rising sunburst tattooed on his calf. Helena lifted her head and grinned to herself. Looking over at the toilet paper roll, she cringed. "Green toilet paper?" she scowled. "Oh well," she whispered, "better not tell Dinah I had to drip dry." She bounced a couple of times, and readjusted her outfit. She waited in the stall for the man to leave and slowly started to walk out. Just before exiting, she stopped and started running her hands across her body, searching for something. Finding the item she was looking for, she walked back into the stall and started scribbling on the wall. When she exited the bathroom, she saw the man sitting at the bar, chatting with some of his friends. There was a total of five, all of them sporting the same tattoo in various places. It was the emblem the NKFR troopers had been described as having on the chests of their uniforms. Helena looked over to Dinah who was waiting for her at a table. But instead of walking over to her companion, Helena bellied up to the bar, placing herself in between the group of men. She leaned over and ordered two beers. The bartender eyed her suspiciously, but set off to pouring her request. Helena leaned back and turned her attention to the man she had seen in the bathroom. She looked him up and down, and he met her stare with a murderous glare. Helena turned her head forward to stare at the wall, but she whispered, "Nice tattoo you and your friends have."

The man grunted in response. Helena now had their attention. She took the beers that were placed in front of her and whispered once more, "Long live the Queen." She spun around and walked towards Dinah. Behind her she could hear the conversation get animated, but she didn't understand one word. She sat down at the table across from the blonde, her back to the bar, and gave Dinah her drink.

The blonde took a quick swig, and sighed. "I am thinking the locals here don't appreciate our presence."

Helena mocked surprise. "Why, what gave you that idea?"

"They keep staring over here and giving us ugly looks."

"Really?" Helena didn't turn around. She reached up with her right hand to scratch the back of her head. Instead of using her whole hand, she scratched with just her middle finger.

"Shit..." Dinah mumbled. "We are going to have trouble. One of them is picking up his beer bottle."

"So?" Helena tried to convey calmness and feign stupidity.

"So, he picked it up by the neck upside down. Looks like he is preparing to swing it. And I noticed that he has a rising sunburst on his leg. The other men all have the same tattoo. I think it is the emblem of the NKFR."

"You don't say. Well, Dinah, I think trouble just found us."

The man stood, and started to walk over to the pair.

Dinah looked at Helena, "Six o'clock. 20 steps behind you and approaching."

"Rules?"

Dinah grinned, "I don't know how, but you started this trash."

"Come on Dinah. Rules?"

"Fine. No using the right side of your body."

Helena grinned, "I love a challenge. No using your hands."

"God Helena, I swear you did this."

"How many feet now?"

"Ten."

Helena sat back and spread her legs on either side of the chair. "Give me a little nudge?"

Dinah smirked, "Love you." And with the utterance Dinah swiftly kicked the chair underneath the table in between Helena's legs, sending the brunette skidding back across the floor. The back of the seat stopped as it hit the approaching man in the gut. Helena grabbed the sides of her chair, and sent her left leg flying up over her shoulder. Her foot connected with the man's chin. He stumbled backwards, reeling from the shot to his stomach and face. The bottle slipped from his hand, and dropped to the floor.

As his friends charged from the bar, Dinah quickly catapulted her body across the table to get directly behind the brunette. Helena took her left foot and set it on top of the unbroken bottle. She rolled it back quickly and then kicked it into the air towards the men charging. Quickly she turned, ducked, and placed her hands over her ears. Dinah inhaled and let out the Canary Cry, shattering the bottle, sending shards into the faces of their would be attackers. Two of them were stopped dead in their tracks, glass lodging into their eyes and cheeks. The other two that were directly behind them stumbled backwards from the sonic shock.

"This hardly seems like a fair fight," Dinah stated. When she didn't hear Helena respond, she looked down. The brunette was crouched down still with her hands over her ears, and her eyes squeezed shut. Dinah reached down and moved Helena's hands. "While you're down there sweetheart..." Dinah grinned mischievously. Helena chuckled and stood again.

The two men that had stumbled from the Canary Cry were once again standing, and starting to charge the women. Helena yelled, "Trust fall!" and fell backwards into Dinah's arms. She jutted her left foot out once more kicking the closest opponent. Dinah surged her companion up and forward, and Helena threw a left hook into the man's jaw. She followed up by running and tackling him with her left shoulder, sending his back straight into the bar. As he struck, Helena kicked her left leg backward, arcing it perfectly into his face. She stepped back as he slumped to the floor, no longer trying to fight anyone.

The last man standing looked around at his fallen comrades. He scurried over to the chair once occupied by Helena. He lifted it up and ran at Dinah. The blonde rolled her eyes, and shifted her weight back onto her right leg. She inhaled deeply, and the man recognized the action immediately. He stopped dead in his tracks and raised the chair up to shield his face. Dinah exhaled laughing, and smashed through the chair with her right foot straight into his throat. He fell backwards onto the floor groaning. She walked over casually, and crushed his testicles with the heel of her left foot. She walked across his chest and face to make her way to the bar where Helena was now standing.

Dinah laughed at the ridiculous grin on the brunette's face. "Nice work babe. I am going to have to make it harder next time."

"How? Next time I can only use my pinky finger?"

"Don't give me ideas Helena."

Helena stared at her girlfriend appreciatively. "Nice form."

"I love it when you use double entendres. So, thank you, and thank you. But, listen, before we go, I gotta, uh, go. How bad is the bathroom?"

Helena grinned and leaped over the bar. She scanned the shelves, and snatched a roll of paper towels, quickly handing them to the blonde.

Dinah stood confused, but Helena shook her head. "Just trust me, you will want those."

Dinah shrugged and walked into the bathroom. Her nose turned up in disgust, but there was no waiting much longer. Quickly she entered the stall and began laughing as she saw the graffiti on the wall. In big black letters, in a handwriting she instantly recognized, she read the words, "If you are reading this, you better be hovering. And I probably just kicked your ass with my girlfriend in tow." Dinah laughed out loud, and read on further to the last words, "Helena loves Dinah." There was a crude heart drawn around the statement. Dinah smiled, "That girl..."

The group of women lingered in the detention area for a few moments before Audrey spoke,

"Shayera, Illiana, go ahead. I want no harm to come to my godfather. I will listen out here. I would rather the truth come from him without the use of the lasso."

Shayera and Illiana nodded and entered the room where the Senator had been howling for the past half hour.

"Stilenko!" he screamed, "I demand that I be released. This is insulting. You know who I am."

"I do Senator. This is Shayera Hol, We will be asking you some questions. You need to cooperate. If this is indeed all a misunderstanding, we will let you go. Surely you understand the need to follow up on all information we have collected."

"What information? What is this about?"

Shayera started, "This morning a sniper tried to assassinate the Queen. Surely you heard that on the news?"

"I did. Is she alright?"

"She is. The sniper, however was caught. Would you like me to enlighten you on what he had to say to us?"

"I am sure he lied to protect himself."

"It didn't work. He's dead. But before he died, he named you as the person who hired him."

The Senator squirmed slightly, but puffed, "Preposterous. Why would I want my God-daughter dead? Whoever you caught lied to you."

Shayera leaned across the table. "Senator, do you know who Wonder Woman is?"

"What? Yes, I know who she is. What a stupid question."

"Are you familiar with her abilities and the lasso she wields?"

"Yes."

"That lasso was used in the questioning of the sniper."

The Senator stayed quiet.

"Nothing to say now Senator? Very well, let's set that aside for a moment. Let's talk about the phone we found on the man you hired. Interestingly enough, the last call it received came from your office. Have any thoughts on that?"

"I made no such call. Again, why would I want harm to come to the Queen? I have supported her initiatives."

Illiana started, "Most times yes. But there were times when you supported Karkov in the argument to crush the recent rebellion. Funny how your opinion changed once you found yourself in the minority with him. Is that when you started plotting treason? Or was it later, when the Queen actually managed peace for Kasnia?"

"I am not justifying either question with a response."

"Fine, let's talk about your bank accounts. Why did you transfer money to a Swiss and Cayman Island account? Planning on a trip out of here? Morocco perhaps?"

Just outside the room Diana turned to Audrey. "Morocco? Where did that come from?"

Audrey answered, "It is the closest country without any remarkable extradition laws. He could not flee to any country within the European Union. While we do not have extradition treaties with each other, we do have the European Arrest Warrant. Member states of the Union can issue this warrant to effectively 'extradite' a criminal back to the country requesting him. It has cut down on the time that a criminal spends outside of the issuing country. Rather than rely solely on political agendas, each country's judiciary oversees the process. It isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he knew we could get our hands on him quicker if he had gone to one of the member states."

The women turned their heads back to the interrogation.

Illiana turned to Shayera, "I hear Morocco is lovely this time of year. Am I right Senator? Of course you would have to invest in serious amounts of sunscreen. Wouldn't want you to burn would we? And speaking of burning, let's talk about your meta-human friend. How disappointed were you when he failed to take the capital?"

The Senator was beginning to sweat a little.

Illiana continued, "I mean, you would have expected that tipping him off about the capital's defenses would have assured victory. I am beginning to think you surrounded yourself by incompetent people. What would you say Shayera?"

The redhead glared at the man sitting across from her. "I'd say he has pissed off some very powerful people. I liked the pictures of you and your meta-human we managed to get our hands on. I must say Senator you photograph really well."

Outside Audrey was listening but confused. "What pictures? You didn't tell me this."

Di answered, "It is a common tactic during interrogation to lie to a suspect. Since you did not want the lasso used, they are bluffing to see how far they can push him."

Inside Shayera continued, "While the League is not officially involved in this war, I know you are aware of at least two League members being invited into the country to conduct an investigation at Fastad. Thing is, those two members are close personal friends of mine. It was easy to get them to take their investigation a little further."

Illliana nodded, "How does it feel? Being outsmarted by a bunch of women?"

The Senator railed, "YOU KNOW NOTHING! My master will see to your demise."

While this news was surprising to the two women in the room, neither betrayed any emotion. Shayera leaned across the table and glared. "And where is your master right now? We have you in custody. Think he is willing to brave an army of Kasnian soldiers and Amazons to save you? Face it, you are nothing more than a pawn."

Illiana laughed, "What is the American saying? Up shit's creek without a paddle?"

The Senator knew he was done. "What can you offer me if I tell you what you want to know?"

Illiana sighed, "Against my vehement protests, the Queen offers leniency if you confess. She has a soft spot for you."

"Fine. I want no jail time. I will retire quietly somewhere outside of the country with access to my retirement funds."

"Done."

The Senator started, "Yes I hired the sniper. It was done because Commander Helios failed to take the city."

"Why are you inciting war in your own country?"

"Democratic reforms disgust me. When Audrey's father was in charge, Kasnia was a great country. We thrived. He stepped all over the whining citizens and led us to greatness. Even Vandal Savage would have continued this regime better than she has. Technologically we are far more advanced than most. But what did she do? She made peace when she should have asserted her power instead. The technology that was developed was shared with neighboring countries. We didn't benefit from the advances that were made. She allowed her estrogen to blind her. A woman is not fit to rule. She foolishly believed that she could be Queen effectively. But I know the real Audrey. She is selfish, and the early days of her reign brought shame to this country. There were countless scandals, including one with another woman. Another woman! It is an affront. And don't sit here and tell me it isn't true. I am not some seedy member of the press to be fooled by denials of the affair and the sham of a marriage that followed quickly thereafter. General Leonid shamed himself and his cause by agreeing to it. He got what he deserved."

Shayera bit back a barb. "The name of your master..."

"I don't know. He never gave it to me. But he is powerful. He arranged for the Commander and I to meet. He made sure the funding was in place to finance the NKFR. I pledged my allegiance to him and his goals. He will be successful with or without me, but I was happy to help him. This country and my niece sicken me."

"Did you act with any other member of the government or anyone close to the Queen?"

"No."

Audrey was seething. She spun on her heels and walked up to the closest soldier. She put her hand out and demanded, "Your firearm now!"

The soldier withdrew his weapon and handed it to the Queen. She turned and stalked back to the interrogation room. Di cut her off before she got to the door. "Audrey, don't."

The blonde Queen stiffened. "Are you prepared to physically stop me?"

"No. I wouldn't put my hands on you. But wait. Calm down. If you want to confront him, do so without the gun. Please, give it to me."

"I am asking you to move. This man has admitted to trying to kill me, my son, and Dmitri. Did you hear his reasons? He incited war, and allowed Kasnians and your sisters to die because he is nothing more than a misogynist! Step aside Di. I have a duty to all of these people."

Di looked desperately to Diana. The other Amazon didn't move, and instead answered, "Let her go in."

"What?"

"Let her go in. You and I both know what we would do under the same circumstances."

"No! Please Audrey, if you want revenge, let me take care of it for you. I don't want to wipe blood off your hands. Please, I am begging you."

"Di, let her pass," Diana started, "we cannot stop her. And we shouldn't. Just know Audrey, killing someone will weigh heavily on you, whether it is deserved or not."

"You would reduce her to an executioner?" Di railed.

"No. I would allow her to get her justice."

Di looked at the blonde Queen. She slowly moved to the side, and Audrey stormed through the door. The room's occupants jumped at her arrival. She looked at Shayera and Illiana and spoke, her tone cold, "This questioning is over. Leave now please."

Illiana and Shayera stood, albeit somewhat reluctantly. They exited the room, and Audrey sat across from her godfather. The gun dangled dangerously from her hands. The Senator shifted under her glare.

Audrey gritted, "You treacherous bastard! You are family. You are supposed to serve the best interests of our countrymen."

"You made them all weak. And you are not fit to be Queen."

"I could care less what your opinion of me is. But you crossed the line coming after my son, husband, and allowing your meta-human to kill innocent people."

"I did this country a favor. Pandering to women is disgusting."

"Well, Uncle, what do you think I should do about all of this? Seeing as how you think I am unfit to rule, what would you suggest I do with you?"

"I made a deal with Illiana Stilenko. You aren't going to do anything with me."

Audrey brought the weapon up to the table. She ejected the magazine and examined it. Slowly she emptied all of the bullets out with the exception of one. "Did you know that Dmitri taught me how to fire several types of weapons?" With a slightly sinister smile on her face she slid the magazine back into the well, and racked the slide. "While I am hardly a marksman, my aim at close distances is precise."

The Senator felt fear rip in his gut, "I-I made a deal."

"I am sure Illiana will forgive me for making her a liar."

"You would kill your own family?"

Audrey laughed, although there was no jest in the sound, "This coming from the man who has admitted to trying to the same? Before you die, let me tell you a few things. One, the democratic reforms will proceed. The NKFR's time is limited now. You had one meta-human on your side, however, I have thousands. And uncle," Audrey turned the vice a little tighter, "I am seeing one of them romantically. She comes from a strong lineage of Amazons. Be grateful that you are dealing with me and not her. Your sniper was not so lucky." Audrey clicked the safety off and leveled the weapon at his head. "The money you tried to take with you will be given to the citizens in the cities that you allowed to be ravaged. I will undo what you have done. As for your master, whoever he is, I look forward to the day I meet him. Do you have any last words? Cliche' I know, but I am curious."

"You won't kill me."

"It is your choice. Me, the Amazon, Illiana, or...you can do it yourself. I don't care how, but you will not leave this room alive. Given how you feel about women, do you really want one of us to do it? I will happily oblige your choice. That is the end of any leniency I will give you."

"Audrey, please."

"Please what?"

"I don't want to die."

"I don't care. You can rot in hell. I won't lose a single night of sleep. Tell you what, I will make the decision for you." She stood and set the gun down on her seat. She turned and walked to the door, leaving her godfather trembling with fear. She took several steps outside in the detention area before the gunshot rang out. Without turning around she asked, "Is it done?"

Illiana answered, "He's dead."

"Good. Gather the Generals, and the Amazon leadership in the war room in one hour. It's time to go after Commander Helios and the NKFR. League or no League, I am tired of this waiting." She walked out, fury boiling in her veins.

A/N: Well, a little fun with Helena and Dinah. Did you appreciate how Helena handled not throwing the first "punch"? And then we saw Audrey's reaction to her godfather being the traitor. What did you think? Thank you to everyone who reviews...this story has gone a lot farther than I originally thought it would, so the feedback has been serious fuel to get these chapters out to you quickly. For AVP, sorry that we probably won't see a love scene in this story between Helena and Dinah, however, once this story wraps up, I will be concentrating on that pairing as the main characters for the next piece I do. My co-author on this story has agreed to do that piece with me, and the ideas have already started flying. So, if you can be patient, I am sure you will get what you want once that one starts. And for JrBenson-I really hope I got you kicking in this chapter too. Glad you weathered the storm.