Chapter Two

In a dimly lit hotel room, a lone figure had been watching the televised press conference with keen interest. The moment it was over, the figure – a man with curly dark hair and a stony expression on his face – got up from his seat that faced the television screen, and walked to the closet. He pulled out a long black leather bag and placed it on the tidily-made bed, revealing a high-powered rifle as he pulled it out of the bag. A cold smile finally formed on his face as his fingers traced the length of the rifle's barrel. He knew the Amazons were immortal. But even a fatal bullet would easily end their immortality. And it was going to be an honor to kill the Themysciran Princess.

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At the Daily Planet, Clark was reviewing the article he wrote on the press conference. It was not a difficult article to write, but he wanted to make sure he kept the content objective as he presented the highlights of Diana's formal speech and the news-worthy responses of the questions that she flawlessly answered, including his own question.

He could not believe he had embarrassed himself at the press conference. Not that he really cared about what his peers thought about him, but he did get a few taunts about having a crush on the Princess as he was leaving the crowded ballroom. Even Jimmy made a remark as they headed back to the office, and showed him a close up of Clark's puppy-dog expression during the Q & A.

"I don't blame ya, C.K. I mean, look at her, she's like a goddess!" Jimmy had said as he browsed through the photographs of her on his camera's LCD screen. "Hey, don't feel too bad. I think all the other guys that were there are dreaming about her, too. I know I'll be wondering about what it takes to date someone like that. Or even if it's possible for anyone to date an Amazon Princess."

"Thanks, Jimmy. I feel so much better," Clark replied with a hint of sarcasm. "I hate to ask you this, but can you do me a favor and erase that one?" pointing to the image of him gazing at Diana.

"Why? Oh, you don't want Lois to see it. I get it. Yeah, it'll be worse coming from her. I'm sure she'll want to publish it just to embarrass you." Jimmy let out a sigh and shook his head at he looked at the image stored in his camera. "It's really a good shot of you, C.K. But no problem, I'll do it. There. It's gone."

"I appreciate that, Jimmy." Clark said as he patted Jimmy on the shoulder.

Looking back, Clark was relieved Jimmy did not put up a fuss about erasing the image and that he stopped teasing him about his 'crush' on the Themysciran Princess.

Focusing his attention back to his computer screen, Clark made one last super-speed review. Finally satisfied with his article, he saved it, and sent a copy to the editor. Glancing across his desk to Lois' empty chair, he was thankful she was preoccupied chasing down a story about a possible inside gambling ring concerning the Metropolis Mavericks baseball team. Not that she was his gatekeeper, far from it, but he was not in the mood to have her hound him about finishing work early or fishing for any new articles he was working on.

Now, all Clark had to do was come up with a good reason or find a way to see Diana in private. Those Royal Guards were going to make it harder for him to get through to her. And he was not going to let them easily dissuade him from finally seeing Diana.

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The day had been long but Diana was not tired. On the contrary, excitement had sustained her frame of mind throughout the day. She was trying hard to remain calm. Ever since leaving the press conference, the only thing she could think about was seeing Clark again. He did look very handsome in his suit. During the rest of the afternoon's tight schedule of meetings with city officials, Diana kept discreetly scanning the crowd of reporters and photographers who followed her and her staff at each appointment, hoping to catch a glimpse of him if he was amongst his peers. And each time she did, she masked her disappointment of not finding him.

Her excitement started to wane when evening came and her dinner was brought to her suite. Tonight was the first time since she came back to Man's World that she did not have to attend a state dinner. It seemed that she had spent almost every evening with a fixed smile on her face, constantly poised and ready to woo the American public to the teachings that Amazons had to offer. All Diana wanted to do was welcome the idea of relaxing and dining alone. After seeing Clark that morning, that was the last thing she wanted.

Diana barely touched her dinner. Diana had dismissed her chief of staff and her assistant for the day. Her guards rarely ate with her as they were required to be on alert at all times, and dining with Diana meant that they were not being as vigilant in their duty. She wondered how Clark would get past her guards if he came to visit. Perhaps she should sneak out through the balcony doors and fly off to look for him. She could look for him at the Daily Planet first, and if he was not there, then she would fly to his home in Smallville. Yes, that was her plan.

She got up from her seat at the ornate dining table to walk to the entrance of her suite and opened the door. In her native Greek, Diana told the guard in command, "Elora, please see to it that I am not disturbed for the rest of the night." The guard bowed her head to acknowledge her Princess' order.

Diana closed the door and sighed. She despised having to withhold the truth from her Amazon sisters and felt some remorse over what she was also about to do. But, she knew that even if she went out the front door and ordered them to stay, that order would be ignored. The guards were sworn by the Queen to accompany the Princess at every event. Not that the Princess was any less of a formidable Amazon, but the Queen's displeasure and wrath would be more frightening than Diana's.

Diana headed to her bedroom closet. She could not go around Metropolis dressed like an Amazon. If she wanted to blend in with the people, then she needed to change her clothes. Fortunately, she had acquired some clothing that most women in Man's World also have in their closets, thanks to the wife of New York City's Mayor. Annabeth Ford insisted on taking Diana on a shopping spree during her tour of New York.

Pulling out an ensemble of a red t-shirt, blue jeans, tan leather blazer and boots, and a red cap for her head, she quickly changed her clothes. Diana walked to the balcony. She took flight upwards instead of heading down the length of the building. She wanted to avoid some of the reporters and paparazzi hanging out in front to the hotel.

The feel of fresh air as she soared through the night sky felt so invigorating. She missed flying. Before being presented as the new Ambassador, it was decided that Diana could not reveal her super-powered gifts for the time being. Hippolyta and the Senate felt that Diana's incredible ability to fly and her yet unparalleled strength would cause humans to not willingly accept her, but fear her instead. So, Diana had also spent the last few weeks grounded. She knew she could not continue flying about leisurely over Metropolis, so she quickly found her destination.

The Daily Planet was easy to find with its gleaming globe on top of the building. She landed in a quiet alley to the side of the building. She pulled her cap out of her pocket and onto her head, adjusting the rim low over her eyes. Diana walked around the alley and took a deep breath as she stepped into the main entrance of the Daily Planet. She was looking forward to finally seeing Clark.

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Clark would have gotten to the hotel earlier but a reactor leak at a power plant outside the city needed his immediate attention. He had sealed the leak and saved two men who were trapped inside the control room when the alarm sounded and the shelter doors shut them in. Thankfully, the men only suffered minor radiation poisoning, and with proper treatment, they would recover with only a few side effects. Although the radiation did not affect him, Clark did not want to take any risks that the clothes he wore still carried the harmful atoms. So, he went home to change and got rid of his soiled clothes.

This was the second time today that Clark walked into the lobby of the Metropolis Grand Hotel, except that this time, he was not going to the ballroom. Instead, he walked straight to the elevators and stepped into an occupied one. He had already found out that Diana was staying in the Presidential Suite on the top floor.

Getting off on that floor was not a problem. Getting past her guards to see her was definitely going to be a challenge. And he could see that as he walked along the long corridor, they were already watching him as he approached them. They were still dressed in golden battle armor with an emblem that looked like a cross between an eagle and a double W on their chests. Their pleated skirts and capes were the shade of crimson, as were the plumes on their golden helmets. And the sharp-tipped spears they held in their grasp and the swords sheathed to their hips completed their uniformed attire. They already appeared intimidating enough, but their icy stares just added a chill that would make lesser man turn tail and run.

Clark remembered the Spear of Athena was able to prick his finger when he touched the tip of the spear, and that the Amazons were bounded with magic and mysticism. For once in his life, he did not feel like he was made of steel. Not wanting to chance that these guards could impale him, he kept his distance when he stopped in front of the guards. Displaying his best puppy-dog smile, he greeted the guards. "Hi. I'm Clark Kent from the Daily Planet."

The pair of guards did not answer a greeting, and continued to look at him expectantly.

"I was at the press conference earlier this morning…Princess Diana gave a great speech." Not letting his smile waver, he continued. "I, uh, came to see if I could get another interview with the Princess. Would you mind checking with her? Just ask her if Clark Kent could ask her a few more questions for the people of Metropolis…Please?"

The one guard named Elora finally answered him, "The Princess is not to be disturbed."

"I just need a short moment of her time. Perhaps she mentioned me?" Clark insisted.

"No. Our Princess gave us orders not to disturb her." Elora simply replied. She eyed the young man suspiciously as he appeared to look beyond the door and wall of the suite. Elora realized now that this was the same reporter who appeared to be taken with her Princess. She decided it was best not to encourage him. "Leave now or we will gladly remove you."

Clark turned his attention back to the guard addressing him with the unveiled threat. Giving her an apologetic smile, "I don't want to cause any trouble. I'll leave."

He did his best to look disappointed, stuck his hands in his pockets, and walked back to the elevators. He was trying hard to keep the laughter building inside him contained. His quick scan of the suite told him something that the guards did not know. Diana had snuck out of her room. And even though there were only a few places that Diana would be familiar with, he still was not sure if this made it an easier or a more difficult task to finally see her. One thing that he was sure of was that he was looking forward to it.