CHAPTER FIVE: REQUIEM FOR THE WAR-MONGER
Deep inside James Garfield Air Force Base, blips emerged on the fringes of the radar screens. Hundreds of them; small ones, though. The suddenly-awakened techno sprung to his feet and got to the intercom.
"Radar Station to General's Quarters. Message over."
The voice on the other side came through, garbled by the transmission.
"Message send, over."
"We've got, oh…a hundred or so bogies on our radar screen?…Over."
General Darnell spluttered. "The hell?! Missiles?"
"No, sir. Too small."
"Drones?"
"Too small. Over."
"All right, I'll scramble a UAV. I want to know what's coming for us. I'll be at the C&C Centre ASAP. Out."
"Aye-aye, sir."
=w=
As Steve slowly made his way to the Command & Control Centre, he heard a distant roar. Spying through a window, he saw it; a Predator drone, being prepped for launch. He idly wondered what it was all about, when another sound began to echo down the hall – footsteps.
He ducked into an alcove, pressing himself against the wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw General Darnell quickly pacing down the hall – straight to the C&C Centre. Now he knew something was up. Gripping the Colt carbine closer to himself, he ducked into the next alcove, keeping Darnell in his sight throughout.
=w=
The battle had gone out of control. Reserves from the National Guard were all streaming in too slowly to stem the tide, and tower blocks began to burst into fire. Flying creatures and enormous cyclopes made a mockery of the ground-level defences, and emergency teams couldn't get to where they were needed.
Wonder Woman swept in, delivering a thunderous blow to a giant's eye. It stumbled, and started swaying. Another blow, this time to its solar plexus, sealed the deal. It began to fall. Panicked men and beasts alike scrambled out of its shadow.
The Lasso shot out, wrapping itself around the cyclops' shoulder. Slowly, gently, Diana let it drop to the ground. Her kindness was not appreciated, though – an arrow much like the one Steve's plane had launched burst through the air. She had barely turned to face it, when all exploded in front of her face.
Next she felt, the ground slammed into her back. She looked up to a see a man in modern-looking armour, wearing a helmet much like Steve's, wielding a long, cruel, baton. In a single motion, he took the helm off, discarding it by the side. Underneath was a familiar face.
It was a handsome face, framed by golden hair in a square-cut mane. It was marred only by the look of total hate in his eyes and his mouth, twisted into neither a smile nor a sneer.
Diana drew a breath of shock. "Ares!"
"Yes, princess of the Amazons. Surprised?"
She got to her feet and threw a punch at the god. "You dare?!"
He caught it with effortless ease, and flicked her over to a nearby wall, creating a decent-sized dent in it. As she fell to the ground again, he advanced on her.
"You ask that, when you yourself come to the land of the mortals with such opprobrium? How blind are you, princess?"
Ares grabbed Diana by her hair, pulling her up. Her feet dangled inches off the ground.
"Nonetheless, I have you to thank. Man had forgotten about us. Your foolishness will mark my grand return. Every blow struck in anger, every man that falls today – all only serve to strengthen me. The name of Ares shall echo through every continent – including this new one. Furthermore, your sisters shall all fall this very day – and I won't even have to lift a finger."
Diana's eyes widened. "What?"
"Oh, yes, daughter of Hippolyta. The armies of man's world have better weapons than catapults and ballistae, I'm afraid. Your sisters merely charge to their doom."
She wrested herself free, and threw her lasso at Ares. He dodged it nimbly, then grabbed the free end. Both considered the other as the thread grew taut between them.
Diana stammered, "But they come in peace…"
"Not in the eyes of the men of this city. The sweetest part is that the one who has ensured their doom is you."
Through gritted teeth, Wonder Woman spat, "Not if I stop you first."
"Even if you could, imagine the scene. A lone guardian of peace, doing desperate battle with the woman responsible for all this. Who will the mortals side with?"
"I don't know how you did it, god of lies, but your lieutenants have clouded their minds."
"Perhaps."
The two locked stares, both gripping the lasso of truth with all their might, unwilling to budge the slightest inch. It was Ares who spoke.
"As fun as this has been, Amazon, I am needed elsewhere. See you in Tartarus."
With that, and a thick cloud of smoke, the god of war vanished into the wind. When the smog scattered, Diana found herself alone on the battlefield, caught between both sides of the unequal war.
=w=
The giant landmass of America slowly came into view. Nathifa, leading the Amazon forces, signalled to the commanders to begin descent. As they did so, they began to hear a thunderous rumble in the sky. There was a small dot coming from the continent.
It soon became clear that it was much like the form of the same transport that had brought Steve Trevor to Themyscira, except smaller. The air rippled around it as it came closer. The Amazons parted ranks as it rushed through them.
The sound faded, but then grew louder and louder again. Far to the west, the same small 'plane' passed by the Amazons, back towards the same spot where it had come from, seemingly having achieved what it wanted. Unfazed, the Amazons pushed on.
=w=
Pictures of the Amazons on their winged horses soon began to appear on every screen of the command centre. Phil Darnell stood in the middle of it all, sipping on his coffee. The sight gave him pause.
"My god."
The technician looked up from his console. "Sir?"
Still in a daze, General Darnell muttered, "One wasn't enough. Dozens, hundreds of them. They're just the second wave. Can we trace where they came from?"
"We can calculate their trajectory, sir…"
"Good. Scramble a couple of jets. I want those damn rejects from Clash of the Titans out of the sky. Next we bomb their home base."
The technician paused for a moment. "Are you sure, sir?"
"Get the signal out. Scramble two fighters. Get the UB-12s ready too."
"I don't think so."
Both men turned to the door, to the third voice. There, Steve Trevor stood with his rifle raised to his eyes, thumb next to the safety catch on the XM177. The technician shifted nervously in his chair. Darnell simply stared Steve down.
"Trevor," he spat.
Steve said, "I can't let you do this, general."
"I should've known the two of you were in league, Trevor. She leads Invasion U.S.A. and you still side with her? What'd she promise you, traitor? Money? Asylum? Hers-"
The safety catch flipped to 'fire', and a burst of rounds destroyed the terminal behind General Darnell.
"She's not here to destroy us, sir. She's on our side."
Darnell stepped forward. "What evidence have you got, Trevor? This horde comes at our heels the day after she turns up, and she's got more on the way! We need to wipe them out before they do!"
"That's the sort of thinking that their enemies thrive on. We need to trust them. Please, sir. Don't do this."
The two men considered each other. Long moments passed as each examined the other, looking for a reaction. The XM177 remained where it was, but Steve's shoulders were slowly starting to ache. Darnell simply locked his gaze, waiting for that one moment of weakness.
Suddenly, a hot, strong wind seemed to blow from each corner of the room – towards General Darnell. Smoke began to circle around his body. The general closed his eyes – when next they opened, they were glowing as red as embers. He spoke with a voice not his own.
"Fool."
He stretched out one hand, and suddenly Steve felt his rifle get warmer and warmer. He gripped the hand-guard ever tighter, adamant not to let go. It was like trying to keep one's hand on a stove. It was almost red-hot when he finally threw it to one side, sending it clattering against the wall. Steve wordlessly held his scalded hands in front of his eyes.
Steve saw Darnell charge him moments too late. A hellishly powerful blow to his belly took all the breath out of him. Steve struggled to get up. He could catch something in his blurred vision – Darnell snapped his fingers, and the technician at the console was consumed by fire and smoke.
One of Ares's foot soldiers emerged. The god of war, in Darnell's body, turned to him.
"You. Use the drone. Leave no Amazon alive. I shall deal with the mortal first."
"It shall be done, my lord. Sta ópla! To arms!"
"Sta ópla." Ares returned the greeting with a nod, then turned to Steve. "As for you-"
Steve used the best of his experience in football, launching himself at Darnell shoulder first. The general stumbled back, more out of surprise than by the actual force of the blow. Behind them, screens burst to life, letting all see the skies through the eyes of the Predator. Technical specifications filled the other screens.
Ares grabbed Steve by the neck, pushing him back.
"Mortal fool! You dare to challenge a god?! You DARE?"
Steve said, forcing the words out of his trachea, "Whatever…it…takes."
Darnell's lips parted to form a twisted smile. "Poor deluded fool. I have a passing familiarity with your sacred texts. It was Man who destroyed Paradise, not the serpent. He took the fruit of forbidden knowledge and dared to share that which belonged to the gods. You breached Paradise. Now it-and you-shall pay."
Steve tried to return the same kick that Ares had dealt him first. Nothing happened. Unvoiced screams of defiance choked at his throat, unable to let loose. Steve's hand flailed around his neck. Suddenly, they caught on something.
A limp hand held the talisman in front of him. Both combatants stared at it. Steve realised where it'd come from; Diana had given to him as a safeguard. Ares looked on, wild-eyed. The amulet took on an unnatural glow – one that filled the room. Pressure began to mount between the two.
The world exploded. When the light faded, three bodies were on the ground. Steve started to get up. His bruises had faded; his throat felt fine. Darnell rose and faced him. The technician slowly reached for the chair.
Steve took a step forward. To his surprise, Darnell stumbled back. Desperately, Ares launched an attack. Steve caught the fist, and threw Darnell to the ground. The red lights of his eyes started to flicker.
"Trevor…?"
Darnell's head lolled to one side, as he fell unconscious. The technician stood up and turned to face Steve, his voice booming in the same tone as Ares.
"You're too late, mortal! Behold!"
Behind him, monitors showed the Amazonian army, barely half an hour from America's shores now. Reticules began dotting the screen like a bad pox on someone's skin. They turned from bright green to a garish red. The Predator was engaging its targeting system. Any moment now, and a Gatling gun would spit death at them.
=w=
Nathifa saw the rider-less plane come again. This time its intent seemed sterner. She raised her hand, and the warriors behind her readied their weapons. No sooner had they done so, when the drone opened fire.
Amazons around her fell like flies around a deathly flame. A rain of blood made the tiniest impact in the Atlantic ocean. The drone had passed them already. So this is what it had come to. Man could see no other recourse but violence. So be it. If they could only communicate in such terms, then the Amazons would only respond as such.
=w=
A solid punch to the jaw floored the technician. It was too late. The cannon had already fired. Steve scrambled to the controls, trying his best to mess with everything that he could. Would it be enough?
=w=
Nathifa pointed her spear forward, and they charged the retreating drone. However, something unexpected occurred. Before even the first bolt was loosed, the plane dived. It spun and twisted in mid-air, until it eventually started a headlong fall into the wine-dark sea.
Had it run out of energy? It mattered little. Ordering some of the rearguard to pick up the fallen, Nathifa spurred her comrades on, towards the city besieged by the legions of Ares.
=w=
Diana flew left and right through the madness of the city, attempting to find the source of the delusion spreading through it. Then, she sensed something behind her. She spun around – to see Conquest leaping through a ruined window. The beast wrapped her arms around her, sending the two of them into a spin-dive. Buildings spun past each other and the streets below until both smashed into the tarmac.
Diana crawled out of the crater, but found herself forced to the ground by Conquest's foot on her back. A cruel hand pulled her head up, to the horizon. It was turning sunset red. A small group of does were just about coming over.
They were growing larger and larger. Then she recognised them for what they were. Slowly, painfully, she turned her neck to stare Conquest in the eye.
"It's over, demon. My sisters are coming, and your war will end."
"Look again, Amazon."
Conquest passed her hand over Diana's eyes. The triumphant sight suddenly shifted to a demoniac horde. She finally saw the illusion Ares's minions had been casting over the entire city; within moments, grinning scions of Tartarus had replaced her sisters, their proud steeds turned into fire-breathing monsters.
"The denizens of this polis will share your sight…and react accordingly. Say your farewells, Amazon. This shall be the last you see of them…twisted into an image of Ares's choosing."
Her eyes widened. This, then, was the culmination of all of Ares's plotting; the Amazons, dead in a foreign land, their mission lost. Then what next? Would they follow the stragglers back to Paradise Island? What then?
"No," she whispered.
Conquest leaned in. "What was that, Amazon?"
"I-said-NO!"
With a titanic effort, she grabbed the cruel heel forcing her to the ground and threw it aside, propping herself up with the other hand. The two foes faced each other. Conquest forced a snarl through her mirthless grin. Diana returned it with a determined stare.
Conquest charged again – into thin air, as Diana pivoted on her heel at the last possible moment, letting the lasso whip around her opponent. Her legs bound, Conquest fell face-first to the ground. Now their positions reversed, Diana leaned in to her enemy's face, gripping the lasso with her free hand.
"Where is she? The one casting the illusions?"
Conquest spat a gob of green blood. "I'll never tell."
Diana tightened her hold on the lasso, till her knuckles blanched white. "Answer me."
Conquest bit her lip with her fangs in a supreme effort not to speak, but eventually, the truth was prised from her lips. Leaving her opponent trussed up with a steel girder, Diana headed to the tallest building in the city – the cathedral. It would be there that she would find Deception, the pawn of Ares responsible for all this.
=w=
The shadow of the new challengers spread through the city. Everywhere, soldiers and policemen turned their heads to see a horrendous sight. A new wave of demons had arrived. Faced with the end times, what could any of them do? The officers and commanders who gained their senses barked orders to raise their weapons.
Nathifa stared down at the sight of the mortals preparing their weapons. What madness was this? They had come to protect them, and they respond with violence? She raised her hand in an open palm, instructing her sisters to stay their distance.
Far below them, Lt. Hendricks too raised his hand. What were they waiting for? If they were the next wave of their enemies, what was stopping them from killing them all? Why wait? To taunt them before their final moments? Something wasn't right.
=w=
There, atop the holiest of structures the mortals of this city had built with their hands, was Deception, otherwise known as Apati, deity of falsehoods and illusion. Her face was obscured by a grotesque mask, but that same pair of pitch-black eyes stared forth from them.
Her hands glowed with unearthly power, which she shot into the packets of mortals far below her, confusing their minds and blurring their senses. As Diana approached, she turned her hateful gaze on her.
"Ah…the so-called 'Wonder Woman'. We have met before."
Diana landed on the roof opposite her. "Apati. Your deceptions have fooled enough people for too long."
"Not long enough, Amazonian Princess. The men of this city will soon gun down your sisters in waves, and follow them back to Themyscira, all to destroy the demons they think they are."
"It ends now."
"You will try."
Without another word, Diana closed in on Deception. But something was wrong. Every step she seemed to take only drew her further from her quarry. The world slowly rotated on some massive axis, till the sky became the sea and the sea the land. Locked in gaze with Deception, she saw the logic of the world crumble into chaos.
Then, she recalled her gift from Gaia. It would brook no illusions or falsehoods. Wrapping it around her bracers, she pressed on. Bit by bit, the deception fell apart, and she was now mere steps from Deception. She tore off the mocking mask and cast it away – to see her mother's face underneath. No – now it was Orana's. A moment later, it turned into Steve's.
She focused. Deception was only trying to confuse her. Not fooled by her eyes, she wrapped her foeman in the lasso, gripping her by the throat.
Diana ordered Deception. "Release them. Release the hold you have on the mortals. Gaia compels you."
"Never!"
"You must. The truth will out."
The lasso glowed, illuminating Deception, who then began to shine, too. It was a brilliant but not blinding light. Its warmth grew and grew until it spread to every corner of the city. Diana slowly blinked. It was a new dawn. Deception struggled against her bonds to no use. Her spells and illusions were over.
=w=
A warm golden light bathed the streets below, and in the twinkling of an eye, the true nature of the Amazons was revealed – a troop of proud warriors on winged steeds, and not in the least bit demonic. Nathifa descended to talk to the leader of the ground forces on their city block.
"We have come in peace. Let us vanquish our common foe together."
Lieutenant Hendricks gestured down the road. "You and I both, ma'am."
With renewed vigor, the soldiers turned to the demons – the real ones, the dogs of War. The Amazon reinforcements were just enough to turn the tide. Everywhere, from the waterfront to the suburbs to the towering office spires, mounted Amazons pushed Ares's forces back.
Wonder Woman descended from the roof of the cathedral, and pulled up aside Nathifa.
"Kalimera, consul."
"Kalimera, your highness. I see we've come in time."
She looked ahead at the demoniac horde, which was beginning to break its ranks. "Indeed. Shall we?"
"I thought you would never ask, your highness."
Together, along with the mortals, the Amazons charged through the Ares's forces. The blessed weapons of the Amazons cut swathes through their foes, and even the Cyclopes could not withstand their aerial assault. The half-men, half-bulls that had led the charge before were restrained like so many cattle.
What had started as a slow retreat became a panicked escape, and before long, Ares's legions were scrambling over themselves to flee through the portals leading back to their staging ground on the Hellas Planitia.
On the sight of their enemies fleeing, Amazons and men alike cheered together. Nathifa pulled Diana to one side, as the Amazons mingled with the joyous troops of the National Guard.
"Our time here is brief, your highness. We have defied destiny itself to save Mankind from Ares. Go to them, Diana. A great deed has begun today, thanks to you."
Diana looked at the sight before her. Men and women, Amazons and mortals were celebrating their victory together. That alone was a disproof of Ares's bluster. Her sisters had already done so much. The rest would now be up to her. She turned back to Nathifa.
"I…understand. Thank you again, Nathifa. This is twice now I owe you my life."
"Thank me not, Diana. Thank your mother, the queen, for assembling the troops and thank Lord Hermes for swiftly carrying your appeal."
"I will pray tonight. Convey my regards to Mother."
"I will. Farewell, your Highness."
With a final embrace, the two parted ways. Nathifa called the Amazons to her, and they flew off to the horizon and the setting sun, the soldiers fondly waving after them, and then turning to chatter with each other, some still trying to convince themselves of what they'd just been through.
Lieutenant Hendricks walked up to Diana, the last Amazon remaining. He affected a salute, which she returned by crossing her bracelets. Both were unsure on how to begin, but the officer spoke up first.
"Evening, ma'am. Name's First Lieutenant Cyril Hendricks, 2IC of C Company, of the 105th in the Delaware National Guard. Way I understand it; you're responsible for getting our fat out of a whole lotta fire."
"I am Diana, Princess of Themyscira. I came to prevent Ares's plot to destroy your city, but my sisters finished the task."
Hendricks gestured to his men. "Well, we right in the 105th are all mighty grateful for you, ma'am. Based on the news, I can see you've been mighty maligned. We need to report back to HHQ anyway…so I guess what I'm saying is…can we offer you a lift?"
"A lift?"
"'Less you want to walk back to the city."
With that, Diana found herself in the passenger seat of an Army jeep, heading back to the city that she called her new home. When she arrived, the press was waiting for her and the men of the National Guard. Lt. Hendricks barely had time to give an official statement before he was pushed aside and the cameras and microphones shoved in Wonder Woman's face.
"So, 'Wonder Woman'-"
"Just who are-"
"Are you really here to 'bring peace to'-"
"-were all those women warriors your sisters-"
Finally, Diana stuck out her hand, and bellowed, "ENOUGH!"
Silence pervaded.
Then she spoke, calmly and clearly. "I am Diana of Paradise Island - a land where the Gods still reign, and where we Amazons practice love and peace. My sisters call me 'Wonder Woman'. I have been sent by the gods to put right what is wrong with the world. Ares, the God of War, tried to destroy you – and us - with his legions freed from the depths of Tartarus, and tried to induce war between the two worlds. We have managed to stop them today, but I will not stop till we achieve peace forever."
Before the reporters could get another question out, she had headed to the skies, leaving them to turn back to their cameras to make sense of what she had just said.
=w=
Far above the war-stricken streets, in a luxury penthouse suite, businesswoman Priscilla Rich watched the latest news reports of the battle that had raged in Columbia City, and of the angel that had delivered them from the legions of Hell.
Her hand went straight to her cutting-edge handphone. With a few deft strokes of her perfectly manicured fingernails, she'd gotten in contact with her PR department.
"Lil Brown? Do find out just who this Wonder Woman is. Tell her that I've got a proposition for her…"
=w=
In another corner of the city, at the Holliday Women's Shelter, staff and volunteers were working to set right the damage that those guys from another dimension had wrecked. It wasn't easy; they'd really done a number on the entrance hall.
The volunteers had managed to get the television working again, and there was nothing but coverage of this 'Wonder Woman'. Apparently she'd led the charge to take out those invaders. She, like them, dressed like something out of a Harryhausen movie.
Their chairman pushed aside a load of cracked drywall then stopped in front of the screen for a while. One of the staff interrupted her thoughts.
"Why, Etta? Seems you're glued to that report about our newest local heroine."
Etta Candy snapped back to reality. "Local heroine? Hel, this city sure needs one."
=w=
On the Hellas Planitia, Ares sat back on his throne, watching his injured and crippled legions limp back from the portals that he had opened to the mortal world. In front of him, bent in obeisance, were his three chief lieutenants, Greed, Conquest and Deception.
He spoke, rumbling thunder behind his voice. "So."
The three glanced up at him, unsure of how to reply.
Ares spoke again, more to himself than to them. "A pity, really, about that meddlesome girdle. Had it not been endowed with the power of truth…but oh well. There are always other days to war. Kyriefsi."
She looked up. "My lord."
"You will train until your skill exceeds that daughter of Hippolyta. She truly is the most skilled of the Amazons."
"Aye, my lord."
"Pleonexia. Apati."
They responded in unision. "My lord."
"Tend to the wounded. We will have need of them again. And do remember to drop my message off."
"My lord."
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the three of them. Not so far behind the throne room, in the narrow passages of Mars, were Phobos, Lord of Terror, and his brother, Deimos, the demoniac Dread, waiting for their audience with their lord and father. They spoke to each other in hushed whispers.
"Brother Deimos, this bodes ill for Father. His offensive has failed."
"Nonetheless, he has been strengthened by it, Brother Phobos."
"Yes, yes…but look into the plateau below. Our legions lie licking their wounds like so many injured dogs of war. We cannot hope to triumph through loss."
"Your tone concerns me, brother."
Phobos turned to Deimos, and patted him on one of his broad shoulders. "It does, does it? Well, perhaps it is the influence of Sister Eris."
"She has returned?"
"Hush, brother, hush…" muttered Phobos, conspiratorially placing a finger over his own lips.
=w=
Steve Trevor sat in his holding cell in James Garfield Air Force Base, incarcerated for alleged insubordination, assault on fellow servicemen, permanent damage to sensitive equipment and destructive sabotage of the Air Force's latest toy. This time, they'd even taken away his name tag.
His cell had a good enough view of the TV. He couldn't help but feel a little proud at what Diana had achieved today. He'd done his part, too, but it would remain an unsung triumph. It didn't matter. She had her own mission now, and her own life. It was just as well.
He looked down at his boots. The court-martial was going to begin in a short few hours. It'd be over in minutes. Sure, he'd saved Diana and all her friends, but there was no questioning everything he'd done. Even though Genl. Darnell had quietly resigned, Steve knew his own career was over, and he'd go graciously to its end.
Then, the atmosphere suddenly shifted. Chatter in the background died down, and some of the lights dimmed. Steve felt a chill wind waft through the double-locked door in the opposite corner of the rooms. There, flanked by dark-clothed MPs, was a man in civvies.
He had hair as white as cigarette ash and he stank of it too. Despite that, he wouldn't put the guy past forty. He'd looked like he'd been around, seen more than his fair share of wars. He walked slowly, deliberately – the pace of a man who knew what he wanted. He stopped in front of Steve's cell.
"Good evening, Major Trevor."
Steve looked up. "Unless you're promoting me, that's Captain Trevor, mister."
The other man seemed to ignore Steve's opener. "My name is Faraday. Special Agent King Faraday. I'm with a branch of the CBI. You might know it as Checkmate."
"I don't."
"That's the way it should be. Your 'Wonder Woman' is hardly the first super-powered human to make an appearance on the world stage, and she won't be the last. Checkmate is the US Government's answer to that."
"What's this got to do with me?"
"Checkmate is appointing you as the primary unofficial liaison between the USA and the Amazons. Your mission is to report on all of this 'Wonder Woman's' dealings and evaluate whether they overall are beneficial or detrimental to the interests of the state. In return, all charges against you are dropped, by order of Chairwoman Amanda Waller."
Steve leaned back on his backless bench. "Sounds interesting. I'll think it over."
"I didn't say I was giving you a choice, Major. On your feet, Trevor."
One of the black-clad MPs approached the cell door to unlock it. As he came closer, Steve noticed a little 'pawn' symbol on his badge. He didn't have time to ponder it further before he was dragged to his feet and marched out of the complex altogether. As he passed the final door to freedom, he heard King Faraday mutter one last parting shot.
"And yes, I do have your new rank correct, Major Trevor. Go enjoy the extra pay."
=w=
Far away, near the Dire Straits, on the isle Circe lived, the witch was brewing yet another of her vile potions. It was giving off thick fumes which would've been instantly lethal to any mere mortal. She was planning on testing it out on a few of her swine later in the afternoon; by her calculations it'd make them sprout wings.
The thick smoke and the sounds of flasks rattling as their contents boiled almost totally obscured the sights and sounds of the outer world – but not quite. The sound of her door being bashed open caused Circe to wheel around and whip off her goggles and face-scarf.
Framed in it was Orana, along with a whole host of Amazons, all with the same peeved expression.
"It's over, witch," she spat, holding her sword in front of her.
"Why, my dear Amazons, whatever do you mean? What have I-?"
Orana took a step forward, even as Circe prepared a spell under the folds of her sleeves. "Enough lies. We know it was you who started our plight by exposing Themyscira to Man's World."
Circle spluttered, "What-I-NO! Ares swore-"
"You would be unmolested by he and his forces? Yes, witch, he also told us of your…agreement. But you should know better than to make deals with the God of War. He may have sworn to ignore you, but we are unbound by his pacts."
Finally, realising the rank deception that had been pulled on her, Circe furiously released a thunderbolt at Orana – who nonchalantly deflected it with her bracers. Again and again she tried, but to no effect.
Holding up a set of manacles, Orana firmly said, "Come quietly with us, witch, or there will be…trouble."
The Amazons closed in on Circe, her back to the wall, returning naught but a defiant glare…
=w=
The door opened on a sparsely decorated apartment – the US Government's latest gift to Steve Trevor and Diana. Steve held it open for Diana, who was carrying a stack of boxes that grazed the door frame. She put them down effortlessly, and then took in another batch.
Before long, they were finished with moving the bulk of Steve's earthly possessions into the apartment, along with the small number of items Diana had brought from Themyscira. Exhausted, Steve dropped into the sofa while Diana explored the new flat.
She came back, smiling. "Well, there is one piece of good news, Steve Trevor."
He leaned back, asking, "What's that?"
"You need not sleep on the couch any more."
Steve sat bolt upright, turning to Diana. "What do you mean by that?"
"They provided two bedrooms."
"Oh."
He slumped back into the sofa, turning to the remote control now. "Well, at least they were nice enough to give us cable with the place."
The television crackled to life. It was an emergency report; a derelict tenement, having taken too much abuse over the years, was now alight, with dozens of people trapped inside. Fire trucks were racing to the site, trying to put it out to little avail.
Steve sat up again, turning to his companion.
"Diana…?"
"I'm on my way."
With that, and a deft spin, Diana changed into the garb of Wonder Woman, and was gone within a matter of seconds, darting out the windows of her new home to the aid of innocents in peril.
A/N: And that's it for the double-length pilot! Hope this update of her origin story's good enough. Now, that's out of the way...
NEXT TIME ON WONDER WOMAN: A jilted scientist! A dangerous invention! A chilling crime-wave! Join us next time...with "Blue Christmas!"