Act IV

Scene 2: Man's World

"Right this way, Ms. Prince," the bespectacled Miss Wells gestured down the brightly lit hall. Diana Prince politely nodded her acknowledgement and she clicked her heals against the polished marble floors as she made her way towards the open door at the end of the hall. The faces of the illustrious men in the paintings that lined the walls looked down on her with expressions that ranged from somber to mild delight. Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, Kennedy, and even the odd Thomas Jackson in the stairwell leading to the residence all held places of distinction on the walls of the White House. The fact that there were almost no women to be seen was not lost on Diana. It only served as yet another reminder that she was in man's world and that she would have to play by its rules if she hoped to accomplish what she was here to do. For the moment, reacting to the intolerable patriarchy that ruled over this place with resistance and protest was not going to get her anywhere except thrown out. If she didn't focus first on saving the system, then there would be no system left to save.

Stepping through the door and rounding a corner, Diana was shocked to see what at first appeared to be a mirror image of herself; a tall woman in a black and white pantsuit, her hair held back in a tight bun and a gleaming crest of the Amazons pinned to her breast. The bun only served to deaden the wrinkles on the doppelganger's face, however, and Diana immediately knew she was face to face with Hippolyta, her ruler and her mother.

Before any words were exchanged, Diana made a quick scan of the waiting room and noticed several oddities. The room itself was a dimly lit board room with an oak table enough to seat several people, which it currently was. Diana's friend Zola was lounging in the corner in a small leather chair. She looked much the same as when Diana had last seen her, with her bright blond hair cut short, though she was wearing a tasteful black dress in the Earth style that made her look somewhat more statuesque. The significance of her presence was of immediate interest to Diana given Hippolyta's suspicions of her friend that the two had debated over when last they spoke.

And then there were the other Amazons present. Clearly Hippolyta had impressed upon each of them the importance of dressing in the style of the culture in which they were appearing since they were all styled in the same Earth fashions. The rest of the women were a mix of commandos and support personnel, as Diana quickly realized when she recognized some of them from previous campaigns she had been on. This filled her head with questions, but the most important was the first passed her lips, "Mother… what are you doing all the way out here?"

Hippolyta lifted an eyebrow and responded, "Good to see you too, daughter. Won't you take a seat?" She gestured to an open chair at the end of the table nearest to Diana.

Thoroughly caught off guard, Diana turned to Miss Wells who gave her a cheery smile as she stepped out and shut the door. Mr. Wayne's contact in the White House had seemed so helpful at first, and when Wells had said she would bring her along to an important meaning, Diana had taken her meaning to be a sincere confirmation of her willingness to help. So once again she found herself undone by inattentiveness to the subtleties of those in the political world.

She considered saying something more, but after resigning herself to the fact that she had no idea what was going on, she lowered her head and took a seat. Once she had done so, Hippolyta did likewise and prepared to successively level with her in a more social manner.

Clasping her hands together, Hippolyta opened by saying, "My commandos and I have come on urgent business concerning Man's World."

"Funny," Diana replied matter-of-factly, "So have I."

"In that case, it would appear obvious that we are of one purpose today," Hippolyta said in a more optimistic tone.

"Perhaps," Diana responded tersely, refusing to give her mother the satisfaction of confirming her suspicion. "And if we are on the same business, then what business would that be specifically?"

Hippolyta unclasped her hands and stood up again to begin pacing about her side of the room in that regal way she did when trying to press a point of some grand importance. "It should be clear by now that Man's World is in danger of being destroyed. Darkseid's fleet of warships makes its way even now towards Earth, and the check we put in place against this has betrayed us and refuses to answer to the inquiries of the Lantern Corps. It is obvious to everyone by now that Earth's position against this coming threat is most dire indeed."

"Obvious to everyone," Diana said as she rested her check on the palm of her hand in a tired gesture, "except Man's World."

Hippolyta cut her pacing short, turned to Diana with a pointed finger and exclaimed. "Exactly! That is why we are here. To sound the alarm before it is too late and perhaps prevent the utter annihilation of Man's World."

Diana sat back in her chair and threw her arms wide in a scurrilous gesture of disbelief. "And why in Hera's name would you want to do that, mother? You hate Man's World. Why go to any length to save it?" There was no love lost between Diana and her mother on this point since Hippolyta had, in fact, banished Diana from Themyscira for leaving to join the League a few years previously, and it had only been the threat posed by Hades and the desperate position Themyscira was in that had forced Hippolyta to revoke her banishment and call her back to aid in the conflict.

"Normally I wouldn't even bat so much as an eyelash at anything threatening Man's World," Hippolyta assented. "But this time it's different. The threat posed by Darkseid's forces threatens all of Earth, not just Man's World. The victory of Darkseid would mean the occupation of Earth and the eventual subjugation of all its inhabitants, including us, and it would represent an intolerable increase in Darkseid's power. And finally, though it is a reason that resides first in my heart, I have come with my shield maidens as a gesture of apology."

"Apology?" Diana threw the word back while a look of confusion crossed her face. "To whom? For what?"

Hippolyta's features slackened a bit as she admitted, "An apology to you, daughter. You were right. The women of Amazonia cannot ignore the developments of Man's World. Like it or not, the time has come to admit that we are linked by the world that we share. In a crisis of this magnitude, a threat to one is a threat to all. That is the message we have to bearing to the Presidents of all the major fiefdoms of Man's world, if they will hear it."

"I fear they may not," Diana warned. "I have tried to meet with the American President on a number of occasions but he has always been called away on more pressing matters. The only member of the league he was ever content with seeing was Kal-El."

"Hmm, the very one we have to blame for bring this sword of Damocles down upon us in the first place," Hippolyta scorned. "Tell me, what has become of him lately?"

"He's dead," Diana dropped to gasps of horror from many of the surrounding Amazons. It was true, though. Diana had barely believed it herself until Bruce had mailed a tape of the footage to her apartment in Gotham. She was still wondering how Bruce had gotten ahold of the surveillance tape of the multiple nuclear detonations in Afghanistan, originally filmed from spy satellites, even as she had begun to get over her grief for the loss of her friend.

The look on Hipployta's face was grave indeed. "How can this be?" She asked in momentary bewilderment. "Are you certain the man from Krypton is dead?"

"Quite certain," Diana confirmed.

"This is dire… without him, Earth is now all but defenseless. Who could be responsible for such a thing."

Resisting the urge to blurt out Bruce Wayne's suspicions in the home of the very man he suspected, Diana instead cryptically answered, "I don't know, but I intend to find out."

Just then, a beaming Miss Prince reentered the room and announced to the assembly, "I am very sorry everyone, but the President has been called into the situation room and probably won't be available for the rest of the day, so if you will all follow me, I will show you all out. Do please try and visit us again soon, though."

Diana shot her mother a knowing glance, and judging by the dark expression on Hippolyta's face, she was beginning to piece together her daughter's suspicions. Nevertheless, the women gathered together and filed out of the room and down the hall. As they proceeded out, Diana feigned a couple of sneezes and complained that she was allergic to pets as the President's Spaniel dog Rex pattered on by. Luckily no one took another look around the window or vent in the hall as they proceeded toward the exit.