Themyscira - One Month Later
Hippolyta looked out and down at her sisters below her, a majority of their small island's population spread out across the rows of seats surrounding their training grounds. It was the first time since coming to the island that all her sisters had gathered in one place. Further below them, twenty of their sisters stood facing the crowd, all of them decked out in their traditional fighting gear and weapons.
When Hippolyta had announced the gods' decision to allow the Amazons to leave and explore the world at large after their resounding defeat, she had been met with an overwhelming tidal wave of replies. Cries of disbelief intermixed with those of outrage. Demands for more information or explanation of what exactly this meant for them on the island and what their purpose now was. Requests for assurances that they and their sisters had not disappointed the gods and, finally, barely concealed looks of excitement and dare she say wonder.
This last group was considerably smaller than the others, consisting of one or two small faces in the crowd of thousands. But they all shared one similar feature, they were young. Too young to have been part of the war centuries ago. But also too young to have ever truly experienced the world outside the island. It was no small wonder that they'd be the first of their number to jump at a chance to see the world at large, no matter what others in their ranks may say.
So far though, this group had remained mostly silent as their sisters' cries reached the monarch. Most likely due to the fear of being labeled a traitor to the island by some of their more….. fanatical sisters. But still, Hippolyta could see their silent pleas and knew that if she tried to order them to stay they'd simply ignore her and go anyway. After all, the gods have given them permission to come and go as they please.
This presented a huge problem for the Queen and her advisors as they couldn't have their first foray into the modern world be done by dissidents who had fled their island. Worse, these sisters would be completely isolated from them, believing that they'd be punished or worse should they ever return to the island. Thus, whatever they would learn and gather would be lost to the rest of their sisters. Not to even mention the personal risk these sisters would be taking.
So, they decided to host a contest. Allowing any sister who wished to participate to enter and compete. The prize… a set of armor enchanted by Athena herself, along with the title of being the champion of their people. A title that had never before been given.
Naturally, most of her sisters scoffed at the idea of leaving the island. They had everything they needed and a kinship they believed to be truly special to them. They did not need the folly of man's world. Thus, initially, not one of their sisters volunteered. But that changed after a couple of days when the Queen's daughter, Diana, volunteered for the tournament. Something that Hippolyta was still wrestling with to understand.
Her heart ached as her gaze swept across the warriors assembled below before settling back on her daughter. Her daughter's eyes burned with determination, and Hippolyta knew that Diana's participation in this tournament was about more than just curiosity or duty—it was a calling. Diana's destiny had always been intertwined with the world beyond Themyscira, and no matter how much she wanted to keep her daughter safe, Hippolyta could not deny that truth.
Raising her voice, Hippolyta addressed the assembly. "My sisters, today marks the beginning of a new chapter in our history. The gods have granted us freedom to venture beyond our shores. We have lived in peace and seclusion for centuries, protected and bound to this island. But now, the world beckons, and we must answer. Not with fear, but with strength. Not with anger, but with wisdom."
She paused, her eyes sweeping over the gathered Amazons, each one a reflection of their people's storied past. "We will send our champion, not as a conqueror, but as a messenger of our people, to learn, to understand, and to return to us with knowledge. This contest is not merely to test your skill in battle, but your heart and your mind. The one who wins this tournament will bear the title of Themyscria's Champion"
Hippolyta glanced down at Diana once more, her chest tightening with pride and fear. "Let the contest begin."
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Hours Later
Diana dove under Aella's flail as the weapon whistled by over her. Her wooden shield had long since been reduced to splinters by the combined efforts of the Berenice sisters. It seemed that their warhammers were still effective even if they were just their sparring versions.
She then leapt and spun, rotating her body over the three practice arrows another of her sisters had shot towards her. They continued on and struck Aella's chest and helmet, pulling an anguished grunt from the woman as she fell back, unconscious. Thus, the competition was down to its final five competitors, all of whom were bloodied and bruised.
Diana rolled as she landed, sending up a small dust cloud around her and further dirtying her training armor. She spun into a kneeling position, her shoulders rising and falling as she fought to catch her breath. A small trench was dug into the earth under her right foot as she darted forward, dodging around the next series of arrows that the archer fired toward her.
Seeing Diana closing in, Lole threw down her bow and pulled her two daggers free from beneath her quiver. She spun the practice blades into a reverse grip in her hands before holding them up above her in an "X" pattern. None too soon it would seem as Diana's blade crashed down on to her with a dull clang. Lole defected Diana's strike off to her right, freeing her right blade in the process as she tried to take a quick swipe at Diana's exposed neckline.
Diana deflected the blow by pulling her shoulder upwards along with the plate that covered it, causing the two metals to emit a loud screech as they passed one another.
Diana broke away, trying to create distance so she could more effectively use her blade, but Lole had anticipated that, moving with the princess and staying within her personal space. Seeing this, Diana stabbed downwards, aiming for one of Lole's feet. Her blade pierced the earth below them, missing the Amazon's foot less than a second before it impacted.
Lole rocked back, redistributing her weight across her legs as Diana pressed her attack. The Princess had forgone using her blade, instead opting for her fists. A savage right hook caught Lole on the cheek, rocking her to her right as Diana's second fist came up in a left uppercut. The combo sent her reeling as the Amazon fought to regain the advantage.
Seeing an opening, Diana rushed forward. She launched a flying knee, hoping to catch the center of Lole's breastplate, but the smaller Amazon simply ducked underneath her. So Diana sailed over her and rolled once more as she landed, reorienting herself so she was facing Lole once more.
Lole spun her blades in her hands before charging Diana. The two crashed into one another with a mess of quick jabs, blocks, ducks, and dodges. Their movements showcasing the centuries of experience the two held. Eventually, Lole faltered, her blade dipping too low and allowing Diana to swiftly disarm her before spinning and dragging the blade across her stomach, eliminating her.
Diana spun the small dagger in her grip before holding out its handle to her sister. Lole growled angrily as she took back her offered blade and stomped off to the side of the training grounds. Diana watched her for a quick second before returning to the remaining fights on the field before her.
Another two of her sisters had been eliminated, leaving just her and Alkyone as the two remaining fighters. The two eyed one another for a second. For centuries, Alkyone had hated her. Believing that her birth on the island was a sign of eventually bad tidings and the fall of their people. Diana's mother had done her best to shield the two of them from one another, but only so much could be done when you live as long as the Amazons do.
Alkyone's metal headband glinted in the afternoon sunlight as a broad grin spread across her features.
"I told your mother that you would bring us nothing but misfortunes when you were born Dragon." She taunted.
"I've been alive for centuries, surely you cannot blame the Spartan's coming on me?" Diana responded, sounding aghast.
"Perhaps not, but I will not stand idly by and allow you to leave this island and bring back all manner of beasts and wonders to threaten us!" Alkyone growled as she spun her sword in her grip.
Diana's eyes narrowed as she spun her own sword before dropping into a basic swordsman stance. Alkyone sent the Princess one final smirk before rocketing off her back leg towards her, a loud war cry streaming out from her lips.
Their swords crashed into one another with a loud clang before they broke apart. Alkyone started her next attack with an overhead swing, angling for the small space between Diana's shoulder and chest. Diana batted this strike away with a hard swing across her body. She then danced around Alkyone while reversing her grip on her sword. She set a backwards stab toward Alkyone's exposed back, but the woman rolled away.
Alkyone exited her roll in a low crouch and charged back in, foregoing defense for a far more aggressive stance. Her sword sailed through the air and was caught by Diana's raised vambrace, the two metals sparking as they impacted. Diana then swung her sword downwards from above before slashing again across her body, all of which Alkyone avoided.
The bald Amazon danced away from Diana's swipes before returning with one of her own. She came in from low and below, aiming for the tops of Diana's greaves. Diana raised her leg, blocking the strike with her greaves and causing the energy of the impact to reverberate up her leg.
She then flipped her hips, stomping down on Alkyone's blade and tearing it from her grip in one smooth motion. Undeterred, Alkyone switched in her attacks. She leapt upwards, launching a side kick that Diana blocked with her armored forearm but leaving her open to the second leg that jutted out and into her chest. Diana took a few steps backwards, fighting to keep her feet under her before Alkyone's entire body slammed into her.
The two crashed onto the ground below, Alkyone raining down blows that Diana was doing her best to block or avoid. One such blow connected with her nose, emitting a crunch as her head rocked to its left. Ignoring this blinding pain, Diana returned the strike with one of her own. Her elbow sailed upwards and into Alkyone's side, connecting with a crack and causing Alkyone to grit her teeth as the pain of the blow hit her. This gave Diana a small opening, so she leveled another blow to the same side. This time being rewarded with a howl of pain from Alkyone.
Diana then scrambled, lifting her right leg up and wrapping it around Alkyone's neck before dragging her down onto her back. Her right arm darted out and captured one of the bald Amazon's arms in its grip as Diana laid into Alkyone with her free hand, trying to daze the more experienced fighter. Her blows connected solidly, each strike seeming to zap a bit more of the Amazon's fire below her. Eventually, Alkyone was too dazed to notice Diana's arm reaching out, searching for one of their two blades. Her efforts were rewarded when she felt cool steel brush against her fingertips.
Diana stretched out, wrapping her fingers around the point of the blade before dragging it towards herself. She spun the blade around and snatched up the blade's hilt. The blade was then leveled against the center of Alkyone's head before Diana gently tapped its blunted point against her. With that, Alkyone had been eliminated, and the two's struggling ceased.
Diana disentangled herself from Alkyone and stood, feeling all of the small cuts and bruises she had sustained in the prolonged fight. Blood slowly poured from her broken nose and covered the lower half of her face and mouth, filling her mouth with a metallic taste. But she couldn't care less because she had done it. She had won.
Diana extended her hand, offering her sister the chance to rise, but Alkyone slapped it away, her eyes blazing with resentment. The bald Amazon pulled herself to her feet, wiping blood from her split lip with a glare that spoke of unfinished business.
"You may have won this spar, Dragon," Alkyone spat, voice laced with venom, "but don't think for a second that your path won't lead us all to ruin."
"Perhaps it might." Diana conceded as she schooled her expression and tone. "But I'll ensure that the threats you fear will never reach our island, sister."
Alkyone snarled, wiping the blood from her mouth as she turned on her heel, storming off without another word.
Diana turned back to the rest of her sisters, raising her blade above her head in victory as the crowd roared. Her eyes traveled along the crowd, spotting many congratulatory smiles and grins but also a few frowns. Mostly from their older or more jaded sisters such as Artemis and Nubia. Her eyes then landed on her sister and mother above all of them.
The Queen watched from her elevated seat, her chest swelling with pride and the slightest edge of concern. She knew Diana to be as formidable as she was compassionate. That she would do her and her sisters proud in Man's world. And yet, Hippolyta could not shake the unease that had settled deep in her bones.
With a slow, deliberate step, Hippolyta descended from her platform, her regal presence commanding the attention of all who witnessed the end of the contest. The once bustling training grounds now fell silent, each Amazon's gaze turning towards their Queen.
Hippolyta stopped before Diana, her eyes sweeping over her daughter's battered form. "You fought with honor and strength," she said, her voice a mix of pride and quiet sadness. "And you have earned the title of Themyscira's Champion."
Diana bowed her head humbly, her chest still heaving from the exertion. "Thank you, mother."
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Across The Island
"Alright, stand by Ms. Minerva," Phoebe ordered as she looked over her calculations one final time.
"Right, because it's my portion of the plan that we're concerned about." Barbara retorted sarcastically with an eye roll as she hefted the small container of water in her hand.
She has been doing better over the past month, extending her walks to the outside of the ship and spending more time with the AI and Engineers. Pep in particular seemed to enjoy her company. For some reason, the alien was fixated on learning all there was to know of human tone and languages, going so far as to try and replicate sarcasm with its sign language. It was mostly hit or miss though for Barbara, but at least it offered some humor in the dull greys of the ship.
She had also been learning more about her new body. Such as how she had taken to sleeping in confined and tight spaces such as her modified officer's bed. Or how her diet had changed to focus on more animal proteins over fruits and vegetables as her body no longer produced amino acids naturally. There was also that time she had involuntarily chirped up at a small flock of passing birds that flew overhead during one of her jaunts outside. Unfortunately for her, that was one of the few times she had been around Grim in the past month. He had barely reacted beyond a simple head tilt as he tracked her retreat back into the ship, her face far warmer than normal.
"Your part is simple. Drop the water onto the object and then run to safety." Phoebe reiterated distractedly as she finalized her checks.
"And again, how are we defining safety? This thing could be the size of a mountain for all you know, or it could hold some sort of prisoner who'll try to kill us all before escaping." Barbara shot back.
"The object's crash site indicates it's no larger than the Razorback. As for your second concern…." Phoebe explained before the sound of a shotgun chambering a round echoed through the air, interrupting her for a second. "Grim will take care of it."
"Listen, I get that he's a super soldier or something. But there are a lot of things and people on this planet who are way stronger than him. So forgive me if I don't share your confidence." Barbara answered nervously before glancing over toward the Spartan. "No offense by the way."
Grim shrugged in response, not really concerned one way or the other. The object was either harmless or it wasn't, not really much of an in-between.
"It'll be fine, Barbara." Phoebe soothed gently. "Now, are you ready?"
"Ya." Barbara groaned as she held the water container above the object and waited for Phoebe's go.
The AI gave her a quick countdown, "On three. One. Two. Three!"
Barbara poured the entirety of the jug's water onto the object below her which started to glow a bright gold. But Barbara didn't care, she was too busy sprinting away before darting behind Grim's large form. She figured the safest place to be at the moment was behind the large man wearing enough armor to be considered a tank. It also helped that he was armed and out of the line of fire of the ship's turrets which were locked on the object as it grew.
The golden glow that surrounded the object crescendoed with a low pop as the object finished its growth, revealing silver craft underneath. It dropped to the earth below it with a loud bang and a small scattering of dust from its impact.
"I'm reading a low-energy signature, matching that of the one on the island. Radiation levels are within tolerable thresholds." Phoebe reported as the two gazed at the large symbol emblazoned on the front of the craft.
"Superman?" Barbara whispered as she took in the large familiar "S" engraved on the head of the craft.
"Stay here," Grim ordered, speaking for the first time that day to her.
He centered the sights of his M45D shotgun on the center of the craft's symbol as he slowly approached. His HUD lit up as a series of videos and statistics raced by in the upper left corner, Phoebe pulling upon their connection to this Earth's satellites and their associated databases.
Just as his barrel was about to tap the strange silver metal, the craft shuttered and hissed, the domelike structure in front of him starting to spin counter-clockwise while simultaneously extending out towards him. Grim took two large strides backwards, his gun unwavering as he placed himself in front of Barbara once more as the woman practically dove behind him.
They watched as the craft's spinning eventually halted and three lines appeared across the craft's surface. These lines then grew larger as the tree panels split themselves open, revealing a smoke-filled pod within. This pod jerked forward and then tilted downwards looking as if someone could simply walk into its embrace. Another series of hisses sounded out as the pod's interior slowly emptied, removing the white haze of the smoke and revealing its passenger within.
She was young, younger than either of the two watching the craft disgorge its contents. Her skin was the palest white that Barbara had ever seen, both inside and outside the lab. Her blonde hair was slicked back into a ponytail which hung over her left shoulder. She was dressed in a blue tunic with some sort of red triangular design imprinted on it. This tunic flowed down to cover the top of a pair of black leggings which fed into a pair of calf-high, black boots,
"She's just a girl," Barbara whispered in awe.
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"Kypton's core is destabilizing at an accelerated rate, Kara. We didn't have time to build anything larger… I'm sorry honey."
"But Dad! I…. I can't! I won't go without you two!"
"Sweetie, Jor-El has already sent your cousin away… You have to go along to protect him."
"NOT WITHOUT YOU THOUGH! MOM, DAD… PLEASE! "
"We don't have time for this."
Kara never saw her father move or the needle which he carried in his palm. She never felt its sting or the look of determination on her father's face. No, she was too busy watching the pillars of fire and lava engulfing the world outside the window behind her mother.
By the time she registered her father's injection, she had already been lowered back into the waiting arms of the cryo-cradle. Its glass dome hissed close and slowly began to fill with the many chemicals needed to induce hypersleep. But these gases were too slow, leaving her helpless as she watched another pillar of fire erupt a few dozen meters away from her parents.
Her parents never even bothered to glance back at their impending doom, too enraptured in seeing their daughter safe to bother. They embraced one final time before another pillar of fire burst through the floor below them. The last thing Kara saw before she passed out was the dark forms of their bodies being blasted away by the heat of the fire that engulfed them.
She felt the warmth of something just outside her drug-addled understanding roam across her body. Until a soft breeze caused her to stir. She forced open her eyes, blink once, then twice as she forced herself to focus. Her vision was blurred but she could make out the distinct impression of some large blob staring down at her. Behind it was an ocean of green, blacks, and blues.
She drew upon whatever strength she could and pried a hand free of the pod, using it to leverage her body out of the cradle. Before she could stop herself, she tilted forward and fell to her knees as the world swam around her. Forcing her lungs to cooperate, she hacked and spat, drawing in her first breath of air since she had gone into the cradle.
But then, an orange blob filled her vision below her as something spoke above her. Kara couldn't tell if it was talking to her or not before the orange blob suddenly retreated. Her world then suddenly went darker.
She looked up and into the now hazy, black blob from before. It was more defined now, she could make out arms and legs along with some strange gold color where her eyes normally would be. It spoke down towards her, its voice sounding cold and serious. But she didn't understand what was being said or asked. Her pounding head made it difficult to make out much of anything.
She didn't notice the world tilting until her head bounced off the grassy ground beneath her and unconsciousness consumed her once more.