JLU 2001 Fanfiction - Task Force X #4

ABOVE MANHATTAN ISLAND

Diana, the Queen of Themyscira, flew with such heat and passion that those watching her take off saw nothing but a blur.

Not again…

Already Themyscira had fallen under attack once while Diana had been elsewhere. She would not allow harm to come to her sisters once more. Even after so many years in Man’s World, Diana could not have predicted that the American leadership would react to Themyscira in such a violent manner. They had not even spent the time gathering proper intelligence on the island that had appeared outside New York Harbor before sending troops onto the land of peace and paradise.

Diana wanted to kick herself. She should have stayed on Themyscira and sent Donna to the United Nations in her place. She was the Queen now. She couldn’t go running off like she used to!

Themyscira was paying the price for her incompetence!

Diana couldn’t help but wonder how her mother had accomplished being the monarch successfully for centuries. It seemed an impossible feat.

With that question and thoughts of her mother running through her mind, Wonder Woman sped ever faster toward her home.

“Foolish Amazon.”

It was like Christmas morning…

Neal Emerson floated high in the air, watching as Wonder Woman flew past. The Amazon was so deep in thought that she hadn’t even bothered to notice the armored figure levitating within her eyesight. Emerson laughed; this one would be easy pickings.

Doctor Polaris knew the heroine well. She was a friend and ally of Superman, the man that had imprisoned him on more than one occasion. The Man of Steel wasn’t present so Emerson would simply have to take his frustrations out on Wonder Woman. And the best part was, he was being paid to do so!

Moving toward the Amazon at an identical velocity, the doctor could not help but chuckle.

Thanks to Amanda Waller, his head was the clearest that it had been in years. He was in complete control of his thoughts and emotions, something that he had been lacking since donning the armor and becoming Doctor Polaris. Self-awareness was almost foreign territory.

Doctor Polaris flew ever closer to the former member of the Justice League, but Wonder Woman still had yet to notice his presence. If Emerson wasn’t feeling such adulation, he might have been offended.

His orders from Waller could not have been any clearer. While Captain Atom and the others dealt with the situation on the island, Emerson was charged with keeping Wonder Woman from ever reaching the island. It didn’t matter that the island was the woman’s home. It didn’t matter that she was just trying to protect it. Orders were orders and, if there was one thing that Doctor Polaris could do, he could follow orders.

Emerson’s eyes glowed faintly with the magnetic energy at his disposal. It was time to strike!

It took little concentration to act. He smashed his hand into a fist and watched the effect it had on the Amazon princess.

Wonder Woman’s head was thrown back as she screamed in pain. All the pain receptors in her body were activated as the iron flow through her amazingly sculpted body froze in place. Emerson smiled at his victory.

And as he watched, Wonder Woman began to fall…

America's Personal Meta-Team...

“Here Comes the Calvary”
(A Wonder Woman: RELOCATION Tie-In: Part 3)

Task force X #4 - November, Year Four by Matt Hrubey

THEMYSCIRA

Captain Atom stared down the young girl, waiting a moment to see if she would strike. He had seen the battles breaking out across the island, but this girl was by far the youngest female he had seen yet. The girl was impetuous, that was obvious from her body language, but she held herself back in this instance.

Atom put out his hand. “This island is now under the direct supervision of Task Force X.”

“Oh, right,” the blonde girl replied, pointing her finger and blowing a raspberry. “The big, bad soldier man comes in and says he controls all? That’s bullshit, buddy!”

“This island appeared out of nowhere without any regard for territory and jurisdiction. The United States owns the exact spot this island is sitting on. Therefore, I am seizing this place in the name of America. Surrender now or you won’t get the chance later.”

Cassandra Sandsmark tilted her head to the side. “You’re going to hurt poor, little ole me?”

“If you make such actions necessary.”

Wonder Girl reared back her fist and smirked with delight at the CRACK that resounded from the strike. Captain Atom had seen the attack coming, but the leader of Task Force X made no effort to protect himself. His head recoiled as Wonder Girl’s fist connected with his cheek. He moved his head back to its original position only to see the blonde girl’s smile diminish.

“Only if you make such actions necessary,” Captain Atom repeated. His fists began to glow with the unadulterated energy at his disposal.

Wonder Girl lowered her head. “Oh, crap.”

Donna Troy felt the swift kick to her ribs. She groaned, the attack forcing her body back into consciousness. The pain in her solar plexus was astounding; she sat up with a moan. It had been Donna’s felt for being taken off guard the way that she had. The Marines that had invaded Themyscira were here with a mission in mind. No amount of talking was going to keep from accomplishing their objectives.

There was another kick to the ribs. Donna couldn’t keep from yelling out in pain. She was vulnerable in the fetal position. She had to move and defend herself before her attacker got violent.

She heard laughter to her rear and knew that the attacker was coming in for a third attack. The air parted as the leg came flying at her. Donna rolled over, reaching out and grabbing the foot before it could strike. The motion was halted for a moment, giving Donna the opportunity to look up into the face of the aggressor.

“You!”

“It’s about time you woke up, girl,” Jade Nyugen responded, pulling back her foot. “I’m going to enjoy this. You have been far too involved in the lives of my family. It’s about time someone taught you the error in playing mother to another woman’s child.”

“How can you call yourself a mother, you psychopath? You ran out on Lian when she was just a baby. You were never there! And you wonder why Roy takes such an active role in keeping his little girl from you?”

“Whore!” Cheshire shouted before leaping forward. She reached for Donna’s flesh but ended up grabbing the bracelets on her wrists instead. A kick to the stomach sent the former assassin back. Cheshire chided herself; she was letting her passion distract her from the fight. Something like that would have normally gotten her killed.

Donna Troy took the opportunity to take a step back and prepare herself. She knew of Cheshire’s tricks well. The woman was a mistress of poisons, often using false nails and the like to deliver the kiss of death. If there was one thing that the former Titan couldn’t allow, she couldn’t let Cheshire touch her or the fight, and her life, would be over quickly.

“I’m going to kill you,” Cheshire said, “and then I’m going to pick up my paycheck. I’m loving my new life.”

“The Marine…” Donna could hardly believe what she was hearing. There was no way! “You’re working for the United States government?”

“Surprising, isn’t it?”

And then Cheshire attacked.

THE CITADEL
MISSION CONTROL

Amanda Waller walked into the chamber of Checkmate’s headquarters, essentially the ‘brain’ of all the organization’s missions. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the large monitors where satellites were feeding the events taking place on the mysterious island that had been revealed as Wonder Woman’s home. “I want a report!” she demanded, but her eyes revealed everything that she could be told.

In one scene, Captain Atom was facing off against a young blonde girl. She swung at him, striking the leader of Task Force X. Nathaniel Adam shrugged off the attack, seeming much more annoyed than angered, and countered with one of his own. The nuclear energy swept from his palm, jabbing into the girl’s chest and sending her outside the view screen. The technicians quickly adjusted the satellite feed and expose the blonde girl lying motionless on the ground.

The screen to the right showed Doctor Polaris floating motionlessly in the air. His arms were crossed around his chest. Waller moved her gaze, knowing that the current feed had nothing to tell her.

Another one of the many screens showed Cheshire and Donna Troy battling like a pair of rabid animals. They tore into one another with disregard for their personal well-beings, even though Donna seemed a bit hesitant to let Cheshire make offense contact with her exposed skin. The former Titan knew Cheshire well and both women were out to prove their dominance. If the fight ended with both women fully intact, it would be a miracle.

Waller searched the remaining screens, looking for the final member of Task Force X, but could not locate him. “Goddamn it,” she muttered. “Someone patch me through to the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor! Now!”

It took a few moments—

{{You rang?}}

“Dugan, where the hell are you? The satellites can’t a lock on your position. Report!”

{{Calm down, Waller. I’m fine.}}

“Don’t tell me to calm down, asshole!”

{{You are far too stressed out for someone of your questionable physical health, Amanda. I’m cruising along, moving toward the island’s interior. Most of the Amazons have moved there to get away from the fighting. If I can get them under control, Themyscira will be ours.}} There was a slight pause but Waller knew that Pat Dugan wasn’t finished. {{I’m not happy about this, Waller. Wonder Woman has been a valuable asset for years. She’s never done anything to deserve us ransacking her home.}}

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re happy about this or not. As long as you accomplish the mission, you can think whatever you want. And for your information, Wonder Woman broke federal law and statutes when she decided to illegally drop her island right in the middle of American territory.”

{{I have a bad feeling about this.}}

“We’re not going to hurt the Amazons. Just detain them until we get this matter settled. Now get back to work.”

{{S.T.R.I.P.E. out.}}

When Waller was confident that the communication had been ended, she shook her head. “I’m dealing with a bunch of whiny little bitches, I swear to God.”

“Not everyone can act without feelings, Amanda.”

She gave a half nod to Sergeant Steel, acknowledging his presence. Waller returned her gaze to the video screens, watching as the blonde girl fighting Captain Atom rose to her feet.

“What’s bothering you?” Steel asked. He stepped to her side, watching the same battle playing out on screen. “You’re more tense than usual.”

“I feel like I’m stuck between the rock and the hard place. Whatever happens out there,” Amanda said, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the monitors, “we can’t fuck this up. By morning, the story about Themyscira is going to be running in every major media outlet. There’s no way that it can be avoided after Wonder Woman’s little display at the United Nations. Anything bad that happens will be portrayed negatively. If this is the day that Task Force X is revealed to the public, we have to look good. Plus, I’ve got the White House breathing down my neck.”

“Huh,” Steel responded after a moment of processing. “That is stressful. I would be tense too.”

An extended middle finger was Waller’s only response.

THEMYSCIRA

Captain Atom regarded the unconscious girl at his feet with pity. He hadn’t wanted to attack her such a fashion, but she’d left him no choice. The mission was paramount at this moment. Any civilians who get in the way were to be treated like enemies, in spite of circumstance. But then, as the captain watched, the strangest thing happened…

The girl rose to her feet. She was shaky at first but regained her balance with each moment. Cassandra finally straightened up, a pained smile on her face. “I-Is that all you g-got? My grandma hits harder.”

The nerve of this girl!

Captain Atom prepared for another attack, his fists glowing like mini suns. “You should have just stayed down, you little pain in the—”

Eyes widened as Cassandra swept her fist across the face of Captain Atom. The shot was much stronger than the first and actually knocked Nathaniel Adam off of his feet. The girl wasn’t playing around anymore.

“What the hell?” Atom exclaimed. “How did you do that?”

“It’s called the Speed of Hermes,” Cassandra responded as if she were gloating. “It’s literally a gift from the Gods.”

She straddled the captain and began punching, throwing her weight into each shot. Each blow reverberated as Amazon flesh met silver skin. Captain Atom struggled, attempting to dislodge the blonde girl from his body, but her strength was impressive as she remained in place.

“There’s a reason Diana named me Wonder Girl, soldier boy,” Cassandra Sandsmark shouted at the top of her lungs. “I may not be as strong or as fast or as resilient as she is, but I’m no pushover!”

Atom’s body built up its energy supplies, readying for another attack, but he couldn’t find the concentration to use the energy at his disposal. He couldn’t think with the little Amazon bitch riding him like a horse. Atom screamed in frustration but Cassandra continued unrelenting.

The punches were raining down…

The leader of Task Force X couldn’t believe he was beat up by a teenage girl. Waller would never let him live this one down.

There was fighting everywhere. The Marines and the Amazons, both trained extensively in the art of battle, had not hesitated meeting on the battlefield. Distinguishing the revenge dominantly portrayed in the eyes of the Amazons, the Marines had all but forgotten their prerogative of ‘no fatalities unless absolutely necessary.’ Shots rang from the rifles held by the warriors of America. The Amazons, however, recognized the roaring thunder brought to Themyscira by Diana Trevor. They brought up their bracelets to meet the bullets.

Not every bullet was reflected, however.

Eubous moved to block the gunfire, but a single bullet bypassed her defenses and lodged in her throat. Blood poured from the wound. Eubous fell to the ground, clinging to her threads of life. She could feel the Fates closing in. Once again, blood was staining the shores of Paradise Island.

“Eubous!”

Archon Phillipus ran forward, limping as a result of her wounds. She threw her spear with deadly accuracy and watched it cut through the air like a knife.

S.T.R.I.P.E. took action, toggling his HUV systems. The repulsors in the battle armor activated and destroyed the spear in mid-flight.

All eyes moved upward as S.T.R.I.P.E. descended.

{{There will be no more killing! On the order of the President of the United States, I demand that everyone within the sound of my voice drop their weapons and end this battle.}}

The Marines obeyed instantly. The Amazons, however, remained steadfast, unmoving.

{{Wonder Woman is on her way back here where everything will be settled. I ask that you all calm yourselves and think with level heads.}}

Archon Phillipus, against her better judgment, raised her arms and motioned the Amazons back. “This had better not be a trick.”

{{No tricks. I swear.}}

“Well, I feel better now.”

For the moment, there was an uneasy peace.

Phillipus wished Diana would hurry along her return from the mainland.

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THEMYSCIRA AND MANHATTAN

The wind whipped past Diana’s face as she fell out of the sky. Her mind was spinning, white with pain and sensation. The water came up to meet the Queen quickly.

And then suddenly, as if touched by the divine, the pain was gone. Wonder Woman blinked; awareness returned in a flood of recognition.

She halted her free fall moments before colliding with the water. The area was quiet.

“What trickery…?”

Then, she saw him, floating closer as if riding the very breeze. He was easily recognizable from the Watchtower files. Usually, he operated in Metropolis, but it seemed Doctor Polaris had expanded his horizons.

Wonder Woman rose up to greet the former villain. “What is the meaning of this?”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you reach that island, princess,” Emerson replied. “You messed up big time with this one.”

“And you think that you can stop me?”

Doctor Polaris smiled underneath his helmet, shaking his head. He aimed his palm in the direction of the Amazon. The effect was immediate. Diana doubled over, the pain returning to her body. Her nervous system was on fire, but she refused to give into the pain once again.

Diana fought back against the pain, gritting her teeth. She reached up to her head and extracted the tiara that she wore. Mainly, it was for show and appeal, but in certain circumstances, like this one, it could be a most dangerous weapon. A flick of the wrist and the tiara went streaking through the air, aiming for Emerson’s cranium.

The man laughed and batted aside the headdress with a single thought. “You seek to attack me with a metal object? That it nothing but a foolhardy and futile maneuver.”

“You talk too much.”

Diana saw the doctor’s eyes widen just before she punched him in the face. The blow echoed off Emerson’s helmet. The trick with the tiara was only a distraction, one that would take the focus of Doctor Polaris off of herself long enough so that she could be on the offensive for once. Obviously, the plan had worked.

Hands on his head, Polaris screamed in agony. The sound was resounding through the inner workings of his helmet, wreaking havoc on his eardrums.

Wonder Woman hovered motionlessly, regarding the doctor with utter disdain. “You should not have tried to stand in my path. I will not stand for this treatment anymore. Too many have stepped upon my sisters and myself. Now is the time to either welcome us in arms or greet us on the battlefield.”

With all of her Amazon strength, she delivered one more strike to the armored cranium of Doctor Polaris. The screaming then stopped and the doctor began to fall. Normally, Diana would make sure that the man was all right before moving on, but time was of the essence. He had tried to stop her from reaching Themyscira. That was inexcusable.

She had lost her tiara in the melee but that hardly mattered. It could be replaced.

Wonder Woman flew off, forgetting all about the past few minutes. She opted instead, as Themyscira came into view, to worry about the future of her people.

Because, at the moment, it appeared seriously in doubt.

Donna Troy swung and hit open air. Again.

This battle was quickly becoming frustrating. Cheshire had not remained in the same spot for more than a few seconds. And while Donna was quick, the former assassin remained a consistent few steps ahead.

A kick landed underneath the Titan’s arm, striking just below the rib cage. Due to her invulnerability, nothing was injured. The shot, however, ached and joined in a chorus of throbbing that was transmitting from various regions of her body.

“Getting tired?”

“Nope,” Donna shot back. “Just pissed.”

Cheshire smirked like her namesake and dodged another right hook. Her tactic was playing out wonderfully. Troy was becoming more and more exhausted; while at the same time, frustration and anger were clouding her judgment and her reflexes. Now was the time.

Jade Nyugen dived between the legs of Donna Troy and jumped to her feet behind the woman’s back. The former lover of Arsenal raked her nails across Donna’s back, ripping away fabric and skin. A thin line of blood began to form at the sight of the wound.

“Oh no,” Donna muttered, already feeling the poison coursing throughout her body.

“Oh yes,” Cheshire whispered into Donna’s ear. “Perhaps, this will teach you to—”

Donna’s fist swiveled at the elbow, catching Cheshire in the face. The blow was enough to knock Jade off her feet. Striking her head on the ground, she lost consciousness soon after.

Falling to her knees, Donna began to lose feeling in part of her body. It started at the wound, a numb sensation, and spread up and down until Donna Troy was paralyzed.

The blistering pain came next.

“Who’s your daddy?” Wonder Girl asked as she rose up off of a motionless Captain Atom. She poked him with a toe and he remained silent and immobile. A pent up breath escaped from between her thin lips. She had considered herself the captain’s inferior by much degree. “How did I just survive that?”

“It’s not over yet.”

Wonder Girl couldn’t keep herself from screaming. Having turned away, she spun back to see Captain Atom sitting up. “How? You were—”

“It’s called a fake out, girl. You’ve still got a lot to learn. Lucky for you, I don’t kill kids.”

“I’m almost seventeen, you ass—”

She was caught square in the chest by a burst of energy from the captain’s fist. Cassandra felt herself being lifted from her feet, a slight burning on the exterior of her chest. Her vision darkened. By the time she hit the ground, some yards away, Cassandra was unconscious.

Captain Atom saw the girl land and watched her for a moment to make sure that she was down. Confident, he rose to his feet. As he looked around, he couldn’t hear the sounds of battle. That meant one of two options: one of the sides in this battle had been wiped out completely or a truce had been made. He hoped for the former.

Nathaniel Adam shook his head, clearing out the cobwebs. The captain was never in any real danger. He harnessed the sheer destruction of nuclear energy inside himself. Being the punching bag of a teenager was not going to get it done. Damn…the girl could hit, though.

“Captain Atom.”

The leader of Task Force X turned his head, feeling a great frustration settle on his shoulders. He turned fully, proudly displaying the insignia on his chest. The new arrival portrayed her colors with just as much pride. Many had confused Wonder Woman’s uniform with the colors of America, but it was meant to pay respect to Diana Trevor, a pilot that had crash landed on Themyscira many years past.

“Wonder Woman,” Captain Atom responded. He nodded his head.

“Welcome to Themyscira, captain,” Diana said, landing on the island. “Leave.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, princess. I’m under orders.”

“I am a princess no more. I am now the Queen of this island, meaning you are dealing directly with the monarch of Themyscira. I am telling you, with all the authority in my possession, to take your men and leave.”

“I’m sorry, Diana,” Captain Atom replied, “but my orders are to take control of this island in the name of America.”

“And then what? You can turn it into another Guantanomo Bay?”

“That wouldn’t happen.”

“Regardless, Amazons don’t surrender,” Wonder Woman responded.

Atom had never seen this woman of peace in such a condition. It seemed that she could barely contain her anger. Fighting was, sadly, inevitable. “It seems we have a problem then.”

“It appears we do.”

No more words were uttered as Captain Atom and Wonder Woman, representatives of two sovereign nations, clashed.

Next Issue: Make sure to catch the end of “Relocation” in WONDER WOMAN #25. Then, come back here to see what happens when Task Force X travels to Russia to retrieve a wanted criminal.