The United Nations

“I’m sorry, Wonder Woman, but you can’t—”

The new Queen of the Amazons ignored the UN official and stepped past him as if he wasn’t there.  Diana pushed open the mahogany doors that fed directly into the main chamber and moved inside.  An air of professionalism hit her like a slap upside the head.  The delegates were moving toward their designated seats; the general assembly meeting was about to commence.  Chattering subsided as Wonder Woman stood in the doorway.

“There are better ways to go about this,” Superman suggested.  He stood at her side, confident that she would make the right choice before this got out of hand.  “You can’t just walk in there and expect the assembly to take you seriously.”

“Can’t I?” Wonder Woman asked.  She spared a glance in Kal-El’s direction before she made her way up to the podium.

Superman rubbed his eyes.  “This is going to end badly.”

Diana moved down the center aisle of the chamber, eyes flocking to her vibrantly garbed form.  A robe of royalty from Themyscira, one that Hippolyta had once worn, masked Wonder Woman’s infamous uniform.  Her face was stolid as she reached the front of the chamber.  A hush had fallen over the delegates as they waited for a reason behind Diana’s sudden appearance.  The security took no steps to detain her.

The room was so silent that the tap of Diana’s feet hitting the floor as she moved echoed throughout the entirety of the chamber.  She stepped up to the podium and smiled softly, offering her sincerity to the delegates.  Eyes peering out over the crowd, the queen spotted Superman at the back of assembly, his eyes focused on the unfolding events.

“Ladies and gentleman of the United Nations,” Diana finally spoke, her voice strong and clear.  “I’ve come before you today to discuss a matter of some urgency to me.  I come from a place called Themyscira.  It was hidden away for centuries and has only recently returned to its rightful place among the nations of this world.  I know very little of this makes sense at the moment, but I assure you it will.

“I am here to make a bid for Themyscira’s entrance into the United Nations.”


 

The Amazon Princess.....

Wonder Woman
"Relocation"

PART TWO: INTRUDERS


Wonder Woman #24 - November, Year Four
by Matt Hrubey

Themyscira

The dark garbed men had parachuted down to the island from a helicopter that had already flown away.  Those left behind unlatched their parachutes and revealed the weapons that they each possessed.  They surged forward from the beach shore in a v-formation.

“Uh oh,” Donna Troy said, taking to the air.  “Things just got a lot more interesting.”

“Guns?” Cassandra Sandsmark asked.  Her feet left the ground as she started to rise higher.  “Who would bring a gun onto Themyscira?  It’s so…undisturbed.”

“Themyscira is old world and we’ve just been jettisoned into ours, Cassie,” the former Titan responded.  “And our world is where the old ways of paradise aren’t going to be able to hold up against technology.  Let’s go, Wonder Girl, we have to stop those men before this escalates.”

By this point, the squad of masked men had crossed the beach and was heading into the royal city where Amazonian life was continuing as if a great misfortune had not recently befallen them.  The point of the v-formation motioned for the squad to spread out.

Donna and Cassie caught up to the intruders just as the first scream ripped through the calm evening air.

“Stop them, Cassie,” Donna shouted, “but don’t hurt them!  We need answers.”

The two wonder women parted ways, hoping to protect the home of the Amazons from further tragedy.


Screams rented the air of Themyscira, snapping Archon Phillipus to attention.  She took off at a run toward the capital city intent on finding her weapons. Her leg still ached from injury.  It was true that she wasn’t one hundred percent, but if the island were in danger, Phillipus would give her life to protect her sisters.

Phillipus couldn’t help but feel like history was repeating itself.  It wasn’t that long ago since the last time she had stepped onto the same city, only to find the forces of Darkseid overrunning the island, murdering her sister Amazons in cold blood.  Her eyes darted over the environment, immediately spotting the intruders as they moved across the royal city.

“Amazons!” the Archon explained at the top of her lungs.  “Take up arms!  Themyscira is under attack!”

The Amazons that had survived Darkseid ran in every direction, trying to find protection from the men that had appeared from the sky.  Phillipus studied the moment, discovering that Donna and Cassandra had already moved into action.  In Diana’s absence, the protection of the island had been left to the trio of women.  Seeing that the heroines had already moved into action, Phillipus briefly wondered why she was still standing on the sidelines.

Moving into her quarters, the screams still reverberating through the city, Phillipus reached for her armor.

Themyscira would not fall again.


The United Nations

“What is the meaning of this?” the ambassador from Denmark asked.  She was on her feet, palms pressed against the table.  “There are procedures to follow before you can appear before this assemblage, miss,” she shouted, her thick-framed glasses running down her face as she spoke.  “You have no right to be standing up there and I’m sure I’m not the only who believes so.”

The ambassador looked to her fellow delegates but no one would meet her eyes.  All the men were too focused on the amazing female specimen that stood before them.  Likewise, all the women were conscious of the fact that they would never have the body of the Amazon Queen.  The realization that she was being utterly ignored by all of her peers sent the Denmark ambassador to a new level of anger.  She gave a scream before walking out.

On stage, Wonder Woman stood with a cocked eyebrow.  A smile returned once the Denmark ambassador had disappeared into an adjacent corridor.  “Anyone who shares similar beliefs should feel free to say so.  I don’t judge and I don’t hold grudges.  I may have skipped a few steps in the process as the good ambassador pointed out, but I am all too serious about the reason I’m here.”

The assembly was eating up every word Diana was saying and Superman knew it.  He had accompanied the queen here because he wasn’t sure the delegates would take too kindly Diana invading their meeting.  Clark had been prepared to use his own immense popularity to aid Diana in her plea for Themyscira.  However, aside from the woman from Denmark, no one was raising a fuss.

“Themyscira was founded on the ideal of peace.  For countless centuries, long before my own birth, my mother and her sisters lived in isolation away from this world.  With my mother’s recent death at the hands of Darkseid, I took over the monarchy of Themyscira.  My first act as queen is to introduce my Amazon sisters into the world, this world, that we call man’s world.  Themyscira is a peaceful place and we would like nothing more to be a part of this peacekeeping organization.  Please, don’t turn away a country in need.”

“You expect us to deliberate over a country that we’ve known about for all of two minutes, Wonder Woman?” the male delegate from France asked.  “That’s foolhardy.  Perhaps, once this… Themyscira makes itself known to the world at large, we’ll take your request seriously.”

Diana shook her head.  This wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.  Her vision scanned the crowd between seconds.  Every member of the crowd had their eyes on her, except for one.  The American delegate was speaking on the phone, his eyes down turned from the excitement playing out on stage.

Something strange was going on.


Themyscira

Something strange was going on.

Donna watched the intruders from a safe distance away.  When they had appeared so suddenly, it was only a natural assumption that the trespassers had come to Themyscira with its destruction, and the destruction of the Amazons, in mind.  However, in the minutes that they had been present, none of the masked men had attacked an Amazon, none had destroyed the beauty of paradise.  It was as if they were only searching for something. 

There were too many questions and not enough answers available.  Perhaps, Donna thought, it was time for that to change.

When they were children, Donna and Diana had often participated in mental and physical competitions against one another, each trying to prove that they were superior.  The most common contest had been a simple foot race.  Diana had won nearly every race, but Donna had never finished far behind.  She had a possessed of a speed that rivaled Wonder Woman.  It was this speed that Donna Troy would need now.

She set her attack and offered a slight prayer to the Gods that had been disillusioned from Themyscira.  With a single thought of the consequences, Donna shot off like a rocket, her mastery over flight enabling her to move between the formation of dark garbed man and reach the one that had been giving orders.  Arms wrapped around his chest, Donna shot off back into the sky, passenger in tow, before the rest of the man’s squad knew what had happened.  Shouts of outrage followed in Donna’s wake.

Donna continued to climb until they were high above the clouds, Themyscira masked from sight.  She spun the intruder in her hands, holding him out at arm’s length.

“Let me go!” he exclaimed.  A black-as-night cowl obscured the kidnapper’s visage, but Donna could imagine the look of terror on his features.

“You invaded Themyscira,” Donna responded, ignoring the man in her hands.  “Why?  We’ve done nothing to you!”

“We’re acting under orders.”

“From who?”

The man struggled at the question, attempting to rip himself free from Donna’s hand.  She held fast.

“Let go!” the squirming figure exclaimed, clawing like an animal.

“Would you have me drop you from here?” Donna asked.  “Even hitting the water from this high up would turn you into a bloody pulp.  But if you want to take your chances, I’ll be more than happy to oblige.”

“No!”

“Then talk now or I drop you.”  The man persisted and Donna released one of her hands.  The man in her grasp screamed out, his voice, at least, an octave above that of a grown man.  “Speak!”

“The President…”

“I can’t hear you over the wind!”

“The President of the United States!” the man shouted.  “This island appeared on the radar and my squad and I were sent to investigate on behalf of the United States of America!”

“Oh god,” Donna muttered, seeing the consequences of her actions already.  The questions Donna was about to ask, she didn’t know “And your squad?  What do you represent?”

“The U.S. Marines,” the squad leader responded.  “We’re codenamed the Blackhawks.”

“I’m sorry.  This was all just a big misunderstanding.”

Donna Troy began to descend from the sky; her mind being plagued by thoughts of how bad this situation was about to get.


Washington D.C.

“What’s the latest update, admiral?”

“The troops that were sent have encountered heavy resistance from the denizens of the island, Mr. President.”

“Things are escalating too quickly.”

“What are you orders, Mr. President?”

“Call Waller and tell her she has a green light for her team.  I don’t want to take any chances with this.”


The United Nations

“This is completely unethical, Wonder Woman,” the delegate from Britain said to the new queen of Themyscira.  “Your home…this island you speak of…no one in this room has seen it before except for yourself and probably Superman, who is lurking around the back of the chamber.”

Some of the delegates looked over their shoulders and found the Man of Steel staring at the exchange between Diana and the British ambassador, his arms crossed across his chest.

“After the back-to-back disasters that this world has barren witness to,” Wonder Woman responded, “the first thing we need to do is unite under a common heading.  True, I have given no one in this room the reason to believe me, but I have also never given anyone in this room a reason to doubt me.”  She grabbed the lasso at her side and lifted it up so that all eyes could see it.  “This tool has recently been returned to my possession.  When holding it, no one in existence, including myself, can tell a lie.”

“That’s great, Wonder Woman,” the British delegate replied.  “What’s your point?”

“My point is,” the queen said, motioning to the fact that she had wrapped her arm in the lasso.  “Themyscira deserves a chance.  Its population is a group of women who want nothing more than peace and prosperity.  It’s admirable.  And as their queen, I stand before you, once again asking that you accept us into this house…this global organization goaled toward the peace and prosperity that the Amazons are seeking.”

“I thought you said you couldn’t lie while holding that lasso, Wonder Woman?”

The question had come out of nowhere, visibly affecting Diana’s composure.  She looked through the crowd, spotting the owner of the voice.  The American delegate had risen to his feet, holding his cell phone up.

“I beg your pardon?” Diana asked the delegate.  “This lasso is a gift from the Gods.  No one touching it can lie.”

“Then you might want to get it checked out,” the American delegate shot back, slamming his palm down on the table.  “I just received a call from the White House.  It seems that your island, your Themyscira, is home not to the peaceful as you claim.”

“That’s slander.”

“Is it, Wonder Woman?  It seems that your Amazons have attacked a United States Marines’ Special Ops Unit that had been sent to investigate Themyscira’s relocation into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.”

“You lie!”

“For your sake, I wish I was.  I believe this outburst is enough to prove to you, Queen of the Amazons, why Themyscira is not going to be invited into the United Nations as you have continually requested.  Sorry.”

Diana made eye contact with Kal-El.  The battle was lost here and they both knew it.  Wonder Woman stepped down from the podium without another word and streaked through the General Assembly chamber until she felt the fresh air on her flesh.

“I have to get back to Themyscira.”

“I’ll come with you.  I can help.”

“No!” Wonder Woman countered.  “This is an Amazon matter.  Besides, if you are seen directly helping me now, you may get blamed for the actions of my sisters.  I don’t know what’s going to happen to me, Kal, but I can’t let you take a fall at my side.  I’ll contact you when the matter is settled.”

“Good luck, Diana.”

Wonder Woman shot off into the sky, leaving behind a bewildered Superman.  He knew this situation was going to quickly escalate.  The only question he had left was who was going to be caught in the aftershocks.


Themyscira

Donna and the marine landed back upon solid ground.  She released her hold and brushed off his shoulders, smoothing out his uniform.  They locked eyes for a moment, both waiting for a word to be said.  Finally, Donna Troy cleared her throat and listened to the sounds of battle going on at her back.

“Perhaps, we should go put an end to this,” the former Titan suggested.  “It’s all been a big mistake, I just want you to realize that.  These Amazons are not used to houseguests.  They were only reacting instinctively.”

“I understand,” the marine squad leader replied, offering up a smile.  “And you’re right, we have to put an end to things now before someone gets seriously hurt.”  He motioned toward the capital city where the main of the fighting was taking place.  “After you.”

Donna spun and took a step—

She felt the taser pressed against her back a single moment before the jolt of electricity swept through her system.  Donna lost all feeling throughout her body before crumbling to the ground, barely conscious.  Her chest heaved and she felt a pain in the general area of her lungs.

“I understand,” the squad leader responded, kicking Donna in the ribs, “but you and the rest of the freaks on this island are going to be taken down regardless.  You don’t lay a hand on me and get away with it, girl.

“You should never have come here.”


“Donna!”

Wonder Girl saw her predecessor fall face first onto the ground.  The strike from the masked man had been a sneak attack, one that the former Titan had not expected.  Her body was smoking slightly and Donna wasn’t moving.  Cassie kicked into action just as the man kicked Donna in the ribs.

A cry coming from her opened mouth, Wonder Girl grabbed the Marine by the scruff of his neck and carried him away from the downed heroine.  Cassie released the man and he rolled to his feet.

“Another flier?” the Marine asked.  “It must be something in the water.”

“I’m not from around here.”

“Then you have no part in this.”

“Like hell I don’t,” Cassie replied, placing her hands on her hips.  “You came here with an agenda to hurt these Amazons.  For that, I’m taking your ass down to Chinatown.”

The Marine laughed.  “Bring it on, girl.”

Wonder Girl flew at the Marine, her anger at the mistreatment of the Amazons bubbling over.  She pulled back her fist—

A blast of plasma split the air between the two combatants, ending the battle before it had even started.  Cassandra followed the blast back to its source and found a man scowling at her.

The silver figure flew down through the sky above Themyscira.  He landed between Wonder Girl and the Marine, facing Diana’s charge.  “Stand down, soldier,” he told the Marine, who instantly obeyed.

“This island is now under the control of the United States of America,” the broad-shouldered silver man said.  “Stand down or I will not hesitate to attack.  And don’t think for a second that I’ve come here alone.  If I am defeated, others will stand in my place.”

Cassandra Sandsmark gulped, staring up at the imposing figure of Captain Atom.  Where was Wonder Woman when she was needed?

“This island,” Captain Atom continued, “is now under the direct supervision of Task Force X.”


Next: Check out TASK FORCE X #4 for “Relocation” part three before coming here for WONDER WOMAN #25 and the conclusion!

Story © 2006 Matt Hrubey and may not be reproduced without permission.