THEMYSCIRA

The island was meant to be a place of peace, where tolerance and acceptance were the order of the day.  However, though Themyscira was peaceful, the rest of the world was not and the Amazons knew this.  That was why each female was taught a strict regiment of self-defense tactics upon coming of age.  Regardless of their beliefs, the Amazons were capable fighters, ready to protect themselves and their home if a fight was ever brought to their doorstep.

And sure enough, the fight had arrived.  His name was Darkseid, a tyrant known throughout the universe for his brutality.  He ruled Apokolips with an iron fist, often setting his sights upon the dominion of the universe.  And he came close.  In what was possibly his most ambitious maneuver to date, Darkseid changed reality, using the Earth as his power base and Themyscira as his throne.  He had attacked with an innumerable army.  The Amazons fought bravely, but they had been greatly outmatched.  Darkseid and his generals enslaved those that did not perish.

The universe had changed, but just as soon it had returned to normal.  At least, what could be considered normal.

The Amazons, under the rule of Wonder Woman, rebuilt the island.  The Gods shifted it out from behind its veil of anonymity, dropping the island just outside of New York Harbor.  Laws and ordinances were broken and the fighting began once more.  First, the United States Marines had appeared, overtaking the island before the Amazons could rally their forces.  Cassandra, Donna, and Phillipus had done their best to lead an effective resistance.

The stakes had been increased when Task Force X, a new division of Checkmate had been sent to commandeer Themyscira in the name of the United States.  The Amazons, however, were not going to make that task an easy one.  Unfortunately, Wonder Girl had been defeated by Captain Atom.  Donna Troy had been poisoned.  The remaining Amazons were on standby, unknowing of what had taken place elsewhere on the island.  The only question on their minds was:

Where was Wonder Woman?

Diana had been standing before the United Nations General Assembly, begging them to accept Themyscira into the global community.  Nobody seemed willing to make such a move and Diana wasn’t able to convince the delegates due to the knowledge that Themyscira was under attack.  She flew home as quickly as possible, wasting few moments in dispatching Doctor Polaris.  When she landed on Themyscira, the first thing she saw was an unconscious Wonder Girl and a victorious Captain Atom.  From that point on, it was a blur of anger and resentment.

Diana learned quickly that long range fighting was not to her advantage.  However, the captain, through the use of plasma attacks and flight evasion, had managed to maintain his distance.  He fired off another blast.  His aim, honed over several years of practice, rang true.  Wonder Woman brought up her bracelets to protect herself.  The wristlets did not completely protect the queen, but they took the brunt of the attack.  Diana felt the heat on her face as the skin on her arms began to burn.  She bit down on her tongue, refusing to scream.

The blast ended.  Diana breathed free for a moment, taking a single second to regroup.  It was a second, however, that Captain Atom used to his advantage.  He closed the distance between himself and Wonder Woman.  He didn’t slow down as they collided.  Wonder Woman rolled into his grasp as they fell from the air, both disoriented from the impact.

“Surrender,” the captain said, his voice barely a whisper.

Diana, however, heard the request clear as day.  She shook her head, pushing herself out of Nathaniel Adam’s grasp.  She climbed higher into the air, reclaiming her altitude.  Captain Atom wasn’t far behind.

Wonder Woman pulled up, facing the captain.  “This is my home.  I will not, under any circumstances, yield.”

“Then this fight is to the death.”

“That’s a shame,” Wonder Woman responded, giving a slight shrug, “but I am the Queen now.  You were an ally, Captain Atom, but now you’ve become the enemy.  If I must, I am not afraid to kill or be killed in the name of my sisters.  That means you lose.”

 

The Amazon Queen.....

Wonder Woman
"Relocation"

PART FOUR: RESOLUTION


Wonder Woman #25 - December, Year Four
by Matt Hrubey

THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON D.C.

The President of the United States leaned back in his chair, staring across his office.  At the moment, he was alone, able to take a deep breath.  All day long, his advisors and his Senior Staff had hounded him relentlessly.  This situation outside New York City was tricky and was going to be hitting the media outlets in the morning.  His administration was taking a preemptive step to twist the coverage in a favorable outlook.  It would do no good for the American citizens to turn against him now, so close to reelection.

The President had wanted to keep this situation a secret, but the unexpected involvement of Wonder Woman, one of the most popular heroes on the planet, had made that want nearly impossible.  Her little display at the United Nations was not going to go away unnoticed.

There was a knock on the door of the Oval Office.  The President started, leaning forward in his chair and rubbing the exhaustion out of his eyes.  “Come in.”

The door opened to reveal the White House’s Chief of Staff, who made sure to close the door upon his entrance.  He made his way to the desk and leaned upon it.  It was fairly obvious that the day’s events had weighed just as heavily upon his shoulders as those of the President.

“What’s it looking like, John?” the Commander-in-Chief asked.  He shifted in his chair, crossing his legs.

“Not good, sir.  From preliminary reports coming in from the Daily Planet, the press is not on our side.  It’s fairly obvious that we have a leak in the Pentagon.  Some of the data and facts that the press has at the moment are not publicly known.  From excerpts of the article being written, it almost seems as if the reporter was there.”

“What’s his name?”

“Her name, Mr. President.”

“It’s a woman?”

“Yes,” the Chief of Staff replied.  “Her name is Lois Lane-Kent.”

The President looked down at the table.  “We might have to have a talk with Mrs. Lane-Kent then, John.  Arrange for her to brought to D.C. first thing in the—”

He looked up and found that his Chief of Staff was no longer focused on him.  “John!  What are you looking at?”  The President turned as John pointed out the window.  The leader of the free world felt his jaw drop—

The figure floated just outside the window, his arms crossed across the familiar insignia on his chest.  He was a hero for countless numbers.  And he didn’t look happy.

“Security!” the President exclaimed, rising from his chair.  “What the hell is this?”

Superman shook his head.  When he spoke, he could be heard through the bulletproof glass.  “I’m not going anywhere until we speak, Mr. President.  Themyscira is a peaceful place and doesn’t deserve to be treated in such a fashion.”

“John, get the National Security Advisor on the phone.  This is ridiculous!”

Superman shook his head once more and smiled.  “I’m not going anywhere.”


THEMYSCIRA

Sitting up, Cassandra Sandsmark felt an immense pain sweep through her head.  The last thing Wonder Girl remembered, Captain Atom had attacked her.  She had tried her best to halt his progress toward the interior of the island, but the military man had walked over her like a stampede.  Cassie remembered a bitter feeling of failure and a bright of light before everything had gone dark.  She had woken up moments ago in the sand, finding herself alone.  Cassandra had no idea how long she had been unconscious or what had taken place during that time.

Wonder Girl rose to her feet, shaky at first.  Before this over, she was going to beat the crap out of Captain Atom for her treatment at his hands.  Rising off the ground, Cassie flew inward toward the Royal City.

The sounds of battle came from above.  Cassie looked up and found Captain Atom and Wonder Woman deadlocked in a fight.  They both moved and acted with such conviction that the world around them had been all but forgotten.

Wonder Girl flew on, knowing that there was more to be done.  Seeing that Diana had returned instilled Cassie with a new confidence that Themyscira would survive this day.  The ground passed beneath her.

Off in the distance, the teen wonder spotted a couple of figures lying on the ground.  Cassandra hadn’t seen the rest of the Amazons since they had run off when the Marines arrived.  She didn’t know if any of them were still alive, much less fighting back the invaders. 

Cassandra came upon the figures.  The first, a woman in all green, she didn’t recognize.  The other, however…

“Donna!”

Wonder Girl rolled her predecessor over and nearly burst into tears.  She didn’t know what was responsible, but the exposed skin on Donna’s chest had turned nearly black, as if it were infected.

“Oh god,” Cassie said, taking a step away.  “What happened?”


WASHINGTON D.C.

“How dare you pull something like this?”

It was against his better judgment that the President allowed Superman access to the Oval Office.  Technically, he was committing a crime by coming uninvited onto the grounds of the White House.  However, Superman was more than just an ordinary man.  He was a legend and the President thoroughly believed that, had he ordered the Man of Steel fired upon, the troops would have insubordinately denied their orders.  There was really nothing the President could do except talk to the man.

“I meant no disrespect, Mr. President,” Superman responded to the question, “but time is of the essence.  I know that I’ve broken laws, but I couldn’t afford to go through the normal steps of seeing a man of your stature.  The island that you have sent your troops to attack is called Themyscira.”

“I know that.”

“Then you know the connection to Wonder Woman?”

“I do,” the President responded.  “It’s unfortunate that she has been involved, but something like this cannot be ignored.  That island appeared without warning, infringing upon American space.  That can be considered an act of war.  I did the only thing I could.”

“But now it’s time for you to make another decision, sir.  You have the facts now and you can’t ignore them.  The Amazons living on that island don’t deserve to be attacked and injured.”

“The teams I’ve sent in there are not meant to hurt them.”

“I’m sure,” Superman responded, “but things happen.  People unrightfully get hurt.  This has to be avoided.  I’ve spoken with Wonder Woman recently and—”

“You’ve spoken with her?”

“I accompanied her to the United Nations building for her address.  She cares for nothing greater than the welfare of her home and—”

The President put up his hands and moved over to his desk.  “I should have you arrested.”

Superman’s eyebrow shot up.  “On what charge?”

“Conspiracy,” the President shot back.  “You knew that this was going on and you didn’t detain her.  She’s an enemy!”

“She’s a hero that has saved this world time and again!” Superman shouted, surprising both himself and the President.  He took a moment and looked away, calming himself.  If he wanted to get something accomplished, he couldn’t offend the leader of the free world.  “I’m sorry, sir, but someone of Diana’s caliber deserves more respect than I do.”

There was a knock on the door and a Secret Serviceman stuck his head inside the room.  “I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. President, but is there a problem in here?”

“No, Carl,” the Commander-in-Chief responded.  “I need just a few more moments.  Tell John I’m going to want to see him when I’m finished.”

“Yes, sir,” Carl replied before closing the two inside the Oval Office.

The President turned to Superman and crossed his arms.  “Why should I believe you, Superman?  How do I even know you’re an American?”

“This exceeds nationality, sir.  It’s no surprise to you that the world community sees you as a military man who always takes the hard way out of conflicts.  If you pull out your troops and give aid to Themyscira, the world will see you as a humanitarian.  You’ll be able to change your image.”

“And why would I want to do that?”

“Because nobody likes a tyrant, sir,” Superman replied, frankly.  “Look at Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini.  These men tried to take advantage of their positions of power and look at how the world views them now.  If you stay on your path, I can guarantee your name will be synonymous with these men.”

The President was all-ears now.

“So, tell me, Mr. President… What do you want to be remembered for?”


THEMYSCIRA

Patrick Dugan, fully enclosed in the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor, stood upon the island, his eyes shifting back and forth between the two groups of people that had surrounded him.

The Marines were standing around impatiently, waiting for something to happen.  They had stood down at the order of S.T.R.I.P.E., an order that had been seconded by the Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs, who had spoken with the squad leader of the Marines by radio.  The team of Marines had been deployed and ordered to stand down within a period of a few hours, a fact that angered them all.  They waited with their guns locked and loaded.  If any of these island natives tried anything suspicious, they would get a bullet for their troubles.

The Amazons, for their part, went about life as usual.  Archon Phillipus had taken control of all the warriors in the area, sending them out to different parts of the island with tasks to be completed.  The main concern on her mind was that other fighting might be taking place on other areas of Themyscira.  The island was not a particularly compact place.

Phillipus stayed in the area, keeping a watchful eye on the Marines and the man of metal.  She didn’t trust any of them.  The last time men had encountered the Amazons the women had been enslaved.  That led to the prohibition of males on Themyscira.  That credo had been maintained until an hour ago.  However, with Diana’s new attitude and all the changes taking place, Phillipus wasn’t even sure such an ancient rule still existed.  She had seen the meeting between Diana and Superman earlier in the day.  Even though the Man of Steel had respected the Amazons and not laid an actual foot on the island, the action was extremely liberal on Wonder Woman’s part.  This proved just how serious Diana was at the prospect of modernizing Themyscira.

“Phillipus!”

The cry broke through the air, causing every man and woman in the immediate area to turn toward the blonde girl flying quickly in their direction, passenger in tow.  The girl was frantic, her flight path erratic.  Phillipus moved toward Cassandra Sandsmark, who descended on the great in one of the most ungraceful landings that the archon had ever seen.  Cassie’s passenger rolled across the ground.  It took Phillipus but a moment to realize that the body was that of Donna Troy.  The woman was unmoving and hardly breathing.

“Cassie,” Phillipus said, laying a hand on the girl’s shoulder.  “What happened?”

“I don’t know.  I just found Donna like that.  Something’s wrong with her skin.”

“Who did this?”

“A woman,” Wonder Girl responded, her breathing finally slowing to a normal pace.  “I didn’t recognize her.”

{{What’s going on here?}}

The woman turned at the voice of S.T.R.I.P.E.  Phillipus stepped between the metal monstrosity and Wonder Woman’s student.  “Nothing that concerns you, invader.  I am taking this young girl and my injured sister to the nearby city.  I ask that you not stand in my way.”

{{I had no intention,}} S.T.R.I.P.E. responded.  {{In fact, I was about to offer my services.  I can get Troia there faster than you can.}}

“You recognize Donna Troy?” Phillipus asked, dumbfounded.

{{Of course.  Believe it or not, I was once a hero.}}

Phillipus wrapped Cassandra’s arm around her neck and the pair began moving as one in the direction of the Royal City.  “In the remains of the city, there are those skilled in the medicines.  They can help Donna.  Hopefully it’s not too late.”

{{I’ll fly Donna ahead.  By the time you two get there, this situation could be averted.}}

Phillipus nodded her consent and watched S.T.R.I.P.E. take off.  In response to the man’s previous statement, the archon could only mutter, “One can only hope.”


Pain.

Wonder Woman gritted her teeth.  Her body was aching from battle, but she refused to stand down.  Diana had taken the brunt of too many attacks.  She needed to learn to dodge and get inside the captain’s personal sphere of space.

That tactic was easier said than done, however.  Captain Atom was a natural fighter and was picking off the queen whenever she came too close.  Diana was blinded by the passion she felt for protecting her homeland.  Her mind was muddled.

“I’m not even tired yet, Diana,” the captain said.  “Stand down and we’ll work this out.”

“I won’t be a slave to anyone!”

Captain Atom was prepared to rebuke the comment when Wonder Woman broke through Atom’s field of fire.

“Hera, give me strength!”

She closed the distance, increasing her velocity with each passing second.  Wonder Woman slammed into the captain and, for a moment, the battlefield was completely silent.  Both hovered for a moment, the effects of the collision felt by both participants.

“No more of this,” Diana muttered as she grabbed Captain Atom around the throat.  “You should have left when I first asked.  Now—”

The captain clasped his palm atop Diana’s, startling the queen.  They locked eyes for a moment.  Diana spotted the glow out of the corner of her eye.  She had to get away before—

The captain’s energy blast caught Wonder Woman right below the ribs.  She went flying from the force of the attack.  Her head was in agony as she fell out of the sky.  She tried to get her bearings, but she couldn’t figure out which way was up and which was down.

Diana closed her eyes and, for the first time since returning from the Gods’ Realm, she prayed to those she had forsaken.

This was going to hurt.


Penelope moved to Phillipus’ side, kneeling next to the sitting archon.  “I don’t like this, Phillipus.  They invaded our home.  They should be lying dead at our feet, not catching their breath and plotting our downfall.”

“This is a new world, Penelope.  The war tactics of old don’t have a place here.  From what the armored man has told me, these men are soldiers of America, the place that Diana was sent when she became Wonder Woman.  We can’t prove untrustworthy at this junction or the work that has been put into this relocation will have been for naught.”

“They look at me like I’m a piece of meat,” Penelope responded, eyeing the men with disdain.  “They had better stay clear of me or bad things will happen.”  She took a deep breath.  “How is Donna?”

“I don’t know.  I decided to send Cassandra ahead and stay behind.  As with you, I don’t trust these newcomers.  If anything happens, I want to be here, not in an infirmary.”  Phillipus lowered her head.  “Donna is strong, though.  She’ll be—”

There was a loud crash as a figure fell from the sky destroying the infrastructure of a nearby temple that was in the process of being rebuilt.  Phillipus jumped to her feet and was in motion before the reverberations of the collision had ceased.  She waved the dust aside, throwing a glance backward to see that the Marines were closing in as well to see the disturbance.  As Phillipus crept closer, the cloud of dust parted—

It was Wonder Woman!

“Diana!” Phillipus exclaimed.  She leapt in the wreckage and hoisted Diana’s body up from its stationary position.  “Are you alright?”

The Amazon Queen began to revive almost immediately.  Her movements were groggy at first, but her eyes opened soon after and she smiled.  “It’s going to take a lot more than that to finish me off.”

Without another word, Wonder Woman floated upward out of Phillipus’ hands and streaked back into battle.

Phillipus turned back to Penelope, speechless.  She saw the Marines edging closer over Penelope’s shoulder.  Her face scrunched in anger and she was overtaken by a bloodlust she had not felt for decades.  She raised her sword and yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping she would be heard—

“Amazons attack!”


There was no way to win and Diana knew it.  These soldiers, especially Captain Atom, were well trained and knew how to take orders.  They were going to stand down until their superior officers told them to.  That meant that Themyscira had two options: surrender or cross the line of peaceful negotiations and wipe out anyone who stood in their way.

No!

Diana wanted to hit herself for even contemplating such actions.  The Amazons were peaceful.  They only fought when it became necessary to protect themselves and their homeland.  Not even this situation would change that mantra.  Wonder Woman refused that let that be the case!

Captain Atom came into view once more.  He was flying with his arms crossed, almost goading her into attacking again.  Diana sighed; there was no other option.  She had to keep fighting until the Americans were ordered out of Themyscira or until she was dead.  Diana pulled back her fist, watching as the captain readied himself for another energy attack.

“STOP!”

A blue and red streak cut through Diana’s path, causing her to pull up quickly in her flight path.  She knew the streak already and couldn’t help but smile.  If he was here, there was a good reason for it.

The streak slowed and Superman hovered between Captain Atom and Wonder Woman.  He put a hand up toward each of them.  “This battle is over.”

Captain Atom sighed.  “No, Superman, it isn’t.  As I was trying to tell Diana, I’m under orders and I can only stop at the order of a superior.”

The sheet of paper was fluttering before the captain’s eyes before he even finished his statement.  Nathaniel Adam read through its contents quickly and his eyes widened.  “How did you get this?”

“I figured a signed executive order by the President of the United States would do the trick,” Superman responded, handing over the paper.  “And as for how I got it, I flew to Washington and talked some sense into our esteemed leader.  Now, Captain Atom, if you don’t mind, take your men and leave.  Quickly.”

Captain Atom gave an abrupt salute before heading down to the surface of Themyscira.  He hadn’t wanted this fight to happen in the first place and now that the battle was over, he wanted to get Task Force X out as soon as possible.

The eyes of the Man of Steel followed Captain Atom until he had set down on the island.  Only then did he turn to Diana, who was floating motionlessly with tears in her eyes.  She bound forward, wrapping her arms around Superman’s neck and laying her lips on his own.  For a moment, there was pure bliss but then they both realized the reality of their lives.

“Diana, I’m sorry, but Lois…”

“I apologize, Kal.  I was caught in the heat of the moment.  You did Themyscira a great service this day.  I thank you.”  Wonder Woman sighed, her shoulders sagging in exhaustion.  “It’s finally over.”

“No, it’s not,” Superman replied.  “In fact, this is just the beginning of a whole new can of worms.”


By the time Wonder Woman and Superman had reached the ground, the fighting had once again ceased.  Captain Atom stood as a barricade between the Marines and the Amazons.  From the distance, Diana couldn’t hear what the captain was saying, but she knew that Kal-El was listening to every word that was said.

“Things have been violate while you were gone, Diana,” Superman told her.  “Tempers are flared.  Your sisters need you down there before they do something that they’ll regret.”

Diana nodded and flew ahead, landing so that she was back to back with Captain Atom.  She raised her arms to her sisters.  The tension was broken immediately when the Amazons saw that their queen was in one piece.  Superman listened carefully, inching toward the ground while Diana spoke.  It was an act of the Muses each time the woman stood before a crowd.

“This battle is over, my sisters,” Wonder Woman told the Amazons.  “I understand that you are all upset at having been attacked in our home, but you must remember the ways of peace.  This is a misunderstanding, nothing more.”

Superman knew that the last comment was false.  He could almost see the tangible aura of frustration floating around Diana’s supple body.  However, she would not let her fellow Amazons see it.  This battle had to end now.

“Are you alright?” Phillipus asked when Diana had finished.  “That hit you took looked like it hurt.”

“I’ve been subjected to worse,” Wonder Woman responded, taking her friend in her arms.  “The important thing right now is that we maintain this peace.  For the moment, the battle is over.  The invaders are leaving.”

Phillipus nodded.  “Good.  I need to go check on Donna.”

Diana’s eyes became slits and when she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper—

“What happened to Donna?”


One explanation later, the doors to the infirmary busted open with the power of a hurricane.  Diana stormed in, drawing the eyes of everyone in the area.  “Where is she?”  The question wasn’t posed to one person in particular, but rather to anyone who knew the answer.

“Diana.”

The Queen turned and saw a young blonde girl moving toward her.  An uneasy calm overtook her as she wrapped her arms around Cassandra Sandsmark.  The girl looked haggard.  It was obviously that she had been in a battle.

“How are you?” Diana asked, running her finger along a cut on Cassie’s forehead.  “That looks deep.”

“I’ve already been checked out.  I’m fine.”

“And Donna?”

Cassie shook her head.  “She’s been poisoned.  The doctors don’t know how it happened.”

“I might.”

Pat Dugan stepped out from behind the corner, the helmet of his armor cradled by his left arm.  “It’s Cheshire.  I’d stake my life on it.”

Without another word, Diana had turned and was gone.  Superman had been right.  This wasn’t over yet.


Captain Atom and Archon Phillipus clasped hands in a sign of mutual respect.  “I’m sorry for all of the problems that my team has caused.  Though, I was following orders, I don’t necessarily believe that my nation’s leaders went about this operation in the correct manner.”

“Thank the goddesses that nobody died in this struggle.  Had blood been spilled, I can guarantee that we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation.”

The Marines and the remnants of the Amazon stood around the two warriors.  Cheshire and Doctor Polaris, who had recovered from his battle with Wonder Woman, stood off a distance.  The doctor was eyeing Superman with a bloodlust but Captain Atom had ordered that Emerson was not to, under any circumstance, attack the Man of Steel.  Superman saw the looks but ignored them.

Captain Atom looked around.  “I just have one more team member to account for and then we’ll all be on our way.”  Atom noticed Wonder Woman flying closer, S.T.R.I.P.E. on her tail.  “Ah, here he is now.”

Wonder Woman landed on the beach and stepped through the crowd of people who parted to make a path.  She stopped directly in front of Captain Atom, ready to fight once more.  “Where is Cheshire?”

“I am here, Amazon.”

Diana locked eyes with the former assassin.  With the Speed of Hermes, Diana whisked through the crowd and grabbed Jade Nguyen around the throat.  She kicked out the woman’s legs from under her and Cheshire collapsed to the ground.

“What the hell?”  Captain Atom moved to defend his teammate but Superman intervened, laying his hand on Atom’s chest.  “Move, Superman.”

“Diana would not attack unprovoked.  Something is going on.”  He threw a glance over to Diana, who was standing above Cheshire.  “Isn’t that right, Diana?”

“This witch poisoned Donna Troy,” Diana stated loudly so that everyone could hear her clearly.  “I have come for the antidote or this woman’s life.”  She glared at Cheshire.  “The choice is yours.”

“Hmmph.  Some choice.”  Cheshire reached into a hidden pocket of her uniform, located near her armpit, and extracted a small vial.  “Troy must ingest this orally for the antidote to be effective.  She’ll be back on her feet within a couple of days.”

Diana grabbed the vial, giving it a once over to make sure everything was in order.  Cheshire started to rise to her feet, but Diana pressed her boot to the woman’s sternum and pushed her back down.  With that, Wonder Woman turned on her heel and stopped, forming a triangle with the bodies of Captain Atom and Superman.  “You dare bring this woman onto Themyscira.”

“Cheshire is—”

“A killer that should be locked away, not fighting at your side.”

“Fortunately, that is my decision to make, your majesty.  Not yours.”

The sound of approaching helicopters caused Diana to look up just as they cut through the overhead clouds.  The Marines were leaving along with Captain Atom’s team.  It was about time.

Diana moved around Captain Atom and leaned to whisper in his ear.  “I give you fair warning, captain.  If you or any of your team comes near Themyscira again, there will be repercussions.  The Amazons are peaceful but I will stop at nothing to keep them safe.  Think about it.”

As the helicopters set down on the shores of Themyscira, Wonder Woman flew off, back to the Royal City.  She had to administer the cure to Donna before it was too late.

Superman stood at the side of Phillipus, watching as the last of the Marines and Task Force X loaded up onto the helicopters.  It wasn’t until the helicopters had taken off and disappeared into the horizon that Superman spoke.  “This has been a long day.  For you especially.”

“You’re telling me,” Phillipus responded.  She turned and headed in the direction of the Royal City as well.  “And to think, I agreed with this relocation.”

Superman, finding himself alone, flew off, leaving Themyscira behind.  He could hear Lois calling from Metropolis.  It seemed another emergency situation had popped up in the City of Tomorrow.  Superman flew off in a flash.

And for the first time in what seemed like ages, Themyscira was quiet.



Next: Unveiling! 

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