New York

“Themyscira needs your help.”

The plea was simple but effective in grabbing the attention of the assembled United Nations delegates.  The men in the room swooned under the gaze of the beautiful creature that was addressing them from the podium.  The women tried to disguise their looks of contempt and jealousy.

Dressed in one of her most elaborate gowns, Diana rested her hands on the podium as her eyes scanned her audience. 

Diana silently and hesitantly thanked the Gods that had spited her.  She did not doubt that they played a part in Themyscira being officially recognized by the United Nations.  From there, Diana could streamline Themyscira into the modern world with much less difficulty.  The UN had been established as a coalition in times of war and a safety net in times of need.  Right now, the island of the Amazons was very much the latter.

“Though we thought ourselves invulnerable, the Amazons have come upon hard times.  The sudden shift in climate has begun reeking havoc on our ecosystems.  The food that we depend on to survive is dying away.”

The Queen had watched it happen too.  Paradise Island, a place of peace and prosperity where life was considered of paramount importance, had been introduced to death.  The green that adorned the island had turned brown and wilted away.  The situation was not yet dire, but it could become so if the problem went unanswered.  Hence, Wonder Woman turned to the global community for aid.

There was a muttering as Diana explained the situation.

The former Leaguer was not unintelligent.  She knew that there were still those that didn’t agree with the decision to invite Themyscira into the UN.  There were those that believed Wonder Woman was using the assembly as a platform to spout her beliefs of peace and Amazon dominion.  Luckily, these people formed the minority.

That, however, didn’t mean the minority would not be heard.

“There are hungry people all over the world,” one delegate, an older woman, said.  “What makes your Amazons more important than these people?”

“I said nothing about a hierarchy of importance, fellow Ambassador,” Diana replied, keeping her cool.  “But if the poor going hungry is as large a problem as it is made out to be, then why not start somewhere?  Themyscira does not seek to be a superpower, though, I’m sure many of you in this chamber believe otherwise.  I am trying to do what is best for my sisters while contributing to the international community.”

No response could be made, however, for that was the precise moment when the screaming began.

 

The Amazon Queen.....

Wonder Woman

City of Fear...
Wonder Woman #27 - February, Year Five
by Matt Hrubey

The screaming resonated throughout the General Assembly chamber.  It started out as a single voice—female and high pitched—but was soon joined by others.  The chorus of screams betrayed utter terror and fear and filled the delegates with an uncomforting sense of doom.  All save one.

Wonder Woman jumped from the podium and sprinted through the chamber toward its exit.  Whatever the cause of the screams, it came down to her to protect those that couldn’t protect themselves.  As she moved, Diana stripped off her robes, revealing her uniform underneath.  She grabbed for her lasso as she took to the air.  The doors to the chamber burst open under her strength.

The screams were coming from outside.  Diana rushed through the building’s lobby and made her way outside.  She froze when she saw what sight greeted her.

Mass chaos had broken out.  People were running in all directions, screaming their heads off.  But as Diana’s eyes searched her surroundings, she found that the screams were unwarranted.  There was nothing there but the people that perceived themselves to be under attack.

Wonder Woman landed upon solid ground and grabbed a woman running by, holding her at arms length by the shoulders.  The woman stopped screaming but was shaking violently, trying to escape the queen’s grasp.  Her eyes were wide but the pupils were dilated and glazed over.  “Help me!”

“Sister, be calm,” Diana said, holding the girl firmly.  “Tell me what’s wrong.  I can help you!”

“They’re all over me!”

Diana tried to speak over the girl’s screams but found it useless.  She was wrapped up in her own little nightmare.  Then it hit the Amazon.  There was no physical cause for the violate reactions of the crowd.  Whatever was responsible for the terror being displayed on this girl’s face was directed as her psyche.  It was a mental maneuver meant to scare these defenseless people.

Releasing her hold on the girl, Wonder Woman watched as she ran off, scraping her invisible attackers off her body.

It was the same everywhere.

Eventually, these people were going to start causing themselves serious physical harm.  If what Diana suspected were true, this insanity would be spreading throughout the entirety of the city, if it hadn’t already.  And though she may be powerful, Diana knew that one person was not going to make a difference in this situation.  She needed back up.  Quickly.

Wonder Woman opened her mind, calling out for the one person who could hear her.

“J’onn!”


On the Moon stood the Watchtower.  It was a beacon of hope to the people of Earth, who knew that their heroes were always watching out for them. 

Sometimes, however, even the world’s greatest heroes became distracted.

Unlike most of his teammates, J’onn didn’t mind monitor duty.  It gave him a time to collect and organize his thoughts.  This was especially important for a telepath who could easily pick up stray thoughts around them.  The Martian Manhunter detested reading the thoughts of others except when absolutely necessary, but being so powerful and perceptive meant that he had a hard time keeping his mind from peeking in on others.

The Manhunter took a deep, cleansing breath, pushing out the stress that had been built up since his last meditation cycle.  In these cycles, his mind was completely focused.

“J’onn!”

He winced, the mental voice calling out to him magnified by his meditation.  J’onn fell from his chair, landing upon his knees.  It took him but another few moments to regain his composure.  In that time, he ‘heard’ his name called out twice more.

It was Diana, the Wonder Woman.  One of J’onn’s best friends and dearest comrades.  Her mental anguish was nearly tangible as she hastily explained what was happening in New York.

“Diana, remain calm.  I’m having trouble understanding what you’re saying.  Open up your mind to me and I will see all I need to know.”

The Manhunter read the thoughts of the Amazon Queen, careful to stay out of her personal feelings.  He had no right to invade her private thoughts, even in such a time of confusion and anarchy.  What he found made his heartbeat quicken.  He told Diana to give him time; that she would have her back up.

Raising himself from the floor, the Manhunter moved to the control console located in front of the main viewing screen.  He stroked a few keys and the lights throughout the Watchtower began to glow red.

“This is J’onn J’onzz on all available Justice League frequencies,” he explained.  “We have a situation in New York that requires all available Leaguers.”


It was supposed to have been a simple day for Cristy Van Dell.  She had managed to get the day off from her nine-to-five secretarial job that was about as riveting as watching paint dry.  She planned to spend the day pampering herself.  She was going to drive into the city, shop around, and maybe go to a spa if she had enough time before the kids got home from school.

What she hadn’t counted on were the screams and the riots.

The already crowded sidewalks became a war zone as screams broke the air.  Cristy didn’t get a chance to listen too much, but she heard people ranting about things that weren’t even happening.  It was almost as if the other New Yorkers were having nightmares while they were awake.

And then she spotted the cloud that blocked out the sun.  Cristy had looked up, the bags dropping from her hands as the reality set in.  It was a cloud…of bees?  Their harmonic buzzing was like a power drill to Cristy’s gut.  She felt the fear taking over and asked herself how such an event was even possible.  As the bees came closer, she couldn’t help but scream as they brushed against her skin.

Cristy told herself this wasn’t happening, but all of her senses told her she was under attack.  Before she knew what was happening, she found herself running against the crowd, slamming into people left and right as she tried to get away from the one fear that made her feel like a vulnerable child.

Moving against the crowd, it was only a matter of time before someone bigger and stronger knocked into Cristy, throwing her down to the pavement.  She looked around and tried to stand up.  She took a shin to the cheekbone and fell back down.  Cristy screamed louder.  She was going to be trampled if she didn’t do something—

Arms around Cristy’s waist pulled her to safety.  It was a few moments of realizing she wasn’t dead before Cristy opened her eyes and found she was floating above the masses.  Her screaming was renewed until she turned and found herself in the arms of an angel with hair as dark as night.

“That was close,” the woman said.  “You were going to be trampled to death.”

And with that, Cristy Van Dell lost consciousness.  The flying heroine lowered the woman to the rooftop and lay her down gently.  There was nothing more that she could do for Cristy, another victim of the chaos spreading throughout New York.  The entire city was going to hell and there just weren’t enough heroes to cover a city as populated as the Big Apple.

Donna.

Donna Troy straightened up as the voice echoed through her head.  She wasn’t completely used to telepathy, even after all her years in the tights.  But Donna knew she had nothing to fear from the Martian Manhunter.  He would never probe where he wasn’t welcome.  “What is it, J’onn?”

Follow my voice, the Martian responded.  Diana is going to need our help.


As the day progressed, the danger escalated to new heights.  Wonder Woman had already had to save nearly a dozen people who sought to jump to their deaths, a tactic to bore the unnatural fears out of their heads.  She had saved these terrified New Yorkers and tourists from their own actions.  And as a ‘thank you,’ these people had kicked and punched the Amazon Queen before running away screaming.

It was getting old and Diana was becoming weary.

She had been happy to see that J’onn had heeded her call for assistance.  The League was out in full force, including reserve and former members.  Diana had passed Dinah Lance, the Black Canary, a few miles back, using her sonic scream to dissuade a riot from breaking out.  The Canary had come up from Gotham to assist but neither Lance nor Diana had the time to stop and say a word.

The entire city of New York was going insane!

And there was only so much she could do.

Her head ached with pain as a new chorus of screams rode the breeze.  She covered her ears but the screams continued undaunted.

The first bullet whizzed past her head, burning the flesh on her shoulder.  She snapped to a battle ready position as more bullets flew through the air, some in her direction, some not.  Diana spotted the man on the ground, shooting wildly.  It was only a matter of time before he killed someone.

“Put down your weapon,” she said, but the man paid her no attention.  Diana deflected a stray bullet with her bracelet.

The man’s eyes were glazed over.  Whatever he was seeing, it wasn’t the people around him scurrying for protection.  And it definitely wasn’t Wonder Woman, yelling out to him to stop the foolery that had gripped him, body and soul.  He screamed as loud and violently as he could.  It was a yell of pure, unadulterated passion.  It split through Diana’s defenses, causing the breath to catch in her throat.  What could he possibly be seeing?

“No!” the man exclaimed.  “You aren’t going to take them away from me.  I’ll kill you!  Those are my children!  Get your hands off of them!”  He began firing again, this time his aim set on one point in particular: Wonder Woman.

Each bullet sparked off of the Amazon’s bracelet, deflecting up into the air.  It was a skill that Diana had learned long ago, but one that had saved her life and the lives of others more times than she could count.  Diana flew forward, dodging or deflecting the bullets.  Her hand went to her lithe waist where the Lasso of Truth was situated.  She grabbed it and threw it with a grace known to few.

The lasso wrapped around the gunman and tightened around his body.  A convulsion overcame his anxious form and he collapsed to the street, his gun sliding away in the fall.  The gunman’s neck swelled as he tried to speak.  No words came out, however, as he fell still.

“What did you do to him?”

Diana turned, finding her sister standing at her side.  “Donna, it is good that you’ve come.”  He motioned toward the unconscious gunman.  “The lasso exorcised the madness from that man’s mind by allowing him to see the truth.  Whatever is going on here is psychic in nature, that much is clear to me.  Where’s J’onn?”

“Here.”

The Amazons turned to the Martian Manhunter, who appeared from the street.  He became tangible, his green skin glinting in the light of the setting sun.

“What’s causing this?” Donna Troy asked.  “These people are losing their minds.”

“Not what,” J’onn responded, “but who.  I’ve tracked down the source to the Empire State Building.”


They found her standing atop the Empire State Building.  It made sense to Diana now why she hadn’t crossed paths with the mistress of fear.  She had been so focused on saving the populace that she hadn’t bothered to look in the most obvious of places.  If Phobia wanted to spread her power in the fastest and most effective manner, getting to the highest point in the city was the safest bet.  Though mental energy was not solid matter, it almost seemed to diffuse into the air.  Especially when driven by a mind as experienced as Angela Hawkins the Third.

Wonder Woman flew behind the Martian Manhunter and Donna Troy, her eyes sweeping across New York as she passed overhead.  Everywhere fights were breaking out and screaming were filling the air.  The heat from the numerous fires was causing the Amazon Queen to sweat. Diana wanted nothing more than to break away and protect as many as possible, but the logical thing to do at this junction was cut the imposed fear off at its source.

That meant Phobia was going down.

The woman appeared to be in a trance of sorts as she teetered upon the edge of the building.  A look of orgasmic pleasure was etched on her face as her power reached more and more New Yorkers, driving them into a frenzy as she had their neighbors.  If something wasn’t done quickly, there wouldn’t be much of a city left to defend.

“We must take her now,” J’onn spoke.  “She is defenseless.  She won’t expect a combined attack.”

Landing atop the roof, the three Leaguers—past and present—moved forward as one, slowly at first.  Diana reached out to grasp Phobia by the arm, but her hand slid through the woman’s body, coming out the other side without difficulty.  Phobia turned to her, a smile coming to her face.  She mouthed something inaudible before splintering into dust.  Diana watched with shock and awe as the villain she had come to defeat had done so herself.

Diana looked down off the rooftop, a sigh of relief coming to her face.  However, what she saw caused her heart rate to soar.  The mayhem was continuing, even though Phobia had disintegrated.  What was Diana supposed to do now?  With that question in mind, she looked toward her teammates but found she was alone on the rooftop of the Empire State Building.  J’onn and Donna were nowhere to be found.  She called out for them, but Diana was given no response.

“Little girl, are you all alone?”

Knowing the voice before she made visual contact, Wonder Woman spun, her body stiffening.  The being before her had caused more grief than his life was worth.  Her vows of serenity called for peaceful resolutions, but after his recent transgressions against Themyscira and the world, all bets were off.  “What are you doing here, Darkseid?” Wonder Woman asked, her teeth gritted to keep from screaming.  “Have you come to gloat over the destruction of my home and my sisters?”

“It must kill you to know that you are powerless once more to stop the events that are playing out,” Darkseid said, stepping to the roof’s edge.  “First, you are nowhere to be found when your home is invaded and gutted.  You still blame yourself for that, don’t you, princess?”

“Thanks you to, monster, I’m a princess no more.”

“Ah, that’s right,” the ruler of Apokolips responded.  “The little girl of clay has grown into a hero and leader for her people.”  He shook his head and gave a small ‘tsk.’  “You should have just let me wipe out the rest of your pathetic Amazons.  It would have caused less stress than the reconstruction of the long stagnant society that Themyscira has turned into.”

Diana steeled herself against the taunts.  There was no way in Hades that she would make the first move in this battle.  If Darkseid were going to die at Diana’s hand this day, then she would make sure that she was defending either herself or her homeland.  “Themyscira is my home.  I cannot let it simply fall into shadow.”

“But, of course, you could, Amazon Queen,” Darkseid said.  He smiled as a homeless man had his head beaten in by a twelve-year-old girl.  Even from such a great distance, Darkseid could view the event with a clarity that would have made the Fates jealous.  “Leave behind this wasteland of a planet and join me on my throne.”

“You must be kidding.”

“Do you hear laughter?”

Diana turned away.  “Then you must be going insane.”  She shook her head and walked away a few paces.  “There’s no way that you could make that offer with a straight face.  There is no way in Tartarus that I would ever rule at your side, monster.”

There was a sigh.  “I was hoping it would not come to this.”

“What are you talking—?”  Wonder Woman turned back to Darkseid and froze.  At his side were the two women that had taken it upon themselves to carry on the tradition of Wonder Woman.  Donna Troy and Cassandra Sandsmark knelt at the feet of Darkseid, their hands bound behind their backs.  Neither looked to Diana and neither said a word.  Wonder Woman knew what was going to happen before it did.  She had seen too much needless death to know.  “Stop!”

But Diana was helpless to act as Darkseid’s eyes lit up with the unadulterated energy at his disposal.  Twin beams flew from his eyes, each one swerving toward a Wonder Girl.  Diana screamed and was soon joined by Donna and Cassie as their physical forms were pulverized and cremated.

Standing still for a moment, Diana let the massacre wash over her.  She didn’t know she was crying until the tears dripped from her chin.  Darkseid moved toward her, his shadow overpowering her own.  “You were helpless once more, woman,” he said.  “Perhaps, I should just kill you now and put you out of your misery.  Think of it as a mercy killing.”

But Diana acted first.

She grabbed the tiara that adorned her head and swept it in a semi-circle, slicing through the jugular of Darkseid.  The tyrant took a step back, a look of surprise coming across his face.  Blood began to pour from the wound.  It came like a flood, washing over his hands and spilling to the dirty rooftop.  Darkseid toppled to the ground, dead after so many centuries.

Wonder Woman looked down at the tiara that she felt.  Like the puddle of the rooftop, blood covered the apple red star that shined faintly on the tiara’s face.  It was a symbol for the people, but Diana had broken her oath.  The tiara fell from her hands and struck the concrete.  It spun on its head for a moment before lying still.

Diana continued to stare as the world around her changed.


Unlike most who fell under Phobia’s onslaught, Wonder Woman stayed quiet and motionless.  Everything that was happening to the Amazon Queen was taking place within the deep recesses of her mind; a dark place that Diana would deny existed.  Phobia had stood by and watched as Diana murdered Darkseid in cold blood.  Not that the death was unwarranted, by Angela Hawkins the Third never would have expected the former Leaguer had the gull to take such action.

Phobia laughed.  “The greatest fear of the Wonder Woman is that she attain that which she longs for the most: the death of her mother’s killer.  Fascinating.”

“Is it?”

The mistress of fear straightened up at the voice.  She didn’t know how, but Wonder Woman was moving freely across the rooftop once again, stalking in Phobia’s direction.  And the Amazon Queen wasn’t happy.

“You’re free!”

“I am,” Diana replied, nodding.  “After realizing what I did, I thought rationally for a moment and asked myself how Darkseid had returned after hearing whispers of his defeat.  Then I remembered everything.  The city.  The screaming.  And then I remembered you, Phobia.”

Phobia put out a hand in Diana’s direction.  “Stay back!  I’ll make you envision the deaths of every single one of your loved ones.  You’ll be driven insane until the moment that you murder yourself.”

“Not today,” Wonder Woman responded.  She took another step toward and grabbed the woman’s arm.  “Not ever.”

A single punch and the battle was over.  Phobia crumbled to the ground, her jaw dislocated.  It would hurt quite a bit when the woman woke up.  Diana figured she didn’t get anywhere near what she deserved.

There was a hand laid on her shoulder.  “Diana, are you alright?”

“I don’t know, Donna,” she replied, shrugging off her sister’s attempt at closeness.  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be again.”

Donna Troy stood by as Wonder Woman took to the air.  She moved out toward the ocean, back toward Themyscira most likely.  She looked around, watching as the Martian Manhunter lifted Phobia into his arms.  He would make sure the mistress of fear was contained.  There would be no repeat of the day’s events.  Donna wished she could head after Diana, but there was so much work to be done.  Diana had done the hard part and it fell to the first Wonder Girl to pick up the slack of repair.

But as Donna moved to help a wounded city, she could not help but dwell on the expression had seen on Diana’s face.

It had been a look of hopeless despair.


Themyscira
Later

“We haven’t seen hide nor hair of her since she returned to the island,” Helena Kosmatos explained as she moved down the corridor, her companion keeping pace at her side.  Her eyes flitted over the body of the original Wonder Girl, and for a moment, felt a jealousy build over the woman’s small waist and exceptional bust.  Helena quickly reprimanded herself for her childish reaction and pushed it from her mind.  They stopped in front of the entrance to Diana’s royal chamber.  “She locked herself in here and has yet to respond to a summons.”

Donna laid a hand on Helena’s shoulder.  “Let me handle this.  I’m pretty sure I can get through to her.”

“Good luck,” was the response, but Helena stopped Donna before she could knock on the door.  “There’s one more thing.  I know it’s been a long time since I’ve lived on Themyscira, but I’ve been noticing some strange behaviors from some of your sisters.  It’s given me some cause for alarm.”

“Anything in particular that you can remember?”

“Just…strange.  And most definitely out of character,” Helena replied, spitting with contempt.  She shook her head in disgust and turned to leave down the hallway.  “Well, we’ll talk again later.  I hope you have more luck with Diana than I did.”

Donna Troy gave a quick wave.  She turned to the door and knocked.  She was still haunted by the look in Diana’s eyes as she had left the mainland.  Whatever Phobia had made her see, it had really shaken the Amazon Queen to her core.  That look was still in the eyes of the queen as Diana opened the door and peered out.

“Hello, Donna,” she said.

“I think we need to talk,” the former Darkstar responded.

A sigh escaped from between Diana’s luscious lips.  “I suppose that we should.”  She stepped aside so that Donna could enter undaunted.  Donna stepped inside and Diana motioned her to a chair in the corner of the chambers.  “I never did get to thank you for your help in the city.  It means a lot that you would drop everything to come to my aid.”

“Don’t even give it a second thought, Diana.”

“That is a nice thing to say.”

“It is a truthful thing to say,” Donna responded.  “I know your advocacy of the truth.”

“Indeed.”  Diana gave a quick nod and sat upon her bed.  She pulled a blanket to her side and wrapped it around her body.  She was without her battle armor, revealing the sultry curves that she possessed.  Diana looked her sister in the eye, unafraid of the inevitable conversation.  “I know what you are going to say.”

Donna leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbows on her knees.  “What happened in New York, Diana?  You looked like your puppy died.”

Cocking her head to the side, Diana looked like a deer in the headlights.  “I’m afraid I don’t understand the reference, but I knew I would not be able to keep my sorrow from you.”  She rose to her feet.  “Ever since my birth on Themyscira, I have known myself.  I knew what I liked and disliked.  I knew my morals and the boundaries that I set for myself.  Today, one of those boundaries was crossed and I’m having trouble accepting the feelings of hatred that I carry with me in here.”  She placed her hand in front of her heart.

“What did you see?”

“Darkseid,” Diana spat.  “The fiend that murdered my mother.  I killed him.  I slit his throat.”

Donna was taken aback by the bluntness with which the queen spoke.  She had come to Diana believing that it would be like pulling teeth trying to get her sister to speak.  “It was a nightmare.  Nothing more.”

“I know the way Phobia’s abilities work.  She makes you see the things you fear the most.  I always knew before this day that I had the power to end life with a thought.  Today, I learned that I had enough hate in my body to want to take the life of a living being.  I saw myself kill Darkseid and I still don’t feel bad about it.  It wasn’t reality, but it might as well have been.”

“I don’t know what to say, Diana.”

“There is nothing to say, sister.”

Donna moved and hugged Diana, pulling her tightly into the embrace.  “My best advice is take today as a warning.  You didn’t do anything wrong.  You cannot be punished for your thoughts.”  She could feel fresh tears falling against the exposed areas of her skin.

“Then why do I feel like I deserve to be punished?”

To that, Donna Troy had no response.

Next issue:  An emotionally unbalanced Wonder Woman faces yet another tragedy.  But when it strikes close to home, how will she react?

Story © 2007 Matt Hrubey and may not be reproduced without permission.