“We have to do something!”

“What you have to do is listen and obey, child!  That is your place!  I am your king and your father!”

Except for the shouting match going on, Mount Olympus was quiet.  The ancient Gods and Goddesses were silent, each and every one eavesdropping on the argument taking place between Zeus and Athena, father and daughter, King of the Gods and Matron of the Amazons.  They were facing off inside the Grand Hall where the thrones of Zeus and Hera sat.

“You’re delusional!”

Olympus shook when Zeus slammed his fist against the arm of his throne.  He jumped up to his feet and nearly bowled Athena over.  “How dare you, you insolent little—”

“How dare I?  How dare you?!”  The well known anger of Zeus was now being reflected in his daughter.  “You have been watching Themyscira!  You know what’s going on!  You have stood by and watched the punishment that Diana and the rest of the Amazons have had to endure.  And you’ve done nothing!”

“I’ve done exactly as I was asked by the Amazon Queen!”

“Don’t use that as an excuse—”

“Diana invoked us and told us to leave Themyscira alone,” Zeus responded, returning to his seat.  “In fact, you daughter have already done too much.  Themyscira would not be having the issues it is having if you would have left the Amazons well enough alone and ignored Diana’s request for help.”

Athena shook her head sadly.  “Father, you hide your true wishes.  Yes, Diana distanced herself from us but that was because she was hurt.  We had her here participating in Hestia’s inane contest when she could have been in Man’s World protecting her friends and family.  Instead, her mother died and Diana was left to pick up the pieces.”

“We gave Diana life,” Zeus reminded her.  “We’ve watched over the Amazons’ safety for centuries and she threw that away because her feelings were hurt?  We are Gods, Athena.  We should transcend normal human emotions.” 

“You’re one to talk, hypocrite.”

Zeus’ eyes lit up with the lightning that he commanded.  “You will address me with the respect that I am due, child.”

“I am,” Athena shot back.  She folded her arms across her chest.  “You claim that we Gods should be above human emotion.  Yet, father, because your feelings were upset by Diana’s rejection, you act hurt instead of trying to mend the relationship with her as you so obviously want to do.”

“This conversation is over,” Zeus said.  He pointed out of the Great Hall.  “And mark my words, daughter, if you interfere any further in this situation, there will be hell to pay.”

Athena spun and stormed out of the hall.  Under her breath, she muttered.  “We’ll see.”


In Man’s World, another leader was just as angry.  Inside the White House Situation Room, the President of the United States slammed both of his fists atop the rectangular table that sat the military’s brightest.  “What do you mean?” he asked the Secretary of Defense after he had calmed a bit.

“You heard what I said, sir,” the secretary replied from his seat across the table.  “The attack was a complete failure.”

“How is that even possible?  We launched four of our most powerful nukes.”

The Chief of Staff shrugged his shoulders.  “And they didn’t even leave a dent.  The missiles met interference.”  He threw a folder that slid to a stop in front of POTUS.  “All the details are outlined in there.  We’re dealing with forces beyond our control.”

“Like what?”

“Director Waller says it’s magic.”

“Magic?” the President asked, cocking an eyebrow.  “Like David Blaine?  Illusions and such?”

“No, sir.  Real magic.  Water into wine stuff.”

POTUS rubbed his head, unsure of what to do next.  The answer had seemed so clear before but now he was dealing with aspects beyond his realm of understanding.  “Well, we have to come up with another plan then.  Any ideas?”

The half dozen individuals in the room looked around at each other in silence until the Secretary of Defense cleared his throat.

“As much as I may regret bringing this up later,” he said.  “There is still quite a large group of Amazons being held in federal custody at Cape Cod.  If we can’t hit the island directly—”

“We’ll hit it indirectly,” the President finished.  He was smirking.  “Somebody get me Amanda Waller on the phone.”


Donna Troy quickened her pace as she ran across the downtown street.  The sun had long since set but Donna knew it was going to be a long time before she got to sleep.  After escaping Themyscira, Diana had asked her to track down Cassandra and get her out of federal custody.  She wasn’t quite sure how she was going to get that done, but she knew someone who would be able to help.

Donna stepped up to the staircase of the apartment building and fingered the intercom next to his name.  She glanced over her shoulder, feeling a sudden paranoia that she was being watched.  But there was no one there.  No one Donna could see, at least.

She didn’t have to wait long before a voice came through the intercom.  “Who is it?  I swear to God, if this is another door-to-door salesman, I’m going to take my bow and stick it where—”

“Roy,” she replied, interrupting his ranting, “it’s Donna.  Please let me up.  I need your help.”

 

The Amazon Queen.....

Wonder Woman

Grudge Match

*This issue takes place before JLA #41 and Titans #13*


Wonder Woman #33 - August, Year Five

It wasn’t until she set foot on a deserted Themyscira that Diana—Queen of all the Amazons—realized just how bad she had screwed up. 

When the monarchy of Themyscira passed into Diana’s hand, she had decided to be ambitious.  The Amazonian culture had endured for centuries under a strict umbrella of morals and rules.  And, of course, the first thing Diana did after her mother was in the ground was to drastically alter the world she had grown up in.  For centuries, Paradise Island was hidden from the rest of the world.  Diana, on an impetuous whim and without firm backing from her sisters, had convinced the Gods to shift Themyscira from one plane to another, introducing an ancient society to the modernized world of man.

That had been Diana’s most obvious mistake.  And she hadn’t stopped paying for it since.

Her eyes drifted across the beach where her sisters often sat, talking and exchanging gossip.  Now, the area was empty and uninviting.  Diana strode across the sand, heading for the city that lay beyond.  For the first time that she could remember, Themyscira seemed less like home and more like one of the foreign worlds she visited on missions with the Justice League.

She stepped into the Royal City, her pace quickening.  There had been an explosion on the island so intense it could be seen from the mainland.  Yet, standing here now, Diana could not see any evidence that an explosion had even taken place.  Had she been seeing things?

She strode through the city square and up the stone staircase that led to the palace.  Her eyes came to rest upon the spot where she had found Hippolyta’s body some weeks ago.  Immediately, the feelings of loss and sadness that she had pushed away resurfaced.  Looking away, Diana continued up the stairs and moved inside.

She could have walked the path with her eyes closed, but she kept them wide open so she wouldn’t be taken by surprise.  Circe was here somewhere.  Diana would be damned before she let the sorceress get the drop on her.

And then she arrived at the Throne Room.  It rose up and spread out before her, revealing the great architecture that Diana had admired since she was a child.  Except now, the room was a bitter mockery of what it had once been.  The windows were covered, throwing the room into an unfamiliar darkness.  Vines and vegetation were growing up the walls.  Diana felt a chill climb up her spine.

The Amazon Queen moved to the center of the Throne Room and placed her hands on her hips.  “Come out, come out, wherever you are, Circe.  I know you can hear me.”

“Indeed.”

She walked out of the shadows, draped in a purple cloak that completely shrouded the shape of her body.  The shadows that persisted around her face gave her an ominous appearance.  Circe sat upon the throne, eliciting a growl from Diana.

“Get off that throne,” Diana ordered.

“You have some balls,” Circe replied, ignoring Diana’s demand.  “Just walking right in here knowing the things I could do to you.  I’m not playing around this time, Diana.  You’re going to die.  And I’m going to be the one to do it.”

Diana shrugged.  “It wouldn’t be fitting any other way.”

“You sound bitter.”

“You’ve hurt the people I love and done all you could to ruin my life,” Diana replied.  “I have no idea why I would sound bitter.”

Circe chuckled.  “Think of it all as payback.  You interfered in my plans so many times—too many times to count really.  I figured the best way to get back at you wasn’t by attacking you directly—been there, done that—but by attacking your one weakness: your friends.  And since even I’m not stupid enough to attack the Justice League, I had to settle for dear sweet Julia and that firecracker Helena.”

“Helena,” Diana repeated the name.  She felt her eyes tear up but refused to allow them to fall.  Circe wouldn’t get the satisfaction.  “Tell me, Circe.  Is Helena Sandsmark dead?  Her daughter has a right to know.”

“Cheetah got hungry,” Circe said with a shrug, “so I let her indulge a little.”

Hands turned to fists, Diana grit her teeth.  Red flashed before her eyes and for a minute she almost gave into the bloodlust she was feeling.  She was silent as she calmed herself down.  Helena being dead did not come as a surprise to her and for the moment, Diana had accepted it.  There were other matters that needed her attention right now.

“You’ve caused a lot of trouble,” Diana said.

Circe cocked an eyebrow.  “That’s the comeback you come back with?” she asked.  “I just said I’m responsible for your friend being dead.”

“You’ve caused a lot of trouble,” Diana repeated.  She knew that Circe was looking for something else, something more emotional, but the Amazon Queen wouldn’t give it to her.  “You’ve single-handedly destroyed any chance of the Amazons being accepted in today’s world.  Now, they’re going to have to disappear again and isolate themselves from Man’s World.”

“What a surprise, Diana.  Something else you touched has turned to garbage.”

“I don’t understand you, Circe,” Diana responded.  She looked right into Circe’s eyes.  “It wasn’t that long ago that you helped me, saved me when I could have died*.  I thought that we had reached some kind of understanding.  And now you do this.”

(*It happened in “The Odyssey” storyline that took place through WONDER WOMAN #7-8 by Des Davies)

Circe stood from the throne and rolled her eyes.  “It’s not that hard to understand.  I’ve always known it would end like this, with you against me.  I wasn’t about to let someone else do the job for me.  We have too great of a past for that to happen.”

Diana shook her head sadly.  “I pity you, Circe.  I really do.”

The sorceress went rigid.  “Don’t you dare pity me, bitch.  I don’t want it and I won’t have it!”

The ball of indigo magick that came forth from Circe’s hand struck Diana in the chest.  And even though she was wearing the breastplate that was part of her uniform, the attack felt like a sledgehammer to her body.  Diana was thrown backward off her feet.  She moved almost too fast for the eye to see.  The wall of the Throne Room gave way beneath her body and she disappeared outside.

Circe watched as the debris from the wall fell to the ground.  Her chest was heaving with the anger that she still felt.  She spoke a single unintelligible word and floated up into the air.

This was far from over.


The way he hugged her, Donna knew she had been missed.  Roy pulled Donna so close, held her so tight, that for a moment, she couldn’t breathe.  She was surrounded by his scent; he was wearing some kind of designer cologne.  She found herself mildly surprised.  He never struck her as the type.

When he finally let her go, Donna took a deep breath and adjusted the polo that was hiding the top half of her uniform.  “I’m really glad that you were home.”

“God, I’ve missed you,” Roy Harper said.  He closed the door at Donna’s back.  “It’s been so long.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.  Things came up.  A lot of things actually.”

Roy nodded, motioning for her to sit on the couch.  He shuffled into his kitchenette, still gabbing away.  “That’s right.  I heard you were running around with Wonder Woman again.  You’ve run into some trying times recently, huh?”

Donna sighed.  “You have no idea.  That’s actually kind of why I’m here.”

“You go without seeing me for months and the first time you see me it’s for help?”  He handed her an ice water that she wanted but hadn’t asked for.

“Roy, I—”

“Damn, girl,” he interrupted, putting a finger to Donna’s lips to quiet her.  “I realize it’s been a couple of months but damn.  I’m kidding, you should know that.  You can always come to me for help.”

She sipped from the glass.  “Thanks, Roy.  But before you say that, you should know what I’ve come for.”

“Ouch,” Roy replied, acting as if he had been wounded in the chest.  “No small talk.  Just straight to the point.”  He took her hand.  “I’ve been worried about you, Donna.”

“Why?”

“Well, after Kyle died and—”

Donna winced at the name of her dead boyfriend.  Truth be told, she hadn’t thought about him much in the past few weeks.  With all of the drama surrounding Themyscira, she had my plate full with things that required her attention.  Now, when she needed to concentrate most, the face of Kyle Rayner filled Donna’s mind.  She closed her eyes, holding back the tears of mourning that she had yet to shed.

Roy saw Donna’s wincing and stopped mid-sentence.  “Sorry.”

“No worries,” she said.  A single sniffle and her moment of weakness was over.  “But seriously, Wonder Girl is in trouble.”

“Talking in the third person now?”

“Not me, bonehead,” Donna replied with a smirk.  “The new Wonder Girl.  Her name is Cassandra.  She was taken into federal custody by Amanda Waller.”

Roy sighed at that name.  He knew the Wall well, especially after all the time he spent as a Black Ops agent.  “I’m afraid to ask, but on what charges?”

“I don’t know exactly, but from what Diana told, something along the lines of obstruction of justice.  There were extenuating circumstances, however.”

“There always are,” Roy responded.  “So you want me to spring the girl?”

Donna nodded.  “If you wouldn’t mind.  Plus, Diana would consider it a personal favor and who knows what she would do to pay you back.”

“Tempting.  Very tempting.  You know me too well.  This could be tricky if Waller is involved, but I’ll do what I can.”  Roy reached for the cordless phone and began plugging in numbers.  “I don’t suppose you know where she is.”

“No idea.  Who are you calling?”

“Lian’s babysitter,” Roy answered.  “I’m a lot of things but an irresponsible dad is not one of them.”  He rose to his feet and moved for his bedroom.  “Let me grab my uniform and make another call.  Then we’re heading for Titans Tower.”

“What’s at the tower?”

Roy disappeared from sight but called back a moment later.  “Our ride.”


The area surrounding Cape Cod was still in disarray after the battle that had taken place.  The federal government had cordoned off the immediate area and erected a tent that would act as a mission control in the field.  It was there that the heavy set black woman walked toward.

Amanda Waller walked into the tent without even acknowledging the two members of the National Guard that were watching the door.  Inside, she received silent nods from the government agents working there.  She moved to the back of the tent where a small area had been separated from the whole by white sheets.  There were voices talking that were indiscernible from a distance.

Waller stepped through the part in the sheets and found two individuals: one tied to a metal chair and the other interrogating her.  She undid the buttons on the suit jacket she was wearing and took a seat in a chair that had been set next to the tied up woman.  “Where are we at?” she asked.

“She won’t say anything,” the agent said.  “Not a word.”

“To you maybe, but she will to me,” Waller replied confidently.  “Leave us and let me talk to her.  We’ll get our information.”

The male agent looked ready to fight but he knew Waller’s reputation.  After a moment’s hesitation, he turned and left.

Waller, meanwhile, had looked to the ebony skinned woman that sat across from her, unable to defend herself.  “I know who you are, Phillipus.  Do you know me?”

The Archon glanced at Waller for a second and looked away.  She shook her head.

“Well, that has to change now, doesn’t it?  My name is Amanda.  We’re going to be best friends.  That is…if you tell me what I want to know.”

Phillipus said nothing.  She kept her eyes to the floor.

“From what I’m told, you are the leader of the Amazons while Wonder Woman is away,” Waller said.  “That puts you in a position of power.  That also puts you in a position close to Diana.  I need to know how to bring her down.  How to bring her to justice.”

“No,” Phillipus uttered.  “She’s…done…nothing wrong.”

“She hasn’t?” Waller asked, feigning shock.  She reached into her briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers.  “If you look over these, my dear, they detail the numerous federal laws that Diana has broken.  Zoning requirements, obstruction of justice charges, etc, etc.  And that is just the beginning.”

“Your justice means…nothing to the Amazons,” Phillipus replied.  Her teeth were gritted as she looked up into Waller’s eyes for the first time.

Waller smiled widely.  “And there it is.  The point of all this.  You Amazons think you’re better than this world.”  She hunched over and moved her face right next to Phillipus’.  “But you’re not.  And now you’re going to pay for it.” 

Phillipus looked back to the floor.  “You’re wrong.”

“No, I’m not,” Waller shot back.  “Now, tell me how to bring down Wonder Woman or I move on to Plan B.  And I guarantee that you won’t like it.”


Diana woke up in the last place she expected to find herself, staring at the last person she expected to see.

The brutality of Circe’s attack had actually taken the Amazon Queen by surprise.  Apparently, Diana had said something that struck a nerve.  She had been thrown out of the Throne Room, right through the wall and that was all she remembered until this moment.

“You look surprised to see me,” Athena, Goddess of Olympus, said.  “You are in my temple after all.”

“Lady Pallas,” Diana replied, rising unsteadily to her feet.  “I’m sorry to bring this fight to Themyscira.”

“You didn’t.  The sorceress-witch did.”

Diana glanced around, making sure that Circe was nowhere in sight.  The temple was the last place she wanted to do battle.  “Be that as it may, I failed in my duty as queen.  I have truly destroyed the Amazons.”

Athena grazed the backs of her fingers across Diana’s face.  “You didn’t destroy the Amazons.  You simply tried to turn them into something they’re not.  You were sent to Man’s World at a young age and you grew up more there than you did on Themyscira.  You were changed by your experiences, but your sisters were not.  They yearn for the days of old.”

“I pushed too hard and now the world is pushing back.”

“Exactly.  But there is still time to fix that which has gone wrong.”

Diana looked confused.  “You would help me?  After everything I’ve done?  I turned my back on you.”

“Not everyone is as vindictive as my father is, Diana,” Athena replied.  “Besides, I deserved what you gave me.  The situation was not a desirable one.”

“No,” Diana replied, looking down.   She remembered again returning to Themyscira from Olympus and finding her home mutilated by Darkseid.  “It wasn’t.”

“We can wait to put that behind us.  Right now, you need to concentrate.  Your time to catch your breath is over.”

The ground began to shake.

“She’s here,” Athena said.

Diana turned.  The doors to the temple broke open, shattering to dust.  On the other side, Circe frowned.  She levitated into the temple, her feet never once touching the ground.

“Remember that you have friends in high places,” Athena whispered in Diana’s ear.  “I’m not the only one on your side.” 

Smiling, Diana glanced over her shoulder to find Athena had disappeared.  That smile was still there when she looked back to Circe.

“What are you smiling at?” the sorceress asked, her teeth gritted.

Diana replied, “The fact that you have no chance of beating me.”

It was about that point that all hell broke loose.


The flight to Washington D.C. was a short one.  Roy wouldn’t say who his second phone call had been made to, which didn’t shock Donna in the slightest.  He had always been one to show off and she knew he wanted to surprise her by flaunting the connections that he had made in the past few years.  As long as he came through on his word, though, Donna didn’t really care what Arsenal kept from her.

The T-Jet they flew in had seen better days but again Donna didn’t care as long as they got us to their destination.  Roy said that after Beast Boy’s death, the Titans had all but fallen to pieces and he hadn’t seen a need to fix up the team’s transport.  Donna felt tears well up at the thought of Gar and wiped them away before Roy could steal a glance. 

Donna shook the memories of her dead friend from her thoughts; she had to keep her mind on business or she would scream.  Even though she hadn’t put up a fight, Donna still felt that she should be by Diana’s side in battle.  Not that Donna doubted Diana’s skills as a warrior, but against the power of Circe, back up would be helpful.

“A penny for ‘em?”

Donna started back to her spot in the co-pilot’s chair of the T-Jet.  Roy was looking at her, worry on his face.  “What?” she asked.

“You’ve been silent since we left New York,” Roy replied.  “I was just wondering what you were thinking about?”

“Nothing that matters at the moment.  I just want to get Cassandra back safe.  I don’t trust Waller.”

“That’s a smart instinct.”  His eyes turned back to the open sky.

“I—” Donna started to speak but stopped.  She was treating Roy like a complete stranger when he was truly anything but.  She rested her hand on his forearm and Arsenal looked at Donna again.  “Roy, thank you for all of this.  I know I just appeared on your doorstep but you’ve been nothing but generous and helpful.”

Roy waved off the praise.  “I’m sure you would do the same for me.  Besides, I haven’t done anything yet.”

“Still, Roy, I—”

“Hey, we’re here.”

Donna’s eyes drifted out of the plane as Roy began the T-Jet’s descent.  They weren’t in the city like she thought they would be but Donna could see the Washington Monument off in the distance.  Instead of a White House, she was facing some kind of compound that seemed out of place in the countryside.

They disembarked and were greeted by a party of heavily armed men.  There were four of them surrounding a fifth man who had no weapons and a smile on his face.  He looked familiar but Donna couldn’t place the name.  When he clasped hands with Roy, she knew that this was the guy that Roy had called back in his apartment.

“Sarge, always a pleasure,” Roy said.

“Likewise, Harper, glad to see you’re still in one piece.”

Roy ended the handshake and motioned to Donna.  “Sergeant Steel, this is—”

“Donna Troy.  I know all about you and I can guess as to why you’ve come.”

She shook Sarge’s hand while glaring at Roy.  “You didn’t tell him why we’re here?”

“Not so much,” Roy replied, shrugging, “but like he said, I’m sure he can make an educated guess.”

Sarge Steel began heading back inside but took a moment to usher them ahead.  “You’re here about the girl,” he said as they walked.  “The one that Amanda brought here from Gateway.  Cassandra Sandsmark.”

“Yes,” Donna said.  “I’m here to take her home.”

“That could be easier said than done.  By the way, welcome to the Citadel both of you.  This is the new headquarters of Checkmate.”  They stepped inside and were met by a wave of agents moving through the spacious corridor of the building.  Sarge hit the ‘up’ button for the elevator that was next to them.  “We’re heading up to my office on the top floor,” he explained.

“Looks like you’re busy today,” Roy observed.  “I hope we didn’t come at a bad time.”

The elevator pinged and opened to allow them access.  It was at this point that the armed men who had been accompanying them disengaged and went about their duties.  The trio stepped inside as Sarge Steel spoke again.  “Checkmate has been placed on standby ever since this whole business with Wonder Woman and the Amazons started.  The President just about shit a brick when the cape came under attack.”

Donna interjected, “I don’t mean to interrupt, Sarge, but you said before that getting Cassandra free will be easier said than done.  Why?”

“Waller.  Why else?  She was placed in charge of bringing down Wonder Woman by POTUS himself.  From what little she told me, she sees that girl—Cassandra—as being the key to getting that done.  She won’t let the girl go until she has Wonder Woman in custody.”

“See Sarge, that doesn’t work for us,” Arsenal responded.  “We need to take that girl with us and I need you to get it done for me.”

“Oh, really?” Sarge asked as they stepped out of the elevator and moved a few more feet to a door.  Steel placed his hand on a small platform positioned on the wall next to the door.  They were silent as the platform glowed and the door clicked open.  “And tell me why I should put out the effort, Harper.”

“Because you owe me a favor, Sarge.”

Steel waved a finger.  “I don’t think so.  Last time I counted, we were even.”

“We were?”

Steel nodded as he took a seat behind his desk.  “We are.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?” Donna asked.  “That’s all you can say, Roy?”

“Sarge, I need you to do me a favor then,” he said, ignoring Donna altogether.  “See, Donna and I have been friends for a long time and I would do just about anything for her.  Cassandra and Donna are real close and Donna would like nothing more than to take Cassandra out of here.  Also, it’s worth noting that it is illegal to hold an innocent person in custody.”

“Innocent?  From what I understand, it was because of this Wonder Girl that Wonder Woman escaped Gateway in the first place.  Amanda was livid.  She probably still is.”

Donna jumped up and slammed by hands on the table.  “I don’t care.  You can’t hold her against her will.  She’s not even a legal adult.”

“Donna, maybe you should let me—”

“No, Roy!” she shot back.  “Cassandra Sandsmark is one of the nicest girls I have ever met.  She is being held for no reason other than Waller not liking Diana.  If Cassandra hadn’t helped Diana escape, the battle at Cape Cod would probably still be going on.  And, I think it’s worth mentioning, that Diana was in no way responsible for the Amazons attacking the states.  In fact, she’s dealing with who’s responsible as we speak.”

“Are you done?” Sarge asked after Donna stopped to breathe.

“That depends.  Are you going to help us?”

He looked square at her and then at Roy and back again.  “Harper, you’re going to owe me big for this.  Facing down a pissed off Waller is a chore.”

Donna felt herself sigh with relief.  “Thank you, Sarge.”

“Lady, you’re just lucky that one of my favorite pass times happens to be pissing off Amanda Waller.  Otherwise I wouldn’t even bother.”  He stood up and moved for the door.  “Wait here.  Both of you.  I’ll be back in a few minutes.”


Zatanna Zatara had been standing, watching the Cape Cod sunset, when a hand had grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alley devoid of any sunlight.

She was momentarily startled but when she regained her bearings, she began to speak words only she could understand.  The same hand that had grabbed her moved to her mouth, stopping her from finishing the incantation.

“Don’t,” a familiar voice said.  “That won’t be necessary.”

Zatanna relaxed in the arms of the Dark Knight.  “You could have given me a heart attack, Bruce.”

He grumbled at the sound of Zatanna using his real name.  “I need your help.”

Zee frowned.  It felt like all she did nowadays were favors for people.  The fact that she was in Massachusetts at all attested to that.  All she wanted was to go home and get in the bath tub for the next two weeks.  But Batman was a friend and if he needed help…it looked like that bath would have to wait.  “Continue,” she said.

“The Amazons are in danger.”

“I broke Circe’s spell, they’re fine,” Zatanna explained.

“No.”  Batman shook his head.  “That was just one of many problems.  The President is upset.  He’s sent Waller here on his behalf and from what I hear, she’s interrogating the Amazon leaders for information.  It’s only a matter of time before Waller tries to start using them as weapons or some such.”

“And what exactly would you like me to do about it?  Please tell me to put a hex on Waller.  Please.”

“Absolutely not.  That would lead to more problems than it’s worth,” Batman said.  “I was thinking something else.”


Diana dived behind one of the several remaining pillars holding up Athena’s temple.  The eldritch orb that Circe had thrown at her adversary struck the ground, exploding with the force of a bomb.

“Stand still, damn it!” Circe screamed over the sound of the explosion.  She floated down to the floor, her hands lighting up and producing two more of her eldritch orbs.  Circe moved toward Diana, throwing one of the orbs at the pillar she was hiding behind.  The structure crumbled and the ceiling began to buckle.

Seizing her moment, Diana darted through the cloud thrown up by the collapsed pillar.  Circe didn’t spot her until it was too late.  The Amazon Queen speared the sorceress in the stomach, knocking them both to the ground.  A punch to the jaw and Circe grew even more infuriated.

OFF!

Diana glowed indigo for a second before she was thrown off by the magicks rampaging all around her.  She back-flipped and came to land on her feet.  “You can push me back all you want, Circe.  This day is already written by the Fates.”

“And you think it’ll end in your favor?” Circe asked.  “Wake up, Diana.”  She threw the other orb that she had produced.

Diana brought up her bracelets to protect herself but when the orb struck them, it exploded just as before.  A surprised Diana was thrown to her back and slid across the ground, rolling a couple of times before finally stopping.  She pushed herself up to a kneeling position and looked up at Circe.

“That’s all?” she croaked.

Circe smirked.  Hands toward Diana, lightning filled the space between them and the Amazon Queen grunted in pain.  The electricity danced across her body from head to toe, keeping her virtually immobile.  She tried to move in any direction, to get out of the path of Circe’s attack, but the receptors in her body were on fire and her limbs wouldn’t make the effort to move.

“Want to antagonize me still?”

But Diana didn’t hear Circe speak.  In her agony, she had felt a hand rest upon her shoulder.  When she looked over her shoulder, she saw Athena and Aphrodite, Matrons of Themyscira, gazing down upon her.

“You can’t take much more of this,” Aphrodite said.  Diana wished she could talk so she could respond with a resounding ‘duh’.

“You were a creation of the Gods,” Athena said.  “You possess powers that normal people could only dream of.  You have tools in your possession that can end this battle.  Use them, Diana.  See through my eyes.  I am the Goddess of War too, you know.”

The Goddesses vanished and Diana was shunted back into her body.  Circe was looking strangely at her because the screaming had ended so abruptly and then Diana was still and silent, even though the lightning attack hadn’t yet ended.

Overcome with newfound strength, Diana slammed her fist into the ground, causing it to shake.  Circe was thrown off balance and for just a moment the lightning stopped.  Diana reached out, grabbed Circe’s ankle and tripped her up.

Diana tried to get to her feet so she could put distance between Circe and herself, but her legs still wouldn’t work.  They were pulsing after being victimized.

Circe was already recovering from the attack.  It would begin again soon.

Searching around for any way out, Diana’s eyes rolled along the ceiling.  And then, just as Athena had instructed her to, her eyes saw something she wouldn’t normally have.  It was the weak point of the entire domed ceiling.  Diana could see every crack and fissure that the ceiling had sustained from the battle.  And this was where they all met.  It was her way out.

Wrenching the tiara from her head, Diana let it fly.  It spiraled up into the air and hit the weak spot on the first try.

Moments later, the ceiling began to fall.


Donna didn’t know exactly how long they had waited, but it was much longer than a few minutes.  By the time Sarge returned, Roy had paced the room a few dozen times and she was just about ready to hit him.   Donna jumped to her feet when Sarge reappeared and felt a smile on her face when she saw that he wasn’t alone.

“Cassie,” Donna said, wrapping her arms around the girl.  “Are you alright?  Are you hurt?”  She was still wearing the torn uniform from her battle with the Cheetah.  She needed a shower and a bath.

“Nope, I’m just dandy,” Cassandra replied, returning the hug.  “The only pain I felt was the headache I got from listening to that Waller woman bitch about Diana.  I have never heard anyone talk so much.  And that includes those times Diana gets preachy.”

Sarge collapsed back into his chair.  “Harper, after that, you owe me more than one favor.  Waller was even less happy than I thought she would be.  If she had actually been here in person, I probably wouldn’t have gotten out alive.  I’m going to have the President on my back for this one.”

“Thank you, Sarge,” Arsenal replied.

“Yes, thank you,” Donna said.

“You can thank me by getting the hell out of here,” Sarge replied.  “All three of you.”  He stared at Roy when he said that last part.  “And I swear if I see any of you show up here again, I will have you arrested just for being annoying.  I can do that.  Got it?”

“Loud and clear, Sarge,” Roy replied.  He moved to the door, ushering Cassie and Donna on their way.  “You know my number if you ever need me.”

Steel waved him away and laid his head back, his eyes closing.

Roy, Donna, and Cassandra hurried back out of the Citadel as fast as they possibly could go.  None of them spoke again until they were back in the T-Jet.

It was only when the engine’s kick started that Roy asked, “So where to, ladies?”

Donna looked at Cassandra, who was already staring at her.  She could see the small smile on Cassie’s face.  “Themyscira,” they said together.

In no time at all, only the ocean was beneath them.


Amanda Waller strode out of the tent she had been sitting in for nearly an hour now.  She stretched her arms, feeling a sudden tightness.  Phillipus hadn’t said anything worth mentioning which made the Wall angry.  She suspected that all of the other Amazons were just as stone solid as their general.  She had to get creative now.

Her eyes settled on the Amazons that sat pinned up inside a quartet of hastily erected fences.  They were all filthy and dejected.  The thought caused Waller to smile just the tiniest bit.

“Agent,” she said to the man nearest to her.  He was wearing a windbreaker that sported the letters D.O.M.A. for the Department of Meta-Human Affairs.  “Have you had any problems with any of the Amazons?”

“No.  Ever since Wonder Woman disappeared, they’ve just sat there and obeyed.  They’re probably trying not to cause any more problems for themselves.”

Waller turned away.  “That’s a nice thought.  Maybe they’re just planning their next move.”

“Uh, Director Waller—”

“These women can’t be trusted, agent.”

“Director, um…look.”

Waller turned and found the fenced in area empty.  Infuriated, she turned to the agent, her face asking the question that she didn’t verbalize.

“They were there a second ago,” was the explanation.  “You saw them.  They’ve disappeared!”

Waller growled.  “I told you they were planning something.”


Zatanna’s eyes fluttered and opened.  She turned to the Batman who was standing at her back.  “It’s done.”

“You got them all, even Phillipus?”

“Each and every one, Bruce.  Have some faith.”  Zatanna rose to her feet and brushed the grime of the alleyway off her fishnets.  “What do we do now?”

The Batman grimaced.  “We deal with the backlash.”


The pile of debris that had been Athena’s temple shifted after lying still for the better part of ten minutes.  A hand reached out from under the cement and mortar and pushed aside a section of rubble.  Diana sat up, her pristine appearance now marred by a fine layer of dust.  There was a bloody gash across her forehead and several cuts up and down the other exposed parts of her body.

Diana’s eyes darted around.  No Circe.

She rose to her feet, spotting a statue of Athena some feet away.  It was the only thing still standing after the roof had collapsed.  Diana had to double take because she could have sworn she saw the statue wink at her.  She shook her head, deciding it had just been a trick of the eye.

That was when another section of wreckage about fifty feet away exploded up and out.  Diana used her bracelets to deflect any pieces of debris that could have caused her harm.  From beneath the explosion, Circe, wrapped in a cocoon of her magicks, floated up into the air.  She was disheveled but looked no worse for wear.

“That was a nice attempt, Diana,” Circe said, “but altogether foolhardy.” 

She started mumbling another spell when Diana knew she had to move now.  The Amazon got a running start before launching herself into the air and crashing into the sorceress.  Together, they tumbled down into the wreckage and rolled down the hill the temple had been built on, all the while pummeling each other senseless.

When they finally came to a stop, they were on the outskirts of the city square, a large open space used primarily for island wide gatherings. 

Diana kicked Circe in the gut with both feet, pushing her off.   “You can’t beat me here, Circe.  Themyscira is my home.  You don’t understand the magic at work.”

“I am second to no one’s magic!”

“That may be,” Diana said, pulling back her fist, “but you are no match for any God, much less all of them together.”  And she struck the sorceress in the jaw.  There was an audible crack as Circe was lifted off her feet and thrown into the middle of the square.  “Try saying incantations with a broken jaw.”

Circe glared, her eyes taking on an indigo hue—

Themyscira began to shake.  The very foundation of the island grumbled as it was gripped by an earthquake of Circe’s creation.

And then, to the surprise of both women, they found themselves surrounded by hundreds of Amazons.  They appeared out of nowhere, with the tiniest of light flashes.  There were looks of surprise and shock etched on each of there faces, and they stayed there until they realized they were back on Themyscira, facing their queen and the sorceress responsible for their troubles.

The confusion was replaced by anger.

Circe’s eyes widened.  Diana just smiled.

The Amazons began to close the circle around the sorceress.

“You can give up now,” Diana said, “or I let my sisters have a shot at you.”

For a moment, just a moment, Diana thought the battle was over.  Circe looked down at the ground, tears welling up at the thought that she had been bested yet again.  But then she screamed a sound of pure pain as her broken jaw ached.

The earthquake grew in magnitude.  Diana would have sworn that the entire earth was shaking.  The Amazons were knocked off their feet as the ground began to split beneath them.

Diana turned around in every direction, watching as her home—the place where she was birthed and raised—began to deteriorate.  She would not—could not—allow this to happen.  Her sisters had already gone through so much.

Caught up in the moment, Circe didn’t notice Diana grab the Lasso from her waist.  The queen spun the instrument of truth and let it fly.  The loop went over Circe’s head and tightened around her neck.  Diana yanked and Circe was pulled from the sky.  The shaking ceased as Circe slammed into the ground.

Diana pulled the witch into a sitting position and tightened the Lasso.  Circe gagged as she tried to suck in air.  “You should have stopped when you had the chance,” Diana muttered soft enough so that only Circe would be able to hear her.  And she pulled even tighter.

There were no words from any of the Amazons as they watched.

“You…don’t have…balls…t-to…k-k-kill me…”

“You might have been right, Circe,” Diana replied viciously, “if you hadn’t killed my friends and tried to destroy my life.”

She pulled tighter.  Circe’s eyes began to bulge.

“Diana, no!”

Eyes turned skyward to spot two women flying down from the sky.  They landed within the circle that the Amazons had formed around Diana and Circe.

One laid a hand on Diana’s.  “You have to let go,” Donna Troy insisted.  “You are better than this.”

“Yeah, you’re only going to regret it if you kill her,” Cassandra Sandsmark replied.  “It’s the easy way out.  She should pay for what she’s done, but not like this.”

Diana thought the words strange coming from Cassie.  The girl was so young but she spoke with wisdom beyond her years.  However, what she didn’t know was that Circe was responsible for killing her mother.  She contemplated telling her protégé to prove that Circe deserved to die, but that would only make the situation worse.  Besides, it was Diana’s right before anyone else’s to punish Circe.

“She’s done such horrible things,” Diana said to Donna.  “She’s gone too far this time.”

Donna grabbed Diana’s chin and forced the queen to look her in the eyes.  “You don’t get to play judge, jury, or executioner and you know that.  You told me a couple of days ago that your worst fear was to take another’s life out of blind hatred.  Yet here we are, Diana.”

“I…I…”

“Let her go.”

Diana looked from Donna to Circe and out over the throng of Amazons that were watching her, waiting to see what she would do.  This woman had manipulated each of her sisters into attacking innocent people.  Yet they stood by, willing to let Diana make the final decision about Circe’s punishment.  Even though she had acted without the total approval of the Amazons in bringing them to Man’s World, they stood before their queen.  Diana smiled and felt the tears that she had been holding back finally slide down her cheeks.

The Lasso fell from Diana’s hands.  She heard Circe take a deep, long breath.

Donna reached across Diana and punched Circe right across the face, knocking her out with a single shot.  The sorceress collapsed to the ground, unconscious.  She looked at a surprised Cassie and shrugged.  “She isn’t going to die but she’s not just going to walk away without answering for what she’s done.”

Donna then wrapped her arms around Diana, pulling the weeping queen close to her.  Cassie too joined in to comfort Diana.

The three stayed in that position as the Amazons began to disperse back into their lives.  A few, under the supervision of Phillipus, dragged Circe out of the square to parts unknown.

Finally, Diana pulled away from the two women.  She turned to Cassandra and sniffled.  “There’s something that I need to tell you.”

“What?”

“Cassandra, it’s your mother…”

Next Issue: Circe is defeated but Wonder Woman’s troubles aren’t over.  Come back next issue to see if Diana and crew can survive the “AFTERSHOCKS!”

Story © 2008 Matt Hrubey and may not be reproduced without permission.