Post by DiscipleofBob on Mar 31, 2013 18:10:35 GMT -5
Issue 5, Elysium Fields
Diana could not remember a time where she awoke somewhere other than her own bed. Yet when she regained consciousness, all of her surroundings were unfamiliar. Everything was dark and cramped, leading her first thought to the possibility of being captured. The constant rumbling told her she was in some kind of a moving vehicle. Other than the Heart of Air, the only vehicles on Themyscira were a handful of chariots, and this was definitely unlike anything found on Themsycira. Looking out a window, only the starlight highlighted the vague shadowy outline of an unfamiliar treeline.
Her two captors sat with their back turned to Diana, only vaguely illuminated by soft lights from what was presumably some kind of control panel. Her head still pulsed with pain, but for some reason, she remained unbound. Perhaps her captors had assumed she would be unconscious for the duration of the journey.
Their mistake.
Diana bolted upright, her arm latching around the neck of the captor on the left. The other one panicked. “I TOLD YOU! GODDAMNIT I TOLD YOU!” screamed the other captor frantically as she tried to pry the arm from her partner’s throat, but Diana was far stronger.
“I don't know who you are, but you picked the wrong captive!” Diana warned. She quickly learned she had chosen the pilot of the craft as it spun wildly out of control, but it did not dissuade Diana from maintaining her grip.
“Can’t… breathe…” the girl in her hold gasped.
“Who are you?!” Diana demanded. “Are you working for Circe?”
The vehicle spun to an abrupt stop, somehow not hitting any of the trees in the dense forest. Now the only immediate danger the two had to worry about was Diana.
“Damn it we're not working for anyone! Now let her go!” the girl quickly responded as she continued tugging at Diana's arm to no avail.
“Where are you taking me then?” Diana continued with the interrogation.
“We SAVED your crazy ass! Should've just left you at the circus for the police!”
“Circus?” Suddenly, it all came rushing back. Her mission. The tents. The illusionist and her deception. Her battle with the gigantic woman. The source of her head wound. Diana glanced in one of the vehicle's mirrors. It was only a flash, but she could still barely recognize the girl in her grip as from the circus.
Finally realizing her error, Diana quickly let go as the red-haired girl coughed and gasped for air.
“Come on, Ness, let's get out of here!” Wasting no time, her friend tried to undo both of their belt buckles.
“It's... okay. Really,” the girl replied in between coughs. “If I woke up in the back of some stranger's car I'd be a little freaked out too.”
“Forgive me,” Diana apologized. “You must have gone to great trouble to help me and I repay you with suspicion and nearly hurt you.” Diana started to reach for a latch to exit the vehicle, but the darkness and her unfamiliarity with such a contraption made it difficult. “Thank you for your help. I will not burden you further.”
“No, please stay,” the girl she had grabbed earlier interjected, “Where would you go otherwise?”
“I can fend for myself. Perhaps if I get lucky I could find a cave for shelter,” Diana thought out loud, completely unaware of any of the local terrain.
“Absolutely not. You can stay at my place. At least for the night.”
“Are you certain?”
“No, she is not!” the second girl interrupted. “She is out of her damn mind! You leave and go wherever you like to as long as it ain’t here!”
“Etta, stop it! I'm not leaving her alone in the middle of the woods.”
“You head her, Vanessa, she'll be fine. Besides, taking someone who just wrecked a circus and almost killed you is the very definition of crazy!”
Diana watched as the two exchanged a series of looks, as if they were somehow communicating through forceful stares. Vanessa held up a fist. Etta shook her head in refusal. Vanessa presented the same fist again. Sighing, Etta reluctantly held up her own fist and the two shook their fists three times. On the third, Vanessa placed her palm face-down while Etta's fist retained its shape. Vanessa smiled and Etta groaned before turning to Diana. “Fine, but I'm watching you! No funny business!”
“I am not aware of this form of argument resolution,” Diana commented, trying to piece together what just happened.
“Etta always picks rock. My name's Vanessa,” the red-haired girl introduced herself and offered her hand.
Diana accepted the handshake and returned the introduction. “I am Princess Diana of...” she stopped, almost forgetting that she should not reveal the existence of Themyscira to the outside world.
“Princess?”
“Told you she's crazy. Probably escaped from Gotham,” Etta commented skeptically.
“I have never been to Gotham, though I have read of it from my mentor,” Diana tried to explain.
“Ignore her. My house isn't far from here. You can at least stay the night at least and we can make sure you don't have a concussion or anything,” Vanessa explained.
“What are you going to tell the Colonel?” Etta asked.
“I completely forgot about Grampa,” Vanessa sighed. “I'll think of something. Maybe he won't be up.” Vanessa restarted the jeep and drove back onto the road. Now Diana could at least sit up straight and look out the window, even if only the stars were familiar. She looked ahead at the road illuminated only by headlights as the jeep eventually drove onto more dirt roads, each more obscure than the last. Eventually a large white house, isolated in the wilderness came into view.
The jeep continued towards the house past a white picket fence. A sign next to the entrance read, “Elysium Fields Ranch.”
===WW===
Colonel Stephen Trevor was in remarkably good health for a man pushing 90. Most people his age would be stuck in a retirement home with impaired motor functions, growing only more enfeebled with each passing year. Steve, as he preferred to be called by anyone he got along well with, managed to avoid many of the perils of old age. His mind was as sharp as ever, and he only walked with a cane because canes as it turns out are damned useful in everyday life. He had enough energy to regularly jog a few miles, go horseback riding around the wilderness, or even just to stay up late waiting for a delinquent granddaughter to come home.
The sound of the jeep rolling up to the house signaled Steve to switch off the television. The front door quietly creaked open, and Steve had to stop himself from snickering at the girls shushing each other as they tiptoed through the hallway in the dark. He waited for the perfect moment and turned on the nearby lamp, catching the girls in the act.
“Grampa!” Vanessa exclaimed through a forced smile as she and Etta instantly stood at attention.
“Hi, Colonel,” Etta said sheepishly.
“And just where were you young ladies at this time of night?” Steve asked in the sternest, grandfatherly voice he could muster.
“Um... the circus?” Vanessa answered hesitantly.
Steve’s eyes narrowed the way only a disapproving grandparent’s could. “You’re not serious?”
“Yes, Colonel, I swear,” Etta hastily confirmed. “We were just at the Zeppoli Bros family circus.”
“A circus? Really? Were you at least on dates or something?” Steve’s brow raised in suspicion
“No, sir. It was just us.”
“Well why not? Seriously, you bother to sneak out of the house just to go to a circus? Is that really the most deviant behavior you can think of? Why in my day, it wasn't a memorable evening unless you landed in jail for the night!”
“Am I grounded?” Vanessa asked with confusion.
“Why? So you can get out less? Kids these days.” He would have probably continued on if Diana was not following behind and made herself known. Steve looked over the strangely dressed woman. “They've certainly changed the carnival prizes since my time. You must've won a lot of tickets.”
“Um, this is Diana, and she's...” Vanessa started, still not entirely sure of a cover story.
“One of our teachers! She was at...” Etta continued, trying to fill in the blanks.
“A costume party, and she...”
“Got too drunk to drive so...”
“We happened to find her hitchhiking.”
“Yeah, we couldn't just leave her by the side of the road.” The irony of Etta’s last statement made Vanessa stare back at her with daggers.
“I see,” Steve nodded along to the story. “Ma'am, is any word of this is true?”
“My name is Diana. Otherwise, no,” she replied, much to the girls’ visible horror.
“I figured as much,” Steve sighed. “And why are you here?”
“I battled one of the circus performers. In the process, I was injured. They decided it would be best if I rested here, rather than risk a confrontation with police.”
Steve was momentarily stunned. Even the worst liar would at least think of something remotely believable. “Is that all?”
“No. After I was injured, I awoke in the back of Vanessa's vehicle and was disoriented. In my confusion, I attacked her and nearly caused serious injury to them both.” Diana noted the increasingly flushed faces of Vanessa and Etta and the increasingly baffled expression of the man. “It is not my intention to be any further burden to you or your family. If you desire, I can leave right now.”
“Not at all,” Steve casually responded, much to the surprise of everyone else. “Why don't you go freshen up in the washroom. I'll prepare a place for you to sleep for the night.”
“Thank you very much for your hospitality,” Diana bowed her head in gratitude. “Forgive me. You know my name, but I do not know yours.”
“Colonel Stephen Trevor, at your service,” he smiled as he introduced himself. “Now, please. You look like you've had a trying night. You go ahead and get yourself cleaned up and I'll prepare a place for you to sleep. Vanessa, dear, would you mind showing our guest around the house?” Vanessa shared a triumphant smirk with a still unbelieving Etta before escorting Diana off.
Etta waited until the two were out of earshot before whispering to the Colonel, “With all due respect, are you sure about this? Letting some crazy stranger stay in your house?”
“I know it's hard for you youngsters to understand, but in my day, when someone needed a place to stay, you offered a spare bed. Now I'll admit that with that getup her story should be mighty interesting, but if it weren't for the kindness of crazy-looking strangers I would've died a dozen times over in the war. So I see nothing wrong with offering hospitality to those who need it.”
“But she nearly killed us,” Etta started.
“She also admitted it openly when the two of you tried to cover the whole thing up,” Steve said with a glare.
Etta gulped, illiciting a knowing smile from the elderly man.
“Grandfathers can tell when someone's lying. Now your parents called earlier, Etta, and I told them you were sleeping over with Vanessa. I hope you won't make it so that I was lying to them as well.”
“No, sir. Thank you, sir.” Etta quickly replied.
“You girls try and get some sleep. It is a school night after all. Wouldn't want to ruin that perfect attendance record.”
Sleeping was difficult for all three girls. Etta lay bundled up in a sleeping bag in Vanessa's room as she often did, and the two lay awake most of the night. Their minds swam in questions about their exotic guest. While Vanessa wondered where she really came from, what her true story was, Etta agonized over whether or not Diana would go berserk in the middle of the night like she did in the car.
Diana, still hurt and exhausted, pondered over whether she had truly made the right decision. If she had followed her mother's wishes, would whomever had been sent in her place have made the same mistakes? Would they be any closer to finding Circe or the others? With no leads or any idea how to continue, Diana's fatigue eventually overcame her concern and she drifted to sleep.
===WW===
Vanessa awoke early the next morning, when Etta was still huddled in the sleeping bag. Tiptoeing across the hall in her pajamas, she saw the open door to the room Diana was staying in. The bed was neatly made and there were no traces someone had been there. Had Diana left in the night anyway? Was she even ever there or was it all just a dream of Vanessa's?
She had to wonder as she got ready for school, getting dressed and fixing herself a quick breakfast as Etta lazily followed suit. By now her grandfather would be in the stables tending to the few horses they had on the ranch. Since Etta was lagging behind as usual, she hurried out to the stables to say goodbye, wondering if she should even ask about Diana.
The Elysium Fields Ranch was a far more pleasant sight in the light of day. Nestled in the rolling hills and dense forests outside Gateway City, one could look in any direction and find a picturesque view of mountainous wilderness, except when looking east where there was an even more breathtaking view of the Gateway City skyline and the ocean. The Ranch itself was a large two and a half story house, one with a history dating back to colonial times though it had been restored several times over. It was Steve Trevor's ideal retirement home. Vanessa's favorite feature was by far the stables and the long, winding trails to go riding on. There were only three horses, one for Steve, one for Vanessa, and one for her mother, but she rarely had the time with her busy career.
Her grandfather was easily spotted feeding the horses, but a steady beat of hoof steps from the other direction quickly drew her attention. Diana expertly rode the white stallion Vanessa had raised from a foal at full gallop to the stables, suddenly stopping in front of Vanessa and her grandfather like a veteran rider.
“I hope you don't mind, Vanessa. Diana here insisted on helping with the morning chores, and I told her it would be okay to help exercise the horses. Even Silver's taken a liking to her it seems.” Vanessa was speechless.
“She is very well taken care of,” Diana commented as she dismounted. “I must admit, I'm not used to riding these creatures without wings, but it's almost more invigorating.”
“Your friend says some of the most interesting things,” Steve smiled as he checked his watch. “Don't you have to be leaving soon if you're going to get to school on time?”
“But...” Vanessa started.
“Don't worry. Diana will still be here when you get back. Won't you, Diana?”
She nodded. “It would be disrespectful to you and your family for me to suddenly leave without a proper notice. Besides, I must gather my thoughts and decide how best to pursue my mission.”
Before Vanessa could think of anything to say in response, a honk interrupted her. Etta was already in the jeep, waiting to go. “I'll see you later,” she hurriedly said as she ran to the jeep. She opened the driver's side door and quickly scrambled in. “Sorry about that. Apparently, whether or not she's a princess, Diana's an accomplished equestrian. She was riding Silver like a veteran equestrian.”
“You're kidding,” Etta responded in disbelief as she scooted over to the passenger seat. “Only time I tried getting near that beast it kicked me clear across the stable.”
Vanessa nodded. “She's been helping Grampa with the chores and everything. She mentioned something about winged horses too. The weird thing is, I don't think she's lying and I'm not sure if she's crazy.”
“There's something you need to see,” Etta said somewhat ominously as she pulled out her smartphone. Adjusting the tiny screen so Vanessa could see, it started to play a poor quality video of what at first appeared to be generic blobs clashing against each other on a multicolored background. After a few seconds, the subject of the video became clear. It was from last night at the circus, when Diana was fighting the giant.
“You recorded this?!”
Etta shook her head. “That's not mine. It was posted on Watchtower Dot Com last night.”
“That superhero sighting forum?”
“It got 50,000 hits just from last night alone.” The film ended with Diana standing triumphantly over Giganta, displaced over one of the circus posters in the background leaving only the words 'Wonder' and 'Woman' visible behind her in a shot that, despite the low quality of the video, seemed as if it was crafted just to announce the coming of a new superhero. “We don't know how much other people might have caught on film. For all we know, there could be footage of us stuffing her into the back. Whatever Princess Diana of Whatever's story is, I don't think it's going to remain a secret for very long.”
“Are the police looking for her?” Vanessa asked cautiously.
“Who knows?” Etta put away the phone. “I'll keep my ears open at school, but for now I think we need to keep quiet about our exotic guest.” Vanessa nodded in agreement as they drove off.
To Be Continued...