Post by DiscipleofBob on Feb 2, 2014 1:51:22 GMT -5
Issue 11, Making History
A news helicopter circled the wing of the museum, zooming in on the massive hole in the wall and the damages around it. The gap was covered in industrial plastic and crime scene tape.
“...and the Gateway Museum remains open for the launch of its new exhibit today despite the vandalism caused by four metacriminals yesterday, including noted vigilantes Black Canary and Green Arrow who are normally only active in the Star City area. The other two, one man and one woman, were unable to be identified. Police have declined to comment at this time on their failure in apprehending...”
“Can you believe that?” asked an outraged Etta. “Even the bad guys are calling our girl Wonder Woman, and the news can’t be bothered to say anything but ‘anonymous man A’ and ‘anonymous girl B’? It’s like they’re implying they were partners in generic destruction for the sake of generic destruction!”
“That’s a good thing, remember?” Vanessa replied from the living room couch, “We don’t want anyone tracking where Diana sleeps at night.”
“Yeah, but at least they could show some respect to Wonder Woman and any loyal fans working their asses off on a virtual PR campaign.”
Vanessa quickly turned to her friend in shock, “Etta! How could you?!”
Etta shrugged it off. “Relax, Ness. I’m careful. All I do is showcase the various heroic acts of Wonder Woman and stress her awesomeness.”
The front door opened and shut. As Dr. Kapatelis entered the living room, both teenagers reflexively stood at attention. “Hey, Dr. K,” Etta said with a nervous smile, “We didn’t know you were going to be visiting.”
Dr. Kapatelis replied with a stone-faced scowl, “Despite the responsibilities of my current position keeping me in the city often, I do still technically reside here, even if my quarters have been repurposed to accommodate strange vagabonds.” Before either Etta or Vanessa could object, she continued, “Speaking of which, where is Diana?”
“Helping Grampa with the dishes,” Vanessa said meekly.
Acknowledging, Dr. Kapatelis marched to the kitchen. Shortly after a somewhat flustered Steve Trevor was forced out of the kitchen, still in rubber gloves and an apron. He said nothing, but gave the girls a cautionary look warning them to stay away from the potential powder keg in the next room.
Naturally, the first instinct of both girls was to get as close as possible to eavesdrop.
The two women stood in the center of the kitchen, unflinchingly keeping eye contact. Dr. Kapatelis was the first to break the silent tension. “Since our conversation was interrupted yesterday, I felt it best if I came to finish it, rather than risk you making another trip to the museum given the current situation.”
“I...” Diana started to respond before being interrupted.
“Please, let me finish.”
Diana nodded obligingly. This was not a debate or argument, she realized, only a declaration from the family’s matriarch.
Dr. Kapatelis took a deep breath, grateful that she didn’t have to clash egos again. “First of all, you need to know that I strongly disapprove of your actions. Whether you call yourself a superhero or supervillain, this sort of conflict resolution only perpetuates more violence, causes unacceptable amounts of property damage, and puts innocent lives at risk. Not to mention illegal as Gateway City has very strict laws against this sort of vigilantism.” She briefly paused, surprised that she hadn’t been objections thus far. With any of the rest of her family she’d at least have a couple interruptions by this point. “That being said, I fully acknowledge that you were not responsible for the attack, and that your actions did minimize the damage that could have been caused. In light of that, I have decided not to go to the police.”
Vanessa punched the air, whispering an excited ‘yes’ under her breath. Obviously this defeated the entire purpose of hiding to eavesdrop, but she didn’t care. Her mother shot a quick scolding glance in her direction before continuing. “But this is only because I’ve failed to see any evidence that the local police are as equipped to deal with you or whatever your presence you brought to this city as they claim. If at any point I feel your actions are no longer in the best interest of others, I will immediately go to the authorities.”
Vanessa, abandoning all pretexts of hiding, asked, “Does that mean she can stay with us?”
Dr. Kapatelis sighed. “Between you and your grandfather, I don’t seem to have much choice in the matter. But I want your word that you won’t do anything to put my family in harm, and that you’ll leave the instant your presence puts them in danger.”
“I accept your terms,” Diana agreed.
The two shook hands firmly, with all the weight of generals negotiating a ceasefire. Etta breathed a sigh of relief while Vanessa ran up to give her mother a hug. Dr. Kapatelis awkwardly accepted, attempting to retain her dignity in the guest’s presence. “Now that that’s settled, please return that costume to the museum.”
“Costume?” Diana asked puzzled. “You mean my armor?”
“Yes, I assume you acquired it at the museum,” stated Dr. Kapatelis. “If not, I commend whomever designed your costume.”
“This armor belongs to me.”
“Is it?” Dr. Kapatelis asked curiously while examining the armor more closely, “The attention to detail is commendable. If it wasn’t in mint condition and didn’t look so new, it could conceivably pass for authentic ceremonial armor from ancient Greece. Probably one of the island nations by the look of it.”
Diana stood speechless, unsure of how to respond in a way that didn’t reveal herself.
“My primary field of study is ancient Greek society and its various mythologies. When I’m not being ‘asked’ to run an exhibit where my only credentials are genealogical in nature, my current thesis involves locales that only exist in mythology and folklore. Places like Olympus, Tartarus, and Themyscira that don’t actually exist but yet somehow maintain a significant impact on the culture of the time. I’m curious where you acquired your costume as they might be a valuable secondary source for my thesis.”
Diana was visibly stunned. She had assumed that the details of her home were completely unknown to the outside. She wasn’t sure how to react. On the one hand, the knowledge of its existence and whereabouts were still technically secret. On the other, the mention of her home as somehow fictional struck a nerve, not to mention Dr. Kapatelis implying that the gods of her faith were equally false.
While Dr. Kapatelis was too busy studying the details on the armor to notice, Vanessa and Etta both noticed Diana’s calm starting to break. Both girls were already expecting some kind of clash between the two alpha females, and a shared glance was the only cue they needed to stop an incident before it started.
“Hey, Dr. K,” Etta said quickly, “I know you’re real busy and all, but if you don’t mind I could use some help with my history homework. I need more sources for my paper and who better than an actual expert on the subject?”
Dr. Kapatelis’s academic pride effectively stroked, she turned to Etta, “I don’t have much time before I have to be back at the museum, but I suppose I can offer some assistance.”
“Diana,” Vanessa joined in, “I need to feed the horses before dinner. Would you mind helping?”
“Of course.” Diana’s sense of obligation outweighed her simmering outrage for the moment as Vanessa led her outside.
Diana needed no instruction on how to tend to the horses. As she brushed their manes, Vanessa filled the horses’ troughs, while nervously searching for the best way to ask Diana the delicate questions in her mind.
“So,” Vanessa awkwardly started, “Did you know that man from the museum?”
“No, I’ve never met him before.”
“You both seemed to know this Baroness person,” Vanessa said hoping it wouldn’t be some kind of trigger.
Diana hesitated at the mention of the Baroness. For a moment, she was lost in painful memories, a far-off look in her eyes. “She is very dangerous. I must find her and bring her to justice before she can cause more damage.”
Vanessa chose her next words carefully. “Is she the reason you’re... here, instead of... wherever you used to be?”
Diana nodded somberly.
“What did she do?”
“She hurt a lot of people. And took someone... thing... very important to me. I’m sorry, I really cannot say anymore.” Vanessa noticed the slip-up. Obviously the Apples were only part of whatever, or whoever, Diana was searching for.
The obvious question was if Diana really was from Themyscira as her armor seemed to indicate. Ignoring that the place was supposed to be fictional, it did seem to fit what little Vanessa knew about her. At the same time, Vanessa knew how reserved Diana was about her past and guessed that there had to be a good reason for Diana to keep her secrets. Vanessa didn’t feel that Diana would hurt her or her family just for guessing the truth, but she also understood that she still knew very little about Diana except what was on the surface.
Probably the biggest reason holding Vanessa back was the simple fact that just asking alone might make Diana leave for good.
“When you asked for help on this history paper, I assumed the subject was in my actual field of study,” Dr. Kapatelis said with a scowl.
“Sorry. Our history teacher was so excited about the exhibit he gave the class homework that basically required going to the museum,” Etta explained with an apologetic smile, “I was going to do all my research there, then that Übermensch guy wrecked the place. Speaking of which, how weird was that?”
“It was definitely not an expected turn of events,” Dr. Kapatelis agreed.
“So did they figure anything out about that guy? Is he really the same Übermensch from the TV show?” Etta talked quickly. The faster the pace of a conversation, the less of a chance Dr. Kapatelis could have to politely end it. Plus it was still at least technically connected to a possible research paper for class.
“I wouldn’t put too much stock in the ramblings of a madman. He was clearly delusional.”
“But Baroness is a real person, right?”
“WAS a real person,” Dr. Kapatelis corrected, falling right into Etta’s trap. “Paula Von Gunther was a Nazi war criminal who performed the type of unethical experiments on everyone from war criminals to Axis-loyal troops. There’s no record of her creating any kind of ‘super soldier.’ If she did, I assume the war could have ended quite differently.”
“So the Übermensch story was just completely made up?”
“As I’m sure you learned at the museum, there were many falsified and exaggerated reports about Diana Trevor’s exploits, in part to cover her tracks from her actual work, in part to intimidate Axis forces.”
“But what if that guy wasn’t lying? What if he really was THE Übermensch?” The more questions Etta asked, the more she knew Dr. Kapatelis wouldn’t be able to resist answering them. “And what if he WAS working for the actual Baroness? They never found her body, right?”
“Both sides had many casualties they could never account for completely. She was most likely either killed during the war, or she possibly could have escaped to Russia or South America like many other Nazi officers to escape a formal tribunal for war crimes. Even if she did manage to escape and change her identity or something, she’d have died of old age a long time ago. The same goes for this self-named Übermensch.”
And here Cheetah thought that the Baroness was only into women...
As bad as her new position in life was, Cheetah knew the Baroness could always make it much worse. Frankly she was just glad that the Baroness had other things on her mind than to do... whatever someone like her would do.
Cheetah still hadn’t found an outfit she could actually wear comfortably, not that she’d really had much of a chance to go clothes shopping ever since her transition into a furry. At least the fur coat still looked and felt like she had some modesty left.
Even the collar around her neck itched and tugged, but there was little she could do about it. Cheetah didn’t want to risk trying to force it off or making a break for it with Circe’s little accessory. She knew better than to test the boundaries on magical artifacts. Not until she knew for certain she could break free of her current ‘job situation’ would she attempt anything, not when the repercussions from either Baroness or Circe could be severe.
There were some perks to her new form. Circe had obviously taken some liberties with feline zoology. The tail was long and completely controllable. Her senses had taken some getting used to, but once she got over the perfumes and garish colors overloading her senses, she could even tell when Nina was in the room by the light rhythm of her vitals. She could only assume that the mostly mute and oddly dressed servant had been nearby a lot more than she’d noticed before. Seen but not heard.
Circe was here. And although she didn’t show it, Cheetah couldn’t wait to rip her throat out. The collar’s magic and the Baroness’s presence meant she had to keep her temper for now. A few times Circe would cast a knowing smirk over to her, and despite herself, Cheetah would let out an involuntary low growl.
The Baroness’s new guest though was some ridiculously overmuscled Eurotrash brute. She’d seen the news story of him wrecking the Gateway City museum, taking on three superheroes at once. Part of her felt a twinge of regret, since even she often stole from museums she’d never outright destroy one.
“My Übermensch, how are you? It’s been so very long since we last spoke,” the Baroness cooed as she practically pranced around the giant, who just stood at attention.
“It has been many long years, my Baroness,” he grunted. “I am eager to serve your cause once again.”
“Oh aren’t you just the sweetest? Would you care for any refreshments? Dinner? Brandy? Perhaps I could lend you my newest little toy for the evening,” the Baroness said casting a glance towards Cheetah, whose fur bristled in fear and revulsion.
The Übermensch gave her one scowling look over before answering. “No thank you, my Baroness. I would not sully myself with a mongrel bitch.” Cheetah wasn’t certain whether to be relieved or offended. Given the circumstances, she settled on relieved. “Besides, I would not risk angering my wife with infidelity.” Relief turned to confusion for Cheetah. This thing was married? And he was afraid of her wrath with the Baroness around? She decided it was best to put the whole thing out of her mind while she still could.
The Baroness’s sinister smile widened. “Very well. It’s wonderful to see true love still flourishes even after decades. Tell me, did my instructions made it to you safely?”
“I received your message and came immediately, yes,” the Übermensch confirmed.
“Oh good, I was worried they might have gotten lost. Communications free from prying eyes can be so cumbersome these days,” the Baroness said sweetly as she danced behind him again, caressing one of the many artifacts at her disposal. “Then why may I ask...” the Baroness almost whispered as she suddenly threw a shining noose around the Übermensch’s neck, “did you disobey them?” The noose tightened under the Baroness’s grip, but the Übermensch didn’t struggle. With his breath cut off he couldn’t respond. “I specifically told you to come directly to me as soon as you arrived.” The Übermensch’s face contorted in pain, turning red before gradually turning to purple. Still he offered no resistance, even though Cheetah reasoned he could easily throw the Baroness across the room. No matter how difficult she was to kill, there was no reason he wouldn’t be able to resist. “And instead you go on a little spree of destruction and chaos, and while I can appreciate the sentiment, I can’t throw a surprise party if my guests of honor keep spoiling everything!”
“Forgive... me... mistress...” Übermensch managed to squeak out. “The infidels... were besmirching... your name.”
“Oh, sweetie,” the Baroness said as she tightened the noose, “Are you saying I should give a damn? As if the opinions of little tiny insects should actually matter to me?” The Übermensch finally buckled over, collapsing to his knees, shaking his head to answer the Baroness. “Good. Now, are you going to be a good little boy for me, and do EXACTLY as I say from now on?” The Übermensch nodded and the Baroness finally removed the noose. “That’s much better my pet.”
Übermensch took a moment to catch his breath before standing back up at attention.
“Now, you’ve already met the other guest of honor, which is a shame since I was hoping for you to be a surprise for her,” the Baroness returned to her normal casual tone. “But that’s okay. I still need you to find her and break her for me. Think you can manage that, darling?”
“She and two of her allies could not defeat me. Alone I will easily crush her,” he stated proudly.
“All the same, I’d like to mix things up a bit. For the both of you,” the Baroness replied with one of her knowing, excited smiles. She took a small box, wrapped with a ribbon, and handed it to the Übermensch, who bowed in gratitude before opening it.
Cheetah knew better than to try and catch a peak at what was inside the Pulp-Fiction-esque box, especially when the golden glow of one of the artifacts leaked out. “As you command, my Baroness,” the super soldier affirmed before closing the case.
After their improvised investigations, Etta and Vanessa reconvened in the living room, turning the volume up on the television to mask any potential eavesdroppers, as if anyone else in the household would stoop so low.
“All right, let’s compare notes,” Etta whispered excitedly, “I’ll start. Your mom doesn’t think that Übermensch guy from the museum is the same Übermensch guy from the TV show, but he’s TOTALLY the Übermensch guy from the TV show.” As usual, Vanessa was unable to argue with her friend’s flawless logic. “And he’s working for this Baroness that Diana’s after. Which means that Diana’s fighting Nazi supervillains! Not even Neo-Nazis, but genuine bonafide original flavor Nazis!”
“You seem awfully happy about all this.”
“Well, yeah! Not even Superman is fighting Nazis!”
“And you got all this from my mother?”
“Well no, she denied pretty much everything,” Etta admitted as she pulled out her phone, “but I got most everything important on video.” With one thumb she pulled up the surprisingly high quality video of ‘Wonder Woman’ slamming Übermensch into the wall. The audio was surprisingly, distressingly clear, including everything they said.
“Please tell me you didn’t post that online!” Vanessa reached for the phone, but Etta turned her back.
“Of course not, I’m not stupid,” Etta laughed as she started tapping away at the phone, “It needs to be edited first.”
“ETTA!”
“Don’t worry, I’m taking out anything that could link Diana to, well, anything really. It’s just part of the big PR campaign. Hash-tag Wonder Woman, hash-tag girl-power-girl, hash-tag rides-a-white-horse.” Satisfied for now, and noting how edgy the phone was making Vanessa, Etta put it away. “So how about your end? Did Diana tell you anything? Is she really some kind of princess from Greek mythology?”
Vanessa hesitated, looking away and choosing her words carefully. “I didn’t think to ask.”
“Liar AND chicken,” Etta immediately accused.
Vanessa scoffed indignantly. “If she hasn’t told us yet, she probably has a good reason not to,” she reasoned. “If she told us, she might have to kill us.”
“Relax, Ness, it’s cool. I’m used to you chickening out,” Etta teased as Vanessa returned the look with a pout. “I’ll just ask the tough questions myself. Where is Diana anyway?”
As if on cue, the television audio drastically switched from whatever loud program the two girls were ignoring to a breaking news segment. “This just in! We go live to downtown where one of the metahuman vandals from yesterday has returned to wreak havoc on the city!”
Helicopter cameras zoomed in on the rampaging giant, tossing cars and tearing buildings apart with his bare hands. The Übermensch looked directly into the camera. The cameraman’s frightened commands for the chopper to get out of there were just audible over the feed, but the Übermensch only pointed at the chopper. “WONDER WOMAN! COME OUT AND FACE ME OR I WILL TEAR YOUR CITY APART BRICK BY BRICK UNTIL I FIND YOU! I WILL CRUSH EVERY BONE IN THESE PATHETIC AMERIKANS UNTIL THERE IS NOTHING LEFT BUT YOUR FAILURE AND DUST!” The news chopper didn’t stick around to hear any more threats or risk any of them being carried out.
Vanessa stared in shock at the carnage on the screen while Etta immediately pulled out her phone to check all the close-up videos of the destruction being posted. “Do you think Diana has heard about this yet?” Vanessa’s question was answered by the sudden clattering of the back door, followed shortly after by the roar of jet engines taking off.
“I think she got the message.”
The Übermensch took great pleasure in ripping the city apart piece by piece. If it were up to him, he and his allies would wage their own war against the U.S. and all of its allies. For now though, the rampage was little more than a message. He couldn’t go all out yet, not when he was conserving his energy for his upcoming battle.
The police surrounding him meant little. Their perimeter only existed as long as he allowed it. Their bullets ricocheted harmlessly off of him, only causing minor irritation. Übermensch took his time trying to decide which line of officers to attack next.
The sound of a low-flying aircraft passed overhead, but if the sound was reinforcements arriving, they weren’t close enough to see.
Suddenly the Übermensch felt several small pricks pierce his back. As he turned to view the source, electricity surged through the connecting wires, and for the first time during his rampage he felt pain. Managing to turn his head, Übermensch found one of the squads armed with bazooka-sized taser guns, each firing barbed nets at his back. The taser guns themselves were hardwired into generators carried on SWAT trucks.
The Übermensch reached behind and grabbed all the wires. Although the electricity now coursed into his hands as well, he pulled them over his head, not only taking the wires, but the guns, cables, and trucks they were attached to and hurling them across the street at the now scattering police on the other side.
Someone on the GCPD ordered a retreat and the officers pulled back. The Übermensch smirked. “RUN COWARDS! RUN FROM YOUR DYING CITY!”
As the Übermensch roared triumphantly, something dropped from directly overhead, plummeting down directly on the Übermensch’s location. It crashed down, creating a crater and a circle of debris and dust to obscure the entire street.
Diana stood back up. The soles of her shoes should have been imbedded in Übermensch’s neck, but there was nothing but cracked asphalt beneath her feet. She looked around frantically for any sign of her opponent but the dust cloud from her landing still filled the area.
Her arms moved of their own accord, anticipating the incoming attack, yet it still wasn’t fast enough as a large fist caught her square in the jaw. She should have been sent flying, but immediately afterward something slammed into her back. Back and forth across the street, at first Diana thought that Übermensch might have brought allies, but it was the same fist each time.
Same fist. Same strikes. Same pattern. She quickly caught onto the Übermensch’s style and even with his newfound speed, her silver bracers managed to deflect his punches. The Übermensch stepped up his attacks, moving even faster, hitting even harder, but even with the acceleration Diana knew what to expect. Her leg whipped out, catching Übermensch and tripping him, his own heightened momentum sending him careening into the side of a building.
“You weren’t this fast yesterday,” Diana shouted. “Were you just holding back?”
“Let’s just say the Baroness sends her regards,” the Übermensch spat as he picked himself back up. “With a present for me to crush you with.” He began to rise, levitating off the ground. “Agility is not all I was gifted with!” he declared as he rose higher and higher, Diana unable to do anything but brace herself and wait.
Übermensch shot himself forward like a bullet, dive bombing on Diana’s position. The Amazon threw her arms up in defense, and at the last possible moment leapt backward. Dodging the main impact still didn’t clear her from the sheer force Übermensch crashing into the ground. Her bracelets deflected the debris and shrapnel.
While she was in the air, Übermensch quickly leapt back up to crash down on Diana. This time the Amazon had no way to escape as she was shoulder-checked into the ground. Bending her legs, Diana threw her body’s weight behind a double kick to Übermensch’s torso, throwing him off.
Before he could charge again, Diana wrapped her arms around a nearby streetlight, having already been bent and damaged by Übermensch, and broke it off. Übermensch lunged again, but this time Diana was prepared and swatted him away with a full swing of the streetlight. The strike sent Übermensch flying, and Diana followed up by tossing the streetlight like a javelin.
The twenty-foot metal column soared to its target with perfect accuracy, but inches from striking its target the Übermensch vanished in a blur. Diana braced herself from the counterattack, but, for the moment at least, there was nothing.
Diana looked up to see whole cars flying at her from every direction, having been tossed in quick succession from all around the block.
With only seconds to spare, Diana leapt over the first car as it crashed into the ground. Grabbing onto the second, she hurled herself to a third. Before it could land on the rest of the pile-up, she jumped to a midair semi, running across the trailer to leap free of the growing junkyard wreck.
Just when she was in the clear, the Übermensch made his reappearance directly in front of her. His first punch glanced off her bracer, as did his follow-up to her gut. After a barrage of deflected punches and kicks, one of his arms finally got within Diana’s guard and he caught her in a grapple, using his newfound flight to propel both into the ground, slamming Diana first.
“Is this the extent of your abilities, wench?” Übermensch taunted as he continued to force Diana face-down in the earth. “For someone who has drawn the ire of my mistress, you fail to impress me.”
Diana’s fingers dug into the earth, grabbing a chunk of loose dirt and flinging it into the Übermensch’s face. While the German giant was only slightly affected, his grip loosened enough for Diana to somersault to her feet. “I’m not here to impress you! I’m here to defeat you!” Now in melee range, Diana immediately started her own barrage of punches, pummeling Übermensch in the face.
“Let your mistress send whomever she wants! There is no man or monster I will not vanquish!” Each blow struck true although the Übermensch kept his ground. “No matter how strong, or how fast, or how invincible my opponent may seem, I. Will. Be. Victorious!” she declared, each word punctuated by another jab.
Diana’s fists quickened as she continued to hit Übermensch’s face over and over, until the Übermensch’s hand suddenly wrapped around one of Diana’s fists. “This is the best your kind has?” Diana tried to wrench her hand free, but Übermensch grabbed it as well. “This is the so-called Wonder Woman?” he laughed. “For all your bluster, you are still nothing but a weak, fragile woman. You are no hero. You are simply an obstacle in my mistress’s path. One that I will gladly break.”
Übermensch’s hands tightened around Diana’s, crushing them into mangled messes. Fingers smashed into each other in impossible angles, bones bent and broken into shrapnel, blood spurting out of her hands like a squeezed fruit. Diana screamed in pain and Übermensch only grinned wider in delight.
“How arrogant. How pathetic. From what the Baroness told me, I assumed you would be a difficult fight. But you are just like any other woman. Weak. Inferior. You are a mere mortal opposing a god!” Übermensch tossed her to the side like a rag doll. He dug his arms into a nearby foundation as he lifted the multi-story building over his head. “And I will bury you!” The Übermensch hurled the entire building to crush his prey.
Diana was barely standing. She looked down at where her hands once were to find mangled, bloody, useless masses of flesh and bone. Even as the shadow of the building enveloped her, she fell to her knees. She ignored the pain, ignored the danger, ignored the shadow that loomed over her. She closed her eyes, only allowing herself one thought.
“Gods, give me strength.”
From her kneeling position, without looking, Wonder Woman pushed off the ground, pivoting in midair to hurl herself through one of the building’s windows. Using only her legs to quickly climb through the collapsing wreckage she burst out the other side.
“You have the tenacity of a cockroach! Die already!” Übermensch charged at Wonder Woman fists outstretched to crush her with his own two hands. Instead, something as light as the wind itself, grabbed his arm and tossed him back to the ground, using his own momentum against him. All he saw was a vaguely blur-shaped Amazon, and all he had felt was the light, cool touch of two metal objects diverting his strike.
Despite that, Wonder Woman hadn’t moved. Her eyes remained closed, her form gracefully falling like a leaf in the wind onto the fallen building. She remained poised and in perfect form. The very surface beneath her feet shifted and slowly crumbled away, but Wonder Woman walked down the side of the overturned building with all the grace of a dancer. Her battle rage, her bloodlust, her righteous fury had all vanished leaving only calm behind.
Übermensch grimaced at the woman who, despite being crippled and repeatedly beaten not a moment before, seemed to just ignore him now. Übermensch took a bounding leap, lifting both arms over his head to bring both fists down on Wonder Woman, intending to crush her into dust with one final blow. Right when his blow should have connected, his arms were forced apart by a cool metal touch seemingly lighter than a feather, and a graceful leg whipped around to catch his head, the roundhouse kick burying the mighty Übermensch in the rubble.
When he poked his head back up, Wonder Woman continued to quietly walk down to the stable pavement, as if nothing had happened. “Where do you think you are going, you dumb cow?!” Übermensch snarled before running after her. His arm lunged down at Wonder Woman, but once again he swiped at nothing but air as the Amazon did a standing backflip over his head.
Both bracers slammed against opposite sides of the Übermensch’s head. His ears rang like an entire cathedral’s worth of bells. It was as if the gates of heaven had slammed shut on his brain. “How dare you!” Even his own voice echoed awkwardly. His vision blurred and where once was only Wonder Woman now three, no, five, continued to ignore him.
He tried to charge one, but the blow to the head made everything bend and swirl. He couldn’t even walk straight, and his attempt to close the distance with his newfound speed sent him careening into a building, as did his other attempts to right himself.
Wonder Woman waited patiently as the Übermensch dashed in random directions, doing more damage to himself as he unintentionally collided with building after building. Finally he managed to right himself enough to be able to target Wonder Woman.
“I AM THE UBERMENSCH!” he screamed. “I AM THE GREATEST SOLDIER THAT EVER LIVED! NONE ARE WORTHY TO DEFEAT ME!”
Wonder Woman’s eyes shot open with a calm, cold, sobering stare. Standing perfectly still, all she needed was to stretch one arm, giving her bracer its target as it collided with the charging Übermensch’s jaw, snapping his head back. “It is you aren’t worthy of that which you possess,” declared Wonder Woman. Übermensch crashed through a wall inside the collapsed building. Wonder Woman quickly and calmly followed. The Übermensch still drew breath, but he remained unconscious, a look of disbelieving shock plastered on his face.
For now she focused on his shoes. Spiked, black leather biker boots, a silver winged skull decorated on each. Anyone else might not have given them a second thought, but Wonder Woman knew that which she sought. Working the boots off was difficult given the state of her hands, but slid off as if they wanted to be removed. Once free of their previous wearer, the boots’ glamour shimmered and vanished, revealing their true nature as winged golden sandals.
“This battle has been won. I now claim my prize,” said Wonder Woman, although the hulk at her feet was in no condition to listen or respond. “Today’s victory belongs to the truly worthy. And only the gods can determine that.”
Wonder Woman took a moment to silently thank those that answered her prayers. As she waited, spotlights shone through the dilapidated windows. “Wonder Woman and Übermensch!” a voice shouted over a megaphone. “Both of you will cease your violent actions and come out with your hands up! Surrender now!” As much as Wonder Woman wished to cooperate, she knew that was currently not an option.
When the police finally raided the building, a blur shot through one of the windows and fled well beyond the range of their helicopters before they could even register what it was. When they entered the building, all they found was a badly injured, unconscious Übermensch, barefoot and in no condition to give them any trouble.
For Diana, now that the battle was over, the pain returned to her badly damaged hands, though the bleeding had mostly stopped.
She had an alternate means of transportation back to the ranch. She would pick up her aircraft later. It’s not like anyone would find it. For now she needed to rest.
Although she had flown in the Heart of Air, the sensation of zipping through the air without a cockpit separating her from the wind rushing through her hair was admittedly exhilarating. And a brief glance down confirmed that the artifact had taken a new form on her feet, barely distinguishable from her previous footwear. Unlike the Apples, which had to be hidden where no one would be able to find them, the Sandals of Hermes would be a welcome boon in her quest.
Diana landed on the perimeter of the ranch. Although at this point her host family would likely already know about her battle, she would rather rest some before confronting them.
Diana didn’t get that chance, however. As soon as she entered the house, the light clicked on. Etta was sitting in Steve’s usual throne of power, putting on her best stone-cold pokerface. Vanessa sat fidgeting on the couch, looking increasingly nervous.
After some nonverbal nudging cues from Etta, Vanessa reluctantly started, “Diana, we need to talk.”
“About what?” Diana asked.
Etta finished, “About Themyscira.”
To be continued...