Post by jackalope on Jun 9, 2011 3:15:04 GMT -5
Ultimate Wonder Woman #3
World of Wonders pt. 3
World of Wonders pt. 3
St. Bridget's Memorial Hospital
Diana keeps trying to get up from the wheel chair. The nurses politely get her to remain sitting.
“<My legs are fine...>” She pushes herself up with her uninjured arm.
“Can you get her to remain seated?” one of the main nurses asks Iris. The nurse takes a syringe with an anaesthetic and taps the needle.
Diana looks at the needle and shakes her head. “<The wound will be fine, just dig out the projectile.>”
Iris tries to pat her reassuringly on the back, but she can't help but smile at the exaggerated look of apprehension on Diana's face, her eyes clenched tightly, her teeth bared. The needle slips into her arm and out in one smooth motion.
The nurse smiles, “Big baby.” Diana looks unamused. The doctor enters the room, looking at no one but the wound. He pulls on some gloves, and flips down a large magnifying glass with bright lights surrounding it. He efficiently pulls out the bullet, swabbing the area, and stitches it up. The nurse starts bandaging it.
“Hit nothing important, clean wound, lucky it didn't reach the bone.” He flips through some pages a nurse gives him. “I'm going to write out some antibiotics, and you should be fine. In the mean time, try not to get shot again.” He gets up and leaves.
The nurse, Iris and Diana watches him leave. “Yea, he’s like that. Really you're lucky you got him,” the nurse reassures them. “Now as this is a gunshot wound, so we're going to have to call it in. The police will come by shortly. It says here your name is Diana...” Diana nods. “That’s nice, my sister's name is Diana.” Iris looks at the nurses name badge. Valarie Prince.
The nurse picks up the paperwork and heads for the door. “You alright to wait here while I file this?”
“That's fine.” Iris smiles.
The nurse leaves. Iris stands Diana up, “Come on. We have to go...”
Diana allows herself to be pulled along to the doorway. Iris looks makes sure the hallway is clear. Diana lifts her t-shirt, revealing the leather armour, with a gun tucked into a belt.
“What the hell is that?”
Diana makes a pistol with her hand and makes a gun sound. Iris places her hand on her forehead.
“Why the hell do you have it?”
Diana looks seriously at her. “<I took it from the warrior who shot me, he lost to me and I took his honour. Now, we should pay the healer.>” She takes out a gold coin from a small pouch, throwing it on to the bed. Iris grabs her good arm and pulls her out.
Through the streets Iris and Diana walk. Iris tries to systematically explain why it’s generally a bad idea to take guns off people who shoot them. Diana tries to nod where it seems appropriate. This continues until they reach home. Its early morning, just before majority of the early workers have started to leave. Iris and Diana slip inside. In their apartment Aria is on the phone.
“They're here, it's ok, they have come home,” she looks relieved, “I'm on the phone with the police. They said I had to wait...”
Iris walks quickly over, “hang up.”
Aria thanks the emergency service and places the phone down. “Where the hell have you been? I was so worried, I haven't slept. You said you were only going out for a walk. <And you,>” she turned to Diana, who now seemed nervous with the authority the old lady commanded, “< as a guest in my house, in my home, you are my responsibility. You cannot disrespect the honour of my household by being reckless!> Honestly, between the two of you I don't know where to begin. Which one of you is going to explain what happened?”
Iris looks at Diana, who returns the look but then yawns melodramatically. “<I must sleep to recover from my battle.>”
Aria looks surprised, “...battle?”
“Look, let Diana go to bed, I'll explain,” Iris says.
Aria nods, now sympathetic. “<Upstairs, I prepared a bed for you. It is the room on the left.>”
Diana walks out, feeling strange, ashamed, and cared for. She hears them murmuring in the background. She ascends the stairs and turns left into a room, dark as the curtains are closed. It has a large queen-sized bed in the centre of the room, opposite a large closed off fireplace. Her bag is lying on the bed. She smiles. Pushing the door lightly shut behind her she steps softly to the bed. She takes the bag and places it on the floor beside the bed. She collapses face down on to the bed and falls into a deep sleep.
Diana dreams of being in a long grass field. She is running.
S.T.A.R. Laboratories, Zenith City
A long steel corridor stretches in a curve. Two men in long white lab coats walk down. One of their voice's fades in and out.
“... but Ashley's mom is a real bitch and the scary thing is I can see Ashley becoming exactly like her, and you know what's worse? It's kind of a turn on...”
There is a light thump as two feet drop onto the floor. From a crouching position the being stands. The being's metal face scans the surrounding area. No heat signatures approaching. It turns facing the opposite direction from which the lab-coats walked. An electrical whine emanates from the rounded panels on the being's hips. It sprints.
With each stride the being covers more of the corridor than the stride before. Its wrist outstretches, and a tiny black projectile sparking with blue electricity fires out. The security camera blinks for a second, once the picture returns the running being has crossed its view point. The scanners of the being signal the approaching target. It dashes up on to the right wall avoiding the laser trigger. Ahead the mild green of the full body laser scan fills the corridor like a thin shimmering film. At full speed now the being leaps diving through the body scan, which immediately turns red. The being falls into a dive roll that spins it upwards into the shutting metal vault doors. The beings feet pass through the closing metal.
The room is a large sphere with a layer of mesh flooring following the inside circumference. This pathway is marked with stairways leading down to a lower floor of mesh floor. In the centre of this lower floor lies a black onyx coloured stone hovering in mid-air save for the thousands of wires coming off it connecting to a network of computers set up around it. A large metal ring, with another black stone in it, rotates around the central stone at a steady rate. On the outside pathway five guards stand turning and raising their rifles. On the lower level eleven scientists stand monitoring read outs on their computer screens. The being, now arcing in mid-leap, assesses the situation.
The being lands in the lower platform and spins. Its arms aim out each side and spiked disks fire out each side. One hits a guard’s chest, the other stabs a guard through his eye. A whirring starts and the hit guards explode simultaneously. The spraying blood distracts the other three guards long enough for the metal faced being to grab a scientist, keeping him, with one arm, as a body shield. The guards hesitate, but keep aim. The being now backs towards a computer, it places its hand on to the hard drive and circuitry flashes across its fingers. The hostage scientist turns his head and tries to see the screen.
“...Nnnoo.” The being hears the words come from the scientist’s mouth and twists his neck. The gun shots start and the being moves. Leaping from side to side the being jumps and a laser beam suddenly appears from its wrist, slicing a guard, who slides in two. Another leap launches the being to the upper path. A dart flies out that extends into a long spike that skewers a guard's forehead. The last guard drops his weapon, falling shaking to his knees, hands held up in surrender. The being walks to the man. It grabs him by his shirt and belt and throws him into the inner platform.
The being then turns and looks to a door nearby. It produces the security card pass, snatched from the thrown guard. Inserting it in the door it taps a series of codes at blurred speed. The door opens. It makes a saluting sign and takes off, rocket thrusters at its sides kicking in. In the background the ring begins spinning in the opposite direction. Scientist's run from screen to screen, tapping at keyboards, and stop in place.
“Again.”
The image rewinds until the being is standing facing the camera midway through saluting. Derrick Haverley, director of S.T.A.R. Labs security, taps the screen. “Who is that?”
Aaron Spark shrugs. “He's not on file, but there it's likely he's responsible for the attacks in Europe.”
“That seems obvious,” Derrick, clenches his fists. “Europe is one thing, but in America?” He uncurls his fists. “Keep playing.”
The image plays through; the being completes saluting and rockets off. The ring keeps spinning increasing in speed. The scientists run around terrified. Then they stop.
“That's it? That’s where the tape ends?”
Aaron hesitates, “actually no. Our science guys have been looking at it, it isn't ended. Look.” He points at the screen.
“What am I looking at?”
“The ring, it's still spinning. They say it's producing some sort of time anomaly.”
Derrick leans into the screen. “So they're frozen in time?”
Aaron shakes his head. “Actually the tape's been analysed, it turns out they're going backwards in time, at about one second a month.”
“So whoever this Dr Cyber is... he knows what he's doing. When can we get these guys out? I'll need to talk to them if I want to catch this guy...”
Aaron looks up at Derrick. “No one knows. They don't know what happened, and no one can enter the ring without becoming part of the anomaly. Somehow its even generating its own power. Right now the project is off. Gone. Buried. Never existed.”
Derrick closes his eyes and wishes he was in a different world.
44 Fathom Road, apartment 6
Diana opens her eyes. Aria sits on the end of her bed with a plate of toast and a glass of orange juice.
“<You snore.>”
Diana sits up rubbing her eyes. She looks down at down at a circle of dribble on her pillow and then up at Aria. “<I must beg you forgiveness for yesterday. I had no right to involve your grand-daughter in my battles. I should not have let her get so close to danger. It will not happen again.>”
Aria smiles kindly, “<hush. Now let me look at your arm, and then you must eat.>”
Diana nods, humbled. Aria unwraps the arm, and looks closely, adjusting the angle of her glasses.
“<Are you sure you were shot? A see a wound here but it does not seem deep.>”
Diana, who has already started munching her toast, looks down at it. She looks annoyed, “<It has not healed yet?>” Aria watches at her as she finishes her piece of toast and licks the crumbs off her long fingertips.
Finally Aria smiles, “<I am truly glad you have a good heart.>” She softly kisses Diana's forehead and walks out of the room. Diana continues eating her breakfast.