Wonder Woman

by Steve Korte

  “Diana, what have you done?” asked Hippolyta.

  The Amazons were staring at Diana in silence. Diana glanced down at Antiope. She saw that blood was streaming from a wound on Antiope’s head.

  “I’m so sorry . . . ,” Diana said, as she stepped forward to offer assistance.

  Antiope angrily held up her hand and said, “Stay back.”

  Diana slowly retreated. She glanced at her mother’s forlorn face. Diana felt frightened, guilty, and rejected. She didn’t know what she’d done, but she’d never felt this before—ashamed, outcast.

  She began to run.

  FIVE

  Tears filled Diana’s eyes as she stumbled through a forest at the edge of Themyscira. She ran faster and faster, not knowing or caring where she was going. Soon, she arrived at a grassy embankment on a cliff overlooking the ocean. She paused to wipe the tears from her eyes and glanced down at the bracelets on her wrists. With a shudder of fear, she clenched her eyes shut.

  Lost in her thoughts, she tried to concentrate on the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shore. It was a soothing sound. Just then, Diana heard another sound, an unfamiliar one. It sounded somewhat like a buzzing bee, but it was too loud. And it was getting closer. Diana opened her eyes and scanned the horizon. She was astonished to see a flying machine plummeting through the sky. Dark smoke was pouring from the rear of the plane.

  Diana’s sharp gaze focused on the front of the airplane. There was a man inside it, struggling to escape. Seconds later, the plane crashed into the ocean and sank beneath the surface.

  Without hesitation, Diana jumped from the high cliff hundreds of feet above the ocean and dove into the clear blue waters. The plane was already sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Water was pouring in through a jagged hole in the glass cockpit, and the pilot was struggling to break free. As the plane continued to sink and the light faded, the pilot started to lose consciousness.

  Suddenly, Diana appeared on top of the plane. She reached into the cockpit and grabbed the pilot. Bracing her feet against the falling airplane, she pulled the pilot free and carried him to the water’s surface. She easily hefted the unconscious man above the waves and swam to the shore. She then carried him to the warm, sandy beach and placed him gently on the ground.

  Diana leaned over the pilot and stared at him in wonder. He was the first man she had ever seen. He appeared to be a few years older than Diana. He was tall, muscular, and broad shouldered. She closely studied his mouth, lips, sandy-blond hair, and the stubble of his beard. His clothes appeared to be some sort of uniform, and he wore a leather bag over his shoulders.

  The man groaned softly, and then he opened his eyes, squinting in the bright sunlight. His first sight was Diana, leaning over him and studying his face.

  “Wow,” he said.

  Diana quickly backed away, startled by his deep voice.

  “You are a . . . man?” she asked.

  “Yes, I mean . . . ,” he began nervously. “Wait? Why do you ask? Do I not look like a man? Where am I?”

  “You are on Themyscira,” replied Diana.

  “Thema . . . what? Say it again?”

  “Who are you?” demanded Diana.

  Before he could answer, the earsplitting sounds of scraping metal filled the air. A giant German battleship had crashed into the sharp protective reef that surrounded Themyscira. The damaged ship began to sink, but three smaller landing boats emerged from the battleship and started heading toward the beach.

  “I’m one of the good guys,” said the man. “And those are the bad guys!”

  Diana looked confused, as she glanced from the man to the approaching boats.

  “You know . . . Germans,” said the man nervously.

  “Germans?” asked Diana, as she watched the three boats with fascination.

  “We gotta get out of here,” said the man, as he jumped to his feet and grabbed Diana’s hand to pull her away.

  A commanding voice filled the air.

  “Diana!” It was Queen Hippolyta.

  The man looked up on the cliffs to see Hippolyta on horseback. She was riding toward the beach. The Queen’s Guard rode behind her, dozens of armor-clad Amazons, and they were all pointing arrows directly at the man who was holding Diana’s hand.

  “Step away from her! Now!” commanded Hippolyta.

  The man turned to Diana and asked, “Where are their guns?”

  Two dozen more Amazon guards on horseback arrived behind Hippolyta. They aimed their arrows at the German boats.

  “Do they only have arrows?” asked the man. “We need guns. Because the Germans have guns. Lots and lots of—”

  Before he could finish his sentence, a torrent of flaming arrows sailed from the top of the cliff and smashed into the three boats.

  BLAM!

  The soldiers in the boats raised their rifles and began firing at the Amazons. They continued to fire as they waded to the shore and moved onto the beach.

  “Get down!” yelled the man next to Diana, as he pulled her out of the way. Bullets and arrows sailed above their heads. Together, they huddled behind a large rock at the edge of the beach.

  More Amazons appeared at the top of the cliff. They were led by the redheaded Amazon soldier Orana. She quickly surveyed the scene and shot a grappling arrow into the rock wall of a nearby cliff. Orana then swung down the line toward the beach, firing arrow after arrow at the approaching soldiers.

  Diana watched with amazement as a German soldier lifted his rifle and pointed it directly at Orana. Time seemed to slow down as the gun exploded and a bullet emerged. Diana could actually see the bullet as it soared through the air. She watched with horror as it hit Orana, killing her instantly.

  “No!” yelled Diana.

  The soldiers continued to fire toward the top of the cliff, killing two more Amazons. The soldier who killed Orana lifted his rifle again and pointed it at General Antiope. He squinted into his rifle’s scope.

  WHUNK!

  An arrow shot straight through the barrel of the rifle, killing the soldier.

  The furious voice of General Antiope filled the air.

  “Charge!” she called out, as a stampede of horsewomen charged through a massive stone archway onto the beach. Riding at the front alongside Antiope was Menalippe, her second-in-command. The two Amazons swung their swords, knocking over German soldiers who were then trampled by the horses.

  Diana jumped out from behind the rock and grabbed the sword and shield of a fallen Amazon. With a savage cry, Diana swung the sword and killed two more soldiers. The pilot grabbed one of the rifles and started shooting.

  Suddenly, Hippolyta arrived on the beach. She urged her horse to go faster as she charged into the battle. Her sword whistled in the air as she cut down a dozen soldiers at once. Hippolyta joined Antiope and Menalippe, and together the three Amazon warriors fought side by side. They ruthlessly slashed through the soldiers until there were only five left standing.

  “Shield!” yelled Antiope.

  Diana watched as Menalippe grabbed a shield in both hands and held it parallel to the ground. Antiope jumped off her horse and ran toward Menalippe. Antiope jumped onto the shield and launched into the air. As Antiope soared closer to the German soldiers, she fired four arrows at once, killing all but one of the soldiers. The one remaining soldier raised his rifle and pointed it directly at Diana.

  “Diana, look out!” yelled the pilot, as he pointed his gun at the German soldier.

  The sound of two guns exploding filled the air. Less than a second later, the soldier crumpled to the ground. The pilot’s bullet had killed him.

  As Diana looked across the beach, strewn with lifeless bodies—Amazon and soldiers alike—she dropped to her knees and started sobbing. So many friends had sacrificed their lives, but why?

  Hippolyta strode forward and pointed her hand at the pilot.

  “You!” she said accusingly.

  Diana looked up and protested, “Mother, no! He fought at my side against
the invaders.”

  “Typical,” said Antiope. “The man fights against his own people.”

  “They aren’t my people!” the man protested.

  “Then why do you wear a uniform of the same color as the invaders?” demanded Antiope.

  “Tell us!” threatened Artemis, as she moved closer to the man.

  He hesitated and said nervously, “I . . . I’m not at liberty to say.”

  “What is your name?” asked Phillipus.

  “I can’t tell you that, either,” he said.

  “We should kill him right now and be done with it,” said Artemis.

  “If he dies now, we know nothing about why they came here and who they are,” argued Phillipus.

  “Ladies, I’m sorry,” said the man. “I can only tell you one thing about me: I’ll never talk!”

  SIX

  Later that day, the queen ordered her closest advisers to join her in the throne room of the royal palace. Hippolyta sat on her throne and watched as Diana and four other Amazons formed a circle around the airline pilot. Antiope held a glowing, golden rope in her hands. The other end of the rope was tied tightly around the pilot, who struggled to free himself. Against his will, he began to speak.

  “My name is Captain Steve Trevor,” he said. “I’m a pilot. American Expeditionary Forces. Serial number 8121941. That’s all I’m at liberty to say. . . .”

  Antiope gave a tug on the lasso, which tightened around the pilot.

  “I’ve been working for British Intelligence,” he said reluctantly.

  Steve Trevor glanced down at the glowing rope that held him and asked, “What is this thing, anyway?”

  Diana stepped forward and said, “The Lasso of Hestia compels you to reveal the truth.”

  “It is pointless—and painful—to resist,” added Antiope.

  “What is your mission?” asked Queen Hippolyta.

  “Whoever you are, you’re in enough danger as it is. You shouldn’t . . . ouch!” Steve cried out as the lasso tightened again.

  “What is your mission?” demanded Hippolyta.

  Steve sighed unhappily and then admitted, “I’m a spy. British Intelligence got word that the leader of the German army, General Ludendorff, was visiting a secret military installation in the Ottoman Empire. I posed as one of their pilots, then flew in with them.”

  Steve took a deep breath and then continued, “According to our intelligence, the Germans had no troops left, no money, no munitions of any kind. But our reports were wrong. The Germans had the Turks making bombs for them. And not just bombs. They were making new weapons that were invented by Ludendorff’s chief psychopath, Doctor Isabel Maru. The boys in the trenches call her ‘Doctor Poison.’ She was working on a deadly gas that could actually melt a gas mask and kill a person within seconds. From what I saw, if Doctor Maru was able to complete her work, millions would die. The war would never end. I had to do something!”

  The Amazons looked at each other with puzzled faces.

  Steve continued, “I snuck into the lab where she was working, and I stole her notebook. It contained the formula for her poison gas. I jumped into a plane and was on my way back to London when the Germans shot me down over your island.”

  He stared at his leather bag, which was on the floor, inches away from Hippolyta’s throne. Diana reached into the bag and removed a small notebook.

  Steve said, “But if I can get those notes to British Intelligence in time, it might make a difference . . . stop millions more from dying . . . stop the war . . .”

  “War? What war?” asked Diana.

  Steve turned to face her and said, “The war to end all wars. It started in 1914. It’s been going on for four years. Twenty-seven nations, twenty-five million dead. Soldiers and civilians . . . innocent people . . .”

  His voice trailed off with sadness, and then he continued, “Women and children slaughtered. Their homes and villages looted and burned. Weapons deadlier than you can imagine. Like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s like . . . like the world is going to end.”

  “Take him to the infirmary,” said Hippolyta sternly.

  As two Amazon guards led Steve from the room, the other Amazons gathered around their queen.

  “Should we let him go?” asked Phillipus.

  “And risk him bringing more men to our shores?” said Hippolyta. “Phillipus, we should—”

  “Mother—” Diana interrupted.

  “We can’t hold him forever, my queen,” said Phillipus.

  “Excuse me, Mother. But after everything the man said, how can we doubt what we should do? The man called it a war without end. Millions of people already dead. Like nothing he’s ever seen. We cannot simply let him go. We must go with him.”

  Hippolyta stared at her daughter and said, “We are not deploying our army and leaving Themyscira defenseless to go and fight their war!”

  “It is not their war,” replied Diana. “You are the one who taught me that Zeus created man to be just and wise, strong and passionate.”

  “That was a story, Diana,” said Hippolyta. “There is much you do not know. Mankind is easily corruptible. We must cater to our wounded, honor our fallen!”

  “Themyscira has seen death for the first time, Mother,” said Diana. “Ares must not be allowed to threaten us again. We know only too well what happens if he finds us. And now mankind must be freed. As Amazons, this is our duty!”

  “You don’t know war like we do,” said Hippolyta, her voice rising in anger.

  “You may be afraid of war, Mother, but I am not,” Diana challenged.

  “Afraid? You know nothing of fear, child!” shouted Hippolyta. “Nothing of war. Nothing of pain. Nothing of sacrifice. So you will do nothing. Your queen forbids it!”

  SEVEN

  Under Queen Hippolyta’s orders, Steve Trevor had been confined to his room in the infirmary. An Amazon healer named Epione was stationed outside the door. The next morning, she looked up as Diana approached.

  “Is it true you saved his life?” asked Epione.

  “He told you that?” asked Diana.

  “He did,” replied Epione. “What will the queen do with him? Will she kill him?”

  Diana didn’t answer. Instead, she silently turned and entered the room. She was startled to see Steve Trevor stepping out of a bathtub. He was using a towel to dry himself when he suddenly heard a noise behind him. Steve spun around to see Diana. He hastily wrapped the towel around his waist.

  “Didn’t hear you come in,” he said with annoyance. “Didn’t hear you knock.”

  Diane eyed him with curiosity. Then she pointed to his wrist and asked, “What is that?”

  “It’s a watch.”

  “A watch,” she repeated.

  “My father gave it to me,” said Steve. “It’s been through everything with him, and now me, and it’s still ticking.”

  Diana leaned forward to listen to the ticking of the watch and asked, “Why?”

  “Because it tells time. So I know when to wake up, work, eat, sleep.”

  Diana asked with astonishment, “You let this little thing tell you what to do?”

  Steve sighed and then said, “Do you mind if I ask you a couple hundred questions? What is this place?”

  “Themyscira,” replied Diana.

  “I caught that before. I mean, what is this place? How come I’ve never heard of it? Who are you people? How do you all know English?”

  “We speak hundreds of languages,” said Diana. “We are the bridge to a greater understanding between all men.”

  Steve shook his head and said, “Funny, because I understand even less than before you walked in. But, hey, I didn’t get to say it earlier, but thanks for dragging me out of the water.”

  Diana smiled and said, “Thank you for what you did on the beach.”

  “So . . . are you here to let me go?” asked Steve.

  “I’m sorry. It’s not up to me,” said Diana. “I tried. I even asked them to send me with you . . . or anyon
e. An Amazon. The Amazons.”

  “The Amazons?” repeated Steve.

  “It is our sacred duty to defend the world . . . and I wish to go. But my mother will not allow it.”

  Steve nodded and said, “Can’t say I blame her. The way the war is going, I wouldn’t let anyone I care about near it.”

  Diana was puzzled.

  “Then why do you want to go back?” she asked.

  Steve thought for a moment and then said, “I don’t think want is the right word, but . . . I’ve gotta try. My father used to say, ‘You see something wrong in the world, you can either do nothing, or you can do something. And you already tried nothing.’”

  Diana pondered the words that Steve had just spoken.

  You can do something, she thought to herself.

  EIGHT

  Later that night, Diana made her way through the dark and deserted streets of Themyscira. She ran quietly toward a tall stone tower at the edge of town. The Amazon armory was located inside that tower, and Diana knew that it contained a vast collection of weapons and valuable items.

  Diana silently climbed a hillside next to the tower and hung back in the shadows. She glanced up at a single window at the top, several hundred feet above the ground. Two Amazons guarded the large wooden door at the base of the tower. Diana pondered her options. She could try to overpower the guards, but they were sure to call for help. She could jump from her hidden spot on the hillside, but the tower seemed so far away.

  With a determined sigh, Diana decided that she would have to jump. She started sprinting toward the edge of the hillside, one step faster than the other. She reached the edge of the hill and leaped over the abyss below her. She soared through the nighttime air, a smile of satisfaction on her face. The smile quickly turned to a frown as the dark tower loomed in front of her. She slammed into the side of the tower and frantically grasped at the rough stones in the wall with her hands until she found a place to take hold. She took a few moments to catch her breath, and then she looked up. The window was at least thirty feet above her.

  Gritting her teeth, Diana started to climb up the tower. She realized that by swinging her fist powerfully at the stone, she could create a handhold that allowed her to climb up the tower. Minutes later, she flipped herself up onto the ledge of the window and climbed into the room.