The rain that had been pounding rhythmically against the airport roof had finally ground to a halt, to the relief of the tall, blonde man sitting at the bar. Justin Streiger swirled the soda around in his glass, nibbling on a few stale pretzels. He was enjoying the quiet while he waited for his plane to be called, until a young man jogged in to sit beside him, slamming his hand on the counter to get the bartender’s attention.
“Beer,” he called, showing many of his white, even teeth as he caught his breath. “And make it a quick one.” He looked over at Justin, then down to his drink, and back up to the man’s face. “What is that, coke? Man, what’s wrong with you?” he asked with a laugh.
Justin let out an easy laugh in return as the young man got his drink, and the smallest of glares from the bartender. “Just not a fan,” he said, indicating the glass that was already half-finished in the other man’s hand.
The young man pushed flowing brown hair out of his eyes, as if he expected several young women to come rushing toward him at the action. “Your loss.” He smiled his brilliant smile again, and stuck out a hand toward Justin. “Aristedes, by the way. But no one calls me that, just call me Ari.”
Justin shook his hand warmly. “Justin. Where are you headed?” he asked with polite interest.
Ari smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. “Got a gal who’s just gonna be dying to see me. Off to win the fair maid’s heart.”
Laughing again, Justin nodded. “Been there myself. Good luck to you.”
“Won’t need it,” replied Ari with a wink. “The ladies, they love me.” He drained his glass and set it back on the bar with a strong hand. “What about you? Going anywhere special? Some lady friend waiting to pick you up?”
“Well, no one waiting,” said Justin evasively as he shook up the ice in his glass. “Just an old debt I have to repay.”
“Ooh, listen to you, Mister Mysterious.”
Justin only gave an enigmatic smile, and crunched an ice cube between his teeth as the speaker system crackled to life. “Now boarding, flight 252 to Boston at gate B12. All passengers for flight 252 to Boston, please report to gate B12.”
“That’s my ride,” started Ari, only to find that Justin was already standing up. The two men met each other’s eyes for a moment, and then both laughed. Together, the two men walked through the airport to their plane, chatting contentedly as they went.
*****
In the last week, Diana had settled surprisingly well into the Kapatelis household. When she wasn’t helping Julia with her work, or accompanying Donna on her errands, Vanessa was nearly begging to spend time with her. The warmth and affection that had grown in the house since Doctor Psycho had left was strengthening, and very soon, Diana did not even feel the flashes of homesickness that had bothered her before.
It was time, she decided, to come clean.
Julia was happy for the distraction from her paper when Diana walked into her study late that night. “Come on in,” she said with a smile. “What’s up?”
Diana smiled back, but with a faraway look in her eyes. “You’ve been so kind to me, all of you, granting me a place in your home,” she started, wondering how best to explain herself.
Beaming at her, Julia said, “We couldn’t have done anything else, Diana. After what you did for our family, you deserve to be a part of it.”
Diana paused for just a moment before replying. “I thank you, deeply. And I am so happy to have found such dear friends And I think…I think that I shouldn’t keep my secret any longer, from you. I don’t know how long I could stand keeping it, anyway.”
“A secret, huh?” Julia swiveled her chair around to listen with intense interest. “Go on, then.”
“I barely know where to begin,” said Diana with a soft chuckle. “I suppose the beginning…my beginning. I want to tell you about…well, what I am.”
When Julia nodded, Diana continued. “Soon before my life began, my mother received a vision from the Gods. They wanted her to create me, and showed her how.”
(Editor’s Note: See the All-Stars Giant-Sized Special for details!) Diana broke off at Julia’s soft gasp and whisper, “Then they do exist…” But she noticed that the other girl had stopped, and pulled her attention back. “Go on, Diana. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.” Diana said and laughed, more anxious than Julia had ever seen her. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve never had to tell anyone before. My sisters all knew, but my mother told me I should keep it hidden in Man’s World, that people wouldn’t understand.”
“I’ll understand,” said Julia quietly. “I promise you, I’ll understand.”
“I was not born, as my mother and sisters were,” said Diana finally. She paused, and Julia bit her lip, refusing to say that she didn’t understand. “My mother was told of a thing called the Lazarus Pit, a piece of earth that our mother Gaea had blessed with life-giving properties,” Diana continued, the information rushing out of her now that she had begun to talk. “I’m told that men have used it to revive, when they have died. My mother used the clay from the pit to mold her daughter, twenty-two years ago. But Gaea’s gift wasn’t enough to create a true Amazon.”
“You seem true enough to me,” said Julia, listening intently to the incredible story.
Again, Diana smiled without her eyes. “Only because of this.” With nimble fingers, she unwound the golden lasso from where she kept it around her waist. Julia’s eyes followed the gently glowing rope as Diana held it in her hands.
“What is it?” the older woman asked. She reached out to touch it, but Diana’s look kept her hand at bay.
“The Thread of Life,” said Diana softly. “My fate, my Destiny…my soul.”
Both women were silent, as Julia took in this revelation. “I’ve…I’ve never heard of anything like it,” she said finally. “I mean, the legends, of course. But for it to be tangible, and separate.”
“It’s unique. My mother journeyed to the home of the Fates themselves to retrieve it. She told me the story of her quest many times,” Diana added fondly. “I used to ask over and over. She told me how the Fates had granted her the threads, and how she’d woven them into the lariat that I could keep with me. Without this, I would be no more than the clay that I was made of.”
“Amazing,” breathed Julia, looking at the woman in front of her with awe. “Truly an incredible story. I understand why you wished to keep it secret.”
“I’m not quite finished,” Diana cut in. She swallowed before she spoke again though, her heart starting to beat faster. If anyone could help her, she knew that Julia could…
“I seem real enough, like you said, but there’s always been…it’s not the same as being truly alive. I’ve always wished I could be, well, more real.”
Julia smiled. “A real girl, Pinocchio?”
Tilting her head slightly, Diana narrowed her eyes in confusion. “I’m afraid I don’t—“
“Just an old children’s story,” interrupted Julia, “I’ll find it for you later. But what do you want me to do?”
“I was hoping that you could help.” Diana leaned in just a little closer to Julia, looking straight into her eyes. “If you knew of any way…or if you would help me search. I will be Wonder Woman while I am in your world, but that wasn’t why I came here…I intend to search this world as far and wide as I can, although I hope I can still call your home my own. I believe that somewhere in Man’s World, there’s a way to make me whole.”
As she looked back into the dark, deep eyes, Julia wished she had a different answer. “I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I’ve never known anything like this. But I’ll be researching, I promise you that. If I come across anything, you’ll be the first to know. And of course this can be your home,” she added, “for as long as you want it to be.”
Diana nodded, and smiled. “Thank you, Professor…thank you, my friend.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” said Julia, smiling back. “I won’t even tell the girls if you don’t want.”
“I will tell them myself. You have all become like family to me.” Diana stood up and, after a brief hesitation, embraced Julia. “I know that you and your family can help me, if anyone can.”
“We’ll do our best,” Julia promised, hugging her like another daughter.
Diana broke away and left the room in high spirits, the weight of the secret lessened. Grateful for the trust that she had in all of the women in the house, she went to find them, and share the same tale of wonder.
*****
A few hours later, Donna Troy walked out of the bank with a small package in her arms, and hope in her heart. The nondescript brown paper packaging was covered in a light layer of dust, it had been sitting in her safe deposit box for so long. Donna lovingly brushed away the grey film and hugged the box as she walked back home.
She hadn’t seen them for years, but her mind’s eye knew exactly what the bracelets inside the box looked like. The silver glittered with different gems; she remembered rubies and emeralds, amethysts, sapphires, a few stones that she hadn’t known the names of when she put them away. They had always been so heavy to wear, and the strangest things had happened when she did. She couldn’t have been older than twelve or thirteen when she decided to lock the bracelets away forever, they had scared her so much.
But now…now, things were different. Now, there was Wonder Woman. Donna still shivered when she remembered the strange powers that had run through that silver, but now she was no longer alone.
And there was one more thought in Donna’s mind as she walked in through the door of the place she called home. These bracelets had been with her all of her life, the only relic of a past that Donna had never wanted to explore. But the knowledge of Diana’s quest made her wonder, if perhaps she should be questing, too.
*****
Laughing heartily, Justin and Ari walked into the blissfully stable airport together. Their time in the air had given the two men plenty of time to cement what was growing into a strong friendship already. A couple of hours worth of conversation did wonders to bring them together, and there was almost a sadness in Ari’s twinkling eyes when they had to part ways.
“I’ll be calling you, you got it? Once I’m settled in, we’ve got to check out the nightlife,” said the young man as he held up his cell phone and grinned.
Justin smiled, but his face grew more serious as they walked out the doors into Boston. “We’ll see. It’s been great, but I might be busy for a while. Stay in touch, though, Ari.”
“Ya know, you never really said,” Ari added to his new friend as they headed for the cab station. “What is it you’re doing here?”
“Just family business to attend to,” said Justin, still with an easy smile. “Nothing horrible. And not like you weren’t ‘Mister Mysterious’ about your lady friend.”
Ari laughed and winked, looking out at a gaggle of nearby girls from the corner of his eye. It was then that the first taxi pulled up to the station, and Justin gestured gallantly for Ari to take it. After a last handshake and good-bye, Ari climbed into the car and kept the door open.
“I can get any gal I’d ever want,” he boasted to Justin before he left. “But I feel like a challenge, and there’s a sweet reward. I hear Wonder Woman’s in town.”
Ari shut the door and pulled away with a last wink, leaving Justin on the curb, the smile fading slightly from his face.
*****
A soft knock cut through the afternoon quiet of Julia’s study, and for the second time in two days, she put her papers down and happily let herself be interrupted. “Come in.”
Vanessa poked her head through the door and stepped inside “Hey mom, can I ask something?”
“Of course dear, always.” Clearing a stack of books from one of her chairs, Julia beckoned her daughter over to sit down. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m good. It’s just, um…well, it’s about Grandma.” Vanessa looked up nervously at her mother.
Julia sighed, and sat back in her chair. “Go ahead, Nessie.”
“I was just thinking, with what Di was telling us, and then Donna went and got those weird bracelets back…it’s like everyone has something to look for, right? Everybody wants an answer.”
“Vanessa, you know what this subject means to me, and you know that if I had any answers I would have told you,” said Julia quietly.
“No, Mom, I know you don’t know. And that’s the point, right?” Vanessa spoke quickly and excitedly, anxious to be heard before she risked being tuned out. “That’s the answer we need. Who was she, what happened to her? Don’t you think we could be out there looking?”
“You are absolutely not going to go with Diana on her quests, if that’s what you’re asking.” Julia leaned forward. “I know how you feel, believe me, Nessie,” she added, at her daughter’s sad expression. “And don’t think that I don’t want to learn the truth as much as you do. But Diana is a warrior. You aren’t. I couldn’t let you put yourself in danger just for my answers. We don’t know what sorts of challenges Diana will have to face, but I remember stories of Wonder Woman. She’ll be far too busy beating up all those villains,” Julia added with a wry smile.
“We could at least tell her,” Vanessa protested. “I mean it wouldn’t be that hard to just look, would it? Between ass-kickings.” She ignored the look her mother gave her and pressed on. “We can just ask her to see if she finds anything when she’s out questing, and tell us when she gets back!”
For a moment, both mother and daughter were very quiet as Julia turned the idea over. But soon enough, she sighed and looked back at Vanessa. “She has more than enough to worry about with her own problems. I will not burden her with mine as well.”
“Well, what about that hunky cop, what about Steve? He’s gotta have connections, right? Maybe he can help us track Grandma down!”
“No, Vanessa.” Julia’s tone was final, but understanding. “This isn’t Agent Trevor’s problem either. It’s my own, and no one else’s. Not even yours,” she said, cutting off Vanessa before the girl could even get a word in. “I don’t want you to bother Steven and Diana about this, they both have much more pressing matters to attend to. I’m sorry, but I don’t want you to ask for their help.”
Vanessa nodded, a soft flush coming to her cheeks. “I guess you’re right…”
Julia stood and hugged her daughter before walking out of the room with her. “It was a good thought, Nessie. Thank you.”
*****
The three young women in the Kapatelis house were relaxing that afternoon, a new, shared understanding between them making it that much more enjoyable to spend time together. The TV was on, but all three were more absorbed in Diana’s toenails, which Vanessa had insisted on being able to paint shockingly pink. Donna sat curled in an armchair chuckling while Vanessa applied several coats of polish, and Diana sat placidly on the carpet; even Julia looked out the door of her study to smile at the scene.
“I can’t believe you’ve never painted them before!” Vanessa exclaimed, wiping some of the excess polish off of Diana’s toe. “I can’t imagine life without nail polish.”
“You couldn’t,” teased Donna, rolling her eyes and smiling.
But Diana was no longer watching Vanessa’s hands; whatever show was on the television had been interrupted by a news report. A frazzled-looking anchor was hurriedly straightening his notes, and Diana listened closely when he spoke. “Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the interruption. We’re going to take you live to Boston, where a breaking news story is just unfolding. Stacy, can you tell us what’s going on up there?”
“Thanks, Brad,” said a blonde woman, who looked over her shoulder before turning back to the camera. “I’m here live at the scene of one of the most dangerous situations this city has seen in years. Behind me, a branch of an Islamic fundamentalist group has taken over what I hear is a meeting of the local chapter of the Jewish Defense League. There have been no shots fired as of yet, but no one is being allowed to leave the building, and negotiations do not seem to be having any effect on the situation.”
As the news broadcast continued, Donna saw the dark fire starting to burn in Diana’s eyes. “Looks like a job for Wonder Woman, don’t you think?”
Diana looked over at Donna, and for the first time, the latter understood exactly what had made a the name Wonder Woman a legend. “My mother’s legacy is the preservation of peace in Man’s World. I’ve got to go.” Diana stood up and sprang for the door.
“You aren’t running, are you?” All three girls turned to see Julia holding up her car keys in the doorway. “I’ll drive.”
Diana began to protest. “I can go by myself, I don’t know what’s out there—“
“Which is all the more reason to get there quickly. So get in the car,” said Julia.
“I’m going, too.” Donna followed the professor, looking back at Diana and motioning for her to go forward.
“You’ll be in danger,” Diana protested.
“Diana’s right, you stay here with Nessie. No protests!” ordered Julia when Donna opened her mouth. “I will not be worried for either of your safety and there is no time for argument!”
Donna nodded, and Vanessa breathed a silent sigh of relief. Grateful for the cooperation, Julia headed for the garage with Diana close at her heels. Together the two women sped toward the scene.
*****
The explosive tension hung thick in the air when Wonder Woman arrived. For the first few moments, nothing seemed to have changed. Diana jumped out of the car to look around, trying to assess the situation and decide what needed to be done.
But the quiet of the scene didn’t last. At first, hearing the noise, Diana flinched, wondering if she had arrived too late, if the violence had already begun. But the sound reached her ears, and worked its way into her mind.
“Wonder Woman!”
“Oh my god, look! It’s her!”
“I knew it, I knew she’d come!”
“Momma, I want bracelets like those!”
Julia’s soft laughter brought Diana’s focus back away from the growing crowd. “It’s just like it was before,” she said quietly, looking over the bright, hopeful colors in Diana’s costume. “Just wait until you see what it’s like when you’ve won.”
From a tall window of the building before them came a sudden crash, and the screams of people dodging shards of falling glass. A tall figure stood looking out at the world, stock still as he watched the movement below him. Diana gasped and jumped out of the way, and Julia ran back into the car for cover. With one more look back at her friend, Diana steeled herself for battle, and stepped forward into the fray.
People all around her screamed as the figure jumped down, landing heavily on the pavement after an impossible fall. Diana started to step forward, a hand outstretched to help. The man was stretched on the ground, more as if he were relaxing than he had just fallen. He wore a bright red jacket that seemed oddly thick, as though it were armored. His head was covered by a silver helmet, with a red circle containing the old offensive symbol on his forehead. The word “Nazi” ran through every mind, and more than a few of the spectators seemed quite happy to think the man dead. Whispers washed over the crowd as people pushed forward to see, all wanting to be the eye-witness to whatever was going on.
Then the figure sat up, and Diana spotted the small particle cannon that was glowing brightly over his hand, pointed straight at her face.
“Everyone get back!” She shouted, but not before the blast went off. In the sudden burst of light and heat, it was all that Diana could do to throw up her arms, her silver bracelets crossed in front of her as a makeshift shield. She didn’t expect much to happen, and cursed her own cowardice as she imagined the blast shattering, a hundred beams racing for a hundred innocents…
And then the crowd cheered, and Diana opened her eyes. The weapon’s energy had absorbed into her bracelets, shielding every bystander from harm. The man had gotten to his feet, frowning at her through the hole in his mask, and slowly the cheers died down.
“Not bad,” said the man, stepping closer to Diana and calculating every move carefully. “But can you do it again?” And before she had the chance to collect her thoughts, Diana was forced to shield again—the gun mounted on his hand let off another dangerous blast. Spectators ran backward, blocking each other from leaving as they all raced for the same streets to exit. Diana looked back for only a moment, but resolved to keep her focus on the man who cared nothing for the crowd.
“What do you want here?” Diana asked, her voice clear and ringing over the shouts and running feet. A thought came to her as she remembered the news broadcast. “You’ve caused this stand-off, haven’t you? You wanted the fighting.”
The man shrugged. “I needed something to draw you out. Had there been any fighting, it would only have been better. Perhaps they could have done some good for the world and wiped each other out.” He spoke quietly, glancing up at the window with an astounding lack of malice in his eyes.
“How could you say that?” She asked quietly, stepping just a little bit closer, keeping on her guard. “How many people up there could have been hurt, or killed, and you’d just think—“
“It isn’t about them.” The man started to pace around Diana, countering each of her steps with one of his own. “I had a job to do. All that I did was use a few tools to do so.” Bright blue eyes looked out at her past the silver mask, and Diana kept her face steeled as the man continued. “Now step down quietly, and I can do my work without putting all of these people in danger.”
“Because you care so much about innocent life,” Diana shot back at him, dark eyes searching out strategies. “What is it you want? Who are you?”
“Red Panzer,” came the soft voice, and the eyes behind the mask hardened slightly. “I have my orders. I’m here to get rid of you.”
With that, Diana lost any hope of talking through the situation. Panzer charged, rushing toward her with fists ready, and she only just managed to duck her head out of the way in time. As it was, one armored fist slammed into her shoulder, knocking her off balance and sending up new shouts from the remaining crowd. As soon as Diana got back on her feet, she had to dodge another punch that came flying toward her stomach. She ducked to the ground and rolled out of the way, but gasped to see the huge opening that she had given Panzer toward the bystanders. He looked at her with a focused gaze, stepping closer to the woman on the ground.
But this time, Diana was ready. When Panzer approached, she kicked out into his ankle, using her momentum to stand and sending him down in her place. Another cheer rose up from those brave enough to stay, and for a moment Diana could feel the triumph rising in her chest.
The moment passed when Panzer’s gun went off again, this time in the direction of Julia’s car.
“No!” Diana shouted, running for the blast, even as Panzer came around behind her to take aim again. Her eyes saw only the deadly beam racing for her friend, getting too close, Julia’s eyes behind the wheel growing wider—
“Behind you!”
Diana turned at the shout just in time; another shot had fired straight for her, and she threw up her shield again, this time glaring at Panzer with all of the anger and rage that she felt. And this time, the bright beam didn’t dissolve. Instead, it bounced off of the silver bracelets around her wrists, flying straight back toward its source. With satisfaction, Diana saw the blue eyes flinch as Panzer’s own weapon hit him square in the chest and sent him crashing into the brick building behind him.
She turned back quickly to look at the car, fearing the worst. But where there could have been a wreck of a car, there was only a smoldering hole in the trunk, and a young man standing with a hand on the metal, leaning over unconcernedly. He wore a clean, white toga, similar to what Diana’s sisters used to wear, but tailored perfectly to the man’s athletic body. A simple mask covered his eyes, and a leafy gold laurel held back flowing brown hair. He grinned widely to see the look on Diana’s face when she noticed the soft, golden cape around his broad shoulders.
“Don’t worry,” he said, walking up to her and anything but ignoring the stares. “I pushed it to safety. It’s all out of your hands now.” The newcomer stuck out a hand for Diana to shake. “I’m Olympian. I’m here to help.”
Diana moved to shake his hand, but spun around quickly on an instinct in time to see Panzer climbing shakily to his feet. She nodded at Olympian and rushed forward, but found herself neck and neck with the young man as they both rounded on the villain. The cannon over his hand had stopped glowing, due to a long crack in the metal. There was a cut on Panzer’s face, and an unfocused look in his eyes.
“Supposed to…protect me,” he muttered, one hand grabbing at the silver mask around his head. Diana took her chance and grasped his wrist, pulling his arm behind his back to restrain him. To her surprise, Panzer no longer seemed to be fighting. He merely sank to his knees with his hands folded behind him, looking up at Olympian in a sad sort of way.
The young man laughed triumphantly, as though the victory were his. “No villain can withstand this team, especially not a piece of Nazi scum like this! Now let’s see who you really—“
“Ari.”
Olympian went suddenly silent when Panzer spoke that name, and he ripped off the silver cowl without any other word. Tousled blond hair came into view as the silver lifted away, and suddenly the bright blue eyes were far too familiar. Aristedes looked back at Justin Streiger, the domino mask not enough to conceal his shock, or his identity.
“I see you found your fair maid,” said Justin, trying to offer a smile. But Ari wouldn’t look him in the eye.
As the two men stood in silence, Diana looked up gratefully at the whine of a police siren making its way through the crowd. Olympian shook his head and strode off toward the officers. “Lock this villain away,” he told them loudly, “I don’t want to see him loose on our streets again!”
“Ari, I’m just doing my job,” Justin called, even as Wonder Woman handed him off, and he was shoved roughly into the police car. “Good luck,” he yelled out before the door closed, his eyes soft and pleading as he sped away.
The people around them finally filtered away as the action wound down. Inside the building, all offenders were taken into custody and carted away, and finally, only Diana, Julia, and Olympian still stood on the now-quiet street.
“Just want you to know I’m not affiliated with him,” said the young man, walking over to Julia’s damaged car with a jaunty smile plastered on his face. “Just someone I thought I knew, you know. Never would have thought—but sorry about your car, Ma’am,” he added, nodding toward Julia and adjusting the laurel wreath on his head.
“Not at all,” said Julia distractedly, as she sat on the hood.
Diana stepped up to Ari and offered her hand again. “Thank you for your help. I appreciate it. But I’ve never known a man to have that kind of strength,” she added, smiling at him.
Ari grinned back and flourished his cape. “You should recognize it. I’m not like other men.”
Julia gasped, but it was Diana who spoke first. “The Golden Fleece! But it can’t be, how could you have it?”
“Jason’s own,” Ari bragged, swishing the fleece in the air. “Maybe I’ll tell you the story someday. I’ve got a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of each other,” he winked.
Diana chuckled. “Alright. Thank you again.” She smiled, and once again shook the strong hand that was offered to her.
Aristedes grinned back, thoughts of Justin pushed out of his mind by the beauty before him. He had rescued his damsel and saved the day, like any hero should; before long, she should be falling over herself for him. Life sure was good.
