Wonder Woman

by Steve Korte

  Diana looked up at the tower and said, “It’s too high.”

  Steve bent down and picked up a piece of metal debris from the ground. He reached over and tapped her shield with his hand. A look of comprehension filled Diana’s face. She suddenly remembered how Antiope had used her shield during the battle on Themyscira.

  Steve held the metal plate parallel to the ground and motioned to Diana that he was ready. Diana began running toward Steve. She jumped up onto the plate and launched herself into the air.

  The German sniper on top of the tower gritted his teeth and peered through the scope of his rifle, watching the activity below him. He tensed his finger and began to squeeze the trigger.

  POW!

  Diana’s shield smashed into the sniper before he could fire his rifle. The man toppled over the edge of the tower and landed on a nearby rooftop. The few remaining German soldiers ran from the town square and were quickly captured by the British troops.

  A loud cheer erupted from the grateful townspeople, as they slowly emerged from their battered buildings. Diana looked down from atop the bell tower, searching for Steve. He was standing by himself at the edge of the town square, staring up at her, a look of awe on his face.

  It was nearing dawn, and Diana emerged from the tower to join Steve and his companions. A grateful photographer motioned for them to gather together in the town square so that he could take their picture.

  The five teammates stood together in the center of town. Their clothes were covered with mud, and their faces showed the weariness of the past day’s battles. Diana stood in the middle of the group, a cloak barely covering her Amazon armor. A fierce look of determination filled her face. It was as if she knew that an even bigger battle still lay ahead of them.

  FOURTEEN

  Later that day, Steve and his teammates crowded into the lobby of a small inn. It was the only building in Veld that still had a working telephone.

  “We’re in Veld,” Steve shouted into the phone. “Tiny village. It’s probably not even on the—”

  From the War Office in London, Etta Candy quickly interrupted Steve. “Found it,” she said.

  “Have you found Ludendorff’s operation?” asked Steve.

  “Not yet, but we’ve located Ludendorff,” replied Etta. “And lucky you, he’s only a few miles away . . . at German High Command.”

  “German High Command?” repeated Steve.

  “Intel reports that Ludendorff is hosting a gala tomorrow night,” said Etta. “The kaiser himself will be there. As will Doctor Maru.”

  “Actually, the gala is a perfect cover,” said Steve.

  Sir Patrick’s loud voice boomed through the phone.

  “Captain Trevor, you are under no circumstances to attend that gala tomorrow,” he said. “It’s too risky.”

  “Sir, this is our chance to find the gas and learn how Ludendorff plans on delivering it,” Steve argued. “It may be our only chance. Our last chance!”

  “I forbid it,” said Sir Patrick. “Do you hear me, Steve?”

  Steve held his hand over the phone’s receiver and said, “I’m sorry, sir. You’re breaking up.”

  “Steve? Are you there . . . ?” yelled Sir Patrick, before Steve hung up the phone.

  Steve turned to Sammy and said, “Sameer, I need you to rustle me up a German uniform.”

  “Already done,” said Sammy. “Now you and Diana need to relax. There’s nothing we can do until the party tomorrow night.”

  Steve looked up to see that Diana had stepped through the door. He stood up and followed her. He found her standing outside the inn, staring up at the sky with a puzzled look on her face. It had started to snow.

  “It’s a snowfall,” explained Steve.

  Diana’s expression filled with wonder as she watched the snowflakes drifting to the ground.

  “It’s magical,” she said with awe.

  Steve smiled and said, “You’re right. Would you care to dance?”

  Diana gingerly nodded yes, and they began to dance slowly beneath the swirling snow. Diana turned to Steve and asked, “Is this what people do when there are no wars to fight?”

  “This and other things,” said Steve.

  “What things?”

  Steve shrugged and said, “I don’t know. They . . . they make breakfast.”

  “What else?”

  “Read the newspaper,” said Steve. “Go to work. They . . . get married. Maybe have babies, grow old together.”

  Diana pondered for a moment and then asked, “What is it like?”

  “No idea,” admitted Steve.

  “Maybe . . . once this war ends, there will be time to learn about . . . all kinds of things,” Diana said.

  Steve leaned closer to her and said wistfully, “I hope you’re right.”

  The next day, Diana and her companions began to journey down the muddy road outside Veld. The grateful villagers had given them five horses. Steve was now wearing a German officer’s uniform, which caused Charlie and Sammy to occasionally snicker.

  “Guys, I’m fully aware that I said this job was only two days—” began Steve.

  “You would get lost without us,” interrupted Chief.

  “Yeah, we know Diana is capable of looking after herself, but I’m worried you wouldn’t make it,” added Sammy.

  Steve frowned and said, “There’s no more money, boys.”

  “We’ve been paid enough,” said Sammy.

  Charlie appeared to be hesitating, so Diana rode over close to him.

  “If you’re coming, Charlie, perhaps you’ll tell us another joke. Remind us what we’re fighting for.”

  “Oh no!” said Sammy. “Don’t encourage him!”

  “Laughter is the best medicine,” Diana continued.

  A smile filled Charlie’s face and he began to tell a joke. The other men groaned as they continued to travel down the road.

  After a few miles, Charlie and Sammy approached Steve. Diana was riding far ahead of them.

  “So, Steve,” said Charlie. “You’re saying that she’s a real-life Amazon?”

  “And there’s a whole island of women like her?” asked Sammy. “And not a single man among them? How do we get there?”

  “Sorry, boys,” said Steve. “You’re not their type.”

  “It’s crazy,” argued Charlie. “It can’t be true.”

  “You saw what she did out there,” said Sammy. “The way she charged that nest of machine guns. The way she took out that tower. Maybe it’s true!”

  Charlie turned to Sammy and said, “You don’t really believe all this rubbish, do you?”

  After a few miles, the five companions drew closer to a giant chateau at the edge of a forest. They moved their horses off the road and took cover behind the trees. Steve stared through a pair of field glasses.

  “There are dozens of German guards stationed outside the chateau,” he said. “This must be the German High Command.”

  Steve shifted his field glasses to view a long line of limousines arriving at the front of the chateau.

  “And those must be the guests for the gala,” said Steve. “How in the world are we going to get in?”

  “The way in is through the gate,” said Chief.

  “Thank you, Chief, for that ancient tribal wisdom,” Charlie said sarcastically. “That’s very helpful.”

  Chief sighed and climbed down from his horse. He handed the reins to Sammy and wandered deeper into the forest.

  Charlie peered through the scope of his rifle and said, “If you could get through the gate, I only see one guard at the door to distract.”

  “It won’t look at all suspicious when I come sauntering out of the woods on foot—” began Steve.

  “I could get in,” said Diana quickly.

  Steve frowned and said, “You’re not going in. It’s too—”

  “Dangerous?” challenged Diana.

  “I know how to do stealth,” said Steve. “I’ve been doing it my whole life. I’ll follow them to
wherever they’re working on Maru’s poison gas. Or better yet, find out where it is. Plus, we can’t make a scene.”

  “I can be stealthy,” argued Diana.

  “Diana, what you’re wearing doesn’t exactly qualify as undercover,” said Steve, as he pointed to her Amazon armor. “There’s no way to get you in. Let me scout it out and report back. Worst case, we follow Ludendorff when he leaves, and you can use that magic lasso of yours to get him to tell us where the gas is. You have to trust me, Diana.”

  Suddenly, a gleaming yellow Rolls-Royce rolled into the forest. Chief was sitting behind the steering wheel.

  “Where did that come from?” asked Steve.

  Chief pointed behind him and said, “Field over there is full of them.”

  Sammy started jumping up and down with excitement and said, “Ooooh! Can I drive it? Please, let me drive it. I’ll be your chauffeur!”

  Steve nodded at Sammy and climbed into the backseat of the car. Sammy happily jumped into the driver’s seat.

  Steve leaned out the window and said, “Diana. Please, stay put!”

  The car pulled out onto the road and headed toward the chateau.

  Charlie turned to his companions and said, “We should scout the area. In case we need to beat a hasty retreat. What do you think, Diana?”

  He turned around. Diana was gone.

  “Uh-oh,” said Charlie.

  The Rolls-Royce joined the other cars lining up outside the chateau and slowly moved toward the checkpoint gate at the entrance. Sammy turned to Steve with a nervous look on his face.

  “We’re in trouble, Steve,” he said. “The guests have invitations.”

  Locked in by the other cars, though, Sammy had no choice but to drive up to the entrance. A German guard reached out, waiting for Sammy to hand over an invitation.

  Thinking fast, Sammy reached out both of his hands and grabbed the guard’s hand.

  “Dhanyavaaad, sahib,” Sammy greeted the guard warmly. “The colonel and I wish many blessings and all manner of other things to fall upon your head.”

  The surprised guard pulled his hand free and turned to look at Steve in the backseat of the car. Steve leaned forward to angrily yell at Sammy.

  “And your head is empty!” said Steve. “He wants my invitation, you idiot!”

  Sammy lowered his eyes in shame and said, “I must apologize a thousand times, my masters, for my most horrid, wretched, and unworthy soul has lost the colonel’s invitation!”

  “We drive hours through this mud and filth!” Steve fumed. “You’re a disgrace!”

  “I am a snail,” agreed Sammy. “No, a bug! No, the dung of a bug . . .”

  The bewildered German guard, looking back and forth at the two men, raised his hand to wave them forward. As they pulled forward, Sammy glanced in the rearview mirror and grinned at Steve.

  “Blessings be upon us,” he whispered.

  At the front of the chateau, Sammy opened the car door for Steve.

  “Keep the car running, sahib,” Steve said sternly. “And no joyriding.”

  As Steve entered the chateau, another figure was watching from the shadows at the edge of the building. It was Diana, and she shifted her cloak over her shoulder to conceal her Amazon armor. She studied the exterior of the chateau, looking for another entrance.

  Just then, Diana heard the insistent honking of a car horn behind her. She turned around to see a young woman sitting in the backseat of a limousine. She had long blond hair and was wearing a beautiful blue gown. The woman was leaning over her driver, angrily honking the car’s horn in an effort to get the line of cars in front of her to move faster.

  “I am not spending the entire evening out here, you idiots,” she declared. “Move your cars! I said, move!”

  With a frustrated growl, the woman emerged from her car and marched up the driveway to the chateau. When she drew closer to the building, Diana stepped out of the shadows.

  “What are you supposed to be?” said the surprised woman, as she viewed Diana’s outfit.

  When Diana didn’t answer, the woman pushed past her and said, “Out of my way.”

  Diana put a hand on the woman’s shoulder and studied her closely. Diana realized that they were almost the same height. She tightened her grip on the woman’s shoulder.

  “What are you doing?” said the outraged woman. “Guards!”

  Diana delivered a quick martial-arts blow to the woman’s neck. The woman instantly lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

  That was actually . . . fun, Diana thought to herself, as she crouched down next to the woman and touched the fabric of the blue gown she was wearing.

  FIFTEEN

  Inside the chateau, Steve walked along the edges of the party, trying to avoid contact with any actual German officers. At the foot of a staircase, he saw a crowd gathered around Kaiser Wilhelm II, the emperor of Germany. At the other end of the room, Steve spotted General Ludendorff speaking with Doctor Maru. Steve edged closer, hoping to overhear their conversation.

  “They are starting to ask where Von Hindenburg and the others are,” whispered Maru.

  Ludendorff sneered and said, “Soon it won’t matter.”

  “But, General—” protested Maru.

  “We continue as planned,” insisted Ludendorff. “Now go. I have people to tend to beyond you.”

  As the general strode across the room, Steve moved closer to Doctor Maru.

  “Excuse me,” he said.

  Maru turned around to look at Steve. She saw that he was holding two glasses and was offering one to her.

  “I don’t drink,” she said, as she studied his face. “Have we met?”

  “No, but I’ve been watching you,” Steve said, and then quickly added, “Following your career, I mean. You’re Doctor Isabel Maru. The most talented chemist in the German army. I’m a fan.”

  Maru smiled back at Steve.

  “Perhaps you could show me what you’re working on,” he continued. “I hear it’s extraordinary.”

  “And who are you?” Maru asked warmly.

  “A man who would show you the appreciation a genius like yourself deserves,” Steve said, as he moved closer to her. “A man who could . . .”

  Steve’s voice trailed off, as he noticed another woman approaching him. The woman was wearing a beautiful blue gown, and her dark hair was pulled back behind her neck. It was Diana!

  Maru followed Steve’s gaze and noticed how closely he was looking at Diana. Maru frowned and backed away from Steve.

  “I appreciate your interest in my work, but I am loyal to General Ludendorff,” she said. “Besides, I see now your attention is elsewhere.”

  Steve sighed and turned around to confront Diana. To his dismay, he saw that she was talking to Ludendorff.

  “Enjoying the party?” asked Ludendorff, as he leaned in closer to Diana.

  “I confess, I’m not sure what we are celebrating,” Diana said coldly.

  “A German victory, of course,” said Ludendorff, as he reached out his hand to invite her to dance. Diana reluctantly took his hand and followed him onto the dance floor.

  “Victory?” asked Diana. “I heard that the German army just lost Veld. There are rumors that peace is very close.”

  “Peace is only an armistice in an endless war,” said Ludendorff, drawing her closer to him.

  “Thucydides,” said Diana.

  Ludendorff was impressed.

  “You know your ancient Greeks,” he said. “They understood that war is a god. One that requires human sacrifice. And in exchange, war gives man purpose. A chance to rise above his petty, mortal little life and be better than he is.”

  “Only one of the many gods believed in that,” declared Diana, as she pulled away from Ludendorff. “And he was wrong.”

  “You know nothing about the gods—” began Ludendorff.

  A voice interrupted him. It was a German soldier, nervously standing a few feet away.

  “General?” he said.

>   Ludendorff bowed to Diana and said, “My apologies. You’ll excuse me.”

  As Ludendorff walked away, Steve rushed over to Diana and grabbed her hand. He pulled her onto the dance floor and whispered angrily in her ear.

  “What are you doing?” he demanded. “You agreed to wait.”

  “You agree to do things all the time and then don’t do them,” Diana responded, as she pulled her hand free. “Let me go!”

  “You can’t kill Ludendorff inside German High Command,” said Steve, as he reached for her other hand. “I can’t let you do this.”

  “What I do isn’t up to you,” Diana angrily replied.

  Using just her fingertips, she pushed Steve away from her. He almost toppled to the floor.

  Diana ran out of the room, searching for Ludendorff. Steve was close behind her.

  When Diana emerged from the back of the chateau, she looked around, searching for Ludendorff. She saw him climbing into an armored transport vehicle. Maru and four soldiers were already inside the vehicle.

  “To the airfield . . . now!” commanded Ludendorff.

  The vehicle sped down the road.

  “Diana!” yelled Steve as he ran out of the chateau. He looked around, but there was no sign of her.

  Suddenly, he heard a sound in the nearby forest. It was Diana riding her horse. Her Amazon armor glinted in the moonlight. She had ripped off her blue dress, and its tattered remnants floated to the ground behind her. She raced off in pursuit of Ludendorff.

  Steve stood in the road, watching helplessly as Diana galloped after the general. He had failed in his mission, and Diana had left him behind. Ludendorff and Maru were free to launch an attack of the poison gas.

  Steve pondered his options. Then he ran toward the dark forest and disappeared from sight.

  SIXTEEN

  A security post stood at the entrance to the German High Command airfield. The three guards in the security post barely had a chance to look up as the armored vehicle carrying Ludendorff sped past them and drove onto the airfield. The vehicle screeched to a halt in front of the airfield’s control tower. Ludendorff and his companions quickly entered the base of the tower.

  Five minutes later, a very different visitor arrived at the security post. It was Diana atop her galloping horse. The guards jumped to their feet to block her way, but Diana reached down with both arms and knocked the guards aside like they were bowling pins.