Wonder Woman – Volume 1 – 182

Synopsis

The street is filled with the noise of Tim’s gun as he unloads it just past where Diana and I Ching stand. He tells them to take that as a warning as next time he will not miss on purpose. With that he then climbs onboard Cyber’s helicopter with the jewels. He wishes them the best of luck and tells Cyber that as he relieves her of her ill gotten gains she should remember that crime does not pay. As he lifts off into the air Cyber replies that he will find out when next they meet.

Diana cannot believe Tim has betrayed them but I Ching reminds her that the sight of gold mutes many a conscience. The Amazon Princess then grabs Cyber by the arms as Ching detects the sounds of approaching engines. Suddenly from all sides Cyber’s girls converge upon them, mounted on snow mobiles. They are carrying sinister hooded falcons and Cyber orders Diana to release her as they are now surrounded.

Reluctantly Diana lets the villainess go and Cyber walks over to her girls and takes one of the falcons on her arm. She tells Diana and Ching that the birds remain harmless while they wear their hoods. But once removed they become deadly! She then makes them an offer – if Diana joins her in London they will live – if she refuses then they will be left to the mercy of the falcons and die in agony! Diana replies she would rather perish then live in corruption.

With that Cyber removes the hood as the other birds are similarly released. Cyber and her gang make their escape as the birds swoop down on the two heroes. I Ching tells Diana to use their karate blows and aim at the birds’ necks. Diana does as instructed and muses that her Chinese mentor has taught her well or else she would be dead by now. However, the human body is capable of only so much and she is reaching her limit.

Just then Ching is struck down and Diana sees that within seconds a falcon will be at his throat! She moves swiftly and knocks the bird off with a powerful blow. But Ching is not moving and she fears she may have been too late. Suddenly a car pulls up and a handsome man leans out of the window and offers to help. Diana says that her teacher is injured and needs a doctor. He replies that he has no medical training but he does have a first aid kit in his car.

As he tends to Ching he assures Diana that the old man seems to be simply suffering from mild shock. He introduces himself as Reginald Hyde-Whyte, or Reggie for short. Meanwhile, from a nearby hill top, Cyber watches events through a pair of binoculars. She smiles and thinks to herself that as she had predicted, Diana had managed to best the falcons. It is now up to Reggie – he must not fail!

After a few minutes Diana and Ching, who has now recovered, are riding in the back of Reggie’s car on their way to the airport and back to London. Reggie has arranged a private jet for some to expedite their trip and as they arrive at the private airfield Diana thanks him for his assistance. He says it is no trouble – he is very rich.

A few hours later they touch down in London and Reggie offers to be their guide in the city. As they hail a cab he recommends that Diana gets herself a new wardrobe as she is now in the swinging streets of London Town. He suggests a shop in Carnaby Street and Ching says he will will take the opportunity to visit an old friend in Soho while Diana shops. Perhaps his friend may have heard something about Cyber’s intentions here.

As Diana and Reggie disembark, they arrange to meet I Ching later before beginning a stroll along the fashionable streets of the British Capital. Diana sees some lovely clothes and is soon trying on various outfits. Reggie tells her he is happy to pick up the tab but Diana asks that she uses his money only on a loan basis. As he slips away to make a private phone and by the time he has returned Diana has a complete new wardrobe! Just then Diana overhears a couple of well to do women talking about a party being held by Lady Rothwell. All the most wealthy women will be attending and taking part in an organised treasure hunt. The Amazon Princess thinks to herself that here she is – in the same room as London High Society. It is as though she were in a Cary Grant movie!

Meanwhile in a dimly lit room on a winding back street in Soho, I Ching is chatting with his old acquaintance Won Lo. As they catch up on what has happened since they last met a young girl enters with their tea. Won Lo apologises for the inferior brew but it is the best he can get here in London. However, I Ching is more concerned about the strange ticking noise coming from the tea pot. Won Lo hears it too and turns to the girl, asking if this is some sort of prank. As his eyes become accustomed to the gloom he suddenly sees that the girl is an impostor!

I Ching instantly grabs the tea pot and throws it across the room just before it explodes! After the ear shattering explosion there is a long stillness before finally I Ching stirs amongst the rubble. He checks on his old friend only to find that Won Lo is dead. As he turns to where the treacherous girl lays buried under the debris he asks her why she has done this. She weakly murmurs that Cyber’s treasure hunt must be protected although she had assured the girl the bomb would not go off until she had safely left the building. As the girl passes away Ching muses that she has paid dearly for both her deceit and her trust in Cyber.

Wearily numbed with grief, the sage crosses the city to the Houses of Parliament where he had arranged to meet with Diana. She is late and the Chinese man begins to worry. Finally though, she arrives with Reggie and before she climbs out he tells her she is beautiful and he loves her. He wants to marry her as in the few hours he has known her she has become everything to him! He then leans forward and kisses her passionately and she reciprocates. I Ching clears his throat and Diana remembers why they are here! She apologises and the sage replies that too often the heart rules the mind. The Amazon Princess thinks to herself that as Wonder Woman she had perfect control of her emotions. As plain Diana Prince she is all too human!

I Ching then relates the incident at Soho and tells them what the girl had said about the “treasure hunt”. Diana replies that she had overheard a conversation about such a treasure hunt being held by Lady Rothwell. Reggie adds that he has heard of this Lady Rothwell although it is nonsense to think she is somehow involved with Dr. Cyber. I Ching asks Reggie if he can take them to meet Lady Rothwell and he agrees. Before setting off however, he takes a moment to purchase some flowers from a nearby street vendor and gives them to Diana “whose beauty pales that of the blossoms!”.

Ten minutes later they pull up outside Lady Rothwell’s abode. A maid greets them at the door and leads them into the study where Lady Rothwell waits them – with a gun! Reggie asks her if this is some sort of joke but Diana tells him that Cyber’s agents have no sense of humour. Lady Rothwell congratulates the Amazon Princess on deducing she is in the employ of Cyber and orders them to go through a nearby door and down the stairs. She locks them in a cell, hangs the keys on the far wall and returns upstairs. When the coast is clear Diana uses one of her special gadget bracelets to unfurl a mini grappling hook, which she uses to snare the keys and drag them across the floor.

She unlocks the door and the three of them race back upstairs to find the room is empty – their quarry has flown! Diana spots something on the floor and bends down to pick up a card with fancy writing on it. It is the first clue in the Treasure hunt. If they can figure it out they will at least know where the party went. Between them they manage to crack the clue and race to the next location which is a London Square. As they arrive however they are met by a reception committee of Cyber’s agents. Before they can raise their weapons though Diana explodes into furious action and disarms and incapacitates them!

They find a second clue painted on the edge of a fountain which they again deduce and which leads them to Mincing Lane, where the infamous “Jack The Ripper” had claimed his first victim. They race down the alley to a dead end, where they spot writing chalked on the wall. But before they can read the next clue more of Cyber’s agents leap down on them from above! The girls focus their energies on bringing Diana down and at first she gives them a run for their money. But I Ching shouts a warning too late as one of the agents clouts Diana over the head with the butt of her revolver. Pinning the unconscious Amazon to the ground and pointing their guns at her head, they order I Ching and Reggie to surrender.

Reggie and I ching, carrying the unconscious Diana between them, are led to a Tudor Mansion in the outskirts where a gloating Dr. Cyber is waiting for them. She says that they will not begin until Diana has regained consciousness as she wants the Amazon Princess to realise how she has been defeated and humiliated! A minute or so later Diana’s eyes flicker open and Cyber tells her that she has become an irritation and will be eliminated soon! Firstly though, she wants to explain the reason for staging this insane treasure hunt. Diana murmurs that she assumes Cyber will profit from it. Cyber nods and gestures behind her where a group of Lords and Ladies are being held hostage. She explains that the hunt was bait to lure the rich and famous here so she could relieve them of their jewellery. She has not yet decided if she will let them live afterwards or not.

As Cyber talks, Diana thinks to herself that she must do something because she knows the villainess is perfectly capable of murder. She feigns a wave of dizziness as a result of the blow to her head and pretends to faint. Suddenly she springs into life and pulls the rug that the unsuspecting Cyber is standing on from under her feet, sending her sprawling into her own agents. She tells Reggie to pick up their dropped weapons and cover them. However, although he does indeed pick up the guns he trains them on Diana and I Ching! Cyber congratulates him on a job well done as Reggie warns Diana not to try anything. He tells the horrified Amazon that Dr. Cyber is going to make her escape but without the jewels. When Dr. Cyber starts to protest he tells her to stop wasting time and to leave now, as he will only give her five minutes to get away. Then they are quits.

Reluctantly the villainess departs with her hoods, warning Reggie that they will never be quits until she gets her revenge for his betrayal. Once they are alone, Diana pieces it all together. When he made the phone call made while at the Boutique he was letting Cyber know where Ching was going to be. They followed the Chinese man and tried to assassinate him. And the flower girl he had purchased her bouquet from…she had been an agent of Cyber who had warned Lady Rothwell that they were coming. Reggie nods, replying that last year he had gambled away money belonging to his father’s bank. Cyber made good the loss and has been making him pay ever since, forcing him to run errands for her.

He lowers his guns and looks pleadingly at Diana, whose tear stained face stares incredulously at the treacherous man she had fallen in love with. Her expression slowly changes to one of hate and rage and she suddenly clouts him. As he staggers back she continues to unleash blow upon blow before finally knocking him to the ground. I Ching tries to hold her back as she advances on the stunned Reggie, telling her that a superior person holds their emotions in check. She snaps back at him, telling him to shut up as she is sick of his wisdom…sick of everything!

She rushes out of the house while I Ching desperately pleads with her to come back. But she yells back that she is never coming back before disappearing into the fog. A grim faced Ching makes a silent vow to make Dr. Cyber pay for her crimes against both him and the distraught Diana.

Meanwhile, in another dimension, another tormented soul cries out in her agony. On Paradise island, orders are given that Princess Diana must be summoned immediately as her mother desperately needs her…