Wonder Woman – Volume 1 – 187

Synopsis

The issue opens with Diana Prince cradling a wounded I Ching in her arms and staring up at the individual responsible for shooting him. Sobbing, she asks why they have done this as surely they know who he is. The woman with the gun is joined by another shadowy figure who Diana instantly recognises in wide eyed shock. We then see the events that have lead up to this scene…

A few days earlier the phone had rung in Diana’s apartment and I Ching had answered the call. He accepts the long distance call from Hong Hong and hears the voice of his old friend Chauen-Lee. He listens intently and then responds that he will come right away. I Ching hangs up and asks Diana to pack his bags for him as he needs to go to Hong Kong to help an old friend immediately. As she does so he attempts to reserve an airline seat but finds them all fully booked. Frustrated, he suddenly has an idea and telephones an old acquaintance of his named Patrick McGuire, who runs a freight airline and coincidently happens to be flying to Hong Kong that day. Patrick agrees to take I Ching along and Diana adds that he needs to make room for two passengers as she intends to come along too.

An hour later Diana gives Cathy final instructions with regards to running the shop in her absence before boarding the taxi with I Ching. As they make their way to the Air Freight Terminal Ching explains that Patrick had been a pilot during the war. He had been shot down over China but fortunately some friends and I Ching had found him before the enemy did. Patrick feels obliged to repay the Chinese Man for saving him and has thus offered to fly them to Hong Kong, but I Ching reminds Diana that it will be aboard a freight plane so will not be the most comfortable of flights!

They finally arrive at the hanger and are greeted by Patrick. He greets his old friend warmly and Diana thanks him for helping them. As he leads them onto the plane he says that he is happy to help Ching anyway he can because without the Chinese Man, Patrick would not have been here today. He then introduces them to another passenger who is hitching a lift on his plane. He presents a young Chinese woman named Lu Shan who tells them that she will be glad for the company.

Soon the giant cargo plane claws its way into the night sky and leaving the co-pilot to manage things for a while, Patrick treats his guests to some champagne. Hour after hour the plane drones on, stopping only once for fuel before continuing the long flight to Hong Kong. As the hours pass the passengers drift off to sleep and a few minutes later the side of a large crate silently slides open. A furtive figure followed by others sneak out on silent feet, their weapons ready.

Suddenly Diana, I Ching and Lu Shan are rudely awakened by a hissed command form the leader of the thugs, ordering them not to move or make a sound. He points his gun at the girl and says to her that she knows what they are here for and demands to know where it is. She spits back “Never!” and he casually moves to the wall and flicks the switch which opens the outside hatch door. Thankfully the plane is not flying high enough for the open door to have any adverse effects on the passengers through lack of oxygen. However, the lead thug warns Lu Shan that if she does not co-operate he will throws her out of the plane!

As two thugs grab Lu Shan and force her towards the opening, the remaining thug keeps his gun trained on Diana and I Ching. But not wanting to miss the fun of Lu Shan’s predicament, he momentarily turns his head to watch. Diana and I Ching grab their opportunity and leap into action! Diana kicks the thug in the face sending him reeling and causing him to pull the trigger. The gun goes off harmlessly but alerts Patrick in the cockpit to the commotion. As he opens the cockpit door, demanding to know which fool is shooting a gun inside the craft, he sees Diana and I Ching fighting for their lives.

Diana clouts another of the thugs as he tries to shoot her. He misses but his bullet streaks through the open cockpit door and hits the co-pilot. As he pitches forward the plane lurches sideways sending everyone aboard tumbling. The thugs plummet out through the open hatchway but Lu Shan manages to cling on for dear life. Diana and I Ching are also able to grab hold of something to stop themselves sliding towards the exit, while Patrick clambers back towards the cockpit. He manages to right the plane allowing Diana to grab hold of Lu Shan and drag her back inside.

As I Ching comforts the Chinese girl, Diana goes forward to the cockpit and dresses the wounds of the injured co-pilot. As Patrick steers them onwards towards Hong Kong, Diana makes her way back into the cargo hold and stumbles over the dead body of one of the thugs who had obviously been accidentally shot by one of his comrades. She checks his corpse and sees a strange marking on the palm of his hand, like a cat’s eye. I Ching sees her looking at the body and she tells him what she has found. On hearing the description of the tattoo, Lu Shan explains that it is a Tiger’s eye and that they must have been members of the Tiger Tong gang, trying to steal her employer’s treasure. She adds that the Tiger Tong are a terrible band of criminals and murderers and have been after her ever since she obtained the treasure.

As Lu Shan’s speaks, I Ching comforts her by stroking her hand and feels a ring which has a broken coin decorating it. Excitedly he calls Diana over and frantically opens his collar to reveal a gold chain with another broken coin hanging on it. He pulls it out and holds the coin against the one on the ring, asking Diana if the two halves fit. Diana is amazed to see that they fit together perfectly and on telling him, asks him what it means. I Ching smiles and tells her that it means his long search is at last over! As the plane approaches Hong Kong airport Diana asks him what he means and he replies that only his long lost daughter could have possessed the other half of his coin.

Upon landing the police are waiting to interview them as the co-pilot is taken to hospital. On hearing the events that have taken place, the police chief inspector David McLean replies that the Tiger Tong have been giving his men a spot of trouble recently. After interviewing the weary passengers he says they can go and Lu Shan asks Diana and I Ching if they would be kind enough to accompany her to her employer’s residence. On the way they can talk some more about the significance of the matching coin.

They board a truck loaded with Lu Shan’s cargo and make the drive into the city. She tells I Ching that she knows nothing of both her own birth and a good portion of her past, but that is another story in itself which they can go into later.

As the truck roars past a side road though, two cars suddenly pull out and pursue them. Diana spots them in the rear view mirror and alerts the others to the danger. As the cars pull alongside men leap from them onto the flatbed of the truck. Diana clambers out of the cab and clouts one with a karate kick. I Ching joins her as they deliver several blows to the intruders. The passersby watch in amazement as a beautiful raven haired girl and an old blind chinese man hurl thugs left, right and centre from the back of the truck and into the street!

Finally the last of the thugs is unceremoniously sent flying and Diana instructs Lu Shan to floor it. As they put some distance between them and their attackers Diana asks if Lu Shan is Ok and she nods, thanking them again for saving her. After a short while they at last arrive at the employer’s home but as they approach the house Lu Shan suddenly sends the truck into an about face and drives away. Inside the house a shadowy figure witnesses the manoeuvre and congratulates Lu Shan on spotting the Tiger Tong gang members that had been hiding in wait for them. And the sight of Diana and I Ching accompanying the girl pleases the stranger even more. “This is more luck than I bargained for…”

Back in the truck a confused Diana asks Lu Shan why she has turned around and she explains how she had spotted more Tiger Tong members lying in wait for them. As if to confirm the fact they then spot cars screeching after them. With complete disregard for innocent pedestrians the thugs open fire on the truck with machine guns. Diana tells I Ching to duck down as bullets whistle past their heads. At that same moment a sports car roars around a corner driven by Patrick McGuire. He sees his companions and manages to pull up alongside the speeding truck, yelling across to Diana and asking her what is going on. She yells back that they are being pursued by more members of the Tiger Tong and that he should get to safety. But Patrick has other ideas and turns around, racing directly towards the lead pursuing car. He wonders how good the Tiger Tong are at playing “Chicken” and he gets his answer as the gang member’s nerves break first with disastrous consequences! They violently swerve out of the way at the last moment and slam into the other pursuing car, wrecking each other!

Patrick yells back to a grateful Diana, telling her to meet him for dinner later that night at the Chowloon restaurant around 8 o’clock. He then zooms away in his sports car as Lu Shan continues to drive. Diana asks if they should go back to assist the gang members in the wreckage but Lu Shan replies that the sound of approaching sirens indicate the police are already on their way.

Soon the truck arrives at the end of a dock and Lu Shan announces that they have arrived at their destination. At her command a couple of waiting men swiftly off load the precious cargo box onto a moored boat. Lu Shan then beckons Diana and I Ching to follow her onboard the vessel as her master would like to thank them personally. As Diana turns to follow the young girl a strange sense of foreboding washes over her. She spots a nearby guard armed with a machine gun and wonders what exactly she and I Ching have gotten themselves into.

The scene shifts to the office of police Chief Inspector David McLean, where Patrick McGuire demands to know why the police have not taken action yet to locate Diana, who never showed up for their arranged dinner date. McLean tells the frustrated Patrick that his men are doing everything they can. Just then his phone rings and answering it, he is informed of reports relating to a possible explosion aboard a Junk anchored not far away. Grabbing his hat, McLean heads for the door telling Patrick that they may have a lead and suggesting he accompanies the inspector…

Back aboard the boat, four hours prior to these events, the boat carrying the cargo, Lu Shan, Diana Prince and I Ching pulls up alongside a Fishing Junk. As they clamber aboard, Diana’s sense of foreboding intensifies. They follow the two men carrying the box deep into the hold where a shadowy figure stands at the end of the room, awaiting their arrival. Lu Shan smiles and tells her employer that she has accomplished her mission and brings a surprise gift!

As the figure steps out of the light Diana is shocked to see that Lu Shan’s employer is none other than Dr. Cyber! Lu Shan swiftly trains a gun on Diana and I Ching before they can react and Cyber dismisses the two men carrying the box. The Amazon Princess demands to know what is going on and Cyber begins to open the cargo box, saying that the answer lies inside. She pulls out a cylindrical object and explains that the cell will power her device to create Earthquakes! She shows them a scale model of the machine and continues that the actualmachines are hundreds of times larger and that there are six hidden around Hong Kong island. Once activated, they will emit energy waves which will cause violent earthquakes. Cyber will destroy Hong Kong and blackmail the world with the same fate unless they do as she says. And what makes her plan all the more satisfying is that Diana and I Ching had unwittingly helped make it all possible!

Diana tries to make a move but Dr. Cyber warns her that Lu Shan is an expert shot! The young Chinese girl then asks Cyber whether she can take her reward now. Cyber calmly agrees and Lu Shan points her weapon at I Ching, pulling the trigger! The old man collapses into the arms of a horrified Diana who asks why Lu Shan has done this to her father. The girl replies that all she knows is that this man murdered his wife…her mother…twenty years ago!

Just then a fat Chinese man flanked by two armed thugs enters the room and is greeted by Cyber. She welcomes Lum Fong, the distinguished leader of the Tiger Tong and he tells her that she must know why he is here. Originally the Tiger Tong might have been satisfied with just a piece of her Earth-Quaker plan but now they intend to take it all! Cyber smiles and replies that while he amuses her he also bores her. With that she presses a button and blades shaped like lightning bolts shoot out from the wall and impale the three men!

A stunned Diana asks why she has murdered these men in cold blood and the villainess responds that the Tiger Tong have done far worse to others. Even Cyber shudders to think what their fate would have been had she not struck first. She then tells Diana that she would still like the Amazon to join her organisation, as she could use Diana’s talents. Diana defiantly replies that she must be mad.

Meanwhile unnoticed, one of the barely alive gang members slowly raises his weapon and as he dies, lets loose a final burst of machine gun fire! He manages to hit a burning urn next to where Cyber sits and sends its red hot coals flying up into her face! As the urn falls over and sets fire to the room, Lu Shan rushes to her mistresses’ aid and recoils at the sight of Cyber’s burned face. The villainess though orders her to concentrate on taking down Diana and retrieving the Earth-Quaker power cells. But the Junk is already so full of smoke from the raging fire that Lu Shan can only fire blindly into the swirling smoke until she runs out of bullets.

Up on deck Diana, carrying the wounded I Ching, emerges unscathed from a hatchway and sees the lights of an approaching police boat. A few moments later Lu Shan carrying Dr. Cyber and the power cells appears on deck and Diana turns to confront them. But Lu Shan tells the Amazon Princess that their fight will have to wait until another day. She promises however that they will meet again! Diana realises she cannot afford to give chase to the escaping women as she must get I Ching to a hospital.

As Diana and I Ching are helped aboard the police launch, Lu Shan and Dr. Cyber flee the sinking Junk in their own motorboat. McLean asks Diana what is going on but she replies that there is no time to explain right now as they must get I Ching medical attention.

Some time later back at the police station Diana finishes giving her statement. She emphasises again that if they do not locate the six Earth-Quaker machines before they are activated then Hong Kong will be destroyed! Mclean picks up the phone and orders a red alert, canceling all police leave and sending out instructions to all units across the city.

Meanwhile at a secret hospital outside of the city, a fully bandaged Dr. Cyber lies recovering in a bed. She instructs Lu Shan to activate the Earth-Quakers first – and then send out hunter squads to kill Diana Prince!