Wonder Woman – Volume 1 – 319

Synopsis

In his office at the Pentagon, Steve Trevor tells Sofia, who is now dressed in civilian clothes, to sit down and wait for him while he contacts Wonder Woman. He tells her that he will send the Amazon Princess to her so that she can tell Diana about the secrets she has discovered. Although from what Sofia has already told him, he is not sure that Diana will believe any of it.

As Steve leaves Sofia on her own, she wonders what Steve’s reaction would be if he knew all the secrets. Especially the fact that he is not the first Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman’s life, or that her other identity is in fact Diana Prince.

Just at that moment Sofia sees Diana walk past the open doorway and she leaps out of her chair. She calls after Diana who turns to look at her blankly. Sofia tells her that they should not talk out here in the corridor, as she had had to escape Paradise Island to bring her some information. As she ushers Diana inside the office and closes the door, she adds that she has been very cautious about what she has told Steve, particularly relating to her secret identity as Wonder Woman.

An intrigued Diana tells Sofia to continue and the young girl goes on to explain how she previewed Diana’s complete memory tapes, kept hidden by her mother all this time. She tells how she has found out things about Diana’s past that even Diana knows nothing about. Sofia says that Hippolyta has been recklessly playing with her mind since Doctor Cyber first killed Steve Trevor (in issue 180).

Diana seems surprised to hear this and Sofia continues that she understands how bizarre this must sound and that she does not understand it all herself, but it is true. Diana then turns away and says that she needs a few moments to let it all sink in. She wants to consider what Sofia is saying…before deciding how best to turn it to her advantage! With that she spins round and unleashes a bolt of energy aimed at Sofia, from a special bracelet she is wearing. The young girl crumples to the floor and as the impostor looks down at where she lies, she adds that she is sure this new information will prove very useful to her. Meanwhile unseen, watching through the window from the outside window ledge, is the little Gremlin…

Elsewhere, high above the Capital, Wonder Woman is grappling with a giant robot bird that has attacked her out of nowhere. She has no clue as to who its owner might be  or whether the machine wants to do any damage to Washington or just her. She muses that the robot bird thinks it has her where it wants her, but she proceeds to break the metal claws which hold her and flies from its clutches. As she uses the air currents to swoop up onto its back, she spies a camera behind the bird’s eyes and realises that whoever sent the robot can see everything that is happening. She holds it’s flapping wings so it can no longer fly and rides the machine downwards. At the last moment she leaps off and turns to watch its demise when it hits the ground. But instead she hears gears whirring inside and watches in amazement as it takes on a new shape. The robot transforms into a sphere and bounces back off the ground!

Meanwhile inside the Pentagon, the Diana Prince impostor watches an image of Wonder Woman appear on a tiny monitor screen built into her bracelet. She speaks into a receiver, telling the person at the other end that there is no cause for alarm and that the Amazon will find herself detained quite long enough. As if to confirm the fact, the Amazon Princess prepares to continue the battle on the screen, but as the fake Diana Prince looks furtively down the corridor she suddenly hears someone call out “Problem Di?”. She turns to see Keith Griggs smiling back at her. He says that he just wanted to let her know that he was back from Tropidor and that he is going to see Darnell to fill in whatever details she had not already supplied the General about their “little adventure”. He then adds that he wonders whether they could have lunch together afterwards? Diana bluntly says no and makes her excuses to leave. Keith watches her disappear hurriedly down the corridor, thinking how badly he had misread things. When they had been together down in South America, he was sure that they had both sensed something in each other. Either he was completely wrong about that, or else the idea of a relationship is scaring her off. But then he discounts the last thought, knowing that would be so out of character for someone as strong as Diana.

A short while later the fake Diana is signing herself into the War Computer room under the watchful eye of the security officer. He tells her that she will not be able to remove any files unless she has got higher clearance. As she enters the top security room she muses to herself that she could no doubt have easily obtained the clearance needed to remove the files she wants, but that would have defeated her other purpose. As she uses her bracelet to download certain files, an alarm is activated in the security office. He races inside with his gun drawn and orders her to raise her hands. She turns to face him as he steps forward before kicking the gun from his hands. She then delivers a blow to the back of his neck before finally neutralising him with a zap from her bracelet.

Back outside, the giant sphere is rolling down the street towards two approaching police cars. As Wonder Woman gives chase, she feels she is being led on a mercy mission for no purpose. But as long as the machine poses a threat to human life she must keep after it. The police cars have to swerve at the last minute to avoid being crushed but as the sphere continues down the road it bears down upon an oncoming school bus. As the policemen vainly open fire on it, Wonder Woman swoops overhead and overtakes the machine. She wrenches a mailbox from it’s foundations and uses it to redirect the sphere up and over the bus. She then swiftly removes her lasso and uses it to create a wind funnel that draws water from a nearby pool. The whipping wind also lets her take to the air again and she leaps towards the spot where the sphere is coming down. As people flee, calling for help she tells them there is no need to panic and lying on the ground, she catches the sphere on her feet and spinning it, she launches it back into the air. The machine comes down safely into the water she has drawn from the pool. But it begins to change again and this time it transforms into a rocket! She cannot believe her eyes and exclaims “It seems that this bucket of bolts can do everything – except figure out when it’s been beaten!” Wonder Woman decides that she is going to have to show whoever created the device that she is not a quitter either! She leaps onto the rocket as it blasts into the air, determined to “ride this mechanical monster to Hades and back if that’s what it takes to stop it!”.

Inside the Pentagon once more, Keith and Etta are listening to General Darnell tear a strip off Steve for leaving Etta on her own to look after the office. A few moments later Steve exits Darnell’s office and when Keith tells him that he sympathises, Steve curtly replies that he does not need any help from Griggs. Suddenly, a security guard rushes in and tells them that there has been a security breach in the War Computers – and that Major Prince is responsible! On hearing this Darnell comes out of his office as Keith replies that there must be some mistake. But the General says that perhaps it is true and that the Aztec God both he and Diana had recently fought might have brainwashed her somehow. Etta responds that she just cannot believe it and rushes out to find her friend.

As she races down the corridor she collides with Howard who jokingly asks whether she knew he was coming and had decided to make tracks. She smiles and replies that he is just being silly and that she had had a lovely time with him the other night. It is just that right now she has an emergency to attend to and with that she rushes off. As she watches her go he bets he knows exactly what kind of emergency it is, but that she is not getting away that easily. But as he prepares to go after her he is stopped by two security guards who advise him that he is not displaying his authorisation pass. He reaches for his briefcase, making excuses that he put it inside for safe keeping. As he fumbles around he overhears two men passing by, talking about the fact that Wonder Woman is outside riding a runaway missile! On hearing this he smiles and thinks “Aha!”

And outside, up in the sky over Washington D.C., the Amazing Amazon sits astride the racing rocket, musing to herself that when she left home this morning she was hardly planning on a guided missile tour of the Capital! As she streaks over Georgetown, she sees that down below there is some sort of commotion going on outside her apartment. As she wonders what is going on she suddenly becomes aware of a ticking sound. She leans down and realises that it is coming from inside the missile! With only seconds to spare she leaps from the rocket as it detonates in mid air! She uses her bracelets to protect herself from the deadly shards of metal debris flying at her before gliding down to the ground. Unseen, she transforms into her civilian identity, intending to examine what remains of the missile just as soon as she has investigated what is going on over at her apartment.

She emerges from the bushes and walks down the street towards her residence. She sees two Military Police offices standing on the opposite pavement and begins to ask them what the problem is. But before she can finish her question they immediately grab her arms. They advise her to take it easy and no one will get hurt. She replies that of course she will co-operate and that she does not want a fight. They take her across the street to her front door where she hopes to find someone who can make sense of all of this. She is glad to see Keith Griggs standing on her doorstep and she asks him to tell the guards they have no reason to hold her like this. But he replies that he is sorry that he cannot do that and then orders them to put hand cuffs on her. As they try to do just that an enraged Diana cries out “No! I won’t be chained!” and swipes them away. She then proceeds to floor them before making a run for it down the street. As one of the guards gets back on his feet and raises his gun to fire, Keith knocks it from his hand and says that nobody is going to shoot her until it has been proven that she has actually done anything wrong.

A short while later Keith is speaking with Diana’s landlord, Senator Abernathy, together with a watching Etta Candy. The old man feels this must all be a terrible mistake and asks Griggs what Diana has supposed to have done? Keith replies that according to what he has been told, she has stolen the launch codes for all of America’s Nuclear Missiles!

At the same moment a woman watches these events on a monitor screen from an unknown location. She thinks to herself that as the news spreads, Diana Prince’s reputation will be ruined. Only at that point will she be in a position to destroy Wonder Woman in the flesh!

The woman turns to reveal she is wearing a featureless mask. No one even suspects the real truth about her plans – or even realises that they have already seen one of the many faces of – Doctor Cyber!