This issue sees the last “Huntress” back up story and an indication that the character would soon be appearing in her own mini-series, though in reality this never actually panned out as she was subsequently “killed off” in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event along with several other characters – including Wonder Woman herself!
Doctor Cyber looks on in pleasure at Wonder Woman’s suffering, goading “Burn Amazon….burn and die! Or live…and bear the same scars that you made me suffer with!” As the Amazon Princess continues to struggle, sweat dripping from her brow, the villainess continues her gloating, saying ” This is just the end I’d pictured for you…struggling, weakening…helpless!”.
Diana of course refuses to give up hope and looks at the pods still circling her, desperately wondering how she can reach them to destroy them. Suddenly, two arrows appear from nowhere and shatter the two pods into pieces, switching off the current coursing through the wires around Wonder Woman. Eros jumps down from his hiding place, bow in hand, and tells Wonder Woman that her rescuer has come. A furious Doctor Cyber fires a blast at the God but the beam bounces off him harmlessly as he frees Wonder Woman from the wires that still ensnare her. The amazed Amazon warns him that the wires are still scolding hot but he tells her they are but the smallest flame beside his own fiery passions! She thanks him for freeing her and adds that she would like him to explain his presence here, but first they have to deal with more immediate concerns!
For her part, the villainess tells them that they are still a long way from the finish. She orders her robot minions to attack and destroy the Amazon and Eros. As one of them opens fire, Wonder Woman deflects the beam with her bracelets and demolishes her attacker with a kick and a punch. As the robot clatters to the ground Steve Trevor is awakes from unconsciousness. He looks around and sees that Wonder Woman is free and is on the offensive. He yells out “Good going Angel! Looks like you’ve got Doctor Cyber on the run!”. On hearing the villainess’s name for the first time, Eros stops short. Suddenly enraged, he punches the robot attacking him and says that it is no wonder Cyber has hidden her face in the vain hope she might escape his vengeance! Cyber replies that she does not even know him, but he accuses her of being a liar and lifts the robot over his head, intending to hurls it at her. Wonder Woman cries out for him to stop but he proceeds to through the “missile” at the villainess, As she who ducks out of the way of the flying robot just in time as it smashes into flames against the wall behind her! She realises that not even Wonder Woman can control the God and while the Amazon Princess might hesitate to kill her outright, Eros will only be satisfied with her blood!
The God of Love then proceeds to charge at Cyber, yelling that she had stolen him from his love. Seeing that he intends to tear the villainess apart, Wonder Woman unhooks her lasso and loops it around he ankle, bringing him crashing to the ground. She tells him that killing is not the way she wins her battles and hate will only eat at his own soul. He responds that the wrath of gods is not to be judged by mortals and demands to be freed. Instead she pulls the lasso tighter and orders him to tell the truth and reveal who he really is and what he is doing here? He replies that he is Eros…her lover!.
Steve interjects, saying that they had better leave the questions until later because they have company! Turning, Wonder Woman sees soldiers racing into the chamber chasing the little Gremlin. Steve tells the little creature that he did his best to distract them as the soldiers assess the scene in front of them. They are surprise to see Wonder Woman standing there and the Amazon realises that because of Cyber’s audaciousness in locating her HQ in the middle of a secret U.S. military installation, the base personnel cannot tell the villains from the heroes. She decides that they must act quickly to subdue the soldiers without harm. Steve decks the guard closest to him and Wonder Woman despairs, asking Steve why he must always reason with his fists? He replies that the guards do not even believe she is really Wonder Woman and as if to confirm this fact, one of the soldiers creeps up behind her. As she effortlessly throws him over her shoulder Steve cheekily adds that besides, ” some of us don’t have Amazon powers to fall back on!
Meanwhile, Cyber sees her opportunity to use this distraction to her advantage and make a strategic withdrawal. She presses a button on her bracelet and Eros sees her form shimmer and start to disappear. He quickly calls out to Wonder Woman, asking her to free him so that he may pursue Cyber who is escaping. Holding the lasso that still binds him again, she tells him that she cannot let him go after the villainess – not after the way he attacked her before – and that he is going to be staying out of this fight.
Just then a female guard raises her gun and tells Wonder Woman to practice what she preaches. The Amazon Princess replies that the soldier is making a terrible mistake and that she is not her enemy. The soldier responds that “Anyone can put on a costume, lady!”. She then orders Steve to hand over his own gun and just as it looks like he is obeying, the Gremlin leaps up out of nowhere and knocks her own weapon from her hand. As the other two soldiers turn to get reinforcements Steve bowls the over and using a piece of control panel, wraps the soldiers in a makeshift holding cell.
Steve asks her whether she thinks Cyber is still on the base somewhere? Wonder Woman replies that she believes the bracelet device probably operates more like an invisibility cloak than a teleportation unit, in which case she cannot have gone too far. She the turns to where Eros stands, still bound in the golden rope, and tells him that she will release him on the condition that he keeps his murderous impulses in check. He replies that for her, his love, he promises. She promptly removes the lasso and the three of them set off to search the base. Steve calls back to the gremlin, asking him to keep an eye on the still unconscious Sofia.
Elsewhere, in Georgetown, Washington D.C. at the apartment of Diana Prince, Senator Abernathy and Etta Candy are saying goodbye on the doorstep. He asks if she will be all right? She replies that she will be fine and she is simply worried about Diana. He replies that he is sure the truth will come out and they can all put this whole bizarre incident behind them. She thanks him for coming round while inside, Howard discreetly picks up the phone and speaks to his boss, Senator Covington, whispering that even if Diana Prince is innocent, it is still a major breach of security. He then adds that he feels they should concentrate on the “other” matter. There is no question that Wonder Woman is somehow connected with Darnell’s office.
Just then Etta walks up and he cuts the call short, pretending he is speaking to his mother. As she sits down next to him and he holds her affectionately, he thinks to himself that Covington can wait a little while longer to hear his theory that Wonder Woman is actually a member of the Special Intelligence Branch – who goes by the name of Etta Candy!
In another residential section of the Nation’s Capital, a Brad Covington replaces the phone and says that the whole business with Air Force Intelligence is getting stranger by the hour. Lisa Abernathy replies that she does not want to talk about it because it is awkward enough that he is investigating people who are her friends. He says that she still insists that Diana Prince is not guilty of espionage? Lisa responds that she is certain that Diana is not, but that she does not want to have this conversation and can they just drop the subject? She slips into his arms and he smiles at her, saying “You’re right Lisa, I’m sorry. All of this has nothing to do with us!”.
Back in the underground lair of Cyber, Sofia at last regains consciousness and murmurs that she will never reveal anything. As she comes to her senses she asks what has happened and the gremlin explains that she is safe, Wonder Woman and Steve are chasing Cyber and that no one will be bothering them until they come back. He decides to amuse himself by playing with the communications control panel. With a little work he believes he could pick up hyperspace messages. As he tinkers the imprisoned soldiers yell for him to get away from the equipment which belongs to the United States Government. The gremlin replies that they need not worry as he is not hurting anything. He points to the monitor and adds that he has got lucky first time and picked up a message already. As he translates it though his face turns to fear and he runs off crying ” They’re coming! They’re coming back! They’re after me!…”
Meanwhile directly above, Wonder Woman, Steve and Eros exit the building. The Amazon Princess surmises that Cyber probably has an escape vehicle hidden in the countryside somewhere but they will be ready for any sign of movement when she uncovers it. Eros says that the villainess will not escape his vengeance and when he is done, he and Wonder Woman will leave all mortal strife behind and the gods of Olympus will welcome them! With that, Wonder Woman stops in her tracks and turns to face him. She tells him that this has gone on long enough. He can quit calling her “his love” right now, as she is pretty certain that if she had ever been his love she would remember it! But Steve cautiously interrupts, saying that while he hates to say it, she might be mistaken. The Amazon asks him what he means and he replies that the reason Sofia left Paradise Island was to tell her that her memories have all been tampered with! A surprised Wonder Woman asks how and by whom? Steve goes on to explain that Sofia indicated it was partly an accident but that mostly it was Hippolyta, her mother! Wonder Woman cannot believe her ears and refuses to accept the fact.
Just then Eros calls out and points up to one of the surrounding hill tops, where rocket smoke can be seen rising. With a single bound Eros leaps over the perimeter fence and runs up to the top of the hill. He jumps up and crashes down on top of the small saucer shaped craft that Cyber is piloting off the ground. The craft crashes back down to the ground and Cyber spills from it. She turns to confront Eros, saying that she does not know if he is Man or God, but he is definitely mad! He replies that if passion is madness, so be it! She coolly responds that he can have it his own way – and he can take his passion with him! With that she activates a remote control cannon hidden under a nearby rock and catching Eros by surprise, blasts him to the ground!
At that moment Wonder Woman and Steve arrive on the scene and demand for Cyber to give up as her whole scheme has gone to pieces and she is only prolonging the inevitable. But Cyber disagrees and activates several more hidden cannons, surrounding Steve and Diana. Wonder Woman orders Steve to hit the floor while she uses her bracelets to deflect the multiple blasts from every direction. Cyber says that the weapons are all programmed to lock onto Wonder Woman and that wherever the Amazon Princess tries to move they will follow. She is confident that the Amazon will be occupied sufficiently long enough for Cyber to make her escape. But as she boards her saucer again a revived Eros clambers aboard, grabbing her by the wrist and crushing her bracelet device.
As the saucer blasts off with the two combatants grappling for control, Wonder Woman curses herself for letting him go and being distracted by his continuous stated affections towards her. However, she tells herself she must focus and put that, together with that Steve had just told her, completely out of her mind. She unhooks her lasso and loops it around the craft’s tail fin. But the Amazon’s mind is undeniably still in turmoil because as she hauls herself up the lasso, she has completely forgotten that her foe’s weaponry is still locked on and tracking her! It is one mistake she almost does not live to regret as a blast misses her by a fraction of an inch and hits the craft instead. As flames begin to envelop the ship, Wonder Woman cries out for Cyber to bail out as her ship is no longer air worthy. But Cyber has other ideas and pulls back on the flight stick, sending the craft into a steep ascent and sending Eros toppling backwards and out of the craft! As Wonder Woman catches the tumbling Eros she watches as Cyber accelerates the ship at full thrust until it spirals out of control and slams into the hillside in a fireball.
A short while later Wonder Woman touches down to where Eros and Steve are waiting. She reports back that having searched the wreckage there is no sign of Cyber and that the villainess might have gotten out in time. Steve says that even so, there must be enough evidence of Cyber’s schemes back at the base to prove that Diana Prince was framed. Wonder Woman replies that she hopes so for Diana’s sake and then turns to Eros. She says that perhaps they can now resolve something else – specifically, what role Eros plays in all of this and his reason for wanting Cyber dead? He looks at her and replies that Cyber had once killed him in his former life…because he is, in fact, the real Steve Trevor!
