Wonder Woman – Volume 2 – 42

Synopsis

In an undisclosed location the Silver Swan swoops through the sky towards her target, while in a nearby complex technicians track her movements and monitor her readings. Henry Armbruster and Mister Choi watch the monitor screens as Silver Swan closes in on Wonder Woman, who stands in a clearing. The villainess unleashes a devastating sonic cry and blows Wonder Woman apart!

A few moments later Armbruster’s men arrive at the test site as a groggy Silver Swan gets to her feet. A helicopter touches down and Armbruster and Mister Choi disembark. A pleased technician shows them the head of the android Wonder Woman that had been used for the test fire but Armbruster is not impressed. A smiling Silver Swan approaches and greets him but he scowls at her, throwing the decapitated Wonder Woman head to the ground. He asks her what she has to say about it. Silver Swan replies that it is just the head and that she had disintegrated the rest of the body. Nobody is perfect.

An enraged Armbruster punches her forcefully yelling “What do I want from you! What do I want!” and Mister Choi has to restrain him. The stunned Silver Swan lies on the ground, tears falling from her eyes. Armbruster tells her to pull herself together and to do it better next time. He then tells her to go home and he will see her later. As she flies away, apologising for disappointing him, Choi suggests he should give her some encouraging words every now and then. Armbruster replies that he does and asks the Chinese man what is bothering him. Choi responds that Valerie is has changed. Armbruster should remember that fact. Armbruster nods but adds that she still loves him. He then asks if they have managed to locate Professor Buchman’s stolen files yet and Choi says that they are closing in them…

Meanwhile in Wakefield Massachusetts Diana lies on her bed speaking on the phone with Steve Trevor who is in a bustling bar. She asks how Etta is and he replies that she is fine as far as he knows. Detecting something in his voice she asks if everything is alright between them. He responds that everything is fine but she can tell he is lying and asks worriedly if they have called off their engagement. He says “not exactly” but when she pushes him to explain he tells her that he appreciates her concern but he does not really want to talk about it. She concedes and says that she is there for him if he needs her.

He then says that he has read Lois Lane’s article on the Themysciran Summit and that it sounds like it was pretty eventful. She agrees and then asks how Lord Hermes is and whether he is there. Steve says that they had come in to the bar together, but that the Messenger God was currently entertaining a bevy of ladies at a table.

As Steve speaks a redneck steps forward and tells Hermes that one of the females is his babe. Seeing where the situation is heading, Steve quickly wraps up the call as a smiling Hermes tells the lout that the lady does not want to go. The angry redneck throws a punch but Steve grabs his arm just in time and throws him to the floor.

The man’s friends step forward and Steve finds himself suddenly surrounded. As a fight breaks out a smiling Hermes sits back and watches the brawl with amusement, telling the girls that Steve is trained by the military and knows how to handle himself. As if to prove the point, Steve moves like a man ten years younger and gives the gang a run for their money, but their numbers begin to take their toll. Finally a battered and bruised Steve finds himself held by two of them as the redneck strides forward to knock him out.

But before he can swing his punch Hermes casually stands up and grabs his arm, breaking his wrist. The redneck pleads for him to let go and Hermes obliges, sending him crashing into the bar! The Messenger God then moves like lightning, decking the other gang members. As the women watch in awe, Steve tells Hermes to stop pretending he is out of a Tom Cruise movie! Hermes then throws some money at the bar tender for the damage caused before helping the groggy Steve outside.

Elsewhere at the residence of the Kapatelis family in Boston, the police are interviewing Mrs. Gloria Sullivan who had been keeping an eye on the house in Julia’s absence. Her husband had found her tied to a chair and had called the police. Now, recovering from her ordeal, Gloria explains that two intruders, one of which had been a woman, had broken in and had been looking for something. The officer in charge suggests to a colleague that they contact Inspector Indelicato, as this is the house that Wonder Woman sometimes hangs out at. Perhaps Indelicato will have some ideas…

Back in the Kapatelis Country residence in Wakefield, Princess Diana sleeps peacefully in her bed. Suddenly her keen Amazon senses detect the sound of footsteps outside in the grounds. She swiftly gets out of her bed and dons her costume before flying out of the window into the night air. She scans the darkness looking for signs of the intruders and suddenly hears the sound of machine guns in the distance and a man cry out in pain.

She immediately zooms to a clearing where she spots several hooded Ninjas dressed all in black surrounding another man lying on the grass. She demands to know what they have done and in response they all open fire with their guns. Wonder Woman deflects the torrent of bullets, telling them that she does not want to have to resort to violence. But left with no choice she piles into them, sending the men flying like skittles! The Ninjas draw their knives and attempt to take her down but she disarms one and spears another with one of their own knives. She asks them whether they have had enough yet, but as another of them opens fire on her again she decks him swiftly.

Meanwhile one of the Ninjas has slipped away and fires several arrows towards the man lying on the ground. Wonder Woman moves with incredible speed and intercepts them before they can impact. As the other Ninjas try to fight her using martial arts she outclasses them with every move. Finally she unhooks her lasso and binds the groggy assassins in its coils before turning her attention to the wounded man on the floor.

She tells him she is here to help. He introduces himself as Solomon Buchman. He weakly tells her she has to stop the Ninjas as they want to obtain certain records. She must not let these records get into their hands. She replies that she does not know what records he speaks of and realises she has heard his name before. Wonder Woman then asks him if the name “Silver Swan” means anything to him.

Suddenly more gunfire can be heard from the house followed by a scream. Wonder Woman races as fast as she can back to the house and smashes through the window just in time to stop another Ninja kill a woman who has apparently broken in. The Amazon Princess swiftly deals with the assassin before asking the woman if she is hurt. She responds by handing over a bag, saying that Wonder Woman must take it and help them to help Val…before she kills them all!

Wonder Woman says that she does not know the woman and asks who this “Val” person is? Again she is interrupted by more gunfire outside and the Amazon Princess wonders whether this madness will ever stop tonight! She rushes back outside as Solomon Buchman unleashes his weapon into the air at an unseen target.

The woman, Maxine Sterenbuch, realises that it must be her friend, Valerie Beaudry. Wonder Woman hears a shrill cry and as she races towards the source of the sound she realises that it must be the Silver Swan herself. But before she gets any closer a powerful sonic blast wave strikes her and she plummets to the ground, stunned. Maxine races to where Wonder Woman is staggering back to her feet and they stare in shock at the spot where once lay Solomon and the bound Ninjas. Now there is nothing except a crater and the golden lasso lying on the ground.

They hear a voice nearby and turn to see Silver Swan standing on the ridge clutching Solomon by the scruff of his neck. She tells Maxine to stop whining about her boyfriend. For her part, Maxine tells her friend to stop this violence as she had always been so loving and wise in the letters they had once exchanged. This is not the real Valerie. That Valerie had never hated anyone because they were prettier or smarter or richer. Can she not see that it is not other people she hates but herself? Maxine continues that she cannot understand why that would be the case though, as Valerie is just as good as anyone else – but for some reason she would never believe it… until that bastard Armbruster told her.

Silver Swan tells Maxine to shut up and that Armbruster loves her. She rants that Maxine knows he had been right about her though. he had told her right from the very beginning that Maxine had used Valerie and she will never forget that fact!

Meanwhile Wonder Woman decides she needs to retrieve her lasso as a hurt Maxine tells her friend that what she says is untrue. Silver Swan asks her if that is not the case, then why is she standing with Wonder Woman instead of her. Maxine responds that it is because she feels safer and Silver Swan is surprised to hear this. She tells Maxine that she would not hurt her friend and she had only been trying to retrieve the bag from her.

Maxine holds it out and says for her to take it, as perhaps that will prove she is still on Valerie’s side. Solomon tells Maxine not to hand it over as Wonder Woman makes a dash for the lasso during the distraction. As Silver Swan agrees and instructs Maxine to bring it over she suddenly realises Wonder Woman is no longer standing there. She accuses Maxine of lying to her to cover for the Amazon, while simultaneously Wonder Woman is picking up the golden rope and speeding towards Silver Swan.

Silver Swan opens her mouth as she tells them that she will now show them all as both Maxine and Solomon stare in horror, knowing what is about to come next. As Wonder Woman throws the lasso towards her foe, Silver Swan unleashes a cataclysmic sonic scream and the resulting blast engulfs the entire area!