Wonder Woman #19 A Savage Place, Part 2

Dedicated to the new face known as Elliot… welcome to the world my new nephew!

Achilles, as he kills Hector:
"No more entreating, dog, by knees or parents.
I only wish my fury would compel me
To cut away your flesh and eat it raw
For what you've done. No one can keep the dogs
Off of your head, not if they brought me ransom
Of ten or twenty times as much, or more."
Illiad, Book XXI, By Homer

After her meeting with Templeton and her gods, she was sure there was more going on than Ares led her to first believe. He had used subterfuge in the past, so he was not ready to dismiss his 'apparent' innocent claims as of yet. But the threat to National Security begged for a responce from the United Sates, and considering her recent battle against the U.S. government Diana was less inclined to believe members of the government on blind faith any longer. Diana had been dispatched to Europe herself. If Braslav Savage was a meta-human himself she would need to confirm it. Diana Prince found an alley that no one was using. She twisted with her hands raised as if giving praise to Athena. The alley lit up like a Christmas tree as she transformed into the exalted Amazon Warrioress and lifted off the ground as she surveyed her surroundings. It wasn't like a warrior to hide in the shadows, and because of that reason she was going to take her fight directly to Savage no matter the costs.

There was distinct advantage to a surprise attack that she could appreciate though. As she flew the air she was obscured by the clouds as her shadow was obscured by the darkness of the night. She landed softly on the ground as she looked around to make sure that she hadn't alerted the security forces yet. She was amazed there was little or no security in place though. She kicked open a huge oak draw bridge that harkened to days back to medieval times. Behind the ancient sentinel there was the Kasnian palace where Braslav had taken residence. She gritted her teeth, because she knew that people had paid a price for his egalitarian attitudes. The alerts were now going off and she had taken a defencive posture as the Royal Guard was alerted to the intruder.

She swiftly scouted the area as she flew up into the air to get her bearings about her, but she suddenly found herself surrounded by Kasnian Soldiers as they quickly opened fire at her. Diana blocked every single round at her as she sent the rounds back near the soldiers and it scattered them as she forced them back behind the huge giant granite block walls. One of the more zealous of the guards advanced on her with the butt of his rifle. She wasn't that high in the air any longer. She ducked behind the swing of the soldier and then she flung him over her shoulder against the wall as he landed in a crumple. She didn't want to have to hurt these men because they weren't really responsible for their actions but the old axiom of 'I was just following orders,' didn't mean anything to her. One of the soldiers lifted the butt of his gun and started to swing for Diana’s head, but she was able to duck and knock him down after ducking the soldier’s attack. She stood up as the other soldiers ran off to try and regroup. Probably none of them had faced one of the world's most powerful meta-humans. The soldiers cocked their automatics into place as they opened fire on her again. Diana with superhuman speed blocked all the rounds again with her gauntlets shining from the searching light that had lit up the ancient courtyard. She flew behind a stone pillar that was a main support to one of the upper levels as she pushed it over like the ancient hero of Samson destroying the temple in furor. Part of the second level blocked off what remained of the soldiers as they had become trapped.

She heaved in a deep breath as she stood up to see Braslav clapping, coming out of the shadows like a viper ready to pounce. She took a defencive posture again. "Well done, Wonder Woman." His thick Kasnian accent was more than apparent.

"You know how to roll out the welcome mat, Mr. Savage." She replied.

"I've learned from my father very well indeed, Wonder Woman."

Diana shook her head. "Vandal Savage is a killer and so are you, Mr. Savage."

"All a matter of perception, Your Highness." Savage said mockingly.

"With dead bodies as a receipt of your benevolence?" Diana responded.

"If you will." He bowed in a chivalrous manner. "Most kind."

Diana was annoyed with the conversation. "I am going to have to turn you into The Hague."

"I don't think so..." Suddenly a demon like creature exploded from the ground as clods of dirt and granite exploded over the entire courtyard. He had a boastful grin. "I have a few surprises for you, Your Highness."

"By the gods..." She uttered as she grabbed her golden lasso from her side.

"Your gods cannot protect you, Wonder Woman." The Demon spoke in harsh and grating voice that was difficult to focus on because of how awful it sounded when the Demon spoke.

"You are quite wrong, my friend." Diana stood ready for attack as she began to twirl the lasso in the air. She roped the demon and flew around him with incredible speed as she dug her heels into the ground and flung the demon against the wall... what happened next surprised her because she had not been prepared for it; The demon became a hundred bats and then became the demon once again. He held his hands up and fired an energy blast that just crippled her and she fell to the ground. The last thing she saw was Braslav Savage transforming into the God of War, Ares.

Anthony Templeton looked at the time on his watch as he paced from one side of the University Library to the other. He taught at San Francisco University, but he felt like he was a world away as he worried about the fate of Diana.

"Professor Templeton?" There was an unfamiliar voice of Cade McClellan that broke the elderly man's concentration.

"Yes, can I help you?" Templeton looked at him.

"I have a handwritten note from Diana Prince that she was supposed to have met with you?" McClellan slowly began.

Templeton instantly recognized the Amazon's handwriting from anywhere, this must be her secret that she never told him about. "Yes that's true, how can I help you?"

"Well I am really worried for her, because she left New York nearly a week ago and no one has heard or seen her since."

“I do not know what happened to her after she left San Francisco.”

“Could you tell me why she had to leave all of a sudden and fly three thousand miles to see you?” Cade looked at the Professor.

“If I truly talk about it, Mister….?”

“My name is Cade McClellan—could you please, I am in love with her.”

Professor Templeton made a polite smile “To tell the truth, Cade, she told me there was family matters she had to deal with.

Cade sighed. “I have no idea where her family lives.”

“Pretty far from here, my boy, why don’t you come to my office for some tea?”

“I….” Cade stalled.

“You flew three thousand miles to talk to me about Diana. She happens to be one of my closest friends, so maybe we can put our heads together and solve this mystery.” The Professor wasn’t going to take no for an answer and before he would ask for help from anyone, he would try and get an idea where she might have gone. Templeton saw the boy starting to acquiesce. The two men walked out of the library and back to his office that the Professor maintained on campus with the conversation centering on the woman that both of them greatly admired and respected for different reasons.

Templeton had told Cade that he didn’t know where she had gone to, but he had learned that she may have been sent by the DEO to get information about Savage. He knew in his mind that she wouldn’t have gone in guise but she would have gone as the Amazon champion. He had left for a sudden sabbatical study of his own; he had decided that he was going to try and complete his own research on his own. Since he had told her of the existence of the Dark Angels, so much had happened in the last week that made him think that she must have been killed somehow.

He had flown to the Bahamas and had traveled to the Bimini Islands where the fabled Bimini Road had been discovered in 1968. Many archaeologists were skeptical about the origins of Bimini from the prophecies of Edgar Cayce from 1938 that has said it was proof that Atlantis had once existed and thrived in the world. Bimini was a part of the empire Cayce prophesied. Very few scientists would agree with this assessment, because they said it was a natural formation created by the tides. Templeton knew differently though, because he had been here back in the seventies when there was so much activity over the Bermuda Triangle and the mysticism that seemed to exist here. He waded out to the waters as far as he could as he had his pants rolled up. He was looking for the beginnings of the road, but he knew that it would have been long forgotten on the shore. Beneath the ocean there was the strange revelation that scientists had found.

He took out the Atlantean talisman and held it out over the Bimini road and spoke an ancient Atlantean phrase to summon someone that could help him.

There was a clap of thunder from the skies as he looked around and saw clouds forming in the distance. Suddenly a strange set of lights formed and there was a figure with a cape that was over broad shoulders and short brown hair and glowing blue eyes. “Zirronis?” Templeton spoke up just a bit as he saw the strange man just floating over the waters.

“I am he, Anthony.” The man nodded.

“You were a contemporary of Arion?” He started with some caution.

“Yes, but that was eons ago.” Zirronis looked at him as his form finally coalesced.

“I am in need of your help, but I know you were part of Atlantis when it was young.” Templeton nodded.

“Ares.” He stated.

Templeton nodded. “Ares, I believe so.” He nodded.

“There is a coming war with him and Athena, Anthony you were wise to summon me.”

“Arion’s legend says that you and he battled…” Templeton was afraid to bring that up, but it needed to be said.

“Arion and I believed in the same things, Anthony, but both of us could not agree about how to go about things.”

“Zirronis, did you kill him?” Templeton looked at him directly.

“No, I did not, Anthony.” He transformed his cloak and ancient Atlantean attire into modern leather jacket and modern dress. “Arion still exists in other realms… Magic is very forgiving.” He nodded at him. “How did you know it was Ares?”

“A Dark Angel appeared and tried to dissuade me from finding you or Arion…” Templeton looked at him as if trying to justify things in his mind. “Do we need the current monarch of Atlantis’ help?”

“King Orin has other matters to attend to, Professor. Please let’s go see this world you have brought me to.” He put his hands above his head as they glowed purple and the two of them disappeared and then reappeared in San Francisco. “Tell me everything that has happened thus far…”

Templeton was in awe as he looked around. The legends were true… the great sorcery of the past was more powerful than anything Patriarch’s world knew. Templeton looked at Zirronis and sat down as he began to tell him everything he knew thus far about Kasnia and the disappearance of the Amazon champion….

Elizabeth Gary had primped her hair as she had been able to find her crew that had left a few days ahead of her. The brief little war with the tiny country of Kasnia was over. In the rubble of the Kasnian Palace there was no sign of Savage. The Kasnians hypothesized generally that Savage had fled the country because the United States had not backed off.

“The devastation is clear.” Gary spoke in the camera as refugees walked by them as they were in rags and dirty. “Some were missing limbs… and some were just dead in the streets.” Gary continued. “No one knows where the monster that created this devastation is or why he fled, but one thing is clear that Kasnia will never be the same.” She looked around one final time as she gave the cut signal to the cameraman.

“Okay we’re off the air, Liz.”

“Good deal.” She nodded. She looked over and saw the same little girl that has tugged on her jacket just a few days prior. She was dead in a pile of bodies that were being gathered up and catalogued so that the families could possibly notify later. This horrified her to her core. “I hope that they get that bastard… I really really do.” She clenched her fists.

“These people could have used a hero…” Max, her cameraman saod to her as they were packing up their gear.

“I was told Wonder Woman was here, but she disappeared some time after Savage did.” Gary confirmed that. “I hope she wasn’t killed herself.”

“I didn’t know she could be killed. I thought she was a goddess.” Max looked at her.

“I think even Gods are mortals in some ways, Max.”

“Maybe, but she disappeared… where could she have gone?”

“Heaven only knows, Max… Heaven only knows.” Gary patted her young cameraman on his back as they left the war zone. It would take many years for Kasnia to recover, and she was confident that they would, but the horrors she had seen just rocked her to her core. She secretly hoped in her hear to hearts that Wonder Woman wasn’t one of those victims.