Chapter XXX

It was well past dark when Chase pulled back into the compound. The guards, ever alert and aware of Chase's explicit instructions, stopped her at each checkpoint instead of simply waving her through. They had learned this rule the hard way and it was something none of them had forgotten.

Chase smiled bittersweetly, remembering the high cost of the lesson. She was just glad that particular lesson had taken with only one teaching. She parked the jeep in the depot and debated for a minute before turning her steps to the mess hall. She'd missed lunch and her stomach was growling loud enough to be heard in the heart of the Reich.

The mess hall was empty except for a few stragglers like herself. Most of them had been busy working through the dinner hour, but Cookie always kept fixings around for those that didn't make it in time for the scheduled meal. Ostensibly, he did it because Chase had given an order for there to always be food available, but they both knew he did it to keep Chase from rummaging around in his kitchen, That had been a lesson *he* had learned the hard way, much to her delight.

The rebellion had had a lot of time to develop the skills needed to provide for themselves, and fortunately, most of the Nazis overseers just didn't care enough to see what was really going on. They had been in power for more than a century; they didn't expect that to change any time soon. So, while not a five-star dining experience, the soup was warm and the bread not too dry.

Chase was left alone to eat in peace, and she sat silently thinking about her encounter with her mother. While it wasn't at all unusual for Jasmine to show up when Chase visited her grave, something had been off this time. Chase wasn't sure what it had been, but it was clear her mother's ghost was agitated about something, and Chase was laying odds it had something to do with their unexpected Amazon visitor Diana.

Like a compass headed north, her thoughts obediently followed that train. Chase knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Diana was telling her the truth. But to accept that meant she not only had to accept that the things she had convinced herself were merely dreams were in reality... reality... it meant she also had to realigned her perception of the Amazons. And that seemed to be her real stumbling block.

She remembered with startling clarity Orana's cruelty and maliciousness. The woman had taken great pains to make sure Chase knew she was an Amazon. Why? Chase suddenly thought. The idea brought all her motion to a dead stop, and she sat perfectly still for a very long moment as the thought wormed its way into her conscious mind. Why was it so important to her that I knew she was an Amazon? It's not like they are more than a mythical people here in this world... they haven't been more than a myth for twenty-five hundred years. So what is her game?

Her musing might have gone on longer if a touch on her shoulder hadn't brought her back to reality with an unexpected jolt. Inhaling started her movement again, but because of the bread still lodged in her mouth, the action also caused her to choke. The hand moved from her shoulder to her back, and Chase quickly hacked up the bread that had slipped down the wrong way.

She coughed and sputtered for another couple minutes before bringing watery green eyes up to meet concerned blue. Diana didn't speak, but raised an eyebrow in question.

"Are you trying to kill me or am I just lucky like that when you're around?" Chase managed to croak, reaching for her glass. Diana snatched it and slapped it into her hand with a glare. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Chase choked out as water sloshed over the side and into her lap.

Blue eyes glared into green and green glared right back. Finally, knowing Diana shouldn't and really *couldn't* speak and silently acknowledging she might possibly have over-reacted, Chase broke the silence.

"Sorry," she croaked sheepishly. "Rough afternoon." Chase took a deep breath. "Please, have a seat," taking a napkin and trying to sop up the water in her lap. She looked back up at Diana. "Is something wrong? Did something happen with Hans? Wait," she said, holding up her hands when Diana opened her mouth to answer. Chase slid from her seat, wincing when the cold wet hit her warm skin. "I'll be right back."

Diana watched her go, a curious expression on her face. She wondered Chase was up to, but more than that, she wondered what had put the sadness in those green eyes. She propped her chin on her fist and sat back to wait for Chase to return.

Chase went back into the kitchen area, riffling through Cookie's private stock of supplies. He came in halfway through her search, but a look from her stopped his tirade in its tracks. Instead, he offered to help. "Whatcha need, boss?" tacitly acknowledging her leadership.

"Honey. And some lemon juice."

Cookie went directly to the cabinet that housed both and took them out. He set them on his prep table and turned to grab a cup and spoon. "You all right, Chase? You're not getting sick, are ya?"

Chase smiled crookedly as she started mixing the two ingredients together. "No, I'm fine, Cookie. This is for Diana."

"Ah, the notaNazi mystery woman. What's her story anyway?"

"One I'm still working on, Cookie," Chase said warningly. "Let it go."

He held up his hand defensively. "No harm in asking, boss. Everyone's curious."

"I know. They're just gonna have to get over it." She picked up the cup, continuing to stir its contents as she headed out the kitchen door. "Thanks, Cookie," she added, lifting the cup in salute before disappearing from the kitchen. He followed her footsteps until he could look out the small window, watching until she resumed her seat next to the beautiful stranger. Then he shook his head and turned back to his domain, putting things away before going back to his cot to get a little more rest.

Chase set the cup down in front of Diana. "Drink."

Diana raised her eyebrow and raised the cup to her nose to take a deep sniff. She took a tentative taste, then understanding what it was for, swallowed the contents. She closed her eyes as it coated her throat, glad for the respite.

"Better?"

"Much, thank you," Diana whispered, then she slipped the tablet Hans had given her from where she had tucked it in her back pocket. The first two pages were covered in hastily scribbled writing. Chase barely got a look before Diana turned to a fresh sheet. "If you are willing...?"

"Yes, absolutely. Damn," she muttered to herself. "I should have thought about this before." She stood and picked up her half eaten food then motioned to Diana. "C'mon. We'll probably be more comfortable back in my quarters. It's been a very long day... for both of us."

Diana knew how tired she was, having spent the day talking to Chase and working with Hans. But now she took the time to look more carefully at Chase, and she could see the fatigue so clearly apparent in her body language and a sadness in her eyes that was almost hidden. Diana nodded and rose, walking beside Chase for a few steps before retrieving a pitcher of chilled water and a second glass. Then she hurried to catch up, and in silence they retired to Chase's hut.

Chase sidestepped the desk, and went directly to her cot. Now that she had slowed down, her exhaustion was making itself known in her body as well as her soul. With any luck, her mind would get with the program and shut off long enough to let her get some rest. Maybe then her subconscious would work on her current problems and pop up with a resolution.

First, though, she needed to make it through her bit of dinner. And she needed to find out what was on Diana's mind, because the Amazon had to have come looking at her for a reason. She pulled her boots off and slid back against the headboard with a muffled groan. Then she set her plate in her lap and took a bite, chewing briefly before turning to find Diana looking at her with concerned eyes.

"So," she took a deep drink and swallowed before continuing her question. "What's up? Did things go okay with Hans, or...?" At Diana's look of confusion, Chase tried to elaborate. "I figured there was some sort of problem since you came looking for me."

Diana put pen to paper and Chase waited patiently for her to finish her answer. She continued to eat, almost cleaning her plate before Diana passed the tablet over to her. She put a stoic face on, not really knowing what to expect from Diana. She felt her emotions were raw and exposed after the time spent with her mother... especially considering what their discussion had been about.

My time with Hans was fine. We got a lot accomplished I think, and I really enjoyed working with him. He is quite knowledgeable, and he seems to be a good friend of yours... very protective.

Chase looked up at Diana and nodded. "He is. One day I'll have to tell you the story of how we became friends in the first place." Then she turned her attention back to the paper in her hands.

As for the other, I was just concerned. I saw you come in and you seemed a little upset. I wanted to make sure you were all right. I followed you into the mess hall, and found you completely lost in thought. I didn't mean to make you choke. So are you okay?

She got up and put her empty plate on the desk, then reseated herself facing Diana and giving her a thin smile. "I'm fine, Diana... honestly. I just had to take care of some personal business, and that always takes a lot out of me. I'm sorry you were worried," she continued, sliding back into a more comfortable position on the bed.

Diana shrugged, but gave Chase a small smile.

Chase cleared her throat. "How would you like to work with Hans on a more permanent basis?" She chuckled when Diana's eyebrows shot up into her bangs. "Diana, I don't think you're a Nazi, and I do think you could make a significant contribution to making this war end. I don't think making you share anything else is gonna change my opinion of you. A girl's gotta have some secrets, right?"

Diana gave Chase a sheepish smile and shrugged before reluctantly nodding her head. She was caught between relief and disappointment. She really wasn't ready to share her personal reasons for following Chase into man's world, but she really didn't want to have to lie about it either. On the other hand, she got the distinct impression that Chase was pawning her off, putting distance between them. The latter was confirmed when Chase continued speaking.

"Speaking of, though, your quarters should be ready in the morning, so if you want, we'll get you moved in before you start working with Hans in the morning?" She saw the hurt clearly in the blue eyes, but Chase needed the distance right now. Despite the doubts she had about leaving Diana alone in the compound, it was too confusing to have her nearby all the time. There were things she had to work out for herself before they could go any further in their friendship... things Chase had to understand and decide for herself and talking to her mother had brought that sharply into focus.

"I'm not sending you away, Diana. It's not like we won't see one another and you'll make friends much easier with others here if I am not hanging around you all the time. Trust me... a lot of folks here are looking forward to the opportunity to get to know you better. I just thought you might like a bit of privacy... some space to call your own."

"I understand," she whispered, despite the pain in her throat. "I appreciate it." The words had a ring of truth, but it was belied but the expression of betrayal in her eyes. "Goodnight, Chase," Diana whispered. Chase took a breath to answer, but Diana closed her eyes and rolled over to go to sleep.

Chase watched her for a moment before turning of the light. It was a long time before she closed her eyes, and sleep was an even longer time in coming to her.



"All right. I can see way more drastic measures are called for here." Dite turned her head and looked at Athena with an exasperated expression on her face. "What is wrong with those two radical chicks anyway? They are making me totally nuts." She threw her hands into the air and started ranting to herself. Athena just let her go for a few minutes, exchanging smirks with Artemis. Eventually, they bookended the love goddess and took a seat together on the settee, much to the amusement of the other goddesses watching them.

"I hate to say it, but Aphrodite is right. These two... especially Chase... seem to be determined to push one another away." This from Hera.

"Actually, Chase is doing the pushing. Diana is just letting it happen. Can we do something to fix that?"

"I'm gonna do something in a minute," Dite muttered loud enough to be heard. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the gathered goddesses tittered a little bit. "I'm gonna smack those two heads together so hard we'll get a new constellation out of the stars they produce. I'm gonna...."

Artemis grabbed her hands. "Dite, you are going to have to calm down. You know bad things happen when you get worked up like this. You have to have a bit of faith in yourself and them. It will happen."

Dite turned eyes sparkling with tears of frustration towards Artemis. "You totally, rock, babe. You know that? Thanks!"

Demeter cleared her throat. "That still doesn't answer my question though... can we do anything to correct this passive attitude Diana seems to have cultivated?"

"I think we need to see what happens now that Chase has given Diana a bit of latitude. It will be interesting to watch things develop, because knowing these two souls, they will push and pull a little while longer before the finally come together. At least when they finally do, the sparkage will be incredible."

"Don't you mean *if*?" Dite pouted.

"No. They will," Athena said firmly. "They will just give us all gray hair before they do. I think it is a hobby with them." The goddesses all nodded in agreement.

"Now! Now! Now!" Dite said stomping her foot. "I want it to happen now. Just once I'd like for the love biz to totally, you know, go right the first time." She snorted. "As if."

"Keep the faith, sister. They will get there... sooner rather than later."

"They better, or so help me...." As a single entity, they turned back to the scrying bowl to watch the situation progress between Chase and Diana.



Chase was up and out of her hut before the sun had even had a chance to turn the sky gray. She decided a run was in order to try and clear the cobwebs from her mind. Chase ran until the only thing in her thoughts was the rising of the sun and the wind in her hair. She realized she was making things more difficult than they needed to be and she decided to talk to Diana about it. Maybe they could work something out between them. She didn't like the pain and the feeling of betrayal she had seen in Diana's eyes the night before.

She decided to invite Diana to breakfast and made her way back into her hut, only to discover Diana was gone, as was any evidence she had ever been there. Chase looked around blankly, surprised by the pain in her chest that suddenly encompassed her. She placed her empty canteen on the desk with numb hands and dropped heavily into her bunk. This wasn't what she had wanted - she felt like something precious and fragile had just slipped through her fingers and crashed at her feet with no hope of recovery.

Not used to the feeling of having made such a colossal mistake, and not liking the way it felt now, Chase immediately left her hut in search of Diana. What she found made her heart clench for lost opportunities and at the same time smile grimly to herself for her keen insight. Instead of being in her new hut or sitting alone at breakfast, Diana was currently surrounded by Chase's top aides, all doing their best to follow Chase's lead. With Hans' help and because of his enthusiastic outpouring about her aid, they were finding to their delight that Diana was exactly as Chase had promised... someone to be welcomed into their midst.

Ty caught sight of Chase as she stepped into the mess hall and beckoned her over silently with a nod of her head, hoping she would shed some enlightenment on why Diana had been in such a hurry to move out from under Chase's watchful care. In all the years she had known Chase, Ty had never found her to be personally overbearing, even in her intensity, though her focus on work and the rebellion was another matter entirely. She was curious to know what Chase had done to push Diana so firmly away from her... and why.

Chase, however, conveniently ignored the hail, acting as though she hadn't even seen it. Instead, she grabbed a cup of coffee and turned to leave before Ty could repeat her summons verbally. For a brief instant, blue eyes met green, and equal pain was reflected in both of them. Then the shutters went up in Chase's eyes and she left the mess hall without a word to anyone. Ty watched the proceedings very carefully, noting that Diana's eyes closed up as well. No one else was even aware of what had transpired, too excited by Diana's arrival in their circle.

This was not an auspicious start to the day, and from the looks of things, it was only going to get worse.



Meanwhile, Orana was making plans of her own. She had the disturbing feeling that the rebellion was growing stronger. Nothing concrete, mind you... just a hunch. Rumors were making their way to her spies that were causing niggling concerns to gnaw at the back of her subconscious mind and she had determined it was time to take matters into her hands and destroy the rebellion once and for all.

Then there were the photographs. Two days earlier, her breakfast tray had been accompanied by a couple grainy surveillance pictures that had been taken the night of the rally. No one should have been wandering around the Reichstag while she was outside delivering her speech, and yet she held in her hands proof positive that a soldier of the SS, one of her elite guards by the markings she could make out on his uniform, was not only wandering around the building, but had been dangerously close to her own quarters. And she knew for a fact he hadn't been the one instructed to share her bed that night; SS officers were not allowed that privilege. She needed their cunning and their minds, such as they were, in her service. Their bodies didn't figure into the picture at all. Orana couldn't afford to have them distracted fighting over who would share her bed. Besides, it wasn't like men were her first choice of bed partners anyway, no matter how amusing they were. But as long as she shared the wealth around between women and men, no one made mention of the fact that the Fuehrer herself was ignoring cardinal Nazi doctrine.

To top it off, Ares had cautioned her to leave well enough alone. He was busy stirring up tiny civil wars around the globe, and that would effectively keep the rebellion from any serious effort against her or the Nazi regime. Orana chanced to wonder yet again how she had come to mentor Ares, but too much time and too many bottles of alcohol had passed her lips for her to clearly remember. All she knew at the moment was that she was bored and this was something new to worry about for a change.

So this puzzle, along with the rumors, made her antsy, and shook her from the complacency that had maintained its grip over her for far too long. Despite Ares' warnings to the contrary, it was time to shake the dust from her boots and do some hunting. Orana felt her blood warm at the prospect. Things were suddenly looking much better for her.



Chapter XXXI

"Are you ready, Drea?" The healer shifted a bit, laying her head more firmly in Hippolyta's lap, nodding when she felt Hippolyta start rubbing her temples. Mala turned her attention to the queen. "Are you ready, my queen?" adjusting the cushions behind Hippolyta to insure her comfort. None of them were quite sure how long this would take. Athena had spoken to Hades and arranged for a safe haven between life and death for the sisters to meet for as long as it took for Jasmine to tell Drea her story.

"As I'll ever be," Hippolyta answered with a wry smile. "I'm a little nervous."

Artemis stroked a hand through Hippolyta's hair and laid her other hand on Drea's wrist, monitoring her pulse. "Don't worry, my queen. We are going to be keeping an eye on both of you. But it's important to Drea and Jasmine to get some closure. Drea needs to understand, and Jasmine needs to share."

"I know. I'm still nervous." Artemis smiled at Hippolyta's honesty.

"That's a good thing, my queen. Now Drea, I want you to relax and close your eyes. Start your meditation. Listen to the water and the chimes and breathe slowly. Let your mind relax and take you to Jasmine." Whatever else Artemis said was lost on Drea as she slipped into another time and place, not hearing Hippolyta's pleading cries for her to breathe.

"Drea? Drea, wake up and open your eyes."

Drea blinked her eyes open slowly, smiling brightly when her brown eyes met their twin after more than a twenty-five year absence. She reached out and took Jasmine in an embrace that lasted long minutes. When they finally released one another, they sat back and simply looked at each other with tears in their eyes.

"Oh gods, Drea. How I have missed you."

"And I you, Jas. And apparently, so much more," said with a tearful chuckle.

"Oh, yes. Let me start at the beginning, but we'd better get comfortable first. It's a long story."

For the first time, Drea looked around the nothing they were standing in. Then she looked back at Jasmine. "All right. I'm open to suggestions."

Jasmine laughed, a full, throaty sound that Drea had to laugh in sympathy with. Things had always been like this between them. When Drea stopped laughing, she looked around again, amazed at the changes that had been wrought. They were in a meadow, much like the one Drea had seen with Chase in it. This one, however, didn't have a house or barn and it did have a river with a waterfall. Beneath the oak tree were two comfortable chaise lounges, and between them sat a table with refreshments. Drea raised an eyebrow in question. Jasmine just shook her head.

"Sometimes it's best not to question what the gods provide. Come... sit. I have a lot to tell you."

Drea remained silent, wanting Jasmine to tell her story in her own way. Soon, her patience was rewarded, and Jasmine began to speak.

"I was furious at Hippolyta for her treatment of Diana, so I decided to move to Transformation Island. I enjoyed it, for the most part. It was peaceful and quiet, and full of scientific research. I missed you, though. I know why you stayed, and I agreed with your decision, but it didn't make me miss you less."

"I had begun to think about returning home to Paradise Island, when the goddesses approached me. It was somewhat unusual. I wasn't at the temple; nor was I meditating or praying. Instead, Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite approached me while I was working... doing research on gene mutation. Anyway, it was all a little bizarre and totally unexpected."

"Jasmine?" I turned around, wondering who dared disturb me at such a critical point in my work. I was stunned to see three of our patron goddesses in the laboratory with me, and would have knelt had it not been for Athena's firm grip on my arm.

"No, Jasmine. You need not kneel before us this time, for we have come to ask a favor of you."

"Of course. Anything."

The three of them smiled at one another then at me and shook their heads. "No, Jasmine. Hear us out first. What we have to ask of you is difficult and treacherous and will have far reaching consequences."

We moved to my office at Aphrodite's suggestion; they conjured their own chairs, though Athena never actually sat down. It occurred to me then that they were all acting a little stranger than usual. Aphrodite was nervous and biting her nails; Artemis was pensive, bouncing her leg and clasping her hands together rhythmically. Athena was worried and paced back and forth across the small space behind the others.

"You deserve to know the whole story, and this story starts more that twenty-five centuries ago... when Diana was granted life. You see, she needed a soul and we searched far and wide for a soul that was deserving and that could fulfill every potential we offered it. And we found that in a soul that was known to the Nation, both as a Destroyer and as a Champion."

"We wanted to give her a second chance. What we didn't figure was that taking her soul out of the karmic circle was going to disrupt... everything. We chose the warrior's soul because it seemed so perfect for our needs, even with its flaws. You see, she possessed the skills, strength and beauty we sought and had a brilliant mind. Unfortunately, that life did its worst to her, and for years she was lost to us - she was Ares' Chosen.

"Eventually, though, she found her soulmate and everything balanced... she became a force for good and an Amazon champion. For a while, that was enough. But things were never easy with them and they were separated by tragic circumstances, but it was with the knowledge, or at least the belief, that they would find one another again in their next lives."

"So when you removed the warrior's soul from the karmic cycle to make her an immortal Amazon princess...."

"We messed up the balance, and removed the possibility of them finding one another again."

"Okay, so how do I figure in to this scenario?"

Athena smiled. That spunk and initiative was one of the reasons Jasmine had been chosen. "There's more. You see, we didn't immediately realize we had caused a problem. Things were fine for the longest time... or so we thought. It was only when Diana started praying for a mate that Dite started looking, and we discovered our mistake."

"It took longer than we expected to find her soulmate; we had to trace her progress from her origins, and we lost her more than once. However, we finally caught her in Elysia between karmic cycles, and she is currently waiting to be reborn."

"So you're asking me to give birth to Diana's soulmate?"

"Yes," Athena acknowledged. "But it's a little more complicated than just giving birth. You see, Diana's soulmate has a lineage that has to be maintained... in man's world." Jasmine's eyes widened as the implications of Athena's words began to make themselves known in her conscious mind. "And there is every possibility that if you bear this child, you might have to give up your immortality to her in the process because of that. We've never actually had a situation like this before, but we want you to be prepared for all contingencies. We actually won't have any sort of control once you leave here. More than anything, we want you to understand the risks... to go into this with open eyes."

"Did they tell you why you were chosen... aside from spunk and initiative? Jas, I've seen Chase. She doesn't look anything like you."

Jasmine chuckled. "She wasn't supposed to. She carries the looks of Diana's soulmate... the one she's always dreamed of... the one her heart remembers. As to why I was chosen... no, not really. I figured maybe it was because I always wanted a baby."

"Did you really?"

"Yes, I did."

"Wow," Drea commented slowly. "I never knew."

"I never said. I knew it wasn't a possibility so I didn't bring it up. It seemed a bit pointless. But I was thrilled when the goddesses offered me the opportunity, and I decided it would be worth the price to be able to fulfill that desire. And Annabelle was a wonderful child who grew into a wonderful woman." Jasmine laughed. "She was quite a handful growing up though." She lifted an eyebrow at Drea. "A lot like us."

Drea chuckled. "Yes, I got that impression in the brief time I had with her. She is very, very intelligent... a lot like you, as a matter of fact. I cannot believe I didn't see the resemblance before." Her forehead wrinkled in consternation. "I wonder why she didn't recognize me. Gods know we *do* look almost exactly alike."

Jasmine shrugged. "I can only make an educated guess, but she told me she was blind part of the time she was on Paradise Island. I think her mind shut down and took her sight with it. It was the only way she could get through what she perceived as an unbelievable prospect and still retain her sanity. Drea, my Annabelle has been through so much in her short life. I'm sure that shutdown was purely self-preservation on her part."

"Good point, and it makes sense. We couldn't find a physical reason for her blindness." Drea nodded her head, her gaze going inward for a long moment. Then she turned her attention back to Jasmine. "So what happened? Obviously you left here and went into man's world. But then?"

"Once I made my decision, it was easy...well, parts of it were. The goddesses got me to the right place. Then it was a matter of meeting Charlie."

"Charlie?"

"Annabelle's father, Charles Chaser. He was Steve Trevor's grandson."

"I see. And did Aphrodite do some sort of love potion or something to make sure the two of you fell in love?"

"I don't think so. It felt... real. Not like it was forced or put on. He was a good man, kind and gentle, and we loved one another very much. We had seven years together before he was taken from me. His death broke my heart, but it nearly devastated Annabelle. She was a Daddy's girl, and Charlie doted on her every chance he got."

"How did he die?"

"Same way I did - Nazi raiding party. He was doing reconnaissance and ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Tears formed in her eyes. "Annabelle didn't even get to say goodbye. By the time the resistance found him, there wasn't much left. I barely recognized him."

"Oh, Jas. Why didn't you let us know? Why didn't you come home?"

"Drea, I couldn't. I couldn't leave Annabelle, and I couldn't leave the rebellion. I had obligations and responsibilities. It wasn't something I could just walk away from."

"Leave Annabelle?? Jas, you would have been bringing her home. She's an Amazon by birth even if she was born in man's world. You both would have been welcome like the long, lost family you were. Gods, maybe we would all have been spared some of the heartache we have had to endure. Maybe... maybe you'd still be alive."

Jas shook her head. "No, Drea. We couldn't come home. That was part of the original plan. I couldn't bring Annabelle back to Paradise Island until she reached adulthood, and then it was too late."

"What? Jasmine, you're not making any sense."

Jasmine bit her lip in thought, then blew out a frustrated breath. "This seemed so much easier before I had try to explain it," she muttered. "It's like this - Diana was a grown woman... an immortal who had been alive for more than twenty-five hundred years. How fair would it be to either of them for Diana to have to wait for Annabelle grow up or for Annabelle have to suffer through her growing pains while Diana was there to see all the ugly details with an adults perspective? Kids are still kids, Drea, and that sort of pressure can be impossible to get by... especially when there is a connection between them from there first meeting. I know you can't see Annabelle, Drea, but this whole thing with Diana has thrown her completely, and she is a capable, intelligent adult now. What would that have done to her as a child??"

"We decided that it would be in everyone's best interest if Annabelle grew up in man's world until she was old enough to make a decision about Diana for herself. But I was killed before that could happen."

"She doesn't know anything about her heritage? She doesn't know she is an Amazon?!? Jas, she hates us - Chase hates Amazons!! She was tortured and nearly killed by Orana!" Drea stopped speaking, trying to recompose herself. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to take this out on you. It's just...."

"... a lot to take in in a very short amount of time. I know. It was something of a shock for me as well. You see, the goddesses have almost no access to life outside their realm; we didn't know about the war or the rebellion, and once I was in man's world, I was on my own. I had to do the best I could with what I had."

"Why didn't they come to me sooner? Why didn't they tell me what was going on?"

"So you would worry more than you already did? Drea, there was no way to contact you, and no way for you to contact me. Only death allowed me to cross into your mind while I was still in man's world. I will stay here until Chase finds her way. Then my spirit can finally go to rest."

Drea was silent for a long moment, considering everything Jasmine had said. "There are so many things I want to ask you about your time in man's world, Jas. But first.... You lost your immortality, obviously. Did Chase receive it?"

"I don't know," Jasmine answered honestly. "I think so. I felt it slip from my body as she was born. But I don't know if that means it became hers as Athena had warned me about - so she and Diana can be true soulmates once more and forever or if becoming such an integral part of man's society meant I gave up all claim to being an immortal Amazon. I'd like to believe I gave it to Annabelle, but there is really no good way to test that theory and I was never in a hurry to try."

Something about Jasmine's droll, yet matter-of-fact answer made Drea laugh. She knew the tension and stress were part of it, and yet she also knew she had missed Jasmine's wit a great deal. It always came at you from around a corner.

"All right, I can see that. So, tell me about your time in man's world. Tell me about how you and Charlie met and about your wedding and Chase's birth... just tell me everything and don't leave out any of the good details."

Jasmine laughed. She had missed Drea's enthusiasm and sharing details of one another's lives. "Well, I met Charlie almost as soon as I arrived. He actually stopped to offer me some assistance and...."

For several hours, Jasmine talked, relaying everything she could to Drea about her life in man's world. Some of the more private things between her and Charlie she kept to herself, but everything she could share with Drea about Chase, she did. It was important that someone know everything possible so that when the time came, Chase would have someone to turn to.

Eventually, Jasmine's voice wore down, and she took a deep draught of the refreshment they had been provided with. It was cold and sweet and soothing and she smiled as it coated her throat and gave her a bit of relief. Drea suspected there was more on Jasmine's mind, and she waited patiently, helping herself to her own bit of refreshment. Her patience and her intuition was rewarded when Jasmine cleared her throat and looked at her with an odd expression.

"What is it, Jas?" patting her sister's knee in a familiar, comforting gesture. "You can ask or tell me anything. You know that."

"I know, Drea. It's just... this is a little awkward."

"Jaaaassssssminnnnnne...."

Jas laughed. "Gods, I missed hearing that. Okay, look. I need to ask you a really big favor - huge, in fact." Then she stopped speaking, and the silence lingered until Drea felt compelled to break it.

"Um... Jas? Are you going to share with me what this favor entails or would you like me to invoke some sort of divining ritual to figure it out for myself?

Jasmine laughed and then bit her lip pensively. "I need for you to go to man's world, Drea, to Annabelle. I need for you to help me tell my daughter about her heritage. I know she will believe me; I have never lied to her... about anything. I just didn't tell her about the Amazons soon enough. I would simply like you to be there as my physical representative. I believe it would help convince her of the truth... help her to put all the pieces together and accept her destiny. And it would give her some support, someone she could talk to about things.

"I'd like that, Jas. Yes. It will give me an opportunity to get to know my niece... as my niece and not as a patient. She was intriguing when I didn't know we were related."

Jasmine smiled and squeezed Drea's hand. "I told you she was a handful, but she was always a good kid, full of life and ideas and imagination. Experience and the war have tempered that a great deal, but it is still there... still part of the core person she is. Perhaps you will be able to cultivate it."

"Once she gets past her anger, you mean."

Jasmine shrugged. "Well, there is that, of course. But with a little luck, that part won't last too long. Be patient with her, Drea. She has known more sorrow in her short life than we did before we left the Old World for Paradise Island." Drea's eyes raised in astonishment. "I didn't share everything, Dre; some things Annabelle will have to share with you... or not. But it will need to be her choice. Just remember that she knows suffering and loss, and the fate of the rebellion rests on her slim shoulders."

"I will, Jasmine. Trust me to take care of her like she was my own. In a way, she is."

"I know, Drea, and I'm glad she will have you in her life. Now, I think it is time for you to go home so you can get started to Annabelle's world. I need to return to my temporary resting place - that is where Annabelle comes to talk to me. That is where you will need to come to; I'll look for your arrival, and then we will have to wait for Annabelle to seek me out."

"You don't go looking for her? You don't want me to?"

"Not unless you want to explain this on your own. Drea, I don't get to roam freely. My place is where Annabelle placed my body to rest. That is where I belong and where I have to stay. It's not all bad; I do get a small window to keep up with her... what she is doing. I just have to wait for her to come to me. Death tends to make some things more difficult."

Drea nodded. "Yes. I can see where that could be a real problem." She paused. "I love you, Jas."

"I love you too, Drea. See you soon."

Drea felt her eyes grow heavy and she let them fall closed. From a great distance, she heard Hippolyta calling her name and she followed the sound until she could open her eyes. She blinked slowly, not surprised to find Hippolyta cradling her face with only inches separating them. The tears, however, were completely unexpected. Drea wondered what had happened in her absence.



Chapter XXXII

"Pol? Hippolyta, what's wrong?"

"Oh Drea, you stopped breathing. I thought you were dead!"

Drea blinked and turned her head towards Artemis. "I was dead?"

Artemis nodded. "Technically yes, but only for a few seconds - less than a full minute. It is how a mortal can pass into the nothing regions of the underworld."

"But I was gone for hours! I didn't remain dead while I was gone?"

"No," Artemis answered with just a hint of exasperation as though she had already explained this more than once - which she had. "You died - that is to say all bodily functions ceased long enough to create the appearance of death. Once you crossed into the nothing region, your body here entered a state of suspended animation." She looked at Mala. "Didn't we explain all this to them already?"

"Yes, Artemis," the priestess answered dutifully. "But it is a very stressful procedure."

"True." Artemis turned back to Drea. "Please accept my word that at no time were you in any danger, and that everything is perfectly fine now. How do you feel?"

Drea smiled and struggled to sit up, a difficult feat as tightly as Hippolyta was holding on to her. She patted the queen's hands as a measure of comfort. Hippolyta offered her a muttered apology and released her hold, gratified when Drea clasped her hand instead.

"I feel really... good. Thank you Artemis, and Aphrodite and Athena," including the other goddesses as they appeared in the temple. "I greatly appreciate the opportunity you afforded to me and Jasmine. I am glad to know the whole story and to understand what actually happened to her."

"Are you going to honor her request of you?" Athena asked. "She told me she was going to ask; we were not monitoring your conversation. Everything that was said was private between the two of you. You deserved that much courtesy."

"Thank you, Athena," Drea replied, bowing her head. "And yes... I gave Jasmine my word."

"Wait... what request?" from Hippolyta.

The goddesses were silent and looked to Drea to answer. Drea took Hippolyta's hands in hers and looked into her eyes before she spoke. "I promised Jasmine I would go into man's world to look after Chase. Pol, you remember what I told you about how she felt about Amazons?" waiting for the affirmative nod. "Well, she doesn't know she is one. Jas never told Chase what her true heritage is."

Hippolyta was stunned and sat blinking at Drea for a long, disbelieving moment. "You are not serious." Silence. "But why? Was Jasmine that ashamed of being an Amazon?"

"No, Pol, no! She simply died before she felt the time had come to share that information. And she has asked me to go to her... to be there to help break the news to her. Perhaps I will even have the opportunity to keep an eye on Diana as well."

Hippolyta considered all the angles, not really finding a downside except for the separation this would require of the two of them. But given how long Diana's soul had been aching for its other half, she supposed she could manage for the relatively short amount of time required for this.

"How soon do you need to leave?" tacitly giving her blessing to Drea's proposed trip.

"Sooner would be best, my queen," Artemis spoke. "But I think we can allow enough time for your consort to get some food and some rest."

"Perhaps I can share with you what happened between Jasmine and myself while we were together in the nothing realm," Drea added, knowing Hippolyta's curiosity rivaled her own. "First, though, I would like a hot shower."

Artemis smiled. She had a weakness for those herself. "Very well, Drea. Come back to the temple when you are ready to depart. Mala will take care of us here until then. We will be waiting to hear from you."

Drea nodded and slowly rose to her feet. Hippolyta held her steady until she was certain Drea had her bearings, then took the hand she was still holding and together they left the temple and headed to the residence area of the palace. The goddesses and Mala watched them out of sight, then turned their attention to passing a bit of time until Drea was ready to go.



"All right, Diana. This is good. This is really good. This could give us such an edge. What made you think of this?"

Diana shrugged, unwilling to admit that it had developed from something Chase had said in their conversations together. It had been nearly three weeks since she had moved out of Chase's quarters and Chase had done an admirable job of completely avoiding her. Ty had given her the understanding that Chase would eventually approach her. She hadn't but had instead made sure that she was completely unavailable. Diana was hurt and angry, but she had determined she was not going to be the one to break the stalemate between them. She had only been abiding by Chase's wishes when she left.

"Diana? You okay? I think you faded on me there."

"I'm fine, Hans," she said softly. Her voice was returning slowly, but she wasn't inclined to use it loudly or often. "Time for lunch?"

Hans glanced at his watch, just as the mess hall bell rang. "How do you *do* that?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. "Come on. I know Cookie had meatloaf on the menu today and he does a pretty good meatloaf, if I do say so." He smiled, and Diana cocked her head in question. "I gave him the recipe. Trust me... you don't want to miss it."

Diana returned his smile and allowed him to take her arm and lead her out of the laboratory. She'd never experienced meatloaf before and was looking forward to this first opportunity.

Across the compound, Ty was knocking on the door to Chase's quarters. When she didn't get an answer, she simply opened the door and crossed the threshold. Chase looked up at her from the desk with very annoyed eyes. "You think that maybe since I didn't answer your knock, I didn't want to be disturbed by anyone, including you?"

"Give it up, Chase," Ty said with more than a touch of sarcasm. "The reason you didn't answer the damn door is because you thought it might be Diana. What the hell happened between the two of you, Chase? One day you were giving orders that we were all to steer clear of her, and the next she is coming to me at daybreak, before I can even get a cup of coffee, asking which hut is hers. And then... then all of a sudden you don't look at each other, you don't talk to each other. Hell's bells, Chase, you changed your whole damn routine just to avoid her!!"

Chase slammed her hands on the table and half rose. "That's enough!!" she roared. "Just back off, Ty. Back off and leave me the hell alone! I've got work to do," resuming her seat and turning her attention back to her work.

"Chase, c'mon. You can't let things go on like this. It's tearing you up, and that's affecting the rest of us! God... when was the last time you ate a hot meal in the mess hall with everyone? Hmm? When was the last time you held a staff meeting?? Would you like me to tell you? Would you? Because I guarantee you the entire senior staff is well aware there is a problem; they know when it started. Even if Diana won't share, even if you won't... we all know there is something going on between you."

"Ty," Chase's voice was tired when it broke into her cousin's tirade. "Just go, will ya? There's nothing you can do here, all right?"

Ty's shoulder's slumped, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with Chase in the mood she was in. "Would you like me to bring you over some lunch? Today is meatloaf day."

"No thanks, Ty, but I appreciate your asking. Go on before you miss out," with a waving motion and a small smile, turning back to her work once more.

Ty nodded and walked out the door, closing it completely before she shook her head at Shep and Hans who were waiting at the entrance to the mess tent. Diana had just gone inside with Jen and Mitch to hold a table for them all. Their shoulders slumped much like hers were and they waited for her to cross the compound to join them. Something was going to have to be done about the two of them soon. With their final offensive against the Nazis beginning in just a few days, Chase and Diana couldn't continue to be at odds with one another.

Shep pulled open the door, gesturing for the other two to walk in ahead of him. Just as he made a motion to follow them in, he saw Chase leave her hut and head toward what they had all dubbed "Chase's thinking hill".

Chase went to the hill, but discovered it wasn't a place she could think anymore... at least not about Diana. The last time she had been there was when she had brought Diana with her, and though it had been platonic - strictly business - she found she couldn't clear her thoughts of that brief time to focus on the here and now.

And Ty had been right about one thing for sure - the rift between Diana and herself was affecting everyone and everything in the rebel base camp. She was going to have to do something to resolve it. The question was... what?

Finally, angry at herself for letting Diana become so important to her that this mattered, and at Diana for causing her dilemma in the first place, Chase went back down the hill and checked out a jeep from the motor pool. She needed to talk to her mama.



It had been quiet at the homestead since Drea's arrival. The goddesses had been kind, providing her with a relatively smooth passage to man's world, and laid in a goodly portion of supplies for her in the cupboards once she had arrived. She had been more than a little surprised that they had provided a method of conventional travel to man's world instead of transporting her directly to what had once been Jasmine's home... and Chase's as well. Or at least she was surprised until Athena had explained to her the likelihood of Ares detecting her movement away from the protection of Paradise Island would be greatly multiplied if they used their godly powers to do so. As it was, he had noticed the dramatic increase in their visits *to* the island, though he put it down to the fact that it was the only place any of them had a power base left. How little he knew.

"We will be watching, Drea, but it is impossible for us to interfere in things that happen there. We do not want to draw attention to Chase or the rebellion, because Ares could and would do great harm to the rebellion if he knew where to look for them. And he would take extreme pleasure in separating Diana and her soulmate for eternity. Together, they always managed to defeat him, and Diana never gave her soul to him... even as his Chosen... because of it."

"You will have to be very careful and very patient as well. There is no way for us to tell how long it will be before Chase comes to visit. Losing her mother was very painful for her; she saw it as being her responsibility... her fault."

"That's nonsense!" Drea broke in. "Jasmine told me what happened and Chase wasn't even there. There was nothing she could have done to prevent it, and if she *had* been there, she would have been tortured and killed as well."

"No, she couldn't have done anything to prevent it, and yes, she might have died as well, but she doesn't see that as a bad thing. It was her intelligence report that they were using when her mother was captured, so she feels like death would have been an appropriate reward for her perceived blunder. The truth was, though she won't believe it, that the markers that had been laid out were changed before they arrived at the depot and Jasmine and her team walked right into a Nazi ambush. But Chase sees it as her own failure."

"Athena, why does Chase take such a responsibility on herself? Surely she acknowledges that her mother was a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions."

"As a member of the rebellion, yes, but as a daughter, no... especially since her father always commissioned her to take care of her mother while he was gone. It was the last thing her said to her before he told her he loved her and then went out and died."

Drea shook her head. "Are we sure she is Diana's soulmate? I mean, it seems as though the odds are stacked against them. They both have so many obstacles to overcome personally that...."

"Yes," Dite spoke for the first time, serious in both speech and manner. "Because they won't overcome those obstacles alone - they can't. They need each other to do it... they always have."

Drea nodded, understanding the veracity of the statement when she realized she was watching history - ancient, Amazon history - come alive again. Only this time, Chase's soul had experienced much more darkness than the warrior soul that belonged to Diana. Then she cleared her throat, needing to know. "Did Chase gain Jasmine's immortality? Will we be able to take her home to Paradise Island to live with Diana forever?"

"Well," Dite drawled. "Yes to the first part. Chase did inherit Jasmine's immortality and *if* she survives the rebellion, and *if* she chooses to make that totally happening place home, yeah... absolutely."

"Waitaminute," Drea said, holding up her hands for a time out. "What do you mean IF?? Immortal is immortal is immortal. It's not a pick and choose sort of deal."

Athena took back over the explanation. "Things work a little differently here in man's world and the rules for the immortality you enjoy on Paradise Island are not the same. For instance, you will age here, though at a very, very minute pace. If you study any of the few pictures Paula found of Orana, you will be able to see a slight difference in her appearance, even with the accouterments she brought from the island to protect her. Nothing too remarkable, but it is there if you know what to look for."

"We do believe that you can die here for the same reason, though we also think that it would take an exceptional amount of time and effort. However, this is still just a theory on our part as we have not had occasion to put it to the test."

"As for Chase, she's a wildcard no matter how you play it. Her immortality is inherited, so what rules apply? She grew up just like a normal human child would have for the first twenty-one years of her life. She has not changed noticeably since them. She survived the most horrible forms of torture without dying, so it obviously takes and incredible amount of power and exertion to kill her, but is killing her even possible or did her will simply kept her alive because of what was at stake? We really don't have any way to know until everything plays out to its logical conclusion. Just keep in mind that we are dealing with an extraordinary amount of variables and unknowns especially where Chase is concerned. And Chase is the biggest among them. Not simply because of the immortality, but because of her hatred of the Amazons and her responsibilities to the rebellion."

Drea rubbed her forehead, feeling a sudden unwelcome and unexpected sensation travel from her temple to the base of her skull as a headache began to make itself felt in her nerve endings. "Well," she muttered, "no one said it would be easy, though I certainly never expected something quite so convoluted." She mixed up a tonic and drank it down without flinching... til her tongue realized what it had just been fed. Then she grimaced, noting that her headache eased almost immediately.

"Okay, that is much better," drinking down another glass of water.

"Now, we must go," Athena said as the image of them flickered against the wall it was hosted on. "We will be watching, but there is nothing we can do to help. Good luck, Drea." Then the image went dark before the healer could formulate a reply.

Drea looked around the small farmhouse, careful not to disturb too much. She didn't want to give Chase any more reason to be angry than she was already going to be once she learned the truth about who she really was. Drea chose Jasmine's room as her own. She figured Jasmine would understand, and Chase probably wouldn't appreciate Drea moving in to what was obviously her space.

What confused Drea was the fact that Chase still clearly considered this her home. The house was filled with treasures and mementoes and Drea had discovered, to her delight, a stack of what appeared to be memory books full of photographs. She couldn't wait to go through them. She hoped Jasmine would come around and share some more insight into her life here, though she didn't understand why they had been left behind.

Drea cherished the opportunity she had to spend time with Jasmine, though it wasn't as often as she wanted it to be. Maintaining a visible form took a lot of energy and Jasmine had to rest and regroup between appearances. But Drea passed a comfortable two weeks at the homestead visiting with Jasmine and learning more about, not only her sister's life in man's world, but also about Chase and her growing up.

After Drea's initial introduction to everything in the farmhouse by Jasmine, they spent most of their time outdoors near the oak tree. Drea enjoyed being outdoors and it was easier for Jasmine to be visible there. She seemed to draw strength from where her body had been laid to rest, and Drea had to admit it was a nice place to pass the time and take pleasure in the fresh air and sunshine and wildflowers that surrounded the area.

On the days Jasmine was unable to visit her, Drea still made sure she went out to the oak tree that Jasmine was buried beneath and spent time just talking about things. She decided once everything was settled, no matter what happened, she would continue to talk to Jasmine like this, even if it was from Paradise Island. She felt it brought her closer to Jasmine and found she had missed that. And she got the feeling Jasmine had too.

Drea was sitting under the shade of the tree next to Jasmine's headstone talking one afternoon when the strangest noise she had ever heard made itself know to both her hearing and her nerve endings. It reminded her of the obnoxious sound the flying machines that had landed on Paradise Island had made. It shattered the stillness of the surrounding countryside and got Drea's attention easily.

She watched Chase's progress as she turned into the lane that led to the house and past it into the meadow where Jasmine's body was interred. Chase wasn't paying very close attention to her surroundings here - nothing ever changed here because no one but her ever came to this place.

She walked with her head down, mulling over her thoughts so she could try to get them into some sort of order. She didn't know that her mother could say or do anything to help her, but Chase knew she'd feel better just sharing things with Jasmine. She always had. However, with any luck, Jasmine would be able to offer her some advice to fix things with Diana. Chase knew she had to do something.

Chase was so focused on her own thoughts that she reached the tree before she realized someone else was there ahead of her. She lifted her eyes and saw....

"Mama?"

"No, baby girl," Jasmine answered as her ethereal form emerged from behind Drea before it took solid shape. "This is your Aunt Drea."

"Oh. My. God."



Chapter XXXIII

"This better be some sort of sick, fucking joke! DON'T!!" Chase shouted as Drea started to move within touching distance. "You stay right there."

"Chase, if you will just give me a chance...."

"NO! You cannot *possibly* have anything to say that I want to hear! I don't know what is going on here, and I really don't care. I don't need this right now. I've got way too much on my plate to worry about who you really are or why you're here."

Drea stopped moving and looked to Jasmine for guidance. She'd known Chase was going to be angry, but the proportion of her rage was much greater than either Jasmine or Drea had expected it to be. Drea wondered what exactly had brought Chase to them. Perhaps that would explain why her reaction, though well contained, bordered on furious.

"Annabelle," Jasmine said softly, "let me explain...."

"No, mama," with cold, deliberate calm. "There is nothing for you to explain."

"ANNABELLE!! Sit down, please."

"NO!! No, you lied to me!"

"Annabelle, I never once lied to you. Never! I have always been honest with you, baby girl."

Chase turned her back to Jasmine and Drea and walked away from them. "No," she said wearily, her back still facing them. "You didn't tell me the truth, and that's the same as lying." Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Drea, I'll bring Diana to see you, as I imagine that is the real reason you're here. Then ya'll can make whatever arrangements you need to return to your home." She turned back briefly and gestured towards Jasmine. "Maybe you can take her home with you, since you obviously belong to each other."

Then she walked away without another backward glance.

"Do you want me to follow her?" Drea asked, watching Chase get further and further away them. Jasmine shook her head and sank to the ground her hands covering her face. Drea followed her down, wrapping her arms around her sister and just holding her, wondering how they were going to fix this.

Chase drove back to the rebel encampment at a rapid pace, deliberately keeping her mind carefully blank. She stopped the jeep in front of the laboratory and hopped out, striding into the work area with deliberate steps. Hans and Diana looked up at the interruption, then at each other in disbelief as they saw who the interruption was. Chase had not been back to the lab since she had originally brought Diana in to talk to Hans.

"Diana, do you have a moment, please?"

The request was so unexpected Diana nodded and moved away from Hans before consciously thinking about it. When she got close to Chase, Diana remembered her hurt and asked coolly in her low voice, "Is there something I can do for you?"

Chase was glad for the cold attitude; it made it easier to maintain her detachment. "Yes. Can you spare me a few minutes of your time?"

Diana looked back at Hans who was watching them with interest even though he couldn't hear a word of the conversation between them. They were at a point in their work where she didn't have to be there for them to continue to make progress, and she admitted to needing a break, even if it required being in Chase's presence for a little while to get it. Chase had never given her a reason not to trust her, so she nodded. "Yes. What can I do for you?"

Chase didn't reply, but simply waved Diana towards the jeep. Then she looked back at Hans. "Staff meeting as soon as I return. Pass the word." An order... not a request.

He nodded, only just refraining from saluting. She hadn't been that harsh since her mother was killed, and he wondered what had set her off this time. He didn't think it was Diana, though; Chase's reaction to Diana had been all over the place with Diana herself, but she had never been harsh with the rest of them because of it. Mostly, she had simply withdrawn from them completely, stonewalling their every effort to talk about it. So something new must have happened to return the recklessness Chase had possessed after her mother's death before she had settled down to lead them.

A hand signal from Chase as she left the lab garnered her a distant escort; someone who knew to follow, but not too closely.

Chase didn't speak when she got into the vehicle. She couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't weak or sappy to her ears and she really wasn't in the mood for either. In a way, though, this scenario would work out better for all concerned. Diana would return home where she belonged, Chase would get her focus back on the rebellion where it belonged, and the war would finally be over once and for all. After that, well, it wouldn't really matter, would it? At least this way Diana would be safe.

"Where are we going?" Diana asked as they left the compound. Though she didn't get the feeling Chase meant her actual physical harm, she had the distinct impression she was being set up for something she wasn't going to like. Suddenly, her trusting Chase seemed like a bad idea.

"Not far," Chase answered briefly.

Diana tried to pay more than peripheral attention to their direction and destination, but her mind was torn in three different directions. She was trying to find a way to break the ice without coming across as begging or condescending, but everything she came up with sounded lame and trite to her mind. Why does that always happen when I am around her? she thought. Any other time or with any other human being, I can be a calm, rational adult. But I get close to her and my brain freezes up. Gods, it shouldn't be this hard. We know each other... our souls belong to one another - they always have. So why can't I just tell her that? Why won't she let me mean something to her? Then Chase's words interrupted her train of thought.

"I'm sorry, Diana. I really am. If things had been different, we could have at least been friends, but...." Chase spoke as they turned into the lane. She covertly checked to be sure the other vehicle was still following, then took a deep breath to finish her apology. "For what it's worth, I never meant to push you away. I wanted... I just... I thought.... Well, it doesn't really matter what I thought now. I think she is waiting for you." She turned the jeep off and pointed to the figure on the porch. "I hope you find whatever it really is you came here looking for. Goodbye, Diana." Then Chase jumped from the driver's seat and into the jeep that pulled up right next to her. Then the driver hit the gas, and the vehicle roared back down the lane the way that it had come.

Diana got out and started running, but Amazon or no, she couldn't keep up with a motor vehicle without Wonder Woman's powers, and she was literally left in the dust as Chase disappeared from view.

Great, she thought, what am I going to do now? She turned and headed back to the small farmhouse, wondering what had brought Drea into man's world.



"What do you think you're doing?" Ares leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. Orana didn't deign to look at him, but dropped her robe and walked into the closet to get dressed. "I asked you a question; I want an answer."

"And I want to go out and destroy the rebellion, once and for all. I don't think I owe you any more of an explanation than that. *I* am the one in charge here, Ares... not you."

"Uh huh," he said, pushing away from the wall and moving further into the bedroom. "And then what? What exactly are you going to do if you destroy the rebellion? Hmm? Are you going to sit around on your ass waiting for something exciting to happen? Hoping I'll come around once in a while to share your bed?" cupping her cheek and stroking his thumb over her lips.

She jerked her head out of his grasp. "Don't flatter yourself, Ares. You're not that good." She tucked her shirt in and snatched up her boots before pushing past him to sit on the bed. He followed her and jerked her chin up til their eyes met.

"Don't push me, Amazon. I am a god, and I own you, remember?" fingering the mark she wore on her neck. "You need me to remind you who is in charge?"

Deciding to change tactics, she stood and ran her hands up his chest. "Ares, I just want to go out and have a little fun. Is that so hard to understand? Come on... we haven't had a really good fight in a long, long time. And I've heard rumors...."

"Oh yeah? What kind of rumors?"

"Well, I'm hearing things about some sort of offensive. My spies haven't been able to pin down anything specific, but there are just too many rumors running around out there for there not to be something behind them. I want to go find a little action."

"Well, baby... you should have said something. You know if you want action, I'm you're man... and I'm *always* ready to go."

She pinched his ass and he jumped, not expecting it. "Wrong kind of action, Ares. I want a fight."

"Well, I've been working on that too. I've got several fights star...."

"No, Ares. I want battles and wars and glory... like it was in the beginning."

Ares scrubbed a hand across his beard and looked intently at Orana. Truth be told, he missed that kind of action as well because it had been so long since they'd had a good fight. But something about the timing of this whole thing wasn't sitting well... not with the goddesses renewed interest in the Amazons of Paradise Island. However.... "You think that's what this is?"

"I don't know yet, but I would like to find out. It's making my fingers prickle."

"All right," he finally agreed. "Just be careful. We don't want this to backfire. We've got a really good thing going here."

She reached up and drew him to her, kissing him hard and passionately on the mouth. "Not a problem. I'm just looking for a little diversion. Now," she said, moving out of his reach and picking up her belt and lasso. "I've got work to do."

"So do I," he agreed. ""But I'll be back." Then he shimmered out of the room, and she walked out, leaving the room in darkness.



"All right - that's it. Countdown starts now. We will commence the operation in forty-eight hours. Everyone's got their assignments. Questions?"

"Yes. Where is Diana and what is her part in all of this?" This from Hans as he was the only one who knew that Diana and Chase had left together earlier and that Chase had returned alone. He hadn't shared that knowledge with anyone, curious to know what had happened between them but anxious to give Chase the benefit of the doubt. She had been his best friend for a long time, and he'd never once know her to act without honor. But he'd never seen her out of sorts like she had been with Diana either.

"There was an emergency in her family, and they came looking for her. She went with them, so I'm guessing she's got some things to take care of that don't involve us or this mission. That's all right - she wasn't really ever a part of this mission to begin with, so we didn't have to make any alterations. Anything else?"

The silence around the room made it seem like there was more that each of them wanted to say... questions they wanted to ask... but they let it go. Chase was focused on the rebellion again, and that is what they needed. As much as they liked Diana, they needed Chase. No one stopped to consider that Diana was what Chase needed.

"All right," Chase nodded, picking up her notes. "Everyone make sure to see Hans before we head out to get their shots and pick up their new armor. No one goes on this operation without both. Move out - we've got a hell of a lot to get done and not much time left to do it in."

She was out the door before any of them could even get up from their seats.



"That is why you're here, Drea? It has nothing to do with me then?"

"No," Drea said, "though of course your mother did ask me to check on you, make sure you were doing all right. She really is concerned." Diana nodded, but made no other attempt to acknowledge acceptance of Drea's words. "Is that how Chase got you here - under the guise of me needing you?"

"Actually she just asked for a few minutes of my time, then she apologized and left me here."

"But she left you a vehicle...."

"... which I cannot drive." Diana bit her lip. "All right, I guess that means I start walking. Would you like to come with me or would you prefer to stay here?"

"Given my choice, I will come with you, of course. Let us have something to eat first."

"Yes, and Aunt Jasmine can explain why she never told Chase about her heritage," glaring at the spirit of the woman who sat in the window seat looking across at the tree beneath which her body lay buried.

Jasmine looked at Diana with eyes that were full of despair, and Diana was inclined towards sympathy for her. But the truth was, she had unwittingly managed to complicate Diana's life immensely and thrown any chance of Chase accepting Diana or her heritage into a tailspin. It made things more complicated, Diana sighed, but not impossible. One more hurdle on the path to being whole again.

"First things first. Jasmine will tell her story for you while we eat, then you and I will head back to the rebel encampment. Do you think you can find it again?"

Diana nodded. Then she took a seat and waited expectantly for Jasmine to begin speaking.

It took Jasmine through their meal and a little longer to finish her telling and Diana listened and ate without interrupting. Drea watched Diana as she listened, noting with interest how she absorbed the details about Chase's life. The sun had almost set by the time that Jasmine finished.

"I didn't keep it from her maliciously, Diana. It just never seemed like a good time to tell her... especially not as a teenaged child... and then it was too late. I ran out of time. I am hoping after she settles down and thinks about it calmly that she will realize that."

"Do you know why she came out here?" Diana asked.

"No. We never got that far." A pause. "I wonder if she suspected the truth or if she came looking for answers about something else." Drea met Diana's eyes. "How are things progressing between the two of you?"

Diana shook her head. "They aren't. She's been avoiding me, but I don't know if it just me or if there is more to it."

"Well, what do you say we go and find out?"

"Drea," Jasmine interrupted before Diana could answer. "Take care of my baby girl, and remind her that I love her - that I never meant to hurt her with any of this."

Drea took Jasmine's hands in her own. "Do not worry, sister. It may take a while to convince your stubborn child of the truth, but we will make Chase understand it eventually. Have a little faith. Diana and I will bring her back here as quickly as we can."

Jasmine leaned forward and brushed a cool kiss across Drea's cheek. "Go with my blessing then."

Then Drea turned to Diana and held out her hand and the two walked out of the house and down the lane, headed back to the rebel encampment.



"My queen??"

"Find a way, Nubia. Given what Paula has been able to record in the last few days in man's world, it has become imperative that we get involved. We *have* to do something. We have stood by unknowing in our ignorance, while man's world has suffered and bled and died under the hand of one of our own. Diana and Chase have both suffered so much to get to this point. I think we owe them whatever help we can provide, but it needs to be now."

"As you say, my queen. But without divine intervention, I am not sure we can arrive in man's world in time to make a difference for them. We're still piecing it together, but from all the data we have managed to cull together something big is coming and it's going to happen soon. Within days, if we are understanding the transmissions correctly."

"My queen, we know for certain Orana is out and about again. Now that we know she is involved in this, we have stepped up our surveillance, but it is still all piecemeal. We do not know if she is out looking for something specific or simply trying to relieve her boredom."

"What of the rebellion?"

"Again, just bits. Short of asking the goddesses, it is all guesswork on our part. But there has been a lot more activity over the past month or so. That in and of itself indicates things are happening. Can we ask the goddesses?"

"I already have," Mala finally spoke. "The queen is right. The time has come for the Amazons to take their place again as the warriors they once were. Be ready tomorrow before dawn."

A cheer went up from the council. Then they scrambled to get and get the warriors of the Nation ready to go into man's world. The time had finally come, and the women of the Amazon Nation were spoiling for a fight. Knowing they were going to support their princess and redeem themselves from Orana put a fire in their bellies the Nazis were going to have a very hard time putting out.



Chapter XXXIV

"Chase, you got a minute?" Ty asked, sticking her head in the door of Chase's hut. Chase leaned back in the chair and gave Ty her full attention.

"Sure Ty," she said, pushing her papers away from her. "What's up? Problems with your preparations, or...?" extending her hands in inquiry. Ty shook her head.

"No, no. Nothing like that. I want to know what really happened to Diana, Chase. I know how she feels about... things," not wanting to reveal a confidence. "I want to know why you made her leave."

Instead of becoming angry, as Ty half feared she would, Chase sighed sadly and crossed over to the small window that looked out over the compound. Everywhere she looked there was activity; to the untrained eye it appeared much like controlled chaos. But to Chase's knowing gaze, it was the steady, forward progress of war preparation. She didn't sense fear, but instead saw excitement simmering just below the surface of the purposeful commotion.

Ty didn't interrupt Chase's musing, sensing the conflict within her cousin, even though Chase kept her eyes on the hustle and bustle taking place just outside her hut. Ty figured her patience would be rewarded sooner or later if she remained quiet; Chase had been like this before - when her father had died and again when her mother had been killed. Eventually, Chase was going to need to share with someone if only to vent before she drove herself crazy. So Ty waited.

"I didn't make her leave, Ty. Someone who is from Diana's home found me and I took her to them." Truth, mostly, as far as it went, but Ty wasn't buying it. She knew there was more. She waited but Chase didn't speak further, and Ty slapped her legs in frustration.

"Damn it, Chase! What the hell is going on with you?? I know there is more to this story than you are telling me. Now, you wanna start from the beginning and just tell me the truth, or you want me to pick and pry it out of you until I'm satisfied??"

Chase almost had to laugh. Ty would do it too; she had before. One thing Chase knew she could count on her cousin for was absolute honesty and a swift kick in the ass if she needed it. Unconsciously, she rubbed her butt and Ty chuckled, forcing Chase to turn and glare at her before smiling sheepishly.

"Start at the beginning, Chase, and tell me everything. Maybe I can help... at least you might feel better for sharing the burden with someone. C'mon. I know something has been bothering you since you came back from... wherever it was you disappeared a few months ago."

Then Ty waited. She knew of Chase didn't share now, she never would, or at least not for a very long time. By then, with a little luck, the war would be over and Chase wouldn't need the focus she needed now. But it would still eat at her until she had nothing left, and Ty didn't want to lose Chase to madness. And this, Ty feared, would be the final push Chase needed to cross the line.

"Do you remember the stories my mother used to tell, Ty? Stories from the old country, she called them - about ancient cultures and heroes and myths."

"Oh yes," Ty answered enthusiastically. "My favorites were always about the Amazons. I loved...." She broke off when she realized what she was about to say and who she was saying it to. "I'm sorry, Chase. I didn't...."

Chase smiled at her sadly before turning her attention back out the window. "Don't be sorry, Ty. I loved the ones about the two who traveled together the best, but the Amazon stories were some my favorites too. At least until...."

"Yeah."

"Anyway, do you remember how real she made those stories seem... like they were real people who lived in real time and had real lives and adventures? Do you remember how much we wanted them to *be* real so we could meet them?"

"Do I? My daddy tanned my backside more than once for going on and on about them when I should have been concentrating on other things. Said the Amazons were nothing more than myths and I needed to focus on the here and now. He said Aunt Jas just made up stories to give us some strong female figures to aspire to."

"For a long time, I figured he was right. Don't get me wrong... I loved Mama's stories, but they couldn't be real, right? Things like that were just make-believe, especially in our world. Then I met Orana, and she made me hate the thought of there being Amazons if they were like her."

"You think differently now." A statement, not a question.

Chase shook her head. "No, Ty. I *know* differently now. Those dreams... you know the ones I had when I first got back from that mission?" looking over her shoulder at Ty and seeing her nod her agreement. "Those weren't dreams, Ty. It really happened. The Amazons, the island... everything."

When she realized that Chase wasn't going to continue, Ty prodded. "How?" Suspecting it had everything to do with Diana.

Chase took a deep breath. "Diana was there. She's an Amazon princess." Her pronouncement was met with silence, and Chase turned to meet Ty's eyes. They were widened and her jaw was slack. Chase smirked just a little and went over to wave her hand in front of Ty's face. It took several passes before Ty blinked and met her gaze. Then she cleared her throat and spoke.

"An Amazon princess?? Oooooookay. Did she tell you this?"

"Ty, trust me when I tell you I know it is true; you know I can sense if a person is lying or not. She told me things she could only have known if they were true and she was there."

"That doesn't make her a princess."

"No, but I have reason to believe that part is true."

"Is that why you made her leave? Because she's an Amazon princess?" Chase shook her head but made no more effort to elaborate. "C'mon, Chase," Ty finally huffed. "You gotta give me something more here. You know I have never been good as guessing games."

Chase walked back over to the window, careful to keep her back to Ty. "No, Ty. I told you the truth about that. An Amazon, the woman who healed me on that island, was at the homestead today when I went to talk to Mama." Ty didn't comment; she knew Chase usually went to back to her old home to talk to Jasmine's grave whenever she needed to talk. It was only very rarely that she would open up to one of them, so as not to appear weak. "Since Diana had made it fairly clear to me that she was here because she had nowhere else to go, I thought it was best to give her the chance to go home when the opportunity arose."

"Uh huh," Ty said dryly. "Did it ever occur to you to *ask* her what she wanted?"

"Ty," Chase finally said with more than a hint of exasperation and asperity in her voice. "She was a distraction for me. I needed her to be gone from here as much as she wanted to be away from me."

"But...."

"Ty, she left here of her own volition, all right? She walked out of this hut and away from me without a word of explanation. No amount of window dressing is gonna change that little fact. But by taking her back to her family, I did what was best for everyone; the timing just happened to fall into place like it did by sheer coincidence."

Ty stood up and stomped her way over to the window. She grabbed Chase by the shoulder and swung her around so their eyes could meet. "I don't believe you," she swore, throwing her hands up into the air. "You are... argh!" words failing her completely.

Ty held up a finger and glared when Chase opened her mouth to speak, pacing back and forth across the small room, her anger apparent in her attitude as well as her actions. "Did it ever ONCE occur to *you* to talk to Diana? To ask her why she moved out in such a hurry? To find out why she really stayed here? It didn't, did it? You let your feelings get hurt over something you won't even acknowledge, much less try to understand. You pushed her away - making sure you couldn't even be friends... because you were afraid."

Ty turned to look at Chase who hadn't stirred at all, her gaze appearing to be completely riveted on the world going on around her just outside her hut. "Chase, are you even listening to me??" anger coloring her tone.

"Ty, are you done?" never removing her eyes from the window.

"Yes, damn it! I'm done." She blew out a deep breath and spoke more calmly. "I'm finished, yes."

"I hope you will respect that what I shared with you was done so in confidence. I would appreciate if you wouldn't share it with the others."

"Chase, even if you had shared something private like that with me - which you didn't, by the way - I wouldn't go out and share it with the rest. I never have. I treasure your trust in me; I'd hoped you understood that by now and felt the same in return." Her voice was saddened by remorse and her shoulders slumped in an air of utter defeat.

"I do, Ty. You know that. I just... this is awkward for me, and I'm not sure why or...." Her brow furrowed in consternation. "Wait, I did share with you. I told you the dreams were real and not dreams and that Diana is an Amazon princess."

Ty nodded. "Yes, you did, and of course I would never share that with anyone. But you still haven't shared why you sent Diana away. Or why you won't talk to her. Or how you feel about the whole thing. Or...." Ty had to stop speaking when Chase's hand covered her mouth. She met her cousin's green eyes, expecting to find anger or frustration... anything but the amusement she found there.

"All right, Ty. All right - I get the point." Her eyes turned serious. "I appreciate the concern, and if I had anything to share, you know you'd be the first to hear about it. In all honesty, maybe I'll have time to think about it and worry about all that later. But for right now, I have to focus on the here and now - the rebellion and winning this goddamn war once and for all. Once it's all over and everything is taken care of, maybe I can worry about the rest... maybe I can worry about me for a change. But I can't let this distract me now. This is about more than just me, Ty; this is about all of us and is critical to our survival."

Ty clasped Chase's hands in hers. "All right, Chase. I can accept that for now. But you promise me... when this is all over and everything is taken care of... you promise me that you will take care of Chase. I want you to be happy. You deserve it so much. You especially," she said, not letting Chase interrupt her, "because you have done so much for everyone else."

"Okay, Ty. I promise. When we're done, I'll try to take some time for me, and figure out what I need to do to be happy. Then I'll go out and do it."

"You promise me that you'll talk to Diana - give her a chance?"

"Ty, I doubt Diana will be anywhere around, but if she is, I promise that I will talk to her and give her a chance," knowing in her heart that Diana was going to be a very long from anywhere Chase expected to be, assuming she survived the coming battle. Because she knew someone was going to have to be the one to take down Orana, and she had already granted herself that special task. She felt she deserved as much, and she certainly wasn't going to put anyone else in harm's way.

Ty nodded, not liking the vibe she was suddenly getting from Chase, but unable to do more than accept her word. "All right. C'mon," she said, pulling her towards the door. "It's time for dinner, and I know you're hungry. You missed lunch, and I can hear your stomach growling. Don't bother," when Chase tried to pull free. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

Chase chuckled wryly and shook her head, then followed Ty out the door and across the compound to the mess hall where they were greeted with hails and cheers.



"So what are you going to do when we get there?" Drea asked Diana as they walked down the road in the twilight that was swiftly fading to darkness. "Do you have a plan?"

Diana shook her head. "Not yet. Only that I'm not going to throttle Chase when I see her. Because she did leave me a vehicle to use - even if I don't know how to use it. I think she brought me to you because she wanted to keep me safe and out of the way."

"Is that a good thing?"

Diana considered the question, then nodded slowly. "I think so. From what I know of Chase, it is almost the ultimate compliment. She knows I'm not incompetent or stupid and she expects everyone to pull their weight. So either she is protecting me because she cares about me to some degree or getting rid of me because I am a distraction.

"Maybe a little of both?"

Diana sighed and shrugged. "Maybe. I would prefer if she would talk to me, though. I really want...." She stopped speaking with a blush when it occurred to her just who she was talking to. Drea smiled.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Diana. I think it is wonderful that you really want, and even better that you've found the one you really want to with." Drea took Diana's arm as they continued walking down the road. "I've missed this with you. I've missed you." Diana patted the hand that rested on her arm, but she didn't speak. "Your mother misses you too, you know. She has for a long time. She just couldn't seem to find a way to reach you and eventually she stopped trying."

"Drea, I know you mean well, and I know that sooner or later Hippolyta and I will need to come to some sort of an understanding. But not right now. Right now, I have enough to worry about without having to consider any of that. So can we leave it alone... please?"

"I am sorry, Little One. You are entirely correct, of course. You do know that Paula has continued to monitor things here and in the Nazi capital as well as she can. If she has been able to see any of what you say has been going on, Hippolyta will be preparing the warriors to come join the fight." She held up her hand when Diana would have spoken. "It is their fight as well, Diana. We all bear the responsibility for Orana, and no one wants to be left out of providing a solution for dealing with her."

"No, Drea. This is my fight - mine and Chase's. We lost the most to Orana's machinations. I hate to be the one to point this out, Drea, but I doubt very sincerely Chase is going to let anyone but her deal with Orana... especially not an Amazon."

"Does she know... about what happened with your mother?"

Diana nodded. "She knows about everything... except why I followed her here. I couldn't find the words to tell her when we were talking, and then she stopped talking to me. I wonder if I had told her the truth... even part of it... if...."

"If perhaps she might have reacted differently? If something might have already happened between you?" Diana nodded, the motion barely visible in the light of the waning moon. Drea pulled them to a halt and cupped Diana's face in her hands. "Little One, what is the one thing I have tried to teach you, hmm? The one thing you know to be true despite everything."

"Everything happens in its own good time."

"Exactly. Even if we do not understand the reasons, even though we cannot see the big picture, even when we do not agree with what has happened and why," the last bit muttered under her breath, "eventually things do come together of their own time and their own volition." Drea removed her hands from Diana's face and took her arm again, resuming their walk down the road.

"Besides," she continued, "she needs to discover the truth that is the two of you for herself. If Chase had been told the truth about the two of you and then found out she was an Amazon, there is always be a chance she would feel manipulated, and that is never a good foundation for a relationship of any kind - even friendship. At least this way, she knows the truth about her heritage, and the rest will come with time."

"Do you really believe that Drea? Do you think she'll figure it out and accept it for everything it is?"

"Yes, Little One. I really do. Aside from knowing her mother pretty well, and realizing that both her mother and her aunt are brilliant and have impeccable taste, it sounds like she already has feelings for you, daughter. She is not going to pass that up. Her soul won't let her. The down side, and of course you knew there had to be one - knowing her mother and aunt as well as I do, I can safely say she is a fighter, and she's going to fight every step of the way to realization."

Diana chuckled wryly. "Given her original soul, I can believe that. Do you think I am losing my mind over this... maybe being a little impatient with the whole process? I mean Chase and I have really only just met in this lifetime - we've only known one another for a very few weeks when you really think about it... a couple months at most."

"But this is something you have been searching for for a very long time, Diana. And your soul recognized her and your heart knew the truth even before your mind figured it out. Hers is the same way except that she doesn't even realize she has been looking for you through her lifetimes. She just knows there is something about you and for whatever reason, it terrifies her. But she will figure it out. I would be willing to guess that part of her problem is her leadership of the rebellion. Jasmine told me Chase has always been very singularly focused, and it only got worse after the death of each parent and then her incarceration by Orana. She is going to need to learn a new focus."

It was quiet for a long while as they walked along the road while Diana considered Drea's words. She had missed their talks as well as the sage advice Drea always seemed to have well in hand. And with Drea's belief, she felt her own belief reassert itself. She knew Chase felt something. Now it was simply a matter of getting her to see and acknowledge what that something between them really was. But first they had to win this war.



It was just after midnight when they crossed the outer boundary of the rebel encampment. At Diana's request, Ty was called to meet and vouch for them instead of Chase. Ty did a double take when she saw Drea and was introduced to her casually by Diana as 'my other mother.' Instead of asking the questions that dripped off her tongue, Ty reassured the guard with alacrity so the trio was soon crossing the grounds to Diana's small quarters. Diana looked around, easily able to see the preparations that had already been made and were in fact still in progress. She turned questioning blue eyes to Ty and waited for an explanation.

"I'll explain everything in the morning," Ty promised. "But for now, let's just say it's time to wrap up this war and go to bed, all right? Please, Diana. It's been a very long day."

"She's right, Diana," Drea said, placing a hand on Diana's arm. "There will be time for discussion and explanations in the morning."

Diana looked at Drea, noting for the first time an exhaustion she could plainly see written on her face. She nodded her head. "All right," looking back at Ty. "In the morning, then."



But the morning was going to bring even further complication to their lives.



Chapter XXXV

Hippolyta looked around at the homestead in the bare light of the approaching dawn. Though there were obvious signs of neglect, still the place had the look of recent occupation. Despite the repairs that needed to be done, the walk had been swept and the flower beds had been weeded. Hippolyta knocked on the door and waited, then turned to look at her warriors - her warriors - she thought with pride. They stood waiting patiently for her orders and she turned to her advisory council.

"Well, there doesn't appear to be anyone home, though I don't think she's been gone too long." The goddesses had transported them to Chase's homestead figuring to meet up with Drea and going to the rebel encampment together, and to find she was no longer here.... "We will have to figure out where they are and make our way to them. Best guess as to which direction we should go?"

It was only an answer on the wind, but they all heard it as clearly as though Artemis was standing among them when she spoke. East.

So the warriors formed ranks and began a comfortable run east, hopefully towards the rebel compound.



Chase was up before the sun and looking over every aspect of the camp as it continued to make preparations for the final assault. At each place she stopped, listening to concerns and answering questions, helping make things run smoother for everyone. Most of the rebels here, directly under her command, were long veterans of the war against the Nazis. Most of them at one time or another had served on the front line, and all of those that had, had served more than once in the face of death. Those that hadn't were young and scared, and Chase did her best to reassure them as much as possible. And so she slowly made her across and through the camp until she was satisfied that everything that could be done was being done.

Ty, meanwhile, had gotten up as the sun peeked over the horizon of the eastern sky. Given her late night, she felt like she could have slept til noon, but knew that was completely out of the question. She went to the mess tent to pick up some breakfast and then made her way directly to Diana's hut. She had questions she wanted answers to as well.

Ty knocked, but she didn't wait for an invitation before she entered. She didn't want Chase to see her loitering outside Diana's hut, especially with food in her hands. Chase would start asking questions of her own before Ty herself got some answers. Immediately she was met by two blades on opposite sides of her neck until the two Amazons got a good look at their intruder. Drea turned to Diana for advice and Diana simply nodded and removed her own blade from Ty's throat. Drea was only a beat behind her. Ty placed the tray down on the small table.

"We do not rate the courtesy of inviting you in first?" Drea asked in a curt tone. Diana just looked at Ty and waited for her response. She had her own suspicions why Ty had done what she did and was curious to know what sort of explanation she would offer. Ty handed each of them a cup of coffee and a roll before picking up her own and giving Drea a well-thought out answer.

"Under normal circumstances, you would rate that much and much more besides, but we are not under normal circumstances, are we? And I want some answers before Chase discovers you're here. You," looking directly at Diana, "are supposed to be on your way back home to that island. And you," turning back to Drea, "are obviously related to my Aunt Jasmine. So how are you related to Diana and what are you doing here? What are you both doing here?"

"We'll answer you questions, Ty, if you will answer ours."

"Of course, Diana. I told you I would, but please...."

By accident or design, Ty had become her confidante when she couldn't talk to Chase and needed an outlet. Though Diana had only shared small snippets, Ty had proven trustworthy and loyal and able to keep a secret. So Diana told her the whole story, in all its excruciating detail. Everything that was relevant to this situation, anyway - who Drea was and why she had really come and why they had returned to the rebel compound together instead of going home. Ty just covered her eyes as she listened and scrubbed her hands through her hair when the recitation was over.

"Damn sonofabitch!" she cursed, making Drea's eyes widen in surprise. "Is there anything else I need to be aware of?"

"Not to my knowledge," Diana answered honestly. "I have told you everything I know that happened once I left here. I only found out most of this myself yesterday. I knew about Drea and Jasmine being twins, of course, but I didn't know about the rest."

Ty squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Chase is gonna kill me," she muttered, "just on general principle, much less for knowing things I shouldn't." She sighed. "Well, as long as I am going to have to die because of all this, let me bring you up to date on my side of things." Drea and Diana exchanged glances wondering what they had missed in Diana's narration.

"First and foremost, you have to know that though she didn't always, Chase hates Amazons now because of something that happened to her when she was captured by the Nazis in Berlin some time ago. She never shared with me what happened; only that it was an Amazon who had caused the damage I could see, and obviously the psychological damage I couldn't. Anyway, that's not the important part, though I think ya'll needed to understand - especially you, Diana. It helps explain why she is having problems... um, relating to you."

Diana nodded, understanding far more than Ty was aware of, though her expression gave none of that away.

"You also need to understand that she didn't share with me the fact that she is an Amazon, which means she hasn't come to terms with it. It would probably be in all our best interests if number one, she doesn't know you told me this and number two, you," motioning to Drea, "stay out of sight. Seeing you probably hurts Chase more than she would ever admit to. Aunt Jasmine was her best friend, and her death was agonizing for Chase, especially since Chase still feels a guilty responsibility for it."

"Okay, not to seem cold but what does that have to do with what is going around here now?" This from Drea. "Obviously something big is happening." Diana remained quiet.

"Something big *is* happening. We are preparing for our final offensive against the Reich. This is an all or nothing gamble, and thanks to Diana's and Hans' work, most of us have a huge hope of not only succeeding, but actually coming through this alive."

"You didn't expect to succeed before?"

Ty shook her head. "Oh yes, we always expected to succeed; the actual plan hasn't changed. We just didn't have much chance for survival. Diana's efforts helped change all that. It is one reason we are moving now, and it is one reason Chase took you to Drea, Diana. She cares for you too much to endanger you, though she won't admit that to herself. She claims you are a distraction, which is true enough, though again, she's not analyzing the why behind the distraction."

Diana tilted her head in question. "Do you know something?"

"I know Chase. That's enough," but she didn't say anything else.

"Would you like to share?"

"Nope. I am in enough trouble as it is. Besides, I have enough to worry about with ops prep. I'm not about to get involved in someone else's love life - or lack there of." Ty would have laughed at the way Diana's eyes bugged out of her head if she hadn't been so engrossed in her thoughts. "My big concern right now is how to tell Chase that you are back here. She's not going to be happy."

"Does she need to know?" Drea asked. "If I need to stay out of sight, why can't Diana? I mean if it would make it easier...."

"Drea, even if I wanted to let Chase protect me... which I don't..." with a glare at both of them, "I have a score to settle with Orana as well. For my sake as well as Chase's. I worked hard to make myself a productive part of this rebellion and I am not going to be left out of it because Chase considers me to be a distraction to her for whatever reason." She turned her gaze strictly on Ty and it was all Ty could do not to flinch at the intensity she felt flowing from Diana in waves when she became the sole focus of it suddenly and without warning.

Ty blinked. "Um, Diana?"

"You let me take care of Chase, Ty. I should have before."

"Why didn't you?"

"The million dollar question. Any number of reasons; however, this isn't the time to get into it. I'll talk to Chase and we will work out some sort of compromise." She started to stand when Ty's name was hollered out and the door was jerked open. "Ty, what are you doi... Diana?" Shep stopped short and dropped his head to his chest before blowing out a frustrated breath. "What are you...? Nevermind. This just gets better and better. C'mon, Ty. You don't want to miss this."

Drea stood and Shep finally noticed her presence in the room. His eyes bugged right out of his head. "Holy shit! Jasmine??"

Drea shook her head and extended her hand. "Jasmine was my twin sister. My name is Drea. And you are?"

"Shep. Um, I don't want to seem rude, but Ty, if we don't get out there...."

"Shep, what's wrong?" Ty asked as she took the two steps to the door. "Please excuse us," she said to Drea and Diana. Shep shook his head.

"They should probably come along... at least Diana should." They stepped from the hut as a group and followed Shep swiftly towards the front gate. "There is a woman at the gate who mentioned her by name."

Drea exchanged looks with Diana. "You don't suppose...?"

"One way to find out," Diana said and hastened towards the gate.



Hippolyta couldn't say what made her bring her troops to a silent halt, but without warning she stopped and held up a hand. Immediately, the Amazons stopped running and though they didn't draw their weapons, they were hyper alert to everything around them as they slowly spread out to search the area and find whatever it was that had caused Hippolyta to stop their forward progress.

Erilani saw them first, but only because she literally walked into the outermost guard. He was so well disguised Hippolyta couldn't blame the royal guard for her strangled yelp. Had she been two steps to the left, she herself would have been the one to bump into him.

"State your name and your business," the man commanded as he and several others stepped forward with their weapons drawn and highly evident to block any further advancement. Hippolyta had to remind herself that this was man's world and they had no idea who she or her warriors were. And remembering that these were rebels against the Nazis in a fight for their life, it was no surprise that simple courtesy did not exist for unexpected guests into their encampment.

"My name is Hippolyta. I was looking for a woman named Chase or my daughter, Diana Prince."

"What business do you have with them?" the man asked without batting an eyelash in surprise, though Mala picked up on the slight widening of his eyes at the mention of Diana's name. She wondered what the princess had done to make such an impression so quickly here, though she had always able to captivate people easily before she had become so angry. She hoped to see that charismatic princess again, but first they had to find her.

"I have come as the Queen of the Amazon Nation to offer my warriors to aid the rebellion in the destruction of Nazi tyranny."

This time the man did blink at Hippolyta for several long seconds before he turned his attention to the woman who stood beside him. "Go find Ty or Shep - someone in authority," not wanting to confirm Chase's presence in the camp. "Now!" The woman nodded and ran off, disappearing into the brush with an ease that the Amazons appreciated for the art form it was.

The man turned his attention back to Hippolyta. "You might want to find a place to wait. It might be a little while before anyone gets back here," not mentioning that the gate was just out of sight behind the trees and brush.

Hippolyta smiled. The man was young, but he had strength in his gaze as well as in his bearing, and Hippolyta respected that. She motioned to her warriors, and the Amazons settled down to wait.

The wait wasn't very long, all things considered. Hippolyta rose as soon as she heard the sound of people approaching and the warriors rose behind her as one. The council formed a semi-circle at her back and they waited in silence for the rustling to morph into something more tangible. Shep was in the lead and was the first of the little group to the gate outpost. Directly behind him was Ty, followed by Drea and finally, Diana.

A couple discrete hand signals from Drea kept Hippolyta, and thus everyone else, in place as the quartet stepped closer to the Amazons. Shep stepped forward with his arm outstretched and Hippolyta accepted it with a warrior handshake. He adjusted quickly and introduced himself, then moved aside so Ty could do the same. They had agreed that Ty would take the lead once they had introduced themselves to the Amazons.

"Hello, Queen Hippolyta," she said graciously, bowing her head briefly in respect. "My name is Ty. I believe you know Drea and Diana," motioning to the two women who stood just behind her.

Hippolyta couldn't stop the huge grin that crossed her face. It was good to see both Drea and Diana again. She had missed them greatly for obviously different reasons, but she knew there was business to take care of first. Besides, she had a feeling she was going to like Ty; there was something about her that was refreshing. "I believe you are right, Ty."

"So I understand ya'll want to help us out. Can I ask why you want to help and how you found us?"

"The why is simple - Orana was... is an Amazon, though we've only just recently been made aware of her activities here in man's world. That makes her our responsibility. We'd like to offer whatever assistance we can to help rid the world of her. As for how we found you, well, let's just say we had divine assistance and leave it at that for now. Perhaps when this is all over we can get into the details."

"All right," Ty said. "But Queen Hippolyta, before you commit yourself and your warriors to this fight, there are a few things you need to be aware of. No bullshit now - just honest truth." Hippolyta's eyes widened at Ty's choice of words, but she nodded for her to continue. "First of all, we do not stand on ceremony here. If you join us, you will not be a queen here; you will just be Hippolyta, like I am Ty and your daughter is Diana."

"Next, we have one leader and what she says, goes. We are allowed to voice opinions and ask questions of course, but at the end of the day, when the choice is made, we follow her. If you can't give up both your title of queen and your warriors won't accept orders from another authority, you can't do any good here. You may as well go back to wherever it is that is home for you, because we can't use you here."

Ty waited and finally Hippolyta felt compelled to speak. "Is there anything else?" wondering if Ty knew about Chase's hatred of the Amazons. "I would like to hear all the negatives before I make any comments or decisions."

Ty nodded. She really did like this woman's spunk. If Jasmine had been telling stories about real Amazons - these Amazons - then the woman standing in front of her was nearly three thousand years old. Regardless of the fact that she looked to be a woman of less than middle age, that was a very, very long time to have been alive, and Ty had a sneaking suspicion immortality was not always what it had cracked up to be.

"The last critical thing you should know is that our leader may have issues with the fact that you are Amazons. She was captured and tortured by the Fuehrer... the one you call Orana... and she made it a point to rub her Amazonian heritage in her face. I would like to believe she would be fair and give you the opportunity to prove yourselves, but the fact is there is a lot of hate and a lot of hurt she will have to overcome first to do so."

She noticed Ty was very careful not to mention Chase's name and she applauded her caution, as frustrating as it was not to have her suspicions confirmed, though surely Drea and Diana would not be here if Chase wasn't. Hippolyta turned to her council and gave them a brief word Ty couldn't hear, but whatever it was caused them and the warriors behind them to drop to one knee and bow their heads while waiting for their queen to speak.

"As for the first, I will be happy to be called by you as my consort Drea calls me... Pol. It is much less formal and much easier to say than Hippolyta every time you would like to get my attention. I don't know if the rest of the Nation can remember to call me by anything other than 'my queen' as they have done so for such a very long time, but I give you my word they will try."

"For the second, I had hoped to turn the leadership of the Amazon warriors over to my daughter to lead as she knows each of them and how the skills they possess could best be utilized for the good of the rebellion. But if she has sworn fealty to your leader then we will of course do the same."

"For the last, I have hope that if your leader is the woman I remember her to be, she will remember that we gave her aid in her hour of need and will give us a chance if only for that reason. I believe in her heart she knows the truth. We merely have to guide her to it. So if Chase is willing to let us fight beside you, we will prove ourselves worthy allies indeed."

"Very well, then, Hip... Pol. Let's get you all into the compound and let Chase know we have reinforcements and unexpected allies." The Amazons rose as one before Hippolyta put a restraining hand on Ty's arm.

"Ty, would you mind very much... I would still like to turn over leadership of the warriors to Diana. I believe she will be better suited to, if not lead them into combat, at least give Chase good advice on their placement within your ranks."

Ty looked at Diana whose eyes widened in reaction to her mother's words. It was the only change in her expression. She shrugged her shoulders at Ty who in turn nodded at Hippolyta.

There was no ceremony - no pretty words and flowery speeches. Instead, Hippolyta simply took off her signet ring and slid it onto Diana's finger, then brushed her cheek with the very lightest of kisses before Diana could move out of range. Hippolyta motioned to Ty.

"Well, can we go into the compound now? I am somewhat anxious to see the changes time has wrought in man's world. And I would like a proper introduction to Chase."

Drea took Hippolyta's hand in her own and the council closed ranks around the three women and Shep as they walked the short distance to the front gate. Diana took her place at the head of the Amazon army, and though they didn't make a sound, she could feel the pulsating energy of them cheering behind her. It made her smile.



Harry knocked on the door of her quarters where Chase was finishing up her own last minute preparations. "Come in," she called, checking the status of her armor. Hans had added some extra pieces knowing Chase would be going into the lion's den. She looked up when Harry crossed the threshold and her expression became one of immediate concern.

"Harry? Is there a problem?? Have you gotten news from our outposts overseas??"

"No, ma'am! No, nothing like that. But I think you'd better come outside and see this for yourself."

Chase followed him out of the hut and then stopped dead at the sight that met her gaze. The courtyard was filled with women - Amazon women - and chief among them stood Diana and her mother's twin. She considered her alternatives, and decided a strategic retreat was in order before she said or did something stupid she might regret later. Suddenly, nothing was easy anymore, and this situation was becoming more and more complicated by the minute.



Chapter XXXVI

Orana walked into the conference room, and every man snapped to attention until she put them at ease. They waited until she sat down and gestured at the table before they assumed their seats, and they did so with alacrity. Something about their Fuehrer was different; she exuded an edgy energy that they had only heard about from the oldest elders or had, on the rarest occasions, seen in action - though even then, it had been a residual effect of a particularly nasty torture session. And there had only been one noteworthy session in their lifetime.

This energy was subtly different, however. When Orana had Annabelle Chaser in her custody, she had been first thrilled with her conquest and then furious at being outwitted by someone she considered inferior to her both physically as well as intellectually. Their only saving grace had been that she had been in too much agony immediately after Chase's attack and subsequent escape to do more than give cursory orders; otherwise, the lot of them would have been strung up... or worse.

Then she had been angry, but by the time she had healed, she had moved her focus on to other things and had withdrawn into her own world. It had made them relax slightly. But it was obvious from her attitude today, something had happened to bring back the feared Fuehrer who had originally deposed Hitler and built the Nazi regime into the most powerful war machine the world had ever known.

This Fuehrer had purpose and determination, and marked the return of the legendary Black Widow into their midst. Every single man and woman in the room with her sat a little straighter in their chair. They hadn't felt this kind of excitement before and they enjoyed the tingle that ran across their skin from the energy that skittered throughout the room.

Orana let them absorb the new sensation, letting it build into something of a controlled frenzy. She wanted to infuse the feeling into their being so their desire for it ran hot and strong. In that way, she would be able to utilize it to destroy the rebellion. Because once they had the burning, they would do anything to keep it and tightening her grip on the world would be easy.

She had gotten lax since she had brought the world under her iron grip of domination, and except for the episode with the rebel spy, had been little more than a name used to keep both her army and her subjects in line. Now, it was time to take action to assure that she didn't lose her hold on her regime. This was *hers* and she wasn't about to let any threat, real or imagined, take it away from her.

When she cleared her throat to speak, all heads turned her direction... and flinched at the intensity of purpose that burned in her eyes.

"Rumors have reached my ears that the rebellion," said with a sneer in her voice, "is making a big offensive push against the Reich. But I cannot seem to get confirmation on this one way or another. The signs are there, but I need more details. So, what do you have for me?" looking around the room for some sort of response, not pleased with the lack thereof.

"This is not rocket science, people. I have scientists for that if I want to indulge in that sort of speculation. This is military security. Do you mean to tell me not one of you has any idea of any problems going on in your region? No rebels, no discontentment - everything is perfect."

Her voice and demeanor was calm but none of them were stupid enough to miss the clenching of her jaw or the flexing of her fingers. Finally, one small woman, braver than the rest and a personal favorite of Orana's, rose to speak. Orana nodded towards her graciously and motioned for her to speak. The woman bowed her head in acknowledgement and drew breath to speak.

"Mein Fuehrer, we haven't had any clear cut reports of rebel activity in my region, but we did notice some awkward movement by those we suspect might be rebel sympathizers or resistance members a couple months ago. Nothing we could have arrested them for without causing a panic, nothing we would have even noticed as being odd if we hadn't been looking for it. As it stands, it was only unusual... a little out of the ordinary. And it didn't last very long... a few nights, and then everything stopped again, settled back down."

Orana leaned back thoughtfully. "What happened? What was the change in routine?

"It was more of a rumbling, sort of like the atmosphere change. The people seemed to have a new kind of energy. But it only lasted for a few days, and then it was gone like it had never been. We looked around, checked papers more carefully, searched houses and cars and the like, thinking perhaps someone was being smuggled through, but we never found any evidence of it."

"Was anything else done about it? Any arrests made?

"No, mein Fuehrer. We have nothing but suspicions. The people we have been watching aren't even confirmed rebels. We've continued to watch, but otherwise, short of purging entire villages, I...." The woman shrugged.

Orana sat silently, gesturing absently to the woman to resume her seat. Orana waited, wondering if anyone else would be able to gather the courage to speak. When no one else was forthcoming, she leaned forward. "Ladies and gentlemen, let me make a couple of things perfectly clear for you. We are going to meet back here in twenty-four hours, and in that twenty four hours you are going to dig up every bit of information on rebellion and resistance activities in your area of responsibility. Because when we meet back here, I want names and numbers and locations and any other pertinent data you can find. Am I clear?"

They answered as one body, their volume loud enough to rattle the windows. Orana smiled. She doubted they had been as terrified as recruits as they were at this very moment.

"I don't care how you get it done, just do it. Failure is not an option, ladies and gentlemen. Because I assure you, each and every one of you can be replaced, and there are plenty of good little Nazis clambering for your position, eager to take your place."

She rose, and they rushed to stand as well, snapping to attention and hardly daring to breathe while Orana walked around the table, then made her way to the door.

"Oh, by the way," she paused and looked back over her shoulder at them, meeting each and every set of eyes in the room. "Adelia, I like your idea."

"Mein Fuehrer?"

"Each of you choose a village or town in your region... preferably one that has known or heavily suspected rebel activities... and purge it. Completely."

Eyes widened and jaws dropped. "Co... co... completely, mein Fuehrer? Buh... but we have loyalists in those towns as well. What about them?"

Orana shrugged. "What about them? They are obviously not loyal enough or there wouldn't be any rebels there now, would there?" She exchanged glances with each of them again. "Take care of it. I want reports on my desk in the morning detailing your actions in this regard. Am I understood?"

"YES SIR!!!" The words resonated throughout the room and down the hall as Orana exited and made her way down to her office. For the first time in a very long time, she felt alive. She wondered what other chaos and mayhem she could cause, and she turned her attention to her Reich, feeling enthusiasm rush through her in waves.



Chase looked idly around her hut, wishing she had taken up smoking or drinking or tap dancing or any other number of vices that could be considered a nervous habit - anything to expel some of the panicky energy she suddenly found herself full of. She paced back and forth across the length of her hut before taking herself in hand and breathing deeply.

"All right, Chase. You can do this. You are the leader of the rebellion and you have faced down the Fuehrer and lived to tell the tale. It doesn't matter that the courtyard is full of Amazons. It doesn't matter that your mother's twin is out there with them, and it certainly doesn't matter that...." She blew out a shaky breath. "It *does* matter that Diana is here. Goddamnit! I don't need this right now!" She clenched her hands into fists and dropped onto the bed.

"All right, Chase, all right," she repeated to herself again, closing her eyes and focusing on taking deep even breaths. "You can do this. You can put all of this out of your mind." She sat for long minutes and just breathed - in, out, in out. She took every concern that could interfere with the upcoming offensive and put it away in a box in her mind... something she could deal with later. First her mama and the issues she had only just discovered; then Drea and the Amazons that now occupied the entire compound courtyard; and finally Diana.

That one was harder. There were so many variables involved where Diana was concerned. Things Chase hadn't come to terms with completely herself yet, much less discussed with anyone or admitted to Diana. Memories and feelings and desires and needs - anger and friendship, love and lust.

Only when she heard the door to her hut open did she allow her eyes to slowly open and her thoughts to return to the present. She looked up to find Shep glaring at her impatiently.

"Chase, what the hell are you doing? I know Harry came to get you. What the hell are you still doing in here? C'mon. We have guests and they might be able to give us an unexpected edge."

"I'll be there in a minute, Shep."

"But...."

"SHEP!!"

He backed out hastily and met Ty's eyes. She arched an eyebrow and he shook his head, holding his hands up in the universal 'Beats me' sign then he started back over to where Ty was waiting. He hadn't made it but three steps before being shoved out of the way from behind by Chase. Not hard, but enough to make him stumble, and he ran to catch up.

Meanwhile, Chase had on her game face and she strode confidently over to where Ty waited flanked by Hippolyta and Drea. Diana remained at the head of the Amazon army waiting for the proper time to be acknowledged by her mother as the leader of said force. With luck, it meant that she would in turn be acknowledged by Chase. Anything to break the stalemate and tension that lingered between them.

Ty blew out a breath of relief. She knew Chase was going to be furious by the unexpected arrival of Amazons, but from all indications - mainly the fact that she hadn't yet gone completely ballistic - she was at least going to be cordial, if not accepting of their presence here.

"Chase, I'm glad you could make it. I was afraid you were going to be too busy," Ty's only reproach for the amount of time it took her to arrive after she was summoned. She continued speaking before Chase could reply. "I believe you know Drea," not mentioning the obvious relationship between Chase and Drea. "And have you met Hippolyta?"

Chase extended her hand to Drea, not even a twitch to betray her thoughts. Certainly no one could have guessed the anger and foul words she had thrown at the older woman only the day before. "It's nice to see you again, Drea. And Hippolyta, was it?" she asked withdrawing her hand from the healer's as politely as possible and clasping Hippolyta's briefly. "I don't think I have had the pleasure."

She clapped her hands together. "So what can I do for you ladies? Your arrival here was completely unexpected, so I really can't offer you much - maybe some refreshment?"

Hippolyta exchanged glances with both Ty and Drea. Though they had tried to explain a little of the situation to her on the very brief walk, she had expected... had hoped for a little warmer reception. Though given what Chase's reaction could have been, all things considered, she figured she was ahead of the game with the offer.

Hippolyta nodded and took Chase's arm, ignoring the flinch she could feel shudder under the skin at her touch. She wondered at the cause - if it was her being an Amazon, or the fact that she was Diana's mother, or if there was something more even beyond that.

"Please, Chase. Some refreshment would be most welcome by not only myself, but my warriors. It has been quite a trip here. Besides, it will give us some time to talk about why we have come." Hippolyta halted their progress briefly and turned, signaling to Diana. "I believe you know my daughter and the head of the Amazon army, Diana."

"Yes ma'am, I do," Chase acknowledged with a nod of her head then turned back to Hippolyta. "C'mon. Let's see if we can throw Cookie into a tizzy. I highly doubt he is expecting this large a post-breakfast, pre-lunch crowd for snacks."

Chase and Hippolyta led the way, fully expecting the rest to follow. Ty and Shep did, as did the Amazon council, but Diana and the warriors went to the practice field. No one said a word, but they could see the tension that sang across Diana's shoulders that they were in for quite the workout indeed. They didn't realize that work in the encampment had come to a screeching halt and everyone followed after them, anxious to see what was coming.

It was obvious fairly quickly that Diana and the army had failed to follow them into the mess hall and before they could even begin dialogue, Hans rushed in and slid to a stop in front of Chase. "Chase... you've got to... oh excuse me," he said to the small group of people sitting around the table with her. "But Chase, you need to come to the practice field - quickly."

Chase and Ty exchanged a glance that was the exact replica of the one Hippolyta exchanged with Drea. Then they looked at one another and exclaimed simultaneously, "Diana!"

Chase was out the door before the rest could even get out of their seats, but they were quick to follow. Hans and Shep were the fastest, followed by the council. Ty, Pol, and Drea brought up the rear, not conversing, but simply swapping knowing smiles.

When Chase arrived at the field, she couldn't see anything for all the bodies that blocked her view. However, a simple, deep breath allowed her to project her voice from the depths of her diaphragm and her roar caused everyone and everything to suspend its motion - even the fighters on the field.

"What the HELL is going on here?!? Did someone call an unscheduled break and forget to send me the memo??? Get back to work... NOW!!!!"

The rebels scrambled to get back to their tasks, creating a wide berth around Chase in their haste to return to work. Their exodus slowed the arrival of the others, so they missed the altercation between Chase and Diana.

The army had frozen as soon as Chase started to bellow. It had honestly startled them, having never actually heard that kind of roar from someone so relatively small. Diana had nudged them aside, so by the time Chase finished yelling at the rebels, Diana was out of the circle and waiting for Chase's attention.

Chase wanted to... well, there were any number of things she wanted to do, and the confusion she felt showed in a ripple effect across her communicative face. But she schooled her expression before Diana could express any concern.

"Diana," Chase said, meeting those deep blue eyes but careful not to get too close. "It was unexpected to see you here again. I had hoped you would be on your way home by now." She looked like she wanted to say more before realizing they had an audience that was listening intently. Diana recognized the reason behind her hesitation and motioned to the army to get back to drilling then gestured to Chase, directing her away from the melee.

"Please, let's find somewhere to talk a moment that we won't be interrupted."

Chase considered, then nodded. She knew she had been unfair to Diana because of her own feelings and confusion, and it wasn't fair to continue with that treatment, especially since Diana had obviously returned to help and even brought in reinforcements, though Chase was still a little unclear on exactly how and why the Amazons were here. Besides, Chase had a handle on her feelings for Diana now, right? She had put them away for the duration, and this would be over and Diana would be gone before she actually had to deal with them.

Chase led the way out of the camp and up towards her thinking hill. Everyone knew when she went there, Chase was going for the peace and solitude it afforded her, and only the direst of circumstances would cause them to disrupt whatever bit of peace she was able to find there.

Hippolyta and the rest arrived just as Diana and Chase stepped into the tree line, and Hippolyta made a move to follow when a hand placed on either arm stopped her progress in its tracks. She looked questioningly at Drea and then Ty.

"They are going there for privacy, Pol. We don't intrude on Chase when she goes to the hill. It's the only time she gets a modicum of privacy or peace."

"Besides, Pol," Drea continued. "They are going to have to work everything out for themselves sooner or later. Have a little faith."

Hans and Shep had returned to their duties as soon as Chase had shouted loud enough to be heard in Berlin. The council hadn't been far behind and had watched with great respect at the speed with which everyone moved when Chase commanded it, then with greater amazement at the sparks they could see flying between Chase and Diana as hard as Chase was trying to avoid it.

"Come," Mala said, taking Ty's arm and turning the group back to the compound. "I believe we were going to partake in a bit of refreshment before the late excitement. Do you think Cookie might have had time to prepare a snack by now? I am ravenous." Not really, but it did accomplish what she had set out to, and soon the little troupe was moving back to the mess hall, marveling at the frantic preparations so apparent now that people were working again.

Diana followed Chase, only because the path was narrow and could not accommodate them side by side. Several times, Chase extended a hand to Diana to help her over a rough spot, but immediately released it as soon as she could. Diana held on the last time, just before they crested the hill. Chase tried to pull away again until Diana's low voice stopped her.

"Please, Chase. I'm not going to hurt you. Can't we at least be friends? I thought we were headed in that direction before."

Chase's shoulders slumped in defeat. "We were," she admitted quietly and walked over to the chest to retrieve a blanket before leading Diana to the edge of the hill. Diana accepted two corners and together they placed the blanket on the soft grass, overlooking the water as they had that morning weeks before. Only this time, the awkward history between them was out in the open and sitting like a white elephant, making things even more difficult. Finally, Chase tried to pick up the thread of their earlier conversation.

"Why are you here, Diana? I had expected... I had hoped you would have returned home. It's why I left you the jeep - so you could get to an airfield. You don't have any business here, Diana. This isn't your fight."

Diana's smile was feral, and it sent a chill skittering up Chase's spine. "Oh, this is very much my fight, Chase, for more reasons you could possibly imagine right now. And though I appreciated the thought of the jeep," here her smile became playfully mischievous, "you probably should have taught me how to drive it first."

Chase colored slightly for that oversight. "Oh... sorry. I was mostly focused on getting you out of here," not mentioning Drea or Jasmine, and Diana let it go in the interest of pursuing other avenues of questioning.

"Why?" blunt and to the point.

Chase shrugged her shoulders and shook her head negatively. "It doesn't matter." And she kept her attention on the interesting sparkles the sunlight was creating on the water below.

"It does to me," Diana said softly. When Chase still didn't answer, Diana muttered to herself, "Hard to believe you're the bard here," but it was spoken too low for Chase to understand. Diana took a deep breath and steeled herself for what was coming next. Then she focused her attention on the water as well, and spoke. "Do you want to know why I came here?"

Chase's forehead creased in a frown, and she turned to look at Diana. "I had you brought here... for your safety as well as that of the rebellion."

Diana smiled wistfully. "Yes, but do you want to know why I left Paradise Island and came to man's world? Would you like to know why the fight against Orana is very much my fight? Why I stayed despite everything - even when you made it clear I should leave?"

Chase considered, and Diana let her take her time. Chase knew that with this - this crossing the last barrier of knowledge that lay between them - things would change irrevocably. There would be no way for her to pretend she did not know or understand that there was something between them... even if it was something she didn't want. But having reached the bridge, there was no way to turn back. Things would change between them no matter what decision she made. So she turned her face back to the vista that lay before them, and nodded.



Chapter XXXVII

"Do you remember the stories your mother told you growing up... about the Amazons and their origins?" Chase blinked; this had not been at all the tack she had expected Diana to take, though she couldn't have honestly told what she had expected. Diana waited, giving Chase's mind a minute to catch up, knowing she had caught her completely off guard. Chase swallowed and nodded again, more slowly this time.

"Did she ever tell you the Soulmates' stories?" At Chase's blank look she elaborated. "Did Aunt Jasmine," wincing at the not-quite-hidden flinch that title got her. "Sorry, did Jasmine ever tell you the stories about the warrior and the bard who traveled together across most of the ancient world sharing adventures and doing things for the greater good?"

Now Chase smiled unexpectedly and Diana found herself enchanted by the change in expression. She couldn't help but respond to the enthusiasm she could feel pouring from Chase.

"Oh yes," she replied joyfully. "Those were my very favorites. They saw and did so many interesting things together and they seemed... they were so much a part of each other," she said wistfully. "Even before they became lovers... when they were still just two people getting to know one another... there was something between them."

"Yes, there was," Diana agreed quietly.

Chase smiled again, this time a bit wistfully. "Despite the trials and tribulations they faced together, I always wanted them to be real. What they had together was so rare, I wanted them to be real just to be able to see that kind of - I dunno... it was more than love and commitment to each other. It was a bonding, almost."

"It *was* a bond... they were soulmates."

"You mentioned that before, but I've never heard the term. What are soulmates?" wondering how they had gotten so far afield from Diana's reasons for coming to man's world, but enjoying the conversation nevertheless. Ty was the only other person Chase had ever talked to about the stories her mother had told and she found she liked having someone else she could share these things with - especially since Diana obviously had her own handle on those same stories.

Diana blinked at Chase's question. "Your mother never explained soulmates to you?"

Chase shook her head. "No, why would she? It's not like they were real... they were just stories she told to keep me, and sometimes Ty, entertained and out of trouble for five minutes. She never gave me any reason to think they were more than just stories," the last added bitterly and Diana knew she was treading dangerously close to thin ice. She almost missed Chase's whispered comment, "Those stories made me want to be a storyteller when I was a kid - before the war took those dreams."

"Maybe someday, Chase. The war won't last forever, you know. We're going to win... soon. We just... we need to settle things between us first, so I'm not a distraction and neither of us loses our focus at a critical moment." A beat. "Would you like to know what soulmates are?"

Chase nodded, watching Diana's expression in fascination. She had a twinkle in her blue eyes that was lit by an inner fire and just the tiniest hint of a smile graced her lips. Diana indulged herself in long look at Chase, seeing depths and shadows in the green eyes that gazed back at her. She took Chase's hands in her own and squeezed them lightly before settling in to tell Chase the story of soulmates that had been a part of Amazon lore since time began. She was gratified when Chase returned the clasp and held on.

"Soulmates are a caprice of the gods and a rarity in any world. They are two whole parts to a single whole entity." Diana took a deep breath, seeing the confusion in Chase's face.

"Legend says that at one time, human beings had two heads, four arms, four legs, and a single soul between them. When the gods saw how happy they were, it made them angry. So the gods split humans into two beings and separated the halves they had created, leaving human beings whole but at the same time, incomplete. Most people spend their entire lifetime unconsciously searching for something they don't even understand they are looking for, and only very rarely, and only in some lifetimes, do they find that other half. And when those two halves of the same soul find one another again, the two are known as soulmates."

Diana sighed. That had been exhausting and she wasn't even to the hard part yet.

Chase thought about Diana's words. "Wait... are you saying the two women my mother told stories about were more than just stories? That those women really existed... really loved one another?"

"Yes, they did," with absolute conviction.

"You sound so certain."

"I am."

Chase looked at Diana, searching her eyes intently. "Why? How can you be so sure they were real people - real soulmates - and not just the made up figments of some ancient bard's fertile imagination to make people believe in impossibilities?"

Diana returned the look, and she saw the shift in Chase's expression when it happened; felt the gasp as an indrawn breath. But instead of pulling away, Chase tightened her hold and tilted her head in a way that rang a bell of sweet memory in Diana's soul. She smiled gently.

"I know, Chase. I know because I was one of those soulmates."

Chase stopped breathing. She stopped breathing so long Diana became concerned and then alarmed, and she finally blew air in Chase's face, forcing an instinctive inhale out of her. Then Chase sat there simply breathing while her mind wrapped around the ramifications of what Diana had said. At last she shook her head and released Diana's hands so she could stand up and pace.

Diana simply watched. She didn't feel like Chase was trying to pull away from her as much as she was trying to come to terms with what she had been told. Eventually she came back to where Diana still sat, her attention turned back out at the view. Chase squatted to one side in front of her and waited for Diana's eyes to track to her.

"You... you're... how do... um.... Shit!" Chase scratched her head in frustration. Diana took Chase's hands in her own again and chafed them gently. Then she gave Chase a crooked smile that was at once comforting and familiar.

"Chase... take your time, all right? We're not in a rush here."

"Okay... okay." She dropped to her knees from her crouch and let her gaze drop to their conjoined hands. "How do you know you are one of the soulmates written about in the Amazon chronicles?"

"I have some residual memories from that time - not real memories, but a familiarity... a feeling. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's real, Chase. I know it is, even without the goddesses' confirmation."

Chase just blinked. "The goddesses confirmed...?" She cleared her throat. "Nevermind. If you want to believe that you are the soul of a three thousand year dead warrior, then who am I to say you're not? But what does that have to do with me and the here and now?"

Now came the really hard part. It was obvious that Chase didn't quite believe what Diana was saying about herself being part of those ancient soulmates, though she did think Diana believed it. It was equally obvious from her reaction yesterday as well as her reaction to her mother's name earlier that she was still not all that enamored of being an Amazon. Diana wasn't very confident of the response she was going to get from Chase once she related the rest of her story.

"Chase, I never told you I was the warrior half of the pair... how did you know?" Chase blinked rapidly and swallowed. "But you're absolutely positive of that knowledge, aren't you?"

"I... I...."

Diana released on hand and let her free hand comb through Chase's hair that was being blown into her face by the gentle breeze. "Chase, I know you've had a rough time since I arrived... especially the last day or two. But I want you to consider why that is, and why you know in your heart and in your mind and down to the depths of your soul that I am that warrior."

Silence.

"Chase, I came to man's world for you."

"NO!"

"Chase...."

Chase ripped her hands free from Diana's grasp and stood, rapidly moving to the edge of the hill. She stood staring sightlessly at the water that continued shimmer and sparkle as it moved on its way, all unknowing of the turmoil that was occurring in Chase's mind or the hollow ache in her chest only a few feet above its chuckling trickle.

Diana came up behind her more slowly and put her hands lightly on Chase's shoulders. She felt the tension sing through Chase's body as though it was a tautly pulled bowstring. Diana removed her hands when Chase shuddered at the sensation of her touch and Chase stiffened to the point that the rigidity in her body was painful to look at.

"Chase," Diana said softly as her hands fell to her sides. "I did come to man's world for you. I wanted to give us a chance to maybe at least become friends. After all, we can't get to know one another if we aren't in the same world, right? But I also came to settle an old score. I owe Orana, Chase... for what she did to me; for what she did to you; and for what she did to the world. Even if you weren't my soul...." stopping when Chase flinched again at the implication, and feeling the pain of rejection lance through her. "Even if you aren't...." She cleared her throat and dropped that line of thought. "Let's just say I owe Orana and leave it at that, all right?"

"No," flat and unemotional. "No, it's not all right, Diana. You don't get to just to show up here and start making those kinds of claims... not on me and not on the rebellion." Chase turned to face Diana, poking her with great vigor as she protested Diana's claims with passion. "I don't care what you think you do or do not owe Orana or your reasons behind it. She is not your responsibility. She's mine, and I am going to pay her back in full for every ounce of suffering she has caused. This is personal, and I have earned the right! Do you understand me?"

"No, Chase... I don't," Diana said softly, biting her lip so as not to let her tears fall. "I don't understand why you are so willing to die when you know... you KNOW in your heart and soul that what I told you is the truth. You know we are soulmates - the soulmates of legend finally reunited after nearly three millennia of separation! How can you risk that bond so easily? Do you realize how long we have been searching for one another??"

This time green eyes met blue and Diana flinched at the fire and fury she could so clearly read directed at her.

"How. Dare. You." Chase ground the words out from clenched teeth. "How dare you come here and try to put all of this on my shoulders, Diana. I'm not the one who separated those souls in the first place," refusing to acknowledge in her speech at least that she was the soul Diana had spent her lifetime searching for. "You see, Mama told me all the stories... including how and why the warrior died... how and why the bard was left to wander the world alone. It was only a short length of time that she survived before the pain of grief and their separation caused her to...!" Chase took a deep breath, dropping her chin and turning her face away from Diana once more. Then she spoke again in a more rational tone. "So don't you dare come here all self-righteous trying to dictate to me and put the blame for your loneliness on my shoulders! I'm not the one who left you and I am damn sure not the one who took your soul out of the karmic circle. Go talk to your goddesses and leave me alone."

"No."

"Excuse me?" turning around to face Diana directly.

"No. I am not going to let you throw away our chance at happiness... our chance for peace! Dammit, Chase! I messed up, and it cost us nearly three thousand years apart from one another! I won't let you throw it away for spite before you even consider the ramifications of what you're doing."

"I know what I'm doing. This isn't your decision, Diana. It isn't your choice. It's mine and I'm not willing to be a part of this. For weeks, I have been plagued by thoughts of you - images and feelings and impressions. I have been driven out of my mind trying to reconcile the person I know myself to be with longings and desires and dreams I didn't understand or want. Now you have the gall to stand here and tell me it's not my choice?!? I don't think so."

Diana took a deep breath. "You don't think we have suffered apart long enough? You're willing to give us up forever? For spite?"

"Not for spite," Chase whispered, the fight having drained out of her. "But yes, I am willing to give us up forever, Diana, if it means I don't have to live with losing you again. I can't invest everything I am into that kind of relationship again. I did that once, and something inside me died when you did. I'm not willing to settle for less than everything from me or from you and it's just not possible anymore. After more than two millennia, I've gotten used to living alone. I can live with the empty ache; at least it is familiar. I wouldn't survive a rejoining with you, only to have it taken away again."

Finally, Diana saw a ray a hope. "What if I promise you that won't happen again? What if I can guarantee it?"

Chase smiled sadly. "You can't promise me that, Diana. If we are the soulmates you claim us to be, then you can't promise me that. I've heard the stories, remember? Even without them, I know your heart. It won't let you stand by when there are lives to save and innocents to protect. And you have no assurances of surviving the fight that is coming."

"I do, Chase. I'm an immortal... and so are you. It's your Amazon birthright." Diana's pronouncement was met with stunned silence. "Chase? Are you all right?"

Chase blinked. "Is there anything else I need to know?" her voice an aching whisper that verged on the edge of hysteria. "Please... I'm not sure how many more revelations I can stand before my brain explodes."

Diana shook her head. "Not as far as I know. I have told you everything I know." More silence. "Please, Chase. All I am asking is a chance for us."

"Do you understand what you're asking of me?"

"Yes, but I have to ask, Chase. I have to. We've been apart for far too long." Diana blew out a frustrated breath. "I know the blame for our original separation is mine, and gods, I am so damn sorry for that. But the fact that we weren't able to find one another again until now isn't my fault. It's time for us to be whole again. We deserve a second chance at happiness together, Chase. We deserve it." Diana waited, but Chase didn't answer, instead keeping her attention on the vista below them. Diana sighed and made one last-ditch effort. "I'm sorry, Chase. Maybe I am asking for too much too soon. Do you think we could maybe at least try to be friends?"

Chase didn't move, didn't reply, and this time Diana let the tears come as the rending seared into her soul. She turned to walk away, having said everything she knew to say....

... then stopped when a warm hand gripped her wrist.

Diana looked down. The hold wasn't painful, but it was firm and it made her turn her attention to the woman who held her in such a solid clasp. Chase was still looking out at the view and Diana relaxed, noting the somewhat tranquil expression on Chase's face. There were still lines and concerns, but there was also a noticeable difference, as though she had come to a decision.

"You're going to have to give me some time, Diana. You're going to have to give me some time to consider everything you have said... time to put that against what I know and what I remember and the stories Mama told me about... us. Can you do that?"

"Do you believe we could be an us again... maybe someday?" Diana asked wistfully.

"Maybe someday," Chase answered honestly, knowing the truth in her heart. She turned her face full towards Diana and gazed into her eyes. "But it won't be today or tomorrow. It's going to take time and we're a little short on that right now."

"Chase, for the chance of recovering us again, you can have all the time you need. You set the pace things go." Diana couldn't help it... she reached up and moved the loose hair that blew across Chase's eyes. Chase's eyes fluttered closed and unconsciously she leaned into the light touch. Diana smiled and let her fingers linger only briefly, gently tracing the soft skin before letting her hand drop back to her side. Chase took the hand in her own and held it.

"I know there is something between us, Diana; there has been since the beginning. As much as I have tried to deny it, as much as I have fought against it, I've been aware of it without understanding what it is. I can't keep fighting against it." Chase sighed deeply. "I'm not strong enough to keep fighting, and it is stronger than I am. If you can give me time, I think we can start with being friends again. After that...." Chase shrugged. "Well, we have to get through this offensive first. And we need to end the war. Once we take care of Orana, we will have plenty of time to talk about us."

"We? Does that mean you are willing to let me and my Amazons be a part of the offensive against Orana and the Reich?"

"It means I am not stupid, Diana. I've learned how to use all the resources at my disposal and to turn away an army of warriors would make me very stupid indeed. Question is, will they follow me?"

"They will follow me, Chase, and I will follow you."

Chase couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face at Diana's words, any more than she could stop the thought that passed through her mind. Would you be willing to walk beside me Diana and let me walk beside you? But she didn't speak it aloud. She was running on overload and she knew it. Too much had happened in too short a space of time. She would need time to consider everything and the implications therein, as she had told Diana. But for now, it seemed they had a firm foundation for friendship between them. There was honesty and that was a good start.

"All right," she said aloud. "Let's go back down and figure out the best way to incorporate your Amazon army into the offensive plan we have ready to go. It is time to bring this damn war to an end."

"I like the sound of that," Diana replied as she bent and snatched up the blanket. She folded it and moved two steps towards the chest before she found her hand caught and held in Chase's. She grinned so big it rivaled the sun, and she squeezed lightly before they walked to the tree together. Then they headed back down the hill, Chase in the lead, only this time she didn't release the hand she held.

Neither of them could have predicted the news that awaited them when they reached the bottom of the hill.



Chapter XXXVIII

Ty noticed the joined hands as they stepped from the trees, but she didn't have time to enjoy the moment. She had actually been on her way up the hill when they had reappeared, and now she hurried over to them with the radio code in her hands. Chase saw her coming and she met Diana's gaze reassuringly before Ty reached them.

"Chase, I was just coming to find you," extending the paper she held. "Diana would you excuse us, please?"

Diana nodded and tried to release Chase's hand, only to find her own held tightly. "No, Ty. Diana is the leader of the Amazon army. On those merits alone, if there have been developments, she's entitled to know. On a personal level, I need her to be part of things."

Ty blinked. She had never expected something like that to come from Chase's mouth. But she knew with certainty that Chase trusted Diana and that there was an underlying reason for it.

Diana blinked as well. Given what she knew of Chase, she hadn't expected such a public declaration, especially so soon after the personal war Chase had fought with herself on the hill. Then it occurred to her that Chase was doing her best to keep her promise. By letting Diana into the inner circle, not only on a military level, but a personal one as well, she was offering Diana trust and the opportunity to start building the foundation of friendship they needed to in order to develop anything deeper between then. Her smile grew exponentially.

Chase returned the look briefly and Ty looked away out of respect. Then she cleared her throat and motioned to the paper Chase still held in her hand. "Um, Chase? You may want to look at that report. The rest haven't seen this yet, and it's...." Ty stopped speaking when Chase's attention transferred to the paper she clasped.

She watched as Chase's eyes tracked through the words and then stop and read through them a second time. Chase's jaw dropped just slightly and she look at Ty in complete disbelief. "Are we sure about this? Has it been confirmed?" Ty nodded and Chase crumpled the paper and dropped Diana's hand. "Goddamn," turning and walking away from them several steps.

Diana frowned slightly. The words made no sense to her; it was just so much gibberish. Then she realized that the whole thing was written in some sort of code she didn't have the key to... yet. She looked at Chase for an explanation.

Chase held up her hand, a silent plea for patience and Diana acquiesced with a nod. Chase moved back towards Ty until they were standing in one another's space. "How long? When did this happen?"

Ty blew out a breath and shook her head. "We don't know for certain. The best we can figure is within the last three weeks." Then she waited for the explosion she knew was coming.

"Three weeks?? THREE WEEKS?!? Why in the hell are we just now hearing about this?? Goddamn it, Ty! This changes everything!!"

"I know it does, Chase. We think it took this long for the news to reach us because it took this long for the damage to be done. We're still getting all the reports in. Look, let me call the staff and...." She turned to Diana. "Is there anyone from the Amazons you need as an advisor or confidante?" Diana shook her head.

"No. Having Chase will be all I'll need. Don't worry, Ty. I am well-versed in the school of war."

Ty didn't understand the remark, but nodded her head anyway. "All right then. Let me go call a staff meeting for thirty minutes from now. That will give you time to bring Diana up to speed."

"Sounds good. Are the Amazons settled?" Ty nodded. "Good. Make sure everyone brings their mission notes. We're gonna have to make some adjustments. We'll see you in half an hour," taking Diana's hand and leading the way to her quarters. She knew it was the most privacy they could hope for without returning to the hill, and there just wasn't time for that.

Diana was patient until the door closed, then she turned to Chase. "All right... what happened to drain the color from your face, Chase? Are you okay?"

"Physically, yes," Chase answered with a wan small. "Let's sit," motioning to the bed. Diana seated her, then poured her a glass of water from the pitcher on the small stand, watching in concern when Chase drained it. Chase let her hand fall between her knees and dropped her chin to her chest for a long moment before she met Diana's eyes and patted the space beside her. "Thanks," she said, putting the glass back on the table.

"One reason, the first reason our offensive was delayed was because of that death cocktail Orana and her team developed. Hans spent a very long time working on an antidote, and of course, you were able to give him the impetus he needed to get over that last hump. Another was the new armor piercing rounds we found out about just before we were ready to launch the last time. The mission that landed me on Paradise Island was in fact the one that gave us the specifics on the ammo that caused us to postpone the operation yet again while we tried to find a way to defend ourselves against it."

Diana nodded, figuring there was a reason for the brief history lesson.

"So twice we have postponed this mission - the mission to finally rid the world of Orana - to insure that a majority of the rebellion survives. Makes sense, right? Kind of pointless to defeat the evil if no one is alive to enjoy it... especially if we simply create a vacuum for another evil to slip into its place with no one left to defeat that one, right?"

Diana nodded again, and again silence fell between them. Diana could tell by the evenness of Chase's breathing, she was forcing herself to concentrate so as to maintain her calm. She waited.

"So today... just now... we get the news that sometime within the last three weeks, Orana had a dozen different villages purged. All over the world and apparently randomly, but twelve different towns across the planet are simply empty shells now. Every living thing - man, woman, child... hell, even the animals were brutally massacred. She is going to make an announcement about it tomorrow night. A worldwide address to show the consequences for questionable loyalty."

A long pause, then Diana spoke. "Gods, Chase. That's...."

"Yeah... because of my hesitation, innocents have been murdered!"

"Oh no, Chase... NO! The blame for this falls squarely on Orana's shoulders - not yours and not mine. What you did was make a decision that kept people alive; she went in and destroyed everything, without a single regard for those who were loyal to her. We will avenge them, Chase... all of them, but especially those who were part of the resistance."

Chase sat quietly, examining her hands while she considered Diana's words. Finally she looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Diana."

Diana smile back. "Any time, Chase. That's what friends do for each other, right? They stick together." A beat. "Now come on. I need something to eat. I only got a bite of breakfast before I got called to go to the gate to meet the incoming Amazon army, and I'm starving."

Chase blinked. "Come to think of it, I could do with a cup or six of coffee. Let me get my notes and we'll swing by the mess hall for a snack before we head to the conference room."

"Does the massacre change anything...?" Diana hesitated when Chase's accusing eyes turned her way. "Not personally, Chase. I know it changes things for you personally. It does the same for me, and I don't even have any real ties to any of the people who were killed."

Chase ran a hand through her hair and scratched the back of her neck in awkward embarrassment. "My fault," she said briefly. "I shouldn't be so damn touchy about things... especially with you. I promised you I would work at us being friends, and...."

"Chase," Diana cut in, placing her hand on Chase's arm. "I know it's going to take a while. Real friendship takes time to develop, and we have several issues to get around besides just trying to be friends. If this is going to be too hard for you to do now, it can wait until we win the war. I will be just another member of the staff."

Chase smiled wryly and shook her head. "Much as we'd like to think we had some semblance of control going on here, it just never works like that. Besides, I need to get past this and the only way that's going to happen is with a lot of awkward and embarrassing moments between us for a while. You're right... I've got a lot of baggage, and it would be really nice if we had time to go through it all and have things nicely settled between us before we had to go to work. But we don't have that luxury. We also don't have time for you to coddle me through it. All right? If we're gonna be friends, you're gonna have to learn when to step back and when to give me a swift kick in the ass."

Diana looked at her boots, then in the direction of Chase's ass, then at her boots again before she let her gaze drift back to those green eyes, stopping long enough at her ass again to warrant a smirk and a twinkle. Only supreme self-control kept her from blushing.

"Gotcha. A swift kick in the... <ahem> ass. Would you like me to do so now?"

Chase did a double take to see if she was serious, then caught the mischief in those eyes that was signaling for her attention. "Not literally," she growled, then grabbed Diana's hand and tugged her towards the mess tent. Now she needed more than coffee.

"Back to my question," Diana said as they crossed the threshold. "Does the massacre change any of the logistical planning? Did we lose operatives or launch sites... things of that nature?"

Chase shook her head and took a swallow of the coffee, grimacing at its bitter taste. She glared in Cookie's direction and he held up his hands in apology, then he began assembling a tray of food for them. Chase turned her attention back to Diana who had watched the interplay between her and Cookie without comment. She put the coffee down to add something... anything... to it to make the taste a little more palatable, noting that Diana was still stirring.

"Not that I can tell at first glance. But then the missive Ty gave me was very general in its message. She should have more details for me when we get to the conference room." She paused when Cookie approached. "Thanks, Cookie," accepting the tray he offered her.

"Sorry about the coffee, Chase. You got the bottom of the pot. Um... am I supposed to do anything special about all them women?" Chase and Diana both looked at him dumbly and he hastened on. "I mean, they didn't eat or drink anything while they were in here. Are they gonna need something different from the rest of the troops or...?"

Diana chuckled. "No, Cookie. Like every other warrior you know, they will eat whatever you put in front of them. Unlike Chase here, most of us don't go foraging for food if we don't have to," earning her a hearty laugh from Cookie and another glare from Chase. "Just call them when you're ready to feed them. I guarantee you they'll come and eat."

"I know where you live, ya know," Chase growled. Diana bit her lip to keep from chuckling, but that didn't keep the sparkles out of her eyes. Cookie didn't exercise Diana's control and guffawed loudly, holding his belly. Chase popped him, but that only caused him to laugh louder. "I remember a time when I had a semblance of control here. What happened to that exactly?" she muttered as she made her way to the door, shaking her head and continuing to mumble to herself.

Diana and Cookie exchanged glances and grins, then Diana hurried after Chase's retreating figure.



"We have a problem," Ares said as he orbed into Orana's bedroom. She was busy getting dressed for the worldwide appearance she had scheduled for later that evening.

"Don't you ever knock?"

Ares snorted. "Why should I? Not like I haven't seen it all before."

"That's not the point, Ares. A little respect here wouldn't be out of line, ya know." She shook her head at his dumbfounded look and tucked her shirt in. "Nevermind, Ares. What's the problem? I know this isn't about the purging I did, even though it took longer than I wanted it to. You already expressed your pleasure about that tactic... several times and in a variety of positions."

Ares smiled. "And I look forward to a repeat in the near future. But business first."

"What business, Ares? I purged twelve villages and towns across the planet. I've collected information on the resistance that will enable me to put the fear of... well, *me* into them. I am presenting my ultimatum tonight. Everything is on track, because the rebellion and the resistance won't give up without a fight; you know that as well as I do. What could be more important than that?"

"How about an Amazon Princess?"

Orana froze mid-motion. It took a solid minute before she took a deep breath and only then did she turn her head to meet Ares' eyes. His head was cocked and one eyebrow was raised and he was wearing the infernal smirk she despised so much.

"Excuse me?" she questioned. "What did you just say? Are you telling me...?"

"You remember that lovely bit of Amazon flesh you lusted after for millennia? The Princess who considered you a friend and mentor and nothing more, despite the obvious desire you had for her? The one you stole the title of Wonder Woman from and then proceeded to beat and humiliate within a inch of her life...."

"ENOUGH!!!" Orana roared.

"But I was just getting warmed up," Ares whined. "It gets better."

"Shut up, Ares, and get to the goddamn point!"

"My, my... such language. Which do you want me to do - to shut up or get to the point?"

"Get. To. The. Point." She ground out from between clenched teeth. "What does *she* have to do with anything... especially the coming fight with the rebellion?"

"She's been spotted."

"Spotted? Where... here in man's world?"

"Yes, here in man's world; and even better... here in Berlin."

Orana's eyes glowed, a combination of hatred and lust. The look made Ares shiver in arousal as well as the tiniest kernel of fear. "Where is she? When did you see her?"

"I was reviewing some of the scrying records. You remember we talked about those odd photographs you got with breakfast? I did some looking around - at least at some point in the last three weeks, she's been here."

Orana considered his words carefully. "You think she may be what was causing the stir a few weeks ago... the one Adelia was talking about?"

He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I think it bears looking into. If she's here, it could complicate things immensely."

"If she's here, I will find her. She won't be able to resist the temptation of trying to defeat me again. And when she tries, she will be mine."

"Orana, don't lose focus here. If Diana is here, the odds are she is part of the resistance or the rebellion. Please don't underestimate her... or them. If you don't take them seriously...."

"I take them seriously enough, Ares. I just plan to thoroughly enjoy my conquest of Diana... *all* my conquest of Diana, as well as the final, humiliating defeat of the resistance here and the rebellion overseas. My overseers have grown lazy. I will put the fear of the Fuehrer into them as well as the rest of the world. And then I will crush them all."

Ares watched Orana with more than a hint of concern in his eyes. She was sounding less and less like the woman he had mentored upon her arrival in man's world, and more like an obsessed madwoman. Then he lost that train of thought when she rubbed up against him like a cat in heat.

"However, tomorrow is soon enough to worry about conquering and destroying. After the announcement is made, Adelia will be coming back here to celebrate with me. Would you like to join us?" A hard, fast kiss was her answer, and Orana pulled away with a laugh. "Then let's not keep the people waiting, war god. We have more important business to take care of tonight."

He reached for her cape and placed it on her shoulders. She pinned it together at the neck with an emblem she had crafted for herself alone - one that showed her Amazon heritage as well as her power as the Nazi Fuehrer. An intriguing image and not one she flaunted about very often.

Ares opened the door and offered his arm. Orana accepted and they walked out and down the hall towards the square where everything had been prepared for Orana's worldwide announcement.



Chase rubbed her eyes. "We can't postpone this again."

"But Chase...."

"NO, Ty. I know the risks. But if we don't go now, it may be impossible. You know and I know that given the facts, the Fuehrer is going to do her damnedest to twist this to make it work for her. We got lucky - she has gotten so sloppy and arrogant, she managed to destroy more of her own loyalists than she did resistance members. But if we don't move now... show them that we mean business about this... WE may be the ones that destroy the rebellion."

"She's right, Ty. It's a show of assurance more than anything. Otherwise, people start to lose faith. Then what?"

Ty looked around. "Diana?"

Diana sat quietly for a long moment, looking around the council room. What she found was reassuring. These people had worked long and hard together; they had a confidence in each other's abilities that had been hard won. They had even expressed confidence in her after seeing the Amazons train with and without her that morning. She understood Ty's concern; regardless of how careful they were or how well they planned, people were going to die. But there would never be a better time than the present. At least implementing the plan and moving towards its completion would give hope. And sometimes, that was the best weapon to have on one's side.

"If we're taking a vote, I say go now. We can improvise as things unfold, but this offensive offers hope. If we're not moving when Orana makes her announcement, we could lose an immeasurable level of confidence. And without that...."

Chase nodded her agreement and waited for any more input. When none was forthcoming, she looked around the room. "All right. Send out the signals for them to make preparations for our arrival. We start leaving in an hour in fifteen minute increments; one of you to each wave."

"What about you, Chase? We only have five waves going including the Amazons. We sent for another cargo plane as soon as they arrived. It should be here with just enough time for us to refuel, flight check it and load," Mitch answered her unspoken question. Chase nodded her approval.

"Good job, Mitch. I'll be flying the Tiger. Hans has made some improvements on it for me. I should be able to leave last and arrive first." That statement got lots of raised eyebrows. "Make sure each of you gets something to eat and meets with your squad leaders. Explain everything in detail. I don't want any screw-ups. We will have a final briefing with everyone in the square just before takeoff. Let's go people. We have a war to win."



Chapter XXXIX

"Hey, Chase... you got a minute?" She sighed and turned to find Shep behind her; she stopped walking long enough for him to catch up. Then they resumed their movement towards the lab that had been Chase's original destination. She had sent her staff off with a nod; Diana had understood her unspoken request and had gone off to check on the Amazons. She wondered why Shep hadn't taken the hint. Even Hans had rushed ahead to be sure to have things ready without interfering with her train of thought.

They went about ten steps without Shep speaking and Chase stopped walking and looked at Shep impatiently. "Shep, is there something I can do for you? You have things to take care of before we leave and so do I."

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You've been all over the place lately and Jen and I have been more than a little worried about you. Especially since you ordered us to move in broad daylight. Chase, are you sure about this? It's so dangerous."

"Shep, if you can't do this, tell me, and I will find someone who can. I don't have time for your doubts."

He didn't answer immediately and Chase turned to walk away. His hand on her arm stopped her progress and she looked down at his hand before looking at his face. Shep took his hand off her arm slowly and dipped his head.

"Sorry, Chase. It's not doubts... it's concern. I don't know who or what Diana is to you, but something happened to you during that week you were gone. And it only got worse when Diana got here. I just want to know that you're all right... that you're ready for this."

Chase smiled and took Shep's arm, turning them around and walking them back towards the center of the encampment. "Shep, I appreciate your concern and I do understand where it is coming from. What is or isn't between me and Diana is private and has nothing to do with the rebellion or this offensive. We have to leave in the daylight so we get there in the dark. Don't worry, Shep... I have worked the schedule and the flight paths to draw the least attention possible to our departures. But we need to arrive after dark so we can traverse the countryside safely."

He nodded, knowing Chase was absolutely right.

"Trust me, Shep. I've made the adjustments to compensate for the changes, all right?"

"All right, Chase... thanks."

Shep saluted and took off at a fast jog to get back to the hut he shared with Jen. She had promised to pick up lunch for the two of them while he talked to Chase. Chase turned back and made her way to the laboratory, anxious to get this offensive started so they could get it over with.

Hans stuck his head out the door when he heard the footsteps. He wondered what had taken Chase so long to follow him, but a look at the frustration on her face kept his mouth shut until she spoke.

"Hey, Hans. Sorry for the delay. You got the stuff I asked for?"

"Yes. Chase, are you sure about this?"

Chase smiled wryly at Hans, then gave him a brief, reassuring hug before retreating enough to look at the things he had laid out for her perusal. "I'm as sure as I'm gonna get, Hans. No time for doubts and second guessing."

"But Chase, the fuel is untested outside the lab, and we've only tested the tweaks we did on the motor in short flights."

"Have a little faith, Hans. We do good work together. We always have. I'm gonna come back and tell you what a rush it is to fly that fast, and then you're gonna go joy riding... maybe even invite Ty along for a little thrill."

He blushed slightly, but nodded his agreement. "All right, Chase. I'm gonna hold you to it. And I will tell you, if you make me worry like I did the last time you went off... if I have to come over there and save your butt, I will call you Annabelle until the day I die."

Chase mock-shuddered, appreciating the banter for the stress relief it was. She picked up her armor and the few special accoutrements she'd had him add strictly for her. "That's reason enough for me to bring her home without a scratch." A beat. "Thanks, Hans. Hold down the fort for me, will ya? And don't let that Amazon Queen and her council run you ragged."

"They're staying here?!?"

"I guess. Since she handed over the leadership of the army to Diana, I doubt she's gonna be going. I haven't really had a chance to find out. But if they do stay, be nice, but not indulgent."

Hans smiled. "Got it. And you be careful. I want to visit that farm of yours... maybe learn how to milk a cow or sow oats or bake bread or whatever it is you do on a farm."

Chase looked down at her hands and smiled sadly. "All right, Hans. When I get back, we'll see about making a farmer outta you. BUT, you have to ask Ty out, too." She held up her hands before he could protest. "If I have to teach you how to farm, the least you can do is ask the woman to dinner."

Hans chuckled. "Chase, if you both come back, I'll ask her out. I enjoy my laboratories too much to be a real farmer." He opened his arms for a hug and she stepped into the embrace. "Thanks for being my friend, Chase, and thank you for saving my life."

"It was a life worth saving, Hans, and I'm proud to count you as a friend."

Hans kissed both cheeks and released her, and Chase picked up her gear and left without a backwards glance.

Chase crossed the threshold into her hut... and stopped dead. On her desk sat a steaming hot bowl of soup and two thick sandwiches accompanied by a tall glass of what appeared to be iced tea. She blinked at it a minute, fully expecting it to disappear. When it didn't, she looked around for company, but she didn't have that either.

She carefully placed her equipment on the bed, then turned back to the desk. There was a note next to the napkin and she picked it up with a smile. Figured one of us needed to make sure you got a chance to eat. See you shortly. Diana

Chase smiled at Diana's thoughtfulness and thought about cramming a sandwich into her mouth on her way to the showers given how hungry she suddenly found herself to be. She shook her head. Her enjoyment of the meal was warranted given the time and effort Diana had made to insure she had a meal to eat before they left. Instead she covered the soup bowl and snatched up her towel and clean underwear. She would set a world's record for getting clean, and then come back to her hut and enjoy the meal with a rarely felt luxury.

Chase rushed through her ritual bathing, though she was careful to follow every step. She was even completely dry before slipping into her clean clothes, but she moved with greater speed than she normally used. Then she was back in her hut enjoying soup that had cooled to a comfortably warm temperature and eating sandwiches so big she could barely take a bite out of them.

Ty briefly wondered what had happened. She had never seen Chase go in and out of her traditional shower that quickly before, but then the Amazons came back in from the direction of the river obviously scrubbed clean. Ty shook her head, speculating if Chase realized her ritual to be clean before an upcoming mission was based in Amazon tradition. Then she shrugged and decided it didn't matter as long as it worked Chase's normal voodoo magic.

Ty nodded at them on her way back to her hut, needing to go prepare her armor and dress before time ran short. The Amazons filed into the mess hut with single-minded determination. Diana broke apart from them and headed towards Chase's hut.

"Diana?" She sighed and her shoulders dropped, before she turned and face her mother. She waited quietly, unwilling to address Hippolyta as her mother and uneasy about calling her by her name after being put in charge of the army.

Hippolyta was a little disappointed that Diana didn't address her at all, but she was gratified that Diana held her gaze evenly and without rancor. That was something that hadn't happened in over a hundred years, and Hippolyta let herself relish the experience... until Diana's gaze became piercing and one eyebrow arched sharply.

"Oh... my apologies, Diana. I just wanted to ask if it was all right with you if I went along on this mission as well. Not as the queen and not as your mother," she continued before Diana could protest. "I would like to go as an Amazon warrior."

Diana blew out a breath and turned away from Hippolyta. The truth was, she could understand Hippolyta's desire to go. She had been one of their greatest warriors before the Nation had been relocated to Paradise Island. Diana had actually been a little surprised that Hippolyta had handed over leadership of the army for this mission.

"Why did you make me the leader of the army for this operation?" not turning around to look at Hippolyta as she asked the question. "You would have gone as the queen and as a warrior."

"Diana, I have made a mess of everything I have done in the last hundred years where you are concerned, but not about this. This is your fight, Diana. You deserve the right to lead the army against Orana. You, more than anyone, have the right to retribution - not just for what she did to you, but for what she did to your mate as well. I would never stand in the way of that."

"Chase is not my mate," fiercely, turning to look at her mother with a burning look in her eyes.

"Maybe not yet, daughter, but she will be."

The confirmation was unlooked for and it unexpectedly warmed Diana's heart just a little. Hippolyta saw it, but she wisely contained her reaction, not wanting it to disappear on her account. Instead, she answered the plea she could just see hidden at the very back of Diana's eyes.

"I've seen the way she looks at you." Hippolyta took a deep breath. "Diana... daughter... I wouldn't lie to you about this. Despite everything else I have managed to do wrong, I wouldn't lie to you about anything. Trust me, Diana, please." A brief pause. "I know there are some things between us that no amount of time or apologies or regret will ever be able to repair. But you can trust me, Diana... especially about this."

Diana blew out a deep breath and turned back towards Chase's hut. "I won't stop you from joining us on this offensive. You are one of the best warriors the Amazon Nation ever produced, and I am not stupid enough to not utilize every asset at my disposal. I'll leave the decision up to you."

"I would like to go, Diana; I just don't want to make things tough for the army with my presence. Not that I think they would have difficulty following you; you're a natural leader and a greater warrior than even I was. But it is hard to break thousands of years of ingrained protocol and tradition."

Diana remained silent, not wanting to influence Hippolyta's decision, but she did turn to look at her.

"How would you feel if I went as an assistant healer?" Diana didn't answer and Hippolyta realized she wouldn't. Diana really was leaving the decision completely up to her, and somehow, that knowledge made the choice easier.

"I think I will stay here and prepare for the victory party, because you know if we leave the rebels in charge of that we will get...." Here she made a face. "Coffee and fried sugar bread."

Diana smirked. "You mean donuts?"

"I suppose. Now really... where did they come up with such a thing?? No - I will stay here. Amazons *know* how to throw a good party, and no one is better suited for doing that than the queen, right?"

"As you say," Diana agreed without actually committing herself.

"Good! Then it's decided." Diana nodded and started for Chase's hut once more. "Diana...." She stopped walking but didn't turn around. "Thank you for giving me the choice. I appreciate the consideration."

Diana didn't answer except to nod again, then she walked away with a purposeful step. Hippolyta smiled, watching her go, thanking the goddesses for sending Chase to Amazons and Diana to Chase. Already Chase had changed Diana's attitude towards her mother and for the first time in a long, long time, Hippolyta was looking towards the future.



Knock, knock.... "Chase?" Silence. "Chase, it's Diana." Still no answer. Diana bit her bottom lip in contemplation, then opened the door a crack, just to see if Chase was actually in the hut. What she found surprised her.

Chase was sitting at the desk, eyes half closed in meditation. The dishes in front of her were bare of food, including crumbs and the napkin had been neatly refolded and was covering the bowl. Chase didn't move when Diana slipped into the room, and Diana took the opportunity to remove the tray from the desk. When she turned back to Chase, she found bright green eyes focused intently on her.

Chase didn't speak; she simply held out her hand and Diana took it. Chase led her around to sit on the only clear corner of the bed, then released her grip and folded her own hands together. "What can I do for you, Diana? Shouldn't you be getting ready? Have you eaten?"

"Nothing... I just wanted to make sure you ate. I am ready, and yes... Cookie fed me while he was preparing your tray."

"You just wanted to make sure I ate, huh? Well, I did and it was very good. Thank you for thinking of me. I would have just grabbed a couple trail bars to chew on the way out."

Diana smiled and looked around nervously. Chase was exuding a raw energy now, a feral sense of danger that Diana was accustomed to wearing, not seeing in someone else, and Chase didn't even seem aware of the change in her demeanor.

"Diana, are you all right?" wondering why Diana seemed so uncomfortable. The question was full of concern and it made Diana smile. Diana straightened and put her warrior face on, letting her own dark energy rise to the surface. Chase watched the change take place and shivered in pure reaction. Diana turned and gave Chase a feral smile.

"I am fantastic, thank you for asking. I can't tell you how I'm looking forward to this."

Chase grinned. "You don't have to - I know."

Diana motioned to the bed. "Yours is different. And you have more accoutrements."

Chase nodded. "The parameters of my mission are a little more restrictive than everyone else's. I have to prepare for it a little differently."

Diana looked over each piece of Chase's equipment, noting the thicker guards she had added to her thighs and back. She picked up the belt that held half a dozen syringe vials, and understood instantly just exactly what Chase's plan was and just exactly how close to Orana she would need to get. Diana turned and met Chase's eyes squarely.

"You are planning on coming back, right? Because if you're not, I am coming with you."

"Actually, I was planning on you coming with me regardless."

Diana blinked and then scooped Chase into her arms for an exuberant hug. "Thank you, Chase."

Chase smiled and returned the embrace fervently. Whatever doubts she had about herself and about the Amazon situation and even about the upcoming mission, this felt right.

They pulled apart after a long moment and Chase held on to Diana's hands. "Diana, you have proven to be a worthy ally and a very capable warrior. Even if we weren't trying to be friends... even without our souls having a past together or you having a personal reason to extract justice from Orana, I know you are the best choice for a partner to watch my back. All the rest just gives you added incentive."

Diana didn't respond verbally, but the fierce light in her eyes and the feral smile on her lips was an answer all its own. Without warning, she leaned down and brushed her lips over Chase's, feeling Chase freeze before she pulled back.

"Sorry, Chase. I just...."

"Shh...." Chase said, covering Diana's lips with her fingers. "It's all right, Diana. I'm just not... I'm not ready... I'd like to be, but...."

"Shh...." Diana said, returning the favor. "My fault, Chase. I didn't mean to, it's just... that's the first time in forever that someone - that *you* - has looked at me with such trust and confidence and...."

"Diana?"

"Hmm?"

"You're babbling." Diana blushed and Chase chuckled. It was nice to know Diana was as discombobulated as she was about the whole situation between them. "That's okay, Diana. I think it's cute," and got to watch the slow blush travel up Diana's face.

"But I've got to get ready to go and I'm running short on time. Maybe we can finish this when we get back?"

"You bet we can," Diana smiled. "I'll see you in the courtyard?"

"Ten minutes."

Diana pulled away from Chase and left before she could do anything else rash. They had a war to finish and an Amazon to destroy. Then they would have plenty of time to investigate this wonderful, giddy feeling that felt old and new again at the same time. And there was no way on hell she was going to let Orana or anything else on earth stop that from happening.

Then Chase stepped from her hut and a cheer went up from the hundreds of rebels gathered in the square. It was time.



Chapter XL

"Damn, it's dark out here," Ty mumbled, walking carefully to keep from stumbling and sliding through the mud. The darkness and rain had been their friend when they had arrived over the continent. It had enabled them to fly beneath the radar perimeter around the capital and drop in closer than they had hoped. Just as well, since the weather was making it very slow going to get into position for the announcement Orana was going to make later that evening. Ty was glad they had fifteen or sixteen hours to work with. She was afraid it would take them that long to get into place, and even with the sleep they had all gotten on the plane, they were going to need some rest to fight effectively tonight.

Chase had been the last to leave the rebel compound, and no one had seen her since. Her plan had been ingenious, though and Ty knew Chase was somewhere ahead of them.

It was an eerie feeling. Ty knew she wasn't alone, but due to the rain and the darkness and the silence surrounding her, she felt isolated. She wiped the rain out of her eyes and blinked rapidly. Then she checked her watch and smiled. With any luck, she and her squadron would reach their safe house within the next few minutes and then they would have the daylight to rest in before darkness fell again and they made the final short journey to the barracks they had been assigned to destroy. Ty only hoped they were as successful as Chase's plan had shown they could be.



Shep and his unit were making their way to the northernmost resistance stronghold. It was slow going in the darkness, but he had peace about this mission. Chase had planned well, and the changes she had made along with the addition of the Amazons had put the odds firmly in their favor. Not just to put an end to this war, but for most of them to survive it to begin a brave new world together.

His biggest concern was that no one except Chase was privy to what Chase's part in the plan was, and no one had seen her since they had departed the compound. He sent a prayer up for her safety, then picked up his pace. Making this work depended on him and his team making it into the stronghold before daylight; it was up to them to coordinate the rest of the world for the attack. In silence they pushed on, keeping to the trees and the bushes so as not to be seen by the dim moonlight that cast its waning light over the land.



Diana was torn between concern and anger. She hadn't been allowed to ride in the plane with Chase; Hans had forbidden it and given his reasoning, Diana had been unable to argue. The modifications they had made to the airplane had been based strictly upon Chase's height and weight specifications. So Diana had ridden across the ocean with some of her Amazons.

That hadn't been bad; it had helped Diana forge a deeper bond between her and the leaders of the Amazon army. To their delight, they found that the warrior princess they remembered had returned to them at last. And they were excited by the prospect of being led by her. Their part in Chase's plan was right up their alley.

But Diana hadn't seen Chase since they had arrived on the continent. They had been the first to leave as they had the farthest to travel on foot; Diana knew that Chase had been the last. They had missed the worst of the weather so far which had helped them make good time towards Berlin. Chase had promised to find her, and Diana believed Chase had meant her words. Yet they had been traveling for several hours on foot and she had seen neither hide nor hair of Chase.

"Do not worry, Princess," one of her captains commented quietly. "She will find you."

Only the warrior stoicism Diana wore kept her startlement from showing in her expression; even her eyes were kept carefully blank. She did turn and look a question at the woman who spoke, recognizing her as a priestess of the temple. The woman nodded when she realized Diana knew who she was.

"I believe, Princess. I have faith in what you are to be together."

"How does that help me in the here and now, Anya?"

"For there to be a future, there must be a foundation of trust. If she breaks her word to you now, how can there be trust between you? Therefore, she will find you." A beat. "I've read the stories, Princess. I know who she is... and who she was... and who she will be once more."

"Does everyone? Is this common knowledge?"

"No, Princess. The only reason I am aware is I helped Mala with the research when you started asking questions about soulmates. I helped her put all the pieces together." Diana nodded, but didn't speak. Anya felt compelled to reassure her further. "Princess, no one within the Nation knows beyond the council and myself, and I would never betray that trust. Besides, this news it not mine to share... it's yours, if and when you feel compelled to do so. I wouldn't have mentioned it if it wasn't obvious to me that you were searching for her and that search is taking your attention from our mission."

The rebuke was mild, but Diana felt it sharply. She nodded briskly. "You're right, Anya. Thank you for the reminder. I'll keep my mind focused and trust Chase to keep her word."

Anya might have answered, but suddenly Diana stopped walking and held up her hand. The Amazon army halted and melted into the trees as a Nazi patrol made its was towards them. The soldiers had no time to appreciate the fact that they were dead men walking, as in very short order, they were simply dead men. The Amazons dropped in behind them, snapping their necks and letting the bodies fall silently to the ground. Diana looked at her hands, clean of blood, and wondered how there could be no mark upon her for the life she had just taken. She thought she should feel some sort of guilt or remorse for the death she had caused, and maybe later she would, but for now she only felt relief and gratitude for her skills and being alive.

The flick of her wrist and the Amazons cleared the road, moving the men out of sight and up into the trees where they wouldn't be found. Mankind had lost the ability to think and fight three dimensionally and the Amazons were happy to use that to their advantage. Then they started back towards Berlin at a double time jog. The brief fight and subsequent clean-up had cost them precious time and even with the head start they'd had, they were going to be cutting it close. And since they were infiltrating the capital city itself, they definitely wanted to be in place before the sun came up.

Diana sent a prayer up for Chase's safety, then she picked up the pace, the outline of the buildings coming into sharp focus. Diana felt the fire stir in her blood and smiled. She was looking forward to this.



Chase drew a deep breath. Even though it was dark out, the square in front of the Reichstag was well-lit as though in defiance of the resistance and any rumors of a rebellion uprising. There were a number of workmen trying to accomplish several different tasks. There were some who were scrubbing and cleaning the streets around the square. Others were busy painting the buildings and polishing the brass fixtures. A third group was busy stringing wires and lights in preparation for Orana's announcement that evening.

Chase sat in the bell tower over looking the square. Behind her sat the tower guard, asleep at his post, compliments of Chase's and Hans' efforts in the lab. If it had been later in the day, he would be dead, but she couldn't risk the exposure... yet. Soon it wouldn't matter, but for now, discretion was definitely the better part of valor. Chase had to live long enough to take care of Orana.

Her vantage point gave her an excellent view of everything going on below, which would be extremely useful when the Amazons arrived. Chase looked at her watch, squinting in the waning moonlight, then nodded in satisfaction. She could just make out the beginnings of a lightening of the sky in the east. And only because she was looking for it, and knew exactly what to look for did she see the Amazons enter the city. She wondered if Diana would find her before she could get to Diana.

Chase smiled. Diana had been cute about her frustration in being separated from Chase after Chase had assured her they were going to go against Orana together. Only when Chase promised to find her before she went after Orana did Diana relent and leave with the first wave.

A commotion in the square caught her attention and she looked out to find Orana outside investigating the progress that had been made by the workers. They doubled their speed, not wanting to be punished for lax or shoddy work. Surprisingly, Orana simply looked around, pointing out a few things that remained and then turned and walked back into the Reichstag with studied nonchalance. It was obvious to Chase that she was trying to give an appearance of calm control. She wondered if the woman who was Fuehrer had any idea how truly despised she was or how hated her reign had become.

Chase's eyes continued to watch the preparations being completed at a fairly quick pace while her mind wandered back to the stories that had been passed down through her family for generations - since they had happened a hundred years before when Orana had become the Fuehrer.

When Steve Trevor had returned from Bermuda, rumors followed of a woman who had the strength of ten men, the speed of a moving car and the ability to stop bullets. But before any investigation could be done, their spies reported the same phenomenon taking place in Berlin. Only this woman was taken directly into the heart of the Reichstag to meet with Hitler and his generals, and she never came out.

Instead, she became first Hitler's confidante and enforcer, then, according to rumor, she became his lover and advisor. Eventually, Hitler faded out of the scene completely, dead from causes that didn't bear close examination. It didn't actually matter; by that point, Orana had a firm grasp on the entire Nazi regime, and the generals cowed or they died.

She did lead the Nazis to victory, but victory was not at all what they expected it to be. Things did improve some, but never back to even pre-war standards, and for a people who had expected to be at the top of the world once they won the war, that was quite a blow to morale. They had expected to be living in luxury, but except for a very few, the people toiled hard everyday for the bits they had - just as they had always done for centuries. To have lost sons and daughter to such an outcome made them bitter, but the relaxation of restrictions had made them less than eager to upset the applecart either. It was easier just to live with the known than to step into the unknown again and perhaps have yet another war with less-than-favorable results.

Orana had also signed an agreement with Japan that allowed them regency of the Far East territories for a large chunk of the profits. The Japanese had argued briefly, but Orana had been glad to show them the error of their ways and they had capitulated rather quickly after that, understanding well that part of the pie was better than no pie at all. It was easier to let the Japanese fight and die for the bounty she received. Her advisors had argued against such action, feeling the Nazis deserved all the pie. They had seen the futility of such an idea at the end of a noose. She didn't have the time or the patience to explain it to men too stupid to understand it without being told anyway.

Exterminating the Jews in Europe had robbed the Nazis of many of the minds and skills they had once depended on, and there had been no recovery from that devastation. Thousands had escaped and disappeared, but millions had died. Only because Orana felt it a waste of resources and manpower did any of the race survive - mostly in America. This too caused hard feelings as many felt that the Jews and the blacks and all the rest who failed to fit the Aryan mold should be rounded up, and either completely wiped out or made to serve the regime as all who lived beneath Orana's boot had to.

Most felt the same about those who lived in America; because of their indifference to the plight of the English and the French, no supplies had been given to them and few Americans had joined the fight to keep the Nazis from overrunning the European continent. The Nazi people firmly believed there should be some benefit for them for the supposed prosperity that remained in America despite the war. The Americans had been mostly unwilling to fight and die and instead allowed themselves to become subjugated with only Nazi overseers to keep them in line. This kept the land from being destroyed and the people from dying, because for the most part, the overseers were lenient in executing their responsibilities as long as they got fed and the first choice of companionship in whatever town they happened to be checking on.

Such conditions had allowed the resistance to grow, and the rebellion to flourish. Now the time had finally come to change things, Chase thought grimly.

While her thoughts had been occupied with the past, the present had been turning to daylight around her and now the sky was full of color and light. With a glance at the guard who remained asleep, Chase left the bell tower and headed across the roofs of Berlin in search of an Amazon princess.



Dawn found each of the rebel groups tucked safely away into numerous safe houses scattered across the European continent and into Russia and Great Britain. When darkness fell, they would all be moving again. But for now, the people of Berlin and Paris and London and Moscow went about their daily lives, unaware of the changes brewing just beneath the surface.

Chase walked the roofs above where she had last glimpsed the Amazons, knowing precisely where they were supposed to be and noting with satisfaction that there was no way to find them unless you knew where to look. She found the building and crept in, unnoticed by the guard who stood watch. The Amazons were scattered throughout the old warehouse, hidden in plain sight on the outskirts of the city. They had concealed themselves inside, though Chase had no difficulty finding them and slipping around them without being seen or heard. She realized then that the skills her mother had taught her were Amazon skills and she smiled grimly. That kind of confirmation wasn't something she was looking for, but it allowed her to slip right up to Diana... only to be caught and held by sparkling blue eyes when Chase reached out to touch her. Diana caught her hand and held it lightly.

"I promised you, didn't I?"

Diana smiled and nodded. "You did. I'm glad you made it. Are you all right?" Her words were whispered and she leaned up on one elbow. She could see the exhaustion in Chase's eyes, remembering that while the troops had all had the chance to sleep on the flight over Chase had been going full throttle since early the previous morning. She tugged on the hand she still held lightly clasped in her own and pulled Chase down beside her.

"Diana!" It would have been more of a protest, but it was hard to squeal when you were forced to whisper to keep from waking up the rest of the room.

"Hush!" smiling when Chase glared in her direction, but didn't move away from her. "Chase, you've been working for over twenty-four hours. You need to get some rest before we go after Orana tonight."

"But...."

"Shh!" Diana commanded. "You're taking care of everyone else... let me take care of you."

Chase smiled, feeling a familiarity at Diana's words. "Isn't that supposed to be my line?"

"Normally, yes... but not this time. You're the warrior leader and I'm the Amazon princess. Something kind of karmically circular about the whole situation, isn't there?"

Chase yawned, their combined body warmth and her exhaustion making her almost too sleepy to comment - *almost*. But she had enough of her bardic ancestor in her to warrant giving Diana an answer.

"Somethin'" she mumbled before allowing her fatigue to assert itself and closing her eyes.

Diana waited until she felt Chase's breathing deepen and even out in sleep; then she shifted, trying to get more comfortable without disturbing Chase. She froze completely and held her breath when Chase snuggled into her, wrapping around her like an earthbound octopus and grounding Diana in a way she hadn't been in more than twenty-six hundred years. She smiled at the bittersweet feeling of familiar intimacy that wash through her being at the feeling of having Chase in her arms. Diana wrapped her arms around Chase, and closed her eyes in sweet contentment.

Anya watched a moment longer, then closed her eyes, sending up a prayer of gratitude to the goddesses, hoping they were watching over the Nation and could see what was happening between Chase and Diana here in man's world.



The other five goddesses watched in disbelief as Aphrodite gyrated and shimmied all over the room. It had been a long time since they had seen her do a happy dance that no one recognized it for what it was. They weren't sure if Aphrodite was happy or in pain, though judging by the look on her face, pain wasn't an issue. Finally Athena couldn't stand the gyrations any longer and took Dite by the shoulders to bring her to a screeching halt. Dite glared at Athena, and blew her blonde curls back out of her eyes.

"Whaddya go and do that for?"

"Are you all right?"

"I am awesome, babe... simply fab. But thanks for asking."

Athena rolled her eyes and prayed for patience. "Aphrodite, why were you wiggling around like that? Did you find an ant bed or something?"

Dite snorted. "As if. Nah, babe. Check the radical scene I scryed across." She pointed to the bowl and Athena changed the focus and threw the image up on the wall for all of them to see. They all gaze at the reflection for a long moment, then the other five goddesses got up and started doing happy dances of their own. Dite just laughed joyfully and joined in.



Darkness had fallen but was not quite complete when Diana woke Chase from her sleep. She had spent a few moments simply looking at her, easily imagining the times they had shared like this before. Unlike her predecessor though, Chase woke with a single touch. She looked at their positions tangled up together and immediately moved out of Diana's arms. Diana felt the cold immediately with Chase's withdrawal, but she plastered a smile on her face.

"Chase...."

"Sorry," Chase muttered. "I don't know...."

"Chase, it's okay. Thanks for keeping me warm."

Chase nodded, still a little embarrassed by her clinginess. "All right... what time is it?" Chase looked at her watch and nodded in satisfaction. The Amazons were already up and dressed, eating from the rations they had brought. Shortly, they would be dispatched by Diana to their assignments. Ty and her squad should already be working, eliminating the soldiers in the barracks and assuming their duty stations in the square.

Diana handed Chase some of the rations her mother had brought along from Paradise Island, and Chase smiled at the newly familiar tastes that met her palette.

"Thanks. This is good."

"Anytime. This is an old family recipe and they're a Nation favorite - we actually dry fruit specifically for these."

"Well, whoever came up with them was pretty clever."

"Thanks," Diana said cheekily, then got up before Chase could question her further.

It was unnerving to see her sisters dressed as Nazis, but this group was taking the place of the technicians who were supposed to be running the sound and camera equipment for Orana's big announcement. The rest had already moved out to hide in the shadows; they would help infiltrate the Reichstag and work with Ty to prevent any of the Nazis in the square from leaving. This was not a hit and run mission - they were out to seek and destroy.

"All right, sisters. It's time. Each of you has your assignment. Whatever you do, make sure that this broadcast doesn't go anywhere but to the people in the square. Chase has people infiltrating the control room, but work under the assumption that they won't make it... if we kill it at the source, the rest is moot. It is a fail-safe for us. We want to control what gets broadcast."

"Watch for the signal. When you see us move in, that will be your cue to start recording. We want Orana's downfall broadcast." A brief pause that was so silent heartbeats could be heard. No one had expected Chase to speak since Diana was their princess and defacto leader. "Thank you all," Chase said quietly. "Good luck."

"The goddesses watch over you, sisters," Diana commended. "We would see you all safe and Orana destroyed when this is over."

They couldn't roar; stealth was too important to their mission. But they raised their fists triumphantly, shaking them in unity until, at Diana's signal, they went from darkness to darkness, each of them intent on the fight to come.



Chapter XLI

When Orana stepped from the Reichstag onto the square, Diana noticed an immediate hitch in their plans. A hand on Chase's arm and a lift of Diana's chin were enough to alert Chase to the new danger. Diana wondered privately how her mother had known to anticipate this possibility, and thought back to their brief exchange just before Diana boarded the plane.

"Diana? Could I have a moment please?"

Diana was still brooding, fuming over the fact that she had to travel to Berlin without Chase. However, she was trying not to take that frustration out on anyone and that included Hippolyta. Despite the issues that still loomed largely between them, Hippolyta was truly making an attempt to reach out to her daughter, and Diana could appreciate the effort. In her secret heart of hearts, Diana wanted Hippolyta to try again, but she would never be caught admitting that in the light of day - not until they got some of those issues ironed out. Still, she wasn't going to discourage Hippolyta's efforts because of something neither of them had control over. So she took a deep breath and turned to face Hippolyta with a neutral expression on her face.

"What can I do for you?" she asked politely. "Surely you don't need party tips from me?" with just the slightest hint of a smile on her face. Diana hadn't been known as a partier even when she had been sociable. The trace of mischief in her eyes caused Hippolyta to chuckle.

"Um, no. I think I can handle that. No, this is much more serious," reaching for Diana's arm, not letting her touch fall short, not sure if Diana would welcome it. Instead, she pulled a blade from her side sheath and extended it to Diana.

Diana accepted the blade, and looked at it with confusion clearly written across her features. The knife was made of bone - from the handle to the tip of the blade. Diana frowned... if she didn't know better, she'd have thought it was....

"Dryad bone?"

Hippolyta nodded gravely. "Yes. It's the only way we have of killing an immortal. You need to take it with you."

"Mother," she addressed Hippolyta unconsciously. "I can't kill Orana... not with this. I would never deny Chase her right to extract revenge from Orana after what Orana did to her. Chase deserves her vengeance as does the rest of the Nation."

Hippolyta shook her head. "No, Diana. This isn't for Orana... I'd like her to face Amazon justice. No, this is on the off chance you run into any other immortal deities." Hippolyta blew out a breath. "You know Ares was the only god who did not offer you a blessing at your birth, and we believe he mentored Orana when she arrived in man's world. If that is true, then there is every possibility he will be around at some point. I don't want you to go in there unprotected, because if he sees you... I just don't want you to have to go up against him without a way to defend yourself."

"You really think he'll be there?"

"I honestly don't know, but in this instance I would prefer to err on the side of caution."

Diana looked at Hippolyta for a long moment before nodding and putting the blade into her pack. Then she boarded the plane without looking back.

"Fuck!"

The whispered expletive from Chase brought Diana from her musings with a jolt. She raised an eyebrow and Chase smirked, though she couldn't stop the blush that crossed her face. They were slowly making their way towards the Reichstag itself across the same rooftops Chase had walked hours before when she'd been searching for Diana. They planned to be inside waiting for Orana when she returned. Given the number of people on the stand with her, there would be plenty of time to get in and disable her security and safety measures before she returned. This was obviously supposed to be something of a celebration to reinforce Orana's message of who exactly was in control.

"Sorry," she muttered. "Is that who I think it is?" Diana nodded. "Dammit! That changes everything."

"Maybe not," Diana commented softly. "I don't think he knows we're here. He isn't looking around for anything; he just seems to be enjoying the adulation from the handpicked audience. He can't scry here so he won't be able to find us."

"Doesn't matter, Diana; he is still an immortal... still the god of war. And when we go after Orana, he'll still be able to defeat us with the flick of his wrist."

"Not this time," Diana answered confidently. She stopped moving and slid the pack from her shoulders and opened it, showing Chase the blade that rested inside at the top. There was no change in Chase's expression, no sign of recognition at the significance of the object it held inside.

"I'm sorry... I don't get it; guess I'm missing something pretty important, huh?"

"That's okay, Chase. We'll have plenty of time for you discover everything about your heritage later," Diana assured her with a smile. "This is a dryad bone knife."

Now Chase blinked in recognition. "Waitaminute - you mean the kind of bone that can kill a god? But how...?"

Diana slipped the pack back on and they readied themselves to start the next phase of their mission. They had reached the roof of the Reichstag and moved inside. They didn't see Ares look around with a frown on his face. Fortunately, he couldn't see them either, and after a long moment, turned his attention back to the general who was presently singing the praises of Orana and the Reich.

"My mother, and we know it can kill immortals and lesser gods. Not sure it can destroy Ares given the powerbase he has, but it will hurt him. Given his history, if we can manage to hurt him, he will disappear. He's never been one to stick around when the odds aren't in his favor."

"All right, but that means we're gonna need to split up... at least for a little while."

"Maybe not," Diana said again. She looked down. "The records are spotty, but given what I know of Orana from before she came here, she will celebrate her 'victory' when this announcement is over. If you noticed, the set-up out there was for some sort of party; obviously there's at least part of her Amazon heritage she's kept."

Chase looked at her askance. Diana smirked. "I'll explain it to you later." She looked around and her whisper became nothing but mouthed silence. "Ready?" Chase nodded and motioned to the guard on the right. Diana returned the nod and watched as Chase counted down on her fingers. Simultaneously they moved and in seconds, two guards were dead, compliments of broken necks. They didn't make a sound and Chase and Diana were quick to move the bodies out of sight. Then with a glance at one another, they padded silently through the halls, disarming the cameras and leaving a string of dead guards hidden in the recesses as they made their way towards the lab.



"This was just the first, my friends! From this day forward, the rebellion will be systematically destroyed. We will annihilate every village and town that harbors rebels and resistance members and when we are done, we will set our own house in order! We will go after the Jews! We will go after the Negroes! We will go after the homosexuals! We have been lax too long... but no longer. We will wipe out everyone who does not fit the mold of an ideal member of our Supreme Race!" She naturally didn't mention it also meant the destruction of their one semi-ally in the Japanese. Time enough for those details later, after their obvious enemies were eradicated. "And when we are done, we will have a New World Order! The Third Reich will be stronger and better for the purging! It is time we realize the dream of prosperity we fought and struggled for! It is time we reward the faithful!! It is time we take care of our own... no matter the cost to the rest of the world!!"

The specially chosen audience stomped and cheered. And the Amazons manning the cameras carefully captured it all, though not a word of it was broadcast beyond the square. Mitch had made it into the control room, and sent out a technical difficulties message to the outlying stations, thought they understood the meaning clearly enough. What it meant - reading between the lines - was that Orana wanted complete control over what went out to the masses and would need time to edit it accordingly. They had no way of knowing that Orana wouldn't be editing anything at all.

Eventually, Orana held up her hands and the crowd dutifully quieted and waited expectantly. "So this is a celebration of the beginning of a new era in the Reich. Please, join me in commemorating this event and enjoy the refreshments provided here. VICTORY!!"

At this the crowd roared and returned her salute. "VICTORY!!! Zieg HEIL!! Zieg HEIL!! Zieg HEIL!!!"

Orana stood and absorbed the adoration of the crowd for long moments before she allowed them to disperse to the tables that had been set up around the square. Those on the stage with her removed themselves to join the party at her nod, leaving her alone with only Ares for company staring out at the gathered throng. He put his hands on her shoulders and she stiffened, but he didn't pull away. Instead he began kneading with all the strength in his hands, and he felt her relax into his touch almost immediately.

"What's the matter, baby? You're too uptight for a warrior who has conquered like you have... especially one with such great battle prospects on the horizon."

Orana shrugged and leaned back into him. "I don't know, Ares. Something doesn't feel right. I expected more of a reaction from the rebellion. I expected *some* sort of reaction from them at any rate. And yet, I got nothing, and it's making me antsy. I cannot honestly believe they would let something like this go by without making some sort of effort to stop it. I made sure the world knew I was making an announcement tonight; I even let leak what happened to those twelve villages."

Ares dropped his hands from her shoulders and let one run over his beard. "Well, considering the fact that the rebellion has been around for a century, give or take, I'd say it was one of two things. Either they have already gone underground in preparation for the latest siege OR they are biding their time waiting for the right moment to strike - some time when you are distracted and won't see it coming."

Orana bit her lip in thought. "I suppose. It's just that my thumbs are prickling and I hate that feeling. I especially hate feeling like those cretins have gotten one over one me."

"Nobody's gotten anything over on you, babe," Ares said, putting his hands lightly on her waist. "It'll be their funeral when they do make a move because we are going to be ready for them. They won't even know what hit them." He felt her laugh under his touch and allowed his own dark chuckle to bubble up. "Now, c'mon... you and I have some serious business to attend to," rubbing up against her.

Orana permitted a small, satisfied smirk to cross her lips. "We do indeed, and Adelia should be waiting. Let's go."



Diana and Chase worked in tandem together without exchanging a single word. It was as if they had been doing this together forever, they were so smooth in their interactions. Diana went through the crude computer records while Chase disarmed the first of three self-destruct mechanisms Orana had set throughout the Reichstag. These were the triggers that would set off other devices hidden around the globe, and Diana's searching had turned up the locations of those. Finding them would be one of their first tasks once Orana and the Reich were finally defeated.

First though, they had to destroy the lab and make it to the kitchen to take out the second bomb. That would be more difficult as there should be people working and that meant more killing because there were no innocents here. And Chase was tired of killing; she had been doing it since she was twelve years old. However, it had to be done, so with a signal to Diana, they soundlessly slipped into the kitchen and within minutes, there were six more dead. Diana moved the bodies into freezer while Chase disarmed the second trigger bomb.

Fortunately, since the food had already been prepared and a majority of it had already been set out for the event outdoors, they weren't interrupted and in short order, they were walking down the hallway to Orana's private chambers. This was the tricky part.

Orana was more than a little paranoid and had the most state-of-the-art security she could manage... not that it was anywhere close to what Diana and Paula had developed. So cracking through it was fairly simple. The guards were dispatched easily enough; they simply weren't expecting intruders to be wandering around that far inside the inner sanctum.

There were no bodies to move; Orana kept the guards in her hallway out of sight. Diana disarmed and unlocked the doors - they like the rest of the alarms were set to Amazon milestones and markers. Then they slipped inside Orana's suite. It got harder from here. First they had to disarm the cameras and the monitoring stations in her office area and then they had to move on to the bedroom. The third mechanism was on the bed and it was the one device that connected to each of the triggers around the world. That meant it could still detonate the self-destruction devices Chase had not disarmed yet.

The cameras and monitors were a cake walk for Diana and once they were disabled, they crossed the office floor and stood listening at the bedroom door for a long moment. When they didn't hear any sound coming from within, they opened the door slowly then looked around the empty room.

Chase gave a sigh of relief, relaxing just slightly. Given the rollercoaster ride her life had been lately, she half expected some sort of hidden surprise. But this time, it seemed, their intelligence had been right on the money. Even Ares unforeseen presence hadn't changed the outcome of their work and very shortly, all hell was going to break loose outside the Reichstag as well as at other Nazi strongholds around the world. When Orana left the square, Mitch would let Shep know; then resistance fighters across the globe would attack the Nazis in full force. The Amazons in the square were looking forward to that event, but then, so were the rest of the rebels.

Chase went to the far side of the bed while Diana stayed on the near side, both of them carefully searching for the final trigger device. Without warning, the bathroom door flew open and a very naked Adelia stepped out and strutted towards the bed. She was halfway there before she realized she was not alone... and not with the couple she anticipated sharing the night with.

"Who are you?? What are you doing here??" She froze, and that hesitation was what cost Adelia her life. Chase reacted immediately and the first needled vial of Orana's evil poison struck Adelia in the heart. The effect was abrupt and Adelia fell to the floor, clutching her chest in agony and gasping for air. Unlike Orana's version, meant for prolonged torture, Hans had concentrated the mixture so death was almost instantaneous.

Chase and Diana exchanged glances, and without a word they scooped Adelia up and tucked her into the bed to die. It would save them from having to clean up the mess before Orana and Ares returned. Then they went back to their search.

Much to their surprise and chagrin, there were two triggers and they were tied together by a complicated series of connections beneath the bed. They looked at each other and with soundless sighs, slid beneath the bed.

Diana watched Chase's actions, mimicking her precisely. Chase nodded her approval and together they disarmed the last of the self-destruct mechanisms. Then the door to the bedroom opened and Ares and Orana stumbled in, tossing bits of clothing carelessly around the room.

Diana opened the pack she still carried and removed the dryad blade, then motioned to Chase, who shook her head violently. "Why?" she mouthed. Instead, Chase gestured to her side of the bed, asking Diana to follow her out. She figured it would buy them a little extra time. Meanwhile, Orana and Ares separated long enough to notice Adelia was already in the bed waiting for them.

Ares chuckled. "Guess she's anxious, huh? But what is that smell?? It smells like...."

"... death. Something's not right; wait, did you unlock the doors when we came in?"

Ares answer was interrupted by the sound of gunfire in the square and several things happened at once. Orana crossed to the window, heedless of her partial nakedness. Diana and Chase rose from beside the bed simultaneously. Orana turned, the needle of the poison vial piercing her chest. She wailed and dropped to the floor, writhing in agony. Chase rushed over to Orana and snatched the belt of strength and the golden lasso from around her body.

At the same time Chase threw the vial, Ares saw Diana and hesitated, caught unaware by her presence here in this room. That hesitation gave Diana the opening she needed and she tossed the blade in Ares direction. He didn't move, incorrectly assuming it was of no consequence and wanting to drive that point home by allowing the blade to penetrate his skin even as he threw a fireball full-force into Diana's torso. Diana crumpled and Ares screamed as he realized just exactly what he'd been hit with.

Chase turned from Orana as Ares pulled the blade from his gut. He threw it at her in his rage, but Chase ducked it easily, having already been in motion to cover Diana's body. He held closed his wound with his hand and shimmered out of sight, needing to find a private place of power to heal.

Chase took Diana's face in her hands and cradled it carefully, completely unaware of the tears streaming down her face. "Oh no, you don't," she said angrily. "NO! You don't get to leave this time. You promised me a future! You promised me forever, Goddamnit!! Don't you *dare* fucking die on me now!!" She reached down and picked up the accoutrements she had dropped in her haste to protect Diana's body from further attack. "Look, Di... we got them away from her."

"Not for long," a weak and shaky Orana said. She was holding a gun pointed in Chase's direction. "I'm an immortal, remember? You can't kill me... even with that lovely noxious poison I created. Uh uh," she said, blinking rapidly. "Hands where I can see them."

Chase placed the belt and lasso onto Diana's chest, glad to see it was still moving, albeit slowly. Then she turned and stood, and in a movement too quick for Orana to process, threw two more vials - one that hit her in the belly and one that embedded deep in her thigh. Orana dropped the gun to reach for the vials, only to fall to the floor again. This time, Chase got up and stuck the two remaining deep into her spine, watching without feeling as the woman stiffened in anguish.

Then she moved to kneel back down at Diana's side, scrambling through the backpack trying to find a way to fix the damage Ares had done. Her heart cried out to goddesses she wasn't even sure existed, hoping for a miracle from somewhere to keep Diana alive.



Chapter XLII

Diana blinked her eyes opened, then closed them again, groaning at the intense pain lancing through her chest. She took as deep a breath as she dared - pretty shallow, considering - and opened her eyes again slowly, seeing nothing around her but empty space. She frowned; the last thing she remembered was... "Chase!!" She struggled to sit up, then dropped back to a reclining position when pain and vertigo made the effort impossible.

A hand came into her line of vision, easing her down with a gentle touch. The cool cloth on her forehead was both familiar and comforting. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing, willing the pain to subside. Where was she? And why? And how did she get here anyway? Then a voice cut into her musing. "Take it easy, Diana. How do you feel, Princess?"

The voice was recognizable and yet not as she remembered. "Drea?"

"No, Princess. Open your eyes."

Diana blinked open her eyes and forced them to stay open, then blinked again when a face came into view. "Aunt Jasmine? But how?? You're dead and I'm...." breaking off as the implications of what she was saying sank into her mind.

"... going to be if you don't make up your mind to be differently."

Diana moaned. The pain was making it hard to focus and harder still to think clearly. Jasmine waited; she needed Diana to be full cognizant of what was going on around her. She felt when Diana turned to her meditation for relief, and after a few eternal minutes passed, Diana relaxed and turned her attention back to her aunt.

"Gods, this hurts."

"I'll bet it does," Jasmine agreed pragmatically. "It looks pretty nasty."

Diana looked around at the emptiness again. "I have to tell you, Aunt Jasmine, for an afterlife, this place leaves a lot to be desired... especially if it hurts like this all the time."

Jasmine smiled at her sadly. "This isn't the afterlife... at least not yet. This is an in-between - a place between life and death, and as long as you can feel the pain of your injury, you are still alive in the real world. Once it's gone...." She let the thought trail off.

Diana smirked wryly then grimaced. "Guess I should be counting my blessings then, huh? 'Cause this hurts like a bitch." She closed her eyes again, missing Jasmine's startled look at her choice of words. "What am I doing here, Jas?" feeling a wave of lethargy wash over her. "Better yet... what are you?"

"Well," rinsing the cloth and gently applying it to Diana's face and neck. "I'm here because you are. You're here because Annabelle is refusing to let your soul go and your spirit is refusing to let your body die while she holds on."

"So as long as she holds on, I'll live, but as soon as she gives up I die?"

"That depends on you."

"Huh? Aunt Jasmine, I know I'm not running on all cylinders here, but life and death has never been about choice - especially when a god takes a pot shot at you."

"Do you want to live? Would you be willing to give up your title, your immortality, to live as a mortal woman in man's world with my daughter for the rest of your natural, normal life? Not as a warrior hero or an Amazon princess or Wonder Woman, but simply as her mate?"

"In a heartbeat, Aunt Jasmine. I have missed her... so much. I would give up everything to be with her again."

"Then live for her, Diana. Make the decision to live for her... and then do it."

"Simple as that?"

"Simple as that."

Silence reigned for a while after that. Jasmine continued to bathe Diana's face and neck and Diana simply lay still trying to breathe through the pain. In all of her immortal life she couldn't remember hurting like this and she wasn't really thrilled with the prospect of doing so now - even knowing she had suffered as badly or possibly worse in her last trip through the karmic cycle. Finally, though....

"Aunt Jasmine?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you tell me about Chase? What she was like growing up - things she did?"

Jasmine laughed... a full bodied laugh, and Diana smiled in reflexive sympathy. "You want to hear stories, hmm? Well, Drea is the only one who's heard any of those before, but sure. I imagine I can remember a few things about what Annabelle was like growing up."

Diana laughed briefly, then curled up into herself as agony pierced her body in reaction. "Ow, ow, ow."

Jasmine smiled compassionately. "A little less laughter, maybe? I'll try not to tell the more outrageous ones, though for the first few years of her life she was a mostly quiet child. Very bright, and she certainly had her moments, but.... Her best friends were her books and her daddy. When he died, she changed. My Annabelle - my brilliant, quiet daughter - became a hellion. That's when she started going by the moniker Chase. And she started taking unimaginable risks. She was seven years old."

Diana opened her eyes and looked at Jasmine in shock. "Chase became a rebel fighter when she was seven?"

Jasmine nodded. "Little things at first, and against my wishes and explicit orders she did. I knew, even though she was unaware, that she had a different destiny to fulfill, but nothing I was able to share with her was enough to deter her strength of purpose. I knew she was resolute about avenging her father's death, but looking back at it, I wonder if perhaps she became so reckless because of who she was."

"You mean as your daughter... as an Amazon?"

"No, I mean as your soulmate - one half of a whole. Maybe her father's death showed her the unexplainable loneliness in her soul. I know it left a huge hole in her heart and in her life."

"How could you let her do that, Jasmine? How could you let her run the risk of being killed?? After all it took to get her here...." Diana shook with anger and pain and frustration. "After how long we've been apart from one another, you just let her...."

"No, Diana. I didn't just let her." Jasmine's head dropped. "But I couldn't stop her either. I tried, you have to believe that, and up until the time she was twelve, I had a little success. There were only a limited number of jobs she could do, and most of those required her to simply walk information from one point to another. No one suspected a cute kid like her to be dangerous." Jasmine met Diana's eyes, both sets filled with tears. "But she was the most stubborn, hardheaded child ever born, though given her soul and her heritage, I don't think she could help that." They exchanged watery smiles.

"What happened when she was twelve?"

"Annabelle killed her first man."

"At twelve?!?"

"Yes. She discovered a double agent living among us. It was how she found out about Hans, but that's another story. Anyway, he tried to rape and kill her and she killed him first, but not before she got proof of his duplicity. They lauded her as a hero."

"What happened then? And what is the story about Hans?"

"She became more involved in the rebellion then, started doing a lot more undercover work. And as bad as I hated it, as much as it scared me... gods, Diana - she was the best operative we had. She found out things... well, she's the reason the rebellion is winning, the reason the war will soon be over. Her determination to find Hans is the reason we were able to, and he was one of the few that understood and appreciated her mind first. Together they were able develop many of the weapons and advancements the rebellion has."

Silence. Then Diana broke it. "Then what?"

Jasmine sighed. "Then I died. Just after Annabelle turned seventeen, I was sent out on a mission based on intelligence she had gathered. I was killed, and Annabelle... Annabelle went a little crazy."

"Is that when she became the leader of the rebellion?" Diana asked, knowing what the partial records Paula had managed to cull had said, but curious about the truth.

Jasmine shook her head. "No. Paula's records - those she managed to find - were accurate. Annabelle took on the impossible missions. She went out and met with resistance groups, formed new cells and started a network between them and the rebellion in America. She really was the glue that brought and held everything together."

"Kind of like what she's doing for me now."

Jasmine nodded. "A little bit. What she did for the rebellion was business; what she's doing for you is completely personal. I have never seen her put anyone or anything ahead of the rebellion like she has you, Diana."

Diana blushed. "Then why am I still here, Aunt Jasmine? If she's holding on to me so tightly that I'm not dying, why am I still here?"

"I don't know, Princess. Close your eyes and focus. Maybe she's just waiting for you to decide to come back to her."

Diana nodded, then took Jasmine's hand in hers and squeezed it. "Thanks, Aunt Jasmine. Do we... may I ask for her hand? Can we have your blessing?"

Jasmine returned the squeeze and smiled into Diana's eyes. "Diana, you have always had my blessing. Just promise me that you'll protect her and love her with everything you are. She is fragile underneath that core of strength she's got and she has had those walls up for the better part of her life. She really doesn't remember what it is to look at life with the wonder and amazement of a child. You will need to be patient and teach her, but above all else, you will need to love her. Love is not something she's permitted herself in far too long. It is one reason she keeps pushing you away - one reason she asked for time. She has no idea what to do with all she feels for you."

"Loving her is easy, Aunt Jasmine. It is part of who I am, and who she is to me. The rest we will make up and learn together as we go. Thank you for giving birth to her, Jasmine, and for loving her. You gave up everything for her... so we could have another chance to be together. No wonder Chase is such an incredible woman - she had an incredible mother."

Jasmine leaned down and brushed a kiss over Diana's cheek. "Go to her. And kick Ares ass once for me, all right?"

Diana chuckled and nodded. Then she closed her eyes and focused her attention on Chase and the feelings of panic she could feel rising from her direction.



Chase growled when she couldn't find any first aid supplies in the backpack. She snatched up the communication device she and Hans had developed for emergencies and took a deep, calming breath to keep from screaming at Mitch.

"Mitch, this is Chase, over."

This is Mitch, boss. Go ahead, over."

"Mitch, I'm in... we're in the Fuehrer's room and she's been subdued. I need... I need a squad to take her into custody and... and I need the Amazon healer, Drea. I need her fast, Mitch. Hurry, over."

There were a million questions he wanted to ask, but he shoved them aside for the moment. He could feel the urgency in her controlled voice. He figured he'd get his answers soon enough. "Will do, Chase. The squad will be easy; the healer will take a little longer, but I'll find her, Chase. I'll see to it personally, over."

"Be quick, Mitch... and thanks. Out."

Orana stirred and Chase turned her head, then grabbed the lasso. Much as she hated to leave Diana's side, there was no way she wanted to be caught unaware again by the Amazon Fuehrer. Chase wasn't deliberately cruel, though she certainly wanted to be - given what both she and Diana had suffered at Orana's hands. However, she wasn't gentle in her treatment of Orana and she trussed her up like a calf, tying her hands and feet together with the lasso looped around her neck so that any movement by Orana to free herself resulted in her choking. At the moment, though, Orana was in pain too intense to allow her to struggle. Simply breathing was unbearable.

Chase left her where she lay, semi-naked and in agony. A thought occurred to her and she slid into place beside Diana. She took the belt of strength and looked at it a long moment, then apologized to Diana softly for any pain she might cause. Then Chase semi-wrestled the belt around Diana's slim waist, doing her utmost not to further damage Diana's burned and bleeding torso.

When that was done, Chase sat back on her heels and looked for something else she could do. She spotted the dryad knife sticking from the wall where Ares had thrown it and grabbed it, shoving into the backpack with the rest of the things Diana had brought. Then she went into the bathroom looking for something... anything... that might help.

Chase tore up the bathroom quickly, then realized as she looked at the lone bottle of aspirin in the medicine cabinet that she didn't know enough about Diana's immortal body or the damage an ancient god's power could do to be able to treat her without possibly inflicting further injury. Frustrated, she blew out an exasperated breath and grabbed a washcloth from a folded stack, wetting it before rushing back out to kneel beside Diana's prone body.

The silence and lack of distraction narrowed Chase's focus to the pain she was feeling for Diana. Without analyzing the need, she cradled Diana's head in her lap and started talking to her in soft, soothing tones while gently wiping her face while they waited for help to arrive.

"Diana? C'mon, baby. You can't die on me... not now. You promised me, remember? You promised me immortality; you promised me we couldn't die... that we would be together forever. You don't want me to have to come looking for you in the afterlife, Di. I promise you if I have to, I will make your afterlife completely miserable. I swear I will."

Chase took a deep, shuddering breath to keep from sobbing. She didn't need or want anyone to witness the privacy of her pain. "Don't make me go through this again, Diana. I won't survive the separation this time. Despite the fact that we are new to one another in this lifetime, Diana, my soul remembers. Regardless of my repeated denials to myself and my trying to keep some distance between us, there are parts of me that know and recall who and what we were to each other... before. Please don't leave me to that aloneness again."

Chase tenderly wiped Diana's face and neck, letting her fingers trace the features that were so familiar and yet that she was just coming to know. Diana was an admittedly beautiful woman and in spite of her disheveled state, Chase was honest enough to admit to the surge of animal attraction she felt for her. She smiled wryly.

"Ya know, I was attracted to you almost immediately; that was one of the things about you that scared me senseless, if I'm gonna be completely honest about it. I've never really been drawn to someone like I am to you. Not just the physical, though you are gorgeous," Chase said with a blush, "but your mind and your soul are equally appealing. Come back to me, Diana, and I promise not to push you away again."

At that moment, a mixed squad of Amazons and rebels entered the room and froze, taking in the scene with practiced eyes. Seeing Chase completely preoccupied with Diana, Ty immediately assumed command of the unit, directing their efforts. Some of the Amazons went to Orana, marveling at the binding Chase had contrived for her. They were much rougher in their handling of Orana than Chase had been. They removed the lasso and secured her in the forged shackles Aphrodite had given them. Then they took up positions to guard the woman until they were ready to move her out.

Another small group began constructing a travois to carry Diana wherever they were directed and hoping it would be soon. Some of the things they had seen in the Reichstag were more than a little disturbing, and they were anxious to remove themselves and the injured Princess from the vile evil they felt emanating from the place.

A third group assumed a perimeter around Chase and Diana, providing them with both protection and security. Ty was in this group and she dropped to one knee next to Chase, putting a hand on her arm and waiting until Chase dragged her eyes up to meet Ty's.

"Chase?"

"Ty, where's Drea?"

Ty shrugged. "I dunno, Chase. Mitch sent us over and we got here as quickly as we could. It's a mess outside. Not to worry," she added quickly, seeing immediate concern in Chase's eyes. "We have things under control. We ran into more pro-Nazi forces than we expected to, but they are being dealt with. According to the initial reports, quite a few battalions of foot soldiers are simply surrendering. Daylight will give us a better idea of where things stand, but for now, we seem to be ahead of where we expected to be at this point."

Chase nodded, but didn't respond otherwise, her attention focused on the still body in her lap.

"Do you have any orders, Chase?" Ty prompted. She hated to ask, but they still had work to do, and like it or not, Chase was the one in charge of it until and unless she removed herself from the responsibility.

"Yes. Put the soldiers who have surrendered under the command of the resistance leaders whose jurisdiction they are quartered in. They are *not* to be tortured or killed; they will need to be tried and sentenced accordingly once we have things under control. Anyone that fights back or tries to run away dies by their own choice - kill 'em all," said flatly with no emotion.

Ty's eyes widened, but she nodded her agreement. She hadn't expected such unemotional disassociation from Chase at their moment of triumph, but victory seemed to have lost its savor in light of what had happened to Diana. "I'll get the message to Mitch and Shep." She motioned to the woman cradled so carefully in Chase's arms. "How's she doing?"

Chase looked up at Ty briefly before returning her attention to Diana. "Still breathing, but I don't...."

Whatever else she had been about to say was interrupted by the arrival of Drea and Mitch. The healer made her way to Diana's side, stifling a cry when she saw the damage Ares had done to Diana's body. Immediately she dumped her bag of supplies out and began barking orders to those who were standing around as if waiting for instructions; they started doing her bidding as quickly as her directives were issued. Ty removed herself from the area and went to have a word with Mitch. The war was still raging around them, despite the calm at the center here, and they had things left to do.

"Don't worry, Chase. I'm not going to let my daughter die. She has too much left to look forward to in this life."

"I'm sorry, Drea. I never meant for something like this to happen."

Drea smiled, even as she winced at the wound that covered so much of Diana's upper body. Drea could only imagine the pain that was causing her. "I know you didn't, Chase, and Diana knows that as well. Putting the belt around her was genius - that will actually help her heal. It channels her immortal strength, something she wouldn't be able to tap into here otherwise."

"Will she be all right, Drea? Can you make her better?" The last was a plaintive whisper and it tugged at Drea's heartstrings. She smiled with all the confidence she could muster.

"She's survived this long by your combined wills; I don't think making her better will be a problem. You both want it too badly. We need to get out of here though. I want her moved to the triage unit we have set up until we are ready to go home. If you could manage to get the location of the invisible plane out of her," motioning to Orana, "that would help immensely. I'll explain it to you later," seeing Chase's uncomprehending look.

"I'll see what I can do for you. Can you... give us a minute?"

Drea nodded and rose. "Anya, let's get the litter ready. We're going to need to move Diana to the triage unit in the warehouse." She gestured the rest away from the couple to give them a little privacy.

"Diana," Chase leaned down and whispered into her hair, wrapping one arm around Diana's collarbone and running the other the length of her arm to clasp their hands together. "I've got to go out there and finish what we started, but I'll be back soon, I promise. We have unfinished business between us, so you damn well better straighten up and fly right. I expect you to be up giving orders by the time I get back, and I'm not gonna be gone very long, all right? I love you, Diana. Come back to me now."

Her eyes didn't open and her breathing didn't change, but Chase felt Diana's grip tighten briefly. She smiled into Diana's hair and brushed a kiss across the top of her head. "That's my girl," she whispered. Then she eased out from behind Diana's body and headed out to finish up the business they had started together.



Chapter XLIII

"Ty!"

"Chase? What are you doing out here? We've got this under control. You need to get back in there with your girl. We can handle this, honestly."

"I know you can, Ty. But I also know that the resistance needs to see me, even if it's only briefly. They expect it... I can't be hiding out taking care of someone they know nothing about. Leaders don't have private or personal lives, ya know."

Ty smirked. "Well, you never have before. Guess that means I'm gonna win that bet, huh?"

Chase ducked her head and spoke softly. "She touches my soul, Ty, like nothing or no one ever has... in this lifetime anyway."

Ty crinkled her forehead at Chase's wording, then shook her head and pushed on Chase's shoulder. "G'wan. Go do your leadership thing so you can get back to Diana. The rest of us can handle the details, all right? Let us do our part, too."

"Ty, if it was up to me, I'd let ya'll finish the whole damn thing without me and the hell with the consequences. But we have all fought too long and too hard to get here to lose because of my selfishness. Make sure Orana is moved to the torture room in the basement, and keep her guarded and manacled to the wall at all times. I'll be back shortly to take care of moving her for judgment."

Chase turned and walked off before Ty could formulate a reply. Ty watched her go, then started whistling, a somewhat incongruous sound given the gruesomeness of her surroundings. But even that ugliness couldn't dampen her spirits at seeing Chase complete. Then she headed back into the Reichstag to carry out Chase's orders.

Chase scampered around the square, dodging the random gunshots that still rang out across it, though there had been very little resistance to their coup so far. They had planned well; however, they all expected there to be at least one serious fight from the Nazis once they were able to organize something against the rebellion. It was Chase's job to try and insure that didn't happen.

She rounded the corner and realized she was in trouble almost immediately when she ran into a leather-clad chest. She backed up just enough to look into brown eyes that flamed with hatred before a hand covered her mouth and the world disappeared around her.



Ty jogged back into the Reichstag unimpeded by anyone or anything since Chase and Diana had secured the building. With a very few words on her part, the Amazons formed an honor guard for Diana while the rebels surrounded Orana to transport her down to the torture chamber. She exchanged a few words with Drea, then went with the rest of the rebels down to the basement. She was going to take responsibility for Orana personally until Chase arrived to take over. Orana was going to be the final piece of business the rebellion took care of before the resistance governments took their place in the new world order.

Meanwhile, the Amazons made their way unmolested to the triage unit Drea had set up in the warehouse area they had been quartered in. It was a little unnerving - almost as though the Nazis were chasing something else or had disappeared underground. But they didn't take time to consider the reasons for their easy passage; they were too happy to get Diana back under cover.

As soon as they arrived, the Amazons spread out, having already been given their instructions by Drea before they left the Reichstag. Soon, everything physically possible had been done for Diana's body and it was time to focus their spiritual energy on healing her as well.

Anya took her position at Diana's head and Drea stood at her heart. Mala took Diana's belly with the belt of strength and Nubia was located at her feet. The remainder of the Amazons, except for those assigned guard detail, filled the spaces in between the four placed strategically at Diana's power points.

First Drea, then Nubia, Anya and finally Mala placed their hands on Diana's body and the rest linked them together. Then they started channeling their immortal strength into Diana's body through the belt of strength. And before their eyes, Diana's immortal body began to heal from the damage Ares had done to it.

Though visible, it was a slow process and they faltered when Ty came rushing in frantically close to the end. It took them nearly another hour to finish, and by then, Ty was beyond frantic and the Amazons were exhausted. Diana's sleep had turned natural. She would need a good stretch of normal sleep, but when she awakened, she would be as good as new, and possibly better, given the fact that she was wearing the belt of strength.

The Amazons scattered throughout the warehouse to catch a few hours of sleep themselves and Drea moved to talk to Ty. When Ty explained the situation, Drea dropped her head into her hands. Ty tugged on her arms, trying to convey the sense of urgency she felt, until finally Drea sat her down and clarified the realities of the circumstances surrounding Diana's healing. They would move as soon as they were able, but there was nothing to be done until Diana woke from the final stages of the healing sleep she was currently in. Ty recognized the truth in Drea's words, knowing Chase would never forgive either of them if Diana was put in harm's way unnecessarily. Ty explained what the rebels were doing, and how Drea could contact her once the Amazons were able to move out.

Morning was just peeking over the horizon before Diana stirred. By that point, the Amazons had gotten a short few hours of rest and were already geared up and ready to return to the fight. Drea had shared Ty's emergency with them, and they desperately wanted to be out helping in the search and not here waiting for instructions from their princess. But they were loyal, well-trained troops, and so they waited.

Diana's blinked her eyes opened slowly to let them adjust to the streaks of daylight shining in the roof vents, fully expecting to see Chase's green gaze waiting for her when she woke up. Instead she immediately focused on the uptight, pensive looks of the Amazons surrounding her and shot up into a sitting position. She closed her eyes momentarily to allow her equilibrium to catch up to her body's motion, then she turned to sit on the edge of the pallet.

"Report!" The command was whispered, but the fierceness behind it was felt by every single one of them and every Amazon eye turned to Drea. The healer took a seat beside Diana and touched her forehead with the concern of a mother before taking Diana's hands in her own.

"How do you feel?"

"DREA!!"

"All right... what do you remember?" trying to gauge where she needed to start from.

"Orana and Ares...." Diana looked down at her chest. "He tried to kill me, but Chase wouldn't let me die. I talked to Aunt Jasmine, and Chase told me...." Diana looked around before letting her eyes and her voice drop. "Drea? Where is Chase? She promised to be right back. I heard her. And I know the damage he did to me had to take at least a little while to heal, even with...."

Diana blinked rapidly. "Where did the belt come from? Is Orana...?" Diana trailed off and rubbed a hand over her eyes and face. "Drea, please... report." Her voice was a mixture of confusion, frustration and defeat.

Drea blew out a breath. "All right - short version? You and Chase managed to defeat Orana and injure Ares. Then you were brought here for healing and Chase went out to assure the rebels about things." Drea swallowed. "She was supposed to go from the Reichstag to the control room; Mitch was going to broadcast her words to the rebellion. She never made it."

"What?!? What is being done??" Diana grasped Drea's arm so tightly, the healer had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from flinching. Drea eased Diana's grip from her arm and held her hand, rubbing her thumb lightly over Diana's knuckles.

"Shh, Little One. The rebels have been out all night searching. Unfortunately, they haven't found anything - not a trace."

"What are the Amazons doing?"

"Waiting for your orders, Princess." She held up a hand to stop Diana from exploding. "Breathe, Diana. We all needed rest once you were healed; it took a lot of energy to repair the damage Ares did. None of us has been up very long, and we decided to wait for you once we did."

Diana took a deep breath and nodded her head. "All right. Nubia," motioning her mother's advisor. "I want you to take the army and work with Ty... try to find any sort of clue what might have happened to Chase. Someone had to have taken her for a reason - odds are the Nazis have her somewhere and are looking to trade her for Orana. So we need to find out who took her and where they have her before they start making demands. We can't give them the upper hand; it has taken too long for the rebellion to get it back."

"By your will, Princess," Nubia nodded. She and the rest of the council had been very impressed with her leadership. She had made sure Chase was aware of the Amazons strengths, then had handed out assignments, trusting in their training to get the job done without her having to hawk over them every second. That's what had enabled them to defeat Orana.

"Diana, if Nubia is leading the Amazons in their search, what are you going to be doing?"

Slowly Diana stood to her feet. "I'm going to go talk to Orana, and then I'm going to find Chase."

"Diana, wait...." Drea stood up and held Diana's arms. "If you're doing that, why don't you simply lead the Amazons? Why are you going alone?"

"Because I'm not going as Princess Diana." She removed Drea's hand from her arm. "I am going as Wonder Woman."



Diana stood in front of the safe in the Fuehrer's room for a long moment before twirling the dial with long, tapered fingers. Thanks to Chase, Diana already had the belt of strength and the lasso of truth, even if Chase hadn't realized exactly who and what they represented at the time. She was simply aware that Orana never took it off because it made her invincible, having been told so by Orana herself during her time in captivity. Part of Diana was surprised Orana had kept the costume, but a bigger part of her knew that Orana considered this her greatest trophy. Hence her reasoning for keeping it protected in the safe.

Avoiding people to get to Orana in the torture chamber and then to her rooms had been simple enough. Practically everyone was out searching for Chase, and Diana was beyond ready to go do her part... especially since she now knew exactly where Chase was. She only hoped she had guessed right about Wonder Woman's abilities against a god, or this could turn out to be a very short, very ugly rescue.

She swung the door opened and held her breath. Everything she'd once earned, everything she needed to be Wonder Woman was here, and Diana removed each piece reverently, then donned them and covered the outfit with her civilian clothing. She needed to get out of the Reichstag as Diana Prince, just as she had arrived, so she tucked the tiara into her shirt and resettled the belt and lasso at her waist. Then she walked back out the door, headed for the temple to retrieve Chase.



"Well, well, well," Ares taunted. "Not all that tough now, are you, miss thing? You wanna explain to me how a bit of nothing like you has managed to destroy the best thing I had going in a very long time? Do you realize how long it will take me to rebuild anything like the Reich was? It will take months just to get Orana back into a position of power."

His tone was conversational enough, but the hatred that burned out of his eyes belied that tone. Chase didn't deign to answer him, refusing to give him the satisfaction, which only served to make him angrier. He backhanded her for the umpteenth time, watching dispassionately as another trickle of blood ran from yet another cut on her face caused by his hands.

They had been hours at this and Chase had yet to speak a word. In some ways it made Ares angry, but in others, he couldn't help but admire her fortitude.

Chase was shackled to a wall in the temple Orana had consecrated to him years before. It was at the edge of the city and off the beaten path. By the time the search parties got here, assuming they even found it, Ares and Chase would be long gone. He had only come here because he was still weak and suffering from the effects of the dryad blade. Only his need for revenge on Chase had prompted him to leave his sanctuary in his still weakened condition. He would take care of Diana and his sisters when he was stronger.

For now, though, he was content to torture her physically with his bare hands, taking a rest between blows to recuperate. He walked back over to his throne and collapsed into it, holding his belly.

"You know," he suddenly said conversationally, breaking the silence that had fallen over them like a pall. "I just realized something - I don't need Orana anymore. I was going to force them to trade her for you, though of course, you would have been dead by the time they actually got to you. But I really have neither the time nor the inclination to bother with all the effort it would take to make things work with her again." He chuckled at his own twisted sense of humor. "However, I think I can destroy you and the rebellion at the same time by using this little coup of yours to my advantage." Ares rubbed a hand over his beard. "Hades, I *know* I can. Sometimes, I am just sheer genius in action."

Chase maintained a bored, disinterested look on her beaten face, though fear gripped her heart and a sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. She had the unhappy feeling she knew *exactly* what Ares was hinting at, and could only hope she was wrong.

"Just imagine how your friends will feel when they find out that you used them to become the next Fuehrer. Any sort of rebellion will be dead in the water. And the Nazis will think the slaughter tonight was just a purging to get rid of the dead weight in the government and it will be *easy* to bring the rest back in line because of it." Ares laughed. "I think you actually did me a huge favor."

When he got no reaction from her whatsoever - not even an attempted glare - he lifted a hand to heal her enough to make her cognizant, thinking he had done too much damage to her for her to appreciate the irony that was going on. And more than anything, he wanted her to appreciate the fact that he was going to defeat her with her own so-called victory. Lifting his hand from his belly, though, very quickly brought home the fact that he was still in quite a bit of pain himself, and he hissed as the wound stretched and bled sluggishly with his movement. His hand dropped back to cover his belly and he stepped back from Chase a pace.

"However, I'm going to go rest a recover for a little while," he said with a groan. "This damnable thing is not healing and I'm going to need all my strength to put this plan into action. You just...." He twirled his wrist at her a few times. "Hang around and think about things. I'll be back." His mocking laughter lasted longer than the sparkles that marked his disappearance did.

When she was sure he was gone, Chase let her shoulders drop, allowing her wrists to support her weight briefly. Her broken ribs were making it nearly impossible to breathe and she wheezed slowly through her busted lips as she tried to find a position that wasn't agony to be in. Every change in position made her lightheaded though, and clear thinking was becoming more impossible by the moment.

"Aww wight, Chase," she slurred out loud. "This is a helluva mess ya lann'd in an' no'ne's gonna bail yer ass ou'. I's all upta you so kick star' those few brain cells ya got lef' an' figger a way oudda here. Ya got yerself inta this so yer on yer own wid this 'un."

"I wouldn't bet the farm on that if I were you, Annabelle," came a familiar voice out of the darkness. Chase strained to see past her bloodied, swollen eyes, and when the figure stepped into the light, Chase couldn't do anything but blink before letting a silly grin cross her face.

"Hi, Di. Ya look diff'rn't. Wha's with the costume? Who ya s'posed to be? An' how'd ya fin' me, anyway?" She grimaced in pain as she shifted to see better.

"Annabelle, I need you to focus. My name is Wonder Woman, and I've come to get you out of here." She knew the use of Chase's first name and that of her own alter-ego would get Chase's attention quicker than almost anything else. And Diana didn't want Chase to inadvertently alert Ares to her presence - not yet anyway. She wanted Chase free from the shackles and ready to escape this dreary place before possibly having to encounter Ares here.

"Wunner Wom'n? Huh... ya look a lot like my frien' Diana. She's more'n my frien' though," Chase's voice dropped conspiratorially. "She's my soulmate," each word clearly and carefully enunciated.

Diana gently cupped Chase's broken face in her hands. "What does that mean to you, Chase? Is that important?" She knew it was unfair of her to ask Chase in her current condition, but Diana needed to know that Chase felt the truth in her heart and soul, not just understood it in her mind.

Chase's brow furrowed in concentration. With all the damage Ares had inflicted on her, thinking and rational thought was becoming more difficult; having someone who looked so much like Diana asking her questions about her relationship with Diana was even more confusing. But she forced herself to concentrate on giving Wonder Woman an answer.

"Very 'po'tent," she slurred. "Mos' po'tent thin' in m'life."

Diana smiled. "Most important thing in my life too, love," the last whispered under her breath. "Come on... I've got to get you out of here," breaking the shackles that held Chase and catching her in strong arms as Chase fell forward with a groan. Diana cradled Chase against her chest and just held her tightly for a long moment and Chase relaxed into the warmth.

"Wunner Wom'n? Where's D'ana? Is she okay?"

"Diana is just fine, Annabelle. I'll explain everything to you as soon as we get out of here, I promise, all right?" A sound from behind her made Diana tense and mutter an ancient curse under her breath. Then she turned to face the mocking smirk the god of war wore to hide his own pain and discomfort.

"Don't tell me you're leaving so soon, Princess. We haven't even had a chance to get acquainted yet. Surely you weren't going to leave without saying hello."

Diana eased Chase to the floor. Wonder Woman or not, there was a dark part in her soul that was looking forward to this. Ares was going to go down and it was only fitting that she was going to be the one to do it. Sometimes it rocked to be the Amazon warrior princess.



Chapter XLIV

"I'm flattered, Princess. I certainly didn't expect you to get all dressed up for me. Though in all honesty, I didn't expect you to get up at all," he said with a sadistic chuckle. Then he dropped into his throne chair with a grimace. "I must be losing my touch."

Diana didn't deign to answer, choosing instead to simply glare at him. He was the first one to look away.

"So why are you here? Surely you didn't come here expecting to walk off with my new Fuehrer. Chase and I have a new future to begin together. You certainly don't think I'm just gonna to let you come in and destroy that just because you put on a skimpy little costume, do you? Please, you could have at least donned the leather if you wanted to impress me."

"I'm not here to impress you, Ares. You're not worth that kind of effort. Now," stepping closer to him and putting her hands on her hips. "I'm going to pick Chase up, and we are going to walk out of here free and clear. And you're going to leave us and the rest of the rebellion alone."

This time Ares doubled over in laughter, stopping almost immediately and clutching his stomach in pain as agony rolled through his body in unaccustomed waves. "Damnation, that hurts! How is it that I am still suffering here even though I'm a god and you, immortality notwithstanding, seem to be fully recovered?"

"Karmic revenge?" Diana smirked.

"Don't push me, Amazon. I am still the god of war."

"And? I'm not still recovering from a god's blast and I'm not the one bleeding like a stuck pig from a dryad blade."

His reaction was fast, but it was also predictable. Diana's response was completely unexpected and left Ares gasping for breath. He lifted a hand and Diana didn't flinch. Diana didn't move, even when he let loose with a volley of fireballs, except to bring her wrists up in front of her chest. She deflected the barrage right back to Ares and he flinched beneath the repercussion of power that hit him on the return.

Diana watched dispassionately as Ares fell off his throne and hit the ground face down. He moaned a long moment before he went completely silent, and Diana nodded in satisfaction. Then she turned back to Chase who had closed her eyes. Diana's ire grew when she was reminded of the abuse Ares had perpetrated on Chase, but she put it aside temporarily. She was more concerned with getting Chase out of Ares' temple and back to Drea's healing skill. It wasn't like Ares was gong to be able to come after them any time soon.

Diana knelt down and slid her arms around Chase's body. When she stood up, Chase moaned and blinked her swollen, bloodshot eyes open. "Wunner Wom'n? W'ere we goin'?"

Diana smiled down at Chase. "We're going to find Drea to heal you, and then we're going to go home."

Chase struggled as much as her battered body would allow her to do, and Diana cradled her closer to keep them both from toppling over as she walked out of the dark sanctuary and into the sunlight of morning. Chase tried to beat on Diana's chest, but her injuries made it more of a tapping than anything else. But it was enough to get Diana's attention focused on Chase.

"We can' leave yet," Chase said , shaking her head slowly from side to side to emphasize her point. "We can' leave til D'ana is okay."

"Diana is fine, Chase. *I* am fine. Drea and the Amazons healed me."

Chase squinted, though it was hard to tell the difference as swollen as her face was. "D'ana? Yer Wunner Wom'n? Then h'come...? Why...?" She put her head down on Diana's shoulder. "My head hurts."

"I know it does, sweetheart. Let me get you to Drea and we'll talk about all this later, okay? I promise. I'll explain it all when you feel better."

"'Kay... I'm gonna res' now." And she was out before Diana could formulate a reply. Just as well, Diana thought, since I have no idea what I'm going to say to her about this. Then she picked up her pace and moved into a jog, heading back into the city.

The rebel watch saw her before she got into the square and they sent up the alert. By the time Wonder Woman reached the square, every rebel and every Amazon that wasn't involved in clean-up and repair was waiting. Four Amazons met Wonder Woman with a litter and Diana tenderly, reluctantly placed Chase's body on it. Ty was at her side immediately and covered her mouth with one hand while the other clamped on to Wonder Woman's wrist.

"Who are you and what happened to her? Oh God, Chase!" She turned accusing eyes to Diana. "Did you do this to her?"

"NO!" Diana cried out in horror. "I would never... not to anyone - especially...." Diana swallowed the words she wanted to say. "I am called Wonder Woman and my job is to defend freedom and protect the innocent. Ares did this to her; the Amazons called me in to help with the search."

"You're an Amazon?"

"Yes, I am. And any of the Amazons here will vouch for my character. But first, do you think we could let Drea start her magic on Annabelle? I'd really rather she didn't have to suffer any longer than necessary. Ares was brutal."

Ty nodded and stepped aside to allow Drea to approach the pallet. Drea did a cursory examination and motioned for the Amazons to lift the travois. "I'm going to take her to the infirmary." Both Ty and Wonder Woman nodded.

"Do your best for her, Drea. I will be back to check on your progress shortly." Drea gave her a succinct nod that was also like a bow, then the Amazons moved off towards the infirmary at a double time jog.

"Where are you going, Wonder Woman?" Ty asked. There was a nagging familiarity about the woman, but Ty knew if she had ever encountered this particular Amazon before, she would have remembered.

"I am going to go talk to Orana. I have some questions and she has the answers."

Ty nodded. "I see. Think I'll come along. I have a couple questions myself."

Diana sighed. She had been afraid of something like this. Orana would expose her and she didn't want that. If she was going to stay in man's world with Chase, she couldn't afford to lose the secret identity of her alter ego. It had been simple when she had snuck into the dungeon in the early part of the morning. It had just been her and Orana, and her only objective then had been to find Chase's location. Having Ty along now would only complicate matters immensely.

However, there wasn't a good way to put her off, at least not out here in the open, so Wonder Woman nodded her head, and Ty gave a signal to the rebels to return to their work. Then together she and Ty began to make their way into the Reichstag and down to what had once been Orana's torture chamber and was now her prison.

They walked downstairs together and once they were out of sight of the first set of guards and before they got to the next set, Diana slid the lasso off her belt and wrapped it around Ty's torso. "Ty, when we get to the door, I want you to wait outside for me. You can say that you accompanied me downstairs for Chase, all right? But I need to see Orana alone."

"All right."

"And as far as you're concerned, all your questions got answers... at least for the time being." Ty nodded and Diana removed the lasso from Ty's body, coiling it and reattaching it to her waist before Ty came back to her surroundings with a start.

"Sorry, Wonder Woman... what was I saying?"

"You were just bringing me up-to-date on the progress that has been made here." They stopped in front of the dungeon door before Diana could continue. Ty nodded at the guards.

"Let her pass. She needs to speak to the prisoner." Both guards snapped to attention. "I'll wait here for you, Wonder Woman."

"Thank you, Ty," Diana responded, before she opened the door and crossed once more into the room that had haunted her nightmares for more than a hundred years.

Orana lifted her head and sneered when she saw who her visitor was. "Diiiiannnnnna," she drawled in a screeching tone that scraped raw every nerve Diana had left. "So good of you to come visit me in my loneliness. Still pretending to be a hero, huh?" jutting her chin out in Diana's direction. "Too bad you had to *take* it from me instead of earning it for yourself. Although," Orana chuckled hatefully, "I guess I took it from you first, didn't I? I never cared about being a hero, though. I just wanted to get away from you and your oppressive mother, and being able to steal Wonder Woman right out from under you just made my victory that much sweeter."

Diana bit her lips until they bled. She wanted to beat the shit out of the woman who hung before her manacled like the animal she was, but it was neither the time nor the place for her to exact that kind of revenge. Instead, she decided to get some answers she needed - some for her own personal closure and some just because.

She took the lasso of truth from her belt and for the first time Diana saw fear in Orana's eyes and she wondered. Orana had been brutal in her adherence to the truth, even when she had disregarded every other principle she had been taught to revere and respect. So why was the woman who had given up her Amazon heritage to become a ruler in man's world suddenly so afraid of the truth?

Orana pushed back into the wall as though by doing so she could keep Diana from using the lasso. "No, no, no... you can't do this to me again. I have rights you know, Diana. You can't just come waltzing in here and take the answers you want from me. You can't use the lasso against me." Diana ignored Oranas' ramblings and looped the lasso over Orana's head. Then her ramblings turned to screams of outrage. Fortunately, Orana had built her torture chamber well and the walls were soundproof. And Diana and Chase had put the cameras out of commission when they had destroyed the lab, taking perverse pleasure in the destruction.

Diana held the lasso firm, letting Orana scream and squirm until she wore herself out. It didn't take very long actually - the poison was still saturating her system and causing untold pain and damage to her body and internal systems... including her mind. Finally, Orana's head dropped to her chest in defeat.

"What do you want to know, Diana? Isn't it enough that you won? There - I said it... you won. You beat me. Are you happy now or do you have to rub it in? You never seemed the vindictive type," Orana taunted, "though I suppose a century of anger and hatred could change a person."

That statement was a little too close to the truth and Diana clamped her lips together briefly to keep from lashing out. Then she spoke in a calm voice.

"Why, Orana?"

"Why what, love? Come on, Diana. You've got to be more specific than that if you really expect me to give you an answer."

It hadn't been the question Diana had intended to ask first, but since she had.... "Why did you really want to be Wonder Woman? Why did you give up your birthright... your heritage... to become the Fuehrer in man's world? Why do you hate me so much? I thought you were my friend."

Orana leaned her head back as if in contemplation, because these were the questions she didn't really want to answer. But the lasso compelled her to tell the truth and the desire to speak burned in her soul until the words just poured from her.

"I wanted to be Wonder Woman because you wanted it so badly. I *knew* it was you under that mask, just like I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away from those games. Competition is too much a part of your make up, and your entire future was at stake. I wanted to mess that up."

Diana expected as much, but it didn't make it any easier to hear. She waited for Orana to continue. Orana waited for a reaction from Diana, but it never came. Finally she gave a disgusted sigh and resumed speaking.

"As for the birthright... the heritage... what birthright? Being an immortal? I'm an immortal here in man's world, and here, I don't live by someone else's ridiculous, archaic rules. I make the rules here; *I* am the boss. As for being an Amazon - what exactly did that get me? I was never quite the best once you came along. It was always 'Diana this' and 'Diana that'; I was always in second place - me... the one who taught you everything you knew! I made you who you were and what did I get from you in return? Nothing... that's what!!!"

"Here, I was *never* second best! I kicked ass and took names and then I took over the world. I got everything." Orana took a deep breath and gave Diana a sick smile. "I'll tell you a secret," dropping her voice to a whisper, forcing Diana to take a step closer. "I knew who Annabelle Chaser was when she was captured. I knew she was the soulmate you had been waiting for."

Diana's hand clenched on the lasso and the muscles clenched in her jaw. But Orana had leaned in even closer... as far as her shackles would allow, and Diana knew Orana wasn't finished speaking.

"She was important to me as the leader of the rebellion, but she was of immeasurable value to me once I knew who she was supposed to be to you."

"You KNEW?" The whisper was ground out between her clenched teeth.

"Oh yes, my dear... DEAR Diana. I knew. I had done my homework. I figured there had to be a reason you were so drawn to Steve Trevor that you were willing to risk Hippolyta's wrath, so I started looking. Imagine my surprise when I found out there was actually something to that whole soulmates theory you had always played into. So I had people looking for her." Orana grit her teeth together. "I was going to destroy her."

"Oh," she continued without missing a beat, "I knew that killing her would have made her a martyr to the rebellion, but it would have been worth it just to know I had succeeded in keeping the two of you apart. I was going to make her suffer, and then she was going to die. But she got away from me before I could finish."

Diana reacted from her heart before her mind had a chance to engage itself. She transferred the lasso to her left hand and pulled back hard and fast with her right. Then she cut across Orana's face, catching her in the jaw and feeling the bones shatter beneath her fist. The second hit went to Orana's belly and the third brought a crunching sound from the ribs Diana broke. Then she took a deep breath, and two steps back, never losing her hold on the lasso. There was a sense of dark satisfaction on Diana's face as she looked at the damage she had done and could see the pain in Orana's broken face.

"Why? Why do you hate me so much, Orana? I never did anything to you, except look up to you and respect you."

"Exactly!" Orana hissed.

Diana frowned. "What do you mean?" her brow furrowing. "How could respect make you hate me?" Her question was met with silence and Diana tightened the lasso painfully until it bit into Orana's skin. "I want an answer."

Orana rolled her eyes and took a shallow breath to respond, having already learned the hard way that deep breaths were out of the question. "Gods, Diana... are you really that stupid or just that naïve?? I wasn't about to let you have something I couldn't... especially since you never wanted what was right there in front of you."

A look of disgust crossed Diana's face, but Orana didn't see it. She had closed her eyes and was lost in her own little fantasy world.

"It would have been so perfect, Diana - you as the princess and heir apparent with me as your consort. I would have done anything for you... anything to be with you." Her brown eyes popped back open and they were filled with the venom of hatred. "But I wasn't good enough, was I? No - you didn't want me... you didn't want *anyone* that way. You had expectations of finding your soulmate. Why should you get to have a soulmate? None of the rest of us did!! What made you so goddamn special?!?"

Orana forgot her pain in the heat of her anger and took a deep breath, spittle and blood flying from her mouth as she continued to rant. "So I decided I was going to take away everything from you - your good name, the respect people had for you, your chance to be Wonder Woman, even your goddamn supposed soulmate if I could manage it - whatever it took to make you realized you were no more special than the rest of us. To make you see me!!! To make you love me!!!"

Diana's face hardened. "When I leave this room, you will no longer remember that the Amazon princess, the woman who goes by the name of Diana Prince, is actually Wonder Woman." Then she pulled the lasso from Orana's torso and carefully coiled it up, keeping her back turned to Orana until the task was completed. When she turned, her face was set into hardened lines and her eyes were chips of ice so cold, Orana couldn't control the shiver she had in reaction.

Diana walked right into Orana's space, so close that the ex-Fuehrer could feel the heat emanating from Wonder Woman's body, but not quite touching, then she leaned in until their faces were only a hairsbreadth apart.

"Not even if we were the only two people alive on the whole planet," Diana said succinctly.

Diana stepped back from Orana with a grim expression on her face and walked to the door. She reached out for the handle, then hesitated before opening it. "Where's the plane?"

Orana blinked. That certainly hadn't been the segue she'd been expecting and it took her by surprise - enough that she blurted out the answer. "At the temple... in the back area behind it." Then a sneer formed on her face. "Not like it matters - that plane will only answer to me."

Diana looked over her shoulder with a smirk. "Apparently not, or you would have summoned it already." She opened the door when Orana's voice stopped her one more time.

"What's to be done with me?"

"You will stand trial, and if I have my way, you will walk the gauntlet as a mortal being. I figure there are enough Amazons and rebels eager to have a shot at you that you will be dead long before you get close to the end."

"Do you get to take another shot, or do the three you already gave me count for something?"

"I will not hit you again. My contribution to your punishment will not be physical." Then she crossed the threshold and closed the door firmly behind her, leaving Orana alone with her thoughts and the implications of Diana's words.



Continued...