Chapter Twelve: July 17, 1945

Bolle had been forced to seek refuge in a local mission house in southern Washington, after escaping from Hauser and Becker the night before. It had been a troubling day for him. His back was now against the wall, and he didn't know any way out. Wanted by the Americans for attempted murder, hunted now by the only ones who could have been his allies.

As dawn came to Washington, he quietly slipped out of the mission and began to walk about the city streets, lost in thought.

He noticed a copy of the Washington Times-Herald, lying on a newsstand and saw the bold headline across the front. WAR HERO AND HEROINE TO WED.

Underneath the headline, a picture of Colonel Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman, smiling to reporters at Andrews Field.

He absently bought a copy and began to read the article, as he resumed walking down the largely empty streets of Washington.

As he read, he was drawn back to the photograph of the two of them smiling their happy smiles. And only then, did the sense of anger and outrage finally return to him. The picture of smug arrogance and sense that they had finally won.

You haven't won, he thought with lonely defiance. I can't let you win. I refuse to die without any honor.

As he continued to read the paper and walk down the street, he barely noticed a raincoated figure walking toward him.

But as the man drew closer, he could see movement underneath the raincoat. That set off a warning bell inside him. He'd seen and trained scores of men inside the SS to act just like the man he saw now. Just before they came alongside their target and shot them in the heart.

Still keeping his eyes on the newspaper, Bolle waited until he was just three feet away, and then he abruptly delivered a karate blow to the man's neck.

The man collapsed to the ground moaning in agony. As he hit the sidewalk, a gun clattered out from underneath his raincoat.

And then, Bolle began to run as fast as he could until he disappeared around the corner, leaving his would-be-assassin with no clue as to where he had gone.

A half-hour later, the phone rang in the Virginia safe house. Hauser picked it up on the first ring.

"Yes?" his voice was anxious.

"There is bad news," the voice on the other end said simply, "The attempt to remove the cancer was unsuccessful."

"What?" he blurted in disbelief, "How can that be?"

"I'm afraid he was able to figure it out before I could act on it. There is no way of knowing where he has gone to now."

"You idiot," Hauser snapped, "You're the same man who eliminated General Krivitsky in 1941 under more difficult circumstances. I was assured that you were the best for this sort of operation."

The man ignored Hauser's reference to the assassination of a top Soviet defector to the U.S. four years earlier, "I will have the other members of our apparatus fan out and try to locate him. One way or another, Sergeant, we will bring him down."

"You'd better," Hauser snarled, "The security of every Soviet spy operation in this country is depending on it. If the Americans should recapture him again, then you can be assured that I'll have some harsh words with Moscow about your gross stupidity."

"Do not talk so tough," the man mildly retorted, "You and your organization will need to explain just as much to Moscow about why this unstable man was recruited in the first place."

His remark seemed to intimidate Hauser into silence.

"I will contact you if there are any new developments," the man rubbed his sore neck, "Goodbye."

And with that, he hung up and resumed walking down the largely empty Washington streets.

"Good morning Etta," Yeoman Diana Prince said brightly as she entered the office in the Pentagon.

Etta looked up from the newspaper she was reading in stunned amazement, "Diana," her normally wide-eyed expression was at its widest, "Did you see this?"

She then held up the newspaper with its bold headline and photo.

"Hmmm," Diana smiled wryly as she came up to her and stared at the headline through her glasses, "I don't think I did."

"That's all you've got to say?" Etta's eyes bulged to the size of baseballs, "Diana, do you realize what this means? They're actually getting married."

"Yes, that's what it looks like," Diana continued to smile, but her tone was still restrained.

Etta threw down the paper on the desk, "Oh come on, Diana. This time you're really going too far. For three years I've never seen you get excited over anything. But this time, you've got to have something to say about your boss marrying Wonder Woman. You've got to have some kind of reaction that's stronger than this."

Diana began to laugh and she patted her friend on the shoulder.

"What's so funny?"

"Etta," she shook her head slightly, "I can't do this to you anymore. You've been a dear friend for the last three years, and it's time I tell you the truth."

"Huh?" Etta frowned, more confused than ever.

Diana stepped back, removed her glasses, and went into one of her magical spins.

A split second later, the fully costumed figure of Wonder Woman stood before Etta.

Etta's jaw fell open. She stood frozen like a statue.

"Well?" Diana grinned coyly.

Her eyes rolled up and Etta promptly fainted to the floor.

Wonder Woman quickly helped her into a chair, just as Steve entered the office, his head still bandaged.

"What happened?"

"I told her, and she fainted," Diana said.

"Etta? Etta?" Steve sounded concerned as he patted her on the cheek.

She opened her eyes and looked up, "Oh my God Colonel, I thought I---

"You're not dreaming, Etta," Wonder Woman said gently, "It's true."

She looked over at her, "I think I'm going to faint again."

"Have some water and relax," Steve handed her a glass.

"I'm sorry I startled you Etta," she came up to her, "I didn't know how else I could break it to you."

Etta finished the glass in one hasty gulp, "Oh God, I don't believe it. I just don't believe it. All the time..."

"I know," Diana smiled, "In a ways, it's been kind of cruel of me. But I'd like to make it up to you by asking you to be the maid of honor at our wedding next week."

Slowly, Etta began to collect her emotions, "God, I don't know what to say Wonder Woman, I..."

"I'm still Diana," she tried to sound reassuring, "And I'd like you to say yes."

She set the glass down, "Diana I, well I guess the answer is yes."

"Thank you," she hugged her, "You've always been a dear friend. I'm glad you can be a part of this."

"Oh God, someone wake me up and tell me I'm dreaming," Etta handed the glass back to Steve who went over and refilled it, "All the time, the one person in the office I've been closest too is Wonder Woman."

"Etta, Etta," Diana patted her on the shoulder, "Relax."

"How do you expect me to relax?" she took the glass from Steve and once again finished it in a hasty gulp, "This is the biggest shock of my life. Oh God, I think I'll be ill."

"Just take it easy, Etta," Steve said gently, "Everything's all right and you're among friends."

"I'm sorry I shocked you," Diana began rubbing her shoulder, "It was a cruel trick. Forgive me."

She slowly shook her head and seemed to regain some of her composure, "I'll think about that," she smiled weakly.

Wonder Woman smiled and turned back to Steve, "Obviously, I should break the news to General Blankenship in a different manner."

"Obviously," Steve chuckled, "Speaking of which, you and I should go see him now and try to get an update on Dietrich Bolle and the Russian spy ring."

"Better that I stay in costume. That way I'll spare him the fright I just gave poor Etta."

"I agree."

"Is there anything else I can get you, Etta?" she looked back at her friend with concern.

"No, no," the plump WAC waved her hand and calmly exhaled, "I'll be fine. Really."

"Good. And for now Etta, keep this thing a secret."

"What are you talking about?" she looked at her with a crooked smile, "I didn't see anything."

They both smiled back at her and departed, leaving her all alone in the office.

Etta let out another sigh as she tried to regain her composure, "Diana, you sneaky rat."

Moments later, Steve and Wonder Woman were both in Blankenship's office.

"Steve, Wonder Woman," he was beaming with pride as he rose from his desk, "May I offer you both my congratulations and my hope that you'll both find years of happiness together."

"Thank you General," Steve shook hands with him and sat down.

"We appreciate that sir," Wonder Woman added as she sat next to him, "Although for now, there are more important things we need to discuss with you."

"Yes," the general's tone grew somber, "Dietrich Bolle and the presence of a Russian spy ring in this country."

"Which I am most anxious to see nabbed," Steve said, "Not just because of the attacks on Wonder Woman and me, but it shouldn't be forgotten that they've got the blood of the Fort Myer intelligence officer on their hands as well."

"I'm afraid so far, we haven't been able to turn up anything," the director of military intelligence said sadly, "We don't even know how a loyal SS man like Dietrich Bolle could have ever wound up working for the Russians."

"Steve," she looked over at him, "Isn't it possible that the men who recruited Bolle would logically have been former Nazi operatives as well? I don't think it would have made much sense for the Russians themselves to go to the trouble of doing it."

"Is that possible?" Blankenship looked back at him.

Steve nodded, "It is. There are still three other members of the Iron Brigade who were never apprehended. It could be that they cast their lots with the Russians initially, and then tried to bring Bolle in as a sort of tribute to their former commander. Believe me, they were all quite devoted to Gunther Bolle."

"That wouldn't surprise me," Wonder Woman shook her head in disgust, "I've learned the hard way that the Russians and the Nazis have a lot more in common than I ever realized."

"Well whatever the case might be, this whole affair raises a lot of troubling questions with regard to the Russians," Steve looked back at Blankenship, "Has any of this been brought up over at Potsdam?"

The director of military intelligence uneasily shook his head, "If you're asking if the subject's been raised with Stalin, the answer is no. And in all likelihood, the subject is never going to come up. Not for the immediate future at least."

"Why not?" Wonder Woman could scarcely believe it, "If we're going to be taking a firm posture with them, we have to let them know what we think about having them spy on our projects."

Blankenship sighed, "I agree with you Wonder Woman, but for now, General Marshall and everyone else among the higher-ups don't want there to be any disruptions in the Alliance just yet. There are a lot of things still connected to this war that haven't been straightened out, such as whether Germany gets partitioned permanently, and we still need Russian cooperation to take care of them. For now, we have to put the whole matter of the Russian spy operations on the backburner. Any confrontational posture toward Stalin will have to come later."

Steve was clearly displeased by this information, "It's a rotten game."

"I know, but now that we've entered a new age, the politicians are going to be taking a lot of the decisions out of our hands. We just have to do as we're told in the meantime. If you develop any information on Bolle's spy ring itself, you have my blessing to do whatever you can to nab them. But it can't go any further than that. This isn’t World War III we’re fighting."

"Very well," Steve said, "We'll do that. I won't stop until that ring is taken care of."

"Try to relax for now, Steve," Blankenship smiled and changed the subject, "You and Wonder Woman have a lot more important things ahead of you."

"Thank you sir," she smiled, "And speaking of which, there's something Steve and I think we should both let you know."

"Oh?" he lifted an eyebrow.

"It's about who I really am," she said as she rose, "There's no point in keeping it secret from you."

She went into a graceful pirouette and seconds later, she stood before the general, properly uniformed as Diana Prince.

Blankenship's jaw fell open and he slowly shook his head.

"Well, sir?" Diana smiled and saluted sharply, while Steve suppressed the desire to break out in laughter.

"Son-of-a-gun," the general whispered, "I never would have guessed."

"Brilliant, isn't she?" Steve beamed with pride.

Blankenship managed to smile, "Incredible. I'll be sure to regard that information as Top Secret."

"We'd appreciate that for now, sir," Diana said.

"Good day sir," Steve saluted and rose to leave.

When they were both alone in the hallway, they finally felt safe enough to laugh long and loud.

That night, Steve and Diana enjoyed a quiet dinner together at her K Street apartment.

"Is it all set up then?"

"Yes," he said, "Next Monday at the Cathedral. I know it's kind of large, but the guest list can be kept to a minimum."

"Good, there aren't that many that I would invite, beyond eleven or twelve from the War Department."

"I sure wish Drusilla could be here."

"I wish she could too," Diana nodded, "But that would mean going back to Paradise Island now, to let her know. And I'd rather not confront my mother about this until after the wedding, when we can do it together."

"What's the best way to tell her all this?"

"The obvious," she said, "That it's time for some of the women of Paradise Island to finally have a chance to move on to new things in the world."

Steve finished the last of his dinner and leaned back in his chair, resting his cast against the side, "Do you think Drusilla might get the idea that she should be allowed to come here for good, too?"

Diana leaned back in her chair with a pensive expression.

"That's a good question," she said, "I wouldn't know how to answer that. Dru's only been here about five or six times, and she's really enjoyed it. It'd be all too easy for her to think that there's a full-time place in America available for both Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl."

"One more tough question to deal with," Steve acknowledged.

"We'll deal with it," she said firmly, "As far as I'm concerned, there isn't anything that can't be dealt with, with regard to my family."

"I wouldn't get too overly optimistic, Diana," he cautioned, "If your mother refused to accept what you've done, then what's the worst thing that could happen?"

Diana's lips thinned into a straight line and she didn't say anything for a moment.

"Diana, we really need to go over this. If something bad happens as a result of this, we need to be prepared to deal with it."

The official heiress to the Amazon throne let out an uneasy sigh.

"The worst," she mused, "I guess the worst would be a permanent exile from Paradise Island, which I could learn to deal with. And if she decided to go any further, she might strip me of my powers that allow me to be Wonder Woman in this country."

Steve came up in his chair, "Diana, you can't let her do that. Your powers as Wonder Woman are absolutely essential if you're to do any good."

"I know," she nodded.

For the rest of the dinner, there was an air of unease, all the way up to when they said goodnight to each other and parted for the night.

As Diana stayed up into the early hours of the morning, she wondered again and again how to keep another terrible Pandora's box from being opened. A box that could tear apart not only her immediate family, but her entire people as well.

But one thing was clear to her. Whatever, the outcome, her place would remain with the man she loved.

As the day ended on Paradise Island, Hippolyte had retreated to the coolness of her palace to escape the summer heat. It had been a long, tiring day for her, and she decided to relax and listen to the short-wave radio Diana had given to her. She had never ceased to be fascinated by that remarkable toy that could tell her all about what was happening in the world. With it, she could hear for herself all the troubles and evils that men inflicted on their domain, and always she would turn it off and thank Aphrodite for the safety and security of Paradise Island.

Her chief attendant Magda, brought the radio in and Hippolyte anxiously turned it on.

A crackle of static erupted. Magda quickly fiddled with the knob until she found a clear signal.

"....A premature dawn came to the small desert villages of southeastern New Mexico yesterday, when a major explosion took place at the nearby Alamogordo air base."

"Leave it there," Hippolyte commanded. Magda nodded and then departed.

"Army Major General Leslie Groves, who was at the base, told the Associated Press that quote, an ammunition magazine, containing high-explosives and pyrotechnics had exploded in a remote sector of the air base, unquote. The explosion produced a brilliant flash that was visible as far away as Gallup, New Mexico, which is 235 miles to the northwest. General Groves said that there were no injuries as a result of the explosion."

Hippolyte quietly settled onto her couch and began to sip from a wine chalice.

"The big story of the day however, occurred last night at Andrews air base in Maryland, when a celebrated war hero and heroine met with reporters to announce their engagement. After three years of speculation by their many admirers, the fabulous Wonder Woman and Colonel Steve Trevor confirmed to the world that their relationship was more than just professional."

Hippolyte froze and suddenly dropped her chalice. It struck the floor and shattered into a myriad of tiny pieces.

"The happy couple said that a wedding date had not yet been set, but that it would occur some time soon."

The Amazon queen began to seethe inside. With each passing second, her rage kept growing, deeper and deeper.

"Turning now to the sports pages, the Chicago Cubs bolstered their pennant hopes by acquiring pitcher Hank Borowy from the Yankees..."

"No," Hippolyte mouthed quietly as she moved toward the radio, "No!"

As she screamed out the word, her hands came down on the radio set, smashing it into permanent silence.

Hearing her shout, Magda hastily entered the room, "Is something wrong, my Queen?"

Hippolyte was trembling visibly over the smashed ruins of the radio set, "I want to see my daughter now. Immediately."

"The Princess Drusilla is spending the evening on the hunting expedition, over on the south side of the island," she frowned slightly.

She looked up at her, "I didn't mean Drusilla, I meant---" she then stopped herself.

Magda's frown deepened.

The Queen straightened herself and assumed her familiar regal bearing, "Send someone out and have Drusilla brought back here. I need to talk to her immediately."

"Yes, my Queen," Magda bowed and departed.

Alone, Hippolyte settled back onto the couch, breathing heavily to vent her rage.

"I won't let you do this, Diana," she whispered and pounded her fist against the couch, "You've crossed the line too far now."

"I hope there's a good reason for sending Magda out to drag me back here, Mother," Drusilla didn't try to hide her annoyance as she entered Hippolyte's chamber

"There is," she struggled to stay calm, "A very good reason."

Her younger daughter let out an almost exasperated sigh, "Mother, if it's about the fight I had with Phaedra last week, I don't want to hear about it."

"That isn't the reason," Hippolyte's tone grew sharp, "This is about Diana. Your sister has crossed a line of disobedience that isn't going to be tolerated by me."

Drusilla tensed slightly, "What are you talking about?"

"She has decided to marry that Steve Trevor person," the Queen barely forced the words, "It is something I cannot allow."

Drusilla's eyes widened in surprise. And then, she had to summon every ounce of her strength to avoid smiling in delight.

"Do you understand what this means?" Hippolyte went on, "Your sister, the heiress to the throne, has decided to abandon us forever. She has chosen to turn her back on our ways. That cannot possibly allowed if we are to survive as a people."

Her daughter bit her lip to keep herself under control, "You want me to go and tell her about your ultimatum?"

"It isn't an ultimatum," she scolded, "You tell her it's a direct command from her Mother, and her Queen. And I expect her to obey it."

Drusilla sucked in her breath, "What do I tell her if she refuses?"

Hippolyte came up to her, her eyes glowering, her regal bearing at its fullest.

"You tell her that I have ways of making her comply," her voice was cold, "I have tolerated her presence in America only because I knew she would one day return to Paradise Island, and resume her rightful place among us. I will not have her contaminate our people by leaving this place. If Diana is permitted to leave and enter marriage to a mortal man, then soon, others will demand the same rights as well. Eventually, our way of life, our values of peace and sisterhood would die off. I refuse to let that happen. Not while I am the Queen of the Amazons."

Drusilla stared back at her with a look that suggested a refusal to be intimidated.

It did not go unnoticed, "Do you understand what I'm saying, Drusilla?"

"I understand," she nodded, but refused to alter her expression, "And I'll certainly tell her everything you've said."

"Good," Hippolyte turned away with a flourish, "Depart immediately, my daughter. There is little time to waste."

Trying to conceal her contempt, Drusilla exhaled and left her mother's chambers.

An hour later, dressed in her Wonder Girl costume, Drusilla was flying her own invisible plane toward Washington. Spending the entire flight time thinking about how she was going to tell Diana about their mother's threat.

There was little doubt in her mind that Hippolyte had gone too far. If Diana wanted to marry Steve Trevor, then that was something Hippolyte could not, and should not, try to prevent.

Drusilla had made six visits to America in the last three years, and had become a public figure in her own right as Wonder Girl. In those six visits, she had come to see why Diana found the outside world so attractive. And she had also come to know Steve Trevor well enough, to understand why her sister had fallen in love with him.

Mother, she said to herself, it's gone on long enough. You have to eventually let us live in the real world again. What good are the ideas and values you've taught us, if we can't share them with the rest of the world?

You have to let us love again, too. For all the wisdom, knowledge and strength you've given us, we're not perfect. There are things we need to learn from the outside world. Things Diana has learned. Things I want to learn.

Incredible, she thought. It's so easy to think all this, but how in the name of Aphrodite do I ever say any of that to Mother's face?

Diana, I hope you've got an answer for that.