July 13, 1945

In a seedy motel located ten miles from Albuquerque, Dietrich Bolle awoke with a sense of invigoration he'd not felt since the glory years of the war. To realize that he'd succeeded in avenging his brother's death, and to realize that he'd done what no other Nazi had been able to do in destroying the bitch Wonder Woman, made him feel enormously satisfied. Now, he could let himself relax for the next ten days until his final meeting with Fuchs in Santa Fe. And then, he could go back to Washington and plunge into his work for the Russians with both confidence and a clear conscience.

He went over to the battered radio and turned it on, hoping that his triumph might have been made public.

"...and the Big Three summit continues at Potsdam, where President Truman, Prime Minister Churchill and Marshal Stalin determine the future of occupied Germany..."

What a tragedy, Bolle thought sadly as he began to dress, that the Fatherland should suffer such a fate. But then again, Hauser had been right. The decision to invade Russia had destroyed any chance of victory.

"...Locally, Albuquerque police have begun a search for an unidentified man in a car, who last night, pulled up alongside an Army staff car in downtown Albuquerque, and tossed a grenade into the back seat. According to the Army, four people were in the car, but all were able to escape unharmed, prior to the explosion."

What? Bolle's head darted back toward the radio.

"The only lead the police have is that the man was of medium height, with black hair. His car is a dark colored Kaiser..."

Bolle shut off the radio and sat on the bed in stunned disbelief. That obviously referred to him. But how could they survive? How could they have gotten out so quickly?

But then again, he realized, he should have known better to think it could have been so easy. That bitch was clearly too fast.

"Damn it all," he whispered, "Something has to work."

If they were both alive, then that meant they would proceed to the base camp for the test. And there was no way he wasn't going to take advantage of that.

Bolle went over to his briefcase and pulled out the notes he'd taken during his meeting with Fuchs. He then pulled out his local map and spread it out on the bed.

So help him, he was going to get his revenge on those two no matter what.

Diana awoke to the sound of her phone ringing with the seven AM wake-up call she'd asked for. After acknowledging it, she groggily straightened up and let out a long sad sigh.

She had cried herself to sleep and then dreamt at length about Steve. About them living together on Paradise Island. She saw herself laughing as she sprinted down the white sandy beach, her feet occasionally brushing the surf, looking behind and seeing Steve chasing her with a mischievous grin.

And then, Diana slowing her pace so he could catch up to her. Finally, the two of them running naked through the surf and then making love to each other on the beach, spread out under a starlit sky.

It was everything she wanted, and she now realized the sad truth that it could only be a dream.

She would have to give up Steve.

If only I had more courage, she thought as she held her arms against her head. If I only I had some kind of reassurance that I can live in this world with confidence and security, and then I could stay with Steve and be happy.

But for Diana, there was no faith in the future. Not as long as something as terrible as the bomb existed. And if Diana had no faith in the future of the world of men, she could never be happy, not even with Steve.

And last night had forced her to realize that Steve could never be happy on Paradise Island. After a while, he'd probably get bored and become miserable. Even more so, if Steve had to confront the potential guilt of leaving the military and feeling the burden of letting his country down.

No, she sighed, Steve wasn't meant to live on Paradise Island. His place was here. Just as her place was on Paradise Island.

But how can I let go of him? Diana's tortured mind cried out as she got out of bed. I love him.

Slowly, she washed herself up and then changed into her costume. And then, she stared at her image in the mirror for a long moment, trying to answer the question.

Finally, reluctantly, she admitted the obvious. That if she truly loved him, she would let him go and not force him to live in a place he could never adjust to, or force herself to live in a world she no longer wanted any part of.

Last night had shown Diana what would happen if they stayed together in either setting. There would be quarrels, angry words spoken in the heat of the moment, bitterness, shame. The love they both felt would disappear, and be replaced with suspicion, mistrust and hate.

And that was something she could never allow. She only wanted to love Steve Trevor for eternity. But it now looked as if the only way she could ever preserve that love would be to let go of him. Forever.

That was what she would have to tell him tonight. There'd be tears and pleas of forgiveness from him, perhaps even a desperate promise to come with her to Paradise Island. But Diana resolved to not let herself be strayed. She knew now what the truth was, and what was best for both of them. And that meant letting him go.

Diana heard a knock on the door. Resigned, she answered it and saw Major Reynolds, with a bandage on his chin from a hasty shave.

"Good morning, Wonder Woman," he bowed slightly.

"Good morning," she somehow managed to smile.

"We'll be having breakfast and then head up to base camp."

"That'll be fine," she said as she stepped out into the hall.

And then, she saw Steve standing off by himself, ten feet away. He looked at her, his expression stiff-lipped. She looked back at him, her face neutral, but her eyes betraying the agony she felt.

As they began walking down to the hotel restaurant, there was only an uneasy silence.

An hour later, they were headed south down Route 85 on the 100 mile journey that would take them to the Trinity site. Throughout breakfast, and throughout the drive, Steve and Wonder Woman did not speak directly to each other, directing all their remarks to Reynolds.

It had not gone unnoticed by the major, and as he sat between them in the backseat, he frequently glanced at either one of them and began to feel decidedly uncomfortable.

"I ah, hope I made the itinerary clear to both of you," he said, trying to break the silence.

"Perfectly," Steve said as he stared out the window at the New Mexican desert, "The bomb arrives from Los Alamos today, it gets hoisted up into the shot tower at the test site tomorrow, a dry run on Saturday, and on Sunday morning, the big day."

"Assuming the weather doesn't foul up our best-laid plans," Reynolds said.

"Tell me again about the weather preparations you've had to go through, Major," Wonder Woman said as she too stared out the window, trying to look away from Steve.

Reynolds let out a dry chuckle, "We called in two expert weather forecasters, including the one who handled the forecast for the Normandy invasion, to go over the records and determine which day in the last forty years will most closely resemble the expected conditions on Sunday. They decided on July 28, 1900 and then they went over every last map they could find for that date. We figured it was the only way to anticipate any unexpected changes in the weather that might occur."

"Impressive," she nodded her head.

Two hours went by, filled with large stretches of silence that were only occasionally punctured by Wonder Woman or Steve asking Reynolds a question, but never speaking or looking at each other.

Outside the town of Socorro, the staff car turned off onto a restricted access road.

"We're nearing the site," Reynolds pointed as they drove past a small complex dotted with searchlights, "This is the North shelter, 10,000 yards away. This will serve as one of the observatory posts."

"Will we be watching it from here?" Steve asked.

"No, the VIP's will be watching from the South shelter. That's closer to base camp."

Moments later, a tall 100-foot steel tower with a iron shed at the top came into view.

"There it is," Reynolds smiled faintly, "This is where it will take place. Come Sunday, if it goes off, this place won't even exist any more."

His flippant tone caused Wonder Woman to flinch slightly, but she quickly let it pass.

The staff car then pulled up alongside an old adobe ranch house, ringed by a cattle cistern, several hundred feet from the shot tower. Several jeeps were parked with their backs to the house, and numerous MP's stood guard with their carbines at the ready.

"This house used to belong to some ranchers. We bought up all the land from them six months ago for a generous price," Reynolds said as the car came to a stop.

The three of them got out and made their way to the entrance. And they noticed something unusual about the parked jeeps.

"The engines are still idling," Steve noted.

Reynolds uneasily bit his lip, "Hmmm, that means they're putting together the nuclear core. SOP calls for the jeeps to be idling in case a quick getaway is needed."

"Why?" Steve frowned.

"In case of an accidental chain reaction."

Wonder Woman stopped in her tracks and uneasily looked at him.

The major then laughed disarmingly, "Relax Wonder Woman, they know what they're doing."

"I hope so," she said warily.

Just then, a frail man emerged from the house, dressed in baggy trousers and a porkpie hat. His expression and demeanor suggested a fidgety nervousness that only made Wonder Woman's blood chill all the more.

"Something wrong, Doctor?" Reynolds frowned.

He shook his head and smiled weakly, "They asked me to leave the room until after they'd finished. Apparently, they didn't think I was behaving myself," he exhaled, "It's just that when you think of all the explosive power that's in there, it's not easy to have icewater in your veins," he looked back at the house, oblivious to the three of them.

"Um, Doctor this is Colonel Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman."

He turned around and blushed in embarrassment, "Oh forgive me. Yes, I heard you two were coming," he extended his hand, "Colonel it's an honor to meet you. And you too, Wonder Woman. I've always enjoyed reading about your exploits."

"Thank you," she smiled and shook hands with him, "I don't think I caught your name."

"Dr. Robert Oppenheimer," he smiled, "Chief scientist of the project."

Her eyes widened, "You're in charge of all this?"

"Of the scientific side," Oppenheimer said, "General Groves is the final authority. He told us scientists he wanted an atom bomb, and I was in charge of the team to give it to him," he looked back at the house, "And today, three years of work comes together in the first unit."

"I see."

"Well right now, I'm going to watch for the convoy that's bringing the bomb from Los Alamos. You're free to go in and watch them finish putting the core together, but don't make a sound," he began walking toward the shot tower, "I look forward to talking to you both later."

"We'll look forward to it, Doctor," Steve said politely and he headed for the front door, Reynolds following.

Steve looked back and saw Wonder Woman still standing in place, uneasily glancing at Oppenheimer's receding form behind her.

He was on the verge of calling "Diana" to her, but caught himself at the last instant, "Uh, Wonder Woman are you coming in?" It was the first time he'd spoken directly to her, all morning.

She seemed jolted, "Oh. Yes, yes I'm coming."

As she drew closer, her unease only heightened. If the chief scientist himself could seem so ill-at-ease, then how could she ever feel comfortable about the bomb?

More than ever, Diana knew that she had to return to the safety of Paradise Island as soon as it was possible.

As she entered the doorway, she glanced for an instant at Steve, and then it lingered as he looked back at her. For a long moment there was an agonized silence as they looked into each other's eyes.

Tell me it's still all right, Diana, Steve's mind cried out. Tell me it can still work.

Forgive me, Steve, Diana's expression cried back, but it's over.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Steve uneasily bit his lip and moved off into the house, staying several steps ahead of her.

Eight men in white surgical coats were busy at work, hunched over a table, where field kit boxes were laid out, and strange small pieces lay on brown wrapping paper.

"Putting the plutonium core together," Reynolds whispered, "That's the explosive power of the bomb. When they're done, it gets fitted in to the bomb component which arrives shortly from Los Alamos."

"I sure hope they've got steady hands," Steve whispered back.

"They ought to," he said wryly, "Those small pieces of plutonium cost exactly 500 million dollars to produce."

"Incredible," Wonder Woman murmured.

Just then, one of the scientists looked up toward the back, "Hey guys, our problems are over. Wonder Woman's here."

The other scientists turned around and several of them broke into relieved grins.

"Glad you're here, Wonder Woman," the first scientist said, "We could use the disaster insurance in case our three years of training lead to a last second foul-up."

Inside, she was turned off by the gallows humor but outwardly, she flashed a perfect smile, "Anything in the line of duty, gentlemen. In the meantime, try to ignore me."

"You're the first person here that I'd be honored to take orders from. "

"Boy that says a lot about you, if you can ignore Wonder Woman in an instant," another scientist quipped.

Wonder Woman tensed slightly, "I can leave if that'll make things easier."

"No, no," the second scientist held up a hand, "You're providing some much needed relief to the proceedings, Wonder Woman. We want you to stay."

"Sure beats having Groves watching us," the first scientist said, which brought a tension releasing laughter from everyone.

But for Diana, the inner tension only continued to mount. And with it, her determination to go home, even without Steve.

Finally, after several minutes she felt too overwhelmed. She turned and quietly made her way out of the ranch house. Steve only shot a glancing look at her and he uneasily bit his lip before turning back to watch the scientists.

Once Diana was outside, she let out a deep exhale, and tried to get herself to relax. It took several minutes before the inner tension even began to slightly dissipate.

Slowly, she made her way over to the shot tower, where Dr. Oppenheimer stood at the base.

"Hello, Doctor." she said, trying to sound cheery.

Oppenheimer seemed startled, "Oh, Wonder Woman. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were here. Have they finished?"

"No," she shook her head, "No, I just didn't feel like watching it."

"I don't blame you," he smiled weakly, "Next to when this thing finally goes off, that's the most nerve wracking moment of the whole project."

"Tell me, Doctor," she said cautiously, "What's your opinion of this project? I mean," she broke off and tried to pick her words carefully, "I mean, do you really see this whole thing as necessary?"

The chief scientist continued to smile thinly, "You have doubts of your own?"

She returned his uneasy smile with one of her own, "To be honest, yes. I've had some basic training in the principles of atomic energy, and I'm well aware of the power that one bomb can unleash. And what worries me the most, is the post-war consequences of developing these weapons."

Oppenheimer laughed without much mirth, "Rest easy, Wonder Woman," he said, "You are not alone."

She uneasily bit her lip.

"Unless atomic weapons are placed under some form of international control," he went on, "then the likelihood of full-scale atomic warfare might someday become a reality."

"Is there any realistic hope of that?"

The chief scientist continued to smile mirthlessly, "Let me put it this way. General Groves, who is a very brilliant man and an excellent commanding officer of this project, has been acting under the assumption that the Russians are our future enemy, and that the longer our technology is kept out of their hands, the better. If most of our leaders feel the same way as he does, then I don't think I can be too optimistic about the prospects for international control."

"I see," in a sense, Wonder Woman had expected to hear that. But still, the sick feeling of helplessness and fear of the future intensified within her, "Do you ever regret being a part of this project?"

This time, Oppenheimer laughed in a more disarming manner, "Certainly not. Obviously, I have my concerns about the future, but at the same time, this project can conceivably open up more important peaceful uses of atomic energy. I only hope that the peaceful uses will take precedence in the next generation."

"I hope so too, Doctor." she then looked to the north horizon, where the chief scientist's gaze was fixed, "What are you watching for?"

"The convoy from Los Alamos with the bomb. When it arrives, the nuclear core is fitted into it, and then Fat Man is raised into the shot tower for the big test on Sunday."

"Fat Man?"

"Our code name for the plutonium test bomb, because it looks so fat and reminded someone of Churchill," Oppenheimer sighed, "We've developed enough material for a second plutonium bomb of a similar type. There's also a different design that's been dubbed Little Boy."

"So you have two bombs that are ready to be dropped on Japan?"

"Yes," he nodded, "Assuming this one goes off, of course."

"Which targets will it be?" Wonder Woman asked with slight trepidation.

The chief scientist sighed, "We haven't determined that yet. From what I've been able to understand, it has to be a target that hasn't been laid to waste already by one of General LeMay's firebombings. If the test goes well, then General Groves will set up a Target Committee to make the decision next week."

"Will you be on this committee?"

"Oh yes," he said, "That won't be easy, but it's to be expected."

Wonder Woman decided to change the subject, "How did you get involved with this project?"

He looked at her and continued to wryly smile, "I was the first person General Groves hired when he took over the project three years ago. The general felt I was the only scientist who could assemble a team and pull this off."

"And you willingly accepted?"

Oppenheimer shrugged, "I didn't exactly relish the idea of the Nazis beating us to it."

She suddenly blushed in embarrassment, "I am a fool. I forgot all about that danger."

"It's easy to forget," he said, "It's only been two months since V-E Day, but it already seems like an eternity ago. Things have been moving real fast," he looked off into the distance, "A little too fast."

Wonder Woman looked in the same direction and saw a cloud of dust on the horizon.

"Ah, that must be them," the chief scientist noted, "I hate to break off our little chat, Wonder Woman, but I hope to talk to you some more about all this later."

"Of course," she nodded as Oppenheimer moved off and made his way to a cluster of men twenty yards away.

Slowly, Wonder Woman made her way back to the ranch house. As she reached the doorway, she was abruptly startled when Steve emerged from the shadows inside.

For a moment, they stared at each other. His arms were folded and his expression stoic. Her face was taut, her bearing stiff.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Can we talk alone for a minute?"

"Sure," she said in a neutral tone.

Steve stepped out of the house and together, they began walking away from both the house and the shot tower.

"Look Diana," he started, then stopped in his tracks. "About last night..."

"Steve," she cut in, "I'm not bitter. I'm not angry. I still love you very much and I always will. But I haven't changed my mind about what I have to do."

"I understand," he said quietly, "And I've been doing a lot of thinking myself, and I realize what an ass I was. I told you I was willing to do anything for you, and when you asked something of me, I just threw it back in your face. I was wrong, Diana. Horribly wrong."

"But you were right," Diana said matter-of-factly, "You don't belong on Paradise Island. You belong here, doing what you were meant to do, and that's serving the country you love. If I made you walk out on that, you'd have a guilt complex for the rest of your life."

"I could learn to live with that. I never wanted to stay in the military forever," his voice began to crack slightly as he put his hands on her cheeks, "All I know is that I'd be lost without you. I don't care where I have to go as long as I can be with you. I love you so much."

She let out a sad sigh and looked down at the ground, "This has nothing to do with love, Steve. It has to do with practicality. Sure, right now you're willing to give it all up and come with me to Paradise Island. But will you still feel happy five years from now? Ten years from now? A hundred years from now?"

Diana looked back up into his tortured expression, "I know enough about you Steve Trevor, to know that you'd get bored and unhappy. You'd feel guilty about letting your country down because you believe in the bomb and what it represents, and that you'd be shirking your duty if you didn't stay. I don't share your sentiments, but I know I'd feel guilty if I felt I had to destroy your patriotism and your beliefs just to have you all to myself. I want to love you for what you are, and if I'm to do that, then I have to let you go."

"I don't want to be let go," he whispered, "I want you."

"Think about the long term, Steve," Diana struggled to remain patient, "If we stay together then there'll be more nights like last night. Sooner or later, our love would turn to anger, resentment, and hate. Do you want to see that happen?"

"Of course not," he stifled an angry rasp in his voice, "But damn it Diana, two people who know they love each other can learn how to correct their faults and live together. That's how people develop relationships. Love is never perfect for anyone."

"Steve," she put her hand on his cheek and spoke with tenderness, "If I thought there was a way, I'd gladly do it. I love you, and my heart is breaking as much as I know yours is.."

"Do you really know?" he backed away from her and this time he was unable to conceal the anger, "Do you really know at all? After 2500 years without love in your society, do you think you can ever know how I could feel after something like this?"

He began walking away from her, stopped and turned back with a bitter expression on his face, "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should just forget about you."

As he stalked off in the direction of the shot tower, Diana felt the tears streaming down her face.

"Hera and Aphrodite help me," she whispered, trying to draw strength from a faith in deities she had come to question, but which offered her only means of drawing strength, "Please show me with all your wisdom what it right. Help me."

40 miles to the northwest in Socorro, Bolle pulled off of Route 85 and into a roadside diner. Exhausted by the tedious drive from Albuquerque, he staggered into the eatery and sat down at the counter.

"What'll it be, Mac?" the greasy faced proprietor with an apron to match, came up to him.

"Kaffee," Bolle mumbled.

"Huh?" the proprietor frowned.

He suddenly straightened himself, "Ah, I'm sorry. Coffee."

The proprietor kept staring at him with suspicion, then shrugged and went over to the nearby coffee urn, where he poured into a cup.

"Here," he set it down, "Anything else? Lunch?"

"No thank you," Bolle sipped it and idly looked around the empty diner, "Slow day?"

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter," the proprietor shrugged, "I've had all the business I need for one day."

"Really."

"Yeah, about three hours ago a bunch of jeeps pulled up here and the next thing I know there's a dozen guys asking for eggs and hotcakes."

"Soldiers?"

"Nah, they weren't soldiers. The only ones I saw kept standing around the jeeps outside with their guns cocked. You’dve thought they were guarding Truman or MacArthur or something important in the backseat."

"Interesting," Bolle kept sipping his coffee. "Very interesting."

Five minutes later, he finished and left a dime on the table. As he got back into his car, he made a quick mental inventory.

Fuchs had been right. The convoy had come down right on schedule. That meant he had very little time to put his plan of ultimate revenge into effect.

But so help him, he wasn't going to let anything deter him, even if it meant screwing the Russians as well as the Americans. His last duty for the Reich had to come first.

He started up and headed back down Route 85.