July 14, 1945

With zero-hour moved up by 24 hours, the activity on the base camp took on a more frenetic pace. For Steve and Wonder Woman, it meant sitting in on numerous briefings by Groves and Oppenheimer, as the final steps leading up to the test were discussed. As a result, they had no time at all to spend a moment together and talk any further about their personal difficulties.

As dusk settled over the New Mexican desert, the last of the briefings finally broke up. Almost immediately, Major Reynolds came up to where they were both seated.

"Just want to remind you both that everything's set for eight-o-clock in the rec hall."

"That will be fine, Major," she put on her best smile, "I know I'm supposed to give a nice morale-boosting speech, and show off some of my trade-tricks, but is there anything else I'm expected to do?"

"No no, all that will be fine. I just hope the GI's aren't so mentally warped that they won't be listening to what you say."

Wonder Woman let out a hearty laugh, "Believe me Major Reynolds, after making over two dozen personal appearances at different camps throughout the country during the last three years, I am used to the sound of GI's whistling at me. And I have always known that they only mean well."

"They're just demonstrating what good taste they have." Steve jumped in.

She turned to him and smiled faintly in appreciation. A gesture that Steve found both reassuring and exhilarating.

"Be at the back entrance of the rec hall by 7:45," Reynolds said, "Everything will be in place by then."

"I'll look forward to it. In the meantime, I'm going to lie down and rest for the next hour." she rose and squeezed Steve's hand, "See you later Steve."

"See you later Wonder Woman." Steve managed a grin, "I'll be looking forward to it too."

As Reynolds turned to leave, he shot a curious glance at Steve. His sense of decorum soon overcame him though, and he left the room too.

Alone, Steve leaned back and let out a sigh of serene contentment.

He was sure that tonight was going to be a night he wouldn't forget for as long as he lived.

The uniformed GI's began filing into the rec hall at 7:30, all of them buzzing with eager anticipation that one of the greatest heros of the war effort was going to make an appearance for them.

Feeling secure, Bolle aimlessly mingled about with the other soldiers looking for a seat near the back. Prudence dictated that he not get caught in any crowds while leaving the place.

He absently bumped into one soldier. He quickly mumbled an apology and then noticed the name stitched on the soldier's khakis. A name he'd heard before in connection with the espionage ring. Greenglass.

So this was the shop machinist who'd passed information on one of the components to Harry Gold, several months earlier. A naive, idealistic Jew who'd been attracted to the Communist cause in his youth, and who had successfully recruited his own brother-in-law into the apparatus as well.

But according to Hauser, the information given by Greenglass was of minimal value. It reassured the former SS colonel immensely, that the Russians treated the Jews within their apparatus as the fools they were. At least then, he didn't have to worry anymore about such inferior races being given preferential treatment in a worldwide communist order. It was good to see that the Reich and the Bolshevik Empire shared that much in common.

He found an aisle seat in the back row and sat down to watch.

At eight PM, General Leslie Groves walked across the stage to face the soldiers behind the Manhattan Project.

"Ten-hut!" a sergeant bellowed, and all of them got to their feet, standing at perfect attention.

"At ease men," Groves said with a modicum of authority, "You can all sit down."

With that, they all resumed their seats in perfect formation.

"Now as you all know men, the long months and years of hard work and effort, will pretty soon be coming to a close. And I just want to say to each and every one of you, that your country is eternally grateful for all the work you've contributed to this project.

"But that'll be enough from me," he smiled, "I know very well that none of you came to hear me talk. You came to see and hear a very special guest, who's come all the way from Washington just to see you fine men. You've all read about how she's singlehandedly broken up more Nazi and Jap spy rings then the rest of the Armed Forces combined. It's my pleasure to introduce the only secret weapon more powerful than this project, Wonder Woman!"

Thunderous applause broke out from the soldiers, and when Wonder Woman emerged from the wings, the noisy crescendo grew with a large number of good-natured whistles.

She stood on the center of the stage, smiling and waving to them. Finally, after basking in the glory for several minutes, she held out her arms to signal for quiet, and the ovation died down.

"Thank you very much," she said appreciatively into the microphone, "I appreciate your kind reception, and the kind hospitality I've received at Trinity Base Camp, New Mexico's answer to El Toro, California."

Her little joke at the expense of a dingy army base in California that many of the men had served at, provoked some wild laughter and applause.

"But really, although a lot of things have been said and written about me, and the things I've been able to accomplish for the war effort, I could never take any credit ahead of what all you wonderful men in uniform have accomplished. Each and every one of you, no matter what you did or where you served, were able to make his contribution to defeating the menace of Nazism forever!"

Some more applause.

"And now, the outstanding work you've done here, will soon be paying off by bringing the Japanese Empire to its knees!"

On she went for another five minutes, with more flag-waving jingoism for their benefit. A lot of the sentiments she expressed went against her own pacifistic streak she'd been brought up with on Paradise Island, but for now, she had little difficulty in setting it aside. She had always believed deeply in the cause America had fought for, and in a time of war when the principles of freedom and democracy were at risk, there was no point in stressing pacifist sounding rhetoric. Such expressions could only be counterproductive during a time such as this.

Everything she said was greeted with thunderous applause and gratitude from everyone in the room.

Everyone except Dietrich Bolle, who found himself fighting a tide of nausea in his throat as he listened to her, and forced himself to clap, so as not to look conspicuous.

"Now I promise you all, I'll get to the things you really came to see in just a minute, but let me just close with this. May each and every one of us, who sacrificed his or her life to serve America in this war effort, be remembered forever as heroes of the highest order. May we never forget their courage for as long as we live. Thank you."

After some more applause, she stepped back and Major Reynolds entered from the wings.

"Thank you very much, Wonder Woman. We deeply appreciate everything you've had to say. And now men, Wonder Woman will thrill us with some of her amazing feats that left many a Nazi and Jap spy befuddled, all the way to their comfy cells in Fort Leavenworth!"

"Thank you Major," she resumed the mike, "If I can have some volunteers from the audience..."

Almost immediately, every hand in the audience went up.

"No, no, no. We don't have all night."

"I do, I do!" a lone voice shouted from the front.

Wonder Woman came to the edge of the stage and smiled at the soldier in the front, "If you've got all night soldier, then you can be the one who can handle guard duty instead."

More laughter, and the soldier sheepishly sunk back in his chair.

For the next half-hour, Wonder Woman used four soldiers to demonstrate her amazing powers. Two of them fired their M-16 rifles at her, and she demonstrated her bullet-deflecting capabilities. The next two were subjected to a test of her golden lasso.

"Remember, this lasso compels people to tell the truth no matter what," she said, "The only time it ever failed me was when I tried to make Jack Benny tell me his age."

Her remark produced the biggest laugh of the evening, and from the wings, Steve doubled over. Strangely enough, Wonder Woman had made a guest appearance on the Benny radio show two years earlier and that had been the scenario written into the plot. In the script, Wonder Woman had asked Jack Benny to tell his real age, and when he continued to say 39, the golden lasso finally broke.

That experience had been memorable in more ways than one for Wonder Woman and Steve. A fifth columnist had attempted to blow-up the radio studio where the Benny program was broadcasting from, and Wonder Woman had been lucky to prevent it.

Just another one of many adventures they had shared together. All of them harrowing, but Steve never would have wanted his life to have unfolded in any other way.

Once the demonstrations with the GI's had ended, it was Steve's turn to enter from the wings.

"Thank you for your fascinating demonstrations, Wonder Woman," Reynolds said, "And now at this time, I'd like to introduce our other special guest from Washington, one of our greatest war heroes, Colonel Steve Trevor!"

Steve emerged to somewhat less applause than Wonder Woman had received, which he didn't mind in the least.

"Thank you Major Reynolds. Well men, I'm not here to try and follow what you've just seen. I'm here to let all of us know how we really feel about Wonder Woman."

He glanced over at her with a smile, "Wonder Woman, on behalf of the War Department, I ought to let you know that entertaining the fine men of Trinity Base Camp isn't the only reason why you're here tonight. You're also here so the War Department can finally give you the full honors you so richly deserve."

Wonder Woman looked at him in pleasant surprise.

"First, I'd like to read this letter that I think sums it all best. The letter reads, 'There can be no question, that none of us can ever fully express our gratitude to Wonder Woman for the fine work she has done in the war effort. It is my privilege therefore, to declare by Executive Order, that Wonder Woman be awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for valor.' Signed, Harry S. Truman."

As the GI's applauded, she shook her head in disbelieving amazement. Steve then came over to her, took the medal from his pocket, and placed it around her neck.

"Congratulations Wonder Woman," he grinned, "Your country is proud of you."

"I don't know what to say," she whispered, "Did you have this planned all along?"

"Of course." his grin widened, "And there'll be something else too."

She frowned slightly as she watched him go back to the microphone.

"Incidentally, the President's not the only one anxious to let Wonder Woman know what the government thinks of her. I'm also carrying special letters of commendation from Secretary Stimson, and General Marshall, and the Congressional leaders of both parties. And finally," he gripped the microphone tighter, "there's one more person who'd like to let everyone know what he thinks of Wonder Woman. This is from someone who's worked alongside her for the last three years, and who has not only come to admire her abilities, but who has also fallen madly in love with her."

Her smile faded, and Wonder Woman felt her body tensing. No Steve, she thought, you're not going to...

But he was.

"Now I think all of you, who've read about Wonder Woman's exploits, know that she and I have worked very closely together these last three years. And I have to be honest, I've owed my very life to her more times than I can ever remember. She's been more than a colleague to me, she's sort of been my guardian angel. And during that time, I had little idea that this guardian angel of mine was safely hidden in the guise of my own personal secretary, as a navy WAVE," his voice built up with enthusiasm, "But now that the long and terrible war is over, it's possible for the both of us to make some new plans."

He looked her dead in the eye, "Wonder Woman, I know it will break the hearts of all these fine men here, but it would deeply honor me if you would marry me."

As the wild applause erupted from the audience, Diana stared at him in cold silence.

Clever Steve, she thought, very clever. You can't wait for the answer you want, so you decide to force the issue in the open with a public declaration. A public declaration that would make it impossible for me to refuse.

Anger filled Diana. She was angry that Steve would try to force this on her in a public setting. Angry that he had openly revealed her secret identity. Angry that he almost seemed to be demanding that she accept, when he knew perfectly well that she had yet to resolve the issue.

All right, she conceded to herself, perhaps the intentions came from love. But what Steve was doing represented everything bad about men that she'd been taught all her life. Demanding, selfish, possessive. Even if Steve didn't mean it that way, that was the result.

As the applause continued to rise, and as Steve continued to smile at her, she gathered every ounce of her strength and slowly made her way over to him.

When she was two inches from him, she bit her lip and then slapped him violently in the face.

The crowd let out a startled gasp. Stunned, Steve rubbed his chin, and watched in dismay as Wonder Woman stalked off the stage in an angry huff.

Steve awkwardly looked at the audience, "Um, a little lovers quarrel, men. We'll have it straightened out later."

And then, he hurriedly ran after her.

An embarrassed Reynolds quickly ran up to the mike, "Um, that's all men. You're all dismissed. The program's over."

Thoroughly confused, the GI's rose from their seats and began to leave.

"I don't get it," the private who'd been sitting next to Bolle said, "Was that all an act or something?"

"Who knows?" he said, trying to keep the conversation very brief, "It's all very odd, that's for sure."

Whatever it meant, he thought, it didn't really matter. The two of them might be on bad terms at the moment, but one thing was certain. They were both going to die together.

"Diana, wait!" Steve called out as he caught up to her outside the rec hall.

"Go ahead Steve, go ahead." she wheeled on him angrily, "Tell my name for all the world to hear. Tell every last thing you know about me."

"Diana," he grabbed her hand, "I did that, because I wanted the whole world to know how I feel about you. I did that because I want you to know how much I can't bear the thought of losing you. I put myself on the line out there to let you know how I feel."

"And I told you I needed time to think about this," she seethed, "I told you last night not to push me. What kind of consideration are you giving me, when you can't even respect my wishes on a simple thing like that?"

"But--"

"Steve, I'm sorry. I know in your heart, you probably meant well. But all you've done is show me once and for all why we can never be together. I'm sorry. I'll always cherish the things we've shared together, but I am leaving the first thing in the morning and you will never see me again. It's over and done with for good."

She then ran off in the direction of her quarters.

"Diana!" he shouted, and started to run after her.

"Hold it Colonel!" an angry voice bellowed from behind.

Steve turned around and saw the glowering figure of General Groves.

"General," he mumbled.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do," the Manhattan Project commander came up to him, "What in the name of Christ Almighty was that dumb-ass stunt you pulled? This was supposed to be a simple function to honor Wonder Woman, and you turn it into a personal thing that makes the whole affair a fiasco!"

Trevor nervously cleared his throat, "I, I apologize sir, I..."

"Colonel," Groves dropped his voice down an octave, "If I had my druthers, I would write a report on you that would have you busted as low as you could possibly go. You would be the biggest laughing-stock in the face of the entire U.S. Armed Forces. But because you happen to be a great war hero, whose work I respect immensely, I am going to do something I shouldn't do. I'm not going to say a word about this to anyone. And I am also going to see to it that none of these men who've witnessed this spectacle, cause any trouble for you either, because they’ve all taken secrecy oaths when it comes to this project and that means they risk getting their asses thrown in the stockade if they ever blab about anything I don’t want them to talk about, which is going to include this incident of tonight."

"Thank you, sir," Trevor mumbled.

"But that’s the limit as far as any courtesies toward you go, Colonel." Groves voice grew more angry. "Get this straight. I am not going to let you and Wonder Woman anywhere near that test tomorrow. I don't give a shit what favors I owe General Blankenship, I will not have your presence turn zero-hour into a farce."

Steve stood stiffly at attention, and said nothing.

"I will tell General Blankenship you got sick, and could only watch the test from one of the bunkers outside your quarters. You can watch it there by yourself, but you are going to remain totally out-of-sight tomorrow to everyone else on this base, Colonel."

"Yes sir," Steve sounded defeated, "You don't have to worry about either one of us. Wonder Woman will be leaving tomorrow. As for me, well I still have to insist on going over a summary briefing with you once the test is over."

"Fair enough," Groves nodded, "That'll be all then."

"Yes sir," Steve was finding it difficult to keep his composure.

The general turned to walk away, and then stopped.

"Steve," he tried to sound more like a friend, "For what it's worth, I'm really sorry. This conversation wouldn't have been necessary if things had gone right."

"I'm sorry they didn't," his voice cracked, "But I guess life is never always fair."

When he finally turned and walked away, Steve Trevor found tears in his eyes for the first time in years.

Diana slammed the door shut to her quarters and locked it.

There were no tears this time. She couldn't permit it, ever. As far as she was concerned, Steve Trevor had to be a closed chapter in her life from this day forward.

Tomorrow, she would quietly arrange transportation back to Albuquerque. Then, she would return to Washington as Diana Prince. From there, she would take her invisible plane back to Paradise Island, where she would stay forever. Never to return to the country she had come to love, but which she now had to leave with bitterness and regret. There was no more work for her in America with Germany defeated. Nothing more to do for a war that would be ended thanks to the terrible bomb that was about to be tested. Nothing more to fight for in a world after that, when the superpowers would undoubtedly build arsenals of these terrible weapons and threaten the very existence of the world itself. All she wanted now was to escape from all that.

Regret and hurt over Steve would inevitably come. She knew she couldn’t deny that. But there was nothing more that could be done about that. To even see him again would only open more feelings of anger within her, and if she had any hope of cherishing past memories of him, then she knew she had to leave him sooner rather than later.

She lay down on her bed, and tried to block all thoughts of Steve out from her mind. Instead, she filled her mind with thoughts of Paradise Island. Of her mother. Of Drusilla. Of all her friends, and the life she now yearned to return to. Where she would spend the rest of her 5000 years of life in peace and tranquility. Where she would loyally worship and serve Aphrodite as the Queen of the Amazons.

She was smiling in contentment when sleep finally overtook her.

Steve didn't even think of knocking on the door to Diana's quarters. He had finally forced himself to admit that she was lost to him for all time.

He entered his quarters and dropped onto the bed, tears streaming down his cheeks.

She's lucky, he thought. She has 5000 years to forget all about me. But I know I'll never forget her in the 50 years I've got.

He absently picked up his Bible on the end table. For a moment, he wondered why he still bothered reading it, and why he still bothered to put any trust in a God who had not answered his prayer.

But as he opened it, he came to the familiar passages from the Old and New Testaments that always reassured him during a moment of crisis. As much as his anger and hurt made him want to turn his back on his faith, his sounder instincts always told him not to lose faith. This was certainly a tragedy in his life, but he'd go on. There would be new opportunities for him. He'd had a good life, and God would continue to make it good for him, no matter what.

When he finally turned off the light, there was still a pit in his heart, but one that he knew he could climb out of someday, somehow.

Major Reynolds had spent the last hour wondering if Groves was going to call him into his office for the express purpose of busting him in rank. It was with considerable relief when he realized that Groves had summoned him to talk of other things altogether.

"I want you to keep an eye on Dr. Oppenheimer during the test," the Manhattan Project commander said. "I’ve got...a feeling he might cause trouble tomorrow."

"How so?" Reynolds frowned.

"I’m not sure," Groves shook his head, "But....you know how Dr. Oppenheimer hasn’t exactly been a fountain of enthusiasm about this project. It’s best that...someone keep an eye on him and watch what he does while the test goes on. That’s all."

"Yes sir, I’ll do that," The major nodded and prepared to go. But then, he stopped and turned around and uneasily looked back at Groves, "Uh, sir....is there anything else?"

"No." Groves was looking down at some paperwork on his desk. "There’s nothing else, Major. Nothing else at all."

Reynolds realize though that he couldn’t be silent about the matter. He was the one who had been in charge of it, and sooner or later, the subject had to come up.

"Sir, I just want to say that I’m sorry about what happened—"

Groves suddenly looked up and gave the major a cold stare.

"Major," the general said quietly. "You are not even to mention the names of Wonder Woman or Colonel Trevor to me for the rest of your stay in Trinity. The incident is over and done with. The only thing I want you to make sure of is that both of them are out of my sight tomorrow."

"Yes sir," Reynolds obediently nodded. "Yes sir."

The major then left the room, leaving Groves to ponder what he regarded as something far more important than the spectacle of the evening.

It was hortly after midnight, when Steve came to as a result of the sound of knocking on the door.

He bolted up. Diana, he thought with half-asleep excitement. Diana's come over to talk.

He hastily stepped into his uniform pants, and threw his jacket over his bare chest in the space of ten seconds, as the knocking continued.

"Coming, coming," his voice rose with excitement. And then he opened the door, "Diana, I--"

His mouth fell open when he saw not Diana, but a corporal in green khakis.

"Corporal, what---"

The corporal smiled, "Guten abend, Colonel Trevor."

Steve had only three seconds to realize it, "Bolle," he whispered.

In the two remaining seconds, he saw Bolle raise a metal club and bring it squarely down on his skull. And then, his universe went completely black.

Diana had been sleeping rather soundly, when she heard the knock on the door.

Hera help me, she thought. Why does he have to do this?

"Steve, there's nothing to discuss. Don't make it difficult for yourself."

The knocking continued.

Warily, she rose from her bed and decided to confront him one last time.

"Steve--" she opened the door and let out a startled gasp when she saw the figure of Dietrich Bolle standing in the doorway, pointing a pistol at her.

"Ah, how nice to catch you without your bracelets, Wonder Woman," he smiled menacingly.

"Dietrich Bolle," she whispered in shock.

"Yes," he nodded, "No doubt, you expected to see me again at some point, but I correctly counted on the fact that you'd expect a knock on the door to be from Colonel Trevor. Just as he expected the knock on his door to be from you."

"What have you done to him?" her voice rose.

"He's unconscious for now, but that will change. In a matter of hours, both you and he will be quite dead."

"What are you going to do?"

Bolle let out a sinister chuckle, "I'll not bore you with all the details, but to put it succinctly Wonder Woman, you and Colonel Trevor will become the first victims of an atomic explosion."

She tried not to show any emotion, "In other words, you plan to kill two birds with one stone? Us, and the Manhattan Project?"

"Hardly," he shook his head, "You and the Colonel are all I'm interested in destroying. As for the Manhattan Project, there are some interesting things I've learned that my current employers will find fascinating, but my only concern is fulfilling my last duty to the Third Reich by disposing of the both of you."

"What do you mean, your 'current employers'? Haven't they authorized this little act of revenge?"

"Certainly not," he said coolly, "My Russian benefactors are only interested in information. If they knew about my plan to kill the both of you, it would get me into serious trouble."

She was stunned by the revelation that he was working for the Russians.

"The Russians?" she whispered, "The Russians have a spy ring in this country?"

"They have quite a few," he said smugly, "Now that their war of alliance against Germany is done with, the Russians are most anxious to get a head start on World War III. That's why I was recruited into their network."

"But why?"

"Because Comrade Stalin's vision of world order is remarkably similar to that of the Fuhrer," Bolle smirked, "Bolshevism may not be as pure as national socialism, but the longer I’ve worked on behalf of it, I find it reasonable enough for me."

Wonder Woman looked staggered. Everything she'd been told by Steve about the Russians had been true. If the Russians had no qualms about recruiting a Nazi monster like this, then that could only mean that they were a country that could never be trusted. For the first time, the meaning behind the Purge Trials, the forced starvation of the Ukraine, the Hitler-Stalin Pact, and the Katyn Forest Massacre finally became clear to her. Both Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Russia were two countries molded from the same clay of absolute evil.

And if Steve had been right about the Russians...

"Enough of this however," Bolle said, "It's your turn to die, Wonder Woman."

He pulled the trigger and a cloud of gas emerged from the barrel. And Diana felt herself slowly falling to the floor.

With smug satisfaction, Bolle carried Wonder Woman's limp body over to the jeep parked behind the VIP quarters. He threw her in the back next to Trevor's motionless form, and then covered them both with a tarpaulin.

He smiled as he got behind the wheel and started the jeep.

This time, he thought, there would be no screw-ups. This time, there would be no doubts. The two of them were finally going to die. He, Dietrich Bolle, would finally accomplish what no other Nazi had been able to do. Not the turncoat Fausta Gredel, not Baroness Von Gunther, not Wotan, not the Falcon. He alone, had been the one to destroy Wonder Woman.

He drove out of the base camp down the unguarded access road that led to Site Y, some twenty miles away.

Ten miles down the road, he pulled off onto the rugged desert. After going another nine miles along the empty terrain, he came to a stop.

One final phase to take care of.

Nine hundred feet from where he'd parked, lay a ditch that was forty feet deep and nearly impossible to climb out of. Perhaps easy for Wonder Woman, but definitely not for an unconscious Colonel Trevor.

He first took several cushioned mattresses that he’d stolen from their rooms and dropped them to the bottom very carefully. He wanted the bottom to be soft for a reason. When that was done, he took Steve's limp form and dropped him into the ditch. His body landed on the mattresses and broke his fall, preventing him from being injured any further in the drop. Which suited Bolle perfectly because he wanted Trevor to be conscious and awake when the end came, and more injuries from a fall like this might have denied him of the opportunity.

Then, he repeated the process with Wonder Woman. Like Trevor, her body landed on the mattresses he’d thrown down before, preventing any further injury from him.

Once he'd let go of her, he looked out into the night with satisfaction. Just one mile ahead, was the unmistakable outline of the shot tower. The last of the guards had departed earlier in the evening, and with the shelters unmanned for the moment, there was no danger of him being spotted.

He allowed himself a long evil laugh, and went back to his jeep. He knew he had very little time to get away while it was still dark.

Within a matter of moments, the unconscious figures of Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman, were totally alone and cut off in the heart of a place that in just a few short hours, was to know the hell-fire of an atomic explosion.