Wonder Woman Beyond #2

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Wonder Woman Beyond #2
A New Wonder
Part 2
Accepting The Truth

Written by Dean Grey
Edited by Daniel Dyer

"In the distance I heard him screaming,” the beautiful woman said badly shaken. “The panic in his voice let me know something was wrong, terribly wrong.”

“Iris, one of the lesser gods, rushed into the main temple and told the rest of us about Hermes being brutally attacked,” the beautiful woman continued, her body tensing up. “I saw her face had gone completely white, blood all over her layered garments. ‘He’s coming to kill us!’ Iris screamed. ‘Ares, the god of war has come to kill us all!’”

It’s been nearly two hours since this mysterious blonde-haired woman came knocking at the doorstep of the young woman named Natalie Nemos-Nikolaos telling her the most unbelievable story. She called herself Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Judging by how gorgeous she was Natalie practically believed her right away. But it was something else that’s convincing her. Aphrodite mentioned something earlier, something Natalie had found over three months ago. She called it “the magic lasso”.

Natalie brought out the glowing, golden lariat soon after Aphrodite originally asked about it. She had absolutely no idea what it was or how it worked and thought Aphrodite could answer her questions. The magic lasso lays off to the side on the long, soft couch the two women are sitting on, Natalie often getting distracted by its strange glow.

Whoever she claims to be, she’s clearly upset by what’s happened to her, Natalie thought to herself adjusting her shoulder length, dark brown hair. Beyond the stunning exterior I can see a woman who is deeply hurt, whose heart aches.....just like mine. I’d like to find out how I tie into all this so I’ll let the so called “love goddess” continue.

“Artemis fell to her knees, holding her stomach,” Aphrodite recounted. “I watched her purse her lips, trying not to moan. Apollo, the god of light was the latest casualty and being her twin brother, Artemis could feel it.

“Everything happened so fast,” Aphrodite said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Before we knew what to make of all of it we heard them. Their violent war cries echoed through the vast temple halls. With the clanging of their armor and their broadaxes and their shields we knew Ares had brought them with him. He brought the Amazons and they began their assault on Mount Olympus and the Greek gods.”

“The Amazons?” Natalie interrupted. “You mean the warrior women from mythology?”

“Oh, they’re more than just myth,” Aphrodite assured her with the most serious look. “They were real and deadly, very deadly. It came as the biggest shock to Athena and Artemis. You see, Natalie, the two of them were the patron gods of the Amazons.”

Every time she’s mentioned certain goddesses Aphrodite’s unbelievably beautiful face turned quite sad, half covered by her full, curly hair spilling over her hanging head. She looks like she’s been through a lot. Through hell and back and then some.

And as Natalie watched her body language she couldn’t help but notice that Aphrodite was wearing an unusual mixture of clothing. Some of it was clearly from her days on Mount Olympus. Regal looking white robes that draped her curvaceous figure. On top of it she wore modern looking things like a sweater, walking shoes, and a long clean trench coat.

She obviously picked those up during the months she’s been looking for me, Natalie thought. But why am I so important to her? How do I fit into this story Aphrodite’s been telling me?

~*~

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Three days earlier...

Far to the west from where Aphrodite and Natalie will fatefully meet and talk is a seedier part of town. A part of Gateway City notoriously known for its high crime rate, street violence, drug deals, and other unseemly things. The only people on the west end are those too poor, unable to move and criminals. Here, in a vacant, dilapidated two-flat building it’s clear which type its occupants are.

“Is this all you got?” a fat dark-haired man asked counting money in his stubby hands, daylight trying to poke through boarded windows.

“What do you mean all you got, we brought in two more grand than last time,” a younger, slender man argued back.

Both men were dressed in expensive suits. The heavy man’s was clearly pricier but seemed a bit tight as he sat in a dusty chair behind his makeshift desk, an old door resting on warped wooden crates. The younger, slender man stood there trying to keep his composure.

“Oh yes you brought in more money this time Mr. Colletti but that’s only after you insisted your wife help you,” the fat dark-haired man said turning his round head, looking to his far left. “Angela, right?”

The woman standing off to the darkened corner didn’t answer. She just gave the heavy man an angry look.

“You see now that there’s two of you I expect there to be twice as much money,” the fat dark-haired man grinned, as several large men behind him began to chuckle amongst themselves.

“That wasn’t part of the deal!” the younger, slender man named Mr. Colletti shouted, his New York accent getting more pronounced. “Me and Angela do things differently than you. Perhaps we should just be on our way.”

“You’re the ones who left Manhattan,” the fat dark-haired man replied angrily, his teeth beginning to snarl as he talked. “If things were working out so well why come all the way over here and work for me?”

“Forget it. Just give us our share and you’ll never see us again,” Mr. Colletti said, growing increasingly impatient.

“Fine... fine,” the fat dark-haired man agreed reaching over and placing a large suitcase onto his makeshift desk, its latches clicking open as he rummages through its contents. “Here you go, five thousand for you and five thousand for your wife.”

“Five thousand?!” Mr. Colletti screamed, his angular face getting quite red. “We’re supposed to get ten thousand..... a piece!”

“A piece? Hahaha, oh no, no,” the fat dark-haired man laughed grinning again. “You said you and your wife were a team therefore you get ten thousand dollars.....as a couple.”

“You fat pig, you know how many times we risked getting caught!?” the younger, slender man shouted. “All the months we worked! You’re gonna give me and my wife what we’re owed or--”

“--Or nothing. You’ll do nothing Mr. Colletti,” the fat dark-haired man sternly said finally standing up, old wooden flooring creaking under his feet. The several large men behind him became more alert, preparing themselves for trouble.

“Here’s the five thousand for your wife,” the fat dark-haired man yelled, throwing a small stack of hundred dollar bills at the feet of the woman standing in the corner. “You on the other hand Mr. Colletti won’t be needing any of yours.”

With that said the fat dark-haired man quickly pulled out a gun from behind his suit jacket and shot the young man named Mr. Colletti in the head, his brains and blood splattering everywhere.

“Christian!!” the woman standing in the corner cried out as she raced to her husband’s fallen body.

“Your husband should have watched his mouth,” the fat dark-haired man said gathering up his belongings from his makeshift desk. “It’s a good thing you didn’t get smart with me too, Mrs. Colletti, or I’d have killed you as well.”

She watched the fat dark-haired man calmly walk away as if nothing had happened, down a long dimly lit hall and out through a spray painted door followed by the other four men that work for him. The young woman named Angela Colletti sat there in disbelief on the dirty, bloodstained floor for the longest time, alone. Alone with her dead husband..... with revenge in her eyes.

~*~

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Presently, everything is much more relaxed back in the quiet home of twenty-seven year old Natalie Nemos-Nikolaos. In a large, inviting living room, where a plugged in vacuum cleaner stands off to the side and things still aren’t put away, Aphrodite’s tale continues as the two women talk.

“Those with their own abodes like Hades and Poseidon were systematically assassinated,” Aphrodite explained, her attractive face quite serious. “Some gods like Zeus and Hera fled, as did Dionysus, Pan, and Hebe, all escaping to the farthest most remote spots in the cosmos.”

“Why would they run?” Natalie questioned, sipping on a cup of tea while straightening out her slacks. “Why not stay and fight?”

“It’s not that simple,” Aphrodite responded. “Ares not only used his heightened power to gain control of the Amazons but also to destroy the ancient, magical barriers that protect Mount Olympus, that keep it and its inhabitants eternal and alive. With these barriers breached the other gods knew that to remain on Mount Olympus would mean their demise. Those unable to escape in time or who chose to stay and fight were slaughtered by Ares and his Amazons or would be doomed to fade away with our legendary home.”

“To make matters worse,” Aphrodite added, “was that Ares now used his vast power to try and control his ultimate champion.... Wonder Woman.”

“Wonder Woman?” Natalie asked putting her tea down, brushing off some that’s spilled onto the old t-shirt she’s wearing. “You mean the superhero Wonder Woman? I hadn’t heard about her in years. How is she connected with Ares?”

“You didn’t know?” Aphrodite asked back. “The Amazons were descendants of Ares. Long ago in ancient Greece they worshiped him, but eventually abandoned his warlike ways and as I said earlier adopted Athena and Artemis as their patron gods. Wonder Woman is the daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.”

“I thought I recall hearing about Wonder Woman being linked to the Amazons a long time ago in newspapers and magazine articles, but I always assumed it was some kind of PR thing,” Natalie explained. “A story made up to go with the fanciful costumes superheroes wear.”

“Wonder Woman was indeed an Amazon and Ares was determined to use her incredible powers for his own malefic plans,” Aphrodite said seriously. “And to our horror Ares’ control of Wonder Woman worked and slowly began to take effect.

“She resisted for the longest time but Athena could feel Wonder Woman succumbing. Not wanting Wonder Woman turned against us Athena in her infinite wisdom used a large portion of her power and turned Wonder Woman permanently to stone. In her petrified state the Amazon Princess would be of no use to Ares. It was a small victory for us, but it made Ares intent on destroying the rest of the Olympians that much stronger.

“Hestia was killed, then Hephaestus, and then Demeter. Our already small number dwindled further. Again it was Athena who came up with yet another plan; to remove Wonder Woman’s powers, her gifts given to her at birth by various Greek gods, and give them to a new champion. The remainder of us left each agreed and we channeled our already diminished power to Athena who removed Wonder Woman’s powers and placed them within the bracelets Wonder Woman wears.

“Then Athena, the goddess of warfare and wisdom clad in her golden armor, helmet, shield, and spear led those among us still alive as a resistance against Ares and his army of warrior women. The battle was intense but short lived.

“They surrounded her, yelping like wild dogs. Flashing their teeth and stabbing at her with their weapons,” Aphrodite angrily said her tone getting bitter, her eyes welling up. “From a distance I saw the Amazons outnumber Athena, all of the other Olympians dead, not even standing a chance. I heard her scream at the warrior women, valiantly fighting them back. But there were too many--”

Aphrodite stammers and begins to cry. When Natalie tries to comfort her asking if she wants to stop, the love goddess shakes her head no, musters herself up and continues.

“I saw Athena’s brave face,” Aphrodite said, her tears falling onto the carpeted floor. “We made eye contact for brief seconds. She gave me a look letting me know I should hurry and get going. I nodded back and ran knowing I’d never see her again, hearing weapons clash behind me. It was when Artemis and I left to send you the magic lasso, that I felt Athena get struck down. Artemis soon after faded away as Mount Olympus eventually did. The only Olympians left were me and Ares.”

“How did you survive?” Natalie asked.

“The world always needs the power to create, to love and the power to destroy, to war. Quite simply because love will always exist I’m able to last a little longer than the other Greek gods,” Aphrodite explained breaking eye contact as if she was hiding something.

Then looking Natalie straight in the eyes again being completely honest, “But my powers like the others is decreasing. Everyday I grow weaker and weaker, without Mount Olympus I am no longer much of a goddess. Eventually when my power runs out I’ll be nothing more than a mere mortal. That’s why I’ve come to find you. To help you fulfill your role as the new Wonder Woman and stop Ares.

“Me?!” Natalie gasped. “Why was I chosen?”

“It was Athena’s idea to pick a modern day descendant of the Amazons,” Aphrodite answered back. “She felt the magical transfer of Wonder Woman’s powers would be more effective. The Amazons are your ancestors Natalie.”

“Amazon, huh? I always thought YaYa Helen was a bit of a fighter,” Natalie joked. “But even if I have warrior women in my blood, in all the generations that have passed there literally must be thousands of Amazon descendants. Out of all of them why choose me?”

“Look around you,” Aphrodite said picking up today’s newspaper off the coffee table and pointing to the various magazines strewn across the tabletop. “Have you read the stories, seen the news? Wars in the Middle East, South Africa, Bialya, Korea. Religious conflict in Northern Ireland and Lebanon among others. Even crime here in this country has risen steadily.”

“Ares is feeding on this chaos. It makes him stronger,” Aphrodite continued. “In recent years he’s managed to turn small conflicts into great ones actually influencing the bloodshed to become even more powerful. If he’s not stopped he’ll devastate the entire world with wars he controls. Massive suicide bombings in Israel, tensions rising in Santa Prisca, another peace treaty broken in Kasnia, it doesn’t seem to end.”

“Look into your heart, Natalie. Deep down you know why you were chosen.”

“Kasnia.....” Natalie said quietly her face turning somber, “that’s where my brother and my husband were killed.

“My brother Mark worked for the Red Cross and was trying to help civilians there,” Natalie explained. “And Jason was a Marine who was stationed in Kasnia. He tried to help end the war in his own way, they both did. And they both died because of it.

“That’s why,” Natalie said teary-eyed. “That’s why I was chosen.... because of Mark and my husband. Who better understands the pain war brings than me?”

For a long time Aphrodite says nothing, simply holding Natalie’s hand and letting her cry. Aphrodite stared at the regular looking, young woman feeling Natalie’s uncertainty, knowing this is a lot for her to take in.

“I cannot force you to do something you don’t want to,” Aphrodite calmly stated picking up the magic lasso resting on the couch and holding it firmly in her hands in front of Natalie. “The decision is up to you to make.”

The young woman named Natalie Nemos-Nikolaos stares solemnly at the glowing, golden lariat for the longest time, “Mark and Jason both died trying to make this world a better place, from wars that Ares helped to ignite. I won’t let their deaths be in vain. I’ll do it.... I accept!”

“Excellent,” Aphrodite quietly exclaimed as Natalie took the magic lasso into her own hands.

“So, how does it work?” Natalie asked slightly sniffling, feeling the glowing, golden lariat with her fingers. “I don’t feel like I have any powers yet.”

“No, no,” Aphrodite corrected. “I told you Wonder Woman’s powers were placed within her bracelets.”

“Bracelets?!” Natalie said in a panicked tone. “I’m sorry Aphrodite but all I found was the magic lasso, no bracelets.”

“You use the magic lasso to transform,” Aphrodite explained. “When you do you’ll be wearing Wonder Woman’s armored costume including her bracelets.”

Aphrodite stands up motioning for Natalie to do the same.

“Take the magic lasso and whirl it over your head,” Aphrodite directed gesturing with her hands and arms as if she were holding the enchanted rope. “As you bring the loops down over your body the lasso’s magic will transform you into your costumed form.”

And so Natalie moves the coffee table off to the side and walks to the center of the living room. She takes the magic lasso as Aphrodite demonstrated and begins whirling it overhead.

“It moves so easily,” Natalie said smiling twirling the glowing, golden lariat above her. “I’m barely doing anything and it’s holding its shape perfectly.”

“Good, now lower the loop down over your body,” Aphrodite continued.

Natalie follows Aphrodite’s instructions, lowering the now large loop of the magic lasso over her body. As the glowing, golden lariat passes down towards the floor, Natalie feels a tingling all over her body. All she can see is shimmering sparks of light dancing about her slender silhouette, until the magic lasso reaches the floor.

“You did it!” Aphrodite declared, smiling, clasping her hands together.

Natalie looks down at the costume on her body. From the pointed red, knee high boots with a white vertical stripe down the middle, to the dark blue, skin tight trunks emblazoned with rows of white stars, to the red bodice hugging her chest with a golden emblem at its tip, to the golden belt around her waist.

“I did it!” Natalie shouted back now giddy and laughing. “I actually did it!”

Natalie adjusts the golden tiara, a red star at its center, resting on her forehead while star shaped earrings dangle from her ears. She still has the magic lasso in one hand and with the other feels the silver, polished bracelets on each of her wrists.

“I feel... I feel different,” Natalie smiled her dark blue eyes twinkling. “There’s something different about me now. I feel strong, unbelievably strong, like I could move the moon.”

“You will need Diana’s, the original Wonder Woman’s strength and all of her other gifts to defeat Ares,” Aphrodite said seriously now becoming more focused again.

“We will have to train you in the weeks ahead so you can better handle your powers,” Aphrodite explained. “But for today I think it’s best we stop and take a short reprieve.”

“Is there a way to change back into my regular clothes?” Natalie asked still admiring her new costume. “It would be a real pain to try and wear this under my everyday things.”

“Simply do what you did to transform in the first place,” Aphrodite replied. “But this time twirl the magic lasso from the ground up.”

Natalie stands within the magic lasso’s loop, that’s sprawled out on the tan carpet. She easily begins to twirl the glowing, golden lariat and lifts it from her feet, to her waist, to her neck, and finally loops it over her head.

“Incredible,” Natalie said quite astonished as she’s once again back in her everyday clothes.

“This lasso is amazing,” Natalie added, slightly flicking her wrist making the glowing, golden lariat loop back onto itself. “Did you see that? I hardly tugged and it practically recoiled itself.”

“Hephaestus, my husband, helped forge it so I’m not surprised,” Aphrodite explained. “Among its talents are its magically indestructible, can grow to almost any length, and can force anyone bound within it to speak the absolute truth.”

“The truth?” Natalie questioned. “Before you arrived I tried holding it several different times on several different occasions and I felt... something. Like something was being pulled from inside me. It was my own personal truth about Mark and Jason’s death, now I see that.”

“Don’t look so sad,” Aphrodite said softly placing her hand on Natalie’s shoulder. “It’s not over yet.”

“I know,” Natalie replied. “It’s just... I miss them so badly.”

And as Natalie wells up, Aphrodite hugs her from the side.

“It’s the worst feeling in the world, knowing you’re never going to see your loved ones again,” Natalie continued, trying to get composed again. “Even after all this time it’s hard to admit. I’m sorry for getting so emotional.”

Aphrodite, with light blue eyes filled with tears gently grabs Natalie’s face and replied, “Believe me when I say I completely understand.”

The two women take a few moments to gather themselves, Natalie offering Aphrodite some tissues.

“So when do we meet next?” Natalie asked blotting her nose. “You know so you can help me with my new powers.”

“Meet?” Aphrodite questioned.

“Yeah, you know, where are you staying so I’ll know where to find you?” Natalie asked.

“Staying?” Aphrodite questioned. “I’ve been roaming around the various cities on this planet for the past three months. I have no dwelling. I thought I could reside with you.”

“Me?” Natalie asked. “I’m sorry, dear, I’d love to. I really would but how am I going to explain all this to Nathan? It’s nearly four in the afternoon already, he’ll be home any minute.”

“Nathan?” Aphrodite questioned.

“Yes, he’s my nephew,” Natalie replied.

~*~

[Spider-Man Beyond]

And at that moment nearly 3,000 miles away on the East Coast is one of the largest, most technologically advanced cities in the world. It’s called Gotham City where gothic architecture and futuristic design merge to form soaring skyscrapers and elaborate high-rises.

In the East district of Gotham lies the Chimera Institute infamous for its advanced genetic research by its founder Dr. Able Cuvier. Specifically his most controversial experiments involve genetic animal augmentation, the splicing of animal DNA into more than willing humans.

Often criticized for performing such unnatural procedures, Dr. Cuvier believes splicing is utterly beautiful and the wave of the future. That it’s each individual person’s choice whether to be a part of it or not.

“Your next appointment is here, Dr. Cuvier,” a young woman pleasantly said entering a large, pristine lab.

“Excellent. Rebecca, send her in,” Dr. Cuvier calmly instructed in an elegant voice adjusting his gray lab coat.

The receptionist, Rebecca, gestures forward with her left hand, “The Doctor will see you now.”

As Rebecca leaves another woman enters. She has an angry look on her face, her wiry reddish-brown hair tied back, slightly askew.

“You must be Angela Colletti,” Dr. Cuvier said in a slightly devilish tone. “What brings you here?”

The angry woman reaches into her brown coat and throws a small stack of five thousand dollars onto the ground.

“I want you to splice me with animal DNA,” Angela Colletti said angrily. “I want you to make me faster, sharper, stronger.... deadlier.... like a cheetah!”

To be continued...