Friends
Written by Amazonia V
Chapter 19:
Wonder Woman stood before the control console at the Octagon Ring Network Portal. It was a large eight-sided room paneled in the rich red woods of Themyscira. The figures of sylph-like women clad in armour, with their hair blowing behind them, in military pose or on horseback or in Council were carved on each of the panels.
The room was furnished with comfortable armchairs and low tables. Scrolls and books, ancient and modern, were stacked on the tables. Many were from Themyscira, many more from distant worlds, their alien scripts illegible. Superman could read them all.
Near the centre of the room was a rotating globe showing all the constellations, the stars of all the heavens, the many star systems and the innumerable plants, the entire Universe.
Green Lantern, Black Star and Fanci Webb watched as Wonder Woman and Superman approached the globe. Superman turned the globe, as if studying the low relief planets and astral bodies. He suddenly stopped the globe and unhinged a quadrant, revealing a hidden control panel inside.
His fingers flew over the controls, and above him, the portal projectors glowed into life. Colours filled the centre circle of the ceiling, and directly below it a grey sea of mist began to swirl. In a few seconds, the grey mist rose up to the ceiling and became a cylinder. Slowly the cylinder became opaque, and then a beam of bright sunshine appeared. The cylinder of grey vanished. In its place was a circular pad of polished white stone. And above it was an intense light that filled the whole room. There was the sound of the sea, and a breeze blew the scent of salt on the warm air.
Sunshine, warmth, white stone, and a man.
Superman stepped away from the globe and stared at the man.
It was Wonder Woman who said, "Lord Ares, you are not the one I expected to see."
Ares smiled and stepped off the white stone. Now he was in the room proper. "And I did not expect to see you still here, either," he replied.
They stood face to face. Ares was taller than Wonder Woman. He had fair hair and piercing blue eyes. His features were strong, and although stern, were not unpleasing to the eye. He was also strongly built, his body bronzed under the white gown, leather tunic and white cloak he wore. The tunic was armoured at the chest and was studded as it reached down over his short skirt.
His arms and legs were bare and he wore sandals on his feet. In contrast to his style of dress, his belt supported a laser saber and as well as the more correct short sword, and the helmet he held in one hand was a plastic composite. There was also a chronological Geo-Sat locator strapped to his wrist.
"What must I do to leash Chronos?" asked Wonder Woman of Ares.
"Do? Why, you must do nothing at all," Ares silkily murmured. "At last the time draws near for me to take the throne of Zeus and my will will be done!"
"By letting loose the dogs of war, and letting chaos reign supreme? By unraveling time itself? What will you gain?" asked Wonder Woman.
"Chronos unravels what I need. When Zeus is undone, then and only then, will I stop. You had better bid good bye to your friend here – he will soon no longer live in this form. Already, he is my servant, many years past," was the chilling response Ares made.
Wonder Woman braced herself, arms on waist, legs akimbo, ready to fight, saying "I will not go without a fight. I am Amazonian and we don't give in easily."
"Your stubbornness is tiresome!" Ares exclaimed as he stepped back. "You were not commanded to leave Earth! I sent you this command myself before I left your era! What do you do here?"
"I am not yours to command, " was Wonder Woman's soft response, glad now that they had left with Fanci and Black Star when they did.
"Ah, Diana of Themyscira, do you not ken what must be? I would have you by my side and ruler of all the heavens. Who better than us to rule the heavens? The God of War and the Goddess of Truth. All war would then be righteous ones." Ares smiled slyly, "You have only to say, 'Yes'."
Superman stepped forward, "Diana, don't. You don't have to agree to anything he says."
Wonder Woman heard the quiet desperation in Superman's voice and wondered at it, while responding to Ares, "Lord Ares, not for nothing, are you known as the Lord of Lies, too. How do I know you speak the truth?"
Ares laughed. A sinister sound that echoed in the room. "I will strike a pact with you. Diana of Themsycira. Your champions and heroes against mine. Should mine win, you will cease all attempts to stop me and reign by my side, content as my queen. Should yours win, I will consign Chronos to the cave of Nyx, from whence he came."
"My champions against yours? I have no champions. I fight myself against your own champions," said Wonder Woman, a hint of steel in her tone as she looked hard at Ares.
Ares laughed again. "No, Diana, once a goddess. You cannot fight this time. Your companions here will fight for you, while all battles pause a moment in time."
While he spoke Ares gestured to the others in the room – Black Star, Fanci Webb, Green Lantern and Superman. "Think about it, Diana. You save many lives by agreeing."
Wonder Woman turned towards the group who watched her somberly. "What are your thoughts?" she asked them. "I don't know who his champions are, and what trials face you. It's unfair to ask you to fight in my stead."
"No," said Fanci. "If you will risk your life for us, we can do no less. You have my consent. I will fight."
"As will I," said Black Star.
"And I." said Green Lantern.
"You know you can count on me," was Superman's quiet response.
Her heart sinking, Wonder Woman turned back to Ares, saying, "I agree. Lord Ares. So let it be done. Do we have a witness to the pact?"
"Aye, Hermes will witness it for us," was the response.
"I seek a few minutes with my companions," said Wonder Woman now.
Without waiting for a response from the God of War, she walked up to the group waiting for her. "I would save you the pain of this fight, if I could. I wish that you had never come with me. Now, listen carefully. I don't know what deviousness he will come up with. Or who he will send to fight you or how. But do know this, he will use your weaknesses against you. Be on your guard, therefore, and allow no other thoughts to cross your minds."
She embraced each in turn, whispering a few more words in each one's ear. When she reached Superman, her embrace became closer still, almost making it difficult for him to breathe, leaving a warm imprint of her lips against his. Stepping back, she looked him in the face, saying, "Come back to me."
"I will," he said.
Taking a few steps backwards, she saluted them with Amazonian salute, arms crossed, high above her head. "Fare thee well, my friends."
"Your job here is done. Come back with me through the portal." Ares stepped closer to the portal. He held out his hand, inviting Wonder Woman to follow him. Ignoring his hand, she walked through.
Ares sighed and lowered his hand, before following her in.