The Cheetah lept into the air, her
claws extended. Her mouth opened in a snarl and for a moment,
Wonder Woman believed that all of Barbara Minerva's humanity was
gone. It would not have been the first time that Minerva had given
in to the siren call of the Cheetah spirit...but there was something
different this time. In the past, there had always seemed to be
a war within Barbara Minerva -- her own personality and that of
the Cheetah, warring for control. But now, there was only one
fused personality -- all the savagery of the animal and all the
intelligence of the human. It was frightening...
Diana brought her braclets up, using
them to block the Cheetah's claws. The sounds of battle echoed
throughout the Gateway City Museum of Cultural Antiquities. The
Cheetah landed smoothly behind Diana, already tensing for another
attack.
"Why are you doing this, Barbara?
What do you hope to gain?"
The Cheetah almost purred, "I
stand to gain a lot, Wonder Woman. First, I gain my final vengeance
on you -- repayment of all the humiliations you've caused me.
Second, I get to make off with priceless treasures looted from
the museum -- I've always lusted after the fabled and the historical.
That's how we met, remember -- when I sought to gain your lasso?*"
(* Waaaaaaaay back in the classic
Wonder Woman v2 # 9!)
Diana adopted a fighting stance,
aware that this new Cheetah was not one to be reasoned with. "I
am sorry, Barbara -- but you have already killed one person today
and I cannot allow you to harm others, nor can I allow you leave
with items that do not belong you."
The Cheetah smiled, showing rows
of sharp teeth. "I was hoping you were going to say that..."
In the stygian depths of hell, the
demon Neron cackled. All about his feet, tiny creatures scurried
-- some had once been human, though there was no trace of humanity
left in them now. Neron peered deeply into a scrying pool, seeing
the twin forms of Wonder Woman and Cheetah. He smiled, glancing
down at one of the many dumb things that followed his every step.
"Do you see, little one, how easy it is to manipulate mortals?
Just a single nudge and Barbara Minerva is lost forever, condemned
for all eternity. And if she should take Wonder Woman with her...all
the better."
Neron felt the air about him shift
and he glanced into the fiery shadows that enveloped his home...he
had a visitor. A rather nasty one, one whose might in life had
been so vast that he had nearly destroyed all creation. The hulking
figure was swathed in shadows, but his metallic shell was easy
enough to see and his worm-white skin protruded from various openings
in the armor. Neron motioned him in.
"I see you have returned once
more to me, my friend. Would you like to see what mischief I have
wreaked?"
The figure reached out suddenly,
grabbing Neron by the neck and lifting him easily from the ground.
His voice was like the sound of a thousand men dying..."I
care not for your feeble amusements! You have assured me that
I might live again and I expect to do so!"
Neron's eyes lit up with anger at
the brusque treatment. He leaned closer to the other's face. "Remember,
my friend, that you are quite dead at the moment -- I can orchestrate
your return but not until the time is right."
The figure dropped Neron to his
feet. "I grow weary of waiting. I waited for millenia to
begin my conquest, only to have victory snatched from my grasp!
I held the fate of all creation in the palm of my hand..."
Neron smiled mockingly. "So
you keep saying. But you lost, my friend. And in your defeat a
new universe was born...in some ways, I suppose, you're the father
of this proud little universe that Diana and her ilk call home."
The figure turned to look into the
scrying pool. He saw Diana, fighting fiercely with the Cheetah.
"I remember them both, from a dozen dozen worlds. I remember..."
Images raced through his head, showing the Barry Allen Flash dying
in a vain attempt to halt his plans, the death of Kara of Krypton,
the final awful battle with the Superman of Earth II. He remembered
it all. "I should not still exist. I was part of a reality
that is dead."
Neron placed a hand on the other's
shoulder. "Yes, but you DO exist. When I found you floating
in the nether realms, I knew you were a being of great power and
importance. That's why I helped nurse you back to health."
Neron seemed to consider that statement and then laughed. "Well,
as healthy as a spirit can be, anyway. But you'll have a body
soon enough and then the two of us will set out to remake this
little universe as we see fit. Partners to the end, correct?"
The other figure merely nodded and Neron's smile widened. As soon
as their work was done, he would dispatch this being and seize
all power for himself...
The other watched the battle unfold.
"This time there shall be no Monitor to stop me...no conglomeration
of heroes from throughout the multiverse...no defeat. This time,
the ANTI-MONITOR will be triumphant!"
Diana gasped for breath. Her body
was lined with dozens of scratches and bruises. There was no doubt
that the Cheetah was nearly her equal in agility and skill --
and her claws were proving very effective. "Barbara, please,
there is no reason for this combat..."
The Cheetah took a deep breath and
glanced over at her bag of stolen treasures. "Perhaps you
are right, Wonder Woman. We are too evenly matched at the moment."
She dove for the bag, scooping it up into her arms. "Let
us reschedule for another time, shall we?"
The Cheetah lept past Diana, rushing
out the front of the museum. She halted momentarily on the front
steps, looking at the two dozen armed police officers who had
blockaded the museum. She smiled wickedly. "I wish I had
time to play, boys, but I don't..."
"Barbara? Please do not do
dis!" The Cheetah paused, scanning the crowd. She saw Chuma
stepping forward.
"Chuma? What are you--?"
"I went to the police, Barbara."
The aged African shook his head wearily. "The time for de
Cheetah is past. You have lost so much to dis thing...let de people
help you."
The Cheetah paused for a moment.
"Chuma...I...I can't turn myself in...I--" She felt
the lasso go about her waist a moment too late. She turned to
see Diana standing behind her.
"It's over, Barbara."
The Cheetah hissed, all humanity
gone. Her anger overwhelmed her. "No! I won't be bested by
you again...never again!" She hurled herself at Diana, claws
raised for a final blow. It never came as a gunshot rang out,
loud and clear. The bullet plunged deep into her belly, sending
her crashing to the ground. The lasso came out of Diana's hands...
Officer Mike Schorr lowered his
weapon. He shouldn't have fired, he knew that. He could have hit
the man, Chuma, or ever Diana. But he couldn't let the Cheetah
hurt her.
Diana knelt beside the Cheetah,
running her hands through the villain's fur, feeling it slowly
changing, softening back to human skin. In moments, it was Barbara
Minerva laying there, wrapped in the magic lasso and bleeding.
"It is not a bad wound, Barbara. Painful, but not deep."
Barbara Minerva fought to keep her
eyes open. She saw Chuma leaning down. "Forgive me, Lady
Barbara. I do dis for your own good."
She set her jaw. "To hell with
my own good. You betrayed me, Chuma. Stay away from me or the
next time you'll regret having ever met me." Chuma took a
step back. There was cold hate in her eyes, such as he had never
seen before. He feared that Neron had stolen all that was good
and strong about Barbara Minerva.
Diana stepped back as the medical
technicians moved in. She placed a hand on Chuma's shoulder. "You
did the right thing, Chuma. I'll make sure she gets help. She'll
need your friendship in the future."
Chuma nodded. "Yes. I shall
pray for her. But I fear de damage may already be done..."
The Next Day...
Diana sat in the park, tossing birdseed
to the pigeons. She was just outside the Gateway City Psychiatric
Hospital, dressed in summer slacks and a cool blouse. She looked
up to see Dr. Felicia James approaching. An attractive woman in
her early 40s, Dr. James now wore a grim expression.
"How is Barbara, doctor?"
Dr. James sat down next to Diana
and too her glasses off to clean them on the sleeve of her jacket.
"Well, this isn't a standard case, Diana. She not only believes
she's possessed by a Cheetah spirt and that she's sold her soul
to the devil...but, according to you, it's all true! I'm not sure
how much I can help."
Diana nodded. "I understand.
I think that Barbara Minerva is one of the strongest women I've
ever known -- with support and love, I believe she can contain
the evil inside her. As for her soul...I have my doubts about
whether or not Neron can steal one's soul for all eternity...I
believe in redemption. It's within everyone's grasp, even Barbara's."
Dr. James smiled. "You're amazing,
Diana. I've never anyone with as much faith in the human spirit
as you possess."
Diana stood up, tossing the remainder
of the birdfeed onto the ground. "I'm no more amazing than
anyone else. All life is precious. Barbara has spent too many
years searching for gold and treasure...she's lost track of the
important things, like sunsets and happy smiles. That's what I
want you to give her back."
Dr. James nodded. "I'll try,
Diana. I'll really, really try."
NEXT ISSUE
: Diana takes Cassie to Themyscira! Plus, a prelude to the ultimate
Donna Troy story and more on the return of the Anti-Monitor and
the coming of "The Shaping", the story which will redefine
Wonder Woman forever!
AUTHOR'S NOTES
So...did the return of the Anti-Monitor
throw you for a loop? Heh, heh. I'm building towards something
of (dare we say it?) multiverse shaking proportions. It's called
"The Shaping" and it will alter Wonder Woman for all
time. No lie. You heard it here first.
But first, we'll have next issue's
breather and then a storyline that redefines Donna Troy in light
of John Byrne's 'retconning' of the character.
I'm making this series as epic as
possible. Expect anything.
Barry Reese
07.08.98
