WONDER WOMAN

iii; ii

July 1972

I walk the streets of London, sunglasses hiding my face from the world, making my way to my quaint apartment through the rainy night.

"Good evening Diana!" My neighbor is such a lovely old woman.

"Good evening Victoria." I say sticking my key into the flats lock and twisting the key until the click signals that it's unlocked.

"It's such a damp night."

"That it is. Have your grandchildren been in to visit you recently?"

"No, but they should be here any day now." I remove the key and open the door.

"I'm sure they will Victoria, but you have yourself a lovely evening." I close the door and lock it. I turn and look at the plain room before setting my keys in their designated bowl. I click on the telly and a news report starts to play about England's first gay pride march. I smile at such an accomplishment in a world full of hatred and hurt. The shrill of a telephone ringing cancels out the telly.

"Hello?" I answer after two rings.

"Diana, lovely to hear from you."

"Hello, Howard. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Oh you know Steve's birthday is coming up and I don't want you to be alone."

"Howard I promise I'm fine. I'm just working whenever I can plus you know Peggy feels indifferent towards me."

"Diana, you know that Peggy does not feel that way towards you."

"It may be that she doesn't but I moved on when you both ignored me about Dr. Zola and the attempt on my life."

"Diana you know we both feel awful about that, but Zola's mind is what will help us achieve peace."

"Believe what you will but I don't trust Zola's intention for one second. Listen, Howard, I have to go, good night." I don't wait for a reply before I hang up my phone on the receiver and sigh deeply to myself. I've once decided to trust my gut and that killed a man who was corrupted by Aries and lost Steve. I've learned to finally translate what my gut is telling me and trust it. I do not trust Zola, SHIELD, and I'm starting not to trust Peggy or Howard people who were by my side when I first came to the world.

--

Present

I pull myself out of the past as park my car a couple miles out. I climb out of the vehicle and walk on foot to the camp. Memories begin to flood my head; creating SHIELD, working with Peggy and Howard, and pleading with the rest of shield to not trust Zola. My feet carry me through the memories all the way down to the floor where they kept Dr. Zola's brain after he died. I stand there staring for a moment before I hear the door being open from upstairs. I move to a dark corner and wait. A man and woman come from the doorway, and I move quickly knocking the man down off his feet and promptly see Steve and Natasha. I help Steve up before asking them.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" I ask.

"We could ask you the same question," Steve says.

"I'm following a trail."

"So are we." Natasha comes back quickly.

"The Winter Soldier? In 1970 there was an assassination attempt on me, and I let everyone believe that he succeed. I went into hiding, changed my name, completely stopped any work that would put me out there. I've had theories on who would want me dead, and the only person who comes to mind is Dr, Zola." I walk to the control center and look at the computer. "Dr. Zola, a former Hydra doctor, and who I believe, was the person to compromise SHIELD. Someone has been here recently."