Denny Colt had been lurking about, looking for Dr. Cobra. He was on the other side of the Aqueduct when he spotted the fight between Wonder Woman and blue woman. He saw the blonde girl tied to a pole. He made his way around the aqueduct, hoping to help.
By the time he got there, the girl had vanished beneath the waves, and Wonder Woman was walking away with the blue woman. Denny Colt didn't know what was going on, but he couldn't let the girl drown. He dived into the water. He swam to the spot where the tip of the pole was still sticking out. Then, diving down, he descended to the still-bound Fury. Colt pulled out his lock-pick and tried to free the Fury.
Lady Coffin, Doctor Cobra and Granch headed to the gate which surrounded the aqueduct. Granch carried a canister full of the mysterious substance, which Dr. Cobra had prepared. They were accompanied by the Lady Dorma, and the still-entranced Wonder Woman. The Amazon carried a second canister of the fluid.
They looked at the high gate. Dorma turned to her unwilling Amazon servant. "Tear it down!" she commanded, "Rip this bothersome thing apart!"
Wonder Woman tore the gate down, although it was the absolute last thing that she wanted to be doing just now. She hated being used as a pawn, especially at a time like this, when Helena was dead and the city was in grave danger from whatever type of poison they were planning to spill into the aqueduct. She wished she had control over her body. But her wishes didn't seem to matter just now. All she could do was obey Dorma's commands.
"Better than bolt cutters," Lady Coffin quipped, watching Hippolyta destroy the gate. Just then, the sound of a siren caught her attention. She looked down at the road and saw the cop car speeding to the scene.
"Security," Cobra commented. "They've been guarding the water carefully since the war started. How brave, how noble. How totally idiotic!"
Dorma pointed to the police. "Wonder Woman . . . Kill!"
Suffering Sappho! No! Hippolyta thought, not wanting to hurt the policemen. But at the moment, she was nothing more than a passenger in her own body, forced to silently bare witness to the atrocities done by her own hand. Dorma was calling the shots, and Hippolyta had no power to refuse.
Wonder Woman threw the crumbled up heap that was the remains of gate. It crashed into the front of the car, causing it to swerve out of control. The police cruiser crashed into a pole. The cops inside weren't moving. Wonder Woman couldn't tell if they were alive or not. She hoped to her Gods that they were. She didn't want to kill any policemen. It was bad enough that she had to stand by and watch Helena die.
The villains laughed. Hippolyta was disgusted. These crazy vermin actually enjoyed this chaos. They had killed the Fury, possibly two police officers, and now planned to poison an entire city. These evil monsters deserved the vengeance she intended to unleash upon them once she gets free from Dorma's power.
Queen Hippolyta's wrath and fear had grown to desperate proportions in the last hour since Dorma entranced her. Every moment she remained under Dorma's control was another moment that these fiends came closer to unleashing unspeakable horror upon New York. And there was nothing Hippolyta could do about it! Her powerful body had become a puppet at Dorma's command.
More sirens were heard in the distance. Lady coffin grinned. "Hmmm, more morons coming in their black-and-whites, to get some black-and-blues. You could have Wonder Chick crush all of them all."
"No, don't," Dr. Cobra said. "That'll get boring after the first dozen or so. And they'll be forewarned that an attack is coming. Better we slip away, and let the formula affect the city without warning."
Coffin and Dorma agreed. Cobra gestured toward Granch. "Pour the formula in the Aqueduct."
Granch complied, and upended the container. Green liquid poured out and contaminated the Aqueduct.
Dorma commanded Hippolyta to do the same. Unable to stop herself, Wonder Woman's heart sank as she poured the substance into the water supply.
"Good!" Dorma said. "Now, we must flee."
"We'll split up," Cobra said. "Granch and I will take the van. Lady Coffin can hoof it."
The three of them scampered off, leaving Lady Dorma and Wonder Woman.
"We must go," Dorma said. "You will carry me."
As ordered, Wonder Woman scooped up Dorma in her powerful arms, and then headed back to the Yellow Claw's hideout. Wonder Woman quickly made her way through the woods. Once they reached the city, Hippolyta ran across the rooftops at amazing speed, leaping from building to building with ease.
Dorma relaxed in Hippolyta's arms, looking around at the view of the surface city, so unlike her native Atlantis. "Land dwelling fleas!" Dorma hissed, "They drag us into their war by stealing the Trident of Neptune. They deserve whatever happens to them. I don't understand what Namor sees in them . . . Or in you, my helpless servant. I don't know how you bewitched him, but I will make you suffer for it!"
If she could move freely, Hippolyta inwardly vowed, she would close her strong arms and crush Dorma's spine like a twig. But she couldn't. Although her mind was still her own, her body would not respond to it. She was unable to do anything unless Dorma commanded her to do it. And because of that, the Fury was dead! And millions more would soon follow.
Wonder Woman was tormented by these thoughts. She cursed Dorma for preventing her from saving the girl who she had vowed to protect. She silently prayed to her Gods to free her from this hypnotic trance so that she could avenge Helena. But there was no answer. She remained totally under Dorma's control.
Denny Colt, after having saved the Fury, performed mouth-to-mouth, and deposited her safely on land, then went after Doctor Cobra. He drove his LeSalle rapidly around the edge of the Aqueduct, determined to reach Cobra before he did whatever he was planning to do.
Finally, Denny Colt got Cobra in his sights. Even if he hadn't been suspicious of the civilian van driving quickly across the secure area where he had been warned that Cobra would be, he still would have recognized the primitive features of the mammoth Granch. He knew he had found his man.
Like a sick game of 'Chicken', Colt drove straight as an arrow toward the front of the van. He intended to stop Cobra's escape any way possible! Even if it meant ramming him!
Doctor Cobra saw the car making a beeline toward him. He didn't know who the driver was, but he was satisfied that his larger vehicle would cause the car to swerve. But it didn't. As the car loomed larger and larger, as the collision grew more imminent, Cobra had a moment of panic. He wasn't going to die in a pointless game of Chicken! He turned the wheel.
The van swerved toward the water, and still the car didn't stop. Denny Colt was determined to force Cobra into a watery end. He rammed into the side of the van. Both vehicles spun out of control and overturned, rolling toward the Aqueduct. Both the car and van burst into flames and fell over the embankment into the water. The vehicles sunk beneath the surface!
Fury woke up in the company of Detectives Pierce and Van Ness. She was on a gurney, next to an ambulance. The two detectives crouched on either side of her. They seemed concerned for her.
"Where is that man?" she asked. "The man in the trench coat. The one who saved me?"
The two men looked upset suddenly. Fury didn't like what she was seeing. The two detectives turned. Fury looked to the area they were watching. She saw uniformed officers pulling a body out of the water. It was the body of the man who had saved her. She gasped.
Doc Savage arrived at the Aqueduct. He'd heard details of the situation on the police radio and insisted on assessing the matter personally. The first thing he did was to examine the body of Denny Colt, who he'd met earlier. He pronounced the famed criminologist DOA. "What about the officers who were hurt in the earlier attack?" Savage asked.
"No casualties," Pierce said. "But two of them are critical. They're all being taken to the hospital."
"And they said it was Wonder Woman who attacked them?" Savage asked, disbelieving.
"It's true!" Fury said, enraged by this assumed betrayal. "Wonder Woman stood by and watched me nearly drown. If it hadn't been for that Colt man . . . "
"Things are not always what they seem," Savage said. "There are others possibilities. It could be a shape shifter, or a 3-D projection, perhaps hypnosis, even the old evil twin ruse."
Fury suddenly felt embarrassed. Of course Wonder Woman would never do such a thing. She was an idiot to have even entertained the thought for a moment. There is a logical explanation. Wonder Woman was the noblest soul that Helena had ever met. And her friend! Doc Savage was right. Meanwhile, Doc Savage looked out at the green coloration that the formula had caused in the water. An area of the surface of the water was on fire, due to the flaming vehicles falling into the chemically altered H2O. He pulled some testing equipment out of the satchel he brought with him. He kneeled by the water to test it.
Fury got up from the gurney, despite the doctor's protests. She walked to Savage. "I need your help."
Doc Savage nodded. "I'll be with you shortly, Fury. I need to examine the water."
"But Wonder Woman is missing!" Fury stated. "I need your help to find her!"
Back at the Yellow Claw's hideout . . .
The Yellow Claw and Lady Coffin had joined Lady Dorma and the mind-controlled Wonder Woman in the Claw's Chinatown hideout. The Amazon Queen wasn't sure where she was. Dorma ordered her reluctant servant to bring her to a sewer tunnel in the downtown area. Then, Dorma had Wonder Woman close her eyes as she walked the rest of the way down a series of tunnels. Queen Hippolyta was disoriented by the malodorous maze, so deep beneath the open air. There was no way she could ever find it again.
The Yellow Claw's mysterious sister, who he had left in charge, stepped out of the shadows. The Claw asked if Dr. Cobra was back yet, and she said that he wasn't. In the meantime, Lady Dorma was circling around the immobile Amazon. She grinned with malevolent satisfaction, no doubt fantasizing about what she would do to her helpless rival.
The Amazon deeply wished she could move again, so she could kill Dorma. She thought of Helena. Poor Helena. She was much too young for such a fate. And she died thinking that her teacher betrayed her.
The Yellow Claw gestured for Dorma to come to him. She joined the Claw for a private conference.
Wonder Woman stood immobile, unable to speak or move a muscle. She had lost hope about her ability to free herself from this trance. Earlier, she wanted to believe that she could muster the will power to regain control of her body, or that her prayers to her Gods would bear fruit. But she reluctantly admitted to herself that neither of those things was going to happen. Despondent, she had to face the fact that there was nothing she could do except to wait until Dorma decided to release her. Assuming she ever will.
And in the meantime, the city was probably going through hell, due to the poison they had put in the water. Soon, many would die. Just like her sweet, doomed Helena. The poor girl had no doubt been hoping that Wonder Woman would come to her rescue. But Wonder Woman didn't come. Instead, she stood powerless and watched her protégé drown.
Oh, my poor Helena, Hippolyta thought, mournfully. I'm sorry little sister. I've failed you! I vowed to protect you, but when you needed me most, I let you down. I cannot even regain control of my own body. I am helpless in Dorma's power. I am so sorry, my little Helena. Forgive me!
Dorma and the Claw finished their conference. Dorma walked back toward the spellbound Hippolyta. Wonder Woman had a very bad feeling about what was coming next. She wished there were some way she could avoid it. But she knew she couldn't. All the mighty queen of the Amazons could do was stand and await the Lady Dorma's commands.
Dorma stood before Hippolyta. "Do not think this is the end, Amazon. We still have a matter of honor to settle. Think of this as a strategic pause."
Dorma held up a small container and sprayed sleeping gas in the Amazon queen's face.
Doc Savage had finished his examination of the water. He nodded, not seeming overly concerned.
"We're okay," Savage said. "Denny Colt did a good day's work. When he forced the two flaming trucks into the water, the chemical formula that was put into the Aqueduct caught fire. It was still mostly on the surface, so most of it was burned up. I'm getting some residual traces, but such a small amount in such a large reservoir won't be lethal to anyone. The chemicals will be spread too thin."
"Good," Fury said. "Now we can look for Wonder Woman."
"Very well," Savage said. "And after we find her, I need to examine the nature of this chemical formula. I think its safe to assume they have more and will try to use it again. And when they do, I want to know what it is and how to cure it."
Wonder Woman woke up on a cot. She was in a small room, perhaps a storeroom. The first thing she did was to see if she had control of her body yet. She was elated when she found that she could raise her hands of her own free will. "I'm free! I can move!"
She sat up, immediately on the defensive. He looked around, wondering where she was. There were a lot of shelves, filled with spices and little boxes of assorted goods. Wonder Woman got up and walked out the only door. She was hoping that Dorma would be on the other side. Her rage at the Atlantean needed to be released in a violent way. Amazon's didn't take dishonor lightly.
She found herself in a shop. It seemed to be a teashop. An old man sat in a chair behind the counter. He wore the usual garb associated with a poor Chinese immigrant. He had a long, white beard. "Ah, the pretty young lady has awoken. How do you feel, my dear?"
"Confused," she said, suspicious of the old man, despite his age, "Who are you?"
"My name is Quong Lee, purveyor of fine teas," the old gentleman said. "I saw you unconscious near the river. I recognized you. Then I saw that you were about to have your virtue compromised by a group of ruffians. I couldn't stand by and allow a lady to be so mistreated. Despite my age, I still can be very . . . persuasive! I brought you here and made you comfortable. I promise you that I took no liberties."
Wonder Woman smiled. Every instinct told her that this was a gallant gentleman. "I thank you for your assistance, sir. I am in your debt."
"It is my honor to serve so lovely a woman," Quong Lee said. "Allow me to give you one bit of advice. Beware of the Tong, the Chinese criminal society. They have a new leader. His name is the Yellow Claw."
"We have met," Wonder Woman said. "I intend to meet him again. He and I will have words!"
"Be cautious of him," Quong Lee, "He is deadly and resourceful. And I should add that he has many followers. Do not underestimate him."
"I will not," she said. "Thank you, good sir. You are noble and I'll not forget your kindness. Be at peace."
Outside the shop, Wonder Woman stood in the street, looking around. She wondered what her next step should be. The Yellow Claw and Dorma were somewhere around here, but she had no idea where. They were underground, no doubt, but how to find them in the maze of tunnels. Perhaps she should ask the JSA for aid. The Flash could search those sewer tunnels in seconds.
She also wondered why they let her go. Dorma had her defenseless, and could have killed her. Why release an enemy before the retribution she so wanted had been served? And what about Helena? There should be some sort of memorial service for the poor girl. Perhaps a ceremony on Paradise Island? The first thing to do was the reclaim the body from the Aqueduct.
Back at the Aqueduct . . .
Doc Savage and the Fury were discussing how to best find Wonder Woman. Doc Savage had a few logical suggestions. The Fury didn't know which was the best and so deferred to his greater experience. "Whatever you think is best, Doctor Savage."
"My best recommendation would be . . . " Savage began to say.
But he didn't finish. Pierce pointed up in the air. "Look!"
Everyone looked up and saw the tiny figure of the woman in the colorful outfit descending.
Up in the sky . . . Wonder Woman was gliding on air-currents, as all Amazons knew how to do, and was drifting over the Aqueduct. She was morose at the thought of retrieving the dead body of her dear Helena. She was distracted by the sight of the commotion below. There were several police, an ambulance, and a few other people. There was a large, bronze-skinned man who looked like Doc Savage. And someone else, a girl, a blonde girl who looked like . . .
"Helena!" She cried, delighted. She swooped down swiftly, filled with great joy and glee. The Fury saw her and smiled happily.
"Polly, I'm glad to see -- " Fury began, but before she could finish, she was grabbed in a big hug by the Amazon Queen. Wonder Woman almost squeezed the air from the teenage girl's lungs.
"My little one!" Wonder Woman said, smiling broadly, "Thank the gods you're alive! This is a miracle! I thought I'd lost you!"
"Can't . . . breathe," Fury said.
"Oh, forgive me," Wonder Woman said, releasing her, "I was so excited at seeing you alive and well, I forgot my own strength! How did you escape?"
Fury told her about Denny Colt's aquatic rescue and his subsequent sacrifice.
"A tragic loss," Hippolyta said. "Such a noble warrior. We should do something to honor him."
"What about you?" The Fury asked, "What happened to you?"
Reluctantly, Wonder Woman told the young sidekick and Doc Savage the story of her ordeal at the hands of Dorma and the Yellow Claw. As she went over the events of the day again, her rage grew. Her hatred filled her like a fiery explosion. She relived every moment of humiliation over again.
"It was a nightmare!" Wonder Woman yelled, trembling with anger, "She used me! She made a slave out of me! No one uses the queen of the Amazons that way!"
She clenched her fists, trying to control her raging fury. Finally, she couldn't take it any more. She let out a primal yell and threw a punch at the closest tree. The lower half of the tree shattered into a thousand splinters. The upper half toppled to the ground.
"Calm down, your highness!" Doc Savage called, "If you need to release your rage, let's go to Chinatown and put it to the proper use."
"Yes," Wonder Woman said, fists still trembling with repressed rage, "Lets find the enemy. Let us find the Yellow Claw and, most especially, Dorma! She will feel the total unleashed power of an Amazon enraged! She will know the vengeance of a warrior dishonored! She will die at the hands of Hippolyta!"
In the underground Chinatown hideout of the Yellow Claw . . .
The Claw was listening to the radio, hoping to hear some news about the reaction to his chemical warfare. He was disappointed when there was nothing mentioned. Something should have happened by now.
A different news story caught his attention. It was the story of the death of Denny Colt and the notorious criminal named Doctor Cobra. It also mentioned the involvement of Doc Savage. The Yellow Claw wondered whether or not Savage could have found a way to neutralize the formula. He suspected that they had failed in Step One of the plan. But he had a Step Two!
Not far away, Wonder Woman was searching the sewers, accompanied by Doc Savage and the Fury. Savage watched the Amazon nervously, wondering whether her ferocious anger would cause her to act irrationally. Would she really kill this Dorma woman?
Just then, the trio was distracted by a loud roar.
"What the . . . ?" The Fury said, warily.
A large shadow appeared around from the next tunnel. "What on Earth is this?" Doc Savage asked.
Wonder Woman took a defensive stance. She was ready for anything. Even she was surprised when they were accosted by a savage Asian Dragon. It had a snake-like body, very colorful and scaly, but with six tiny little legs. It was thirty feet in length. Its shout was long, as were its fangs. It's tongued whipped out, venom dripping. Smoke poured from its nostrils. It was a frightening beast.
"Stand back!" Wonder Woman ordered. "I shall handle this!"
"Be my guest," Doc Savage said. "This is more up your alley than mine," Savage was glad that Wonder Woman had a non-human target to unleash her wrath upon.
Helena watched in excitement and admiration as the Amazon Queen battled the dragon. Wonder Woman evaded the fiery bursts and battered the creature with incredibly powerful blows. As fast as the snake-like monster moved, the Amazon was faster, and far more skillful. She wrapped her lasso around the creature and squeezed the life from it. On another occasion, she might have been moved to mercy for the simple creature, but her hatred of Dorma drove her to rash acts of militaristic ruthlessness.
In less than two minutes, the dragon fell, dead!
Fury was impressed, but also a bit taken aback by her idol's sudden turn toward uninhibited aggression. She understood Wonder Woman's anger, but it was frightening to see. Fury actually felt sorry for Dorma.
"This is just a sample!" Wonder Woman said. "The war is just starting!"
Next issue: The dark vigilante battles the Yellow Claw's assassins.