Wonder Woman Online Story - Better Angels

**brettc1** · 05-26-2012, 11:24 PM

Well this is odd.

More people have downloaded part 7 than have part 6.

I wonder what they think is in part 7 that is so much more interesting LOL

**brettc1** · 05-29-2012, 06:20 AM

Part 8 of WONDER WOMAN BETTER ANGELS. The return of a Wonder Woman regular may prove to be very bad news for Diana and Tom as danger threatens from an unexpected quarter. Meanwhile storm clouds are gathering on the horizon...literally!

This one dedicated to my good friend Brad Moore and with a couple of surprise guest stars ;)

Download is free, just hit the green download button. The earlier posts have the previous links.

https://rapidshare.com/files/1280316..._PART_VIII.pdf

Feel free to leave feedback

Oops - forgot the preview - see below :)

**brettc1** · 05-29-2012, 07:07 AM

USS Wisconsin

Gulf of Mexico

The waves of the hurricane crashed against the sides of the battleship as she turned her nose to the wind. An Iowa class vessel almost nine hundred feet long and massing more than twelve thousand tonnes, in warships the Wisconsin was surpassed in size only by the great super-carriers. But even she rocked and pitched in the grip of the hurricane battering the islands of the Gulf.

On the bridge, Captain Melanson gripped the arms of his chair and watched as the bow of the ship shattered yet another wave. The control deck was a hive of activity as reports came in both on the state of the ship and the organization of rescue efforts throughout the region.

Hurricane Morgan had gone from being a bad tropical storm to a supercell the likes of which Melanson had never seen. Winds that would instantly lift a decent sized car slammed into the ship from all sides, no matter how hard the helm tried to keep her pointed into the gale. The rain came at the ship flat and hard, so hard that a man outside would have the air beaten from his lungs by the sheer force of the impact.

James Melanson was a man of middle years, heavy set but fit, with brown hair and intelligent eyes. His father had worked in the naval shipyards of Portsmouth, and he had been there thirteen years ago when the Wisconsin had been towed from Philadelphia Naval Base as part of her decommissioning. Melanson had been captivated by the great vessel – sleek and powerful, a tribute to a time ships had fought in their own right and not existed simply as a launching platform for planes. Long years of hard work had seen him rise through the ranks to Captain, and when he had heard the Wisconsin would be reactivated he had made it his mission to be the first man to command her in active service in almost twenty years.

But for all her power, Wisconsin, or Wisky as her crew called her, was barely a match for the fury being flung at her now. A less fortified vessel would have had her back broken by the conditions that pounded the warship.

A tall man with Commanders rank bars made his way across the swaying deck and held onto the wall as he spoke. “Captain, we have intel from the Justice League and Ingleside Base,” the first officer reported. “All civilians in the extreme danger zone have been evacuated sir. There are no further reports of any civilian craft in the area.”

“About damn time,” Melanson growled. He was usually a calm man, but this storm had even him feeling on edge. “What does the satellite say is the fastest way out of this?”

The Commander smiled grimly, indicating an overhead screen. “We’re closest to the southern edge,” he said, “but that would be bringing us pretty close to the coast of Cuba. This mess must be shifting the bottom around like a shake and bake bag.”

Melanson grunted. The last thing he wanted was for Wisconsin to end up grounded as the Missouri had in back in 1950, only off the coast of Communist Cuba to boot. “Make steam north-west ” he said. “We’ll let this pass over us as it heads for land.”

“Morgan hasn’t moved landward yet, Sir,” the Commander pointed out.

“It will,” Melanson affirmed. “It’s a big bastard of a storm, but its still just weather, Carl. Best bet at this stage is it will turn west for Florida.”

“Commander Adams,” one of the junior officers called. “We have a sonar contact.”

Adams looked at the Captain, and both men made their way across the unsteady deck to the sonar station. A female seaman was hunched over the softly glowing screen as the lieutenant who had reported turned to his superiors.

“Contact came up twenty seconds ago sirs,” he said. The ship rocked again and all three men steadied themselves. “Intermittent, then strong. About three hundred feet down, two miles south east of us.”

“Size?” Adams asked. A tall blonde man, he loomed over the younger officer.

“Big sir. At least three hundred feet long.”

“Too big for a biological,” Adams grunted. “Has to be a sub. What do her props sound like.”

“There are no props sir,” the lieutenant said, looking uncomfortable. “She’s running almost silent, making about twenty knots.”

“Almost silent at twenty knots,” Adams said in a scolding tone. “Not damn likely.”

“Lets hear this mystery guest,” Melanson said.

The lieutenant gave the order and the sonar officer, a young woman with curly brown hair pulled back in a bun, activated the speaker. All four listened to the sound of water being displaced, and then a sudden ominous groan.

“Sure sounds alive,” Adams admitted. “Not a whale though, that’s for sure.”

“Sir, contact is now a mile and half out, closing at twenty five knots,” the sonar officer said.

“I do not like this,” Melanson said. He was remembering the recent fate of the New England, and there had been fragmented reports of some kind of action near Tyndall Air Force Base centred around a suspected Amazon aircraft. “Switch to active sonar,” he ordered. “Let’s see what’s swimming around down there.”

The young woman obeyed, sending a single sonar ping out into the water around the ship. The echo sounded in the bridge over the speaker, and the men watched the screen as the sound wave rippled out as an expanding blue circle than intersected the point of the approaching object.

The blip became a line, then a longer line, then longer again, like a spring uncoiling and stretching out. The officers watched in amazement as the true dimension of the shape became frighteningly clear.

“Mother of God,” Adams gasped. “It’s as big as us!”

**brettc1** · 05-30-2012, 01:33 AM

Over 40 people have now downloaded Part 1. YAY!

When the count hits 50 I am going to treat mysel

Here is a preview from the first part to see if I can entice more folks to give the story a looksee. Guest starring the caped crusader...

https://rapidshare.com/files/1129540...NGELS_Pt_I.pdf

Dressed in her red, gold and blue battle armour, her black mane foaming about her broad shoulders, the Princess of the Amazons known as Wonder Woman was currently trying very hard to not become dead. A matter that was complicated by the need to protect the man crouching behind her while he tried to accomplish the same goal for the rest of San Francisco.

Diana was facing three huge robots, each built in a bulky humanoid design that had them standing about twenty feet tall and almost as wide. The automatons’ heads were small in comparison to the rest of them, about the size of a beach ball and mounted on rotund torsos from which the oversized arms and legs protruded like assemblies of metal ovoids. They stood in an arc of about 45 degrees at the far end of the tunnel they occupied, stooped so that they fit under the rough rock ceiling.

It was the arms that most held Diana’s attention. Protruding from the upper forearm of each limb was a pair of twin fifty calibre cannon, six pairs of barrels sending ammunition the length of her palm hurtling at her at 10 rounds per second. Diana’s own arms moved in a blur of silver as she used her bracelets to batter away each incoming shell, so fast that the air in front of her was like a small fireball as the missiles exploded against the indestructible god forged bands. Ordinarily this task would have not occupied her for more than the few moments she would need to get to one of the robots and smash it to metal scrap, but she dared not move from her position lest she expose the figure behind her to the deadly hail.

“Sivana’s done his work well, this time,” Diana heard Batman say. His words were carried by the micro-transmitter in his mask to the receivers in her earrings. Around her the roar of the cannon-fire in the small space was like a physical presence. “Gene bomb’s set for fifty seconds more power up, half a dozen bobby traps to make sure we can’t just remove it physically.

Less than a minute. With her perceptions enhanced by the messenger-god Hermes gift of speed that could seem like an hour to Diana; but for all her warrior prowess she had no skill in disarming computer programmed detonators, and she needed to stand fast to shield Bruce from the deadly gunfire anyway. “Clark is still busy with the mutations on the surface,” she said, the receivers in his cowl allowing this to be a two-way conversation. “Can you do it?”

“We’ll find out,” he answered tightly.

The muzzle flashes of the robot’s guns lit up the tunnel like a strobe light, and the noise pummelled him. Even with Diana weaving a net of defence around them the robots attack might still stop him completing the task. “You sound tense,” she commented without turning away from the robots.

Forty seconds left. “If you say so,” Bruce replied, his hands moving deftly over the circuits inside the bomb’s control panel. “Unless that’s your tension you’re feeling.”

“Ha!”

The barrage continued. One shell she let slide through, seeing it was not in any danger of hitting Batman, but the projectile smashed into the wall above their heads and sent a small cloud of debris raining down on him as we worked. Suddenly other bullets started following suit, servos in the robots arms acting to shift the aim of the guns fractionally on and off; only a few in every hundred, but if Diana was to extend her reach to batter them away as well she would be danger of letting through something that would strike home. It would take a significant number of hits for them to hurt her seriously, but if she were distracted from guarding Bruce’s back for even a split second...

Thirty seconds. More rock and dust rattled down around Batman’s head and shoulders and over the exposed interior of the bomb. “That’s not helping,” he said, and this time she was sure of the anxiety creeping into his voice. “You, know, if Clark were here he’d have taken down all three with his heat vision by now.”

Diana gritted her teeth in a little smile. “Oh, really?” she fired back.

“I’m just saying.”

She knew that Bruce was nervous now. She also knew that in spite of his words there were few beings he would completely trust to defend his back like this, and even fewer with whom he would use friendly banter instead of clipped orders. As always, she was honoured to have his confidence so unreservedly.

But that didn’t mean she would be letting that little comment about heat vision slide. Certainly not.

**tasslehoff** · 05-31-2012, 11:05 AM

Not bad! Just read it. One bit of feedback. It reads likea comic script. No paragraph that really describes things just names them. What is the temperature like, what do those feelings feel like, what does Athena really look like. This is a god man. Lets get some wonder in the description. Although Tom might be used to Wonder, give us a bit more than paragraph headlines. A little description helps. Overall good pacing. As I said a while ago I don't care for Diana this depowered but really curious to see the writing of how the characters look. Their mind process. Beefing up paragraphs (I counted no paragraph that was over 3 lines.) might help.

**brettc1** · 05-31-2012, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by tasslehoff

Not bad! Just read it. One bit of feedback. It reads likea comic script. No paragraph that really describes things just names them. What is the temperature like, what do those feelings feel like, what does Athena really look like. This is a god man. Lets get some wonder in the description. Although Tom might be used to Wonder, give us a bit more than paragraph headlines. A little description helps. Overall good pacing. As I said a while ago I don't care for Diana this depowered but really curious to see the writing of how the characters look. Their mind process. Beefing up paragraphs (I counted no paragraph that was over 3 lines.) might help.

Interesting points Tass. Of course originally it was written in a different style - no chaptes, just the individual parts - and then I altered it to a chapter format. So the comic script feel to it is likely because it was at the start like a comic without pictures.

Also the characters thoughs - I usually have the sections written from the point of view of only one at a time. So one section might be written from Diana's, and then later it switches to Tom. Obviously in the part with Tom and Athena it is all from Tom's perspective because we dont know what Athena intends until she says it.

Thanks for the feedback. I will take a look at part 9 before I post it later today. I hope you keep enjoying it

**brettc1** · 06-02-2012, 07:47 AM

This one was a challenge for me to write because I wanted to not only tackle a very important question about Wonder Woman from the previous run, but also present the answer in a way a four year old might understand. The question is in the preview below, but if you want Diana's answer [at least, my take on it] you'll have to get the download

https://rapidshare.com/files/1926033...LS_PART_IX.pdf

Preveiw...

While Carol finished getting some things from the upstairs bathroom, Diana brought Stacey downstairs with the bag she had packed from her room.

Diana was surprised at how calm the little girl seemed. When they arrived in the lounge room, she simply sat down on one of the chairs and began to play with a doll out of the bag. Diana could see some more toys inside, along with some pieces of paper that seemed to have drawings on them.

“Mommy’s sad,” Stacey said again, looking up at her. Diana heard Tom outside in the hall.

“Yes,” Diana said. “She misses your brother and father very much.

“Sometimes I draw pictures of them,” Stacey said. “Would you like to see?

Diana nodded, and Stacey went over to the bag. She took out the collection of drawings and held them up.

The Amazon looked at the drawings, her eyes widening. “They're beautiful,” she said, looking at one of Stacey's mother and father surrounded by a love heart. “Did you do them all by yourself?”

“Most of them,” the girl answered. “My friend Sophie helps me with some of them. Sophie's not her real name, though. I can't say it right.” Stacey looked at Diana. “Would you like to see their special room? Daddy and Adam's?” the girl asked her.

Diana nodded, and Stacey took her by the hand and led her out through another door out of the living room and through to a smaller area. Pictures of Alan and Adam Brandon had been set up around the space, especially on a table in one corner. There were fresh flowers were sitting in a vase.

Diana was minded of the Amazons own customs of leaving small tokens for the deceased, continuing to honour them in their memories. She paused in front of the largest photo, staring at the man and the boy. “We will keep them safe,” she promised quietly.

Stacey was watching from the middle of the room.

“Are you a mamazon?” the girl asked Diana.

She heard a soft hiccup and saw Tom in the door back to the living room, covering a small smile with his hand. She narrowed her eyes and he shrugged apologetically. “Why do you ask, Stacey?” she asked the girl.

“You kill people,” the little girl replied.

Diana was completely taken aback. She blinked, looking at the child staring at her. “Why do you say that?” she stammered.

Stacey didn’t answer, just pointed. Diana followed the path of her finger and say the little girl was pointing at her shoulder holster, just visible under her jacket.

“Do you kill people?” Stacey asked.

**brettc1** · 06-02-2012, 09:27 PM

Well its been two weeks since I posted the final drafts for free downloading. Here is what has been happening over the last fornight.

Downloads as at 03 June 2012

Wonder Woman Better Angels Pt 1 - 42 downloads

Less folks so far have downloaded part 2 but the good news is that with #3 and #4 the numbers of downloads have risen again. LOL

There was also a HUGE upward spike when Pt 7 came out, but it has not been two weeks yet so I am not posting any figures til we reach the 14 day mark.

**brettc1** · 06-06-2012, 05:08 AM

The enemies of the Amazons are on the move. But trapped in a life and death struggle to save the USS Wisconsin Diana is powerless to stop them. Can Wonder Woman deliver the warship and her crew from an ancient terror before the forces of chaos complete their mission?

https://rapidshare.com/files/4214420...ELS_PART_X.pdf

All downloading free. Just go the the green download button to download to your computer

The marine squad pounded through the tossing service ways, bouncing off the shifting walls as the battleship rocked in the huge swells. They reached their objective and took up positions, their M-16's pointed at the hatch that led out onto the front deck.

“Beta squad in position,” the corporal announced over his field comms, then aimed his weapon at the hatch and tried to keep his footing. “Waste of time,” he added just for the benefit of those nearby. “Ship's going to sink anyway.”

“Lighten up, Rjhemedes,” another of the marines said. “Wisky ain't done yet.”

“Taking on water, waves the size of office blocks, and now this,” Rjhemedes replied. He was olive skinned, with brown eyes currently locked on the hatch in front of him. The ship tossed again and a huge boom sounded outside the hatch as waves crashed over the flooded bow. “Do the math, Klaus. We'll be fish bait before dawn.”

“That's what I like about, RJ,” Klaus said with a smile. “You're such a %&@#ing optimist.”

“Realist,” the corporal said. “But hey, maybe you can sing some pretty songs as we go down, like they did on the Titanic.”

“That was a string quartet, you philistine,” Klaus told him, but further discussion was postponed by the sudden ringing of something metal banging against the hatch cover.

“Bridge, Beta squad. We have the intruder at our position,” Rjhemedes said into his mic. “Weapons free!” he called to his team, the marines flipping off the safety's on their rifles.

There was a pause, then the ringing sounded again. This time though the sounds came in a pattern – two quick taps, then two with pauses.

Rjhemedes frowned. He and Klaus exchanged glances.

The taps came again; two quick taps, a pause, then another two taps. Then a longer pause, and then two quick taps.

Rjhemedes spoke into his open channel to the command deck. “Bridge, the intruder seems to be signalling.

The tapping came again, interrupted only when another roar of water hit the front of the ship. The pattern was the same. Suddenly the watch commander's voice sounded over the comms. “Beta team, signal is Morse code for JLA! Open the hatch and stand ready.”

“Oh Jesus, this better be Superman” Klaus breathed. He and the corporal shouldered their weapons and moved to the hatch wheel as the other three marines covered them. Rjhemedes turned the wheel to unlock the cover and nodded to his companion. Then they yanked open the hatchway.

A huge surge of water exploded through the opening, carrying the two men and something red and blue down the hall and knocking the rest off their feet. The hatch banged wildly, sounding like an out of tune bell, until one of the marines was able to grab it and slam it to, spinning the handle to again secure it.

Rjhemedes was spitting out seawater as he climbed back to his feet, while Klaus was pressed against the far wall by the figure in red and gold armour, coughing and sucking in air.

The corporal took in the generous curves of the newcomer and the blue tights with white stars. “I don't think that's Superman,” he muttered.

The armoured figure sat back off the gaping Klaus and looked up at the Rjhemedes. “It's the hair isn't it?” Diana said. “It gives it away every time.”

**brettc1** · 06-18-2012, 07:28 AM

Part 11 is now up - and Wonder Woman is fighting for her life! Poseidon's wrath is nothing to joke about, but even he is not as dangerous as what is waiting for Diana.

IF she survives!

https://rapidshare.com/files/3218454...LS_PART_XI.pdf

Preview below...

USS Wisconsin

Cetus huge snakelike form came down thunderously on top of Diana. The force of the impact pushed the bow of the Wisconsin down almost underwater, and the back of the warship lifted in response. On all decks men and women screamed as they were hurled forwards. Lights blew out, pressure valves burst and alarm sirens screamed.

Diana screamed as well as the immense body hit her like an avalanche. She had time to stagger up to her knees, but she was still stunned from the blow Cetus had dealt her as it shot up over the side and she had no chance to move out of the way. She could only brace herself and use all her strength to keep the monster from driving like her like a tent peg down through the wooden deck. The Amazon was crushed down, the scaly hide tearing the skin across her shoulders as she stooped like Atlas supporting the weight of the heavens.

Cetus’ head appeared again on the starboard side, and the ship groaned as the loop of muscle that had been wrapped about it began to close. Diana heaved up, carrying the mass of the monster and the water-filled bow held in its coils as well. With a roar the beast twisted, sending her staggering aft, both of them slamming into the battleships foremost gun turret. The Princess cried out as she was pinned between the steel and the sea serpent. The three fifty foot barrels were torn away, and with a scream of its own the gun emplacement was twisted out of its mooring, pushed up and back so that is sat askew with its forward half partly crushed. Inside men crewing the gun were slammed about like beans in a child’s rattle.

The beast moved again in the opposite direction. Diana lost her footing on the rain slick deck. She crashed onto her back with the bulk of the sea monster on top of her, forcing the air from her lungs as she tried to push it off.

Melanson stared out the forward bridge widows at the bow almost awash. “Reverse engines, back us off!” He was forced to grip his chair to keep from toppling out of it as the ship dipped down further.

“Screws are clear of the water,” Gray called back from somewhere amid the chaos. “We’re stuck fast!”

Strickland was holding tight to the corner of the communications board when she heard something over her headset. “What?” she shouted in the pickup. “Say again?”

“Shoot him!” Wonder Woman’s voice ordered. Strickland heard a scream of metal outside and the Amazon groaning over the radio link. “He’ll crush the ship!”

Strickland looked out the window aghast. “He’s right on top of you,” she said.

“I know that!” Wonder Woman’s tinny radio voice yelled back. Outside the sea-monster bellowed. “Shoot him now!”

https://rapidshare.com/files/3218454...LS_PART_XI.pdf

**brettc1** · 07-01-2012, 06:25 PM

Preveiw for PART XII

Due out this week. And its all on...

Diana and Tisiphone hurtled through the forest, trading blows as they flew. Trees shattered as the two combatants’ blows missed or were deflected, or as their bodies smashed the timber sentinels to splinters.

Tisiphone howled, attacking with a ferocity that Diana had never seen. The Amazon needed all her speed to match the Erinye, wild slashes striking blue sparks from her indestructible bracers. The Princess responded in kind, picking her moment and then using her fists to batter her opponent and knock her back into the side of hill with thunderous force. Without pause Diana followed up, not giving the immortal a second of respite. Against another foe she would have offered quarter. That would do no good here. More so even than Ares, the three Erinyes were beings of elemental violence, scorning the niceties of battle.

She flew straight at Tisiphone, striking her with her full power and ramming her back into the hillside. Rocks and boulders tumbled down around them. Diana hit the shrieking Fury again and again, driving her deeper and deeper back into the earth. On the far side of the hill the ground cracked and split at the force being unleashed within.

Then a pale skinned foot flashed out, and Diana felt a planet striking her in the midriff.

The air was driven from her lungs as she was catapulted out of the cave dug with her enemy’s body, turning more trees to wreckage as the Amazon was propelled straight through them. Fifty feet away she hit the ground and ploughed a furrow in it. Tisiphone hauled herself from the hole in the rocks, spitting blood and uttering curses that stained the very air around her.

Gasping for breath Diana, pulled herself to her feet. As Tisiphone closed in she unhitched the glowing lasso from her belt.

**Frank Fournier** · 07-01-2012, 09:22 PM

I'm not sure how I feel to see names of posters from WW Message Boards in your fan fiction story. But if only Steve was there instead of Tom I'd feel better, thought...

**kelly_warrior_princess** · 07-02-2012, 07:09 AM

Suprisingly i really enjoyed it Brett. Reminds me a lot of the Pendent Audio version of Wonder Woman. Have you listened to any of the Pendent Audio stuff?

**brettc1** · 07-02-2012, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by kelly_warrior_princess

Suprisingly i really enjoyed it Brett. Reminds me a lot of the Pendent Audio version of Wonder Woman. Have you listened to any of the Pendent Audio stuff?

LOL I am not taking offence at the "surprisingly". I'm aware that there is generally a low expectation when it comes to fan fiction. I love writing and have been putting together my own stories for submission for publication [not Wonder Woman], inspired in no small part by our own Aegisbearer.

I'm glad you are liking it - feel free to offer opinions and insights - and I hope you enjoy the end as much as what you have read so far.

**brettc1** · 07-22-2012, 06:59 AM

IT'S FINISHED AT LAST!

LOL It's only taken me over three years, but I finally wrapped Better Angels. For anyone forced to wait so long for this last installment, my profound apologies. And family business has kept me busy this fortnight too. But here it is at last.

Thanks again, and I hope you like it