Last of the 2-dollar bills (The real story)
By Paulafleur
Chapter 1.
September 1942 17.00 Chesapeake Bay
Yeoman Prince crouched down beside Major Trevor and pondered the latest insanity of man's world. Wotan the crack German agent was due to be landed in Chesapeake Bay that evening. The Navy had reported engaging a nazi u-boat earlier that day but had not confirmed the kill. It seemed obvious to Diana, Wotan was extremely dangerous, and the u-boat was probably still out there, and therefore they needed to be in place to stop him. Despite this intelligent assessment neither Major Trevor nor General Blankenship had been able to scrape up any troops to help prepare the reception for Wotan. Steve had told her that the intelligence they'd received was unconfirmed and that as Air Force officers they were unable to persuade the army to let them borrow a platoon or even a squad of soldiers for this operation, which left the massive force of Major Trevor and Yeoman Prince to bring in a boat load of nazi agents and their formidable leader… this Wotan. Neither was their communications link quite as sophisticated or lightweight as the jewelled headbands she and her amazon sisters wore on Paradise Island. The portable radio they'd drawn from the stores was certainly portable for Diana in her Wonder Woman guise and to be fair fitted very nicely into the back of their jeep however there it had had to stay. Steve had said besides weighing a ton the thing would jam up at the slightest excuse when placed anywhere but a cool dark room. Still if and when the time came Wonder Woman would not be far Diana grinned as she remembered Etta reading out the joke from Stars and Stripes "Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms." Just then Steve handed her the binoculars and told her to check her 1 o'clock.
The rubber boat held three men, Steve told Diana to contact General Blankenship while he tried to hold up the party. Diana raced back to the jeep and prayed that Athena had protected the precious radio from these gremlins she had been warned about. Steve Trevor readied himself to leap on the unsuspecting Germans, all were dressed in black and one of them was wearing a full-face mask, it had to be Wotan himself. As the unsuspecting men disembarked and started to hide the boat Steve leapt into action landing on top of one of them. Diana having got through to General Blankenship and been reassured that help was on the way whirled into Wonder Woman. She raced back to the beach and saw Steve facing off against two agents by the shore and a masked man and a large civilian standing by the cliff face. The Amazing Amazon hurled the brown suited civilian out of the way before going head to head with the masked stranger.
Those eyes so intense.
Wonder Woman was getting the better of her foe when she saw a gun being drawn on Major Trevor out of the corner of her eye. With cat like grace she hurled her foe aside and leaped to Steve's defence, two shots rang out both bullets being parried by Wonder Woman's bracelets before the Amazon warrior seized the agent's gun and tied him to his other colleague with the golden lasso. Wotan though busy making his escape did not fail to observe Wonder Woman's incredible feats. By the time Wonder Woman and Steve could resume the chase all there was to mark the passage of Wotan was a discarded mask.
Washington DC the following morning.
Etta and Diana were at lunch break going to the Capital Café when a bearded street photographer pounced on them, offering to take their pictures for a small sum. Etta persuaded the somewhat reluctant Diana to pose with her, after they had dutifully said cheese Etta filled in a mailer slip for three copies to be sent to her. As she was doing this Diana got a good look at the photographer's face, haven't I seen those eyes before she wondered. The girls went into the Capital Café just as the owner Maggie Rollins came out to meet her fiancé Hank Miller. Neither the engaged couple nor Etta and Diana noticed how much of an interest the photographer took in them as he snapped the lovebirds several times in rapid succession.
Berlin a week later.
Top Nazi spy Wotan sat at a table looking over the best graduates of the American village infiltration course, finally he selected two of the candidates as the best size and weight matches. Dismissing the others he turned to the plastic surgeon looking at the pictures of Maggie Rollins and Hank Miller. "How soon Herr Doctor?" asked Wotan, "Three weeks maybe four" came the reply from the white coated surgeon, "Two weeks!" corrected Wotan "They must be ready to fly into America two weeks from now." The doctor sighed and motioned for the two chosen agents to accompany him to the operating theatre. After their departure Wotan picked up a telephone, dialled and began to speak. "Professor Kranz I need to know of your progress on the Panzer-Man project!"
Washington DC two weeks later.
Diana looked up from her book (American Slang) as Etta stormed into the office, tearfully Etta explained that she'd ordered three photo's and not even one had been sent. Diana tried to calm Etta saying "It's difficult for me to accept the premise that the man was working a 'flimflam' on us." Dolefully Etta replied "Flimflam yes that's exactly what it was." Etta also said that one of the pictures was going to be for Diana and Diana mused that she could send it to her mother, "She's never seen me in uniform." Etta grabbed Diana's arm and insisted that they go and get their pictures back, Diana knew better than to argue with her boisterous and sometimes manic colleague. The address on the mailing slip was for a photography studio not far from the Capital Café and the two friends soon found themselves there. The owner of the property was the target for all of Etta's indignation and kept saying that the photographer had only used the studio to develop a couple of pictures and was no longer there. Something about his denials seemed a little formulaic to Diana and when they finally left she excused herself while Etta consoled herself at the café, in a side alley Diana spun round and emerged from a ball of light as Wonder Woman.
A radio transmitter and there's our friendly proprietor.
She recognized the man as the civilian who'd gone to meet Wotan on the beach and after his brief and utterly futile attempt to flee called the War Department. Steve soon joined her with a vengeful Etta in tow, when Steve asked about the street photographer, Etta told him that he took a picture of her and Diana in front of the Cafe, right across the street from the Bureau of Printing and Engraving where they "make all the lovely money." Wonder Woman was amazed that there was a place where they make money, and Steve explained that they do some top security printing for the War Department as well, and he often checks out their security for them. Steve suggested Wonder Woman to join him there on Friday morning, to give her a tour. Etta grinned suitably impressed that she just watched Steve ask Wonder Woman out on a date.
Meanwhile back in Berlin.
Wotan positioned photographs onto a board and told the two agents to study them and remember "You're newly engaged and very much in love." The two agents examine the pictures and then turn around.
"Such a simple plan, kidnap the people replace them with their doubles, steal the plates and flood the economy with billions of counterfeit bills wrecking the US economy."
The duplicate Hank Miller clutches his jaw in a sudden spasm of pain and explains it must be a loose filling, Wotan tells him to get it fixed before they depart that evening. Later that day the doctor carefully moves some textbooks out of a cupboard to reveal a transmitter, he then begins to send a message to the allies. Before he can get even halfway the door is kicked in by a heavy set Gestapo man with more security troops behind him, then Wotan enters the doctor's office. "I wondered how the Americans knew I would be in Washington, in any event this will be your last transmission. They won't hear from you again!" After the Gestapo men had departed dragging the doctor with them Wotan smiled to himself.
"And after we crush the American economy I will crush Wonder Woman with my own two hands."
Chapter 2.
The War Department Washington DC.
General Blankenship informed Steve of the last truncated message from their by now former agent, "Wotan 2$ bills" Steve looked and looked trying to tie the loose ends together racking his brain to make them fit, he didn't even notice his head slowly coming to rest on the desk in front of him. Diana finding him asleep in his chair the following morning gently brushed his hair from his forehead before waking him. She chided him about staying up all night and he informed her of the Wotan connection to the 2$ bill. Suddenly Steve remembered he had a date with Wonder Woman at nine and rushed out of the office to keep it. Diana studied the bill for a minute and then exclaimed, "Of course, thank you Mr Jefferson!" and kissed the bill before leaving to meet Steve.
Bureau of Printing and Engraving 09.00.
"Hi I hope you haven't been waiting too long." Said Steve.
Wonder Woman met Steve on the steps of the bureau as they exchanged pleasantries Wonder Woman said she hoped she wasn't keeping him from any important business. Steve replied that he had a problem with Wotan and 2$ bills and maybe the tour would give him some idea of what Wotan was up to. So saying he took Wonder Woman's arm and they entered the building. Across town in the Capital Café Maggie was just hiring a new counterman when she received a phone call from Hank telling her that Wonder Woman was visiting them. Maggie grabbed a menu from the counter and told the new help "Excuse me I'll be right back." The new counterman a disguised Wotan watched her leave with a smile on his face.
In the bureau Wonder Woman was asking about the printing process, and Hank explained that it involved special inks, paper, and the engraving plates. As the tour ended, Maggie met Steve, Diana, and Hank in front of the building. Maggie's brother in the army was a huge fan along with Maggie herself, and she handed Diana a Cafe menu to autograph to send to him to boost his morale. Wonder Woman complied saying "Anything we can do for our men in uniform." and Maggie's face lit up when she handed the autograph back to her. After signing the menu Diana thanked Steve for arranging the tour, amazed at how simple the process of printing money is, "If you had the proper equipment and the plates you could print as much money as you wanted, millions even billions of dollars." Steve realised in a flash that this was exactly what Wotan planned to do, and told a confused Wonder Woman that she's right--the economy would be destroyed. He thanked her, and rushed back to the War Department.
When Maggie returned to the cafe, she was confused to find the closed sign in the window, and demanded to know what her new counterman was up to. Wotan replied that she had told him to do this and pointed to the woman sitting down at the counter. The woman turned to face her and Maggie felt her sense of reality coming undone as she faced the nazi agent who was her exact double and a doppelganger of Hank. Wotan instructed her to call Hank and the terrified café owner picked up the phone.
Back at the War Department, Steve filled General Blankenship in on Wotan's plan. They order Secret Service protection for Hank Miller, and Steve sent Diana to pick up some lunch at the Capitol Cafe. Wotan locked the real Maggie and Hank in the basement, and then "Hank" went back to work, where Dan Fletcher, his "guardian angel" assigned to him by Major Trevor's office, met him. Moments later Diana arrived at the cafe.
"Two tuna fish one on rye, one on whole wheat. A ham and cheese, two coffees, one black. One tea with… Lemon please."
Those eyes I've seen them before and what's this?
Diana saw the menu she autographed for Maggie as Wonder Woman, Maggie seemed completely oblivious to her precious autograph. Diana excused herself and said she'd be back to pick up her order in a moment.
"Now to get to the bottom of this!"
Wonder Woman phoned Steve impersonating Fletcher's voice to tell him that he was at the café and something was wrong then returned to the cafe where "Maggie" not only didn't remember meeting her, but also claimed that the autograph was for her sister. Wonder Woman demanded to know what happened to the real Maggie. At that point Wotan peeling off his moustache strode over saying "If you try anything Wonder Woman the deaths of the real Maggie Rollins and Hank Miller will be on your conscience." "How do I know you're telling me the truth?" Responded Wonder Woman, "That is easy enough to prove." Smiled the nazi spy gesturing for her to go down to the basement. Wonder Woman spared a quick glare towards the false Maggie as she followed Wotan through the door. In the basement just as Wotan had said the real Maggie and Hank were caged with a gunman covering them. "Your arm, now Wonder Woman." Insisted Wotan and resentfully she stretched it out towards him, Wotan reached into his apron pocket and produced a hypodermic.
"Just a little something to keep you relaxed Wonder Woman, you have a long journey ahead of you."
"And when you awaken I will be ready to defeat and destroy you."
Meanwhile, "Hank" had tied up Fletcher and was in the process of stealing the plates. Steve arrived at the Cafe, but there was no sign of Fletcher. He asked "Maggie" when the last time she spoke with Hank was. She got "Hank" on the phone, and Steve asked him about Fletcher. "Hank" told him he thought Fletcher was outside, at that moment Fletcher was tied up in his office. "Hank" puts the phone down and sets a bomb set to go off the following day, to disguise the theft of the plates. Steve met "Hank" in front of the building, and when "Hank" complained of a toothache, insisted on taking him to his personal dentist. "Hank" dropped the plates off with Wotan and told him that Trevor insisted on taking him to the dentist, and Wotan replied "Trevor must be eliminated". Wotan returned to the basement where he the gunman and "Maggie" transferred the bound unconscious Wonder Woman to a van.
Meanwhile, the dentist informed Steve that "Hank's" loose filling was steel--not gold, and that the Nazis were using steel for fillings. Steve told the dentist to "play dumb for now, so as not to tip "Hank" off." Steve and "Hank" arrived back at the cafe, where a patron tells him Maggie went down to the basement. "Hank" offers go take a look, but Steve reminds him that he's "top priority" so Steve accompanied him. "Hank" tripped Steve on the stairs, then he and "Maggie" put him in a cage with the real Miller and Robbins. As "Maggie" and "Hank" leave the basement "Hank" sneeringly told Steve that Fletcher would die when the bomb he placed in the vault went off and that he, Maggie and Hank would soon join him.
As soon as the door had closed Steve called the gunman over with superb timing and precision punched him through the bars of the cage rendering him unconscious. Seizing the agent's gun and shot the lock on the cage, quickly telling Maggie and Hank to report to General Blankenship he ran out of the basement door to try and save Fletcher. General Blankenship quickly calls in the troops to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving to find that Steve had freed Fletcher and defused the bomb.
Meanwhile at Chesapeake Bay Wotan and his beautiful captive departed for Brazil.
The next day, Steve gave Etta a copy of his report and told her that the government had decided to take $2 bills out of circulation. Etta mentioned that she had read Dan Fletcher's report, about how Steve defused the bomb, and that Steve left that out of his report to the General. A flustered but sincere Steve insisted, "It was no big deal!" Then both of them began to wonder about Diana and Wonder Woman. At that moment on board a u-boat in the Caribbean Wotan was instructing the vessel's doctor to keep Wonder Woman in a state of sedation until they reached the port of Salvador in Brazil.
Chapter 3.
A secret German research centre in Brazil.
Wonder Woman made short work of her chains and then set about exploring her prison.
The prison seemed deserted but suddenly the voice of Wotan came from a tannoy, "Ah I see you are ready to participate in our demonstration." Wonder Woman oriented herself on the hidden speaker and raised her arms ready to fight. "The test area is at the end of the next corridor to your left, I will meet you there and together we will demonstrate the supremacy of the Third Reich." Wotan informed Wonder Woman "I doubt that," retorted the super heroine as she took the corridor Wotan had specified. The test area appeared to be as deserted as the rest of the base until Wotan stepped out from behind a stack of crates. The agent looked somehow different to their last meeting and as Wonder Woman's gaze fell on his hands she began to understand what it was. Wotan held up one of his metallic fists and spoke, "Greetings Wonder Woman I am glad to see that you are in good health, it would be poor sport if you were too ill from the drugs to fight no matter how ineffectual your efforts may be." "What do you mean?" questioned Wonder Woman. "Professor Kranz has been working diligently on what we have termed the Panzer Man project and you see me now transformed into an uber-soldat, with this power assisted armour I will prove to the high command and the Americans the invincibility of the Panzer Man." Replied Wotan, "Your destruction will be that proof Wonder Woman." He added and began to laugh. As Wonder Woman moved she saw the cameras and a white-coated scientist watching from an observation room.
A deflected power bolt had shattered the glass of the observation room; Wonder Woman leapt through and found Professor Kranz. Unlike herself he had been hit on the underside of the jaw rather than her power belt, his head though still attached by skin was quite a distance from his shoulders and he was extremely dead. The laboratory yielded notes, models, prototype power limbs, a quantity of explosives and some chloroform. Wonder Woman set several charges to ensure the complete destruction of the project and then went hunting for the demoralised guards. The explosives detonated just as Wonder Woman finished drugging and tying the last of them, she found a phone and called the war department in Washington. After greeting the secret service agents and showing them her latest haul of captives she summoned her robot plane and departed for home.