WELCOME

[Diana Prince]

--- Five Hours Ago ---

Diana Prince stepped into the Daily Planet newsroom for the second time in her life. This time however she was not trying to blend in. The reason that she had been sent to America had been two-fold and while her initial mission of returning Steve Trevor to America. Her second was to act as both an example to the world of man, and as a envoy of peace from her world to theirs. That she had been less successful in, preferring to hide herself away at first. While she had learned a great deal in the week or so since she had first arrived, she was not accomplishing must. Indeed she was going to have to be a great deal more public if she wanted her mission to be a success. As much as Clark Kent might wish to hide himself away, she was not going to be able to do that as part of her mission.

Wearing the Wonder Woman costume Diana knew she was going to attract attention, especially after the fight that she had been in outside the mall in Metropolis. At first nobody noticed her, but a very tall woman in what was basically armoured swimwear tends to attract attention. When the room fell silent she spoke, "I will have an announcement in Washington in five hours. If you send a reporter I will grant them an interview afterward. Thank you."

With that she was gone in the blink of an eye, heading to Washington to setup her announcement.

--- Now, Washington DC ---

Diana stepped up to the microphone. After visiting a number of news agencies around the east coast she had headed for the White House for the second time. This time she had insisted on seeing the President and after a bit of a scuffle with the Secret Service she had been allowed to. Proving that she could have simply walked in and killed the President had she wanted to had gone a long way in opening doors. After a discussion with the President it was decided that she would be introduced in the White House Rose Garden.

"Thank you Mr. President," Diana said as she spoke into the microphone. The press had been invited and were gathered on the lawn and the Amazon tried to hide the fact that she was nervous and still slightly unsure of her course of action. This was the right thing to do, this had to be, no matter what Clark Kent might believe.

"I am Princess Diana of Themiscyra, we are a tribe of women who for thousands of years have been forgotten by history, hidden from the world. A month ago one of your war planes crashed on our island, and I returned it and its pilot to you. I have been living amongst you since, and the press has called me Wonder Woman," Diana said, "Today I am coming forth to say that I will be staying in your world, the World of Man, and attempting to act as an envoy not only from my people but for peace. I was raised a warrior, and I know what it means to fight for the safety of my land, but there is too much senseless violence in your world. I will do what I can to stop the crime, and violence in America and I hope that your government and your authorities will work with me."

She stepped back from the microphone and glanced at the President who smiled and nodded. Word of costumed vigilantes had been spreading, and sightings had become more common. Diana was the first to come forward and do so in public. Of course she was going to still be Diana Prince when not on duty, blending into the world, but it was time for Wonder Woman to stop hiding.

The President stepped up to the mic, "If there are any questions for our visitor, you can ask them now."

This post has been edited by Diana Prince on Sep 15 2009, 04:38 PM

[Lex Luthor]

Lex had been one of the first to find out that this Wonder Woman character was making an announcement at the White House in Washington several hours later after her appearance at the Daily Planet. He ordered several talented reporters to his office and instructed them to uncover all the information and secrets about this new superhero to the best of their individual abilities. Once they had been briefed, the reporters were put on planes and departed for the District of Columbia. However, Lex did not plan on missing this memorable occasion. Once his team of Daily Planet workers had been assembled, the wealthy billionaire reported to his private airplane and was made airborne shortly after his arrival on the scene. "Mister Luthor, we will be arriving in Washington in the next hour. The pilot has changed course to quicken the travel." Somebody announced to inform the billionaire traveler. Lex nodded, thanking the attendant and then returning to his cold glass of expensive brandy. It did not take very much longer before they started to land and the passenger was asked to fasten himself in to his seat to guarantee his safety. The landing process consumed more time than the Luthor had hoped for but as soon as the winged vehicle touched down on the pavement, a black car was already waiting for the billionaire at its location.

"We're going to be late," Lex frowned, looking at the time on his watch. He seated himself inside the automobile and closed the door, ordering the driver to make great haste during the travel. They were on the road for several minutes; traffic was brutal because word about the meeting with the new superhero had been leaked to the public, encouraging everybody to congregate at the White House. The Luthor did not find it very hard to get in, after all, he was well-connected. The wealthy businessman was guaranteed a seat at the conference and listened to the Amazon princess dictate to the audience why she had been in their world now. Finally, the announcement had been made and all was finished, giving the crowd an opportunity to ask the questions. Lex raised his hand and after a moment, was selected to ask the next question. "You talk about stopping crime and violence in the United States of America, but with what powers will you do that with? What talents do you possess that make you stand out from the rest of us human beings?" The Luthor asked, almost in a tone that suggested he was interrogating the foreign princess. Under the surface of his polite manner, Lex wanted to find out everything about this Amazon princess. After all, she had managed to defeat Persephone and survived to tell the tale.

[Diana Prince]

Diana studied Lex Luthor for a moment. Though she had only seen him briefly in the offices of the Daily Planet his face registered in her memory. There was something about the question that felt slightly leading, as if answering presented a danger within itself. However she could think of no real reason not to answer, and one reflection it was a fair question. If she was positioning herself as a defender of the public, she would have to prove that she was indeed capable of such things. "I am considerably stronger than a normal human, faster as well and I have the ability to fly," Diana explained, "However I see myself being an example and a bridge between our peoples. My culture has no crime, a strong sense of commitment to our community and in turn there is much that we can learn from you. Together I believe that we can make both our peoples better off."

It was the diplomatic answer, the last thing she wanted to do was to seem stuck up or above people. While much of what she had witnessed in the world of man had annoyed or upset her. The treatement of women, how some of them wanted to do nothing more than to marry rich and live off the success of their husband. Racial or gener inequalities. However she was sure that her home was also not perfect, despite it being called Paradise Island.

"You have advanced cures of diseases and sicknesses, we have natural remedies," the Amazon said, "This is just one area that both cultures can learn and grow due to co-operation and sharing. I am sure there are many others."

The Amazon smiled, hoping that her answer was both informative and not too confrontational. The last thing she wanted was to start any kind of conflict between her people and America.

[Lex Luthor]

He could feel it, Diana's sense of danger, that is. The billionaire, however, remained seated and retained the collected appearance on his countenance, waiting for the Amazon princess to answer his question. Finally, she delivered her answer. The princess claimed to be stronger than the average human being; Lex had seen this for himself, or at least, he had heard about it in the Daily Planet newspaper. Being stronger than a "normal human being", however, was an understatement for certain. In Luthor's opinion, being stronger than "normal" would mean one was capable of lifting masses just greater than four-hundred or five-hundred pounds, but it was mentioned in the papers that this Wonder Woman was able to lift a vehicle over her head and did not demonstrate any difficulty in accomplishing that incredible feat. Furthermore, it seemed that Diana possessed even more abilities and talents that Lex was not made aware of during her fight with Persephone many days earlier. She mentioned that should could move faster than any human being (although how fast was still uncertain to the Luthor) and that she could fly. Both of those abilities had not been witnessed by the Luthor, but he had heard about her using them in the fight against the superhuman beings that attacked Metropolis City many days before she faced off with Persephone.

Lex could feel that Diana's sense of danger, however earnest, was now becoming misleading. Not wanting her to feel anymore uncomfortable, he clapped his hands together and smiled in the foreigner's direction. "Well, then I suppose that those talents and abilities would make you more able and well-suited for fighting crime rather than lending police officers to placing themselves in great dangers," Lex remarked. She did not seem to be proud or pompous; both of those qualities might not have suited her, a foreign visitor from another island isolated from modern society, in front of the greatest people of the United States of America. She was, however, confident that her abilities could protect Metropolis from itself, but Lex was not very certain. She then commented on how the United States had possessed more advanced technology as well as remedies to natural and unnatural sicknesses and diseases, where they only offered natural medicine in her society. "Yes, where our cultures differ, I believe we can learn a great deal from each other and that is what we should look forward to," he added, commenting on her last remark. The Luthor wanted to win Princess Diana over so that he could acquire her trust. This would give him the opportunity to study more about her and her strange and unusual features and talents.

[Diana Prince]

"Yes, where our cultures differ, I believe we can learn a great deal from each other and that is what we should look forward to."

Diana nodded, glad that her feeling had in fact been wrong. Her distrust of men was something that she realized she would need to deal with in time. For now the only ones that she felt comfortable around was Clark Kent and Steve Trevor and the truth was those were the only two that she had spent any time with. Perhaps the key was spending time with them, getting to know them and allowing herself to open up to them. Then maybe she would find that all men were good and trustworthy in the same manner that she had found all women in this world to be of good character. The questions continued and Diana was patient and tried to answer all that she could. They might have stayed there all night asking questions, since the red-blue-blur was still a secret this was one of the few chances that the public had to interact with a meta-human. However as patient as she was after a few hours Diana thanked the reporters for attending and stepped down from the platform.

However rather than leaving Diana stayed, speaking briefly with the President and then heading into the crowd in search of Lex Luthor. Finding the millionaire was not particularly hard, he was taller than average height and had a bald head. Approaching him she bowed her head, "Thank you for your questions, I hope that you found my answer sufficient. You are from The Daily Planet, I have read your coverage of this 'red-blue-blur'. It is interesting reading."

"Though I suppose I must reassure you that I am not this blur," Diana smiled. She well could be mistaken for it, she knew that, especially given that she wore red, white and blue and that could easily be caught by the eye as a red/blue blur if she was traveling as fast as she could.

[Lex Luthor]

Once the conference was over, Lex waited for many of the audience members to depart before standing up and taking his leave from the White House. This was done to avoid traffic to the best of his abilities, but before the Luthor could evacuate the premises, Princess Diana had approached the wealthy billionaire and greeted him. This was a surprise to the Luthor for he did not expect such a famous figure to be talking to him out of all the people in the vast crowd that observed her speech about protecting the United States of America from crime and stopping unnecessary violence in the country. She thanked him for the questions he posed earlier, seemingly believing that they had all been mentioned in order to further her appearance as a "good" public figure. "Your answers were more than sufficient, but I wish I could learn more about your people," Lex commented, turning around to face the Amazon after he had been addressed by her. Diana further mentioned that she had read about the red-blue-blur in the newspaper and said that it intrigued her, or was it that she was interested in the subject matter? It was one or the other, and both of them were almost the same in definition. "Of course, I did not write the particular piece that you are talking about myself. I am Lex Luthor, president of the Daily Planet," he introduced.

Diana assured the billionaire that she was not this red-blue-blur character, however, he was well-aware of that already. Clark Kent, an ordinary farm boy, had been responsible for the miraculous activities in Metropolis City lately, but with the appearance of a new Wonder Woman, he would soon have competition. "Yes, well I am well-aware that you are not this blur-character now. It was silly for my reporters to assume that, and for that, I deliver to you my deepest apologies," he said, tipping his head in hopes that the superhero was not deeply offended, although the Luthor was quite certain that she would not be. "Are you not busy at the moment? Don't you have many meetings and interviews to attend to? If not, I would like to extend an invitation to you. An evening out on the town so that you can become better-acquainted with the new scenery," Lex generously offered. On the surface, it appeared like he was playing the role of a kind and gentle man; somebody who was looking to help a new face in town. However, underneath that guise, the Luthor was actually hoping to find out more about Diana so that perhaps he could discover a weakness and use it against her if the occasion arises such that she becomes an obstacle and needs to be removed. "How about it? My treat, of course," Lex added, smiling.

[Diana Prince]

"How about it? My treat, of course," Lex added, smiling.

Diana thought it over. Her true desire was to return to Smallville and the Kent Farm to be near Clark, but speaking with someone of Lex Luthor's level of wealth and influence was her job. She was a diplomat and a servant of her people, much as her mother was as well even if she was the Queen, and so as the liason between the Amazons and humanity she had to be availble for these sorts of meetings and not simply hidden away on a farm in small town America. Clark would understand, she hoped. She realized that she had not consulted him, or even informed him, of what she was going to do until she had done it and she felt bad about that. However this was what she should have done on the first day arriving in America and instead she had waited until now.

"I would need to change, of course, but I accept. Learning more about your customs and building alliances between our peoples is why I am here," she said. Dressing in street clothing would be too close to revealing her identity and in effect endangering Clark's own secret if his boss ever saw them together. That left her traditional Greek garb. "Perhaps you could give me directions to some place and I could meet you."

[Lex Luthor]

Diana paused after she was invited out onto the town by the Luthor. He wondered if she had picked up on his deeper motive, but that was not the case. She seemed to be very intelligent, but not very hard to convince or persuade. Lex, however, was aware of this because it was reasonable for anybody to believe that somebody who had been isolated from modern society for so long would be easy to sway. This was most probably because of their lack in ability to distinguish between somebody who had a genuine desire to aid the newcomer versus somebody such as the wealthy billionaire who had hoped to benefit from this coming meeting. "Excellent," Lex smiled. However, the businessman wanted to learn as much about this Princess Diana today as he could, especially now that she had accepted his invitation to cruise on the city. It would be a good start, Lex thought, for him to discover her whereabouts and where her place of residence was while she was not on duty. Lex thought that somebody like her would live in a small place, maybe an apartment or even a motel if she had just entered the city as she claimed in her announcement. However, now, after she had broadcast to all of the United States of America, there was no doubt in his mind that she would be pampered and well-looked after by the government.

After all, it was not everyday a superhero stepped forward and announced their existence to all of society.

"What kind of escort would I be if I let you travel by yourself?" Lex smiled, politely declining her request for him to propose a place of meeting. "Have you ever been in a limousine before?" He asked, certain that the answer was "no". They had already started to walk after the conference was concluded. The foreign Amazon princess who was now in the company of a wealthy businessman was now being guided toward where the billionaire's limousine had been waiting. It was a long black automobile that stretched several meters longer in both the front and back directions than any other ordinary car. "Where do you stay? My driver will take us there. We may not move as fast as you do, but I guarantee that it will be a much more pleasant experience rather than running or flying there by yourself," the Luthor assured, hoping that his persuasive tone of voice would do him justice and convince Diana to lead him to her place of residence. Still, he had not yet thought about a place to meet with the Amazon envoy if she had declined his generous offer to escort her back to her place at which she stayed during her short visit to the North American continent. There was not a lot of reason for her to accept, however if she wanted to retain a good appearance in the public eye, there would be no worry for the Luthor.

[Diana Prince]

Diana considered the offer, it still did not provide her a chance to change her clothing but it seemed as if it would be rude to turn down the offer. From what she understood limousines were a sign of wealth and status in this society and being offered a ride in one must have been something of a privilege. To turn it down could be seen as an insult of some kind and that was a mistake that Diana wanted to avoid. After a brief moment she decided that refusing the offer would cause more awkwardness than simply continuing the evening dressed in what had been dubbed her "Wonder Woman" costume. She inclined her head and smiled, "That is a most kind offer, of course I will accept an escort."

Diana reached down and ensured that her magical lasso was still securely affixed to the side of her waist and she headed towards the car with Luthor. Stopping out side of it she confirmed, "I do not need to change, if you are comfortable with dinning with me dressed in this manner. It would take considerable time to travel to where I have a change of clothing with your motorcar and since I am staying with someone who has agreed to be a host to me during my time here I do not feel that respecting their privacy is important."

Though Diana knew nothing of the long and complicated history between Lex Luthor and Clark Kent, she hardly wanted to show up at the Kent Farm having lead someone there. Not only would it potentially threaten the secret of Clark's own abilities but it would also be both rude and a considerable journey by normal human methods of transportation. Diana figured that Lex Luthor would, if he was typical of the men that she had met, prefer her to remain dressed in the costume anyway. The Wonder Woman suit was much more revealing than Grecian robes would be.

[Lex Luthor]

She graciously accepted his generous offer and walked toward the long car with the Luthor. Lex explained to her what "cars" were in case she was not familiar with them. They could be compared to chariots without the necessity of horses to pull them along for the ride. He explained that the "horsepower" was stored inside the engine, but Lex could see somebody turning that into a joke and saying that "if the horses are in the engine, they must be very small". Diana warned the billionaire that if she accepted his offer, she would not have the chance to change into normal clothing, but that did not bother the Luthor one bit in the slightest. He was used to being noticed in a busy crowd of people and now that he had Wonder Woman in his company, he would surely attract even more attention. "Of course I am comfortable with your choice of dress. In fact, I think that you look lovely," he complimented, smiling as he offered the kind gesture. Nothing seemed to spark his interested right away until Diana mentioned that she was staying with somebody. For some reason, he thought of Clark and how he had always covered for people with special abilities since he had become friends with the billionaire businessman, but that was impossible for an ordinary farm boy to meet somebody with a remarkable social status such as Wonder Woman.

He forgot, however, that Clark had not been ordinary. There were many peculiar things about him, but the most strange thing about the farm boy was the fact that he was so secretive that it was frightening. When they arrived at the limousine, a well-dressed man opened the door for both members of the party and waited until they had been seated to close the door and walk around the automobile. Once the driver had returned to his seat in the front, Lex ordered him to take the couple to a fine and exquisite restaurant whether it was near or far. "So, about this place that you're staying at. Where is it exactly? Who are you staying with? At least, I hope you do not mind that I am asking you these questions," Lex smiled, putting on a charade to see if whether or not he could recover some valuable information pertaining to Clark Kent and his band of good-doers. Lex did not want to come off as scary, but the questions he had been asking would frighten anybody else that was normal or not out of the ordinary. "Please, I hope that my questions do not bother you. If they make you uncomfortable at all, let me know and I will stop with the interrogation," he assured, hoping not to have scared his company. He had not given her any reason to be suspicious yet, so he planned on keeping it that way for as long as possible.

[Diana Prince]

Diana shook her head and smiled as Luthor apologized for the rush of questions that he unloaded at her. She touched her lasso that was lashed to her hip, as subconcious reminder of the value of the truth in any interaction. However while she would like to be forth coming with the man, who was acting as a sort of diplomat for mankind himself, she knew that the explanation of how she knew Clark Kent and why she was staying at his farm would be too revealling to Clark's own secrets which were not hers to give away. Instead she did her best to deflect the questions by focusing at first on the apology.

"No, of course there is no reason to apologize. I wish to be honest and open about every aspect of myself so that your people can best understand mine," she said, before turning to his specific questions, "However for now since my host is not one of my people I do not feel that I can place them in a position of having their privacy violated. However let me assure you that they are not involved in my task here."

That much was true. While she and Clark had fought together against the three villains before, he was not really part of why she had come here. Finding him, and his friendship, had been a great thing for her personally but since Clark was relatively unimportant in regards to how America and the rest of the world was run, not being a politician or holding any economic power, he was unable to assist her in her duties here. At least until he stepped up and stopped hiding who he really was.

"But please feel free to ask me anything else, my people believe in honesty. In fact the lasso that I carry is an example of that, anyone bound by it is compelled to tell nothing but the truth which is how we attempt to live our lives at all times anyway," she explained.

[Lex Luthor]

Diana did a wonderful job in avoiding the question, giving her time to think about answering it before she actually had to. "Oh, I understand," he said, comforting the princess. Lex hoped to find out just who was hiding this fearsome warrior princess from society. He had a hunch that it was Clark but it would just be too strange and random for him to be connected to the foreign fighter. Suddenly, the billionaire remembered a paper that he had come across shortly after returning to the Daily Planet and it was titled "Dynamic Duo Save Lives". The article mentioned Wonder Woman and Superman, otherwise referred to as The Blur by the people of Metropolis City. "I just thought that maybe if I was familiar with this person, I could help them by providing you with a home of your own so that you would not have to worry about bothering them," Lex explained, hoping to induce a sense of guilt in the warrior princess. "This person wouldn't happen to live on a farm would he?" A strong hunch told him that it was Clark after all but he did not want to assume anything that would endanger their re-established friendship. The limousine finally parked outside of a tall building. Its door was opened by the driver and both Lex and Diana were escorted to the front door of the very expensive eatery.

Once they had started towards the restaurant, Lex stopped with the questions for the time being. "A table for two," Lex said to the host of the expensive place. The gentleman nodded and scribbled down something on his paper before directing the businessman and his company to a table for two by a window. Lex seated Diana first and then himself at the small and rounded table. A small candle was centered on the table in between the two guests and eating utensils were packed together in a rolled up white cloth used in place of a serviette. "Please order anything that you like or might think is appealing. Money is no obstacle when it comes to a Luthor," he smiled, motioning towards the menu. However, before she could flip through the menu, Lex proposed that they have champagne to celebrate her coming to the United States of America. "It is a tradition for people to have champagne during their celebrations no matter how big or small. It is something I have become accustomed to at least," Lex added, ordering an expensive bottle from the waiter who had passed by him. Once the order had been placed, Lex proceeded to look through the menu for real food to eat. He was not terribly hungry but it would be rude to come to such an expensive restaurant and only sit and talk.

[Diana Prince]

"This person wouldn't happen to live on a farm would he?"

Diana smiled and tilted her head, "I suppose eventually you could name the sort of place where I am staying if you wished, but as I said it is not for me to say. I am sorry."

She hoped that that answer neither confirmed nor denied whether or not she was staying on a farm. It was odd that his first guess had been farm, especially since it seemed that most Americans lived in cities or towns as opposed to farms like Clark Kent. However she tried not to let the surprise show in her face, and instead focused on being as polite as possible. Luthor mentioned that money was no object, but that hardly impressed the Amazonian Princess who was still trying to come to terms with the idea of money. Still she understood that it was a generous offer, and so she nodded her assent and said a brief thank you.

After a brief period where she tried to study the menu, but found nothing particularly that jumped out at her she closed it and nodded to Luthor again, "Perhaps you could suggest a meal for me. I am not familiar with most of the foods here, but I am sure nearly everything is quite good."

Resturants were still something that she was going to have to get used to. It would take time, of course, but for now she was happy enough to allow Luthor to dictate the meal as much as he was dictating the course of the evening.

[Lex Luthor]

She seemed to have figured him out. Lex smiled at her answer to his question and finally put the subject matter to rest so that he and his company could enjoy their dinner. Diana seemed to be unfamiliar with the different types of food on the menu so Lex asked for everything to be delivered to their table for them; it was not a great cost for somebody of his stature and it might have persuaded the foreign princess to put more trust in him. The waiter nodded and walked away with their menus so that they would be out of the way. It was going to take a long time to prepare everything in the house so Lex was asked to be patient with them. Of course, the billionaire businessman did not object or make a scene; patience was a virtue. There had been many delicious plates on the menu; steak, lobster, fish, chicken, spaghetti, as well as many salads, soups, and more. All of it would be delivered to their small table for Diana to sample and enjoy. "I hope you find something here good-tasting," he smiled, pouring the champagne into his glass and hers. "I propose a toast to your arrival," Lex said, raising his cup. He was aware that Diana might not have been familiar with the tradition, so he told her that it was someone or something in honour of which people usually have a drink to celebrate that honour.

He tapped his cup against Diana's and downed the expensive beverage. Lex and Diana then waited for the meals to be delivered to their table. When the first plate had arrived, they started to eat and before they could finish even half of that delicacy, another meal had arrived. Lex tried just about everything he had ordered, finding almost everything he tried to be absolutely delicious. He was, however, not sure that Diana would agree. The billionaire, although familiar with the many exotic and expensive foods that people of a higher society cherished, was not aware of what kind of foods Diana had tasted back on her isolated island. The bottle of champagne was not ever finished; Lex had ordered another expensive drink for himself and Diana which he then proceeded to polish off. By the end of the evening, his hunger had been satisfied and his stomach now content. "I hope you found some of that good at least," he commented after wiping his mouth with the white cloth he had been provided with and folding it neatly beside him on the table when he finished. The bill had already been prepared upon request by the billionaire guest and his foreign company. He paid the amount that was due and then was ready to leave when Diana had finished. "I've been asking a lot of questions of you," Lex paused.

"If there is anything you would like to know about me, don't hesitate to ask," he finished with a smile on his face.