Truth pt.2

"Why are you acting like this is all so normal?" Steve said, "I didn't mean to say those things about you."

"You didn't?"

"Of course not, you're one of us after all," Steve said as he looked towards Diana and the queen for answers

"The Lasso of Hestia compels you to reveal the truth," Diana explained shortly.

"But it's really hot."

"It's pointless and painful to resist." The woman holding him said.

"Since you know who I am, I guess you should trust me enough right?" Howard asked as Steve nodded a little not sure what to make of it, "Just answer without resisting, that thing is supernatural, so better tell it without much resistance."

"Supernatural? That's impossi-"

"Does anything that happened today look natural to you?" Howard said as he pointed at the bullet holes in his shirt with no wounds.

Steve gulped as he looked back at the queen nodding at her with a hesitant face.

"What is your mission?"

"Look, whoever you guys are, you are in more danger than you think," Steve warned them one last time but seeing their face and Howard's nonchalant expression he gave up, "I am a spy, okay. I am a spy. British Intelligence got word that the leader of the German Army, General Ludendorff, would be visiting a secret military installation in the Ottoman Empire. I posed as one of their pilots, and flew in with them."

"According to our intel, the Germans had no troops left, no money, no munitions of any kind. But our intel was wrong." Steve continued, "The Germans had the Turks building bombs for them. And not just bombs, new weapons. Secret weapons. Invented by Ludendorff's chief psychopath, Dr. Isabel Maru. The boy in the trenches called her 'Dr. Poison.' And for good reason."

"From what I could tell, if Dr. Maru was able to complete her work, millions would die. The war would never end. I was there to observe ad reports, nothing more, but I had to do something. So I stole Dr. Maru's note and ran off on an airplane. But I caught by the U-boat and they shot me down and I ended up here crashing into Mr. Smith and I came here."

"Give me the note," Howard said as Steve pointed at his pocket and Howard took it studying it.

"But if I can get these notes back to British Intelligence in time, it could stop millions more from dying." Steve continued ignoring Howard, "It could stop the war."

"War? What War?"

"The war." Steve said surprised as to how one doesn't know about the war, "The war to end all wars."

The queen and Howard both rolled their eyes at the statement as Steve continued.

"Four years, 27 countries, 25 million dead soldiers, and civilians. Innocent people, women, and children slaughtered. Their homes and their villages looted and burned." Steve said, "Weapons far deadlier than you can ever imagine. It's like nothing I've ever seen. It's like the world is going to end. I mean, you can ask him, he is one of the few creating those weapons."

"You're talking way too much dude."

"Sorry, I tried to hold that in but with the Lasso, it just flew out of my mouth." Steve apologized as Howard who wasn't really believing him just gave him a look.

"Now it's your turn... Mr. Merchant of Death." The Queen said sarcastically looking at Howard.

"Fine, I am who I say I am. So just call me Howard." Howard said as he grabbed the lasso voluntarily, "I was going to London like Steve here, to meet my brothers who I am sure would cause havoc in London if I don't get there. Wow, this thing really does makes your tongue flow."

Steve shrugged helplessly.

"Anyway, I was heading to London on my plane taking a route I hadn't taken before and I ended up meeting a storm causing my plane to go crazy as I barely managed through the whole thing. And just when things got better I was in this dark foggy place, and suddenly I entered the Island as my fuel ran out then just when I was thinking of making a safe landing, Steve here crashed into me causing me to lose control as I hit the cliff. She saw the whole thing."

Howard pointed at Diana as she nodded at the queen.

"So I am to believe you ended up here by sheer coincidence, the other one had a decent excuse at least." The queen said, "And it also doesn't explain why you are not dead."

"Though I myself don't believe in coincidences, I still don't have any idea as to how I ended up here. And I am holding the Lasso, aren't I?" Howard shrugged not threatened by the queen in the very least, "As for why I don't die, it's like my powers really. I heal really quickly like it's a natural thing for me. No magic, no witchcraft of any sort, it's just I can't die."

"You can't die?" Diana asked.

"Yes, you saw me, didn't you?" Howard said, "So that's how I ended up here."

"And what's this about Merchant of Death?" Diana asked again curious.

Howard who was at this point quite aware of Wonder Woman smiled. He looked around towards Antiope, the woman he saved previously who was one of the main reasons Wonder Woman ventured out into Man's world. Now that she was alive he needed to give Diana reasons to leave this place or else the god of war would probably ruin this 'beloved' earth. And he couldn't fight it, after all, his strengths couldn't match a god now. At best he would just die and get revived and at worse, he could be captured and tortured for even trying to interfere.

"Sigh! There's no better way to put it, is there?" Howard sighed, "I sell and create weapons like the ones that killed a few of you, planes, and soon vehicles too for the military. They use those weapons to fight in the war and kill people. So since I make money out by selling weapons that kill people, I've been dubbed as 'The Merchant of Death.'"

"You make these weapons?" Diana said as clearly all the women were tensed thinking about their lost sisters and those weapons they hadn't seen before, "Don't you feel guilty for all the dead?"

Steve perked up his ears too as he glanced at Howard waiting for his answer.

"You guys all carry swords and weapons and you kill people with it. So are you going to blame their deaths on the blacksmith who made those weapons for you? or is it you who decided to use the weapon to kill." Howard said gritting his teeth a little, "I won't pretend like I am innocent, but this war was bound to happen whether I sell those weapons or not. If not me, there will definitely others. I do feel guilt--"

Howard let go of the Lasso before he could finish his sentence shaking his head as he took heavy breaths, "Look, me creating weapons or us landing here is all a pure accident. I am sure you got everything you wanted to know so let us go. Steve is right, this needs to get to the outside world fast."

"You can read it?" Steve asked curiously looking at the notebook.

"Of course," Howard said, "The formulae here are for bombs, that could kill a lot more people but this isn't something someone like her can come up with."

"What do you mean?" Diana stepped in staring at him.

"That woman couldn't come up with those formulas by herself." Howard said, "This is--how do I say this... a bit too advanced for her."

"That woman is known to be a genius, she can probably do it."

"You give her too much credit." Howard bluffed, "I can come up with a weapon that can destroy the world literally. But this... it's just too complicated for a normal human to come up with by herself, no matter her genius. If she could, I would've heard about it and pay more attention to her."

"Aren't you just overestimating yourself?"

"Nope." Howard shook his head, "For some reason, I can't help but think there is an external factor coming to play here."

"External factor?" Diana looked curious as she grabbed the note from his hand.

"Yes, because as far as I know, the war is ending soon. They are negotiating about peace." Howard said surprising Steve, "But from the notebook, the people there don't look like they're going to stop anytime soon. A mere General won't have the guts to go against the world so I am curious who is behind him, backing him up."

The scene tensed up as Howard expected to as he held out a little smirk. Now all he needed was a little push to get this wonder woman out of this Paradise Island.