5th July 2010 Evening

I sit on a knoll at the end of the beach and watch as the children play on the sand with some of the braver harpy… chicks? Fledglings? Not sure. The game seems to involve throwing a long piece of driftwood and then jumping after it with your feet together. It's early evening, and with the sun behind the island the lights from the ship cast long shadows. I chuckle as a couple of the parents overseeing their children accidentally wander right up to a couple of harpies watching their offspring. The humans start to apologise before they realise who they are talking to, and then back awkwardly away.

I hear two feet come down on the grass behind me.

"I see that you've managed to keep things calm."

"You should have been here earlier; I made a giant orange Ferris Wheel. The harpy chicks had no idea what it was. It was hilarious; they kept trying to land on it, and then squawking when it moved."

Wonder Woman walks past me. She's wearing some sort of lavender coloured robe or dress. I guess it's Themysciran formal wear.

"Why are their heads glowing orange?"

"I extended the ring's translation effect. There's five or six human languages, plus whatever the harpies speak. I thought it would make it easier for them to get along."

"It would seem to have worked."

I lay back, folding my hands behind my head. Driftwood abandoned, offspring of two species dash along the shore.

"So? How'd it go?"

"You've certainly made Stellios, Penna and Takes very happy."

"Who?"

"The law firm mother uses when dealing with Man's World."

I raise an eyebrow.

"Do Amazons seriously call it that?"

She turns her head from the children to me.

"Yes."

She turns away again.

"The injunction should be in place by midday tomorrow. In the meantime, the government has issued advice to all commercial sea vehicles that they should avoid this area for the time being."

"Longer term?"

"I honestly don't know. I expect the eventual settlement will be political, rather than legal."

I don't know what I was expecting, but that sounds reasonably good.

"And the harpies are alright about it?"

"I'm not sure that the ones involved in the abduction had thought things through this far. The flock elders were quite angry with them. I think they were surprised to get anything good out of it."

"So, I was basically right about everything?"

A smile.

"No. The harpies don't care about the tourists. The elders actually said that this group are welcome to stay for a few days if they want to."

"What was it then?"

"Drift nets. The area was being overfished to the point that the harpies were struggling to get enough food. They didn't even realise it was a cruise ship until they had already attacked it."

It occurs to me that she probably can't sit down here with that on without getting it covered in sand.

"Umm, do you want me to make you a chair?"

The children have reached the end of the beach and are clambering over the rocks at the end which several adult harpies are using as their perch.

"Why did you do this?"

"Do what?"

A frown.

"Help the harpies. I could have persuaded them to release the hostages without making any concessions. Giving away something you aren't obliged to doesn't seem very avaricious."

"Standard Orange Lantern Corps method of dispute resolution. Work out what they want, and work out how giving it to them is in your interests."

I sit up and shift position slightly.

"Besides, this is nice, isn't it? It feels like the world is working a bit better."

"How is this in your interest?"

"For one, it's probably improved your opinion of me. Since you're going to be in charge of me for at least a year, that's pretty useful. Secondly, I get the impression that there aren't all that many harpies. I don't like the idea of them just… not being there anymore. Thirdly, since I'm not a psychopath, other people being happy makes me feel happy. Doing good feels good."

"You believe that most people are basically altruistic?"

"I believe that if people weren't basically civilised then civilisation wouldn't be possible."

"Isn't that a tautology?"

"Fine, then I believe that if people weren't at least slightly inclined towards altruism then complex society couldn't function."

"You would prefer to investigate and resolve the underlying problem through persuasion rather than impose a solution based on what you think is right?"

"Of course."

"That's a very… feminine… way of looking at things."

I smile.

"You have noticed that I've been watching the kids while you deal with the politicians and lawyers, right?"

She raises an eyebrow and grins.

"Are you saying that you're more of a woman than I am?"

"No. No, I'm saying that you've been performing a traditionally masculine role while I've been performing a traditionally feminine one. And it doesn't matter."

The human adults begin to collect their children and take them back to the boat.

"So, what's the plan now?"

"I will need to speak to the ship's captain and relay the decision of the harpy elders. I think it would be best to spend the night here and continue on to Themyscira in the morning."

Ring, remaining charge?

Thirty seven percent remaining.

"Rightyoh. Do you need me for anything else?"

"Not at the moment. Do you have something you want to do?"

"I'd like to speak to the harpies. Properly, I mean. We had a quick talk when I first arrived…"

"Why?"

"I've never spoken to a nonhuman intelligence before."

Err…

"Apart from you, sort of? In my parallel, on my Earth, there aren't any."

"None?"

"No gods, no monsters, just men. Humans! I meant humans."

She waves off my faux pas.

"Go ahead. I'll ask the captain to set up some quarters for us."