"Yeah." "You tell them that." "Yes, and what's more, tell them I meant it." "Ed, you handle that, too." "And please make sure it's at least 15 minutes before you call me back, okay?" "Somebody ought to write a bestseller about the newspaper industry... and call it Jellyfish." "Some of my managing editors have as much backbone as an earthworm." "Now I understand why you installed a phone on this ship... before you did an anchor, Mr. Penrose." "I didn't want to see myself coming back into port... the proud publisher of 18 Weekly Readers." "You know, I think we're getting back just in time." "It looks like it's starting to close in." "I think you're right." "What is that over there?" "I don't know." "Let's take a look." " Looks like somebody on a raft." " You're right." " Let's get over there." " Yes, sir." "All right, cut the engine!" " Is she breathing?" " Yeah, I think so." "Come on, let's get her on board ship." "Take her to a hospital." "Let her try to paddle back to that world from which she came." "Fools and ingrates." "They surround us." "Now, now... we shan't worry, my lovely." "The lost has been found." "Simon Penrose has her now." "But he won't have her long." "Yes?" "Who?" "Penrose." "Right." "Put him on." "Diana?" "Simon Penrose." "Simon." "It's been a long time." "How are you?" "I'm fine, and I'm in need of a favor." "Seeing as how the last time I think it was me saying that, I'm listening." "I'm out here in California, Long Beach." "We picked up a little girl out of the ocean yesterday." "She was, and still is, unconscious and has been hospitalized." "Who is she?" "That's one question nobody seems to be able to answer." "She matches no missing persons report." "Fingerprints, footprints have been run through a couple hundred computers..." "Without any ruffle." " That sounds hard to believe." " Yes." "It's hard for an old newspaperman like me to accept." "That's why I'm calling you." "I'd like you to come out here and see if you can help identify her." "Simon, the IADC has people who specialize in that sort of thing." "And they also have people who specialize... in evasive rhetoric and bureaucratic double-talk." "If I wanted heartburn, I would have called them." "But I want straight answers, Diana." "That's why I'm calling you." "I guess I could be there tomorrow." "You can be here this afternoon." "My plane's waiting for you at Dulles." "It's nice to know you haven't changed, Simon." "And what I'm hoping is that you haven't." "Oceanside Hospital, Long Beach." "There'll be a pass for you at the door." " Any changes, Jerry?" " I'm afraid not." "Why is it you can't seem to do anything for her?" "She's not responding to treatment like she should." "She's just as much a mystery to everyone in my field... as she is to everyone in yours." "Yeah, but she may die without anyone knowing so much as her name." "Now look, as a newspaperman and a human being..." "I find that possibility abhorrent." "I'm afraid it's a very real one." "I'll be in my office." "I'm expecting a woman, Diana Prince." "She should be here this afternoon." "I expect full cooperation from you and your staff." "All available interns report to Emergency." "I know you're Barbie." "They told me there was a goddess on the sixth floor." "So you must be Barbie." "You must be a new intern." "Lou Davis, budding but brilliant radiologist." "Barbie Brown, brilliant but married-with-two-children RN." "He's at that age where absolutely nothing in the house is sacred." "Okay, I'm convinced... and extremely disappointed." "Well, as I'm sure they say in x-ray, "That's the breaks. "" " See you later, Barbie." " Don't count on it, Lou." "Hold it." "Miss, you can't go in there." "I'm Diana Prince." "I'm from the IADC." "They gave me special clearance downstairs." "Okay, right." "Mr. Penrose is expecting you." "I'd like to tell you she's getting better, but I'm afraid..." "How could this happen?" "The doctor was just in here!" "It's the men with the cart." " The elevator." " I'll call security." "You better look after her, Wonder Woman." "She's more important to you than we are." "Get after them!" "You'd better hurry up and get well, young lady." "We have a lot to talk about." " Hi." " Hi." "Looks like you're recovering quite nicely." "How's your food?" "It's okay." "Not quite chocolate shake and fries, is it?" " Someone brought you clothes." " Simon did." "I wish I had a blouse like this." "It's beautiful." " May I sit down?" " Sure." "My name is Diana, and I'm a friend of Mr. Penrose." "What's your name?" "I know this must be all very confusing to you." "This country must be very different from the one you're from." "I know the jewelry that you wear... lets you do things no other boys and girls can do." "And I also know that it cannot be taken off." "Did someone try to kidnap you... because of that necklace and those bracelets?" "How did you know?" "The woman you saw before, when those men tried to hurt you..." " Wonder Woman?" " She told me about llandia." "That's where you're from, isn't it?" " Can Wonder Woman take me back?" " Maybe." "If she can figure out who kidnapped you." "He's awful." "His eyes... they shine." "I was afraid..." "Bleaker." "I was afraid people would laugh at me... if I tried to tell them where I'm from." "I was scared they wouldn't believe me." "I know." "It's nice to see you eating like a football player." "You think she'll be in shape in time for the Broncos' summer training?" "If the Broncos are lucky, she will." "I'll tell you what, little girl... and I'm getting tired of calling you little girl..." "You know what?" "I'll give you another name, Tina." "All right?" "Unless you want to tell me your real name." " Tina's fine." " All right, then Tina it is." "Although I don't know how it'll look on the Bronco roster. "Tina. "" "Simon, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" " Is it important?" " Yeah." "Fine." "See you in a little while." "I'll be right back." "What is it?" "I hope you'll tell me your IADC connections... have come up with something." "No, they're still working on it." "What I want to talk to you about is that..." "Simon, I think you're pushing too hard." "She has to learn to trust us." "She needs time." "Diana, time has long been an enemy of mine... as it is with those whose life is composed of deadlines." "In fact, I have a metallurgist coming up here in about 20 minutes... to try to trace the jewelry that she's wearing." "Now, Simon, she's very protective of that jewelry." "She might object." "I'm sure that in the miracles of modern medicine... there is a pill or two that would overrule her objections." "That's exactly what I'm talking about." "You're pushing too hard." "Me, pushing?" "I'm just trying to find out who she is and where she came from." "In doing so, you're gonna scare this girl half to death." "She already feels like a freak." "I have been around in this business for over 30 years." "I know exactly what I'm doing." "That hardly qualifies you for an award in human relations... does it, Mr. Penrose?" "Besides which, I'd like to remind you that you did fly me out here... and I assume it was because you trusted my judgment." "Yeah, you're right." "I'm sorry, Diana." "I do trust your judgment." "It's just that this kid's become such an obsession with me." "And I don't know why or what it is." "You did name her Tina." "Yeah." "So what?" "Your wife's name was Christine, wasn't it?" "Yeah." "And she had blond hair and blue eyes." "But spare me the psychology lesson, Miss Prince." "Let's just focus our attention on the living." "Tina?" "Please, come get me." "Come on, boy!" "I'm not gonna hurt you." "Come on." "That's good." "Come here, boy." "Come on!" "That's right, come on." "I'm not gonna hurt you." "Come here, boy!" "Come on." "Come on, boy." "Come on." "Yeah." "That's it." "That's a good boy." "See, I'm not gonna hurt you." "You wanna play?" "Here's a stick." "Can you go get it?" "Come on, boy, come on." "Can you get that?" "You're lost, too, aren't you?" "Just like me." "You wish you could go home, too." "The people I miss are somewhere out there." "They don't know what's happening to me." "But I'm trying to go home." "And I will go home." "And when I do..." "I'll never leave... never, ever again." "She's gone?" "I'm sorry to hear that, Diana." "You think she was abducted?" "We're not sure yet." "Have you got anything on those fingerprints... of the two men who tried to take her before?" "I'm afraid not." "Ira, much to his embarrassment, drew a complete blank." "Let's give him a chance to redeem himself." "I'd like a readout on everything he's got on a scientist named Bleaker." "Bleaker?" "He's a legend, Diana." "A mythological antihero of the underworld." "Antihero, yes." "Myth, no." "I have reason to believe he's all too real." "Come on." "We'll get you something to eat." "You found something, huh?" "Good for you." "What do you want?" "You're gonna do me a little favor." " Forget it." " No, you forget it!" "Now." "See that window up there?" "All I want is for you to crawl through that window... go around to the side door, and open it up for me." "So you can rob the place?" "Maybe I'll share." "You're the right size." "Let's go." "Shut up, you stupid dog!" "Get out of here!" "This just in:" "Authorities in Long Beach report that so-called mystery child..." "Who has been missing since 12:30 this afternoon... has been found." "Tina, as she has been nicknamed by the press... remains in the custody of the police..." "Who still ha ve no clues as to who she is or where she came from." "Also in the news this evening..." "Did you hear that, my lovely?" "She's in custody!" "That means she can be watched, followed, and at the proper moment, taken." "We have her, my lovely!" "We as good as have her!" "All the paperwork has been taken care of?" "My attorneys are finally working for the retainers that I keep them on." "Until Tina's parents are found, she'll be in my custody." "Here she is now." "Tina!" "Hi, Simon." "Hi, Diana." " Hello, Tina." "How are you, sweetheart?" " Fine." " You ready to go home?" " Yeah." "Hey, boy, come on!" "Look what she's got here." "Would you like to take the dog home with you?" "Please, yes." "Can I?" "Of course you can." "Do you have a name for him?" "Tiger." "Tiger." "Well, what do you think of Tiger?" "I think Tiger's great." "I'll try to make arrangements for you to meet that lady that we talked about." "Good." "Let's go." " You two tigers look pretty hungry to me." " Come on, Tiger!" "A friend of mine at the IADC is checking a few leads right now... to find out exactly where she came from." " All right, fine." " Okay?" "Can I give you a lift?" "No, I've got a cab waiting outside." "Thanks." " Okay." "Keep in touch." " Yeah." "Bleaker: a man rumored to have two or more doctorates... in every major field of science." "He allegedly possesses an IQ so high... he talks only to himself." "Now wait a minute, Ira." "Are you saying this man really does exist?" "The Irac computer is not prepared to debate the question ofhis existence." "Rather, I have simply compiled all that has ever been attributed... to a man named Bleaker, as requested by Steve Trevor." "Okay." "Forgive my outburst." "You are only human." "Yeah." "Assuming Bleaker really does exist... do you have any indication of his whereabouts?" "He is rumored to have been responsible for the sabotage of oil tankers... off the California coast by means of a submarine." "Submarine?" "Then his headquarters could be on or near a coast somewhere?" "A commendable deduction." "Thanks." "I'll get the word to Diana." " Good morning, Tina." " Hi." "He's happy here." "How did little Tiger like his eggs?" "He likes the bacon better." "I figured that." "Let me give him some bacon." "Here." "Tina, when are you going to tell me who you really are?" "I don't know." "Okay." "But can I tell you something?" "You know that you and I have a secret?" "Did you know that?" "You don't want anybody to know who you are... where you came from, or why you ran away." "Me..." "I don't want anybody to know just how much... a certain gutsy 12-year-old little blonde... has come to mean... to a certain bachelor like me." "The closest I ever let people come to me... was smack out of a headline." "It was safer that way." "I got hurt once." "Maybe twice." "But you just came smack out of the headlines... and landed right here in my life." "So, what I'm trying to say is that... if anybody ever hurt you where you came from... and you don't ever wanna go back... you don't have to." "But I wanna go home!" "You do?" "I mean, I..." "Whenever you decide that you're ready, you let me know." "I'll get you home." "I'll see you tonight." "Road's all clear." "Let's go." "Hold it." "The regular laundry delivery isn't until 11:00." "We don't move till then." "All right, if you say so." "Come on, relax." "Let's get our money's worth out of the truck, right?" "Come on, Tiger!" "Good boy." "Go get it!" "Hi, Tina." " Wonder Woman!" " Look at this." "That's Tiger." "He acts like he knows you." "Wanna catch this ball?" "Come on!" "Now, what's your name, your real name?" "The one given to you in llandia?" "Diana said you knew where I was from." "That's right." "I do." "I wanna go home." "Please, take me home." " I can't." " Yes, you can!" "It's where the sun sets, across the ocean." "I know it is!" "Ilandia is in a world within this world." "It's in another dimension." "There is just one doorway to that world... but I don't know where it is." "I'll never go home?" "Yes, you will... because I'm going to find the man who kidnapped you... and make him take you back." "Now, as I remember from the books I've read where I come from... only very, very special young people... are given bracelets and a necklace like this, right?" "One in every 5,000." "We're supposed to protect people, like the policemen here." "That man kidnapped me just when I was learning how to use them." "Well, how about if we see just how much you have learned?" " Okay?" " Okay." "Now, that was terrific!" "Let's try another one." "Not bad." "Not bad." "That was very good." "Now... try this." " I know, someday." " Someday." "Oh, no." "Someday." "Someday." "Watch this." "That's gonna land on the moon!" "There's one more thing you should be able to do." "What's that?" "If you hold your hands like this... and you concentrate hard enough on making a shield around your body... you can make anything:" "boats, knives, arrows... bounce off you without hitting." "But only if you concentrate." "Are you ready?" "Again!" "Throw it harder!" "Okay, but concentrate." " It can't hurt me!" " That's right." "Only as long as you concentrate." "The man who kidnapped me can't hurt me." "Well, I don't know about that." "If he tries to take me again, like those men in the hospital..." " I'll let him!" " No!" "Then I'll make him take me home." "Promise me you'll do no such thing, Tina." "You're not strong enough yet." "My real name is Amadonna." "That's beautiful." "Amadonna, you just let me worry about getting you home, okay?" "Pretty soon the people in llandia won't care about me anymore." "They'll always care about you." "The people in your world are no different from those in mine." "Once they love someone, they go right on loving." "And they'll wait for that someone to come back to them." "Guess I'd better go now." "Thanks, Wonder Woman." "Trust me, Amadonna." "Tiger, you take care ofher, and if she's in trouble, you come and find me." "Understand?" "Just a minute, little girl." "Don't you try anything." "None of that funny stuff." "Quiet, Tiger." "Sit." "Now you're being a smart little girl." "Come on, sweetheart." "Let's go." "Take a long look, sweetheart." "You got away from me once before, but I guarantee it won't happen again." "They've taken Tina." "Can you lead me to her?" "Okay." "Hold on." "I'll change first." "Hang on." "There, there, my lovely." "We knew it was just a matter of time, didn't we?" "Now we'll take immediate steps to see that she never keeps us waiting again." "Take me home." "She looks none the worse, despite her little escapade." "Necklace, bracelets intact." "As unremovable as ever." "You're going to take me home!" "We were too gentle with her before." "Too frightened of diminishing those psychic energies... which the necklace and bracelets transform into physical energy." "Too gentle, too timid, too patient." "Never again." "Listen to me!" "You're going to take me back to llandia." "I can make you!" "We'll use the globe again." "But this time, we'll be more thorough." "We'll get rid of any and all thoughts she ever had of going home." "The coast." "So it is Bleaker." "Get to the phone, call the police, and get them out here as soon as possible." "Good boy." "Now, you stay." "No, I won't let you!" "Settle down." "She knows!" "She knows that what she can do is just a matter of thinking." "You're going to take me home." "Thinking, and concentration." "What she doesn't know is that concentration can be broken." "Dr. Bleaker, I always wondered when I'd have the displeasure of meeting you." "She knows who we are." "I've heard of you." "But you should have stuck to sabotaging oil tankers." "Kidnapping little children isn't good for anyone's image." "She doesn't appreciate the fact that, with such a child properly trained... we shall be untouchable." "However, you did find the doorway to her world." "Wherever it is, you are going to take her back." "She knows of dimension travel?" "Of course." "A mythological creature come true herself, she can embrace all possibilities." "Now, Bleaker." "Take her back to llandia." "Can it be that we have a worthy adversary?" "Perhaps you'd like another demonstration of my worthiness, Dr. Bleaker." "She presents an obstacle that must be destroyed." " Bleaker." " It's poison." " Tiger!" " You stay here." "He's tricked us." "Oh, no!" " Tina." " Get away!" "He can't leave me here!" "I can't stop him." "But I want to go home!" "Please make him take me home!" "You'll go home someday." "I promise you." "But until then, you've gotta stop being so scared." " I'm not scared." " Yes, you are." "You're scared that all the things you love and that you miss in llandia:" "your friends, your parents, the people that you love... the people that love you... you're scared you're gonna find all those things right here." "You're scared that when someday comes... you won't know whether you really want to go back." "It might hurt a lot when that day comes." "But you have to take the chance." "And right now, you have no choice." "In llandia, I had a dolphin." "We played tag in the ocean all the time." "Her life is going to be complicated enough... without the whole world knowing who she is and where she came from." "And so, gentlemen... your memories are about to become a little faulty." "Are you all right, Tina?" "I want to go home... with you." "Really?" " Are you sure?" " Yes." "You don't know how happy that makes me." "I guess I'm going to let a 12-year-old little girl break my heart." "I'll take chances, if you will." "I've heard that line before." "I guess I have to thank you a lot for what you've done." "Tina's quite a special little girl." "She sure is." "She's one human-interest story that I'm gonna have to live with... for the rest of my life, if I'm lucky."