Perception Deception [Floyd, Diana]

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It was a dark and windy night when the train pulled up to the station. Floyd Lawton stepped off the train and smiled. He had finally returned to Gotham City. Too bad he wasn't in town for pleasure. He was there to work.

A few months ago, after Floyd was released from Blackgate Prison, he went to Star City to check in on his daughter. While he was there, he was contacted by Dr. Cyber. Cyber contracted Floyd, a.k.a. Deadshot, to take out Princess Diana, a.k.a. Wonder Woman.

Before leaving the train station, Floyd picked up a newspaper and was looking at the ads for apartments. As he was heading downtown he was thinking to himself, I need a central place to live and then I need to find Diana. He found a flat in the paper in the downtown area and noticed on the front page that Wonder Woman was a keynote speaker for her World Peace Tour at the Convention Center that evening. How convenient that was.

He went to the apartment complex and got the flat. After dropping off his gear, he headed out to the Convention Center. He needed to talk with Diana and convince her that he was a changed man and wanted to help her fight crime from now on. It was a lie, but it was part of his plan.
 

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Meanwhile, the Amazing Amazon Princess known as Wonder Woman was addressing a packed house at the Convention Center in the middle of town.  It was her last appearance in Gotham City as Ambassador of Themyscira.  The evening had been bittersweet for her.  She would miss seeing the crowds, but she wouldn’t miss giving the long speeches or the constant presence of her bodyguards.

“Citizens of Gotham,” she said from an acrylic podium lectern at center stage, “it has been my pleasure to be a visitor in this fair city of yours for the past several weeks.  It is with a heavy heart that I bid you farewell, as my World Peace Tour comes to its conclusion this evening.  Peace has been my message from the very beginning, and now it is time for me to stop making speeches and put my words into practice.  I have always believed that a leader should lead by example.  The merit of my words will be demonstrated and proven in the way I start living my life tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow is a new day for us all, but especially for me, because I have decided to cast my lot with you people.  I will walk amongst you and live as a Gothamite, proclaiming my message of peace to promote unity through my actions and deeds.  In the days ahead, I hope you will follow my example by not only doing as I say, but also doing as I do.  Thank you for being here tonight.  May the glory of Gaea always shine upon you.  Good-night.”

As Wonder Woman retired backstage, she started saying farewell to the members of her staff.  They would no longer be in her employ in the new chapter of her life.

“Are you going to be all right, Princess?” one of the Secret Servicemen asked.  Although Diana couldn’t see his eyes behind the dark lenses of his glasses, she knew this was a tearful good-bye for him.

“I will be fine,” Diana replied. She was actually looking forward to living alone in her penthouse apartment.  The privacy was long overdue, in her opinion.

As the staff dispersed one by one, Diana noted a stranger approaching in the distance.  She thought he was either lost, or had come backstage to get an autograph.  Diana wasn’t afraid because she knew she had the powers and weapons to handle any physical attack against her.

“May I help you?” she asked, a bright smile replacing the sadness that had been on her face.

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As Floyd was making his way towards the Amazon Princess, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. It was a man moving quickly through the crowd toward the ambassador. When he looked closer he realized that the man had a knife held in a backward strike position. Floyd quickly moved to intercept the individual. moving up behind him he quickly incapacitated him with a judo move, putting him to the ground and knocking him out.

Floyd waited for security to take the attacker into custody and then continued toward the Ambassador. When he got to her he introduces himself.

"Princess Diana. my name is Lawton, Floyd Lawton and I would like to talk with you about doing my part for World Peace."

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When the stranger introduced himself to Wonder Woman and addressed her as royalty, it made her smile.  His greeting concerning World Peace got her full attention.

“Your moves are quite impressive!” she complimented, pointing to the two security guards who were hauling off the would-be assassin.  “He’ll wake up in a cozy prison cell, thanks to you.”  She offered her hand in friendship.  “I appreciate you coming to my rescue, Mr. Lawton.  Please call me Diana.”

While shaking hands, Wonder Woman studied Floyd’s handsome face and features.  Somehow, he looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place him.

“Pardon me, sir,” she asked, “but have we met before?”

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As Floyd took Diana's hand in his, he gently kissed the back of her hand in respect.

"M'Lady we have never met in person but I have attended a number of your seminars and you have encouraged me to do my part in world peace."

Floyd then paused and got his thoughts together.

" The bloodshed and crime in the cities and countries around the world needs to stop. What can I do to help your cause?"

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“I appreciate your sincerity, Mr. Lawton,” Wonder Woman replied.  “Praise Hera that I have inspired you to change the world through your actions and deeds.  Man’s World is very different from my homeland, Paradise Island.  On Themyscira, my sisters and I live in perfect peace and harmony with one another.  We are not driven by hatred, jealousy, or greed.  I am encouraged to know that I am having an influence on both men and women in this fair city.”

Wonder Woman’s eyes widened when Floyd asked her what he could do personally to help her cause.

“Promote peace and unity by showing love and concern for yourself and for others in everything you do, Mr. Lawton,” she answered.  “Together, we can make a difference and change the world by touching lives in our own unique way.”

Talking with Floyd in this private setting reminded Wonder Woman of her encounter with Marc Dahlmaine.  She wondered how he was doing.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Lawton,” she continued.  “If you’ll excuse me now, I’m going to retire for the evening.  Tomorrow I get to experience my first day in Gotham City alone – without bodyguards!  I don’t know if I’ll miss the entourage or not, but I can honestly say I’m looking forward to finding out!”

Although Wonder Woman sounded humorous, she was being serious.

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After saying their farewells, Floyd quickly turned to leave. As he started to walk away he suddenly stopped and turn quickly back toward Diana. With a slight smile on his face he said.

"Diana would it be wrong of me to offer to escort you home and then maybe if you would like we could meet up tomorrow and I could show you around Gotham."

He felt that a lady should always be shown around a new city.

"This way you will know the areas that are safer to travel and which ones a Lady of your stature should avoid."

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Wonder Woman watched Floyd as he walked away.  Unexpectedly, he returned to her.  She assumed he had remembered something that had slipped his mind.  His pleasant smile put her as ease, but she was still surprised by what he had to say.

Although she was a public figure, no one but a select few  knew the exact location of  Wonder Woman's penthouse apartment located in North Gotham.  She wasn’t comfortable with a stranger requesting to walk her home. She didn’t know the man, and she didn’t know his true intentions either.

“Thank you, but no thank you, Mr. Lawton,” the Amazon Princess replied.  “I appreciate your offer, but I’m quite capable of finding my way home from here by myself.  I don’t need another bodyguard in my employ.”

She smiled and showed him her bracelets.

“Do I look like I need protection?”

Suddenly, Wonder Woman remembered how Floyd had rescued her from an attack just a moment ago.  Maybe she had spoken too soon.  His actions spoke louder to her than his words.  Plus, he sounded sincere enough.

“Perhaps I could escort you to your home, Mr. Lawton?” she offered.  “I take it, because of your knowledge of Gotham City, that you are a local?  Actually, I would enjoy a tour of Gotham City tomorrow, if it’s no trouble.”

Wonder Woman smiled to herself.  It looked like she was making a new friend.

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"Thank you Diana that would be nice, but I never asked to be employed by you. I was just offering out of mutual concerns for this city and the world as a whole."

Floyd offered her his arm as is proper. He may be rough around the edges but he has studied how to properly treat a lady.

"My dwellings are on the east side of the city M'Lady not an area for one of your place, but if you would like to see how the humble and meek live it is the area to start with." chuckling a little.