Inside the War Department, the air was thick with cigar smoke and tension.
A large map of Europe covered the wall, marked with colored pins and lines showing the movement of armies across the continent.
Steve stood before the table of generals and officials, the leather-bound notebook resting in his hand.
"This is Dr. Isabel Maru's work," Steve said firmly. "A new type of gas. Stronger than anything used so far."
The room was quiet as the officers flipped through the translated pages.
"If Ludendorff deploys this," Steve continued, "entire cities could be wiped out. Millions will die."
One of the generals leaned back in his chair.
"And your suggestion, Captain?"
"We strike the facility now," Steve replied immediately. "A small unit. Hit the base before the weapon is completed."
The men exchanged looks.
Finally the senior officer shook his head.
"No."
Steve blinked. "No?"
"We're currently negotiating an armistice," the man said calmly. "Launching an attack now could collapse those talks."
Steve's frustration boiled over. "Sir, with respect, if Ludendorff releases this gas there won't be anything left to negotiate!"
Another officer spoke coldly.
"Your job was to deliver intelligence, Captain. You've done that."
Steve clenched his fists.
"You're sending men to die while sitting here talking about paperwork."
"Careful, Captain," the general warned.
Behind him, Diana had been listening in disbelief.
"You know this weapon will kill innocent people," she said, stepping forward. "And you still choose to do nothing?"
The officers looked at her as if she were an interruption.
"This meeting is not open to women," one of them said.
Diana ignored him.
"You call yourselves leaders," she continued, anger rising in her voice, "yet you allow this evil to continue—"
Before she could finish, Daniel simply caught her arm and drew her backward out of the room.
The doors slammed shut behind them.
Diana turned on him instantly.
"Why did you stop me?" she demanded.
Daniel leaned against the wall outside the chamber, completely unfazed.
"Because," he said calmly, "those men don't make decisions based on morality."
Inside the room the discussion continued.
Outside, Diana's anger burned brighter than ever.
"But they are sending their own men to die when they could end it," Diana said, her voice tight with disbelief. "How can they do that?"
"It has been happening since ancient times," Daniel replied. "Back then it was kings who sent thousands to die for their own ambitions. Now it's governments and generals doing the same thing."
Diana shook her head. "That is not justice."
"No," Daniel said quietly. "It's war."
"Leaders make decisions based on power, strategy, and what they believe they can afford to lose. And soldiers…" he paused briefly, "…are often just numbers on a map."
Diana's expression hardened.
"They treat lives as if they are meaningless."
Daniel shrugged slightly.
"Sometimes leaders cannot back down even if they want to. Pride, politics, alliances—too many forces pulling in different directions."
He looked at her.
"This is one of those times."
***
A short while later Steve stepped out of the war room, the frustration still written across his face.
Diana immediately turned to him.
"Well?" she asked.
Steve exhaled. "They won't move. The committee refused. They want to wait for the armistice talks."
Diana's jaw tightened. She had heard enough.
"Then take me to the war," she said firmly. "If they refuse to act, I will stop Ares myself."
Steve looked at her for a moment. He clearly wasn't happy with the generals' decision either.
"Honestly," he admitted, lowering his voice, "I wasn't planning to sit around waiting for them either. I'm thinking of putting together my own mission. Hit Ludendorff's base before that gas gets deployed."
He looked directly at Diana.
"And after seeing what you can do… I'd very much like you on that mission."
Daniel was leaning against the wall nearby, half-listening.
Steve glanced at him next.
He still had no idea what this god's real goal was.
"So… Mr. Daniel," Steve asked cautiously, "are you coming?"
Having death itself on their side in a war sounded like a very good advantage.
Daniel shrugged casually.
"Well of course," he said. "I'm a very peace-loving person."
But his thoughts were somewhere else entirely.
Because he already knew where the real prize was.
A quiet notification echoed in his mind.
[Fragment Location: Inside the head of the God of War — Ares]
So yes, he was definitely going.
And there was no way he was letting Diana walk into a battlefield alone with Steve and his group and simply letting the plot play out while they ended up together.
Daniel had absolutely no intention of wearing a green hat.
Did they think he was here just to watch the story unfold?
No.
Who in this world was better than him anyway?
If Evelyn, Elizabeth, or Tamara heard that thought, they would probably roll their eyes immediately.
"Please," they would say.
"You're the man who spends half his time flirting with every woman he meets."
*****
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