The Watchwomen

Chapter 1 (Act I): Boa Burglary

-2023 (Seven Years Later)-

-Temple of the Golden Monkey, Lima, Peru-

The Temple of the Golden Monkey was a shimmering, golden pyramid neatly nestled within the huge rocky cliffs overlooking the expansive city of Lima, the capital of Peru. Though its denizens all knew that the temple existed, no one really dared to approach it; it housed a precious figurine known only as the Golden Monkey, whose purpose and function was unknown, and fiercely warded off anyone who would attempt to enter and make off with it.

From the outside, it presented as a complex pyramid made of pure gold, with intricate designs engraved into its outer hull. Two big, chubby monkey statues in sitting positions were flanking the main entrance, and their hands were held out in front of them, each pair wielding lit braziers whose flames seemed inextinguishable. The straight path leading to the pyramid's entrance was paved with stone and had golden lining on either side of it while also appearing to be about one person wide. The yard was filled with fertile grass and a few flowers here and there; though the area immediately outside it was inviting, the scenery inside would certainly be anything but.

Parked on the front yard of the Temple of the Golden Monkey was a one-person glider, clearly having been used by someone to access the site. And, right on cue, none other than Hailey—a.k.a. The Viper—stepped out of the pilot's side door, jumped out, and landed neatly on both of her feet.

Her long, straight dirty blonde hair flowed elegantly at her back, and her captivating brown eyes seemed to enrapture anyone she made direct eye contact with; she did have a second form where her eyes would turn bright green with dark slit pupils, but it wasn't active at the moment. Her fair and practically tan skin was almost bared in its entirety, and her lithe, attractive build was enough to grab anyone's attention.

She wore a form-fitting, midriff-exposing green top with very short sleeves and a solid black "V" emblazoned on the front, which was enhanced with yellow lining around the letter. A black utility belt was slung snugly around her waist, which held twin daggers—one on either side—as well as a pair of holsters, one on each hip, to hold her dual pistols. Said utility belt was secured at the top of a pair of dark green elastic combat shorts that barely reached her upper thighs and emphasized her legs greatly. She wore a pair of green boots which came up to about halfway up her lower leg with comfy, off-white, woolly interiors and secure straps across the front, offering her stability and traction in the most unstable of circumstances. She used a pair of gauntlets on both of her hands; the left held the Toxin Blade, one of her signature weapons which was often used to administer a debilitating poison to her targets as a finishing move, while the right held a grappling hook which allowed her to swing in an agile manner between buildings and structures akin to Spider-Man. Lastly, she wore a black domino mask that outlined her eyes excellently, a green, twin-tailed scarf that wrapped itself around her neck and gave off the illusion of her having two thin "capes", and a watch fastened onto her right wrist that allowed her to change in and out of her uniform on a dime while also enabling her to receive calls from a number known as the "Viper Hotline", which was somewhat similar to 911.

The Viper was a superheroine blessed with remarkable reflexes, agility, and marksmanship as a result of her status as a mutant-Opulent hybrid. Not only that, but she was also one of the eight Paragons, a group of enhanced individuals assembled by Global Defense Council head Giorgio Carlisle back in 2020. Since their formation, the team had gone on two major missions: stopping Malcorchus from assimilating the Earth into the Shimmering Plane, and defeating Damien Kraft and the Dark Scions in Cairo, Egypt to halt Anubis's schemes, bringing them to a decisive end.