The Watchwomen

Chapter 17 (Act II): Self-Defense Scuffle

We last read Chapter 16, in which Monica converses with Hailey about a variety of topics, from Duncan's expansive airship to the Watchwomen's breakfast to the Paragons' past and formation. However, the discussion takes a somewhat emotional turn after Hailey questions Monica about the latter's desire to ever leave the Paragons and forge a normal life for herself. Monica not only declines, but asserts that she's grown to enjoy her life as a superheroine, while also correctly pointing out that many major workplaces likely wouldn't want a person with electrokinesis anywhere near other workers or pieces of vital equipment. Hailey then proposes that Monica's younger brother Duncan come up with something, but Monica is apprehensive at best. She outright states that these are her reasons for wanting the Paragons to stay together so badly, to which Hailey comforts her and states that she's still saving lives but in a better-looking way; a comment that makes Monica feel better. Nightclaw and Coldsnap then join them, and together, all four of them take Duncan's airship to Salt Lake City, Utah to visit the Utah State Correctional Facility and ask "Ivan" and "Gill" about the mysterious red dust vials, since the two of them were indicated by Herman to be two of the three people behind their manufacturing. 

However, their visit to Utah gets off to a rocky start; not only does Monica inadvertently cause the airship to crash, but they land just outside the USCF.....where they are promptly arrested and taken into custody by its warden and a huge army of armed guards and elite soldiers. 

This time, we bear witness to what happens next, as the heroines get a taste of what life is like within the big house.....

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Voltara's eyes slowly fluttered open, and much to her agony, she was staring upwards at a pair of very bright light bars positioned above the enclosed cell which she was in. She quickly turned her head away to avoid damaging her eyes further before sitting up, shaking her head to get rid of the last remnants of dizziness, and proceeding to analyze her surroundings. 

She was in a somewhat wide, rectangle-shaped cell with the entire left "wall" being composed of tough steel bars with gaps too tight for anyone to possibly squeeze through. The other three walls consisted of rows of bricks that had been coated in white paint; the wall behind her had a bed that was haphazardly affixed to it by two rickety chains, the one in front of her had a poor-quality steel toilet, and the one to her right was completely barren besides a single "window" that also had steel bars in the exact same fashion as the wall on her right. 

Realizing that she had officially been imprisoned, her first instinct was to dart towards the bars on her left and quickly scan both sides of the hallway immediately outside. There were almost no guards within her unit at the moment, aside from a single one who was just about to exit. Voltara reeled her hand back and tried to charge up a lightning blast to deck him in the back, but to her surprise, nothing happened. 

The random guard, who somehow knew what Voltara was attempting to do without even turning around, chuckled darkly and amusedly to himself. 

"You really thought that was going to work?" he taunted. "You all are enhanced individuals, and we knew what we were dealing with. We've stripped you four of all your tangible gear and weapons; be happy that we've allowed you to keep your costumes. You've also all been tagged with chips on your neck that restrain your innate powers. The only one who can remove them is the Warden, and they're voice-activated. So good luck." 

"Do you really think you're doing the right thing here?!" Voltara cried. "We're the good guys! Why can't you see that?!" 

"All I see are four girls who have obviously fallen in with the wrong crowd, and have forgotten their place in this world," the guard answered. "Girls who are a danger to both themselves and everyone around them. I don't care what you or your friends did at the Battle of Times Square or the Battle of Cairo; all that matters is that you have gone against the will of the government. Now.....you pay the price."