The Watchwomen

Chapter 28 (Intermission): Brothers-In-Arms

We last read Chapter 27, in which Allie Bannister reveals everything about the Diamond Legion to her captive Hailey a.k.a. The Viper. She talks about everything from the organization's formation to its ranks to her backstory and motivations, going into great detail about what exactly drove her to be the misandrist she is today. Allie makes it clear to The Viper that she shows no remorse for all the death, humiliation, and ruination she's brought upon men around the globe, and emphasizes her belief that she's doing what's best for women as a whole, truly thinking of herself to be the hero in this scenario.

The chapter culminates in Allie attempting to tempt The Viper into willingly joining the Diamond Legion, a temptation which our serpentine heroine obviously refuses. However, it turns out that she didn't really have much of a choice in the matter, as Allie was already waiting to immobilize The Viper in the event that she failed to convince her. It ends with Allie admiring The Viper's build before preparing her for her brainwashing process.

This time, we return to Honolulu, Hawaii and check up on the other four Paragons---Dr. Duncan Drevis, The Crawler, James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse, and Herman---on their second day in the capital city, and watch as Duncan reminisces with James about a past mission.....

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Ringo hauled The Viper's unresponsive body and hauled her over his shoulder, following his master Allie Bannister out of her office and to a different, square-shaped room with low lighting and red streaks of fuel running across the upper portions of the walls. All the streaks seemed to climb upward and converge on a convoluted mechanical apparatus constructed directly in the center of the ceiling, which had two thick black "hoses" with silver linings connected to the sides of a pair of red goggles with black leather straps meant to be affixed around a victim's head and face. 

The hulking bodyguard then forcibly set the heroine down in the middle of the chamber, directly underneath the ceiling construct, and then Allie deactivated the pink stasis field that was pacifying The Viper. She still didn't have anything to worry about, though, because the inhibitor drug which the heroine had been injected with was still in effect. Furthermore, any attempt made by her to leave the middle of the room was quickly stopped by Ringo himself. With her brainwashing mere seconds away, The Viper tried to get through to Allie one more time while the latter prepared the mind-control goggles

"Please.....don't do this," she begged her adversary. "You're better than this. This isn't you.....this isn't what anyone from your family would've wanted....." 

"None of them know what they wanted," Allie declined before slightly doubling back. "Well.....except to abuse and use me. But those days are behind me now; all that matters is that we look to the future." 

"Ouch." 

"I don't need your pity," Allie asserted, even though she was clearly hurting. "When Blake shunned me for Bryan.....and Bryan shunned me for B.B. in turn.....that's literally as mad as I've ever been in my entire life. Don't worry, though.....as soon as I've achieved my goals, I'll free everyone. And they'll thank me for bringing about a brand new world for them." 

"You're taking away their free will," The Viper argued. "That doesn't seem like you favor women to me." 

Allie shrugged. "What can I say? Desperate times call for desperate measures. You call me a monster.....but people like me don't just appear out of the blue. No, no, no.....we're forged. Constructed. Molded by our surroundings. We're a product of this screwed-up society. And I wouldn't have it any other way."