The Watchwomen

Chapter 29 (Intermission): Reptiles-R-Us

We last read Chapter 28, in which Hailey a.k.a. The Viper is taken to the Diamond Legion's brainwashing chamber and prepped for her mind-controlling at Allie Bannister and Ringo's hands. Before the pair officially begin, The Viper tries to reach out to Allie one more time, pleading with her to not go through with it, claiming that her family would be disappointed in her if they saw how far she had fallen, and that it's not at all what they would've wanted for her. Allie retorts that none of them knew what they wanted and that the brainwashed Diamond Legion assassins will thank her once they are freed because she's creating a better world for them. Realizing that Allie can no longer be reasoned with, The Viper simply bows her head, closes her eyes, and allows herself to be brainwashed.

Meanwhile, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Dr. Duncan Drevis and James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse are chilling in the latter's hotel room on the second day of their vacation, with The Crawler and Herman having both gone out to explore the state's capital city. James reveals that his previous mission against the Avian Wing brothel is the reason why his opposition to everything assault-related---especially involving women---has been so strong and solidified, and the reason why he's persuaded to believe that Duncan did it, even though the circumstances are currently murky. Though Duncan tries to use that exact same mission to regain favor with James, he's still turned down until he receives a voicemail from his older sister Monica Drevis a.k.a. Voltara, updating him on the current status of the Watchwomen's investigation and ordering him to get back to her as soon as possible.....something that may not go over so well. Delighted, Duncan informs James that they have a lead.

This time, we lighten the mood a little by checking in on The Crawler and Herman as they continue seeing the sights of Honolulu.....

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-Waikiki Shopping Plaza, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States-

The Crawler and Herman were idling in the open-air central plaza of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza, and though the former was having the time of his life, the latter felt out of his element in such a different environment. For most of his career---including when he had joined the Paragons---Herman had mostly spent his time either at his home, at the Paragons compound, or in some kind of laboratory or experimental setting. Being in a mall where there were so many other people chasing after their trivial unscientific pursuits was something he was mostly unfamiliar with, but The Crawler really wanted to go, and James was still tired after the previous night's festivities. So, Herman begrudgingly agreed to accompany the giant mutant lizard to the shopping complex, while James stayed at the hotel rooms with Duncan since he---for the most part---couldn't leave his room; the only reason he was even able to get to James's room in the first place was because it was still very early in the morning at that point, and a lot of the hotel's other guests were still asleep.

Herman practically spent the entire shopping trip simply messing around with one of his drones to keep himself occupied while following The Crawler, who constantly darted from shop to shop to shop; in fact, if it weren't for the spending money that Duncan had given to him before he left, he might've been mistaken for being a robber or a raider.

Many of the other shopping center's patrons turned their heads to look at the sight of a giant mutant lizard running around the square and buying as many things as he could while being followed by a boy struggling to keep up and piloting a drone via a remote control. In that moment, one might've compared The Crawler to a "bull in a china shop", since any shop he entered was almost guaranteed to be trashed to some degree by the time he left. Still, he paid for everything he got, and he wasn't fighting crime, so there was little that the others could do.