Chapter 32 (Act III): A Lingering Cold

1 0 0
                                    

We last read Chapter 31, in which George and Ringo check on the satellite dish for Allie Bannister's superweapon, ensuring that its fuel gauge is full and that all three of its batteries are completely charged, amongst other things. They then briefly talk about Allie Bannister's recent actions---most notably her lie of filing a false assault allegation against Dr. Duncan Drevis---but while George brushes it off and assures Ringo that Allie has a plan, the latter still maintains that it doesn't sound like something he'd expect her to do. They then reveal that Allie has a "nasty surprise" waiting in her office on the third floor should any intruders manage to make it that far, and both of them hurry back up the elevator to join the fun. 

Meanwhile, Sonya and the remaining Watchwomen---consisting of Voltara, Nightclaw, and Coldsnap---begin their infiltration into the Diamond Legion Skybase to thwart Allie Bannister's plans and rescue The Viper, their fellow heroine, from Allie's clutches. Though Coldsnap manages to effortlessly talk them out of the first Legion Guard trooper who attempts to question them, they are later accosted by two more troopers in the second floor antechamber who make fun of both Nightclaw and Voltara. This results in the former violently losing her temper, breaking free from her restraints, and brutally mauling the bullies to shreds in seconds, thus blowing mostly everyone's cover and forcing them into a fight; the chapter ended with Voltara expressing her exasperation at the events. 

This time, we watch as Sonya and the Watchwomen defend themselves against the incoming onslaught of enemies.....

***********************************************************************************************

Voltara sent a surge of electricity pulsing through her hands which was so intense that it reduced her handcuffs to ashes, freeing herself to start going on the offensive. She took to the air and used her skillful flight maneuvers to weave between the gunfire of the now-alerted Legion Guard troopers before shooting a lightning blast at one of them which promptly chained onto three other guards nearby; all four dropped motionless to the floor upon its impact. Quickly turning her attention to another one, she directed herself low to the ground and skimmed along the opulent floor, passing by the Legion Guard, momentarily seizing him by the hand, and spinning him in circles while his rifle was still firing, causing several misfired bullets to incapacitate another collective of troopers. 

She skidded to a stop near the same wall as the door that she, Sonya, and the other Watchwomen had just entered through, and spotted an empty and vacant electrical socket on it; the perfect entryway for her to enter the mansion's circuits and quickly zoom about via the internal wires. Transforming herself into a shapeless blob of living electricity, she disappeared into the socket's slits and zipped up the circuit's cables within the walls, making her way to the huge chandelier-like light structure that was hanging off the ceiling while remaining completely unseen to everyone else. 

Then, once she reached the light fixture, she overloaded the already-activated bulbs with so much charge that they momentarily glowed ten times brighter before exploding and sending the entire structure crashing to the ground in a heap of broken glass and gold-painted beams while also squishing four Legion Guard troopers in the process. Voltara's shapeless electricity form then exited from the now-open circuit and exposed wires before transitioning back to her human form again, dropping to the ground in a three-point landing, and returning to combat. 

Her next challenge came immediately, for she was nearly dogpiled by brainwashed Diamond Legion assassins from all angles. They dove at her with sharp combat knives, attempted to fire rounds on her with their pistols, and some tried to engage in close combat with expertly-aimed punches and kicks. Voltara, however, remembered her past encounter with them outside of the Tessa Gardenhigh Therapy Institute, and now, because of that, she knew how to deal with them non-lethally. After all, they weren't this way by choice; they had been thoroughly manipulated by their "boss", Allie Bannister. 

The WatchwomenWhere stories live. Discover now