The Watchwomen

Chapter 35 (Act III): Death To The Patriarchy

We last read Chapter 34, in which Allie Bannister—the leader of the Diamond Legion—reveals her endgame to Sonya Pillsbury and the remaining Watchwomen, with George, Ringo, and a mind-controlled Viper at her side. She tries to tempt all three of them to join her side like she tried with The Viper—even the defector Sonya, whom she holds great disdain for—but when she fails, she instead explains that the satellite dish under the mansion's foundation is the transmitter for her superweapon; a series of sound waves fired through Earth's atmosphere that will react violently within an organism past a certain concentration threshold of testosterone.....a threshold that women don't meet, but men do. The heroines are ultimately unsuccessful in stopping Allie from activating it, and the satellite dish begins shooting off the sound waves.

This time, we see just how big the scope of Allie's plan truly is.....

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"Good riddance, you oppressive and abusive male-born scum!" Allie yelled as she strolled out onto a balcony to take a look down at the world below, ready to watch the sound waves sweep across the atmosphere. "The world's better off without you!"

And then, it all happened.

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-Hailey a.k.a. The Viper's House, Mercury Heights, New York, United States-

The Viper's father Dean and her mother Amy were both casually working in the backyard that afternoon; they had already eaten dinner and were trying to get some last-minute gardening in before it got too dark and they would have to head back inside. By then, they had mostly accepted that their daughter had adopted a superhero career and would now simply not be home as much as she used to be.

Amy had just gotten done placing the last few bags of Miracle-Gro gardening soil back inside the yard's shed and walked back out to see her husband, Dean, collapsed on the ground and groaning in severe pain. He was clutching his chest and he was struggling to pick himself off the ground, but he couldn't; it was like he was being crushed by an unseen force.

"Honey.....?" Amy said worriedly as she rushed to her husband's aid. "Honey! What's happening?! Are you okay?!"

"No....." Dean replied tiredly. "C.....call 911....."

In tears, Amy took out her phone and did so. "Hello? Yes, it's my husband! He.....he just collapsed when we were doing yard work, and I.....I think he might be having trouble breathing!"

"Thank you for contacting the 911 emergency line," an automated voice on the other end said. "Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances with our workforce, we are unable to respond to your call at this time. If the issue persists, locate and drive yourself to the nearest hospital. Thank you, and have a nice day!"

Unbeknownst to Amy or Dean, the first responders were also severely hampered, as the men within their ranks were being affected by Allie Bannister's superweapon, too.

"No! NO!" Amy wailed as the call dropped and returned to a standard ringtone. "Honey, it's going to be okay, all right? Just.....just try to take deep breaths.....you're going to be fine....." Then, she lifted her head up and looked around frantically. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

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-Mercury Heights Correctional Facility, Mercury Heights, New York, United States-