The Watchwomen

Chapter 38 (Act III): Cutting Off The Head

We last read Chapter 37, in which Sonya Pillsbury and the remaining Watchwomen—consisting of Nightclaw, Coldsnap, and Voltara—get into an intense fight with Allie Bannister and her forces in a last-ditch effort to save the men of Earth—and other dimensions as well—from the ruthless Diamond Legion leader's superweapon. They fight against Allie, her bodyguards George and Ringo, and a mind-controlled Viper, with all eight of them vying for supremacy. Though Nightclaw, Coldsnap, and Voltara are successfully able to cure The Viper of her brainwashing with the red dust antidote, it comes at a great cost: not only are they unable to recover the superweapon's remote from Allie, but Sonya Pillsbury also dies at her former boss Allie Bannister's hands, much to the despair of the Watchwomen, particularly The Viper. Immediately after Sonya's death, Allie summons the entire collective of Diamond Legion assassins to her side and orders them to beat the Watchwomen to death in retaliation for their interference, an order which they initially comply with before Coldsnap manages to cure them of their mind control as well, with The Viper being quick to ease their worries.

However, the Watchwomen and the Diamond Legion assassins soon realize that the Diamond Legion Skybase is going into an uncontrolled crash due to Coldsnap's ice dragon freezing and shattering the two dozen rockets keeping all of it afloat. Without hesitation, Voltara declares that she and The Viper will take the former Legion assassins and look for an escape route, while Coldsnap hops back on her ice dragon and monitors their escape from the outside, ready to catch any free-fallers on the back of her ice dragon should it come to that. Finally, Nightclaw is tasked by Coldsnap with mauling and killing George and Ringo—Allie's two bodyguards—after Allie abandons them. With Sonya, George, and Ringo all dead, the Watchwomen and the former Legion assassins prepare themselves for extraction.

This time, we see if they succeed.....

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Voltara and The Viper led the cured Diamond Legion assassins through the Skybase as it crumbled all around them, with the entire group rushing back down to the first floor and out onto the eastern loading bay deck.....only to find out that it was no longer attached to the mansion, having been blasted apart by Coldsnap earlier in the mission.

".....Well, uhhh.....that's something," Voltara remarked dryly. "I could've sworn we entered through this area earlier."

"We did," The Viper confirmed. "Something must've happened to it. Everyone turn around!"

The group, as told, turned around and instead went in the opposite direction towards the western loading bay deck, and that one was, thankfully, completely intact.....at least for the time being. Conveniently, there was an empty Boeing Vertol 234 aircraft sitting on the tarmac, with its side bay doors open and the front two doors unlocked.

"I know how to drive," one of the assassins chimed in. "I don't know how I know, though. I didn't know how to drive them before this all happened to me, but I just do now."

Voltara and The Viper looked at each other.

"How do you think she knows?" she asked The Viper.

The Viper shrugged. "Maybe Allie had her fly them regularly while she was mind-controlled, and she retained that knowledge?"

"Meh. Makes sense." Voltara then turned to the horde of Diamond Legion assassins behind her and The Viper. "Everyone get on board! Now!"

The assassins didn't need to be told twice; they immediately rushed into the Boeing Vertol 234, filling the front passenger's seat and the entire cargo hold. The assassin who promised that she knew how to drive climbed into the pilot's seat, began rotating the craft's propellers, and gave Voltara and The Viper a thumbs-up before smoothly flying the vessel off the tarmac and onto the stable ground below.