The Watchwomen

Chapter 44 (Finale): Girl Power

We last read Chapter 43, in which Dr. Duncan Drevis and Nightclaw have another session in the basement of the former's apartment complex; a session that is very briefly interrupted by The Crawler—Duncan's mutant lizard assistant—before he's quickly scared away by the female werewolf herself. During their encounter, the two of them officially make up, and Duncan asks Nightclaw a few questions which tie up the rest of the loose ends with regard to the adventure, including how Coldsnap got away with burying the entirety of the Utah State Correctional Facility under several feet of snow, and why Nightclaw still spares Duncan's life up until now if she—supposedly—firmly believes that death is an infinitely better punishment than redemption. The chapter ended with Nightclaw forcing herself onto Duncan, intent on having her way with him.

This time, we encounter The Viper as she resumes her duties as Mercury Heights's superhero after months of legal trouble. Tonight, she is trying to stop a clandestine theft of several parcels of the Mayor's mail, several of which could contain incriminating evidence on one of his top advisors.....while singing a musical number at the same time!

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On a multi-floor building across from the front entrance to the Mercury Heights City Hall, The Viper stood tall on the roof, with her arms folded, looking down at the small set of steps which led up to the double glass doors with gold-painted door pull handles.

At the outer curb—a number of steps directly across from the main entrance—was a black limousine with silver accents.....with two black SUVs in front of it and two black SUVs behind it. All five vehicles had tinted windows and appeared to normal city folk to be regular, typical, government-affiliated vehicles.....but The Viper and her ally Commissioner Marvin knew better.

The heroine's long and straight dirty blonde hair blew magnificently in the cool night wind. Her skin was fair—almost tan—and her eyes were a captivating shade of brown. She had a lithe and supermodel-like body build that would even make other girls jealous, and her current expression was somehow one of both stoicism and slight confusion at the same time.

For the most part, green and black were her colors of choice. She wore a light-green, midriff-exposing, form-fitting top with very short sleeves and a big black "V" emblazoned directly in the center that was enhanced with yellow lining to make it stand out more. In addition, her waist was hugged by a black utility belt which contained numerous straps, two holsters—one on each hip—for her dual pistols, at least two slots for her twin daggers, and a small wired speaker similar to ones that police officers would mount on their shoulders for quick contact in the heat of the moment. The black utility belt was secured at the top of a pair of dark-green elastic combat shorts that were very short—as in, they barely reached the tops of her thighs—and generously highlighted her attractive legs. On her feet, she wore a pair of medium-height green boots that came up to about halfway up her lower leg and were composed of a comfy green-colored material with straps on the outside and warm insulated wool on the inside; its soles were both flexible and durable at the same time, able to handle any kind of landing The Viper might make.

On her hands, she wore a pair of gauntlets: the left one held her Toxin Blade, which was a weapon that allowed her to afflict her foes with a debilitating poison capable of knocking them unconscious and leaving them open for apprehension.....and her right one held a grappling hook which she used very regularly to swing between the buildings with the strength and ease of Spider-Man, but it could also be used to pull herself to her enemies, pull her enemies to her in order to set up for punches or kicks, or to retrieve distant objects that were small enough. Also, on her right wrist was a special, high-tech watch that enabled her to always be connected to the Viper Hotline—a number akin to 911 which the citizens could use to contact her in the event of an emergency—and granted her the capability to instantaneously change in and out of her costume on a dime in a flash of light, with nothing more than the swipe of a button.