The Paragons

Chapter 13: The Long-Awaited Reunion

After briefly heading back to the dining table and giving Susan and Elise an excuse as to why he had to leave, James stopped by his room for a few minutes, then hopped into his car and drove over to the Sky View Observatory; Duncan had asked to meet him there to chat about something. The location had already closed down to patrons for the evening, as it was already very late into the night at that point, but he, The Crawler, and The Viper managed to sneak in anyway and secure the area. 

He was already in his costume by the time he had arrived; his black strap wrapped around his eyes coupled with the brilliant red goggles made it easier for him to scout out targets, his dark, full upper-body spandex top contained two brown straps crossed over each other in an X-formation on both the front and back of the suit---and were also laced length-wise with several silver canisters---and his cybernetic right arm was firmly affixed to the top's attachment site, securing it for everyone to see. He also wore a pair of brown pants with a black belt and a gold buckle shaped like a "P", and a set of silver knuckle-dusters to deck out his left, organic fist; there was also a metal node located in the middle of the brown, crossed straps that was outfitted with a bright red light. 

He used the firm grip of his right arm to scale the side of the building, but noticed a familiar-looking aircraft parked on the roof. 

Ahhh.....the plane that used to belong to Fritz..... he recalled. I'm assuming the doctor has it now....good to see that I left it in good hands. 

Soon, he eventually reached an outer stairwell, stopping right in front of a door that would lead him inside. Once he had successfully breached the observatory, he found Dr. Duncan Drevis, The Crawler, The Viper, and Nightclaw waiting for him inside the main room. 

"Powerhouse!" Duncan greeted as the two men grasped each other's right hands and pulled themselves inward for a hug, each of them firmly---but warmly---patting each other's backs. "How long has it been since our adventure?" 

Powerhouse shrugged. "Meh.....about one year, give or take. So, how's it been? Did you ever start that innovation company you were telling me about, back when you were in prison?" 

"Yeah! We've had some ups and downs here and there, but it's actually been going really well for us!" 

Of course, this was more true than Powerhouse realized. 

Some good had come from Lifeline Industries, such as Duncan successfully creating an eye implant known as the Opti-Vis to alleviate the symptoms of nearsightedness. With the aid of his first human test subject, Cassie---also secretly known as the superheroine Coldsnap---he had successfully obtained positive data on its efficiency, and filed for a patent; the gadget would  become mass-produced and distributed soon, where it would be able to help many more people.

But no company was without its slip-ups. He cringed on the inside as he remembered the incident that took place in Lifeline Industries' incubation room that resulted in Monica's transformation into Shocker. Part of him wanted to find a way to cure her, but another part of him also wanted to keep her that way; there was no doubting that she was immensely powerful, and if by some slim chance they could manage to talk her down, she would make a great addition to the growing team of superheroes. However, Duncan was on the fence about this at best; her hatred for him was likely already too great at this point. 

"So....." Powerhouse began, taking his phone out and looking at Duncan's most recent text. "You told me you 'needed [my] help' with something? What's going on? You helped Fritz and I take down the Avian Wing brothel in the past.....it's about time I returned the favor." He was ready to listen, but audibly gasped after seeing the figures accompanying Duncan. "Is.....is that The Viper?" he asked. "And your partner, The Crawler.....and that werewolf from Los Angeles....she's here, too? ....Sounds to me like something big is coming, if we're putting together all of these heroes."