The Paragons

Chapter 25: The Gang's All Here

Giorgio Carlisle had barely left his office since he sent his final video call to Dr. Duncan Drevis a few hours ago. Besides using the restroom or briefly going to the break room to grab a cup of coffee---the facility was open 24/7---he had constantly kept himself glued to his seat and constantly checked both his email account and his phone for some kind of potential response from these "superheroes". He was so sure they existed.....he had heard stories of their adventures and exploits from random passersby in the streets on his way to and from work recently, and he thought that even if there was a small chance of bringing them all together, then he would pursue it with every resource available to him. 

But as it stood right now.....he appeared to be going back on it. Maybe those were just nonsensical ramblings of civilians who hadn't gotten a good sleep the previous night. Or maybe they were just talking about some kind of roleplay skit that they had performed a few days prior. 

Perhaps The Viper really was still the only one out there. 

Just then, one of his aides knocked on his office door three times. 

"Come in....." Carlisle said with a heavy sigh. 

"Good evening again, sir," the assistant greeted politely. "Any luck with your video message to Dr. Duncan Drevis?" 

Carlisle opened his recording software and checked on the status of his correspondence. "Umm.....it says here that he opened it, but so far.....nothing beyond that." 

"Well.....at least that shows that he cared enough to at least listen." His aide paused briefly. "And.....if I'm being honest, even if he did decide to do something about it.....perhaps, say, gather all the heroes.....you have to realize that not only are there six of them, but they're scattered across the country. It could take several days, if not weeks, to recruit all of them.....and that's assuming that all of their friends, family, and loved ones will be okay with this whole thing." 

"I gave Duncan the Paragon Challenge Coins, so that last part should be out of the question," Carlisle pointed out. 

"Sir.....why is your heart so set on this, anyway?" 

Carlisle took a deep breath. "Will you let me be real with you for a moment? I was a huge fan of the Marvel movies growing up.....before I came to work at this establishment. The heroes never failed to impress me with their flashy powers, their bravery, their drive, their heart.....they protected our world from threats that we would otherwise be helpless against," he explained. "When they began doing that whole 'shared universe' thing.....let me tell you, nothing made me wish that superheroes were real more than that." 

The assistant's eyes widened, and a happy grin spread across his face from ear to ear. "No way, sir! Me, too! Avengers: Endgame was fire!" 

Carlisle laughed. "Tell me about it. And since I now work for the Global Defense Council.....an organization tasked with looking to the well-being of the population.....what could be better than to do our own version in real life?" 

"You're quite optimistic, sir.....good thing you're the head of this branch, otherwise your would-be 'superiors' would definitely not approve of this plan." 

"Well, here's what we do know. We know at least one hero is out there.....The Viper. I can't think of anyone who isn't aware of her existence. As for the others, though....." He opened his phone and glanced at his notes. "Dr. Duncan Drevis, The Crawler, Nightclaw, Powerhouse, and Coldsnap.....I'm starting to question whether or not they're even actively operating at the moment." 

"Sir, Dr. Duncan Drevis and The Crawler are also real, remember? In fact, it was their initial defeat that catapulted The Viper to country-wide fame."