The Paragons

Chapter 38: New Recruits

After Carlisle gave the Shimmering Plane transport bug to Duncan, Powerhouse led the rest of the crew out of the GDC's base of operations and drove them back to the heroes' combined headquarters, with Carlisle wishing them luck on their mission.

Once all of them had returned, they sat around in the common area while waiting for Duncan's "backup" to arrive.

"So that foreign, interdimensional substance that was used to power up that 'Control Pylon'.....you think that energy can somehow be used to revive The Viper and restore her to life?" Powerhouse inquired.

Duncan nodded. "Something tells me it wasn't exactly designed for that purpose, but then again.....it's a power source like no other."

"I'll take anything at this rate," Carla chimed in. "You have no idea how relieved I was when I saw that Carlisle and his team salvaged her body."

"As was I," the doctor agreed. "If there's even a chance that we can pull this off.....we have to try. Otherwise, we're down one superhero. And I don't want to have to devolve into hysterical grief again."

"Who's this 'backup' you wanted to call, Duncan?" Coldsnap asked. "We could've been heading out already if you didn't insist on making us wait for them."

"Oh, trust me.....these guys are the best in the business!" The Crawler said. "They're a pair of ninjas who hail from a secret order known as the Cloaked Path. Their whole specialty is dealing with interdimensional threats such as these."

"Their names are Clara and Walter. Normally, they're based in Honolulu—the capital city of Hawaii—but they've been known to possess an uncanny ability to cross large distances in very short amounts of time. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they showed up at our door within the hour," Duncan chuckled.

Coldsnap's expression swiftly turned from annoyance to fascination. "Ooooh.....they sound mysterious."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Duncan pulled himself up from his seat and headed for the entryway.

"That's probably them."

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Duncan opened the front door and, as expected, saw both Clara and Walter standing on the other side. For the first time since The Viper's incapacitation, a sense of reassurance had returned to him. Somehow.....he got the feeling that things were going to be okay.

"Hello! Thanks for coming on such short notice. It seems our paths have crossed once again.....though I wish it weren't under such dire circumstances," the doctor began.

"It's good to see you too, Duncan," Walter greeted politely as he shook his hand. "It was our pleasure to get to train The Viper at our dojo and help her reach her true potential. Getting to fight alongside her against the Opulent—as well as helping you and her stop the Mercury Heights blackout—was a truly exhilarating experience indeed.....I'm sure my student, Clara, would say the same."

Clara jumped up and down excitedly. "Yes! I can't wait to see her again and ask her about everything she's been up to since then! Where is she?"

Duncan smacked his lips and tried his best to find a good way to formulate his response, so as not to make the normally-chipper Clara burst into tears instantly.

"I think it would just be best if you both followed me inside. I'll introduce you to the others, then we can all get down to business," he briefed as he turned around.

Walter and Clara gave each other confused glances for a short moment, but did as they were told nonetheless.

"What do you think he meant by 'the others'?" Clara asked her master. Then, she gasped excitedly. "You don't think.....there could be more heroes like The Viper?!"