Powerhouse: Legend of the Archwave

Chapter 9 (Act I): Nothing But Hate

We last read Chapter 8, in which James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse and Isabela Acosta a.k.a. Archwave are enroute back to the Markovsky Residence following their semi-friendly encounter with the Spraywatch vandal gang at the Green Lake Pitch 'N Putt golf course.....when they are suddenly intercepted and chased down by uncivilized FBI agents in three black SUVs—led from behind the scenes by a currently unseen "Special Agent Warren Schaefer"—as they try to kill Archwave and bring Powerhouse into custody for reasons which they do not care to divulge to the pair.

Powerhouse manages to activate the tricked-out convertible's glowing blue force field, offering both himself and Archwave long-lasting protection against the gunfire barrages coming from the FBI agents' MP5s. This gives Archwave ample time to shoot out the tires on two of the three black SUVs, but by the time she gets to the third one, the force field fails and she is shot in the right arm by a single round from an MP5. Powerhouse is forced to take the next highway exit and swerves into a tight passageway with many piping systems along the sides.....but the last SUV is still following them. However, despite Archwave being in great pain—and actively bleeding—she still manages to shoot three arrows from her compound bow at once, which all hit different portions of the side pipes and promptly blast the last SUV with a concentration of pressurized steam so heavy that it successfully makes the FBI agents lose her and Powerhouse in the chaos. The driver of the SUV then sadly reports the mission's failure to Schaefer, who angrily—but calmly—orders them to return to the field office, to which they comply.

When Powerhouse and Archwave officially lose the FBI, the former immediately begins tending to the latter's gunshot wound using equipment found in a first aid kit located inside the tricked-out convertible's front passenger seat glove compartment. Powerhouse disinfects her injury and then wraps it in multiple rounds of gauze while he and Archwave discuss the chase; Archwave—still not wanting to reveal her past—claims that the FBI simply targeted the wrong people.....but Powerhouse thinks it's something more than that. After he finishes patching Archwave up for the time being, he confirms one last time that she's okay—to which she responds positively twice—before returning to the road and getting both of them back to the Markovsky Residence; the chapter ended with them successfully returning.

This time, we visit the FBI's field office in Seattle, Washington and learn of Special Agent Warren Schaefer's motives in targeting Powerhouse and Archwave. Meanwhile, the two heroes seek momentary shelter in the former's house at the same time.....

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-FBI Field Office, Seattle, Washington-

The driver of the middle SUV and his cohorts—the only ones who had survived the first chase of Isabela Acosta a.k.a. Archwave and James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse—nervously walked through a sleek white door and into the office of his superior, Special Agent Warren Schaefer of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.....or the FBI, for short.

Schaefer had fair skin and greatly thinning brown hair on his head.....but he had a fully grown mustache and beard flourishing around his mouth. His eyes were an uncanny silver with black pupils and white sclera, and he had an identical comm device in his right ear that the SUV driver had regularly used during the first chase.

His inner suit, pants, and shoes consisted of roughly the same setup as his subordinates, except that Schaefer had a light brown hoodless jacket over it—that was open in the front—and he had a black vest over the inner suit with "FBI" in yellow lettering a little to the left of where his heart was.

Schaefer was sitting in an off-white-colored office chair at the bend of an "L"-shaped desk with a completely clear glass countertop. At the corner of the desk was an elaborate desktop computer setup—complete with a tower unit—and there was a steaming cup of coffee to the right of the mouse and keyboard. Two off-white-colored chairs with comfortable cushions and black armrests idled on the other side of the "L"-shaped desk—in case Schaefer had any visitors or called anyone up to his personal office—and they were about a few inches apart from each other.