Powerhouse: Legend of the Archwave

Chapter 23 (Act III): We've Got A Situation

We last read Chapter 22, in which James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse returns to the Markovsky Residence after a rather turbulent falling out with his now former companion Isabela Acosta a.k.a. Archwave following her revealing everything about her past to him. After entering his house, arming the security system, going upstairs, getting changed, and drifting off to sleep.....he eventually finds himself back in the Dream World again just like the previous night. And, just like that previous night, he has another encounter with the spirit of his old friend and core Paragon Dr. Duncan Drevis, who's currently enjoying a combo meal from the very same fast-food restaurant he used to enjoy in life.

Duncan initially reacts with positivity, asking James how everything with Isabela is going since the prosthetic-armed boy took her under his wing. However, James admits to Duncan that he "had" to let her go—even though he chose to—because she was an illegal immigrant and she brought pressures and hassles from the FBI wherever she went, making James get caught in the crossfire twice as a result. Duncan, pleasantly, shows absolutely no frustration or anger at James in the slightest for having abandoned Isabela; instead, he succinctly points out that even though she's an illegal immigrant, she has very good reasons for being so desperate to flee her home country, and that she needs help now more than ever. He rightfully states that, since the Paragons are supposed to be heroes, they help people whenever they need help, no matter who they are.

Duncan goes further by pointing out that even though Isabela was in America illegally, it was she who was responsible for alerting James to the Spraywatch gang's presence, setting off the chain of events which led to the Spraywatch Hub meeting and the beginning of peace relations between the gang and the government.....hence, without Isabela's interference, none of this would have come to pass. He emphasizes Isabela's humanity—stating that she just wants a better life and is not around to cause trouble—and persuades James to take Isabela back, highlighting that he sees potential in her, just like The Viper in him so many years ago.....and that even though James has made a mistake, he has faith that James can correct it, again mirroring The Viper's feelings towards Duncan so many years ago. James, after agreeing and receiving additional instructions from the doctor, is then whisked back to the real world; the chapter ended with him frantically checking the security camera feeds—only to see that Isabela is nowhere to be found—and then using his green noise headphones once again to help him return to a slumbering state.

This time, James wakes up the following morning and immediately gets to work on continuing to broker peace between the Spraywatch gang and the city's government, but he and Isabela come across a rather drastic development at practically the exact same time.....

***********************************************************************************************

The next morning, at exactly 7:00am PST, James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse was already awake and eating his breakfast.....but he was still up in his bedroom. He had texted his mother, Susan Markovsky, immediately upon awakening and courteously asked her to bring his breakfast up to him instead—which she enthusiastically obliged to—so he could begin contacting the mayor about the Spraywatch gang and have the most important meal of the day at the same time.

As he placed another spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth with his left hand, he used his prosthetic right hand to log onto his laptop—which was propped up on top of a breakfast bed tray alongside the rest of his food—and navigated to his email account, wishing to get ahold of the Mayor of Seattle in order to set up a meeting with him.

A tinge of sadness bounced around his chest for a moment, wishing that his former companion Isabela Acosta a.k.a. Archwave would've still been around to see this.....but it didn't matter. As soon as he was finished with breakfast and had sent a message off to the mayor, he would head out for the day and drive around Seattle in the tricked-out convertible to search for her.