Powerhouse: Legend of the Archwave

Chapter 25 (Act III): What's Our Plan?

We last read Chapter 24, in which James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse elects to drop by the Spraywatch Hub in the middle of his desperate search for his former companion, believing that they may have heard something about the recent abduction of Seattle's mayor; plus, it would be good to have other allies just in case his former partner really has skipped the city entirely.

However, just when he is about to arrive at the dark iron fencing separating the Spraywatch Hub's outer courtyard from the other cement sidewalks and asphalt roads, he spots his former partner Isabela Acosta a.k.a. Archwave on the other end of the cement sidewalk.....and she is also walking towards the Spraywatch Hub, albeit from the opposite end as Powerhouse. Powerhouse—immediately putting aside their spat on the apartment building rooftop in favor of tending to her and ensuring that she's okay—rushes over to Archwave and asks her if she's fine, to which she replies she's not because she ate a very old burger out of both desperation and hunger due to not being able to procure anything well-cooked for breakfast since being abandoned for the second time by Powerhouse. However, before Powerhouse can call for medical aid, he is assisted by Spraywatch gang leader Monarch McIntosh and Spraywatch vandals Valentina Valdez and Tyrone Hoover, who promptly help Powerhouse bring Archwave into the Spraywatch Hub for treatment.

Inside the Hub, McIntosh gives Archwave a nice warm cup of ginger tea to ease her insides, then asks Powerhouse about how things are going with the Mayor of Seattle, who was meant to be contacted by Powerhouse concerning a possible olive branch between the Spraywatch gang and the city's government. However, Powerhouse instead reports that the mayor has been kidnapped and that at least some FBI agents are thought to be involved. After some discussion from the group—as well as Archwave stating that the FBI has apparently made it their mission to either deport or kill her—McIntosh correctly deduces that the mayor's kidnapping is nothing more than a means to an end; namely, to have Archwave show herself out in the open to perform the rescue.....and in turn delivering herself right into the FBI's clutches.

Powerhouse tries to rally the group to rescue the mayor, but Valentina counters that they don't know where he's being held. However, another random Spraywatch vandal arrives with an intercepted message for Archwave.....which turns out to be a very threatening message from Special Agent Warren Schaefer giving her two options: either she comes to the Space Needle and gives her life in place of the mayor's, or Schaefer and his loyalists kill the mayor instead and pin his death on Archwave, ruining her reputation for good through misinformation.

The team, now agitated, briefly argues amongst themselves about what to do, with Archwave simply wanting to sacrifice herself while Tyrone wants to take the fight to the FBI. Valentina, however, actually supports Tyrone despite usually being a peacemaker; this is what ultimately pushes Powerhouse to begin making plans to fight back as well. The chapter ended with a very touching sequence in which Powerhouse promises to never abandon Archwave again, before embracing her and informing the team that they have a mayor to save.

This time, Valentina confides in her best friend Tyrone about a somewhat personal matter enroute to the Space Needle, and the combined team finally arrives at the base of the tower to discuss their plan of attack further.....

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-Enroute to the Seattle Space Needle, Seattle, Washington-

Some time later, at approximately 11:30am PST—half an hour before the moment of truth atop the Seattle Space Needle—James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse and Isabela Acosta a.k.a. Archwave were leading the front of a makeshift "convoy" headed for the destination, while riding in the former's tricked-out convertible. They were being guarded by four dark gray Buicks with numerous Spraywatch vandals inside; two were slightly in front of the tricked-out convertible while the other two were slightly behind it.