Powerhouse: Legend of the Archwave

Chapter 27 (Act III): Rescuing The Mayor

We last read Chapter 26, in which the Mayor of Seattle is held hostage by Special Agent Warren Schaefer and his band of Schaefer loyalists on the outer observation deck on top of the Seattle Space Needle, with other innocent civilians who happened to be there at the time of the hit also being taken and held as hostages. As the time ticks to 12:00pm PST—the time outlined in Schaefer's threatening message to the illegal immigrant Isabela Acosta a.k.a. Archwave—Schaefer taunts and berates the mayor for supposedly being so blind and short-sighted that he was unable to spot the metaphorical snakes in his garden—specifically, the migrants that have been traipsing all over American soil—and reveals that the mayor's abduction was nothing more than an elaborate scheme to get Archwave to reveal herself so she can trade her life for the mayor's.

The mayor rightfully admonishes Schaefer for his ruthless methods, excessive and unreasonable hatred for non-Americans, and—obviously—his kidnapping of him, stating that he doesn't care for America.....to which Schaefer suddenly snaps that he cares for America more than the mayor ever will, since—in his eyes—he's actually doing something to curb the illegal migrant threat, unlike the mayor himself. The mayor then tries to point out to Schaefer that America is supposed to be a melting pot of different cultures, lifestyles, and customs, but when Schaefer retorts that none of the foreigners ever put in the blood, sweat, or tears sacrificed to obtain America's freedom, the mayor instead warns him that Powerhouse will come to rescue him. Schaefer counters by stating that he made his ultimatum quite clear, and that the so-called "alien" will be the only one showing up.....that is, if casualties intend to be kept to a minimum. And, right on cue, Archwave herself shows up on the Space Needle's outer observation deck, much to the mayor's pleasant surprise and Schaefer's sinister pleasure.

Archwave immediately confesses to the mayor that she is an illegal immigrant—in contrast to how she acted with Powerhouse, where she kept it from him for a long time—but defends herself by stating that a good chunk of the American citizens that she killed consisted of terrorists who attacked the Lumen Field stadium. The mayor then realizes that his team initially tried to send in a unit of FBI agents to tackle the attack, but since they had apparently gone missing, they called in Powerhouse, Herman, and a SWAT regiment instead; shocked, he eventually comes to the correct conclusion that Schaefer orchestrated the attack on the Lumen Field stadium. Schaefer openly admits to this, stating that he disguised that unit as terrorists and had them attack the area, slaughtering innocent civilians just to have a chance at catching Archwave in action the first time. With Schaefer's repulsive darkness now openly revealed, Archwave is promptly seized by two more Schaefer loyalists as Schaefer himself prepares to kill her in exchange for sparing the mayor's life. Beforehand, he taunts her that she could never run away from him forever, and how she's apparently all alone now.....only for her to inform him that no, she's not alone.

On cue, a paint bomb is thrown onto the deck by Spraywatch vandal Valentina Valdez, who arrives with her best friend Tyrone Hoover, her beloved leader Monarch McIntosh, and a unit of Spraywatch vandals. When Schaefer and two of his loyalists try to flee, James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse also arrives, the impact of his landing creating a shockwave that knocks the three of them on their backs. The chapter ended with Powerhouse deflecting Schaefer's insult of being a "traitor" right back at him, as all parties prepare for a hectic fight.

This time, chaos erupts on top of the Seattle Space Needle as the heroes move to rescue the mayor and evacuate the other hostages.....

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

James Markovsky a.k.a. Powerhouse charged forward, using his red- and silver-colored prosthetic arm to block the bullets fired by several Schaefer loyalists. Then, using his super strength, he picked up the Mayor of Seattle's entire body with one hand and began frantically hauling him out of the immediate area.....while ducking, jumping, sliding, and weaving around gunfire the entire time.