Gallium had left his office earlier that Saturday morning to run down and pick up that morning's paper.  Located just north of the interstate in Station Lucia, it wasn't the most glamorous place to set his agency.  There was a newsstand just two blocks down from his office owned by Heidi, who had a strict policy of "you touch it, you buy it" when it came to her selection of magazines, newspapers, and comics.

The Stark City Siren was folded so that only the front page headline and a handful of ears at the very top were visible:


It seemed that Diamond was on every magazine cover, appearing on every popular TV show, the guest of every radio talk show, cereal boxes, toy lines, the list goes on.  Would Diamond coming to Stark City help the citizens out at all?  Does she actually get any crime fighting done in between all of the media appearances?  Before Dwight had the opportunity to grab some reading material, his cell phone rang.

Dwight takes out the phone and looks at the number.  If it's one he recognizes, he answers with a "Dwight here, what's up?".  If it's a number he doesn't recognize, he answers with "Dwight Adams, how may I be of service?"

Either way, as he talks to the person, he will buy a copy of the recent paper.

"Mr. Adams, this is Robert Van Vlack.  I got your number from a mutual acquaintance of ours, Mike Batista.  He thought you might be able to look into something for me that the SCPD seems... disinterested in.  I would like to set up an appointment with you this afternoon.  Would you be available around 2:00?"

Just off the top of his head, Dwight was not familiar with the name Van Vlack.  Stark City had a population of well over two and a half million people.  Although, being a wealthy antiquities collector did help narrow things down.

"Yes, come by my office and we can talk about the matter in private.  2:00 will work out fine."
Let's hope the old Adams' luck doesn't hold out making this some kind of illegal activity Dwight thought to himself.
"Until then sir, have a nice day.  I look forward to our meeting." Dwight waited for Van Vlack to hang up before doing so himself.

"Actually Mr. Adams, I would like you to come by my place.  You see, I possess an artifact that seems to be of interest to some lunatic.  I am hesitant to remove it from my residence and I feel that it might be important to your work if you were able to lay eyes upon it.  I reside in Avalon Tower.  Just tell the security desk that you're there to see me.  I'll have you cleared for entry."

Checking his watch, Dwight could see that he would have to leave in about an hour in order to drive to that area of the Platinum Coast.

"Will that work for you Mr. Adams?" Van Vlack asked.

""Yes sir, that will be excellent.  I'll see you there." Dwight replied as he began walking to his vehicle.

At least I assume you'll allow me a beater.  If not, then change that to going to catch the boss please.

Dwight's 1979 Ford Pinto hatchback was parked in alley behind his office building.  It was a shadowed stretch of asphalt that ran the length of the block between several three to five-storied buildings.  Several other vehicles dotted the length of the alley in various stages of disrepair.  As Dwight came around to the driver's side that was towards the wall of the building, he found a drunk that had passed out.  It was hard to determine which smelled worse, the bum or the dumpster 20 feet away.  As the drunk snored away, Dwight saw scratches along the top of his doorframe that indicated someone tried to break into his ride.  The drunk still had the straightened cloths hanger in his hand.

Dwight kicks the unconscious drunk aside and gets in his car, heading towards the location given for the meet and greet.

Dwight was just entering the area of Stark City known as Mercy Hill, when traffic came to a stop.  While there wasn't a part of Stark City that wasn't packed full of people, this route to Platinum Coast typically didn't suffer from heavy traffic.  Shifting in his seat to see better, it looked like there was an accident ahead... with people running his direction.  Normally people would stand and gawk at the wreck.  Something was wrong up ahead, putting the residents of Mercy Hill to flight.

Dwight took the keys, and got out of the car.  He started running along with the crowd and then took a trip into the nearest alleyway.  He trusted that he would be lost in the mob enough that nobody would know who he was.

Once in the alleyway, he took off his clothes, putting them behind the dumpster.  He then, costume bare to the world, allowed the metal sheathe to engulf him.  It felt like an old friend's embrace, it'd been so long since the last time he'd used it.

Once the sheathe was fully around him, he allowed wings to sprout from his back, and flew over the rooftops, to the location of the accident.  If it was something to worry about, he was armed and ready.  If it was just a pile up, he'd have the strength to lift the cars out of the way, allowing traffic to flow again.

To be continued in Issue #1: TeamUp! - Gallium & Miracle!
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:10, Sat 24 Apr 2021.