He sat up and stretched his arms over his head. He allowed a small grin at the lack of noise from the servos powering his arms. If there was anybody in the Parodyverse that knew how to build a suit of armor, it was him.

    Jamie mentally reviewed his schedule for the day on his way to the bathroom. He had a Bautista Enterprises board meeting first thing in the morning, followed by lunch with Al B. Harper. After that he had scheduled a few hours in his lab to work out some kinks in the newest operating software of his NTU-150 armor. He had a quick stop to make at the opening of the newly renovated children’s wing of the Phantomhawk Hospital, and from there he was on his way to a charity dinner for something or other. He had trouble keeping track of all the various charitable causes he made sure his company participated in.

    Jamie sighed. He loved his work, he really did, but there were times he wished that he could just, do nothing. To take a day where his schedule could be damned and he could simply relax. However, to have such a day would require months of rearranging his schedule, and it wasn’t worth the hassle.

    As he reached the door to the bathroom he stubbed his toe on the doorframe. He cursed under his breath and waited for the pain to subside. Then it occurred to him.

    His foot shouldn’t be able to hurt.

    Jamie darted in front of the mirror. He hadn’t heard his servos before because they were gone. His armor, the life-giving suit of metal that had kept him going for all the years after the accident, was gone. In its place were his limbs, his flesh and blood limbs. But how?

    Jamie rushed back to his bedroom and picked up the telephone. Utilizing the voice-activated speed dial he had created, he called his personal secretary and cancelled his appointments for the day. It seemed that the hole in his schedule he had been wishing for had just unavoidably been provided.

    Jamie activated his Lair Legion Communicard and waited for a response. After several moments Hallie’s face appeared on the screen. “Enty!” exclaimed the AI. “Are you all right?”

    “That’s a difficult question to answer,” replied the inventor. Jamie explained how his armor had disappeared and his body had been restored. Fortunately for Jamie, Hallie had an explanation.

    “The Lair Legion has somehow been deaged to their 16th birthdays, with some exceptions. You, for example. We’re working on the problem, but since you’re still normal upstairs we could use your help.”

    Jamie hesitated before answering. “Actually Hallie, I was kind of thinking...”

    Jamie walked through the park, clad in a loose fitting t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. Nobody paid the hero a second glance, and he was glad.

    He stopped at a hot dog cart for lunch. Armed with a frank and a soda, he sat on a bench along the walkway. The sun warmed his exposed skin, a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time.

    “Well I’ll be,” said a voice as the owner sat down on the bench next to Jamie. Jamie smiled and turned to his companion.

    “It’s good to see you Zebulon. How have you been?” Jamie shifted the warm hot dog from his left hand to his right, as the heat was getting to be too much. His grin got even wider.

    “Obviously not as good as you. Would you cut to the chase already?” The elf looked up at his friend expectantly.

    Jamie explained what Hallie had explained to him. Zebulon sat there in silence, obviously thinking hard. “So you gonna help them?” he finally asked.

    “What do you mean? Obviously something is wrong and we need to fix it.”

    “That’s one of the things I’ve always liked about you, y’know? You’re a selfless kinda guy. But that’s what I’m here for, to think of you for you. You think the rest of the Legion has been affected by this as much as you? Sure, they got zapped back a few years, but they’re still pretty much the same I’ll bet. But you, man, you have a second chance that just can’t be ignored! I think you owe it to yourself to at least consider staying this way.”

    “But how is that fair to the rest of the Legion?”

    “Dammit Jamie, for once, just once, would you think of yourself? I’m sure the Legion will get on just fine.” Zebulon glanced at his watch. “Look, I’ve got to get going, but please Jamie, for once, listen to me okay? You’ve got a golden opportunity here, don’t throw it away.” The elf dropped down from the bench and began to leave. He took a few steps, then turned back for a moment. “You look good Jamie. Really.”

    Jamie bid his friend good-bye. He sat on the bench for a few hours, enjoying being out of the office and out of the confines of his armor. He spent the time thinking upon what Zebulon had said. Finally, he made a decision, and decided he had best head for home.

    Jamie found an urgent e-mail waiting for him from Hallie. He opened the video message and sat down to watch.

    Hallie had sent him video footage of the Legion tackling Anvil Man, Razor Ballerina, HuntingJustice DeathMarrow, and Fleshcrawler. Jamie watched as the team struggled, as his friends did their best despite their current limitations to stop the villains. Were it not for what some would call beginner’s luck they would not have succeeded.

    The second half of the message was a text account of the team battling, of all people, the Birthday Bandit. Jamie realized with horror how powerful the Bandit must have become, and the report confirmed it. Fortunately Yo managed to save the day, but it was another close call.

    Jamie sighed, and rose from his chair. He made his way to his lab, and once there he stood before an exo-skeleton of NTU-150 armor. Picking up a laser torch, he set to work.

    Two hours later, his modifications complete, Jamie began to put on the armor. Rather than affixing itself to his cybernetic limbs as usual, he had modified it into a true suit of armor. As the helmet seals engaged he cybernetically activated his communications array.

    “Hallie, this is NTU-150. I believe we’ve got some heroes that need growing up.”

END