Curious, Mike opened the box. Inside lay a wraparound eye visor, black with silver accents, the single lens the same deep green as his sunglasses.
“Wow.” The single word didn’t do the beautiful tech justice.
“The sunglasses were only meant to be a temporary tool while you decided if you wanted to be on the team or not,” Caleb said. “Once you made the decision to join us as a permanent member, I got going on these. With the visor style, you won’t have to worry about your tech getting knocked off if you take a hit during a battle.”
“This is amazing, Caleb. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Keep the sunglasses, you can use them if an emergency pops up and you don’t have your regular gear on you. Try it on.”
Mike held the visor up and settled it over his eyes. It automatically clicked closed at the back of his head with a quietsnick.His vision was colored with the now familiar green tint as he turned his head to look around the firehouse, checking to be sure that his sight wasn’t impeded in any way.
Frost held their hands up, swirling one on top of the other until a small disc of ice with a smooth, flat surface appeared in the air. They held it up in front of Mike so he could see his reflection. It was slightly blurry but he could see that the new visor fit well and looked undeniably cool. He’d had no complaint with the glasses he’d previously been given but the high-tech style of this new eye-wear looked more like something a superhero would use.
“What do you guys think?” Caleb asked the team.
Aiden was the first to offer his opinion. “I love it. It looks cool.”
Ignite agreed. “It’s bad ass, Caleb. Nice work.”
The rest of the team gave their feedback—all of it positive.
Caleb grinned at the compliments. “Thanks. Now all he needs is a superhero name.”
“Oh, yeah!” Sonica clapped her hands together in excitement. “You gotta have a code name.”
Everyone started throwing out suggestions.
“The Green Man.”
“Super Arctic Man.”
“North Star.”
“I think that one is taken,” Strong said.
Amina slid her foot over and tapped it against Mike’s to get his attention.
“What about Dr. Z?” she asked.
Mike shook his head. “I wasn’t actually a doctor.”
“It’s a superhero name,” Amina said with an unconcerned shrug. “It doesn’t have to be exact.”
“That’s true.” Mike thought about it. He did like that name more than any of the others that had been suggested.
Danny looked up from his sketch for Frost’s symbol. “Take it from me, a superhero fanboy and artist who makes a living selling superhero fanart. I like Dr. Z. It’s catchy and it’ll look cool on a T-shirt.”
That sold it for him. “Okay, Dr. Z it is.”
Aiden got up from his chair. He plopped himself onto Mike’s lap and hugged an arm tight around his neck. “Welcome to the team, Dr. Z.”
The rest of the team offered their welcomes as well. Although technically he’d already been welcomed to the team, Mike didn’t protest. It felt more official now that he had a symbol and a code name.
“Thank you everybody. I’m honored to be a part of the group and I can’t wait to fight by your side.”
“We’re happy to have you. But don’t do anything freaky while you’re wearing that visor,” Caleb playfully admonished.
Aiden leaned back and winked at Caleb. “No promises on that.”
