Zenith took another cautious sip and the reaction was a bit less extreme the second time around. “I do have good news, though. Lee managed to contact Gunsmith and transferred the information to him.”
Thorne gave a nod, his sight being drawn back to the framed photo on his desk. “Good.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, Colonel, why not reach out to the rest of the team? I know you trust them and their support in defeating Callus could be very beneficial.”
“Mmm.”
“Colonel?”
Thorne finally snapped from his trance and turned his gaze to Zenith. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Zenith noticed the framed photograph and reached his hand towards it, casting a look at Thorne. “May I?’
Thorne gave a gesture for him to continue. Zenith picked up the photograph and stared at the woman in it. “Your wife, yes?”
“Yeah.”
“Perhaps you could reach out to her in some way, let her know that you’re still alive.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“For the same reason we can’t reform the team yet.” Thorne held out his empty hand and Zenith handed the photo back. Thorne opened a drawer in his desk and placed the photo inside, then closed it shut. “It’s too dangerous.”
“There is strength in numbers, though.”
“Yeah, and it also makes you an easier target to spot.” Thorne took another sip of his bourbon. “Callus and Ramsey are very smart. They know Vanguard poses a threat to their plans, whatever those may be. Right now, they’re watching the others very carefully, just waiting for a slip-up.”
“But they’ve already targeted Paragon. How can we assume they aren’t moving to remove us completely?”
Thorne shrugged. “I’m not sure. We’ve provided Jim with the information he needs to do something about this. Have Lee monitor the situation and if needed, then we’ll provide additional back-up.”
“I sense a caveat.”
Thorne nodded. “Smart man. Callus already tried to kill me once. If he suspects I’m still alive, he’ll probably go after her.” He groaned and leaned back in his chair. “If only we knew what the hell Ramsey’s endgame is. I’m starting to get cabin fever staying locked up in this damn base all day long.”
“Could it be related to the Khagan?” asked Zenith.
“Possibly, or it could be something worse,” said Thorne. “We know at least three prominent figures in the Red Fist are still on the loose—Ramsey, the Analyst, and Azarov. And while we know where Ramsey is, we have no evidence linking him to the organization, meaning he’s still the Secretary of Defense.”
“Lee and I have attempted to scour information channels searching for any mention of the Red Fist, the Analyst, or Azarov. Unfortunately we’ve found nothing as of yet.”
“Dammit!” Thorne slammed his fist on the desk. “They’re up to something, I can just feel it.”
“We’ll find out,” said Zenith. “They cannot hide from us forever. We’ve been dealt a massive blow, but we’ll recover.”
Thorne took the glass and drained the remainder of the whiskey. “If anyone needs me, I’m going to be in the training room.” He stood and walked over to the door. “I really need to shoot something.”
***
The tenth level of Atlas housed a room with automated defenses where Vanguard had trained, both against the room and against each other. It had largely fallen into disuse since then, but Thorne had a desire to work off some steam. He selected a simple attack droid program, nothing too strenuous but enough to give him a workout. Near the console was a weapons locker and from there, Thorne took a pair of spare teleforce blasters, the kind wielded by Gunsmith. He hadn’t used these guns much himself and tested the weight in his hands with a few practice aims and draws.
Satisfied that the weapons would do, he left the control booth and entered the training room. A warning klaxon sounded to alert that the program was beginning. Thorne stood in the center of the room and waited.
A panel on the floor opened and a robot drone with teleforce cannons for arms rose up in the opening. It raised its weapons but before it could fire, Thorne shot a few blasts into its chest to take it out. The robot fell motionless on the ground. Another drone rose from a panel behind him. It fired a warning shot and Thorne spun, bringing the gun around with him and shooting it in the head.
The drones continued to rise slightly faster. Thorne kept his position in the center of the room, turning and firing as needed in order to strike the appropriate targets. Flying drones came from the ceiling, powered by propellers and housing small guns beneath their spherical bodies.
One of the blasts caught Thorne in his shoulder and he cringed in pain. The setting on the drone weapons shouldn’t have been at a level high enough to cause him that much harm. He returned fire at the flying drone, shooting it out of the sky.
They continued to come at him in greater numbers and Thorne discovered quickly that he needed to locate some cover. Some floor panels around the room rose up to a ninety-degree angle in order to provide obstacles as part of the simulation. Thorne ran for one of them, trying to dodge the drone fire as best he could.
He leapt behind the raised panel, crouching against it and peering over the edge. A shot from an infantry drone caused him to duck in response, the blast narrowly missing his head. He held his gun over the edge and fired blindly, hearing the sound of a drone taking a hit.
Thorne peeked out and raised his weapons to fire out some better shots. But the drones were now coming in increasing numbers, something that shouldn’t have happened in the current program.
“Computer, pause simulation!”
A digital voice boomed over the speakers. “Command not recognized.”
“Administrator Override: Thorne, Leonard!”
Again, the same response. “Command not recognized.”
Something was wrong with the system, although Thorne had no idea what it could possibly be. His only option was to fight his way through to the control booth on the other side of the room. But there were at least a dozen infantry drones and a few more aerial ones standing between him and that goal. And though Thorne could still fight pretty well, he wasn’t sure he could put up with that level of resistance.
CHAPTER 6
After getting some lunch with Zenith, Lee returned to the laboratory. The lights automatically flickered on once he stepped off the elevator. He walked past the gurney where Zenith’s robot body still remained, looking as lifeless as ever but the lights still remaining on. Lee gave a sigh when he saw it.
“We’ll figure it out.”
He walked over to a table where he’d set up a workbench. A belt lay on the surface and he sat down, examining the devices implanted around it. His technopathic abilities were helpful in a support role, but Lee was determined to make himself more useful. With Cerberus’ moves becoming more and more brash, Lee knew a confrontation was coming. And he wanted to be able to join the fight when that happened.
The belt was a combination of some schematics he’d manage to download from some technology Cerberus had in their possession, while making modifications of his own. He saw some improvements that could be made in order to suit his needs and he planned to implement them as soon as possible.
While Lee worked on the belt, he didn’t notice the twitching of the robot body. The LED lights that served as eyes flickered and the body started to move, raising its torso to a sitting position. It turned, setting its feet on the floor and rising to a standing position.
The robot looked down at itself, examining its movements carefully. It turned its head and saw Lee, still oblivious to all but his project, and took a first, cautious step. Satisfied with the result, the robot moved again. Each step brought him closer to Lee and it only took a few steps before the technopath noticed the sound of the metal feet striking the floor.
Lee turned on his stool and jumped, slipping off and falling to the ground. “What the hell!”
The robot stopped and recoiled, holding up its hands, palms facing Lee. “Please don’t be alarmed, Lee.”
“Wh-what?” asked Lee, staring dumbfounded at the robot.
The robot relaxed its posture to try and help Lee feel more comfortable in its presence. It slowly moved closer and reached a hand out. The young inventor stared at the hand in confusion.
“How can you be moving around? And talking?” he asked.
“I…don’t understand what you mean,” said the robot.
“You’re not real,” said Lee. “This has gotta be a dream or something. I must’ve dozed off while working again.”
“It is real—I am real.” The robot held out his hand again. This time, Lee reached out slowly and took hold. The robot pulled Lee to his feet and he immediately backed off.
“What do you mean you’re real? Who are you?” asked Lee.
“I…would think that would be obvious,” it said. “I am Zenith.”
Lee’s eyes bulged. “What?”
“The transfer was successful. You managed to place me back in my body.”
Lee shook his head. “No…Zenith was still in Lucent’s body. We even had lunch after.”
“Oh no… Lee, don’t you realize what’s happened?”
Lee narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“If the transfer worked and I’m now back in my body, then what do you think that means about my previous host?”
Lee gasped. “No way…it can’t be. He was buried so deep, it would take him some time to regain consciousness.”
“Perhaps your projections were off. No one knew how it was possible for him to absorb me in the first place, after all.”
Lee shook his head. “This is insanity! No, I would’ve known if it were him.”
The robot’s head cocked to the side. “Are you certain of that?”
Lee didn’t have an answer for that. He himself admitted that there’s a lot they didn’t know about Zenith and as this robot had correctly pointed out, the reason Lucent was able to absorb him in the first place remained something of a mystery.
“Lucent is now in control of his body and, by extension, his power. We have to stop him before he has an opportunity to recharge. It took all of Vanguard to stop him last time and now it’s just us.”
Lee gave a nod. He turned to the workbench and picked up the belt, strapping it around his waist. Once the clasp fastened, orange lights along its surface lit up. There was an arm-brace sitting on the bench as well. Lee held it and slid his right arm into it. At the end, a disc-shaped object rested against his palm. He moved his arm, testing the weight of the frame on it and his mobility while wearing the device. “I think this might help even the odds.”
***
Lucent swam through the waters of the olympic-sized swimming pool located on Atlas’ ninth level. He’d removed all his clothes, leaving them by the side of the pool and dove beneath the water, closing his eyes and using his feet to propel himself forward. When he reached the end and poked his head out of the water, he could see Lee standing at the edge, arms folded.
“Ah, Lee.” Lucent took hold of the ledge and pulled himself from the water.
“Enjoying yourself?” asked Lee.
Lucent nodded. “Indeed I am. Since inhabiting this body, from time to time I’ve enjoyed taking a swim. Although I wish to return to my true form, I cannot deny the sensational feeling of the cool water on my skin.”
Lee scowled. “Cut the crap, I already know what’s going on here?”
Lucent raised his eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
Lee’s hand went to the belt buckle and activated a switch. Orange, holographic armor appeared around his body and Lee struck at Lucent with his fist with enough force that it threw Lucent right back into the pool.
Lucent stuck his head out. “What was that?”
“I should’ve known the transfer worked! Should’ve known to double-check and make sure you weren’t back!”
Lee jumped from the edge of the pool, soaring far higher than a normal human should be able to. At the apex, he lowered his fists and plummeted towards Lucent. He struck the special and the impact sent the water splashing out of the pool in waves. Lee gripped Lucent’s neck with one hand and pummeled him with his open fist, the blows striking him as they were both beneath the water. The holographic armor contained all the air in it that was around Lee when he activated it, enabling him to stay below longer. But despite Lucent’s power, he was still human and still required oxygen.
Lucent’s body transformed to its bright blue form and he fired twin blasts from his eyes that knocked Lee away from him. Lucent surged to the surface, bursting through the water and hovering above it. Lee jumped out a moment later, climbing back onto the ledge.
“Why are you attacking me?”
“I know it’s you, Lucent. Stop trying to pretend.”
“What?” But before he could say anything further, Lee held out his arm and fired an energy blast from the disc in his palm. The blast stunned Lucent and he tried to shrug it off. Another few blasts caught him even more by surprise.
Lucent went immaterial and the next blast flew right through him. He charged at Lee, solidifying an instant before his fists connected with the armor, throwing the young special back against the wall.
“Why would you think I was Lucent?” he asked, hovering above Lee. “The transfer failed, did you forget? Have I given any indication that Lucent reasserted control?”
“Because I told him.”
Lucent spun just before Zenith slammed into him, driving his fist against Lucent’s face. After recovering from the blow, Lucent shook his head, looking in shock at Zenith’s body.
“This isn’t possible!” He pointed at Zenith while looking at Lee. “I don’t know what that is, but it’s not me!”
“But I am, Zenith,” said the robot.
Lee got to his feet, stepping closer. “What did you call him?”
The robot’s arm shifted into a cannon and he fired a teleforce blast that knocked Lee back down. “Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Parker. Now stay still for the moment. You and I have more to discuss.”
“Who—what—are you?”
“I am you, Zenith,” said the robot. “Only evolved. A better you. The Omega.”
“If you are me, then you suffer the same weakness!” Zenith shot towards the Omega, wrapping his hands around the robot’s neck. He attempted the same attack Lucent used on him in Las Vegas, trying to drain the robot’s energy into his body.
“Zen, stop!” shouted Lee. “That won’t work!”
Zenith tried to ignore Lee’s protest but he found that the technopath was right. As much as he tried, he could feel no power leeching off the Omega’s body and into his own. There was something blocking him from getting through.
“I put in a failsafe to protect you from Lucent’s power!” said Lee.
“Thank you for that foresight, Mr. Parker,” said the Omega. He struck Zenith with a powerful, stunning blow. The Omega grabbed Zenith by his neck and hurled him into the pool.
The Omega now turned his attention to Lee. The young special tried to ready himself for another fight, but the Omega’s lights simply flickered. And in response, the holographic armor around Lee suddenly fell. Lee’s hands went to the belt to reactivate it, but it was no use. The lights along the surface had deactivated and the belt wouldn’t respond.
“All technology in Atlas is now under my control,” said the Omega. He flew at Lee, tearing the belt off. “Including this.” The Omega tossed it behind him. Lee tried to back away, but the Omega gripped him by the collar of his shirt, raising him up. “And now, you are mine.”
CHAPTER 7
The Omega struck Zenith with such force that he shot straight to the bottom of the pool, striking the hard concrete at the bottom. He lay there motionless beneath the water and if he didn’t wake soon, he would run out of oxygen.
But deep inside his mind, Zenith heard something stirring. He hea
rd a voice calling out his name in the darkness. Zenith was in what seemed like a black void and he was back in his robot body.
A bright light appeared in the darkness, growing as it came closer. It slowly took the form of a shape—a humanoid body. The azure glow and the nearly-translucent skin were unmistakable. Eyes with their bright blue energy signature stared into Zenith’s robotic ones.
“Lucent,” said Zenith.
“You didn’t think I was actually gone for good, did you?” asked Lucent.
“No. At least, I had hoped not.” Zenith looked around the void. “What is this place? Why am I in my old body?”
“This is where you trapped me when you took over my body,” said Lucent.
“I did no such thing. It was not my intention to possess you.”
“Intent or not, you did it. And I’ve been stuck in here for months, struggling to break free.”
“I’ve spent those months trying to find a way to return to my own body. It was that failed attempt which led to the creation of the Omega. Believe me, if I had a say in the matter, I would vacate immediately.”
“You do,” said Lucent. “You can allow me to take control once more. I can defeat the Omega.”
“How?” asked Zenith. “I attempted what you did to me. This new body is engineered to resist such an attack.”
“I still know how to use my powers better than you. I can end him, but only if you trust me.”
“Trust you?” Zenith almost felt like laughing at the thought. “You attempted to kill me. Why should I believe anything you say?”
“Because I’m the only shot you have at stopping this thing,” said Lucent. “And you know it just as well as I do. Your team is gone. That kid will die soon. Hell, you’ll die soon unless you wake up.”
Zenith looked down. “Say I believe you. Say I give you control over your body, assuming that’s even possible. How do I know you’ll help me return to my form? How do I know you won’t simply kill Lee and Colonel Thorne?”
Vanguard: The Complete Second Season: A Superhero Serial (Vanguard: The Collected Seasons Book 2) Page 16
