“Did you forget that Vorobiev ordered an airstrike on Virey? The Russians would rather bury Azarov than work with him again,” said Zukov.
“If Azarov’s involved in this, it could also mean he’s resurrected his little side project,” said Thorne. “Those things you fought in Russia.”
“The Dreks,” said Gunsmith. “Something has me curious, though. Azarov was able to activate the special gene in the Khagan. Why would he be struggling now?”
“Could have been a one-time thing, something that was only compatible with the Khagan’s DNA, not something easily replicated,” said Paragon. “It’s too bad Dr. McCabe’s not here, we could’ve used his insight.”
“Howard’s unfortunately quite busy with his work at the Human Genome Project, so we’ll have to proceed without him for now,” said Thorne.
“He’s also got eyes on him,” said Zukov. “I couldn’t contact him for this operation without running the risk of alerting Ramsey’s people.”
Wraith scoffed. “That’s another one. Why haven’t we killed him yet?” The statement got him some disgusted and surprised looks from his teammates. He rolled his eyes. “Fine, why haven’t we exposed him?”
“We still don’t have anything to link Ramsey with the Red Fist,” said Thorne. “We suspect he was involved, but that’s not proof. Until we can find that proof, we have to just keep an eye on him.”
A beeping noise came from the cockpit. Zenith used his connections to the Icarus’ systems and the beeping was silenced. “We’re approaching the source of the readings.”
“Good luck out there,” said Thorne.
“Yes, keep us appraised of your progress,” said Zukov.
The monitor went black as both men ended their transmissions. Zenith and Sentinel returned to their seats in the cockpit and Zenith began the landing procedure. He activated the ship’s VTOL jets and the Icarus slowly lowered itself to the ground.
“First mission, this is kind of exciting,” said Sentinel.
“Just be careful,” said Zenith. “Even with the upgrades you’ve made to your armor, we still haven’t had an opportunity to train you with the others. I will try to monitor your progress, but you must remain on alert at all times.”
Sentinel gave a nod. “Right, I got it. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“For starters.”
The Icarus touched down on the ground in the middle of the night. The rear hatch opened and the team disembarked from their plane. As soon as they were off, Zenith looked back at the Icarus and under his silent command, the hatch closed and microscopic cameras all along the plane’s surface projected an image of the surrounding area. The result was that the ship was almost invisible, although some distortion could be seen. It should work to hide the craft until they could return.
Sentinel brought the visor from his forehead down over his eyes. He activated his jetpack and rose above the ground, scanning ahead. “Looks like it’s a few miles off in the distance.”
“Get down!” barked Gunsmith, keeping the volume as low as he could.
Sentinel looked down at the team’s leader in surprise. “What?”
“It’s the dead of night, we’re in hostile territory, and that jetpack isn’t exactly inconspicuous!”
“Oh…” Sentinel returned to the ground and deactivated the jetpack. “Sorry.”
Gunsmith just sighed and scouted ahead. Shift stepped beside Sentinel and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her and she flashed a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, we all screw up the first time out.”
“Listen to you, talking like a veteran,” muttered Wraith.
“I heard that!” she said, still trying to maintain a hushed tone.
“Don’t care.” Wraith moved on ahead, shadowing Gunsmith.
Sharkskin walked up behind Shift and Sentinel. “Man, I missed that guy.”
“I can’t tell if you’re being serious or sarcastic,” said Sentinel.
Sharkskin grinned. “Bit of both, really. Feels good to be in this suit again.”
“Keep your voices down,” said Gunsmith, pausing at the front and looking over his shoulder to reprimand the rest of the team.
Sharkskin rolled his eyes and looked down at Sentinel. “Of course, there are downsides.”
Zenith took up the rear of the group, using his scanners to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings. Just over the small mountain was a valley where their target was supposedly located. Zenith knew well how hostile this territory was and tried to keep his systems on high alert. He wasn’t quite used to being back in his old body yet, but he couldn’t let down his friends.
Paragon moved a little ahead of the robot. “Does this feel weird to you?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” asked Zenith.
“Working with Cerberus,” she said.
“It is a bit odd, especially since Sentinel and I have spent the past several months trying to find evidence that would shut them down,” said Zenith. “But let us not forget that we were willing to support the organization when Colonel Thorne was to lead them.”
“True, but can we trust Zukov? How do we know he isn’t just another Callus, but better at hiding it?”
“Gunsmith seems to trust him.”
She sighed. “I dunno, Zen. After being held prisoner by Cerberus, I don’t think I could ever really trust them.”
They approached the base of the mountain and Gunsmith signaled for the team to stop. He looked at Sentinel. “You picking anything up?”
Sentinel activated his scanners and then nodded. “Yeah, the readings are coming from the valley on the other side of the mountain.”
“There should be a facility there. Judging from satellite imagery, it appears to be a prison camp,” said Zenith.
“We need visual confirmation.” Gunsmith looked at Wraith. “Can you teleport me up there?”
“Does the Pope shit in the woods?”
Gunsmith shook his head. “Just get us up there.”
Wraith snickered and opened a portal that transported both him and Gunsmith to the top of the mountain overlooking the camp nestled in the valley below. Gunsmith hit the side of his eyepiece to telescope on the base and get a better look.
“We’ve got two guard towers down there. Getting rid of those guards is the priority. Can you handle it?”
Wraith gave no response. But just as Gunsmith was about to turn, he saw something on one of the towers. A black portal opened behind the guard and Wraith grabbed his target from behind, covering his mouth and pulling him to the ground. In the blink of an eye, Wraith had teleported to the opposite tower and took out that guard as well. He vanished again and Gunsmith heard his teammate’s voice from behind him.
“No sweat,” said Wraith.
“Good work,” said Gunsmith. “Let’s get back to the others.”
Wraith created another portal that transported them to the rest of the group. Gunsmith drew his teleforce blasters from the compartments on his armored thighs. He gave a silent nod to his team and then led the way around the mountain and into the valley.
Vanguard moved into the valley, with Zenith stepping up to the front and performing scans on the base. “There are several lifeforms present. Many are below ground. Which would make sense if our assumptions of this place are true.”
“Special readings are coming from below, too,” said Sentinel.
“So we’ve gotta go underground,” said Sharkskin. “Any Minecraft fans here?”
“There’s got to be an entrance past those fences,” said Gunsmith. “Zenith, think you can scan from above, see if you can locate anything?”
“I shall try.”
“Thought you were worried about us being spotted by flying?” asked Paragon.
“In addition to rebuilding my body, Sentinel also added some upgrades, including the same stealth technology utilized by the Icarus,” said Zenith. He activated his thrusters and rose up from the ground. As he rose higher, his form darkened, like mel
ding with the sky, and he became invisible to the naked eye and any detection equipment.
“What about us, boss?” asked Sharkskin.
“Stay down until we hear from Zenith. We want to try and stay out of sight as much as possible, do not engage unless we have no other option,” said Gunsmith.
Zenith’s voice crackled over the comm-links worn by all of Vanguard. “About that, Gunsmith. I believe we may have a problem. My scans just picked up incoming.”
“Incoming what?” asked Gunsmith. His question was answered when he heard the sound of a helicopter overhead. A spotlight fell on them, nearly blinding the group. “Never mind, I think I know.”
They heard a klaxon from inside the base and guards rushed to the front where the gate opened to let them out. All of them brandished assault rifles and shouted in Korean as they brought up their weapons, prepared to fire. They formed a human barrier between Vanguard and the base, with the helicopter flying overhead and one of the passengers holding a gun from the open door.
“So much for not being seen, huh?” asked Wraith.
CHAPTER 6
“Take them out!” ordered Gunsmith.
Vanguard leapt into action to battle the North Korean soldiers that rushed from the base. The guards opened fire on the specials. Paragon’s invisible forcefield, Gunsmith’s exoskeleton, and Sentinel’s holographic armor protected them from the automatic rifles.
Wraith generated a massive portal in front of him, the bullets flying into the dark void. A portal opened above them, shooting the rounds harmlessly into the sky. Shift’s malleability allowed her to easily avoid most of the rounds, and Sharkskin moved fast enough to avoid the worst of the fire, while his tough hide protected him from most other damage.
Gunsmith aimed his blasters, the eyepiece targeting the soldiers and he opened fire. The teleforce blasters were set to stun, so they wouldn’t kill his enemies. He avoided incoming fire, moving as quickly as he could to target as many soldiers as possible.
Sentinel charged headlong into the midst of the soldiers, firing energy blasts from his palms. Once he got close enough to the guards, he took them on in hand-to-hand combat, the strength of the armor giving him a significant advantage over their attacks.
Wraith teleported behind a group of soldiers and held out his hands. Streams of ebon energy flowed from his fingertips, the effect of his blasts sending the soldiers into a state of despair and fear, collapsing to the ground.
“Ready to do that maneuver we practiced?” Shift asked Sharkskin. He smiled and motioned for her to come at him. Shift jumped at him and Sharkskin grabbed her legs, swinging her around before releasing her at a group of soldiers. Shift landed between them, her arms snaking out like tentacles and grabbing hold of the guns, pulling them away. She leapt from soldier to soldier, striking fast and hard.
Sharkskin leapt into the air and crashed into them as well, taking one down in his descent. His brute strength helped Shift in dispatching the last of them.
Paragon took to the air, drawing fire from the attack helicopter. It followed her as she intended and she allowed them to give her chase through the skies. She turned to the helicopter, ready to barrel right through it. The helicopter turned slightly and the soldiers inside unleashed a stream of fire from the Gatling gun. The force of the bullets was strong enough even to keep Paragon’s impressive shield at bay. She could barely push forward through the pressure.
A teleforce blast from above struck the gun. Zenith lowered from high above his arms transformed into cannons. He opened fire on the helicopter, destroying the blades and sending the vehicle into a rapid descent.
Paragon and Zenith both flew at the falling chopper. They broke their way into the helicopter and took hold of the soldiers inside, allowing the vehicle to crash unoccupied. As soon as they landed, the soldiers reached for their side-arms. But before they could open fire, Zenith raised his cannons and took them both out with stun blasts.
***
Inside the base, Azarov watched the security camera footage of Vanguard’s battle with the camp’s soldiers. Although most would be alarmed at the appearance of the team here, the Cold War Frankenstein couldn’t help the smile that spread along his face.
“Doctor?”
Azarov looked at the man who asked the question in English, an older, bespectacled Korean scientist named Han with silver hair. “Why are you smiling? This is a terrible turn of events! How did they know we were here?”
“Vanguard disappeared following the fall of the Khagan,” said Azarov. “Do you think it’s a coincidence that they return not long after Callus goes into hiding and Zukov takes over?”
“You think they know what we’ve been doing here?” asked Han.
“It would seem so,” said Azarov.
“We must notify General Bak, summon reinforcements.” Han picked up a phone from the console. But Azarov placed his finger on the hook, leaving Han unable to call. Han looked at the scientist. “What are you doing?”
“Do you see what these people can do? How quickly they’ve managed to dispatch our guards?” asked Azarov, pointing at the monitors. “Reinforcements would not help our position.”
“Then what do you suggest? We can’t risk them discovering proof of what we’ve been working on down here.”
“It’s simple, we take them prisoner,” said Azarov.
“What what?”
Azarov smiled and a look of horror fell over Han’s face.
“You cannot be serious!”
“It’s the only chance we have to contain Vanguard.”
“But those specimens…they will not be able to distinguish between Vanguard or our men!”
“Then our men will die valiantly in the service of the Supreme Leader.” Azarov took the phone from Han’s hand and dialed internally. He spoke in Korean when the voice on the other end answered. “Release the specimens.”
***
The team regrouped near the front gate of the prison camp. Wraith looked at Gunsmith and said, “So much for stealth, huh?”
Gunsmith grimaced. “Unfortunately. This may get a whole lot worse from here on out. Zenith, did you find anything before the attack?”
“Judging from Sentinel’s scans and an overhead view of the camp, there is a structure in the center that seems to be where the entrance for the underground levels can be accessed.”
“Then that’s where we go. Everyone, stay sharp. It was a lot of guards we took down, but I’m not so sure they’re the last.”
“God, this place reeks,” said Sharkskin.
“North Korea’s prison camps are some of the greatest human rights violators in the entire world,” said Paragon. “The things defectors have said about these things…you’d never imagine anyone with a soul capable of such depravity.”
Something flashed across Sentinel’s visor. He stopped and turned, looking around. “Huh?”
“What is it?” asked Shift.
“Motion sensor. Something just moved past, but it’s gone now.”
“Probably just a rat,” said Paragon. “They infest these camps.”
Sentinel shook his head. “That’s gotta be one big rat then.”
“He’s telling the truth, I just picked up something as well,” said Zenith.
“Me too,” said Gunsmith. “Sharkskin, you getting anything?”
“Just the same stench of death,” said Sharkskin. “It’s hard to sift through anything else.”
Wraith moved to the side of one of the buildings and peered around the edge. He saw what looked like a naked child on the ground, stuffing its face with something. The child looked extremely malnourished and yellowed skin was stretched taut over his bones. Moreover, the child was completely hairless. His head was bent low, busy devouring whatever was in his hands.
“Hey,” said Wraith. “I found it…it’s just some kid.”
The child’s head snapped up and Wraith realized it wasn’t a child at all. Its eyes were crimson, and it snarled with blood-stained teeth. Wrai
th could now see what was left of the rat the creature was eating, clutched between its bony, claw-like fingers.
“Dreks!” he shouted as the Drek leapt at him. Wraith fell back, holding out his hand and opening a portal that the Drek fell into. It rematerialized a few hundred feet away and Wraith scrambled to his feet as the rest of the team quickly joined him.
“Oh my god…” Shift covered her gaping mouth while Paragon narrowed her eyes in anger.
“Children. Azarov is experimenting on children now.”
They heard the inhuman chattering and spun around to watch as dozens of Dreks emerged from hiding. Their voices were like a chorus of screams and all of them were small, not much more than three or four feet tall. And with that smaller size came an increased speed.
“Close ranks!” Gunsmith ordered and the team gathered together. Zenith and Sentinel hovered above the group, using their energy blasts to try and keep the Dreks mostly at bay. Gunsmith and Wraith did so as well from the ground, a combination of energy blasts and portals to force them back. If any got through, Paragon, Shift, and Sharkskin would strike physically to throw them back.
But then something odd happened. Several of the Dreks didn’t attack at all. Some of them moved to the bodies of the unconscious guards who had fallen in the first wave. They opened their jaws wide and their tongues shot out, like tentacles and latched onto the necks of their victims. Both attacker and prey spasmed for a few moments and then the tongues disconnected. The Dreks turned away from their victims, but the strangest part was that the victims started to undergo a transformation of their own. They became larger, with an exaggerated skeletal structure and yellowed skin stretched taut over their bodies. More like the Dreks that Vanguard had encountered before.
“Holy shit,” said Sharkskin. “They’re some kind of breeders or something.”
It wasn’t long before most of the guards had been transformed into Dreks. And now they all attacked Vanguard at once. The team struggled to keep them at bay, with Zenith and Sentinel blasting away from the sky.
Vanguard: The Complete Second Season: A Superhero Serial (Vanguard: The Collected Seasons Book 2) Page 21
