“What do you mean?”
Thorne closed the file. “I believe everything you wrote. And based on what you learned from this Khagan character, I’d say he could be a real threat. Something that bears further investigation.”
“What are you saying?” asked Anita.
“I’m saying that you’re about to be promoted, Lieutenant,” said Thorne. “Not officially, of course. But your unique abilities will prove very useful to the unit I’m putting together. The only question is do you want a chance to prove your story, and the chance to defend your country on a completely different front?”
“That’s…quite an offer, Colonel,” said Anita. “I have to admit I’m curious. Any chance you could tell me more about it?”
Thorne had a wry smile. “No. I need you to commit first. So what do you say?”
CHAPTER 6
Colonel Thorne watched with a smile as the elevator doors opened and the faces of his team fell in surprise at the monitor room. Like everything in their new base of operations, the room was circular, with an array of monitors lining the entire room and a long, rectangular table in the center with all the chairs facing the monitors.
“There is virtually no database we do not have access to through these systems,” said Zenith. “The Department of Defense has provided us with unprecedented clearance in order to conduct the kind of operations we are embarking on.”
“And all of this is underground?” asked Dominic, running his hand along the smooth surface of the metal table.
“Indeed it is,” said Zenith. “The entire base is automated.”
“How far down does this thing go?” asked Koji. “The doc said there’d be a little bit more to it than this.”
“Oh, there is,” said Thorne. “Follow me.”
He turned back to the elevator and next to it was another door. Once Thorne stepped in front of it, the door slid open and there was a small tunnel connected to a second door. Upon entrance, the team was shocked to discover another circular room, larger than the one before it. The room seemed like a recreation area of some kind, fully furnished with carpeted floors, papered walls, and couches and chairs. There was a large television set and Erin found herself drawn to this.
“Whoa, this is so cool!” she said.
“Recreation level,” said Zenith. “There are thirteen levels total in this area of the base.”
The television set turned on and Erin jumped a bit in surprise. What appeared was a cutaway of the entire base, from the hangar and small security building on the ground to the base itself that extended far underground.
“Oh my god…” muttered Anita as she knelt in front of the screen, not believing what she was looking at. “How long have you been planning this operation? This must have taken years to construct.”
“That’s true,” said Thorne. “If we’d built it from scratch. Truth is though, we just renovated an existing place.”
“What sort of place?” asked Koji.
“A missile silo,” said Jim.
Erin looked away from the TV with a smile on her face. She had managed to maintain her appearance from before her powers manifested. “You’re kidding, right?”
“This was initially an Atlas F ICBM silo complex,” said Zenith. “Constructed in the 1960s, it was one of the strongest complexes ever built. The Launch Control Center, where we entered, has been split into a monitor room and an infirmary.”
“Isn’t this supposed to be off the record as far as the government is concerned?” asked Dominic.
“Many of these decommissioned sites are now available for sale,” said Jim. “People renovate them into underground homes.”
“We’ve got a training area, a laboratory, kitchen, living quarters, anything you’ll need,” said McCabe.
“Living quarters? Why would I trade my Park Avenue address for living in some sort of commune under the middle of nowhere?” asked Dominic.
“Naturally, not everyone will want to live on-site, and we can accommodate that, although there will be times when we’ll ask you to stay here for extended periods,” said Thorne. “But given your particular talents, I don’t think it’ll be too much of a problem for you.”
“So what now?” asked Erin.
“Now we start evaluating your abilities, see what exactly it is you can do,” said McCabe.
#1 - COME THE EXEMPLAR
CHAPTER 1
Nestled within the Adirondack Mountains of New York was an Atlas F ICBM silo complex. Long since decommissioned, the complex remained and was renovated earlier in the year. What was once the Launch Control Center adjacent to the underground silo had been split into three floors, and one of those floors contained the office of Colonel Leonard Thorne.
He sat upright in the high-back leather chair, one hand rubbing his freshly-shaved chin. Scattered across his desk were various documents, most of them files of the people he had recruited for a top-secret project authorized by President Curtis Hayworth. It was an off-the-books operation, with a very limited number of people in government aware of its existence.
Ever since what had been called The Event at the end of 2012, people all across the Earth began exhibiting superhuman abilities. Just a few short months after, the President called in Thorne and Dr. Howard McCabe of the Human Genome Project. The mandate was simple: create a response team composed of specials to deal with the potential threats that some of the specials may pose.
A team of superheroes. Project: Vanguard.
The knock at the door took his attention from his thoughts. “Enter.” The man who stepped through the door was Thorne’s partner in this endeavor, Dr. McCabe himself. Like Thorne, he was a man in his fifties, bald and sporting a thin, white beard in addition to his rimless glasses.
“Good morning, Colonel,” he said as he approached the mahogany desk with two cups of steaming coffee. He set one on the desk. “Extra cream, no sugar, right?”
Thorne rested his elbows on the desk’s surface and leaned forward, interlocking his hands. A smile appeared beneath his silver mustache. “Howard, we’re in this together. There’s no need to stand on ceremony.”
McCabe uttered a sheepish chuckle and sat in one of the two chairs that rested in front of the desk. He crossed his legs and sipped his own coffee. “Sorry, I guess I’m still a bit intimidated by this whole thing.”
“Mmm, can’t say I blame you.” He took hold of the coffee cup and sipped it lightly, looking back down on the documents. “Thanks for the coffee. How are the recruits coming along?”
“They’ve had some time to adjust to their new surroundings. Today we’re planning to begin the process of testing their abilities and running them through the training regimen.”
Thorne gathered the scattered documents together and collated them quickly. “Shall we review who we’ve got?”
McCabe nodded.
“Let’s start with the specials.” Thorne thumbed through the documents and pulled out one. The photo attached was a young woman with dark skin and short, black hair. “Anita Jordan, formerly of the Army Medical Corps. Exhibits a range of abilities—flight, superhuman strength, invulnerability. Definitely a powerhouse.”
“I actually have some theories on that.”
“We can test those when we begin with her session.” Thorne drew the next document. A young man, with pale skin and chin-length black hair. “Dominic Vaughn, professional thief. Shadow teleportation, and Zenith also said he’s got some sort of energy projection as well.”
He drew the next, a teenage girl with long, blond hair. “Erin Hastings, high school student. Shapeshifting. And finally…” The last of the specials was a young Asian man with short, dark hair. “Koji Asano, surfing instructor. Can transform into a shark-human hybrid.”
“Speaking of Koji, I’ve got him scheduled first for today,” said McCabe.
“And then we’ve got the rest of the team.” Another document drawn, and the photo here was a robot with blue LED lights for eyes. “Zenith. Discovered in the 1950s,
been working secretly for the government since as part of the Zenith Project.”
“And someone you’re more familiar with than I am,” said McCabe. “How long were you with the Zenith Project before you were both assigned to this?”
“Few years. Last but not least, our field commander.” Thorne took the final document, which had a photo of a young man with short blond hair in military dress. “James Ellis, Navy SEAL before he was recruited by the CIA’s Special Operations Group. Are we ready to test him today, too?”
McCabe nodded. “Zenith has completed the calibrations on his suit.”
Thorne set the cup down. “Shall we go have a look at them?” He wheeled his chair back from the desk before rising. Once he stood, he retrieved the cup.
McCabe rose as well and gestured to the door. “After you, Colonel.”
Thorne smirked and wagged a finger at McCabe before leading the way from his office.
***
Koji Asano stood in only a pair of swim trunks as McCabe placed various sensors on his bare skin. They stood at the edge of the pool, with their other teammates seated at one end and Thorne standing watch. Zenith stood beside Koji, calibrating each sensor as it was placed.
“Water training can be quite useful, particularly with your talents,” said McCabe. He placed the last sensor on and stood back. “Okay, that should do it. We good, Zenith?”
The robot nodded. “All sensors functioning and recording correctly.”
Koji stepped to the edge of the pool. “So what now?”
“Up until now, you’ve only managed to change form while under water, but I believe this to be a simple reflex as opposed to a prerequisite,” said McCabe. “So what I’d like you to do is concentrate when you come out on maintaining that form.”
Koji had a skeptical look on his face. “And you think that’ll work?”
McCabe shrugged. “How else are we going to find out?”
“Alright, here goes.” Koji jumped into the pool. As soon as he dove under the water, his skin changed, becoming gray, and his muscles even increased. He grew slightly larger, especially his head, which took on a strange shape, his nose and upper lip almost merging as they extended forward, his hair receding into his skull. Koji’s teeth elongated and came to form razor-sharp points, and his nails did likewise. His eyes were now jet-black, and he felt a sudden burst of speed. Koji made it to the other end of the olympic-sized pool in a matter of seconds.
He stuck his head out of the water, remembering what McCabe had said. Koji kept telling himself to remain like this, almost like trying to hold his breath for an extended period. He placed his hands on the edge of the pool and pulled himself up onto the surface.
“Shark-form is holding,” said Zenith, his scanners connected to the sensors on Koji’s body.
“Good work, Koji,” said McCabe, running from the other side of the pool. “Try walking around, get some movement.”
Koji did, walking towards the bench where his new teammates were sitting. Erin retracted somewhat, her eyes large with fear at what she was looking at. Koji paused when he saw this and backed off.
“It’s okay,” said Anita, putting her hand on Erin’s shoulder. “It’s still him.”
Erin nodded, but the fear was still present in her eyes. Koji was struck by that reaction. Part of him felt bad for scaring the girl, but another part of him also got a strange sense of satisfaction from it.
“Dr. McCabe, sensors are picking up a shift,” said Zenith.
Koji felt it as well. His enhanced senses started to fade, and he could feel the tight muscles beneath his skin beginning to slacken, losing their mighty form. He tried to hold onto it, but the shift came anyway, and he looked at his hands, watching as the hardened, pale skin changed back to the soft, human flesh.
“Damn…”
“Don’t feel too bad about it, son,” said Thorne. “For a first time effort, that was pretty impressive. Now that we know you can use your powers outside of the water, it’s time for you to work on using them for extended periods.”
“He’s right,” said McCabe. “You did good, Koji.”
Koji grinned. “Sharkskin.”
Thorne raised an eyebrow. “Come again?”
“We’re supposed to be superheroes, right?” asked Koji. “Then we’ll need names to go along with that. So call me Sharkskin.”
Thorne scoffed. “Kids.”
***
Anita was seated in McCabe’s laboratory, watching with confusion as he connected diodes to her head. The wires were connected to a device on the table, which in turn was connected to a computer monitor. Zenith once again was monitoring and the rest of the group stood off to the side and watched.
“I don’t understand, Doctor,” she said. “I thought you were interested in measuring my powers, so what does this have to do with my head? Shouldn’t we be doing strength or endurance tests?”
“We should, but that’s only if your superhuman strength was connected to your muscles and not your mind,” said McCabe.
“My mind?”
“Body scans reveal your muscles and skin to be within normal limits, so it is unlikely that they are any more durable or stronger than the average human,” said Zenith.
“But that doesn’t make any sense. The things I can do—”
“There is a field of energy surrounding your body,” said Zenith. “I detected it while we were performing the physical scans. There also appears to be some increased electrical activity in your brain.”
“What’s that mean?” asked Jim. “She’s doing it all with her mind?”
McCabe turned away from the sensors and examined the computer monitor. “That’s precisely what I believe is going on here. Anita, have you ever heard the term tactile telekinesis?”
“I’ve heard both those words, but never combined,” she said.
“What’s it mean?” asked Erin.
“Tactile comes from the Latin tactilis, which—”
“He’s saying I can move things with my mind, but only while I’m touching them,” said Anita. Zenith looked at her and she gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry to cut you off, but figured she wasn’t interested in the etymology.”
“It would also explain your ability to fly and a telekinetic field could account for your invulnerability,” said McCabe.
“So how are we testing it?” asked Anita.
“Like this.” Thorne drew a sidearm and fired. Erin screamed at the sound of the gunshot and Dominic and Koji flinched. Anita, having experienced this before, just remained still.
“There!” said McCabe, reviewing the recorded data. “There was a spike in brain activity when the bullet struck.”
“Are you crazy?” asked Erin. “You could have killed her!”
“Relax, both the Colonel and I knew the bullet wouldn’t hurt me,” said Anita.
“Oh…”
“Superhuman strength, flight, invulnerability,” said Koji. “Hey Colonel, think we’d get slapped with a lawsuit if Anita starts calling herself Supergirl?”
“Girl?” asked Anita.
“How about Paragon?” asked Dominic with a grin.
Anita smirked. “Flatterer.”
“Paragon, from the Italian—”
“Yeah, we get it,” said Erin.
***
The training room was essentially one large, empty chamber, and with a far higher ceiling than the others. The elevator and stairwell were covered by an observation booth, from where the entire facility could be controlled.
“For now, there’s not much in here, but we’re hoping to install some devices to better test your abilities in combat scenarios,” said Thorne.
Dominic stood in the center of the room in track pants and a t-shirt. He shrugged as he looked around the room. Anita stood by his side, also wearing her work-out clothes. And Zenith made three, standing on the other side of Dominic.
“So what are we supposed to do out here?” asked Dominic.
“Your teleportation is a g
ood skill, but not very useful if there aren’t any shadows for you to take advantage of,” said Thorne from the booth, his voice echoing over a speaker. “But according to Zenith, you’ve got another trick up your sleeve.”
“You used some sort of energy projection on me when we fought,” said Zenith. “But there was something more to it, I feel.”
Dominic motioned to Anita. “And you?”
“We have to see what it might mean for someone human,” said Anita. “And since I’m the invulnerable one around here, guess that means I drew the short straw.”
Dominic shook his head. “Oh no, I’m not blasting you when we don’t know what it even is I’m blasting you with.”
Anita stepped towards him, hands on her hips. “C’mon, you think I can’t take it?”
Dominic stepped away, his hands raised up. “Hey now, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“What are you afraid of, pretty boy?” asked Anita, grinning. “Worried that you might just end up pissing me off and I’ll kick your ass?”
Dominic scoffed and turned to the booth, holding his arms out to the side in annoyance. “Hey Thorne, what the hell?”
Anita shoved Dominic from behind and he tumbled forward, then fell on his face. He reluctantly got back to his feet, surprised at how far she’d sent him with just a little push. As he turned to her, the look on his face showing his patience grew thin.
“Don’t shove me, princess.”
“Princess?” Anita cracked her knuckles. “Ohh, now I’m starting to think you want a beat-down.”
From inside the booth, Jim sidled up next to Thorne. “You think this is a good idea?” he whispered. “Letting them get all riled up like this?”
Thorne glanced at McCabe. “What do you think, Doctor?”
“These abilities mostly seem to act on reflex, in response to emotional states,” said McCabe. “So it might be a way to get them to manifest, at least at first.”
Anita shoved Dominic again, and this one threw him up against the wall. He grunted, stretching out the pain he now felt along his back. “Okay, that’s twice. I’m warning you…”
Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure Page 6
