Jim sat on the edge of the desk, sipping the bourbon. “We could go rogue.”
Thorne scoffed. “Believe me, I’ve thought about it. But not only would we have the usual threats to deal with, the world’s governments will be on us like white on rice.”
“So there’s really only one option, isn’t there?” Jim held the glass between his legs, slightly hunched over. “Can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
Thorne leaned back in his chair, sipping the drink. “Not my favorite option.”
“Or mine.”
“But you’re right. If I become the Director, I can keep things in check. Try to curb any possible witch hunts that might arise.”
“And I’ll be right there alongside you,” said Jim.
Thorne looked up at Jim. “You sure about that?”
Jim hopped off the desk, tossing back the rest of the bourbon. “You gotta have someone to watch your back, Colonel. If not me, who else is gonna do it?”
“It’d be an honor to continue serving with you, son,” said Thorne.
Jim held out his hand. “So we’re in this together, right?”
Thorne rose from his chair, setting the glass down on the desk’s surface. He took Jim’s hand in his own. “Absolutely. Let’s show those guys down at the UN how we do things.”
CHAPTER 6
Thorne was escorted by car from the Ronald Reagan National Airport to the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, DC. He stepped out of the car and the driver handed him his bag, retrieved from the trunk. Thorne quickly checked into the hotel and took the elevator up to his room on the top floor.
The Colonel slid the keycard into the lock on the door and the light flashed green. He opened the door and stepped inside the room. Thorne closed the door behind him, but when he looked inside the room, the bag fell from his grasp. He quickly drew the side-arm he kept holstered under his shoulder and took aim at the bald man who sat at the desk up against the window.
“Turn around. Slowly.”
The intruder raised his arms and turned his chair. Thorne examined the man’s features carefully, recalling him from the photos of the people apprehended from Tora Bora. “Clarence Black.”
“Pyre,” he replied.
“You’re supposed to be locked up, how are you here?”
“Seems you’ve pissed off the wrong people and they’ve sent me after you,” said Pyre.
“The same people who’ve kept you imprisoned? You’re going to trust them?”
“Actually no, I hate the bastards,” said Pyre. “But if I don’t do what they say, they’ll kill my family.”
“Who are we talking about here?” asked Thorne. “Who sent you?”
“Don’t know their names, but they seem pretty important. And they think you’re a threat,” said Pyre.
Thorne felt the temperature in the room increasing just as Pyre’s skin went from beige to red, his eyes glowing bright orange and flames erupting over his crimson suit.
“Stop!” Thorne pulled the trigger but the gun just clicked impotently.
“Guess they took something out when you got your weapon back at the airport,” said Pyre. “Too bad for you.”
Pyre stood from the chair, taking a few gradual steps towards his target. Thorne backed against the door and gripped the handle, but it wouldn’t open. Thorne looked back at Pyre, his eyes pleading.
“Don’t do this!” he said. “You said it yourself, you hate them. Come with me. Identify them and I can protect you!”
Pyre looked down, contemplating the offer. But then flames coiled around his arms, forming into spheres in the palms of his outstretched hands. Pyre looked up, his eyes like burning hot coals.
“Sorry, but it’s not my call.”
Pyre’s flames extended outward, generating a small explosion that took out the room.
***
The phone rang in the office of General Nathan Callus. He lifted the receiver from the cradle and brought it to his ear. “This is Callus.”
“General, I’ve just heard the news of a small explosion at the Dupont Circle Hotel,” said Ramsey. “Unfortunately, there was one casualty—Colonel Leonard Thorne was in the room where the explosion took place.”
Callus grinned. “Truly tragic, Mr. Secretary.”
“Indeed,” said Ramsey. “But as crass as it may be, life goes on. And with the top pick for Director no longer among the living, he’s requested your presence.”
“I serve at the pleasure of the President,” said Callus. “Thank you for telling me, Mr. Secretary. Please let the President know that I’ll be there at whatever time is convenient for him.”
“I’ll pass along the message,” said Ramsey. “I’d like to thank you for your service, General.”
“You’re welcome. Goodbye, Mr. Secretary.”
Callus hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair, directing his attention to the monitor on his desk. It was split into a series of screens, showing security feeds from the cells where the specials he had apprehended were being contained. Callus tapped on the feed from Pyre’s cell, the special now back in his tank.
“You’ve done good work, Mr. Black. But unfortunately for you, this is just the beginning.”
Callus turned away from the monitor and shuffled through the documents on his desk until he came to a folder that contained specifications for advanced military hardware. On the cover of the folder were the words PROJECT: HELLHOUNDS.
CHAPTER 7
Erin covered her mouth and shut her tear-drenched eyes, trying to stop the sounds of her sobbing. She felt a comforting arm wrap around her and looked to her side to see Anita standing beside her. The taller woman used her handkerchief to dab her eyes, but otherwise she maintained her composure.
The casket at Arlington Cemetery was closed, pretty much a necessity given the state of the remains when they were discovered. The American flag was draped over the surface. Erin glanced around at the gathering of black-clothed mourners, recognizing not only her teammates but also the new President and the Secretary of Defense. Koji stood by her side staring at the ground, looking uncomfortable in his suit. Erin reached for his hand and he took it, but didn’t shift his gaze.
Dom’s eyes were concealed by a pair of sunglasses and he stood with his hands clasped in front of him. Lee was next to him. Despite being a new arrival to the team and not knowing deceased very well, he still came to the funeral. Jim wore a military dress uniform and his face was a stoic as ever. McCabe kept his mouth covered with his hand, trying not to show any emotion.
Erin looked off into the distance. She could see a man standing there, wearing a trench coat and a hat. It was Zenith, but given his current state, he didn’t want to risk being spotted by anyone who would recognize the face of Terrence Gibson.
Soldiers removed the flag from the casket and folded it up. They brought it to an older woman who stood closest to the casket, her blond hair turning gray with age. A black veil hung from her hat to cover her face, but it did nothing to conceal her audible grief. They saluted and the casket lowered into the ground.
The mourners left one by one, but the members of Vanguard lingered. They stood over the grave, staring down at the headstone, the name LEONARD THORNE engraved on its surface.
“That’s it,” said Dom with a sigh. Slightly more emotion than anyone in the team was used to from him. “It’s over.”
“He’s right,” said Jim. “Any thought we might have had to continuing Vanguard looks to have died with the Colonel.”
“But we don’t even know what happened,” said Erin. “An explosion? Right before he was going to accept the job? How can that be a coincidence?”
“As awful as it is, sometimes bad things just happen,” said Anita.
“But…”
McCabe stepped closer to Erin and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I understand what you’re feeling, Erin. It doesn’t seem to make any sense. But Anita’s right, sometimes these things just happen.”
“I’m still taking the posi
tion at Cerberus,” said Jim. “I’ll do what I can to get to the bottom of this.”
“What about Zen?” asked Koji, looking up at his teammate. “Thorne was gonna help him get back in his body, using Cerberus’ resources. But now…”
“We’ve been talking about that,” said Lee. “I’m gonna see if I can help Zenith get back to normal.”
“How’s that? Like Koji said, you don’t have the resources,” said Dom.
“We shall figure something out,” said Zenith. “Do not worry about us, my friends. Just watch out for yourselves.”
Jim looked down at his watch and gave a sigh. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. I have some interviews before I’m approved for Cerberus.”
“Yeah, I’ve got a plane to catch myself,” said Koji.
“Back to Hawaii?” asked Erin. He nodded in response.
“We should get you back to your mom, too,” said Anita, patting Erin on the back.
“Where are you off to?” asked Dom.
“Baltimore at first, going to stay with my mom for a bit,” said Anita. “Figure things out from there.”
“What about you, Dom?” asked Koji.
Dom shrugged. “Wherever the wind takes me, I guess. Got my pardon so I’m going to stay off the grid for a bit.”
“Can’t believe it’s all over…” said Erin, still staring at the headstone.
The team said their goodbyes and parted one by one. Until the only two left standing over Thorne’s headstone were Zenith and Lee. The newest addition to Vanguard hung his head and shut his eyes.
“I feel like shit.”
“I know,” said Zenith. “But we must keep up this charade for now. If we are to have any hope of getting to the bottom of this.”
“I guess…”
A series of beeps came from Lee’s jacket. He reached for the inner pocket and drew out his cell phone. After he checked the new message, he looked up at Zenith and gave a nod.
“He’s ready to see us.”
“Then we have work to do,” said Zenith.
CHAPTER 8
The shuttle soared through space, approaching the orbital space station called Olympus. They began the docking procedure, and the passengers were given permission to disembark.
Jim Ellis was among the passengers who crossed the passage and into the airlock of the Olympus. When the doors opened, he saw a thin man with graying hair at the temples, a man Jim knew well. The two men smiled and Jim walked right up to him, accepting his welcoming handshake. The other passengers moved by the two friends, being directed deeper into the Olympus facility.
“It’s good to see you again, my friend,” said Abram Zukov.
“You too, Abram.”
Zukov had been an agent of the Russian FSB when he encountered Jim and Vanguard on a mission. But now he was dressed in a black uniform with a red circle emblazoned over his chest. Inside the circle was the outline of a three-headed dog.
“I was pleased to hear you had accepted the position,” said Zukov.
“Felt like the right thing to do. Colonel Thorne recommended me for it and after his death…”
Jim looked away and Zukov gave a solemn nod, placing his hand on Jim’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks,” said Jim.
“Come,” said Zukov, gesturing ahead.
The two men followed the rest of the crowd. For Jim, it was strange being back in this place. The last time he was on Olympus, Vanguard was fighting the Khagan. But now, it had been retrofitted and expanded, to serve as the headquarters of this new organization.
Once everyone gathered into a large waiting area, they saw a man standing on a platform above them, a man dressed in a similar uniform to Zukov.
“Welcome to the Olympus. I’m Director Nathan Callus,” he began. “You’re all here because you represent the best that the world has to offer. An organization like this is unprecedented in all of human history, because now mankind faces a threat we have never seen before. We will be the first and last line of defense against a new kind of enemy, one that needs no armies, needs no weapons, needs no funding. We are the guardians of humanity, here to ensure that what happened on this very station just a few months ago will never happen again.
“Welcome to Cerberus.”
***
“Okay,” said Lee with a sigh, sitting at the controls of the Atlas’ monitor room. “Let’s see if this works.”
He entered a few commands into the keyboard and the lights flickered on and off. Zenith stood beside him, his gaze fixed on the monitors. “Are you certain this will work?”
“I think so. Perimeter sensors activated, but we’ve managed to mask any and all surveillance that the government may have put on this place. If anyone comes near this place, we’ll know about it.” He turned his chair to face Zenith. “Maybe they could put an end to Vanguard, but we’ve managed to take back Atlas for ourselves.”
Zenith nodded, looking around the monitor room. “I feel…separated from it. Lacking that instantaneous connection with all the Atlas’ systems.
Lee stood and patted Zenith on the shoulder. “We’ll get there. That’s our top priority right now, making sure you get back into your own body.”
“Not the only priority.”
They turned and Zenith stepped closer to the third man in the room. He eyed him with brown eyes carefully. “Are you certain of this? It’s quite a risk we’re taking.”
“They started this when they tried to kill me,” said Thorne. “The world may think I’m dead and that gives us some more room to operate in secret. Bring it up, Lee.”
Lee bent over the console and his fingers danced across the keyboard. The monitor came to life with several images. Thorne pointed at the first one.
“We know Ramsey was working with the Khagan and it’s a safe bet he’s also responsible for targeting me.” He pointed to the next image. “And it seems like the reason was to get Nathan Callus appointed to the position of Director of Cerberus. They tried to use Pyre to kill me, which suggests that Ramsey and Callus aren’t really abiding by the ‘no specials’ rule. And even worse, the Analyst and Azarov are still on the loose. We can’t discount their involvement.”
“Which begs the question,” said Zenith. “To what end? What does Ramsey want to do?”
“No idea. He could be continuing the Khagan’s crusade, or it could be something else.” Thorne turned, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Whatever he’s up to, we’re going to get to the bottom of it. Even if we have to do it alone.”
EPILOGUE
In another galaxy far off in the cosmos, a small, one-man spacecraft moved through an armada of warships hovering amongst the stars. The tiny ship approached the opening bay doors of one of the larger vessels, the craft shifting to hover mode. The bay doors closed and the canopy vanished as if it had never been there.
The pilot climbed from the seat and hopped over the edge. She reached for the ornate black helmet with gold trim and at the activation of a switch, the helmet vanished just as the canopy, as if it were an illusion. Once free of the helmet, she shook out the braids of yellow hair. Reaching a hand up, she brushed the locks behind her pointed, reddish-orange ears.
A man with her matching skin-tone, ears, and hair approached. He stopped in front of her and patted his right fist to his left pectoral before bowing. “Captain J’Karra, it’s an honor.”
J’Karra returned the salute and bow. “I was summoned?”
“Yes, Captain,” said the man. “I am General M’Lak. The Matriarch requests an audience with you.”
J’Karra drew in a sharp breath. The Matriarch worked through her intermediaries. To be summoned to meet with her directly was an honor reserved for only the most select of the Kotharians.
“You’re certain?” she asked.
“Aye, Captain. If you could follow me?”
J’Karra gave a rapid nod. “Of course, please.”
M’Lak smiled and spun on his heel with precision. He led J’Karra from the land
ing bay and into the flagship of the Kotharian fleet. They moved through the corridors, passing other crew members who paid them no mind. M’Lak took her to an elevator and when the doors closed, he said, “The Great Hall.”
The elevator rose and J’Karra clasped her hands behind the black and gold cape attached to the back of her armor. M’Lak studied the catlike yellow eyes beneath the pronounced brow.
“You seem nervous, Captain.”
“It’s the Matriarch, General.”
M’Lak nodded. “Yes, quite the honor.”
“Do you know what this is in regards to?”
M’Lak shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I was simply informed through the priests that the Matriarch wishes to address you and you alone on a matter of grave importance.”
J’Karra turned her head to M’Lak. “Through the priests? You didn’t speak with the Matriarch?”
“No, I’m…” M’Lak cleared his throat. “Not worthy.”
J’Karra gave a slow nod and tried to suppress the smile she felt tugging at her lips. It was no secret that M’Lak had gotten to his position through no small amount of sycophancy. But though he could fool the elected officials, the Matriarch was another matter entirely.
The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors vanished. They moved into a long corridor. J’Karra looked from side to side and saw the robed priests lining the walls, hovering above the ground, their eyes shut in meditation. Auras of energy surrounded each of them.
They approached the closed doors and M’Lak stopped. “This is where I have to leave you. What the Matriarch has to say is for your ears only.”
M’Lak saluted once more and promptly returned to the elevator. J’Karra watched him leave and after the elevator left, she looked back to the closed doors. J’Karra stepped up and when she placed her hand on them, she was instantly transported past them.
J’Karra stood in a large chamber with glass walls enabling her to look out at the stars. Just a few feet in front of her was an opulent bathtub and a figure rose from the steaming, crystal liquid. Her appearance was similar to J’Karra’s, but with a radiance that was unexplainable.
Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure Page 35
