Sharkskin grabbed her hand and pulled her forward with all his strength. Shift’s arm snapped back like a rubber band as Sharkskin threw her, sending her off at the Exemplar. She clasped her hands together and they grew larger, almost to the size of her entire body, and she brought them crashing down on the Exemplar’s head.
He was disoriented at least and that was the opportunity they needed. Shift’s arms and legs flattened and stretched, binding Exemplar in her grasp. He struggled against her but couldn’t break free by the time Sharkskin came within range and battered his head with strong blows.
Sharkskin picked up a new scent and turned to react, but it was just a fraction too slow. Claws tore across his chest and were gone almost as quickly. Then another slash at his back and a third on his chest.
Shift could only watch as Sharkskin was battered by seemingly invisible opponents. But as Sharkskin nearly collapsed on the ground from the pain, his attackers finally slowed, surrounding him.
“The Pack,” she whispered.
“You think we’d let you get away with killing our brother?” Fenris used his foot to turn Sharkskin on his back and he placed a foot on his chest. He held up his claws, ready to strike.
The ground rumbled again and the Pack struggled to maintain their balance. Sharkskin got to his feet and grabbed Rollo’s arm, swinging him into Dolph. He turned next to Fenris, striking fast with his own claws and leaving deep gashes that left Fenris’ fur matted with blood.
The tremors Tuwa caused had the unintended consequence of Shift’s grip loosening and the Exemplar pried her off his body, throwing her into Sharkskin just as he was about to deliver another blow against Fenris.
The Exemplar spied Tuwa, who stood at the mouth of the cave, bracing herself against the stones, still weak from the last bout. He stopped as he approached her, hovering right behind her. She could see the anger plain on his face.
“You betrayed me!” he spat and reached out, wrapping his fingers around her throat and raising her so she was looking down at him. “You’re no different from her!”
“C-Cal…don’t…” she pleaded, trying to focus on his blue eyes.
The Exemplar squeezed tighter, ready to keep squeezing until her eyes popped out.
“A-Animus…”
The Exemplar paused and stared at her, his grip on her experiencing some slack. “What are you saying? You think you can save yourself by accusing one of my friends?”
Shift looked up at Sharkskin, who sniffed the air. He nodded, giving confirmation that there was someone else in the area. With a clawed finger, he pointed at the ridge above the cave’s opening. Shift nodded and jumped at Sharkskin, who gave her an added boost, throwing her up there.
When she reached the ridge, her fingers formed into hooks that she dug into the side of the rock. Shift pulled herself up and behind the rock was another man. The bald man turned at her and was about to use his abilities, but Shift threw a punch that knocked him from his feet.
The Exemplar shut his eyes at the exact instant Shift broke Animus’ concentration. He cringed, as if he’d just experienced a sudden migraine and lowered Tuwa to the ground. When he opened his eyes and saw her, he seemed almost surprised she was there.
“Tuwa? My god, what was I—”
He flew up to the ridge and grabbed Animus, hurling him at Fenris and the rest of the Pack. The Exemplar moved closer to them, his hands glowing brightly and he was ready to destroy all four of them with a wave.
“Care to tell me what’s been going on here, Animus?” he asked.
Shift dropped down from the ridge and helped Tuwa. She helped her move closer to the action. “Animus was behind you almost killing Tuwa. And he’s been manipulating emotions against us ever since we arrived.”
“She doesn’t know what she’s saying,” said Animus, his eyes beginning to glow. “You know I’m just trying to help you do what’s best for Arcadia.”
Sharkskin was about to move against Animus, but Dolph and Rollo both jumped in front of him—their backs to Sharkskin and they faced Animus and Fenris. Dolph grabbed the former leader of the Pack and shoved him against a tree.
“Something I hadn’t noticed before,” said Dolph. “Zev’s scent is nowhere on Sharkskin. But it’s all over you, Fenris.”
“There’s only one thing to do here,” said the Exemplar, wrapping his fingers around Animus’ bald head. He began to squeeze.
“Stop!” Sharkskin grabbed the Exemplar’s throat.
“What are you doing?” he asked, glancing at Sharkskin out of the corner of his eyes. “I’m trying to make this right.”
“He’s right, Cal,” said Tuwa. “I thought Arcadia was going to be a place of law and order. I thought we were going to be better than the humans. But if you kill him like this, you’re just making up the laws as you go along.”
“It’ll make you no different from the man we fought in Chicago. No different from people like the Khagan,” said Shift. “Is that what you want? Or do you want to be someone better?”
The Exemplar considered the words, his fingers still tense against Animus’ skull. It would be so easy to just squeeze and crush this man’s head in his powerful grasp. And even though Sharkskin and Shift were stronger than when he’d fought them in Chicago, they still couldn’t beat him in a prolonged fight.
But when he looked at Tuwa standing there, braced by Shift, because of injuries he caused, he knew he had to be better. The Exemplar took his hand from Animus’ head and delivered a blow that knocked him unconscious. He then hovered over to Fenris, staring down at him.
“Both these men will be tried.” He looked over his shoulder at Tuwa and smiled at her. “In Arcadia, we serve the law.”
Tuwa grinned back at him and nodded.
CHAPTER 11
Koji knelt on the hill overlooking the town of Arcadia. His eyes followed the landscape stretching out until it met the ocean. A shadow fell over him and he craned his neck around to see Erin standing above him, also enjoying the same view as him.
“Wish we had a view like this in Madison,” she said.
Koji stood. “You could always move to Hawaii.”
“Or you could stay here.”
Koji and Erin turned and saw the Exemplar approach them with Tuwa and the Ferryman by his side. Their former enemy offered them a warm smile. “You both have a place here in Arcadia. It can be a home for you, too.”
Koji stepped forward and slapped the Exemplar’s shoulder. “No offense, but I’ve had enough of your hospitality, King.”
The Exemplar allowed a snicker to escape his lips. “I can understand that. Hopefully one day, we can meet without being taken prisoner or fighting each other.”
“I’d like that.” The two men shook hands.
Tuwa addressed Erin. “What about you?”
“I’m going to go home,” said Erin.
“Arcadia can be your home, Shift. A place where you can be yourself,” said the Exemplar.
Erin took one final look at the view of the island then shook her head. “Thanks but I should go.”
“Back into hiding?” asked the Ferryman.
“For now,” she said. “Things won’t be this way forever. Specials only just appeared. Give it time, people will get used to us. And until then, it’s not like I can’t control my appearance.”
“Too bad others don’t have that option,” said Tuwa.
Erin laid her hand on Tuwa’s shoulder. “That’s what you guys are for.” She faced the Exemplar next. “What’s going to happen with Animus and Fenris?”
“We’ll put them on trial. If they’re found guilty, they’ll be punished fairly,” said the Exemplar.
“And the rest of the Pack?” asked Koji.
“Probably the angriest of anyone on the island,” said the Exemplar. “They were manipulated by Animus, same as me. But they’re good men.”
“One more thing,” said Koji, stepping closer to the Exemplar. “Keep your house in order, buddy. Don’t make me come back here to straighten you out
again.”
The Exemplar grinned. “Do you really think you could beat me in an all-out fight?”
Koji shrugged. “Stay on your best behavior and we won’t have to find out.”
Tuwa sidled up to the Exemplar and smiled at Koji. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep him in line.”
The Ferryman held out his hand and a large portal opened on the hill to another place. He looked at his passengers. “Ready?”
Koji looked at his companion and after giving Tuwa a parting hug, Erin came up beside her former teammate. The two of them exited through the portal, departing from Arcadia and returning back to the world of the normal humans.
***
Erin and Koji stood in the lobby of the Honolulu International Airport. Erin had assumed her human form, a backpack hanging from her shoulders. She just finished her check-in procedure and now they stood in front of the security gate.
“So was it everything you expected?” he asked. “Being back among other specials?”
She shook her head. “Wasn’t what I expected at all. I thought maybe I was missing something, being around my mom and my old friends. But now I’m thinking it wasn’t just the fact that their genes are different. The people on Arcadia, they weren’t any different from the people in Madison. There was this girl I met that first night. Because we were with Vanguard, she thought we were evil. That we were out to capture or kill every single special. I guess that people anywhere are scared of what they don’t know.”
Koji scoffed. “I coulda told you that and saved us a lot of trouble. And I wouldn’t have a massive kink in my shoulders from throwing down with Exemplar. Twice.”
“Yeah, but do you really think I would’ve listened to you?”
Koji laughed. “Not in a million years. But next time, how about you do the fighting?”
Erin looked down at the floor and Koji put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I was just kidding around. You know that, right? I mean, are you okay?”
“It’s not that… I think I just miss being around the rest of the team,” she said. “I mean, we just got Dom and Zen back and then almost immediately, we’re shut down and Thorne is killed. And we still don’t know why he died or who’s responsible. I want to get some answers from someone, but there’s no one to ask.”
“Yeah, I know.” Koji hugged Erin. “I miss ‘em, too. And we’ll figure out what happened to Thorne. Somehow.”
Erin broke the embrace and looked up into his eyes. “You think we’ll ever see them again?”
Koji shrugged. “A few months ago, we were on a space station stopping a madman with a giant laser. I’m pretty sure anything’s possible.”
Erin chuckled and hugged him again. “I’m gonna miss you.”
“Yeah, me too.” He held her tight for a few seconds before they separated. “But next time you come visit me, we’re just gonna have fun, okay? No more adventures.”
“But where’s the fun in that?” asked Erin with a smile.
Koji laughed again and pointed at the security gate. “Get the hell outta here, Hastings.”
***
Victoria Hastings unlocked the door of her Madison home and pushed it open, dragging a rolling suitcase behind her. She pushed the suitcase up against the wall and closed the door behind her, hanging the keys from a hook by the door.
“Erin, you here?”
She took off her jacket and hung it in the closet. Victoria moved to the foot of the stairs and shouted up to the second floor. “Erin?”
No response came and Victoria shrugged. She picked up her suitcase and started to carry it up the steps, struggling a little with its weight. Then suddenly, the load was lightened. Victoria looked down and saw Erin standing a few steps lower, helping her lift the suitcase.
“Hey Mom,” she said. “Sorry, I kinda zoned out for a minute.”
Victoria smiled at her daughter. “It’s okay, honey.”
“Need a hand?”
Victoria nodded and the two carried the suitcase up to the second floor. Once they reached the landing, Erin helped her set the suitcase down and Victoria pulled it into her bedroom, standing it up against the wall. She sat on the bed and looked at her daughter.
“So, how was your week? Anything exciting?”
Erin bit her lower lip, her eyes glancing off to the side. “No, not really. Pretty boring, actually.”
“Well, that’s good. Mine was hell,” she said. “Worst conference ever. And don’t get me started on the woman they sat me next to on the flight back.”
“Mom?”
“Yeah?”
Erin took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her form changed right before Victoria’s eyes, going from the blond, white girl she had raised and into the hairless, green figure that now stood in front of her. Victoria had a momentary gasp, but Erin opened her wide, yellow eyes and fixed them on her mother.
“I know this weirds you out. And I get it. But…” Erin held out her arms and looked down at her body. “This is who I am now. And it’s something you’re going to have to get used to.”
Victoria set her wringing hands in her lap. “But you can look like anyone you want.”
“I know. And I know you want me to look like I used to. And I still will, when I go out in public.” Erin sighed. “But I need you to accept that I’ve changed. And I can’t just hide that all the time. I need a place where I can be myself. If you can’t accept that, then…”
Her voice trailed off and Victoria’s eyes widened. “Then what?”
Erin took another deep breath and exhaled quickly. “Don’t make me choose between who you want me to be and who I really am. Just…don’t.”
Victoria opened her mouth, voiceless for a moment. “I-I don’t know if it’s that simple.”
“I’m not the person I was before. And not just because of how I look. I mean the things I’ve been through. You can’t expect me to just forget about everything that’s happened to me in the past year. You can’t expect me to go back to the way things were because it’s not going to happen.”
Erin turned her back on her mother and walked towards the bedroom door. “Please, just think about it.”
Victoria stood from the bed. “Erin, wait…”
Erin stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Yeah?”
Victoria managed a smile. “How about we order a pizza and watch a movie?”
Erin smiled back. “Sounds great.”
She left the bedroom and walked to her own room. Erin closed the door behind her and walked over to her desk. A framed picture sat there. All the members of Vanguard lined up together. Not in costume, but just lounging around during one of their brief moments of downtime.
Maybe her mother wouldn’t be able to accept everything Erin had been through. But today was a start. And Erin believed that in time, things could work out.
EPILOGUE
The shuttle entered the Earth’s atmosphere, lowering its altitude but remaining above the clouds. Inside the cabin, the plane’s strike team prepared their equipment. The leader, a woman with long, red hair, checked her weapons and activated the powered suit she wore. For an instant, she vanished from sight, then flickered into view again.
“Blindside here, check is complete,” she said.
Another woman with black hair stretched out her fingers, electricity arcing from between the tips. “Spark is set.”
A thin cloud of cold air surrounded a man dressed from head to toe in white armor with glowing blue LED lights. “Coldsnap ready.”
A heavy footfall signaled another member of the team, who was decked out in an exoskeleton that was almost like a tank. “Bruiser online.”
The final member of the team was dressed all in black and wore a pair of goggles with red lenses. He said nothing, but an orange forcefield surrounded his body and he gave a nod.
“And Zero’s set as well,” said Blindside. She moved closer to the cockpit and the pilot. “What’s our ETA?”
“We’re approaching the drop.”
> Blindside returned to her team. “Okay, you all know the drill. Everything up until now has basically been a practice run for this. We’re talking about an island full of specials. So be ready for anything. But don’t forget, the Director wants them alive. Make sure you’ve got plenty of sedatives on hand, there are some real big fish out there. We all on the same page?”
Her teammates gave nods of confirmation and Blindside smiled beneath her helmet. “Good. Remember, we’re especially after the big fish. The Exemplar is down there somewhere and the Director wants him most of all. Anyone who bags him is pretty much guaranteed a commendation.”
“We’re above the drop!” said the pilot.
“You heard him, Hellhounds,” said Blindside. “Good hunting.”
The team moved to the back of the plane and a rear hatch opened. They ran down the ramp and jumped, falling towards the island of Arcadia. The shuttle pulled away, and on its black wings was a symbol. A red circle with a black silhouette of a three-headed hound.
To be continued…
#7 - THE EXPERTS
CHAPTER 1
Arcadia, a small island located in the south Pacific. To most of the world, the island was believed to be uninhabited. But that was because the people who settled there wanted it that way. Arcadia, in truth, was far more than a simple island. Founded by Callum King, the special who called himself the Exemplar, Arcadia served as a haven for others like him. With the aid of his followers, he’d managed to create this island sanctuary where his people could live free of persecution.
Unfortunately, such secrets rarely stay buried long.
In the night skies high above the island, a supersonic, stealth aircraft streaked above the clouds. The craft’s rear hatch opened and five people jumped from it, plummeting down towards the island below.
April Roque was the team leader and she was also the first to jump. The HUD flashed over her goggles, displaying her current altitude. When it began flashing, that was the signal. Roque extended her arms and legs, a fabric extending from the sides of her armor and forming a glider that caught the wind. She didn’t have to look back at her team to know they’d done the same.
Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure Page 40
