She deactivated her ship’s stealth mode as she hovered above the building, instantly drawing stares and exclamations of shock and fear from the people on the ground. Secret Service agents rushed out to the lawn and drew their weapons, ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
J’Karra’s ship touched down on the White House lawn and the canopy opened. The Kotharian warrior emerged, reaching behind her back and drawing her telescoping bow.
“She’s got a weapon!” shouted one of the agents. “Open fire, open fire!”
J’Karra leapt to avoid the bullets and held out her bow, drawing the string and firing several psionic arrows that hit their mark, taking out the first wave of guards. She charged at another, jumping just as he shot at her. J’Karra took him down with a kick to the face. The next agent was tripped by J’Karra’s bow and then the final one taken out with a psionic arrow to the face.
She stood, her black and gold cape billowing behind her in the wind. J’Karra approached the doors and kicked them in. Other guards, alerted by her presence outside, were already in the hall, hiding behind cover and waiting to strike.
J’Karra still wore her helmet and the HUD told her the location of each agent. She took the bow in both hands and it separated at the grip, the string retracting into one end, leaving her with a pair of battle staves. Running forward, there was an agent hiding to her left. He emerged from cover and raised his gun, but she jumped at the wall, pushed her foot up against it and spun, bringing down one of the staves on his head.
Another agent was positioned across the hall from her. He aimed the weapon and J’Karra hurled one of the staves, striking his weapon from his hand. She rushed him, grabbing the stave as it bounced back. J’Karra pounced and knocked him out with a direct strike from her helmet.
“Get her!”
The agents emerged from cover and stared firing. J’Karra’s armor protected her from their bullets and she reassembled the bow, connecting the string and firing off a flurry of psionic arrows. One by one, the Secret Service agents fell to her attacks.
She continued through the house, striking down anyone who got in her way. Her movements were graceful as she dodged their attacks, returning in full force with either her strength or her alien weaponry. There was a reason that J’Karra was chosen for this mission by the Matriarch—she was one of the finest warriors the Kotharian military had ever seen and once she began a mission, she would either complete it or she would be killed in the attempt. No other outcome was acceptable to the Kotharians.
Her HUD displayed a map of the grounds obtained from public records on the Internet. The Oval Office was her next stop and when she found it, she kicked down the door.
Several more agents were inside. They stood between J’Karra and her target, the man she knew as President Lawson from her research. Lawson huddled behind his guards and J’Karra saw another man beside him, one who obviously was not part of the guard detail.
“Put down the bow!” said an agent. J’Karra responded with a psionic arrow in his chest. He collapsed and another agent checked on him. No entry wound, not even a projectile. But he experienced the same fate as his colleague, falling after J’Karra shot him next.
J’Karra pulled the string several times in rapid succession. The arrows appeared, launched, and she pulled the string again. The movements were so rapid, it was almost impossible for the human eye to see them.
By the time all was said and done, it was just J’Karra, Lawson, and the third man standing there. Lawson’s mouth was open and he stared down at his agents. “My god…you killed them…”
“No,” she said, reaching a hand for the side of her helmet. It receded away, revealing her reddish-orange skin, yellow braids, and gold, catlike eyes. “They’ll live. Unlike you, I am not a murderer.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Lawson. “I didn’t kill anyone!”
“She’s one of them, Mr. President,” said the other man, with a receding hairline and glasses. “One of those specials.”
J’Karra turned her gaze to him. “And you are?”
“Joseph Ramsey, Secretary of Defense,” he said.
“Then be silent, Joseph Ramsey, Secretary of Defense.” J’Karra took a step closer to Lawson, who took a step back to maintain the distance between them. She raised the bow, drawing the string and generating a psionic arrow ready to fire. “I am only after the man responsible for the death of my people.”
“I have no idea what you’re on about,” said Lawson. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“I know about the crash. Roswell, 1947. Your government shot down and took possession of a Kotharian research vessel,” said J’Karra. “I want to know where it and the crew are located.”
“Roswell?” asked Lawson, then followed up with a chuckle. “Are you out of your mind? There was no alien crash!”
“Liar!” She was about to fire the arrow, when she saw Ramsey make a break for the door. J’Karra turned her arrow to him, releasing the string. The arrow cut through the air and struck him in the back. Ramsey cried out just an instant before he fell face-first.
Lawson’s attention was on the Secretary, so he didn’t see J’Karra cross the distance that separated them. She held the bow against his neck, pinning him against the wall. Her yellow eyes stared into his blue ones and she gently laid her fingers on his forehead.
“If you do not tell me what I need to know, then I’ll pull the information from your mind.”
CHAPTER 5
As soon as Zukov informed Vanguard that the White House was under attack, they immediately suited up and boarded the Icarus. With the jet’s flight capabilities, they were able to make the trip in less than half the time it would take a normal plane. While en route, Zukov provided them with surveillance footage from the White House of the attack.
“Doesn’t make any sense,” said Shift, shaking her head as she watched the attacker take out the Secret Service. “Why would J’Karra attack the White House?”
“Who knows? We don’t even know why she attacked the same base in North Korea that we were after,” said Gunsmith.
“Maybe she found a connection between Azarov and Ramsey,” said Sentinel.
“Yeah, but how?” asked Wraith.
“She was able to connect with my mind, maybe that’s how she figured it out,” said Paragon.
“Whatever the case, she’s got the President and that means we have to take her out,” said Gunsmith. “We’ll worry about her motivations once we’ve got her shackled.”
“We’ve arrived,” said Zenith.
The Icarus switched to VTOL mode and lowered to the ground, landing beside J’Karra’s much-smaller ship. Vanguard emerged from the rear hatch and when the onlookers from behind the fence and the police barricades that had been set up saw them, they immediately began cheering.
“That’s a good sign,” said Sharkskin with a wide, toothy grin.
“Don’t get too excited, Jaws,” said Wraith.
“Freeze!”
One of the agents had recovered from J’Karra’s initial assault and he held his weapon, pointing it at the team. Wraith fired an ebon blast at him and the agent froze for a moment before collapsing, his body shivering as he stared at the team in fear. Wraith approached and knelt down beside him, giving him a gentle slap on his head.
“We’re here to help, you moron.”
“Wraith,” ordered Gunsmith. Wraith stood and saw the leader point to the doors.
“Stay here,” said Paragon to the agents who lined the corridors, only now beginning to recover.
“Zen, what’ve we got?” asked Gunsmith.
“Approximately nine individuals inside the Oval Office,” said Zenith. “All unconscious save for two.”
“And one of them is definitely a special,” added Sentinel.
Gunsmith took point and moved to the wall beside the busted door. He looked at the team and saw they were prepared. Sentinel had activated his holographic armor, Zenith’s arms were in cannon-mode, an
d Shift’s hands had changed into tentacles. He gave a nod and raised his guns, stepping inside the Oval Office.
“Don’t move!”
J’Karra still had Lawson pinned to the wall, her hand on his head. She opened her eyes and turned to Vanguard, allowing the President to fall to the ground.
Gunsmith was about to open fire, but Paragon flew in front of him, her eyes fixed on J’Karra.
“Dammit, Anita, you’re blocking my shot!” he muttered.
“What are you doing, J’Karra?” asked Paragon, ignoring her leader’s comment. “This isn’t like you. Our minds were connected, I know you’re a good person.”
J’Karra gestured to the bodies lying around the room. “These men all still draw breath, Paragon. I am simply after that which is mine.”
“You’re outta your goddamn mind,” said Wraith.
“If they took something from you, then we’ll help make it right,” said Paragon. “But I need you to just relax and put down your weapon.”
J’Karra’s response came quick. Instead of dropping her bow, she raised it and fired a psionic arrow that struck Paragon in the chest. Although her forcefield made her nearly invulnerable and protected her from most attacks, she had no defense against J’Karra’s weapon. Against another psionic, Paragon was just as vulnerable as anyone else.
The blow was fierce, too. Paragon’s body seized up and she fell to one knee. Her head felt like it was going to explode and she could barely hear or see anything. All her senses were focused on the pain in her mind.
Wraith and Gunsmith both retaliated on Paragon’s behalf, Wraith releasing ebon blasts and Gunsmith firing his teleforce blasters. Zenith and Sentinel joined in the attacks, too. J’Karra somersaulted around the blasts, and when she had an opening, she fired an arrow first at Gunsmith as he was the easiest to hit. He fell to a fate similar to Paragon’s.
The next arrow was intended for Wraith, but he vanished in a portal and reappeared behind J’Karra. She swung her bow and struck him in the jaw, then grabbed him, using him as a shield. Zenith and Sentinel accidentally struck him and Wraith cried out in pain.
While the rest of the group kept J’Karra busy, Shift’s tentacles reached out for Lawson, wrapping around his legs and pulling him behind the Resolute Desk. Sharkskin pulled some of the downed agents out of harm’s way as well. With Zenith and Sentinel attacking J’Karra with everything they had, any attempt for Sharkskin to jump in and use his strength would only end up getting himself injured.
Once they were clear, Sharkskin picked up one of the chairs in the Oval Office and hurled it at J’Karra. She jumped to stay clear of it and ducked behind one of the couches. When she lunged up again, she fired a psionic arrow. It struck Sentinel and he paused for a moment, looking down at his body. But then he quickly recovered by raising his hand and firing off another energy blast from the palm of his gauntlet.
“Already had someone mess with my mind once, not gonna happen again!” he said.
Zenith hit his thrusters and shot his robotic body at J’Karra. He grabbed her, blowing through a few walls before separating by unleashing a pulse from his cannon at close range. While Zenith stopped, J’Karra went through a few more walls before she finally landed in the foyer of the White House.
Zenith came after her, with Sentinel soon hovering beside him. Both Shift and Sharkskin quickly joined them, following the path Zenith had left. J’Karra struggled to get to her feet, looking at her four opponents. Shift and Sharkskin she could take out with her powers, but Zenith and apparently Sentinel were both immune. Although she was confident that she could keep up a defense for now, she was beginning to feel the effects of exhaustion. If she continued on like this, she would make a mistake or one of the their downed teammates would recover.
Besides, she got what she needed to know from Lawson. Continuing to battle Vanguard was just a waste of time. She would deal with them at a later date, after she completed her mission.
J’Karra activated a button on her gauntlet and a blue energy field surrounded her entire body. It swirled faster and brighter until she completely vanished and the energy dissipated into nothing.
“What the hell was that?” asked Sharkskin.
“She appears to have teleported,” said Zenith. He turned his head. “And now her craft is departing from the area.”
“Gotta go after her!” Sentinel activated his jetpack and blew through the White House ceiling. He saw J’Karra’s craft rising off the ground and flying off into the sky. Sentinel pushed his jetpack to the maximum, trying to keep up with her. But J’Karra’s plane moved too quickly and once she activated stealth mode, she vanished completely from sight and from his sensors.
CHAPTER 6
After J’Karra’s departure, the team regrouped. The President had them all brought down to the White House Situation Room, along with Ramsey and an escort of Secret Service agents.
“This is unacceptable,” said Ramsey. “They have no business being down here, Mr. President.”
“Y’know, a ‘thank you for saving our butts’ wouldn’t hurt,” said Sharkskin.
“‘Thank you’?” asked Ramsey.
“You’re welcome,” said Sharkskin with a smile, ignoring the intonation. “See, was that so hard?”
That only angered the Secretary even more. “I’m certainly not going to thank you—you freaks! It’s probably because of you that we were attacked by that psychopath!”
“Joe, please. You’re not helping,” said Lawson.
Ramsey turned to the President, pointing at the group. “They’re a security risk! They shouldn’t even be here! We pulled the plug on their operation because we knew how dangerous it was to keep them around!”
“With all due respect, Mr. Secretary, shut the hell up,” said Gunsmith. “We received word that the White House was being attacked and we came to do the same thing we’ve always done—save lives.”
Ramsey narrowed his eyes. “Tell that to Curtis Hayworth.”
“You sonnuva—” Wraith made a movement for Ramsey, but Paragon stepped in front of him and placed a firm hand on his chest. “You’re the one responsible for that!”
“Don’t,” said Paragon.
“You see? Wild accusations!” said Ramsey, having backed as far away from the team so he was standing in the corner. “We can’t trust these people, Mr. President. We ordered them to disband and yet here they are, back together. And with a new member, no less!” He pointed at Sentinel. “Plus, did you see how they arrived? They still have the Icarus, which should be in the possession of Cerberus! In fact…” Ramsey reached into his jacket and pulled out his cell phone. “I’m going to put in a call to them right now. Get a team down here to obtain these rogue specials.”
Sharkskin crossed the distance between him and Ramsey in a flash. He took the phone and squeezed it in his hand. The glass cracked and the phone crumpled under his strength. He dropped it on the floor, now a hunk of useless plastic and metal.
“Oops,” he said. “Sorry about that. These new phones are so damn fragile.”
Ramsey stared at his phone in shock. He looked up at Sharkskin with anger burning in his eyes. But Sharkskin just flashed him a large smile. Although with the rows of razor-sharp teeth in his mouth, the gesture couldn’t help but be intimidating.
“This has gone on long enough,” said Lawson. He looked at the small cadre of agents. “Please remove the Secretary from the room.”
Ramsey did a double-take on the President, his voice stammering a bit as he asked, “What?”
“You heard me,” said Lawson, his voice calm yet stern. “All you’re doing is escalating the situation. So I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“You can’t be serious!”
“I think he is,” said Wraith. “So why don’t you get the hell out?”
Two agents flanked Ramsey, taking hold of his arms. He roughly pulled away, glaring at everyone in the room. “I can do it myself.”
Once the agents left with Ramsey in
tow, the door was shut behind them. Lawson gave a sigh and sat down at the head of the table. He motioned to the other chairs and the Vanguardians all took a seat for themselves, with Koji having to change back to his human form in order to sit comfortably.
Lawson clasped his hands and laid them on the table, his eyes studying each of the specials who sat around him. “To say I have a lot of questions would be a gross understatement. I ordered Operation: Vanguard shut down. So how is it I’m staring at Vanguard right now?”
“Mr. President, I believe I can answer that,” said Zenith. “You ordered an end to government support of Vanguard. We chose on our own to re-assemble, operating independently of the government of the United States or any other nation.”
“The Icarus is government property,” said Lawson.
“Actually no, it is not,” said Zenith. “I built and designed the Icarus myself. Most of the funds invested in its construction came from my own, private accounts.”
This drew some confused stares from Zenith’s teammates. “Your private accounts?” asked Shift.
Zenith nodded. “Decades ago, I began investing in the stock market. The Icarus and the Atlas-F ICBM silo that our base was constructed out of were purchased by me in order to avoid any connection to the Hayworth administration. It is true that some of the equipment located inside is owned by the government, but I am willing to provide recompense.”
Lawson leaned back in his chair and scoffed. “You clever son of a bitch. I’d be lying if I told you all that things have been better with you gone. But we’ve still got the problem of you essentially acting as a vigilante organization.”
“That’s what Cerberus is for,” said Gunsmith. “As you’re already aware, sir, I work for that agency. I can act as a liaison between Cerberus and Vanguard to ensure we aren’t exceeding our mandate.”
“I appreciate that. Ramsey won’t be happy about it, but that’s his problem,” said Lawson.
Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure Page 57
