Callum used his head to gesture a little further down. Dom followed the line of sight and saw the cloaked teleporter lying unconscious on the ground. Dom grit his teeth behind the mask that concealed the lower portion of his face.
“Guess the disorientation affected him the most, given he was the one whose powers were fueling the trip,” said Callum.
Dom sighed and looked around the beach. The water was crystal clear. Under normal circumstances, he’d pay a lot of money to come to a place just like this. Except these circumstances were anything but normal. He turned his back to the water and saw some steps leading up from the beach to a higher level.
“Hey, is this place inhabited?”
“No. Not anymore.”
“How do you know?” asked Dom. “We should check it out.”
Callum sighed and stood up, walking after Dom who was now bounding up the steps. “You’re wasting your time.”
From the steps, Dom jogged lightly and moved further inland. He stopped and his eyes went wide in shock as he saw the remains of destroyed stone and wood homes. Almost everything was reduced to rubble.
“I told you, not anymore,” said Callum, catching up to him.
“What happened here?”
Callum sighed. “This is Arcadia.”
Dom lowered his head. “Your island.”
The de-powered special nodded. “Yup. The one Cerberus destroyed.”
Dom turned around but wouldn’t quite make eye contact with Callum. These two had fought on more than one occasion. And though some members of Vanguard had seen another side of the man called the Exemplar, to Dom he was never anything more than an enemy.
But this was different. For the first time, Dom had an understanding of why Callum made certain choices. “I’m sorry,” was all he said.
Callum gave a half-hearted smile. “Thanks.”
“Why’d the Ferryman plan to send me here anyway?”
Callum shrugged. “Maybe he knew you’d have no way to get off. Maybe he wanted you to see what the humans had done to our home.”
“You know it wasn’t all humans, right?” asked Dom.
Callum nodded and turned away, walking back to the beach. “Yeah, I know that. During my time at the Island, I spoke with Dr. McCabe quite a bit. He showed me there was another side to Cerberus, that they’d really changed since Zukov took control.”
“Well, we’d better stop wasting time.” Dom began to follow Callum back to the beach, touching the comm-link in his ear as he walked. “Wraith to Atlas. I’m alive, gonna need transport sent to my GPS coordinates.”
The only response that came was a crackle of static. Dom furrowed his brow and tried again.
“Guys, it’s me. Thorne? Zen? Anyone?”
No response. Dom sighed and took the small device out of his ear, looking at it. He frowned. “Dammit, it must’ve been damaged in the jump. If this thing isn’t active, then there’s no way to get out of here.”
“Not until Michael wakes up at least,” said Callum.
“Yeah, and something tells me he won’t be overly enthused at the idea…”
“There is another way.” Callum stopped right at the top of the steps and pointed to the inhibitor.
Dom scoffed. “Yeah, not that simple. That thing’s basically attached to your spine, uses a signal to keep you from accessing the part of your brain that controls your powers.” He followed up the explanation with a shrug. “Or something like that, I wasn’t really clear on the details when Sentinel explained it.”
“So what do we do? Wait until it runs out of batteries?”
“Don’t think it works that way. It kind of charges itself through your body.”
Callum sighed. “Wonderful. Well, you’re a teleporter. Can’t you teleport it off my neck?”
“I could try, but…” His voice trailed off.
Callum gave him a concerned look. “But what?”
“Like I said, it’s attached to your spine. Trying to remove just the device would be a pretty delicate procedure. If something went wrong…”
Callum nodded his understanding. “You could easily end up removing my spine from my body.
Dom nodded. “Pretty much.”
Callum sighed. “Okay, so it looks like we’re stuck here until Michael wakes up.” He looked back at the campfire. “You know anything about how to get one of these things lit?”
“Not really, but we might as well get started, see if the two of us can figure it out.”
“Good, because we’re going to need a fire and something to eat.”
Dom walked over to the campfire and sat on the sand. He took off his mask, cape, gloves, and boots and set them down. “Damn, it’s hot.”
CHAPTER 3
Zenith pushed his seat away from the Icarus’ flight controls and rose. He stepped into the main passenger area of the ship and stood to address the team. “The Cerberus agents have broken off. The new stealth modifications succeeded in hiding us from their scanners.”
“Some small benefit at least,” said Thorne.
“So Callus is back in play,” said Lee from his seat.
“Not only him.” Anita sat beside Lee and leaned forward, her elbows resting on her thighs and her hands clasped, hanging between her legs. “That was Blindside in the monitor room, too.”
“I noticed.” Thorne stood, moving beside Zenith. “Ramsey’s managed to move fast. He got Callus and Roque in play far too quickly for my tastes.”
“So he did blow up Olympus,” said Erin.
“Either that, or he knew it was coming,” said Thorne. “If he’s already placed Callus and Roque in positions of authority, we can be sure he’s doing more than that. Cerberus has officially become our enemy.”
“And with it, most of our options,” said Anita.
“Ramsey just controls Cerberus here in the States, right?” asked Koji. “So we go to another country. Canada maybe, or England.”
Thorne shook his head. “We don’t really know anyone in those organizations. They know Ramsey as the Secretary of Defense, they don’t have a reason to suspect him.”
“There’s the President,” said Anita. “We told him what we knew about Ramsey when we rescued him from J’Karra. He might be sympathetic.”
“I’m confident Ramsey would have considered that possibility,” said Zenith. “With the fall of Olympus, security around world leaders will be higher than ever.”
“Zen’s right, they’ve probably already moved him to a secure location,” said Thorne.
“There’s the Island,” said Koji. “It’s a secure location and the doc’s our friend.”
“Assuming it’s not already been overrun by Cerberus,” said Lee.
“So what other choice do we have? Do we just stay up here and hide forever?”
Thorne folded his arms and paced a little from side to side, head down as he thought about their options. “Ramsey’s making pretty big moves, trying to gain as much control over the organization as he can. All the bases have been transferred under the authority of their host countries, but the Island doesn’t have a host country. That means Howard’s definitely still in command. But we can’t count on things staying that way. Ramsey will want the Island under his control, especially with all the prisoners who are kept onboard.”
“Right, so we should go there,” said Koji.
“No, we shouldn’t,” said Anita. “Only Olympus knew the Island’s position at all times. If we go there, we run the risk of Ramsey finding it.”
“But we’ve got the stealth ship,” said Koji.
“The cloak is only a temporary measure and it puts a drain on our power capacity,” said Zenith. “We will have to deactivate it at some point and when that happens, we run the risk of discovery.”
“So we do need a place to run to,” said Erin. “Make sure the ship’s still got power. And then we’ve got to figure out just what happened to Dom and Jim.”
Lee shook his head. “Jim’s gone.”
Erin glare
d at him. “Don’t say that.”
“The last time he was seen, it was in range of Olympus’ explosion,” said Lee. “I’m sorry, but he’s gone.”
“Shut up!” Erin forcefully rose from her seat and everyone went silent, half-expecting her to cross the distance between her and Lee so she could deck him. Her fists were even clenched.
But she didn’t. She huffed and turned away, moving into the rear of the ship and the med-bay. Lee watched her go and gave a sigh.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”
Anita patted his knee. “It’s okay. We’d all like to believe Jim’s still alive, but the chances aren’t good.” She looked at the door to the med-bay and started to stand. “I should go talk to her.”
“No,” said Koji, standing. “I’ll go.”
Anita looked at him. “You sure?”
He nodded. “Think we’ve been overdue for a chat for a while now.”
Once Koji walked back there, Zenith spoke up.
“I believe I have a solution,” he said. “The Zenith Project.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re going to start talking in the third person,” said Lee.
“The Zenith Project is where Colonel Thorne and I first met,” said Zenith. “I was working on research and development for the US government. And I had a facility in Virginia where I conducted my work.”
“It’s still there?” asked Thorne.
Zenith nodded. “Yes. I thought it best to maintain a presence there in the event something were to happen.”
“If the government supplied this place, wouldn’t they know where it is?” asked Lee.
“No, it was a secret location, that was part of Zenith’s deal with the government,” said Thorne. “But with that kind of proximity to DC, we could risk exposure.”
“Indeed, that is a risk. We also won’t be able to store the Icarus there, so we’ll have to abandon the craft. However in low-power mode, the ship can reroute all power to the cloak, keeping it active for a longer period than its capable of while in the air.”
“That would give us time to refuel and figure out our next move,” said Anita.
“Yeah, I suppose.” Thorne turned to the monitor behind him. “Can you bring up a map?”
Zenith’s eyes flashed and a map of his old lab and the surrounding area appeared.
Thorne pointed to the lab. “Here’s where we’re heading. It’s an underground facility beneath an abandoned gas station. Not terribly big, so we’ll have to squeeze in.” He pointed to a wooded area. “Over here’s a forest. If we can find a clearing, we can land the Icarus here, power down everything but the cloak, and then it’s a short walk over to the facility.”
Anita stood and pointed to the map. “There’s a road here, though? Any risk of being spotted?”
“Not much,” said Zenith. “The area around here is mostly isolated. A few stray cars now and then, but nothing we can’t handle.”
“It’s a good plan,” said Thorne. “And right now, pretty much all we’ve got.”
***
Koji stepped into the med-bay and closed the door behind him. Erin had pulled down the collapsable gurney and sat on the edge of it. She looked at Koji when she heard the sound of the door, but then looked away again. In that brief instant, Koji could see her eyes were glassy.
“So…it’s been a while since we really talked.” He walked over to the gurney and sat beside her.
“Do you think Lee’s right?” she asked. “About Jim?”
“I…I hope not. But I’m not sure. There was an explosion after all. In space. Not exactly the kind of thing most people walk away from.”
“Maybe this is all just too much for me.” She sighed. “I’m only seventeen and I’m dealing with government conspiracies, supervillains, and my friends dying in freaking explosions.”
Koji gently placed a hand on her back, gauging her response with every movement he made. “Yeah, but you’re also saving lives. You’re a hero, Erin. How many people can say that?”
She didn’t respond, just slid closer to him and leaned against his body. Koji cautiously responded by wrapping his arm around her shoulders and she rested her head against his chest.
“Besides, remember how bored you were when you tried to go back to having a normal life?” he asked. “You ended up stealing your mom’s credit card so you could come find me and drag me on an adventure.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I did.” Her voice faded and she looked up at him. “Guess you’ve always been the one I’ve felt most comfortable with.”
“It’s because of my razor-sharp wit and stunning good looks.”
She smiled and continued to stare at him. Koji finally felt her eyes on him and looked down into hers. They remained silent like that, just staring for a few more moments.
“Hey!”
The door opened and Anita entered the med-bay. Erin shot up straight and her and Koji slid to opposite sides of the gurney, both staring at the floor. Anita stepped inside, watching them both with confusion.
“Everything okay?”
“Fine!” they both said in unison.
“Oookay, umm…we’ve got a plan,” she said. “Are you guys ready to come back…?” She paused. “Or do you need a few more minutes?”
“Nope, no problem,” said Erin, standing.
“Yeah, none at all.” Koji stood as well.
Anita looked between the two of them. “Well…okay then."
CHAPTER 4
Once reaching Virginia, the Icarus touched down in the forest not far from the old, abandoned gas station. The team gathered what they could carry and exited the Icarus from the rear hatch. Zenith remotely diverted the ship’s power to the cloak and the ship became completely invisible.
“I’ll scout ahead,” said Zenith, taking to the air.
“Stay in contact,” said Thorne as he plugged a comm-link into his ear.
Zenith flew above the trees and into the evening sky. It had been some time since he’d been here, but it felt like coming home in a strange way. He looked up and down the darkened roads from his position. The scanners his robot body was equipped with reported no vehicles or life-signs within miles. They were fortunately completely alone out in this area.
“We’re clear,” he said, transmitting the message to his teammates.
He descended from the air and landed at the dilapidated gas station and garage. Zenith stepped up to the garage and his eyes flashed. The silent command he sent to the facility caused the door to open and he entered the garage just as the rest of the team approached.
Once everyone was inside, the garage door closed behind them. There was darkness for a moment before the lights automatically came on. Koji, Anita, Lee, and Erin all started looking around the garage, exploring the small area.
“You weren’t kidding when you said we’d be squeezing in,” said Lee.
“This isn’t the facility, just the facade.” Zenith’s eyes flashed again and the car lift in the center of the garage rose up. The floor in the pit beneath slid to the side, revealing a hidden staircase.
Thorne took the first steps down and the others followed. Zenith was the last one to descend the staircase, the door closing over his head and the lights in the garage powering down.
The staircase ended in a metal corridor that led to a closed door. A few other doors were off to the sides and Thorne acted as the tour guide for the new arrivals. “There are sleeping quarters, but they’re small. We’ll have to make do with sleeping bags. Also a small galley stocked with canned food.”
Thorne came to the door at the end of the hall and it opened on his approach. He led the group inside and once they entered, the lights came on. Monitors lined the walls and they powered up. Zenith stepped past the team and approached the monitors.
“Welcome, friends. To my home.”
“Not all that different from the monitor room, huh?” asked Lee as he went around the room, looking over the equipment stored inside.
“
Mostly where I worked on various projects,” said Zenith. “Perhaps you would all like to get some rest?”
“Might not be a bad idea, but first we need to warn Howard,” said Anita. “If Thorne’s right, Ramsey will be after him.”
“Of course,” said Zenith.
“If we contact him, won’t they be able to tell where the call came from?” asked Erin.
“I can reroute the signal through several decoys. They won’t be able to find us,” said Zenith. He faced the monitor and began the call, using Cerberus access codes that thankfully hadn’t been changed to send his transmission directly to McCabe at the Island.
Within seconds, McCabe’s face appeared on one of the monitors. As soon as he saw the faces of the team, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god you’re all okay.”
“You heard?” asked Thorne.
“About Atlas? Yeah, of course. It was destroyed.”
“What?” asked Erin.
“They set charges inside. Seems things are getting bad. You’ve all been declared enemies of Cerberus,” said McCabe. “They’re saying you were responsible for Olympus.”
Thorne grunted. “Ramsey’s really pushing it now. Trying to set us up to take the fall for his actions.”
“Howard, have you been contacted by Ramsey? Asked to provide your location?” asked Zenith.
“He’s sent a few transmissions but I’ve ignored them. Something didn’t feel right about the whole thing,” said McCabe.
“Good, keep it that way,” said Thorne. “We’re pretty sure Ramsey’s either behind Olympus or in league with whoever’s responsible. We can’t let him get his hands on the Island’s prisoners.”
“What’s your next move?” asked McCabe.
“That’s what we’ve got to figure out. We’ll be in touch.”
“Understood. I’ll try to maintain order down here.” McCabe’s face vanished as the transmission ended.
“Any thoughts on what our next move should be, boss?” asked Koji.
Thorne shook his head as he turned to face the team. “None whatsoever.”
“We have to go after Ramsey, right?” asked Erin. “I mean, he blew up our home. We’re not just gonna sit back and take it, are we?”
Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure Page 81
