“You’re sure you want to play it this way?” asked the Analyst. “Not informing them of your identity?”
“They can’t know,” said Jim. “The less people aware of what we’re up to, the safer the people we fight for are. If something should happen to blow my cover, then we’re completely screwed.”
“Yes, I’m aware,” said the Analyst. “I will contact you later after they return from the mission.”
Jim nodded and his holographic projection faded.
***
Shift was at the controls of the small jump-ship and Sharkskin by her side in the co-pilot’s seat. Chronos sat strapped into one of the passenger seats. Across the aisle was Talon, who flashed him a smile before returning to her conversation with Ink. Chronos glanced into the back and saw Tuwa sitting as far away from the rest of the group as possible, her eyes closed either in sleep or meditation, he wasn’t sure which.
“So you’re the future boy,” said Cache, the Vanguardian he’d only just been introduced to. “That armor of yours looks pretty nifty. Sure it can handle what we’re going up against?”
Chronos examined his armor and gave a nod. “Sure as hell hope so. Otherwise this is going to be a really short fight. What about you? What can you do?”
Cache held out his hand, palm facing up, and tensed his fingers. Crimson energy arced between the tips of his digits, coalescing into an energy ball in the palm of his hand. He closed his fist and the energy dissipated.
“I absorb energy, store it, and convert it into other uses. If I’m charged up enough, I can go days, maybe even weeks, without food, water, or sleep. Can also use it to make myself stronger or to just fire it back,” said Cache. “Basically, I’m a walking, talking, badass battery.”
Chronos smirked. “Sounds like it can come in handy.”
“Oh it will, trust me on that.”
“How’d you join the team?”
Cache jerked his head in the direction of Shift and Sharkskin. “I was in a camp with our fearless leaders. When Vanguard broke them out, I went with them. Joined up right after that.”
“When was that?”
Cache rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, doing the math in his head. “’Bout… five years after the invasion started is when we were sprung.”
“Before that?”
“Before that, I was just a working stiff. My family ran a restaurant in Phoenix and I’d just taken it over. Kotharians destroyed the damn place when they came for me, killed my whole family.”
Chronos looked away. “I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sure if the words sounded genuine or not. Where he came from, everyone had a story about their loved ones being killed by the Kotharians. So whenever he heard the same story again from someone new, he felt numb to it. It was something he hated about himself. He supposed he could understand Tuwa’s reaction to him. In many ways, he was in the same position as her.
Shift and Sharkskin emerged from the cockpit to address the rest of the team. From a small tablet in the palm of her hand, Shift was able to control the plane’s holographic projectors. She brought up an overhead layout of the facility they were heading towards.
“This is Proximo Labs,” she said. “Security’s supposed to be pretty tight out there, but the Analyst’s contact inside Cerberus said that a good portion of them have been diverted to another location. Still, we should be careful.”
“What kind of security we looking at?” asked Ink.
“Gunsmith squads for the most part, nothing we can’t handle,” said Sharkskin.
“Chronos and I will be going inside alone,” said Shift. “Need the rest of you to provide a distraction, keep the guards busy so we can move around inside.”
“No layout?” asked Tuwa.
Shift shook her head. “Our contact wasn’t able to get us specifics of the interior. So we’ll be flying blind once we’re on the inside.”
“That’s why it’s our job to keep those bastards busy for as long as possible,” said Sharkskin.
“I like the sound of that,” said Cache. “I’m always up for blowing up Gunsmiths.”
“Then you’ll be real happy with this job,” said Sharkskin.
Shift looked at Chronos. “I’ve got biometric information on who has access to the labs. It’s a simple matter to assume their form and get inside. Once we find this prototype, it’ll be up to you to figure out what it is we need.”
“Got it,” said Chronos.
“We’re about twenty minutes out,” said Sharkskin. “The jump-ship will stay in stealth mode and we’ll teleport down to the ground. Take down as many of ‘em as you can, this won’t be some walk in the park.”
“What about reinforcements?” asked Tuwa.
“Comm channels will be scrambled, should give us enough of a window,” said Shift. “Once you raise the alarm, they’ll have security from inside the facility rush out to meet the threat. So hopefully this won’t take more than an hour or so to find what we need.”
Nods of agreement came and Shift and Sharkskin returned to the cockpit. They continued the flight to their destination in silence.
CHAPTER 3
Proximo Labs had changed a lot in twenty years. Back then, it was a simple research facility. But after the Kotharians arrived, former Secretary of Defense Joseph Ramsey had made arrangements with their high command. He became one of the human co-conspirators and ensured that his friends and followers were among those given positions of privilege over the new Kotharian territory.
Proximo was considered a valuable resource and anyone at the company who disagreed was quickly disposed of. Now it served as the chief source of research and development for the Kotharian war effort. Their lab in Nevada, which once saw the birth of the special called Lucent, had become a crucial facility.
The enhanced security certainly reflected that. There were high, electrified fences all around the perimeter. Soldiers clad in Gunsmith armor roamed the grounds. Cameras were positioned everywhere.
Although the jump-ship’s teleportation capabilities could transport the group inside the fence, Vanguard materialized outside the gates. Cache approached the gate and wrapped his fingers around the chain-linked fence. Electricity flowed from the metal into his body. But Cache soaked it all up, laughing as his eyes crackled with crimson power. He rerouted the power, directing it right back into the fence. The surge of energy overloaded and the fence blew inwards.
Cache stepped first past the fence and the rest of the team followed behind him. The destruction of the gate triggered an alarm that rang loud enough to be heard from some distance away. Gunsmith units ran from their posts, bringing up their teleforce rifles and taking aim at the specials. Cache calmly stepped out and held his arms to the sides, a “bring it on” gesture daring the Gunsmiths.
They took the bait and triggers were pulled. The night was lit up with the azure glow of the teleforce projectiles as they cut the distance from the barrels and Cache. He just stood still, the blasts striking him harmlessly and the energy absorbing into his body.
“Hold fire!” one of the Gunsmiths called and the onslaught ceased for a moment.
The siren continued to sound, but with that one exception, the field of battle grew deathly silent. The Gunsmiths watched as Cache’s body hummed with a soft, blue glue, slowly converting into red. He grinned wide, his eyes burning brightly with the same crimson hue.
“My turn, boys.”
Cache held his hands out in front of him, powerful blasts of energy firing from his palms and his eyes. It sent the Gunsmiths scattering across the field. Many were caught in his fire, though, taking them out of the fight quickly.
Tuwa knelt down, channeling her power into the earth. The ground quaked and rumbled, cracks appearing beneath the Gunsmiths’ feet. The earth rose up, columns of dirt crashing down on them, gumming up their weapons and their armor.
While Tuwa and Cache kept the Gunsmiths off-balance, Ink’s tattoos hummed with green power. They rose off her skin, forming into giant creatures tha
t crossed the battlefield and attacked the team’s enemies. One was a Chinese dragon, flying and drawing the teleforce fire. The dragon easily avoided the blasts, circling around the soldiers and breathing a kind of green fire on them.
Another tattoo was a lion and the third was an eagle. Both of them attacked the Gunsmiths, the lion charging across the distance and tackling two of the Gunsmiths. The eagle flew overhead and dove down, its powerful talons tearing armor components off.
Talon watched as the battle raged. She hadn’t been in a fight like this before. She’d encountered Gunsmiths before, but the idea was always to keep the fight short and get away as soon as an opportunity presented itself. This, though. This was something different.
A hand fell on her shoulder and she spun, her fingers growing into talons. She saw her father standing there, having already bulked up and transformed into his Sharkskin form.
“Easy, kid,” he said. “You ready for this?”
Talon took a breath and nodded. Sharkskin winked at her and ran across the field. He pounced, roaring as he tackled a Gunsmith to the ground. His powerful jaws tore into the armor, the circuitry sparking as it was ripped away. Talon knew she had to live up to the example both her parents had set for her. And she knew it was their job to keep the Gunsmiths distracted for however long it took Shift and Chronos to get what they needed.
Large, feathered wings sprouted from Talon’s back. They flapped, propelling her off the ground. Two Gunsmiths saw her rising into the air and activated their jetpacks. They came at her, firing their rifles. Talon’s eyes morphed as well, becoming more angular. Her eyesight was also enhanced in this form and she was able to nimbly strafe from side to side to avoid the projectiles.
She flew higher, the Gunsmiths pursuing her. Talon glanced back occasionally to see they were still following. She continued moving from side to side, front and back, in order to make her a more difficult target to hit. Once she was high enough, Talon looped around, diving right past them. She held her namesake in front of her, the sharp tips of her fingers slicing into one of the jetpacks.
The Gunsmith’s flight went erratic, losing control over his propulsion. He slammed into his partner and the two of them went crashing to the ground. Talon ignored them and continued to dive, tackling a small group of three Gunsmiths. Her wings were more than accessories for flight—they were strong appendages in their own right and powerful enough to easily throw back opponents. They kept the other two off her back as her talons tore through the first. She then used the second as a human shield to take the teleforce blast from the third. With him gone, Talon pounced at the final Gunsmith, slicing through his rifle and digging her claws into his chest-plate. Her wings lifted her off the ground and she threw him into another group of guards.
Sharkskin spat out a chunk of armor and looked up at his daughter. He smiled as he watched her move and muttered to himself, “That’s my girl.” Sharkskin stood upright and spun on his heel, slamming his fist into the face of a Gunsmith who had tried to sneak up on him.
The klaxons rang out even louder than before. Sharkskin looked to the entrances and saw the doors opening with more soldiers pouring out. The earbud picked up his voice as he transmitted a message to his wife.
“The cavalry’s here, babe. You and Chronos should probably get ready to teleport inside Proximo. We’ll hold ’em off.”
“Got it,” came Shift’s voice through his comm-link. “Be safe, Koji.”
“You, too.” Sharkskin ended the call and charged at the new targets. He jumped and slid on the ground as he moved, dodging their weapons fire. Sharkskin pounced and dove into the midst of the group. His fists, claws, and powerful jaws tore through the Gunsmiths.
Soon, he was joined by help in the form of an ethereal, green lion, hawk, and dragon. Ink’s manifestations joined the combat with him, and the Gunsmiths barely stood a chance.
Tuwa stood on a column of rock that rose from the ground. She kept her hands positioned over the surface, the green energy seeping into the soil. The earth formed into twin behemoths that fought on her behalf. Whenever the Gunsmiths destroyed one, Tuwa quickly created another to take its place.
Cache channeled the absorbed energy into his muscles, moving about at superhuman speed and enhancing his strength. He was joined in the close-quarters attack by Talon, who dive-bombed into the midst and helped him fight off his attackers.
The attack was going well so far. Sharkskin was impressed at how well his teammates were holding their own against the onslaught of Gunsmiths. With this level of security, it was clear that the Analyst’s source was right—Cerberus wouldn’t devote this kind of defense to any simple research laboratory. There was a lot more going on here and it had to be the tachyon generator Chronos needed.
“Keep on ’em!” shouted Sharkskin to his teammates. “Let’s show these bastards what Vanguard is capable of!”
“You’re the boss,” said Cache with a smile.
“Nah, you’re thinking of his wife,” offered Ink.
Sharkskin chuckled just before elbowing a Gunsmith in the side of the head and tearing the helmet from his face. “Hey, you know what they say. Happy wife, happy life.”
“Yeah, especially when letting her be happy means you can probably convince her to look like anyone she wants,” said Cache.
“Brother, you got no idea,” said Sharkskin.
“Oh…oh gross!” shouted Talon, slicing into a Gunsmith’s armor. “I really did not need to hear that!”
“Maybe I shouldn’t tell you about some of the noises I’ve heard coming from their room at night,” said Cache.
“I swear, I will gut you in your sleep,” said Talon.
The ground opened up, swallowing a small contingent of Gunsmiths. Tuwa moved to the team’s side, the column of earth shrinking down until she stood on the same level as they did.
“Are you done with the banter? We have work to do,” she said.
CHAPTER 4
A blue energy signature appeared within the halls of Proximo Labs. Shift and Chronos stood ready, with Shift quickly moving into a combat stance and assessing the area.
“We’re clear,” said Chronos. “Armor’s not picking up any lifeforms.”
“Good,” said Shift. “Can you pick up the tachyon generator?”
Chronos paused, waiting for the armor to respond to his cybernetic command. The armor had a symbiotic relationship with him, fully integrated to his nervous system. A moment of silence passed before his visor’s HUD displayed the information he needed.
“Follow me.” Chronos ran down the corridor and Shift followed. His HUD displayed the best route to take, providing an augmented reality overlay with the best route lit up.
Chronos stopped in the middle of the hall and pointed at the end of a corridor. A camera attached to the roof pivoted, scanning for any intruders. Chronos extended his hand and his gauntlet fed him one of his batons. He aimed it at the camera and an burst of orange energy emitted from the tip, destroying the camera.
“That will probably make them suspicious,” said Shift.
“By the time they’re able to investigate, we’ll have reached the tachyon generator,” said Chronos.
He ran ahead and Shift chased after him. They turned the corner and came to a stop in front of an elevator. Chronos gripped the doors and pulled them open. His muscles strained against the resistance and the armor compensated, providing more strength needed to pry them apart. Chronos looked up and saw the elevator a few floors above. He jumped into the shaft and the components on his leg slid down to form a glider almost instantly.
Chronos offered his hand to Shift as he hovered in the center of the empty elevator shaft. She just scoffed and held out her arms. They morphed right before his very eyes. Leathery wings extended from beneath her arms and she flapped them, creating enough lift to move into the elevator shaft under her own power.
“Vicky’s not the only one in the family who can grow wings,” she said.
They slowly move
d down the tunnel. But as they did, they heard something above them. Both Chronos and Shift looked up to see the elevator lowering. And it was picking up speed.
“Shit!” said Chronos.
“Go!” shouted Shift.
They both flew towards the bottom of the shaft, and Chronos held out his hands, batons feeding into both palms. He hovered in front of the doors on the lowermost floor, aiming the tips at them and unleashing the energy blasts. They barely scorched the surface.
The elevator continued to descend quickly. Shift flew up the shaft and grabbed onto the bottom of the car. Her wings retracted and her muscles increased in size, granting her more strength. Her legs extended down to the ground, also gaining bulk. The new burst of strength allowed her to slow the elevator, but it was putting a clear strain on her body.
“Hurry!” she shouted. “Not sure…how long I can hold this…!”
Chronos focused back on the doors. He channeled his armor’s power into the batons and fired again. This time, the blast was powerful enough that the kick threw him back, slamming into the side of the tunnel. But when the blast struck the doors, it blew them open.
“Come on!” he shouted and flew through the newly made hole.
Shift kept the elevator still, trying to push it back up. It was strong, though. She had to time her movements just right or else she could end up being crushed. She took a breath and shrunk back down, her entire form becoming almost snake-like as she slithered through the hole.
The elevator quickly descended, crashing on their floor. Inside the area they arrived in were two men wearing white coats. Research staff, it seemed. Chronos held the batons out in front of him, the tips sparking with orange energy. They just looked at him in horror.
“Out,” he said.
The scientists did as they were told, raising their arms into the air. Chronos chanced a glance down at Shift, who had returned to her normal form but was breathing heavily.
“You okay?” he asked.
Shift nodded between deep breaths. “Yeah…I’m good.”
Vanguard: Season Four: A Superhero Adventure Page 2