“I think it’s the real deal,” said Sharkskin.
Sitting in the pod was a woman with dark skin, short, black hair, and dressed in a red and white uniform with a matching cape. Her eyes were shut and she looked like she hadn’t aged a day in the past twenty years.
“It looks like Paragon’s alive,” said Sharkskin.
CHAPTER 7
Tuwa allowed her vines to release Callus and she strode purposefully towards the stasis pod. Her eyes and hands were glowing with emerald power and she had a scowl on her face.
“Now I can kill the bitch.”
“Stop!”
Gunsmith drew his weapon, but before he could fire, tentacles ensnared Tuwa and yanked her away from the pod, throwing her across the cavern. Tuwa struck the ground and skidded a few more feet before stopping. She looked up and saw Shift standing there, long tentacles shrinking back into fingers.
“Right, I forgot M’Lak’s little puppet is still here.” Tuwa got to her feet, ready for another fight.
“She’s not under M’Lak’s control!” said Callus.
“Tuwa, hold your position,” said the Analyst through telepathy. The command caused Tuwa to freeze mid-stride.
Shift turned her back to them and focused on Paragon, still resting comfortably inside the pod. Gunsmith carefully approached, holstering his weapon. “I thought she was dead?”
“So did we,” said Sharkskin.
“She survived,” said Callus. “She’s been in stasis ever since, hence why she hasn’t aged at all.”
Sharkskin grabbed Callus and raised him up. Callus groaned.
“Here we go again…”
“You think this is funny?” asked Sharkskin. “You said M’Lak isn’t controlling Shift, how do you know that?”
“Because M’Lak said he lost the connection,” said Callus.
“Then how come she’s still like this?” asked Talon, slowly approaching her mother. But Shift remained almost oblivious to the outside world.
Gunsmith stared into Paragon’s slumbering face. He blinked his good eye and took a few steps closer. “It’s Anita, isn’t it?”
The Analyst closed his eyes and placed a hand to his forehead. After a moment, he opened them again. “There’s a massive amount of psychic activity coming from her.”
“Lots of brain activity, judging from these readings,” said Gunsmith, looking over the console.
“I thought Callus said she was in stasis?” asked Cache.
“Yes, but her power’s been growing ever since we put her down here,” said Callus. “Somehow, the long coma seems to have increased her psychic abilities. She’s breaking through the blocks we put on her. And it’s clear she’s been reaching out.”
Shift continued to stare wordlessly at her old friend without so much as a blink. She was fully entranced by Paragon.
“There’s more going on here.” Sharkskin tightened his grip on Callus’ collar. “You said Ramsey’s no longer an issue. That you’re fighting back. What’d you mean?”
“What I’ve been trying to tell you. M’Lak is planning something huge. Apparently your pal Chronos gave him some ideas. He’s got a portal, one that’s powered by a tachyon generator. And he plans to use it to go into the past. What’s more is he doesn’t give a crap about the potential ramifications here in our time.”
Sharkskin set Callus on the ground as the weight of the man’s words hit him. He looked at his teammates.
“The timequake,” said Gunsmith. “Could he inadvertently cause one?”
“That’s my concern and it’s not a chance I’m willing to take.”
“And we can’t let him go after Chronos, he could screw up everything,” said Talon.
“His ship is coming. Once it’s within teleportation range, he’s going to set up shop here on the planet and use the gateway to open a portal into the past. We can’t let that happen,” said Callus.
“‘We’?” asked Ink, folding her arms over her chest. “What’s this ‘we’ garbage?”
“I’ve risked everything to get this far,” said Callus. “So have the Hellhounds. We’re trying to put up a resistance to the Kotharians.”
“We’ve been doing that for years, where the hell have you been?” asked Tuwa.
Callus sighed. “I know I’ve made mistakes. And I know none of you have any reason to trust me. But you trusted him.” He pointed to the Analyst. Then to Pulse. “And him. Now I’m asking you to trust me.”
“The hell we—”
“Enough,” said the Analyst, silencing Cache. “Callus has a point. This is a desperate situation and if what he says is true, then we have no choice but to work together in order to stop M’Lak.”
“How do you know he’s telling the truth?” asked Ink. “Why not read his mind or something?”
Callus tapped his forehead. “Inhibitor chips, implanted in all senior Cerberus officials. Designed to keep psychics out.”
“So what do we do?” asked Pulse.
“We wake up our friend here.” Callus nodded in the direction of Paragon’s stasis pod.
“She’d be useful in the fight, no doubt about that. But why do you think she’s so important to this?” asked Gunsmith.
Callus scoffed. “Do you know anything about Anita Jordan? How powerful she really is?” He stepped closer to the pod. “When she was part of your team, she only ever used her telekinesis as a physical force—a way to increase her strength, give her flight, protect her from harm. But she can do so much more than that. You only got a small taste of it when she started to explore her telepathy.”
Shift snapped out of her trance and approached the console. Her fingers moved across the keyboard, entering access and override codes as if they were burned into her memory. Callus arched his brows at this. Could Paragon have taken that information from his mind and implanted it into Shift’s?
“Here goes nothin’…” muttered Pulse.
The energy field around the stasis pod dimmed. It opened and the restraints keeping Paragon held inside were disengaged. The Analyst took a few steps closer, using his own powers to reach inside her mind.
“Anita, can you hear me?”
Eyelids snapped open, revealing surprised, brown eyes. As soon as she felt that voice inside her head and laid eyes upon the bald man who stood in front of her, Anita Jordan’s instincts took over. She lunged at the Analyst and an invisible force threw him across the cavern.
Paragon hovered from the stasis pod and next saw Callus. Her lips curled into a snarl and a wave of her hand sent him flying into the wall.
Sharkskin grabbed her leg and pulled her down. He wrapped his burly arms around her, trying to restrain his old friend.
“Anita, stop! Calm down and take a breath!”
Sharkskin’s arms were forced to release his captive. He tried to fight their movements, but Paragon’s telekinesis was too strong. She stepped out from his grasp and pivoted on her heel. Staring into his eyes, her own ones flashed with power and Sharkskin screamed. He fell to his knees, clutching his head in pain.
Columns of rock rose all around Paragon, trapping her inside. She looked past the columns to see the angry glow of Tuwa’s power. Paragon clasped her hands together and separated them, the columns breaking apart with her movements. She stepped out of the makeshift prison and raised her arm. Tuwa floated along with the movement and Paragon threw her against the console.
“I thought she was supposed to be one of the good guys!” said Ink.
“She’s in shock,” said Gunsmith. “Try not to hurt her.”
Pulse and Cache tried to fire their respective energy blasts, but Paragon altered their aim so they ended up hitting each other. Pulse was thrown back by the impact, but Cache simply absorbed the power.
“I don’t think it’s her you gotta worry about,” muttered Cache. He fired another blast at Paragon, but an invisible, telekinetic shield easily repelled it.
Paragon approached Gunsmith. He held his blasters in his hands, but watched her carefull
y. His arms fell to his sides, his grip weakening until he let the guns clatter to the stone floor.
“What are you doing?” asked Ink, her tattoos glowing bright-green. Talon stood by her side, wings and claws extended.
“We have to show her we’re not a threat,” said Gunsmith. He took another step closer. “Anita. Do you remember me?”
Paragon’s face contorted in confusion. She studied Gunsmith’s features. The beard was new, as were the few spots of white in his blond hair and the cybernetic eye. But as she observed him, paid attention to his words, memories flashed in her mind.
She took a few steps back and bumped into someone. Paragon turned and saw another figure. This woman with no hair, green skin, and yellow eyes. She was far more familiar. Paragon smiled and reached a hand out, gently touching her face.
“Erin…you came.”
Shift smiled back at her old friend. “Yeah, I heard your call.”
The two women embraced each other, wrapping their arms around one another and holding them tight. After a few moments, Paragon broke the hug and looked around at the strange assemblage of people. She turned her attention to Shift.
“I get the feeling I’ve missed a lot.”
Gunsmith offered a tiny smile. “That may be the biggest understatement I’ve heard in years.”
“Then I guess it’s time I got caught up.” Paragon clasped her hands together. “Where do we start?”
“You’ll have to brace yourself,” said Gunsmith. “There’s a lot to go over.”
CHAPTER 8
As night descended upon Arcadia, the members of Vanguard all sat around a campfire. Not far from them, the Hellhounds were busy making repairs to their equipment. Tuwa watched them over her shoulder with anger burning in her eyes.
“I don’t see why we need them.”
“Not even Callus knows what defenses M’Lak will have at this facility,” said the Analyst. “Whether we like it or not, the Hellhounds’ strength added to our own is something we can use.”
Anita sat quiet, staring at the flames. They’d informed her about everything that had occurred over the past twenty years, including how she was wrongfully accused of killing Wraith and Howard McCabe. She seemed to be taking it well. Or, Erin worried, maybe she was simply in shock.
The Analyst, Jim, and Koji had taken the bulk of the storytelling duties. Erin mostly remained quiet and listened, as did the rest of the team. She wasn’t sure if she was grateful or upset that none of them mentioned how she was the one who framed Anita.
“It’s your turn,” said Jim. “What do you remember?”
“I remember the fight. I remember…damaging Zen. And King…” Her voice trailed off.
Tuwa stood from her seat and stepped closer to the fire, staring at Anita through the flames, eyes narrowed. “Go on. Finish it. Finish saying what you did to Cal. You killed him.”
“Hey.” Jim stood, holding a hand up in a signal for Tuwa to back off. “Take it easy.”
“No, she’s right.” Anita rose to her feet and met Tuwa’s glare. “I killed the Exemplar. I didn’t want to. We were in an all-or-nothing fight. And I…I lost control. My powers were already starting to grow, even then. In a last, desperate attempt to protect myself, I used my powers to give him a lethal stroke. I didn’t even know I was doing it at the time.”
Tuwa’s fists dropped to her sides, green energy swirling around them. Alex noticed this as well and came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go for a walk, okay? This isn’t gonna help anyone.”
Her fingers relaxed, but her glare remained on Anita for another few moments. Then, she turned, walking with Alex into the forest. Vicky breathed in relief and looked at Anita. “Don’t mind her, she’s been on edge since…well…”
“Since I killed the man she loves.” Anita’s eyes fell back down to the ground.
“Tuwa’s concerns are the least of our worries right now,” said the Analyst. “What happened next?”
“Zen was still alive, barely. He detonated his power core, probably in an attempt to stop me. The last thing I remember was seeing a bright, blue light.”
“We managed to rebuild him, that time,” said Koji. “Unfortunately didn’t last.”
“What else do you remember?” asked Jim.
Anita shook her head. “Flashes, mostly. I remember being found by Cerberus soldiers…remember staring up at lights as doctors worked on me…and then just fragments of dreams.”
“What was it like?” asked Erin. It was the first thing she attempted to say.
Anita looked across at her old friend and smiled warmly. The kind of smile Erin always remembered Anita giving her for reassurance. She used to treasure it, but now it only compounded her guilt.
“It wasn’t pleasant. But I kept thinking of all of you. Erin, I think my bond with you was the strongest. I kept trying to reach out to you, to anyone who would listen. But those barriers prevented me from accomplishing anything.”
“Until your powers finally grew beyond them,” said the Analyst.
Anita nodded. “Finally, I was able to reach out to her.”
“You do realize she was having nightmares, right?” asked Koji. “Couldn’t you have been a bit more gentle about it?”
Anita sighed. “Not so simple. It’s not like I was in full control of what I was doing. Emotions got mixed up with the messages, and since I was reaching Erin in her dreams, I’m guessing there was some of that, too.”
“Combined with M’Lak’s manipulation,” said Glenn. “No wonder she was all confused.”
“M’Lak…?” asked Anita.
Glenn realized his mistake. He made a face and stood, walking away from the fire. “I think I’m gonna go…over there…”
Anita moved beside Erin and placed a hand on her knee. “You were being controlled by M’Lak? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It’s not something we wanted to get into,” said Koji. “All over now, so…”
“Erin was unwittingly reporting on us to M’Lak, but I believe your intrusion into her mind shook loose the last of his influence,” said the Analyst. “Nothing to concern yourself with.”
“Y’know, I’m gonna go check on the jump-ships, make sure everything’s set for tomorrow.” Erin stood and excused herself.
Anita rose, watching with concern as her old friend walked off into the darkness. She felt a presence behind her and turned to see Vicky standing there. Anita explored her features, a smile spreading on her face.
“You’re Koji and Erin’s daughter, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, Vicky,” she said. “Y’know, my mom always talked about you growing up. Said you were like an inspiration to her. Even when everyone else thought you were a traitor, she still continued to believe it wasn’t your fault.”
“That’s comforting.” Anita looked up and saw Reina perched up on a ridge, staring down at them. And her thoughts drifted to the encounter with Tuwa. “Not everyone seems to think so.”
“Don’t let it hang over your head. Just remember, my mom never stopped believing in you.”
“Sure…” Anita was a little uncertain why Vicky was pushing that, but she let it go.
Callus had come from the Hellhounds’ camp and now spoke with the Analyst, Jim, and Koji. Anita excused herself from Vicky and approached the men, pushing her way into the circle. Callus paused for a moment when he saw her, but then continued.
“I got a transmission from Roque. She’s discovered where M’Lak is heading. His ship will be in teleportation range by tomorrow morning and that’s when he’ll arrive. He’s planning to set this all off at the Groom Lake facility.”
“Area 51,” said Jim.
“Makes sense, that’s where the government kept the Kotharian ship locked up,” said Koji. “Probably feels like there’s some symmetry in it.”
“What do you have in mind, Callus?” asked the Analyst.
“I did as M’Lak ordered and sent off Cerberus packs to engage Vanguard wherever they may b
e. They’ll mostly be chasing their tail, following signals and reports that lead nowhere. That should make things a little easier for us. The Hellhounds and I can create a diversion and Roque’s already inside the base, working on sabotage.” Callus looked at Anita. “No matter what happens, we need you to stay back until M’Lak shows his face. He may be too powerful for the rest of us, but you’re the exception. Only you really stand a chance of taking him out.”
Anita held her breath for a moment then nodded. She was still unfamiliar with her newly awakened powers and wasn’t sure if she could really match up to what Callus thought she was capable of.
“What if Pulse set off an EMP?” asked Koji. “Couldn’t that take care of the portal?”
“In theory, maybe,” said Callus. “But setting off an EMP means that my team becomes dead weight. So if we’re going to go that route, you have to be sure that the rest of you can take it from there.”
“I’m in the same predicament, but it’s a necessary risk,” said Jim. “If that EMP can shut down the portal, we can destroy it before it becomes an even bigger problem.”
“We can handle it,” said Koji.
“There is something else we can use,” said the Analyst. “Powerful enough to really give M’Lak some difficulty. I’ll take Shift’s jump-ship back to the Icarus and make preparations to meet you there.”
“Okay, so we’re all set,” said Jim. “Everyone get some rest, we move out tomorrow.”
The group dispersed. Anita saw the Analyst starting to walk in the distance of the ships. She flew to catch up to his side and landed next to him, going from hover to walking with effortless ease.
“I’ll keep you company. I was hoping to have some one-on-one time with Erin and she said she’d be at the ships.”
The Analyst nodded but said nothing else, just continued walking.
“People aren’t telling me everything, are they?”
“No, they’re not.” He didn’t elaborate.
Anita sighed. She supposed she would have to get the answers from Erin. She glanced at the Analyst again, still somewhat surprised to see this man, in this body, working on the same side as her.
Vanguard: Season Four: A Superhero Adventure Page 24