Erin gasped and she tapped Koji’s arm furiously. Koji broke his gaze from the stranger and looked at Erin. “What is it?”
“Look!” Erin pointed up in the air and Koji saw what she saw, causing him to react in a similar fashion.
A man hovered high above the trees, dressed in blue and white with a cape billowing behind him. His dark hair was cropped short and he had piercing, blue eyes. He hovered above the crowd and those who had just arrived along with those who were already waiting cheered for him.
But for Erin and Koji, this was a shock. They recognized this man as Callum King. The rest of the world knew him only as the Exemplar, a powerful special with an incredible degree of superhuman abilities. The first time they encountered him, they were enemies. And the second, they were reluctant allies when taking down the Khagan.
The Exemplar held up his hands and smiled and the crowd’s cheers died down. “Thank you. I would like to welcome you all to the future. Ever since we started appearing, we knew the time would come when humans would have no use for us. Fortunately here in this place, we can live free from their persecution and their judgment. Here, there is no need to hide who you truly are. In this place, you can be made whole once more and join a family that grows larger with each passing day.
“Welcome to Arcadia.”
CHAPTER 4
“What’s the Exemplar doing here?” asked Koji, speaking in a low voice to Erin. “I mean, I know Thorne let him go free after we got back from Olympus, but I wasn’t expecting this.”
Erin shrugged. “I’ve got no idea. I tried to keep tabs on him after we left Atlas, but couldn’t find any info. I thought he’d decided to lay low after everything that had happened.”
“Guess he was setting this place up.”
The Exemplar had departed and other representatives of Arcadia arrived, guiding the new arrivals from the shore. Erin and Koji moved along with the crowd. Paths led up a small hill, on the other side of which they could see a small town. The homes and buildings were pretty small, all looked constructed from stone.
In the town square, tables were set up with the Arcadian representatives asking the newcomers to form lines in order to record their information. Erin remained by Koji’s side, standing behind him in the long line.
And then, Erin was forcefully pulled from the line. She screamed as she was grabbed, drawing the attention of Koji and the rest of the gathered specials. Koji recognized the man who grabbed her—the same one he had seen at the shore staring at them.
“They’re here!” said the scruffy man. He kept one arm wrapped around Erin’s neck and claws extended from his free hand. Black hair emerged from the pores all over his body and his muscles strained beneath his clothes. His jaw elongated and his teeth extended into long fangs.
“What are you doing, Fenris?” asked one of the Arcadian representatives.
“Don’t you recognize her?” asked Fenris. “She’s one of them! Vanguard!”
“Let me go!” said Erin. “I didn’t do anything to you!”
“Only because I’m not giving you the chance!”
Everyone cleared a path for Fenris, except Koji who stepped closer. He narrowed his eyes at the werewolf. “Let her go right now.”
“You don’t know what she is! Her and the rest of her team are traitors, working with the humans to hunt down specials!” said Fenris.
“I know what she is—you don’t know what I am!” Koji’s body bulked up, his skin toughening and becoming gray as he assumed his shark form.
Fenris’ eyes bulged at the sight before him. “You’re one of ‘em, too!”
“Name’s Sharkskin, Fido. And I think you’re about to find out why she’s called Shift.”
Erin’s neck and head became extremely thin, allowing her to slip through Fenris’ grip. He tried to grab hold of her again, but with her malleable form, it was too difficult. Shift maneuvered herself behind Fenris, her arms snaking around his shoulders and holding him. Sharkskin stepped closer, cracking his knuckles with a grin on his face.
“I’m gonna enjoy this.”
Before Sharkskin could take another step, he was tackled. This was another wolf-like special, with reddish fur, and he wrestled with Sharkskin on the ground. His strength was about equal to Koji’s and Sharkskin couldn’t gain any sort of leverage.
“Call him off!” said Shift, now wrapping her arm around Fenris’ throat.
Fenris turned his head as best he could to look at Shift. “Go ahead and kill me, traitor. That’s what you do, isn’t it? Kill your own kind?”
Shift’s head was grabbed from behind and yanked back. She hit the ground hard and saw a third lupine special standing over her with a lighter shade of hair, almost blond. A fourth jumped from the crowd, with brown fur. Shift slid on the ground to avoid his attack just as Sharkskin managed to throw his foe off.
The four lupines surrounded the two. None of the other denizens of Arcadia dared to intervene and the former members of Vanguard got the sense that these shifters had instilled fear into many of the people living here.
“Didn’t you know, wolves hunt in packs,” said Fenris with a grin. His three followers snickered at his words.
“Not sure what your problem is with us, but we’re not your enemies,” said Shift.
“You’re Vanguard, aren’t you?” asked the wolf with reddish fur.
“Were,” said Sharkskin. “And even when Vanguard was still around, we never went after anyone who didn’t deserve it.”
“Don’t listen to them, Zev,” said the blond wolf. “They’d say anything to get out of what’s coming.”
“Dolph’s right,” said the brown-haired wolf. “Your call, Fenris.”
“You know what to do, Rollo,” said Fenris. “Get ‘em!”
The four wolves closed in on the two specials. Sharkskin moved in front of Shift, trying to protect her as they moved against them. Claws cut against his skin and even with his tough hide, they were sharp enough to draw blood.
Shift’s fingers elongated into claws of her own and she climbed up on Sharkskin then pounced on Rollo, slicing into his chest. He yelped in pain and pulled back. Shift felt a sting of pain from her back as Zev cut into her from behind. She spun on her heel and dodged his next strike, slicing into his abdomen.
Sharkskin grappled with Dolph and he could smell Fenris coming at him for another attack. Sharkskin spun, throwing Dolph into his leader. He charged into them, barreling into Dolph and Fenris and throwing them both to the ground.
Shift and Sharkskin regrouped, as did Fenris and his followers. Just as they were all about to rush into another attack, a burst of energy struck the ground between them. All eyes turned skyward to see the Exemplar hovering above, his hands glowing brightly. He lowered himself between them, his feet still remaining a few inches off the ground.
“Someone care to explain just what the hell is going on here?”
Fenris pointed an accusatory finger at Sharkskin and Shift. “They’re Vanguard! We all know that they hunt down specials for the humans!”
The Exemplar turned his eyes and a flash of recognition appeared when he saw the two specials he had fought with and fought alongside. “Well, this is certainly a surprise.”
“We’re not here to cause any trouble,” said Shift. “They just attacked us for no reason!”
The Exemplar gave a nod. “I believe you.”
“What?” asked Dolph. “They attacked you, Exemplar! Or did you forget that you were their first victim?”
The Exemplar turned and fired an energy blast at Dolph, throwing him to the ground. “Don’t presume to know what happened to me. I wasn’t in the best place when I first discovered my powers. Vanguard did what they had to do and later, they helped me against the Khagan.”
“We can’t trust them!” said Rollo. “They’ll bring Cerberus down on all of us!”
“I don’t see that happening. All specials are welcome here in Arcadia.” The Exemplar’s eyes turned to the lupine leader. “So ke
ep your dogs on a leash, Fenris. Or I’ll do it for you.”
Rollo and Zev looked to Fenris for some indication of what their next move should be. The leader just huffed as his form began to change, returning to his human shape. “Pick up Dolph and let’s get out of here.”
The two wolves did as they were told and the crowd parted for them to carry out their unconscious teammate. Fenris lingered behind, staring at Sharkskin and Shift. “You’d better watch yourselves. We’ve got something good going here on this island, and we don’t need you ruining it for the rest of us.”
“That’s enough, Fenris,” said the Exemplar.
Fenris turned his gaze to Arcadia’s leader. “Hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” He turned and followed the rest of his team.
Once the wolves were gone, the Exemplar rose higher into the air to address the onlookers. “That’s enough excitement for one day. Go about your business.”
The Exemplar lowered again as Sharkskin transformed back into Koji. The Exemplar looked at the wounds the two had on them.
“We should get you patched up,” he said. “I think we have a lot to talk about.”
CHAPTER 5
The Exemplar floated just above the ground as he led Erin and Koji around the main town square of Arcadia. “What I learned from the time I was held prisoner by the Red Fist was that there would always be people like the Khagan and Azarov who would exploit specials for their own uses.”
He led them from the town square towards a hill with a series of stone steps ascending upwards. While the Exemplar simply flew higher, Erin and Koji climbed up the steps. At the summit was a stone building and the ridge overlooked Arcadia.
The Exemplar gestured in one direction where farmland was visible. “We’re very self-sufficient here. We not only grow our own food, but we also send out fishing expeditions. The island also has some wildlife, but we don’t hunt them too much for fear of dwindling their numbers. Some specials use their abilities to help power our generators and provide the island with more than enough electricity to meet our needs. And anything else we need, the Ferryman can get for us.”
“How did you get this set up so quickly?” asked Koji. “It’s only been what, six months since we stopped the Khagan?”
“I got to work as soon as we returned. Found others like me who could help me set this up.” The Exemplar approached the building and knocked a few times. The door opened and standing in the frame was a young woman of Native American ancestry. She stepped aside so they could enter.
A round table sat in the center of the room and a familiar cloaked man sat at the table, nodding to the new arrivals.
“I’d like to introduce you both to Shift and Sharkskin.” The Exemplar looked at Erin and Koji while gesturing to the cloaked man. “You’ve already met the Ferryman. And this,” he stepped behind the woman, placing his hands on her shoulders, “is Tuwa. She’s responsible for the terraforming that made Arcadia possible.”
“Terraforming?” asked Erin, shaking Tuwa’s hand.
“I can manipulate the earth,” said Tuwa. “That’s also what made it possible to construct many of the buildings you see around here so quick.”
“Pretty impressive,” said Koji.
Tuwa smiled.
“Have you had any trouble since creating this place? A nation of specials would probably make some people nervous,” said Erin.
“Especially with you running it,” said Koji, looking at the Exemplar.
“A fair point,” said the Exemplar. “I don’t run things here. We have meetings where we discuss issues and vote on them. The three of us just help oversee some of the more mundane issues.”
“And no one’s objected?” asked Erin.
“You mean Cerberus, don’t you?” asked Tuwa.
“Crossed my mind. There’s been a lot of talk about them online, hard to separate fact from fiction.”
“We have some specials who are able to keep us more or less invisible,” said the Exemplar. “The Ferryman is the only way anyone has ever accessed this place.”
“I heard there was some commotion when you two arrived,” said Tuwa.
“The Pack,” said the Exemplar.
Both Tuwa and the Ferryman groaned. Koji studied each of their faces. “I’m guessing you’re talking about those werewolves we dealt with?”
“Fenris and his little lapdogs,” said the Ferryman. “They’ve been a pretty consistent pain in our ass.”
“So why put up with them?” asked Koji, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.
“Arcadia is open to all specials as long as they play by the rules,” said the Exemplar. “Fenris is headstrong, but he hasn’t broken any laws yet. More of a nuisance than anything.”
Tuwa stepped closer to Koji and Erin. “You must both be tired after your trip. I can show you to a place you can stay.”
Erin was about to speak, but Koji put a hand on her shoulder and interrupted before she could say a word. “Actually, we’re just looking around right now.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. And if Arcadia’s not for you, the Ferryman will take you back whenever you’re ready to go,” said the Exemplar. “Tuwa, can you show them where they can rest?”
She nodded. “Of course.” Tuwa led Erin and Koji from the building and back down the hill and into town. She glanced behind at them every now and then as she spoke. “You’re part of Vanguard?”
“Were,” said Erin. “We were sh—separated.” She was about to say, “shut down,” but then decided it was better not to reveal their connection with the government. Even if Vanguard was truly over, she didn’t want to take any chances.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Kinda got the impression that we don’t have a lot of fans out here,” said Koji.
Tuwa snickered. “Because of the Pack? They don’t speak for everyone here.”
“We did smack around your founder.”
“Yes, but then you also helped him escape from the Red Fist,” said Tuwa. “Callum’s a good man. He admits he made some mistakes when he first discovered his powers and now he’s trying to make amends. That’s what Arcadia’s all about—a second chance.”
After they reached the foot of the hill, Tuwa took them to a small structure near the edge of the town. There was a bathroom, two bedrooms, and a small kitchen attached to a sitting room. Some furniture but not much. The bedrooms weren’t as big as the ones Koji and Erin had grown accustomed to in Atlas, but they would do for now.
“You can stay here. Sorry we’ve got to double you up for now, but we’re running short on space,” said Tuwa.
“It’s fine,” said Erin.
“I’ll let you get settled. It’s good to meet you both.” Tuwa nodded and left, closing the door behind her.
Erin sat down on the couch in the sitting room, looking up at Koji. “So what do you think? Pretty nice, huh?”
Koji sighed and sat beside her. “Yeah, except for Fenris and his crew.”
“You heard what the Ferryman said. The Pack has always been a pain.”
“I dunno, Erin.” Koji scratched his head and sat back. “Something about this just doesn’t feel right to me. Maybe I’m just suspicious of the Exemplar.”
“He did help us stop the Khagan. Plus you heard what Tuwa said—he’s trying to make up for his mistakes,” said Erin. “If he wants to change, shouldn’t we give him a second chance?”
“You’re probably right. I just don’t like it.”
Erin scoffed and stood, crossing her arms. “Just what else do we have? Not just us but the rest of these people. You saw what some of them looked like. Where are they supposed to go?”
“I’m not saying it’s a bad place,” said Koji. “I’m just suspicious of the Exemplar, that’s all. I know they said this is some kind of democracy, but did you see that place up on the hill? And the way everyone looked at him when he broke up the fight with the Pack? Feels like despite talk of a democracy, these people
look at the Exemplar like he’s their savior.”
Erin sighed and sat beside Koji, patting his hand. “Please, just give it a chance? Just a few days. If you still don’t like it, then we’ll leave.”
Koji hesitated for a moment but then nodded and held up two fingers. “Two days, that’s it. Deal?”
Erin offered her hand. “Deal.”
Koji smirked and they shook on it.
CHAPTER 6
Koji chose to stay behind and relax, but Erin took time to explore the town square. The sun was setting and she wandered around as people milled about. Some people avoided her as she walked around, but a few gave her half-hearted smiles.
She wasn’t sure why everyone was so scared of her and Koji. She knew the rumors about Vanguard online, but she never expected there were people who actually believed that Vanguard was out to cause trouble for them. Persecuting their own kind, why would anyone think they were capable of that? All they’d ever done was stand up to specials who were endangering innocent lives.
Erin tried not to focus too much on it. She found herself wandering from town and out onto the shores. She saw a woman standing waist-deep in the water and Erin approached the waves. Erin started to wade into the water herself and called out.
“Hey there.”
The woman turned and Erin nearly gasped in surprise when she saw the gills on the woman’s neck. She dove beneath the water and Erin saw a tail splash above the surface.
“Wait!”
Erin moved deeper into the ocean, treading out until the water level reached her neck. She looked around but could find no sign of the woman. And then she heard something behind her. Erin turned and the woman’s head poked out of the water. “Sorry if I scared you.”
The mermaid just stared at her, not offering any response.
“Are you okay?” asked Erin.
“You’re one of them.”
“Them? Them what?” asked Erin. “You mean Vanguard?”
The mermaid gave a nod. “You attacked other specials. Hunted them down for the government.”
Vanguard: The Complete Second Season: A Superhero Serial (Vanguard: The Collected Seasons Book 2) Page 6