McCabe gave a slight nod, although his eyes still showed some skepticism. “Well, I suppose if you aren’t feeling any ill-effects. Forgive me, it may take some time for me to adjust to the new standards you’re all operating at.”
“No problem.” Anita slid off the cot. “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll go take a shower and maybe lie down for a bit.”
Once she stepped outside the infirmary and into the hall, Anita’s hands instantly went to her head, slowly rubbing her temples. There was no physical damage, that much was true. But the throbbing in her head was so great, she was amazed she could hold it together as long as she did in there. There were some painkillers in her room, she hoped a few of those would, at the very least, lessen her migraine to the point where she could function.
***
Erin laid on her stomach, a small laptop open in front of her on the bed in the room that had been set up for her. She hadn’t planned on living here at Atlas, so the room was still fairly bare with her bags stacked in the corner of the room. She was basically living out of them and hadn’t bothered unpacking. As she scanned her social media newsfeed, she wanted to put something up about what had just happened. But she knew that was impossible and would put not only herself, but the entire team and even her family and friends at risk.
Erin was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Ellis, if that’s you, just keep on walking. So not in the mood.”
“It’s Dom.”
She closed the laptop and hopped off the bed. As she walked past the mirror in her room, she noticed that she’d subconsciously changed back into the blond-haired teenage girl she had been before her powers manifested. Although parts of her seemed a little older than they’d been before. Erin shrugged and went to the door, opening it just a crack to see the tall, dark-haired man smiling down at her.
“Hey, I just wanted to say thanks. And to let you know that Ellis was completely outta line keeping you on the bench.”
She opened the door and leaned against it. “So let me get this straight: you think because I’m pissed at Ellis, that means I’m gonna back you?”
“No, I—”
“Stop.” Erin put a finger against his lips. “He may have been a jerk, but that doesn’t mean you were right to charge into action and almost get the rest of us killed.”
“C’mon, Erin, I was just—”
“Save it.” She slipped back inside and slammed the door.
Out in the hall, Dominic stared at the door and sighed. The sound of servos whirring and metal feet striking the ground drew his attention and he saw Zenith approaching. “What’s up, Tin Man?”
Zenith stopped, tilting his head slightly as he examined Dominic’s face. “You appear to be injured. Perhaps you should see Dr. McCabe?”
“Nah, just a few bruises, I’ll be fine.” Dominic took one last glance at the closed door before continuing down the hall. “I’ve got some things to take care of.”
Zenith’s glowing blue eyes followed the former thief. He paid the man no further concern and also approached Erin’s door, giving a slight knock.
“Go away, Dom.”
“Dominic has departed. This is Zenith.”
Erin opened the door, her form having changed back to the pale green appearance. “Hi.”
“Are you well, Erin? On approach, I detected an elevated level of volume in your voice.”
“Forget about it. What’s up?”
“The facial recognition scan of the Exemplar has been completed, we have a match for his identity. If we were to analyze his records, perhaps we might discover something of use. But as I am not yet well-versed in human behavior, I thought perhaps you might be able to assist me.”
Erin bit her lower lip as she thought on it. “Guess it’d make me feel a bit less useless around here.”
“Then come.” Zenith stepped to the side, allowing Erin free passage into the hall. She shut her door behind her and the two walked around the circular corridor to the elevator. Once the doors shut, Zenith pressed the button for the second floor, which not only connected to the recreation room, but also a tunnel leading to the three levels that were once the silo’s command control center, the second level of which housed the monitor room.
“What did you mean by ‘useless’?”
Erin shook her head with a sigh. “Forget it. It’s nothing.”
“As you wish.”
The doors parted and Zenith stepped out first with Erin trailing behind. When they reached the monitor room, they found Thorne in there, sitting at a terminal. Once he realized he wasn’t alone, he stood and welcomed them.
“What brings you up here, Erin?”
“Zenith thought I could help him make sense of what he found out. How about you?”
Thorne glanced back at the screen. “I was reviewing the data from the battle and also trying to keep track of Exemplar’s other movements. Media has picked up the scuffle, and accounts show Exemplar as striking first, so he’s started to experience a turn in publicity. So far he’s remained quiet, but I imagine that’s just a matter of time.” Looking up once more, he asked Zenith, “What did you uncover?”
With a gesture, the large monitor brought up a split-screen image—on one side was the shot of Exemplar from the talk show. The other held an Illinois-issued driver’s license. “Facial recognition registered a 99% match with this man—Callum King of Chicago. I’ve taken the liberty of searching for other records on him.”
The images shifted and a list describing some of the other official documents Zenith discovered appeared on the screen. Thorne stood from the terminal and approached the monitor, standing beside Erin. “What’s he do for a living?”
“Currently unemployed,” said Zenith. “Company downsizing about eighteen months ago. Bank statements show direct deposits from a few temporary positions—all part-time.”
Erin pointed at the screen. “Divorce records?”
Zenith nodded and another license appeared, this one of a woman with long, dark hair. “Lilian King, née Marsh. The divorce was finalized almost two months ago.”
“That’s not long before Exemplar’s first appearance,” said Thorne.
“Maybe the divorce made him unstable?”
“Think so?”
Erin shrugged. “I mean, it’s possible, right? I know my dad went a bit nuts when my parents divorced. Six months later, he was married to one of his former students.” She scoffed. “She used to baby-sit me.”
“Research has shown that men have a difficult time transitioning from a divorce,” said Zenith.
Erin stared at the image of Lily King on the screen, reading over the information on the license. An idea started to take shape in her head, a way that would allow them to possibly get the drop on Exemplar. “What if we sprung a trap for him?”
Thorne folded his arms. “I take it you’ve got something in mind?”
She nodded, still staring at Lily’s photo. “Actually…I think I just might…”
CHAPTER 5
Lily King—or Marsh, since the divorce had been finalized—stood looking around Chicago’s Navy Pier. As usual, the place was quite crowded, and that was a cause for concern as she waited for Callum to make his appearance. It was definitely a risk, having him come here, and the leader of the team who approached Lily expressed concern at such a public meeting place. But Lily said it would make sense—it was where she and Callum first met, and it was perhaps the best way to convince him that it wasn’t a trap.
But any hope she had of Callum not drawing attention to himself was instantly dashed once she heard the voice above her. She slowly looked up—as did most of the other people surrounding her—and descending from high in full-costume was the Exemplar.
He gently touched down on the surface and the surrounding people backed away. Since the fight the other night with Vanguard, suspicions had started to rise about Chicago’s new superhuman defender. But Exemplar ignored the stares and approached his ex-wife. Lily turned away slightly, not meet
ing his gaze.
“Why are you making a scene?” Her voice was a hushed whisper.
“You said you wanted to see me, and this,” he motioned to his costume, “is who I am now.”
“Can we go…I don’t know…somewhere else?”
Exemplar looked around the area and held his hands out. “What’s wrong with here?”
Lily crossed one arm across her chest, rubbing her shoulder. “Please?”
Exemplar breathed deeply through his nostrils and then quickly exhaled. “Okay.” He scooped up Lily in his arms and she let out a quick yelp in response. Her entire body tightened and Exemplar gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
He crouched slightly and pushed off, his power of flight taking the couple up into the sky. Lily tightened her arms around his neck, her eyes clamped shut and her face buried in his chest. Exemplar watched her do this, smiling. This was how it was supposed to be—the two of them together like this.
They rose higher, with the air growing crisper and the wind picking up. When she realized they’d found a perch, the whipping breeze kept her too frightened to open her eyes.
“Go on.” His voice had a gentleness in it. Not the boastful tone he used when he was giving interviews as the Exemplar, but rather a much softer one. She carefully opened her eyes and looked down. She gasped and clung even more tightly to him.
They stood close to fifteen hundred feet above the streets of Chicago, atop the roof of the Willis Tower. Exemplar set Lily down on her feet, but she still kept her arms locked around him, and he laid a soft hand on her back.
“It’s okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. Not up here, not anywhere. Not as long as I’ve got these powers.”
She stared at the world below her, mouth agape in shock. “This is…it’s a bit much.”
Exemplar glanced down at the street himself. “This is how I see the world. Everything’s so small now. All the people down there, running around like ants.”
Lily lightly touched his cheek and turned his head towards her. “Can’t you hear yourself? Can’t you hear how…how scary that is?”
He snickered as if she’d made a joke. “Of course not. There’s nothing scary about this, babe. Don’t you see? Nothing can hurt me. No one can stop me. I always told you I’d be great, and now I am! I mean, look at me!” Exemplar took a step back, holding his arms out so she could see his costume. “I’m a superhero! I can do things that the police never could!”
“But they’re held accountable,” said Lily. “You’re not.”
Exemplar huffed. “I don’t need to be held accountable, because I’m better than they’ll ever be.”
Lily glanced over Exemplar’s shoulder, and she saw a silhouette now on the roof. Exemplar saw her eyes go to the side and was about to turn his head, but Lily stopped him by rubbing his chin, keeping his head turned towards her.
“What are you—?”
“Maybe you’re right.” She pulled herself closer and brought her lips to his. Exemplar fell into the kiss at first, but then as quickly as she initiated it, he broke it.
“You’re not—”
It was just a temporary distraction, but it was just the distraction Wraith needed as he jumped onto Exemplar’s back, holding the would-be hero’s head tightly in his hands. His hands crackled with ebon energy, channeling it directly into Exemplar’s skull. An extreme feeling of loss and hopelessness filled Exemplar, caused by the dark energies wielded by Wraith.
“How do you like that, jackass!”
Exemplar shouted and thrashed. One of the erratic movements struck Lily and then the wind took her from there, pulling her from the top of the building. She screamed as she fell from the roof of the Willis Tower.
“No!” Wraith climbed over Exemplar and jumped after her, arms held out in front, body kept absolutely straight. He shot down, reaching out for her, but she was falling too fast and he couldn’t project his portals.
Lily’s eyes shifted to a bright yellow and her skin took on a pale green tone. She held out her hand and it started to extend up to Wraith until it came close enough for him to grab hold. Shift’s disguise dropped completely and she changed back to her normal appearance, retracting her arm and in the process, pulling herself up to Wraith. The roof of one of the lower matrices quickly approached below them and Wraith concentrated on his powers. Instead of striking the roof, they vanished into the shadows.
The Exemplar was crouched on the roof in the fetal position. His eyes were moist and the feelings that overcame him when he discovered his abilities, back when he was just Callum King, were bubbling up inside of him. He could hardly cope with it, but he knew who was to blame.
Them.
They humiliated him. Made him think his wife was coming back. And now, he would have to make them pay. Exemplar jumped from the roof, soaring from the Willis Tower. He would find the little cockroaches, wherever they skipped off to, no matter how long it took.
“DO YOU HEAR ME? I’M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU! COME OUT AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!”
A blow struck his back, falling from above and hitting him like a pile-driver. Exemplar plummeted a bit before he could halt his descent. And then he heard a voice from above, a voice that sounded all too familiar.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I won’t be fighting like a man.” Paragon hovered above him, hands resting on her hips. “But that won’t stop me from kicking your ass.”
“Last time we did this dance, you were lucky to walk away.”
“I was being nice.” Paragon flew at him, balled fists extended out in front. “Won’t make that mistake twice!”
Exemplar met her assault and the pair collided with enough force to send a shockwave through the air. Paragon learned from their last exchange, and she now knew to be mindful of his ability to generate intense heat. Wraith’s attack had left Exemplar off-balance, and that allowed her to quickly gain the upper hand. But the longer the battle went on, the better the chance of Exemplar’s superior strength getting the better of her. Especially since his limits were physical and he seemed virtually impervious. But for Paragon, each blow that struck the invisible forcefield surrounding her body was like a blow directly to her brain.
One advantage this time was that she wasn’t fighting alone. A point reiterated by the voice that crackled in her ear. The night sky was illuminated by the bright, blue lights that signaled the arrival of Zenith, dropping from the Icarus high above the clouds. Both arms were already in their cannon form, and Zenith fired the pair of weapons on his target the second Paragon left his line of fire.
Exemplar couldn’t concentrate on both threats at once, trying hard to focus enough to unleash the microwave plasma his hands were capable of generating. But his mind was still clouded from the encounter with Wraith, he couldn’t quite get a grip on the situation and found his inner critic berating him at every turn.
“You’ll never amount to anything,” said his father.
“You’re nothing more than a loser,” said his wife.
“No more…” he muttered. “No! More!”
Gunsmith’s voice came in over the transmitters worn by the team. “Wraith’s attack shook him. Paragon and Zenith, get him out over the lake. We need him away from a populated area.”
“Roger that.” Paragon rocketed by Exemplar, a glancing blow striking him as she passed.
Zenith was right behind her, using strafing fire as he zigzagged across the skyline. His thrusters kept him moving at a rapid pace, delivering strikes to Exemplar from almost every angle.
Paragon curved up and circled back around, flying at Exemplar again. But instead of punching once more, this time she grabbed him as she barreled right into him. She pushed herself forward, further from the coastline. In her ear, Zenith told her he was keeping chase, following their every movement.
She knew she was getting closer to the lake, but she wanted to go further, put him at some distance from the shore. That, however, wasn’t in the cards. As she continued pushin
g herself to her limits, her headache exploded into a full-blown migraine. It felt like her skull was a pressure-cooker for her brain. Paragon’s focus slipped, and her speed began dropping until she was met with resistance.
Exemplar exerted his own strength over her, pushing back against her flight. They slowed until they came to a hovering stop, with Paragon’s arms wrapped around Exemplar’s torso, shoulder pushing against his chest. Exemplar raised one arm up and brought his elbow crashing down on her back. Her grip loosened and he pulled her from him by her cape. Holding her at arm’s length, Exemplar began spinning in a circle, increasing his speed with each rotation.
Zenith held both cannons trained on them, but even with his sensors, it was hard to get a bead beyond the flashing blur of red, white and blue. “Gunsmith, we have a problem. Exemplar has managed to stop the push to the water, over Navy Pier.”
“Copy that. Wraith and Shift, get as many civilians away from there as you can. Zenith, press on.”
Before Zenith could fire his cannons, Exemplar released Paragon and the momentum carried her off. Zenith’s cannons shifted back to his arms and he flew after her, but she was moving too fast for him. Paragon kept whipping through the air until she struck the Ferris wheel. The impact of the blow caused it to creak and tilt, with screams of people still on it causing her to quickly shake off the pain.
Zenith flew around to the other side of the wheel and held out his arms, bracing against it, attempting to hold it in place. He looked at his teammate with the LED lights that were his eyes. “Get these people down as fast as you can, I’ll try to hold it.”
Paragon nodded and flew up, starting with the highest car. She pulled open the gates and smiled at the young couple inside. “Come on, hurry up.” They were hesitant at first, but then each took one of her outstretched hands. Paragon flew them down to ground-level, where a police officer ran up to them.
“I’ll take it from here, ma’am,” he said and gave her a wink. Before Paragon returned to the Ferris wheel, she noticed the cop’s eyes briefly shifted to a bright yellow and she smiled, then took off again, just as the cop escorted the couple to the shadows where Wraith was waiting with a portal to transport them away.
Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure Page 10