Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure

by Percival Constantine

  Gunsmith’s suit flashed warnings over his retina, informing him that the suit’s integrity had been compromised. That warning proved just enough of a diversion for neither Gunsmith nor the suit to detect Lucent’s next energy blast directed right at his head.

  A flat, dark circle appeared in front of Gunsmith’s face, the edges lined with an ebon energy trail. The blast harmlessly flew through the portal Wraith had created. Gunsmith shot a questioning look at his teammate. “Thought you needed shadows to make those things?”

  “New trick, too bad I can’t make ‘em bigger,” said Wraith.

  Sharkskin grabbed Lucent from behind with burly, gray coming up under Lucent’s armpits and locking his hands behind the villain’s neck in a nelson hold. Lucent flew back, slamming Sharkskin between him and the wall. He pulled away and then flew up, flattening Sharkskin against the ceiling next. Lucent repeated that tactic a few times, and the changeling’s grip began to weaken.

  Sharkskin tried to hold on as long as possible, though—long enough for Paragon to fly at Lucent and pummel his face and chest with her fists. With each blow, Lucent felt his strength wane, the energy that had given him the initial upper hand quickly fading. Worse yet, Vanguard now seemed to be onto his tactic and avoided using their blasters, instead concentrating on their bruisers to deliver the necessary attacks. He summoned up what energy he still had left, and channeled it through his entire body, glowing brighter.

  Sharkskin began to feel the pressure of Lucent’s power, and what was worse, the special steadily grew hotter. Although Sharkskin’s tough skin could withstand high temperatures, Lucent had pushed him to his limit. Even Paragon had trouble maintaining her blows with the combination of the blinding light and Lucent’s rapidly-expanding aura of heat.

  With a magnificent flash, the two heroes were forced away from Lucent. His breathing was short, they were wearing him down, little by little. And that was when Wraith moved in for his attack, unleashing a double-fisted burst of ebon power on him.

  Lucent was caught in the field, and he felt his strength quickly sapping. The disorientation was the worst of it, though, and he couldn’t concentrate very well on what was happening. “No…what is this…”

  Vanguard closed in, the various members recovering from the attacks. Lucent was outnumbered and soon he would be overpowered, too. He couldn’t let them take him, not while he still had work to do. No matter what, Terrence Gibson would not allow himself to be made a prisoner again.

  Lucent summoned the last of his power and flew back into the chamber he liberated himself from. His body became pure energy and he traveled through the cables, disappearing into them.

  “What happened?” asked Paragon.

  “I believe he has used the power lines as an escape route,” said Zenith. “I’ve lost track of his energy signature.” The robot lowered his head when he faced Gunsmith. “I’m sorry, he’s gone.”

  Gunsmith grumbled under his breath and holstered his weapons. “Just perfect.”

  “I will keep tracing, but if he can convert his body into pure energy, there is no telling how far he could have traveled in just a few short minutes,” said Zenith.

  Wraith climbed into the chamber and examined it, staring up at the ceiling and paying close attention to the melted glass that lined the edges. “I’m more curious about what the hell was going on here. Seems like this guy was being held against his will.”

  “So what, we were fighting a good guy?” asked Sharkskin.

  “Didn’t say that, just that he was being held,” said Wraith.

  Gunsmith checked his damaged armor. “Zenith, can you get the power back online?”

  “Now that Lucent is no longer draining it, I believe so. Within a short amount of time, I can disengage the emergency lockdown.”

  “Let’s not go that far,” said Gunsmith.

  Paragon landed by the team leader’s side, her inquisitive eyes fixated on him. “What do you mean? These people have been through an ordeal, we need to free them and, if necessary, get them medical attention.”

  “You’re a doctor, you can assess who needs more attention than you can provide here. If there are people who need to be taken to a hospital, we’ll take care of that. But Priority One is figuring out just what the hell was going on here.” Gunsmith tapped the side of his headset. “Shift, do you copy?”

  “Yeah, I’m here,” came her response over the comm-link.

  “What’s the status up there?”

  “People are antsy and that woman who looked like she was in charge is really pitching a fit.”

  “I’m on my way, Gunsmith out.” After deactivating the comm-link, he addressed the rest of the team. “Zenith, get the power back online and get that elevator working again. Paragon, you come with me to check on the people who need medical attention. Wraith and Sharkskin, once that elevator is operational, I want you two to scout Proximo, find some rooms we can use.”

  “Use for what, boss?” asked Sharkskin.

  “Interrogation.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Gunsmith ascended the ladder of the emergency escape with Paragon hovering below him. “You sure this is necessary?”

  “Something’s not right about this place, and if Proximo was experimenting on imprisoned specials or trying to create their own, then I want to know about it.”

  “Think it’s connected to the mysterious way we knew about this attack before it could become a media circus?” asked Paragon.

  Gunsmith pulled himself up the ladder with as much speed as he could muster. “If you tell me you haven’t had that same thought, I’ll be forced to seriously question your common sense.”

  “You’re right, there’s a lot more going on here than we’ve been told,” said Paragon.

  They reached the top of the exit chute, where Miriam Rowe, Charlie, and the rest of the technicians who were trapped in the basement with Lucent stood waiting for them. Miriam wasted no time expressing her feelings.

  “What is taking so long? Have you defeated him?”

  “Lucent managed to escape,” said Gunsmith.

  Nervous chatter erupted from Gunsmith’s statement. Questions were thrown at him from every direction, asking where he went, if he would come back, how would he be stopped, when could they leave, what sort of plan Vanguard had in mind. Gunsmith took a deep breath to calm himself and raised his hands in a gesture that, after a few moments, caused the crowd to quiet down.

  “This is a very delicate matter. If we’re going to defeat Lucent, we need to know as much about him as possible. That means we’re going to need to speak with each of you individually.”

  Miriam protested. “That’s not acceptable. These people should be permitted to leave immediately or be taken to medical facilities.”

  “That’s why I’m here,” said Paragon.

  Miriam sneered at the taller woman. “Unless your…powers…include the ability to heal by touch, I think my staff would prefer being examined by qualified medical professionals.”

  Paragon folded her arms across her chest and fixed a hard stare on Miriam. “As a matter of fact, I am a qualified medical professional.”

  “Unless you show some credentials, I have no way of confirming that.” Miriam addressed Gunsmith once more. “I don’t know how your people locked down this facility, but you will disengage it immediately. If not, then—”

  “Then what?” asked Gunsmith.

  Miriam had no response to that.

  “This is not the first time we’ve dealt with this kind of threat, Dr. Rowe. We will stop Lucent, but first we need to know as much about him as possible. So the sooner you and your staff cooperate with us, the sooner we all get out of here. Is that understood?”

  “Dr. Rowe, maybe we should—” began Charlie, but he was quickly cut off by Miriam.

  “You have no authority here, you can’t just take over a private facility like this and make these demands. This is…this is a hostage situation!”

  A snicker broke the harsh a
ir, the source of it being the man who claimed to be Stuart Palmer. He stepped between Gunsmith and Miriam, attempting to break some of the tension that had been quickly mounting in the room.

  “Dr. Rowe, these people just saved our lives. I think it’s in our best interests to cooperate with them so they can then do their jobs.”

  Miriam was prepared to continue her protest, but something in Palmer’s metallic eyes flashed and she suddenly found herself thinking that he was making sense. Perhaps they should allow Vanguard to investigate this matter and cooperate, at least for the time being.

  “Fine, I suppose so,” she said.

  “Thank you,” said Gunsmith. “We’ll be interviewing you all separately. Once we have an area set up, we’ll begin calling you in one by one.”

  ***

  Not surprisingly, Miriam was among the first called into the interrogation rooms. Several offices on the ground level of the facility were commandeered by Vanguard, and Miriam now sat behind the desk of some low-level employee she’d never heard of and couldn’t care less about. Gunsmith stood in front of the desk, staring at her. In the corner of the office behind her, the man known as Wraith had his arms folded and leaned against the wall.

  “Are you ready to tell us about Lucent?” asked Gunsmith.

  Miriam said nothing, just stared defiantly at Vanguard’s field commander.

  “Was he a prisoner?” asked Gunsmith.

  No response.

  “Did he work here? Did you create him? What sort of experiments were you conducting down there?”

  No matter what Gunsmith asked, Miriam remained silent as the grave. He bent over and leaned towards her, resting his hands on the surface of the desk. She stared right into his blue eyes, her face reflected in the translucent yellow plastic of his eyepiece.

  “It’s in your best interests to cooperate with us, Dr. Rowe.”

  “Proximo Labs is a private research facility that performs highly classified work for the Department of Defense,” said Miriam. “As such, I am not at liberty to disclose any information about what we do here. I should also add that you are trespassing on private property. Unless you have some sort of documentation from a law enforcement agency granting you jurisdiction, you are breaking the law and I do not have to answer any questions.”

  “You’ve got one hell of a cheek, lady,” said Wraith.

  “I know my rights,” said Miriam, looking out the corner of her eye in Wraith’s direction.

  Wraith moved closer to her, his eyes becoming opaque and black. Strands of dark hair hung over his face and his mouth was hidden by the mask that covered his jaw. “Do you really think we’ll let some uptight bitch threaten the safety of God-only-knows how many people?”

  “That sounds like a threat.” Miriam pivoted the swivel-chair towards Wraith. “Please tell me, what is this transparent attempt at intimidation supposed to accomplish? Do you think I will simply be so terrified of some freaks in Halloween costumes that I will violate my non-disclosure agreements and put my occupation in jeopardy?”

  “And why would talking to us be a violation?” asked Wraith. “Your company have you doing something that they don’t want anyone to know about?”

  “It’s none of your concern. You are not cleared for this kind of information.”

  Wraith stuck a finger in her face. “You’d better tell us what we want to know before I—”

  “Before you do what?” asked Miriam. “Should you lay a hand on me, I will pursue you to the full extent of my ability. I will not be bullied, not by you or any other members of your little freak show.”

  “You are really working my last—”

  “Wraith!” Gunsmith’s harsh tone and loud voice drew Wraith’s attention. The blond-haired leader gestured out to the hall and stepped towards the door. Wraith huffed and followed him into the corridor, shutting the door behind him.

  “This is a waste of time,” said Gunsmith.

  “She knows something,” said Wraith.

  “Obviously, but she’s not going to talk and you’re not going to do anything to hurt her. We need to go about this another way.”

  “How’s that?”

  Gunsmith looked at the door. He glanced around the hall and saw several other doors. Each one had a member of the team with one of the technicians from the lab, with the exception of Zenith, who continued his efforts to locate Lucent’s power signature from the Icarus. “Just let her stew for now. Let’s see what the others can come up with.”

  “Guess you spy types aren’t as good at interrogation as your hype would have us believe,” said Wraith.

  “Actually, I have something in mind,” said Gunsmith. “Tell Shift I need to speak to her.”

  ***

  Proximo had a small break room with a refrigerator, water cooler, and a coffee maker that sat upon a counter attached to a sink. When Wraith entered the break room, he saw Shift and Sharkskin waiting there. Sharkskin had transformed back into his human form and they both held steaming mugs.

  Wraith sniffed the air. “That coffee I smell?”

  “Koji made some,” said Erin with a nod from the round table she sat at in the center of the room.

  Koji stepped aside from the coffee machine and Wraith took a cup from the counter and filled it with the fresh brew. He removed the mask from his jaw and sipped the drink, leaning against the counter.

  “You get anything from her?” asked Erin.

  “Nah, she’s a pain in the ass. But we figure someone else must know something,” said Dom. “You get anything?”

  “All I had to do was step into the room in my Sharkskin form and the guy suddenly came down with a case of word-vomit.”

  “Really? You get anything useful?”

  Koji flashed a grin. “Not unless you think the affair he’s having with the nanny to be a matter of national security.”

  “That depends, is the nanny threatening to wipe out the planet?”

  “Somehow I doubt it,” said Koji. “The wife will probably crush his balls when she finds out, though.”

  Dom looked to Erin. “What about you?”

  Erin gave a shrug. “I spoke to that Charlie guy, but he wasn’t saying much. Thought he might say something given that he seemed pretty cooperative before, but I guess I was wrong.”

  “Yeah, well Gunsmith’s got an idea. Something he needs you for.”

  “Me? For what?”

  Dom was about to tell her that he knew nothing further, but he heard footsteps from outside and could see who approached the open break-room door. “Ask him yourself.”

  When Gunsmith entered, he glanced around at the way his team seemed to relax in the confines of the room and fixed his mouth in a scorn. “Comfy?”

  “Just takin’ a quick coffee break, boss.” Koji used his cup to gesture to the pot. “Help yourself.”

  “No thanks. Where’s Anita?”

  “She’s still in there with that Palmer guy,” said Erin. “Dom said you’ve got an idea?”

  “Yeah, you get anything from that technician?” asked Gunsmith.

  “No, I was just telling Dom he kept pretty quiet.”

  “I think I know how we can get around that,” said Gunsmith.

  ***

  In one of the many Las Vegas hotels, a power outlet in a suite sparked to life without warning. The electricity came out in spurts at first, as if there were a short, but then it arced forth and struck the carpeted floor. The electricity took form, shaping itself into a full-sized, humanoid figure. The blue hue of Lucent's skin hummed for a moment, then flickered. His reserves were drained and he found it difficult to maintain control over his energy form.

  Once again he was Terry Gibson. The fight with Vanguard and his subsequent escape took a lot out of him and he collapsed, going limp on the ground. It took him a few moments before he was able to find the strength to pull himself up—even then, he had to rely on the suite's king-size bed, gripping the mattress until he rose high enough to crawl onto the comforter.


  Terry lay there for some time, just staring up at the white ceiling. He was starving, but knew that food wouldn't sate him. No, his hunger was now of a different kind.

  He knew what he had to do—he had to get back to Proximo Labs, find Miriam and then kill her slowly. First she’d taken credit for his research, which caused the people in charge to give her control over the project, and then she had exploited his newfound abilities to further her own career.

  Of course, going back to Proximo was out of the question. Vanguard would likely still be there, just waiting for him to do something like that. And that robot-looking character, he said something about being able to detect Terry’s energy signature. That meant they could likely track him, so he would have to remain incognito for the time being. He needed to find a new power source, one capable of giving him enough fuel to return to Proximo so he could finally have his revenge. And if Vanguard got in his way again, he’d have no choice but to kill them as well.

  Terry sat up and slid his legs off the bed, testing the ground beneath his feet. Confident his legs could once again support his weight, he stood and then realized something else—he was naked. Hard to remain anonymous without any clothing. He looked around the room, and in the closet he found a rolling, black leather suitcase. Terry zipped it open and dug through the clothes until he found a pair of shorts and a white shirt with VIVA LAS VEGAS printed across the front in pink letters. He gave a roll of his eyes but beggars couldn’t be choosers, so he donned the clothes. The only footwear in the suitcase were a pair of flip-flops, which would have to do for now.

  Terry opened the door slowly and stuck his head out, quickly looking down both sides of the hall. No one coming—most importantly, not the rightful occupant of the room. He stepped into the hall and walked calmly to the elevator, acting like just another guest in the hotel.

  CHAPTER 4

  “So, Stuart Palmer,” said Paragon, standing in front of the desk the tall, thin man sat behind. “We found no trace of you in Proximo’s employee database. Not even custodial staff.”