Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure

by Percival Constantine

  “Thought I was out, huh?” asked Wraith. “Maybe it’s time to make you suffer like you made so many others.”

  “You can barely stand, Wraith,” said the Khagan. “And as for making me suffer? All you did is remind me of the reasons why I do what I do. My grief doesn’t hinder me, it empowers me!” He held out his hand and knocked Wraith back with a powerful energy blast.

  At that moment, Paragon re-entered the battle, clasping her hands together and bringing them down on the Khagan’s head. He swung out at her, an attempted swipe with his claws, but she held her ground and they scraped harmlessly against her invisible forcefield. Paragon thought back to how she felt like a prisoner in her own body while under the Analyst’s control, and how that was all at the behest of this man. And that drove her into a rage. She channeled that rage into her powers, her telekinetic field increasing each punch she delivered to the beast with more strength than she’d ever displayed in the past. The blows rained down upon the Khagan with such ferocity that even his durable hide was having difficulty protecting him.

  Shift tugged on Gunsmith’s arm. “Do you see that? She’s going to kill him!”

  Gunsmith patted his teammate’s hand and uttered only one word in response: “Good.”

  ***

  The sounds of the battle echoed up to the floors above, where Lee stood with what he thought was an unconscious special until he awoke and began speaking.

  “Lee, what is happening?” he asked.

  Lee went to one of the closed circuit monitors and turned it so the man who once called himself Lucent could view the battle raging below. A smile spread across Lucent’s face.

  “Are they that Vanguard group?” asked Lee.

  “They are,” said Lucent. “My teammates.”

  Lee turned to look at Lucent. “Teammates? But I thought you fought them…?”

  “The man who once occupied this body did. But as I told you, my name is Zenith. Up until Lucent absorbed my energy reserves, I was a member of Vanguard.”

  Lee stood and stepped closer to the tube. “What are you saying? That somehow Lucent drained your soul?”

  “Perhaps I wouldn’t put it quite that way, but for the sake of argument then yes, that is what was done to me. Somehow, I have managed to assert control over his form.”

  “So what happened to him?” asked Lee.

  “He is still locked inside here with me, but he cannot access his form just yet. I will not allow it. For all intents and purposes, I am in control.”

  Lee looked back at the monitors, shaking his head. “This is insane…I have to do something to help the Khagan.”

  “Lee, look at me.”

  The special did as he was told and stared into Zenith’s eyes. The energy being continued to speak. “You are still under the influence of the Analyst. The Khagan has manipulated you into working with him. He has turned you into his slave. But you have the ability to break free, it is all up to you.”

  Lee looked away. “No, you’re lying…”

  “You seem like a good man, Lee Parker. And now it is up to you to prove your worth. Do you really want to see your country reduced to flames? Your friends and family killed? Revolutions are often violent and bloody, and despite what the Khagan promises, he is nothing more than a simple terrorist.”

  “Shut up!” shouted Lee. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! The Khagan is fighting for us!”

  “The Khagan has turned Lucent into a battery for his death ray. He has forced you to build it for him. He has forced many others to follow him unwittingly. He used your genius in order to kill people. How do you feel about that?”

  Lee screamed and grabbed his head, struggling against the memories and thoughts rushing through his mind. The Analyst’s control over him slipped, and it allowed the man within to regain control over his brain. Finally, he looked up at Zenith.

  “Okay, how do we stop him?”

  ***

  The Khagan planted his hand against Paragon’s face and fired a blast as powerful as he could muster at point-blank range. She screamed at the pain and the force of the beam threw her away from him. He rose back up, looking at the group of heroes who opposed him. They were weakened and wouldn’t last much longer. But he could continue on.

  “You came so far only to be defeated,” he said.

  “No, they did not.”

  The glowing, azure body of Lucent lowered from the ceiling, eyes crackling with raw power. At the sight of their former enemy, the team instantly felt their situation worsening.

  “Is this a good thing or a bad thing?” asked Shift.

  Upon hearing those words, he looked at Shift and gave her a comforting smile. “Trust me, Erin.”

  “That…doesn’t sound like Lucent,” said Sharkskin.

  “You think you can stop me?” asked the Khagan, firing a blast at Zenith. The energy being absorbed it when it struck him and cocked his head to the side slightly.

  “You are aware of the power this body possesses, are you not? Why would you attempt such a nonsensical attack?”

  The Khagan roared in annoyance and flew at Zenith, but passed right through his body and struck the wall with his head. Zenith spun and unleashed powerful energy blasts from his eyes that rocked through the Khagan’s body. In a flash, he was in front of the Khagan once more and grabbed his wrists. Zenith channeled his energy into the Khagan’s body, causing it to convulse.

  “Very interesting,” said Zenith. “It seems there is a lot of energy within you. Energy that is now my domain.”

  The Khagan felt every muscle in his body seize up and he could feel himself growing weaker. Little by little, Zenith drained the power inside of the leader of the Red Fist and then released him, allowing him to fall to the ground, unconscious.

  He rolled onto his back, lying there motionless. The Khagan’s muscles and bones returned to their normal state, leaving him once more nothing more than a man. Zenith lowered himself and rested his feet on the ground. Once he looked up at his teammates, he saw they all remained prepared for another fight.

  “I understand this is all confusing for you,” he said. “But Lucent is simply the body I am occupying.”

  They could all detect the change in his tone. Something that was very different from Lucent but very familiar to all of them. It was Shift who finally asked the question that was perched on all their tongues. “Zen? Is that you?”

  “Yes, it’s me,” he said with a smile.

  “How?” asked Paragon. “I watched you die.”

  “There will be time for explanations later.” The energy dissipated, revealing the naked form of Terry Gibson standing before them. “But perhaps now we should clean up and return home.”

  “Yeah…think you could put on some pants first?” asked Wraith.

  ***

  Newly-appointed President Dennis Lawson sat before a monitor displaying the images of the members of the United Nations Security Council, all of them joined together in a video conference.

  “Thank you all for agreeing to speak to me,” he began. “I apologize we couldn’t do this face-to-face, but I felt time was of the essence. I wanted to inform all of you first that the Khagan has been taken into custody. We also have several members of the Red Fist that we’ve captured. There are still others out there, but without any sort of central leadership, I doubt they will pose much of a threat.”

  “What of these specials? This Vanguard?” asked Russian President Kirill Vorobiev. “They are a loose cannon. Did you have anything to do with their intervention on Olympus?”

  Lawson sighed. “I gave them the means to go after the Khagan, yes. And it proved to be the correct judgment. They managed to contain the threat with no fatalities.”

  “And what will happen now?” This question came from the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Paula Turner.

  “That’s actually why I’ve called this meeting,” said Lawson. “It’s clear that we face a very unique situation here, unprecedented. The Exemplar, Zephyr, L
ucent, and now the Red Fist. These are new threats for a new world, and we have to act. Together.”

  “What do you suggest?” asked Chinese Premier Li Xiao.

  “I have a proposal here for an organization that will serve to protect us from these new threats,” said Lawson.

  EPILOGUE

  Twenty Years From Now

  He didn’t expect this.

  The man stepped out of a temporal portal, wearing a suit of futuristic battle armor that concealed every aspect of his features. But once he set foot onto the ash-laden rubble that was once Times Square, he nearly collapsed to his knees.

  “Chronos?”

  Not even his name drew his attention. All he could do was look out at the devastation. The silver robot who called his name stood over him, overlooking the devastation.

  “Are you sure this is the correct time period?”

  “See for yourself, Progenitor.” Chronos stood and raised his arm. A holographic display of the current year projected from the forearm. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  Both Chronos and the Progenitor looked up into the dark skies and saw massive, alien ships looming above. Chronos felt the emotion swelling up inside him at his failure.

  “We came back to prepare mankind for the coming war, to give them generations for their power to emerge. Why is the invasion decades ahead of schedule?”

  To Be Continued in Season Two

  SEASON TWO

  #5.5 - EXECUTIVE DECISION

  CHAPTER 1

  The Future

  The man known as Chronos stood amongst the ashes and rubble of New York’s Times Square. Once upon a time, this intersection was a constant bustle of life—brightly illuminated, with the sounds of traffic and thousands crossing through the streets.

  Now darkness permeated the area, the massive screens displaying propaganda and ash and rubble replacing the people and cars that once populated the area. And hovering in the skies above were massive alien warships.

  Chronos stared through his silver visor and bent his arm up to his face. A hologram displaying the current date projected from his gauntlet. He’d already checked it numerous times but still couldn’t believe his eyes.

  “The invasion has come far too early,” said Chronos’ companion, the sleek, silver robot called the Progenitor.

  “But why?” asked Chronos. “What brought the Kotharians here ahead of schedule?”

  “Chronos, my sensors are detecting hostiles!”

  Chronos’ own armor alerted him as well. He held out his arm and a small baton extended from his gauntlet and into his waiting hand. Once he gripped it, the baton telescoped into a long staff with a glowing point on the end.

  A small, two-man Kotharian craft descended from the air, streaking towards them. Chronos took aim with his staff and fired an energy blast from the glowing tip. The ship curved to the side to evade and from the turret beneath its body, fired its own energy blasts. Chronos held up his free hand, an orb of orange energy surrounding him and shielding him from the blast.

  The Progenitor rose in the air and unleashed azure blasts from his eyes and hands at their attacker. The Kotharian ship turned to the new threat and the Progenitor flew, the Kotharian pursuing him.

  The robot flew higher and faster, shooting between the destroyed buildings. The Kotharian ship was surprisingly agile, keeping pace with every single one of his maneuvers. The Progenitor even tried flying through the destroyed floors of the building, too small for the ship to follow.

  But much to his surprise, he found the ship waiting for him as he came out the other end. Its turrets spun, releasing a flurry of shots. The Progenitor rocketed up through the floors, the craft rising to follow him.

  The Progenitor crashed through the ceiling and azure auras circled his clenched fists, his eyes burning brightly. The Progenitor launched himself down to the rising ship, his fists held out in front of him. He plowed into the Kotharian attacker, the ship exploding in the night sky.

  Chronos jumped into the air, components from his leg armor sliding down and forming a circular platform beneath his feet. The platform hovered in the air and took Chronos towards the explosion caused by his companion. Chronos lowered the platform to the wreckage of the Kotharian ship and watched, not sure what to expect.

  A gleaming, silver hand burst through the rubble and the Progenitor pulled himself out. Chronos breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank the maker. Scared the hell outta me.”

  “There will be reinforcements. We must travel back earlier in the timestream, discover when the invasion occurred.”

  Chronos gave a nod. “Yeah, let’s get outta here.” He bent his arm in front of him, a holographic keyboard and display appearing above the gauntlet. Chronos entered some commands and on the display was a date selector. He changed it to the appropriate date and tried to activate the portal.

  But nothing happened.

  “Uhh…we’ve got a problem…”

  “Yes, I know. I’m detecting more hostiles approaching.”

  “No, not that!” said Chronos. “The suit’s not responding! I can’t activate the portal!”

  “We are trapped?” asked the Progenitor.

  Chronos looked up at his companion and gave a solemn nod. “Yeah…looks like…”

  “Very well.” The Progenitor rose up in the air, his body glowing brightly, drawing the attention of the approaching Kotharian vessels.

  “What are you doing?” asked Chronos.

  “Providing you with an opportunity to escape,” said the Progenitor.

  “What? What about you?”

  “My role in this is over, now it is up to you to prevent the invasion. Repair the chronal emitter and return to the past!”

  The Kotharians closed in and the Progenitor flew off into the night. The ships followed him, ignoring Chronos on the ground.

  “Damn!” he cursed. He wanted nothing more than to go after them, to help fight off those Kotharians. But Chronos knew that the Progenitor was right. This was their last ditch effort to save humanity and something had clearly gone wrong. Now, Chronos’ only choice was to continue with the mission. Repair the suit and go back further, discover what changed to bring about the invasion so soon.

  CHAPTER 2

  The Present

  Colonel Leonard Thorne looked out the window of the limousine as it passed by 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Repair crews were working around the clock to rebuild the White House following its destruction at the hands of the terrorist organization called the Red Fist and their leader, a man known to the world as only the Khagan.

  Thorne hit the button on the armrest, the tinted window rising up. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with thumb and index finger. The entire purpose of the Vanguard project was to prevent atrocities like this, an atrocity that took not only the life of President Curtis Hayworth, but his entire staff.

  Vanguard did manage to stop the Khagan before he caused any further damage, though. And it was that fact Thorne had pinned his hopes on to keep the program alive. Dennis Lawson, former Speaker of the House and now the new President, had made it very clear how little he approved of Hayworth’s decision to fund Vanguard in secret.

  The limousine came to a stop in front of the Capitol Building and the driver emerged, walking around to the back of the car. He opened the door for the Colonel, who stepped out and straightened his military dress uniform. Thorne took a deep breath and walked up the steps to the Capitol. A man waited for him past the security checkpoint, and he flashed Thorne a fake smile.

  Joseph Ramsey, Secretary of Defense in the Hayworth administration and now, the Lawson administration. He was the only member of Hayworth’s cabinet who wasn’t in the White House at the time of the Khagan’s attack. Although both he and Thorne knew it was no coincidence.

  “Colonel, good to see you again.” Ramsey held out his hand and Thorne grunted before shaking it.

  “Mr. Secretary.” Thorne tightened his grip around Ramsey’s hand and pulled him close, then whispered in his
ear. “I can’t prove it, but once I’m able to, you’re going down for treason, you sonnuva bitch.”

  If Ramsey felt the least bit rattled by Thorne’s remark, he certainly didn’t show it. Instead he kept the smile plastered on his face and whispered back, “Maintain your composure, Leo. You’re about to sit down to a meeting with the Senate Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Wouldn’t want you to be rattled during it.”

  “Leo is what my friends call me.” Thorne released his grip. “To traitorous bastards like you, it’s Colonel Thorne.”

  Ramsey scoffed and turned, walking down the corridor with Thorne keeping pace beside him.

  “I’m curious about something. Just how much did the Khagan pay you to betray your country?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Colonel. Everything I do is in the best interests of this once-great nation.”

  “Once-great, huh?”

  “If you have any grievances with me, then you’re welcome to bring them up in the meeting. But given your stunning lack of proof, not to mention your current standing with everyone we’re about to meet with, I doubt you’ll get very far.” Ramsey stopped in front of a closed door and knocked a few times. “Remember, Colonel—it’s your neck the noose is tightening around, not mine.”

  Thorne kept his steel eyes locked on Ramsey’s, twitching his silver mustache. “For now.”

  The door opened and Ramsey gestured. “After you.”

  “Oh no, I insist,” said Thorne, gesturing himself. “After you.”

  Ramsey smirked. “You see? We can be civil about this.”

  Thorne followed Ramsey inside the room where thirteen United States Senators sat around a table. And an additional man Thorne hadn’t expected to see here. “Mr. President?”

  President Dennis Lawson rose from his seat and approached. “Surprised, Colonel?”