CHAPTER 11
Paragon flew over the water, relishing the feel of droplets of the ocean on her face and the smell of the sea air. She could see her destination off in the distance and she pulled up to avoid striking the massive ship that floated in the middle of the ocean. She landed on the surface of what appeared to be a massive aircraft carrier.
As she walked across the ship, she looked around at the agents who walked by her wearing uniforms marked with the Cerberus logo. A few gave her suspicious glances, but Paragon ignored them as she walked forward towards the man who waited for her. He gave her a friendly smile and approached, extending his hand.
“Paragon, it is good to see you.”
“Thank you for letting me come down here, Abram,” she said as she shook Zukov’s hand.
“Welcome to the Island,” he said, then gestured for her to follow as he turned towards the entrance. “Come, I will give you the tour.”
Paragon followed him to an elevator. “I’m a little surprised you decided to keep using this thing after what Callus did.”
“We need a place to keep renegade specials, and this seemed like the ideal location,” said Zukov. “Olympus remains in constant contact at all times and should anyone try to escape, they are surrounded by miles of ocean. We also stay mobile so we are never in a fixed location should any accomplices decide to strike.”
“And the prisoners?”
“Fitted with inhibitor collars and constantly monitored.”
The elevator stopped and they emerged into a long corridor. “This level is reserved for the most dangerous criminals. They are kept in solitary confinement and not permitted to interact with the other prisoners.”
Paragon looked around and saw all the cells were empty except for two. She gestured to one of them. “Who’s the other one down here?”
“Your old friend, Lucent,” said Zukov. “He was actually our first prisoner. Now he has company, though.”
Paragon stopped and reached a hand for Zukov. “Listen…I want to thank you for letting me do this. I know it probably wasn’t easy to get that kind of clearance.”
Zukov gave her a smile. “Nonsense. The President owes you a debt, it seems. He’s already pressuring the United Nations Security Council to allow for increased cooperation between Vanguard and Cerberus.”
“So I guess that means we’ll be working together a lot more closely,” said Paragon.
“Indeed, but that discussion should be tabled until more information comes to light. Who knows how the Security Council will react.” Zukov paused before he changed the subject. “I have to ask…are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Paragon held a pause as well before nodding. “Yes, I’m sure. We ignored the warnings of the Red Fist and the Khagan for too long last year and it ended in tragedy. I can’t let that happen again.”
“I understand.”
They approached another cell one with opaque glass. Each cell had a small console by it and Zukov entered a command into the keypad. The glass turned from opaque to translucent and revealed the prisoner standing in the cell. Zukov looked at Paragon and said, “I shall give you a few minutes alone.”
Paragon stepped up to the glass, as did the prisoner on the other side. J’Karra glared at the woman who had defeated her with her fiery, yellow eyes, whereas Paragon’s disposition remained calm and collected.
“Are you ready to be straight with me for once?” asked Paragon.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
Paragon tapped her forehead. “In North Korea, you and I were connected on the mindscape. And then afterwards, I started seeing visions. I know about the Matriarch, I know she sent you to Earth. What I don’t know is why.”
J’Karra turned her back on Paragon and folded her arms, moving deeper into her cell. Paragon pounded on the glass. “Hey, I’m talking to you! What is your problem, anyway?”
The Kotharian warrior spun on her heel. “My problem is your people shot down a Kotharian research ship, butchered our dead, and then stripped it for parts! You exploited a tragedy! And now, I see with these abilities that you continue to exploit it!”
Paragon balked at the accusation. “Our powers? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Where do you think those abilities come from, Anita Jordan? Why do you think I register as one of your specials?” asked J’Karra. “It’s because the source of your abilities is Kotharian.”
“That’s why you came here,” said Paragon. “To investigate the specials. See how it is we came about in the first place.”
“There is more,” said J’Karra. “I knew I was taking a risk when I went into Area 51. So my last act before departing my ship was to transmit the logs I’d been keeping to the Kotharian Empire. Soon, they will know all about Roswell, the Collective, and you. They will know that you have abused our technology for your own purposes. And they will come.”
“Why are you doing this?” asked Paragon, her eyes growing wide. “I thought you were a good person…I sensed that you were a woman of honor.”
“I am,” said J’Karra. “That is why I went easy on you in Washington. But after seeing what your people have done to mine and our sacred traditions, I could stand by no longer. My loyalty is to the Kotharian Empire and the Matriarch. And soon, they will come for you, Anita Jordan. They will come for this planet.”
Paragon sighed. “So my vision…it was real, wasn’t it? There’s going to be an invasion?”
J’Karra gave a simple nod.
Paragon lunged for the glass, banging on the surface. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing? This could mean the destruction of my world, my people! You’re talking about the deaths of billions!”
J’Karra tried to keep her face like stone, but Paragon could see some cracks in her visage. “This isn’t what you want, is it? It can’t be.”
“It is not my decision to make,” said J’Karra. “I hate you for what you’ve done to my people and my traditions. But that does not mean I want to see you eradicated.”
“Then why? Why send those logs when you know what it will mean?”
“Because that is my duty.” J’Karra turned away and moved to the cot in the room. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
Paragon gritted her teeth and pounded on the glass. “Sorry? Sorry? How dare you!”
An alert sounded and Zukov ran from a monitoring station at the end of the hall with two Cerberus guards flanking him. Zukov rushed to J’Karra’s cell, signaling for the guards to hold back.
“Stop it, are you crazy?” he asked.
Paragon stopped pounding, her hands flattening against the indestructible glass. She was breathing heavily and after a moment she took one deep breath and stepped away from the cell, turning to Zukov.
“Close the cell. If I look at her for one second longer, I’ll kill her myself.”
Zukov approached the console and entered a command. The glass went from translucent to opaque, hiding J’Karra from view. He saw Paragon already walking down the corridor towards the elevator and ran to catch up to her.
“What was that all about?” he asked. “What did she say?”
“She said this is just the beginning,” said Paragon. “We have to prepare for war.”
EPILOGUE
The Future
Chronos flew on his glider, keeping pace with Talon, whose speed with her wings was almost unreal. Ink also flew close to them, riding on a giant phoenix that had been birthed from a tattoo across her back.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Home,” said the winged special. “Talon to Icarus, we’re bringing some company for dinner. Care to open the doors for us?”
Chronos stared out ahead but he could see nothing in the clouds above them. Still they continued to fly higher. He switched the views on his visor and now he could see there was some kind of cloaking technology in effect.
The cloak was disengaged and a massive, flying fortress was visible in the air. A giant V
breaking out of an oval, much like the logo that both Ink and Talon wore on their uniforms, was emblazoned on the sides.
A compartment opened and Chronos followed Talon and Ink inside. As soon as they were aboard, the cloak was reactivated and the ship vanished from sight. Talon’s claws and her wings receded and she motioned for Chronos and Ink to follow her.
“Welcome,” she said, “to the Icarus.”
As they exited the airlock, they came to a balcony and Chronos looked up and down. There were several levels, all of which were filled with people. Many of them looked like they’d seen difficult times. Their clothes and skin were covered with dirt and filth and they huddled together.
“What is this?” asked Chronos.
“A refugee ship,” said Ink. “We try and save as many specials as we can before the Gunsmiths get to them.”
“There are so many…”
“And our numbers have been growing.” This was a new voice. Chronos turned from the balcony and saw two individuals standing in front of him. One was a woman with a bald head, green skin, and yellow eyes. The other towered over her, a kind of human/shark hybrid.
“Who’s this guy?” asked the shark-man.
“Calls himself Chronos, we saved him from some Gunsmiths on our patrol,” said Ink.
“Chronos?” asked the woman with a raised brow. She turned her head to Talon. “We have protocols for a reason here, young lady.”
“The guy was in trouble, what would you have me do?”
“Ease up on her,” said the shark hybrid, holding up his hand.
Talon rolled her eyes and huffed. “Say hello to Sharkskin and Shift.”
“Look, while I’d love to sit around and get to know you all better, there’s something very wrong here,” said Chronos.
“Yeah, no shit, son. It’s the end of the world,” said Sharkskin.
“I know, but it wasn’t supposed to happen this soon.”
“It’s been going on for twenty years,” said Shift.
“Right, but it’s supposed to happen decades from now! That’s why I went back in the first place, to prepare!” said Chronos.
“Went back?” asked Sharkskin. “The hell’s he talking about?”
“Let’s bring Chronos to him, he’ll know what to do,” said Shift.
“Bring me to who?” asked Chronos.
Sharkskin put his hand behind Chronos’ back and pushed him along gently. “C’mon, kid. We’re gonna go see the wizard.”
Talon and Ink followed Shift, Sharkskin, and Chronos. The five of them moved through the Icarus, taking an elevator down to a restricted level of the ship. When the doors opened, they were in a darkened room.
“Finally,” said a voice weathered by age, echoing in the darkness. “I knew some day we’d find a way to end this war.”
Chronos stepped forward and in the center of the room, a light turned on from the ceiling. A man sitting in a floating chair of some sort turned, his entire body encased in metal. Only his face was visible. He was bald, his skin wrinkled and aged. But he had a thin silver mustache and haunting eyes. And when he smiled, Chronos felt a chill.
“Welcome, Chronos,” said the old man. “You may call me the Analyst. And I believe you have much to tell us. About the past and the future. And about how you caused all this.”
To Be Continued in Season Three
SEASON THREE
#11 - VENGEANCE
CHAPTER 1
The Future
Chronos found himself in the bowels of a massive airship called the Icarus. Seated before him was a man whose entire body was encased in the metal of his hoverchair. Only his wrinkled face was visible, which bore a thin, silver mustache above his withered lips and haunting eyes that sent a chill through the time traveler.
“What did you say?” asked Chronos.
“I said you are responsible for what has happened to this world,” said the old man, who had introduced himself as the Analyst.
Chronos looked to the people who surrounded him, the members of the team called Vanguard—Sharkskin, Shift, Ink, and Talon. “No, that’s not right. I tried to stop the invasion!”
“What the hell’s going on here?” Sharkskin pointed at Chronos. “You mean to tell me the world has gone to shit because of this guy?”
“Of course not, that’s ridiculous!” said Chronos.
“Then what’s the Analyst talking about?” asked Shift.
“Your memories are open to me,” said the Analyst, his gaze never moving from Chronos. “The moment you set foot onto our ship, I scanned your mind. Now tell my team what I already know. Tell them where you come from.”
Chronos looked at the people surrounding him and gave a nod. “I’m a time traveler from the twenty-fifth century.”
Sharkskin chortled and Shift elbowed him in the side to get him to stop.
“About forty years from today, the Kotharian empire will begin an invasion of Earth. It was quick and brutal. Our forces were virtually wiped out overnight.”
“Uhh, gonna have to stop you there, buddy.” Ink was the one who spoke. She had long, dark hair tied behind her head. Her arms and back were exposed and lined with tattoos. “The Kotharians are here and they’ve been here since I was a baby.”
“I know, which means something’s not right,” said Chronos.
“Tell them about your history,” said the Analyst.
“I was born in the camps. When I was fifteen, a resistance attack allowed me to escape. Naturally, I signed up with the rebels to try and fight off the Kotharians. But it wasn’t easy,” said Chronos. “Until we learned about the Chaknaar.”
“That doesn’t make sense, we’ve known about the Chaknaar since before the invasion,” said Shift.
“Please, Erin. Allow our visitor to finish,” said the Analyst.
“Right, well the Kotharians have these psionic abilities and they’re gained through exposure to something they call the Chaknaar. We managed to get our hands on some of it and ran some trials. What we found was that if humans are exposed to it, they can also develop powers as well,” said Chronos. “Except it’s not completely compatible. The Chaknaar only worked on a small percentage of our test subjects. And the ones it did work on, their powers weren’t consistent, unlike the Kotharians.”
Chronos gestured to his body, showing off his armor. “The Kotharians also developed the chronal emitter, which is incorporated into my suit. A prototype device that allows the wearer to travel through time. My mission was to go to the dawn of the twenty-first century and release our Chaknaar reserves throughout the Earth. Even if only a subset of humanity gained powers, that subset would probably be able to fend off the invasion. It was hoped that the decades between would allow the Chaknaar to spread, give people time to develop and learn how to use their abilities. But then we tried jumping forward and something happened. The chronal emitter was damaged somehow in the trip and we landed here, centuries before our own era. And then we saw that the invasion had already happened.”
Sharkskin folded his arms across his broad chest. “So you’re saying you’re responsible for the Event?”
“What’s the Event?” asked Chronos.
“Decades ago, an anomalous gene was discovered in humanity, one that caused some of them to develop superhuman abilities,” said the Analyst. “We’ve referred to whatever caused this change as the Event.”
“You said ‘we’?” Talon was the youngest of the group, possibly late teens. Her skin was pale and when transformed, she possessed wings and razor-sharp talons for fingers, much like her namesake.
Chronos nodded. “When we raided a Kotharian facility, we found an artificial intelligence that had been enslaved by their human collaborators. We restored his autonomy and he joined our cause.”
“An AI?” asked Shift, perking up. “What was his name?”
“Actually, he couldn’t remember much from before the invasion,” said Chronos. “But he started calling himself the Progenitor. He’s the one who told us about the Ch
aknaar and helped us steal it. And he came back with me on the mission. But when we arrived here, we were attacked. He led the attackers away from me so I could escape, told me it was my duty to repair the chronal emitter and find out what’s going on here.”
Chronos looked at each of the specials, gesturing to them as he spoke. “But this isn’t right. I mean, look at you guys. Clearly, we were successful. So how did this happen? And why did it happen so much earlier than it was supposed to?”
The Analyst closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “Chronos, do you believe in destiny?”
He shook his head. “I believe in free will. Do you think I’d even make this trip if I didn’t believe the future couldn’t be changed?”
“I’d say our current predicament is evidence against your beliefs,” said the Analyst. “Maybe there is no way to change the future. Maybe this is our destiny.”
“You can’t believe that,” said Shift. “If this is meant to happen, then why do we keep fighting?”
“I’m wondering that myself.” The Analyst looked at Chronos. “You see, it was the Chaknaar that drew the Kotharians to us. They could detect its presence across the galaxies. They sent a scout, who confirmed their readings. And then the invasion came.”
Chronos backed away. His heartbeat sped up and his breathing became labored. Vanguard stood around him, surrounding him. He knew what had happened here. He knew the cause of the invasion.
“Don’t you see?” asked the Analyst. “You tried to prevent the invasion. But all you did was hasten it.”
CHAPTER 2
The Present
Callum King hovered above the trees, tipping his head back and breathing in the morning air. He closed his eyes and felt the warm sun on his bare chest. The wind blew through his hair and beard, which had both gotten quite long in the months he’d been living on this island.
Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure Page 60