Jim’s mouth felt dry. A chill went through his entire body. He felt like he was about to pass out, the entire room spinning. Jim had trouble focusing his senses on the present. He saw faces appear and disappear in front of him, felt sweat pouring down his skin, heard voices and sounds coming from all directions.
Something moved under his skin. Slithering, growing. And then his body was struck with a massive dose of pain. He thought he screamed but he couldn’t be sure of it.
His thoughts were difficult to control. Terror filled every ounce of his being, but it was combined with anger and an insatiable hunger. For what, he couldn’t be sure. His heart pounded against his chest as his emotions ran wild. All he knew was that he had to get out of here.
“Hold him!”
Bradshaw’s voice, the one sound that cut through. And in the mass of psychedelic images, Jim saw Desmond’s massive silhouette appear over him. Brutish hands pinned Jim to the chair as his body began to convulse and he strained against the bonds, beginning to feel them give way.
Slowly, Jim’s vision returned to normal. He felt his breathing slow and his heart had stopped racing. His muscles fell lax and he rested back into the chair. He was exhausted, and his eyelids grew heavy.
There was another prick at his arm. Jim weakly turned his head and saw Bradshaw removing a second syringe from his arm. From there, it wasn’t long before the darkness claimed him.
Once Jim fell asleep, Bradshaw ran a quick physical check on him, opening his eyelids and shining a small flashlight into Jim’s eyes. He looked at Desmond.
“I gave him something to help him sleep. But just in case, I want you to remain here and watch him for an hour.”
Desmond nodded and stepped back into the corner, folding his arms. Bradshaw left the room and walked down to his office. He closed and locked the door behind him and sat at his desk. With a key from his pocket, he unlocked a drawer and pulled it open, taking out a small cell phone. Bradshaw dialed the one number in the phone and waited until the woman on the other end of the line answered.
“We have another survivor,” he said. “Tomorrow night, he enters the cage.”
CHAPTER 7
“Boy scout’s in trouble,” said Dom.
He stood from his chair at the meeting table in the monitor room. The rest of the group sat around him, their attention focused on their teammate.
“There’s been no activity at his place in days?” asked Thorne.
“Close to a week as far as I can tell,” said Dom. “We were supposed to meet at his place every night but the only time he kept good on that appointment was the first night. I kept watch on the place all week, questioned some of the neighbors in the building, and came back with nothing.”
“Has he been back there at all?” asked Anita.
Dom shook his head. “I did that whole thing where you put a hair across the door so if anyone comes in, the hair will fall. Every day I teleported in, the hair was still in place. So either Ellis has been coming home through the window or he’s somewhere else.”
“Or worse.” Thorne’s voice was low and his expression dark. He looked up at Zenith. “What do Cerberus’ files say about Blake?”
“It sounds similar to what Dominic is describing,” said Zenith. “Blake stopped checking in and attempts to contact him proved futile. The next time they heard anything about him, he was dead.”
“Not exactly comforting, huh?” muttered Koji.
“This has officially become a Vanguard matter,” said Thorne. “One of our own is missing and that means it’s up to us to find him. Lee, Zenith, I want you to figure out anything and everything you can about these underground fights. They need recruits and it seems like they’re targeting veterans. Search military records to see if this grew out of a government program, something like what created the Analyst.”
“I’ll talk to the servers, get us inside in no time,” said Lee.
“Don’t forget forums,” said Erin. “When I found Arcadia, it was through one dedicated to specials. Maybe there are some for veterans out there that might mention this?”
“Good idea, you and Koji see if you can help with that search,” said Thorne. “Vaughn, you know the area where Jim went. Hit the ground, start asking some questions.”
“I’ll go, too,” said Anita. “Maybe I can pick up Jim’s psychic impression or something.”
“Good, I’ll coordinate with Zukov, see if Cerberus can give us a hand with our search,” said Thorne. “It’s been a week since we heard from our friend. He could be in grave danger, so let’s find him fast.”
***
A shadow portal opened inside the warehouse and Anita and Dom stepped out of it. Both of them were dressed in street clothes, as those drew far less attention than their uniforms. Anita held out her hands and closed her eyes.
“This is the place. I followed Ellis here that night but kept my distance,” said Dom.
“I know,” said Anita. “I can feel his presence.”
Dom cocked an eyebrow. “So how’s that whole…psychic impression thing work?”
She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Has anyone you loved ever died?”
“I was pretty close with my grandfather. He passed away when I was fifteen.”
“Soon after he died, did you ever get the feeling that he was around you?” asked Anita. “Like you could sense him there?”
Dom thought back to those days, remembering how he felt standing over his grandfather’s grave in the cemetery. “I think I know what you’re talking about. Is that what it’s like with this psychic stuff?”
“Something like that, only there’s no telling myself that it’s all in my head. Mostly because I know what my powers can do.”
“Does this mean you can track people wherever they are in the world?”
Anita shook her head. “I don’t think it works that way. Maybe if I were stronger, but it’s more like…” She struggled to find the right words to explain how her newfound psychic abilities worked. “These impressions, it’s like they’re connected to emotions. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the impression.”
“And you can follow the trail?”
“For a time. If the impression is strong, then it lingers in an area for a lot longer. But as you cool down, the trail gets weaker, harder to pick up. And as more time passes, that trail can disappear entirely.”
Dom folded his arms as Anita knelt down on the ground, holding her hand out and closing her eyes, concentrating.
“It’s already been a week. Is there anything here to go on?”
Anita furrowed her brow. “Not much, I’m afraid. I know Jim was here, and he was scared but also angry.”
“What about other impressions? Could you follow those, even if you don’t know the person?”
“I think so, but why?”
“If we can’t track Ellis, maybe we can track someone who knows where he is.”
Anita nodded. “Worth a shot.”
***
The monitor room was far more active than usual. Under normal circumstances, either Zenith or Lee would be in here, working together or alone. But with the search for Jim Ellis in full swing, Erin and Koji both pitched in, hunched over laptops at the table as they scoured the Internet for anything they could find.
“I think I may have something,” said Lee. His hands rested on the keyboard and he didn’t type a single command. Instead, he silently “told” the computer what to do, using his technopathy to communicate directly with the device. The computer responded by mirroring the contents of Lee’s screen to one of the large monitors. Erin and Koji both looked up from their laptops and sat back in their seats as Zenith approached.
“What are we looking at?” asked Koji.
“Like the Colonel suggested, I started off by breaking into classified files at the Department of Defense. Trying to see if there were any programs similar to what created the Analyst.”
“You found something?” asked Erin.
“Proxim
o Labs.”
The other three all exchanged glances. The last time the team interacted with Proximo Labs was before Lee joined, but he’d familiarized himself with the team’s past through their files.
“What’s Proximo got to do with any of this?” asked Erin.
“Did you guys know that the DOD contracted Proximo to help them develop containment systems for specials?” asked Lee.
“I never heard about that,” said Koji.
“Zen?” asked Erin, looking at the robot.
“No,” he said. “But how did I not know this?”
“Well, seems they tried to cover their tracks pretty well,” said Lee. “A lot of the work came in pieces, contracted through various shell corporations. But if you can follow the trail, it all leads to Proximo. And that’s not all.”
A series of documents appeared on the monitor, many of them severely redacted. But one thing they all recognized was an image of a man they never wanted to see again.
“The Khagan…” muttered Koji.
“Seems after we took him out, the DOD was really curious about what Azarov did to him,” said Lee. “They did a whole range of experiments on him and I can’t really get to the bottom of what really happened. But it looks like Proximo was in charge of trying to find a way to improve the process the Khagan underwent. And take a look at whose signature is on these authorization forms.”
Zenith looked at the zoomed-in image and read the signature. “Nathan Callus.”
“The Cerberus guy?” asked Koji. “I mean, the ex-Cerberus guy?”
“What’s the status of this project, Lee?” asked Zenith.
“It’s dead. Shut down shortly after Callus was tapped to lead Cerberus.”
“They probably feared the Security Council discovering this information, felt it best to bury it,” said Zenith. “That explains why Callus turned to Azarov and the North Koreans. He wanted to complete the operation.”
“Sure. If you wanna reproduce what Azarov did to the Khagan, who better than Azarov to help you out?” asked Erin.
“And with a totalitarian state like North Korea, who routinely kills its own citizens, there’s never any question about the bodies that pile up,” said Lee.
Koji furrowed his brow. “Hold on. If this was all tied to Azarov and North Korea, then what does this have to do with Jim?”
“There were two parties involved in it, Callus and Proximo,” said Lee. “Since Callus took what he knew to Azarov, I’m starting to think that maybe Proximo did the same thing.”
CHAPTER 8
Anita and Dom’s search proved fruitful. It wasn’t long before they found a small community of homeless and some of them had been to the fights. With some prying via her psychic abilities, Anita finally got a location, an old gym.
But when they arrived, they found two large men standing guard at the door, as if it were some kind of exclusive nightclub. Both were even dressed in fine suits.
“This event is by invitation only,” said one of the guards.
Anita sighed and stared into his eyes. She tried to focus her psychic powers and concentrate on pushing the man to do what she wanted. “You want to let us in.”
The man blinked and looked over at his partner, who also wore a confused expression.
“What are you talking about?” asked the guard.
Anita tried to concentrate harder. “I said you want to let us in.”
“Are you off your meds or something, lady?” asked the second guard. “If you don’t have an invitation, you’re not getting inside. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
Anita shook her head and looked at Dom. “Dammit, doesn’t seem to be working.”
“Yeah well, there are other ways.” Dom held out both hands and generated a small portal behind each guard. They were sucked in and the portals closed behind them. Dom dusted his hands and flashed Anita a smirk.
“Where’d you send them?” she asked.
“Not far, just across town. By the time they figure out where they are and get back here, we’ll hopefully be long gone.”
Anita reached for the door handle and pulled, but it was locked. Dom frowned.
“Guess I should’ve seen if they had the key on them first.”
“No matter.” Anita tightened her grip and pulled harder, breaking the door open. The two specials entered and descended the staircase that instantly greeted them past the door.
As they moved down into the basement, they could hear the roar of an excited crowd. They saw the mass of people surrounding a large cage. And inside the cage, they watched as two large men pounded on each other.
Their size was unreal, their muscles moving like fluid beneath their skin as they brawled, strength increasing with each blow. Blood and sweat flew from the ring, and the crowd cried out for more.
“Jesus, this is unreal,” said Dom.
Anita’s eyes widened. “Oh my god…”
Dom realized what she was talking about. The fighters moved so quick it was almost too difficult to get a good look at them. But he focused on the face of one of them, a man with short, blond hair.
The body size was definitely different. But there was no mistaking that face. It was clearly Jim Ellis who fought in that ring with a rage neither of his teammates had ever seen in him before.
His muscles bulged and his arms now looked the size of tree trunks, his body built like a truck. As the fight progressed, Jim’s anger only seemed to increase his mass. His opponent struggled to keep up with him, but Jim’s blows were bone-crunching.
“This is insane,” said Anita. “That’s not Jim.”
“Looks like Cerberus was right about that drug,” said Dom. “If it can do that to Ellis, there are a lot of people who will pay top dollar for it.”
“And that’s the scary part,” said Anita. “But if he’s okay, why wouldn’t he say anything? Why did he go quiet?”
Dom didn’t know how to answer that question. He had some suspicions but he wasn’t very keen on sharing them. Mostly because he feared he was right.
“Whatever the case, we’ve gotta get him out of here.”
Anita nodded and looked around the room. The crowd screamed for blood. “What do you think? Teleport him out?”
“Look at them, Anita. They can barely keep their hands off each other for more than a few seconds.” Dom cringed as the words left his mouth. “I think I could’ve phrased that better. But my point is that if I try to teleport Ellis out like that, I’ll either have to take his opponent with him or risk chopping off one of his appendages. And with the size of the two of them…that might take the wind outta me. It’d be on you to get us both out of here.”
“And who knows how many of those drugged-up fighters are sitting around here,” said Anita. “So what, we just watch the fight, follow him out?”
Dom cast her a glance. “Got any better ideas?”
She sighed and shook her head. “No. I just hate watching this.”
***
Jim sat on the bench in the locker room, examining his bare arms. The muscles beneath his skin moved around like worms, reforming and shrinking. He felt pangs of hunger, but not for food. It was a craving that he couldn’t quite explain.
“That was very impressive, Mr. Garner.”
Jim looked up from his arm, turning his head so he could see Bradshaw from over his shoulder. Desmond stood behind the doctor, as imposing as usual, acting as a silent sentry.
“It’s fading,” said Jim. “The treatment. I can feel my body getting weaker.”
Bradshaw nodded and sighed. “Yes, that’s common. The problem is we can’t really do much about it at this point.”
Jim stood and stepped closer towards Bradshaw. The movement caused Desmond to become more alert but otherwise he did nothing.
“You don’t understand. I’m losing it! I need more!”
“Mr. Garner…”
“I need it!” Jim lunged forward and picked up Bradshaw by the collar of his shirt. “You did this to me,
you have to fix this!”
Desmond pulled the doctor away from Jim. With one hand, he shoved Jim back, the force surprisingly strong enough to throw Jim into the lockers. Desmond took a step in front of Bradshaw and cracked his knuckles.
“Watch yourself.”
Bradshaw placed a hand on his bodyguard’s arm. “It’s quite all right, Desmond. Jared here is simply going through some growing pains. He’ll be cooperative. Won’t you, Jared?”
Jim got back to his feet and leaned against the lockers. He didn’t know what he was saying or why he was saying it. The cravings for the drug were driving him to do anything he could to satisfy them. He wanted to leave, to contact Cerberus or Vanguard. But something stopped him.
“Please, tell me,” said Jim. “What do you want?”
“That’s more like it,” said Bradshaw, a smile spreading across his face. “You see, Jared, only the first treatment is free. So now we must work out a form of payment.”
“I’ll pay,” said Jim. “How much?”
“Not that simple.”
“I’m afraid Desmond is correct,” said Bradshaw. “But don’t worry, we have a way you can reimburse us.”
***
Dawn began to break when Jim finally left the building. He squinted as he saw the sun rising, holding up a hand to block out the rays. His movements were sluggish and he braced his hand against one of the buildings lining the alley, stopping for a moment.
When he moved away, a handprint was left in the brick.
He stepped carefully and slowly, stumbling a little as he walked down the alley. But by the time he reached the end, someone blocked his path. Jim backed away and squinted, trying to focus on the blurred face of the man in front of him.
“The hell you think you’re doing?” asked Dom.
Jim shook his head and blinked. “Vaughn?”
“Not just him.” Anita stepped into view. She moved closer, rubbing her hand on Jim’s head, feeling his forehead. His hair was matted with sweat and his pupils were dilated.
“You look like shit,” said Dom.
“No kidding,” said Anita. “We have to get you out of here. Get you back to Atlas.”
Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure Page 68