“Absolutely not, but we have to think smart,” said Thorne. “With Jim and Vaughn missing, we’re at diminished strength. If we move on Cerberus now, we may not make it out alive. Especially when we don’t know where Ramsey’s located.”
“Colonel, I’m sorry to interrupt. But I’ve just been informed of an incoming transmission,” said Zenith. “I think everyone should see this.”
“What is it?” asked Anita.
“Just…watch.” Zenith turned his head to the monitor array and at his silent command, they all switched on. Each screen displayed a different news broadcast. But almost all of them used the same footage.
Warships hung in the air above New York City, black with gold trim and jagged attachments, almost like giant insects. The design was definitely not of this world. But Vanguard had seen this style of craft before. Only this was on a far larger scale.
“Kotharians…” muttered Anita under her breath. “Oh my god…it’s all true…”
“Satellites have detected an entire armada just outside the planet’s orbit,” said Zenith. “This is just the first wave. At the moment, the squadron above New York is simply maintaining a holding pattern. They have not made any attempt to communicate or attack. But I’ve intercepted transmissions from various bases. There’s an order to assemble fighter planes to intercept.”
“They’re not going to be alone,” said Anita. “Now we know what our next move is.”
Thorne nodded. “She’s right. Get to the Icarus and get your asses to New York.”
CHAPTER 5
Dom held a hand over his eyes to block out the sun as he stared up into the sky. He saw the Kotharian ships in the distance, flying past the island. He instinctively knew what was happening and he ran to the unconscious Ferryman. Dom immediately began slapping the man’s face, trying to wake him from his stupor.
“Goddammit, wake up!” he cursed. “Wake up! I need to get off this island!”
“Wraith!” Callum grabbed Dom from behind, wrapping his arms around him. Dom struggled against his grasp and Callum found it difficult to maintain the hold. He was so used to his strength as the Exemplar that having to wrestle an adult man proved far more difficult than he’d remembered.
Callum threw his strength into shoving Dom away from the Ferryman. They landed face-first in the sand with Dom on the bottom. But the Vanguardian struggled against his former enemy, ramming his elbow into Callum’s face.
Dom pulled free of Callum and stood. Callum held his face where the elbow had struck. Dom stared down at Callum, glaring at him. He pointed up at the sky.
“Did you see those things?”
Callum sat up, sighed, and nodded. “Yeah.”
“You know what this means? It means that there is an invasion coming.”
“Invasion?” Callum shook his head, incredulity on his face. “What are you talking about? Invasion by whom?”
“Not who—what,” said Dom. “Remember that special who attacked the White House?”
“A special attacked the White House? When?”
Dom sighed. “That’s right, you were still doing your whole Cast Away thing. A special attacked the White House, but it wasn’t really a special—it was an alien. She claimed she was the first of an invading army. And it looks like she was right.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because the design of the ships that passed, it’s exactly the same as the one she flew. And the only way we can get out of here is if this moron wakes up!” Dom moved to the Ferryman’s side and kicked him to accentuate the point.
“Enough,” said Callum, climbing to his feet. “Aren’t you a teleporter? Can’t you open a portal there?”
Dom shook his head. “My powers don’t have that kind of range. I’ve only ever teleported at most a mile away.”
“Then do it a mile at a time.”
“I have no idea where we are. I could end up trapped in the middle of the ocean somewhere. And if exhaustion sets in before I get back, I’m screwed.”
“So that means there’s only one option.” Callum walked up to Dom, turning his head when he approached to show the inhibitor. “If we get rid of this, I can fly us back to civilization.”
“I already told you, that’s a bad idea,” said Dom. “If I’m off by even a little bit, you could end up paralyzed, if not dead.”
“Then you’d better be really careful. But those things are here. Your team’s going to need not only your help, but mine as well.”
Dom studied Callum’s face for a few moments. “You know I don’t like you, right?”
“I kind of gathered that. Don’t care much for you myself.”
“Right, so the point is I’m not my teammates,” said Dom. “I think Thorne was an idiot to give you a chance to go off on your own after we stopped the Khagan. I think you should have been locked up in the Island and left to rot. I think if that trial went through, they should’ve given you the death penalty.”
Callum blinked. “Wow. Tell me how you really feel.”
Dom jabbed a finger in Callum’s chest. “You give all of us a bad name. The specials. Your actions play right into the hands of people who’d see us rounded up. It’s reckless and it’s stupid. And when I see specials cheering on the Exemplar, it makes me wanna puke.”
Callum sighed and looked down at the sand. He rubbed his hands together. “I’ve made mistakes. No one’s more aware of that than me. And I never wanted to be some kind of symbol for specials. I only ever wanted to be a hero, to do the right thing. Be something better than my old man told me I was capable of.”
Dom scoffed. “Daddy issues, huh? Yeah, well… we’ve all got those. Doesn’t give you an excuse to be a jackass.”
Callum looked up. “And what’s your excuse?”
“Shut up,” said Dom. “Listen, the point I’m making is how do you know you can trust me? I could just as easily kill you right now and you’d never see it coming.”
“I trust you because you haven’t killed me yet.” Callum gestured to the Ferryman’s unconscious body. “You could have killed Mike and myself, but you didn’t. You could’ve lied and said removing the inhibitor was easy, then just ended me right then and there. Instead, you chose to be honest, to let me know the risks.”
“Maybe I just don’t want your blood on my hands.”
“We both know you wouldn’t care about that.”
Dom took a breath and quickly exhaled. “Okay. I’ll give it a shot. But if you end up crippled, you sure as hell better not complain.”
“Thought never even crossed my mind…” Callum muttered before turning around so his back was to his unlikely companion.
Dom stepped closer and rubbed his hands together. He lightly placed his fingertips on the inhibitor. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After holding the breath for a moment, he slowly exhaled and focused his powers.
His fingers tightened around the disc and he felt the energy building up inside his body. When Dom opened his eyes, they were completely black. His fingers pulsed with the ebon energy that he used to transport himself through dimensions.
The energy reached through the device and Dom focused, trying to maintain a tighter control over it than he ever had before. Anything the energy touched would be removed when he sent it away. So he needed to feel the differences. When it came to teleporting himself, this happened automatically, without the need to focus too much. But now he had to really concentrate on how to separate one object from another.
“I think I’ve got it…”
“Okay…” Callum closed his eyes tightly. “Let’s get this over with.”
Dom closed his eyes and with a thought, the teleportation began.
CHAPTER 6
By the time the Icarus arrived in the skies above New York City, the fighter jets had already engaged the Kotharian vessels. Bullets and missiles flew from the Earth fighters and the Kotharian ships responded in kind with energy-based weapons.
“There are too many of them,” said Z
enith. “We’ll need more firepower than the Icarus is capable of.”
“Like what?” asked Paragon.
Zenith backed away from the console, switching control over to Shift. His arms reformed into cannons. “You, Sentinel, and I should engage them directly as well. Shift and Sharkskin can remain aboard the Icarus.”
“You sure about that?” asked Shift.
Zenith looked at his young student. “You’re almost as good at flying this ship as I am. You can do this.”
Shift’s eyes carried uncertainty in them, but she nodded and focused on the controls. Zenith moved past Paragon into the passenger area, looking at Sentinel. Vanguard’s newest member stood, checking his holo-armor projector.
“Guess it’s now or never, huh?” he asked.
“There’s more,” said Zenith. “When we fought J’Karra, you were able to use your powers to gain control over her ship. Do you believe you can do so again?”
“It’s a little harrier out here than last time, but yeah, I think so,” said Sentinel. “At least now I’m familiar with the language spoken by their tech.”
“Good, we’ll need you to turn as many fighters as you can,” said Zenith.
“That should help even the odds a bit,” said Paragon.
Sharkskin watched as his teammates went to the rear of the ship and went out into battle. Once they were gone, he moved to the cockpit, taking the vacated seat beside Shift. As soon as he strapped in, he felt her hand on his and looked at her. Shift stared at him, her eyes wide.
“Tell me I can do this?”
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “You’re gonna rock it.”
Shift took a breath and nodded. She held the stick with one hand and used the other to increase the Icarus’ thruster speeds. Shift activated the ship’s weapons systems. Zenith trained her how to operate the Icarus in combat mode, but this was the first time she was actually going into battle with the ship as her weapon.
Once she activated the weapons, the HUD flashed onto the windshield, showing targeting crosshairs. They flew towards one of the Kotharian fighters, moving onto its tail. Shift maneuvered the Icarus, lining it up in her targeting sights.
The green crosshairs flashed red and Shift pulled the trigger on the stick. Teleforce blasts fired from the Icarus’ turrets and the Kotharian fighter exploded. Shift laughed and looked at her teammate.
“I got one!”
“Yeah, now let’s see about the rest,” said Sharkskin.
She nodded, turning her attention back to the windshield. Had to stay focused, otherwise this would be over very soon. Shift targeted another fighter and increased her speed to catch up to it. The crosshairs lined up and changed color. Shift fired, but this fighter was fast enough to avoid the strike.
“Damn!”
The fighter took evasive action, diving to the city below. Shift pushed down on the stick to chase after it. The fighter made sharp turns to avoid the skyscrapers, hoping for the Icarus to crash. With its larger size, it wasn’t an unreasonable expectation. Even the standard fighters used by Cerberus and the Air Force weren’t capable of making such sharp turns.
But the Icarus was no normal fighter plane. And Shift had been trained by the best. She knew the Icarus’ capabilities better than anyone, save its creator. She was able to keep up with every sharp turn the fighter tried to make. But what she had more trouble with was lining up a hit. She chanced a few wild shots, but they missed the mark and she was beginning to grow frustrated.
“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon…” she muttered.
“Slippery, isn’t he?” asked Sharkskin.
Shift shook her head. “You’re not helping, Koji.”
“Sorry.”
“Gonna try something.” Shift pulled hard on the stick. The Icarus looped to change direction, briefly upside down and barreling straight towards the enemy.
“What the hell, Erin?”
The Icarus spun right-side up and the Kotharian fighter was now on a collision course. It unleashed its energy-based cannons. Shift swerved to avoid the blasts, but one hit the shields surrounding the ship. She moved right back into position and pulled the trigger.
The teleforce turrets destroyed the fighter and the Icarus flew right through the flames from the explosion. Shift turned back, heading for the fight. That’s when the Icarus sounded an alarm.
“What’s that?” she asked.
Sharkskin checked from his end and a small image from the rear camera appeared on the windshield. It showed a Kotharian ship pursuing them.
“We’ve got an admirer,” he said.
The fighter opened fire on them and the Icarus rocked from the force of the blast. Sharkskin groaned and looked at the camera stream. The Kotharian opened fire again and Shift swerved to avoid the brunt of the blast.
“And it looks like they’re a bit overzealous,” muttered Sharkskin.
Shift dove, increasing the speed of the Icarus. The Kotharian fighter remained in close proximity to her, blasting whenever an opening presented itself. Shift took a sharp turn around one of the New York skyscrapers, but the Kotharian was able to keep up.
“Gonna have to do more than that,” said Sharkskin.
Shift shot him a glare. “Could you stop with the backseat flying? Isn’t there something useful you could do?”
Sharkskin glowered and released his harness. He rose from the seat and left the cockpit. Shift saw him leave and called out. “Koji, what are you doing?”
He didn’t answer, his body changing into its human/shark hybrid form as he strode through the Icarus. He gripped the handlebar above the door and opened the rear hatch. The door slid open and he stared out at the sky, watching the Kotharian fighter in pursuit.
Sharkskin tapped the comm-link so Shift could hear him. “Pull up.”
“What are you doing?” her voice crackled back in his ear. “Why am I getting a notice saying the hatch is open?”
“Just pull up, dammit!”
The Icarus’ nose tilted upwards, the rest of the ship following its lead. They were now rising into the clouds and the Kotharian kept pace with them, firing the entire time. Sharkskin took a deep breath and jumped.
“Koji? Koji!”
Sharkskin didn’t respond to the sound of Shift’s cries in his ear. He held his arms out in front of him, descending through the air like a missile. Sharkskin’s claws were extended and he grabbed the Kotharian fighter’s canopy as he fell. His claws dug into the surface, tearing into the alien metal and stopping his descent.
The fighter swerved with the arrival of the unexpected passenger. Sharkskin dug his fingers in deeper to maintain a hold. The Kotharian spun, trying to shake him loose. Sharkskin’s muscles strained at the movements, straining them to keep his grip.
He pulled himself up to the canopy, pounding on the glass. The Kotharian pilot looked up, staring through his helmet. Sharkskin continued and the Kotharian rolled his plane several times. Sharkskin lost his grip in the midst of a roll, nearly falling but grabbing the wing to stay on.
“Hey Erin, think you can catch me?” he asked.
“Catch you?”
Sharkskin opened his mouth and bit down on the wing with his powerful jaws. He tore away a chunk of the wing and the plane started flying out of control. Claws tore into the shell. Sparks flew from exposed circuitry. And Sharkskin continued to work on the plane. He couldn’t get to the pilot, then he’d go for the plane.
He saw the Icarus approach, flying beneath them. The Kotharian’s craft careened and Sharkskin sprung from the falling plane. He aimed his body towards the Icarus, bringing his legs together and his arms pinned to his sides, falling fast.
Just before he was going to hit the roof, he flipped and held out his arms, landing in a crouch. The impact caused the Icarus to dip but was otherwise unharmed. Sharkskin crouched down and crawled through a hatch that opened on the roof. He walked back to the cockpit and strapped himself in again.
“How’s that for useful?” he asked.
S
hift reached over and slapped him on his shoulder. “Don’t you ever do something like that again!”
CHAPTER 7
Sentinel’s jetpack carried him through the air, the holographic armor around his body protecting him from the brunt of the Kotharian attacks. He returned fire when he could from his gauntlets and watched as Zenith and Paragon did the same.
Cerberus fighters joined the battle as well, as did the Air Force, but their numbers were dwindling. It was mostly up to Vanguard at this point and Sentinel wasn’t going to let down his teammates.
His small size relative to the fighters made it a lot easier to weave through the air and maneuver in ways that were simply impossible for the fighters. But that wasn’t his real purpose in his fight.
Sentinel dodged an approaching fighter and latched onto its hull as it flew past. Magnetic locks kept him affixed to the underside of the fighter’s body and Sentinel placed his hands on the ship’s alien surface. He closed his eyes, concentrating as he tried to speak to the plane.
After spending months working on J’Karra’s ship, Sentinel had become fairly familiar with the “language” this technology “spoke,” but he was still something of a novice. He didn’t have the same control over it as he did with the technology of Earth, but if he concentrated, he could push the fighters to act in the way he wanted. Although he wasn’t sure how many he could really control.
The fighter’s canopy opened, much to the surprise of the pilot. Sentinel could hear the pilot screaming in his alien tongue, and the special assumed it wasn’t the kind of language one could use in polite company.
The ejector seat activated and the pilot sent rocketing into the air. Sentinel released himself from the fighter and activated his jetpack anew. The fighter was now under his control and the AI had been assigned to target other Kotharian vessels, which it now went to work on. And Sentinel was off to find his next target.
***
Teleforce cannons blasted the Kotharian ships and they returned fire as well. Zenith’s new body was composed of some of the strongest material on Earth and he could withstand a lot of damage if it came to that.
Vanguard: Seasons 1-3: A Superhero Adventure Page 82