Vanguard: The Complete Second Season: A Superhero Serial (Vanguard: The Collected Seasons Book 2) (7 page)

Koji rubbed her back. “It’s okay, no one said coming back would be easy. After everything we’ve been through, kinda hard to just leave it all behind.”

“My friends just annoy the crap out of me now,” said Erin. “All they talk about is who’s wearing what or who’s dating who and I just want to scream at them, ‘Do you know how stupid this is?’ And then my mom…Jesus, she can’t even stand to look at me.”

“Sure it’s not like that.”

“Oh?” Erin turned to Koji. “Every time I change into my real form, she freaks!”

Koji sighed. “Wish I could say I know more about what you’re going through. But me…I was kind of a loner before Vanguard, so being on my own isn’t so bad.”

“I know, but you’re also the only one I can talk to about this stuff,” said Erin. “Listen, just come with me to Arcadia, okay? Just to check it out.”

Koji sighed. “I don’t know…”

“Please, Koj? I just need to be around people like us, if only for a little bit.” She reached for his hand, clutching it tightly in both of hers. “You’re not gonna make me turn into a puppy and beg, are you?”

Koji chuckled. “As funny as that would be, no.” He took a breath. “Okay. But just to watch your back, got it? And we’re
only
visiting.”

A wide grin spread on Erin’s face and she threw her arms around Koji, knocking them both onto the sand. “You’re the best!”

Koji laughed, hugging her back. “Yeah, I know. So how do we get to this place?”

“There’s an island near here, word has it they’re picking up a group of specials tomorrow.”

CHAPTER 3

Koji was surprised at the number of people who were waiting on the island when he and Erin climbed off the small boat. The small island had at least two dozen people waiting. Most looked fairly normal, but there were a few who wore hoods or wide-brimmed hats to keep their faces hidden. He caught only the smallest glimpse of some of them, noticing the deformities caused by their abilities.

It never occurred to Koji that not all specials who undergo physical transformations would be able to change back into a human form like him and Erin. At first he wasn’t so sure about a place like Arcadia, but now he began to wonder at what sort of persecution these people must have faced.

He felt Erin’s fingers wrap around his hand and he looked to his side. She was in her Shift form and from the look in her yellow eyes, Koji could tell she was nervous. No one gathered spoke to anyone else. They all stood in silence, watching out over the water.
 

And then it happened. A distortion in the air. Koji blinked a few times, not sure of what he actually saw. It came again, with a crackle of energy. The water bubbled up around a certain spot and a yellow tear appeared in the middle of the space above the water. It opened wider, forming into a large arch.
 

A long boat came through the arch and a man stood at the rear of it, rowing with a large oar. He wore a cloak that covered every inch of his body and long, straggly hair emerged from the sides of the hood. His eyes were a piercing yellow that matched the color of the arch and his face long and thin.
 

The boat ran ashore and he moved from the rear to the front, stepping out onto the sand-covered beach. He held up his hands in a gesture for all to come closer.
 

“You’ve all come here because you wish for an escape for the world of man, a world that has shown you only persecution and hatred. However you may of heard of us, you are welcome on my boat.” He made a sweeping gesture towards the vessel. “If you’re prepared to leave this world behind, then allow the Ferryman to escort you to a new and better one.”

The people on the shore one by one piled into the Ferryman’s boat. Erin and Koji looked at each other. He gave her a questioning raise of his brow and Erin replied with a smile and a nod. She was ready to do this, wherever it led.
 

The pair approached the boat and the Ferryman smiled at them as they came close. Koji pulled himself into the boat first and then offered a hand to Erin to help her up. They sat down on one of the benches, squeezing in amongst the other passengers.

The Ferryman was the last to board and he used his oar to push away from the shore. He paddled, turning the boat and directing it into the portal he’d come out from. As they passed through the yellow arch, they saw the sky was slightly darker here, a different time of day. The water was also far more clear, almost completely translucent.

Once the boat was through the portal, it closed completely. Koji, Erin, and the other passengers all cast their eyes around, taking in the scenery. The Ferryman kept his eyes straight, paddling closer to land. A long pier jutted out from the shore and a gathering of people stood on land, watching their approach.
 

The Ferryman brought the boat closer and a young man stepped out onto the dock. He closed his eyes and held out his hands. His outstretched fingers vibrated slightly, an invisible force taking hold of the boat and pulling it closer to the dock. Ropes snaked out seemingly under their own power and tied themselves to the boat’s cleats.
 

The man lowered his arms and opened his eyes, smiling at the newcomers. He made a motion for them to disembark and one by one, they climbed onto the pier. Erin and Koji followed the others. The gathering on the beach cheered as the new arrivals set foot on the island for the first time.
 

While most of the people greeted the new arrivals, Koji noticed one man, tall with short dark hair and a thin beard, eyeing Erin carefully. When in his Sharkskin form, Koji’s senses were superhuman, but even in his human form, they were sharper than most. And something about this bearded man made him protective of his friend.
 

Erin gasped and she tapped Koji’s arm furiously. Koji broke his gaze from the stranger and looked at Erin. “What is it?”

“Look!” Erin pointed up in the air and Koji saw what she saw, causing him to react in a similar fashion.

A man hovered high above the trees, dressed in blue and white with a cape billowing behind him. His dark hair was cropped short and he had piercing, blue eyes. He hovered above the crowd and those who had just arrived along with those who were already waiting cheered for him.

But for Erin and Koji, this was a shock. They recognized this man as Callum King. The rest of the world knew him only as the Exemplar, a powerful special with an incredible degree of superhuman abilities. The first time they encountered him, they were enemies. And the second, they were reluctant allies when taking down the Khagan.

The Exemplar held up his hands and smiled and the crowd’s cheers died down. “Thank you. I would like to welcome you all to the future. Ever since we started appearing, we knew the time would come when humans would have no use for us. Fortunately here in this place, we can live free from their persecution and their judgment. Here, there is no need to hide who you truly are. In this place, you can be made whole once more and join a family that grows larger with each passing day.

“Welcome to Arcadia.”

CHAPTER 4

“What’s the Exemplar doing here?” asked Koji, speaking in a low voice to Erin. “I mean, I know Thorne let him go free after we got back from Olympus, but I wasn’t expecting this.”

Erin shrugged. “I’ve got no idea. I tried to keep tabs on him after we left Atlas, but couldn’t find any info. I thought he’d decided to lay low after everything that had happened.”

“Guess he was setting this place up.”

The Exemplar had departed and other representatives of Arcadia arrived, guiding the new arrivals from the shore. Erin and Koji moved along with the crowd. Paths led up a small hill, on the other side of which they could see a small town. The homes and buildings were pretty small, all looked constructed from stone.
 

In the town square, tables were set up with the Arcadian representatives asking the newcomers to form lines in order to record their information. Erin remained by Koji’s side, standing behind him in the long line.

And then, Erin was forcefully pulled from the line. She screamed as she was grabbed, drawing the attention of Koji and the rest of the gathered specials. Koji recognized the man who grabbed her—the same one he had seen at the shore staring at them.

“They’re here!” said the scruffy man. He kept one arm wrapped around Erin’s neck and claws extended from his free hand. Black hair emerged from the pores all over his body and his muscles strained beneath his clothes. His jaw elongated and his teeth extended into long fangs.

“What are you doing, Fenris?” asked one of the Arcadian representatives.

“Don’t you recognize her?” asked Fenris. “She’s one of
them!
Vanguard!”

“Let me go!” said Erin. “I didn’t do anything to you!”

“Only because I’m not giving you the chance!”

Everyone cleared a path for Fenris, except Koji who stepped closer. He narrowed his eyes at the werewolf. “Let her go right now.”

“You don’t know what she is! Her and the rest of her team are traitors, working with the humans to hunt down specials!” said Fenris.

“I know what she is—you don’t know what
I
am!” Koji’s body bulked up, his skin toughening and becoming gray as he assumed his shark form.
 

Fenris’ eyes bulged at the sight before him. “You’re one of ‘em, too!”

“Name’s Sharkskin, Fido. And I think you’re about to find out why she’s called Shift.”

Erin’s neck and head became extremely thin, allowing her to slip through Fenris’ grip. He tried to grab hold of her again, but with her malleable form, it was too difficult. Shift maneuvered herself behind Fenris, her arms snaking around his shoulders and holding him. Sharkskin stepped closer, cracking his knuckles with a grin on his face.

“I’m gonna enjoy this.”

Before Sharkskin could take another step, he was tackled. This was another wolf-like special, with reddish fur, and he wrestled with Sharkskin on the ground. His strength was about equal to Koji’s and Sharkskin couldn’t gain any sort of leverage.

“Call him off!” said Shift, now wrapping her arm around Fenris’ throat.
 

Fenris turned his head as best he could to look at Shift. “Go ahead and kill me, traitor. That’s what you do, isn’t it? Kill your own kind?”

Shift’s head was grabbed from behind and yanked back. She hit the ground hard and saw a third lupine special standing over her with a lighter shade of hair, almost blond. A fourth jumped from the crowd, with brown fur. Shift slid on the ground to avoid his attack just as Sharkskin managed to throw his foe off.
 

The four lupines surrounded the two. None of the other denizens of Arcadia dared to intervene and the former members of Vanguard got the sense that these shifters had instilled fear into many of the people living here.

“Didn’t you know, wolves hunt in packs,” said Fenris with a grin. His three followers snickered at his words.

“Not sure what your problem is with us, but we’re not your enemies,” said Shift.

“You’re Vanguard, aren’t you?” asked the wolf with reddish fur.
 

“Were,” said Sharkskin. “And even when Vanguard was still around, we never went after anyone who didn’t deserve it.”

“Don’t listen to them, Zev,” said the blond wolf. “They’d say anything to get out of what’s coming.”

“Dolph’s right,” said the brown-haired wolf. “Your call, Fenris.”

“You know what to do, Rollo,” said Fenris. “Get ‘em!”

The four wolves closed in on the two specials. Sharkskin moved in front of Shift, trying to protect her as they moved against them. Claws cut against his skin and even with his tough hide, they were sharp enough to draw blood.
 

Shift’s fingers elongated into claws of her own and she climbed up on Sharkskin then pounced on Rollo, slicing into his chest. He yelped in pain and pulled back. Shift felt a sting of pain from her back as Zev cut into her from behind. She spun on her heel and dodged his next strike, slicing into his abdomen.

Sharkskin grappled with Dolph and he could smell Fenris coming at him for another attack. Sharkskin spun, throwing Dolph into his leader. He charged into them, barreling into Dolph and Fenris and throwing them both to the ground.

Shift and Sharkskin regrouped, as did Fenris and his followers. Just as they were all about to rush into another attack, a burst of energy struck the ground between them. All eyes turned skyward to see the Exemplar hovering above, his hands glowing brightly. He lowered himself between them, his feet still remaining a few inches off the ground.

“Someone care to explain just what the hell is going on here?”
 

Fenris pointed an accusatory finger at Sharkskin and Shift. “They’re Vanguard! We all know that they hunt down specials for the humans!”

The Exemplar turned his eyes and a flash of recognition appeared when he saw the two specials he had fought with and fought alongside. “Well, this is certainly a surprise.”

“We’re not here to cause any trouble,” said Shift. “They just attacked us for no reason!”

The Exemplar gave a nod. “I believe you.”

“What?” asked Dolph. “They attacked
you
, Exemplar! Or did you forget that you were their first victim?”

The Exemplar turned and fired an energy blast at Dolph, throwing him to the ground. “Don’t presume to know what happened to me. I wasn’t in the best place when I first discovered my powers. Vanguard did what they had to do and later, they helped me against the Khagan.”

“We can’t trust them!” said Rollo. “They’ll bring Cerberus down on all of us!”

“I don’t see that happening. All specials are welcome here in Arcadia.” The Exemplar’s eyes turned to the lupine leader. “So keep your dogs on a leash, Fenris. Or I’ll do it for you.”

Rollo and Zev looked to Fenris for some indication of what their next move should be. The leader just huffed as his form began to change, returning to his human shape. “Pick up Dolph and let’s get out of here.”

The two wolves did as they were told and the crowd parted for them to carry out their unconscious teammate. Fenris lingered behind, staring at Sharkskin and Shift. “You’d better watch yourselves. We’ve got something good going here on this island, and we don’t need you ruining it for the rest of us.”