Vanguard: The Complete Second Season: A Superhero Serial (Vanguard: The Collected Seasons Book 2) (8 page)

“That’s enough, Fenris,” said the Exemplar.

Fenris turned his gaze to Arcadia’s leader. “Hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” He turned and followed the rest of his team.
 

Once the wolves were gone, the Exemplar rose higher into the air to address the onlookers. “That’s enough excitement for one day. Go about your business.”

The Exemplar lowered again as Sharkskin transformed back into Koji. The Exemplar looked at the wounds the two had on them.

“We should get you patched up,” he said. “I think we have a lot to talk about.”

CHAPTER 5

The Exemplar floated just above the ground as he led Erin and Koji around the main town square of Arcadia. “What I learned from the time I was held prisoner by the Red Fist was that there would always be people like the Khagan and Azarov who would exploit specials for their own uses.”
 

He led them from the town square towards a hill with a series of stone steps ascending upwards. While the Exemplar simply flew higher, Erin and Koji climbed up the steps. At the summit was a stone building and the ridge overlooked Arcadia.

The Exemplar gestured in one direction where farmland was visible. “We’re very self-sufficient here. We not only grow our own food, but we also send out fishing expeditions. The island also has some wildlife, but we don’t hunt them too much for fear of dwindling their numbers. Some specials use their abilities to help power our generators and provide the island with more than enough electricity to meet our needs. And anything else we need, the Ferryman can get for us.”

“How did you get this set up so quickly?” asked Koji. “It’s only been what, six months since we stopped the Khagan?”

“I got to work as soon as we returned. Found others like me who could help me set this up.” The Exemplar approached the building and knocked a few times. The door opened and standing in the frame was a young woman of Native American ancestry. She stepped aside so they could enter.

A round table sat in the center of the room and a familiar cloaked man sat at the table, nodding to the new arrivals.

“I’d like to introduce you both to Shift and Sharkskin.” The Exemplar looked at Erin and Koji while gesturing to the cloaked man. “You’ve already met the Ferryman. And this,” he stepped behind the woman, placing his hands on her shoulders, “is Tuwa. She’s responsible for the terraforming that made Arcadia possible.”

“Terraforming?” asked Erin, shaking Tuwa’s hand.

“I can manipulate the earth,” said Tuwa. “That’s also what made it possible to construct many of the buildings you see around here so quick.”

“Pretty impressive,” said Koji.

Tuwa smiled.

“Have you had any trouble since creating this place? A nation of specials would probably make some people nervous,” said Erin.

“Especially with you running it,” said Koji, looking at the Exemplar.

“A fair point,” said the Exemplar. “I don’t run things here. We have meetings where we discuss issues and vote on them. The three of us just help oversee some of the more mundane issues.”

“And no one’s objected?” asked Erin.

“You mean Cerberus, don’t you?” asked Tuwa.

“Crossed my mind. There’s been a lot of talk about them online, hard to separate fact from fiction.”

“We have some specials who are able to keep us more or less invisible,” said the Exemplar. “The Ferryman is the only way anyone has ever accessed this place.”

“I heard there was some commotion when you two arrived,” said Tuwa.

“The Pack,” said the Exemplar.

Both Tuwa and the Ferryman groaned. Koji studied each of their faces. “I’m guessing you’re talking about those werewolves we dealt with?”

“Fenris and his little lapdogs,” said the Ferryman. “They’ve been a pretty consistent pain in our ass.”

“So why put up with them?” asked Koji, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.
 

“Arcadia is open to all specials as long as they play by the rules,” said the Exemplar. “Fenris is headstrong, but he hasn’t broken any laws yet. More of a nuisance than anything.”

Tuwa stepped closer to Koji and Erin. “You must both be tired after your trip. I can show you to a place you can stay.”

Erin was about to speak, but Koji put a hand on her shoulder and interrupted before she could say a word. “Actually, we’re just looking around right now.”

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. And if Arcadia’s not for you, the Ferryman will take you back whenever you’re ready to go,” said the Exemplar. “Tuwa, can you show them where they can rest?”

She nodded. “Of course.” Tuwa led Erin and Koji from the building and back down the hill and into town. She glanced behind at them every now and then as she spoke. “You’re part of Vanguard?”

“Were,” said Erin. “We were sh—separated.” She was about to say, “shut down,” but then decided it was better not to reveal their connection with the government. Even if Vanguard was truly over, she didn’t want to take any chances.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Kinda got the impression that we don’t have a lot of fans out here,” said Koji.

Tuwa snickered. “Because of the Pack? They don’t speak for everyone here.”

“We
did
smack around your founder.”

“Yes, but then you also helped him escape from the Red Fist,” said Tuwa. “Callum’s a good man. He admits he made some mistakes when he first discovered his powers and now he’s trying to make amends. That’s what Arcadia’s all about—a second chance.”

After they reached the foot of the hill, Tuwa took them to a small structure near the edge of the town. There was a bathroom, two bedrooms, and a small kitchen attached to a sitting room. Some furniture but not much. The bedrooms weren’t as big as the ones Koji and Erin had grown accustomed to in Atlas, but they would do for now.

“You can stay here. Sorry we’ve got to double you up for now, but we’re running short on space,” said Tuwa.
 

“It’s fine,” said Erin.

“I’ll let you get settled. It’s good to meet you both.” Tuwa nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Erin sat down on the couch in the sitting room, looking up at Koji. “So what do you think? Pretty nice, huh?”

Koji sighed and sat beside her. “Yeah, except for Fenris and his crew.”

“You heard what the Ferryman said. The Pack has always been a pain.”

“I dunno, Erin.” Koji scratched his head and sat back. “Something about this just doesn’t feel right to me. Maybe I’m just suspicious of the Exemplar.”

“He
did
help us stop the Khagan. Plus you heard what Tuwa said—he’s trying to make up for his mistakes,” said Erin. “If he wants to change, shouldn’t we give him a second chance?”

“You’re probably right. I just don’t like it.”
 

Erin scoffed and stood, crossing her arms. “Just what else do we have? Not just us but the rest of these people. You saw what some of them looked like. Where are they supposed to go?”

“I’m not saying it’s a bad place,” said Koji. “I’m just suspicious of the Exemplar, that’s all. I know they said this is some kind of democracy, but did you see that place up on the hill? And the way everyone looked at him when he broke up the fight with the Pack? Feels like despite talk of a democracy, these people look at the Exemplar like he’s their savior.”

Erin sighed and sat beside Koji, patting his hand. “Please, just give it a chance? Just a few days. If you still don’t like it, then we’ll leave.”

Koji hesitated for a moment but then nodded and held up two fingers. “Two days, that’s it. Deal?”

Erin offered her hand. “Deal.”

Koji smirked and they shook on it.

CHAPTER 6

Koji chose to stay behind and relax, but Erin took time to explore the town square. The sun was setting and she wandered around as people milled about. Some people avoided her as she walked around, but a few gave her half-hearted smiles.

She wasn’t sure why everyone was so scared of her and Koji. She knew the rumors about Vanguard online, but she never expected there were people who actually believed that Vanguard was out to cause trouble for them. Persecuting their own kind, why would anyone think they were capable of that? All they’d ever done was stand up to specials who were endangering innocent lives.
 

Erin tried not to focus too much on it. She found herself wandering from town and out onto the shores. She saw a woman standing waist-deep in the water and Erin approached the waves. Erin started to wade into the water herself and called out.

“Hey there.”

The woman turned and Erin nearly gasped in surprise when she saw the gills on the woman’s neck. She dove beneath the water and Erin saw a tail splash above the surface.
 

“Wait!”

Erin moved deeper into the ocean, treading out until the water level reached her neck. She looked around but could find no sign of the woman. And then she heard something behind her. Erin turned and the woman’s head poked out of the water. “Sorry if I scared you.”

The mermaid just stared at her, not offering any response.

“Are you okay?” asked Erin.
 

“You’re one of
them
.”

“Them? Them what?” asked Erin. “You mean Vanguard?”

The mermaid gave a nod. “You attacked other specials. Hunted them down for the government.”

“No, it wasn’t like that,” said Erin. “We just tried to stop bad specials from hurting people. From putting themselves above the rest of us.”

“So you weren’t working for the government?”

“It’s—it’s not that simple,” said Erin. “Look, can we just go back to shore and I can explain things?”

“You can’t even answer a simple question, how do you expect to explain anything?”

“No, it’s just—” Erin sighed. “Look, there are just some things I can’t talk about. I wish I could, but I can’t.”

“And you want me to trust you?” The mermaid swam out a little bit more. Her tail broke the surface and slammed back down, splashing water into Erin’s face. The young special wiped the water from her eyes and the mermaid was gone.
 

Erin sighed, treading water all alone. She couldn’t see any sign of that mermaid again. Why did so many specials hate them? She had hoped that Arcadia would be a place where they could be among their own kind.
 

She swam back to shore. Koji had agreed to stay a few days here but now she wasn’t sure if
she
even wanted to stay that long. Already she began to feel just as out of place as she felt back in Madison.

***

Tuwa stepped into the building that served as the meeting room for the Council of Arcadia that included both the Exemplar and the Ferryman. But she was surprised to see a third man with a gray beard and a bald head sitting at the table.
 

The Exemplar closed the door behind Tuwa and led her to a seat, but she never took her eyes off the new arrival. “What’s he doing here?”

“Animus came to tell us about the current mood of the island,” said the Exemplar.

“And what can he tell us?” asked Tuwa as she sat at the table.

Animus rested his elbows on the table, his fingers interlocked. “I think you’re playing with fire, my friends. Word is spreading fast among the populace. They know about your two new Vanguard friends and the fear is dripping off them.”

“Maybe it’s not such a good idea for them to be here,” said the Ferryman. “Say the word and I’ll take them back where they came from.”

“That’s a bit rash, isn’t it?” asked Tuwa. “They haven’t even done anything.”

“And should they do something, the results could be catastrophic,” said Animus. “We have survived these past six months with a tenuous balance. The hall meetings help people feel like they are in control but all secretly know that this council is the true power behind Arcadia.”

“That’s not true,” said the Exemplar.

“Oh?” Animus sat back in his chair. “My mistake.”

The Exemplar allowed his gaze to linger on Animus before finally addressing Tuwa. “What was your impression of them?”

“The boy doesn’t seem very keen on staying. If he had his way, I think they’d already be gone,” said Tuwa.

“And Shift?”

“She’s…conflicted. I get the sense she’s still searching for something,” said Tuwa. “But whether or not Arcadia is that thing remains to be seen.”

“Ferryman?” asked the Exemplar.

The Ferryman shook his cloaked head. “I’m not the best judge of character. But I think there’s something to what Animus is saying. Don’t forget about what happened between them and the Pack.”

“Don’t brush that aside, either,” said Animus. “The Pack may be an extreme case, but their actions were borne from fear. Having these two in Arcadia could be a potential powder keg. Should it go off, there’s no telling the kind of chaos it could unleash.”

“They’re good people,” said Tuwa. “Give them time, the others will see that, too.”

The Exemplar rubbed his chin as he thought on the opinions of the council. “I’ve fought beside them and against them, but I think we can trust them. We should follow Tuwa’s advice. Animus, I’d like you to start talking to people in town, let them know that Shift and Sharkskin are just two more specials, no different from anyone else here.”

A banging sound came from the door. The gathered all looked at the door and the pounding continued unabated. The Exemplar stood and approached the door, opening it. Fenris burst into the room, in his wolf form, his claws and teeth bared, spoiling for a fight.

“What the hell are you doing?” asked the Exemplar.

“I
warned
you!” spat Fenris, pointing a clawed finger at the Exemplar.

“Warned us about what?” asked the Ferryman, rising from his seat.
 

“It’s Zev!” said Fenris. “They
killed
him!”

CHAPTER 7

Erin was surprised to hear the knocking on the door to the small hut she and Koji were sharing. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed, glancing over at the digital clock on the nightstand. The time was around midnight.
 

She climbed out of bed and walked from her room to the front door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see the Exemplar standing there. Erin blinked again. “What’s going on?”