CHAPTER 54: CH 54: THE VANGUARD.

He took the earbuds from her and fixed them in his ear as he played the video.

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The video was shot from a system of security cameras. The first shot was of the Vanguard’s former base.

~BOOM!~

Dust bellowed up as Nightwalker landed in front of the building.

He wasted no time before heading inside. His fists clutched tightly by his sides as he pushed the double doors of the building wide open.

The inside was more of a warehouse that was designed to have more of a professional feeling. As soon as the doors were pushed open the music stopped.

Someone from the second floor looked down to see who it was.

"Nightwalker?"

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Name | Sonic.

Faculty of Soulcraft | Affinity: Sonic-speed.

Rank: Ascendency.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

"What you doing here, man?" She asked as he marched across the room.

He waved a hand at her. "Not now hedgehog. Where’s he?"

"Who?" Sonic tilted back a little.

He just stared at her. Before his boots lifted off the ground, levitating slowly and rising to her eye level.

She swallowed hard. Turned around to see no one else was in the building but her. But she wouldn’t show fear, at first.

He finally got to her eye level. Hovering above the ground as she clutched the guard rail like a lifeline.

"Don’t lie to me, rip-off flash." Nightwalker ordered. "Where the hell is he?"

His words made her flinch slightly as her eyes unconsciously darted towards the door. She began calculating the distance, and if she could make it if he got out of control.

"Look, man." She raised her hands trying to calm him. "Extraordinary didn’t know, he didn’t know you’d step in front of the villain."

Nightwalker leaned in, settling on the edge and holding the rail.

"Aren’t you fucking disgusted?—" his face began to twitch, "—he’s not even a real awakened, he’s a fucking fake and you follow him around like he’s a hero."

"He is a hero."

Sonic refuted.

~BAM!~

He yanked the rail from its hidges and sent it flying into the door.

She stumbled a few steps back. He pointed a finger at her.

"He’s not a fucking hero. He doesn’t have what it takes to be a fucking hero. Now, where the fuck is he? I won’t ask again."

His eyes began to glow in its ominous shade of gold.

"I’m right here Nightwalker."

A voice cut through and drew their attention.

A band of four people, each in their own different awakened suit. But one was walking ahead of them, undoubtedly the leader.

Well trimmed brown hair that greyed slightly at the sides, a full beard that complimented his manly frame and stoic expression.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Name | Extraordinary.

Classification | Aether Enhanced humans.

Powers | Enhanced Strength, durability and longevity.

[Humans who’ve undergone some kind of experiment to have Aether in their veins. Although they are now superhumans, they have no special powers (affinity)].

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

"To what do we owe the pleasure?"

If you blinked you’ve missed it, Nightwalker closed the distance between them faster than hummingbird’s heart could beat.

But the leader didn’t move nor did he flinch, just a small smile. "Nice moves, now why are you here?"

Nightwalker smiled back. "Tough guy, right?"

He slammed his hands together, the sound of spandex stretching deepened, like he was trying to control himself.

"I’m not gonna argue this with you. I just need you to understand something, when I’m at a crime scene and you see me there— then you take your little Scooby Doo crew and you leave.

Alright." Nightwalker patted him on the shoulder and veered to the side as he proceeded out of the door until—

"You really that scared of us Paragon?" A chocolate skinned girl with straight auburn hair in a skintight blue costume said.

Nightwalker held on to the door’s handle for what felt like an hour before he turned back to her. "Wha— what did you just say?"

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Name | Catalyst

Faculty of Mechania | Affinity: Infusion.

Rank: Ascendency.

Infusion: Basically, pumps raw kinetic aether into objects, forcing their molecules to shake like crazy until they’re one touch away from exploding.

Weapon Of Choice | Throwing knives.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

"You heard me man. Are you afraid of us or something?" She said confidently.

Nightwalker let go of the handle and slowly walked back up to her, ignoring everyone else until—

"That’s enough, Nightwalker." Someone stepped in front of him to stop him.

Blue eyes, blond hair parted at the side and muscles that came not from trials but from real harsh life experiences.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Name | Blacklash.

Classification | Artifact using heroes. [ They use weapons with Aether to fight crimes.]

Choice Of Weapons | Aether-enhanced guns.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

He raised a hand to Nightwalker’s chest to stop him. "You’ve made your point, now leave our base."

Nightwalker’s eyes slowly trailed down to the hand.

Then back up to his eyes with a contort of disgust all over his face.

"You know you’re worse than him—" he glanced at Extraordinary, "—at least Aether is in his veins. But you? You’re less than nothing without your little water guns."

"I dare you to call em’ water guns again and see what happens." He met Nightwalker’s eyes head on.

Nightwalker turned to the last of them. "Aren’t you fucking ashamed of yourself Chimera?

At least these little pathetic fucks are still Ascendents but you... you’re a fucking Transcendent. You’re better than this."

The bald headed man in the black awakened suit said nothing, he was the quiet type who seemed to want no trouble.

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Name | Chimera.

Faculty Of Beasts | Affinity: Animorph.

Rank: Transcendent.

[Animorph: The ability to transform into any and all animals in the conventional animal kingdom.]

• · ─ ·✶· ─ · •

Chimera mustered all the strength he had to look Nightwalker in the eye and say, "Get the hell out of our base Ian."

He smiled. Nodding his head several times in understanding as he walked to the door, very slowly.

"Ian.

That name’s still hilarious cause no matter how many times I tell people it’s Nightwalker.

The really stubborn ones never really get it, and you wanna know the only way to make them get it?"

He stopped again, at the same position with his hand on the handle. "Forcefully."

He whipped his head back as beans of lasers shot out and cut right through Backlash’s centre.

He remained standing for a second, unmoving.

Before he inevitably looked down to the blood painting the floor and his top half slid away from his bottom like a decapitated head.

The rest had ducked for cover.

His eye lasers subsided as he took a step forward. "Shame. I wanted him to die last."