"Adem?"
"Drake!"
"It's great to see you, man. How've you been?" Drake shook the alien's hand and patted him on the back.
"I've been. . .well." Adem surmised this was the correct word. Yes, it was.
"Is Ozzy gonna join us? Man, this could be a lot of fun!" Drake glanced around the room briefly, noticing his teammates.
"Sadly, no, Mr. Baxter's medical condition has not improved. He has been placed in London with a specialist." Doc Paragon took his seat behind his desk and gazed around at the assemblage before him.
Edmund Gaunt stood off near a corner of the room, shadows covering most of him. Next, Adem and Drake sat next to each other, Drake's bag between them. Lykopis was next, her legs crossed and one arm gingerly stroking Hecate's neck as the dog rested it's chin on her leg. Link Fox had returned and was munching on a croissant and sipping an adult beverage. Icarus Sidewinder sat with his chair turned backwards and his arms propped up on the back. "Can we get this started, then, William?" he asked.
They will do very nicely, Paragon thought to himself. "Yes, as you know, you have been selected as the field team for our new branch of Vanguard International. You are all experts in your various fields. I'd like you all to take this time to familiarize yourselves with your new teammates. Even you, Edmund." He glanced over at the Shadow Chancellor, who merely folded his arms.
"Edmund has vast experience with, shall we say, paranormal occurences. . ." Paragon continued.
"Paranormal?" Icarus asked.
"Just think of it as anything that it takes more than a gun to kill." Gaunt's voice sounded from the shadows.
"Adem Different, here, comes to us from a race of beings that specialize in detective work. He is among the finest at what he does." Paragon continued, going through each person's specializations.
"Drake Marshall, experienced vigilante, and spent a great deal of time in the field with the La Perditan team,"
"Lykopis, trained in almost every fighting skill known to man, and probably some that aren't. . ."
"Link Fox," Paragon paused for a moment, as Link looked up from his croissant and smiled a knowing smile. "Well, Mr. Fox's usefulness will become apparent with time."
"And Icarus Sidewinder," Paragon was interrupted as Sidewinder stood up and spoke "The best pilot in all of Europe, and working with technology most of you have never heard of." Sidewinder returned to his seat with a flourish.
"Yes, thank you, Icarus. The point being, you are all here for a reason. You are all great at what you separately. But I feel you can be better, as a group. The work we are to do, will be largely out of the public eye. Many of our operations will be of the covert nature. And most, if not all, of you have had at least some experience in that regard." Paragon glanced around the room.
"Now, then, if you are all agreed to the terms, Miss Goodweather will show you to the debriefing room." Paragon pressed a button on his intercom. "Yes?"
"Penny, we're ready, would you show our guests to the debriefing room?"
"Yes, sir."
As the new Vanguardians filed out of the room, Paragon caught Drake's arm. "Mr. Marshall, a word if you would."
Adem stood at the doorway a moment, looking back at Drake. Drake motioned for him to go ahead and follow the others.
"What is it?" he asked Paragon.
"I had hoped that you, Adem, and Ozzy would be the nucleus of this group, Drake. The bond around which the rest of this group would form. However, with Ozzy still in a coma, it will be a little more difficult."
"What are you getting at, Paragon?" Drake asked, shifting his bag a bit.
"They need a leader, Drake. Someone who can mold them from the individuals they are into a team. I want you to be that leader."
