<strong><span class="bbc_u">Archived News reel</span></strong><br/>Scene, Eternity Square, Omegatropolis.<br/>News crews flock the area, keeping behind the military cordon as helicopters bearing SWAT-insignias circle overhead; several buildings already in ruins and cars strewn around like discarded toys. A sudden explosion rocks the area, sending reporters and their cameramen running for cover. One brave soul focuses the camera on a rooftop of a fast food joint where the heroine Ascended is fighting against the villain Bean Sidhe, both of the Atlanteans tossing magic at each other that make the air tremble with power. Then Ascended gains the upper hand and her next spell seems to wink Bean Sidhe out of existence.<br/>Meanwhile, Inferno and Scion are fighting against the massive form of Kraken, the immense mutated beast covering several nearby city blocks. As quickly as the two heroes can remove one huge tentacle, two more lash out at them and they look bloodied and worn. However a few well-aimed blasts from Omega Man forces the beast back, and Inferno and Scion take this window of opportunity to leap onto the main body of Kraken, tearing through magitech armor and into the oily flesh beneath. The battle is brutal, with all four of the Vanguard soon joining in the battle to vanquish the massive monstrosity. With the last two of the Centuro's vanquished the beaten enemy toll is now ten, with the last threat still there.<br/>Standing victorious over his minions, the Arch Nemesis of Omegatropolis arrives to fight the heroes; Liege Maximo. The armor-clad gestalt is as imposing now as he was when Commander Freedom fought him almost seventy years ago.<br/>The Vanguard are wounded, the heart of the great city in ruins around them and the most powerful villain in the history of the world stands before them. Yet they do not flinch, they do not hesitate when they throw themselves into battle with him.<br/>Ascended bends the walls between dimensions, channeling another reality into this one and unleashing devastating magical energies, Inferno strikes like lightning and throws shurikens so fast that they become like a silvery mist, Scion striking aside pieces of debris tossed at her friends and then leaping into close combat with the Liege and Omega Man fires again and again. Yet they slowly fall, Ascended dying from a blast of pure mental energy, Inferno tossed aside with a broken neck. The two remaining heroes almost beaten when Scion holds Maximo down for a brief moment; Omega Man grabbing that chance to overload the Nexus reactor in his suit.<br/>Ground Zero; the blast obliterating five city blocks, leaving the comatose form of Omega Man as the only survivor.<br/>In the following days, then weeks, no trace is found of the other heroes of the Vanguard, and the city decides to erect a marble monolith with their names and deeds inscribed to honor their valiant last stand.<br/>And then came the slow process of rebuilding, Omegatropolis suddenly lacking the defenders that had held the supervillains at bay. The police did their best, as always and so did the lesser heroes of the city, fighting what was at best a delaying action in the greater war.  The more powerful heroes won victories here and there, or fell to villains arriving to the city.<br/>The human authorities powerless to stop the rising level of crime, it fell to the Atlantean High Council to set things into motion; sending their greatest sorceress to Omegatropolis, subtly offering financial or material aid to others who stood on the precipice of becoming heroes.<br/><br/>And amongst those they chose, four stand out as being as powerful, if not more so than the old Vanguard. This is their story, this is their battle. They are the New Vanguard.