The Vanguard

"'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.' (John 1:5; New Living Translation)"A government-sponsored organisation for heroes and prospective heroes in the United States. Heroes in The Vanguard go against both Villains and Vigilantes the same.

History
The Vanguard was founded in the year 1975 as a co-operative venture between Vietnam War hero Captain Fission and Connor McNulty, an investor from Boston. It proved massively popular within the Senate and started receiving government grants after only half a year of operation, since the police have only so many powered members and vigilantism is strictly forbidden.

In the year 1983, a scandal within The Vanguard reared its head: "''Is it really safe for young Parahumans to join such an organisation?" ''- a question being asked after the preventable death of the young heroine, Oni. The Vanguard's response was to create a new subsection for youths called The Wards, which is to provide mentorship and training to young prospective heroes. This project, called The Matou Initative after Oni's surname, also spurred the development of several outreach programmes to deter crime and the establishment of the Zarathustra Parahuman Academy in 1993.

This initiative restored The Vanguard's reputation in the eyes of the public, but also raises an important question: Is this whole "superhero" thing really worth it?

Becoming a Hero
Joining The Vanguard isn't as easy as walking into the door and applying. You must first join The Wards Program, a subsection dedicated to training new heroes, but before that you must get a recommendation from at least three senior Vanguard members and pass a physical/power exam.

Upon approval into The Wards program, you will attend the Zarathustra Parahuman Academy for academics and power training for a minimum of one year, before a professional hero can take you on as their Apprentice. You will do tasks for them, including fighting alongside them during your time in The Ward Program.

Once you're in, you start receiving your salary and training. After 3-5 years in The Wards (depending on your performance), you have the opportunity to join The Vanguard proper, and either join a hero team or go solo. The vast majority of heroes are apart of teams, though solo heroes are not stigmatised; they're just seen as "specialist operatives". From there, you are assigned a Region and gain your official hero license, usually presented to you by your Mentor.

Code Names
Originating from Parahuman conventions from before The Parahuman War, when using one's real identity could be a matter of life or death, Heroes haved worked under a pseudonym for as long as Heroes have been around for. Although there are certain conventions, most are free to choose their own alias, though some choose to have an alias assigned to them, or forgo one altogether.

Hierarchy
The Vanguard is lead by Captain Fission, who has most of the say in what the organisation does and how it spends its money. In most circumstances, however, the other heroes have a large say in how everything is done. Heroes are split into three categories: Elite, Professional and Fledgling, denoting their experience level (not necessarily capability). The longer a hero has been working with The Vanguard, the more say they have than newer heroes.

The Big Five
The first ever super hero team. Comprised of The Vanguard's highest ranking and most powerful members. The only way to join it, is to have one of its current members abdicate their position or die.
 * Warlock: The strongest member of The Vanguard. Spends most of her time doing... God knows what. (1981–2020) [β-Timeline only]


 * The Awe: Captain Fission's declared successor. Had been personally trained by him to do his job, when he eventually passed. Graduate of the first class of the ZPA and ex-leader of The Millennium Force from San Francisco. (2008–)


 * Vigil: A strong plasma-based Blaster. Loves showboating and appears on television whenever she can. (1975–)


 * Bulwark: A strong, silent fellow who dedicates most of his time to small children. Is a major advocate against The Wards... Though you'd never hear that on the TV. (1975–)
 * Legion: The first hero to graduate from The Wards in 1997. Mentored by Valor, he is both charming and a very tough opponent, calling on the power of legendary heroes to destroy entire armies... Good thing he's on the good guy's side! (1998–)

Past Members

 * Wyvern: Wyvern stripped of her status as a professional hero in 1991, eight years after the death of Grace Matou (Oni) under her supervision. (1975–1991)
 * Ardent: The Elite Four's Special Operations Agent. And the first Dean of the Zarathustra Parahuman Academy . In the Beta Timeline, she is incarcerated for permitting Vigilantism and sent to the Arctic Compound in 1994. In the Alpha Timeline, she never experiences such treatment, as The Doom Disciples never formed. (1975–1994) [β-Timeline only], (1975–) [α-Timeline]
 * Captain Fission: The founder of The Big Five. Passed away due to complications regarding colorectal cancer in 2008. (1975–2008)

Pro-Heroes

 * Aether: A member of The Travellers, an Anaheim-based superhero team. She has control over "nothingness", which she calls "The Hollow".
 * Amber: Also known by her nickname, "The Silent Guardian", she is a member of The Millennium Force.
 * Atlas
 * Bone: A member of the LA Rangers in 2004.
 * Bonfire
 * Candace Cross: A member of The Millennium Force and advocate for public identities.
 * Diamond Dust: Noel Stark was one of the first "outed" heroes in the early 90s and has since become an advocate for others to reveal their names to the public.
 * The Druid
 * Ellipses: One of the two Leaders of The LA Rangers. She has changed a lot since her 1998 debut, having been assigned to the LA area since her training in The Wards.
 * The Exorcist: The leader of the Anaheim-based team The Travelers. He reportedly has the ability to communicate with the dead.
 * The Gardner: The Lone Wolf stationed in the Carolina area.
 * Glowworm: Recruited by the LA Rangers in October 2004.
 * Kojiro: An LA native who joined The Vanguard under mysterious circumstances. Nobody knows who he is or what kind of person he is.
 * Nemesis
 * Ozone
 * Paragon
 * Phoenix: A heroine plagued with controversy regarding her sexual identity. Officially, she has rejoined The Vanguard and fights crime in the West Texas area.
 * Pixel: An ex-teenage technopathic villain who was adopted by Ellipses
 * Quasar
 * Sage
 * Sentinel: The Covert Ops Specialist of The Millennium Force. Another graduate from the ZPA.
 * Singularity: A young but seasoned heroine of seven years. She has strong Gravity-based powers. Ex-member of blahblah and current member of The LA Rangers.
 * Valor
 * Vibro: A graduate of the ZPA and the leader of the superhero team The Dawn Squad, operating out of the New York Metropolitan Area.

Other Members

 * Champion
 * The Chronomancer
 * Claptrap
 * The Repoman: Has the ability to invent things from far in the future. Sells them for millions. Took the role of Dean of the ZPA after Ardent was incarcerated.
 * Servo: A licensed contractor who uses her architecture-based powers for The Vanguard.
 * Valkyrie

Ex-Members

 * Captain Crunch: Johnathan "Captain Crunch" Ludwick was a professional hero from 1980-1992, who became a Villain because The Vanguard didn't pay him enough, according to The Press
 * Papa Flame
 * Origami

Deceased Members

 * Bombshell: Previously known as Miss Riot, she was the Ace of The Millennium Force, until a tragic accident occurred on the Halloween of 2007, when she was crushed by debris while trying to save civilians. [β-Timeline only]
 * Captain Fission: The First leader of The Vanguard. Spent most of his time fighting crime and dealing with the endless bureaucracy of the hero world. Died in 2008 from the pancreatic cancer he had been fighting since the 80s.
 * Darcy Edmonds: An graduate of the ZPA who became the California State Inspector for the PIU after his graduation. He returned to working with The Vanguard as a professor at The Zarathustra Parahuman Academy in 2005, a couple of months following the birth of his first child, Serenity. He unfortunately passed in 2008, after being found shot to death in an alleyway. The death was ruled a suicide, despite the lack of evidence for it. [β-Timeline only]
 * Haze: A pro-hero who fought for gay acceptance in The Vanguard since 2001 and a senior member of The LA Rangers. Passed away in 2008 during a home invasion involving Tracer bullets. [β-Timeline only]

History
The Wards were formed in 1988 as the first stage of The Matou Initiative. The mandate was created to prevent the deaths of unprepared fledgling heroes by putting them through five to seven years of elite training, along with being paired with an already established hero.

Members

 * Cascade
 * Curveball
 * Doctor G
 * Pupa
 * Rune
 * Shaman
 * Star Gazer