360 In the Future (2)

"Vanguard's power?" said Aldrich, stunned. "Adam inherited it? How?"

"The exact parameters for how Vanguard's power is inherited are not well known," said Beta. "Adam insisted that he received the power due to vague qualifications such as his 'force of will' and 'obvious talent', but those are difficult to measure at best and highly dubious at worst."

"Yeah, that sounds like something he would say," said Aldrich, smiling internally. Even in the future, Adam had been just the same. Confident beyond his britches. Optimistic. He was a good choice to have that kind of power; at the very least, he would have used it for good.

"He was the best we had, both in terms of heart and in terms of power," said Mel. "But we can't rely on Vanguard's power showing up now if it hasn't showed up already."

"What do you mean already?" said Aldrich

"In our timeline, by this time, Adam already possessed Vanguard's power, albeit, his mastery over it was highly limited in this early stage," said Beta.