  In this paper, we present a model in which an up-type vector-like quark (VLQ)
is charged under a new $U(1)_d$ gauge force which kinetically mixes with the SM
hypercharge. The gauge boson of the $U(1)_d$ is the dark photon, $\gamma_d$.
Traditional searches for VLQs rely on decays into Standard Model electroweak
bosons $W,Z$ or Higgs. However, since no evidence for VLQs has been found at
the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), it is imperative to search for other novel
signatures of VLQs beyond their traditional decays. As we will show, if the
dark photon is much less massive than the Standard Model electroweak sector,
$M_{\gamma_d}\ll M_Z$, for the large majority of the allowed parameter space
the VLQ predominately decays into the dark photon and the dark Higgs that
breaks the $U(1)_d$ . That is, this VLQ is a `maverick top partner' with
nontraditional decays. One of the appeals of this scenario is that pair
production of the VLQ at the LHC occurs through the strong force and the rate
is determined by the gauge structure. Hence, the production of the dark photon
at the LHC only depends on the strong force and is largely independent of the
small kinetic mixing with hypercharge. This scenario provides a robust
framework to search for a light dark sector via searches for heavy colored
particles at the LHC.
