Disclaimer: I dont own Marvel
Sorry for the wait, I've been working and planning new stories and ideas. I'm a little bit ahead of my other spinoff stories so this chapter will have spoilers for the Spider-man spin off
The Hunt
Chapter 15: What's a Sidekick?
Zack looked at all the kids gathered. Not all of them spoke English, at least those who were brave enough to speak. He spotted two kids talking to one another, one a brown haired girl and the other a black teenager. Hundreds of children and teenagers gathered into one place, but Zack couldn't work out what this place was. He only hoped the camera built into his costume was relaying images Gloria could use to find him.
Back at Crowner Tower, Gloria and Crowner Corporation's newest employee Chase Stein shifted through the footage that Zack had sent back to them.
"Reverse and hold at 3.45," Chase said.
The video reversed and paused…at an image of a bikini-clad girl's breasts.
"CHASE!" Gloria yelled, slapping the boy across the head.
"What? I'm establishing that the Squadron are moving their operations to locations such as Jamaica and…"
"California more like, that girl's wearing a fake tan Chase, and I'm pretty sure she's way out of your league, fast forward to 8.56," Gloria said, focusing her attention back on the screen.
She forwarded the video to when Zack looked out of what resembled a window. He had seen black space and stars.
"They couldn't be in space or some pocket dimension could they?" Chase asked.
"I don't know, for all we know they could just be putting holograms over the windows," Gloria shrugged and turned to one of her consoles.
She began taking certain images of "Heroes" Zack had seen when he was being taken to his cell. They were Squadron Supreme members, no doubt thugs painted up to be the world's new heroes. Gloria began creating files on these new members. She started with the handsomest man there, a red skinned man with white hair, a trench coat and a yellow comet stone on his chest. This Squadron member would likely go by the name Comet-man. She had also seen a black haired woman that resembled Zarda, though she was wearing a purple leotard with gold bands on her arms and a gold collar on her neck. The "Power Girl" also had much of her cleavage and midriff exposed.
"They've got a female version of Quicksilver, and a female version of Spectrum, Nurse Spectrum anyone?" Gloria chuckled.
"Hold on go back a few seconds, did I see a giant ape?"
"Focus Chase, we'll add the giant silver Kong to the file later, right now I want to focus on signs of where the kids might have been taken," Gloria said, narrowing her eyes at the prison's "Warden" Redbird.
She only hoped that Aeon was doing a better job than they were.
Despite her common sense, Miriam Sharpe knew that she couldn't run away. She needed to prove first hand just how dangerous these "Super heroes" really were. The woman poked her head out of her hiding place, pointing her camera at the armoured hero. He stood his ground against the New Nighthawk, while the other Squadron members cheered their leader on. Nighthawk slid his feet and shifted his hands into some kind of martial arts stance. Miriam then turned her head to look at the town's people still following her.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"These costumes have ruined our city for too long, we can't just stand back and watch them do it again," one of the men said.
"Listen to me, those people are going to fight and they wont care what damage their attacks will do, they are out of control and you people need to be out of here when they start throwing punches," Miriam explained.
"Sorry Ms Sharpe but we're staying, your charities really helped put the town back on track, I lost my son too because of these heroes and I'm not losing my home either," The leader of the group said, brandishing a bat.
Miriam turned her attention back to the imminent fight. Nighthawk moved his feet in a way that suggested he was going to strike first. And he did exactly that, throwing the palm of his right hand forward, striking Aeon's side. Aeon pulled back and swung his fist straight into Nighthawk's face, delivering a classic boxing hook. Nighthawk immediately swung his leg around, kicking Aeon across the head. He then elbowed Aeon's chest and kicked his knee.
The gathered Squadron Members let out a string of cheers as Nighthawk delivered quick punches and chops to Aeon's body. Sven stood in place, taking the blows, protecting his face with his crossed arms. He backed up a bit, taking one punch after another. Nighthawk suddenly slammed the palm of his hand into Aeon's shoulder and Sven let out a grunt of pain. He backed away, flexing his shoulder. It wasn't quite dislocated but he knew that if he even had human bones anymore than he'd be screaming, that and he was smart enough not to actually lean into Nighthawk's strike.
'Don't lean into all strikes, sometimes bracing yourself just makes it easier for your opponent to break something, stand strong and react to what he throws at you,' Sven thought.
It was a lesson he'd passed onto Jason and Sieg, but he hadn't had time to practice with Zack. He only hoped that if Zack had to fight then he'd adapt quickly. But right now Sven knew that he had to absolutely focus on the enemy in front of him. His worries about Sieg, Cade and Zack would need to fade to the back of his mind. Right now the fight was all that mattered.
"Boxing, is that all you can throw at me?" Nighthawk asked.
'Don't fall for taunts, no matter how good they are,' Sieg reminded himself.
Nighthawk retracted several bird shaped blades from his belt. He threw the birdarangs, only for Sven to deflect them with his gauntlets. Aeon then ran forward, going on the offensive. He jumped over Nighthawk, landing in a crouched position. That crouch position enabled Aeon to duck further, dodging the swipe of Nighthawk's cloak. Aeon then dug his fingers into Nighthawk's armpit, causing him to groan in pain. Nighthawk quickly stuck his fingers into Sven's Adams apple.
"Pressure points, lets see who can last longer," Nighthawk growled.
Both men persisted in digging their fingers into the parts they had chosen. Suddenly they both slapped one another's hands away. Aeon threw a punch at Nighthawk, only for the cloaked man to duck. The Squadron leader kneed Aeon in the chest then slid a blade out of his glove. Sven titled his head back, narrowly avoiding the blade. He grabbed Nighthawks arm and smacked his elbow, trying to break his arm. Nighthawk retracted a trio of spikes from his right hands knuckles. Sven immediately jumped away from Nighthawk, the spikes grinding against his helmet. He paid the minor damage to his helmet no mind and kept his hands low.
"What's this, some kind of fighting style that utilises kicks, two can play at this game," Nighthawk said, drifting one hand to his chest and another to his hip.
Nighthawk shuffled his feet along, facing Aeon at a sideways direction and bouncing on his feet. He moved towards Aeon, throwing one of his legs forward. Aeon jumped back, dodging the kick. Nighthawk countered with a second, but Aeon rolled to the left. Aeon suddenly raised his right arm, blocking Nighthawk's third follow up strike. Both men slammed their elbows together and kicked one another's legs. They grabbed and slapped each other's arms aside. Nighthawk swung his wrist blade at Aeon, only for Sven to shift his gauntlet into a shield, shattering the blade. Aeon swung his shield at Nighthawk, but Nighthawk grabbed the side of it and rolled back, throwing Aeon to the ground. Shifting his shield back into a gauntlet, Aeon got up off the floor and charged at Nighthawk. He slid across the floor, thrusting his feet into Nighthawk's chest.
"Idiot, good kick but still idiotic, you see I was given a super soldier serum…then uploaded with information on the deadliest martial arts in the world…and there's my tech!" Nighthawk grinned underneath his mask.
He opened the cases of his utility belt and opened his arms. Sven braced himself as Nighthawk lowered his arms, his cloak covering his body. Suddenly, Nighthawk spread his cloak, releasing a flash of light.
'FLASHBANG!' Aeon realised.
Nighthawk then reached into his belt and pulled out two ball shaped objects. Arming the explosives, he threw the objects into Aeon, creating an explosion that knocked Sven back, sending him flying towards Miriam Sharpe's group.
Zack sat in a cell, he called it a cell but it seemed more like a camp. All of the prisoners were boxed into these pens, with energy bars surrounding them from the hover units that formed the prison cells. He heard all of the children crying, and saw them clutch their elders for support. Honestly he felt like joining them, but this was hardly the time to give into despair. Aeon had entrusted him with the mantle of his apprentice Ulti-Boy and the task of finding out exactly where this prison was, and if possible sabotaging the Squadron's plans. Zack looked to the children, many were there without their parents for the first time in their lives. Some had noticeable abilities, he had noticed a Skrull teenager and a Brood Child, as well as a few Shiar women whom were noticeably pregnant. In fact Zack begun to wonder whether the adult women here were all pregnant.
"This is all your fault!"
He turned his head, widening his eyes slightly as a human looked down at a Skrull.
"If your people hadn't come here none of this would have happened, why didn't you go back to your own planet?" The young man asked.
"Our planet was destroyed, we needed a new world," The Skrull said.
"So you invade us, putting that bastard Osborn in charge and then attracting a load of other invaders? Great plan idiots, my family's in a shambles thanks to you, even before this we were struggling to find somewhere to live," The human explained.
"You think that's hard, my insurance didn't cover explosions from mutants, they destroyed my home and my life, I had to live on the streets thanks to the X-men!"
"I lived in Vegas for a while before the Hulk ripped it apart."
Zack hugged his arms, growing ever more uncomfortable as more and more people began talking about how "heroes" had ruined their lives. Some of the children were even getting louder, one brown haired girl even looked like she was going to throw fit. Zack noticed that webs were pouring out of her wrists. He looked to the other adults arguing with aliens about who had gotten them into this situation.
"Earth would have been better off if aliens like you had never showed yourselves!"
"We'd be better off without heroes!"
"ENOUGH ALL OF YOU!"
Zack opened his eyes, clutching his mouth slightly. He didn't know where that shout had come from, but he knew that it was too late to roll back. Strengthening his resolve, Zack hardened his gaze as he looked at the people around him.
"Why are we fighting amongst ourselves, why are we blaming the only people that could ever save us from these situations?" Zack asked.
Elsewhere in the world, Sieg and Arachnophillia had split from the rest of their "Avengers". They searched the streets for Parker's cousin Johnny. Sieg stabbed his sword into the sleeve of a street thug, pinning him to the wall.
"WHERE IS HE!" He yelled at the man.
"What? Weren't you heroes too busy with this Deathblade crap?" The man asked.
"As far as I'm concerned Deathblades got the right idea," Sieg said.
Arachnophillia leaned against his back, tracing her fingers up his neck.
"He obviously doesn't know anything, he's no use to us," She said.
"Your right, he is useless, get out of here," Sieg threatened the man, pulling his sword out of the wall.
The thug tried to run away, only for a series of webs to tie around his ankle. Arachnophillia pulled the man towards her, stomping her foot into his chest. She pulled his face up, forcing his mouth open.
"Arachnophillia, what are you doing?" Sieg asked.
"He'll be back on the streets dealing drugs and what not, better to be rid of him now," She said as she licked her lips, secreting a black liquid from her tongue.
"Wait, don't kill him!" Sieg said, grabbing Arachnophillia's hand.
The girl suddenly smacked her lips against Sieg's, trying to kiss him through the mask. Sieg shot the thug a glance as he gripped Arachnophillia's hips. In a panic, the thug scurried away as fast as he could. Arachnophillia moaned before removing her lips from Sieg's. She traced her finger across her top lip, flicking off a drop of venom. Swaying her hips as she walked, she cupped Sieg's cheeks and let out a sigh.
"Come on, we're sure to find a lead sooner or later," She said.
As soon as she was gone, Sieg rubbed his forehead. He sighed as he thought about Aeon. His adopted father was probably getting more results fighting the Squadron than he was chasing street thugs. But Sieg couldn't shake off the feeling that the Hood could lead them to something greater than Deathblade and the Squadron.
Miriam Sharpe kept her distance from the young armoured man in front of her. He got up off the floor and traded only a momentary glance at the Stamford group. Then he went straight back to fighting Nighthawk. Miriam narrowed her eyes at the "hero". He seemed just like the other Avengers, uncaring until their abilities got someone killed. The young man dodged one punch after another from Nighthawk and took a few punches too. He stumbled back, rolling across the floor. Placing his hand on the ground, the man rose to his feet and flexed the fingers of his other hand.
"Sharpe, why are you still here, did it ever occur to you that maybe people get caught in the crossfire because they stick around?"
Sharpe grit her teeth together at the nerve of the man.
"Try to remember Sharpe, your not the only one whose lost a son," Aeon said.
He focused his attention on Nighthawk, crossing his arms together as the villain drew several Birdarangs.
"What exactly are you doing here? Distracting me? You really believe that your little sidekick can free the people inside, or do anything to make a difference against us?" Nighthawk asked as he primed the explosives in the projectiles.
"I'm putting the same faith in young heroes the Avengers did in the Young Avengers and the New Warriors. The only difference is I know within my very soul that Zack, Jason and Sieg will not fail," Aeon explained.
"I see, what powerful faith you have in your sidekicks," Nighthawk grinned underneath his mask.
"You've got it all wrong, they're not my sidekicks, and they aren't just my apprentices. I don't expect someone like you to understand that faith, but someone here should," Aeon turned his head to Miriam, giving her a sharp look.
Miriam widened her eyes for a moment as she remembered the way Aeon had looked at that boy. It was the same way she would look at her son when he was studying or taking part in a competition. Parents had faith in their children, it was that faith that allowed them to stand back and let their children excel. This man was standing back and leaving his children be, letting them do what they had to do to find their own paths. It was this faith that allowed Miriam to leave her husband, believing she could raise Damian alone.
"Faith? Look at the world now, do you really think that faith and hope will get you anywhere?" Nighthawk asked.
"I don't think and I don't know, I make it happen!"
Nighthawk let out an insulting laugh as he ran towards Aeon. He punched Sven in the head, then in the chest, forcing him back. Swinging his leg around, Nighthawk delivered a brutal punch to the side of Sven's head, sending a crack running across his armour. Aeon stepped back, bringing his arms together as he blocked several more punches from the villain. Nighthawk retracted a blade from his wrist and thrust it towards Aeon's eye. Sven quickly grabbed the man's wrist, redirecting the blade into the ground. He then kneed Nighthawk in the chin, cracking the man's mouth guard. The blade snapped as Nighthawk fell backwards.
"Very good, but not good enough," Nighthawk growled in frustration as he got off the floor.
He swung his fists at Aeon, only for the armoured man to block or dodge every strike. Aeon tilted his head back, dodging a kick from the bird themed villain. Then he blocked a kick with his knee and swatted away a fist with his wrist. Sidestepping, Aeon dodged a punch and tripped Nighthawk, sending him stumbling forwards. Then he grabbed Nighthawk's cloak and yanked the man back, sending him back first into the ground. Sven shifted his stance, beckoning Nighthawk to try attacking him again. Nighthawk growled before aiming his wrist at Aeon. A compartment opened on his armour, revealing a small rocket. Aeon crossed his arms together as Nighthawk fired the rocket. Again Aeon was thrown back from the force of the explosion and again he landed at the feet of Miriam Sharpe's crowd.
"Seriously, you all need to get away from here right now," Sven said, looking to the crowd.
Nighthawk got up off the floor and glared at Sven. He let out a yell of rage as he ran straight towards the armoured man. Aeon slammed his fists together before meeting Nighthawk in battle. But it was Sven and not Nighthawk who attacked, delivering devastating punches to his opponent's chest. Aeon then punched Nighthawk across the face, hitting him with severe punches, as if they were in a boxing ring. Swinging his fist upwards, Sven delivered a final uppercut that lifted Nighthawk off the ground. The villain's mouth plate shattered as he hit the ground. Battered and bloody, Nighthawk rolled to his chest, forcing himself to his knees.
"Cortez, where are Power Princess and Hyperion?" Nighthawk asked, speaking into his radio.
"They're a little busy in San Francisco Nighthawk, why is there a problem?" the professor asked back.
"Release the new recruits, Aeon's tougher than the Intel said, I need backup right now," Nighthawk said.
"Backup? Where did your bravado from earlier go? Very well then, Arcanna, give Nighthawk a hand will you," Cortez said, contacting his servant.
Arcanna's eyes glowed a green colour as she hovered away from her spot. She flew behind Nighthawk, gathering energy into her hands as she touched the man's shoulders. The energy seeped into Nighthawk, causing his body to shake. Suddenly he let out a yell of agony as his body changed. He grew in size, ripping through his costume. His dark skin began to grow feathers, a razor sharp beak replacing his mouth, wings stretching from underneath his arms.
"He's turned into some kind of Hawk…"
"The term is Man-Hawk, I did not carefully think of this Man-Bat reference only to take a separate characters name thank you," Cortez said, interrupting Aeon's attempt to name his villain.
Aeon looked up at Nighthawk's new form, unfazed by the change. The markings on his armour glowed a red colour as he began to change. His armour, and thus his form itself grew in size, not as tall as a Hulk but just tall enough. Red feather wings burst out of his back, which hunched as his helmet opened like the jaws of a beast. The armour around his wrists grew thicker as his fingers joined together, creating clawed talons. He let out a metallic roar, snarling at his opponent.
"He can change his form," Nighthawk gasped.
"I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what I can do, this isn't my corrupt form, its my bestial form," Aeon's voice had taken on a feral tone as he punched Nighthawk across the face.
Nighthawk flew into the air, diving towards Aeon. Sven quickly flew upwards, grabbing Nighthawk by his neck and throwing him downwards. The villain landed by Miriam Sharpe's group, looking at them with a glare. Aeon flapped his wings, keeping himself suspended in midair. He opened his mouth, energy gathering into it as he prepared an energy blast. Nighthawk laughed, while the civilians gasped in horror.
"Idiot, if your planning another Stamford incident then go ahead and fire it, I dare you," Nighthawk said.
Aeon huffed before turning his head and firing the huge energy blast straight towards the Squadron base. The blast hit its mark, blowing open the gate. Aeon landed on the ground, releasing sparks of light as he flapped his wings, to intimidate his opponents.
"A few years ago I would have lost control in this form, but I've been fighting like this since I was fifteen pal. I've made my mistakes and have passed on those lessons to my next generation. Because that's what Zack, Jason, Sieg and every other young hero is, they're the ones that will take over for us. They are our legacies, and though one might argue that these Marvels don't surpass the ones before them, I say it doesn't matter. These new heroes will save lives and that is what is important, not how the civilian population responds to them!"
Despite the bestial edge of his voice, Sven had spoken with passion that matched that of a public speaker. It was greater than the grief of a mother, or the hatred of a racist. Aeon had spoken with the pride that matched a father, and the courage of a hero. Nighthawk stared at Sven, horrified by the man's determination, even as Justifier troops surrounded him. Sven spread his wings and yelled as he returned to his regular form. He created two shields, throwing them in separate directions. One hit Nighthawk square in the jaw, rebounding off his beak and hitting several of the Justifiers. The other flew to the civilians, intercepting the blasts the Justifiers fired.
'What could he be trying to accomplish by getting everyone to focus on him?' Nighthawk wondered.
Inside the Squadron prison, Zack smiled at the lack of security. He would see more and more of those Justifier guards running to the warp gate, intending to fight Aeon outside. Zack then turned his attention back to the people he was speaking with.
"I cant answer for whether the mistakes the heroes made and the disasters that came because of them could have been avoided, none of us were in those situations so we cant possibly make suggestions about them because we don't know all the facts. But what I do know is this, heroes are something that will always be needed and they're worth having no matter what the risk," Zack explained.
The others looked sceptical at the teenager's words. Zack lowered his head slightly, beginning to think that maybe he didn't have what it took to inspire them.
"I agree with him!"
Zack and the other prisoners looked to where the voice had come from. And much to their surprise the statement had come from the brown haired girl. She had an innocent expression on her face, despite everyone looking at her.
"My Daddy once said that "with great power comes great responsibility", so even if you make mistakes, not taking action is just as bad really," the girl said.
Zack touched his chin, repeating the words in his head. He smiled at the girl, who smiled back.
"Good words, I'm sure you'll grow up to be a wonderful person," one of the boys said sarcastically.
"Shut your mouth," a dark skinned boy beside the girl said.
"Oh its okay Miles, you don't have to defend me against ignorant idiots," the girl said, causing everyone to laugh.
Zack stared at his hands, widening his eyes in mild astonishment as glowing red lines spread across them. He grinned as he walked towards the energy field.
"With great power comes great responsibility, if that's the case then I cant afford to hold back, I've got a job to do and I'm going to carry it out," Zack said as he touched the field.
Suddenly, the energy of the field disappeared and merged with Zack's body. He became a being of pure energy, astonishing the crowd of prisoners.
"THE PRISONERS ARE ESCAPING!"
Zack looked up, seeing Power Girl, Comet man and the Silver Gorilla heading towards them. They landed in front of the prisoners, causing the people behind Zack to quiver in fear. Zack however shrugged his shoulders before firing a blast from the palm of his hand. The blast hit the three Squadron members, knocking them through the wall and into the space outside.
"Negative zone, they're in prison 42," Gloria said.
The energy around Zack disappeared and he turned to the prisoners with a smile.
"Time to go guys, just follow the way we came and you'll be home in no time," Zack said.
He knelt down in front of the little girl, ruffling her hair.
"Thanks for the confidence boost, look after everyone while I go be a hero okay," he said.
"Sure thing, great power, great responsibility right?" the girl asked.
"Yeah, time for me to fulfil mine!"
Zack ran down the opposite corridor, his cape flapping behind him with every step he took. He saw and recorded the images of Justifiers building weapons of all shapes and sizes, some were mechs, or armour while others looked mystical in nature. The Justifiers seemed to be unaware of his presence, which gave Zack reason to believe that they were working in rooms with one-way mirrors. Whoever would walk down this corridor would see everything that was going on, with the Justifiers having no idea who was watching, or who was in charge. Zack ran around the corner, only to stop as two Birdarangs flew into the ground in front of him. Red Bird landed on the floor, grinning as he faced Zack.
"Nice costume, and good trick back with my Squadron, but you've got no energy to absorb now have you?" Red Bird asked.
"Actually I didn't absorb the energy of the gate, you see my powers react to a persons soul, I can see into the soul, read the emotions and…"
"Bored now," Red bird interrupted Zack, punching him across the face.
The two young costumed fighters grappled and rolled across the floor. Red bird kicked Zack in the chest, throwing him into the wall. Zack quickly jumped off the wall, avoiding Red Bird's next punch. He rolled behind Red bird, drawing several boomerang shaped objects from his belt. Red bird drew his own projectiles, throwing them at Zack. The objects slammed together, returning to the hands of their wielders. Red bird threw his birdarangs again and again Zack threw his. The projectiles flew past one another, only for their intended targets to grab them. Red Bird jumped at Zack, kicking him in the side. He then swung Zack's boomerang, intending to cut the boy with his own weapon. But Zack quickly blocked the strike, shoving Red Bird back and throwing both the birdarangs at Red bird. The bird shaped boomerangs imbedded themselves on the wall, inches from Red bird's cheeks.
"Impressive, but I've got better gadgets," Red bird grinned, dropping Zack's boomerangs and drawing a taser from his belt.
Red bird fired the wire into Zack's chest, but the boy's costume insulated him from the electricity. Zack pulled the wire off of his shirt and threw a smoke bomb into the ground. Red Bird pressed a button on his Domino mask, bringing up an infrared view of Zack. The two boys slammed their fists together before aiming well-placed kicks on one another's heads. They both stepped back, moving through the smoke again to punch one another. Zack blocked Red Bird's punch, while Red bird narrowly dodged Zack's fist.
"Your pretty good, but I've been enhanced with the super soldier serum, I've also been trained by some of the deadliest martial artists in the world and received the best education money can buy, there's nothing you can do to beat me," Red bird explained.
The smoke cleared, revealing Zack's glowing red eyes.
"Before you interrupted me I was trying to explain that my abilities allow me to see into a persons soul, I can then take a fragment of that soul and draw on its power, I was drawing on the power of an energy manipulator to absorb the energy in the barrier. Right now I'm drawing on your inner abilities, that confidence that's boosting your powers," Zack grinned as Red Bird's confident expression dropped.
The acrobats jumped at one another, with Zack kicking Red bird in the chin. Red Bird rolled across the floor, getting up and sliding a blade out of his glove. In a panic he swung it at Zack, missing his hair by inches. Zack ducked under the next strike, upper cutting Red Bird's nose.
"With your confidence falling, I just need to turn my powers off TO FINISH YOU OFF!" Zack yelled, the glow in his eyes fading as he punched Red bird again.
Red bird fell to the ground, slamming his head against the steel floor. He immediately drew another device from his belt, folding it out to reveal a type of bomb. Zack quickly threw a bomb to the ground, releasing a yellow cloud.
"Idiot, a smoke bomb wont stop me when my gadgets are superior tech," Red bird said, firing his pistol.
The bullet rebounded off an energy shield that had suddenly covered Zack's arm. He switched the device on his glove off. Red bird took a closer look at Zack and suddenly realised that the boy was holding a mask to his face and nose.
"Its not how advanced the tech is but how you use it, and that stuff your breathing in, it isn't smoke…its knockout gas," Zack chuckled.
Red bird's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell to the floor, hitting his head again. Zack ran through the gas, removing the breather mask when he was a safe distance away. He hid behind cover as a squad of Justifiers passed his area. When they were a safe distance, Zack resumed his march. Pressing a hand against his ear, Zack contacted Crowner tower.
"Okay, I'm inside, where should I go?" Zack asked.
"Try to find the archives, or at least a computer, our system should be able to get what we need from either one," Chase said.
"Okay, wait I think I'm nearing a control room now," Zack said.
He walked through a door, stepping into a command centre of some sorts. Walking over to the nearest computer, Zack slid a cable out of his glove, connecting it to a port. Chase stretched his fingers, causing a horrendous click to echo through the room. He then began tapping the keys on his board, sifting through information Zack downloaded to the tower computer.
"Okay, breaking through 42's firewalls, accessing all files, here we go subject files; everything we need to know about the Squadron members. Man all this information, we could practically replace congress with this, we can finally stick it to the man," Chase grinned.
"I suspected that congress was dirty in some way, this just proves our theories a reality," Gloria said.
"Oh man look at this, we've got to tell the Avengers right away," Chase gasped.
Gloria leaned over Chase's shoulder. She too gasped at the information she saw.
"I'll get in contact with Stark, his team needs to know this as soon as possible," Gloria turned to the doorway, only to run into James.
"Boss, what are you doing out of bed?" Chase asked.
"Get back to work Chase, I need to talk to Gloria, come on," James motioned for Gloria to follow him.
James limped across the hallway, stopping at his lab. He turned to Gloria and took a deep breath before speaking.
"I ran a test on Zack, I had a hunch on his identity so when giving him his costume I also carried out a DNA exam," James said.
"What did you find?"
"His DNA is a match to Sven's, but he isn't a clone like Jason or a spiritual copy like Slade Muga, he's…well take a look at the results for yourself," James slid his microscope across the table.
Gloria looked into the scope, gasping for the second time that day.
Sieg and Arachnophillia arrived at another possible location for Johnny Robbins. Arachnophillia swayed her hips as she walked across the abandoned dance floor. She stopped in the centre of the room, smiling as she heard the shatter of a glass.
"He's here," she said.
A bald man suddenly ran out of the toilets, trying to reach the door. Sieg summoned and threw his sword, sticking it into the wall. Johnny Robbins ran into the handle, flipping to the ground. Arachnophillia giggled as Johnny gripped his nose, groaning in pain. Sieg lifted him off the floor, slamming him against the wall.
"WHERE IS THE HOOD?" Sieg yelled.
Sieg heard a glass crack behind him. He dropped Johnny and turned to the doorway. His eyes widened slightly as not only Parker Robbins walked into the room, but Tyrone Cash as well. The wannabe gangster was nursing an arm covered by bandages, but he was still very much free. Sieg pulled his sword out of the wall and pointed it at the new arrivals. He suddenly felt dizzy, his vision blurry for a moment as his arms became heavy.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"It was a set up Siegfried, the information in Cash's network, our meeting, everything was set up to draw you here," Arachnophillia grinned.
She walked over to Sieg as he lowered his arms. The red skinned woman pulled off his mask, pressing her lips against his. Sieg suddenly fell to his knees, spitting on the floor.
"The poison isn't designed to kill you Sieg, it's just to knock you out. Trust me you don't want to be conscious for what happens next," Arachnophillia said, walking to the two men.
"Payback time ass hole," Cash chuckled.
Sieg looked past the three villains, seeing a pair of red eyes glowing in the darkness.
'No, don't lose consciousness,' he thought, leaning against his sword as he got up off the floor.
Despite his weakness, Sieg let out a yell as he ran at the villains.
A silence hung over Gloria and James as they both got over the revelation.
"Zack is Sven's son? How can that be when he's been dead? It just doesn't seem possible, god Sieg is going to be devastated," Gloria sighed.
"Hell Sven will be devastated, but that's not the half of it, in time everyone will be devastated when they learn who the mother is," James lowered his head, thinking of his friend and what had happened before M-Day.
Aeon stood surrounded by Squadron members. But his confidence wasn't shaken one bit. Likewise inside the prison Zack finished his download and contacted Chase for another job. Aeon crossed his arms together as Arcanna floated towards him. Arcanna threw her hands forward, only for an energy blast to hit her in the side. Aeon and the Squadron members looked up at the new arrival. Her cloak hung off her neck with a red cloth crown decorating her brown hair and elegant face. A pink leotard covered her flawless body, her belly and lower chest protected by a red one piece. Red rings glowed around her loose red gloves as she floated to Aeon's side.
"Scarlet Witch, what are you doing here?" Aeon asked.
"Protecting something important to me," she said.
Zack opened a door, walking into another section of the facility. He stopped in mid step, seeing a woman in a pitch-black costume. She was setting up some kind of device, attaching it to a generator. The yellow circuitry of the technarch virus spread across her face as she activated a timer.
"Let the punishment fit the crime," Dusk said, before activating the explosive.
Aeon clutched his head as he felt an explosion inside prison 42. Fire erupted out of the facility gate, causing the Squadron members and gathered civilians to look at the gate in shock. A silence hung above the group, as if they had been petrified. Aeon looked at the gate, his eyes trembling.
"No, not him…"
"ZACK!"
Aeon and Sharpe looked to the Scarlet Witch's whose scream and teary eyed face reminded them of an all to familiar sight. Sven widened his eyes, his hands shaking as he came to a realisation.
"No way, she couldn't be," he whispered.
Next Chapter 16: Legacy
Hope everyone enjoyed the shocking chapter, next time more secrets will be revealed and explained