The Next Generation

[Lady Jenn]

"What exactly do we do?" Clint asked. "The Hero Corps knows who we all are, this guy isn't going to allow us to just walk in unopposed."

"Geri knows Hero Corps better than any of the rest of us," Skyspear said, turning to her. "If they were going to hide something in a place no-one would suspect, where would they put it?"

[Lawshenk]

Gerri was standing next to and quite resembling lady nights strike Gerri smiled as did the lady the have the same smile and very similar features even when in masks " they are most likely to hide things in plan sight when they are not really hiden." Gerri looked at nightstrike " any ideas mum?"

Nightstrike blushed at skyscraper " been a long time sky a lot have happened to us and our vision for the future never quite made it those scum bags that took over it from us need bringing down a peg or 2 and even when I am this weak old and grey (she's referring to her powers here her body is still that so a 20 year old ) I want to bring them down and well they are opting our hall of fame next week maybe we should get the band back together and have a look there for what ever they are hiding"

[Lady Jenn]

"I hadn't thought of that," Skyspear said with a chuckle. "They're almost guaranteed to ask Bearman along, I'm pretty sure even if he can't paly superhero any longer he's not gonna be happy with what's become of our old team."

"What if..." Clint paused, trying to hide his emotion. "I think they might be using my sister's body for something, as long as they have it Azanti, the boy who attacked me...there are going to be more of them."

"Then if that's not their secret we'll find it," Skyspear said determinedly. "Luna was like the daughter I never had, if you're right that just gives me more encouragement to stop whatever the hell this is."

[Lawshenk]

Night strike looked at sky, "sky we need to talk " alone " she looked at him worriedly

[Lady Jenn]

"Stay here everyone," Skyspear said. "We're relatively safe here." He followed Deathstrike. "What's wrong?" he asked once they were out of earshot.

[Lawshenk]

" firstly I never told you about Gerri and I owe you an apology for that, I am so sorry but well we lost contact and were not talking but we are ment to be team mates I should have contacted you" she sighed and looked at him " hero corp is your baby your idea your foundation and your the ultimate boss and decision maker so teammate or not if this is anything to do with you then I will terminate any team mate rules and kill you"

[Lady Jenn]

"I have not been in control of it for a long time," he said more angrily than he intended, before taking a deep breath. "They keep me as a figurehead, but I retired from that role some time ago. The minute I suspected they murdered Azanti I could not work for a group who would kill supers simply to hide something. I certainly wouldn't have had any brook with that...MONSTER we fought working for them. Not after this," he said, lifting his shirt to reveal a horrible scar on his left side. "Do not tell the others but...this is slowly killing me, I did not tell the Corps because I feared they would kick me out. The only reason I have lived this long is I used much of my power to slow the poison's spread. If I hadn't been so focused on this my son may still be alive."

[Lawshenk]

She touched the scar it bubbled " why did you never let her in?"

[Lady Jenn]

"Aniko?" he asked. "Because she would've tried to save me. I have tried every healer and medicine I know of, whatever it was he slashed me with...it was laced with a substance no-one can identify, nevermind find an antidote for." He found himself having to lean on a nearby table as the pain increased momentarily. "If I had any sense I would never agree to join you on this raid, but this started with the murder of my wife and child, I would make sure the people responsible for those deaths pay dearly."

[Lawshenk]

" no " she looked at him " why would you not let Gerri in the corps and her mermaid friend probably can help you you know"

[Lady Jenn]

"Because by then I suspected something was rotten at the heart of the Corps," Sky replied. "I may not have known she was your child, but I saw enough good in her to not want her being corrupted by them. She applied just after Aniko..." he fell silent, looking away. "I couldn't even protect the love of my life from an assassination, how could I have hoped to protect either of them?"

[Lawshenk]

" Aniko, would be proud of you, she was such a lucky girl" she sighed " all I wanted for Gerri was to find the one, she never could though" she paused. She couldn't finished her sentence she wanted to own up to loving him but couldn't " the mermaid can heal anything "

[Lady Jenn]

"This is beyond healing," Skyspear said sadly. "The last one I allowed to try to rid me of this poison nearly died in the process. I don't know why, but...it's as if whoever designed the venom knew I'd try to use healing, so that it spreads to whoever touches me. I will not allow the mermaid to risk her own life for my sake."

[Lawshenk]

"even if I gave you a reason to stay around"

[Lady Jenn]

"You deserve someone better than me," Skyspear said, looking away. "I let my wife go to her death because I couldn't see the lies I was being told, and I was too blind to see what was happening to Azanti until it was too late. I would've given up already but..." he fell silent for a moment. "I'm not the person you used to know anymore, I haven't been for a long time."

[Lawshenk]

" remember when you setup the corps we had to give samples" she would not use the word but means blood sperm ect " she looked at him and then at gerri, the look implies it all " she needs a father and technically " she can't bring herself to say it

" I took all the samples I erm thought it best we kept them we did not want them cloning us and erm yours was doing nothing and erm I needed a child "

[Lady Jenn]

"I can't..." he started saying, before there was the sound of the front door banging open. Skyspear was about to worry when he saw the tall, bearskin wearing man who stood at the door, Sky letting out a chuckle as the man entered the room. "Yuri, I thought we'd seen the last of you in costume."

"I may not be the expert fighter I once was," Yuri said, grinning. "But Bearman has never backed down from a fight. It appears you have more allies than you realise, someone named Cypher contacted me and said you needed my aid."

"Cypher..." Yuri said, a stunned look on his face. "Night, the contact Azanti was going to the day he died was called Cypher, is it possible it's the same person?"

[Lawshenk]

" you have a daughter she needs a father " she reminded him

[Lady Jenn]

"I can't..." he said as he stumbled, Yuri catching him. "I'm fine," he said irritably.

"No you're not," Yuri said, helping him over to a couch. "Let me look at that..." he said, lifting the Sky's shirt, turning pale as he saw the wound. "It wasn't just a poisoned blade he stabbed you with, was it? Why haven't you told them what Carreyra is armed with?"

"Because no powered person in their right mind would go up against a man with weapons designed to kill powered people," he replied angrily, before he realised who else was in the room. "That is why it can't be healed, the man who did this...hero killer weapons are designed so that the more toxin you get, the weaker you become. And if someone tries to detoxify your body..." he lay back suddenly, a wave of extreme pain going through him.

"The poison," Yuri said. "The stronger the host body becomes, the more it spreads. Sky cannot heal because if he did...it would kill him quicker."

"Why didn't you tell Luna?" Clint asked as he appeared in the room suddenly. "She would've tried to help you."

"Because your sister could have stopped the Corps," Sky replied. "I thought by sparing her the knowledge of how ill I had become it would keep her safe, but it achieved nothing."

[Lawshenk]

Gerri walked in and sighed she looked quite annoyed " is it not simple then? Make him weaker? " She looked at the mayor " the weaker you are the easier for a healer to heal you and beat the poison " gerri's mum hugs her

[Lady Jenn]

"I've tried that," Sky said, staring at the floor. "In my darkest times I nearly starved myself to death, a friend of mine who could heal some of the worst injuries I've ever seen tried to remove the toxin. It didn't work...The only reason I have lasted this long is through sheer force of will stopping it overcoming my immune system. Hero-killer weapons earned that name for a reason."

"But Aniko could heal herself," Clint said. "I used to have her powers memorised, how would it kill her?"

"Aniko's power was regeneration," Yuri replied. "What should have saved her life doomed her, she couldn't slow her regeneration and every time she regenerated the toxin spread further. She survived one of the worst earthquakes in Japan and yet it took one toxin riddled bullet to bring her down. THAT is why Carreyra is dangerous, he deals in weapons like that."

[Lawshenk]

" I see" said Gerri " the great hero has given up I totally get it "she walked of talking to her team and returns to him " we have  removed  our services from your plan sorry"

[Lady Jenn]

"Carreyra will win," Yuri said, looking between them, startled. "We barely stopped him the first time, now he has half the Hero Corps unwittingly helping him, we should be helping each other."

"Let them go," Sky said, getting up without looking at any of them, I am too old for a war anymore." With that he walked away, heading towards a door on the opposite side of the room and vanishing through it.

"How ill is he Yuri?" Clint asked. "He's not being honest, I may not be a telepath but I can see when someone is trying to save other people pain."

"Sky stopping the poison would be easy at first," Yuri replied. "As a young man he would have strength. But the older he becomes, the more effort it takes to slow it down, he either gives in and dies now, or drains his energy stopping it and dies a slow death. He wants to fight this because if Carreyra wins he will keep doing this." Yuri sighed. "You want to go, fine. None of you have the faintest idea how dangerous this man is. I investigated this man before the Corps went after him, he has been a killer before, he WILL kill again."

[Lawshenk]

Gerri looked at the bear like man " a great man told me a hero never gives up if they aren't a hero any more" she pointed at the door and shooters " that great man just walked through that door, or what's left of him did "

Gerri's mother followed sky

" Sky they sky I loved would never give up "

[Lady Jenn]

"I'm not giving up," Sky said, all pretence gone as he now appeared worryingly pale. "If I was going to give up I would've done so after Aniko, or Azanti, but..." he winced, feeling nausea seizing hold of him.

"I think I understand," Clint said as he appeared in the doorway. "Carreyra's abilities...if you're going to have the power to stop him you can't control the poison, if you go into this fight either he kills you or the poison does."

"I cannot ask you to do this," Sky said, trying to stand.

"If Carreyra's power is even half as strong as he was in Sicily forty years ago you cannot fight him alone old friend," Yuri said insistently. "Besides, I refuse to let a man I consider the brother I never had to die alone. If we're going to save the Corps from that...creature, you're not leaving me behind."