Strake

"No good deed goes unpunished. I saved his life, doing what I did, the work of a hero. Little did I know just who he was. Now I do and it is up to me to stop him. But I can't do this alone. I need your help. Please help me stop him."

The older man looked at the younger one, his answer already forming in his eyes. "No Strake, I can't do that. I told you you weren't ready. But you didn't listen to me. You were stuck in the idea of being a hero to impress Diana. I could live with that because I thought you wouldn't do anything before I deeemed you ready, but you didn't wait. And this is a direct result of that."

"But Strafe, if I hadn't acted, many people would have died. I did the right thing. And you know it."

"People died before heroes like us were out in the world Strake. In fact, they still do. We can't save everyone. And in this case, you saved a man you know know will cause terrible harm. So how is that the right thing? And that is why I can  no longer train you boy. Not only did you let me down in the worst possible way, you let us all down. And that is why I can no longer train you in good conscience. Go!"

"Please Strafe, you can't do mean that. I still need you."

"That didn't stop you from disobeying me Strake. I told you in the beginning you had to trust I knew what I was doing. I only allow my trust to be broken once Strake. Leave now on your own or I will make you leave."

"Just listen to me Strafe."

But Strafe was beyond listening then. His mind was made up. "I told you Strake, but once again you didn't listen to me. You will now." He rose swiftly into the air and formed his hands into fists, not that he was one to use them, this was just another way to show his anger. Strafe, as the name implied was a firer from above. In his case, he fired energy force, but only from the air. In tight quarters, he relied on his own skills, which made him the perfect teacher for a young hero such as Strake, or had. He was of both ways.

"Don't make me hurt you Strafe, though new to this, I'm no slouch. I can hurt you. But I don't want to."

It was a big training room and as Strafe had already flew above Strake, he could fire on him at will. "I don't care what you want now Strake, it is what I want that is most important. And I want you gone. Now." Strafe knew his enrgy bullets would hurt him and he didn't want that as it was through pain that Strake drew his power. "I'm so sorry it came to this Strake, but you leave me no choice." So he fired energy surgers, to make him feel good.

"That won't help you Strafe. You forgot of the inner pain that this is having on me, It's a new one I'll grant you, but it allows me to do this." And he flew into the air, straight for Strafe. "Now I can fly Strafe, we're more evenly matched now."

"I have experience on my side Strake. And that counts for much."

 

Not The End.

 

 

Charles Petrie