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The merc patiently listened as the young man, now introducing himself as ‘Angel’, began to open up to him.  It became increasingly clear by Angel’s words that he wanted to be a tool of justice, a man who would clean the streets of crime and violence, to bring peace to the city of Lost Haven, and other cities if he could by any means necessary.

But that was what Angel wanted, not what he was.  Now being able to see the man without robots or explosions, Trent could see Angel as just a man trying to do right in the world with the powers he was given.  That idea hit caused Trent some inner turmoil,  something he had not felt in years.  He knew of men and women, goody two-shoes who believed that what they were doing was right all the time, citing the written law as a moral compass, regardless of its wording.  Those people Trent shrugged off, they were naive morons with a one-sided opinions in his mind, idiots with nothing but the law guiding them like lemmings.

This was a different, he had rarely met someone who doubted his resolve in such a way, and he knew he was not the best guide for such a question.  He had always taken the path that was easy for him, he knew how to kill and fight, so he made a business out of it.  He very rarely thought of the ramifications of those actions, they didn’t always concern him.

But he had to say something, especially if he did not want this man to end up like him.

[color=0072bc]“Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Slow down, Angel.  Take a few deep breaths and relax.  I was not trying to stress you out with what I said, I’m just trying to keep things real with you.” [/color] He offered a casual, reassuring smile behind his mask, despite whatever confusion he was feeling inside. [color=0072bc] “The truth of the matter is that there the only person who can decide your purpose is you, pal.”[/color] Trent said bluntly,  gesturing to him. [color=0072bc]“There is no ominous force that tells you what’s right and what’s wrong, no higher power holding your hand, and if there is they’re just an asshole trying to get you on their side.” [/color] 

With those words, he floated up towards the cockpit, the hum of continuous kinetic emissions bringing a small reverberation to his voice, [color=0072bc]“At the end of the day, the only person you get to hold accountable is yourself.  You can’t blame anyone else for the actions you take and you can’t go back and change them, no matter how much it is going to keep you awake at night.”[/color]

He chuckled, reaching out and clapping Angel on the shoulder. [color=0072bc]“But you know what?  It’s okay, people make mistakes.  It’s human to do so, even metahuman.  We aren’t perfect beings, no matter how much we want to tell ourselves we are.   We’re all going to fail on some note, but you know what?  That’s just part of living and growing.  You can’t learn from your mistakes if you don’t make any, and you can’t improve as a person if you don’t make those original mistakes”[/color]

He pointed at Angel with his other hand, pulling a little bit on Angel’s shoulder to try and force eye contact. [color=0072bc]“Take it from me, Angel.  You have a hell of a heart, and that’s something to be friggin’ proud of.  You could take those powers and do anything, you could coast for the rest of your life hacking old lady’s bank accounts and living off their credit cards until you grow old and die, but you don’t.  You pick your ass up and try to save your city, damned what the law says.  Are you going to screw up sometimes?  Absolutely, everyone does, but it’s our actions in the face of challenge that makes us who we are, that’s part of letting your actions stand for what you believe.    You don’t need this half-assed pep talk to work for it every goddamn day of your goddamn life.  You know what you want to do, and you will do anything to get it.  That is the one definitive thing I see when I look at you, and that’s something I see as one hell of a good thing.  Just stay true to who you are and nobody will have the right to judge you for it.”[/color]

With that, he let go of Angel, floating back into the clearing. [color=0072bc]“So, with that note, it’s about time we should part ways.  STRIKE is going to be after both of our asses after that jailbreak, and it’s best we don’t give them a single trail to follow.  I’ll bug out and do...what I usually do to get attention, so they’ll spend all their resources tracking me down.  You seem to know how to keep a low profile, falling off the grid seems like a goddamn specialty for you, so they’ll forget all about you while they come for me, so it’ll all work out.”[/color]

He drifted towards the sky, his legs beginning to hum as they built up energy. [color=0072bc]“Oh, and tell your AI buddy this one is on the house, he can keep his money.  I had a hell of a lot of fun on this one, was well worth the workout.  And for the record, I never beat you in that fight, you dropped a helicopter on me.  If anything, that’s a tie.  I’m sure we’ll cross paths again, and next time, I ain’t holding my punches, you got that?  You come at me with everything you got, and I’ll make sure to do the same.”[/color]

The smirk apparent under his facemask, the last thing Angel saw of the cheeky merc was a small wave before the energy in his legs suddenly launched him into the sky, the booming sound echoing through the street.