Requiem

The sky is dark, covered with grey clouds leaking light snow upon the cold city. Drake stood atop a building thinking of a way to end it all. Could a hero really emerge from this? From the pain? All of his loved ones. Family, friends, everyone's dead. All because of who he is. A man of great power, but not great enough to protect the ones he cares about. Underneath Drake's black hood, he cries. Is this all worth it? He took out a photo from his right pocket of a woman with brown hair he fell in love with. A woman named Cheryl. Someone he tried to protect. He stared at the photo, longing for her warm embrace in the cold of darkness. Her soft kiss upon his cheek.

"Are you okay?"

The snow is starting get heavier now, along with a cold wind brushing against Drake's cheek. He put the photo away, refusing to meet his mentor's gaze, and instead chose to look out across the city. "Yes.... I'm fine."

"What's wrong?" Meteor walks over to Drake, and put a firm hand on his shoulder. Drake looks from the city, toward his mentor. Meteor could see the tears in his eyes.

"I failed... I failed everyone..." Said Drake. "I failed my both my parents, who were killed by Grephor. I failed my friends who were all killed by Clockwork. I failed Cheryl... she died in a building that was rigged with explosives by Roberto, the arms-man." Drake walks away from Meteor, away from the ledge of the building, lets down his hood, and watches the snow fall down into his dark hair and  face. "I'm not cut out for this Meteor. I can't even save the ones closest to me."

"It's never easy being a hero, Drake. When you are protecting other people, other families, sometimes the ones who are close to you will get hurt. Even killed."

Drake continued to look at the falling snow, with the dark sky as it's backdrop. "Even killed...." He looks back to Meteor, who hasn't moved from his spot, and says "The burden of the city is not enough? I have to get over loosing everyone who has been an important part of my life too? I don't think I can handle all this..."

"You can handle it Drake. Because us heroes have to endure through the pain, if we are to lessen the pain of others. Families, people, all will be going to endure the same pain you are going through now. And they need you. Most of all, they need you."

"What if I can't save them too?"

"You can Drake. I may be old, but you have been a good hero to these folk. A great one. You can do this. You can get through this pain. Forgive yourself, Drake." In the distance, Drake and Meteor hear screams as a small yellow-orange glow of fire erupts over the rooftops followed by a loud 'BOOM.' Drake and Meteor's eyes met again. "You hear their pain Drake? They need their hero."

"Can you.. help me on this one Meteor?" Drake said.

"Sure. Let's move out."

* * *

Drake flew in on the scene from arial transportation. An ability where he transports through the air, through dark energy. From behind, Meteor jumped from rooftop to rooftop, but quickly caught up with Drake, and both stood on the street before a burning building. A Condo. Inside, both could hear screams. The fireman came late on the scene, and both Meteor and Drake lept into the building maneuvering through wild fire and collapsing supports. "I'll get the right side! You get the left!" Said Meteor. Drake went toward the left side of the building, ducking under fallen, burning wood and using his powers to move around objects to clear paths. After reviewing two rooms, he hears a cry for help from a child and a woman. He makes his way to the noise, going through the hallway, and then turning through two doors on the left side, and sees a small child clutched by his mother surrounded by fire, unable to move and choking form the smoke. Drake clears the debris away, and takes the woman with the child in hand, and with the other hand he blows open a hold in the wall to the outside of the building. Though doing so the fire intensified, and exploded, so Drake quickly wrapped himself around the mother and leapt out of the building, saving the two. Outside, he lay both to the ground, then soon the EMTs took both into intensive care. Drake went around the house, and saw that Meteor saved a few people. One of them, being a politician, who was probably visiting his relatives for dinner. Behind Meteor, he sees a shadowy figure watching both of them, then disappearing in an alleyway.

Drake went over to Meteor. "Thank you! Thank you all so much!" The senator and his family repeated, while a crowd around them cheered. Meteor smiled and returned the thanks, then looked to Drake as the senator and his family were taken to the ambulances. "This was a planned attack. Looks like Roberto."

"I think I seen him." Drake pointed to the alley, and Meteor looked over. "Whoever it was was watching us, then slipped away."

"Well, we can still catch 'em." Said Meteor. "Ready?"

Drake smiled, then confidently, he said "Yes."

Both moved swiftly over buildings ahead of the alley, and looked over the streets. Outside of the crowd that was around the burning building, the streets and alleys were empty. Soon after, sweeping from the air, they see Roberto go into a small abandoned building in an old circus park. Drake and Meteor followed silently toward the building, and looked through its windows. Both see Roberto laying out his equipment, which looked to be a small trigger device and 20 explosives ranging from different grenades and bombs. Roberto looks up, and sees both Drake and Meteor on the other side of the window. "You!" He said, and then he took a a machine gun on the counter and started shooting at them. Drake and Meteor avoid the gunfire, and went around the building and entered through a window on the top floor.

The gunfire stopped. Drake and Meteor looked at each other and nodded knowing that they have to be careful. Meteor took one step on the stairs then the stairs blew apart from a bomb, sending Meteor across the room into an abandoned desk. With that, four grenades were thrown toward them, and within seconds of them blowing up Drake managed to create a forcefield of dark energy. 'BOOM' goes all four grenades. Drake struggled to contain the explosions, but managed, and protected both him and Meteor.

With Meteor slowly getting up, Drake transported himself through the 2nd floor, to where they last saw Roberto. In front was the desk, where the explosives were once laid out. Drake heard a noise behind him and rolled to the side behind a wall, as Robert fired his machine gun at him. In 3 seconds, Roberto threw a gas grenade at him, and Drake had no choice but to leap from cover, trying to stop as many bullets as possible with his magic, and out of the window.

Roberto came out from the door to avoid the gas, reloaded his clip, and started shooting again. Drake stopped the bullets from hitting him, however with the other hand Roberto was getting ready to throw two more grenades at him. Then, out from the top floor, Meteor crashed through the window and landed on the ground. Startled, Roberto turns his gun onto Meteor leaving Drake open for an attack. Drake extended his right hand and blew Roberto violently back into the house. By this time, the gas would have left the house, so Drake followed inside. He looked over to the right, and saw that Meteor was hit twice on the side. "Meteor!"

"Get Roberto! I'll be fine." He gestured with his right hand toward the house. "Don't let him escape. I'll follow in from behind."

Drake nodded, and entered back into the house. When he entered through, he saw Roberto lay sprawled under the broken wood from the first floor. He sat up, and clutched his right side, as he venomously looks at Drake. "Okay, I give up. Again." Roberto extends both arms. "Take me away hero."

The snow outside fell heavy under the dark grey clouds. Each flake leaving an icy touch on the face of Drake as it fell through the hole left by the first two grenades.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Roberto.

"Drake?" Meteor stumbled in front of the doorway, his right hand covered in blood.

Drake ignored Meteor, and took a photo out of his pocket. A picture of a woman with brown hair. A woman named Cheryl. Drake kneeled down in front of Roberto, and pierced his eyes with his gaze. He lifted the picture to him, with tears coming back to him. "Remember her?"

"Drake what are you doing?" asked Meteor.

Roberto lifted his head to get a better look. "Oh your girlfriend? Of course I remember her. Why? You going to kill me?"

"Drake!" shouted Meteor. "Stop this!"

"Why?" said Drake. "She deserves justice Meteor. I kill him, and I spare more people of his pain in the future."

"This is not about justice, this is about revenge."

"What is the difference? Here, I have a chance to not only avenge the woman I loved, but to also prevent countless more deaths, pain, injuries. This man deserves to die." Drake creates a ball of dark energy, preparing to kill Roberto, while Roberto looks passively as he does so.

"What is justice, Drake?! Will killing him bring justice? Will killing him bring Cheryl back?"

"No, it won't."

"Do the right thing Drake. Take him away. Let the system work itself out!"

"So he can just escape later and hurt more innocent people!" He charges the orb even further, and looks deep into Roberto's eyes. He remains unchanged. "I won't let that happen! You said it yourself Meteor. 'Families, people, all will be going to endure the same pain you are going through now. And they need you. Most of all, they need you.' If I am to stop any further pain, this must end, now!"

Meteor remains silent.

"What?" says Roberto. "No more to say Meteor? Is me dying supposed to be the solution then?" Roberto chuckles.

"You shuttup asshole!" shouted Drake.

"Drake... you're right." Drake looked back toward Meteor, and sees a sunken look. Roberto even raises an eyebrow at the remark. "He deserves to die. Whether it be by your hand or the electric chair. But what is not right on is killing for revenge, and that is what you are doing right now. I don't expect you to forgive the man. Hell, I wouldn't. But I expect you to do the right thing, regardless. Will giving him to the system of government, which this country was founded on be the right thing? Or is turning into an executioner, making your own judgements on whether or not a person should die? Or even a monster? Can you do this without turning into a monster yourself?"

Drake lowered the power of the energy ball he created.

"Drake whatever you do, I want you to do it on good conscience. I wish you luck." With that, Meteor took off, away from the house.

"Wait!" pleaded Drake. But it was too late. He was already gone. Drake looked back toward Roberto, and as much as he wanted to kill him himself, he binded his hands with energy, lifted him into the air toward the station.

"Well this is surprising. Not going to send me to hell yet?" Asked Roberto. Smirking as he is carried through the air.

"Not me. I have a feeling the chair will send you there instead. Enjoy the cold night while you can Roberto. Soon you will be met with the endless fires of hell. And I'll be watching you from the other side of the glass as you pass on toward it."

"I look forward to it." replied Roberto.