Bend the Rules Till They Break (Luke Smith X Ace)

[Ace McShane]

“I can’t repay you for this.” Ace waved her hand a little dismissing the comment “Don’t worry about it, it’s what I do.” “What was that thing? It was not a real dog that much I could tell, but it doesn’t look like a Slitheen or any other alien I’ve met.” Ace placed a finger on her lips and tapped them for a second “You know, I’m not entirely sure on that one. Though, I don’t think he had any malicious intent…well besides the obvious of course…”

“Say how did you know what to do with that alien? Where are you from? Are you even human?” Ace stopped talking when she saw the look on Lukes face and slowly held up her hands to show she meant no ill will “Easy there sport. I’m from Earth and am human..” she closed her eyes for a second shaking her head “Err, used to be human but I assure you I mean you no harm.”

[Deleted]

“Don’t worry about it, it’s what I do.”

Luke smiled at her and dipped his head in thanks. “Sort of like how me, my friends, and my mom work. We save the world and don’t charge anything for it.” He smiled at the thought of what he and the rest of their team did. He wouldn’t trade what they had for anything.

“You know, I’m not entirely sure on that one. Though, I don’t think he had any malicious intent…well besides the obvious of course…”

He stared at her in shock. “It seemed malicious to me. However maybe it was just hungry.” He shrugged and looked at her. He was suddenly unsure about her and felt concerned. This woman was clearly knowledgeable about aliens and he was alone with her.

“Easy there sport. I’m from Earth and am human..” she closed her eyes for a second shaking her head “Err, used to be human but I assure you I mean you no harm.”

That didn’t really calm him, but considering she was not threatening him or trying to hurt him he’d give her a chance and not run from her yet. He nodded and relaxed his body, though he stayed alert, and smiled. “Alright so what are we going to do now?” He tilted his head. “You asked me about soda?”

[Ace McShane]

“Alright so what are we going to do now?”Ace walked over to Luke and placed her hand on his shoulders and started to guide him out of the area they were in “You asked me about soda?”“Aw yes, I’ve been saving some soda I picked up off world and I figure this is as good time as any to crack those suckers open.”

Ace lead them to the area her stuff was in and went over to the mini fridge and opened it, grabbing two, walking over she headed one of them to Luke “So, how’d the dog find you? He just run up on you or something?” she took a sip of her soda.

[Deleted]

“Aw yes, I’ve been saving some soda I picked up off world and I figure this is as good time as any to crack those suckers open.”

Luke smiled at the woman who had saved him and figured she’d be a safe person to accept a drink from. Had she wanted to hurt him after all she’d have already done so, or not saved him from the odd dog for that matter. “Sure I’ll have a soda with you. Is it a good flavor?” He smiled at her, he was relaxed again but still alert for any more evil dogs.

“So, how’d the dog find you? He just run up on you or something?”

Luke shrugged his shoulders at her. “I dunno to be honest. I was just walking down the street scanning for alien activity when it attacked me.” He looked at her. “I didn’t provoke it at all.” He suddenly realized he had been calling the dog an it and that was probably a social mistake. “I mean him, I didn’t provoke him.” He blushed an looked down ashamed at his mistake.

[Ace McShane]

“I dunno to be honest. I was just walking down the street scanning for alien activity when it attacked me. I didn’t provoke it at all.” Ace smiled a little when Luke caught himself and went back and corrected it. “I mean him, I didn’t provoke him.” “Well, he’s been dealt with so it shouldn’t cause a problem.” the conversation ran back in her head “Wait, you were scanning for alien activity…you some sort of amateur alien hunter or something?” she wouldn't be surprised if he was they seemed to like to frequent the area a lot, something about semi abandoned buildings she guessed.

[Deleted]

“Well, he’s been dealt with so it shouldn’t cause a problem.” the conversation ran back in her head “Wait, you were scanning for alien activity…you some sort of amateur alien hunter or something?”

Luke frowned a bit when she asked if he was some sort of alien hunter. The answer would be hard to give since he couldn’t reveal his mother’s job to her. He didn’t like lying either, he wasn’t good at it, not that he practiced or anything. “I’m not an alien hunter; I’m helping keep the planet safe. I help friendly aliens leave and defeat bad aliens who try and hurt the planet. Sometimes that means killing them though. I don’t like the killing part though; killing is not a good thing to do.” He fell silent remembering that fateful day when he had killed the Slitheen child and shuddered. No he didn’t like killing at all.

[Ace McShane]

“I’m not an alien hunter; I’m helping keep the planet safe. I help friendly aliens leave and defeat bad aliens who try and hurt the planet.” Ace watched Luke as he talked and nodded a little “Sometimes that means killing them though. I don’t like the killing part though; killing is not a good thing to do.” she tilted her head a little looking Luke over a little he had to been what, 15, 16 what could he have known about killing someone or something.

Ace took a minute to think of a answer for what Luke said, “…Depends on the reason behind the killing.” she got up and walked over to the waste can and tossed her bottle in the garbage, she’d killed people in the past but always out of some form or another of self-defense it didn’t mean she ever liked it.

[Deleted]

“…Depends on the reason behind the killing.”

Luke looked at Ace and frowned. She couldn’t know what he had been through, how his first memory was of Killing the Bane Mother. For all intents and purposes the Bane Mother had brought him into existence. While Sarah Jane was his mother, the Bane Mother was his creator. He had killed her; one of his first conscious acts had been to blow up the factory. No matter how he looked at it he had killed and that was wrong. He had killed his own creator, he had killed the Slitheen child, he had killed so many things and he was only five years old.

He looked away from her as he answered her. “No killing is ever good. It stains you, haunts you, follows you for the rest of your life. You can fix a broken bone, mind a broken heart, replace a destroyed home, but you can’t bring back the dead. Once you pull the trigger, set off the bomb, throw the killing blow you can’t take it back.” He looked at her seriously. “Is there ever any reason to justify such an act?”

[Ace McShane]

“Is there ever any reason to justify such an act?” Ace studied Luke for a moment, she never was one to be at a loss for words but this kid had stumped her to the point of she didn’t have an answer for him. She’d killed before, again for self-defensive reasons but to give a reason for it other than that she had none, finally shaking her head “Don’t have an answer for you Luke, I just know what I’ve done and why I had to do what I did.” probably not the best answer she could give him but it was the best she had.

“Maybe, it’s time we get you home yeah? Someones got to be missing you.”

[Deleted]

“Don’t have an answer for you Luke, I just know what I’ve done and why I had to do what I did.”

Luke nodded to the woman and smiled sadly. “I understand. I know all too well why I did what I’ve done. I remember every face of every alien I have killed. They were all in defense of either myself, my friends, or this planet. Some might say that’s a good reason. The thing is I don’t know whether that is true or not. I wonder if the deaths could have been avoided.” He sighed and shrugged. “But then I remind myself that wondering over the past won’t change it. I need to instead focus on preventing even more deaths.” He stared at the woman waiting to be told he was wrong, even though he knew he was right.

“Maybe, it’s time we get you home yeah? Someones got to be missing you.”

He nodded at the woman and sighed. “My mom is probably waiting for me. However she is not expecting me for a little bit longer.” He smiled and then shrugged again. “I suppose I could go to the park and swing for a bit. Thanks again for saving my life.” He shifted uncomfortably not knowing if he should shake her hand again or not and not wanting to do something socially wrong.

[Ace McShane]

Ace watched Luke for a moment as he talked, he was right she’d give him that you couldn’t, well you could but that was besides point, change the past and wondering over it wasn’t going to do nothing but give you a head ache.

“My mom is probably waiting for me. However she is not expecting me for a little bit longer.” He smiled and then shrugged again. “I suppose I could go to the park and swing for a bit. Thanks again for saving my life. Ace leaned back a little on her arms a little, thinking. “That…or.” now normally she wouldn’t teach someone as young as Luke to shoot without parental consent but Luke seemed like he was more mature than he looked and if he was gonna do what he’d been doing he needed to know how to protect himself if the time came for it. “I could give you some marksmanship training.” she shrugged a little.

[Deleted]

“I could give you some marksmanship training.”

Luke looked at Ace and there was a calculating element to his gaze. He was sizing her up, trying to decide if he could trust her as a teacher. Saving him was one thing but this was another. However he had to admit there was a certain level of temptation to her offer. He loved learning new things and this would help him in more ways than one. So in the end he nodded his head and smiled. “Alright I’ll take the training.” He smiled and thought about it. “I don’t know where we can go to do it though.” He frowned not liking the fact he didn’t know where he could practice once she left because he was going to want to. Once Luke started a process he always saw it through to its end.

[Ace McShane]

Ace watched as Luke sized her up, leaning back against the table she crossed her arms across her chest and gave him the same look. She smiled a little when she could almost see his decision play across his face.

“Alright I’ll take the training.” she nodded an ok “I don’t know where we can go to do it though.” Ace laughed a little and reached down under table she was leaning against and hit a button causing some targets to drop down from the ceiling. “One thing to always remember failure is always the first step towards the right direction Luke.”

[Deleted]

“One thing to always remember failure is always the first step towards the right direction Luke.”

Luke listened to her and frowned. Her logic was flawed, to him anyway, and he wondered how he had missed the signs this place was armed. He looked at the targets and frowned some more. He shrugged and decided to roll with it while he stepped forward towards her again.

“Failure doesn’t always lead in the right direction, that’s impossible. If that were so people would aim to fail and nothing would get done.” He shrugged again and sighed. “The best way to go in the right direction is to learn your path and figure out how to anticipate your next move.” He smiled and looked at her hoping he’d said the right thing.

[Ace McShane]

“Failure doesn’t always lead in the right direction, that’s impossible. If that were so people would aim to fail and nothing would get done.” He shrugged again and sighed. “The best way to go in the right direction is to learn your path and figure out how to anticipate your next move.” He smiled and looked at her hoping he’d said the right thing.

Ace smiled like an approving teacher, she had deliberately feed him bullshit to see if Luke would catch it or if he’d just take all she said for word without question, no one could properly learn that way. Well, they could learn that way but from what she’d seen they wouldn't be able to think for themselves when the time came.

Pulling her blaster out from under her shirt Ace checked the power level on the battery pack, it’s not as if the packs were hard to get it was just she didn’t like having to deal with the suppliers.
“Ok, this is a Sonic blaster, 3rd generation, standard space fleet issue. Very simple to use, just point aim and pull the trigger. she smiled a little before handing Luke the blaster, safety on, and moved behind him helping him aim it before flicking the safety off “Ok, deep breaths and when you think you’re ready pull the trigger.”