CHAPTER SIX - ONE STEP AT A TIME

"what happened?" Marco asked Aaron as he walked into the team building the morning after the race.

Aaron had a huge shiner from where Jeff had punched him last night. "I..." he pretended to be embarassed, "i tripped and hit myself on a doorknob when i got home."

"somethings not right, pilots don't trip" Marco thought to himself as he noticed Aaron pretending not to feel pain in his side. "he probably got in a fight with somebody and doesn't want to talk about it."

"where's everybody at?" the pilot quickly changed the subject.

"Liz is with Andre in the simulator room, Ami was in the break room a few minutes ago, and everybody else is here and there taking care of business. Andre was looking for you when you didn't show up on time."

"yeah, accidently slept thru my alarm. i already talked to him. i'll be seeing you around." Aaron stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the basement, heading for the simulator room. once the door was closed, he propped himself against the wall and clutched his ribs where he'd been kicked. he'd been late because he had to take the extra time to properly tape himself up.

the door dinged and slid open, he stood back up and walked out. he walked into the simulator room and pretended he'd just overslept.

"what the heck happened to you?" Liz leaned out of her chair and looked at Aaron.

"tripped and hit my eye on a doorknob."

"ow, are you gonna be ok?" Ami asked as she came in with a few cold drinks, which she passed around.

"i'm fine."

"alright, everybody." Andre started, "our race next week is against the team that got bumped up from IG2 last year."

"Team ShadowFlash?" Aaron had raced against them several times, but lost every time.

"yep, you got any advice?"

Aaron was kinda suprised that he was even asked. he'd never managed to beat Harold Flash, the Forward, Captain and Co-owner of Team ShadowFlash. he'd forced him into mutal wrecks a couple times, but never beat him. "i usually had my hands full with their Forward, i personally consider him my rival... i can call up Ronnie and Kelly, they fought with the other two plenty of times."

"who?" Liz leaned forward as she asked it, lowering her sports drink as she did.

"my old teammates. i got them on speed-dial... hold up, i'll give them a buzz..." Aaron twisted to grab his phone, and a flare of pain shot up his side, causing him to drop his drink. "shit! sorry."

"you sure you're alright?" Andre knew an injury when he saw one, he'd had hundreds back in his racing days. he could also tell just by seeing the way Aarons body had siezed it was either a pulled or torn muscle on his side, or broken ribs.

"yeah i think i pinched a nerve or something." he smiled as the pain faded.

"hmmm..." Andre scrathed his chin. "its all up to his body if he can still race or not. but then again," he thought silently, "i willed my way thru some pretty bad injuries back in the day... but what is he trying to hide?"

the team forward saw the concern on everyone's face as he wiped up the reddish electrolyte drink. "really guys, i'm fine. i'll make those calls now."

three hours later, Team Thunder was back together in a training room for the first time since the team was dissolved. and once the introductions were made, Ronnie began coaching Ami and Kelly took over advizing Liz for the next race. Aaron turned to the young Forward "since they're all busy, why don't you come with me for a bit Aaron?"

"okay," Aaron followed his coach to the elevator.

Andre had seen the boy's reactions before. he was hiding something, and if the rumors that had reached the once legendary racer were to be belived, his newest pilot was going thru the same problem he'd dealt with as a child. he just didn't know how to breach the topic.

the elevator stopped at the top floor obsevatory room. this was a room that Aaron hadn't been in yet, he walked right over to the window and looked over the midday view of the city. Andre showed up behind him with a hot choclate from the drink dispenser in each hand. "heard you haven't been up here yet."

"thanks," Aaron took the drink and sipped it, the warmth felt good and helped relax the minute spasms in his side.

"i thought about how when i was younger, when i had an injury on my sides, a hot drink would always help a little."

"how could you tell? i thought a pinched nerve would have been convincing enough." Aaron was a little nervous that his coach was on to his problem.

"well, to an untrained eye, it would have slipped by..." Andre took a sip of his own drink before continuing, letting the warmth relax his tense feelings. "what really happened?"

Aaron didn't answer, he just looked down at his shoes. this was his problem, something that would only get worse if outsiders got involved.

the boy's silence didn't suprise the older man in the least. actually, the fact Aaron didn't answer confirmed his suspicions. "you don't have to tell. just know that we're here for you if you need us. Ami, Liz, me, Marco, everybody. Team Satomi is a family, we win because we stick together."

"it's..." Aaron interrupted meekly, "something that i have to take care of. this is my problem."

"well, i know its not nessicerily the right course of action for me to take," Andre looked his forward right in the eye, "i'll give you a little more time to fix the problem on your own. don't try to solve it all at once, one step at a time... but if things get out of hand, i'll have to bench you because of injuries. and if you don't hurry, i might accidently tell the authorities and then the whole world will know."

Aaron realized with a shock that his coach knew exactly what was happening. but what suprized him further was that he was being given time to figure it out instead of dragging the world into it. "thank you."