New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Even though they wanted to send them off properly, Jack was already on a clock, and staying any longer was eating away at his very limited free time.

Watching Cory parking outside the hangar, Jack sighed tiredly.

'This is half the team that will put our name out in the world. Kids, most of them… How sad has the world become that we rely on such young people for our survival…' he thought, his anger simmering beneath a heavy burden of responsibility.

But, even if he wanted to join them and make this a more reasonable assortment of adults, he couldn't.

He had another role to play in this conflict—the role of flag bearer.

He would be their fortress, beacon of safety, and shield when they needed to rest.

That was his role.

Once the motorcycle's engine was shut off, Jack smiled at Cory, who was taking his helmet off.

"I trust your trip was uneventful, young man," he said, looking at his confused face.

"Uh, yes, sir. As much as you'd expect a road trip that lasts a day."

"You should park your bike inside the hangar, young man. I presume you will be gone for a few days, and you wouldn't want it to get towed away," Jack added, pointing at the bike.

"Ah! Yes, that would be an ideal outcome," Cory replied, his face paling at the thought of returning to an impounded ride.

He put his motorbike in neutral and pushed it inside, not wanting to start it up again just for a few meters, and smiled at Jack.

"Thank you again for the job offer, sir. It will greatly help me make up my mind about my career and help my parents live comfortably for a while," Cory said, pushing the bike inside.

Jack shook his head.

"Think nothing of it. You are also doing me a favour, granting us access to a healer in case of grave injury. Not many organizations have access to such a precious asset, I'm sure."

Cory smiled and nodded.

He had thought about it on his way here, and it made the most sense that Jack saw this as a transaction, more than just helping a kid out. Having a healer, in a situation where the world was going to shit, and many people would end up injured, was the silver lining that most wouldn't be able to attain.

Even if more and more people awakened to their powers from New Eden, healers were a rare breed, even in the gaming community. At least, pure healers were.

"I still very much appreciate the chance to try the waters in the medical field, sir. And I will make sure everyone I work with stays fit for combat in the more… private sector," Cory said, smiling. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Jack nodded his head and turned to look at Alex, who was still staring at the motorcycle, his mouth hanging loosely and his eyes teary.

"You okay, son?"

Alex snapped out of his daze, realizing he was being talked to.

"Huh? Yes, I'm alright," Alex replied, rubbing his eyes.

"Cory, where did you get this bike?" he asked the kid, focusing on him.

"That beauty was my sixteenth birthday gift from my parents and uncle," Cory proudly replied, caressing the gas tank on it.

"Do you know where they got it?" he asked, focusing on the motorbike a bit unsettling.

Cory frowned a bit, wondering why he was so fixated.

"Why? Did you want one like it? I wouldn't bother trying. It's practically a collector piece. My uncle bought it off a guy who was holding onto it for some dude from up here. Something about it had been in an accident, and he never wanted to ride it, or something," Cory replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"His loss, if you want my opinion. That baby is amazing to ride on," he added, gripping the handlebar with a grin.

Alex was now sure this was the one—the bike his father had rebuilt from scratch.

The one he and his mother had died on…

Tears started flowing from his eyes again as he walked to the motorcycle and slid his hand across it.

The tears threw off Cory, making him uncomfortable with how he acted with his ride.

"Dude, you are making me uncomfortable," Cory said, scratching the back of his neck.

But Kary put her hand on his arm, pulling him back and whispering in his ear.

"Let him have a moment. I think he needs this."

Cory was confused as to why she was asking him this.

"Why? Is he being nostalgic or something?"

Kary smiled softly.

"Something like that. That bike, I think I know whose it used to be," Kary said, looking at Alex.

He had told her all about his parents' accident, the time he had brought her to their grave. She knew all the details, down to the make and model of the motorcycle.

It was why she had thought Alex would be happy to see one like his dad's. However, she hadn't thought it was the exact one when she saw it the first time.

Especially since her mind wasn't in the best of places at the time.

Cory's eyes widened.

"Was it his? Is he the one who crashed it? I would get why he suddenly got emotional…"

But Kary shook her head.

"Not exactly. Alex was too young to ride it back when it was totalled. It wasn't him on the bike when it crashed, but his parents," she whispered, as Alex was still trailing his hand across the bike's length.

Jack looked at the scene and decided it was time to take his leave.

He waved at his grandson, who barely waved in return, too caught up in watching the aircraft from every angle possible, and climbed back into the limo.

Kary and Cory waved at him as he embarked, and he smiled at them, mouthing the words 'Good luck' before closing the door, and the vehicle drove off.

Kary quickly explained to Cory so Alex's reaction wouldn't confuse him, and his face turned sad.

"Man… Losing his parents at my age… I couldn't begin to understand his pain," Cory said, his tone filled with angst.

Alex finally broke away from the motorcycle, breaking away from his sad trance.

"Is she running fine?" he asked, looking at Cory.

"Like a charm. Haven't had the slightest hiccup with it in months," Cory replied, smiling at him, his mood dampened.

"Good. At least it's in the hands of someone I can trust will take care of it," Alex said, smiling softly.

He then cleared his throat, drying away his tears, and put up a fake smile.

"I think we should get ready to leave. You were the last one we were waiting for, so let's get moving," Alex said, grabbing Jonathan's suitcase, which was still at the hangar door.

"Alex, I…" Cory started saying, before Alex shook his head.

"Whatever you were going to say, don't. It's yours, and I am glad it found you. Just make sure you stay careful. Accidents on those don't forgive… Ever…"

Alex then climbed into the plane, not looking back.

Cory looked at his back as it disappeared up the stairs. Then he looked at Kary.

"Is he going to be okay?" he asked.

Kary nodded slowly.

"Don't worry about him. He'll bounce back from it before we make it to Korea. It was just a small reminder of what he lost, but it'll pass. You know how tough he is," she said, smiling.

She then walked over to Jonathan, who was still inspecting every bolt and screw he could see from the outside of the aircraft.

"Wouldn't you have more to look at inside the plane, Jonathan?" she asked, giving him a motherly smile as she kneeled beside him.

Jonathan's grin widened up to his ears as he nodded frantically.

"It's ours, right?! That means I can go everywhere inside it?!" he asked, his words barely containing his excitement.

"Of course!" Kary replied with as much excitement.

She was just as curious as him about the plane since she hadn't seen it inside yet, but she was better at hiding it.

"I'm gonna touch EVERYTHING!" Jonathan shouted as he ran toward the stairs.

He climbed into the aircraft at a borderline dangerous speed for him, before disappearing into the airplane.

Kary giggled at his burst of emotion and stood back straight.

"We should get onboard as well. I'm sure the Major will be happy that we are all here and glad we can start flying toward our destination. She seemed impatient to fly this bad boy off the ground," Kary said, looking at Cory.

He nodded, grabbing a small backpack from under his seat, before walking away from his beloved bike.

"Man, I can't decide if I'm happy to see Korea finally, or if I'm sad to leave my bike behind…" he said, sounding excited.

Kary giggled at his dilemma.

"You can start missing your motorcycle once we are in the sky, at least," she said, climbing into the airplane.

He chuckled, realizing he was being like a protective father.

"You're right. Man, I'm so excited about this. Even though we are going there to risk our lives, I've always wanted to see Korea!" he said, gripping his bag tightly.

"You and me both, Cory. But the mission comes first. We can be tourists after we are done. Make sure you don't lose focus when we get there. Those are monsters, not zoo animals," Kary warned him, to cool him off.

He nodded, realizing she was right.

But she was having thoughts along the same line as him.

'I wonder how nice Jeju is at this time of year. I can't wait to see it in real life, instead of through a drama.'