New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Mr. Gu exited the driver\'s side, headed to the back door, and stopped to smile at Kary.

"Hello, Ms. Deveille. I hope you\'ve been well, at least since the last time we saw each other."

As he said this, he pulled open the door, leaving the front of it clear, so whoever was inside could disembark unimpeded.

Out came rushing Jonathan, who was captivated by the black aircraft in the hangar.

"Woah! It looks almost like the one in the X-Men comics!" he exclaimed, running toward the stairs.

"Calm down, Jonathan," Jack said, pulling himself out of the limo with a sigh.

"Jack," Kary saluted him as she watched Jonathan run off.

"Kary. *Sigh* I swear, I can\'t get a steady read on this grandchild of mine. One day, he is morose, training as if he would die if he didn\'t, and the next day, he\'s jumping to the ceiling at the thought of travelling to hunt monsters. Are all kids this unpredictable?"

Holding her laughter as much as she could, Kary nodded at him.

"I believe most children are hard to follow, at times. At least I\'m sure I was, if I believe all that my mother tells me. As for Alex, well, he is still hard to follow sometimes, so I don\'t doubt he was a handful growing up. I think it\'s pretty normal."

Jack huffed.

"You can say that twice. He was probably a tornado. My issue is that normal just isn\'t going to cut it with our current future…" he complained, looking nervous.

Kary understood what he meant, but she smiled warmly in response.

"I think it\'s best to keep hope that we fix that and that he will still have a normal future. I wish that for every kid on Earth, with all my heart. It\'s up to adults to ensure they do, is it not?"

Jack looked at her, and his nervousness vanished.

"How wise and mature of you, Ms. Deveille. You are absolutely right. It is an adult\'s and parent\'s sacred duty to ensure the children get to grow up in the best environment. I would be derelict in my duty as his guardian if I didn\'t do my utmost for it. Sadly, I cannot join this time," he said, looking annoyed.

Kary\'s brow raised at his facial expression. She could tell there was something he wasn\'t sharing, but it wasn\'t her place to pry.

"Well, I can only hope we can rely on your strength the next time. Whatever is holding you here today, I\'m sure you\'ll conquer and get over it. Your track record is filled with success stories, after all, isn\'t it?" she said with a big smile.

Jack laughed lightly, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, young lady. It\'s nothing too dangerous, unlike what you are about to face. But it brings with it the complexity of politics. Sadly, with all I have planned, playing politics is unavoidable," he grumbled.

Kary grabbed his hand, shaking it firmly.

"It\'s well deserved, Jack. I\'m sure everything will go the way you need it to. In the meantime, once we land in Korea, we will try to keep everyone concerned in the loop. Rest assured, we will do our utmost to keep Jonathan and Violette safe," she promised him.

Alex came back down the stairs leading into the plane as she said that, looking toward them. He had crossed paths with Jonathan inside, and Jack had come to drop him off, so he wanted to talk to him before leaving.

"Jack! Come to send us off, have you?" Alex asked, a broad smile on his face.

"I\'ve come to tell you not to do anything stupid on foreign soil, boy. You have a reckless tendency to ignore political power, and that is a habit that could bite us in the ass. I also came to ask that you come back to us in a timely manner, this time. Don\'t die, okay?"

Alex looked at him, pulling a fake surprised expression.

"Oh? Are you worried about me? How thoughtful. Should we have a heartfelt embrace before I go?" he joked.

"And the moment is ruined," Jack said, his face returning to normal.

Kary and Alex laughed a bit, as Jack shook his head disappointingly.

"And here I thought you could have a serious conversation. It\'s my fault for expecting you to be an adult for more than thirty seconds. I should know better, by now," Jack commented, his tone sarcastic.

Alex snickered at his words.

"Hey, you said it, not me. But I do need to be serious for a moment. Have you dealt with the problem I mentioned?" he asked, turning to look at Mr. Gu.

"I have. It was no small task, given that he is also an awakened, and a strong one at that. Plus, with his background, I could hardly just take him out and forget about him," Mr. Gu replied, looking perplexed.

"Were there any complications?" Alex asked, worried.

"None that you should let trouble your mind. He has been dealt with, and won\'t be a problem for the foreseeable future. Focus on your task with the peace of mind that he won\'t pop up to trouble you."

Alex nodded, even though he wasn\'t satisfied with just a half measure. He could tell by Gu\'s words that Damien was still alive.

"Is everyone there, or are you waiting for someone else to arrive?" Jack asked, wondering why they weren\'t getting ready for liftoff already.

"If I am to believe what David told me, then there should be himself and one more that we are waiting on. Cory Hitchcock, the priest player from last time."

Jack jogged his memory for a second before remembering the American boy.

"Ahh, yes. The one who blocked a shot from the Raijū with a powerful barrier. It\'s a good idea to bring him along. His healing and defensive skills can\'t hurt to have around."

"Yeah, he\'s a good kid. It\'s a bit of an issue that he stays so far away, but I heard you had something in the works for him. A job at the hospital so that he could be closer?" Alex said.

Jack frowned, turning his head toward Gu.

"My apologies, sir. I completely forgot to mention this to you," Mr. Gu said, bowing slightly at Jack.

"I guess now is a good time to explain what he means, then," Jack replied, wondering what this was about.

"I talked with the young man a few times since the Raijū incident, and apparently, he is taking up courses in the medical field. He expressed his interest in becoming a doctor. He said something about healing people in New Eden has awakened the will to help more people outside the game." Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

Jack looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"So you offered him a job at the hospital? In what capacity?"

"Ah, but I didn\'t offer him a job, per se. I offered him a paid internship, both as a generalist doctor trainee and as a healer for our underground facility. The second part I offered off the books, of course."

Jack scratched his chin, contemplating the offer.

"It\'s not a poor deal for either of us, I assume?" he asked, wondering what terms Mr. Gu had offered the kid.

"Far from it, sir. I offered him half a million for the entire school year, since he\'s taking a sabbatical, and if he does his job in the hospital well, he gets a letter of recommendation for any college he wants to apply for.

"Our hospital is one of North America\'s most reputable private hospitals, so our letter should carry weight, even across the border. And I think half a million is cheaply paid to have a healer on hand for any incident we may encounter over a ten-month period."

Jack nodded his head.

If it had been him, he would probably have offered an extra quarter just to be sure he never talked about the facility. Of course, he trusted him enough to keep his mouth shut since the kid already knew of it.

But an extra incentive often went a long way, in matters of privacy.

Just as Jack was about to open his mouth and say it was a good idea, the loud sound of wings flapping resounded above them, as the zombified drake under David\'s yoke started descending from the sky.

It landed with a heavy thud before David jumped off, and the monster disappeared into his shadow.

"I\'m not late, am I?" he asked, seeing that almost everyone was there already.

"You aren\'t late yet. Cory still hasn\'t gotten here either," Kary said, nodding at him.

"Cory?" David asked, confused.

"Ahh, the healer kid, yes. I thought his name was Cody," David said, slapping his forehead.

Everyone looked at him with an expression that said, \'At least get his name right.\'

And as if summoned by his name being spoken, the strident sound of a motorcycle engine caught their ear. A sound not unfamiliar to Alex.

"Does he drive a Honda bike?" Alex asked, surprised a sixteen-year-old had a motorcycle licence.

"That\'s right. You didn\'t get to see it last time. Yes, he got it for his sixteenth birthday," Kary said, remembering Alex had been dead before he could see the bike.

"Nice. He must be all the rage with his classmates and friends. Honda makes some nice motorcycles," Alex commented, thinking about his dad\'s bike.

This made his heart pinch for a second, remembering it was also the reason his parents no longer walked this world.

The engine sound got closer, as a spot in the distance started growing, getting closer to them.

"This means we\'ll be ready to leave soon," David said, heading toward the plane.

"Hi, Jack. Hi, Gu Fang. Bye Jack. Bye, Gu Fang," he added, walking right by them.

"This guy, I swear," Alex said, shaking his head at the scene.

\'Always trying to stir people\'s emotions wherever he goes. Unbelievable,\' Alex thought, not realizing the irony of him thinking that.