New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live



After their joust with the press, Kary and David had gone their own way, David in a hurry to go back into New Eden. He claimed he had things to do and was busy.

So Kary reentered Alex's room by herself, only to see him fast asleep once more. Guo had assured her he would send a team to get them in a few minutes, so they could get them to the private institute.

She sat down by the bed, looking at Alexander's resting face. He looked so innocent when he was asleep.

Yet, she knew his emotions were constantly unstable. She imagined the death of his parents, when he was a teenager, had a lot to do with this.

There wasn't much she could do to help him get those stabilized, aside from being there for him when he needed someone to lean on. But she would gladly be his emotional crutch if that meant he didn't lose himself.

The minor altercation in the tunnels, with the bums, had been close to blowing up, and she knew it. He would have slaughtered them without a second thought.

Looking at his peaceful face, Kary smiled warmly.

"Even though I'm sure you would have felt little remorse, I would prefer if you never have to kill another person who hasn't deeply wronged you. Murder should never be a simple choice…" she muttered.

Kary held his hand, which was one of the few places where there were no broken bones, and softly caressed it. Soon enough, as Guo had said, a small group of four men came into the room with a gurney, ready to move him.

In the group of four, Kary recognized two, one of which was the one that had fetched them off the streets in Montreal, when they had fled the bank with the unconscious teenager. The other was another man that had roughed Alex up in his penthouse.

"We cross paths way too often, little missus," the mercenary said, shaking his head.

"The feeling is mutual. Even if you work for Mr. Boudreau, I would much prefer not to see you either. You are lucky we are in a hospital. I might try to light you on fire, as a personal petty revenge, for beating up my boyfriend."

He raised his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Hey, I'm just doing my job. I get orders and execute them. And your boyfriend almost killed two of my friends during that scuffle, might I remind you? So, a little forgiveness wouldn't be so bad."

Kary clicked her tongue, turning her head away from him, focusing on the three men that were transferring Alex off the bed to the gurney. They lacked finesse in their movement, and she feared they might wake him up, but at least they didn't seem to hurt him.

As soon as they had him set up and strapped in, they started moving him out of the room. As they pulled out of the room, though, a reporter who had snuck back inside the hospital, lunged at them to take a picture.

The mercenary who had been talking to Kary swooped in, blocking the view for the man, and pulled open his jacket a bit.

"Uh uh. No, you don't. Back away, slowly, and no one gets hurt. Or I can have one of my associates teach you a lesson in privacy. Up to you."

The reporter became ghastly white as he saw the pistol in the mercenary's side holster. He took a few steps back, maintaining eye contact with the gun, before turning around and bolting out of view.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," the mercenary spat.

Kary nodded at him in thanks. It would only be a matter of time before Alex's identity became public knowledge, but if he could at least get time to heal before that happened, it would be a blessing.

"Don't thank me, missus. Just doing my job," the mercenary said, smiling at her.

She quickly understood that the man was most likely the type who did his job perfectly, but never went above and beyond. Such people weren't a bad thing, though.

She could respect that.

Wheeling the gurney to a service elevator, the four men and Kary boarded it alongside the patient and pressed the button for the underground parking lot. They had an ambulance ready in the lot for the transfer.

Kary would ride with Alex, while the four men would follow in an unmarked black military SUV.

Reaching the sub-levels, the elevator doors opened, and the paramedics took over the gurney. They quickly loaded it in the back of the ambulance, Kary stepping into the right, while one paramedic stepped in on the left, and the other stepped into the driver's seat.

They were off in a matter of moments, as the black SUV followed closely behind, visible from the back windows. The two vehicles made record time, leaving the downtown area and hitting the highway northbound toward the health institute under Jack's purview.

Once there, the paramedics quickly shuttled Alex into a private room, with a second bed and game helmets readily available. Jack had made sure their needs were all taken care of during their stay, which had almost become a monthly occurrence.

He would much rather they stay safe, but he wondered if that would even be possible in the future. Their future was looking rather bleak.

But as they transferred Alex to his new bed, the motion finally shook him awake.

"Hmm? Where are we?" he asked, noticing the different ceiling.

Kary smiled at him, caressing his hand reassuringly.

"We're in a safe place where no one will bother us. Jack made us a room in his private institute, on the top floor, this time. We are being treated like VIPs. Isn't that great?"

Alex chuckled, which made him wince in pain, as he felt one of his ribs rub on his expanding lungs.

"Oww. No laughing for a while. Got it," he said, trying to stay positive about his state.

A doctor walked into the room at that moment, noticing his pained expression.

"Mr. Leduc, I see you have awakened. If you are in pain, simply say so, and we will have pain meds delivered to you promptly."

Alex shook his head, regaining his comfort.

"I'm fine. Just laughed, and it seems broken ribs don't go well with that. I'll just be careful."

The doctor nodded his head, a playful smile on his lips. He read through the file on his tablet, taking mental notes and jotting down Alex's vitals, before closing the tablet and bringing it under his arm.

"Well, if you or your partner need anything, a simple press of a button will get someone in the room, ready to answer your wishes. You seem fine for now, and I would recommend rest. Although I doubt you will be listening to me, it would be better if you don't log in to New Eden this night, and have a proper night's sleep. But you can do so, if you so wish."

Alex nodded at him, locating the helmet on a table next to his bed, and he already had plans to log in. He could see what time it was on the monitors, and he was already late to log back in.

The doctor trailed his eyes on Alex's, and he laughed internally, knowing the young man wouldn't listen to his council.

"In any case, if anything happens, people will be in the room in seconds and will take care of you. Rest well, Mr. Leduc."

Saying his bit, the doctor pivoted on his heels and exited the room, closing the doors behind him.

Being alone in the room with Kary, Alex looked at her, before looking at the helmet.

"Want to give me a hand? We should get online soon. We have shit to do."