Meridian | The Second Life III [COMPLETED]

11 - Fair Conscience

- R I V I A N -

"What the fuck were you thinking?"

Eagle sits next to me in the library of Columbia University. She was shocked to see me on the campus so early in the day since, with those assholes, I would've been here at sundown. Now, I'd gained myself an entire day's worth of searching. I probably should've left a note for Zach and Evan, but we didn't have a notebook lying around.

"All they did was slow me down and gang up on me," I answer calmly. "I'm in the area I need to be now and have an extra day of searching."

"You walked five miles through the dead of night!" Eagle exclaims, her voice getting higher and her patience diminishing. "It's extremely risky to do that as a group, let alone solo. It's a miracle you're not dead!"

"I've done it before!" I counter. "Before I made it into the city, I mean."

"That's like twenty miles outside," she sighs, throwing her hands in the air. "This is, like, the most downtown of all downtowns!"

"I mean, a lot of East Asian cities are denser-"

"Rivian shut the fuck up!" Eagle groans, staring daggers into my soul. "You should not have done that! Bottom line, case closed."

"Whatever," I mutter, leaning back in my chair. "Look, I also came early because I wanted to talk to you privately."

She looks at me, puzzled. "You couldn't have waited until later today?"

"I had to get away from them," I sigh, not wanting to give all the details. "Look, if we're on the same team on a dangerous mission, I think we have to clear the air."

Eagle stands up with a sigh. She grabs two water bottles, tossing one my way. I catch it in a clumsy manner. "You like your grudges, Rivian."

"I think of it as holding accountability," I laugh, glad she knew where I was going with this. "You blocked me from advancing in SPEC."

When I arrived in Battery, I knew I wanted to be a fighter. I joined SPEC and gave it all I had in tryouts. Most would be hard-pressed to find a legitimate reason why I shouldn't have been the top performer. That's not ego-speaking, either; I was the talk of the town. Even Blake was impressed. Naturally, it came as a surprise when I was not chosen. I learned later that Eagle personally blocked my advancement.

"Why do you think that is, dude?" Eagle questions, sitting back down. "And, for the record, if you'd kept your temper in check, we could've had this conversation much earlier."

"Did I do something to piss you off?" I suggest.

"No," she responds simply.

"Then what is it?" I ask.

"You're Catey's brother, Rivian," she sighs, taking a sip of her water. "You know how dark of a place she was in."

"Of course," I respond, glaring at her.

"Maybe then you can figure out why," she replies, with a serious look on her face. "I don't care about many people; I was a loner for months. I left Ronnie to die once. The only people I truly cared about were Aniya, Kemora, and a friend named Samantha. Samantha, well... she's dead now.

"Catey and I, we became close after the Battle. I like her a lot, Rivian. She means the world to me." Eagle turns her face away as she says that. "If she lost you at the hands of my decision..."

She turns back, and I see the most badass survivalist at Battery nearly shed a tear. "She'd be right back into the dark place, and I'd... lose one of the only friends I have."

The hall falls quiet. I don't even know how to respond. Maybe it's best if I don't. I've never seen that side of her, and I feel not many others have either.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this," she sighs, regaining her composure. "You can hate me for that choice. I don't much care what you think about it, as long as it keeps you alive."

I nod. I get it, even if I disagree. A long silence passes before I say anything. "I'm going to search while there's daylight."

"Well, I'm coming too," Eagle declares, grabbing her knife. "And you better turn that radio back on, dumbass."

"Fine with me," I smile, grabbing my machete as we swiftly head for the magnificent library exit.

- C A D E N -

Riko follows me as I dodge between two townhouses, heading northeast. We had decided to go closer to Brooklyn Bridge for this scavenging run, as supplies are becoming scarce immediately north of Battery. Riko wanted to get out of the house and take a trip, so I invited him along.

"Check out this one," I state quietly, pointing towards a three-story townhouse ahead. "This'll have a lot of supplies."

"How do you know?" Riko asks, adjusting the mechanism on his arm. I'm not sure entirely what it is, but knowing Riko, it works like a charm. An aluminum bar extends from a metallic cylinder attached to his forearm.

"I've got a gut feeling," I smile, surveying the street for any Z's. "Clear. Let's go."

The two of us rush forward, stepping lightly so as to mitigate sound. We make it to the door; locked. I quickly pull out my lock pick and get to work. It was actually Marseille who had taught me, and I'm still not sure why she knows. After fidgeting with the lock, I hear a click as it comes undone.

I turn the handle and walk inside, Riko covering me as I close the door. "Dark, isn't it?" He mentions. He's right; this place isn't in great shape. The wallpaper is peeling and the curtains are tattered. The only light inside is what penetrates the dust.

"Yeah," I mumble, examining the place. "Kitchen first."

"Gotcha," he whispers as we make it to the kitchen. Dusty countertops fall out of focus as I open the pantry and find a bunch of shit. Canned food, chips, and even some ramen noodles adorned the shelf. "No way!

"My gut is right, yet again!" I smile, taking the food and putting it into my backpack. "Beautiful."

"Wait, Caden!" Riko snaps. I turn around and see he had wandered into the living room. His gun is out, trained on... a Z standing there. It's completely motionless, apart from breathing. Its eyes sit open but stationary. A living statue.

"Strange," I squint, drawing my knife. "I'll take care of it."

"Nope, it's all me," Riko states. "Watch this," I observe him flip a small switch on the metal cylinder, hearing a... fizz? He pulls his arm back, the metal bar coming over his fist. I'm shocked as liquid sprays out from the back end, violently throwing Riki's arm forward at an insane speed. His fist, supported by the metal bar, causes the Z's skull to crack as blood spews all over the wall behind him.

"Holy shit!" I exclaim, the fluid trickling out the back of the device. "What is that?"

"Diet Coke and Mentos," he laughs, ripping a small empty bottle out of the brace. "It's like a rocket punch!"

"Damn," I utter, amazed. That's cool, if not impractical. "Hold on, are we just going to ignore the fact that the Z was, like, paralyzed or something?"

"It's certainly strange," Riko sighs. "I'm glad, though. If it wasn't, he could've attacked us as we walked in."

"Fair enough," I mumble, tightening the grip on my knife. "Let's search this place; keep your eyes peeled."