The Eden Projects (EDITING)

Chapter 35. Split.

They were moving, even though choosing who would come along took more time than Kasper expected... they were indeed moving, and in that motion, he felt a sense of ease push him up onto the shores of something like abject serenity. There was safety in motion. 

Move.

We have to keep moving.

To move was to live.

Riley insisted on asking rather than forcing people to go, which made a ten-second process stretch into an hours-long ordeal. She took her time, trying to appeal to anyone who might listen. 

In the end, she did manage to find her two: Ryker and Caleb, two brothers who couldn't have been far past sixteen, their youthful enthusiasm was contagious despite their inexperience. Though she tried to deter them, nothing seemed to sway the boys; their determination was unwavering. No one else would willingly tag along, with Malcolm mysteriously absent, and Jack ultimately refusing to go, their options were limited. so their team had whittled down to Topher, Rook, Zak, Riley, and the kids. It was a small group but plenty enough to form a clean sweep, perhaps even more than they really needed for the task at hand. 

Kasper would be taking point; they would follow his lead given everything went as planned...

Cramming into a covered truck, they drove towards the tower. Rook and Topher flew overhead, checking for complications and made it to their meeting spot well ahead of the rest. Zak and Kasper rode in the truck with Riley between them. Ryker and his younger brother sat in the bed, checking over the guns carefully.

"You know, we've cleared an Ark Tower before." Zak puffed. Talking to Riley.

"Really?" She said. "Just you two?"

Zak's jaw tightened, though the motion was barely visible through his unkempt beard and growing mustache, which seemed to have taken on a life of their own as he neglected personal grooming in favor of more pressing matters. 

He looked better with the hair, at least Kasper thought, it added a certain rugged charm to his otherwise youthful appearance. His baby face looked less soft and warm with such manly additions, giving him an air of maturity that contrasted with the general impishness that lay beneath. 

Most of Zak's time was devoted to making sure Kasper was okay, that he was eating regularly, that he wasn't confused or overwhelmed by anything big or small. This unwavering commitment and concern for Kasper's well-being left little time for Zak to focus on himself, and so grooming fell by the wayside, becoming a secondary concern in light of the emotional and physical demands of caring for someone in Kasper's unique shoes. 

Still, Zak cared. "No." He recalled softly. "There were others. We used to be a group." 

Riley readjusted awkwardly. "Oh."

"There were four of us, we all had each-other's back. It made things so easy." 

Again, Riley only nodded quietly. 

"Archer and his sister, Kas, and me." 

Always last. He always puts himself last. 

"I'm sorry." She glanced to Kasper. "We didn't know what you were capable of, and Malcolm is such a hothead he just exploded. I'm sorry we attacked you."

"Things happen." Zak muttered. "Isn't that what people used to say?"

Riley sat quietly, her hands in her lap. Kasper had taken to listening. "I'm so sorry that Archer lost his life, nothing can change that. I should have pushed back on Malcolm. I don't know why I didn't."