New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Strolling into the penthouse, Clark saw the gigantic open space that led into the living room and went slack-jawed. His entire apartment could fit in that space alone.

And that wasn't the end of it.

He could see the stairs that led to a second floor, and the bend left that went into the kitchen. He slowly spun on himself, looking around the place.

"This house is amazing… But do you even use all this space?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"A large part of it, yes. But there is one room that has yet to get used. And that is where I will set up the gym. Come with me," Alex said, heading toward the stairs.

Kary heard them come in, and from the kitchen, she peaked around the corner. When she saw Clark in the penthouse, she wondered what was happening.

"I'll ask him later," she mumbled to herself.

She returned to being on her phone, looking at Silent Light's wild texts, giggling.

'Poor kid. He must be terrified,' she thought, finding the situation amusing.

Most men would kill to be in his shoes right now. But instead, the boy was in a sense of heightened panic.

Alex entered the room on the left and landed in what was supposed to be an office. But the room was practically barren.

Aside from a hide-a-bed in the corner, which Kary had only used sparingly when they started seeing each other, there was nothing else.

"This is it. I'll buy the equipment you want, make me a list. I'll get everything as fast as I can."

Clark looked at the room, his mind already positioning the equipment he imagined he would need. He started making a mental list of every machine or equipment he would need to train Alex and Kary, assuming she would still join.

"This place is perfect. There is just enough space to get the machines and a sparring area. But the equipment will be costly. You sure you are good to cover it all?" Clark asked.

"I'm not strapped for cash, Clark. I'll be fine. Just give me a list, and come back on Monday."

Clark nodded his head, already writing everything down in a text message.

Once Alex received it, Clark dropped his bag in the corner of the room and glanced around one last time.

"Alright then, see you on Monday."

Alex followed him back to the elevator, double-checking the list with him, and sent him on his way. He could already tell a part of Clark's bad mood had washed away.

As he left, Kary walked up to Alex.

"So? What did he say about joining us tomorrow?"

Alex looked at her with a blank expression for a moment.

"Huh?"

Kary's face changed to confusion as well.

"Weren't you going there to ask him if he could join us for tomorrow's raid? What's his answer?"

With a resounding smack, Alex facepalmed himself on the forehead hard.

"Fuck! I totally forgot to ask him! So many things were happening simultaneously, and it slipped my mind…"

Kary giggled.

"Then go ask him now, you dolt. Unless you think it's better to leave him out."

"But I'll never catch up to him now… He's probably already on the ground floor. Even with the elevator, he'll be blocks away by the time I reach the ground. I'll look stupid if I suddenly chase after him to ask him a favour…"

Kary laughed again.

"Don't worry, love. You already look stupid for forgetting. But you really shouldn't care about those things too much. If you think we need him, then catch up to him."

Alex thought about it for a few seconds.

Clark's help could mean the difference between someone dying or only having some injuries. Was he ready to take that gamble?

Looking at Kary's slightly mocking face, Alex looked past her at the open patio door.

"Fuck it. I'll catch up to him."

He started walking toward the balcony, making Kary frown.

"Uh… The elevator is the other way? What are you—"

Before she could finish, though, Alex had started running and shot himself over the balcony railing.

"Be right back up!" he yelled as he disappeared from her sight.

She ran to the railing, watching him plummet to the ground as wings started emerging from his back.

"And then you wonder why people think you're crazy… Just don't miss your landing," she mumbled while shaking her head.

Alex felt the wind sting his face as he picked up speed downward, and he melded with Morpheus partially to get the wings on his back. He didn't need the power, so a partial meld was enough.

He winced in pain as the wings tore through his back and then in disappointment as they ripped through his shirt next.

'I need to find something that'll follow the changes in my body. This is starting to get expensive…' he thought.

Could the scientists at Jack's underground compound think of something for him? But now was not the time for stray thoughts.

The ground was coming up on him blazingly fast, and he had to stop his flight.

Spotting Clark only a few meters away from the building door, Alex corrected his course and flapped his wings with all the power he could muster.

On the ground, Clark, who had just passed the spinning doors to the condo building, suddenly felt a powerful gust of wind coming from above and lifted his head.

When he saw Alexander's form come at him like an arrow of a bow, he reflexively raised his arms in a cross-guard position.

But instead of feeling an impact, he heard a loud thump on the concrete in front of him and a groan of pain.

Looking before him, he saw Alex skipping on one foot, cursing under his breath.

"Fuck, I think I sprained my ankle… I need to learn how to land; this is getting troublesome…"

Clark looked at him with a mix of confusion and astonishment.

Looking up the side of the building and then back at Alex, he asked the first thing that came to mind.

"Did you just jump off the fifty-second floor? Are you insane?"

Around them, a few people were still startled at seeing a human land on the ground, not knowing where he had come from.

The wings on Alex's back were already gone, as he didn't want to attract too much attention.

Alex looked at Clark, glad he had caught him but still in pain from his sprained ankle.

"Yes, to the first question. And, maybe, to the second?" Alex replied, still unsure if he qualified as insane.

One thing was sure: it was rare for a sane man to throw himself off a building this high without a parachute.