To say that he hated the man standing across from the table was an understatement. Kenneth had never really liked Marek, despite his skills in the military. Marek was, however, from a different time in America's history. He was from the future, like Tyler, and the world that he came from was far more different than the one Kenneth remembered. The man had a get-it-done personality that, normally, Kenneth didn't mind. But it was when the man stepped his bounds that they tended to clash, and sending Tyler out on a mission already had pushed Kenneth to the point where he would rather strangle the man.
It had nothing to do with the fact that he didn't think Tyler could do it, it's just that the man had a lot more to learn before he joined Kenneth's Rangers, which were his personal favorite unit within the tribe. As Kenneth prefered that High Rock be more focused on providing a comfortable life within this world, a military presence was far from the forefront of his mind. His Rangers were scouts and hunters, though in a pinch they were all trained for combat and could join Marek's men on a short notice. Most were trained with sniper rifles, or even bows and crossbows depending on their preference. Not everyone in High Rock came from a modern or future era like Kenneth and Marek and while some adapted better to using a gun, many didn't.
Everyone in the village brought a special talent or voice to this community and that was how Kenneth liked it. He was good at finding out what someone was good at and, if it would benefit the tribe's growth he encouraged their pursuit in that skill. He had bakers, farmers, crafters of various sorts that made everything from weapons to clothing to furniture. Many tribes, from all over the ARK, traveled to High Rock for trade. Tyler, like all the others, had promise to become a Ranger, yes, but he had yet asked his friend. As much as he would want Tyler to join his men, he had a stronger gut feeling, which was seldom wrong, that Tyler would rather join Rayno at the Cage and breed and train argents. Or would have, if the Cage had not been destroyed and all their argents killed. On top of that, Tyler had only been a little over a month. Not that telling anything but time of day was Kenneth's strong suite.
"What was going through your mind?" Kenneth started, his voice calm and collected even if he was seething inside. "Sending a man who has yet to even start Ranger training, under me, out on a highly prioritized mission? And, on top of that, making is sound like this was my plan from the beginning." If Tyler came back pissed at him because he had been told this was Kenneth's idea from the beginning to get him into the Rangers he was...Well, he didn't know what he was going to do, but he was as sure as hell not going to be happy with several people.
"You yourself have said he has promise to lead a..."
Kenneth slammed his fists down on the table, which hurt a lot more than he let Marek see. "I was thinking about asking him first!" Kenneth snapped. "Do not ever take control of my unit, or assume any decision I've made," he hissed. "Not unless my death is confirmed and never assume that just because I'm considering a man for my unit that that gives you the right to just throw him into it without my God damn consent!"
Marek sneered at him but Kenneth did not back down. He didn't care how much his injury hurt because of this, even if it meant he would be dragged back to the doctor in his temporary infirmary in the barn. "Are you sure you're supposed to be up, sir."
Oh, don't push me, Kenneth thought. "The only thing you need to know about my health is that if anything happens to Tyler because of what you did, I am still capable of killing you. Is that clear?"
The man smirked at this and Kenneth felt his blood boiling. "A little close to a wash-up fresh from the beach, aren't you?"
"Don't," Kenneth growled. Marek smirked more, crossing his arms. It was a rumor that had started the moment Kenneth had taken in Tyler after he was released from Takana's care three weeks ago. Kenneth had thought nothing of it and Tyler had already spoke to him about finding his own place once he had settled in more. But people talked, and assumed, and there was little Kenneth could do about that.
"If you expect me," Marek said, letting his arms drop to his sides again, "to grovel before you and beg for forgiveness," he leaned in over the table, coming up to Kenneth's face, "you are very, very mistaken."
Kenneth started to contemplate the pros and cons of killing the man. "If anything happens to him, Marek, you can..."
The door flung open and Tyler nearly fell over. "Kenneth! What are you..." His mouth snapped shut when he saw Marek take a step back from Kenneth who had also stood up, a bit to quickly for his injured side though he was too shocked at seeing Tyler standing in the doorway of the small room he was using until housing could be reestablished to really notice the pain. "Oh...um...I can just wait outside if..."
"No, Tyler, stay," Kenneth said, his voice dropping all acidity that had been focused at Marek only seconds earlier. "Marek was just leaving." He gave the man in front of him a cold glare.
Thankfully, Marek took the hint, nodded and moved toward the door. "I will expect a report from you..."
Tyler's eyes flashed and he went rigid. "My report is finished, General, but I will be giving it to the commander of the Rangers...not you."
Kenneth wanted to cheer at that but resigned himself to a full fledged grin while he watched Marek's face turn red. He never knew this side of Tyler, who had been more like a lost puppy following him and Rayno around the last few weeks. Apparently a few days in the field had given him a bit of attitude. For a few moment Kenneth feared Tyler was going to get a military scolding from the futuristic soldier, but Marek eventually turned on his heels and walked out, his face still bright red and spitting in fury. In truth, if he and Marek were reversed right now, he knew he would be just as pissed.
Tyler pursed his lips and watched him go for a moment before turning back to Kenneth and closing the door. "Sorry," he said apologetically, moving into the room and closing the door. "I didn't mean to interrupt..."
Kenneth waved a weary hand as he sat down, feeling the adrenaline diminishing in his body leaving him tired and with more pain than he would admit, even to Tyler. "No, no...it's fine. More than fine. I'm glad you did actually."
"It's just...well, Rayno told me this morning that you were out of bed and with your injury I expected you to be there a while and..."
"You're babbling, Tyler."
"Oh...sorry."
"Sit, since you're here." Tyler took one of the chairs and pulled it across from Kenneth at the table. The man looked tired, he realized. Thankfully, he didn't look hurt which almost surprised him. He knew what orders Marek had given him and it would be lying to say he was very, very curious as to what happened. "First off, I'm fine, and yes, it hurts. But I couldn't lay there any more and hope that people were doing things to move forward and not breed more panic." Tyler smirked. "And two, when I heard the rumor that you had been sent out with the Rangers to scout the land, I will admit I was a bit pissed."
"Why?" Tyler blinked at him, looking surprised. "It wasn't like it was hard."
"Why? Because you've only been here about a month, give or take, and I don't think you're ready, that's why." Kenneth tried to keep his voice even and calm but Marek had him on edge. He winced, rubbing his nose. "I have been considering asking you to join the Rangers, but I was waiting to see where you fit better. Marek overstepped his bounds. He has no say over what happens with the Rangers."
Tyler tilted his head to the side, crossing his arms and leaning back against the chair. "So, you don't think I can do it?"
"No! No, no...that's not what I meant it's just..." Kenneth sighed and leaned forward over the stack of papers he was suppose to be looking over. "Yes, I've watched you. I do that to anyone that joins High Rock. To make sure they're not going to be freeloaders for one, but also to see what skills or strengths they have that can tell me where they would be a good fit in our community." He looked at Tyler. "Yes, I saw potential for you in the Rangers, but you also liked the birds so...I hadn't made up my mind yet. Nor is it my decision in the end. It's yours."
Tyler was quite for a long time, long enough to start making Kenneth feel like he had just said something wrong. "Well," Tyler started slowly, "given that all the birds are dead then...I guess I really don't have a choice."
"You have a choice," Kenneth said firmly. "Rayno and Brynn reported that the fertilized eggs are still alive and Brynn has managed to hatch several dodos and other herbivores."
Tyler's eyes widened with hope. "Really? That's great!" He paused when he read the look on Kenneth's face. "Oh...there's a 'but' in there, isn't there..."
"Yeah...they're not maturing as fast as we expected. It's much, much slower, which means Rayno is putting any meat eating creature on hold until we can figure this all out." He tapped one of the piles of reports, the one he had already gone through before Marek had come to give his report which, eventually ended in their argument. "Until then, we have the food stores and most of the crops survived, though if animal maturity has slowed I'm going to assume plants have as well."
Tyler gave a dry laugh. "All those nights bitching about how unnatural this place was and the moment it decides to be more natural is the one time we don't want it to."
"No shit," Kenneth muttered. "Now, speaking of reports..." He smirked, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair.
Tyler glared for a moment, one eyebrow quiricked and a smirk playing on his lips. "I'm not done writing it," he said. "I figured you'd want more papers for your pile."
"I don't like piles of papers and you know it. Summarize and give me the blasted papers tomorrow if you feel the need to torture me."
"Me, torture...I don't think I'm even capa..." Tyler cut himself off when Kenneth tilted his head with an exasperated look. The man grinned at his leader, holding his hands up in defeat. "Fine...We went all around the plateau, sticking to our lands of course, which the other Rangers pointed out to me."
"How did they take your sudden promotion?" Kenneth asked.
Tyler shrugged. "Fine, I guess. They seemed more confused and scared about what happened than anything and when I told them that Marek sent me and that I was highly recommended by you...well, they seemed to accept it at least. None of them really seems to know what to do so maybe because Marek had given me the orders then..." Tyler shrugged. Kenneth only nodded, though his mind was starting to watch Tyler in a completely different fashion as the man began to launch into a detailed explanation of the beginning of the expedition. Apparently, what Kenneth gleaned from that explanation was not what Tyler had seen. His men did not just accept orders from anyone that walked in and said they were leading a mission without him, despite the circumstances of events leading to it. Marek's word meant nothing to them. No, they had accepted Tyler as their leader for a different reason and Kenneth made a note to investigate further.
"Get to the point, please, Tyler," Kenneth finally said after a few moments, cutting his friend off mid sentence. "I'm tired and despite my defiance of doctor's orders, I do need my rest."
"Oh, right, sorry...anyway, there are no animals. None. We checked pretty much everywhere within the valley and the coast. Even near Viking Bay, and no, we didn't go near the Vikings, but I'm sure they're just as bad off as the other smaller homesteads. I don't think anyone in the area wasn't affected by the...whatever it was."
"A wave," Kenneth said, rubbing his hands over his face. He didn't want to think about this. In truth it had happened so fast but also in slow motion. "I saw it," he said, looking at Tyler's confused, quizzical face. "It came from the blue tower."
Tyler frowned. "I didn't," he admitted as if he should have. "I was on Salem when...yes, yes, I was riding him. Don't give me that damn look, ok..." He held his hands up as if warding off the startled look Kenneth gave him. He knew Tyler was working with that devil bird, but he hadn't expected the man to be riding him already. "First time, too," Tyler continued, his body slumping. "But then he suddenly went berserk and at first I thought it was me and I had chosen to ride him too soon. But Rayno said every animal in the village went crazy and tried to run. All in one direction, too. Then I remember falling. I realize now it was because Salem was just gone, and it was just me and the saddle, but at the time I didn't have a clue what happened. Thankfully, we were not to far up. Then the light wave hit and I heard metal breaking and the Cage collapsed and..." Tyler winced. "Something like that. I do remember waking up, though."
"You're lucky you weren't hurt," Kenneth commented. "I saw it but..." He paused as a pain in his chest rose up like an ugly beast. He had been trying to ignore this for the past few days since he woke up. As if not thinking about it would make it just a feeling and not the fact he knew it was. "Before it hit I...felt something." Tyler only watched him, not laughing or looking like his tribe leader was saying something crazy, so Kenneth continued, "You remember Morgan?"
Tyler smirked. "Yeah."
"She's dead."
There, he said it outloud. It hurt no less, only more, hearing those words from his own mouth. Tyler stared at him, probably more in shock than he was at hearing his own admittance.
"I was going to marry her..." Kenneth said quietly. "We were going to merge the Rangers with Raven Shield..."
"Oh man..." Tyler stared at him, his face pale. "I'm so sorry...but...she went to fight that Overseer thing, right? Maybe she just hasn't come back yet? I mean...it's a long trip to..." Tyler cut off when he finally realized that Kenneth was shaking his head.
"She's dead...I don't know how I know, i've never been physic or anything like that, but somehow...she's not coming back. Neither are the men and women from High Rock that went with her, nor most of her tribe."
A silence settled over the two men. Kenneth was fighting his grief, though only in front of Tyler had he ever dared show it. Tyler was looking anywhere but at him. "Do you think..." Tyler started quietly, "that she...did this?"
No, Kenneth wanted to say, not wanting to believe that his woman could do such a thing, despite her stubborn personality. But he had been thinking the same thing the last few days. Morgan had refused to marry him until she won one more battle against the Overseer. She had to get to Alpha Ascension first. Had she tricked him? Has she been so determined to get home that after she had agreed to marry him, after putting on the ring he had been saving for God only knew how many years, had she changed her mind in the heat of battle? What was worse was he could see her doing it. Defying him at the last minute.
But his heart didn't want to believe that.
"I don't know," he finally said quietly. "I really don't..." Maybe he hadn't known Morgan as well as he thought. He closed his eyes together tightly, feeling the tears coming and suddenly not caring if Tyler saw. "I just know...she's gone. That's all..." He took a long deep breath, wiping his face. "That's why I didn't run when I saw the Obelisk explode. I saw the wave coming at us and I couldn't move. I knew Morgan was dead and..."
"I understand..."
He looked at Tyler who tried to give a sad, apologetic smile. "Really, you don't have to explain, Kenneth...I get it."
Kenneth nodded. "I had enough time to grab the mattress and get it between me and the glass, but the force threw me back into the dresser I think. But a few broken ribs and a few scratches is nothing compared to what I would have gotten had I not remembered what to do in a tornado."
"Well, except the bathtub part," Tyler smirked, then shrugged. "I use to live in Tornado Alley...love them, too, from a distance."
"Ah," Kenneth said, moving to stand up again. Tyler did the same while Kenneth straightened out the various papers on his desk. "Not many people knew about Morgan and I," he said, giving Tyler a pointed look. The man zipped his mouth shut and Kenneth couldn't help but grin. "Getting High Rock back in order is my first priority. I know some of the outlying settlements have already started arriving but I see no point in taking in more mouths to feed when we're going to struggle as is. In addition, I want to reach out to any settlement that look to us for protection and offer them aid and help first. I need to get in touch with Richard over in the Highlands, too. Those crazies in the Tower are all scientists and if anyone has answers, it will be Richard, as long as he's not dead, which I really hope not."
"This all sounds like it's going to be a headache," Tyler groaned.
"Worse, but I trust in my tribe and the people in the village. And," he moved slowly around the table to put his arm around Tyler, smirking, "that includes you."
"Me?" Tyler blinked, looking up at him in mock horror. "Wiat, you're not taking this stupid mission thing Marek sent me on as a..."
Kenneth rolled his eyes. "While I have not completely dismissed the possibility of you joining the Rangers, you need more training, which I intend to give you, but I really just meant having a friend I can trust at my side." Tyler raised an eyebrow. Chuckling, kenneth gave the man's shoulders a firm pat and let him go. "High Rock first, my friend, then we worry about the other tribes."
Tyler jogged ahead to get the door for Kenneth who felt so sick and weak suddenly that he didn't even resist when the man came to help. "Other tribes? Something tells me we can't take everyone in..."
"No," Kenneth said as they stepped outside into the morning light. He pointed toward the small structure that was being used as temporary housing while buildings were repaired or built. They started that way slowly, mostly ignoring or being ignored by the people moving about their tasks. Some nodded to Kenneth, and he would politely return the gesture, but he was starting to regret his choice to get up and defy the doctor. "Food will become scarce, as well as animals. That...and anything TEK has been rendered useless according to the reports I got through before Marek came in and I started plotting his demise...A few of the old gas-powered generators have been installed, and I think I saw a plan for a windmill in those papers, but for the most part, we're going to have to go more primitive than before."
"Damn," Tyler muttered. "And here I never even got to use the teleporter..."
Kenneth chuckled, then stopped so that it forced Tyler to do the same. Tyler looked at him, puzzled. "It's going to get ugly, Tyler. Very ugly. Gut feeling again, but desperate times will make people go crazy. If it hasn't happened here already, it will, even in High Rock. Even if the animals return, I fear that it's not going to change whatever has just happened to the ARK."
Tyler nodded slowly. "What are we going to do then?"
Looking past Tyler, Kenneth took a few steps away from his friend to look out at the village of High Rock. People around him were busy. Most were picking up the debris and putting them in crates, barrels or wheelbarrows and carts. Everyone was working, at least that he could see, and it gave him a sense of pride to see the village come together like this. High Rock, he knew, had a high chance of getting back on his feet than the other settlements and tribes due to their numbers and the number of people who specialized in many things, not just one. Many tribes depended on High Rock's market for goods and the sooner that they recovered the sooner others would. But there were plenty of tribes that would take advantage of the current state of the ARK. They would raid and pillage and not give a damn. There were few tribes near the Rangers that Kenneth worried about, and his biggest fear were the Vikings.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Kenneth sighed. He hated being a leader at times, but every time he had tried to hand things over to someone else they had failed horrible. Looking at Tyler to answer the mans timid, worried question, Kenneth simply said, "Survive."