ZERO (Complete)

Chapter Sixteen

With Emily and Professor wounded, everyone was reminded about Dane and Allie. Not only did the group fear the worst, but losing any members would make survival that much more difficult and overthrowing The Shadow even more unrealistic.

"Do you think they're okay?" Lauren asked. "I feel so bad."

"You can't blame yourself, Lauren," Cheryl said, "This is hardly your fault."

"It was," she sulked. "I wandered off when I knew I shouldn't have. Had I not done that—"

"Allie made her own decision to leave. Dane made his own decision to follow," Mr. Camo said.

"It has been a long day and I think we need to consider the possibility that they may never return," the Professor said. "There's seven of us now. Are we all still of the same mindset we had two days ago? I think it's a conversation worth having. I don't know about the rest of you, but for me, I'm seriously questioning our original decision."

"So you think our odds of taking down The Shadow are seriously diminished without Dane and Allie?" Train asked. "I mean, no offense to those two, but what did they really offer in terms of a revolt?"

"What do any of us offer?" Lauren countered.

"We all offer something unique in our own way. On our own we cannot affect change, but collectively, we each provide value," Cheryl said.

"And Dane's value is... what? Wise cracks? Getting on people's nerves? And Allie, forgive me, but she didn't really say anything to anyone," the Professor said. "How much do we really know about her?"

"Allie saved my life," Lauren said to the Professor. "If it weren't for her bravery and martial arts skill, I would be dead right now."

"Dane too," Train defended his friend. "I know he can be a little much to handle at times, but he ran after Allie, a woman he hardly knows, because she may be in danger. To me that shows courage and loyalty, two qualities that are not so easy to come by in a person."

"Two qualities this group needs," Cheryl added.

"We should talk about next steps," Lynn said. "I say we stay here for a few more days and allow them to come back to us. We can send out search parties to increase our odds of finding them."

"How do we even know they're still alive?" the Professor asked.

"We don't, but we need to assume they are and stay put," Lynn said. "Otherwise, they may never find us."

"Mr. Camo only has a few days left before his batteries are completely drained," Cheryl reminded. "We need to keep moving otherwise we'll have to carry him."

"Mr. Camouflage, I'd like to hear what you think." the Professor said.

After a moment of careful reflection, Mr. Camouflage spoke, "I think it has been a rough couple of days for all of us. We're all sleep and food deprived. We have an impossible task ahead of us... and now with the added weight of having two of our colleagues go missing, I think the pressure is building up and we need to take a step back and breathe.

"Let's assume Dane and Allie are fine since we have no reason to suspect otherwise. We need to think about our own survival. We're in desperate need of food and water, and I think that should take priority. We should keep moving and see what we discover."

"So we're leaving?" Lauren asked.

"I understand you don't want to leave Allie and Dane behind, but there's no food and water where we are. For the sake of the group, we must continue on and hope they find their way back to us... or have found food, water, and shelter for themselves."

"What about the plan?" Lynn asked.

"I don't see any other option, but I obviously don't speak for everyone," Mr. Camouflage said. "If anyone wishes to make their opinion known, let now be the opportunity for that. Does anyone wish to change their vote?"

Silence fell among the group. Everyone was either looking down at the ground or at each other.

"Very well, it looks as though no one is willing to come forward and address any new concerns so I will take their silence as an act of compliance. Therefore, the plan remains intact and we shall proceed as such. Let's all try and get a good night's rest and head out early in the morning."

The thought of seeing Professor nearly succumb to pressures and take his own life kept Emily up at night. Before she went to bed, she wanted to talk to him in hopes of trying to understand his mind frame, ensure he was doing alright, and to see if there was anything she could do to help.

"Hey, Professor, is this seat taken?" Emily spoke softly.

"I was saving it for you."

Emily sat down next to the Professor and basked in the warmth of the fire.

"How're the wounds?" Professor asked.

"Not too bad. Minor scrapes, how about yours."

"When you get to be my age, you tend not to heal as quickly, but I should be fine. It's just too bad we don't have proper first aid out here to clean the wound and keep it from getting infected."

"What's your story?" Emily asked. "Who's waiting for you back home?"

"Honestly, nobody. Wife passed away, no kids, no friends."

"I'm sure there's someone back home who cares about you."

"I doubt it. I made a lot of selfish choices in my life. Was always too busy for family and friends. I prioritized work over all else. If I had to do it all over again, I would have spent less time in the lab and more time at home."

"I'm sure without your contributions, humanity wouldn't be as far along."

"All my work was scrapped — a complete waste. Nothing is worse than realizing you sacrificed everything, gave up your entire life to pursue something that ultimately was meaningless."

"But you couldn't have known that."

"They say success is measured by how many people show up at your funeral. But when I die, no one will even notice."

"Don't say that. I just met you and you already made a huge impact on me."

"I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Or I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Either way, I'm pretty much useless without my lab."

"You have value beyond what you can possibly know. This is not a problem you can think your way out of. Life is an art, not a science. And you never know what the future has in store for you. Life cannot be measured in snapshots. Only upon its end are we able to look back on our lives and see the contributions we've made and the lives we've touched."

"For someone as young as you are, you sure have a lot of wisdom. I appreciate that. You've given this old man a new perspective to think about."