12. Worth Killing Each Other Over

                                    

                                          
The next day, Kevin woke up.  His daily routine be absolutely damned, burned and sent to the deepest darkest corners of the most frustrating hell.  He stood and stretched though, for a short time anyway, limbering up his body. 
He walked out of his room and walked past several of the veteran 'chosen' as the second wave recruits had taken to calling themselves and the first wave.  Cameron had ordered security increased, many more of the tri tower floors were occupied and safety requirements had only grown with the inclusion of many children. 
Kevin went to the roof and found two more sentries.  He nodded to them and left the skyscraper roof.  They didn't have the authority to stop him and even if they did he wouldn't have been stopped.  He wasn't two skyscrapers away before Cameron caught up to him. 
"Kevin, wait."  Cameron called out. 
"I can't Cameron.  My sister is alone. No one else is in that cluster.  I have to try."  Kevin replied not even slowing.
"At least let me help." Cameron said. 
"Let us help." Lee said coming up with Tammy. 
Some time later, the group exited into the ground floor of a skyscraper close to the southern perimeter of the cluster.  Lee and Tammy stayed inside the building, having helped clear it and the surrounding streets of morankai.  
"Thank you Lee, Thank you Tammy." Kevin said as he shook their hands.  "I hope I don't see you for a while." Kevin said. 
"Good luck Kevin." Lee said. 
"Say hello to Katie for us." Tammy said. 
The pair left leaving Cameron who hadn't used any power to clear the towers and waited fresh as a daisy next to Kevin.  Almost 10,000 points later, Kevin had a functional APC with one full tank of gas.  There literally wasn't anything else to pack or bring with the Shop ready to hand. 
"Cameron. Before I go I have to tell you a secret." Kevin started with a look of shame on his face.  " It's how I have managed to get so many points.  You were right all along. I did have a trick." 
Kevin paused before he continued.  "You have to swear to me though, swear that you won't tell everyone.  It wasnt lucrative enough for 75 people let alone 800."
"Kevin, I have a responsibility to people," Cameron said. 
"I know you do. Having a few especially strong people will be better than the infighting that will result from resource fighting.  Trust me Cameron, please.  Promise me." 
"Why?" 
"Fine, a different secret first.  Cameron, I killed a man on the first layer." Kevin said.  Holding up a hand to forego the questions obviously on Cameron's mind. "He shot at me first and god's own luck that he missed.  I could have ran or let him go but I didn't.  I killed him.  I killed a man. And. We are worth Points Cameron.  Humans. I killed him and earned more than 1,000 points." 
"Cameron. You did an excellent job keeping us safe and peaceful and putting us on the same team.  I don't know what you did before you came here but you were born to lead.  The moment people figure out they can kill each other rather than hunt the morankai, your peace will blow away like so much dust, especially with the new recruits."  
"Your trick is worth killing each other over?" Cameron asked skeptically.
"No Cameron, the fact that humans are worth points, and more points than an abnormal morankai, let alone a normal,  is worth killing each other over.  Adding my trick will just make it so people are willing to kill their friends instead of just strangers."
Cameron stopped and seriously considered the issue for a while.  "I'll compromise with you Kevin.  You tell me your secret and I will protect it.  But, if someone else discovers the secret and brings it to me, then I will do whatever I think is best with it."