Rory Stiles (Eden Rising)

"Personal detachment from the world is what started this in the first place! By doing this, you're taking away the only difference between us and those things out there. You take away empathy, you take away feeling, and we're them, and they're us, and there's no point in anything anymore!  So open the fucking gates and show me you actually know how to use those big guns of yours instead of sauntering around trying to taunt everyone with them.  Jesus Christ!"

- Rory, demanding Lieutenant Griggs to help Tom's group survive

Rory Stiles is a major character in Eden Rising, introduced in the show's second season. Rory is a scientist and computer analyst working under the mysterious Eden bio-dome, stationed at the airport Tom's group arrives at in the premiere of the second season. He is a man who, alongside his friend and colleague Phoebe Denning, is trying to rally up people to arrive at Eden and is incredibly into studying the virus that transformed many people into flesh-eating zombies. An eager "man-child", Rory's a nerd through and through. His initial "bullying" toward survivor Kitty Drake were actually the awkward beginnings of showing his attraction toward her, which eventually led to the two forming a strong relationship.

Pre-series
Not much is known about Rory's past, other than the fact that he attended college with Phoebe and was somehow recruited to work for Eden as a biological researcher.

Season 2
Due to protocols stating the leading biological researcher is in charge of operations, he is the unlikely leader of the group of scientists and soldiers at the airport. Because of the role of leadership being thrust upon him, not your typical natural leader, he has a hyperactive personality that can be sometimes seen as rude, as he is often outspoken in his opinions and doesn't like to be argued with. However, he's a glowing example of what's left of humanity, showing empathy and interest in keeping the human race alive.

Initially incredibly rude and demeaning toward Kitty, one of the survivors he welcomes into the airport, it is revealed that Rory only acted this way because he had an intense crush on her. However, as a loyal married woman, Kitty was unable to reciprocate these feelings. When her husband Xander showed violence toward Kitty and treated her poorly, Rory reacted angrily. This resulted in the two being handcuffed to each other briefly by Tom. Gwen was given the keys and the responsibility to handle the situation, undoing the cuffs on Rory's side and instead handcuffing herself, saying they had things to work out. In this moment, Rory discovered that Gwen was having an affair with Xander. Soon after this, Xander was killed and Kitty and Gwen's friendship was broken, leaving Rory as Kitty's shoulder to cry on.

Four months later, Rory and Kitty have progressed into a full-on relationship. Rory is in charge of setting up a game of laser tag to determine who gets the leftovers after the week's rations are handed out fairly and evenly. Eventually, a cruise ship from Eden ends up shipwrecking nearby. Rory investigates it and discovers a case of vials on board. These vials contain what may be the virus that caused all of this. He brings it back to the airport and he and Phoebe examine it. This ends poorly as a saboteur steals the vials, and murders Phoebe, Regis, and Sidney.

Rory is left distraught after Phoebe's murder, with a lot of evidence pointing to her being a potential accomplice in the sabotaging going on at the airport. Kitty allows him to make his own assumptions and Rory decides to move on thinking that Phoebe was honestly an innocent victim who was framed. Rory discovered the fact that Kitty has lung cancer while going through Phoebe's files, revealing that Kitty hid this from him in fear of what his reaction would be, and he promises to be by her side through it all. Rory and Kitty both survived the finale and made it onto the rescue plane taking the survivors to Eden.

Killed Victims

 * Numerous counts of infected
 * Phoebe Denning (zombified)