Code Frostbite (STORM Book 1)

by John Darling

  Code Frostbite

  John Darling

  Cover by Venkatesh Sekar

  Edited by Leo Champion and Peggey Rowland

  Published by Henchman Press

  Copyright John Darling © 2017

  Dedication

  I’d like to dedicate this book to all of those serving our great country, especially my closest brother, Luke. Ever since I witnessed you graduate boot camp I have been extremely proud of you. Keep up the hard work and know that we are always counting down the days until you come home.

  Honorable Mentions

  There are several people I’d like to thank, not just for assisting me with writing this book, but for helping me at some point in my life. Thank you for everything you have done, as I would not be here without you.

  First off, I’d like to thank my family. Mom, Dad, Luke, Brett, Faith, Keith and Paul. I’m beyond lucky to have such a wonderful fan club. Without your support, I would not have graduated. I know that I have the best team a big brother could ask for.

  Next, I have to thank someone who has helped me tremendously over the past few years. Rick, you have had my back since we met and now I basically consider you to be my second family. Thank you for taking me under your wing and being there when I needed support the most. The world needs more mentors and coaches like you.

  Saxon… I’m confident that I’ll never meet anyone else in the world as hilariously unique as you. Frankly, I’m OK with that because the world can really only handle one Saxon. It was quite a roller-coaster dealing with everything we had to deal with these past few years. Of all the people to go through it with, I’m glad that I got to go through it with you. Every time you got knocked down, which was way more often than you deserved, you kept fighting your way back up and that’s something that I really admired. Don’t lose your tenacious spirit and the rare qualities that make you such a good person. Keep pushing until you reach your goals and don’t let anything or anyone stand in your way. I know you’re going to be a great Captain someday.

  Liz…. ahh where to begin? A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the two of us collided and it’s been nothing but joy ever since. You are an amazing person and I am so proud of everything you have accomplished. You have already proved yourself to be not only an incredible person, but a true leader. The Navy is damn lucky to have you. I consider myself beyond fortunate to have you as a friend and it’s really not a secret why the character in this book named after you plays such a huge role in Trevor’s journey. Trevor wouldn’t have made it safely out of there with Jemma, and I certainly wouldn’t have made it out of KP without all of your support. Thank you for being a true friend and someone that I can always count on.

  Vera… The last four years have been quite a crazy ride. From laser tag to our movie nights, I always had a great time with you. I think you underestimate yourself as a person and don’t realize how fantastic you are. Thank you for always being there for me. You’re going to make a tremendous harbor pilot in the near future.

  Ben… We got to know each other pretty well senior year and even though it was a little hectic being at the top of the food chain for a little while, we made the best of it. Our Blackhawks-Rangers rivalry may never truly end and even though I can actually skate decently, you can pretty much school me in NHL16, which apparently is a much bigger deal than actually being able to play. Anyway, thanks for being a great bro and I wish you luck with all of your endeavors beyond graduation. I look forward to us staying in touch in the upcoming years and seeing what the future holds for the both of us.

  Jake… Truth be told you were the one that inspired me to start writing. I never thought I would get this far, but thank you for giving me the motivation to start and the courage to let other people read my story. Perhaps one day we can do a book signing together if you ever let a publisher see your fantastic work.

  Jordan… I didn’t you know very well until we were assigned on the Yorktown together and I have to say that even though the trip was tough at times, I’m grateful that I had you there with me. We made some great memories that I will not forget for a long, long time. Thank you for inspiring me with your great attitude and positive outlook on life. I want to wish you nothing but the best as you embark on your career with the Air Force. Fly Merchant Marine!

  Kevin… As someone who understood the situation I was in at KP, I want to thank you for looking out for me. I never had a big brother but knowing that you had my back at school made a huge difference in my life. Seeing you graduate was incredible and gave me a huge boost of motivation to get through my own senior year. Like you, I wear my ring proud whenever I get a chance and I’m fortunate that we have stayed in touch. You’ve always been a huge fan of my work and inspired me to keep pushing myself.

  Allie and Nina… Throughout all of the classes, homework, study sessions and group projects that we had to endure as a team, I had a great time with you both. Despite all of the intense work, we still found a way to laugh. I hope you both enjoy the series and the characters I modeled after you.

  To the Class of 2017… Thank you for the memories and a journey that will last a lifetime. Now if only we can get a yearbook that accurately reflects the quality of our institution…

  Even, Joe and the rest of the Class of 2020… Thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience leadership first hand. From indoctrination right up until the moment you were recognized, it was an amazing ride and I’m grateful to have been a part of it.

  Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert… You both supported my writing long before anyone else and I have to thank you for taking the time to edit my script, as well as giving me suggestions. This book is the product of two long years of work and I’m excited to finally release it. This truly wouldn’t have happened without your help.

  Mr. Lions… As a key member of my original fan group, you made a huge difference in my life every time I traveled down to the mail room. Listening to how much you were enjoying my books only made me smile. Some days I went down there just to say hi and to hear about whichever part in the book you were up to, even when I knew that I didn’t have any mail to pick up. Thank you for taking an interest in my series and I promise that you will find out what happened to Trent…eventually.

  Lieutenant-Commander Acquaro… Few people at school care about the students the way you do. It’s a rare quality and it’s because of you that so many have graduated. I know how much I benefited from your mentorship and leadership. You are the type of Officer I hope to become one day.

  Mr. Ritchie (Sean)… I’ll work on calling you by your first name now that I’m a real adult. I remember the first time I met you back at that swim meet and I’m so glad that I did. Few people go to KP and even fewer take the road that we took. Even is very lucky to have you as his Dad. Thank you for your words of wisdom over the years, your support and coming to my graduation. I look forward to us staying in touch over the years.

  Mr. Rodgers… You are another Alum that I feel extremely fortunate to have met. From your physics tutoring sessions to your pool parties, you really give back everything you can to help the generations behind you. You’ve become somewhat of a legend at KP and if anyone deserves recognition for everything you’ve done for the KP community, it’s you and Frances.

  Kal… I reached out to hoping to find an Alumni author who would give me advice on writing. I underestimated the sincerity of the KP network and found someone who gave me much more. Thank you for taking the time to help me succeed.

  Jim and Lisa… Speaking of Alumni, I cannot forget the foundation and all it has done for me, as well as countless other Midshipmen. As the hardest working division on campus, you always strive to improve everyone’s life and move the Academy in the
right direction. Thank you.

  Leo and Peggey… Thank you for giving me a shot and believing that my work was good enough to publish. I look forward to a great partnership. May this book be the first of many more to come.

  Lastly, I’d like to thank Evan, the SEAL who inspired me to finish this book. Had I not showed you my partial manuscript and received your enthusiasm, this book may never have been finished and lost in the abyss of my hard drive. Thank you for showing me that something I came up with, yet fictional, could still inspire others as if it were real.

  Prologue: The Event

  “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome aboard Boeing Flight 370, non-stop from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. We should be on the ground in China just before 6:30 AM. We expect good weather and little turbulence so everyone please relax and enjoy the flight.”

  The voice over the loudspeaker repeated the message in several other languages before fading and giving way to a period of much needed quiet. It had been weeks since Trent had gotten a decent amount of uninterrupted sleep. However, this kind of strain was not unfamiliar to him. It came with the job and each tour of duty slowly wore his body down one piece at a time. Most of the stress he had endured had come from the near impossible balance of keeping his family happy while doing this job. But once he packed his bags and left home, family life was put aside and his focus shifted rigidly to the missions at hand.

  What he, like thousands of others before him, had chosen to do with their lives required one to be in a constant state of readiness. At any given moment, the base alarm could go off or the phone could ring. That could mean flying halfway around the world and searching under every rock until the target was found and the threat was stopped – a threat that could end humanity if it weren’t for men and women like him.

  Even though Trent was used to functioning like this, he had ceased to enjoy this life. The fun and excitement that this job had originally brought had died out years ago. Now, it’s all pain; mental pain, physical pain, and most of all, emotional pain. It has eroded his soul down so much that the thought of ever getting a chance at a normal life has fled from his mind like a convict running from the law. This job, heck this career, wasn’t what he was promised.

  Now, the only thing that kept him going through all of this is the brave people he’d fought with, and the ones he’d continue to fight with in the field. They were the only ones who understood this type of hell because they were going through the same pain. At first, his career had been a glorified race to the top, but now it was a never ending fight for survival trapped under layers upon layers of secrecy. Part of him wanted to give up this fight, take the chance of being blacklisted and go home for good. However, deep down he knew that his work, as conflicting as it was, did more good for the world than bad.

  Trent’s eyes yearned to close as the lights in the cabin began to dim. He quickly looked around for Sophia, but like the first half a dozen times he’d looked, she wasn’t anywhere in sight. She knew how tired he was from all the traveling the two of them have done these last few months. He wasn’t expecting her to be gone long since all she was supposed to be doing was hiding the weapons.

  Over time they had found that the best place on each plane to hide them was in the overhead of the bathroom stall. They hadn’t previously carried weapons onboard civilian airliners, but ten years ago a few Stormers had been attacked on their way home from a mission. Thankfully, nothing had happened to them and the men that attacked them had been apprehended by U.S. Marshals, but the attackers had been armed and could have done some real damage. Even though Trent and Sophia have never had an issue on an airplane before, they didn’t want to take any chances.

  It wasn’t too often that Sophia and Trent got to travel alone together. Even though they were now on the same Strike team, their tours of duty didn’t usually line up, which Trent believed was done on purpose by Regional Command. Sometimes he’d have arrived at the base just as she was departing for leave. However, that hadn’t been the case these past few months. Five months ago Trent had left his home back in Boston and reported back for a six month rotation. Sophia had arrived just a few weeks before that. They had been on several missions together before High Command instructed her to report to Headquarters for her annual evaluation.

  Ever since she had lost her husband nine years ago, she’d had to complete medical and psych exams every year to prove that she was fit for duty. This was the third time she’d asked Trent to accompany her while going to take the test. Due to their long and complicated history, Trent was honored to have that level of trust with her. It hadn’t been an easy road for either of them, and even though neither of them would have say it, they were both happy to be partners again.

  Another few minutes went by before Sophia returned to the empty seat next to Trent.

  “Total headcount is two hundred and thirty-nine. Good amount of empty seats and easy access to the escape hatches. Sorry, I took a little longer than usual. A few bullets came out of your extra magazine so I had to place them back in. They also didn’t pack my scope properly. I prefer them to put it in sideways so I can grab it right away in the event that we actually need to assemble them. You’d think after doing this crap for twenty years, they would know how you like certain things, but I guess not. And they wonder why I always insist on prepping my own gear for transit.”

  Sophia went on about her rifle specifications for another few minutes. She always blabbered on about her gun like it was her own child. Trent took pride in using whatever weapons and supplies the prep teams issued him and said thank you. Sophia had used the same rifle since receiving it on graduation day from sniper school. For whatever reason, she’d fallen in love with it then and hadn’t stopped using it to this very day.

  Even when the engineers came out with fancier sniper rifles with more features, Sophia just took hers apart and built in the upgrades herself. Trent had always thought she was a little over the top, but she was a sniper. They were all perfectionists. It was not by choice for most of them, they had to be. It was engrained in their brains on that island and Trent had become convinced that a hundred years of therapy couldn’t change how they were. But that was their job. They got one shot and they either hit their mark, or they don’t. Unlike many snipers in S.T.O.R.M., Sophia always hit her mark.

  Drowsiness continued to plague Trent’s mind as Sophia kept yapping away. He finally decided to say something just so she knew he was making a small attempt to care about her rifle issue:

  “Yeah, those mission prep guys are the worst. I think they packed me an odd number of socks.”

  Sarcasm always seemed to put a halt to Sophia’s complaining. He didn’t complain much, but he really wanted to get to sleep. After another few minutes of yawning from Trent, she finally got the hint.

  Sophia rolled her eyes and buckled her seat belt; “I see you’re tired, Trent. I’ll take the first watch as usual, but you owe me.”

  Smirking, he glanced over at her and then back at the tiny TV screen in front of him; “Yeah, yeah. Put it on my tab.”

  Trent rolled over a little bit in an attempt to get comfortable as the plane’s engines revved up. The humming noises coming from behind eased his racing mind. After a few days of nonstop traveling from city to city, chasing down targets and eliminating this deadly infection, he could finally rest. His eyelids slowly came to a close as his head searched for the perfect position until finally it nestled itself against the headrest. He let his mind wander off into an abyss of darkness and drifted off into a dream…

  “Trent? Trent dear, wake up. You have to go soon. It’s already past seven o clock. You don’t want to keep that pretty girlfriend of yours waiting all night for you, do you?”

  My mom poked me gently until I acknowledged her. Somehow I had fallen asleep in a matter of minutes since getting home from hockey practice around 6:00 p.m. Coach Coleman wasn’t happy with how we had played as a team over the weekend. We had lost two close games against very skilled teams. I had ska
ted my ass off and even managed to score a goal, which was a rare feat for me since I played defense. Tonight Coach Coleman had had us do sprints and various skating drills for most of the practice. It was clear that he was not happy with our performance.

  I slowly rolled up into a sitting position and rubbed my eyes until I regained focus. My mom was standing in the middle of my bedroom holding a clothes hangar with a neatly pressed tuxedo hanging off of it.

  “C’mon Trent, hurry up. You only get one senior prom, and you’re already late! I’m sure Charlotte is dressed and ready to go. Didn’t you say that you were going to pick her up at seven?”

  I was supposed to pick her up at seven and I immediately felt horrible for breaking that promise. As soon as the thought of disappointing Charlotte had entered my mind, I raced into the shower and got dressed as fast as I could. Less than ten minutes later, I was in my Mom’s car heading down the road to her house. We had been dating for almost three years now, and since we lived only five minutes away from each other, dating had been extremely easy. Although, that wouldn’t be the case in a few weeks. Distance is a new challenge that we are going to have to face together as a couple.

  A few months ago I had completed my paperwork and officially enlisted in the United States Navy. In just two weeks I was to report to Illinois, where I would begin recruit training at the U.S. Navy Great Lakes Training Center. I received my orders in the mail a few days ago but did not get the reaction I was hoping to get from my loved ones. I was excited to start a new life and a career but my Mom had mixed feelings about my plan. She claimed to understand why I’m doing this but still didn’t agree with it.

  College for me wasn’t an option since I didn’t have the grades or the money to go. What little money we did have belonged to Mom and I’d have been damned if she thought I was going to take that away from her for a stupid college degree. My desire to serve this country superseded every other potential plan that has been presented to me. Mom had applied to a few colleges in my stead and I think I even got an acceptance letter or two in the mail, but my decision to enlist was made way before that. Nothing would change my mind. Besides, I had already signed the papers. It was too late to turn back now.