Code Frostbite (STORM Book 1)

by John Darling

  Sierra and Alexei walked over and joined the group as I finished packing up my locker. I looked behind me for Jemma, but she must have left the armory already.

  “Why don’t you all meet us in the lounge tonight for some pool and a few drinks? I haven’t seen you guys down there yet and you really should come check it out. Most of the class hangs out there after dinner. Sometimes they turn on the TVs and let us watch whatever sports game is going on. It’s up on Deck Five, farthest hallway on the left.”

  Sierra perked up first; “That sounds great!”

  I had had no idea that there was a lounge here. I’d figured that everyone just went to bed after dinner. Up until Alexei had received his Xbox a few days ago, that was what we had been doing each night.

  “Awesome. Since we’re about halfway through training, it can’t hurt to get to know you guys a little better. In only a few short months we’ll be scattered across the globe and in the real fight. We might as well enjoy being here while we can.”

  We all exited the armory and walked out of the range. Most of the class headed to dinner but Alexei wants to play a few rounds of Call of Duty first. Ironically, there was a zombie version of the game and we’ve been playing that non-stop since we’d gotten it in the care package Alexei’s dad had sent. I had also received a letter from Mom, and she told me that she had made it home safely to Boston. The letter didn’t say much else, only that she was proud of me and was looking forward to talking to me on a regular basis once the training was over. Once again, she had refrained from saying much because she didn’t want to get in trouble from the higher ups. I knew security was no joke around here, but man they sure have scared Mom straight. There must have been a reason she was so concerned about saying the wrong thing to me.

  Back in our room, Alexei and I pulled up our chairs and plugged in the giant TV that was had also been in the box. I knew Alexei had thought about leaving, and maybe this was his Dad’s way of helping him stay here. Whatever the reason is, I was totally OK with it. Growing up, I hadn’t had any kind of game system in our house; Mom had thought that kids shouldn’t spend too much time staring at screens. However, I had to say they were quite enjoyable. Though, several hours could go by in the blink of an eye if you got too involved in them. Alexei and played just a single round before we decided to go to dinner. That one round lasted over half an hour, but it felt like only a few minutes.

  We headed to the mess hall to eat some of the leftover food for dinner. Just about everyone had cleared out and we had the hall to ourselves. I ate my food rather quickly because I was excited about going to the lounge. Alexei took his time eating like usual and I sensed that he wasn’t as anxious to go see what everyone else has been doing.

  “Alexei, are you cool with going to the lounge tonight? We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

  “No, no we should go.”

  “C’mon man, what’s really going on?”

  Alexei put his fork down and sighed.

  “Look, we’re not them. We’re just regular guys trying to make it through a training that all of them, for the most part, have been breezing through. We’re not warriors like they are. You get a pass because of what your Dad did and ultimately you’ll be accepted, probably worshipped, by everyone else. But for me, there’s no fitting in. I may limp through this place, but let’s be honest, I don’t belong here.”

  I paused for a second as Alexei resumed eating.

  “Alexei, you’ve earned a place here just like everyone else has. You made it through the course and have been shooting better than I have in the range. Don’t think I missed you shoot that zombie in the games. You need to relax like everyone else here. Stick with me, and I guarantee we’ll have fun tonight.”

  I tried my best to make Alexei feel comfortable and I understood he still had his doubts about being here. Deep down I had my own doubts about this too, but I kept telling myself that if this career was good enough for my dad, then it was more than good enough for me. Plus, I was starting to enjoy being here.

  “Trevor, there also something else I want to talk to you about.”

  Alexei looked around the room and then leaned in closer to me. We were the only ones here and I was not quite sure what he was about to say.

  “Trevor… I’ve been having these weird dreams lately, two to be exact. The reason I shot whoever that was in the zombie games so quickly is because it gave me a flashback to three nights ago. Both times I’ve awoken in the same place and then I get attacked by these severely infected humans. Each time I run for my life but it’s no use and they catch up to me. Just before I’m about to die, I wake up and realize that it was all in my head. However, that’s what has been giving me doubts about this training.”

  I didn’t say anything at first because I was shocked that Alexei had said that.

  “You probably think I’m crazy. It’s OK, I expected that.”

  “No, no. You’re not crazy at all. I didn’t say anything because I thought they were dreams too, but I’ve had two similar experiences. The second time I got bit and I thought I was going to die.”

  I went on to explain to Alexei both dreams and he told me about his. Like mine, he couldn’t figure out where he was. He thought he was on some kind of space station since he looked out a few windows and could recall seeing hundreds of stars. I wasn’t sure where I exactly was but I was fairly certain that I was on Earth both times. Regardless, Alexei and I concluded that the extremely life-like dreams were a side effect of the training.

  “I wonder if anyone else in the class has had them or if it’s just us. Hey, speaking of other people in our class, what do you think of the girls?”

  Alexei surprised me by switching topics so fast.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean, who do you find attractive? I think Sierra is gorgeous.”

  Sierra was very pretty and it does help that she was tall and blonde. However, she was a little too bubbly for my taste. She was always really happy and laughing. I liked people who were more down to earth.

  “Umm, Darin is cool. I guess.”

  “Your conviction is overwhelming me. C’mon man, if one girl walked through that door right now and said she wanted to be with you, who would you want it to be?”

  I thought about Alexei’s hypothetical scenario for a moment. What I had said about Darin was a complete lie. Yes, she was pretty and all, but she was way too into herself. Every morning she must have gotten up at least an hour earlier to arrange her curly black hair into the French braid she often sports, along with a little bit of make-up.

  “There are twenty-two girls in our class and not one of them has caught your eye?”

  The truth was one of them had caught my eye and it had been today actually. It would never work and we’d already had a bad interaction.

  “Don’t judge me too harshly, but I do think Jemma is really pretty. She’s tough, independent, and doesn’t take shit from anyone. She never smiles which makes me think that she’s gone through a lot in her life. I don’t think it could ever work, but I’d be willing to try to give her a reason to smile.”

  “You would like her.”

  Alexei laughed and picked up his tray. He walked over to the garbage can next to the tray drop-off window and I quickly caught up to him.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Of all the girls in our class, you pick the one the most intimidating one. Don’t get me wrong I think she’s hot too, but she’ll probably kick your ass before you even get a chance to ask her out.”

  I dumped the paper plates and utensils into the trash and returned my tray. Alexei had been right and I felt like an idiot for showing an interest in her. Besides, she’s already knocked me on my ass.

  “C’mon Flashman, let’s go see what the cool kids are up to.”

  I’d been at The Eye for almost a month now and neither one of us had been to this lounge that everyone has been hanging out in. We followed Mark’s instructions and located the ro
om at the end of the second hallway, just where he said it would be. After entering the two large doors, I immediately saw Mark and the other SEALs standing by a pool table. Like everything else on this base, the lounge was huge. There were couches everywhere, a bar with dozens of glass bottles behind it, a plasma TV in one corner, vending machines, tables for playing cards and a foosball table. Even Uncle Keith’s basement man cave wasn’t as cool as this room, even though he’d probably have kill me if I’d said that. Between his signed New England Patriots Tom Brady Jersey, and his game-used Boston Bruins Tim Thomas Goalie Stick, he thought there is no better place on Earth.

  Mark and the other SEALs weren’t the only ones in the lounge. Darin was playing ping pong with Harold. A bunch of people were watching TV, Sierra was making drinks for a few others at the bar and Jemma was reading a book on one of the reclining chairs in the back of the room. Mark immediately came over to Alexei and me as we entered the room. He asked if Alexei and I were interested in playing a round of pool and we broke into teams. Alexei and I faced off against Mark and Tommy. Alexei took the first shot and we started making small talk.

  “So Trevor, what did you and Alexei do before this?”

  I was about to start talking, but Alexei cut me off before I got a word out. For someone who had expressed his doubts about being similar to the other guys in our class, he appears to be quite comfortable with them.

  “Well, I worked in a different S.T.O.R.M. division and Trevor went to some place called Kings Point.”

  Alexei went on to tell him about being a Cyber Officer before this and what his job entailed when he was in Japan. I was about to line up my shot when Mark turned his attention to me.

  “Obviously you’re here because of your Dad but what the heck is Kings Point? I’ve never heard of that unit.”

  I lost my focus for a second and missed the cue ball. Is it really that obvious that I’m here only because of my Dad? Surely, I can’t be that horrible. Clearly, I wasn’t a SEAL or any kind of bad-ass like that like, but Kings Point is not an easy school to get into. I had had to work my butt off in high school to get good grades so I could get selected. My brief moment of taking offense to what he said quickly vanished and I went on to talk about my old school.

  Not many people seemed to know about Kings Point and it seemed like every time I brought it up, I had to explain to someone what it is. I briefly explained how it was one of the five service Academies in the United States and that it produces Merchant Marine officers, as well as regular military officers, mostly Coast Guard and Navy. Once I had gotten the explanation out there, Mark and the others seemed to understand that I was on a track to serve the United States military like they were, just not in a Special Forces role.

  “Kings Point sounds like a smaller version of the Naval Academy.”

  “Yes! Exactly, we’re just like them but a fourth of the size.”

  Mark explained that his older brother Josh had gone to the Naval Academy and became a SEAL officer, which was apparently rare. After this training is over Mark wanted to see if his brother could get recruited too, so they could serve together.

  The four of us continued to have fun playing pool and kicking back a few sodas. The best thing about this place was not having the OICs around. I had noticed a sign on the door that said ‘Recruits Only’. There was even a dartboard next to one of the vending machines on the opposite wall with Commander Knight’s face on it. I understood now why everyone came here after long days of running around.

  Tommy jumped in; “So Trevor, if you don’t mind me asking, what can you tell us about your dad?”

  I was about to respond to his question when the doors to the lounge flung open and Dwayne stormed in. The music got quieter and the entire room seemed to stop to look at him. It’s like one of those old western movies when the bad guy walks into a saloon looking for a fight. Dwayne scanned the room until he found Jemma reading in the corner.

  “Smith!”

  She didn’t respond and continued reading her book. Several people got out of his way as he continued to walk over to her corner. Dwayne called out her name again, and she ignored him yet again. He took the book right out of her hands and threw it across the room.

  “Hey! What the hell is your problem?!”

  “My problem! What is your problem?! You think you can make a fool of me like that and get away with it?! Well, think again!”

  Jemma stood up and got right in Dwayne’s face. He had a good six or seven inches on her so technically she wasn’t in his face. A few recruits moved closer to the two of them. I followed them and cautiously approached from behind Dwayne.

  “Someone needs to teach you where your place is!”

  “Your place is face down on the ground.”

  I noticed Dwayne’s left arm move slightly. Without any sort of plan, I ran over and grabbed it before he could lay a finger on her. I wasn’t sure if really was going to hit Jemma, but I couldn’t stand by and let that happen. He immediately shook his arm free from my grasp and turned.

  “What do you think you’re doing Flashman?”

  “Leave her alone Dwayne. We shot you fair and square. Get over it.”

  Dwayne’s towering figure made me rethink why I had put myself in-between him and Jemma in the first place. Was standing up for this girl really worth whatever is going to happen next? Without any hesitation, Dwayne flung his fist back and hurled it right at my face. I felt a huge rush of pain and then hit the floor. I opened my eyes, finding his foot next to my face. How did he knock me out with a single punch?

  After blacking out for a few seconds, I grabbed my jaw and found Alexei bending down next to me. My jaw was killing me but shockingly, someone in the room was actually in more pain than me. I looked up to find Dwayne with his arm twisted behind his back by none other than Jemma. After he had punched me, she must have grabbed his arm before he could do any more damage. He was now begging her to let go as she threatened to rip it out of his shoulder.

  Alexei helped me up as she kicked the back of Dwayne’s thigh as hard as she could. Dwayne immediately fell to the ground and I looked up to see everyone in the room stunned. Witnessing a hundred-pound girl bring a six foot five ex-Army Bureau to his knees in a matter of seconds was astonishing. For some reason, I was both turned on and scared at that same time. And if she could do that to Dwayne, there’s no telling what harm she could do to me. Alexei had been right, she really could kick my ass, or anyone’s for that matter.

  She headed for the door and looked back at Dwayne, who quickly made his way to his feet. She turned just before exiting the lounge.

  “Don’t ever come at me again, otherwise you’ll really regret it.”

  The room remained silent. She was nothing but a force to be reckoned with. I slowly clicked my jaw back into place and for some reason, I felt a sudden urge to go talk to her. I ran out of the room and caught her just before she reached the end of the hallway.

  “Hey!”

  I had no idea what to say. I wanted to thank her, but I was supposed to be the one defending her, not the other way around. She turned around and I froze like a deer in the headlights as a train came right for me.

  “What is your problem?!”

  “I was just trying to—”

  “Just trying to what? Protect me? Well, you did a hell of a job! All you did was make me look weak. I don’t need you, or any other guy to fight my battles for me!”

  Her tone really confused me. I had never encountered such a stubborn girl. I’d only been trying to help and now I felt awful. When did girls become so defensive? It wasn’t like I’d been the one about to hit her. And I was the one who was bleeding, not her! Before I could say anything else, she took off in the other direction. Alexei came out of the lounge and put his arm on my shoulder.

  “Hey dude, forget her. Let’s go get some ice for that lip.”

  Chapter Sixteen: Start The Clock

  I bit down on my lip as I dunked my head beneath the surface of the water. A
small shock of pain erupted from my lip causing me to close my eyes. It was still tender from Dwayne’s punch last night and had swollen up quite a bit. However, my lip was nothing compared to the pain the rest of my body was in.

  Six hours ago, around 0300, the OICs had violently woken up the entire class. They had instructed us to put our bathing suits on and then marched us to the pool on Deck Two, where Commander Knight was waiting for us. He and the other OICs had heard about the incident in the lounge. Up until today, we’d only seen the nice side of Commander Knight. Although this morning his other half veered its ugly head, and we are currently paying the price for what happened. Had I known that the incident was going to cause this much of a disruption in our training, I would have done my best to disperse the confrontation, not encourage the conflict.

  Almost immediately after stepping onto the pool deck, Commander Knight made us all jump into the pool and tread water while we listened to him lecture us. He said that he had been planning on starting the aquatic phase of our training today since we have done quite well as a class down in the range. Instead of using this time to begin instruction, he took the opportunity to use the water against us. Non-stop laps followed his lecture, which focused mainly on how it was never okay to attack or assault another Stormer. Although he assured us that after today’s punishment session, we’d never even think about mistreating someone on our team. Little does he know, he had made his point hours ago. If we ever got out of this pool, I could guarantee that none of my classmates will even look at another Stormer the wrong way.

  Being woken up this morning to find out this was in store for us was quite humiliating since this whole thing was partly my fault. Not to mention that I was extremely embarrassed. Dwayne had knocked me out with one punch. That was all it took to render me useless and face down on the ground.

  While Alexei graciously got ice for my lip last night, he had tried to make me feel better by reminding me that Dwayne had been the one who was taken out by Jemma. She was easily half his weight and a good foot shorter than him. I agreed with him, and it did make me feel a tiny bit better although it had taken him a long time to stop laughing after I had said that I found her attractive. I still couldn’t believe how Jemma had reacted. All I had done was stand up for her, and then she screamed at me for doing so. What was her problem anyway?