NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17: Secret Plan
Walking out the back gate, the recruits became excited to leave the base for the first time in days. They found themselves in a large field south of the base, with various locations for them to explore. Most of it was grass and dirt, mainly in the center of the field, where a large obstacle course and training equipment were found, with tents and crates of supplies and gear or weapons scattered all around. This main attraction acted as an intersection for many rock paths that connected with smaller points of interest. In the middle of the field, on the left, a medium-sized shack could be seen from a distance, as well as another smaller area that looked like an arena with bleachers behind it. Following a path just outside the gate to their right, there was a pleasant-looking plaza, perfect for taking breaks, though it looked ominous as it was right at one of the entrances to the forest surrounding the entire back of the field.
The recruits were impressed at first but quickly grew confused and apprehensive about the field since the alluring greenery and calm oak wood backdrop of the training grounds were ruined by the military context of the place. The field could have been perfectly used for farming or hosting a large garden, and while it looked like crops were growing right outside the walls of the base, the majority of the land was completely repurposed to create a messy training facility. The equipment that was present seemed to be in poor shape already, but since the field was out in the open, the recruits would be the ones deteriorating as they would be exposed to the sun when they worked out.
Regardless, they couldn’t do much to protest now; they had their chance to back out, and now they only had to suck it up and get used to the place. Some were still curious about the nearby attractions, mainly the plaza and the forest. Since they were the first ones to go outside, a few recruits tried to explore the area and admire their surroundings. But as the other soldiers and Crisis went outside and joined them in the field, the recruits were forced to stay in line right in front of the obstacle course while they waited for Frost to catch up. The recruits tried to remain quiet, but since it was clear from their reactions that they were no longer interested in training when Frost made his way over to them, he was able to tell instantly that it would take a lot of work to make the recruits grow fond of the training grounds.
–Alright, you like it out here? You better… You will spend most of your time here from now on, whether you have to work out, play games, or even just have a break. You’ll get to see everything this place offers later… But now, to get you accustomed to the training grounds, your first exercise is to run five circles around the entire field…– Frost teased his students with arrogance and a little bit of pity as he walked past them until he was in front and in everyone's view. Crisis had positioned themselves right outside the shack in the middle of the field, with the rest of the soldiers surrounding the recruits to make sure they stayed in line and had nowhere to go.
But as Frost continued walking towards Crisis, heading straight to the small building without looking back, both his teammates and the recruits were left confused by his brief orders. The recruits stood still in hesitation, waiting for Frost to confirm his doubts, but he didn’t notice they had frozen until Indie pointed behind him with a weary and disappointed face. He turned around to see that no one had started running, and with mild frustration, he stared at them for a second to get them to move. They didn’t get the hint, and with Frost’s patience running out in a second, he saw no other option than scaring them into running laps.
–NOW! The last one gets a punishment!– Frost yelled with force, causing everyone to immediately start running frantically. They were lost at first, but since there was a marked line that circled the entire field, they used it as guidance to complete their first exercise. He seemingly put minimal effort into his shout, but seeing that it was so effective got a short laugh out of him. He didn’t enjoy himself for long, though, and he continued walking towards Crisis, with Indie keeping her eyes on the recruits as they began running laps. And while she was distracted, Frost signaled to Tricky, Panda, and Candy to follow him into the shack, which they did without a question, though they didn’t look too comfortable about it. By the time Indie noticed, she seemed not to care enough to follow them, and as she was in a hurry, she just checked back for a second before she had to leave.
–Alright, seems like they eventually listened to them. Hopefully, he makes it work, but let me know if he causes any issues, and I’ll have another talk with him…– Indie said casually, a little more hopeful about the direction of the training program, though Nitro and Kiwy didn’t seem to agree. They shared a worried expression, with Kiwy looking up to Nitro and waiting for him to respond. They both appeared afraid of Indie, but Nitro worked up the courage to accept her request, even though he didn’t seem confident enough about it.
–Right, we will do that… No problem. we’ll make sure to keep him in check…– Nitro responded apprehensively, trying to hide a nervous grin to display more confidence, though it didn’t matter at that point because Indie was already walking away, leaving both of them in charge of supervising the recruits and making sure none of them escaped. As she made her way back to the base, Kiwy and Nitro looked at each other again, and just to make sure they wouldn’t make a mistake to warrant a personal scolding from Indie, they ran alongside the recruits, following them until they finished their exercise.
Their coaching seemed to be working, at least for now. With Indie and most of the soldiers returning to the base, the rest of Crisis stepped into the shack for a small break while the recruits ran their laps. The interior of the building was small, though it was oddly furnished more than some rooms in the barracks, despite being similar in size. At the entrance, what looked like a dining room was the center of attention. It was a large round table with a few chairs and a cabinet, but instead of holding cups and plates, a couple of rifles and boxes of bullets could be seen inside. On each side was a tiny door, with the one on the left slightly open. A sink and a counter were visible from the main room, but the team didn’t pay attention to them as Frost had already claimed the place as his office, sitting at the back of the table to face his teammates while they looked around the now-crowded room.
–So, is there anything we can do to help with the course, like setting up stuff for lessons or…?– Tricky tried to ask casually to break the silence in the room, but she was rudely cut off by Frost as he addressed Panda and completely ignored her.
–Close the doors and come here…– Frost ordered with an abrupt change of demeanor. He was just as impatient as before but was almost paranoid now, urging everyone to get close so he could talk quieter. As soon as Panda closed the door behind them and gathered around the table with the others, all paying attention to Frost to solve the thousands of questions forming in their heads every second.
–I actually need you to help me here, but we need to keep this in private…– Frost added, almost whispering, causing Panda and the two girls to look at each other in confusion. Tricky looked a bit uncomfortable, unlike Panda and Candy, who seemed more curious than anything after hearing that they were discussing a private matter.
–Look, we will brief Nitro and Kiwy after this, but it’s important that Indie never finds out or we are screwed…– Frost resumed explaining, staring at each one of his teammates intently to get their full attention. They were very attentive and nodded affirmatively, but Panda couldn’t contain his excitement as his mischievous grin grew the more he waited for Frost to reveal whatever he was planning.
–Ohhh, what do you have in mind?– Panda asked eagerly, smiling curiously like Candy, though she was more playful despite looking on edge from the fact they were now keeping a secret. Tricky tried to speak her mind, but instead, Frost immediately began explaining everything that was going on in his.
–So, Indie left me in charge of teaching these noobies, but she actually can’t stay here to check up on the training. She only sees the results a few days a week and at the end of the course, so, I came up with a plan to teach a couple of lessons a day, do what she asks me, and all that… all while I secretly worked on a recon mission to scout the villages around the base and hopefully get an idea of what we have to face when we finally get out of here…– Frost disclosed, growing more enthusiastic about his idea as he saw his teammates doing the same. At first, even Panda was skeptical of the plan, but after a bit of persuading, he looked completely on board. Tricky forgot about her suspicions and grew fond of the plan, though she still restrained herself from saying anything and tried not to interrupt Frost so he could proceed with the explanation. However, Candy had a completely different reaction. She now strongly opposed the idea out of that unseen fear that was making her doubt, which she couldn’t keep hidden anymore and led her to object before Frost could say another word.
–Wait, are you seriously considering a secret, unauthorized recon mission after what Indie told you? She explicitly said she wanted you to take this course seriously, you can’t just betray her trust like that…– Candy asked worriedly, even adopting a chiding tone to reproach Frost for suggesting a dangerous plan behind their superiors’ backs. But as Frost was already committed, he brushed it off and took it lightly, though it still took some time to try to convince her.
–Come on, I’m still going to do what she told me. I’m just taking one step ahead of them because, apparently, they refuse to do anything and prefer waiting for some orders over jumping back into action after a major attack. Besides, she can complain if she wants. I’m not scared of her…– Frost responded nonchalantly, growing a little frustrated as he began rambling. But as he lost his train of thought for a second, he didn’t fully get to convince Tricky or even Panda, as they saw right through his bluff when he pretended not to be intimidated by Indie. They all looked at him with the same incredulous stare, though only Candy dared to say anything about it because Frost was staring at her the most.
–Really? We all saw you back there. I don’t know what she said, but I bet you didn’t like it. And don’t you think we are in downtime for a reason? You know how these things work, but you should already know by now that she is probably right, so why don’t you just listen to her for once?– Candy called Frost out with genuine disapproval, almost becoming critical if it weren’t for her naturally worried and kind spirit getting in the way, showing more concern than anger. She still tried to talk sense into him with her usual soft and compassionate voice to deal with his temper. But it looked like not even her caring words worked on him in the moment, as her attempt to talk him down only triggered him, though not directly.
–I’ve listened to her plenty enough, and it’s not even like she is calling the shots. She is just doing whatever Snake tells her to do and refuses to stand up for herself. I don’t know what happened, but Snake is slowly becoming more of a coward with all of these attacks, and Indie endorses it. She just stays quiet and doesn’t act on her own judgment anymore…– Frost replied in an annoyed tone, though with a little disappointment as well. He looked genuinely remorseful about their current situation, and while he was being loud and aggressive about it, it seemed that his teammates agreed with him to some degree. They all stayed quiet and didn’t even try to argue with his point, yet Candy still showed some hesitance with her anxious expression.
–Yea, you are right, but it is still kind of dangerous. Don’t get me wrong, I would like to go out, and I’m sure we all would, but I think it is better if we just stay here and wait like we were told to…– Candy said timidly, a bit more open to the idea but still sounding uncertain. Panda and Tricky appeared to be in the same position, though they didn’t show it as much and remained quiet, leading to Frost getting impatient with them and trying to end the debate at once.
–Come on, are you in or not? Because if you are not, then I hope you enjoy being stuck here for three more months!– Frost asked them in an irritated, and even spiteful manner, demanding his teammates to choose, to which they had to consider it for another moment.
–I don’t know, I just don’t want you t-... us, to get in trouble…– Candy stuttered nervously, shuddering in fear, and looked away from Frost sheepishly. He looked like he was about to say something to comfort her, but before he could, Panda and Tricky made their decision first.
–Just what exactly do you want to do?– Panda asked with more determination than curiosity, followed up by Tricky, who seemed to share the sentiment, though still skeptical of Frost’s intentions. In response, he stared at them both with a stoic expression before simply reaching for his back, where a handgun was hidden, with only the handle sticking out. Right next to the gun, a paper was tucked in his back pocket, and that’s what he ended up grabbing. Without saying a word, he pulled out the paper, which turned out to be a small map, similar to the one Snake had in his office. And as his teammates leaned forward for a closer look, Frost extended the map and began explaining his plan in more detail.
–Look, I was just planning to scout these villages over here in search of some enemies. You know how they like to lurk in these areas after a big attack. They might be hiding nearby or, even worse, waiting until they all group up and strike again. If they are plotting something, we gotta know, or at least have something prepared for any case…– Frost described his plan while pointing at the same villages that were attacked, but also circling a perimeter around the base to indicate the area where their enemies might be hiding. Panda, Tricky, and even Candy looked more interested in the plan, starting to take it seriously once they saw the different potential spots the enemies could take advantage of to attack the base when no one expected. They took a moment to consider it, and while Panda and Candy were in thought, Tricky quickly thought of something right away to contend with Frost’s plan.
–And did Indie say something about a contingency plan for that case? Snake must have prepared something…– Tricky asked as she took a closer look at the map with a thoughtful expression. Frost considered her claim for a second but didn’t take long to think of a thought-out response.
–I doubt it. They are just waiting for orders and no longer have the incentive to act on their own, so we are the ones that gotta do something…– Frost replied casually, almost indifferent, though he clearly chose his words carefully to sound convincing. It seemed to work, as after Panda, Tricky, and Candy exchanged a few stares, they eventually were compelled to follow his plan with a nod.
–Alright, we are in. So, what do you want us to do?– Panda affirmed for the group, and since neither Tricky nor Candy were against it, Frost assumed they all agreed to help him out with his plan. He grinned for a moment, pleased to have their support, but still gave each one of them a good look to confirm they were all completely certain about their decision. They looked to be just as determined as him to carry out the plan, so to not waste any more time, he proceeded to explain the secret mission.
–I’m going to need you to cover me for the most part. After I give some lessons, you can help me out by keeping an eye on the recruits while I sneak back and do some surveillance. It will depend, but I’m thinking of doing it at night so there are fewer chances of being caught. For example, tonight I need to gather some equipment and materials for the mission, so I’m going to need you to do this…– Frost explained briefly, sparking some interest in his teammates, though they had to stay quiet and just listen carefully as he went in depth with the plan. He began listing thoroughly all of his instructions for his teammates to follow, and as they took mental notes to remember everything, they seemed to lean more into the plan now that he was elaborating on it.
But since they only had time to go over the plan while the recruits ran their laps around the field, they only managed to talk for a couple of minutes. Despite the time constraint, it appeared that it was still enough for him to explain all the individual tasks that each one of them had to take care of. With a clear explanation of every step, Frost now had Tricky, Panda, and Candy as their fully committed accomplices in his secret plan to scout the nearby area of the base. They now had to check if they could actually go through with it without being caught, which sounded easier on paper, but they would have to wait and find out for themselves.