NOVEL NEXT WORLD «| Episode 4: Breakdown |»
Chapter 38: In Trouble
The blue team’s triumph in the attack and defense game came to an abrupt, unexpected, and shocking end when Crisis’s secret mission was compromised by none other than two of the players. After garnering the attention of everyone in the field, Crisis was inevitably caught by Indie. The victory was already spoiled, but instead of an argument breaking out immediately at the scene of the failed mission, she found it appropriate to discuss such a distressing matter in private, only dragging Frost with her to get an explanation for the mess he had caused. And as Frost was already accepting the consequences of his actions in silence, he could only prepare mentally for the biggest scolding he would receive, while his teammates could only follow him to show support as much as they could.
As Indie walked without urgency but still kept a consistent and firm pace, the rest of Crisis hesitated to get in her way, even though Candy and Panda seemed to be coming up with excuses to help out Frost. But before they could do anything to shift some of the blame away from Frost, they found themselves back in the playing field, more specifically, the middle of the stream, where all the students and the rest of the soldiers were found. They seemed confused and worried after noticing Zoey and Scott accompanying all of Crisis, though it looked like the soldiers understood immediately the gravity of the situation with one glance at Indie’s face.
Completely focused on leading Frost back to the base to have a talk, Indie didn’t bother answering any questions about the incident that had taken place, instead giving the order for everyone to leave, dismissing the soldiers as she walked past them with Frost following right behind. The students were quite distressed to see their teacher looking down in shame, completely absent from that fierce, assertive, even arrogant nature of his. He looked emotionless, not even shifting his attention to the trainees for a second to put up a front. And as he kept following Indie, after he and Crisis disappeared into the woods once again, the students began sharing their theories and concerns.
However, their discussion was cut short when they were forced to move, following the soldiers back to the base, only after Scott and Zoey rejoined the group, which sparked even more doubts. They were surrounded by their classmates, who began harassing them with endless questions. But as they still looked stunned by what they had witnessed, they only remained quiet as they watched Crisis leave the forest in remorse, scared of what they would have to pay for something they didn’t do. Nonetheless, they didn’t pay much attention to it when their classmates began questioning them. And with everyone else left behind in the forest, Crisis reached the back entrance of the base shortly after, immediately heading to their private lounge on the second floor of the central building.
–Oh boy, these two…– Panda muttered anxiously, although slightly amused, as Frost was forced to take off all his gear, leaving his blades on the floor, right outside the lounge, where the rest of the team could only wait quietly as only Indie and Frost entered the room. While they were relieved to have been excluded from the argument about to unfold, they couldn’t deal with the uncertainty and curiosity that it had stirred in them. So, as soon as Frost and Indie walked into the lounge and closed the door, Crisis began to eavesdrop, though some were quite apprehensive about it.
–Do you think we are in trouble too?– Candy asked in a scared manner, standing far away from the door, behind her teammates, as the most probable outcome of the situation only made her uneasy. But as the rest of the team had already seemingly forgotten about their guilt, and now they could just wait for it all to blow over, they gathered right at the door, keeping their ears stuck to it for a good listen.
–Maybe… Let’s hope Frost takes all the blame, though…– Tricky replied nonchalantly before she brought her left eye to the door’s peephole, growing frustrated as she couldn’t see the inside of the room clearly. Candy stared at her in disbelief, almost indignant at what she just said, though she couldn’t do much other than look at her other teammates for support. But as her eyes met Panda, he became nervous since he couldn’t come up with anything to say to ease Candy’s worries. He ultimately just shrugged his shoulders to agree with Tricky, and after letting out a sigh, he stepped away from the group to grab Frost’s gear and weapons.
–Yea, I guess I should just return these things to the arsenal. There’s not much use to them now, huh?... Hope they don’t get upset for stealing them…– Panda said in a forced lighthearted tone, sounding awkward as he tried to dismiss himself. While his teammates didn’t even pay attention to him, Candy just kept staring, creating more guilt as he couldn’t take his eyes off hers. She tried to hold him accountable for the incident with her unnerved stare, but he just gave her an uncomfortable smile before quickly leaving with all the gear they had stolen for the mission.
–I don’t like where this could end…– Candy muttered to herself, but with no one listening to her, instead of paying attention to Frost and Indie’s conversation, she just stayed quiet and remained close to her team to assess the situation by checking their reactions.
They still couldn’t hear anything since Frost and Indie hadn’t exchanged a single word yet. The tense silence had sustained since their brief interaction back in the forest, and it looked like they wouldn’t even talk for a while since they spent a good minute trying to figure out where exactly they would talk. Frost immediately took a seat on one of the couches at the back of the room, adopting a more comfortable demeanor as he relaxed for a second, watching Indie walk around the lounge anxiously.
She was focused on trying to make sense of the situation, which appeared to be causing great stress, which she was good at hiding, though Frost could clearly see she was struggling to restrain herself from escalating the situation immediately. But to his surprise, she seemed to have composed herself when she walked over to the couches, standing behind the one across him before speaking for the first time in minutes.
–Start talking…– Indie ordered in a subdued tone, showing some distress as she held one hand up to her mouth, sighing profusely as she tried to calm down. But in response, Frost just dismissed her for a few seconds, as he was taken aback by her request. He considered his answer for a moment, but as he seemed uncertain about what to say, he just stared at Indie critically, growing contentious the longer she stared back.
–What do you want me to say?– Frost replied with subtle disdain, holding his head with his fist as he seemed bored, highly uninterested, or just focused on getting a hold of himself. While he refrained from arguing immediately, it was his attitude that appeared to have set off Indie. She fixed her stare on him, and after waiting for a real answer until she couldn’t take his indifference anymore, she grabbed the back of the couch in front of her to lean forward and make her impatience clear.
–Explain yourself!– Indie shouted in a burst of pent-up fury that she had been holding for the past few minutes. Ever since she saw him in the forest, she had been bridling her rage until they were finally alone to confront him. And while her sudden change in intensity finally got Frost to look at her and pay attention, he seemed to maintain the same demeanor, only showing a bit of remorse in his otherwise deadpan stare.
–Look, I already know what I did was wrong. It was my fault and you are going to scold me for it regardless of what I say, so just go for it…– Frost responded passively, keeping his cool to not warrant unnecessary backlash for his response. But as he lacked the ability to make a sincere attempt at an apology, his words only got Indie to grow tenacious in her approach to making him talk.
–No, I want to know first why those enemies were outside our base and then some reasons to not kill you right now– Indie retaliated in a slightly more aggressive tone, although her threats were more visible in her body language as she began squeezing the back of the couch so hard that it began ripping. But even then, Frost only bothered to be as straightforward as possible, completely dismissing her intimidation tactics as she was still quite far from him.
–I’ve been sneaking out of the base to scout the area in search of potential enemies. I thought there was an enemy base nearby, and I was trying to pinpoint their location by following those scavengers. I lured them here in hopes we- I-I could infiltrate their carriage and sneak into their base…– Frost replied impassively, though his voice adopted a haughty tone, sounding proud of what he had done. Seeing her indignation, he doubled down on and gave Indie a contemptuous smirk, though she was having none of it.
–What? You think you are some sort of spy now? What were you thinking??– Indie asked in a belittling manner, matching Frost’s disdain as she looked down on him. He tried dismissing her with an eye roll, but after seeing her persistent intent stare following him everywhere he looked, he took a moment to think before standing up in an instant.
–It worked out! Well, until that idiot showed up and sabotaged the whole operation, of course…– Frost yelled back in elevated exasperation as he leaned in closer to Indie, giving her a personal, menacing, and loathing stare. But as she noticed that his anger didn’t seem directed at her, and since she was still able to look down at him, effectively giving her the advantage, she was able to keep her cool and not snap back, although that didn’t mean she wasn’t frustrated by his response.
–Oh, so you had a whole operation going on behind my back. Who else was on it?– Indie asked in a restrained manner, asking passively like earlier but making up for it by lowering her tone to a whisper as she leaned closer, now having to support herself on the couch in order to do so. Her fairly mellow response managed to interrupt Frost’s train of thought, and even though he still possessed all of that frustration that had been bothering him, he found himself unsure for once.
–Well…– Frost stammered for a second, unable to come up with a response that eventually led to Indie having a realization in front of him, which appeared to have startled her as well.
–That's why you were all acting suspicious… You were planning this for who knows how long, and you didn’t even try to tell me… I mean, what did you think you could achieve with this?– Indie said under her breath as she tried to assimilate the betrayal of her trust from some of her own teammates. But after stepping away from the couch to dwell on it for a brief moment, she quickly turned her attention back to Frost as her frustration kept driving her search for answers.
–I told you… I was going to find their base, we were so close to infiltrating them before t-...– Frost tried to explain earnestly, but now that he was giving a genuine response, or at least trying, he was cut off by Indie, who continued diminishing his explanation.
–I know, before that student of yours sabotaged you… Don’t try to blame it on him, this was your fault…– Indie responded scornfully but managing to hold her anger as she took big breaths. But as it became clear that she couldn’t calm herself down, Frost became quiet to get some time to think, though he had to look away and hide his face in frustration as he was now dealing with her short temper.
–You put the squad in danger, and possibly your own students. They were playing right next to your little fight. Good thing that no one else went to check it out. And don’t even get me started with the countless base regulations you brok-...– Indie continued chastising Frost, who could only take her lectures for so long, eventually becoming fed up with her constant berating and responding with a burst of his own.
–I don’t even know why that wimp tried to spy on us. He had no business being there!– Frost blurted out in a frenzy, still looking away from Indie as he couldn’t contain his stress, though she still appeared to take his fit personally.
–I don’t care about him… I just want to know why you did that. Don’t you think anymore?– Indie asked with impatience, growing exhausted and agitated by his excuses to the point that she was just desperate to get answers. Her scolding stare turned annoyed, and her assertive approach became a furious plea to talk some sense into Frost, but as he kept dismissing her, she was forced to hear more pretexts.
–I did think it through, and a lot, actually. Yea, I planned it for weeks, and we had everything prepared, all the way down to our cover and escape. It would have worked, it’s not as big of a problem as you make it seem!– Frost replied arrogantly, still trying to remain unbothered and even prideful of his mistakes, with all hint of remorse long gone now. Indie could see right through his gaslighting, but as he tried to downplay his situation over and over again, she had to walk around the couch to stand right in front of him and confront him face-to-face.
–Oh really? But it is big enough to plan it with the rest of the squad without telling me? Even if you had infiltrated that base, what was next, huh? You were going to take the enemy down all by yourself??– Indie retorted, turning both sarcastic and bitter, but the more she sneered at his response, instead of ridiculing him, it seemed to boost his ego even more, prompting a brief, delirious laugh from him.
–Well, I’m more than capable to, so yea, I could take them down all by myself if I wanted…– Frost replied resentfully, turning dismissive again after becoming tired of yelling and taking a seat back again to smirk at Indie’s now confused expression. She couldn’t even comprehend how adamant he was about his plan, and while she had long ago given up on getting an apology from him, she still tried to figure out why he kept bragging and mocking her with his cocky stare as he laid back on the couch.
–Wow, look at you. You really think you can do whatever you want without permission like you are some sort of untouchable hero, bringing justice without relying on anyone else…– Indie said derisively, giving him some sarcastic praise along with a shameful stare. But all the judging and mocking of his characters appeared to get no reaction; in fact, his attitude was validated by her comment. He kept staring at her distantly, not at all intimidated by her tall figure as she stood in front of him. And instead of looking at her in the eye like she looked down on him, he began to doze off after hearing her rant, although she wasn’t nearly done.
–What happened to informing me about recon missions or possible enemy infiltrations beforehand? Couldn’t you just have told me instead of going through all that hassle to end up failing anyway?– Indie asked with more concern, showing genuine confusion as Frost’s callous expression perturbed her. He relaxed on the couch, stretching his legs, placing one arm over the back, and resting his head before yawning at her questions.
–It would have worked without you. Actually, I don’t think it would have even been considered if I told you…– Frost replied nonchalantly, almost mumbling as he tried to fall asleep and shut her off, but it was the last part that caught her attention in a way he wouldn’t be able to ignore.
–What is that supposed to mean?– Indie asked in a baffled and offended manner, losing her assertiveness as she now waited anxiously for Frost to reply, though he was reluctant at first as he had closed his eyes.
–You know, how you and Snake are too afraid to do anything and would rather stay here wasting time than actually planning our next move– Frost answered after a few seconds in a jesting tone, once again catching Indie off guard. His now mellow attitude only made it harder for her to figure out the meaning of his words, but as he was quite straightforward, she didn’t take long before coming to an understanding, though she didn’t seem pleased by it.
–So, this is what it’s all about with you? You are mad because we aren’t allowed to leave the base…– Indie asked with a sarcastic but disdainful demeanor that caused Frost to think for a while. He kept quiet for a moment, seemingly ignoring her, but it was clear he was holding disdain as he kept making weird expressions with his mouth. He smiled briefly, only to then frown in frustration. His breathing became heavy, and as he struggled to contain himself, Indie kept pushing him. However, before she got the chance to speak another word and question him, Frost responded with an anticipated burst of rage.
–Of course it is! Of course I’m mad! Don’t you think we could be doing something with our lives right now? Don’t you think we could be helping our allies defend themselves? Don’t you think we would be more useful out there fighting and actually doing something instead of teaching some kids how TO FIGHT AND CLEAN OUR CLOTHES??!!– Frost blew up at Indie with an excessive amount of hatred and spite that he had somehow kept hidden. But now that he was expressing himself, he was so loud that he not only caught Indie off guard but also his teammates outside.
–Oh man, it’s getting intense– Nitro snickered, almost cracking a laugh until Panda reappeared behind him, rushing to the door to listen in, stopping Nitro with a punch on the shoulder.
–Shut up, I want to hear…– Panda told Nitro as they repositioned their ears on the door to keep listening to the fight inside, expecting it to become more violent and visceral, which it seemed to be doing if it weren’t for the fact that Indie was too shocked by Frost’s response to say a word.
She just stood in front of him in total silence, holding her breath and staring down at the floor as she contemplated what to say, but she was unable to think of anything when she could tell he was still giving her a despicable stare. It was only until he took his enraged eyes off her and tried to recompose himself that she got a chance to breathe. After a while, she had the courage to look back at him, and after seeing him panting and rubbing his face, she tried to speak once again, though her approach wasn’t nearly as aggressive as before.
–What happened to you? Why are you like this? Why can’t you just listen to me and respect my orders for once?– Indie asked with genuine concern, almost tearing up as her hurt expression turned desperate the more she attempted to get a rational answer from him. But just when it looked like she had inspired some compassion in him to settle everything for once and end the ill-willed feud formed between them, he persisted with his uncontrollable aversion.
–Because it seems like you aren’t in control anymore… You are not doing anything to help our situation! What have you done in these past three weeks?? Huh?– Frost replied with the same intensity and contempt, though showing more malice and even disgust towards Indie, leaving her speechless once again. She stammered for a second as she tried to think of an answer, but he didn’t waste time hearing her out before answering his own question.
–I doubt it was more than sitting on your ass all day and having pointless meetings with the commander, discussing which nonsensical program he wants to implement next while I’m out here, making the team do some actual work, and getting us some valuable intel to get us out of here sooner!– Frost yelled with such hostility that Indie appeared to be in disbelief of witnessing. His yelling made her flinch, even though he remained seated and didn’t try to approach her.
But without getting physical, he still put her in a trance with his disdainful stare, continuing to criticize her well after her unresponsive face turned down, seemingly giving up. And after breaking eye contact, giving him the satisfaction of winning the argument, Frost finally seemed to have come to his senses when he noticed the absolutely defeated expression on her face.
–You really don’t respect me anymore…– Indie muttered dejectedly, her once firm and clear voice became a fragile, shaky murmur that seemed just as weak as her posture and about to break. Her body deflated, and her arms fell to her sides as she lost all motive, with not an ounce of the certainty or courage of her former self left. Frost didn’t know what to do in response at first; he just watched her stand motionless, hearing her faint breathing as he tried to make out some expression on her obscured face. He leaned forward to see how devastated she was, and that’s when his previous aggressive demeanor appeared to have disappeared in an instant, with a far different attitude replacing it as he tried to speak.
–No, I don-... I’m sorry… I’m just too fixated on this thing, and I can’t think of anything else. I shouldn’t be taking it out on you…– Frost apologized with a voice almost as fragile as Indie’s, though strong enough to convey some genuine sounding remorse. But as he couldn’t find the right way to fully express his guilt, he stood up to try to console Indie. He didn’t look comfortable enough to hug her or even lay a finger on her, but as he tried to get a glimpse of her eyes by brushing away her long hair, she noticed his gesture and saw that he at least attempted to make amends.
–Why can’t you just talk to me and explain these things instead of being all secretive about it?– Indie asked with an even weaker voice that showed as much guilt as Frost, who was visibly upset by her response. He still couldn’t see her entire face as she kept staring down, but after considering her question for a good moment, he finally found the strength to admit his wrongdoings.
–I don’t know how to explain it, but… I get that we need to follow orders and you don’t call the shots here, but I feel like that captain who took the risks we were too afraid to take, who always made the first, and always came up with the best plans to save ourselves is slowly leaving us… But I don't think I can fully blame you, it’s all because of that coward Snake and his awful decisions… – Frost admitted with an apologetic, almost nervous, but earnest tone. He hesitated to justify his actions, but as he got rid of some of his guilt in the process, he kept speaking and revealing more to Indie, who appeared to appreciate finally getting an answer to her doubts.
–I’m sorry for not being able to do that anymore. I feel where you are coming from, I really do. Trust me, I want to be out there fighting as much as you, but I don’t know how I could change his mind, and quite frankly, I don’t think we have a choice. We just have to wait for us to be called again…– Indie responded in a similar manner, showing some remorse of her own and sounding just as disappointed and frustrated by the situation, though she was quite resolute with her stance on the matter. While Frost didn’t seem to agree, he looked relieved to see her comfortable enough to look at him again, but before he got to say anything, she interrupted him.
–I also don’t think you had the right approach by plotting behind my back and trying to keep this a secret. I really trusted you with this program, but if I knew you just wanted an excuse to sneak out and put everyone in danger, then I shouldn’t trust you anymore…– Indie added with her usual scolding demeanor but toned down and sounding more forgiving. While Frost was glad that she was understanding, since she was still clearly upset by his actions, he took a moment to think of something to explain himself properly.
–I didn’t just sneak out, I actually trained my students, you saw that… They would have all crapped themselves in today's game if they hadn't learned from me...– Frost replied reasonably but using a slightly lighthearted tone that showed some of his pride in a more playful manner, which almost got Indie to crack up, but only for a second before she continued reprimanding him.
–I know, but I don’t want more excuses. I don’t need you to justify your actions after committing them. You are just going to continue making these wrong decisions on your own. That’s just how it is, but I’m hurt that you don’t have the courtesy or respect to reach out to me for these kinds of things…– Indie asserted, giving a disapproving look alongside a strict voice that Frost looked over, focusing more on the parts where she opened up about her feelings, which he seemed to be taking into consideration for once, though very briefly.
–I tried, but I just couldn’t continue living like this, knowing they were out there, lurking and planning something. I didn’t think we would be able to do anything about it if I told you or Snake, so…– Frost replied earnestly, quite apprehensive to acknowledge his mistake, but thanks to that, Indie didn’t give him such a hard time about it anymore. After scoffing at his subtly embarrassed face, she regained her firm and calm composure before reassessing the situation with a big breath.
–Look, I believe you. I know you probably gathered some good information, and we might even be able to locate that base, but I need you to promise me you will tell me your secret plans and not let this happen again, okay?– Indie asked with a compassionate and lenient look, which Frost found kind enough to respond with an affirmative nod.
–I promise, I won’t betray your trust again…– Frost replied self-assuredly, with enough determination to convince Indie, even though he clearly wasn’t fully wholehearted. But as she still forgave him with a simple, approving look, Frost was satisfied and let out a sigh of relief.
–I highly doubt it, but I believe you for now…– Indie said jokingly, getting to tease Frost again without him blowing up at her. They got to share a rather short laugh before Indie walked back to the door. But as he followed her, she continued to speak, warning their teammates outside as she approached the door, letting them step back to avoid getting caught eavesdropping.
–Now, let’s tell Snake about this…– Indie added casually, but her comment instantly caught Frost’s attention, prompting him to stop her from reaching for the handle, grabbing her by the wrist once again, which made her flinch, though she relaxed pretty quickly.
–Wait, you can’t just tell him what happened. He won’t give us a chance to go out in years, it will ruin our only opportunity to find these punks…– Frost pleaded frantically as he pulled her closer, getting her to turn around with a pleasantly surprised expression. She looked down at the way he was holding her wrist, then looked back at his face with a small smirk, getting him to let go right away. But as he remained determined to keep Snake off the case, Indie considered his defiance of the idea, and after a while, she came up with an idea.
–Don’t worry, I know a way to convince him to let us. Just trust me…– Indie affirmed with a smug and casual expression, with a somewhat suggestive look as she brushed the wrist he just grabbed, leaving him somewhat confused rather than relieved. But as she was already walking out the door with confidence, Frost cleared his worries and tried to stay optimistic.
–Alright, let’s see if you can actually help…– Frost replied with a bit of curiosity and keenness as he left the lounge after her, finding no one in the hallway outside, although there were some clear traces that someone had just been at the door. They didn’t pay much attention to it now that they were heading for Snake’s office, but before they made their way there, Indie stopped him for a second as she turned around once again.
–You’ll owe me for this…– Indie said casually, to which he scoffed, though he didn’t question her. As they both left the lounge on relatively good terms, they proceeded to explain the situation to their superior. And while they remained a little anxious about it, they held some hope and stayed optimistic about the opportunity to get some help for the mission and make it official.