The frozen flame
written 2017 (on a plane), last edit 2022
"I bet I can take out more bots than you!" Ruby Winter playfully nudges her partner as she draws her short sword.
"You're on!" Jack Evergreen ran towards the red eyed targets. He pulled out a collapsible bo staff and began to make a pile of permanently deactivated robots. But as he looked over to see how his companion was doing, he was surprised to see a nearly identical mountain of bits and pieces. The two shared a glance and went back to smashing AI. They were almost alone in the room when a bell went off in the top right corner and everything went momentarily dark. When the lights turned back on the piles where gone and the two where dusting themselves off. Soon after, a door opened at the front of the room and a green light beckoned them through.
"Well, that's ok, since I was clearly ahead of you, we can call that a me win." Ruby commented, combing through her hair, with her chin held high.
"Ok, first, there is no way that you got anywhere near as many bots as I did, and second, to cut practice short it must be really important." Jack knew her better than she knew herself and knew that she was mad that practice was cut. Even though she knew, deep down somewhere, that this was important or else the Chief wouldn't have shortened their training time, she made sure no one could tell. He couldn't talk her out of her anger, but maybe he could find a way to turn it down. They reached the meeting room sooner than he had hoped. So, at a last attempt at calming her, he gently put a hand on her shoulder, to stop her from taking another step.
"Before you go in there, I want you to take a deep breath and think about what is going to happen when you walk in there. Ok? So just calm down, and breath." He looked at her with a seriousness to his eyes, one that was rarely there at all.
"Fine, fine. I'm brinking." She said, accompanied by an exaggerated sigh. She was usually the one to tell him the relax, because he would get nervous during tests and competitive group training. So, they agreed that the word "brinking" meant breathing and thinking. After a tense moment, she swung the doors open and stepped inside, with her best friend at her heels.
"So it was something important." Jack said softly, staring at all the adults in the room.
"Ok whatever you think we did, we didn't. You have absolutely no reason to send us home or bring our parents into this, we are completely innocent." Her anger turning to annoyance, but spilling into her voice all the same. She looked over to Jack with a sly grin on her face.
"Unless......" She eyed her partner suspiciously.
"I didn't do anything! Nothing! I'm innocent!" Cried Jack.
"Will the both of you calm down? Just sit down and we will explain everything. Neither of you are in trouble, unless there is something you are not telling us?" The tall man at the end of the table said with a thundering voice. He looked at the two friends with a sharp look and motioned to the chairs in front of them. He sat down again, but never took his eyes off of them.
"Ok, but then why are we here? With everyone? I mean if we aren't in trouble.... No! Our parents are here, aren't they? Well then I am going to leave, and hide and you back to training, which you rudely pulled us out of." Ruby began to storm off towards the door. Jack reached out and grabbed her, just as she had a hand on the door.
"No, you're not in trouble and no, your parents aren't here. Please, just sit down and we will explain everything to you." the chief said. John, that's what it said on his name tag, but no one dared call him by name. Ruby turned around and sat down again, the chairs seemingly more uncomfortable than before.
"We want to assign you guys to a new mission." John said, his eyes still held a strong gaze, piercing through the two, even though they were at the other end of the table. It almost looked as if he said it as a question.
"Well, why didn't you just say so? And why are so many people here? Is there something about this mission your not telling us?" Jack said, worry creeping into his voice. He looked at Ruby, then back to John.
"Yes, there is in fact, since you didn't let me finish. This is a covert mission. You can't tell anyone. We think that there may be a spy in our midst. There are people looking for them here, but we think that they are basing in New York." John paused here, to catch his breath, and Jack took the chance.
"Hold on, your saying we're going to New York! I have always wanted to go back there, since it is where I lived before I found out about this place. When are we leaving?" There was so much enthusiasm, Ruby though that he might explode.
"Yes, I have wanted to go there too. Especially since someone," Ruby shot a look to Jack, "won't shut up about it. Like, when we are studying he will just start saying random facts about that place, some of which are actually interesting. Did you know that the first American chess tournament was held in New York in 1843?" Jack looked pleased with himself, that his partner remember one of the many random things he said.
"Are you finished, or should we wait?" John said, his voice strong and commanding. He stared at them with daggers in his eyes and a stone cold gaze. "Ok. As I was saying, this is a covert mission so you can't tell anyone. Yes, you are going to New York, and while you are there my sister and I enrolled you two in a nearby school."
"Ugh, I was hoping you weren't going to say that. School? Really? I just hope it's not...." Jack was interrupted my shrieks of happiness coming from his friend.
"South Sea High school! Oh I have always wanted to go to a real school with normal kids. And it will be perfect, knowing that Jack's friends from elementary school will be there to! Oh I can't wait. Isn't this exciting, Jack, you can see your old friends and show me around New York, you know. Showing me all the thing you said you would!" Ruby was standing at this point, pulling Jack up with her. She was jumping around and screaming from joy. The adults watched, in horror.
"Ms. Winter! Mr. Evergreen! Sit back down immediately! If you keep up this kind of behavior, you will not be going." John was standing too, his face a shade redder than usual. He sat back down slowly, making sure that everyone saw him and his undying rage. His face was a bright shade of red, and his eyes were shooting lightning bolts around the room. It was easy to tell, everyone in the room was scared of John. He sat down and began to speak again.
"Ok, so if everyone is situated, we can start." He spoke as if he had asked a question at the same time as giving an order. The pair nodded, excited to find out more.
"While you are there, you are going to stay with my sister, Beatrice. She knows just about everything about this, and she promised to make sure that the two of you would stay out of to much trouble. Also, one more important thing, I would like it if you could start doing a few things with the masks on before you go to the school so that no one will suspect you two. With this information, you know that it is ok that people see you working as long as you have a mask or some other kind of disguise on. The school you will be attending is called South Sea High school, as Ruby said before. I would expect you to be more excited, Jack, because it's the school you attended before we recruited you. You would see your old friends, and you would be familiar with the setting. I surprised you're not the one bursting with excitement." At this he turned to Ruby, watching her as if she where a hyper little puppy.
"You're on!" Jack Evergreen ran towards the red eyed targets. He pulled out a collapsible bo staff and began to make a pile of permanently deactivated robots. But as he looked over to see how his companion was doing, he was surprised to see a nearly identical mountain of bits and pieces. The two shared a glance and went back to smashing AI. They were almost alone in the room when a bell went off in the top right corner and everything went momentarily dark. When the lights turned back on the piles where gone and the two where dusting themselves off. Soon after, a door opened at the front of the room and a green light beckoned them through.
"Well, that's ok, since I was clearly ahead of you, we can call that a me win." Ruby commented, combing through her hair, with her chin held high.
"Ok, first, there is no way that you got anywhere near as many bots as I did, and second, to cut practice short it must be really important." Jack knew her better than she knew herself and knew that she was mad that practice was cut. Even though she knew, deep down somewhere, that this was important or else the Chief wouldn't have shortened their training time, she made sure no one could tell. He couldn't talk her out of her anger, but maybe he could find a way to turn it down. They reached the meeting room sooner than he had hoped. So, at a last attempt at calming her, he gently put a hand on her shoulder, to stop her from taking another step.
"Before you go in there, I want you to take a deep breath and think about what is going to happen when you walk in there. Ok? So just calm down, and breath." He looked at her with a seriousness to his eyes, one that was rarely there at all.
"Fine, fine. I'm brinking." She said, accompanied by an exaggerated sigh. She was usually the one to tell him the relax, because he would get nervous during tests and competitive group training. So, they agreed that the word "brinking" meant breathing and thinking. After a tense moment, she swung the doors open and stepped inside, with her best friend at her heels.
"So it was something important." Jack said softly, staring at all the adults in the room.
"Ok whatever you think we did, we didn't. You have absolutely no reason to send us home or bring our parents into this, we are completely innocent." Her anger turning to annoyance, but spilling into her voice all the same. She looked over to Jack with a sly grin on her face.
"Unless......" She eyed her partner suspiciously.
"I didn't do anything! Nothing! I'm innocent!" Cried Jack.
"Will the both of you calm down? Just sit down and we will explain everything. Neither of you are in trouble, unless there is something you are not telling us?" The tall man at the end of the table said with a thundering voice. He looked at the two friends with a sharp look and motioned to the chairs in front of them. He sat down again, but never took his eyes off of them.
"Ok, but then why are we here? With everyone? I mean if we aren't in trouble.... No! Our parents are here, aren't they? Well then I am going to leave, and hide and you back to training, which you rudely pulled us out of." Ruby began to storm off towards the door. Jack reached out and grabbed her, just as she had a hand on the door.
"No, you're not in trouble and no, your parents aren't here. Please, just sit down and we will explain everything to you." the chief said. John, that's what it said on his name tag, but no one dared call him by name. Ruby turned around and sat down again, the chairs seemingly more uncomfortable than before.
"We want to assign you guys to a new mission." John said, his eyes still held a strong gaze, piercing through the two, even though they were at the other end of the table. It almost looked as if he said it as a question.
"Well, why didn't you just say so? And why are so many people here? Is there something about this mission your not telling us?" Jack said, worry creeping into his voice. He looked at Ruby, then back to John.
"Yes, there is in fact, since you didn't let me finish. This is a covert mission. You can't tell anyone. We think that there may be a spy in our midst. There are people looking for them here, but we think that they are basing in New York." John paused here, to catch his breath, and Jack took the chance.
"Hold on, your saying we're going to New York! I have always wanted to go back there, since it is where I lived before I found out about this place. When are we leaving?" There was so much enthusiasm, Ruby though that he might explode.
"Yes, I have wanted to go there too. Especially since someone," Ruby shot a look to Jack, "won't shut up about it. Like, when we are studying he will just start saying random facts about that place, some of which are actually interesting. Did you know that the first American chess tournament was held in New York in 1843?" Jack looked pleased with himself, that his partner remember one of the many random things he said.
"Are you finished, or should we wait?" John said, his voice strong and commanding. He stared at them with daggers in his eyes and a stone cold gaze. "Ok. As I was saying, this is a covert mission so you can't tell anyone. Yes, you are going to New York, and while you are there my sister and I enrolled you two in a nearby school."
"Ugh, I was hoping you weren't going to say that. School? Really? I just hope it's not...." Jack was interrupted my shrieks of happiness coming from his friend.
"South Sea High school! Oh I have always wanted to go to a real school with normal kids. And it will be perfect, knowing that Jack's friends from elementary school will be there to! Oh I can't wait. Isn't this exciting, Jack, you can see your old friends and show me around New York, you know. Showing me all the thing you said you would!" Ruby was standing at this point, pulling Jack up with her. She was jumping around and screaming from joy. The adults watched, in horror.
"Ms. Winter! Mr. Evergreen! Sit back down immediately! If you keep up this kind of behavior, you will not be going." John was standing too, his face a shade redder than usual. He sat back down slowly, making sure that everyone saw him and his undying rage. His face was a bright shade of red, and his eyes were shooting lightning bolts around the room. It was easy to tell, everyone in the room was scared of John. He sat down and began to speak again.
"Ok, so if everyone is situated, we can start." He spoke as if he had asked a question at the same time as giving an order. The pair nodded, excited to find out more.
"While you are there, you are going to stay with my sister, Beatrice. She knows just about everything about this, and she promised to make sure that the two of you would stay out of to much trouble. Also, one more important thing, I would like it if you could start doing a few things with the masks on before you go to the school so that no one will suspect you two. With this information, you know that it is ok that people see you working as long as you have a mask or some other kind of disguise on. The school you will be attending is called South Sea High school, as Ruby said before. I would expect you to be more excited, Jack, because it's the school you attended before we recruited you. You would see your old friends, and you would be familiar with the setting. I surprised you're not the one bursting with excitement." At this he turned to Ruby, watching her as if she where a hyper little puppy.