READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 16: The Training Program
The morning after the meeting, everyone was gathered in the courtyard and having breakfast, waiting for some sort of announcement as soldiers set up the stage. In the audience, Scott was sitting next to Zoey and other people they had met over the past couple of days, alongside Cookie, who already seemed to get an idea of what was going on. But as everyone waited curiously, Indie walked onto the stage and grabbed a microphone, waiting for the soldiers to finish hooking up the speakers before she began delivering the news.
–Attention everyone! We’ve gathered you all here to give you a big announcement. Now that you are getting acquainted with the base and your jobs, we have opened a special training course for anyone who would like to become an official soldier and fight alongside our troops to defeat our enemies. It’s a basic boot camp that consists of various exercises and lessons to learn about basic combat, offensive and defensive strategies, and how to work together as a team, with the goal of recruiting everyone who passes the course to join the New Saviors’ official army. If anyone’s interested, you need to sign up at the booth on your right. That will be all. Have a good day, everyone– Indie announced, being loud and clear as always, but vague enough to spark some curiosity in the audience. She was brief with her explanation, so when she stopped talking and started walking away, a lot of people were left in doubt.
There was collective hesitation for a moment, but after some consideration, a surprising amount of people stood up to sign up, mostly the younger guests who were excited to become soldiers. Out of all the people interested in joining the boot camp, Zoey was one of them. She stood up without thinking twice and stared directly at the booth, where people were already signing up. But before she could make her way over to it, Scott stopped her, grabbing her by the wrist as he was confused to see her so eager to be a part of this training program.
–Wait, are you going to join boot camp?– Scott asked curiously, asking what other guests next to them seemed to be thinking of as well. Even Cookie looked surprised, but he was highly amused to see everyone else running up to the sign-up booth. Zoey saw that a line was starting to form, so to not miss out, she quickly turned to Scott to answer his question as soon as possible.
–Of course I’m joining! You mean to tell me I can train to fight back against the people who destroyed my home? I’ll do anything to get back at them!– Zoey exclaimed with an exhilarated grin, wriggling her wrist out of Scott’s hand to run towards the sign-up booth. Scott stayed seated, and while he shared some of Zoey’s enthusiasm, he was left in uncertainty, trying to solve his doubts by looking back at Cookie with a dumbfounded expression. Luckily for him, Cookie was already thinking of encouraging him to join the program, so as soon as he saw him looking with curiosity, he urged him to make his call.
–Come on, you should join too! You’ll get to spend more time with her and stuff… Maybe you will get pretty good at fighting too, but you know…– Cookie suggested in a joking manner. Scott ignored his light sarcasm and focused on his actual advice, though he had to consider it for quite a while. But after looking back at the booth and seeing that people had stopped joining the line, his eyes were filled with determination. Cookie gave him a firm nod, and with that, Scott started running after Zoey. Cookie stared proudly, all while some of the recruits stared weirdly, though they were unnoticed because he was focused solely on watching as both Scott and Zoey joined the training program.
With Scott reaching the line just as two more joined, he secured his spot behind Zoey. They exchanged some excited giggles and then waited patiently for their turn. The line had stopped growing, everyone else was already leaving the courtyard after having breakfast. While it looked like there were no more than thirty volunteers, Indie watched from above and cracked a brief but pleasant smile to see the young villagers willingly joining the cause.
After the announcement, with everyone signed up, all the volunteers were taken from the booth to the back of the courtyard, where a gate almost as big as the one on the front was found. All of the volunteers were excited to go outside since they had been trapped in the base for almost a week, but they had to wait right at the gate while the soldiers in charge of them called for a superior. The recruits spent a few minutes standing still, talking to each other, and sharing their opinions or expectations of the program, which seemed generally positive given their high spirits and excessive enthusiasm.
As they waited, Scott bantered a little with Zoey, but he was distracted by Cookie and other soldiers looking down at them from the second level of the central building. He tried to ignore them, but in response, Cookie taunted him from afar, to which Scott couldn’t help but mock him back by sticking his tongue out. Zoey joined him and laughed at Cookie without noticing the soldiers marching into the courtyard, escorting Crisis to the back of the crowd.
The recruits turned around, and before they could ridicule themselves, Zoey and Scott composed themselves right as the squad stood on a medium wooden platform that was set up by the accompanying soldiers without anyone noticing. It took a moment for the crowd to shut up, as they couldn’t figure out what was happening. They tried focusing their attention on Crisis since they were clearly the ones that stood out the most on the platform. However, they were caught off guard when Frost stepped forward with a previously unseen, captivating demeanor, claiming the platform as his podium to immediately address the recruits.
–Alright, everyone shut up. I’m going to make this as simple as possible; this is not a game. If you are planning to slack off and chat with your friends, then go back to cleaning bathrooms and washing clothes, ‘cause I don’t have time or patience to deal with your incompetence. Instead, you are going to be working hard and training day and night to reach our standards. MY standards… And even then, you’ll have to work even harder to actually win a spot in our army…– Frost stated, immediately asserting control with a loud, bold, and even menacing voice. He contrasted his usual demeanor heavily, though he still showed the hostility and bitter nature that distinguished him. The recruits couldn’t comprehend why he sounded so aggressive towards them for no reason, and even though he and Indie shared a similar way of talking, being straightforward and authoritative, many were put off by his deliberate cynicism and pessimism, though he clearly didn’t care enough.
–You are not ready to see the horrors that we experience every day out there, and even after I teach you, war won’t be pretty, not one bit. But that’s what is expected of us and what we must do to keep our families and allies safe. We fight regardless of the conditions and risk, we just do it. So, if you aren’t prepared for any of that or even show a little bit of hesitation, you could save us a lot of time and trouble by leaving right now…– Frost added with a more patronizing tone, and as soon as he stated his initial rules, a couple of recruits walked out right away. They were either scared off by his aggressive and strict attitude or knew they didn’t fully believe in themselves. Regardless, the other recruits were left puzzled, while Cookie and other soldiers watching in the distance just laughed.
Even some of Crisis were surprised to see Frost discouraging the recruits right away, though Panda and Nitro seemed to have a kick out of it. Unlike them, Candy, Indie, Kiwy, and Tricky looked more concerned about what direction the training program could take with Frost teaching the recruits. They judged his unfavorable introduction, but he didn’t seem to care. He just grinned in delight as he watched the three recruits he scared off with a few indirect threats, ridiculing them with his stare and making sure they wouldn’t come back again. And just when they had left and everyone had processed what had happened, he turned back to his new students, though he remained silent as he enjoyed the power he possessed over the recruits.
–Oh gods, are we really going to have him as our teacher?– Scott whispered to Zoey in a sarcastic but genuinely worried tone, staring at Frost in discomfort while also cowering to blend in with the crowd and hoping he wouldn’t spot him. Thankfully, he didn’t stare back, but after Zoey laughed at his comment, he was surprised to see that she didn’t seem bothered by Frost’s disheartening demeanor.
–I find him to be the perfect person to teach us… I mean he is kind of scary, but I like it…– Zoey replied playfully but making sure she was quiet so she wouldn’t be heard. She looked just as excited to be part of the course, even more so after seeing Frost, unlike Scott, who looked absolutely frightened to work with Frost. He was befuddled by her reaction, but to play it cool, he laughed it off and just kept staring uncomfortably as everyone waited for Frost to resume his introduction.
–Don’t worry, they knew they couldn’t endure such training. There isn't anything wrong with that, it’s completely normal. Actually, if any of you are feeling like you are not worth it, there is still time for you to leave. You probably are not worth it anyway, so why waste time?– Frost added in a sarcastic and condescending demeanor, which, in a small crowd of young recruits, seemed to have a lot of effect. But as threatening as his words were, no one else seemed to budge.
This time, he was a bit disappointed to see that he couldn’t convince others to leave the program before it even began, but he didn’t give up quite yet. For about half a minute, he continued alluding to the fact that none of them would succeed with the training program, but since his words weren’t effective anymore, his attempts to scare them off just became awkward, and his teammates noticed. So, after seeing how committed everyone else was, he just gave up with a sigh and resumed speaking, though a lot more resolved, and probably for the wrong reasons.
–No? That’s a shame… But I guess that means we have to officially start this now…– Frost said to himself, briefly turning annoyed as his dull tone indicated. Everyone noticed his sudden change of attitude, especially Scott, whose concerns were starting to discourage him from going further, but since Zoey showed no sign of regret and continued paying attention, he tried to ignore his worries and stay by her side. As the recruits waited eagerly for the course to start, Frost turned to look at Indie, who was standing behind him, disapproving of his every word with her stare. He didn’t even have to say anything, only turn right back to face his new students before reluctantly beginning the first class of the new training program.
–Ok then, I should probably introduce myself now for real… I’m Frost and I will be your teacher, but you will only be able to call me and my assistants by their rank, so call me Chief, alright?– Frost resumed speaking, sounding a little uncertain at first but quickly turning cocky and imperious, to which the recruits nodded affirmatively. But unlike his students, his teammates found his orders strange and couldn’t help but question his intentions, especially when he pointed at and called them his assistants. He didn’t let his teammates’ dubious stares distract him, though, even when he could tell Indie was about to step in. And since no one dared to say anything, he took the liberty to continue listing various rules that he wanted to set straight as soon as possible.
–If you have any doubt about anything, raise your hand to speak first. If you think it is a stupid question, then keep it to yourself, it probably is… I don’t want to see any of you distracted during exercises, so avoid talking or even looking at anyone… If you want to go to the bathroom during training, you can, but you will have to do it in front of everyone because war doesn’t take bathroom breaks…– Frost dictated with tenacity, taking moments to focus on an individual from time to time to make himself clear with every single one of his rules. The recruits listened to him in disbelief, nervously nodding at everything he said for a few minutes as he continued listing various things that quickly became stricter, and a lot stranger.
They couldn’t believe most of what he was requesting, mainly because the rest of Crisis agreed with less than half of his rules, so the recruits had to figure out who to listen to. Since he had the word, they had no other choice but to listen to Frost, though after his rules became ridiculous, Indie called for his attention and whispered something into his ear. He shut up for a second, creating an uncomfortable silence where the recruits looked at each other in concern. Some were now reconsidering the idea of staying in the training program, even trying to subtly step out of the group to leave. But as Indie finally called Frost out for spending way too much time listing weird rules, Frost proceeded to change the subject and move on to the actual explanation of the course.
–Right, so you might be wondering what the course consists of…– Frost said indifferently before pausing to create suspense. The recruits nodded collectively and eagerly waited for an answer, only to get an ominous laugh from him that left them confused.
–You will find out as we advance through the many lessons I’ve prepared…– Frost added mockingly, disappointing most of his students, though none of them got a chance to complain as he quickly began delivering his first orders.
–So, if everyone is ready, we will begin lesson number one. Follow these soldiers outside to the training grounds…– Frost concluded his unenthusiastic and slightly long-winded speech. And even though he didn’t inspire much interest in his students, they were still curious to see the outside, so they all gladly followed the soldiers that were now opening the backside gate.
They tried to avoid eye contact with Frost as they formed a line while he stared at each one of them. Scott and Zoey stayed together, and even though the others were already going outside, she took a moment to try to wave at Frost before walking out. Scott promptly stopped her before Frost noticed, though it looked like he wasn’t paying attention because he walked off the platform to speak with the rest of Crisis while the soldiers guided the recruits to the training grounds.
–Alright, so how did I do? Pretty good, right?– Frost asked sarcastically to Indie, with a wicked grin that received mixed reactions from his teammates. Panda and Nitro chuckled and almost broke into laughter after seeing Indie cover her face in embarrassment and try to contain her rage. Candy disapproved of Frost’s ways, but she didn’t dare to express that sentiment directly, so her stare was more lighthearted instead of critical, similar to Tricky and Kiwy, who found his behavior amusing more than anything. But out of them, Indie had the strongest reaction, and she tried her hardest to hide it since there were still many soldiers around. It was only when the courtyard cleared out a bit that she showed how genuinely upset she was, though she still tried to remain composed.
–I know I told you this was just to kill time, but you promised you would take it seriously. You can’t just give them a bunch of dumb rules and expect them to remember or respect them…– Indie replied with a fiery tone, opposing Frost and making it more than clear as she got close and personal with him. But even while being berated in front of his teammates, Frost just laughed her comment off, dismissing her immediately with a scoff as he thought of a response.
–Hey, that’s exactly how we were taught, you could say the same about our superiors, but I get it… You are saying they need more discipline, right? I can do that…– Frost responded tauntingly, making an alarmingly mischievous expression that only provoked Indie even more with what he implied. The rest of the squad tried to be quiet and not interfere, but it was hard not to crack up watching the two argue, though they were becoming more worried as the tension increased. Indie stared directly into his eyes, following them menacingly as he tried to do the same, but it wasn’t as effective as when she did it, since her height advantage allowed her to look down on him, creating a power imbalance that visibly frustrated him. For a moment, Frost hesitated to open his mouth, but he didn’t yield to Indie’s intimidation tactics, being more combative and challenging with his indifferent expression.
–I’m saying, stop treating them like idiots and do your job right, or you are going to be stuck teaching them until I feel like it…– Indie threatened, lowering her voice to a whisper so only Frost could hear. He wasn’t laughing so much now that he had her face two inches away from his. His expression became its usual cold one as he listened closely to Indie’s warning, all while their teammates watched grinding their teeth at the sight of their two superiors about to fight at any moment. But instead of escalating things, Frost composed himself and waited for Indie to finally step back.
–Fine, I was just joking anyway. I’ll make sure I teach them but don’t blame me if they don’t learn anything…– Frost responded in an apologetic but still lighthearted manner, which didn’t fully please Indie but at least toned down her hostility. With him complying, she was able to return to her cool, collected demeanor, but she wasn’t done reprimanding him.
–If they don’t learn anything, it will be specifically because you didn’t try hard enough. But that’s why I’m letting you get some help. I don’t want those kids to end up dead if I leave them alone with you…– Indie stated belligerently, pointing aggressively at Frost to scold him but quickly calming down as she turned to the rest of the squad to indicate they were helping him. And although none of them objected and complied pretty much instantly, they still looked nervous from watching how Indie and Frost almost stared at each other to death.
–I really thought he was going to snap there…– Nitro whispered to Tricky while subtly gesturing a throat slice. She seemed to agree, but as they both stared directly at Indie, afraid of moving even a single muscle, she stayed quiet and ignored him, causing Nitro to laugh quietly by himself.
Indie didn’t pay attention to how the rest of the squad reacted and just waited for them to all nod. And now that she was done scolding Frost for his behavior, she began walking towards the gate to join the rest of the soldiers and the recruits outside. Crisis followed her without saying a word, but Frost was left alone for a moment. He reflected for a few seconds before regaining his composure and adopting a fake optimistic attitude before walking into the training grounds, where everyone was waiting for him to start the first class of the training course.