READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 61: Fixes & Preparations
While Crisis hung out at the lounge and got to talk to Scott a bit more, Indie and Frost had another meeting with Snake. Now that Frost was briefed on the mission, they discussed it for about an hour and a half, and once they were done, Frost returned to the lounge. Everyone except Nitro was gone; even Scott had returned to his group of friends to share the news. So with everyone continuing their day like normal, Frost set out to search for one person in particular.
He looked around the base until he reached the workshop. The soldiers had already returned all the materials and equipment they had used to set up the fair last night, and while there were still people around at the armory right next to it, the actual workshop seemed empty when Frost entered it. The building was relatively small compared to all the other locations in the base, with the main room with all the equipment and storage units for parts and materials appearing deserted from what Frost could see. He peeked through the metal gate that blocked the entrance to the building, and while he didn’t see anyone, he heard some faint noises coming from the backroom.
Since the main entrance was locked, Frost walked around to enter through a door on the side, mostly hidden as it was next to one of the staircases to the watchtowers on the wall. He opened the door and stepped inside a smaller room, consisting of counters and shelves on both sides of the wall with small contraptions and devices, creating a narrow path to the opposite end, where a single person was found working on a large workbench next to a tool rack.
Tricky could be seen working all by herself, with her back turned to Frost as she wielded a weapon under the only light in the room. For a moment, Frost focused on inspecting the room as he approached her silently, pretending to pay attention to all the junk lying around, having to clear some of it off the floor to be able to walk, as well as ducking to avoid some scrap parts hanging from the ceiling. The room was a mess, so Frost couldn’t make sense of what he was looking for. But regardless of what seemed useful or not, he sneaked up on Tricky until he reached the end of the room, where it opened up more as it connected to the door at the front.
–Heyo, what are you working on?– Frost asked casually, adopting an overly affable tone as he leaned on a counter next to the door, catching Tricky by surprise as she didn’t notice his presence until he spoke. She opened the welding helmet she was wearing and immediately glanced back dismissively, but after seeing his face, she kept working with her back turned to him.
–Nothing important…– Tricky replied evasively before reaching for a screwdriver on the tool rack to adjust the weapon. Her response didn’t sit well with Frost, but since she wasn’t looking at him, he pretended not to care and maintained an oddly attentive expression.
–Well, it looks complicated. I don’t know how you make this stuff, I’m sure it must require a lot of effort…– Frost insisted in a fake interested manner, which seemed to annoy Tricky as she suddenly discarded her helmet and tossed it aside to face him aggressively.
–We are not doing this again, okay? Whatever you have to say won’t work this time…– Tricky responded with a fed-up expression that prompted Frost to change his attitude almost immediately. He scoffed at her and repositioned himself to lean more comfortably on the counter behind him, but with her harsh stare urging him to explain himself, he quickly dropped the fake genial voice and spoke normally.
–Come on, I only need a small favor. You know, we need to be prepared for this war, so I must have the best equipment to fight, or else we might lose…– Frost replied lightheartedly, but only to conceal the desperation behind his persistence. She kept a skeptical look on her face, but as she did sense some sincerity in his request, she took a second to reconsider it.
–I doubt our victory solely relies on you, but sure… What’s the problem?– Tricky asked begrudgingly, remaining somewhat cynical and uninterested in whatever Frost was asking for, but since she still complied, he didn’t waste his opportunity to get her help.
–My blades, that’s my problem…– Frost replied with restrained enthusiasm, becoming eager despite his answer shocking Tricky more than he expected as her jaw dropped in disbelief.
–What? But I designed them perfectly… Did they break? What’s wrong with them?– Tricky asked hysterically, sounding genuinely offended by the problem, which Frost took lightly as he explained further to ease her anger and indignation.
–Noo, they are great. They work perfectly up close, but that’s my issue…– Frost elaborated with slight nervousness as Tricky’s skepticism wasn’t wearing off her face. He remained composed to not trigger her more than he needed, but as his answer was ambiguous, it only raised more doubts that left Tricky dumbfounded. She struggled to understand what he was asking for, and after seeing her shake his head in confusion, Frost sighed and explained more explicitly.
–I need a way to fight my opponents with a bit more range, that’s it…– Frost added in a forthright, blunt manner, being concise as he shut up to let Tricky think of a solution, although she still appeared to be struggling to comprehend what exactly he was asking for.
–Use your gun maybe?– Tricky asked sarcastically, with a mocking undertone that made Frost huff in frustration. But as he kept his cool, he took a second to formulate his question better, and to be clearer, he stepped closer to Tricky, which prompted her to step back anxiously.
–No, you know what I mean. I need my blades to have more reach…– Frost replied in his best attempt to be polite and respectful, or at least not come off as rude. Tricky remained on edge as he got closer, but since he restrained himself and changed his approach, she began considering his request, though she still didn’t seem convinced.
–But if I make them longer, they won’t have the same impac-...– Tricky argued skeptically, but she was cut off by Frost, who pulled out his razor blades to demonstrate his issue, freaking her out in the process as he drew his weapons out of nowhere.
–I know, but I was thinking of some sort of mechanism that maybe lets me throw my blades and pick them up again right away. It could be like some sort of slingshot…– Frost suggested eagerly, speaking animatedly as he pretended to throw one of his blades and spin it in place to then pull it back. Tricky flinched as he got dangerously close to her, but while she was startled, the demonstration caught her interest.
–A slingshot for your blades?– Tricky asked in confusion but in deep thought, to which Frost responded with several nods, although he didn’t show much hope as Tricky remained uncertain despite clearly being intrigued by the specifics of his request.
–Yes?– Frost replied insecurely, waiting anxiously for Tricky’s response as she zoned out to figure out a way to even conceive his idea in her head. But after watching her mind work tirelessly to come up with some options, Tricky broke the silence after coming to a bit of an underwhelming realization.
–I think I get what you want, but it could be a bit difficult to pull off… I might have something in mind, but I’ll need time…– Tricky replied apprehensively, with a distant stare as her mind kept thinking and drawing her attention to the various parts around the workshop. Frost noticed her searching for inspiration around the room to bring a new invention to life, but after hesitating to interrupt her train of thought, he raised his finger to draw her attention.
–What would be the main issue in creating such a device?– Frost asked curiously, annoying Tricky as she got distracted. She dismissed him at first, but after noticing his great interest in the topic, she thought of a way to explain her thoughts.
–Well, making this so-called slingshot would require a bit of space since it needs an engine or mechanism to power it, something that can’t really be done without adding some weight to your blades, and that would throw you off balance and make it unstable to use in combat… It would have to be a separate gadget, but still small enough for you to carry and… It just doesn’t sound lik-…– Tricky explained with increasing doubt, losing herself as she thought of possible outcomes that seemed to discourage Frost. But after hearing her becoming pessimistic, he pulled something out of his back pocket, and without hesitating, he just showed her what was in it to regain her focus.
–Will this this do?– Frost asked with a straight face as he handed a few small ores of echolite to Tricky. She gasped in awe and stared at him for a good second, becoming speechless as she grabbed a piece of the ore and inspected it closely to make sure it was legit.
–Wait… Where did you get this? How d-…– Tricky asked in shock, getting a smirk from Frost as a response. But instead of responding, he just handed the rest of the echolite to her before cutting her off.
–Can it be done?– Frost asked with less patience, adopting a more demanding demeanor as he only waited for one answer. Tricky stammered in doubt, becoming nervous but trying to focus as his cold stare pressured her into responding with the first thing that came to mind.
–I mean, yea… It’s small but powerful enough to fit nicely in a small device, b-but it could take me some time because I need a conductor, and a-…– Tricky responded anxiously, which still managed to convince Frost despite her insecurity.
–It’s fine, we have a few days before we depart… So, you will do it?– Frost assured with a cocky smile but remained polite after seeing Tricky form ideas in her head through her calculated expression. She was already in deep focus, and since she already had something in mind that she could work with, she didn’t waste time giving him an answer.
–Yes, I will. Leave your blades here, I’ll see what I can do– Tricky replied with determination, gaining motivation to work as she pushed aside the weapon she was working on to place the echolite on the workbench. Frost got excited, but as she was already getting to work, he handed over his blades to leave her to it.
–Thanks, you are the best– Frost cheered with enthusiasm and genuine appreciation, although Tricky didn’t seem to believe him as she scoffed at him before taking his weapons away.
–There’s no need to pretend again…– Tricky replied skeptically, trying to evade Frost again after disregarding his gratitude. They still shared a chuckle, and while Frost seemed slightly embarrassed, his excitement quickly took over as he began heading out to let her focus on upgrading his weapons.
–I’m not lying this time, I mean it… But I better get going and leave you to it. Good luck…– Frost added in a carefree and lighthearted manner, getting ignored as Tricky was fully focused on her work. Without saying anything else, Frost left the workshop as quickly as possible with a smile on his face, but he took one last glance at her before walking out the door. At that same moment, Tricky turned back to look at him, except she just urged him to leave with her stare. And after he was gone, a confident smile formed on her face now that he couldn’t bother her and there were no distractions to get in the way.
Tricky wasn’t the only one who kept herself busy with work, as the upcoming mission was only a couple of days away. In the meantime, the soldiers prepared everything they could for the fifteen people assigned, meaning the rest of Crisis needed maintenance for their weapons and gear as well. While they mostly needed cleaning after the cave operation, Tricky worked overtime to repair anything that was brought to her. Luckily, she had some assistants who helped around the workshop, though it left little space to work with.
The laundry crew also had it rough since they had to prepare enough clothes for fifteen people, with at least three outfits for each. The harvesters and cooks also gathered enough food for the trip; therefore, in general, every soldier had something to do. However, Crisis didn’t train much during this time; instead, the five chosen students prepared their bodies for their first mission, with Scott taking more time to get to know his new team. And even though they didn’t do much, especially without access to the training grounds, they trained as much as they could as the days flew by.
With everyone eagerly waiting for the day to leave the base, and even the people who weren’t a part of the mission anticipating their departure, the base took full advantage of the few days they had to prepare and provide as much support for a successful mission. Frost and Indie were briefed with updates and more information as Snake called them to his office every day, relaying orders from superiors and allies to help Crisis create a plan of action. However, they didn’t share many details with the squad, mainly because Frost and Indie kept arguing about the orders they received. But once they had everything clear, they kept the plan to themselves until the very last day.