Keepers of Ice

Chapter 14 - Subzeroed

Stacey waited impatiently outside Cody's tent. Her quiver was strapped onto her back and she gripped her trusty bow anxiously. Everyone had moved their belongings to the bunker they had taken back from Order. It was to be their new base. Stacey and Cody were the last people in the abandoned campsite, as she would not leave without her boyfriend, who she assumed had slept in.

"Hey babe," Cody said as he appeared from inside his tent. "How's your shoulder?"

"Much better, thanks." She frowned. "You know we are the last ones here right? Everyone else already packed up and moved."

"Sorry, I slept in. By the way, look what Stone gave me last night." Cody held up his new sword. "I can finally protect you with a proper weapon now."

"My hero," Stacey rolled her eyes with a smile. "We should get going. The others are waiting for us."

They started running towards the bunker but Stacey glanced back at the isolated campsite. Empty tents and unimportant furniture were all that remained now. She wondered if they would return to take the things that were still there. It just seemed like such a waste to leave behind all the nice furniture.

"Hey, do you miss school?" Cody asked as they sprinted through the snow.

Stacey shot him a disgusted look. "Heck no. Do you?"

"Not really... well, I do miss the library. It was warm and nice you know?"

"Nerd."

"Love you too."

As they trudged through the snow, Stacey thought of her friends back on Earth. "Actually, I kind of miss Hailey and Chloe right now. Let's just kick Order's butt quickly and go back home."

"Agreed. And look, we're nearly there." Cody was pointing at the bunker that was now within eyesight.

Stacey squinted. She could see Stone's bulky figure in the distance guarding the entrance. As they approached him, Stone crossed his arms.

"You two are late."

"Sorry, sir. It's my fault," Cody confessed sheepishly.

Stone raised an eyebrow at him. "All right, never mind. Follow me inside, the others are waiting." Stone opened the door and gestured for them to enter.

As soon as they had entered the bunker, Stacey saw a gathering of about a dozen people with weapons in hand. She spotted Estella hugging a spear and standing next to her brother and even noticed that Uncle William and Aunty Yvonne had weapons of their own. Even with a dangerous all-out attack on Order about to take place, Stacey felt strangely proud to be a Keeper of Ice and to fight alongside her friends and family.

Stone entered after them and shut the door. "Okay listen up Keepers," he said with a booming voice that echoed through the bunker's metallic walls. "There are two remaining bases left on Polarfrost, and thanks to Stacey, Cody and Rafael discovering the lab the other day, we now know of their locations." He was pacing around the room. "We're going to split into two teams, and each team will be assigned to attack one of the two bases. I believe one of their bases will be their main headquarters, so if your team is assigned to take out that base, be on alert at all times."

Stacey shuddered at the thought of their headquarters. She wondered if it would be another bunker, but a lot bigger in size. She glanced at Aunt Yvonne, who met her eyes and smiled.

"William, Estella, and all other glacial keepers will be team alpha. Yvonne, Cody and the blizzard keepers will be team beta. I will lead team alpha to strike the base on the east side of Polarfrost. Rafael, you're in charge of team beta and your team has been assigned to the base on the west side." Stone handed a map to Rafael, which Cody had created last night using the data from the computer in the lab. "Does anyone have any questions?"