Eternal Winter's Reign - Book 2 - Chapter 20 - Report
Added 2023-09-06 20:13:30 +0000 UTCBase Commander’s Office
Doctor Ruthers isn’t sure how to feel as she takes her seat in her office across from the General of the Military’s son and her gaze meets his pitch black eyes and the glowing blue ring in them. Eyes that she knows for a fact frighten more than a few people in the base, even more than his daughter’s eyes do.
She shivers slightly on the inside at the knowledge that the man across from her could snap her neck with ease, but despite her fear and uncertainty, she manages to keep all of it inside without showing a single hint of hesitation or fear on the outside. Something that leads everyone to believe that the woman is unshakable even when she’s not.
“Starting my report,” Second Lieutenant North says with a short salute. “The nest to the Northeast of the base has been cleared of frozen ones. I have also obtained intel on the source of the nests.”
Ruthers blinks at that before focusing entirely on him, completely forgetting her fear as she asks, “Are you saying the source wasn’t the strong frozen ones at the nest?”
The second lieutenant nods his head and answers, “Affirmative. The frozen ones in each nest are drawn there by a crystal made out of pure cold energy that grants whichever frozen one eats it a new power.”
That’s… not good.
“What about the crystal at the nest you cleared?” Ruthers asks, a frown on her face as she looks around the second lieutenant in search of the item. “I don’t see it on you.”
He purses his lips for a second before answering, “I ate it.”
Ruthers meets his gaze again and blinks. “You ate it?”
Alexander nods again and repeats, “I ate it.”
An awkward silence fills the room for several seconds before Ruthers sighs and asks, “Did you gain anything from it?”
The second lieutenant nods his head and says, “Affirmative, doctor.”
Ruthers waits for a few seconds, expecting him to elaborate on what he gained, but he doesn’t explain any further even after several seconds. And after a brief hesitation, Ruthers decides to let it go. Because while she may out rank him, he can still snap her neck if he wants to, and he is far more important to the empire than she is.
It doesn’t hurt that he’s probably the only real hope for our base. Best to keep him happy.
“Very well, please bring the next crystal back to base if you can,” Ruthers says with a nod of her head. “If the research team can’t make anything of it, you have my permission to absorb it.”
The second lieutenant’s lips quirk up slightly at that and he nods his head, “Understood.”
“Is there anything else?” Ruthers asks while trying to covertly look at the man across from her just to see if he looks any different now after he got whatever effect eating the crystal gave than he did before. But she can’t find anything new. Other than the fact that he needs new armor again.
This guy goes through armor faster than anyone I’ve ever known…
“Affirmative,” he says with a brief nod, “the other frozen ones of the nest scattered after I ate the crystal, so there will be more frozen ones in that area. I would suggest increasing the watch on that side of the base.”
So they scatter after the crystal is destroyed. That could be a problem.
“Please clear out the base of frozen ones before you take the crystals in your future operations,” Ruthers orders, only to frown when she realizes that he won’t be eating the crystal this time.
If he’s not eating the crystal this time, then wouldn’t the frozen ones all follow him back to the base?
“Furthermore, the frozen ones might follow you back to the base when you bring the crystal with you, so make sure to deal with that as well,” Ruthers continues before finishing, “You’re dismissed, second lieutenant.”
The second lieutenant gives a light salute, one that expressly tells the doctor that while he is willing to take her orders for now, he won’t be a mindless drone.
I best treat him well, otherwise he’ll leave to go to a different base.
The memory of the second lieutenant dropping the chairperson off of the side of the base flashes through her mind.
Or I might just be dead.
The doctor watches as the second lieutenant leaves her office before she collapses onto her chair with a sigh of relief the moment the door closes. But then she stiffens up again when she realizes he could probably hear that through the door.
Shit.
After a few seconds though she decides to not care about that.
Still. I wonder what new power he got from that crystal, if he got any? I know he freezes whatever he touches, and that he can regenerate, but that’s pretty much all. I also know other frozen ones have their own powers, especially the higher Tier frozen ones. But there are too many powers to guess.
The doctor’s mind wanders back to the mutant at the base as she thinks of powers.
Is she able to eat the crystals too? As a mutant instead of a frost infused?
Eventually she just sighs and leans back in her chair, raising her gaze to the ceiling.
Then there’s the problem of the girl… to think the owner of CyberTech Industries was experimenting on his own daughter. It’s just sick to think about. And he was doing this before the Eternal Winter came.
Doctor Ruthers ponders over that for several seconds, wondering if he may’ve known it was gonna happen or not. But she quickly tosses that thought out the window.
After all, he’s dead now. His death was confirmed four months ago during an excursion into the city.
She turns her gaze back to the door as she wonders just how their base would’ve turned out if the frost infused hadn’t turned up.
Probably not good.
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