We last read Chapter 20, where Geode returns to the Stonemount Gorge following his narrow escape from the capital of Skycrest and teams up with his father Sledge's fire mage assistant to search for him, at which point the assistant suggests forming a temporary "council" or "cabinet" to take up leadership of the Earth Sect after Sledge's passing if Geode still does not feel like he is ready to succeed the throne. Upon locating the aged Earth Sect Leader, Geode requests that the assistant leave before confiding in Sledge about his insecurities regarding his potential future leadership of the Earth mages, to which Sledge reaffirms his love and compassion for his son while also encouraging him to do away with his self-doubt, voicing that it kills way more dreams than an actual inability to do them. The chapter then ends with Geode going to sleep, preparing to join Coldsnap, Firebird, and Keena in presenting their findings about the Storm Sect to the rest of the Mage Aspects the next day. This time, we catch up with both the President and his advisor, Wallace Weiss, as they come to an agreement about how to respond to the Louvre Museum bombing, the Hoover Dam assault, and the President's attempted assassination, while Coldsnap, Firebird, Keena, and Geode attempt to rein the rest of the Mage Aspects in and update them on their investigation.....
***********************************************************************************************
-Royal London Hospital, London, England-
The next morning, the President was already awake and alert in his hospital bed at around 7:30AM, with the hospital staff having already provided him with a simple breakfast consisting of a bagel, Philadelphia-brand cream cheese spread, a bowl of sliced fruit, and some orange juice in a styrofoam cup.
As he took a drink from the juice, Wallace Weiss entered the room with four other men; two stayed put at the doors to monitor the perimeter, while the other two accompanied Weiss as he approached the President's bed. However, this time, Weiss was accompanied by yet another notable figure; a representative from the United States Navy.
"Good morning, Mr. President. How are you feeling this morning?" he asked courteously.
"Fine, I guess. Still recovering day by day, taking it little by little....."
"I have it on good authority—and can testify myself—that the Paragon known as Coldsnap was responsible in part for your rescue," Weiss pointed out. "The one with cryokinesis and the huge ice dragon. Had it not been for her, Mr. President, I fear the attack may have been much worse."
"Is that so? I'll be sure to give her a commendation at my next address, then."
"Wonderful. Anyways, Mr. President, have you had time to think about the evidence I presented to you?" Weiss questioned, gesturing to the folder sitting on the President's over-bed table. "What should our next move be, sir?"
The President took a breath. "So you said the Russians almost bombed the Hoover Dam, and that the French were behind the attack on our motorcade?"
"That is correct, sir. I advise that we attack both—"
"If the Russians had succeeded in blowing up the dam, a lot more people would've been in danger," he reasoned. "The surge of water and the draining of the reservoir would've done millions—if not billions—of damage to our infrastructure.....and may have even resulted in several civilian casualties. Whereas the only real people in danger during France's attack were you, me, and our security detail."
"Sir, have you taken into account the possibility that both of these attacks may have been false flag operations?" the U.S. Navy representative argued. "Perhaps this may be the work of someone else; someone who wishes to turn the countries against each other."
YOU ARE READING
Coldsnap: Storm's Call
Teen Fiction~PARAGON CINEMATIC UNIVERSE: PHASE 2, BOOK 5~ *This novel serves as the 5th novel of Phase 2 and a sequel to "Coldsnap: Harbinger of Ice" and "The Paragons".* "The Ascendant has abandoned us! Were we not good enough for him?! Is that it?! Must we no...
