Coldsnap: Storm's Call

Chapter 35: One Last Chance

We last read Chapter 34, in which the Mage Aspects---and even The Ascendant himself---begin making the final preparations to attack Skycrest and dispatch Galeforce and Typhoon before their plans to start a third world war on Earth can come to fruition, with The Ascendant participating mostly out of guilt for having neglected the Mage Aspects for so long and effectively forcing Coldsnap and her friends to do his work for him. Meanwhile, W.H.R.R.L., still disguised as presidential advisor Wallace Weiss, pays a third unscheduled visit to the President's hospital room to watch the beginning of World War III alongside him, with both of them eating popcorn at the same time as W.H.R.R.L. attempts to ease the President's mind regarding his decision.....and Sledge, Geode, the Boulder Brothers, and their fire mage assistant rush to meet Coldsnap and the rest of the Mage Aspects at the portal to Skycrest..... This time, we watch as Galeforce checks in one last time with W.H.R.R.L., and Coldsnap abruptly shows up to the capital of Skycrest to try and talk the Storm Sect down before resorting to drastic measures.....

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-Royal London Hospital, London, England-

The hour grew later, and it was getting close to midnight; the time when it would be technically be considered "the next day".

Both W.H.R.R.L. and the President---who still thought that W.H.R.R.L. was his trusted advisor Wallace Weiss---were chilling inside the commander-in-chief's hospital room, munching through the last few remnants of their popcorn and keeping their eyes on the news. At that moment, W.H.R.R.L.'s phone began ringing, upon which the false advisor excused himself for a few moments to take it.

Getting up and telling the room's bouncers that he needed to use the restroom, W.H.R.R.L. sealed himself inside one of the stalls and took the call; as he expected, it was from his superior.....Commander Windsor Galeforce himself.

The sound of Galeforce's pleased laugh echoed loud and clear on the other end. "Well done, W.H.R.R.L.," he congratulated. "It would seem that I have trained you well. Espionage suits you quite nicely."

"Thank you, Commander."

"When exactly is this strike going to take place?"

W.H.R.R.L. chuckled. "When you said you wanted it 'sooner', I settled for no less than the best. First, I pressured the President to move up the date of the nuclear launch, and he agreed to have it take place tomorrow."

"What time tomorrow?" Galeforce inquired.

"Exactly 12:00am, sir; the stroke of midnight. When the President gave his authorization for the strike to take place 'tomorrow', I was all too happy to oblige. He and I are now at the hospital as we speak, awaiting the moment of truth."

"Brilliant. Many people in Russia are going to be asleep at that time, so they'll never know that anything's even coming. Typhoon and I are back at Skycrest, viewing the action from my office, too. After this.....we finish off the Mage Aspects. And maybe.....just maybe.....the Ascendant as well."

"It's been a pleasure serving you, Commander," W.H.R.R.L. praised. "Whatever you have planned after this to take down the Mage Aspects.....know that you will always have my services."

Galeforce could be heard sighing wistfully on the other end. "You were always one of the most adept air elementals," he recalled. "You were able to copy people from Earth to a tee after only seeing them once.....which I honestly had never even heard of up until then. Both you and Typhoon have been invaluable to this campaign, actually.....what would I even do without you two?"