Frostbite (Mindgames #1)

Chapter Eighteen - Wesley

Time seemed to move faster inside the DSO organization. I had gone from an injured victim in the attack of the Idleworth estate, to a DSO trainee.
They had found where Felix was taken, and they were gathering a task force to launch an assault on the warehouse.

I slowly made my way to find Aaron and Stephanie, Stephanie had also decided to join the DSO as a trainee like I did. Indi was too distraught to join.
Indi had been reclusive, and quiet, like her spirit had been taken along with her brother. Indi seemed to suspect that this attack had been planned, and was starting to question everyone around her, she felt like everyone was against her.

I had spoken with her the night before when I had learned about the planned search that was going to happen. I remembered how distressed she looked, she looked like a shallow version of herself, and the trauma of the attack had killed something in her.

"I do not like being in the spotlight anymore, I do not like the people my father surrounds our household in. I do not like my father. I just want my brother back, he was my only brother, the only person who truly understood me, no titles, only human."

Her words sent shivers down my spine as they collapsed the veil of ambiguity her household had on the public. Before I met Indi, I believed that the nobles of the system lived in unity and harmony, which is why we never went into an apocalyptic multi-planet destroying war.
As I walked towards the meeting room, I noticed a door left open just an inch to my left. I stood there frozen for a moment, I couldn't help but feel like a stare was coming out of that room. I couldn't help but feel like the room was beckoning me to come closer, to open its door and enter inside.

The lights were left off, giving me no signal as to what could be in the room. I looked down both ends of the hallway as people walked past me, giving me looks of concern based on my behavior. Something didn't feel right, something about this room and the people looking at me this way felt off.

I decided to continue my trek forward, making a mental note to step inside if the door was still left open when I finished with the meeting. I made my way down the hallway, following the other people who were in similar attire I was.

The door was being held open by Aaron down the hall for the meeting room. I walked towards the door as people walked into the room in a neat, organized line. Aaron was in his usual unit attire with a different shade of ocean mask on, this one wasn't a dark blue, this one was a nice shade of teal, like the Selerethen royal family's colors.

I watched him nod to the people entering the room in a single file, eventually getting to me. He gently took my hand and wrote an 'x' with a marker on the top of my hand. "Welcome to your first meeting," Aaron said giving me a polite nod. Aaron patted my back before gesturing me to go inside and sit.

The room was dark, there were no chairs, so people sat on the floor scattered amongst the room. There was a tray, with a device on top of it, with a large lens facing the opposite wall from the door.

I slowly made my way inside, before recognizing Stephanie and deciding to sit next to her. "Any idea what this meeting might go over?" I asked, leaning over to her so I could speak in a whisper, to not draw attention or to speak over anyone who might be speaking for the presentation.
"What I do know is they will be going over which units we are in. Where we will be assigned for the seizure, and how hostages can be removed safely." Stephanie whispered back to me, looking forward at the device.