Aftermath || Sequel to The World Without Them [HIATUS]

12 | Laying the Foundation

 Frost had never been more thankful to set foot in Niska. 

At one point, Frost thought there was no chance that the capitol of the country that hated him would become the safest place he could be. Months on the run had told him that it was the perfect place to get captured and jailed but, as his trip to Deepwind had shown, nothing seemed to turn out quite the way he imagined it. 

 A wave of relief washed over the boy as he hopped out of the helicopter. A couple of the team members that had remained with him lingered inside the aircraft as they gathered their belongings and sorted equipment. Corinne had taken the other half of their comrades to oversee the rest of Deepwind's surrender, but promised to catch up as soon as possible. Her tone had been dismissive and laced with frustration the last time they had spoken, making it clear that she was extremely unhappy with Frost's actions. However, the teenager couldn't bring himself to be too apologetic. 

 For the first time in a long while, he felt a sense of accomplishment. 

 Noah Draper was seated in the very back of the chopper, staring out the window to observe his new surroundings. The young man had remained silent and stoic for the duration of their journey back to Niska, but Frost could feel how nervous he was. The Silverkeep native knew that bringing the attempted murderer into his new home was an impulsive decision that surely wouldn't go over well with his advisers (or Sage, for that matter), but he knew the guy had potential. 

 He could be a valuable asset with proper training and knowledge about our cause, he thought.

 Just as Frost was swinging a backpack over his shoulder, he saw a group approaching from the corner of his eye. He barely had time to turn to face them when a small blue blob threw itself at his chest, knocking him back a couple steps. 

 "Mana Manaphy!" The Pokémon squealed in delight as she buried her face in his bulletproof vest. 

 Frost chuckled and wrapped his arms around the creature. "Hey there, girl. Did you keep the place under control while I was gone?"

 Mana leaned back so she could see his face and gave a mock salute with her club-like arm. Her partner smiled and let out a soft laugh before feeling someone lay a hand on his shoulder. He looked over, and he immediately relaxed. It was only Sage, with her worried emerald green eyes and concerned expression. Acacia and Jax came up behind her as the girl pressed her lips into a thin line. 

 "I heard that things went wrong in Deepwind but Acacia wouldn't tell me anything. Are you alright?" Sage asked, giving his body a once-over for injuries and skipping over any other form of greeting. 

 Frost nodded. "I'm not hurt, none of my team members are." Then just as Sage had let out a sigh of relief he added," And I only got shot at a couple times, no big deal."

 The greenette's eyes widened, and she instantly rounded on Acacia, who had retreated a few paces away to keep herself clear of the adolescent's fury. Sage glared at the woman. 

 "He was shot at and you wouldn't even tell me?"

 Acacia hugged her tablet to her chest, obviously as more of a reassurance than anything else. The ex-teacher bit her bottom lip anxiously. 

 "There was no point. I figured that you didn't need another thing to worry about when you were in the middle of your own mission."

 Sage let out an irritated huff before turning her attention back to her boyfriend. She opened her mouth to say something, but a scuffling sound cut her off before she could speak. The group glanced over to Frost's helicopter just as a couple soldiers dragged Noah Draper onto the tarmac. The young man struggled a bit in their grasp, but from the already defeated look on his face he knew it was futile.