The Ice Warrior

Chapter 24

The atmosphere was slowly warming up, as much as it could in the chilly room. Since no modern technology was not available to keep the room temperature stable, the roaring fire had no chance of chasing away the cold.

Joe and his grandsons were eerily quiet, contemplating the information Rose had provided. Furthermore, they couldn't stop themselves from staring at Wir Eis's enormous nature.

"Can I play with it?" Jack was the first one to break the silence.

"Him. And no, you may not. He is a friend, not a toy." Rose said firmly.

Seeing the little guy's crestfallen expression, Rose was about to comfort him, when Wir Eis interjected.

"Wir Eis play. Human funny." Wir Eis said.

"All right then, but please go closer to the fire. Your nose is just about to fall off, having in mind how red it is." Rose said, gently pinching Jack's nose.

Jack giggled happily; his bad mood already forgotten.

"Okay, Viper," he said, ready to say anything just to be able to go and play.

"Boys, you look half frozen as well. Haven't you used those self-warming suits I got you?" Rose asked Justin and Jamie.

"There were some people who needed them more. We gave them away. We are tough! We can stand the cold." Justin said.

"You boys are too nice sometimes. Where were you, anyway?" Rose asked.

"Viper, you never used to ask so many questions. Have they turned you? Have you come to turn us in?" Joe asked, his hand twitching towards his gun once again.

"I've always admired how suspicious you are of everyone, Joe," Rose said.

"You should learn from him," Rose said addressing Silv.

"Viper," Joe said, impatience coloring his voice.

He was obviously on edge, and Rose wasn't sure what he would or wouldn't do if he perceived her as a threat. Even the years of friendship they shared didn't mean anything if he believed she was endangering the Lower Stratans.

"You know very well that they haven't turned me. If anyone can tell that everything I've told you is the truth, it's you. I am offended that the thought of me turning against you in even crossed your mind." Rose said.

Joe visibly relaxed upon hearing the truth in her voice, but his posture was still rigid, on guard.

"I know that what you are saying is the truth. However, it feels like there are many things you aren't telling me. That's what worries me." Joe said.

"Of course, there are. We've always known we were hiding things from each other. In our line of work, it's a necessity. Or are you trying to tell me that Joe, Jack, Justin, and Jamie are your real names? Or that this safe house is your true home where you live with no women?" Rose said tiredly.

She understood the necessity for caution, but she also felt as if they were wasting her time. There were too many things to be done, and she was unsure if the Government would figure out where they went soon.

"I see your point. But this time it's different. You have never brought trouble to our doorstep before, not to mention an alien, an ALIEN, Rose. How am I even supposed to deal with that?" Joe asked.

Seeing how right Joe was, and understanding that no matter what she did, she could never go back to her position in the Government, Rose decided to tell the truth. After all, she wasn't even sure Silv, Arthur, and her would ever be allowed to go back home or stay in any of the lower sectors controlled by the Government.

"Very well. Captain Rose, at your service," she said, bowing sarcastically.

As Joe tried his best to close his gaping mouth, Rose went on talking. It was time to go all-in and hope for the best.

"This here is my granddaughter, Silv," Rose said, pointing at Silv.

"Pleasure to meet you," Silv said awkwardly.

"This is my AI, Arthur," Rose said, looking in Arthur's direction.

"It's an honor to meet you," Arthur said.

"And Wir Eis already introduced himself," Rose said, finishing her speech with a puff.

"Well, I didn't expect that," Joe mumbled to himself.

"Wow! A real AI? Can I take a look?" Jamie asked excitedly.

"AI are autonomous members of society even though they choose to help us out. You'll have to ask him for permission." Rose replied.

"May I pick your brain, please?" Jamie asked Arthur as politely as he could.

"As long as you don't do it literally," Arthur said, letting out a strange screeching sound that startled everyone in the room.

"Apologies. I was attempting a burst of new frequency laughter." Arthur said.

"No, that one is not a good choice. I am surprised that my ears aren't bleeding right about now." Rose said, holding on to her ears with a grimace of pain on her face.

"Duly noted. It will not happen again. I've recalibrated my laughing circuits." Arthur said.

Joe raised an eyebrow looking at Rose, questioning what he had experienced.

"AI's are constantly learning, evolving. In Arthur's case, he started developing a sense of humor." Rose said, smiling at Arthur.

"Wow, that's awesome! Can you tell me how it is to be an AI?" Jamie asked.

Soon enough, Arthur was too busy answering Jamie's questions to be able to try to make any new jokes, to everyone's relief.

"All right, Viper, I mean Rose, I believe you. You wouldn't risk sharing your true identity with us if you were a spy. But captain? That's impressive! Why did you join our cause?" Joe asked.

"I could see what the Government had done to our humanity, that we were losing it. Being a SAB I remember the time when that wasn't the case. I am one of the rare few people who do. So, I wanted to help things change. That was how I heard about the Freedom Fighters Forever. I was looking for someone who wasn't influenced by the Government." Rose said.

"The FFF was lucky to have you. No wonder you were able to get us all that cool tech." Joe said.

"All right, you can tell her where you've been, she passed the test," Joe told Justin.

"We went up on the mountain, checking if there was a shelter out there that was warm enough for us to use. We thought that since some animals, such as polar bears, could survive without human help, without technology, so could we." Justin said.

"What did you find?" Joe asked.

"It's too cold. Even with the additional layers of clothing. We thought the caves would be warmer, but no such luck." Justin said, disappointment oozing out of him.

"Wir Eis help." Wir Eis said, suddenly deciding to participate in the conversation while Jack hung on his neck.