Fire and Ice

Chapter 15 † Kayleigh

"You WHAT?!" Anderson's voice screams over the comms link. I roll my eyes and click the volume down on my earpiece.

"I took care of it, Anderson. They're safe and unharmed."

"You took out an entire sector of the compound with explosions is what you did! You bet the survival of Ender and his team on the chance that the oxygen tanks near the exit would be old and volatile! We didn't get any information from the soldiers! You call that 'taking care of the situation'? What the hell were you thinking!" Anderson screams in my ear. I lift the earpiece far enough away from my head so as to hopefully avoid hearing loss.

"First of all, I didn't take out the sector. There may be a few new pock marks here and there, but it's nothing some Spackle and paint won't fix," I declare. Hot Soup turns to Tom and mouths what's Spackle? Tom shrugs and they both turn back to me. I sigh and not-so-gently bang my head against the rock wall. "No one was alive in there except for the offending soldiers. The sector is still standing I assure you." I push off from the wall and walk around the perimeter of the intersection, if only to have something to do. "Second of all, I knew those oxygen tanks were old. I checked one of your recently updated schematics before I let myself think it was a good idea." I motion for the others to follow me back toward central command. Petra groans as Fly helps her stand up from where she sat braced against the wall. "According to your records, those oxygen tanks in particular have been on the 'necessary replacement' list for thirty years. You now don't have to send them Earthside for proper disposal because they are completely disintegrated. I believe a 'Thank You Kayleigh' is in order.'

"I will thank you over my dead bo-" a loud thunk interrupts Anderson, followed by a metallic crash. Faint taps resonate through my earpiece, as though the microphone was hit while two people grappled over the ear piece.

"You're dismissed for today Anderson," Graff pants. Anderson says something else and Graff sighs exasperatedly.

"Is everything under control, Colonel?" I chirp, carefully trying to hide my amusement at the situation.

"Yes, everything is fine," he answers. "I understand why you did what you did. Anderson will get over himself later." Fly scoffs.

"What she did was smart," he states confidently. "Sure, it scared us cuz we didn't know the plan, but that was faster and more efficient than anything you doofs could have come up with on your own." I glance back to him as I walk to find him watch me carefully. He tripped slightly when he caught my gaze, but I smiled and nodded my thanks.

"Where can we accommodate them for the night?" I prompt, trying to street the conversational topic to something more useful.

"We'll be keeping all of you in special holding," he states clearly. Probably because it has the best system to guard them while defenseless and tired. But...

"Like prisoners?" Petra snaps, her posture righting itself, her previously slumped shoulders straightening and her eyes clearing and turning towards me.

"It has the best system to defend you while you recover," I answer before Graff has the time to stammer a response.

"Are you not coming with us?" Ender asks softly. His voice was tinged with something small and sorrowful, something I can't quite pinpoint.

"I have to prepare for whatever battles are happening tomorrow," I answer, equally as soft. "You need sleep. Being chased can wreak havoc on your mental state. I also intend to look into the information I have on who sent the soldiers." He nods and turns to face front. We reach central command after two more turns.