Blue Exodus

Chapter 1: brook P.O.V.

"What the hell are you talking about, Aiden! I'm not leaving you guys. If I do, you're all going to die!" I yell to my team leader. We had been ambushed. Tyler was clutching a dislocated shoulder and Cane was passed out next to Shyana, who had a long gash down her neck and across her collarbone. There were falling beams and embers from the burning building all around us.

"Follow orders and finish the mission, leave us here, and get to the hostages, we still have time left." He orders through gritted teeth as he clutches his own bleeding leg wound.

"But I can't fight through all of those guys! All I can do is shield you guys- how am I supposed to make it there and back alone?" I protest. "And if we all die then we fail. We'll have a better chance if I stay here and protect the team while someone else gets the hostages--"

"Don't argue with me, Brook," Aiden barks, cutting me off. "I am in charge here and you have to do what I say, now GO-"

"Your team is: dead. Mission Simulation Status: FAIL," the voice on the intercom boomed without warning. The lights brightened and fires started fading back into the empty, white-washed warehouse room it was before and all around us medical staff started rushing in to treat our injuries.

Aiden pushes himself up into a leaning position on the wall, trying not to put weight on his wounded leg. He was furious. Sparks of electricity were traveling between his fingertips as he spoke. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

I looked to Tyler, my best friend, hoping he would back me up, who only offered a supporting smile as he and Cane were ushered out of the simulation room and onto the gurney outside where they would pop ty's shoulder back into place and give him a sling and a pass to his next class. He wouldn't go against Aiden anyways. Ty worships the ground Aiden walks on, he's been crushing on him for the last five years- everyone knew, though he'd only ever admitted it to me in so many words.

"I gave you a direct order and you can't even manage to follow it," Aiden said, his voice filled with venom.
"Because they were stupid orders!" I screamed, fed up with him taking out his anger at me every time something went wrong. "I'm not trained in combat like you guys are, and if I had left, you would be unprotected and I would have died anyway. If someone else had gone in my place- even injured, they would have a better chance than me. And had I stayed to protect the five of you, we might have passed."

Shyanna was gaping at me with a mixture of awe and fear for my health. People don't talk back to Aiden Ledger. At least, not so openly. I didn't blame her, there was a high probability that Aiden would lose it on me.

He was one of those big shot Exes that Leveled up early and was used to a certain amount of respect, even when he didn't deserve it.

This mission might have just been a practice simulation and not our final grade, but Aiden would snatch up any excuse to yell at me that he could these days.

"I can't deal with this anymore, Brook. If you're going to continue to be insubordinate, then I can't have you on my team, bringing us down. I want you out by tonight."

I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. It took several tries for me to get out any words. "It's the middle of the semester Aiden!" He can't actually follow through with something like that. Not even he was that cruel. "What am I supposed to do? No one is going to take me this late in the year, my rank and reputation will be ruined!"

"That's not my problem," his tone was final, there was no changing his mind at this point. "If you had just followed orders this wouldn't be happening to you." He turned around to leave me but I trailed after him, my whole body boiling. He can't just do this to me.