COLD FRONT by GIC
Chapter 5: CONFRONTATION AND COLLAPSE
Chapter 1: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM | Chapter 2: RISING TENSIONS IN VANCOUVER | Chapter 3: THE HEART OF CORRUPTION | Chapter 4: THE FALL OF VANCOUVER
The stadium pulsed with roaring voices, the air thick with nationalistic fervour. Banners of red and white hung from the rafters, each emblazoned with the True North Front insignia—the maple leaf encircled by a snarling wolf’s head. Floodlights illuminated the massive crowd, their faces feverish with devotion as Malcolm Frost stood at the podium, his voice booming through the speakers.
“This country belongs to us,” Frost declared, his fist raised. “We built it. We bled for it. And we will not stand by as it is stolen from us!”
The crowd erupted in deafening cheers. Thousands of voices chanted in unison: “True North! True North!”
Alex moved cautiously through the throng; his hoodie pulled low over his face. He had come here for one reason. Not Frost. Not even to expose the TNF. He had come for David.
His brother stood near the stage, flanked by armed TNF operatives, his posture rigid. He wore a black TNF armband, his expression impassive as he watched the rally unfold. This wasn’t the same David who Alex had grown up with. The boy who had loved comic books and played street hockey in the alley behind their apartment. This was someone else entirely.
Alex took a deep breath and stepped forward. “David.”
David’s eyes snapped to him, widening slightly in recognition. For a moment, there was only silence between them. Then, David’s face hardened.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Alex swallowed. “I had to come.” He gestured around them. “David, look at this. You know what this is, what they really stand for.”
David exhaled sharply as if exhausted by the conversation before it had even begun. “You don’t get it, Alex. You never did.”
Alex stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Help me understand. Because the last time I checked, we were both immigrants. We came here together. And now you’re standing with them? A group that wants to erase people like us?”
David’s jaw tightened, his hands clenching into fists. “They don’t want to erase us. They want to fix what’s broken.”
“Fix?” Alex’s voice cracked. “David, they burned Vancouver. They dragged people into the streets. People like us.”
David’s eyes flickered, but the resolve in them didn’t waver. “You see immigrants. I see parasites. Weak men who come here with no loyalty to this country, who spit on the land that gave them a home. We worked hard, Alex. We tried to belong. And what did we get for it? Sneers. Condescension. You were too blind to see it, but I wasn’t.”
Alex stared at him, disbelief washing over him like ice. “So, what? You decided to join the people who hate us?”
“They don’t hate us. They hate the ones who refuse to integrate, the ones who mock this country while leeching off it.” David’s voice grew more passionate, his words laced with bitterness. “I watched our parents break their backs trying to fit in, trying to prove they belonged. And what did they get? Nothing. I saw them look over their shoulders, afraid that no matter how hard they worked, they would always be outsiders. And you know what? Because of the ones who don’t put in the effort to integrate, our parents were right! And it’s not the Canadians’ fault; it’s the immigrants! When the vast majority still refer to themselves as Chinese, Indians, etc., instead of Canadians, how can the people born and raised here know when a person is trying to be a better citizen like our parents did? Again, our parents were right in being afraid of never being seen as equals!”
Alex shook his head, his heart hammering. “That’s not true.”
David scoffed. “Isn’t it? Do you know how many times I got called a foreigner? How many times did people look at me as if I didn’t belong? I realized something, Alex. The world doesn’t respect weakness. They respect strength. And Frost? He understands that!”
“You sound just like him,” Alex whispered. “Like his words are coming out of your mouth.”
David didn’t flinch. “Maybe because he’s right.”
Alex felt his stomach drop. This wasn’t brainwashing. This wasn’t simple indoctrination. David believed this.
“David, please,” Alex said, his voice barely above a whisper. “This isn’t you.”
David’s expression darkened. “No. This is the real me. And you? You’re the traitor.”
Before Alex could respond, a voice cut through the air.
“Ah, the journalist.”
Malcolm Frost’s voice was like a knife scraping against stone. The crowd parted as he stepped forward, flanked by his security. His icy gaze raked over Alex, a slow smirk forming on his lips. “I was hoping you’d show up.”
The crowd, once a sea of frenzied supporters, has turned eerily quiet. Thousands of eyes locked into Alex, their energy shifting from euphoria to something far more menacing.
David stepped back, falling into line beside Frost.
Alex’s breath caught in his throat. “David…”
David didn’t look at him.
Frost sighed, feigning disappointment. “You had so much potential, Alex. But some people just can’t be saved.” He turned to his men. “Take him.”
Before Alex could react, hands clamped around his arms, wrenching him backward. He struggled, but the grip was ironclad.
“David!” he shouted. “Don’t let them do this!”
His brother didn’t move.
Then, from somewhere in the crowd, an explosion rocked the stadium.
Screams erupted as the lights flickered, panic rippling through the mass of people. In the chaos, Alex felt the hands on him loosen just enough. He drove his elbow back, knocking one of the guards off balance, and wrenched free.
“Go, Alex!”
Mark’s voice cut through the noise. Alex spun, spotting his friend sprinting towards him, smoke curling from a detonated flashbang at his feet. “Move!”
Alex didn’t hesitate. He tore through the frenzied crowd, dodging panicked supporters and enraged TNF operatives. The exit was a blur in the distance, the stadium’s roars chasing him like a beast in the dark.
As he reached the doors, he stole one last glance over his shoulder.
David stood on the stage, watching him flee. But he didn’t move. He didn’t call for the guards. He just watched.
Then the doors slammed shut behind Alex, and he ran into the night, knowing that whatever hope he had left of saving his brother had just burned away.