Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, the Cliffside villa ~

7:48 AM

Sarah and Aiden logged into a video conference call.

Other screen shows Jeff and JoAnna in Jeff\'s office with Steve and Bridgette. They are going over reports that Jeff\'s spies delivered during the course of the previous night.

"Why are we doing this so early?", Aiden grumbled.

Sarah was yawning so much that she could not speak.

The two of them are not morning people. Sure, they can pull of a morning or two to get up early for some tasks, but anything more than that is a stretch.

Plates and cups on the table in Jeff\'s office are a proof that those four are there for some time.

"Marcus is planning some attacks and we need your… expertise.", Jeff responded.

Aiden lifted his eyebrows indicating that he is listening.

Jeff gestured to Steve who stood up and pointed on the map of the United States while talking: "So far, we know about four things. He wants to sabotage the delivery convoy South of the Sacramento; loot the warehouses outside Los Angeles, and another one in Phoenix; and disrupt our factory in Fallon. Convoy disruption is planned for this afternoon and other attacks are for tonight."

"Do we have more details than this?", Sarah asked.

Sarah and Aiden got a notification that files are shared with them and Steve said: "Everything we know right now is here."

About fifteen minutes later…

"We will take care of this." Sarah assured Jeff and JoAnna. "If new information comes, let us know."

They disconnected from the call.

"These are missions for the army of Chaos.", Sarah told Aiden. "I want Eric and his men to take care of the delivery convoy. My only concern is that they don\'t have long range shooters, and I am thinking of sending Masika and Imani as their sniping support. Haru and Nala will lead a team to take care of the warehouses outside Los Angeles. Ron and Zula will handle the one in Phoenix. And I will take care of the factory. Jesse and Oni are not back yet, so the house will be left to Jamari, but because of timings, it should not be for more than few hours..."

"Few things…", Aiden raised his hand indicating that he objects. "First, you are not going without me."

"OK." Sarah was happy about this one. She does not want to do things without Aiden anyway.

"Second… Is Eric ready? Last night you said that you want to check their progress."

"True. We will go and check on their progress and then give them details of the mission. Even if they didn\'t learn anything, there is more than twenty of them, and they are not novices. They should be able to handle this. Also, Eric is requesting a real mission for some time, so this will be perfect."

"Are you sure about Masika and Imani going with them?"

Sarah understands Aiden\'s concern. They are two teenage girls, but…"The two of them are generals of the army of Chaos. They can take care of themselves. I\'m not sure about other guys there, but Eric will not put two girls in danger."

Aiden thought about it and then nodded. Sarah knows them best, they are her people.

Sarah is happy that Aiden approved. "But first, Ron and Zula need to leave without much delay so that they are at their destination on time. Also, we should talk to Julius and Allen. This is a great chance for them to shadow Haru and Nala and get a feel of the army of Chaos."

Aiden agreed.

Talk to Ron and Zula was straightforward. They will go to the basecamp of the army of Chaos and there they will be joined by eight army members before they head to Phoenix. Ron and Zula will get two snipers, and other six need to be good with weapons because Marcus\' people will not come with sticks and stones. They are expecting an armed confrontation.

"Get your men in strategic places and act swiftly. The best outcome is that you don\'t allow the enemy to shoot a single bullet.", Aiden advised Ron and Zula.

Two teenagers confirmed. That is the way of the army of Chaos: everything happens so fast, that by the time enemy realizes they are under attack, it\'s too late.

When Ron and Zula left, Sarah and Aiden summoned Julius and Allen.

Julius and Allen entered the study and both of them were nervous. They wondered, why are Sarah and Aiden calling them? Did they change their minds about Julius\' and Allen\'s living arrangements? Or someone said something? Or…?

"Are you guys OK?", Sarah asked Julius and Allen. They were both sweating and not looking well, and her first thought was that they are sick.

"You are not in trouble." Aiden told them because how he sees it, the two boys are on the verge of panicking. "Unless you did something we are not aware of."

"No, no… we didn\'t do anything.", Allen responded.

Sarah realized that they are not sick. But she can see how anxious they are, and she wanted to know what happened to shake them up so much. "Was your first night together bad? Or did someone bully you?"

"The night was good.", Allen assured Sarah. "No one said a word to us, they probably don\'t know yet that we moved in together."

Sarah scrutinized the two boys. "Then… Why are you in such a bad state?"

"We were thinking if you will split us apart or something…", Julius responded.

Sarah stifled a laugh. These boys are silly. "No. We are not splitting you apart. It\'s quite the opposite. We want you two to become a unit, something that you call bodyguards. Your consistent top scores in academics and on the training grounds are showing that you are responsible, and we think that you are ready for the next level."

Their anxiousness melted in an instant. Julius and Allen exchanged excited glances and grinned. It is happening!

"But first…", Aiden made a dramatic pause. "You need to be aware that once you find out what we are about to share, there is no going back. You will be bound to us with a vow of secrecy. If any information leaks to outside, our whole family and everything you call home, will be in danger. So, let me ask you: are you willing?"

"Yes!", Julius and Allen responded in unison.

"OK." Sarah approved their enthusiasm. "Let me introduce you to the army of Chaos…"

They didn\'t go into too many details because they have a busy day ahead of them, but they covered the basics. "You will start today, and your first task is to follow Haru and Nala on a mission. The two of them are what we call generals. They perform missions while leading a team. Unless Haru or Nala tell you otherwise, you are going there to observe, learn, not get in the way and if you have any questions, ask them after the mission. Army members don\'t know about our identities, so you will get to wear masks. Don\'t remove them until Haru and Nala say that it\'s OK…"

Julius and Allen could not stop grinning. It sounded like they are becoming stars of an action movie!

Haru and Nala joined them in the study and all four of them listened to the instructions for the mission. It was straightforward: during the night, Marcus\' men will attempt to get into the warehouse and steal things. The mission is to prevent Marcus\' men to achieve their goal.

"Use ten army members. Make sure you get at least two snipers. Go early so that you can scout the area and the terrain. Handle enemies at your discretion, our recommendation is that you eliminate them, because they are traitors and we don\'t want to give them a chance to come back…"

Haru and Nala got additional instructions from Sarah: "For Julius and Allen, this is their first time, and we can\'t predict how they will react to violence. Do your best to guide them so that they don\'t experience a meltdown."

"Don\'t worry, Boss.", Allen said. "We are ready!"

"Don\'t be too eager.", Aiden advised. "There will be guns and it will be chaotic, and your primary goal is to complete mission while staying safe. We don\'t care how successful is the mission, if any of you gets hurt, we treat it as a failure."

"Haru and Nala are a perfect example how to balance executing a mission and practicing safety. Learn from them.", Sarah told Julius and Allen who nodded fervently.

Haru and Nala were happy to hear Sarah praise them, and that they got to be mentors for Julius and Allen. It is something like a promotion, and definitely a recognition that the two of them are doing good.

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