Is this destiny?

While preparing for their mission, Hong shared information about the main base of the Voronin family with Sarah and Aiden.

"The main base is an independent town. It has its own water and power supply that is not connected to the country's grid. The base is organized in three circles.

The inner-circle has the largest buildings, most of them are three to four stories high, and other than the central building where meetings happen and documentation is stored, the others are residential. That is where Voronins and their highest ranking members live.

The middle circle is a mix of residential buildings and shops. Some of the labs are in the North area of the middle circle. 

The outer circle is reserved for training facilities, storages, and buildings for soldiers. Only soldiers who have ties to the main Voronin family or have proven themselves with their service have the right to stay in this base…"

He told them how much he can remember, but it all came with a disclaimer that it's more than three decades since he was there the last time.

"Keep in mind that all that is just the surface. There are a lot of things underground that are not visible and unless you know where entrances are, they will go unnoticed. There are tunnels connecting the main buildings, rooms, and storages. Anything of value will be underground."

Hong also expressed the significance of getting access to the main base. "I was there for more than two decades and outsiders never got in. This shows that the family is in dire need to maintain their power. We can assume that they will take good care of top candidates, but at the same time, the surveillance will be tight..." 

When Sarah, Aiden, and Hong arrived at the base, they had their personal belongings checked before one of the soldiers escorted them to their rooms.

"You will find the information on how to connect to wi-fi in your room...", the man said while returning to Aiden his tablet (aka the signal-tunneler).

The solider had a task to show them the common areas and where they will be staying. He was pointing and explaining where is what, but it was clear that unless someone escorts them, they are not supposed to wander around.

Many people observed them, some curious, some glared at them. Sarah and Aiden didn't recognize anyone, they were definitely not competitors they met so far. Based on how everyone was comfortable in their surrounding, Sarah guessed that these people are from this base, or at least they are frequently here, and that their role is to watch them.

They knew that this is the enemy territory and that no one here is simple. But thinking about moving through the enemy's lair and experiencing it are two different things. One wrong move and they are done for. Sarah reminded herself to maintain her carefree attitude because if she acts nervous, they might figure out that something is off.

Their guide was talking about mandatory rules and Sarah noticed that he didn't address one pressing topic.

Sarah had to ask: "Are there any rules about settling grudges?"

"A lot of areas are monitored with very few blind spots…", he paused and gestured at the camera that was high on the corner of the nearby building. "If you kill someone, you need to take responsibility. Killing without a reason is not allowed."

Sarah interpreted this as 'killing in self-defense is fine'.

She had another question: "What about fighting?"

"This is not kindergarten. If someone hurts you, it's because of your incompetence. And before you ask, yes fighting is common and accidents happen. It weeds out the weak ones. In general, we try not to cause property damage, so fights are usually in the open." He eyed Sarah. "I know that you came to support him, but at this point, you are like dead weight because he will need to protect you."

Aiden pulled Sarah closer to him. "She is not a burden. Without her, I would not be here."

The man ignored Aiden's comment, thinking that it's a cheesy line to impress Sarah.

Sarah smiled and silently agreed with Aiden. Without her, they would not be here. But it's not only her. It's both of them. She wondered, where would she be if she didn't meet Aiden? Even if he didn't approach her in front of the bulletin board at the Tesla University, he would find her because he wanted to assess her skills, but... where would she be if she didn't accept to work at the White corp.? Or if she didn't fall in love with him?

Sarah stopped her random thoughts when they reached the canteen. She reminded herself to stay focused. This is not a good time to be lost in daydreaming! It must be due to pregnancy hormones.

The canteen was spacious and spotless, and training facilities are top-notch. It looked like a resort where athletes would prepare for the Olympics.

Their accommodation was in a house that had an open hallway that looked more like a tunnel, with two doors on each side. Their house was identical to fourteen others. They all appeared brand new. Sarah and Aiden concluded that they are modular homes, specifically assembled for this occasion.

The soldier showed them to their rooms with final reminders: "You will find the map of the area and rulebook in your rooms. From the wired phone, dial 9 to make a call outside this base. Lunch is from noon to one-thirty in the canteen…"

Sarah and Aiden got into their room, and Hong was in the adjacent one. They shared an understanding that since fighting is allowed, it's probably best to stay inside unless it's necessary to get out.

"We have one hour until lunch.", Sarah said while checking the bathroom.

Their room had two twin-sized beds with a small sofa and armoire and the only other door besides the exit was for the bathroom that had a toilet, sink, and a shower. Slim horizontal windows were placed close to the ceiling, and they gave the feeling of a basement.

The place was not designed for comfort, but it was better than the previous training facility where they needed to share a bathroom with the whole floor.

Aiden kept their backpacks in the armoire and pushed beds next to another, creating an illusion of one queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. Other than creating a bigger bed, it allowed him to move furniture around and check for any trap doors or hidden devices.

During their tour, they confirmed that their phones are out of signal, just like in the previous base.

While checking out their room, both Sarah and Aiden used Eve-lens to scan their surrounding for devices. Just as expected, they found small devices close to the windows and one at the bottom of the table lamp. Sarah gestured to Aiden that she found similar devices in the bathroom as well.

That confirmed how they can't talk openly. Someone is listening. That was not out of their expectations, and it showed that the security is tighter than in the previous base.

The problem was if there were cameras because that would make things more difficult, especially contacting their siblings, but it would not be impossible.

Unfortunately, distinguishing if those devices are microphones or cameras would require Sarah and Aiden to inspect them up-close and that would expose them. 

"How about we rest?", Aiden suggested while pulling Sarah down on the bed with him and getting a blanket over them.

Sarah giggled. "Are you sure you want to rest?"

"You know me well…"

Sarah went under the blanket and a second later, Aiden's belt and pants were thrown on the side.

She settled between his legs and operated signal-tunneler under the blanket with a mission to notify her sisters that they arrived safely.

They had to put on a show in case they are being watched.

About thirty seconds later, Sarah's head peeked from the blanket, in the area of Aiden's chest.

She pushed the device and her phone under the pillow and her eyebrow arched when her belly rubbed against his erection.

"How much time we have?", Sarah asked.

Aiden smiled. Her hungry eyes told him what is on her mind.

"Enough.", he responded with a husky voice.

She slid back under the blanket and he hissed when she took him in her mouth.

This time it was not only pretending and just in case if there are cameras, they kept the blanket over them.

---

If you are not reading this at 'W e b n o v e l .. c o m', then the content you're reading is stolen! Please support the author by reading this novel from the original source.