Is this destiny?

Sarah called Zack to show her where the troops usually train while Aiden double-checked positions of the cameras with Masika.

"Why are you here?", Sarah asked Zack when they stepped into the forest far enough for the industrial complex to be hidden behind the trees.

Zack didn't understand why Sarah is asking him that, but she is looking at him and expecting an answer and he will give her one: "I am a soldier of the…"

Sarah raised her hand, stopping Zack from talking further. "You are a newbie. You don't speak Italian and I don't want to say that you don't have any skills but compared to others present here, you are lacking. Noah and Masika would not approve of you participating in this mission if you were not persistent in coming to Milan. So, why are you here?"

Zack understood that Sarah is asking him why he requested to join this mission. "I don't know if you remember, but Masika saved my life."

"I also remember that your stupidity put Masika in danger.", Sarah said bluntly.

"That also.", Zack admitted. "I want a chance to repay for my life and my stupidity."

Zack noticed that Sarah is scrutinizing him. "You don't believe me?"

"Zack, we met about four months ago. At that time, you were working for an employer who was colluding against my brother-in-law. On that evening, you followed Eric in pledging your loyalty to the army of Chaos. From that point on, no matter what Eric did, you followed. And now you are here, telling me that you are following Masika. Do you see where I am going with this?"

Zack shook his head, indicating that he does not know what Sarah is trying to say.

"In the army of Chaos, loyalty is everything. I don't care what skills you have because everything can be learned if you put an effort. However, if your loyalty is not there, you will backstab me under the right circumstances. Considering your behavior, I can conclude that you either have no loyalty, or you are loyal to someone above all this who sent you with a goal to infiltrate the army of Chaos."

Zack frowned. "That is not true."

"Which one is not true?"

"No one sent me.", Zack declared solemnly.

"Your answer is telling me that as soon as the circumstances change, you will leave us. How I see this is: either you betrayed us already or you will when you get a chance."

Zack was not sure how to respond to this. He has no plans of leaving, but everything Sarah said about him following different people is true.

Zack wanted to explain himself: "I worked for money. I followed Eric because he inspired me. And now I am with Masika out of gratitude. I feel indebted to her."

Sarah exhaled and shook her head. "If you are trying to convince me that my opinion of you is wrong, you are doing the opposite."

Zack pressed his lips into a line and looked at Sarah with an expression which told her that he has no answer.

"Zack, to tell you honestly, I don't like that you are here. And I don't like that you are close to Masika. You should be aware that Masika is like a daughter to me and you already put her life into danger once. Are you really here just so that you can get even with Masika? You know that she saved you because that is the right thing to do. She would save anyone else who was in the same situation."

"But it was not anyone else. It was me. I will not betray her.", Zack said confidently.

"That is what you are saying now. Will you betray me? Will you betray the army of Chaos? Because we are all connected, and you can't be loyal to one without the others."

"If I say 'no', will you believe me?"

"No.", Sarah responded honestly.

Zack felt that he is at a loss. No matter what he says it's either not helping or it's making it worse. "How can I prove it to you that I have no hidden agenda?"

Sarah looked at Zack icily for some time before pulling an army knife and handing it to Zack. "Kill yourself."

Zack's eyes widened in horror. "What!?"

Sarah smirked. "Only by putting your life on the line, I will believe you."

Zack lifted his hands in surrender and took a few steps back while shaking his head frantically. "No one in their right mind would do that. How can I repay my debts if I am dead?"

Sarah took one step toward Zack and he froze when his back hit the tree behind him.

The murderous aura coming from Sarah was urging Zack to run for his life. But he knew that he can't outrun her, and he can't win in a fight against her either. His only choice is to stay calm and hope for mercy.

Sarah observed drops of sweat that formed on Zack's forehead. As much as he tried to keep his expression from cracking his eyes showed how petrified he is, and he was shaking slightly.

After an unknown measure of time, Sarah kept the knife back. "Good."

Zack was confused. "What?"

"At least I know that you are afraid of dying. If you betray us, if you put Masika in danger, if you hurt Masika in any way, there is no place on Earth where you can hide. And I will kill you. Remember that."

Zack looked at Sarah's retreating back and only when she was out of sight he realized that he is covered in a cold sweat. No matter what dangerous things he did in the past, Zack is confident that he was never this close to dying. He felt like he was looking death in the face. Nyx is scary.

It took Zack some time to compose himself enough so that he can return back to the base. He hoped not to bump into Sarah again.

…

Later that day, Sarah went for a walk with Masika around the industrial complex.

Masika was telling Sarah bits and pieces of what is going on at home since Sarah left.

"Why did you allow Zack to follow you?", Sarah asked Masika at some point.

Masika exhaled in frustration. "Zack believes that he owes me his life. He is persistent and determined in making it up to me and I have a feeling that unless he saves my life he will not back off. I was thinking of hiring a local guy to drive his car toward me so that Zack can save me. In that way, this game of repaying debts will be over and the two of us can part ways in peace."

Sarah was not sure if what Masika said makes sense. "You are keeping him close in order to part from him?"

Masika looked at Sarah blankly. "Are you saying that there is more to it?"

Sarah shook her head. "I would like you to be wary of him. Pay attention to how he treats you. Pay attention to how he looks at you."

Masika pursed her lips. This is not the first time for Sarah to talk in riddles and Masika prefers straightforward talk.

"Sarah, if you know something, tell me. You are making me nervous."

Sarah stifled a laugh. "I'm not saying that you should be nervous, but don't be too relaxed either. If he wants to repay a debt of saving his life, he would stay nearby and wait for his chance to even out the score without going over the top."

Masika realized that Sarah is giving her some hints, but she wants Masika to figure it out on her own. Masika narrowed her eyes while thinking about the possibilities. "You are telling me that he has a hidden agenda."

Sarah confirmed. "If you don't know about it, it's hidden."

Masika was frustrated that no matter how much she asked Sarah, Sarah was not willing to give her any more hints.

Sarah diverted the topic to address the people getting bored at this base. She suggested to Masika to purchase game consoles and some other entertainment. Once construction starts, it will be lively, but until then, unless they encounter some trouble it will be mostly boring.

---

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