Is this destiny?

~ Eastern Europe, the base of the Lebedev family ~

June 20

3:42 AM

Sarah and Aiden got out of the villa and headed toward the customized jeep that waited for them in front.

Aiden was carrying two backpacks and Sarah was two steps behind him, yawning while stretching her arms above her head.

After packing and planning and checking Eve, they slept only about three hours.

As she stepped on the stairs in front of the main entrance, Sarah paused with her arms up in the air and her mouth open in an incomplete yawn at the sight of all the people gathered outside.

"Why are you here?", Sarah asked.

"We want to send you off…", Stella responded.

Other than Stella, present are JoAnna, Sophia, Zack, Masika, Ron, Zula, Bo, Francisca, Wing, Azra, Souta, Camila, Beck, Allen, Julius, Corey, Merve, Imani, Jamari, Edward, Owen, Konstantin, Dimitri, Gavril, and Vasily. Sarah was super-surprised to see Ade, Hande, Tejan, Rosa, Daniel, Xiaohui, Nico, and Aaron who were supposed to be at the Ceresc Solutions. Even their fur-babies were lined up in front of the jeep.

"Don't forget… when you form your team, we are joining first…", Ade told Aiden and Hande nodded in agreement with Ade's words.

"I don't know where you are going…", Dimitri said to Sarah. "But I hope you come back safely and soon so that we can have another celebration. The spice mix for barbecue was delicious and I crave to have it again."

"I will make the vanilla cake with fresh strawberries. I still have the recipe…", Vasily added.

"That's a deal.", Sarah responded.

Everyone was smiling and had concerned expressions and even Vasily merged into this scene. Sarah was confident that if the incident from three years ago didn't happen, when Aiden was put in a coma and she lost her baby… she would get along well with her eccentric Uncle Vasily.

Hong joined them outside and after a quick chat with Bo, Wing, and Souta, he took his seat in the back of the jeep.

Edward approached the jeep and knocked on the window to get Hong's attention. "I heard that you lost your wife. That was unfortunate. Take care of my kids and they will help you get back what is left of your family."

Hong hummed in confirmation.

"Don't you have a base to run?", Aiden asked Aaron.

Aaron shrugged. "We came to wish you good luck and we will head back right away… Aiden, take care of Sarah."

Sarah perked up while expecting to see Aiden's reaction, knowing that it could escalate into macho-bickering at any moment. She was amazed to see that Aiden smiled and patted Aaron's shoulder before responding: "I will."

"I confirmed that the security at the Ceresc Solutions is working as expected.", Nico said to Sarah and Aiden, and Beck added: "We will continue testing the system and take notes of performance so you can see it when you return."

"Don't forget to take your vitamins…", JoAnna advised Sarah.

"Make sure you come back to us...", Jamari told Aiden. "Don't make us worried again."

Everyone had something to say and they hugged while giving last-minute advice and well wishes.

"If we stay any longer, we will be late…", Sarah said. "Thank you for sending us off."

Sarah and Aiden gave a final round of pats and head-scratches to their fur-babies before getting into the car.

After five minutes' drive, Aiden stopped the jeep in front of one building where prisoners are held. When Natalia joined them in the car, they were ready to head out.

"Sleep… it's a long drive…", Aiden told Sarah who was sitting on the front passenger's seat.

Sarah glanced at the back seat and saw that Hong is looking out the window and Natalia is next to him, unconscious. They drugged her and she will wake up before they reach their destination.

Sarah yawned, leaned her head on Aiden's shoulder, and slept off within a minute.

...

5:51 AM

Undisclosed location…

"I estimate at least three hundred vehicles…", Sarah mumbled as Aiden drove through the improvised parking lot on the clearing off the road. "I wonder how many fighters are here…"

A man waved them to stop. It was obvious that he is part of the organization.

Aiden lowered the driver's side window and the man peeked at the passengers. "Do you know why you are here?"

Aiden nodded.

"From what base?"

Natalia leaned forward and responded: "Natalia Sokolova, V12K."

The man glanced at the tablet in his hand before talking to them again. "There is no need to get your things out. Leave weapons in the car. If you pass the first round, you will get instructions on where to go next. If you fail, you can return from where you came from before lunchtime… There is parking here… Check-in is that way…"

It didn't take long for them to get in line for check-in.

Hong was responsible to keep an eye on his 'niece', Natalia. She was under the obedience potion, so that was not a problem.

At the check-in, Natalia repeated her information and registered Aiden as her fighter, Alex Perun. For Sarah and Hong, Natalia said that they are with them and no other questions were asked. Sarah was a bit disappointed because she wanted to introduce herself as Olga Perun. Sarah's short blonde wig, tight jeans, and torn t-shirt at the edges matched the character of an enamored troublemaking girl perfectly.

They were patted by security to ensure no one is carrying a weapon and Aiden got a number 257.

Aiden's eyes lit up when he saw a big open tent with breakfast items. They had a variety of pastries, jams, butter, and offering coffee, tea, and milk.

Sarah wanted to go and see the area where the fights will happen, in order to find out what awaits Aiden, but he was interested in food, so they went to eat first.

On the side, there were foldable tables and benches that people used to sit and eat. That area was packed.

Sarah and Natalia headed toward the tables while Aiden and Hong went to get food.

The ladies were lucky to find seats because one group finished their food and left.

From the crowd that ate, Sarah overheard that it will be a group elimination where ten participants will enter the marked area and fight for their right to continue with the competition. The information on how many people will win their right for a second round was inconsistent. Someone said only the last man standing is a winner, and someone said the top three. In any case, it was certain that the first round of competition will eliminate a lot of fighters. 

Sarah was excited.

"What are you smiling?", Aiden asked when he approached Sarah with a tray that had small packs of jam, sliced bread, and a variety of pastries.

Hong was two steps behind Aiden, carrying a tray with four cups of steaming tea.

"I am excited to see you fighting.", Sarah responded while checking out the pastries. "I don't remember the last time I had a luxury of standing on the side and enjoying the view of my dashing husband bashing people."

Aiden chuckled. "Your dashing husband will give you a good show."

Hong didn't approve the idea of a good show, and he ignored their flirting. "Don't draw too much attention to yourself from the start. You will risk people seeing you as an enemy and they might band against you. Win by a narrow margin…"

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