Chapter 199: One and only rule

Meanwhile, inside the Central Military Grounds.

Ian, Aria and the other staff members from the Regal Medical Hospital were being escorted towards the center by a soldier. They could see that the ground was huge. It was meant as a training ground for the newly recruited soldiers and they could see some of them working hard as they trained.

The ground was also a stadium used to commemorate the soldiers on their great achievements. Every year a celebration would be held and the soldiers would be provided with awards and rankings based on their work in the previous year.

Aria marveled at the sight before her. She had never seen something so delirious and awesome. Behind the grounds, there was the hostel where the trainees stayed. Even Ian was momentarily stunned. Though he had taken physical training since childhood, what he saw here was something else altogether. 

The ground was divided into two sections. They were in the smaller section where not many trainees were present. They could see a huge building that ran across the ground from left to right separating the two sections. The building was an office where all the military records and details of the trainees were kept. A lot of army officers worked in the building and it was their duty to update the records every day. The other section was a part of the stadium.

The soldier led the team to the center where three other soldiers were standing. Their poise and stature were enough for some of them to go into a trance, including Aria. Their body was no joke and Aria couldn't help but stare at them a little longer than necessary though she already had a hot boyfriend.

The group stood in front of the three soldiers as they waited for the instructions from them. The one who looked like the leader took a glance at his watch and nodded. There were still five minutes for it to strike nine.

"I, Lieutenant Kevin Walsh, thank all of you for taking this great decision of helping us in the time of need. We have certain protocols and rules which all of you must follow. I am going to tell them to you and please listen to them clearly. Before that, let's wait for some time. We have members from City Central Hospital who will be joining us shortly."

As soon as he said that, he saw a man running inside the grounds. He was huffing as he sprinted inside. Everybody was startled seeing him enter in a hurry. Out of all, Aria was the most surprised because he was someone she knew. He had become her friend after the short time they had spent together. 'What is Stuart doing here?' Though she wanted to ask him, she had no choice but to postpone it to a later time because there were other things that they had to deal with first.

"Sorry, Sir. I am late." He bowed as he apologized.

"Where are your colleagues?" Kevin asked him patiently. Just as he asked him, he saw three more people coming in and he sighed. If they had been even a minute late, he would have lost his mind because, for the people in the military, time was everything.

When everybody had assembled in front of Kevin, he started to speak again. "I, Lieutenant Kevin Walsh, thank all of you for taking this great decision of helping us in the time of need. We have certain protocols and rules which all of you must follow. I am going to tell them to you and please listen to them clearly. The place we will be going is dangerous and there are chances that you may lose your life. I guarantee you that we will protect you at all times as much as possible. But we cannot rule out the possibility of the danger."

As soon as Kevin started speaking, everybody stood attentively listening to him silently. Seeing that he had everybody's attention, he continued, "A lot of our men are dead and a lot more are injured. This is a very risky mission. So, I am giving you one last chance. If you want to retreat from here, you are free to go. Nobody will stop you."

Seeing that nobody gave him any response and their faces laced with confusion, he realized that they had not understood him. So, he tried in a different way. "I am not trying to scare you or make you nervous. However, remember one thing, there are chances that you might not return home safely, if and only if you do not follow the protocols. It is no walk in the park and my suggestion for you guys is to think properly before you decide."

As soon as he said this, everybody's expression changed from confusion to horror. Though the people from Regal Medical Hospital recomposed themselves quickly, it was not the case for the people from the other hospital. Except for Stuart, everybody else panicked and it clearly written on their faces.

"I am giving you one last chance. If you want to go back, please tell us now. The gates are still open."

As soon as he said that, except Stuart, everybody from the City Central Hospital raised their hands along with a female staff from the Regal Medical Hospital. Kevin nodded. "Thank you very much for coming here and sorry for the trouble. We will not take much of your time. You guys can leave."

After the people left the grounds, Kevin started speaking again. "Let me brief you on the rules before we leave. Since you will be in a military restricted area, please follow the rules because we do not know when and where we may get attacked. There is only one rule that must be followed at all costs. Everything else is an order. The one and only rule is for you to follow whatever we tell you. It is for your own safety."

"Any questions till now." Not getting any questions from the team, he sighed again. "Since the time we entered the grounds, I am the only one screaming and seriously speaking, my throat hurts. I am not a politician who has been given a mike and asked to speak as much as I want. Please relax and tell us if you have any queries. We are not going to eat you, especially when you are here to help us."

Everybody laughed hearing his words. They calmed their raging nerves a little. When Kevin saw that their bodies had relaxed a little, he started again. "Now that we are done with the jokes, let me give you your orders."