Chapter 1171 - Dissolving Eric's Squad (2)

Zack straightened his back and spoke to Sarah: "I am unable to fight, and I am no match in marksmanship either but… Masika saved my life more than once. Please, give me a chance to repay what I owe her."

Sarah turned and glanced at Masika, indicating that it's up to her.

Masika stood completely still for few seconds before walking toward Zack and stopping three steps away from him.

"I don't need anything from you.", she said.

"I know.", Zack responded. "But I need to do what I can, otherwise I will not be at ease knowing that I wronged you and that you saved me and that I didn't do anything about it."

Masika blinked few times and looked at Sarah. "Boss Nyx, it will be how you decide."

Sarah looked with pride after Masika who went back to her original spot. Her girls are growing.

Sarah glanced at Zack and then at the others behind him. "I don't like people who quit. I expect that each of you will try to salvage yourself today. For the ones who fail… there is another path. Go to the Chaos nightclub in Boyle Height neighborhood. If you win ten matches in a row, you get your chance to join us."

Half an hour later…

Eric's squad is utterly defeated.

Sarah suspects that Eric didn't use all of his skills because he decided to lose on purpose in order to join the rest of his squad.

However, other members of the Eric's squad were a disappointment when matched against the regulars of the army of Chaos. Two men were few seconds over one minute in the duration of the spar, but others didn't last more than fifteen seconds.

Zack challenged Masika to compete in marksmanship, even though he knew that he would lose. They fired ten rounds each at the target.

"Try like this…", Masika slightly adjusted his wrist.

Zack was surprised that his accuracy improved. He should be happy about that, but it only made him feel worse for underestimating her.

"I will win my ten fights, come back and find you.", Zack told Masika at the end.

Masika widened her eyes for a moment before responding: "I will be waiting."

Allen and Julius watched everything that is happening with sparkles in their eyes. All members of the army of Chaos are awesome! They never saw fifty people move as one. All army members are swift and precise and wearing the same uniforms and they all look up to the generals and Sarah with pride evident on their faces. Being a 'personal bodyguard' is so much better than they thought it will be.

Sarah looked at Eric's squad and she was pleased that their arrogance was cut down. She thought how if she did something like this from the beginning, the newcomers would understand that they are not joining a kindergarten section but an army of elites. Her elites. Sarah smiled at this thought.

She straightened her back before addressing Eric's squad seriously: "I believe that now you are aware of your standing. If you want to give up, there will be no questions asked and I expect that you will leave after breakfast. For the ones who wish to stay and join us through the path that a fight club provides, you will get an option to settle in one of apartment buildings in Boyle Height neighborhood. It is not free, but job options will be offered to you as well. Think about it until dinner time. Someone will come tonight to present you with options and take note how many of you plan to stay, so that apartments are ready by tomorrow. In any case, none of you should be here by noon tomorrow. Keep in mind that if you stay, just like here, those are our buildings and you are being watched. Members of the army of Chaos behave properly with a sense of justice all the time, not only when on a mission. As a member of Chaos, every other member is a person you can rely on. We all lead by example, and people who show strong leadership will get a chance for a promotion."

Sarah looked at them and can see that their mood is down.

"We are strict, but we also believe in second chances. Don't take this as an ultimate failure. It is one of many. How you cope with it and what you do to get back on track will decide if you are the right person to join the army of Chaos.", Sarah ended while looking at Ade.

Ade held his breath while looking at Sarah. He understood why she brought him here, even though she didn't reinstate him as a general. She wanted him to see that he is not the only one to be punished for a failure. And she wanted him to know that a failure and a punishment are not the end. It is a chance to learn and grow and be better when you come back. Ade's heart was light at the thought that Sarah is not dismissing him from the army. All the punishment he got is for his own benefit. And it's up to him to plow through it and to prove to her and to him that he is ready for the heavy responsibilities each of the generals carries. 

Eric and his men watched Sarah and her generals enter into the helicopters. Haru piloted one, and Ron the other one. Other members of the army of Chaos proudly looked after the helicopters until they were out of sight. Only then they entered their vans in silence and departed the compound.

"Boss, what will we do now?", one of the men asked Eric.

Eric waved his hand dismissively. "Don't call me that. My name is Eric and I am not worthy to be anyone's Boss." Eric gazed in the direction where helicopters disappeared for few seconds before responding to the question: "I will go to the Boyle Heights neighborhood and earn my right to join the army of Chaos."

"Me too.", Zack said and turned to Eric. "Can we be roommates?"

Eric nodded in agreement. "Sure, if there are two bedroom options."

Eric turned to the rest of his squad. "You heard Boss Nyx. This is only one of many failures we will face. How we act when the times are tough is what determines who we are as people. I am not ready to allow my hurt pride to be the end of me. I will train and learn and climb back up. With any good fortune, I will get a leadership position and you get to be in my squad again."

…

After dinner, Eric and Zack were packing their things. They will move out in the morning to their apartment.

The sleeping quarters in the compound are one large area with bunkbeds.

Without any previous agreement, people approached Eric.

Eric looked at the people gathered around his bed and raised his eyebrows questionably.

One man stepped in front and spoke to Eric: "We all value your opinion and we accepted you as our leader. We want to know what your plan is."

"I told you already. I will train and work my way up."

"You are ready to start from bottom?", someone from the group asked.

Eric snorted. "You don't think it's worth it? Today, they came to show us where we are, but also where we could be. Did you see how every member of the army of Chaos looked at Boss Nyx? They trust her and each of them would jump into fire for her… But I want to join because Boss Nyx will never ask anyone to sacrifice themselves for her."

"How do you know?", another man asked.

"Because I saw how she is looking at her people. They are not her subordinates, they are her family."

"I remember…", Zack said from the back, making people move so that there is a line of vision in-between Zack and Eric. "Before the mission, Boss Nyx told us that Masika and Imani are generals in the army of Chaos, and they are also her daughters."

"There is a mutual trust and admiration they have for each other." Eric said and paused. "I already trust and admire Boss Nyx and I will work hard so that she can trust me as well."

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