It took Col. Mark almost thirty minutes to get to the admin building and an extra five minutes to get to the meeting room.
He walked in with a heavy frown which left the whole meeting on a hold for some seconds.
There were mumblings and angry expressions towards Col. Mark as he took his seat by a chair away from the rest and not by the oval table which the board of directors sat down around.
The members of the board, already seemed provoked by Col. Mark's carefree attitude and were dashing angry looks at him. This wasn't new to Col. Mark as he received the same amount of hatred and disapproval from them every time he attended their meeting.
Angela Freetown, acting head of Hoboran, rose up from her seat and cleared her throat loudly to clear the growing noise in the room. "Now that we are all seated, let's begin this meeting formally and go straight to the point."
Chantria's stare was on Col. Mark the whole while as she hated him deeply. A faint smile was on her face as the happy thought of Col. Mark being ripped off his post made her elated.
Karl moved closer to Chantria and whispered into her ears. "Don't look too much." He advised. "We don't want anyone suspecting you."
She nodded her head in response and looked away from Col. Mark for the first time since he had walked in.
"Chantria!" Angela said in a strict tone. "Would you mind telling us what exactly went down and how on earth did the images of our special field agents who we have trained for years with our resources, mess up everything we've built in centuries."
Chantria rose up with charisma and gave out a soft smile. "I am well aware of the catastrophe that has befallen us and I am gravely sorry about this. If there's anything in my power I could have done to change the outcome, I would definitely have done so."
Angela was definitely surprised and annoyed by Chantria's words. "What do you mean? You're the one responsible for this problem."
"Well, that's where you all are mistaken. Although i am the minister of security, I am not in charge of the field agency."
"What do you mean by that?" Angela asked.
"According to my sources, I found out that the head of the field agency, who is solely in charge of sending field agents on missions and also on training them and who also manages all the resources which this administration renders towards security, sent out two amateur field agents, one of them being an underage fifteen year old... "
The whole room gasped out in shock with their eyes and mouths agape.
Chantria who was enjoying the turn up of things, resumed her speech. "... And not only did he send out a scrawny teenage girl out of Hoboran but also he sent out a man-child, in other words, a dimwit."
The whole room was now hot and the atmosphere, intense.
Angela rose up in annoyance, slamming the oval table with her bare hands. "What rubbish is this? How can you stand here and speak such rubbish? Do you even know the consequences of this shameful action?" Angela said, fuming.
Chantria who had a great dislike for Angela, managed to put up with a smile. "I haven't done anything of such, all I've done is reveal the real culprit here? If I'm lying then I think he can speak up for himself."
Angela who was praying in her heart that what Chantria had just said was not true, asked the colonel. "Is what she had just said true?"
Colonel Mark Augustus, who seemed to be stoic the whole while, adjusted his chair and moved closer to the board. "I know everyone here is expecting me to somehow defend myself and I would have if I wasn't guilty of the charge."
The whole board stared at him in surprise, but the most surprised person was Chantria who was confused, angry and shocked.
"I know I have really disappointed Hoboran and I feel so ashamed of myself, so I have decided to let go of this post to let a more competent person take over."
The whole room gasped out in surprise and confusion while Angela rose up in annoyance. "Are you alright? Mark, are you out of your mind?"
"Yes, Angela. Indeed I'm out of my mind but I've never felt more sane for some years now." He rose up and dropped his barge on the oval table. "It's been a pleasure working for Hoboran as Colonel, but I think it's best for both myself and Hoboran, if I end it here."
"What are you doing, Mark?" Angela asked in a more calm but confused and panicked voice. "What do you expect me to do?"
He smiled. "Accept my resignation, Angela."
She tried to stop him but in half a sec, Col. Mark was out of the room and was out of the admin building, dumping his ID in a trash can.
He walked into his old mini truck and whistled happily all the way home to meet his daughter.
Although, he really loved and appreciated his job, he couldn't trade it for Sylvian's happiness. He couldn't trade anything for her happiness.
So, he felt no regret whatsoever as he drove back home.