Act Of Faith 2 – Batch 2

 Episode 6
Title: Going Back To The Base
AS NARRATED BY TONIA
The bus soon stopped by the junction to her street, I parked my car some distance from where the bus had stopped and alighted from it. ” Excuse me!” I shouted as I ran towards where Christiana was, she stopped and turned to my direction. ” I am Tonia, the girl you saved at the airport, thank you” I appreciated stretching my hands for a handshake, ” Oh that ” she smiled without taking my hands, ” Its nothing” she said and started moving away, ” No its something, they could have possibly killed me over there ” I followed her, ” I am Tonia” I repeated my name again, ” Christiana” She told me her name coldly and kept on moving ahead, ” Is there any problem? Yo…”she interrupted me, ” Nope there is no problem, am good, only that am tired and need rest, so if you dont mind, stop following me and let me be” she told me sternly while I nodded my head and stood at a s₱0t , ” Thank you anyways ” I said and hugged the unsuspecting her, she only nodded and walked away. I saw her walk into a bungalow before turning back for my car, at least, I am now one step ahead, I know her house, and I have also bugged her, two steps ahead actually.

AS NARRATED BY Morg-nA
I was very angry when I saw Adanna, Gabriel’s wife being thrown into the small room where I and Ann were, I wish I could just loosen myself that moment and punch the masked guy on his face but my hands and legs were tied up. ” Adanna” I called silently, she turned to face me immediately. ” Morg-na! ” she shouted, “what are you doing here?” She asked me as tears flowed down her cheeks, ” You know her?” Ann asked me, we have gotten to be friends with just spending a night together, she is the jovial type of girl. ” Yeah, she is the wife of my friend” I told Ann who simply nodded, ” I was kidnapped just as you were” I told Adanna, ” Why are they kidnapping us?” Adanna asked in tears, ” Hey, don’t cry, we will be fine” I assured her with a smile, she only nodded. ” Guess you were having a good time with Gabi before you were kidnapped” I said upon noticing her dress, ” Yes, we were at the movies” She told me. Hmm nice work from Gabriel, just in the interval of a year and some months, he has been able to brush up the village girl Adanna I use to know. ” Was Gabi there when you were kidnapped?” I asked her, she nodded again. ” Yeah, he was there, he tried fighting but you know Gabriel is not that kind of guy that knows how to fight” she told me while I smiled, ” Bae, your husband Gabriel is a born fighter ” I said to myself, ” They passed him out and took me away, I hope he is fine anywhere he is” she said, ” Trust me, he is sure fine” I told her, ” Meet Ann, same as us, she was also kidnapped” I introduced her to Ann, ” Hello Ann” Adanna greeted, ” Hello damsel” Ann smiled. ” how were you kidnapped?” Adanna asked Ann, ” Hmm, my sister, I…” Their conversation became faint to me as I became lost in my thought, Ann, myself and Adanna have been kidnapped, am sure these people dont know what they have gotten themselves Into, I hope they don’t face he wrath of Gabriel , Alvana and Israel, the wrath of Newriton.

°°
” I dont know who they are , they just came into my house and kidnapped my wife” Israel shouted, ” israel, she is your girlfriend, not your wife” I corrected him, “That is none of your f—–g business” he shouted, ” Hey , the both of you should just keep shut!!” Alvana shouted, ” Let us get going over to Newriton ” He continued, ” Excuse me guys” Israel said as he picked up his call, ” Hey Matt, dont call me at this kind of time, I am still mourning my kidnapped wife” israel shouted, ” What!!” Israel shouted again, must he always shout? ” your mother has been kidnapped?” He shouted again and I opened my mouth wide in shock, ” See, just come on to Van’s house” Israel told him, “You dont know who Van is? Alvana ” Israel told him and ended the call, ” Things just got complicated guys, Matt’s mom has been kidnapped” he told us, myself and Alvana obviously had nothing to say.

AS NARRATED BY JUDE IKE
I am the well know Jude Ike, my boys call me Ike the man hunter, I deal with human business. Yeah, I am one of the richest exporter of human skulls, of course I am not the only one in the country, there are about five of us involved in the same business. About a year ago, one of my most reliable agent, I call him Atata agent, the agent for Atata village was caught and I almost ran out of business but all thanks to my wisdom and intelligence. I fled town after he was caught and took time to plan his release,he escaped about a month ago, he didn’t escape that easy, as a matter of fact, he got two bullets at his back in his bid to escape, but thank God he escaped. He was admitted in our care unit for about some weeks but now, my boy is looking stronger than ever. I have decided to do my things in hiding before, but now, I think I just have to be as dangerous as I can be. I now have good scientist working under me, they help me make chemicals that make my men stronger. But, I want to make a promise, i promise not to harm those guys from Newriton until they come to me, you can count on me in this one, I promise not to harm them if they dont come to me . Believe me, its a promise, I won’t touch them if they dont come near me. There is an old saying that says, ” Let the egret perch and let the other bird perch, he that doesn’t want the other to perch should die “. So let Newriton leave me alone and let me also leave Newriton alone, anyone that doesn’t want to leave the other alone should die. Hey , I caught you there, you actually believe me? I don’t think I can let them be because they once ruined things for me.

°°
” See, I can joke with any other thing in this world but not with my mom OK, those guys went to my parent abode in the village and took my mama” Matt shouted , he was now in Alvana’s house with us and we were all preparing to go to Newriton. ” I dont think going to Sir Ajan is a good idea, this might take up to a year” Israel explained, ” Stop exaggerating, the last one didn’t take up to a year” Alvana told him, ” And that was why we screwed up on it” Israel pointed out, ” let it be a year or more than a year, all I need is my wife” I shouted and walked out towards the door, ” I feel your pain bro, a wife is more painful than a girlfriend” He said as I walked out. ” Let’s get moving guys” I shouted from outside to them. ” How are we going to tell sir Ajan this, Sir Ajan, our spouses were kidnapped right in our own faces” Israel said, ” Israel, just keep shut, let’s get there first” Alvana told him as they hopped into my car and I drove off, I can’t forget the road that leads to Newriton.

AS NARRATED BY ADANNA
It was hell for us, I had never been kidnapped and I never knew this was how terrifying it was, I decided forget my sorrow by whiling away time with Ann and Morg-na but as much as I tried, I cant seem to stop think about my hubby Gabriel, I remember the last time we fought before I was kidnapped, ” I promise, if I leave here, I won’t ever fight him again” I said to myself, I know I am a hell of a trouble maker, I just love troubling him not because of anything hut because he is my husband. I remember calling him an idiot that day, ” Oh Gabi, I am sorry” I whispered silently, ” What did you say?” Morg-na asked me, ” Nothing” I replied , ” I just miss Gabriel” I told her and she smiled, ” I also miss Alvana” She said to me, ” you mean Jason?” I asked her and she nodded, I smiled this time. ” But dont we get the opportunity to eat?” Ann asked us, “Of course you get to eat” A voice said as the big door to our small room flung open, he was a man in white, wearing a white mask. ” You got to eat dear” he continued as two more boys came into the room, ” Take them out” He ordered his boys and they drew us out to a big yard filled with people all in white, wearing white masks.

AS NARRATED BY Morg-nA
We were lead out to a big yard filled with men in white mask and white garments, it reminded me of my training days at Newriton, where we had to fight ourselves in the big yard then at Newriton but this isn’t Newriton and I am not here for trainings so I wonder what they brought us to the yard filled with fighters for. ” You have to earn your meal” The mask guy said to us, ” Fight for your meal” he said as he pointed to three of his fighters ready to fight. ” we are not hungry anymore” Adanna interrupted, ” Dont worry sis, I will fight” I told her with a smile. ” That’s the spirit” The masked guy told me, he untied me and I made to enter the big circular ring , but Adanna held me back ” Please, we can survive today without food” She told me twisting her mouth, that was what got Gabriel attracted to her, her mouth twisting. ” Then how do we survive tomorrow?” I asked her as I gently freed myself from her grip and walked into the bug circle, ” Be careful” Ann whispered to me and I nodded. ” Fight!!” I heard the order, I don’t care who gave it. I stretched my hands and neck as they advanced towards me, I moved in a circular manner around the three of them, even though I couldn’t see their faces because of the masks, I knew they were smiling. The one closest to me came closer, I quickly threw a punch which he weaved swiftly and he immediately pushed me to the ground with his shoulder, I did a ground roll and got back up to my feet. ” Nice” I said to myself as I moved towards him with calculated steps, I threw a kick to him but he held my legs on the air, ” That was a mistake” I told him and immediately gave him a kick to the face with my other leg which was still on the ground. ” Next time use your head” I told him and faced the other two who were waiting patiently for me to finish dealing with the first guy. ” Two down, one more to go” I told them,” fool,its one down” one of them corrected me, I smiled, ” that’s because you are next ” I told him and immediately did a flying kick which got him to the ground. ” Now, the last one” I said facing the third,he advanced first with a punch, I bent down swiftly and lifted him up from the ground, before he could think of what was happening, I had thrown him on one of the other guys who was still struggling to get up. ” Three down”I said and almost immediately, the masked guy came and tied my hand again. ” Take them in” He ordered his boys who led us to our prison room, waiting for us there was a table filled with all type of food you can think of, ” Wow, I will love to fight for this everyday ” I told Ann who had already started eating.

°°
” Vooom” I could hear the sound from my car as we sped along the smooth road, we were not yet close to Newriton but nevertheless, we had covered some distance. ” Gabriel, I think there is a car following us” Alvana said looking at the side mirror, ” Van that can be any car going somewhere else” Israel shouted from behind , he was at the back seat. ” Dont think so, my instincts dont fail me” Alvana continued Still staring at the mirror, ” Okay then , let’s do this, I will stop and allow the car pass by to be sure we are not followed ” I told them and stop the car, surprisingly, the van behind us also stopped. ” I told you guys” Alvana said as he brought out his pistol.

Episode 7
Title: At The Base
” For Christ sake, who are they?” Matt asked as he also brought out his small pistol, ” No one knows” Alvana answered staring at the side mirror, ” No one is coming out of the van” He turned to us, ” Maybe, they are waiting for us to make the first move” Israel said. ” Then its easy, let’s not make any move, let’s just leave them” I suggested as I started the engine and started moving , they also started theirs and made to continue following us. ” I think they need to be stopped here” Alvana said as he opened the door and immediately shot at the two front tyres of the van, he guided himself with the door to my car. The van came to an halt and three men immediately jumped out from it, they were with guns and had deadly looks on their faces, they moved towards us. ” Move on, we will cover” Israel said bringing out his gun for the first time, I started the engine which I had previously killed. I had barely started moving when they shot their first bullet to the back of my car, ” Move Gabi!!” Alvana shouted and I stepped on the accelerator. ” In three, two , one and go” Israel shouted and immediately opened the door to my moving car and shot back at them, he closed it some minutes later. Their bullets had now shattered the back window of my car and all but me took cover behind the seats. ” Calm down guys, we go in union now, in one , two, three and go!!” Alvana shouted and immediately, the three of them opened the door to their respective seats and shot back at the enemies as they popped their heads sideways out of the door, I drove on on high speed ” wooow” Israel exclaimed, ” What?” I asked him, ” That was sweet” he smiled as I pressed more on the accelerator and soon we were out of sight. ” Narrow escape” Alvana said, ” How many of them did you guys take down?” I asked, ” About five” Matt answered, ” I thought they were only three” I said, ” They were three initially , more came out from the van” Matt answered. ” Who the hell were those guys?” Israel asked , ” Who the hell are you asking?” Matt asked him back and he kept quiet. ” Oh, this is my most favourite car and those fools h…” I was saying when israel interrupted, ” Just keep shut and move” he shouted . ” I am moving” I drove on.

°°
We finally got to the jungle, Newriton, it was around 9pm at night, the journey coming through wasn’t easy, first of all, israel problem, always stopping to urinate and my foolish car, broke down about two times on the road, Alvana and the rest had to come down and help me push . ” Tell me we have gotten to Newriton” Israel yawned waking up from his sleep, ” Yeah, welcome to Newriton” I said as I parked my damaged car and alighted down from the car and the others. ” Stop!!” A voice came from one of the trees in the jungle and a man in all black and a masks on his face jumped down the tree. ” Who are you guys?” He asked as two other guys also jumped down from the nearby trees and joined him, ” We should be asking you that, who are you guys?” Alvana asked , ” We guide here” one of them replied, ” What? When did this start?what about the security cameras planted all over these trees, are those not enough security?” I asked , ” Hey, like you know to much, what bring you guys to this jungle?” The guy asked me, I put on my phone and stretched my forth my hand, ” Look, the mark of Newriton” I showed him, he simply smiled. ” Why are you smiling, we need to have some rest man” Israel interrupted, ” The mark of Newriton is no longer an acceptable access to the jungle” he said, ” Why?” Alvana asked, ” Because we now betray ourselves, a good example is Daniel…” He was saying when Alvana interrupted, ” Do you have the mark of Newriton?” Alvana asked him, ” No, am still in my trainings” he answered, ” What!? You mean you guys are still in your trainings and you are standing against fully trained Newriton spies?” Israel asked angrily as he advanced towards the man in black, Matt held him back. ” What is the acceptable means to enter into the jungle?” Matt asked in a sleepy tone, ” we need to communicate with sir Ajan and tell him of your presence” he answered, ” Fool, this is 9:25, sir Ajan is out of communication at exactly 7:00pm ” Alvana told him, ” That’s true, that means we have to keep you guys here with us till tomorrow morning, or you go home and come back tomorrow morning” He said, ” Is this one mad?” Israel asked me, ” Guys,we tried to be peaceful with you guys, we need to get in…” He interrupted me, ” No, either you go back and come back tomorrow, or you stay on the trees with us” he said. ” You know, if we are to turn this violence, the three of you cant possibly hold us down” Alvana told him, he only laughed out loud. ” Should we try?” He asked, ” ” No, that’s is a complete sign of immaturity, we cant…” Alvana hadn’t finish saying when Israel delivered a spear ( a type of fighting technique where you hit your opponent with your shoulder, the rest of your body is in flat position in doing this) to the man in black, the remaining two of them immediately brought out their sword and advanced towards israel, ” I think we have no choice than to join him” Alvana said , I turned to matt and we also fell in.
FIVE MINUTES LATER
” you guys have fun okay” Israel said to the three security guys who were now tied to a tree, ” You will regret doing this” one of them shouted, ” I wonder the kind of people Newriton train these days ” Alvana spat on the floor, ” Guys let’s go ” He said as we moved to the Ex – students quarters, this is where ex students from Newriton stay when they come visiting or for a mission. ” Good thing, I brought my card” I said as I brought out my security card and opened on of the vacant doors to a room in the quarters, ” Sweet ” Israel murmured as we went in, Matt was the first to fall one of the beds, there were actually two beds in the room. ” See you guys in dream land” Israel shouted and joined him, ” I think we have to use the other bed” Alvana said and jumped on the bed, I only sat down, as I couldn’t help lying down on the bed with my wife still held hostage by some people I dont know. ” Sleep bro, I also feel the same way ” Alvana touched me from behind..

AS NARRATED BY TONIA
I got home that day feeling a little bit relieved, if not for anything but for the fact that I had at least bugged her, I mean Christiana. I brought out my small working laptop from the drawer and drew a chair, I set to work immediately as I configured the laptop with the bug I had placed on Christiana’s neck when I had hugged her. ” Connect, connect, connect, connn…… Yesss” I shouted as the laptop got connected, ” This is gonna be sweet” I said to myself smiling as Christian came into view in my laptop, ” Hmmmm, eating, nothing to be suspicious about ” I thought as I headed for the kitchen.

••••••
” please, let me go” Matt mother begged as she sat on the beautiful couch of the sophisticated room where she was placed, ” Ma’am, we can’t let you go” A well built guy wearing a black trouser and thick singlet told her, ” Why, what have I done?” The old woman asked, ” It’s not what have you done, its what have your son done ?” The guy smiled. ” please, I beg you” the old woman knelt down, ” Let me go” she pleaded. ” Nope, I won’t let you go until we achieve what we want” The guy told her, ” What, what do you want?” She asked with tears streaming down her cheeks, ” Nothing ” the guy smiled as he turned to the wall television hanging on one side top corner of the big room, ” News reaching us her from Umbagu village, yet another kidnap, this time the kidnap of the wife of the highly respected chief, Chief Calistus, Mrs Ngozi Calsitus, who was kidnapped two days ago in her apartment by some masked men, speaking to her…….” The newscaster continued, ” You actually look very beautiful in that picture” The guy said pointing at Mrs Ngozi picture which was being displayed on the television screen for identification,” Dont worry ma’am, the police will come to rescue you soon” the young man said and bursted into laughter as he walked away from her as side, ” Hey , least I forget, in case you are hungry, there is food in the kitchen, enough food” he told her as he walked to the door, ” My son, do you have a mother?” The old woman suddenly asked , the young man stopped and turned back slowly.

°°°°
” Ahhhhh” I yawned as I stretched myself on the bed, it was a new day. ” You slept too long” Alvana said as i opened my eyes, he was standing and staring out of the window. ” This fools are still snoring” I smiled turning to Matt and israel corner, israel has his leg on Matt tummy , Matt head was hanging freely away from the bed. ” I think sleeping is the best way to forget your sorrow” Alvana turned to me smiling, ” I thought it was the best way to fight hunger” I said, ” Then forgetting your sorrow is the second best thing sleeping can do ” he said as he walked into the small kitchen, “Thank God, found some fruits” he shouted , I got up and walked to Matt and Israel corner, ” Wake up fools!!” I shouted slapping them turn by turn, ” Yeah, where is Ann?” Israel shouted taking up a fighting stance against me, ” She is still held hostage” I told him as he rubbed his eyes, ” I was dreaming” He said. ” Its a new day” Matt said yawning loud, “Yes Matt” I told him as I walked towards the bathroom, Israel held me back. ” Let me bath first” He said, ” Why?” I asked him, ” Remember we used to be room mates during training days, you do take hours in that bathroom” He told me and pushed me away slightly, ” I am ashamed of you” Matt added, ” Only a girl takes hours in the bathroom” he continued.

AS NARRATED BY ADANNA
it is the second day of staying in the room, and also the second day of not seeing my husband. I woke up feeling tired, I turned to my left side and saw Morg-na doing push ups, Ann was still sleeping. ” Good morning Morg-na ” I greeted, ” Good morning Adanna” she smiled like there was nothing to worry about. “yes, I have been meaning to ask you, who taught you how to fight?” I asked with a smile, she stopped her push up half way and turned to me, ” I once use to be in the army” She told me, ” But I later had to quit when I almost loosed my life during one of those minor wars” She explained while I nodded, ” So you always do this?” I asked her, ” Do what?” She asked back, ” These push ups” I answered. ” Yes, every morning” she answered, ” Wooow, strong woman” I complemented, ” That mark on your wrist, what is it for? Gabriel also has it, I asked him once and a told me it signifies the club you guys belong to”I said, ” Yeah, it just a mark we decided to give ourselves as friends, Gabriel, Myself, Israel, Jason , And Matt has it, you dont know matt but he is also a good friend of us. It is a mark that we will look at years later when we are no longer together and say yes, I use to have a friend like Gabriel and the rest” She said while I nodded, ” I also wanna be a friend to you guys since am a wife to Gabriel, how do I get the mark?” I asked her.

Episode 8
Title: Gabriel!!!
” Like seriously, you also want to have the mark?” She asked me smiling, ” Yeah, I also want to be in the friends league” I answered not without a smile, ” Do you think Gabriel will actually like you with a tattoo, he might not approve of it you know?” She asked, there was actually some sense in what she said, not might, Gabriel won’t approve of me having a tattoo, weather friends club or not ” Yeah, I don’t think Gabriel will like me having a tattoo” I told with a sad face, ” You see, and you know who Gabriel is, he might get angry with me all his life” She told me, ” But don’t worry dear, you are always in the friend league” She encouraged, ” Okay ” I answered her. ” Hey, Adanna, why don’t you come join me” She said, ” Join you in what?” I asked her looking confused , ” In doing these push ups, I think it will help you” She smiled, ” No, no, you know I won’t do that, I can’t even do that” I told her smiling back, ” You dont say you can’t do it when you haven’t tried it” She told me as she stood up and came towards me, ” Just take a deep breath , what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” She said lifting me up, ” I know, but I dont want to do it” I objected, ” No, I insist” She smiled tickling me, ” Okay, okay, how do I do it?” I asked her, “Just follow me, first of all, go on your knees” She said, ” That doesn’t seem like something hærd to do” I told her as I knelt down, ” Next up, place your two palms flat on the ground” She continued, ” Not something hærd again” I said as I opened my two palms flat and placed them on the ground, ” Now, slowly get up on your knees with your hands still on the ground and stretch your legs backward” She told me, ” Arrrgh!!” I shouted as I fell down to the floor, she stood up and bursted into laughter, ” You gat to try again” She said lifting me up, ” Try what!! Am so not doing that again” I told her, ” You haven’t done anything before” She smiled , ” Okay, am not d…” She interrupted me, ” Adanna, you must do it” She said tickling me, ” Okay, okay, okay !” I shouted kneeling on the ground again and placing my hand flat. ” This time go slowly, raise your body up and stretch your legs” She told me, I tried doing it again and I fell again, the second time, ” Does Gabriel do this? ” she asked me lifting me up again, ” What? ” I asked her, ” Push ups” She answered, ” yes, practically every morning and night” I answered , ” And you haven’t dim it fit for once to join him?” she asked as I went on my knees again ready to try for the third time, ” He never called me to join him” I told her, ” You can join him willingly” She said, ” Now raise you body up gently and stretch your legs backward until you are horizontal” She told me, this time I got it right, ” Sweet” she said, ” Now go down slowly” she instructed, I tried doing it and surprisingly I did it, ” fabtastic!!” She shouted, ” Now come up again”she said.

AS NARRATED BY ALVANA
“Are you guys ready? Let’s leave here” I shouted from outside, Gabriel soon came out and joined me, he was in his black uniform, ” What about those two?” I asked him, ” We are right here” Israel answered coming out, he was also in his uniform, Matt was just beside him. ” Let’s go” I told them as we walked out of the ex students quarters. Both shocking and surprising to us, some students and sir Ajan were waiting outside with sword pointed and guns ready to shoot, ” What’s happening here?” I asked israel who was also looking confused, ” Stop, your hand on your head!! ” one of the students shouted to us, ” Sir Ajan, what is going on here?” Gabriel shouted over to sir Ajan, ” Are these the invaders?” Sir Ajan asked one of the students, he was smiling, ” Yes sir, they were the ones who came yesterday night” A guy replied him, I recognized him vividly, he was the security man at the entrance, the one we fought with the previous night. Sir Ajan suddenly bursted into laughter, ” Students, these are Alvana, Gabriel, Israel and Matt, they were the ones responsible for bringing Daniel to book, its unfortunate he escaped” Sir Ajan said to the students who had gathered that morning to apprehend us, ” Wow, welcome” They murmured, ” Now you guys go back to what you were doing, the jungle is secured with them” Sir Ajan dismissed them as we walked towards him, ” Its a long time sir Ajan” I greeted as he shook hands with me and hugged me, I flashed back to when I still lived under him before I was implicated, he had been just like a father to me. ” Alvana, you are growing younger” He smiled as he left me and went over to Gabriel, ” The deadliest of them all” Sir Ajan greeted him, ” Its nice seeing you again sir Ajan” Gabriel hugged him, ” Adanna is really doing a nice job here, you are growing fat and fresh, I hope you can still do those stunts you do pull off?” He asked him smiling, ” Of course Sir Ajan” Gabriel smiled as sir Ajan left him and went over to israel, ” Sir Ajan” Israel called silently, ” I missed this talkative” Sir Ajan immediately hugged him, am sure he missed them so much, maybe they were the best sets he trained. ” Matt , hope you are no longer afraid of girls?” Sir Ajan asked him with a smile, I never knew matt was afraid of girls, ” Yes Sir Ajan, matt still scared to have a girlfriend” Israel shouted and they bursted into laughter, ” Forgive my manners, just so happy to see you guys, let’s go in,side” Sir Ajan said hitting his walking stick on the ground, ” Hope you all had the news that Daniel escaped,Newriton is losing it’s security, in our midst we now have traitors, the board are still looking for a way to improve our security system, but for the main time , we have planted some students outside to just keep guide and more more security cameras, we are working on something big ” Sir Ajan said until we got to his office, ” Seriously, you guys are most welcome” Sir Ajan welcomed us again, his constant saying of welcome made me think he had been expecting us all along.

AS NARRATED BY DARLINGTON
The local market was crowded this particular morning, sorry, I dont know what day it is actually. The buying and selling was going on fine, the local women from the nearby villages seem happy selling their wares this particular morning, I was also in the market that morning ready for my normal business, steal from the market, and also buy from the market, funny business is it , isn’t it? “Good morning, good morning” I greeted everyone I passed by as I made my way to the centre of the market, its better to steal amongst the crowd, it reduce the limit of getting caught. ” Yeah, I have come to buy drinks again” I said standing by the table of the old woman, Tachidili, yeah, that’s her name, Tachidili. ” You buy drink every week, that reminds me of your master” She smiled revealing her scattered dirty teeth , the brownish colour of her teeth must have been caused by her excess intake of tobacco, the local men call it snuff. ” May his soul rest in peace” I said resting my hand on her table, ” How many bottles should I pack for you?” She asked, ” I will take seven, I really want to do away with drinking” I told her, she smiled again, I actually hate seeing those teeth of hers. ” Your master always told me that but he never did away with it” She told me as she turned to take the drinks from a big drum where she kept it immersed in water, ” Coming back soon” I told her as I ran off to steal some money. I ran towards the small poultry farm wearing my mask, my black mask, of course, I still like a thief, with a mask to hide my identity. I found my way to the back of the farm and climbed up to the second storey through the window, its actually my first time of stealing from the poultry farm but nevertheless, I have mastered the way in and out of it. I landed in a small dark room where eggs were stored, I was fortunate enough to break some and sure this did attract security as a man in a brown top and big fat trouser immediately bumped into the room but stood still on seeing me, ” The market thief” he murmured, ” Yes ” I smiled as I drew him into the room and tied him down. ” Sorry” I said as I tied his mouth, locked the door and ran out . The first thing that caught my sight was the staircase leading to the main poultry farm, the third storey” That’s a risky process” I thought as I curled myself round the wooden pillar pulled myself upward till I got to the upper part of the building. ” The market Thief is here!!!” I heard someone scre-m from behind, I turned and it was a man fetching already laid eggs. ” Bad” I murmured as I saw two of the security men coming towards me from the other stairs opposite the side I had come through, I never knew there were two stairs. ” Am sorry, I have to do this ” I said to myself, as I swiftly climbed the long chamber made for the chickens, I broke some eggs in the process, I landed down to the floor of the other side of some chambers away heavily. Some distance from where I was was a h0le, a square h0le on the floor leading downstairs, the down part of the poultry ” Hey, stop there” I heard from behind, I turned my neck slowly and It was one of the local men pointing his gun at me, ” Pull off those mask” he ordered, ” Okay” I said as I lifted my hand to my face, ” Yeah, be fast pull them off” He shouted, ” Maybe next time” I shouted back to him, ” I didn’t get you” He said , but before he could realize it, I had already done a double back flip and down into the h0le I went, I landed heavily to the ground, I was on the last denomination of the farm. I turned around and my eye caught the lady who is in charge of monetary transactions, ” Why did I have to go upstairs when my target was just downstairs?” I asked myself, ” What a fool I was ” I concluded and went towards the lady, ” See, you are a beautiful girl, maybe next time , we might have more time for each other and introductions ” I told her as I opened the drawer and took enough money for my drinks. I heard footsteps coming down the staircase and I immediately evacuated the poultry farm, i got outside and swiftly hopped at the back of a moving truck transporting sacks of grass, what a good way to escape.
•
” Just like your master, you are a good thief ” Tachidili told me as I handed over the money to her, of course she knows am a thief, at least I make her business boom.

AS NARRATED BY ALVANA
” Sir Ajan, We actually came here for something” Gabriel started after a long talk and play with sir Ajan , ” Yeah, you have said that for like five times now Gabi” Sir Ajan smiled turning his chair, must he do that? ” Alvana, I think you should tell him” Gabriel whispered to me, ” why can’t you tell him yourself?” I asked him back, ” it looks shameful telling him my wife was kidnapped under my nose” He told me, ” Same here” I replied him. ” Am still waiting” Sir Ajan said staring from me to Gabriel, ” Alvana wife , sorry girlfriend is gone” Gabriel blurted out stammering, I, matt and israel turned to him , sir Ajan eyes moved from Gabriel to me, he certainly needed an explanation.

Episode 9
Title: Bad, Bad News
AS NARRATED BY TONIA
I woke up that particular morning with the zeal of picking up from where I had stopped, I hadn’t been able to get any thing real big from her apart from the fact that she loves taking coffee, that’s is the only thing I have been able to get from the day before. ” Okay, let’s get down to business ” I said as I came out of my bathroom yawning lazily. ” Hunger” I said walking to the kitchen to get some fruits, there was no time to start going through the stress of cooking. I balanced on my chair and connected my earpiece ,my micro earpiece which I use in communicating with Newriton. ” yeah, Good morning Kent” I heard as I connected the laptop to the bug I had planted on Christiana. ” Just in time” I thought to myself as I balanced on my chair and increase the volume, ” Kent, I know am late, for Christ sake I woke up late” She continued staring at her wrist watch, maybe she is a type of a time conscious lady, she stares at her wrist watch a lot. ” I will be there in just a minute” she continued, “Where?” I asked myself as I she went into her room and changed her cloth, she actually look very s€×y, I wonder which guy she was dying for, for Christ sake this is every guys dream. ” Need to get to where she is going to” I thought as u switched off my laptop and took the key to the old school car sir Ajan dumped with me, I wore a brown jacket over my singlet and covered my hair with a big hat like the girls of old. I didn’t go with gun this time as I don’t want to get caught with it, Nigeria police thinks all that move with gun are actually bad people. ” S–t!!” I shouted as I ran back into the house and took my laptop, I need to keep track on her.
Though my old school car took time to start, I was soon on the way heading to Christian house, she was still at home, guess what she was doing, yeah, you guessed right, she was drinking coffee. To avoid suspicion, I parked the old car just st the entrance to her street, in a secured corner where it would not be a centre of attraction. The journey to her area was a bit of a long one, so when I finally arrived, it didn’t take long for her to leave her house to the junction where she was to get a public transport. ” Airport” I heard her tell the bus conductor from my laptop, ” the airport again?” I asked myself as I placed my hand on my chin as I watched her bargain with the bus conductor. ” Oya, enter for 100 naira” the bus conductor told her and she immediately hopped in. The bus zoomed off with speed and I started the trailing mission immediately, making sure not to lose track of her though I knew she was heading for the airport but you know what they say, you just have to take all care possible.
••••••
” Why will sir Ajan stuff me with this kind of a car?” I asked myself as I jumped out of the car, it has broken down again, this time in the middle of nowhere. ” That man is just a beast!!” I shouted as I hit the body of the car with my left leg, ” What the hell am I expected to do now? ” I asked myself looking left and right the road to see if I would be at least fortunate enough to get any help, but no, I was at the middle of somewhere I don’t know. Time was running out and I knew i needed to do something fast, I needed to keep track of Christiana. I brought out my android phone with the hope of doing something with it, and then an idea struck me. I tried connecting the phone to the bug which I had planted on Christiana, it took me about 10 minutes but the good news was that it finally got connected and luckily for me, Christiana was just hopping down the bus. ” Hey Airport ” I shouted stopping a bus, ” Madam na 250 o” the conductor told me, ” But that other one collected just 100 naira from Christiana” I told him, ” wethin you talk?” He asked, ” Just forget, let’s go” I told him as I hopped into the bus and it drove off to the airport. ” Hey pretty, what movie is that?” The guy sitting right beside me asked as I stared at my phone, ” Christiana at the airport” I smiled as I replied him, ” Sounds like a tough movie, how is the movie? ” he asked me, ” Hmm, its quiet interesting, all about a spy trying to get a girl Christiana who she thinks has something suspicious doing at the airport, but the spy is always some minutes late” I explained still smiling, ” Wow, I love spy movies, will the spy get her at the end?” He asked me again, ” I don’t know how the end is going to be, I haven’t watched till the end” I explained to him, ” How I wish am with my android phone , I should have taken the movie from you ” He smiled, ” Thank God you are not with it” I murmured to myself , ” Did you just say something?” He asked, ” Yeah, I said its quiet unfortunate ” I told him ad I concentrated my attention on Christiana who was still outside the airport and making a phone call. ” Am at the airport already ” I heard her say, ” Okay, will be right there” She continued after some moment. ” Airport, come down o” The conductor told me as the bus came to an halt, ” Okay bye” I turned to the boy beside me, ” Bye dear, tell me how the movie ended next time you see me ” he smiled, ” Okay ” I answered him as I alighted from the bus, ” I have never seen such a fool” I murmured to myself as I went towards the escalator leading upstairs, that was where Christiana was as indicated by the tracker. I walked hurriedly to the escalator, by then she had gone upstairs. I also got upstairs after about 10 seconds , and then the worst happened, my phone got disconnected from the bug. ” What the hell happened?” I asked myself as I stood looking around, there was no sign of Christiana.. ” Where did she go?” I asked myself staring round the big hall. ” Hello” I heard from my left hand side, it was Christiana . ” Hi” I smiled trying to cover up, ” Thanks for yesterday” I smiled while she just stood staring at me, she was smiling. ” You, let me tell you a story” she said putting her hand across my shoulder, ” Last time I checked, you didn’t want to talk to me yesterday” I reminded her. ” About 6 or 7 years ago, I wasn’t doing well with training just like you aren’t doing well now” she started, I opened my mouth in shock and disbelief, ” I was also sent on a test mission just like you are now to keep tab on a guy, though I screwed up just like you are about to, but I used a better bug” She said handling me the bug I had planted on her, I was short of words as nothing seemed to be forming on my head . ” Go home dear, get a drink and get drunk, sir Ajan does not bite” She smiled and walked away while I stood staring at her in disbelief and doubt, ” I just screwed up” I thought to myself as I dipped my phone in my pocket and walked slowly away, ” Whooow, you just screwed up” I heard Gwen voice echo from the micro earpiece planted in my ear, ” Yes Gwen, I am done for” I murmured as I angrily pulled the earpiece off my ear.

AS NARRATED BY Morg-nA
” So I met israel at Atata, he told me he was kind of on a research business and we got to know each other and I fell in love with him” Ann narrated as we sat on the floor that morning waiting for what to happen next. ” Like what space of time did you guys get to study each other?” I asked her “three months” She answered. ” So what about you, how did you get to like Alvana?” Adanna asked me, “At Atata , we came on a research business, I was with israel, we both came for some business purpose and along the line I met Alvana who happens to be a friend of Gabriel. One thing led to another, and boom, we are dating” I told them smiling. ” Now your turn Adanna, how did you get to know your husband?” Ann asked Adanna. ” We actually grew up together in the village, we attended the same primary school and finished from the local secondary school before…” I had to cut her short there. “We mean when did you start falling in love with him?” I asked while she smiled, ” That was what I was actually trying to explain, I had always liked him right from primary school days” she said shocking us. ” And then you didn’t tell him?” Ann asked, ” Tell him what? We were in primary school then, I don’t think it was right to love then” Adanna answered while I nodded, ” Moreover, you don’t go to the guy, let him come first” She added with a sheepish smile and then almost immediately, our door busted open reminding us of our sorrow, ” Time to fight for food” The guy in white mask said as he led me out of the room, Adanna and Ann followed.

AS NARRATED BY DANIEL
” Dr John how are you doing?” I asked the white scientist as I walked into the big lab where a woman skull was being extracted from her skin at the present moment , ” Dan, am good, how are you feeling now? ” he asked me back, I nodded my head and gulped down an appreciable amount of water from the bottle of water I was holding. ” Am better, at least more better than I was yesterday” I told him while he smiled, ” Charles is actually doing well over there at port Harcourt” I told him, ” Yeah, supplying appreciable amount of heads, but you know no one is better than you are in this business ” he said while we both bursted into laughter, ” Are you still going back to Atata?” He asked after the round of laughter, ” Nope, I think I will have to target Lagos state this time” I told him while his happy facial expression changed immediately, ” Dont you think Lagos is a dangerous city to carry out our dirty business, sir Jude might not approve of this, Lagos is a well secured place” he said, ” Then good news Lagos state, Daniel is coming to visit you” I said standing up, ” see you later John, need to deal with some few things” I said and walked out.

AS NARRATED BY ALVANA
” I don’t get you what you guys are driving at, that your women were kidnapped by some unknown people?” Sir Ajan asked while we nodded. ” well, am really sorry about that, that’s a bad news actually but I also got a bad news for you which you might not like” He said while we paid attention, ” I have a mission for you guys” he said while we looked at him with shock and confusion, ” Sir Ajan, we are here for a way out to save our own” Gabriel said while sir Ajan nodded and tapped a remote control on his table, the screen by the side of his office came on. ” Yet another disaster, the strange killer popular known as the MANHUNTER has stroke again, this time taking the heads of three teenagers, and two men with a woman. This is indeed a tragic news as the Manhunter has never killed 6 people in a day. Day by day , the death rate here in the riverine area of port Harcourt is increasing exponentially, we beg on the government to please save the soul of this people” The newscaster concluded and the screen immediately went off. ” So I think we now have a port Harcourt killer and its your duty to save the world, guys you are going to port Harcourt ” Sir Ajan said . I stared at him with an angry eyes but prevented myself from doing anything because for all I could remember , he brought me up. ” Sir Ajan, what I think you don’t understand what you are talking about, Matt mother, my girlfriend, Morg-na and Adanna the wife of the married man among us is held custody by some group of people with evil intentions and you dare tell us to go on a mission , sir Ajan, I didn’t see this coming from you” Israel shouted with anger, ” Israel , calm down, the sole aim of Newriton is to save the majority, guys the world is a majority, the majority are dying and its your duty to save them” Sir Ajan said. ” Sir Ajan” Gabriel who had been quiet all the while called out as he stood up from the chair, ” Compared to my wife, the world is a minority” He said and walked out angrily, ” That’s the real Nigga ” Israel said as he followed him, ” Guys…” Sir Ajan tired calling as matt got up, ” I forgot you dont have a mother anymore ” Matt said as he also walked out. I sat facing him as I placed my right hand on the table, ” What now Jason?” He asked me.

Episode 10
Title: Save Tonia
°°
I walked out of Sir Ajan office that morning filled with anger, I couldn’t believe sir Ajan would be so heartless to ask us to leave our beloved ones and go on some sort of mission, how can I save the world when my wife is somewhere there waiting to be rescued? I regret ever getting trained by Sir Ajan, I never knew him to be that kind of heartless human being, how can he expect us to go on a useless mission, to get a foolish Manhaunter without my family intact, he must be mad. I walked into the quarters where we had stayed the night before, I was determined to go look for Adanna on my own come what may. I took my Briefcase which usually contained my weapon and opened it to make sure every thing was intact, micro cameras, Knives, Guns and rope were all present. ” Gabi!!” Israel called my name as he came into the room, ” Where are you heading to?” He asked as he saw me closing my briefcase, ” To look for my wife of course” I told him getting up from the bed, ” Guy, calm down ” He told him sitting on the bed, ” Why should I calm down? My…” He interrupted me, ” I understand, remember my girlfriend is also being held hostage” he reminded me, ” You can’t do this alone, we need to work as a team” He continued, ” Then what are you guys still doing in this God forsaking place?” I asked him, ” A team don’t work without a plan” He told me, ” And remember, you grew up in this God forsaking place” He said as Matt came into the room , ” I always knew sir Ajan never had a bad heart but I just got the confirmation today” Matt said jumping on his bed, ” I knew he was evil” Israel added, ” So what next? How do we get about this? ” Matt asked staring at me, ” Don’t know, where is Alvana? ” I asked him, ” Still with sir Ajan, I can’t bear staying there with that wicked old man” Matt said lying down on the bed, ” I can’t believe sir Ajan said what he said down there” Israel turned to me, ” Me either” I said as I walked towards the door, ” Where are you going?” Israel asked, ” A walk, going for a walk, it has been a long time in Newriton” I told him as I opened the door with my card and walked out towards the field where some students were training.

AS NARRATED BY ADANNA
I watched as we were led to the big courtyard, once again, to fight for our food. Morg-na moved forward not looking scared, I don’t know what gave her the hope, but there was something telling her she could beat them in no time. ” I pity her” I said to Ann as we walked behind them, Morg-na and the guard leading us to the yard, ” So far we get food to eat” Ann smiled to me, ” You don’t care if she fight? Is it all the food you care about?” I asked her, ” No, I care, but let’s tell ourselves the truth here, there is no other way we are to get food if not for her ” She told me, ” Maybe” I said as I took my position at a corner of the big courtyard where three fighters were already ready to fight. ” Fight ” A guy shouted and hit the big bell. ” Help her o lord” I prayed as I watched her move from left to right, she has that confidence in her. As a person , I envy her courage, strength and agility, it was too good for a woman. I watched her walk round the three men who were advancing towards her, they also moved in calculated steps. ” Fight” The commander hit the bell again as Morg-na did a quick forward roll and swept the first guy off the floor unaware, she immediately did a backward roll to prevent the other two guys from getting her, she got up when she was some distance away from them. She advanced forward towards the two guys again , she was probably thinking of what she would do when unexpectedly the other one who was initially on the ground gave her a dropping kick from behind. ” Morg-na!!” I shouted as she fell down helplessly to the ground, one of them immediately tried stepping on her with one of his legs but Morg-na was fast to hold it and preventing it from hitting her chest region. She flung him away and immediately rolled up with her both legs. The two other guys from behind tried getting her but she did a quick back flip and landed behind them, she immediately kicked the both of them using a dropping kick, one leg for one. ” Nice Morg-na!!” I shouted happily jumping up in happiness and flinging my hands in the air ( For our hands were no longer tied ever since Morg-na won the fight the day before). The three guys were now back up and ready to get another round of beating, Morg-na didn’t allow them rest as she advanced towards them , brave girl. She threw a kick at the first one, but unfortunately, the guy caught the leg in the air and gave her an elbow to her mouth still holding her leg, one of the remaining Jobless two went behind her and carried her from behind, he immediately flung her backwards and Morg-na fell down heavily to the ground. I saw her struggle to get up again but she staggered back to the ground. The boys took advantage of this as they immediately took to hitting her with their legs and kept her to the ground. I saw the pain in her eyes as she stared at our direction ( Myself and Ann) , I knew the pain was too much for her and she was finding it difficult bearing it, ” Stand up and fight!!” Ann shouted across to her , ” Are you blind?” I asked her angrily, ” Can’t you see what she is going through?” I asked again, she gave no reply. I looked around me and saw a free stick lying on the floor, I stared at the guard who was standing beside us, he was the same guard that brought us out to fight, ” You can pick the stick and join in the fight” he told me like he read my mind, I quickly grabbed the stick and entered into the big round circle, i took a deep breath and with all the speed I could generate ran towards where they were and immediately hit the stick on the head of one of them, he fell down unconsciously to the floor and the remaining two immediately left Morg-na and faced me. I tried hitting the stick on another one but he simply held it in the air, ” Please” I begged as tears immediately generated in my eye and without wasting time started streaming down my cheeks. ” I beg you, I am not a fighter” I told him again as he dragged the stick from my hand and stared at me, the mask he was putting on prevented me from seeing his facial expression. ” Ple…” I said as he raised his hand to punch me, I immediately closed my eyes in anticipation for the punch but I didn’t feel anything, I opened my eyes slowly and saw Morg-na holding his hand from behind, I immediately kicked him in his wa-ist region and he bent down in pain, Morg-na let go off his hand as she stepped on his back and gave a flying kick to the other one who had been staring all this while, ” Super lady” I hugged her as she regained her balance, ” You are the real super girl, you took two down ” She told me resting her hand on me as I dragged her out, ” congratulations ” The guard told us as we went towards him, ” Congratulations” Ann also said , I secretly eyed her. ” Back to your room” The guard said as he led us back to our prison room, as usual, there was a table filled with all kind of food on it, ” I have no appetite right now” Morg-na said as she fell to the floor, ” Can you get us hot water?” Ann asked the guard, he only nodded as he went out and came back some minute later with a bowl of hot water and a black handkerchief, ” Thank you” Ann appreciated as she took the equipments and sat down close to Morg-na, “I just have to m-ssage your face with this” Ann told her dipping the black handkerchief into the bowl of not too hot water, she squeezed the water out of the handkerchief and placed it on Morg-na swollen face, ” Arrrgh” Morg-na muttered in pain, ” Sorry” I told her, ” Sorry” Ann backed up.

°°
I sat on the field watching the upcoming of spies of Newriton train themselves, they were quiet good and swift , surprisingly even the girls were very good, if am not mistaken, better than the girls during my sets. ” if George were to be here, you won’t be winning us like this” A girl told a guy who seem to be the strongest, ” Oh , he is not even the strongest” I thought to myself smiling, ” Hey, are you new here?” A guy asked me , he had been staying beside me all this while ” Nope” I answered as I showed him the Mark Of Newriton on my hand ” Oh, you were part of those that came yesterday night?” He asked again while I nodded, ” And you are also part of those who went on the mission to get Daniel early last year?” He asked again, ” Yes” I told him, ” Then you must be either Matt, Jason, Gabriel or Israel” He said while I nodded again , ” Which one are you?” He asked me, I smiled. ” Guess” I told him staring at him, ” Hmmm, I will say Israel” He said, ” Why israel?” I asked him, ” Just a random guess” he told me, ” Just a random wrong guess” I added, ” I am Gabriel ” I told him, ” Don’t say, the strongest fighter of last set, wow, its nice seeing you” he said to me , ” Thank you” I answered, ” Who is George? ” I asked him, ” The strongest guy of our time” He answered, ” where is he now?” I asked him, ” Busy” he told me as he got up, ” Time to train” he said and walked away. I got up from where I was and also went away . ” Gabriel” I heard a female voice call my name from behind, I turned back and it was a girl with a weird style of dressing, she wasn’t dressed like the fighters, she was dressed like the girls of old with a big brown jacket, a trouser and her hat. ” Sorry, I don’t remember …” I was saying when she interrupted me, ” I know you, I have seen your picture in sir Ajan’s office, you were the best fighter of the last set” she told me, ” Nice profile about me” I smiled, ” And you are?” I asked her, ” Tonia Medesh” She said, ” why are you dressed like this?” I asked her, ” I am just coming back from a mission I screwed and I am scared to face sir Ajan” she told me, ” Why should sir Ajan put you on a mission, you are…” she interrupted me again , ” He thinks am not doing well with training” she said, ” What type of mission? ” I asked her, ” He asked me to watch Christian’s movement day in day out” She told me, ” That’s quiet hærd, its not easy tracking a spy” I thought, I was surprised Sir Ajan has lose trust in Christiana, ” Okay, am going to help you face him” I told her , ” You mean it?” She asked me and I nodded, ” Yes but…” I was saying when she hugged me, ” Thank you!!” She shouted and drew my hands towards Sir Ajan office, ” Today is my lucky day” she said as we got to the door of sir Ajan’s office, I pushed it open, he was the only one there. ” Gabriel what are you doing with Tonia?” He asked me as he lifted his head off his table ” She screwed up” I told him, ” I know” He said, “let her stay” I said trying my best to comport myself and let not my anger towards him overshadow me, ” Hmm, nice season to have a deal, I will let her stay if only you go on the mission” he said, ” So choose son, leave the mission and Toni leaves, or Make her stay by going on the mission” He said smiling, I looked at him and smiled back, ” I don’t even know who she is, so I don’t mind making…” I was saying when Tonia held my hand, she was in tears, ” Please, make me stay” she begged.

TBC

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