Aaron stood transfixed. It would have been amazing – if not for the cataclysmic turn of events – how a 16th century myth was gradually playing out in the 21st century. He wanted to move his feet but it was stuck, trepidation burned from his eyes. Julian was clearly enjoying what she was doing, it’s not every day you get to pet a Loman. She stroked its head gently, ignoring the scaly feel it gave her. The Loman moaned, enjoying every feel of Julian’s hand. Aaron traveled back in memory to when Falcon talked about the curators of Norse norms. If anybody was to know the cure to this thing, it had to be Julian. Falcon will definitely be happy to team up with Julian, after all, they were on the same team.

‘’Take the leap of faith Aaron,’’ Julian called out. ‘’It won’t hurt you.’’

Damn right it won’t hurt me, same way it didn’t hurt the girl in Mushin.

‘’I’ve heard what it can do Julian, I’m not interested in being its dinner.’’

Julian looked deep at Aaron, heard what it can do? He must be talking about something else, Lomans have been extinct since late 16th century – according to the story she was told, and had not be sighted ever since, at least not until today.

‘’Do you trust me?’’

Sure I do. Same way I trust myself when drunk.

‘’It’s not about trust Julian, it’s about standing within arm’s length of a monster.’’

‘’Come closer let me tell you the story, you’ll understand better.’’

Tell me the story? Does everybody have to be that old man with children on his feet, under the moonlight just to tell you about Lomans?

‘’A virus created by Arsger Erling in conjunction with his big guy Loki, meant as a don’t-f.uck-with-me-card against Ivar Vidfanme who was the Ghadafi of that time. Hardly any form of assurance Julian.’’

Julian was awestruck. Who the hell was this guy? The legend of Ivar Vidfanme took her 7years of ascension in the hierarchy of the sisterhood to learn, how could this stranger possibly be in the know? Or was he..? No, he couldn’t possibly be.

‘’How… how… how do know this?’’ Julian asked.

Then something struck Aaron. Lead. She must be with Lead.
‘’Are you with Lead?’’ he asked. By this time, the Loman had been carried away by the gentleness of Julian’s strokes that it had fallen asleep.

‘’Lead? I don’t know what you’ve heard but I don’t need Lead to control a Loman.’’

Of course you don’t, you are a curator, who just revealed her identity – which as a matter of fact is still surprising ‘cos I was told how stringent a policy it was to hide your identity.

She walked gallantly towards Aaron.Oh no Julian, now is not a good time to wake my sexual demons.[/I] He opened his mouth to talk but he couldn’t find the right words. His phone rang, serving as a temporal salvation.

‘’Aaron there is a big problem.’’ The trembling voice of Segun blared from the earpiece of his phone.

‘’What?’’ Aaron asked. ‘’Falcon didn’t accept the kid?’’

‘’That would have been much better.’’

‘’Then what?’’ Aaron asked, feeling slightly impatient.

‘’I was taking the kid back to the cave when we met this unfortunate traffic jam. We were still waiting for the traffic to ease up when the guy turned.’’ He paused, letting the information to sink. ‘’Aaron, he is currently killing innocent people.’’

‘’Segun listen, I know someone who can help. Tell me where you are now, we are coming over.’’
On hearing that, Julian’s heartbeat increased. [i]I know someone who can help. We are coming over now. What the hell is going on? ‘’we’ll be there in 5.’’ She heard him say before hanging up.

‘’you can calm a raging Loman right?’’ he asked her and she nodded in the affirmative. ‘’Get into the car, we have a Loman situation.’’
Julian watched Aaron’s expression to find any modicum that suggests he was joking but she found none. He was about going to the car when his phone rang again. Hesitatingly, he picked it.
Julian watched as his facial expression suddenly changed. She only heard him ask one question. ‘’And you’re sure he took Stella?’’ before ending the call. Emotions clouded his face.

‘’Change of plans.’’ He suddenly said.

Julian wasn’t sure why, but she knew something was seriously wrong.

---

Kingsley wasn’t smiling, he just witnessed the greatest deceit of his life. The guy who had been parading himself all these while as a tutor, friend and confidant was in fact the devil himself. The subject was right, Falcon had been stalling for whatever reasons. Only God knew his next line of action, only God knew where he was taking Stella to. Kingsley couldn’t imagine what Aaron’s reaction would be should anything happen to Stella. He had called him earlier to break the news but Aaron had just replied with a single question – an indication that he was bolting up some emotions.

‘’pack up pack up. We are leaving here.’’ Kingsley suddenly said.

Newton remembered the last time Falcon had used that same line, that was when Stella and Aaron had lost their way and found themselves in the cave. The thought of falcon raised some questions in him. He knew Falcon was a member of a covert group, what he didn’t know was that Falcon was part of the team that started this evil program. But why was Falcon helping out and trying to find a cure to the disease? Or was he a double agent? Newton had many questions but he had nobody to direct the questions to.

‘’Hurry hurry…’’ Kingsley’s impatience was now very glaring.

Tobi went to the machines and started unplugging them. ‘’what are you doing?’’ Kingsley asked.

‘’I’m packing.’’ He replied.

‘’There is no time for that. Leave everything.’’

Leave everything? Then how the hell are we supposed to continue the experiments?

The boys finished parking their personal things and made to leave.

‘’Aren’t we forgetting something?’’ Tobi called out. ‘’The subject.’’

Greg had already transformed into a Loman in the cave and was already sleeping so there was no way he could go with them. Kingsley wrote a note, placed it on his chest and used a masking tape to adhere it to his chest.

‘’Let’s hope you still know how to read.’’ He said and they all left.

kizzykeziah:
I had to exclaim 'JESUS!' @ the last update. I'm wondering how comfortable it felt to type that but that again simply registers your dexterity.

And Falcon turning out to have really been a terrible guy and Stella going MIA is just bad enough.

If you notice, that update was rushed. I wasn't comfortable typing it, especially that killing part.

Kunzu:
had to stop d work I was busy wit ?

#following d story, lyk wetin oooooooo?
#dont know wat to say

welcome sir

Missmossy:
Very enchanting, nice piece. Following

Thanks missmossy

jezuzboi:
Segun is in soup

If happens to be that falcon disappeared with Stella, I no go surprise. He has proven to be a wizard

Ride on.....

What kind of soup? banga?

robempero45:
I'M STILL WITH YOU

Sorry for the delays

adegwurulez:

What kind of soup? banga?

Bitter Leaf Soup

adegwurulez:

If you notice, that update was rushed. I wasn't comfortable typing it, especially that killing part.

Thought as much. I would have closed my eyes tight if that was a movie or better still ran under a blanket

Wow!!! Nice story so far... Following!!!

macpetrus:
Wow!!! Nice story so far... Following!!!

Welcome to the train.

As the black SUV strolled into the large compound, the atmosphere suddenly became eerie. You could smell the illegality in the air. The pungent smell of violence, the malign smell of crime and the fetid smell of darkened souls all combined to give the 100acres of land a fiendish feel. The car cruised gently through the tarred passageway, the only sound being the sound of the tires on the cool coal-tar. The darkness of the compound was only overcome by the headlights of the SUV. From afar, a building with a faint glow of light came into view, the car headed straight at the building. It moved for about 2minutes before coming to a halt just some few metres in front of the building. A fearful looking man came out of the building with almost an army of men behind him. He was holding a gun only fit for modern day warfare. The door of the SUV flew open, then, slowly, falcon stepped out.

‘’Zhirkov, we weren’t expecting you today.’’ The fearful looking guy said.

Falcon got out of the car quietly, he went to the trunk and opened it, Stella was lying there with her hands and legs tied, and her mouth stuffed with cloth to prevent her from shouting. He held her by the hair and dragged her violently. She set her foot on the ground and struggled out of the trunk.

‘’Oh look, he got himself a wife.’’ The man said which earned him few chuckles.

‘’Put her in the Red room… It’s been a rough night.’’ Stella heard Falcon order one of the men. She was immediately snatched by a mean looking man who dragged her mercilessly. Easy! Don’t you have respect for a lady? As he dragged her, she heard the faint voice of Falcon saying something about attacking the cave. Oh God, please don’t let that happen. Her arm was feeling numb from the firm grip of the man but it was nothing compared to what would happen to those in the cave.

‘’Where are you taking me to?’’ she asked but her assailant gave her the silent treatment.
He was beginning to put her off with his silence. They walked a few metres and took a left bend into a long pavement. The sound of their shoes was the only audible sound Stella was hearing. Oh God, what if he rapes me? She couldn’t imagine anything worse than being raped by a beast. She felt fear engulf her, she always bragged of being a tough lady but now she knew it was all a façade. A façade that Aaron had bought. She had taken over the helm of affairs of their relationship, relegating Aaron to the back seat. Oh my dear Aaron. She wondered where he would be, he wasn’t in the cave when that lunatic adopted her. Just hope he’s fine. The mean man stopped in front of a door, he searched his pocket for a key which he soon found, he removed the key and unlocked the door. Stella stood staring at the room, wondering what kind of room it was. The mean man didn’t give her much time to study the room, he shoved her inside.

‘’What kind of room is this?’’ she asked.

‘’The red room.’’ The man answered her, speaking for the very first time. ‘’You’re going to enjoy it.’’
The next thing she heard was the large metal door been closed. ‘’Wait!’’ she shouted but she was too late. She heard the sound of a large padlock bolting the door then she began to hear faint voices speaking in Russian. She scanned the room, there was a small bed in one corner, it had a red bedsheet. That was when the realization hit her.

Red room.

The bedspread was red.

The room was painted red.

The curtains were red.

The whole room was just a freaky blend of red. Does that have any significance? Was this a form of human sacrifice room? She walked in trepidation, every step increasing the chills in her spine exponentially. Just when she reached the bed, she heard the door struggling to open. She turned intuitively, staring at the door. When it finally spun open, the mean looking man peaked in.

‘’Here is your phone.’’ He threw the phone at her, it landed just on the bed. He turned to leave. ‘’oh!’’ he stopped. ‘’don’t bother trying to call for help, the signals have been jammed. No phone calls, no messages, no internet anywhere in this compound.’’

The door closed and he left. Few minutes later, Stella heard the engine of a car roar into live, followed by another and then several other cars came to live. God, there are going to attack the cave. I need to warn them. She quickly dialed Aaron’s number but the ‘no network connection’ message stared back.

Damn Stella, think.

She racked her brain but she had no genius idea on how to save the people in the cave. She hit her head several times with her hand and even though it hurt her, she still had no idea.
She lay still on the bed, then like a fast moving truck, it hit her.

I have an idea.

---

The one who went by the Alias ‘Falcon’ but whose real name was Zhirkov sat in the leading car giving directions to the driver.
We are going to the cave to clear all evidence. Nobody with knowledge of this experiment should be left alive. Not the boys in the cave, not even Stella. He wished the driver would fly with the car. Even though the car was on a very high speed, Zhirkov was still feeling impatient. It had been long he tasted action. His job specification had restricted him to the role of that cool-headed doctor who hated violence and was carrying out a humanitarian experiment, helping the world to forestall this coming Armageddon.
He scoffed, making the driver to cast him a wary eye.

This was the part of the job falcon loved, the adrenaline inducing part.

‘’Here. Turn.’’ He directed the driver who swerved to the left. They were now on a road with gravel. The driver changed gear and accelerated.
This is more like it, Zhirkov reasoned. They passed the graveled road into a bushy road, and gradually, they entered into the hilly environment of Ogbanike hill. Zhirkov scratched his chin in anticipation. He was going to kill Newton first, then he would kill Tobi, then he would save Kingsley for the last. As for the remaining two, he would find them no matter where they hid. All it would take was just some little coercing of
Stella. Everything was going well. Even though it had not gone as expected, but it was still going well.

‘’Park there.’’ He told the driver.

The obedient driver found a spot where Zhirkov had pointed and parked. The other cars all parked behind him and killed their engines.

‘’It’s still some few metres more but we are going to walk. We can’t risk been seen.’’

The trained special Ops all had one skill – the ability to hide in plain sight. They walked clandestinely till they got to the cave. Zhirkov positioned his men round the cave and motioned to four men to follow him. The door to the Rehabilitation room was closed but that was no problem, Zhirkov was an expert in picking keys. He knelt down and brought out a long pin, he inserted it in the hole for key and started
aligning the locks. On a normal day, he would have used dynamite to blast the door but he didn’t want the noise to attract the security. When he was done, he gently turned the knob on the door and it clicked open. He motioned at his men to get ready. One of the men swiftly went to the door and pointed his gun. As soon as Zhirkov opened the door, the man jumped in and scanned the room.

‘’Clear!’’ he shouted.

Zhirkov and the remaining three men rushed in with their guns drawn. The room was empty save for the large machines. Zhirkov crept gently and peaked into the main cave but he only saw The Subject sleeping. He walked in and saw a white paper glued to his chest. He removed the paper and read.

Falcon is not who he says he is, he drew a gun on us and kidnapped Stella. If you get to read this then you are very lucky. Go to the Hills Security and tell them you lost your way. we’ll come and get you in the morning.

‘’I need a pen and a paper.’’ Zhirkov shouted at his men. A tall agent ran in, a pen and a paper in his hand. Zhirkov collected it and wrote his own note.

This place is no longer safe so we left. Come to the gravel road at the end of the Hill, we’ll be waiting for you by morning.

He switched the papers and glued his own on the Subject then he went out.

‘’We’re done here,’’ he said to his Agents. ‘’pack up these machines, we’re leaving.’’

Thanks for the update. Following

Time 4 action don reach

Sh*t! That Falcon is a far worse beast than a Loman

I'm enjoying this.

jezuzboi:
Time 4 action don reach

You're calling for action. Hmmm.

Please be reminded, action doesnt always end well.

kizzykeziah:
Sh*t! That Falcon is a far worse beast than a Loman

He's only protecting his interest. if you were him, i'm sure you wont be seeing it this way.

LEGITLAYO:
I'm enjoying this.

Thats the idea

Sir Crown...

Well done, the twist is coming out gradually...

More knowledge and wisdom to Ur brain...

keep the good work...

adegwurulez:

He's only protecting his interest. if you were him, i'm sure you wont be seeing it this way.

Hmmm, you're probably right. Protect your personal interest only.

Thank God I'm not him

Stella’s escape strategy wasn’t exactly ‘jack bauer like,’ it was foolish at best – if rationality was anything to go by, but at that moment, the luxury of rationality was what she couldn’t afford. She had heard the mean looking man speaking with someone outside so she was sure there would be a guard outside, it was something she was counting on to make her escape successful.

‘’Hello?’’ she called out.

In the eerie silence, her echo was the only thing that came back.

‘’Anybody there?’’

Silence still.

‘’You know, if you weren’t ordered to kill me then you need to say something now cos I’m getting bored to death here.’’

No reply.

‘’Okay then, you better start preparing an excuse to give when your boss comes back to find out that the prisoner in your care died.’’

‘’And who told you he cares if you are dead or alive?’’ The coarse voice of the guard outside replied.

Stella sighed. She was happy she had finally gotten him to talk, even though his voice wasn’t exactly ear warming, it was a welcome sound, better than the silence.

‘’I think he cares and that’s why I’m still alive.’’ Stella shouted back. ‘’you might not care if I’m dead or alive but your boss does, and as it seems, I’m even more valuable than you because of the amount of information I’m carrying.’’

‘’What do you want?’’ the guard asked.

‘’For starters, I want to pee.’’

There was another silence and for a moment Stella thought the man had gone back to his silent mode but when she heard the sound of the metal door opening, she knew her plan was in motion. It took a moment before the door was fully open. When the guard came in, she started having second thoughts about her plan. He was tall – much taller than Falcon, he had broad chest and a surprisingly thin waist. He was wearing a slim fit shirt, so all his features were visible. His body filled the shirt perfectly, accentuating his features. His biceps were huge, Stella thought she had seen his face once in a wrestling ring. Could this be the great Khali? She wanted to just give up her plan but the thought of those at the cave and what they might be going through at the moment gave her some modicum of bravery.

‘’hope you’re not expecting me to bring the toilet to you.’’ the guard snapped her out of her thoughts, it was only then that she realized she had been lost in her thoughts.

‘’Of course not.’’ She smiled and got up. ‘’lead the way.’’

The guard turned and was about leading the way but he immediately changed his mind. He turned back and faced Stella. ‘’Ladies first.’’ He said and pointed the way for her. Stella’s eyes had caught a pocket knife in the back pocket of the guard before he turned. Everything was falling in place. She couldn’t have expected everything to be going smoothly, it showed God was in on her plans.

‘’For a killer, you’re quite a gentleman.’’ She smiled.

‘’Don’t get too carried away.’’ he said ‘’even those on death row are granted one last wish.’’

She didn’t reply that, she just walked slowly out of the room. She could smell his tobacco stenched breathe as she passed close to him. The young, confident and brave lady in her head told her to run but she thought against it. She wouldn’t move five steps before the powerful hands of the guard grab her.

‘’It’s by your left.’’ The guard said.

The pavement was narrow, sandwiched by the walls just so that only one person could pass through at a time. Stella was in front while the guard followed closely behind, they walked a few metres before reaching a block of rooms with the label TOILET hanging above. She entered the toilet and the guard followed her.

‘’hey! could you excuse me please?’’ Stella asked. The guard didn’t reply but his demeanor passed the message across, he wasn’t leaving that toilet.

‘’Then at least turn around.’’ Stella pleaded but it fell on deaf ears.

She reluctantly undid her zipper, then gently, she slid down her jean trouser. When the jean touched ground, she stepped out of it. Next was her pant. She held the rim, cast a second look at the guard before dragging it down inch by inch. The guard’s eyes followed the motion of the pant till it reached ground and Stella stepped out of it.
The guard’s mind wandered off a little bit. It had been long since he last saw a naked woman. As a matter of strict policy, no lady was allowed into their base no matter how trustworthy she might be.
Stella noticed his discomfort and she decided to use it against him. She gently raised her blouse, exposing her body in the process. She walked very slowly but sensually toward the guard. When she reached him, she used the tip of her finger and touched his chest slightly.

‘’Can you now leave?’’ her voice was highly erotic.

The guard started feeling a bulge in his trouser. God, he shouldn’t be doing this. It was highly unethical to be frolicking with someone who was supposed to be your prisoner. He searched himself for the strength and willpower to fight off this temptation but he couldn’t find any.
Stella was enjoying the effect her body was having on the guard but she knew she had no time. She needed to fasten things up if she wanted to save the people at the cave. She postured in such a way that her waist was bent to one side and her both hands were at akimbo. This made the guard to go mad. She hadn’t expected a well trained SVR agent to be so unprofessional but then again, women were always the bane of men. The guard swallowed hard, his brain processing data at the speed of light. Hormones filled his blood stream. Before he knew what he was doing, he attacked her lips violently and started kissing her. Stella responded and kissed him back passionately. The kissing gradually became more intense and the guard lowered his guard.

Stella’s hands were wrapped behind his head and she started caressing him from his neck down to his back. When she got to his waist, she stylishly brought one hand to his belt hook while the other hand was on the knife carefully tucked behind him. Stella unhooked his belt and let his trouser slid down gently while her second hand held firmly to the knife so that it did not fall with the trouser. The guard was oblivious of the little transaction that went on behind his back.

Stella continued kissing him and when she was sure he had completely let his guard down, she slowly raised the knife up behind him, then with great force, she stabbed him on the neck. He suddenly stopped kissing as blood gushed out of his neck violently. He dropped down, struggling to find a suitable spot. When he found one, he sat down and gave a weak smile. Stella stood there shivering. As far as her plans went, this was the part where the guard was supposed to die and she was supposed to escape but this guard on the ground didn’t seem like a dying man. She watched as he struggled to remove the knife from his neck. Stella, do something. She searched the whole toilet for anything that could kill but she couldn’t find. The guard on the ground started removing the knife inch by inch. Stella looked around, nothing. She looked at the floor, nothing. She turned around, the heels of her shoes sounded on the marble floor. She cast an eye on the guard, he was almost done removing the knife. She stepped out of her shoes, picked one up and hit the guard so hard with the heels. He passed out.

She quickly dressed up and dashed out of the room. She followed the path she had come from. When she heard the footsteps of people approaching, she hid perfectly and when they had passed, she continued her journey. By the time she reached outside, the building was desolated. Zhirkov must have taken all his men to the cave. The compound was dark so she started running in the open space. She saw a car headlight coming from afar and she hid. After some few seconds, the car zoomed past her, together with many other cars. Her heartbeat increased, she must have been late. The cars parked in front of the building and they got out one after the other. Stella watched closely but she didn’t see anybody from the cave. Falcon and his army walked into the building where he met his boys in panic mode.

‘’What’s wrong.’’ He asked.

‘’The prisoner escaped.’’ One of the men said. ‘’she wouldn’t have gone too far, she’ll still be in the compound.’’

‘’Let her be.’’ He instructed them before turning to one of the men. ‘’How long before the bug on her phone becomes active?’’ he asked.

‘’we’ll get a signal as soon as she plugs it to an electric source.’’ The mean looking man who had taken Stella to the red room replied.

‘’Good.’’ Zhirkov acknowledged. ‘’she thinks she is escaping, but she is leading us straight to the rest.’’

Crownfullhouse:
Sir Crown...

Well done, the twist is coming out gradually...

More knowledge and wisdom to Ur brain...

keep the good work...

I will, sir.

Gawd : ! see how am scared for stella. I hope she heard that there is a bug on her fone o. Thanks for d update but oliver twist asks for more

FameG:
Gawd : ! see how am scared for stella. I hope she heard that there is a bug on her fone o. Thanks for d update but oliver twist asks for more

I dont know if she heard that, i'll probably ask her when next i'm meditating.

Oliver twist huh? Hope you know oliver's journey wasn't rosy? Try being Falcon.

It is not in my nature to mount pressure for more updates, but the story has gotten to a point where I might start doing so.
The thrill is setting in, and I can't help but want to read the whole story at once.

The journey is an interesting one, and I'm gonna be a part of the action. Lol

The story sweet!

jezuzboi:
It is not in my nature to mount pressure for more updates, but the story has gotten to a point where I might start doing so.
The thrill is setting in, and I can't help but want to read the whole story at once.

The journey is an interesting one, and I'm gonna be a part of the action. Lol

The story sweet!

Hehe.. please dont mount pressure o, i have a very low breaking point.

Adegwurulez never disappoints. More grease bruh... . , lol konji na bastard... Lol that guard na fool.

LEGITLAYO:
Adegwurulez never disappoints. More grease bruh... . , lol konji na bastard... Lol that guard na fool.

Lol... Konji na bastard. You said it like you could relate to that.

Stella - sharp bad girl its getting hot! more wisdom to you Adegwurulez.

adegwurulez:

Lol... Konji na bastard. You said it like you could relate to that.

mad man, wetin you mean nau? See as you dey cast your boy outside... . Well of course I can relate , konji na real bastard, it's even a bastress. Lol