Haywhaie:
I don't even know. You know when I started, I told you guys that I'll be making it up as I go along. I had no plot. No outlined storyline. But it's beginning to take shape now, the more chapter I write. I can already picture the end, and now have the exact storyline I want to work with.

I don't think the chapters will be too many. Nevertheless, I will increase the length a bit in the next update.

Alright... Keep the fire burning, dear.

zinnyzee:
I just read this chapter for the 6th time... And something tells me this is actually the beginning of the book.


But then, do you think you could cut out a little on explanations?
They seem to be taking too much of the writing space and they make me drift off from the original reading.
I appreciate them tho, alot actually. They're needed, but then let it be minimal.

Another nice writing i must say.
Thumbs up!

true talk

It's another beautiful day again.

Are you still gonna post a new chapter today?

zinnyzee:
Are you still gonna post a new chapter today?

Good evening, dear. Absolutely. I'll always post a chapter everyday. I gave my word, you know.

Thing is, it's not as though I already have everything written somewhere, otherwise I would simply be posting it as early as possible every day. I start writing each chapter the moment I want to post it, and that usually takes at least 15 minutes. And I don't want to rush and write rubbish, so I wait till I'm free enough to think clearly and write it calmly.

So, if it's taking too long, it's because I'm busy with other engagements. But you can be sure I'll still post the chapter that day, no matter how late. Always expect it.

Sorry for keeping you waiting. I know I'm very late today.

I'll get down to writing now.

Tollzara:
Good evening, dear. Absolutely. I'll always post a chapter everyday. I gave my word, you know.

Thing is, it's not as though I already have everything written somewhere, otherwise I would simply be posting it as early as possible every day. I start writing each chapter the moment I want to post it, and that usually takes at least 15 minutes. And I don't want to rush and write rubbish, so I wait till I'm free enough to think clearly and write it calmly.

So, if it's taking too long, it's because I'm busy with other engagements. But you can be sure I'll still post the chapter that day, no matter how late. Always expect it.

Sorry for keeping you waiting. I know I'm very late today.

I'll get down to writing now.

Alright then... Sorry if i sound demanding, i'm only eager to know what next.


Take your time please, don't let me badger you into rushing things. I'm very much around.

zinnyzee:
Alright then... Sorry if i sound demanding, i'm only eager to know what next.

Lol. Not at all. I understand you're following the story passionately (and I really appreciate that. Your presence here has made the thread a lot beautiful, if not for anyone else, at least for me). I just wanted to assure that I'm not being insensitive to your feelings, neither have I become less committed to my promise. You said nothing wrong, at all.

Take your time please, don't let me badger you into rushing things. I'm very much around.

It's fine. I'm very much free now.

Tollzara:
Lol. Not at all. I understand you're following the story passionately (and I really appreciate that. Your presence here has made the thread a lot beautiful, if not for anyone else, at least for me). I just wanted to assure that I'm not being insensitive to your feelings, neither have I become less committed to my promise. You said nothing wrong, at all.


It's fine. I'm very much free now.

Alright.... Bring it on then.

8
Green Like Him

Jay wakes up with aching bones. What a night that was. The night when he finally got to be his real self again. No longer the miserable man beaten down by life. When last did he wake up having to deal with so much stress? So much pain in his joints? He is alive again. This is evidence of his victory, the very beginning of it. For the first time in a long time, he woke up smiling for no reason. He thinks about the night's encounter. The golden moment when the prettiest face showed up. Onyinye. Her tender touch that made him warm. The way she drew him closer to herself. She mumbled incomprehensible words into his ear. He had thought she was drawing him in for a kiss. It reminded him of the first time Tomilola kissed him. They were in high school. A pulchritudinous princess from Queen's college, always with the well-packed boobs, a back-side with the appropriate symmetry. She was a balanced creature, with the sharp edges, and shape sculpted when God's smile was brightest. For Alex, she was "The Bee with the Four B's" (Beauty, Brain, Booty and Boobs). She stung him with feelings he couldn't describe. It was like poison. Jay felt the same way. His first kiss with Tomilola was his last before they graduated and started a romance that had a sour end. He saw himself dating her at the time, but she went with Alex instead. Apparently, it was a dare from Alex, and she put all her soul into it. Jay couldn't help being absorbed. She had the softest lips. He wonders how sweet Onyinye's must be. The new beauty. The ASP. The Deputy Governor's escort. She stuffed his pockets with wads of cash. He had almost fallen for her. But, God forbid, he's totally done with women.

He gets out of bed to have his teeth brushed and take his shower. He'll be having the perfect breakfast this time. And he should be moving out soon. Finally, a new apartment. And, that's right, Femi is not back yet. No wonder there was no bull to interrupt his thoughts with a violent snore. Femi had left just minutes after Jay went out to meet with Abass. He left him a letter explaining the situation. He had gotten a call from Osogbo, informing him of his mother's critical condition. He had to leave immediately. He hopes things will be alright for Femi.

He comes out of the bathroom with a smile. After drying his body, he drops his towel on his bed. As he dresses up, his phone beeps.

"Alex?"

"Jay. It's me. I've been shot. Two of my band mates have been taken out. I'm at Ajegunle. It's a serious situation."

"What the-" Alex hangs up.

Ajegunle? What the hell? His voice, so tensed. So shaky. He sounded so apprehensive. Who could be after him? Two of his band mates killed?

He dresses up hurriedly and rushes out without waiting to lock the door. It has almost collapsed anyways. He saw no need to. He stops a cab and makes some hand gestures before getting in. Alex seems to be in some big trouble. He wonders why he feels so passionate about saving him.

He alights from the cab upon arriving his destination. He can already feel the stench. So dirty and smelly an area. Alex's line is not going through. He walks into a quite street. He feels lost. Lagos is such a peculiar city. It has its beautiful sections. The paradise departments. Also are the ugly, horrible areas whose states never improve after every election, no matter the litany of political lies that comes before each one. He wonders why the electorate believe these crooks and place their trust in them. He remembers the comportment of the Deputy Governor last night. The way he behaved as if he didn't exist. That's exactly what all politicians think of the masses - irrelevant non-entities. Why should they believe a single one among these thieves cares? Why should anyone believe anyone cares? The folly of man has always been his undoing. It was just like his father. Despite all the pretences, his confessions of love, all the romantic stunts he pulled to show how much he cared, he still carved up the corpse of his own wife, Jay's own mum. He dissected her cadever and performed detestable experiments with his mother's body. Very unforgivable. His excuse was that she was dead, and she was no longer the one, it was a mere husk. But Jay would be having none of that. To him, his father never respected his mum. That's why he could carve up the corpse of his so-called beloved wife. He wanted to make a ground-breaking discovery, and earn himself a Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology. Another selfish bastard. His papers would be rejected, and he would end up a depressed alcoholic. He eventually got involved in a ghastly accident that took both of his legs. He heard that the man now lives in a wheelchair somewhere in Sango-Ota. That's never his business.

He observes a young boy pushing a cart filled with dirt. He looks just as dirty as the refuse in his cart. Jay still feels alone in the seemingly empty street. The boy is not a person. He is part of the dirty environment. He tortures himself here in the name of hard work, trying to please a hypocritical society, while his mates out there make fast money on the internet by being smart and cunning. Society praises them as successes, while they look down on him despite his efforts, spitting on his existence. Another fool rewarded by suffering.

Ajegunle is so terrible. What exactly brought Alex here? Was he being chased from Ikoyi he had to run here? How does that make sense? He was supposed to be the brave one. The man he spoke with on the phone was not the Alex he spoke with last night. It appears even the bravest of men get broken in the face of overwhelming fear. It's the same way his own destitution almost took away his psychological dominance and invulnerability.

Four people dressed in black jackets and pants appear all of a sudden - The Krypteia. Three men and a lady.

Susan? He is shocked to see her here of all places. And with men like this. What a way of reuniting with a witch. It was her who poisoned him. The one who got him infected with a strange disease. She had always wanted him, but he never gave in to her advances. What is she doing here? She has a pistol in hand. Is this some kind of revenge porn? He tries to avoid eye contact.

"Where is Alex?", the leader demands. He towers over Jay. Hefty and well-built, with a dark complexion and very thick lips.

"I don't know." So, it's them? They were the ones who shot him.

"You playing games now?"

"You can't threaten me. You know what I mean? Bring the tone down. I tread the same path as the Gods you worship."

"You're a bold one, I see."

"Of course. My mental resources are superior to your guns. If Alex is what you're looking for, I can't be of any help to you. As you can see, he called me here, and now I can't find him. I have no idea where he is."

"You should be able to work out his movements? Where do you think he might have gone?" He seems to be aware of Jay's identity. They stare at one another in a way that suggests familiarity.

"I don't know much about the current Alex. We may be friends, but I'm aware he has secrets of his own. I'm of no use to you. You don't need me, and I don't need to be involved."

"And why should we leave you out? What assures us that we won't need to watch out for you?"

"If you think I'll get in your way because you're after my friend, you've got it all wrong. You guys should fight it out among yourselves. If you need Alex for a purpose, that's your business. If he resists, that's his right. It has nothing to do with me. I believe everyone is in the game of life as a lone player, playing for himself alone. We all have the right to pursue our goals."

"So that's how it is? Do you know what we want from Alex?"

"Allow me to mind my business."

"Even if our business involves killing your friend?"

"If you can...." He puts on a smirk.

He turns around to take his leave.

"Excuse me? And where do you think you're going? Since we all have the rights to pursue our goals, would you mind if....."

He turns back to see Susan glaring at him.

Hatred. Fury. Boodlust.

"Listen up, guys." She points at Jay with anger and disgust. "Jayeola Olowoporoku is a descendant of the Benin Royalty. He is a ‘green cell’. An alternative."

zinnyzee:
Alright.... Bring it on then.

Updated.

Cc. Optimist1998
Abiiiike
MhisTahrah
Solly1
Martinez19

Hmmm.... I'm in for so many unexpected twists and turns in your story.


Well done, creative thinker!

Oh-oh!... i smell trouble!

what the hell is a "green cell"

sampz:
what the hell is a "green cell"

You'll find out as the story progresses, bro.

9
Susan

Susan is a fair, slender, lady of Igbo heritage. She is childhood friend with Alex and Jay. Hers and Jay's dad are both surgeons, the former specializing in Cardiothoracic surgery, and the latter gyneocology. Since early childhood, she had always craved Jay's attention. She always wanted him around her. As an older girl, she would often express her delight at her father's suggestions of having plans with his friend to have their children get married in the future. She had married him in her dreams more times than she could recall, and she would do it over and over again, in five consecutive reincarnations. She had always hated the way he looked at Tomilola, her classmate. He never looks at her like that. She feels nothing but disgust whenever he refers to her as his sister and confidant, and talks to her about other girls. "She may not be that beautiful, but she's at least, locally outstanding. And that makes her a potential international," Jay would remark about Tomilola to a contemptuous Susan. Yet she couldn't hate him. But she hated every girl whose name he ever mentioned in her presence, whose beauty he ever admired straight to her face. Jay could pretend all he wanted, ignoring her feelings and all the signs, while acting as if he doesn't know her cravings. He could also fool himself thinking it's the same Susan every new day, despite the new psyche the emotional suffering he puts her through molds for her every new dawn. He has no idea the kind of lady he's shaping her into, nor what the potential consequence is.

Despite the hurt he causes her, he remains her closest friend. The one whose face she can't go a day without etching deep into her mind. She had him promise to always be with her on the night of her birthday. It is another one of those nights. Her eighteenth birthday. They are almost done with their final exams. Jay will be going to the UK soon, while her dad will be sending her to the Netherlands. This will probably be their last night together. She has to bare her mind and make him realize a few things. The boy she's always wanted, lying next to her on the bed, yet she can't crawl into his arms for a cuddle, and lose herself under his gaze.

"Jayeola...."

He turns around, unplugging his earphones. "You look pale, Suzie. You stressed yourself too much." He sits up to have a closer look at her.

"You seem so interested now. You've been spending the entire time with your phone." She lowers her eyelids, and looks the other way, trying to avoid his gaze.

"I expected you to be asleep. It's 2 AM, Suzie."

"Jayeola.... what have you noticed in the past few days...?"

"Noticed? About what?

"What have you observed about me...?"

"What do you mean? You've been your usual self. Okay, I would say you've been using lesser make-up, and your natural beauty has increased." He smiles, expecting the beam on his face to call out her own white teeth.

"Always insensitive...."

"Where'd that come from...?"

"You never know. You can never know. You know nothing about me. And you never care..."

"We're supposed to be friends. If anything's bothering you, you tell me about it. There's no need to sound like this."

"I'm supposed to be your sister!" She yells at him, panting.

Jay notices the light blue color of the bed sheet turning dark and reddish. It seems to be drenched in some thick fluid. Blood.

"Suzie! You're bleeding! Your period? Did you miscalculate.... " He moves closer to examine her. But she pushes him away.

"Don't touch me!" She yells again, her breathing heavier than before. "You know nothing."

Susan has been diagnosed with Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), a vagina infection that causes her to bleed. She has had it for as long as 2 weeks, yet Jay never seemed to notice anything strange. The only thing he knows how to do is crack dry jokes, call her attractive to make her feel good, and put on a fake smile to appear pleasant.

"What's the matter? I don't understand anymore."

"You never understood me, Jayeola. You never did!...." She groans in pain, panting heavily.

"This is bad. We need to get to the clinic." He grabs her hand, this time he's not letting go. He carries her in his arms, and makes for the door. "I'm really sorry, Suzie. I had no idea something like this was happening to you."

"I've been bleeding for the past two weeks. It started after I was raped."

"What? Raped, by who?"

"Your dad, Jayeola.... Your dad raped me...".... She mutters weakly.

***************************

"Stop that Susan! Bring down your gun!" the hefty leader yells.

"What?"

The other two members of the Krypteia exchange knowing glances.

The leader continues, "You can't shoot him."

"But why? Our mission is to take down all ‘green cells’. He's one as well. Don't you believe me?! Ask him. Jayeola can't deny his own identity.." She points her pistol at an expressionless Jay, who looks on unperturbed.

"I know that more than you do. We are not permitted to touch his kind of green cells. He's not our target."

"What do you mean?" She questions angrily.

"You will understand soon enough."

"But...."

"Enough!" He puts on a frown that frightens Susan. She steps back in shock. She hasn't seen him like this in a long time.

"It's okay, Wale. I'll talk to her." He walks up to a shocked Susan and places his right hand on her left shoulder.

"Y-you know e-each other..." She stammers.

"Between you and me, who should be hunting down the other, Suzie?"

New Update. Sorry, it's this late.

Cc. zinnyzee
Optimist1998
Martinez19
Abiiiike
Samz
MhisTahrah

Hmmm.... I only wish i wouldn't have to be waiting 24 hours to know what next. But i don't have much choice sha.


Nice drift into the past, I must say... I love writers who know how well to use their flashbacks.


Thumbs up, Tozara.

zinnyzee:
Hmmm.... I only wish i wouldn't have to be waiting 24 hours to know what next. But i don't have much choice sha.

I'm really sorry about that. I know what to do now. I'll be writing them overnight, so I can just post the next morning. I think that would be better.

Nice drift into the past, I must say... I love writers who know how well to use their flashbacks.


Thumbs up, Tozara.

Thanks, dear.

Tollzara:
I'm really sorry about that. I know what to do now. I'll be writing them overnight, so I can just post the next morning. I think that would be better.

Thanks, dear.

Aww... I'd really love that.

10
Zombie From the Netherworld?

Impossible. An old man with wrinkles looks depressed as he is seated before a long table, heart beating rapidly.

A young man in White Coat turns over the photograph on the table, as though to relieve himself of the sting in his eyes.

The old man stands up and walks towards a safe. He draws out a compartment filled up with laminated papers and hard cover reference materials. The more he stares at the black paint on the safe, the more he feels the choking darkness in his soul becoming thicker and increasing in intensity. How can he still be breathing? He looks at his own picture hung on the wall. He thinks about how much happiness and fulfilment he has derived over the years from being the man at the center of the project. Has it really been worth it? And isn't the re-emergence of this man proof that he has been a failure all long? He returns the compartment and closes the safe. Then he turns his attention to the man in blue suit. One of the tallest in the room, clean-shaven with a bald head and bulging eyes. He is Haruna Garba, the Director of the SSL (Secret Service of the Lagoon).

"It's terrible," says Haruna, gazing at the picture on the table, fear apparent in his eyes.

The old man looks in the direction of the black safe. It seems like the darkness in his soul has increased even more. It is getting deeper, blacker, thicker. "Why should we believe this?" He wants a reason to truly convince himself that it is not true.

"I couldn't have gotten it wrong." Haruna re-affirms. "My men are the cream of the cream. Very reliable."

"Absolutely sure?"

"I'm afraid so, sir."

The old man rolls up his shirt sleeves on both arms. He loosens his tie and wipes his face with a handkerchief. His body is beginning to itch. He's read so many books about Zombies and Ghosts. He never imagined that a day would arrive when he would be a character in one of such stories, not on the pages of a fiction book, but on the solid planes of the real world.

"The DNA matched before we dissolved the body into molecules and had it disposed with our very own hands." He remembers that dark night by the sea, under the glare of the moon. The blackness of that moment is nothing compared to the darkness now crawling in his heart.

Jayeola Olowoporoku was the star of their Eye of the Owl Project, Part IV: Glasgow Wings. It wasn't just brilliance. There was something about his heritage that gave him an edge over his peers. And he turned out to be a maverick who never conformed. But he had grown too much potential for him to be ignored or left to his own devices. It would be a shame to be destroyed by the product of their own experiment.

"We've been played," remarks Haruna. "He probably knows about Part V?"

"Nonsense!" The old man barks. This is the final part. Their last hope. There is absolutely no way the secret has been penetrated.

"We thought we got Jayeola," The man in White coat finally speaks, "if that was a mistake, we might as well have a second thought about going through with Part V."

"It must have been a trick," Alisigwe Frank, The Commissioner of Police, says, "He was probably with him. We were fooled."

Frank is a very calm and reserved man. He doesn't talk much, but he always makes sense, and there is rarely a time he doesn't have something meaningful to say. The old man glares at him in disbelief. It seems to be different this time.

"That's absurd. There's no way the whole team could have been taken on such an ignominious ride. Something is amiss. Some tiny detail we're not paying much attention to." The old man re-adjusts his shirt sleeves and fastens the buttons on each one.

"Jayeola probably knew." Haruna interjects. "He must have decided to be proactive, and took a step ahead of us."

The man in White coat points at the picture on the table. "If Jayeola was aware of everything, and came up with a sophisticated and elaborate scheme to counter our moves, what then has he been up to all these while? What is he planning?"

"There's no question that he would be coming for a vendetta. What else could it be?", says Frank.

"And, we wait and let that happen?" the man in White coat queries.

"We have to do a lot of planning and analyzing before taking action. If he foiled our plan and pulled through the first time, doing anything drastic in a hurry would amount to folly." The old man explains. "A zombie is on the loose." He breathes in hard.

One of the men stands up to his feet. It's Dickson Ebele, an Ijaw man. He has a PhD is Mathematics from MIT, and he's a Major-General in the Nigerian Army. It is time for him to speak.

"Not a Zombie, actually. They are two Zombies. The son, an agile warrior from Hades, and the father, now a vegetable among ghosts."

"What do you mean?" The confused old man enquires.

"Popoola Olowoporoku is still alive."

The men in the room exchange confused glances, before focusing their gaze on Dickson, stunned.

New Update.

Cc. zinnyzee
Optimist1998
Martinez19
Abiiiike
Samz
MhisTahrah

Thanks for the update.

I don't even know what to say.


I guess i'm more confused than those guys up there... Lolz.


Another good one,bruh!

11
The Ori Establishment

The atmospheric tension of the room thickens and solidifies as confusion is woven into fear in their minds. Is their project beginning to unravel? Has it been set on course toward a devastating fall into a ditch? If they got it wrong with Jayeola, how could they have gotten it wrong with his father as well? This is becoming embarrassing. It seems more like incompetence than miracle, and that's a scary, frightening reality that needs thorough examination and investigation. What other failure are they not aware of yet?

"I was expecting this reaction, especially from Air Marshal Adams. But, I thought Mr Haruna was aware?" Dickson, says, in a tone that suggests an intention to put Haruna's loyalty and sincerity in doubt.

Retired Air Marshal Adams Fajuyi, one of the heavy weights of the Nigerian Airforce during his younger years, glances at Dickson with curiosity, then shifts his gaze to Haruna, staring him down intensely.

"I had no idea," replies Haruna making eye contact with Dickson, the two men appearing to be communicating something covertly.

Adams notices the two and wonders what they may be hiding. For the past 18 years, he has been in charge of the Ori Establishment, supervising its Eye of the Owl Project. He has supervised three parts of the project successfully, each one an improvement over the results of its precedent. He has rarely recorded failures. Part III was very much a success, and he did his best in his capacity as the head of the establishment to ensure the new facts were kept secret, and he really believed he had gotten the only obstacle threatening that objective out of the way. Part IV was also a success, and just as in the previous part, the secrets discovered during the course of the project were on the verge of being exposed, until the only threat to them was disposed off. Or so he thought. It has now become clear to him, that not only was the fourth part of the project a failure, Dickson seems to be suggesting that the third part was as much of a failure. What ridicule.

He takes a deep breath, clears his throat, and looks up at Dickson, "for how long have you been aware of this?"

"One of Haruna's men sent me a report three days ago, detailing the situation. I had imagined that the SSL Director must have been aware as well, if one of his own men had gotten hold of such sensitive information." He taps the table and glares at Haruna. The other men start murmuring among themselves.

"Mr Haruna, Director of the SSL, what have you got to say to this?" Air Marshal Adams barks.

Haruna stands up to his feet, "I do not understand this, sir. None of my men reported any such thing to me."

"What are you insinuating then? That there is a traitor in the SSL? You told me your men are the cream of the cream? Has the sun started melting every ounce of quality in their veins?" Adams can't believe this is happening.

"I got a report two weeks ago, that one of our senior men had gone MIA. As a Secret Service, it wasn't proper to let out such information into the open. It was our duty to investigate the matter and track him down. Afferall, it was an issue internal to our organization. That's why I never mentioned it. But I don't think I have any choice now."

Dickson shakes his head, "This is ridiculous."

"Extremely ridiculous", Frank adds, squeezing his face.

Adams walks a few steps towards Haruna. "What is the name of your man that went Missing In Action?"

"Abass Folorunsho, sir."

"Abass Folorunsho?" How can that be? Abass? That boy? He met him for the first time 18 years ago, 4 years after the Ori Establishment was founded. The establishment was the brainchild of the now deceased former Governor of Lagos State, Ahmed Folorunsho, whose only son the little Abass was. Ahmed would go on to become the first Chairman of the establishment, before his death four years later, having already chosen Adams as his successor. Abass never wanted the public to know about his son, and his fatherhood status was his most guarded secret as the Governor of Lagos State. After his death, the boy went missing, and not even Adams could locate him. He thought he was dead. So, Abass has been in the Secret Service all this while?

"Do you know him sir?"

"That boy, the future of this establishment probably rests on his shoulders." Adams says with eyes closed.

Everyone in the room focuses on Adams, confusion written all over their faces.

Adams thinks things have gotten more complicated than he thought. First it was Jay, then his father, and now Abass, whose role might be even deeper than they imagine. Why did Abass desert the Secret Service? What was the point of his visit to Major-General Dickson? What was he trying to pull? What is he up to? Is he aware of what happened to his father? Does he know about the Eye of the Hole? Did he find out the true purpose of the Ori Establisment?

The Ori Establishment was Ahmed's idea. It was named after Ori, which literally means, "Head", the Orisha of the same name in Yorubaland. It is also a metaphysical concept that refers to an individual's destiny, spiritual intuition, and divine spark. In a sense, the very essence of the human being. The Ori Establishment was established as an academic as well as occultic means of psychologically exploring that essence and unravelling its secrets. It is made up of high-ranking members of the military, paramilitary, intelligence services, and other security agencies. To the general public, the Ori Establishment is just an institution that offers traditional medical alternatives to medical science, specializing in Yoruba medicine, and adding elements like Yoga and meditation, borrowed from Eastern Asian religions. No one knows about the real faces behind the veil, using the apparent function of the establishment as a cover, while performing unethical occultic and psychological experiments on unsuspecting patients, pulling the strings from behind the curtains. Adams believes Abass probably knows now.

The man in White coat also moves out of his seat, tapping the table with his fingers, and glancing at each one of the confused men. Adams observes him and figures another bomb is about to drop. Henry Fatola is an adept Psychologist. When trouble looms, he has a way of telling you before saying it. He graduated with a First in Psychology from Obafemi Awolowo University, concluded his Masters in Ludwig-Maximilien University, Germany, and bagged his PhD from Oxford University, United Kingdom. He's now a General in the Nigerian Army and the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), appointed by the President himself. As a psychologist, he is the one in charge of the bulk of the project.

"We have another problem, here.", says Henry. "Our latest specimen, your daughter, Tomilola Adams, is in love with someone."

Adams moves toward Henry and grips his shoulders. "Tomilola is not my daughter. She is an orphan. Is that clear?"

New Update.

zinnyzee
Optimist1998
Martinez19
Abiiiike
Sampz
MhisTahrah

Hmmm.

This is getting more interesting.
Well done, Zara.

12
The New Wind

Air Marshal Adams alarms everyone in the room with his behaviour bordering on violence, as he holds firmly onto Henry's shoulders and squeezes them as tightly as his aged muscles permit. The middle-aged man of forty-two winces as he observes the cold frown on the face of his 69-year-old superior. Henry can hardly place his fingers on the reason for this reaction. He hasn't exhibited this kind of behaviour in a long while, but it is also as long as he hasn't mentioned his daughter's name to him. What exactly is it about his relationships and history that makes him deny his own daughter? Was Adams a failure who couldn't hold his home together? Was he a horrible father and a terrible husband? Is it that stench of catastrophic failure that has come back to place two of his projects, his life-long commitments, on the verge of destruction? Perhaps, some people are never meant to succeed at anything in life. And to think this man was the ace-of-aces of the Nigerian Air Force. His very life and existence are simply incomprehensible. Who reacts in such manner when his daughter's name is mentioned in his presence? It makes absolutely no sense. He wonders how he made it through the Air Force with such a fractured psyche. He has been working with Adams for more than ten years now, yet he doesn't seem to know anything about him. No member of the establishment does. He has to calm him down now.

"I apologize for the slip of tongue, sir. I meant to say our Specimen-E is in love with someone."

Adams takes his hands off Henry's shoulders and makes for his seat. He unseals a bottle of water, and pours himself a cup, gulping it down with speed. He looks around him and sees the other men heave sighs of relief. He seems to be the new problem. "Pardon me for the thoughtless display just now. The workload from the previous night must have caused me a lot of stress."

Henry nods, obviously an attempt at mockery, having Dickson respond with a mischievous smile. It's time for him to intervene. "So, General Henry was talking about Specimen-E. What's the situation like?"

Adams waves his hand disapprovingly. "No. Henry and I have a little bit to discuss for now." He glances at Henry. "Let's meet in my office." He gets up and walks towards a blue, metalic door, apparently made of iron.

A retired old hag ordering around a 4-star General. Ridiculous, thinks Henry. "Yes, sir." He follows behind him and observes in disgust as the others glare at him, their expressions bland and blank.

The two men go through the blue iron door and close it behind them.

Frank, the Commissioner of Police, shakes his head. "Is it true that Specimen-E is Adam's daughter?"

"I wonder why that should interest anyone?" Haruna doesn't seem to be in a good mood.

"Mr Haruna, I believe the SSL must have a file on Retired Air Marshal Adams Fajuyi?" Dickson inquires.

"It is classified. I am not allowed to talk about such things." Shrugs Haruna.

Dickson giggles. "Are you serious now? Aren't you the head of the SSL? You answer to no one but the Lagos State Governor. What rules are restricting you? If you're so loyal to the authorities, why are you a part of this illegal establishment, Director of the Secret Service?"

Haruna shakes his head, eyes closed. "Fine. I am not telling you anything, for the simple reason that I don't want to."

******************************

Femi relaxes on a deckchair under a tall palm tree. He has been sleeping in this chair ever since he was a little boy. He grew up knowing it to be his father's favorite property. He is sitting in the backyard, observing his father's farm, the land still as large, but barely enough plantations. He remembers that hardworking man who saw him through school with hard toil and hot sweat. His sufferings. His life. His story. His teachings. He was the parent, the only kind of poor parent anyone would ever wish for. His grandfather was a destitute man as well. Penury seems to be a spectre hunting their lineage. Isn't that why he's so desperate to ensure the baton is never passed on to him? His father was the first child, the one most deserving of education by tradition, but out of a good heart, had his parents pass over him to sponsor his younger brother instead, his only sibling, his beloved sibling. The young boy would grow up to become a successful Lawyer, looking after his parents, while leaving his elder brother to rot in poverty, toiling to the songs and praises of farm birds.

Even when his father took a loan from the rich man next street, using the house he inherited as collateral, his Lawyer brother offered no helping hand when he was cheated by the ruthless wealthy, who still decided to take his house by force, after robbing him of the very money he loaned him. His father went to the grave, believing humanity to be a depraved, worthless race, and that all humans deserved to be bitten to death by his ghost. He thought they were all evil, and nothing good could ever come from any of them. He taught Femi never to pity human beings, trust any of them, or do them any favour. Femi observes his father's house, with its cracked walls and faded paint, and wonders if his father ever imagined the same evil humans would ever return his house to his homeless wife and son after his death. Is that a good thing? Is father would have argued that it was them who made them homeless in the first place. And he wouldn't be wrong.

As a high school student, he had begun living out his father's teachings. He uses people to get himself out of poverty. And it's just about time for a permanent break through the glass ceiling, the time for a new wind to blow. He hears someone call out to him from a distance.

"Fem Fem!" The person sounds happy.

He gets up his chair as the person approaches, standing to his feet.

"Fem Fem. I'm so happy." A light-skinned woman jumps up, rejoicing.

"Tomi, what did she say?" He asks anxiously.

The Bee with the Four B's.

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I can't wait to read what next!

13
The New Wind II

She has been talking about it for weeks. A benevolent mother in-law, one that she can see as a mother, that she can always come running to, that she can spend time with, quality time, beautiful time, that can help heal her wounds, and bring back the sweet memories of her mum. Femi did not really understand it, but he promised to take her to his mum. If she wanted to meet her mother-in-law so badly, no matter the reason, it is a good thing for him, one worth rejoicing about. Most of the ladies he dated in the past were never this enthusiastic about building a loving relationship with their mother-in-law to-be. Many of them even showed tendencies suggestive of contempt for their prospective mother-in-law. They gave him nothing but bad vibes. They were never wife material. Tomilola's seeming obsession with meeting his mum doesn't seem normal to him. At times, he almost considers her insane. But he's not really bothered about that, and he doesn't really care what could be behind it. The only reason he has been stalling was because he didn't want his mum rushing him into marriage. But Tomilola has pestered him enough, and he believes it's about time he granted her wish. Well, he has already granted it. And he can see how happy she is.

Did she say she said "Yes"? What did she expect her to say? Of, course, his mother would approve of her. Tomilola is obviously rich, while his mother is a desperate poor woman, thanks to his father's bitter emotional and ideological outbursts throughout his last days, which have ensured she no longer cared about high values and "noble" principles.

"I can't see your excitement, Fem." Tomi complains to Femi about his reaction to her good news. She's a women with very light skin, a face with almost perfect symmetry, wearing no make-up at all. She's corporately dressed. White shirt with black blazers on top, completed with a black skirt. Femi thinks she's dressed like a Bank Manager.

"I'm not excited, I'm delighted. It was you who didn't know what my mum would think of you. Now that you've found out, I can see you're so happy. I'm observing your glow."

"Awww...." She blushes as Femi smiles at the beam his words form on her face.

"What I don't understand though is why mom had to have me excuse you guys, without giving me an answer first, when I was the one who was supposed to be introducing her to my fiancee, and vice versa", Femi jokingly queries, wearing a faint smile as he feigns displeasure.

She moves close enough to have him in her embrace, eyes closed, with a bright face. "What business has the son with mother to daughter talk?"

"Indeed. And the mother shouldn't be too concerned....." He lifts her off the ground and carries her in his arms. ".....when the son kidnaps the daughter in the name of love." She lets out an excited scream. Then he whispers silently in her ear. "You're not escaping, baby."

"With your warm breath touching my neck, and your embrace giving me comfort, I have forgotten how to jump off your hands. " She bursts into laughter, as he carries her back inside, her head resting on his broad chest. It reminds her of someone, and the smile on her face disappears.

Femi smiles as he thinks about Jay. He had lied to him that his mother was sick, so he could introduce her to his fiancee, who happened to be Jay's ex-girlfriend. He had also hidden his relationship from him to avoid trouble. If he should ever find out that Tomilola is his wife-to-be, it won't only cause a feud between the both of them, Alex will be joining the fray as well. Others would call her names for her record of dating three friends at different points in time, but what does it matter to him? After all, he could care less what her interest is. His father taught him to use people to get what he wants. As an adult, he does it as a matter of being a realist who has found out the secret principle of life, not because he's following his father's teachings. Everyone is always using the other person, even though they cover it up with different kinds of euphemisms, "Love" and "Friendship" being the most dubious and dishonest of all. Tomilola is heads over heels in love with him because of some self-interested reason he's currently oblivious about. He also values his friendship with Jay for no other reason than his own gain. Jay had promised to make him wealthy if he succeeds at his mission, and while he has been counting on his words, Tomilola is another opportunity that he mustn't let pass. The first time he met Jay and Alex, their prestigious background was his very reason for befriending them. While he got crumbs from Jay every now and then, he gained nothing from Alex whose parents were stern believers in "strong values" and "principled spending".

Finally, all that is coming to an end. The new wind will be blowing from two sides, Jay's south and Tomilola's north, and he will be rising above the stars. He remembers watching the popular Japanese anime series b]Naruto[/b] in his teenage years. Kabuto Yakushi, one of the show's major villains, legitimately argued that if you were born with no gift of your own, with no talent to make you shine, you either steal that of others, or claim the fruits of their efforts to be relevant. That's the only way to become somebody. He thinks the same applies to wealth. He was born poor, but he can make others' wealth his own if he's smart enough. Is he smart enough? That's the test he needs to pass, the only test he has to face.

*****************************

Alex groans in pain as he tries to get off his bed in his one-room apartment in Ikoyi. There's a white bandage on his right arm, blood-stained around the elbow region. He looks at his damaged "Jazz box", and manages a smile. Those bastards, there was no way he would let them destroy his most cherished property. This here is just a damage that can be easily repaired. All he has to do now is get a new archtop to replace the missing one. Two days have already passed, and here he is, still struggling to recover. The bullet smashed the bones in his elbow, the doctor had said. He wanted to admit him for a few weeks, but Alex refused. He knew they would come for him. Yet those stupid band members of his brought him to his house, where he's equally not safe. But he can't blame them. Seeing their friends gunned down was traumatic enough. He wonders how they're faring now.

They had just finished performing that night and were on their way home when they were attacked by four people dressed in black. They hijacked a Taxi and sped off with no destination in mind, escaping the predators being their only goal. The cab broke down somewhere in Ajegunle, when they were still being pursued, and as they got down to continue fleeing on foot, two members of his band were gunned down, while he received a bullet to his right arm. Seeing Susan was his greatest shock. And he had to call Jay to come and see the absurdity. That was a reckless move. He wondered what must have happened to him.

He hears a knock on the door, and he becomes alarmed. Have they finally come for him?

"Alex, don't panic. It's me, Jay." A voice says from outside.

He's convinced that's Jay's voice, but just to be safe... "Are you alone?"

"Trust me, there's no one here with me."

"What's the matter? Why have you come?"

"Alex, what is your relationship with the Royal House of Ile-Ife?"

New Update.


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