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Charminee:
Following all the way. In btw it "charminee"

Oh oh. Thanks.

17 The Oracle's Declaration
When they got to the riverbank, Richard was very sure he had the best instinct in the world, one that worked better than any computer in the world. He wasn't wrong about the place after all. The place was deserted and looked as if nothing had ever been done there. Tina scowled and hissed as she looked around. He would have done the same if he hadnt been there before, meeting the same obstacle. Tina was so angry that she picked a stone and threw it at a tree that was withering away near the river. Immediately, machine guns sprung out of the rivers and shot at the stone. Richard, as well as the women with him, scrambled into hiding. Katrina's noise was louder than the machine guns'.
'This is it', Richard said. 'This is the place'.
'Why is there security around the place?' Tina grumbled.
'Are those ones security or death? I'm not smelling the anus of that thing again in my life'.
'Words', Richard said disgustedly. He might puke if he stayed beside Katrina.
'You won't understand'.
'We need help', Richard said.
Tina stared as the machine guns retreated into the river again. She nodded. Katrina, awed, pointed at the innumerable cases of bullets on the ground. They rose from their hiding, and returned to the car, but didn't drive far before Katrina started vibrating again.
'Richard. She's doing it again', Tina said, irritated.
'I don't condone all this rubbish. What's wrong with her? Eyes on the road, Thin'.
Tina kept looking at her, firstly from the rearview then she began to turn to check her out from time to time.
'Take me to Decky Estate. I want my Oracle to join the team'.
'I'm not going to meet any freak. I can't even imagine moving into their midst. I'll kill them all'.
'We need to go At least to get over this rubbish'.
'No. I'm not driving this beautiful queen into the midst of freaks. What if what possessed this LovePeddler begins to operate through it. What's wrong with your analysis?'
'It's simple. This might solve the mysteries of the missing children. We need her to help find those kids. She might be an android for all we care'.
'Then, let's rip her guts out. That way we are safe on both side'.
'Tina?'
'Yes. Rip the crazy thing out'
He stared at her in unbelief. She retaliated and shrugged. They all knew Decky Estate. It was rumored to belong to the Grousters. So, Katrina led the way to the house of a very rich person. Immediately they got there, Richard sensed that their problems would end soon because he didn't see anyone there. However, when he began to ask the security man a lot of questions, a black lady, who had a big afro haircut, strutted towards him in a peach satin gown. She moved as if she had a fan blowing her from the back. There was a sort of peace that eluded Richard or anyone he had ever come across that was laid on the face of the young lady.
'Who are you?' The lady said as soon as she got to their side. Tina's face spoke volumes about how she felt irritated by the lady's gait. Richard had to take over before she decided to snap the lady's neck.
'I know this is odd. But, the woman we worked with went unconscious and started blabbing about the existence of a team here that we need to bring to her'.
The lady looked interested in what he was saying. He glanced at Tina, and she brought out Katrina, who was still under the influence of whatever she was under. Tina brandished her Glock 17.
'Why the weapon?'
Tina smiled at the dark lady. 'I trust nobody Well, except Richard'
Katrina walked as if she was being pulled by different people at the same time. Tina stared in utter disbelieve and raised the butt of the gun to hit her on the head.
'Tina?'
She gritted and pushed Katrina forward. Richard was quick to catch her. The lady looked at her as if she was seeing an invention. Katrina rocked forward and backward in Richard's hand, while Tina gripped her gun harder.
'I see that you've been asking for the existence of a spirit. I have come', Katrina mumbled.
'Who is she?' The lady asked Richard with a horrid look on her face.
'She is my oracle. I'll use her', Katrina said as she kept swaying from side to side.
'Who are you? Are you people spies?'
'I am God... I have come to help you'.
'Spies?' Tina sneered. 'Do you people have an iota of sense? How will a spy come bearing a gift to your feet? That's by the way, what do you people do here?'
Katrina, who had returned to another fit of ranting, suddenly snapped up with blood-red eyes. She suddenly began to levitate in the air, and that surprised Richard, who moved back and drew his gun. Katrina barked some incomprehensible words into the air, and suddenly her body moved in that same fashion as the words.
'I told you to let me rip out her guts'.
'Later. Start moving to the car', Richard shouted as the lady, whose countenance had been calm all this while, was suddenly transfixed to a position. Tina moved away to the driver's seat.
'Richard, let's go'.
'We need her back'.
Katrina's hair was suddenly blowing in a hurricane as they began to gather around her and make him have the same feelings the first time she started. Richard had never seen such act, even in movies.
'Grousters, catch these two. They will be sacrificed. I am God. I have seen your desire to know of the existence of something else in this world. I am the one you need to know'.
The people who had begun to gather to watch the mysteries of Katrina shouted excitedly and sprang forward to catch Richard and Tina. The only person that still watched curiously was the young lady in the long gown. Richard dove for the car, and scurried into it. The people were hot on their chase.
'This is cool', he said and heaved as they ran out of the estate. Within a few minutes, a wild range of cars had taken over the road in pursuit of them.
Tina's hands looked rigid as she sped off. Richard hurriedly switched on the music board and played her favorite rock songs. She grinned and twisted her head as her rigid face suddenly loosened up.
'Yeah', she screamed and stepped on the accelerator. If Richard had seen her before in her rage, he was sure she just upgraded her version.
Richard flipped the company's intercom and sent a distress message to the whole board. They were to help them. The protocol provided that at the advent of any major outbreak all agents should be informed and be prepared for it. Immediately he sent it, Tina's phone vibrated on the dashboard.
He was sure that whatever the world was facing before would soon become bigger. The little battle that had been going on between the authorities and Grousters had suddenly become a full-fledged war. They've received a new leader. One that is led by something he couldn't fathom.
After a little deceit, they lost their pursuers. Richard, so tired, sent another message to their computer analysts that he needed the information about the place the tracker was coming from. She sent it to him, and he saw the shock of his life.
'Where is it?' Tina asked. He showed her. She stopped typing into the security machines and stared into the pad.
'Is that not.?' Richard asked.
'Yes. It is'
'They are at the mountain near the Centre of Rulership', he said and became numb.
'No. Can you see those waves? They are underwater, very far from the Centre of Rulership. The Centre is just a landmark'.
'Can we ever penetrate that place?' He asked as the door slammed, which indicated that no one could enter the place or go out within the next 24 hours.
Immediately the door slammed behind them and the beeping tone of the security machines ceased after she stopped pressing it, he headed for one of the numerous rooms in their hideout.
'Sweetie, switch off the light', Tina shouted.
He turned just in time to see her hand unbutton the last button of her dress three feet from him. She planted a kiss on his lips, and didn't stop at that.
'I had been trying to reserve myself for you', she whispered into his ears. 'Until you were ready'
He was so stunned to make any move, to push her away or flee from her touches and kisses. She stopped and moved back. He stood still, panting as if fire was gaining momentum in his stomach.
'What have you done?' He growled.
'Nothing. Sweetie, lights on', she said as she walked away.
He rushed to her and broke his words. If they would die very soon from the coming war, he had better break his promises. As if she expected it, she turned in time to see him lift her and plant a kiss on her lips. She giggled and shouted, 'Sweetie.... Lights out'.

Chatminee, don't miss this


16 Zombied
Carl was still angry at the way Sonia had sent him away along with the others. After Diana sent them all away, Sonia had bossed them away and ranted on how they were supposed to have remained in the place designated for them. She said they were lucky that Diana had to overlook their stupidity. Fred almost fought her, but had to caution himself when she promised to send him to a trial room. According to her, this room would make them wish she had sent them to the punishment room because she would make them go through pain beyond their knowledge.
They settled in the room and discussed their disappointment on how things were done in Etyes. They took their baths, while they learnt from Regina how to use the voice activation to call for a change of clothes.
Later, Carl gathered them together, and they began to discuss how to get away from Etyes. There was no way they would endure more of the trouble. The people with him were geeks, and they could notice things he couldn't. They all promised to do things he mapped out, and didn't stop talking until a robotic voice announced over the P.A System: All Peacelearners meet your leaders for orientation within 8 minutes at the training center'.
They all rushed out, and took the elevator. When they got down, they met others rushing and shouting from different parts of the building. Carl also ran with his might, and rushed into Iris. She yelled and fell. Carl also yelled his surprise.
'Carl, oh I'm so happy to be here', she said and flung her arms around him. He hugged her too, but their time was gradually counting down, so he drew her away.
'Run with me'.
'Not too fast'.
'Fred', she called.
'I'm here', a panting Fred shouted.
'Good'.
'Hi', Regina said sarcastically.
'Of course, I remember you. Good to see you all again'.
'Yes. I wish I could give you a group hug', Regina said as they all ran on.
'Yea A group hug would have been nice'.
'How did you get back?' Regina asked.
'Joyce saved me'.
'Where is she?' Carl said as he jumped after Iris pointed a trap to him.
'Joyce ran off to meet her handler'.
'Selfish as always'.
'Hey Regina, that's my girlfriend'.
'Then, train her'.
'Guys Run The time', Fred called.
They glanced up at the time and saw it counting down to its 2nd minute and 58th seconds.
'We'd better hurry before I am tempted to abuse her self-centeredness', Regina shouted.
They ran into the center of the field, and began to readjust to stand in the presence of their handlers. He stood before a stone-faced Sonia. She stared at the top of their heads as if they weren't there, as if she wasn't seeing them. Carl looked around and waited some minutes before he moved nearer to her.
'Where's Joyce?'
'She is with Diana'.
'Doing what?'
'You don't want to know what I know until you need to know what I know'.
'I don't want to know what you know', Carl said and stared at her scornfully.
'Will you shut up?'
'I'm not shutting anything up. You backstabbing bastard'.
'Well, it takes one to know one-.'
'What? How do you mean? I've never betrayed anyone'.
The computer relayed a long boring information that made Carl tired. He had never known he could be in such state of hopelessness. Afterwards, it directed them to a place in the hall. The handlers led the way, and Carl grudgingly followed his. Every one of them had a room to themselves.
As soon as they entered the room, Sonia locked the door, and stared at him longingly.
'Oh! How I long to be in your arms, but I can't. Sit on the chair'.
Carl looked around her and everything that was in the little room. It was a simple room painted white and had a little camera in the room, but unlike the others Carl had been seeing in the whole place, no red light blinked from this one. Well, he didn't know anything about cameras.
'Sit down for crying out loud'.
'I'm not...'
'Sit down or I'll be forced to send you to the trial room'.
He sat on the chair and she gave him a pair of dark shade glasses. It had two small pieces. Immediately he wore it, she fixed the earpieces into his ears, pressed the side of the glasses, and a video began to play.
'Welcome to the truth. We live in a world that has its truth altered. This world was not only destroyed by Aliens as you have been told. It was destroyed by human's worship of them. As you can see...'
The videos showed people bowing down in secluded places. Some of them in a place with a star and a moon. Another bowing down to molded images. Some were in a building that had a medium size cross placed on it. Some of the places the people were had the image of a man on the cross. Many of them counted a thing that looked beads strung into a thread. Some others burnt candles and looked different, weird, and awkward. He couldnt fully fathom what they were doing, but if that was how people lived in the former world, it was definitely scary.
'Each of these people saw different Aliens and called them by different names such as God, Allah, Zeus and so many other names that always ignited a sense of followership among the people of the earth. The leaders of the present earth saw it best to exterminate the aliens, but the adults wouldn't agree. They caused a great war that made some people from the former world rise up to the task of putting this evil away. And these aliens have been exterminated. But they always have a way of coming back. They arise when the nations begin to have a belief in the existence of these aliens. This is why we are the Peacemakers. We were built to eradicate these things. However, the Peacemakers also can fall into the temptation of falling for this problem like the humans. And for this reason, the Peacemakers have created an order to make everyone not have a wisp of what is happening. That is why everyone is going through a test. After the Peacelearner's test, you'll be trained for the next stage. But for now, you need to go through a mind adaptation test'.
Sonia made him lie down, she moved closer, pointing a small sweet towards his mouth. He glared at her. She opened her mouth. He opened his mouth, and she dipped the sweet into it, which he licked for a moment and then chewed.
'Close your eyes'.
'Why?'
'You need to go through that test...
'Why?'
'If not, you will be killed.'
'But...Won't I be sent to the punishment room?'
'No. You have to go through the test and pass it so that they will know your mind is ready'.
'I prefer...'
'Carl, they will kill you and your stubbornness'.
'Then, I'll take it'.
Sonia moved closer and whispered as she brought the needle closer to him. 'I love you. This is what will happen. You will be a zombie for a while, their zombie, doing everything they say'.
Carl eyes riveted around. 'Are you kid...For real? Stop this joke'.
'I'm not ...But that was why I gave you that sweet in your mouth. It will neutralize everything'.
'Do it'.
She plugged the needle into his neck. He felt his brain being zapped and he couldn't feel anything except the taste of the sweet on his tongue.
'He is ready', she shouted.
'Troublefinder, withdraw your gun'.
Sonia closed her eyes and turned to the wall. She tapped it repeatedly, and a part of it came out. A gun appeared on what looked like a tray. She grabbed it and pointed it at him.
She mouthed, 'be a zombie. Be a Zombie'.
'Peacelearner, jump', the computer ordered.
Carl stared at her. She shook her lips. Carl jumped.
'Peacelearner, sit'.
Carl sat. She closed her eyes and when it opened, tears lingered in it.
'Peacelearner is ready. Take him to the building for studies'.
'Follow me'.
When they got out, Carl saw many of the others moving about like drones. Immediately they got out, some other people too had the same look as his. That showed that there were others that weren't also affected. Within a few minutes, all the Peacelearners were looking normal and were looking about, wondering what had happened to them.
'What's happened there? Why did my brain suddenly numb or something?'
'That was the drug from the needle I plugged into your skin. The sweet I gave you made you sane again', Sonia said and led the way. 'It takes one to know one. I know Not for now. But be prepared. You were made for a greater purpose. Me and you'.

Here we have it..

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1. Centino- 24 votes
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Fazemood:
My o my Divepen1, this sh!t is getting nicer. Make them rain more updates bro

.. Thanks.. Coming your way soon

queenitee:
Ooh, Ooh, Ooh.

Oh oh..oh

15 Law of Power
Carl was perplexed when he saw Sonia running up to him. Joyce wondered how she could make the foolish girl pay for making her boyfriend angry always.
'What do you want to...?' She said as she glanced from one face to another before finally staring at Carl.
'Calm down', Sonia said.
She was skeptical about Sonia showing up at that time.
'You people need to get away from here', Sonia urged.
'We are not going...'Carl sneered at her.
'Parade would be here soon and you all would be in trouble'.
'Then, let's leave this crazy place', Fred said as he fled from her. He resented being near her. Maybe the next day would show him as forgiving but for now, his anger was still at its peak.
'You would have to go without Joyce', Diana said as she walked towards them. Joyce held her breath. Diana was coming again and she couldn't help staring at her with her mouth agape.
'The rest of you would go, she would meet you. You people need to eat and get ready for whatever is coming'.
Sonia guided them away. Joyce was afraid of being alone with the one they all saw as a prodigy. She watched them till they were gone. If not for the big smile on Diana's face, her mind would have exploded in fear, admiration, and joy of being in the presence of Diana. She looked like one that could destroy the world in ten minutes, especially as her ponytail dangled behind her.
'I need you with me. I know it's too early, that you only arrived at this place this week, but I can't let this opportunity slip from me'.
Joyce could only nod in reply.
'Follow me', Diana said and clambered into a cave, and she followed her. Some guards rushed towards the place they just left, stared at different spots, and left when they didn't see anything. The corner was deeply buried in the rock that surrounded the place. If one didn't look from the top of the rock, one wouldn't see the cave.
'Stay here'.
Joyce sat up and watched Diana rush off the edge. Time began to fly like the birds of the field. She hummed tunes of Beethoven and wished she was given at least her trombone. She would do anything to leave the place to get her instruments.
Some minutes later, Diana jumped into the hole, with a backpack. She pointed at the ground that led to the train. Joyce stared at the ground, and hoped to see anything worth her time.
'We all have to leave this place', Diana said.
Joyce was surprised. She never knew that even the dreaded Diana wished to leave the mysterious place.
'Where are we?'
'No one knows. It's one thing that the idiots saved our lives or our ancestor's lives, now, they are bent on kidnapping us into a place none of us had ever been to'.
'At least, they should inform you'.
'That's the problem. I don't care. None of those that were given the opportunity to leave have ever returned. Many of them are in the Punishment room, maybe because they talked'.
'So what do we do?'
'I have all that is needed to escape this place. Except one thing - Someone that could teach us how to climb out of this mess. That Iris of a girl can do that, and I need you to help. Now, before you ask me what you would gain, you would get a chance to be a part of my team, the deepest secret gatherers of Grousters'.
'Grousters? You'
'No time. Follow me'.
Joyce climbed down after Diana, who stopped as soon as they got to the edge of the cave. Diana detailed how she should use the objects in the bags.
'Can you remember that Iris' face'.
'Not really, but the pad would help me, right?
'Yes'.
They stared at the field once more. Joyce inhaled loudly as she hoped she would be able to survive the place she dreaded most for now.
'Wait...' Diana said as she brought out a picture cut out from a magazine. Joyce stared at the face of the man, and wondered how she wouldn't remember it. She had seen him on the television set for long, and had always dreamt of having the same affluence and authority with which he spoke.
'I know him'
Diana stared at her.
'Yes, I know him'.
'Who is he?'
'Second in Command of the world. Is he in the punishment room?'
'You'll look for him, tell him you're Joyce...'
She nodded.
'And find Iris'.
She nodded and walked with trepidation towards the ground, and saw the feathery objects moving about. Why did she agree to be a part of the craziness that Diana had hatched? She was plunging herself into something crazy for the second time and it was beautiful. At least, if she helped them get out of the place, it would help her CV with Blanj if she ever sought for a job at their place.
Immediately she stepped on the edge of the forbidden field, she fell through, screaming all the way. The Punishment was built in such a way that falling was like falling through a pipe to the floor, so the impact wasn't always too much to bear, and the ground too always seemed as soft as a bed at first impact. She wished she could get out immediately because the stench in that place acted like Zombies. They feasted on one's sanity and breath.
She clasped her hand on her nose and would have puked if she didn't hit someone who exclaimed. Hurriedly, she wore the goggles and retrieved the map Diana gave her, which could only be read with night vision goggles like the one she wore, and began to study her time. She checked the time to be sure she wouldn't be surprised with a flood. The timer indicated that she had only 15 seconds left to avoid it. According to Diana, they flooded the place once a day.
She hurriedly unwrapped her bag and brought out a neatly folded blanket. She never imagined that this was what those in the punishment room were enduring. Many of them stood still for fear of being fallen on or kicked. What if she had stayed back?
Immediately the flood came like rain, people lifted their hands, and some of them hurriedly removed their clothes. The rain fell for ten minutes. Many of them scrubbed their body. Joyce watched them in despair. They were really in a world that no human being should be subjected to.
People were wailing and making different types of plea for escape. After the rain stopped, the place was suddenly cold, but a warm air began to blow from the top. When she looked up, after removing the blanket, she saw many of them fiddling with the clothes, trying to wear it again. Someone at another end was squeezing the cloth.
She traced where she was on the map and began her journey through the place. As she progressed, she noticed that some people formed a line at a place and had their clothes tied together, she paused to see what they were up to and she was lucky to have stopped because suddenly heavy, packed objects rained on the ground, and on people. A lot of the packed objects fell into the place the people had formed a line. She scanned the whole area to know how the others were reacting, but was met with an empty space. She looked up. Those who were hit by these packed objects didn't cry; instead, they carried the objects and found their way from the side.
'It's here', someone screamed and people scattered towards the place she was standing. They hurried as if the packs would disintegrate if they didn't touch it in time. She scrambled out of the way.
'Let us go', someone shouted but the men that guided the place had a rod that had been wrung from different plastics plate, which they flung from side to side.
'We don't need to go through all this trouble. We all know the plan', a lady's voice shouted. 'We do know the plan'.
The people grumbled as they stopped on their track. Joyce knew her. Joyce knew who she was and felt mad at her. The lady compelled them to leave the tunnel, but was still in the punishment room. Joyce felt obliged to tell her how to do it, but Diana warned her not to let any other person know about her presence in that place. She still recognized the voice anywhere. She peeped and saw that the girl was huge. If she was put up against the girl, she would be crushed by the girl immediately.
'Please, the food is not enough for breakfast', someone yelled.
'Would you rather you don't have access to it?'
'You're dead...'
'Well, I can show you things worse than death'.
The man tried to move towards her but by a strange means, four of her men pulled the man away, and dragged him towards the rail, and within seconds he was screaming as he was thrown over the rail. People looked back at the rail in fear. They didn't know how deep the ground was but they knew it was something they should be afraid of. Joyce knew she had to tell this girl. However, when she saw what the lady made those hefty young guys do, she had to rethink what she planned. These people remained in darkness because of their fear. She felt like telling them to all move towards the rail that the days they've spent in despair was enough, that they needed to plunge themselves into the darkness, of course not as fools, but with highly calculated steps.
So, she decided to move out of the reach of those hefty guys swinging the plastic rod. However, when she saw her handler crying terribly, seated in a folded manner, she wondered how it would be that if she was still in that place. She couldn't even fathom how the life in the place was.
'I'll get you food', she whispered into her handler's ear.
'Who is that?''
'I'm... I want to help you'.
'How will you help me when everything is dark? I should die, and I've thought about jumping over the rail like some did but I couldn't muster the courage to do it. I am in a serious mess. How will people be cruel to dump us here? I never asked for this'.
'I don't know the answer to all these questions, but let me get you something to eat'.
'How will you help me? Every man is for himself. When I tried to get there, the hefty men threw us back, and I don't know how they do but they ration our food... Our already rationed food. I'm tired. Can you kill me?'
'Not me...'
'Then, leave me...' her handler said, and tried to crawl through the legs of the hefty men again, but was kicked in the chin before Joyce could even pull her back or stop her. Her handler moaned and winced as she tended to her wound.
'Leave it to me'.
Her handler looked perplexed and stared unfocused into the darkness. 'How do you know what I'm doing?'
'Don't worry'.
'Who are you?'
'Don't worry'.
Joyce crawled through the blind spot of the hefty guys, and brought food for her handler. She saw the joy on her handler's face, and smiled. She wanted to proceed with her mission, but thought otherwise, she returned and took a handful of food. Then, she shared it to those crying desperately for food. But before she gave them the food she would whisper, 'don't shout, and don't tell anyone'.
The people she helped were disobedient, they would rejoice and run to inform others. Many people began to pass the information to another. Within few minutes of doing this, a lot of people had thronged towards the place. The food guards noticed the bustle among them, and tightened their formation. Joyce wished she had all the time or the opportunity to always return there to help people out of the place. But she couldn't waste another time, so she sneaked in again and packed a lot of food for the lady, then she returned to pack more. When she was sure she wouldn't return there, she picked one of the food and flung it at the authoritative lady, who sprung from her sitting position and yelled in pain.
'My People...I told you we are not alone in this world. I told you', someone shouted excitedly. 'Someone is here. People have told of other presence, but now you all can believe it. A female powerful thing is here among us'.
Joyce stared at the man and knew he must be another person living in the belief that something different from humans was living in the world with them. He was a Grouster. How come they brought a Grouster as a recruit to their secret place? She always wanted to believe that another thing was with them in the world, the only thing that could make her believe in this invisible things would be if her parents materialized.
'Something gave me food', someone yelled beside her.
'Me too'.
People began to shout 'me too'. Tears welled in her eyes as she was happy that she did something good for the first time in her life. Sometimes, doing illegal things always opened one to the pain others were enduring. That was the reason she wanted to be a P.I. As a P.I, she could legally do illegal things to help others. Her handler shouted, 'me too'.
Their shout made the hefty guys readjust to ensure no one was stealing food without their notice. The authoritative lady cried as she nursed the place she was hurt, but Joyce knew she needed to find the man and Iris. She held one pack of food for Iris.
She brought out the map and stared at her direction, the man was the nearest. Diana had made others invisible. The only chips she saw were hers, which was colored pink; Iris', which was colored blue; and the man's own which was colored red. She met him seated dejectedly in a corner. She perched beside him.
'Sir, my name is Joyce. Diana sent me'
The man's head sprung up with a certain delight.
'Joyce. My Joyce. Oh, God! At last...'
She was surprised. Diana never told her she would meet any surprises down here. There was no prior training.
'Come Let me feel you Are you with the goggles?'
'Yes. You know about it?'
'Bring it'.
'Why should I give you?'
'I'm your father'.
That was impossible. She was perplexed. 'It can't be'
'I am. I'm sorry I left you alone at that estate'.
'You didn't leave me. I never had a father, and I'll never have a father'
'Who gave you the house? Why did police always leave you whenever you offend? They all work for me'.
'You...I don't have a father'.
'I am your father'.
Joyce couldn't hold herself any longer. She burst into tears, and her body rocked.
'I'm sorry. If they knew you were alive, they would kill you'.
'That was impossible. You could have protected me'.
'I'm sorry. I should have found a means but I didn't know whom to trust'.
'You Left me alone'
'I'm sorry. Even your mother, she didn't know you survived after some men collected you from her'.
'Which men?'
'The details are too much'.
'I want to know...'
'My people...You can't understand everything now...'
Someone came up to them. Joyce turned and shifted out of her way. It was her handler. 'Sir! I've brought your food'.
Her father flashed the girl a big beam.
'I got enough for us till the night. It wasn't rationed. I believe now. We're not alone in the world'.
Her father only chuckled. 'You should eat a little'.
'Why? We have enough'.
'Well, it's not every time you will see the thing or person that gave you food'.
'That's right. You know sometimes I wish you can be ridded of those shackles. So that you can save us from the savages', her handler lamented.
'Well, you don't need to wait for my shackles. I know how I can help you with your shackles'.
'What do you mean?'
Her father turned as if he was looking for her. She burst into tears again as she avoided staring at the way her father was locked to the wall.
'Joyce, please help me take this girl away'.
'I... Diana'
'It's just one girl. No one will know'.
'I'm here for another girl. Maybe another time'.
'No. Come up with a plan. You're my daughter. What if she follows you?'
'No. She can't. The authorities must not know I thought you should know all these'.
He glanced at her handler'.
'What do you mean by he should know? Who are you?'
'Nothing. I'm his daughter. And I think I have a plan'.

Thanks all... I'll announce the winner soon...

Lordfave98:
I'm eager to know what eventually happened to Stella,Gladys and the indigenous people of Black town..........
Nice storyline, you got me hooked right 4rm the start

Wait for Part 2...

14 What's God?
Tina moved as if she was levitating. Katrina, still all jittery, walked in their midst in a manner that showed that she feared them and also trusted them than she did those men that were in pursuit of her. They had rested for the whole night to regain their energy, and to make the men after Katrina back down, but they adamantly stayed around, and had their men search most parts of the underground.
'Sweetie, open the garage'.
The gate to their garage flung open. The garage was another place underground that was designed in such a way that one could leave the tunnel through many exit routes. They had made the plan they were about to use even before they created the tunnel. So, they were about to test run it. Richard navigated a drone into the tunnel, and scanned the area for any activities.
'They are stationed at the north but... Wow! These people are everywhere'.
'Then, our plan had better work', Tina said as she strapped her glove on very well. She grabbed her pad and began to type furiously. Suddenly, a car started from the corner of the garage.
'Watch the drones on the left wing'.
The car that rushed towards the left wing, she controlled its movement and the plan worked. Since the car was tinted, the people followed it. The car had been made in such a way that any detector would sense human radiation from the car, deceiving as many that wanted to follow it.
'They are in pursuit...'
'Let me see...'
She moved towards Richard to watch the men pursue the car. Katrina also peeped.
'What?' Tina leered at her, and kept watching. Katrina cringed away.
'Thin...Leave her be'.
Tina stared at the screen and shouted, 'No Don't follow'.
She burst into laughter and squealed delightedly, 'That's not us. Let's give you another “us”'.
The people at the other end began a hot pursuit of their decoy.
'Stage 2', she said as she sent another car in a different direction.
The cars had been programmed for such things as this. They were created to detect any form of gunshot and car coming ahead or anything that required escaping from assailants. Immediately the cars detected the movement of the force, they began to swerve and increase paces at a level that surprised even Richard. They've only planned these things, but he never expected it to be in the same manner as this. Katrina had given them the chance to unleash the greatness they had hoarded all this while.
'Let's go...'
Katrina rushed towards another car.
'Hey! LovePeddler, over here'.
Katrina blinked repeatedly and ran over to their side. Richard opened the door for her.
'Gentleman, why are you bias? Am I smelling something here?' Tina said as she placed her leg on the edge of the opened car.
'Whatever you're smelling shouldn't stop you from focusing on the road'.
'I hope it's just a smell because I don't see the reason you're warming up to her'.
'Are you...For crying out loud, that's....' Richard shook his head and climbed into the car.
Tina hissed and placed her hand on the bag of weapons on their side.
'I just hope it's a whiff of something that won't happen'.
'Keep your smell to yourself and focus on this road'.
'Yes, boss. We both know you're celibate', she kicked the car. 'But I won't be happy if your matriculation is not done by me. If I'm not the first woman that makes you reach cloud 9'.
'Jeez! You're horrible'.
'No. Just a warning to them', Tina said and stared into the rearview.
'The silent treatment'.
'Don't you dare'.
'Watch me'.
'Richard?'
'Ten minutes'.
'Please'.
He removed his earpieces from his pocket and began to listen to music. Then, his mind wandered off to his life with Tina.
With the way she had always disturbed him with the want of an intercourse, he had better run from her need for sex. But, he wasn't pledging any allegiance or anything to her. All he needed right there was to find what was happening around Katrina. They still had a lot of mysteries around to solve. And the first thing they needed was to corroborate her story about seeing where they took those children.
'Richard', Tina shouted and shook his shoulder, her noise overshadowing his music.
He gave her a scornful look. She knew that look and would have backed off, but her demeanor made him know something was wrong. He unplugged his earpieces, and glanced at his wristwatch.
'It's remaining two minutes and 27 seconds. Why did you disturb me?'
'She' Tina looked rattled but not afraid. 'Check her out'.
Richard turned to watch Katrina. She was vibrating terribly, and her eyes rolled up into her eyes. Her iris and pupils were now hidden that the only thing remaining was the white part of her eyes.
'What did you do?' Richard asked.
'Me? I was busy avoiding cameras. I was...Just check her out. I think...Richard, check her out, she is freaking me out'.
Katrina was terribly vibrating. Richard crawled to the back, sat beside her, and held her hands in place. He shook her vigorously. Her teeth were clamped together. She rocked to and fro in the room. He had never seen such thing before. What he was staring at wasn't convulsion, though it had semblance with it. His fear as he touched her was that she wouldn't be an idiot to refer to him as a pervert after the ordeal. He might generously give Tina the chance to remove her teeth.
'Calm down...'
Her breath became hyperventilated. He wasn't one to break a sweat on anything, and he wouldn't be doing that now, but what she was doing made the hair on his body rise. The car suddenly had an unexplainable feeling that made the hair on his body rise, and his head had a feeling as if it was expanding.
'The time is unleashing. The new one would be born. The chaos of the past would return. My truth would not be oppressed. For I am God!'
'What did she say?'
'I don't knowWho the...Who is God?' Richard asked as he, against his wish, held her bare thighs in place.
'There would be retribution. The nations shall return to worship me', Katrina said.
'Worsh- what?' Tina said as she focused on the road.' Richard. Do something about it. I will put a bullet in her cranium'.
'I'm trying...'
'She's freaking me out!' Tina screamed.
'Shut up, you, vile woman. Come to me. I have plans for you. I will make you a vessel useful for me in the coming of my reign. The body of Mitchel would be exhumed soon unless you follow my orders, you vile and smelling maggot'.
Tina sat up. She was rattled and surprised at what Katrina was saying.
'What is she talking about?' Richard asked as he now had to disregard his fear to grab Katrina by the shoulders.
Tina was silent. Then, she swerved the car to the side of the road, jumped out of the car and opened the door of the back seat. With extraneous vigor, she pulled Katrina away.
'You bastard! You are not to put me under control'.
'Tina-'
'How dare you rough handle my servant? You will face my wrath', said Katrina, who still seemed blank.
'Servant to whom?'
'I am God'.
'What's God?'
Katrina or whatever was in her laughed hysterically. 'I created this world'.
Richard looked at Katrina for sometimes. Then they stared at one another. 'What world?'
'This world'.
Tina looked at her for sometimes and slapped her face. 'Stop uttering poo. This is...How do you come with such ridiculous claim?'
She brushed Richard's hand away as she held on to the vibrating woman, who went into a bout of speaking incomprehensible words. That couldn't be English, the only Language. Richard had never encountered or gotten information about any other language in the world. He watched with awe as Katrina rolled out of Tina's reach.
'I am God. I know all things and this is my servant. Take her to the base of my servants or I will guide the steps of the authority to the place you buried Mitchel'.
Richard had been staring for a while, he knew only one Mitchel. She was the wife of the second world leader, whom the world had been searching for due to her sudden disappearance.
'You? Wow! Mitchel'.
Tina was embarrassed and her hand slacked to allow Katrina slouch. Richard would have gone to catch her, but for some absurd reason she was still standing, grunting and speaking incomprehensibly.
'Oh! I should have known. The ...WowThat was good'.
'Really? You think it's good'.
'I don't know why you killed her, and I'm not sure I'll like to know why, but I think you're a genius'.
Tears welled in her eyes. She jumped on him and sucked his breath with her kiss. He had never had such encounter. Everything in him suddenly became hot.
He should push her away, but his hand couldn't move and she wasn't stopping. She was crying and kissing him.
'I love you'.
Then she laughed and withdrew and sighed. 'Wow! I've been dying to do that'.
'Which of them? Kiss me or tell me?'
'Both'.
'Human...'
Richard returned to his senses about the shaking Katrina: That moment with Tina was surprisingly good. He wiped his lips as if doing that should remove that thought of kissing Tina from him. However, whatever thought he must have had before, Katrina's statement was definitely surprising. She had been using vocabularies he had never come across. He loved reading the dictionary a lot, but he had never encountered the word “Worship”, “God”. Maybe those were some slangs among prostitutes.
'Human?'
'You. I'll be back. Take her to Queen's house'.
Katrina suddenly became weak and slumped to the ground.
Richard hurried to her side and lifted her into the car. She laid still with a dusty body. Tina would have had to kill her for doing that, but the rattling news from Katrina must have really gotten to her. She must have assumed no one would ever know. In silence, they entered the car too and drove off the road.
When Katrina woke she stared about. 'Are you kidding me? Where are we?'
'Did you remember what happened?'
Katrina looked puzzled. 'What happened? We were running from those gunmen, and how did Dust. Is this seat dusty?'
'You started doing something', Richard said.
'Vibrating like a phone and how do you know about Mitchel?'
'Mitchel Who is Mitchel?'
Tina and Richard shared a side glance.

queenitee:
Arrgh, punishment room

Loll

Fazemood:
Iris is truly smart. I am sure she would make it out of that purnishment room on her own. Nice updates Brother.

Thanks boss...
Let's watch and see...

13 The Missing keys
Diana should have gone back to sleep, but she herself knew, like everyone around her, that she was a workaholic, that she was hardwired to work. However, since it wasn't duty time, she still had the time to herself. By this time, she wanted someone she could trust. The people she could trust in the organization were becoming many, but they were amateur and skeptical. More so, if any of them were caught or sent into the punishment room, they wouldn't know how to escape. Joyce was the only person capable of carrying out such feat, the only known person to come out of the place without any aid was a greenhorn. Her philosophy and desire were too new and should be tainted slowly, over time. It would be a rookie move to overwhelm her with too much of information at that time. The only person she had with her was a Sonia that wasn't ready to come to her side, to fight her cause with her. Sonia kept doing her bidding, but preferred to choose no side.
'Sonia, meet me at the spot', she said as she passed Sonia by the passage.
She trudged away, assured that Sonia would come even though she would come ranting. However, that was normal for her. Luckily for her, no one would know that Sonia was her weak point. They might kill the world and everything in it; yet, she wouldn't blink an eyelid. More so, with the type of training she had gotten, Sonia would vanquish anybody, no matter how skillful the person was.
Diana crouched inside the cave they always hid, and calculated her steps on the path to the train with a binoculars fixed on her face. If only she could get to the train, she would find answers about her father. No one had ever crossed the path before, and she would give anything to be first to ever try it. However, that is one system with a foolish algorithm, one she wished with all mind to know, even if it was the only knowledge she had. They must get outside soon to let the world know that things were different. She had been making plans for 12 years, and her patience was crumbling. All parts of her plans were ready, but the only thing keeping them was the way past the train. If they tried using those flying cars, they wouldn't go far.
The ground around her scratched. She bent her head to the side to watch from the corner of her eyes as Sonia crouched beside her.
'Tell me something', Sonia said as she brought out a small knife and trimmed her fingernails with it. 'Were you sent to Etyes to disturb my life? You know if I enter the punishment room, I won't be able to get out'.
'Do you see the pattern with which the ground is moving?'
'Yes. It's such that it's impossible to calculate. Did you hear me at all?'
'No. It's not impossible to pass through. All we need is our ability to pass through without any fear', Diana said and was focused on calculating the pattern. 'And I trained you to be better. You can't fall there'.
'This is Etyes, Diana'.
'Mother'.
'Arghh! Mother? How do you come up with all these ridiculous titles for yourself?'
'Well, yesterday I was your teacher. You're the closest thing to me. So I'm your mother'.
'For your information, I should be the mother here. I've been saving you all these times'.
Diana chuckled. Sonia was talking about a day they were both trying to sneak into the train. Diana slipped into one of the holes that led to the punishment room and might have remained there if Sonia hadn't caught her hand.
'Well, that's what daughters do for their mothers', Diana mumbled. 'This thing. I think it changes pattern every time.'
'How? Why do you think so?'
'Look at that tiny feather object', Diana said and handed her the second binoculars, and concentrated on the shifting pattern.
Sonia looked at the ground through the binocular. 'There are a lot of feathery objects there'.
'The red one'.
Suddenly, someone smashed the camera that faced the train. Diana was startled. Sonia chuckled.
'I'll remember that'.
'You're laughing at your mother. What is that?'
They peeped to see some Peacelearners sneaking towards the train. They were led by a boy that had blond hair. They were people from different countries.
'Newbies', Diana grumbled as she steadied herself.
'You should stop them'.
'No. I'm intrigued. I need one of them for my cause. At least if you won't join me, you can help me pick'.
'I'm not joining you or any other cause. I want another opportunity to escape this nowhere'.
'I know Who doesn't? But they are everywhere'.
Sonia sighed. Diana rubbed her back. Sonia rarely had a reason to be sad but the knowledge of the fact they were stuck with these people always made her relapse into the tears and sadness of their first year. Diana tapped her gently and drew her head to her chest.
'Don't cry, daughter'.
Sonia, who was already feeling comforted, pulled away and gave her a curt look.
Diana hissed. 'Prodigal daughter. You'll come around'.
The nine Peacelearners were trying as hard as they could to avoid causing an uproar or making any disturbance, and they did amaze her with their orderliness. The blond really organized their activities well.
'Let's make a bet', she said as she turned to Sonia. 'None of them would make it'.
'That's cheating. You know that's my line'.
Diana stuck her tongue at her. 'You're left with the other line'.
'I will pick...' She said and pointed at no one in particular. Her pointed finger oscillated from one end to the other. She picked the boy with blond.
'They will be sucked into the punishment room'.
'So sad. But I trust that any day you make it there, you'll get back here'.
Sonia shook her head. 'Well, it was once an impossible mission but since Joyce had done it, it's now a difficult one'.
'I know. That place is horrible and clogged with hopeless, wretched people. Many of them would die there, I watched one of them die today'.
'You what? So you went there today and didn't tell me'.
'I'm doing that already'.
'No. You're not'.
'Yes, I am. See See They are...'
'They are climbing it. They are still standing'.
'How did they?
'The blond guy...'
'Not that', a girl yelled at the blond guy. The girl stood at the edge of what looked like a pit. The part with the feathery objects was like a round hole that was built in such a way that even the sides were touching the wall that would lead there. There were walls fencing this hole. The fences were rigged with electricity that one would never have a reason to touch it. Moreover, big signs were placed there, indicating 'DANGER'.
At this time, the feathery objects that were moving at a normal speed had increase momentum. The colors were now getting mixed together.
The blond shouted something incoherent, shook his head, and stepped on the ground that looked like a plain floor, one without the feather. The ground opened and he slipped through, yelling. The others stood still in their positions. One of them yelled and ran back, but didn't have to go far before falling into the ground. The ground was now opening and closing intermittently, exciting Diana's frustration. The others, seeing this new progression, fidgeted and did stupid things. The girl at the edge yelled at them, and climbed the field also. She yelled instructions at them, but they were too fretful to listen to her. All of them, except a boy who was too stunned to move.
'This is like a movie', Diana said. 'I wished they allowed us get things out of the dining hall or that I sneaked some out, I could be munching chocolate or popcorn'.
'I wished I was still in the freshmen hall'.
'See...'
The girl shouted something inaudible and pointed at a place. The boy in front of it, jittering, stepped on somewhere else, and was soon wailing as he was sucked by the hole.
'No... Not...' The girl screamed. She clawed at the air as if she could pull him with her white hands. Despite her glaring desire to help the boy, she stood in the same place as if she was standing on a mine, and that a little movement would forfeit her existence. The girl glared at the field in front of her and took decisive steps towards the train. Diana sat up, tightened her grip on Sonia's hand, and sighed the moment the girl stepped on another part of the ground.
'Iris', someone shouted as other footsteps disturbed the graveness of the place.
The girl turned. 'Get back'.
Carl spread his arms to stop the others as they seemed to run irrationally.
'You get back. I need to see this through'.
'How did you do that?' A fat guy shouted.
'The Mumbled Jack Game', she yelled and as she looked around as if she was looking for another route to the next step.
'Mumbled Jack. Mumbled Jack?' The fat guy said and edged forward. 'I never loved that game, but how does it work'
'Get back, Iris', Carl shouted.
'I need to' She said as she shifted her weight. The little movement caused the ground to open, and Diana inhaled loudly.
Iris didn't finish saying what she was saying before she fell. Sonia sighed.
'Yes, I know. I won', Diana said.
'We just lost the only person that seemed to understand the way out of this hole', Sonia said and slept on the ground, staring at the roof of the cave. 'We lost her again'.
'From my own view, I don't think so'.
'How?'
'I think They seem to be friends'.
Sonia looked at her with realization and sprang up. 'The team. That's the girl that escaped'.
'She has a name'.
'I don't care'.
'Why won't you care...? You're in charge of her'.
Sonia inhaled loudly and looked away.
'No', Diana said as she began to giggle. 'You're in love. You're in love. WowOur relationship has bestowed you with the ability to love something'.
'I don't want to talk about it We need Joyce and that Iris of a girl'.
Diana nodded. 'Meanwhile, you lost our bet. You know the next line'.
Sonia hissed as she got ready to leave their corner. The last time Sonia won, she made Diana do something nice to one of the Peacelearners. But now it was her turn, she had to do something horrible to someone she really loves. Although it was painful, Sonia had to do something to Carl that Diana loved. He looked like someone that could come out of Sonia's evil unscathed.
'Carl'.
'NoNot him', Diana said and gave her cold glare.
'Sorry, daughter', Sonia said in a singsong manner. 'You can't have it both ways'.
Diana closed her eyes for a brief moment, shrugged and stuck out her tongue. 'We would both bear the brunt'.
Sonia grunted.
'You need to be fast about getting that girl out of that room', Diana called after her.
'I will, Mother'.

12 Selfishness or Safety?
Carl sat still as he watched the big tower the Peacelearners referred to as their home. If he tried to compare it to any of the buildings he had seen in that place, there was no way he would successfully compare it. The building on its own looked like a bone that was buried for years and was only excavated because they needed a place to stay. Compared to the numerous beautiful houses in the place, the house was shambles. Its body crawled with cracks that would make anyone aware that it would crumble anytime soon.
'He would come', Joyce said, pulling him out of his fear. They were both seated on a crooked stone bench that was placed outside their new home. She informed him that she had finally become a P.I without training. Her mission there was to discover where they were. She also told him how she handled the situation they were supposed to solve together.
He wouldn't agree that Etyes was their new home. It seemed almost everyone in that place wanted to leave the unknown place, but many of them couldn't dare try to leave after witnessing all they had seen. He wouldn't want to be irrational in trying to escape. It had to take a lot of time and planning. He had to team up with his people to make the best plan. Joyce was one person he didn't think he needed until he saw her. The others were good with a different aspect of life, except of course, Iris, whom he wasn't sure could do anything.
Carl looked about him to be sure they were alone. 'So, what if something happens to him?'
She shrugged, 'then we will find a way out of this hole'.
Carl looked about him skeptically. He didn't believe in anyone being the hero for him. Nothing worked best than clawing his way out of that place.
'Have we been told why they brought us here?'
He shook his head.
'Then, we are so screwed'.
'Let's go up. I think they've all gone before us, you just have to be careful around Regina because she can make you mad at the slightest thing'.
They had been waiting for the others. But it occurred to him that by the time they finished running, the others were gone.
'Maybe', Joyce said as she rose from the bench to follow him. She glanced at the field one more time 'Is that...Is that not Freddy?'
Carl turned. Fred was trudging his way towards them.
'Freddy', Joyce cried and ran to hug him. He expressed a short form of excitement, then receded to his weary gloomy countenance.
'Freddy! Oh God I never knew you were brought here'.
'Yes, I was and I'm so dying to leave here', he said amidst his heavy pants.
'What happened to you?' Joyce asked him as she cushioned his back with her hand.
'I ran 20 laps I ran 20 long laps'.
Carl nodded. 'So did we'.
Fred gave him a curt look. 'Sonia caused it. Remember my handler said I should imitate her instructions? He noticed that you were given 20 laps instead of the original 10'.
Carl nodded. 'So he made you...'
'Do 20. He wants to kill me. I thought I liked him, but now I'm adding him to my blacklist'.
'You mean we were supposed to do 10 laps'.
'Sorry. But right now, I'm really starving and wouldn't mind eating you', Joyce said dejectedly.
Fred walked away. 'See, I'm tired. I never booked for this. I love this place. But we need to find a way to leave this place'.
Carl looked about as they moved towards the door. 'Someone is coming to help us out of this place'.
'How?'
'J, she has...'
'I have a tracker'
'Wow. Who did it?'
'Blanj'.
'Oh wow. Blanj. Those guys are good. They use some of the craziest sophisticated gadgets in the world'.
Regina popped out of the front door, laughing hard. Carl and Fred wanted to join her in laughing, but Fred looked confused while Carl held his calm. Joyce stared at her as if she was another buzzing bee that must be swatted with a hand fan.
'Guys, you won't believe...' Regina said as she wrapped her hands around Carl's and Fred's neck.
'What's happened'? Fred asked as he seemed to have regained his strength at the sight of her.
'When some guys saw me coming out of the elevator, they tried to enter, but they couldn't enter'.
'Carl, what's this?' Joyce said as she flung Regina's hand away from Carl's neck and pouted.
Regina sprung from where she was, and pushed her way from in-between the boys to face Joyce as if her legs were on fire. 'What's that? Are you crazy?'
Joyce gave her a tough look and edged towards her. The tight uniform made her plump body look massive. 'What will you do? How dare you touch my boyfriend?'
Regina stared at Joyce as if she was a mad woman that had just escaped from the asylum. She shook her head. 'You are crazy. We are all new here. Hello. He's no one's boyfriend. Is it because he is handsome? He has a girlfriend outside this place'.
Carl stepped into their midst. 'Typewriter...'
'No. Baby boy, let me talk some sense into her head. Is this not the new girl that got here this morning? How will she claim you're her boyfriend? Are you nuts? How will you claim he is your boyfriend?'
Joyce glare melted into amusement. She burst into laughter and glanced at Fred. As if her look was contaminable, the others, except Regina, also burst into laughter.
'What's funny?' Regina spun from one side to another. 'Oh! It's a prank'.
Carl laughed. 'No. No. She's my girlfriend'.
Regina stared at Fred who nodded repeatedly. Regina seemed mystified. 'Oh'.
Carl gave Joyce his look that showed that she had overreacted again. She pouted.
'What? I thought she wanted to be with you'. She stared at the sky for a while and finally stared at Regina. 'I'm sorry. I overreacted'.
'Oh! I know people like you. Research has helped me discover that these people tend to lose their love or spouse more'.
Joyce rolled her eyes and dragged Carl away, he calmly pulled her back.
'That means she won't be able to bring her to the top', Carl said and heaved a sigh.
'Bring her to the top? Why are we bringing her? She is coming to stay with us or won't you stay with us?' Regina asked, facing Joyce.
'Of course, I will stay'.
Carl stared at the two ladies. 'Of course. That's not what?'
'Just say you don't want me to come'.
'But I meant that...'
Regina plugged her hands, and pulled her towards the building. 'Whatever! She's coming with us'.
'That's not possible' Carl shouted after them.
Regina waved her hand and pulled Joyce away. Carl stared at Fred who looked puzzled.
'Why will you say that?' Fred stared at him as he trudged towards the door.
'You too?' Carl said and increased his speed. The doorway was filled with people that gathered round.
'Make way', he repeatedly said as he pushed his way through the crowd.
'Leave the way' someone screamed with a pitched voice.
Carl found his way to the front. Different people ran into the elevator. Immediately they entered, it scanned their body, and spat them out again. Many people tried frantically but were always thrown away.
'Get away...' Carl shouted as he began to pull people away from the elevator. 'Get back'.
Yet, they weren't relenting.
'I'm sorry. Listen... Eh, you...Get back', Carl stood in front of the elevator. 'This elevator has the information of those that first saw that top room. That got there first'.
Suddenly, the elevator closed and the wall became just like the regular wall in the broken building. Someone saw this and pushed Carl away from the way. Carl yelled as he spun to hit the person, but he had to jump out of the way as the person ran onward and shouted, 'it will be there'.
The person jumped into the wall, crashed into, fell back, and cried out. Normally, people should be laughing at him but they were desperate and wanted to get to the top along with them. He didn't understand the hunger that made them wish to follow them.
Suddenly, the elevator's door appeared again but this time with a new door standing as the middleman between the frantic people and the elevator. People rushed towards it and they disappeared. After a while, they would be seen rushing from outside the building.
Fred also tried it, and didn't rush back into the building like the others. If Carl had hoped that the people would believe him after Fred didn't return, he was wrong. They decided to trust in their inner self. Many of them believed the elevator was truly for some set of people, and they were also part of those chosen.
Regina pulled Joyce into the elevator, and then it closed on them. Carl waited for the result. Joyce came from outside looking dazed like the other.
'It led me outside'.
'I don't know what to do?'
'It means I won't be with you'.
'I can come to stay with you. That means we would be visiting them regularly'.
She blinked repeatedly. 'I want to be with you too, but what about the others?'
'They can survive it'.
'But can you?'
Carl stared about and held her head. 'I want this. I will be with you.'
She blinked back tears. 'I love you'.
'I do too. I love you like no other'.
'Let me get a few things from the top'.
His hand slipped off as he moved towards the elevator. 'I'll be back'.
She nodded as he watched him hurry into the elevator. Others tried to join him as he forced his way to the front. The desperate ones were pulling at his cloth, and he was so lucky that the Uniform was of a good material. If not, it would have been torn by the force with which the crowd pulled it. The desperate ones jumped through the door, but they never got the chance to enter the elevator because the door had its way of separating the stones from the grain. Seeing a good chance, he jumped through the door, and made someone grunt. However, he didn't have to press the button before it opened.
'Carl. Carl. The time...' Fred shouted, but couldn't complete his sentence before Regina covered his mouth and whispered something into his hear. Fred opened his eyes in realization.
'What's that?' Carl shouted. The crowd was dwindling already, but they still had their way of overcrowding the place.
'Outside...' She dragged Fred away. Carl glanced at Joyce and she followed him. The sky was becoming brighter. Someone followed them, but after Regina yelled at the person, he returned inside.
'The time is reading again.'
'We should tell people...' Fred said.
'No. Our place would be overcrowded', Regina countered.
'What Time?'
'What are they talking about', Joyce asked glancing first at Carl then at Regina and Fred.
'I don't know too. What time Freddy?'
'The time that was counting when we first got there. I think'
'We think it means Joyce can still make it'.
'Seriously?'
Regina nodded. Joyce looked at them curiously.
'That looks good? What's this time all about?'
'I'll explain later'.
'But I'm having the same belief with Regina. I don't think she can make it', Fred muttered.
'Why is that?'
'The time It's just 16 minutes, 30 seconds.'
'Are you kidding me? What are we waiting for?' Carl shouted and pulled Joyce.
'Carl you can't make it', Regina shouted. 'It took us 30 minutes to get to the top the other day'.
'Then we had better run'.
'Carl, wait', Regina shouted. She threw something that looked like a wristwatch at him and winked.
'What's this? Where did you get this?' Carl shouted and turned, pulling Joyce away.
'It's a stop-watch', she shouted. 'I got it at the top'.
Carl ran off and Joyce was at his heel. Some people on the ground stared at them for some seconds then turned towards the elevator as if it was a force that kept calling them deeper.
'Carl, how far up is it?'
'Very far'.
'Then, we are so screwed.'
'Like, seriously'.
They ran up and the only thing Carl could think about was the way things would be if she really got the opportunity to stay with him: the untamed fun they would explore together after pushing the others out of their privacy. Dusts from the cracking house kept pouring down, and he wished it would crumble while they still had their abode there.
'Carl, calm down', Joyce said after a while. Carl glanced back and stopped.
'Okay, let's count one to fifty'.
'This reminds me of the ropes', Joyce said amidst her heavy pants, smiled, and looked away as she strengthened herself with the wall.
Carl stared at her for a while. 'The ropes I don't get...'
'The Janitor's closet'.
'Oh! I'll still find my revenge. I will'
She burst into laughter, and used her free hands to hold her stomach. 'This was the same way I ran that day: I was so excited that I finally overcame you'.
'No one gets rid of me. I'm like that'.
'Yes. You're a Jackhammer, always determined', she said, winking.
He glanced at his stopwatch: 6 minutes 14 seconds. The problem was that he didn't even know how many floors they had climbed. 'We've got to', he nodded towards the top.
As they ran upwards, he remembered how he also ran the day she was talking about. But that was after she was long gone. After many days of asking her out, she invited him to talk with her in the Janitor's closet. He had expected that they would make out. When he got outside, she said she would blindfold him because she wanted to surprise him. And he foolishly agreed. She then blindfolded him and guided him into the closet. When they got there, she suddenly began to tie him, from his head to toe, starting with the hands. He should have restricted, but he assumed it was romantic. Though he knew her to have lived on the streets with the homeless for a while before the government got hold of her, he never expected such behavior from her. But after she told him he was in for a long time, he knew he was doomed. It was Fred that later helped him.
'We are here', he said when it started reading down from 20 seconds.
'We are here?'
'We are here. Go there. Follow me'.
'It's dark'.
'I know'
'I'm afraid...'
'Be fast ...'
He dragged her and they entered the light. Carl turned in time to see the countdown time touching down at 00:00.
'Oh God!' She said, hugged him, and gave him a prolonged kiss amidst the 'oohs' from Regina. 'Thank you'.
'You're here. Fred, they are here'.
Fred hobbled out of the room, beaming. 'But from all indications, you shouldn't or couldn't have made it.'
'I told you if I can get Joyce, I can get anything in the world', Carl said.
Joyce blushed, yet looked weary.
'Welcome to my Janitor's store'.
She nodded as he guided her to a room. 'We will get you something to eat. In fact, we can explore this place together'.
As Carl entered the room, he saw a tiny piece of paper on his bed, created into a size of a bird. On the body was written 'Iris'. He slowly unwrapped it with one hand while he unwrapped a bar of chocolate with the other. That was one of the things others downstairs were missing.
Carl, I've found some geniuses, we are leaving for the train. I'll tell you the outcome later if I ever have the chance to get back- Iris
He sat up and shouted. 'Everyone, come here. We've got to save Iris'.
They rushed outside and he explained himself.
'See, the time is reading again', Fred told Regina who scowled as if the timer offended her.
'Okay. We should tell the others', Regina mumbled and glanced at Fred, who looked triumphant.
'I think this is the last time'.
'How?'
'See... four of four'.
'Forget it. No one else is joining us. This is like...Erm... This is our own estate', Joyce said.
'That's so rich coming from you, after we saved you', Regina said and walked off towards the elevator. 'You're selfish'.

After this story, I'll post ' Lost But Satisfied again"

In my other series.. Well, I'll post them later..

Fazemood:
Wow, I didn't read that. Is it here on NL?

It was here. I'll bring it back...

Fazemood:
Diana is part of the rebel? Hmmm, didn't expect that. She's good, I must comend her.

She's an offspring of a lady called Rachael from my old series..

11 Activating the Key
The moment the alarm rang, Joyce, like everyone in that rickety house, jumped out of her bed. Normally such noise would have meant nothing to her, but having gone through yesterday's ordeal, she knew jumping out of the bed was the wisest thing to do. And true to her imagination, she saw a timer counting down and knew that without further ado that she had to race her way to the venue. Alongside the others, the smelly ones, the lanky ones, the grumpy ones, the fat ones, she ran towards the rendezvous point. Running, for her, wasn't always a problem, but she was too unfortunate the last time to be engrossed in trying to put the details of the place to mind that she didn't see the countdown until it was too late.
The instructions given to her by her handler, whose falling still hurt her, lingered in her mind. The craziest part of this place was her not telling anyone how she got out. She was supposed to have at least a soul she could share the effect the punishment room had on her, and she had to tell anyone who cared how to get away from the place. She didn't even see the other girl that jumped out of the place.
As she watched others slide into the punishment room, she wondered if it would be spacious enough to take everyone that must have fallen into it. The place was built in such a way that anyone who fell into it would surely survive. A lady with blond hair dished out instructions. From the mutterings of people around, she got that her name was Diana.
After Diana told others to meet their handlers, Joyce looked about because she was without a handler. The only place her eyes could rest on was Diana's robot-like face. They both quizzically stared at one another. She could bet all her properties that Diana was a heartless killer. She remained transfixed and was sure that any bad encounter with Diana would have her wetting her pants. Hurriedly, she pulled her eyes away from the Diana.
Then, she caught sight of someone that looked like a lady in their school. The lady was a class above her and Carl. She was always fond of teasing Carl, which Joyce brushed aside as one of those things that were common around Carl. She never cared to note her name because Carl always had a way of making sure his emotions weren't betrayed. Well, except when she was teasing him, she was the only one that had learnt to really crack him up.
Although she didn't trust this lady, she knew the lady had a connection with her being at Etyes. And if the P.I was right, she should expect to see Carl there.
Just then, she saw Carl in front of her. She beamed delightedly and fondled the place the man had inserted the transmitter.
'Someone joined us yesterday, but lost her handler immediately she gained entry into Etyes. So, she needs a new handler', Diana said with a queer excitement that sent cold into Joyce's spine.
The handlers looked up at her. Joyce could swear she saw excitement in their faces.
A hand flung into the air, and Diana, with a straight face, stiffly turned to the owner of hand. 'Yes...?'
'I choose her', the lady from her school pointed at Joyce.
'Erm...' Diana glanced at a notepad. 'Joyce, you have been chosen by the young Sonia'.
She walked towards Sonia and grinned. It doesn't matter what they were to do there, she could survive anything when she was beside Carl. He would do everything to make her stay in line with her. They were in love.
Sonia led them away towards a fenced building. The gate of the building was small, one had to crawl through it. Over this small gate was written 'Peacelearners' Training Ground'. Joyce squeezed Carl's hand as they walked off into whatever was waiting for them. He smiled and closed his eyes.
Everyone walked briskly towards their training ground. Many of the other handlers crawled through the gate, but with such skillfulness that intrigued others. However, Sonia, slid through in such a way that Joyce wondered if she had been training to use that door every day of her life.
When they entered the building, Joyce's mouth opened in such surprise that she had never seen before. Most fields she had seen were usually big, but not so big that one wouldn't see the end. This one was just like that. When they got to the field, they stopped at the edge of the lawn. Lines ran from that edge to the middle of the field and disappeared. She looked up at Carls face, and saw a look of disgust in it. He was probably planning to escape from that place.
'Your task is simple', the lady from their school said, 'you will run to and fro twenty times'.
'Twenty?' She asked and glanced at Carl, who seemed angry for no reason.
'Start already', the lady said as she pressed a green button that bulged from a silver stand. There were several of these silver stands at every place a handler could be seen. A chair emerged from the ground. The lady sat in it and pressed another button on the arm of the chair.
A board shot out of the arm of the chair. The lady rapidly tapped some things on the board. A sort of line mapped out racing lines for them and they stepped into it.
'Shoo. Run already'.
With a chiming tone following their race, they continued running.
'What's that girl name?' Joyce asked amidst her pant as they went down the road.
'Sonia'.
'Her demise is so near', she said.
'Like Matthias'.
'Like Matthias. I was never arrested'.
They kept running. Funnily, the road kept going and made her wonder if she would ever get to the end. When they looked back and saw that she wasn't in view, Carl dragged her to himself and kissed her in such a way that showed his relief at seeing her. She smiled.
'Why are you not running?' Sonia's voice boomed so near.
They turned to see a screen near them, Sonias face in the screen, and a scowl on her ravishing face. If Joyce wasnt also beautiful, she would have felt inferior to her.
'Run off, Lover birds'.
***
Diana sent Joyce the ping after confirming that her own room was secured. It wasn't her shift, so she returned to her quarters. Like she always did, as soon as she entered her room, she ensured she did a clean sweep of the room. She switched off the light, closed all the window, plunging the room into darkness. Then, she brought out her pinhole camera, switched it on, and used it to scan her room until it caught a red light.
That was it. She smirked and went to the spot, switching on a small torchlight. She was delighted as she wondered why the authorities of Etyes would never learn their lessons. Her superior had always wanted to pry into her private life to no avail. She withdrew her pocket knife and removed the camera.
Then, she brought out her own RF signal detector, which she had rigged with a spectrum analyzer. She made sure it had the same size as that of a phone. She switched it on, and swept the room until a siren type of noise made her stop. She removed the bug they must have placed in the room to listen to her and crushed it. She continued sweeping for bugs and cameras until she was sure that everything was okay. The time she had wasted was enough to have a lot of rest. Her father was right: she shouldn't be rash.
At the thought of her father, she drooled off as she wondered where he was. Etyes' authority didn't give her the chance to communicate with the outside world. Even when she was still the best among her peers, and was surely better than any of the superiors, they still restricted her movement to Etyes, making it her twelfth year there. If she got to the top of the chain, she would be able to transport more of her people into this world. But for now, only those at the top of the chain could go through that door without being given a dose of the sleeping insulators. She pinged her father again but he didn't reply.
Her latest invention had given her the access to put herself within the message board of anybody she wanted. She entered her code, and hacked into Sonia's board.
'Sonia, plug in your earpiece'.
Sonia smirked as she plugged her earpiece. She pressed a button and a cone covered the chair.
'What are you doing here?' Sonia asked
'I need to know the progress of my three...'
Sonia glanced at the screen.
'She just got to her 9th lap and he is about to start his 9th', Sonia said.
'That's good! She would be done with her first half for today'.
Sonia gave her a curt look. 'And you seriously believe she would do just 10 laps? Was that how I became your baby...?'
Diana rolled her head. 'I've spoilt you. My dad said he would send something through her to me'.
'And how are you sure she's with it?'
'That's what I need to know'.
Sonia stared at her.
'Could she have misplaced it?'
Sonia still stared at her, and Diana laughed as she realized why Sonia was staring at her.
'Of course, I know they would be stripped off every possession. I need you to make her do something. This information is crucial to my group'.
Sonia stared at the time. 'How about if I send her to you?'
'No. They are monitoring her progress...'
'Okay... Parades are coming', Sonia said and smirked and shook her head. 'You see what you've done'.
'Be careful'.
Diana's image popped off. Sonia can take care of herself. If Sonia agreed to join the rebel, things will make sense and go smoothly, if not exceedingly fast. That was why her aim was to make Carl and Joyce her new recruit. They were worthy of being given that role and she would train them until the only thing they know how to do was being excellent in fulfilling her wish and that of the Grousters.
Slowly, she crawled into bed. She needed sleep, lot of it, but her latest passion had consumed her that she could go without sleep for three days.
Diana traced the edge of the bed until she found a cracked wood. She pressed it and a button popped out. Firmly holding the bed, she pressed the button, and the bed began to disintegrate. Hurriedly, she slipped a pair of goggles from under her bed and clamped it on her face as the bed gently slid downwards. The spring holding the bed dragged it from under her, and left her lying on an iron plain-board. She cringed and gritted as the bed gradually returned to its original position, above her, leaving to lay on the iron board.
Suddenly, the ventilator began to hurry in its duty, silently providing air for her. As soon as the bed closed up over her, the wall in front of her opened and the board she laid on sprang through the hole. She would have yelled, but knew how stupid it would be. The road was sloppy. It took her a lot of time to carve it out. She held on to as it kept moving as if it would do so forever. The air changed from being fresh to being choky, then to being foul.
After what seemed like forever, the plain dropped her into the Punishment room, and disintegrated into a rail. She pressed the side of the goggles and changed its view to night vision to have it reveal a lot of weak, dirty, hungry people. She had so much learnt how to do this thing without fear and that made her smile.
Suddenly, someone dropped to the floor, convulsing. The most unfortunate part of being in the punishment room was that there wasn't always enough food. They got their ration once a day. She still always tried to know the rationale behind the leaders keeping them in such place instead of killing them off. The person shook for some seconds and became still.
Since others around him couldn't see him, they could only muddle into themselves and whimper. She still wondered why the creator of Etyes made such an abysmal place. The stench down there was enough to kill them. How they even survived such horrible stench still baffled her.
She knew the protocol. They were always aware of such death as this, and it would be very good to watch them now. She had always wanted to be on the team involved in the pickup of dead bodies, but her boss wouldn't hear a word of it, always denying her of the chance to be a part of the team, when, according to him, she had a bigger role to play at the top.
She removed her goggles and removed the rubber that held her blond hair. They would recognize her anywhere. She scattered her blond hair over her face and waited to be sure they weren't seeing her. She had moved away from them as far as she could, but there was no way she could help what happened next.
Someone screamed. 'What's that?'
'What's that?' Another person shouted.
She put on the goggles and saw one of the men struggling with the foot of a soldier. He tried hard to make his struggle look as if he wasn't there. But he failed at it, raising the curiosity of the others. The struggle went on for a while. As much as she would have loved to be at the top of the game, to help them, but she maintained her position.
Not long after, the soldier smacked the man's head with something, making him crumple to the ground, wailing as he held his head. She wondered what would happen now that people knew something was up there.
When she was sure they were gone, she tied her hair into a knot and hoped to never have a reason to untie it again. She muttered, 'those mediocre'.
She would have to start oiling the hair to make it shine the best way only she could. After what seemed like forever, she got to the edge of the mountain-like place, and saw the one she came to look for. 'Okay, I'm here again'.
He jumped a bit and looked about as if he was a blind man.
'What do you want?' The man said after a bit of silence.
'You know what I want. Our men are having an operation and it's to kill your harlot cum girlfriend'.
'Don't call her that'.
'So, tell me what I need to know'.
'You've not said anything reasonable'.
She gritted. If she got the chance, she would have slapped him repeatedly. 'Tell me, what do we not know?'
'I can't tell you anything than for you to look for my mistress. Tell her to take you to my bar'.
'Okay, but is there any other way out of this place?, she asked.
He shook his head dejectedly. 'The only way is through the train and nobody have learnt to cross over my game'.
She sighed and rose. He held her with a shaky hand. 'Please, how's she?'
'She's fine'.
'Progress...'
'She's really good, and she is being trained by one of the best, if not the overall best'.
Diana rose and carefully moved to her departure ground. The big question on her mind was how she would get information to the outside world, wherever that was.

Fazemood:
Wow, interesting Bro. Next!

Here...

10 Door
Richard hurried the woman through the forest. They couldn't switch on any light since the men were still onto them. The woman looked about and mumbled incoherent things. The drones flew erratically overhead
Richard wished there was enough time to check out what was happening. He wished he could have a little time with the men in the forest, to disfigure them with the bullets from his gun. It would have been a great thing to have a shootout, something to increase the heat in his body. Tina glanced back at him, and if it were to be daytime, he would have seen her look of 'you owe me'. He owed her in many ways, but she had always refused his offer to help. The only thing she wanted from him was to lose his celibacy.
'You see. This is my last favour', Tina pressed the key as they climbed into an underground tunnel. That was why they always chose the forest as their means of escape.
'I don't how I will repay you. You've never needed a favour from me'.
'Why will I need one?'
'You're proud. Tell me what you like. I'm not forgetting any of them'.
'You know what I want and would always want. You're only trying to be difficult'.
She dropped into the driver's seat and he sat beside her. The woman scrambled into the back seat.
'There's going to be a lot of shooting...' Richard said as he checked for his night vision glasses.
'So you have to drop your head if you want to live', Tina said.
'Yes. Lie flat. Ma'am. It's for your safety'.
'I'm not Ma'am, I'm.'
'It's your own. If you like, sit still while the gunshots begin', Tina said with clenched teeth as she released the brake of the car, and allowed it to slide away without starting the car. The car as if tuning to their fear, didn't make any sound. Richard kept glancing back. He was happy he wasn't looking at the woman's face. She might have called him a pervert again. What was the feeling he had the other time? He felt it jolt through him.
'Get set for the bullets', Tina grumbled as the car began to go down a sloppy road. Richard looked into the sky and saw red lights from the drones in numerous numbers. Faint sounds of helicopters geared him up. And he hoped he could see them so as to know his focus.
The moment the car started skidding to a halt, Tina started the engine. Immediately, a helicopter beamed its light on their Sedan. She cringed, inhaled and played rock music. In a few seconds, gunshots rained from different corners towards them.
'I'm so happy you brought this sedan', Richard yelled as he retrieved the guns they hid in different strategic places in the car.
She smirked, and shouted, 'I, always, am ready.'
He nodded. They were always ready. He cocked his gun, ready to shoot.
'Not now'.
He nodded as he spied the woman lying on the ground. The rock music blasted in the car and the car moved at its highest speed, the way she loved it.
'There', Richard pointed at a hole. She pressed a button on the car. The car suddenly began to dance on a rough road, yet Tina didn't reduce the speed with which she drove the car.
'Stop! Slow down', the woman screamed from where she laid. Richard knew the intensity with which Tina could drive when allowed. She loved the action and lived on it.
'The sub...' she hinted. Richard nodded repeatedly, knowing what to expect.
'Hold tight, Ma'am', Richard turned as the flood of cars' light gradually turned to their direction.
'Your mama is a Ma'am', the woman shrieked from the back of the car.
She plunged the car into the sub. The subway had various tunnel points. As a Blanj Investigator, the first thing one learnt was the destination of each tunnel in their various localities. Tina swung the car towards the third turning, and then sped off into the dark hole.
'You can sit up here', Richard said to the woman whose legs were vigorously shaking.
They kept turning corners until they got to the door to the secret workplace the two of them had always prepared for any war. They've been preparing to start their own P.I company, and have started getting recruits. All they needed was an opportunity like this.
When they got there, Tina brought out a remote control, pointed it at the wall, and the wall slid up. She believed they shouldn't allow their door come from the top. With that, it would be hard for anyone to enter and escape from the place. They were yet to give it a name. However, even if they were to give it a name, Tina would be given such job because she was good at those kind of things. They drove in.
'Sweetie, I'm home', Tina said the moment they got out of the car. The place suddenly came to life with lights and computers. The computers slid out of the floor. Soon, the place had a big frame computer slide out at the center of the big communication room. Different robots hummed about as they began to wipe the dust off the computers, and other gadgets in the room. 'Madam, sit down', Richard said, and the woman did after grumbling about being called Madam.
'What's your name?' Tina said as she began to pull off her shirts.
The woman still rattled, sat up. She was surprised that Tina would pull off her cloth in their midst. Richard smirked as he shook his head at Tina.
'What's your name?'
'It's Katrina'.
'Katrina what?'
'Katrina Rich '.
Richard stood straight, and said, 'Sweetie, search for her info'.
Tina removed her pants and hobbled towards one of the computer. 'Oh, my baby', she said caressing the computer.
Richard turned to the large-screened computer as it began to process the information. 'So, who are you?'
The information on the screen read that she was a Nigerian, who changed location to America, the capital of the world, and only just returned to Nigeria, three weeks before.
'It's a long story', Katrina said.
'Then, start from the valuable places'.
'What do you mean? See, I don't have time'.
Richard knew Tina, she could make even the boldest person in the world have a little doubt about his confidence. 'Thin, leave her and stop that... all this...Get out'.
'Stop what? You said you are a celibate. So, there's no need to be afraid of my clothes being pulled off'.
'At least, respect the gentle woman'.
Tina burst into laughter. 'This woman, gentle? Can't you see her profile? She had been running all this while. And did you check the last place she worked? She is a qualified LovePeddler'.
Richard swallowed hard and buckled his lips as he looked from the screen to the woman seated there. He raised his head. 'Then accord my belief some respect'.
Tina sneered. 'Nah. This is your life. You're my friend. I want the best for you'.
The woman stared at them as if they were playing table tennis. Her head moved from side to side in a bid to follow their conversation.
'So, tell me, what do they have on you?' Tina said as she walked back to one of the chairs and pulled off her underwear. Richard turned. Tina was rigged with stubbornness.
'I knew that something had happened to my boyfriend. Oh God! He planned to marry me'. She sniffled and began to cry.
'See this won't help. Tell us something. Sweetie...Give me fresh clothes'.
Tina dropped her clothes on a plank, which immediately moved her clothes away. From another end of the place, a robot rolled a mini wardrobe towards them. She got a bum short, and hurriedly wore it.
'He's the second son of the world leader'.
'So...'
'He has some information on them'.
'Information', Tina said and caressed the word with her pronunciation. She was the side of him that never talked. He loved information. She sat close as she wore her clothes seated across the woman.
'The thing is I'm not sure I heard well but in his drunken state he told me about the top leader being in charge of some drastic information'.
'Where is it?'
'I can't tell you'.
'Why?'
'I can't tell anyone until he's dead. That's what he made me promise'.
Tina looked morose. 'So, what are we sitting for? Go back to the place you're coming from'.
She rose and grabbed the woman by the neck, and dragged her towards the door. The woman fought vehemently, but it was of no use to the firm grip of Tina.
'Tina...'
'Don't you dare come nearer, don't you dare'.
'Hold on. Let her say how she knew'.
Tina released her grip. Katrina buckled up and panted for breath. Richard had always wondered how someone as tiny as Tina would have the power to rattle people bigger than she.
'He's alive. But not on this earth'.
Tina blinked repeated and threw a glance that made him know if he didn't intervene in time, Katrina would be shown the door.
'What's she saying?'
'I have...' She dipped her hands into her bra and removed a very small gadget. 'This. He gave me to always know if he was alive'.
The object was small but kept reading like an Electrocardiograph machine. Tina snatched it.
'Was that why you were being chased?'
The woman shook her head. The fear in her eyes showed she would do anything to remain safe.
'When he disappeared, I told my friend to help me search for him. He's good with such things like you people. But he died mysteriously. And anybody I asked also went missing. So I decided to do some research myself. That was when I followed them to something like a big ship. They had a lot of children in it. Then one of them saw me and wrote my death sentence'.
Tina and Richard glanced at one another.
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'It means that they are after me for knowing'.
Tina shared a glance with Richard, and said, 'I think we are after you now. Seat your prostitute-self into your seat'.
He brought his pad, and saw that Joyce had activated the tracker. Hurriedly, he sent it to their computer analysts, who were eager to help him because helping Richard was like helping the leader of Blanj.
When he was done with them, he turned to the woman, and dragged a seat nearer to her.
***
Carl slept off while watching them.
'Incoming' The boisterous voice of the computer warned.
Carl jumped from his sleep and looked about.
'Where is Carl?' Iris said.
She felt her way on the wall. He still wondered how he could see them but they couldn't see the light from the other end. The regular idea of things was that people in the dark would see those in the light, not vice versa. If there was any answer to his surprise and everything he ever wondered about, he didn't have time to answer before Iris entered and shrieked delightedly. He smiled as he rose to meet her, making sure he replaced the cork of the bottle of apple juice he was drinking and firmly placed it on the ground.
'Carl? Can you see this?' She said and looked about, still awed. Then she caught sight of the can of drink and the wraps of chocolate. If she was awed before, she was now bemused. Blinking repeatedly, she moved back. 'So you knew?'
'Knew what?'
'You were here since yesterday and doing what? Revering in the fact that you were right after all'.
'I wasn't revering in anything. I was'
'I should have guessed you're this type of person. I was even searching for you, afraid that something bad might have happened. You're not trustworthy. Not one bit'.
Suddenly, an alarm blared and she turned towards the other side. All the information on the screen was still intact. Only a new one had been added to it: Peacelearners, five minutes to get to the rendezvous point.
'This thing is lying right? Iris said as she ran into a wall of glass, and groaned. Carl inhaled loudly and rushed to her side.
'Sorry'.
She brushed his hand off and returned to the glass, searching everywhere for the way out. 'That's why you never came back for us. How do we leave here?'
'The elevator'.
She nodded and stared at the Fred and Regina. The two of them woke one after the other, and searched around for Carl and Iris. Fred pulled her towards the stairs, but she adamantly refused to go as she tried to find her way around the darkness. Iris rolled her hand continuously, urging them on. Fred kept trying to find her hands to draw her away, but he kept hitting the air.
'Iris, we should go'.
'As you always do, leaving everyone behind'.
'But the time'
'Will be there forever'.
Regina was slow, but she stepped in just as Fred held her hand. She pulled him, but his strength was more than hers and he succeeded in pulling her back into the darkness. However, she slipped out of his hands, and returned to trying to put her leg forward. Carl rushed to it and held it, using the glass as a support. She screamed and tried to pull away, but he dragged it. Iris, guessing what he was doing, assisted him in pulling her. She shrieked and held on to Fred, who saw that as a confirmation of his fear. He pulled her with all his strength. But Carl had the advantage of the glass. They dragged her into the hall, and Fred ram into them, shouting his head off. He yelled and stopped midway. He glanced at them, then at the place and smiled, and then laughed and laughed harder.
'You guys fooled us'.
'Alright, let's get going. No time now'.
'How did this place sneak up on us without knowing', Regina asked as she pushed into Carl in the elevator.
'I'll explain to you on the way', Iris said.
The countdown timer was also in the elevator. They had just one minute and thirty seconds to get there.
'We are so screwed', Iris muttered. 'We would enter that hole'.
They looked around in the elevator to discover it had no button. Carl wasn't sure he could disagree with Iris' fear. They even went to the length of lifting their legs to assure themselves that the buttons weren't under their feet.
'How do we go down now?' Regina asked.
'The voice Computer go down', Fred said.
Immediately, the elevator bus moved down. On the way, Regina who had gotten the scope of what happened took turns with Fred to explain their theory that everything in Etyes was voice automated. Carl hoped it was true because it would be very crazy to run into an obstruction and it refuse to move when he told it to do so.
The moment the elevator opened, they rushed out to join others running.
'Remember the ground', Iris shouted.
Carl looked down just in time to avoid what looked like a trap. Yet, he was luckier than a young guy who fell through, screaming his head off. They ran on towards a big screen that read:
'Peacelearners rendezvous here in 00:57'.
The more they ran the more they met traps. It took Iris' sharp, trained eyes to know the right place to step. The time was fizzling out and the numbers kept reducing. Iris cried out her instructions to them, making other Peacelearners notice and start following them. When they got to the front, they met Diana standing like a statue at the end of the podium.
'How come we are meeting Diana today?' Carl complained amidst his heavy pants.
'Your girlfriend?' Iris whispered.
'Argh! The others said there were other instructors'.
'I was part of the others. And yes, she was one of the instructors'.
They turned in time to see a big glass move from the ground skywards. Jonathan Zane was also late. He jumped on the elevating glass wall amidst the surprising look and squeal of the others. He struggled on the glass despite the fact that his leg kept slipping off. The others outside saw it as a good idea, but before they could give it a try, the ground had opened. The noise of their screams filtered to the other side. Regina held Carl's hand, and he sighed. Jonathan held on to the top and squealed, provoking laughter from some Peacelearners. The glass gradually slid down until he was able to jump into their side of the ground. He rolled off and laid on his back, panting. He was a fighter. That was someone Carl would really love to help out of that place. There was something about him that was worth emulating or using.
'Orderliness, everyone. Computer, Orderliness'.
Immediately, a part of the ground around opened and an iron bar rose from the ground. The iron bar was connected with an iron chain and to another iron bar in front. They both began to straighten as the iron stands also did the same. He looked around to see that five of these same links were at different places.
'Now, everybody be in line', Diana said into the public address system.
They hurriedly did that. This time, everyone was careful not to fall into the error of falling victim of the open ground. The others lined up around and behind him.
'How come we got here before the others?' Regina asked.
'Yes. We were at the top floor ', Fred said.
Carl looked up to see the source of the light of that place. If the sun was there, it would give a little direction of where they were. But the light up there wasn't the sun.
'Handlers', Diana called. The handlers stood straight on the front row. Sonia looked on with a straight face that if he didn't hate her, he would have looked for a way to catch her attention. 'Those, whose apprentice had been taken to the punishment room, should go to the dark chamber and wait till their apprentice comes. You know how to survive there'.
Some of the handlers checked their wristwatches, and stepped out. With a derisive face, and a mocking smile, Diana waved as they filed out towards a road. Carl stared at them.
'Peacelearners, look for your Handler. They would lead you to the next phase'.
Carl marched towards the podium and headed for Sonia.

Charminee:
Wow...
I never really liked science fiction until i read this. Nice one Divepen1

Thanks for following all through...

dimssy:
What department bro?

Linguistics
You?

dimssy:
Wow...same here manh

So happy to meet you oo

9 Grit
Joyce screamed as her hands tried but failed to hold the rope. The knots of the rope around her body had slacked. She grabbed the rope again. Death seemed to draw near and she dreaded the feeling of its cold hand. She kept yelling as she fell until the rope became springy. She sighed and whooped. Everything was still dark. But, she felt lucky. Suddenly, someone swiftly tied a tape around her mouth. Surprised, she struggled for her life, and kicked into the emptiness of the air. She tried screaming. It was of no use. The person dragged her off the soft springy thing.
'No noise. This is part of the test'.
She allowed herself to be led away in the dark. When they had walked for a long time, they came out into an open field. The person wore a mask and the same cloth as they. Only that hers was black and not silver. The lady removed her mask to reveal a brunette.
'Welcome to Etyes - Home of Peacemakers', the girl said. 'I'm your handler. You're not to ever tell a soul, not even me, how to get out of the ground. The computer's algorithm here would detect it in your speech and send you somewhere worse'.
Joyce nodded. The lady led the way and Joyce loved that opportunity. Joyce's body was draped in the black oil that filled that place. Surprised at the beauty of everything, she hoped that the P.I man was right about Carl. The lady pointed to a house that was different from the others.
'That's our stop. Rather, that's your home, along with the others'.
'What would you say is our essence here?'
'Like every normal human being, we were born to die. Now you can go there', her handler said and stopped. The place looked like an ancient building, tall but incomparable to the luminous houses at the other end.
'Don't Stop' Her handler shouted and pushed her away from something on the floor. They both fell on to the hard rough ground. Joyce winced. Her handler was panting hard against her chest. She rose and stretched her hand to pull Joyce up. Pain surged through her body as they struggled to get up. Her handler groaned.
'These things are not supposed to be active till tomorrow morning', her handler murmured as she tried to balance herself. The ground sort of groaned under her weight. She inhaled sharply and pushed Joyce aside. 'Get away'.
The ground shifted and opened under her handler, who yelled as she was swallowed into the same pit. Traumatized, Joyce crawled and clawed away from the place her brunette handler had just fallen into. She looked up and saw a countdown ahead - ten seconds to door-close. She glanced again at the place her handler had fallen into, and ran with all her might for the uncompleted house. Maybe the next day, she would offend someone to make sure that she returned to the underground to get her handler back. Her handler had just fallen into a ground that swallowed, saving her. The door was closing gradually alongside the countdown. She slid through at the nick of time. Assured that she was fully in the system, she pressed the tracker in her hand, and hoped it wouldn't be a futile effort, hoped she would be the one to get the glory allotted to the case.
***
Carl pulled Iris up again as he watched Regina and Fred pull themselves up the stairs. The top looked nearer now, and the light was receding. Iris was weary and irritated as she climbed the last stairs.
'I hope all these troubles worth our time', Iris grumbled as she stomped the last steps. By now, no sound came from the bottom floors. 'This is all your fault; we could have just Wow'.
Carl who had been waiting to support the panting Fred and the weak Regina looked up. Whatever Iris had seen at the top of the building must really be something great. He ran up the stairs to meet her. If there was light at the top of the stairs, he would have seen her face, but he didn't. Even when he got to the top and saw the darkness, and glanced at her face, the only thing he could see was the darkness that had been gathering round them in the stair.
'Oh no', he exclaimed.
'You got something?' Fred said, bouncing up the stairs with Regina breezing past him with the same agility she had at the beginning of their first meeting. They pushed into Iris, who could only moan in frustration because in front of them wasn't a grand building. It was an empty cave. There was no exit at the other end. And if there was any, they couldn't see it because the place was dark.
'You led us down here', Iris shouted at him.
'You mean up here', Regina corrected.
'Whatever He should have let us pick one of the ground floors. Why did I follow you people initially?'
Carl could only swallow as he tried to grasp why Sonia had sent them up there when she knew there was nothing up there for them.
'Oh, your precious Sonia', Carl said as he shifted back till his back touched a wall.
'She tried to help us. I might be angry at her, but she tried to help you', Fred replied.
'Don't tell me anything I should have trusted my-'
'Yourself?' Iris said. 'Yourself? Your what? Your senses that never worked since we got here'.
The rest flopped to the ground. Iris kept rambling and he was very sure he would soon give in to his emotion, to reply her in the rudest of way if she didn't zip her mouth. Regina was too weak to even reply any of them. He glanced into the darkness and the only that came back to his memory was how he was in the train that brought them. If this darkness was like that one, then there was surely a light at the darkness, but he just couldn't see how this one would come.
'Does that mean we're going down again?' Iris asked disdainfully.
'Where else?' Fred asked.
'We are returning down there To the bottom, around the fourteenth floor', Regina said.
'Perfect!' Iris bellowed and flopped back noisily into the wall.
'About 14 floors from here?' Exclaimed Fred. 'We're so foolish. But Regina, why do you think so?'
'Didn't you notice that those places were locked with a big note saying "LOCKED"?
Carl traced the wall into the darkness. If they would keep reminding him of how he was stupid to have followed Sonia's plan, he could agree with them through and through. He walked on counting his steps per time. Very soon he would find a place comfortably out of their earshot. Yet, he must take his steps carefully. Even if there wasn't light there, even if he wasn't sure he wouldn't fall into another ditch, he preferred to be away from their rants and ramble.
Suddenly, he stepped into what looked like a light. The light was dim like a shadow of a real light. It didn't reflect like every other lights are known for. His first step was in a place with light. He wanted to call the others, but it was better to discover it very well for himself than for him to give them a false hope again. He peeped and saw the light. The place was illuminated by the various lights he saw when they first got there. The place was like a minimart. It contained a lot of gadgets. He entered the light fully. The light didn't reflect on him as if the light wasn't made to reflect. To the right were rooms. Ten rooms in all. Immediately he entered, his name appeared at the second one. And on the first door, the word 'entrance/exit appeared
The other end of the hall had a small store that contained different things- Cloth, videos, music. Two doors appeared at the other end and on them appeared the words- Toilets. He smiled.
'Guys' He yelled and turned, but he had to stop talking the moment he turned. Standing right in front of him was a glass blockage. The funniest part of it was that he could see the three of them sitting firmly, and on the top of the glass was a timer which read:
Timer: 5.54. 42
Duration: 1/4
'When you enter through the stairs door, you can't go back the same way', a computer voice said.
He rushed to the glass and hit it repeatedly, but all he could see was Iris' mouth rambling, and Fred dejectedly hitting his head on the wall, while Regina laid her head on Fred's shoulder.
'Open this thing', he shouted.
'No exit or entry after initial entry'.

dimssy:
Are you a uite?

Graduate of Ui

8 Shaky Salvation
Richard watched the cars behind him perform their act of deceit as they tried to move in opposite direction. He stopped the car abruptly and reversed with such speed that woman screamed and clutched the sides of the chair.
'Who are you?' The woman yelled as she sat as if the chair was a doorway into a safe haven.
'I should ask you', he said with a big grin on his face. 'You came out of nowhere, pursued by some dangerous people and you didn't come to anybody, you came to the best PI in town'.
'A PI? What's that? Pie chart?'
'Private investigator, woman. Don't you watch movies at all? Those things are meant to teach you things like this'.
'So I will watch movies in this era if you don't Please, don't kill me before they do', she yelled as he spun the wheel. 'Drive this thing carefully'.
'So what brought you here?'
'Go. Go. When we are somewhere safe', the woman shouted as she firmly gripped the seat.
'From what I'm seeing', Richard said as he watched other cars join them on the road. 'These people are after something big. Whatever information you have must be very big. They would never make you get to anywhere safe. Well Unless I do'.
'I don't have any information. It was my Gabriel that did'.
'Gabriel who? Oh God', Richard said as he glanced into the rearview mirror. Whoever was after the woman had a lot of influence. They seemed to know where to go. He drove into the dark and stopped at the edge of a forest.
'Come down', he shouted as he saw the headlights of the numerous cars. He was surprised at the way they had increased within a few minutes. If he was a member of that team, his heart would literally burst from excitement. The funniest part was that they weren't acting like those ones that came after him at first. These ones were daring and didn't seem to care about the consequences. The drones were soon humming above him, and he knew he had been made.
A red light played on the woman's chest. 'Get down', Richard screamed as he flew on her. She yelled as they both crumbled on the floor just as a gunshot hit the tree near them. He had never had such encounter as that. Laying on a woman. It felt... He shook his head. That was it; his claim was just proven right; having sex with a woman would ruin every little chance he had of thinking straight. A gunshot flew past them and struck a tree. Then the gunshots increased.
'Get off me, pervert', the woman shrieked and pushed him off her.
'Shut up! Follow me. I just saved your life', he grumbled as he crawled off into the wood. That place was the only place in Nigeria that was being out-grown by forest. According to the world leaders, they wanted the ecosystem to increase. They said humans need the forest. Richard looked back, and tried to make a mental calculation of the situation on the ground. The shooter's view from where they were positioned would only be able to get to their waists up to their heads. A rock was blocking his view.
'If you want to live, then you have to do as I say and stop seeing perverts. I'm a celibate'
The woman burst into laughter and stopped herself. 'You're deceiving yourself'.
'Shut up and do be fast', he crawled into the bush as fast as he could.
'What have I gotten myself into? Is it a bad thing to be loved by a wealthy man?'
'So, all this is for money'
'Money? Don't you see that these ones have enough money? They can take down the world'.
Her rambling wasn't helping the situation at hand. Richard looked up and saw just what he needed. 'Run...'
They ran into the bush, where Tina was waiting for him. She wore black jeggings and a black sweater, a black hood, black hand-gloves, and black sneakers. She handed over a torchlight to him, and walked off into the bush with another torchlight in her hand. He didn't need to be told that her Glock 17 was in her other hand. She turned to him.
'Now, you owe me', she said and turned back towards the bush. 'Again'.
'Where are we going?' The woman asked as she hobbled to meet up with Tina.
'To know what's wrong with you', Richard said as he walked past her.
'I know what's wrong with me? The second son of the world leader is missing and everyone that I hired to search for him is either disappearing or found dead'.
'But he's on TV'.
'Who is on TV? Are you blind?'
Tina spun and grabbed the woman by the throat. The woman croaked until Richard ran towards them.
'Not now, Thin'.
Tina released her and marched off. 'You were saying?'
'You crazy'
'Quit talking and keep walking'
'He is not the one. Maybe he is a clone. I must find him because my friends that searched for him are dead'.
Tina turned again. 'And you want us dead too'.
Richard stopped in his track as he wondered if he was making the right choice.
***
'I think I found something', someone yelled. 'Yes, I found the rope'.
They gathered slowly round it. Since their hands were linked, it didn't take long before they all got to the place the rope was.
'So, who will volunteer to go first?' The authoritative lady said. Joyce was petrified. That wasn't the plan. The lady said she would be first.
'Why are you going back on your word?' Joyce asked.
'On my word?' The lady said, and Joyce could sense the sarcasm in her voice.
'Yes You said you would go first', someone else said
'I never said such I said would leave here by all means'.
'You...'
'I'll go first', another lady said.
Joyce felt about in the darkness. No one knew who was going and what would happen to the person.
'Are you sure you're ready?' Joyce asked.
'Yes...'
'All the best. Just know that whatever happens down there, I'll be the next after you and I'll keep to my word'.
'But wait...' One of them said. 'What if the light comes on?'
'If you are thinking well', the authoritative lady said. 'You will know that we have been here for hours. It's either we die of hunger or any other thing. But I prefer dying while trying'.
'I'm ready', the lady said.
Joyce heaved a sigh and wished she could see her, but the darkness was too thick.
The lady slid down.
'What do you feel?'
'Space... It looks as if we are on a mountain. As if we are hung in space'.
'So we will die', someone muttered.
Joyce was angry this time. 'Hey! Are you part of us? If you are not part of us, move away. We don't need anyone to dissuade us'.
'I am sliding down', the lady shouted in a singsong manner. Her voice began to fade. She yelled, and became silent. Breaths stopped including that of Joyce. Then, the lady shrieked continuously and became silent. They were beyond terrified. Many of them whimpered and shifted back, hitting one another.
Suddenly everywhere began to buzz with their questions. But the authoritative lady shouted for order and they all obeyed again.
'Did she die?' Someone asked.
'What's her name?' The authoritative lady said and shouted, 'are you there?'
Her voice bounced back.
'Something is off', Joyce said as she found her way to the rail.
'What is off?'
'See for yourself', Joyce said and turned to the other side and shouted, 'are you there?'
Her voice echoed. 'Can you hear that?'
'What exactly are we looking for?' The authoritative lady said.
'I think the ground is not that far. If she shouted and stopped shouting, then something is wrong with her'.
'How do you know that? It can also mean she is dead'.
'Ah... I shouldn't have gone to that party', someone lamented.
'Will you shut that hole?' The authoritative lady shouted in the direction of whoever was crying. The person kept quiet and no one else talked as if they wanted her to confirm their fears.
'I have to go and see if she is fine'.
'Accept my condolence in advance', the authoritative lady said. 'I'll come after you'.
Joyce gritted her teeth as she found her way to the rope. She pulled it as she carefully climbed the rail. She held the rope and began to move gently. She tied the rope around her waist and began to slide down the best way she could.
'Are you still there?'
'Something like that?'
'Keep hanging on'.
Joyce glided down the rope, and was still hanging on until she got the end of the rope. Suddenly, the rope snapped and she shrieked.
'Are you okay?'
How would you know if she was okay? Desperately trying to control her breathing, she held firmly to the rope. Her hold was failing but now her life depended on it. She shouldn't have given that girl her words. The rope seemed to be lighter than when she held it and it had become less trustworthy.
There must be a way down from this place. She must find a way. Like the first time, the rope loosened and she screamed louder, then it stopped again. However, this time, something oily poured on her face. She shrieked. Some things that felt like bees buzzed around her face, she screamed louder as the rope snapped. If not for the way she had tied the rope, she might have fallen. The rope loosened gradually. She squealed. Maybe that would be the last time she would ever shriek in her life.

queenitee:
Hmmm, the end.
This is exactly what's happening in this world we are in.
We need Grace, we need the only spirit, we need God.
Thank you, I gained a lot
It's good to be thirsty for the power of God, but even then, we must be careful.

I'm happy you gained a lot..

germaphobe:
big boss twali for u, u don try pass trigometry. Make we go over to purified tomorrow with u cus u're more than wonder with this piece of work

I'm expecting. lol.. Thanks

dimssy:
REVELATION

Yes sirrr

Charminee:
hmmm this is a call for christians to wake up frm slumber. Its enough

Yes oo.. Thanks for following all the way

queenitee:
Okay, let's go

Rubs hand