The Complete Assassin Episode 20 and 21
written by kayemjay
2 4 H O U R S E A R L I E R :
Steven was sitting in the only chair inside the Fortress, going through James’ profile while Stella made scrambled eggs in the adjoining room. The adjoining room which originally served as a landing point for Fortress Entrants had been converted to a mini kitchen and bedroom. The sweet smell of scrambled eggs and boiling coffee travelled through to his nostrils as his stomach grumbled. He was hungry.
“How long more do I have to endure this torture?” Steven called out to Stella.
“I am not your wife, brother. I am only doing this because you asked politely. Don’t make me change my mind.” Stella threatened.
“Sorry ma.” Steven replied.
Just then the lights in the fortress dimmed. Isis was about to make an entrance.
“Email from Sensei Marcus. Importance: High. Status: Unread. Crypt: Encoded. Please provide voice recognition password to open.” Isis announced.
SM had said he was going to provide details about the assassin who took out three men in the hotel. This was it.
“Alpha. Troy. Kappa. Delta. I am Shadow Prime. Initiate.” Steven commanded.
“Password accepted. Video file opened and transferred into archives. Would you like me to display video?” Isis, his supercomputer asked.
“Display video Isis.” Steven replied.
“Stella, come in here. I think you have to see this.” Steven called to his sister.
The wide screen plasma TV on the North wall came on and a video began to play. It showed a young girl, not older that twelve, playing on the swing, laughing and discussing with the person recording the video who seemed to be her dad. She was giggling and laughing while her dad encouraged her to go on the swing and show how hard she could move.
A voice came on, fading the video audio into the background.
“Her name is Sheila. She was twelve and this was the last time she saw her father. He was killed in a car accident that night on his way to work. She lived in eight different foster homes in the period of three years. Her ninth foster home was her last.”
The screen changed and a short, bald weird looking man came on the screen.
“Takorani Mashido. He sent in a proxy to adopt Shiela. After eight months, Shiela warmed up to him and became very fond of him. Mashido is the leader of the league of assassins. She has been under his tutelage for fifteen years and would give her life for him in the blink of an eye. Shiela is the General of the league of assassins. She is deadly, ruthless, and does not need a weapon to kill. Her body would send any sane man salivating.”
The screen changed again to show another picture. A very beautiful woman, in a white flannel shirt and tight blue jeans, donning a red hair. She had very full brea5ts and had lovely hips.
“This is Shiela now. After this footage, this video will self-destruct. Attached to the thumbs of this video are pictures, dates, missions and people that Sheila has killed. She is no walk over. And she never works alone. Good luck.”
The video ended and then self-erased.
Steven and Stella spent the rest of the day looking for weak spots, mistakes, loop holes and gaps but did not find any. They agreed that the best thing to do would be to go on an all out attack if they happened to have any cause to meet her face to face.
Now, the die was cast. They were going to meet Shiela, the murderous assassin.
*********
At exactly 5:45, Steven drove slowly in behind the queue of cars waiting for verification before being allowed into the Cherry Manor. Their vehicle was eight in line, and the verification took approximately two minutes by Steven’s calculations. Stella was beside him in the passenger’s seat applying finishing touches to the makeup she wore, and assessing her looks in the hanging mirror.
“Women! They can never be satisfied. You know how much time you spent at home on your face? 20 minutes! You look good by the way.” Steven finished smiling.
Two cars had just been waved through the barrier and Steven had to move the car to cover the space that had just been created.
“Thanks darling. You know that as the wife to the representative of the Minority Leader of the House of Reps, I need to look good. Muah!” Stella said, blowing her brother a kiss.
She replaced the lipstick in her purse and closed the hanging mirror. It got to their turn and a menacing looking guard, in a black body hugging t-shirt and brown combat pants motioned them to stop. He told them to bring down the windows so their faces would be visible. Steven pressed a button and his window went down. Stella concerned herself with her phone. She did not bother acknowledging the greeting of the guard.
“Good evening officer. How are you?” Steven asked in a rich, deeply accentuated Yoruba intonation.
“I am very well thank you sir. Your ID please and what constituency are you representing?” The guard asked.
Steven put his left hand under his flowing white ‘agbada’, handed him an identity card and left his hand outstretched to collect it back.
“Could you please state your name sir, and your constituency?” The guard asked again bending low to have a proper look at Steven.
Steven who was looking at Stella and admiring her suddenly looked at the guard and vehemently spoke.
“What is your problem young man? Are you blind or you cannot see properly in the evening? That is my ID and don’t ask me any stupid question. My friend, lift this nonsense barrier and let me through.”
“I am sorry sir. Just a minute please.” The guard apologized. He passed the ID to another guard inside a small cubicle for verification. Seconds later the ID was returned with a yellow tag at the edge. He signaled to another guard who held a long metallic device with a spherical base. The guard put the device under the car, moving it left and right for a few seconds. When he was satisfied, he nodded back to his superior.
“I am sorry for the inconvenience sir. Please proceed.” The guard said, stretching the ID and waving him along.
“Rubbish! Arrant nonsense!!!” Steven cussed. He snatched the ID from the guard, changed gear and put pressure on the accelerator.
As the barrier lowered behind him, he slowed down looking for a place to park so that he could have easy getaway access when he needed to. He saw a spot at the farthest left of the huge parking space and eased the Sienna to a stop. He pulled up the handbrake and killed the ignition. He pressed a finger into his ear and said quietly.
“James, we are in.”
“Good. You are right in time. The guard at the main entrance is one of ours. Walk towards him, acknowledge him and give him a handshake. He is going to pass you a card during the hand shake. The card leads into the storage room. It is empty. You have change of clothes and your ammunitions in the bottom drawer. Stella, you can’t go in with SP so you will have to go to the ladies. The last cubicle has been prepared for you. This is a stealth mission. Your change of clothes and ammunition have been prepared and kept in a water proof bag inside the water holder. Meeting starts in seven minutes. All zones are green at the moment.” James said.
“Okay James. Good job. Keep your eyes open.” Steven replied.
He got out of the car and went over to the passenger side, opening the door for Stella to alight. She walked with him till they got to main entrance.
“Good Evening sir. Welcome to Cherry Manor.” The guard at the door said.
“Ah. You! How are you my boy?” Steven said, stretching out his hand for a handshake.
“Fine sir.” The guard replied
“I hope you are taking care of that beautiful girl?” Steven asked releasing his grip on his hand.
“Yes I am sir. Thank you so much sir.” The guard replied.
Steven could feel the plastic card on his palm. He adjusted his agbada, lifting the fabric over his shoulder to put it in place. Stella tagged along on his left as they entered into the huge conference room of the Cherry Manor. The seats were arranged facing the platform and each set of seats had name tags written on them. There was an attendant by each row directing delegates to their seats. Steven approached her and she directed him to seats by the extreme end of the row. They located their seats and sat. Barely three minutes later, Steven got up and made for the storage room. There were no guards or officers inside the Conference Room so delegates had the luxury to move at will until the meeting started.
Steven placed the card inside a fitting hole beside the door. There was a soft click sound. He pushed the door open, removed the card and shut the door closed behind him. He felt the wall around the door, and after a while his hands found the light switch. He flicked on the switch. He did not expect what he saw.
Sitting on a pressing table was Sheila, a .43 silenced automatic pointed at him. She smiled as she saw the surprised look on his face.
“Hello Steven. I thought Shadow Primes were smarter than this?” Sheila taunted getting up and moving closer to him.
“Maybe if you lowered your gun, I could show you how smart I really am.” Steven countered.
Sheila laughed and continued to walk slowly until she was now face to face with Steven. She put the gun directly on his chest. Steven was as unmoving as a rock. Sheila put a finger on his left arm and traced upwards slowly, till she got to his neck and then slowly to his cheek. Then she quickly moved to his ear and pulled out the tiny ear plug that was in his ear. She dropped it on the floor and crushed it with her boots. She brought out a small handcuff, motioned Steven to an iron bar in the room and cuffed him there. She collected the card from him.
“Don’t go anywhere sugar. I have a speaker to kill.” Sheila said and locked the door behind her.
Immediately the door clicked shut, Steven cussed.
“SHIITT!!!”
He had no way to contact James or Stella. He was trapped, cuffed to an iron bar. He was dressed in a silly overflowing agbada and he could not wriggle free. He had to get out and fast.
***********
James felt a piecing sound in his right ear. The sound was so great that he had to remove the listening device he wore. Something was wrong. It did not seem right. He checked the ear plug, switching it off and back on. Then he placed it back in his ear. The piecing sound that almost deafened him a few seconds back was not there anymore. The ear wig was new so it was not supposed to go bad. He decided to check on the signals from Stella and Steven on his monitor. Steven’s signal had gone red. This meant that things were not well. He clicked on Steven’s signal link and the last active time read three minutes. He panicked. This was not part of the plan. Stella’s link was green and active. He pressed a key on the track pad.
“Emm… S? I think we may have a bit of a problem. I cannot reach SP.” James said slowly. His voice had fear and panic written all over it.
“Calm down. I need details, James.” Stella asked calmly. She did not seem the least shaken by what James just told her.
“There was a piercing sound at my end of the line. I thought my ear wig had broken but when I checked, it was fine. Then I discovered that SP was offline.” James replied.
“What could have been the cause of this interference?” Stella asked.
She had completely changed her clothes. She had removed the Iro and Buba that she wore earlier, discarded the earrings and high heel shoes. She was now wearing a tight fitting gown that stopped at her knees and a black pant. She was dressed like a kitchen attendant, her hair packed tightly into a bun and hidden under a cap that matched the gown. She corked the automatic silenced twin Silverballers and put them behind her hips, covering the guns with her gown.
“If SP deliberately truncated transmission, the sound would not have been that bad. The only logical explanation is that his receiver has been smashed. That would account for the shrieking noise at my end.” James answered.
“Where was his last seen location?” Stella asked, taking out an apron from the duffel bag. She sized it with her eyes, and then tied the strings around her neck.
“He was last seen going into the storage room. Five minutes ago. He has not come out since.” James replied, moving the joystick on the CCTV control board.
“Can you get inside the storage room?” Stella asked, tying the final part of the apron strings to the back of her waist.
“No I can’t. The surveillance systems do not have an x-ray function. I can only monitor who goes in and out of the place.” James replied.
“And no one has gone in or out since then?”
“No one has. I have been looking at this… Wait! I just back tracked the footage of the storage room from the period SP entered. A lady just stepped out two minutes ago. Red hair, six foot two, leather pants, and blue jean jacket. I could not get her face. She completely positioned herself such that the cameras could not get her. Jesus! I think it’s her. God! She has killed SP.” James’ voice had become very shaky.
“Get yourself together J!!! Trust me SP is not that easy to kill, so save your crocodile tears. I am certain he is alive. I need visuals on Sheila. Look for her. She is obviously going for her target right now. Get her before she kills anyone. I don’t care how you do it, but I need a location on the target pronto. I am sure your display has multiple views. I am getting out of the ladies now. Am I clear to move?” Stella asked.
James looked into the camera view that captured the bathroom Stella was in. He turned the camera 90 degrees to view the small corridor that led to the bathroom.
“You have incoming. Wait for fifteen seconds. The party secretary’s b1tch is on her way to the bathroom. She’s loud mouthed and may raise hell asking what a kitchen attendant is doing in the same bathroom as her. When she enters her cubicle, you’ll know and then you can move out. I have already begun scanning all available surveillance footage for visuals of Sheila. She can’t get far.”
“Good. Keep an eye on the Storage room. I should be there in three minutes.” Stella commanded.
Stella waited for about ten seconds, and then heard the door of the bathroom open. She heard footsteps. She was certain it was the woman James had warned her about. She sat on the closed toilet bowl waiting for the woman to enter one of the empty cubicles so that she could leave the bathroom. Five seconds, fifteen, thirty seconds passed. Stella listened carefully for footsteps going into any cubicle. She did not hear any. She opened the door to the cubicle she was in just a little fraction, enough for one eye. The woman was reapplying her makeup.
Stella checked her wrist watch. Three minutes had passed. She could not afford to wait until the woman was done. She had no idea how long it would take and as things were, time was of the essence. She came out of the cubicle with her back first, taking two steps out. Before the woman could react to seeing a kitchen attendant, Stella turned to face her and was upon her in a flash. The woman made to scream but Stella’s left hand covered her mouth shut. Almost immediately, using her right forefinger and thumb, Stella mildly tweaked the carotid artery on her neck. The woman went limp immediately, unconscious. Stella dragged her into one of the cubicles, resting her on a closed toilet bowl and her head on the wall. Closing the cubicle behind her, Stella adjusted her apron and stepped out of the bathroom.
“You look good. And you are two minutes behind schedule.” James said into her ears.
“The b1tch refused to cooperate so I had to give her a compulsory nap. I am heading towards the Storage Room now. Any look outs?” Stella inquired.
“Walk for eight seconds, there’s a door to your left. It’s labeled Cleaning and Utilities. Pick a mop and a bucket. Then you are good to go. The meeting is about to commence so all delegates are currently settling down. You should not have any unforeseen busts.” James replied.
Stella did as James had advised. She was glad she asked him for direction because she met two other casual staff as she found her way to the Storage Room. They looked at her oddly but she just smiled and lifted the mop for them to see. They walked past her and did not give her any trouble. She heaved a sigh. In less than two minutes she was at the Storage Room but could not go in. She had no access card.
“Sh1t! It’s locked. I don’t have the access card.” Stella said very quietly but loud enough for James to hear.
“Not for long. Hold on. Now try pushing the door inwards.”
Stella did. The whole room was in darkness but she sensed a presence. She closed the door behind her and flicked on the light switch. She almost laughed at Steven in his overflowing agbada struggling with the handcuff and looking very funny.
“You look cute. I wish I could take a picture.” Stella said and let out a chuckle.
Steven did not look excited or happy to see her. He still wore the same angry face that he had when Sheila left him handcuffed minutes earlier.
“What took you so long?” Steven blurted.
Stella went to him, took out a pin from her hair and picked the lock of the cuff. A few seconds later the cuffs opened and Steven yanked himself free from the iron bar.
“Where are we on the mission?” Steven inquired
“You’re welcome.” Stella replied carrying her face.
Steven opened a drawer in the room that had his change of clothes. He discarded his agbada, changing into black jean trousers, and a black body hugging top that had GUARD inscribed boldly in front and behind. He wore the trainers that came with the package and looked up at Stella as he laced the shoes.
“Come on sister. You know I don’t like being rescued. Thanks. So where are we? Has James found her yet?” Steven asked.
“No he hasn’t. He has her on the radar but she seems to be lying low at the moment. I have…” Stella was saying but she was interrupted by James voice.
“She has struck!!! She has struck!!!” James said, his voice so high pitched that Stella had to pull out her ear plug for a few seconds. She put it back and spoke.
“Take it easy James. What’s the development?”
“The Speaker of the house is dead. He is being rushed out of the Cherry Manor in as we speak. There is commotion in the conference room and people are running to and fro. All the guards have been sent into the conference room. Nobody goes in or out.” James explained.
“Any sign of Sheila?” Stella asked.
“No. No. Oh my God. This woman is so heartless. She just murdered an innocent man. Jesus.” James was panicking.
He was also scanning footage after footage, trying to see if he could get any glimpse of Sheila.
“James. Get yourself together. If you do not find Sheila in the next couple of seconds, this man would have died for nothing. I believe in you. Find Sheila now!” Stella commanded.
Stella waited as James gathered himself and searched the whole video feeds. He was losing hope when he saw a lady in the same black body hugging top that Steven now wore, and a blue pair of jeans, walking towards the ambulance just outside the Cherry Manor. She wore a face cap and was with three other hefty guards.
“Found her. She is just outside the premises, dressed in guard uniform. She’s approaching the ambulance. You need to hurry.” James replied.
“We need an exit James.” Stella said.
“The Cleaning and Utility Room has a back door exit. Use the door. It leads to the back of the Manor. There’s a ladder you can use to scale the fence to the other side. The house is undergoing renovation. Once you are out of the Manor, you are on your own.” James said.
“Okay. Keep your eyes open still and watch our backs.” Stella said.
She removed her hand from her ear and filled Steven in on all the details and the new escape route that James had described. After Steven had been updated, he took the ear wig from Stella and wore it in his ear, resuming command of the operation. Walking briskly and trying not to arouse suspicion in the already ongoing melee, they got out of the Storage Room and made it to Cleaning and Utility without any incident. Locating the back exit that James had described, they got to the back of the Manor. There was no ladder.
Steven arched his back against the wall of the fence and folded his palms together. He then opened them inwards to serve as a propeller for Stella. Taking five steps back, Stella ran towards Steven, placed her left leg in his palm and launched herself over the fence and onto the other side.
“Clear!” Stella said from the other side of the fence.
Steven moved away from the wall, took a few steps back and ran towards the fence. His right leg hit the fence first, then his left, and then in a flash he was over the fence. He dropped on the other side beside Stella, landing on one knee.
“James, what’s the position of the target?” Steven said, getting up and putting a finger in his ear.
“Target just entered a black Mercedes X Class, silver rims and tiny lights. She is moving to check point and has just been cleared to exit.” James replied.
“Okay. Do you have access to traffic surveillance?” Steven asked.
“Not at the moment. Give me a few seconds… Done. I have access now.” James replied.
“Good James. Keep your eyes open. We are about to get mobile.” Steven said, and turning to Stella he continued,
“We need to get mobile. Can you get us a ride?”
“In a jiffy.” Stella replied and walked away from him.
Steven got out a silencer for his .45 precise automatic caliber pistol and rolled it onto his gun. He had barely finished rolling the silencer onto the gun when a white Porsche screeched to a stop in front of the building and the passenger door opened.
“Coming?” Stella asked sarcastically.
Steven smiled, entered the car and put his hand in his ear.
“James we are mobile. Tell me you have a location on target.” Steven said
“She’s just approaching the Admiralty Toll Gate. There’s a little traffic but she should not be held up more than five minutes.” James replied.
“How fast can you drive?” Steven said to his sister.
Stella responded by reeving the car and putting the gear in drive.
“Fasten your seat belt.” She replied.
**********
Stella pulled out of the garage and drove slowly through the narrow drive way. There was only one way out and it was through the barrier. There was an already long queue of cars waiting to leave the Cherry Manor and the barrier opening contributed to the slow pace at which the cars were moving. Stella squeezed her face and pulled away from behind the queue with a quick fast turn to her right. She guided the car over the small curb which served as a barricade from the greenery that flanked the drive in. Speeding through the grass, she got to the barrier in a flash. The guards were stunned and taken unawares. Before any of them could react, Stella came down from the grass, and sped through the barrier just as it was closing down. Shifting into gear four, she turned into the freeway and sped towards the toll gate. Three guards in complete combat gear got into a police Rav 4 and went in pursuit, hot on the heels of Stella and her brother.
“You have bees on your tail and they are closing in on you.” James said into Steven’s ears.
“We’ve got a car on our tail. We need to lose them. Can you shake them off?” Steven asked his sister.
“I can. But I am more concerned about catching up with the b1tch.” Stella replied, stepping hard on the accelerator.
Steven jerked forwards, but his seat belt was in place. He looked at the side mirror of their car and the police car was out of sight. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, two police cars came out behind them, speeding with a lot of ferocity.
“James, how far out is Sheila?” Steven asked pressing a hand to his ear.
“She’s third in line to be passed. You are seven minutes away from her. You have to hurry.” James replied.
Steven had to make a decision. If he lost Sheila now, he might never see her again. Besides, he had to make her pay for humiliating him. He had two police vehicles on his tail. He needed to shake them off. Only one thing came to mind.
“Slow down and pull over in front there.” Steven said to his sister pointing in front of him to a small cordoned area of the freeway.
“What?!” Stella asked not believing what she had just heard.
“I said pull over goddamit!” Steven repeated raising his voice through clenched teeth.
Stella knew better than to argue with him. She reduced her speed as she brought the car to a gradual stop. She was fuming inside her as she released her foot from the brake. She attempted to remove her seat belt but Steven stopped her.
“Don’t. Just leave the engine running and stay alert. When I give the go, you move. Understand?” Steven whispered to her. Stella nodded.
One of the police vehicles parked in front of the car they were in while the other blocked them from behind. A man came down from the police vehicle that blocked them in front.
“Come down from the car and put your hands where I can see them.” The guard commanded.
Stella looked at her brother. He signaled for her to stay put. They had to come to them. The car was a right hand drive and Steven was going to have to come out first. They guards did not know that. The car was a 2012 Toyota Selica with tinted glasses visible only from within.
“This is your last warning! Come out with your hands on your head!” The guard warned.
Guns corked. From the sounds Steven knew there were at least three men in his range. He could only see one, the one barking the orders. He knew the others were very near. He put his silver ballers inside his hip and opened the door slowly his hands first. He shut the door quickly before anyone could catch a glimpse of Stella and lay face down on the roof of the car, his hands on his head. He quickly scanned the area. Three men, three automatic Kalashnikov rifles. There was one in front of him and two behind him. There were two men each inside the vehicles. He quickly calculated his move. All he needed was just one tiny mistake. And it happened sooner than he thought.
“So you think you can escape from us ehn?!” The man barking the others said approaching Steven.
Steven had calculated the steps. Just five yards and he would be near him. The police had a stupid habit of wanting to punch or slap a suspect who gave them a tough time. He was praying that this was one of such men whose hunger for hitting suspects was higher than his hunger for following protocol.
The man began to move closer.
“So you feel you are James Bond abi? I will teach you.” The man said. By now he was within arm’s reach of Steven but he needed to get closer. The moment had to be perfect. Steven pretended to be scared, shaking his legs and even letting a trickle of urine come down his legs. The man put his hand on Steven’s neck, pressing hard.
“You will experience why they call me Mombasa!” The man screamed putting his lips near Steven’s head. Just then he saw the ear plug in Steven’s ear.
“Move! Now!” Steven shouted at the top of his voice.
Stella stepped on the accelerator and in a jiffy the car was out of sight….
The Complete Assassin Episode 21
Steven was the first to react. He already knew where the guards were and had timed his move to perfection. As Stella zoomed off, he instantaneously turned moving away from the car. He grabbed the hand that was on his neck, twisting it painfully backwards. At the same time, he put a hand in his hip and took out one of the twin silverballers. The guard yelped in pain at the brute force that Steven used in breaking his wrist. The other guards whose rifles were lowered suddenly took aim at Steven. They were not fast enough as Steven took three very precise shots. The two guards behind him fell as a bullet each went to their foreheads. Deadly headshots. The guard who was still screaming and yelling obscenities tried to lift his heavy rifle. Steven shot him on his other hand.
“Stay still.” He said, shooting another bullet on his leg.
It all happened in less than ten seconds. Three down, four to go. He pulled out the other gun from his hip, switching the safety off. He spread his legs, arms wide apart, and guns in both hands, waiting for the next victims. He knew these men were not trained special operatives. They were just goons who had little training in the art of gun slinging. One of the important laws of gun slinging was to always predict the enemy and never rush into a gun fight. The men in the car did not know this. All he needed to do was wait for them. He did not need to wait long. In a few seconds, seeing that their colleagues had just been shot, the first to react were the men in the vehicle in front of him. The man in the passenger seat of the Rav4 came out first, followed by his partner in the back seat. Immediately after the two men in the front seats in the car behind him also came out, with guns. Steven knew he could not take them all at the same time. He had no cover. He predicted that he had just a few seconds before he would be caught by a bullet. Fortunately for him, the men in the Rav4 did not move. They just stood by the open door, and fired at him.
Moving sideways, he took two precise shots with each gun. One struck the man on the passenger side on his neck. He fell forwards. The other bullet caught the man behind on his forehead, a deadly headshot. Steven’s signature. He fell to the ground, blood oozing from the wound. The men in the car behind shot at him with .23 pistols. He was quite distant from them and they had a ridiculously terrible aim. Steven rolled on the floor to get himself in a favorable position. Just as he was about to aim, a bullet caught him in the thigh.
‘‘Argghhh” Steven groaned, stifling a scream. The area around his thigh where the bullet had hit hum immediately soaked with blood.
He aimed at the fuel tank of the car behind him and pulled the trigger. The explosion was deafening and devastating as the bodies of his assailants were swallowed in the inferno. He winced as he got up on his feet. The pain on his left thigh was excruciating. He had to get the bullet out but there was no time. He needed to get to Sheila first. He put a finger in his ear.
“James. Update me.” Steven commanded as he half limped to the Rav4.
“Are you okay? You don’t sound good SP.” James replied sounding worried.
“I am fine. Answer me.” Steven said, going round the car and opening the driver’s door. He got in and pushed the body of the man out into the road, shutting the door after him.
“Stella is just a few minutes away from her. I bought her a few minutes. I managed to hack into the e-tag software system of the tollgate and was able to delay Sheila from using her automatic e-tag pass. But it was just for a few minutes as the attendant asked her to reverse and use another booth with the manual access. Stella just passed the toll gate and is hot on targets tail. Target is on Ozumba moving at 100km/h while Sheila is hot at Admiralty. ETA is 4 minutes.” James replied.
“I hope this baby can fire.” Steven spoke to himself, starting the ignition.
“Pardon me?” James replied.
“Never mind. Give me an alternate route to get to Bonny without going through the tolls. I need to catch up with them.” Steven ordered.
“Okay…Sent to your GPS. Check your phone. You have to drive as fast as the devil himself if you hope to catch any of them.” James advised.
Immediately, Steven’s Iphone beeped. There was a new message. He opened it and a GPS mapping guide appeared, showing him the directions that he requested. He was quite familiar with the route and memorized it in seconds. He accessed the mess he had just created. Two dead bodies, an injured guard who probably would recall his face, his bullets, a burning vehicle. Too much evidence. It was a desperate situation that had called for desperate measures. He shook his head and sighed. He had to finish this. He shifted gear and drove like a mad man.
************
Detective Samson was home with his beautiful wife and kids. They were all watching their favorite TV Series, Goodluck Chuck when his phone rang. He recognized the number and cussed. His wife turned to look at him with a frown on her face.
“I’m sorry. I forgot the kids are here.” He apologized.
“It’s not just about the kids honey, you have to stop cussing. It’s not healthy.” His wife said, smiling and rubbing his jean covered thigh.
His eleven year old son and four year old daughter did not seem to be interested in the conversation as they watched the television with rapt attention.
“Work, I guess?” His wife asked, after the phone stopped ringing.
“Yep. Why can’t I get a weekend with my family without any interruption Nora? Am I asking for too much?” Samson lamented.
“Honey, it’s what you love. It’s your job. I could not have asked for a more responsible husband. Sometimes . . .” His wife was saying when the phone rang again. The detective looked at his wife with sad eyes.
“. . . Answer it.” His wife said, smiling.
He picked the call.
“Yep. Yes sir. What? How? Jesus! Okay. Okay sir. Right away sir.” Samson answered at intervals. His wife looked at him intently as his face contorted and his countenance changed. The detective ended the call.
“Baby, there has been an emergency. I . . .” Detective Samson started but his wife put a finger on his lips.
“Shhhhh. Honey you don’t need to explain anything to me. I understand. Go get them.” Nora said and smiled.
Her smile warmed his heart. She meant everything to him. She fueled him. She pushed him. She was his tonic when he needed the extra boost to go on. He did not know what he would do if not for his wife and lovely kids. They were his world.
He got up the settee in which they sat and kissed his wife deeply on the lips. He did not want to break off, but she pushed him away playfully. He went to the rug where the children sat and kissed them both on the forehead.
“Daddy, where are you going?” His little daughter asked.
“Daddy has got work to do. I will be right back.” Detective Samson said, running his hand through her hair.
He picked his gun holster, wearing it as he clipped the buttons in place. He kissed his wife on the head and go out of the house.
**************
Steven zigzagged though the alternate route, speeding from FourPoints to Eko Hotels, then through Silverbird and then linking Bar Beach. He was going at 120km/hour speeding like his life depended on it. The car seat was soaked with his blood as wound gushed. He approached Bonny and put a finger in his ear.
“I am approaching Bonny. Tell me I made it.” Steven spoke weakly.
“Wow. Now I know why they call you the Shadow Prime. You are two minutes ahead of time. She should be coming around the bridge in about… Shiitt!!! She just turned left going towards Waziri Ibrahim. And I can’t find her anymore. She has jammed my signals.” James lamented.
“And Stella?” Steven asked. He was beginning to feel dizzy.
“Stella is hot on her heels. Target is aware of someone on her tail. I’ll track her using Stella’s coordinates.” James replied, and continued
“Give me a minute.” James finished
Steven got to the Bonny bridged and made a hard right, the tires screeching, and the rubber burning. He reduced speed to 60km/hr waiting for feedback from James.
“Stella, I’m using your coordinates to track the target. Keep on her tail.” James said
“Got it.” Stella replied, jamming the brake as she climbed a speed breaker. She felt her head touch the roof of the car from the impact of the force. She regained composure and accelerated. She could see Sheila’s tail lights as they approached City Mall.
“One more thing. I suspect that SP may be in trouble. I accessed one of the traffic cams and although the image was not too clear as he ran the red light, he seemed to be bleeding. I’m connecting the line to him. Maybe you could get him to go for help.” James said worried.
“Go ahead but I doubt he would listen.” Stella replied.
“Listen to what sister?” Steven said butting in. James had already connected them. The idiot.
“Steve, I can handle this. Please. Get help for yourself. You are losing a lot of blood.” Stella pleaded.
“James, I know you can hear me. You are so dead. Sister, I am fine. Just make sure that you have eyes on her. Where are you now?” Steven said clearly.
“Looks like she enjoys the chase. She knows I am on her. Seems she’s going to climb the bridge.” Stella replied.
“I have a feeling that she’s up to something. Sheila NEVER works alone. I have an idea.” Steven finished and pulled the ear wig out.
He always followed his instincts and he was never wrong. Something told him that their communication system had been compromised. He threw the earwig out the window and did a U-turn, heading towards Osborne. He was going to be the blackjack.
******
Detective Samson arrived at the crime scene, the area already cordoned with proximity yellow tapes. Reporters, paparazzi, cameras and bystanders formed a little crowd as they all went about their business trying to decipher what had happened in this open freeway, leaving bodies dead and debris everywhere. As the detective bent under the tapes he was greeted by a familiar face.
“Morning sir. It’s a terrible situation.” The officer said, walking with the detective as they approached one of the bodies.
“You can say that again Malcom. What’s the stats?” The detective asked.
“We have five bodies. Four dead. Two from precise headshot wounds and the other two from severe first degree burns and decapitated limbs, their bodies charred beyond recognition. The Forensics team would be carrying out a DNA and Blood test to confirm their identities.” Officer Malcom replied.
The detective was emotionless as he moved from the body he was looking at to the next one. He had seen a lot of dead bodies in the last few months that it had begun to dull his senses and look pretty routine. This corpse had caked blood on his forehead, the whites of his eyes showing. He had one tribal mark on each cheek and no other sign of battery.
“Get me some gloves.” The detective commanded.
Officer Malcom turned and whistled at one of the men at the ambulance, signaling for them to bring a pair of gloves.
“So what happened to the last man or woman? You said there were five bodies. You only talked about four.” The detective spoke as he wore the gloves. He turned the man’s rigid face left and then right to see if there were any signs that he was hit. He examined the body and saw that the only contact was the gun wound.
“He was still alive although barely breathing. He has been rushed to the EU so that his life could be saved.” Malcom replied.
“How many times have I said, do not tamper with evidence till I arrive?!” Detective Samson complained.
Malcom had a sorry look on his face but did not utter a word. He followed the detective as he bent over each body, examining it and taking notes. This did not add up. He pondered on the motive for this killings. Self-defense? Making a statement? What was it? He stood and surveyed the surroundings again, and then his eyes caught something. There was a shiny glitter just under the arm of the first body he had looked at. He went back and bent, turning the body sideways. As he turned the right arm, he noticed a lapel pin. Just on the left shoulder of the uniform.
“King’s Guard?” Samson asked looking up at Malcom
“The King’s Guard is a privately owned security outfit that train and supply special officers for events and huge occasions. They are highly trained and not easy to procure because of their high charges.” Malcom replied.
“But there doesn’t seem to be any event happening around here. So why is there an officer of the King’s Guard far from his den?” Samson asked rhetorically.
“There was an event today at The Cherry Manor. The King’s Guard were the security outfit at the venue.” Malcom said, reading from his hand held tablet.
He saw the look of bewilderment and surprise on Samson’s face so he quickly added,
“Google sir. And it says here that after the rancor of the death of the Speaker, guests were being checked out of the venue when a car left the queue and ran through the barrier. The guards went in pursuit.” Malcom finished.
“Get me a torch.” Samson ordered, as he walked forwards.
He walked for about eight yards and crouched. Malcom handed him the torch. Collecting it, he beamed the lights at the tar covered road.
“Car tracks.” Samson said, looking up at him.
He walked away from the scene, removing his gloves as he bent under the yellow tapes.
“I need the traffic surveillance between here and five bus stops before and after. I need number plates. I need witnesses, anyone who may have seen or heard anything. You get that, Malcom?” Samson asked. Malcom just nodded.
“I also want the bullet in each body extracted and brought to me. Untouched, as in with the blood. You got that? With the blood.” The detective ordered.
As he approached his car, he asked Malcom,
“Which hospital was he taken to?”
‘City County Hospital.” Malcom replied.
The detective got to his car, and pressed the security button in his hand. The tail and front lights flashed twice and the car door unlocked. As he opened his side of the car, reporters and journalists appeared from nowhere blocking his path, cameras flashing and asking a multitude of questions with different microphones, mobile phones and tapes being pushed at him. He caught one of the questions.
“We cannot confirm to you at this time who is responsible for the killings or what the motive is. However we can confirm to you that this was not a traffic accident. An official statement will be replease by the department later today.” Samson said as he bent and entered his car, ignoring the barrage of questions that followed.
He honked twice and drove away from the crime scene as he headed towards The City County Hospital.
********
Stella slowed down, confused as to what just happened. Sheila seemed to have disappeared into thin air. No sound of the engines, no trace of burning rubber, nothing. She had just turned a bend a few seconds after Sheila did and was supposed to be on her tail. But now, there was just darkness. She stepped on the gas, moving slowly. There were two roads in front of her. One to the left and the other to right. If she took the wrong one, she would never get Sheila. She breathed in deep. Taking one last look at the cross road before her, she shook her head on went left, hoping that she made the right decision.
Sheila smiled as she crouched in the passenger seat of her car, watching as Stella stood confused in the middle of the road. The manoeuver that she had just done was one she had practiced for months. She had picked her spot a long time ago and practiced painstakingly twice every day until she got it right. The move had to be perfect. No screeching tires, no burning rubber or smelling clutch. Just a subtle U-turn that allowed her park in a very obscure and unnoticeable part of Adekunle bus stop. The fact that it was very dark also aided her as it was very difficult to notice tire marks in pitch darkness even with the illumination that the headlights provided. She watched as Stella turned the opposite direction, speeding away as if being chased by a ghost.
She put a hand in her ear.
“Raven. I have lost her. Am I clear to proceed to hideout?” She said
“Clear. SP is still somewhere on the island. I guess he finally bled out. So much for that. There is incoming. ETA is twelve seconds. There are no surveillance cams to ascertain that it’s not hostile but I am sure it’s nothing. Mission complete Sheila. Come on home.” A voice replied.
Sheila pulled out of the tiny parking space, shrouded by cramped houses and slowly moved out. She turned left, going the way Stella had come and cruising slowly, enjoying the midnight breeze that filtered through the half open windows. It had been an easy mission. Easier than she had expected. She unhooked her ponytail, shaking her head so that the hair fell on her shoulders.
Just then, the car that was passing by rammed sideways into her. She was taken aback and very shocked but recovered quickly. She had made to get out of the car when her assailant reversed, preparing to ram into her again. That was when she saw who was behind the wheels.
It was Steven.
***************
“I lost her. I can’t believe I lost her!!! Damn!” Stella cussed as she turned the car around heading back the way she came.
“How could I have been so stupid?!” She continued. She was speeding back towards Adekunle now hoping with any luck, she would catch up with Sheila.
She put a finger in her ear.
“Any luck?” She asked
“None. The location of Steven’s position is still static. He could have run out of strength to continue, bled out, or even worse. Don’t you think you need to check it out? I can send the location to your phone.” James suggested.
Stella thought for a few seconds. She slowed down and took a right, evading a hole in the road and increasing her speed.
“I could be running around this whole area in circles and still not get her. I have lost her already. I do not want to lose my brother. Send the coordinates.” Stella replied.
“Done already.” James replied.
As she was about taking another turn towards the third mainland bridge, she had a brainwave.
“James, how did Steven know where we were and how to get to continue the chase?”
“I sent him the coordinates on his phone. He sounded pretty hurt and I informed you accordingly.” James replied.
“Can his phone be traced?” Stella asked full of hope. She was parked at the roundabout, waiting for James’ response. It would decide which way she would be headed.
“It’s a long shot Stella. But I can try.” James replied.
“Make it short. You have 90 seconds.” Stella threatened.
James moved to his tracking laptop and launched the NoteWizard Tracker. He typed in Steven’s phone number and hoped that it would not reject it. After 10 seconds, a message flashed on the screen.
“NUMBER NOT IN USE BY ANY CUSTOMER”
James cussed. He knew that the number would not be traceable because it was a unique noncommercial phone number. He held his hand in his head. Stella never made empty threats. He suddenly got an idea. He pressed a few keys on the tracker and got into the source code of the tracking program. He began to search line by line, hoping to find what he was looking for. As he searched, his eyes landed on something.
“YES!” James screamed.
“You found him?” Stella asked.
“No, not yet. Hold on” James replied.
He found a line in the source code which said “Search NonCommercial Numbers” with a value “No”. That was the problem. He clicked on the “No” and changed its value to “Yes”, saved it and then re-ran the program. He could not believe his eyes.
“Stella?” James called out.
“Yes?” Stella replied wondering why James was so timid.
“SP is mobile and moving very fast. He is along the Yaba axis and from the movement in this radar, he’s either going after something or he is being chased. . .” James informed.
Stella did not wait for James to finish. She had already started the engine and moved wildly forwards, as she hit the accelerator hard.
“James, I am approaching Adekunle police station. I need shortcuts from here till I meet up with them. Copy that?” Stella commanded.
“Done ma’am.”
She slot in an Eminem CD, and increased the volume to a very high level, drowning all other sounds around her. She lost Sheila before. She was determined not to lose her again.
********
Steven gave a quirky smile. He loved the look of surprise that Sheila now had. He reeved his engine as he prepared another assault on her. He stepped hard on the accelerator plunging forwards in an attempt to ram the car into her. Sheila was fast enough as she quickly put the gear in reverse and moved out of Steven’s path just in time. She was scared. Not because she was afraid to face Steven one on one. She could easily manage that. What scared her was the raw horror she saw in Steven’s eyes. The thirst for blood. The desire to kill her. It was bad enough that she was messing with a Shadow Prime. She was now messing with a Shadow Prime who was now blinded and obsessed with only one thing, his desire to see her dead. She did not give this too much thought as she did a 180 turn as she reversed facing the road the same way she had come. She looked in her rear view mirror and saw Steven right on her heel. She thought about pulling off the move she did with Stella but thought against it. There was a high probability that Steven would not fall for it and she was not mentally stable to pull that off. She increased speed as she turned left linking the freeway.
Steven checked the gauge of his fuel. There was more than enough for him to run around the entire city for the whole day. He smiled wryly. Nothing was going to stop him from killing Sheila this day. The road was very free as they sped through, going past the very few cars they came across with blinding speeds. Three minutes into the chase, Sheila realized that Steven would not stop chasing unless she did something drastic. She could not outwit him as all her plans had flown out the window and nothing readily came to mind at the moment. As she approached a speed breaker, she slowed down and put a finger in her ear.
“Raven, I have got Steven on my ass. I need extraction.” Sheila spoke as she got over the speed bump and increased speed.
There was static at the other end. No reply. Steven did not bother reducing his speed to climb the speed breaker. He went on the speed bump at the same speed, the car hauling itself a few feet in the air and landing back on the ground. Steven hit the brakes mildly, steadying the car as the impact made him lose control for a few seconds. He got his grip back and increased speed again, hit in pursuit of Sheila.
Sheila noticed the brief gap that she had managed to create between herself and Steven and for a moment was temporarily relieved. She wished there were more speed breakers as Steven got closer second after second. She was not really very good at adrenaline races and this was what running from Steven was turning out to be. She had still not gotten any form of response from Raven. Steven hit her from behind and she jerked forwards. She struggled with the control of the car, gathering her composure. Increasing speed she began to swerve left and then right at intervals, to avoid getting another bump in the back by Steven. Steven did not follow her swerves, he maintained speed in the middle of the road, studying her movements, waiting for the right moment to speed up and hit her to the curb. The road narrowed from five lanes into two lanes preparing them for the ascent of the Stadium Bridge.
There was a Toyota Yaris in front of them and an idea occurred to Sheila. She swerved right, going on the same lane as the Yaris and speeding ferociously as the second lane was one-way.
“You can run baby but you can’t hide.” Steven said to himself and joined her on the Yaris lane.
She was nearing the Yaris quick and fast. Steven was just a few meters behind her. She smiled. Without warning, she slowed down, swerved left, overtook the Yaris and got back in lane in front of the Yaris. She was now ascending the bridge. Steven did not anticipate that move. He was still on the same speed when Sheila pulled her stunt. At the speed he was going if he did not swerve, he would hit the Yaris and the ensuing impact would be very fatal. If he dared swerve at that speed, the car would lose balance and skid off the road. He had less than two seconds to think. He did not think. He removed his leg from the accelerator and stepped on the brakes, simultaneously turning left to avoid impact with the Yaris. The screech from the tires was deafening. Steven did not notice the car coming towards him as he swerved left to avoid the Yaris. Stepping on the gas and pressing the cruise control button by the steering wheel, he accelerated quickly overtaking the Yaris as the incoming car continued towards him blaring its horn. Steven quickly swerved back right, going in front of the Yaris and switched to gear five. Luckily the car coming towards him had reduced speed as it saw Steven, making it easy for him to make the swerve back. For the first time that morning, Steven’s heart beat with fear. He had almost died. His countenance changed from fear to anger.
“You’ll pay for that b1tch” He murmured to himself.
*********
Detective Samson walked in City County Hospital and went straight to the reception. He took out his gold crested badge, flashing it before the woman behind the desk.
“I am Detective Samson from the Federal Intelligence Bureau, District Detective and Principal Head of Investigations. How are you doing this fine morning?” He said with a smile.
“I know who you are sir. Your face is always all over the news. My name is Sandra.” The receptionist answered.
Just then the plasma screen at a corner on the wall showed Breaking News, and the face of the detective came on screen, where he was answering questions about the murder about 30 minutes ago.
“You see? You are always in the news.” Sandra said and smiled.
“Thank you Sandra. Please direct me to the EU. I need to find the man who was brought in here recently half dead.” The detective said.
“EU is down the hall. Last door on your left. I doubt you will be allowed access though. He is currently undergoing surgery. He was in a pretty bad shape.” Sandra said.
“I see. Thanks anyways. I will try my luck.” Samson replied.
He walked down the hall and got to the EU. He pushed the door inwards, where he was greeted by an empty waiting room. He walked further forwards and got to a door labelled ‘SURGERY’. He tried to open it but it would not open. There was a panel beside the door that showed a red horizontal light, and a tiny card slot. He needed an access card to be granted access.
He did not know how long he would have to wait and was not comfortable sitting around doing nothing. He had hoped to get a word or two from the victim before he was taken into surgery but as things were he would not be able to. He thought for a while. He could decide to wait but for how long? He could decide to leave but that meant his efforts coming to the hospital would have been defeated. As he pondered this, his beeper sounded. He got it out of his pocket and read the message.
“Mad driving reported at Yaba-Adekunle axis. Nearby officers follow up.”
He was not a traffic policeman and his level of clearance made it beneath him to follow up such crimes. However, he had made sure that every information that was passed through lower levels also got to him, hence the pager. This was so he could also be aware of the things happening in his district. The detective had a strong feeling about this and his gut told him to follow it up. He immediately left the EU, walking out of the hospital with a spring in his step.
He pressed the security button on his key holder and his car unlocked. He got into the driver seat and started the engine. He put the gear in drive and was about to move the car when he was jumped.
A man came from the seat behind him, holding a silenced .45 automatic caliber pistol to his forehead and an arm to his throat, cutting his air supply.
“Hello detective. Listen to me very carefully. I can drop you hear without a sound and drive away from here undetected. I will chop your body into pieces and feed you to my tigress. You are no good to me dead, but I can always find someone to do my dirty work. You on the other hand cannot afford to die now. Your wife. Your kids. Think of what would happen if I pulled this trigger.” The man threatened.
He did not sound like someone who made empty threats. His hold on the detective’s neck was perfect. Only a trained killer could maintain that grip. The nozzle of the gun was at the perfect spot. Detective Samson knew he had to obey or else the man would not hesitate to kill him.
“What do you want?” The detective asked in a strong voice, using all the courage he could muster.
“For now, just drive.”
