What is the meaning of this?
A very familiar voice changed the mood in the training room with the speed of light, the very voice feared by everything and everyone in the institute. Doctor Mugabe the institute head scientist walked in followed by Logan and a few of his colleagues in tow.
The crowd moved back respectfully as he walked slowly towards the scene, hands folded calmly behind him as Logan rushed forward to heal the twins, hands glowing with electric current.
“What is the meaning of this Miss Monroe?’’ Doctor Mugabe asked again, his voice cutting through the dead silence, filled only with the occasional sparks from Logan’s powers as he healed the second twin. “Can you not carry out your simple duty without bringing the whole institute down on us eh.’’
“But professor,’’ Fortuna started.
“Miss Monroe, there’s a reason you were hired to be a drill instructor, to make sure the combat exercises doesn’t blow out of proportion, so explain to me why you seem to lag at your duty in controlling the specimens."
only doctor Mugabe still called the children specimens or use numbers to identify them, to him they were just objects of research. Fortuna was fidgeting, Babybaby seem to find it amusing because she wasn’t looking so tough now.
“The children were out of control professor, Obiora attacked the twins using his abilities when he was supposed to drill hand to hand, when I ordered him turned over for punishment the other hatchlings disobeyed direct order and turned against us.’’
“That’s not true; Babybaby cried, unfortunately bringing the doctor’s attention to where they stood fidgeting.
The doctor stared at them, cold fear ran down Omotola’s spine as his listless gaze swept past her, he had been known to put a specimen out of commission if he deemed it too below standard for his satisfaction, by commission; meaning disposal, eradication...you get the picture. A tall bony old man, heavily bearded, his bright beady eyes defining the mad genius of a mad scientist.
Babybaby too young to keep her mouth shut yapped on explaining how the twins mocked Obiora to anger resulting in him injuring them.
“He didn’t try to wound them on purpose, his wings caught fire and shot at them because they made him mad professor sir.’’
That got the doctor’s attention. He ordered for a video log of the fight to be brought to him.
“Interesting,” he croaked, oblivious to the gathering standing nervously around him as he watched Obiora showering the twins with the feathered dart from his wings replayed over and over again. “The pyrokinesis enhanced specimen seems to have evolved more around his abilities by directing his flaming wingspan to eject quill-like, in which unserviceable feathers are once again useful, fascinating.’’
The doctor seems to be in a lab of his own as he mumbled to himself. The twins fully healed helped each other up caught his attention.
“You boy, he croaked pointing a bony finger at the stricken Obiora, ‘’since how long have this abilities been procured.’’
“Huh, I don't know sir, I just did it errr it just felt right at that moment, Obiora shrugged.
“Fascinating the doctor croaked, once more, the subject of his attention forgotten, ‘’Mr. Lawal, report your handle to the lab for testing immediately, you should report any new development amidst your handles, it is what you are being paid to do.
“Yes doctor.’’ Obiora’s handler replied as he nervously ushered the glum faced boy out of the drill hall.
“The rest of the specimens are to be confined to their cubicles for the rest of the day without dinner, that's enough to think about the next time they decide to become bad eggs.’’
Babybaby started but Amaka her handler held her shoulder stopped her with a warning shake of her head as he continued.
“Miss Monroe and the twins are to write a report on why they almost started a coup at their stations and in which they are to convince this facility why it should still retain their services, now the rest of you no lollygagging, go about your businesses.’’
On saying this, the doctor turned on his heels and strolled out of the hall hands folded calmly behind him.
“That went well,’’ Logan smiled as the staff dispersed and the rest of the 5th generation children were being herded out like sheep by their handlers, mapper drones and nervous Askaris guards.
“That wasn’t fair’’ Binta moaned, “These wings are as big as we are and could turn on us if we don’t feed them.’’
Logan chuckled, “believe me the doctor seems to be in a good mood, I remembered the punishments used to be much more severe." They chattered on asking Logan about his health while he smiled and answered, Logan smiled a lot. tall and athletic, curly hair like a cherub, gentle despite his age and powers, the rest of the children on the other hand had tempers like a warthog with a boil on his butt, his single golden brown wing must had been beautiful to look at with its missing half.
Omotola didn’t realize she was brooding alone until Logan asked her joking if she was taking over Shettima’s ability to brood. She opened her mouth and was about telling them about the nightmares of the man with the tortured wail and the men in white coats that unsurprisingly looked like Doctor Mugabe and his fellow scientists, but the cctv cams, the patrolling robot sentinels, the Askaris and the ever present mapper drones kept the words back as she shook her head instead in answer to Logan’s question.
I groaned as I dreamt, the mortal pain from which had I fled followed me into the world of dreams, gods do not dream. We simply used it as tools to commune with men, manipulating their present, past and future, but sometimes we retreat to these fascinating realms in mockery of slumber, to garner rest and grow strength.I fled there often to escape my anguish during my captivity. But now I dreamt of my youth, long before I became a deity; a Yoruba warrior prince of the old Oyo Empire, I was the youngest son, the eldest; Eweka, ruled as the Oba of the kingdom of Benin, the second; my older half-brother Ajaka, was crown prince of Oyo, shackled by duties of state, watched me with jealousy as I gamboled round the empire and beyond, carefree and wild, the parties and dances were where you would find me.I was not far from skirmishes, conflicts and adventures, the duties of a prince were the least of my problems, that burden was for another. When our fathe
A sleek black carriage pulled up at Westminster alleyway, the door of the carriage opened and it's occupant, a gentleman step down into the cold English morning, he waved a dismissive hand towards the manservant hurrying to his aid.His red jacket inlaid with polished brass buttons introduced him as an officer in the imperial army. He moved briskly up the stairs to the manor to the already opened door where he was ushered in by a tall smartly dressed butler."Lord Rawlings is expecting you captain." He said, The captain's grunted in reply and allowed himself to be led down the hallway towards the manor lord's study where a portly elderly man sat waiting."Captain luggard, please have a sit" he coughed over his pipe smoke as the young captain saluted. "My apologies for summoning you in such short notice my boy but i see the need to see you before you sail from our shores, I do hope you are looking forward to your assignment." Lord Ra
Obiora returned to drills after a week in the labs, pale and spent but happy to be once more united with his siblings, the 5th generation children were allowed to eat and be together for a few hours thrice a week, asides that they only saw one another at drills and classes where they were taught by grizzled old professors and learnt different languages under the watchful eyes of their handlers.Omotola’s handler, Katie was kind to her and sometimes told her about her own life outside the institute which was against protocol; Amaka, Babybaby’s handler adored her and spoilt her terribly. The rest of the handlers took their jobs quite seriously and Katie once said they feared the children and their abilities but feared the institute more; she would expertly change the discussion to new topics whenever she tried to get her to talk about the institute.It was after Obiora’s porcupine stunt that the doctors began wondering if they could force the children t
After waiting for two hours into the night which felt like days, Omotola was beginning to doubt whether she got Shettima’s message right and when she was about calling it a night a sound made her jump.The electricity in her wings flashed defensively, by their lights she watched in fascination as Shettima stepped out from a shadowed corner of her cubicle, his charcoal colored wings spread around him like a cloak. Omotola grinned in greeting. He smiled back then moved around checking out the room.“I thought you wouldn’t get my message’’ he whispered, took me a while to find where you sleep, I stumbled into Orchid’s cubicle while she was shaving her legs, her room so pink and bright I could barely find a dark place big enough to escape with.’’ he made a puking face and gave another rare smile as Omotola chuckled."What took you so long?"“My own cubicle has been renovated with bright fluorescents lights to stop me le
They found themselves in a large dome shaped hall, bigger even than the halls they used for drills, the spherical roof inlaid with glass windows from which a group of people stared down at them, dressed in business suits, army uniforms and lab coats, Omotola noticed doctor Mugabe standing with a stern faced broad shouldered man in an army suit decorated with so much medals she wondered why she wasn’t hearing the jingling down from where she stood.“Can someone tell me what’s going on here?’’ Orchid whispered nervously, they were alone now, their handlers had silently withdrawn.“These people own us,’’ Shettima said so quiet Obiora had to lean forward to hear him; they’re here to watch us do what we’ve been trained to do since we learned to walk and fly, the 5th children were silent as his words sank in.“What do they want from us?" Babybaby asked, her lower lip quivering.“To do what we do best’’ Obiora replied this
As I once more fled to the solitude of dreams, the weaker I had become, the weaker my grasp over my dreams as I was instead swept into memories I had no desire to remember. To my chagrin and shame, I was forced to re-live them all, the pains and regrets and then this particular one I was swept unto like the erratic flow of a river pregnant with rains.I saw myself strolling through the slave markets of Ajashe Ipo; now known as Porto-novo, invisible to the eyes of the the mortal traders and merchants. The gathering of clouds and the distant rumble of thunder heralded my arrival, the traders throwing a few worried glances at the sky wondering whether it might rain.All this I ignored as I moved closer to the objects of both my curiosity and loathing. The foreign Portuguese merchants.For a while I stood and watched the foreigners argue with Yorùbá, Fon and Ewẹ traders, haggling and bartering goods, salts and gold in exchange for slave
Something woke Omotola in the dark. She squealed, panicking until a familiar voice hissed at her to hush it, she brushed her hair from her face and glared balefully at Shettima.“What’s the big idea Dracula you want to give me a heart attack?’’ He smiled apologetic, "sorry if I scared you, but it's really important that we talk.’’“You saw me at drills just this morning,’’ Omotola growled irritated, ‘’I need my sleep, and haven’t we agreed you quit your midnight strolls for a while? You’ll ruin everything.’’“Change of plans, I saw something else’’ he cuts in so sharply she shuts up fast, “if we have to leave we should leave soon.’’“You have a nice cubicle, she heard a deep voice said.’’She squealed again in alarm, her wings flashed electricity so bright Shettima flinched, then she saw Obiora chuckling, his twin Orchid stood beside him grinning in amusement, carrying a sleepy Babybaby astride her
But things took a turn for the worse as the classes they’ve always had together was canceled, Omotola had a sick feeling that the institute was trying to ease their separation by keeping them apart, like puppies about to be sold off, not siblings with humane feelings.Drills and tuition became a private activity and their schedules were adjusted to reduce the chance of them being together but instead, the recent turn of event did nothing but agitate them the more as they began to act unruly, Omotola was punished, prodded and confined to her cubicle without meals several times for asking questions, of course the institute needed someone to blame for that because Katie was never seen again, and she was replaced by a stone faced lady who ignored all attempts at conversation.“Where’s Katie?’’“Silence…”“Who are you and when is she coming back?”“More silence…”&ldq