Early the next morning by 8am, about ten police vehicles drove out of the police headquarters with their siren blaring as the drove along the scanty road. The Lagos state government had the previous night announced a twenty four hours partial curfew in which no vehicle would allowed into the state or out of the sate, while soldiers have been called upon to Mount roadblocks and conduct thorough check on every vehicle that plies the road. Business firms and companies refused to resume for the days work, since everyone is expected to be locked inside their house immediately it is 12noon and on a normal day, especially Thursdays, work starts fully around ten o’clock, so what is the gain of working for two hours? They decided to shut their doors for the whole day while people who cannot do without rendering services and getting paid for an hours opened their shops. The hair salon, the barber shops, fashion designers to mention a few places where the normal day activities are on going, even though on their faces were signs of fear and the readiness to take to their heels at the very first sound of a gunshot or anything that sounds like a gunshot. The first police team consisting of three police vehicles and eighteen police officers including Detective Ngozi, the commander and Agent Sylvester, while the second police team to every officer’s suprise was led by the state police commissioner. It was the believe of the non-force or non police people that the high ranking officers in the force such as the Inspector General, the commissioners, the chief inspectors and the police supritendents didn’t pass through the normal system of promotion. It was rumoured that every high ranking officer in the police force got promoted as a result of a certain quota system which is in favour of his tribe or state or better still, he/she is well connected thereby making promotion very easy. All the high ranking officers know how to do is to report to the station very early in the morning, regardless of the weather, switch on the air condition, even if its snowing, they’ll still turn it on, then sit down all day and at the close of work, a female officer must leave with them to go and warm their beds. A news that went viral some years back was the case of a police commissioner whose house was attacked by armless hoodlums and the police chief who was the only member of his family who has not been held hostage by the hooldums couldn’t scare them off with his gun. He couldn’t even load the gun with bullets, but his colleagues, the state government came to his rescue saying he was shocked which was what affected hum. At the axis into Dolphin estate, the first three police vehicles drove into the estate while the other four vehicles and an ambulance continued driving on the highway. “Sir, your team is expected to move in as soon as we locate the building from our underground position. You’ll be notified of when to move in.” Sylvester who had vowed to help the police on this and hopefully find a suitable time to send a message accross to Hakym notifying him of the police intending attack, but he’ll notify him later which would be very advantageous for the police because the police would have been very close to the corporation before he sends such message then the corp would be in total disorder with the news thinking the police are still thirty minutes away from their location. He checked his pocket, the white box which was given to him by Becky was still there peering at him. He hoped he would be able to use it against Kelvin, but of what use is it? Is it that important to him that he won’t mind coming out of hiding to get it? — Maleek was sitting on a collapsible couch in his private chamber, his top officials were either sitting or standing around his bed, the lady who walked out of the building at the same time with him the previous night was sitting on the bed and an old man dressed in a laboratory coat and stethoscope hung around his neck was checking his health condition. “The drug I gave you should work…” The old man who would probably be in his mid seventies began but was cut short by an impatient Maleek. “It should work or it would work? I want a drug that will heal this wound within hours. Now get out of here Old Tom.” The old man bowed gently and walked out of the room. “Are you still feeling the pains?” His second in command asked. “Not anymore, you know since the bullet has been removed, I feel less pains, just a few muscle pulls and pains if I touch the affected area or anywhere near it.” Maleek replied. “That’s good.” His second in comman retorted. “You know, we have decided that…” He continued but Maleek once again cut him short by giving a short cough in a way that sounded “hem hem.” “Romina, excuse us.” Maleek said to the lady who rose up, bowed and walked out of the room through a door different from the one Old Tom walked through. The lady, Romina looked twenty four or lesser, but beautiful, light skinned, C-cup bossom size and an average but sexy bum. She looked Liberian, maybe one of the refugees who came to Nigeria during President Charles Taylor’s regime but refused to return to her country after the war or came to Nigeria for a different reason. “What do you suggest we do concerning Kelvin?” Maleek asked when he was sure that Romina was out of earshot. “I must confess, Kelvin is a formidable opponent. If he decides to work against us, then we have to up our game, remember, he is part of the system, he knows every loopholes. Have you ever sat down to imagine how he escaped? The last time I looked at him, Danger-kelv was standing beside Hakym in front of the boss and in a twinkle of an eye he had slipped and at the same time was out of the compound. Its a mystery to me.” The second in command explained. “Indeed, Danger-kelv is a formidable opponent, but how do you suggest we charge at him?” Maleek asked carefully placing his bandaged leg on a cushion which was placed on the bed for such purpose. “I believe the fault actually came from you boss. I see no reason why Danger-kelv should be allowed to live among the civillians. He deserved no freedom more than us. He is an asset, everyone knows, he is invaluable, priceless and the best around, but yet, I think your prefrential attitude gave him some non-existent confidence. You can correct me if I am wrong.” Another man, probably the third in command, also seated beside the second in command said with a bow. “I agree with you on this. Kelvin had access with a lot of things that we don’t. He knew every police officer by name, he can identify them while we here couldn’t, we don’t watch tv for the fear of being traced and now Danger-kelv has betrayed the corp, respect to yo sir, you caused it.” Another man said. “I stand to disagree with you on this. The boss has no fault in the issue at hand. While the boss was treating D-K like a prince that he was, did any of us complain? No. Its evident that the boss trusted the boy and in the end he betrayed the trust. The ordinary citizens of Nigeria entrusted their country in the hands of a president, they didn’t know he had a motive of working with the Khal corp, that’s just the point.” One of the men standing said. A smiled escaped Maleek’s lips. “I thing the person who stand to share these blames is Hakym, he knew that D-K brought a different police officer, but he decided to play along for reasons best known to him.” The man continued. Every head in the room turned towards Hakym who blinked weakly. At once Maleek rose up from the bed, picked up a walking stick that was placed beside the bed and hit Hakym hard accross the face with it. Hakym, hit unexpectedly staggered backwards, removed his gun from his hip-holster and held it firmly. “Do it.” Maleek said moving closer to him as he swung the walking stick once again, this time narrowly missing him. At once about three men had hit Hakym and he was now on his knees facing an angry Maleek. “I want Danger-kelv before me before dusk.” He said and limped back to the bed, this time, as a result of stress he just underwent, he would started bleeding once again and the doctor was summoned.Ngozi led a team of seventeen police officers including Sylvester into the underground and carefully thay made their way through the dead bodies that lay on the ground. The odours emanating from the bodies are so offensive they could stop the heartbeat for a second or two. Ngozi’s heartbeat fought and won a battle against the offensive odour, her heart refused to stop beating, but while they continued beating, it was throbbing faster than normal to an extent that if someone should stand in front of her, he/she would be able to see the bulge in her chest coming out and going in at a very fast rate. She was sure that the blood being pumped out of her heart would have by now flooded her body system, but if things like that happen in human then the emergency units, the veins should swing to action by distributing the blood to all body part. “How far are we to get there?” Someone asked fron behind. “Its not much, or is it? She asked facing Sylvester who shook his head negatively with a disturbed smile. Then they came to the point where the underground was divided into two tunnels, the dark one and the slightly light one. “Now, this is the point. Everybody, switch on your flashlights.” She ordered and tens of flashlights flickered on lighting up the tunnel. “No one speaks as we go in now. Expect the worst, no one knows what’s inside, but any problem you encounter, it would be solved without any problem.” Ngozi said looking at Sylvester for a go ahead. She was sure that even the Inspector General of police won’t mind taking orders from a constable in a situation such as this. The fear of the unknown, expecially after the James turned monster incident. “Now, at the count of three, we all move in and there will be no going back. This tunnel leads to the Khal corp, and this is our only chance to rescue sergeant Mike and also put an end to all these craziness.” Ngozi explained. Everyone is suprised at Ngozi’s newest attitude, she talked less and smiled less. She is now uptight and firm, she doesn’t joke, she is straight to business and gives orders without anticipating protest from the junior officers. No one could explain the reason behind her new found Okonjo Iweala’s attitude or Oby Ezekwesili attitude. “One, two….” Sylvester was saying when loud noises that sounded like footsteps could be heard from behind them, the policemen all stepped aside for about fifteen soldiers led by their commander to come face to face with Ngozi. “I am captain Sanni.” The commander introduced himself. “Detective Ngozi.” She replied stretching her hand towards him. He ignored the hand and stepped closer with open arms. Like he wanted a hug. Ngozi rudely disappointed him by making a sharp turn to face the tunnel once again. “Let’s go guys.” She ordered and matched off into the tunnel, with Sylvester running to keep up with her, while the embarrassed Captain followed them from behind and the troops took the rear. “In silence please.” Ngozi said when she realised that the soldiers were begining to sing their chants and war songs. Five minutes later, they came face to face with another sets of tunnels, about three in number, all brightly lit. “Which way?” Sylvester asked as if he had envisaged something like this. “I don’t know.” Ngozi confessed looking at Sylvester and Captain Sanni expectantly. “Check the map that you have with you.” Sylvester said. Ngozi was thrown off balance with the request or order or whatever you call it. “I… Err…am…” She stammered looking intently at Captain Sanni who smiled. “You came to pick the map sometimes not too long ago. You were dressed in a night gown, you came with a man, around 9pm. Didn’t you?” Sanni asked. “Then I think you should just present the map and know which way to go.” Sylvester said tucking his gun into his shirt. Ngozi looked on without talking, but her lips were moving, typical of the Chineese who moved their lips about twenty times when talking, but only two words will come out. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mike was pulling his legs so hard that one would think the leg belonged to someone else and he want to remove it from its socket because no right thinking person would treat his own body part like this. Kelvin was squatting beside him pouring a liquid from a black bottle, the liquid which while looking at it looked like water but its effect made it look like a hot one as a result of the steam escaping from his wound, while Kelvin’s activities made it look like a chemical or a drug. Kelvin held a sugar thong in his lef hand as he poured the content of the bottle, he tried using the thong to remove something from his body. Maybe a bullet. “Maybe we should call the police.” Mike suggested. “I must not see any police team around here. If by mistake I see one, then consider yourself dead.” “But why? We need their help, don’t we?” – After a series of permutations and combination, the police team guessed that they should take the left tunnel and if it doesn’t lead to anywhere, they’ll be back to take the one in the middle or the one on the right when it became clear that they will never see the map even though Ngozi was unable to tell them where the map is or why she came to pick it up. After walking for some five minutes, the soldiers broke into a run, running ahead of the team happily but this time they were not chanting their slogans or war songs. Ngozi was loosing her patience, she just felt like ordering the troup to abort the mission, but as things were, they had come a very long way than to back out. “Stop it!” She screamed, but it was too late, one of the running soldiers had fallen into a deep pit which looked endless as his cries could be heard ad he continued falling to the ground. The pit was digged just in the middle, there was nowhere to pass to get to the other side which was the continuation of the rocky floors. This seemed to be the end of the way for them. “Let’s try other tunnels.” Captain Sanni said without showing sympathy or anything close to pity for the young man who fell into the pit. A splash could be heard, meaning tham guy had fallen into the water where he was destined to die. The troop left the spot and walked out of the tunnel, they tried the second tunnel which led to a dead end and on the third try, they made a headway by coming face to face with quite a lot of soldiers where a shootout ensued and everyone had to show his/her skills and experiences. Ngozi being the oly femal expertly handled the situation as the commander of the troop, she gave them confidence by shouting some incoherents such as “you can do it guys.” “Its in you.” “No going back, no retreat. Stand back till the very last drop of your blood if needs be.” Luckily for the police team, several iron crates were placed on top the other and they were able to take cover from the crates. “Move in guys.” Sylvester managed to say through his communication device attached somewhere around his shoulder. It was evident that he had contacted the police team that was in place at the Khal corp vicinity. +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Klevin had succeeded in making Mike feel relieved a bit even though the burning effect which the chemical left behind was still there but not as excruciating as the gunshot pain. “Do you smoke?” Kelvin asked removing a stick a marijuana or weed from a plate and stretched it to him. “No, I don’t. Do you?” Mike replied. “Not at all. But I drink.” Kelvin replied tucking the plate into his bag. Kelvin removed a loaf of Breat from the same bag and offered some to Mike who declined. “I won’t take some part of it unless you tell me why you loved eating bread.” Mike said. “Well, I love bread because during the last supper, Jesus christ broke a loaf of bread and gave it to his disciples saying it is his flesh. On another seperate account, he fed the multitude with a loaf of bread and two fishes. Now that we have no fish in place, we should manege the bread.” Kelvin explained. “Do you read the bible?” Mike asked curiously. “Not at all.” Kelvin replied and walked out of the large pipe. He returned after a minute or two. “Who called them?” He asked. “Called who?” Mike asked. “The cops.”
