Adam

Chapter Eight (8): - The Eko Raid

  Adam appeared inside doctor Kabir’s lab, sprawled on the floor like a corpse.

  He appeared like a flash of lightning first, then took human form, instantly.

  Kabir was alarmed when Adam flashed into existence, but when he saw him sprawled on the floor with the deep wound, fear rushed into his eyes.

  He rushed over and carried Adam from the floor and into one of the rooms where Big D was.

  “Shit!” Big D exclaimed “What happened to him?!”

  “I’m yet to find out myself” Kabir replied and immediately commenced treatment.

  A couple hours later, Adam stirred and his eyes opened slowly. He looked around his immediate environment, this was not his hotel room.

  Alarmed, he jumped to a sitting position and looked around more, he was sitting on a hospital bed and wearing a kind of blue paper gown.

  “How did I get back here?” he asked himself, he was not wrong, he realised it as dr. Kabir’s place.

  “You teleported” a voice replied and he spun around. “Congratulations!” Kabir and Big D came inside and he grinned from ear to ear.

  “I teleported?! That’s amazing! So, I can teleport now…like this…” he vanished instantly like a flash of lightning and appeared behind Big D, then disappeared again and reappeared in front of Kabir.

  When he vanished again, he reappeared in front of the door, standing stark naked.

  “What just…happened?” he asked, confused.

  Big D smiled “You know about pocket space; where some calvaries are capable of storing weapons and items for later use. Teleportation works in a similar way. All calvaries have the ability to fold space so they can easily jump from one location to another in seconds. When you’re a beginner however, you tend to drop items unknowingly in that folded space, thereby teleporting them elsewhere. Of course, once you master the technique, you can do that at will. In your case, you dropped your clothes” he stifled a small laugh.

  Kabir walked briskly past him and threw Adam a pair of trousers “Tell us Adam” he said immediately the latter had put on the trousers “What happened?”

  Adam’s mind flashed back to the bolt of lightning and he suddenly grabbed his chest and gasped.

  Big D saw the fear in his eyes and sighed sadly, “I guess Frankenstein finally attacked you. Come on, we’re all ears”.

  Adam began a narration, he knew he had to be open now, so he began from three months ago, on the night of his first raid.

  He narrated the entire ordeal to them, occasionally drawing back to Remi and the killing of the senator. When he was done, the duo was gawking at him amazed.

  Kabir seemed short of words “You took a hit from Douglas and survived for that long! And it was a signature attack, a lightning bolt! Amazing!”

  “How’s that amazing?” Adam yelled “I almost died! That’s the point here!”

  “You don’t get it” Big D interrupted “I suppose being a lightning king yourself must have been one of the deciding factors, but the signature move of the 3 lightning kings before you is the lightning bolt. Douglas has used that singular move to maintain dominance in the CCA and establish order among the missionaries. Douglas has a name among the Jagabans. It’s point and kill. That’s because no one has ever survived a single hit from him if he meant to kill you. And it was always with the lightning bolt”

  “Douglas has had other calvaries working under him before Frankenstein” doctor Kabir took over “but he killed them at one point or the other despite how powerful they became. And it never lasted more than one strike from his lightning bolt. I’m actually impressed”.

  Adam thought this over and sighed “I didn’t know it was such a big deal. But what do I do? I’m in a rather large mess now and I don’t know how to get out. I have…so much innocent blood on my hands. Big D was right, there’s a weight on my shoulder now that feels as heavy as the world. I should have told you both what I was doing at the start. I should have told you the truth”.

  “You were confused” Kabir replied softly “Confused and deceived by that cunning fox, Douglas. Fortunately, though, we’ve been watching you, Adam. We just wanted you to come around on your own”

  Adam paused “Wait. You knew?”

  Big D nodded and showed him a video on his phone of the Makinde murder.

  Adam gasped “You where there?!”

  “No, I wasn’t” Big D replied “Frankenstein had someone record the scene of the killing. Fortunately for us, I’m not just good for fisticuffs, I’m a very resourceful hacker, and I’ve been hacking missionary files for a couple years now. I’ve been watching Frankenstein like a hawk, and I think all is finally falling into place”

  “But…” Adam stuttered “If you knew all along about the evil of the missionaries, why didn’t you stop me?”

  “Not our decision to make” Kabir replied “you’re a lightning king, Adam. Do you even realise how much power and latent potential you possess? The kind that can allow you to level cities at will, flatten enemies instantly, the kind of power that intoxicates and makes you feel like a god. Precisely because of this, I knew that you had to come to choose by yourself, the right thing to do. Once you realised how disgusting and reprimanding power intoxication can be. Sacrifices will be made, like tonight, you must go for the raid. If Salih must die, then sacrifices must be made. What the sacrifice is made for however, must be a dignified end”

  “Salih” Adam said slowly “The man the missionaries are after tonight. He’s another innocent man. More innocent blood on my hands…”

  “No man is truly innocent” Kabir cut him short “not until a man dies, no man is truly innocent. As long as you offend people, you will be found guilty of certain crimes. Only the dead can truly be called innocent. You’re a dead man Adam, you are the only innocent one here”.

  Adam looked at Kabir with solemnity “You want to bring down the CCA. If what they do is just kill people, innocent or not, for money or fun or whatever purpose, then I’m not going to be part of them. If you need my power, then I’m going to lend you my full power. Whatever it takes to make them pay for their actions, I’ll do it. We’ll bring down the CCA”

  That night, Adam stood at the foot of a bridge in Lekki and stared at his phone. He remembered Kabir’s words.

  “If somehow, the power which can bring us, calvaries, back to life; that almost magical or divine power that wipes our memories of our past life completely from the minds of everyone, doesn’t affect that girl, then the entire system is glitched”

  “Glitched?” he had asked “How?”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know about the existence of calvaries Adam” Kabir replied “Jagabans and Grandmaster aren’t the end of the ladder. There is a system which has been established for their operation. A system entirely created by some thing or someone for more powerful then we could imagine. But if that system’s glitched. Adam” his eyes filled with emergency “We have to dig up your past. Somehow, I think you’re the real reason, why that girl remembers everything about you”

  In a dimly lit room, Frankenstein sat on a sofa and peered closely at the details that were being showcased from the projector.

  Adam was there too, and a handful of other calvaries, Jerry was at the screen, explaining.

  “Dr. Salih Abubakar is one of the most influential men in the Nigeria banking industry. He has almost 20% of all the shares combined of all Nigerian banks. That is simply because he has shares in about fifteen banks in the country. Due to his heavy influence, he is a direct contact to the governor of the CBN, who is our next target. Dr. Salih likes girls, a lot, and because of that he usually moves in secret to Eko hotel, where he spends time with about five to six girls a night. Tonight, he’s very, very busy”

  Frankenstein nodded, approving what was being said and subtly urging him to carry on.

  “Salih has one thing that is our problem; a very close relationship with the senators. Since this is the case, he was close to senator Makinde before his death. That means he knows of our existence”.

  Adam was beside himself with shock, realization hit him hard “We’re killing everybody who knows about us” he heard himself say.

  Frankenstein shook his head in the negative “Wrong! We aren’t as worried about that knowledge as we are of the bounties on their head. We don’t care if they find out about us, there are higher ups who make sure they remain silent. We are after him because he also has a bounty on his head. Along with senator Makinde, both men remained persistent on finding our identity and those higher ups ordered for their execution. Simple. In addition to that, governor of the CBN, who has a major bounty on his head, is a sure link through him”

  Frankenstein rose and walked to the screen signalling for Jerry to step away from the spotlight. “We have heard all he has said” he began calmly “Now for the information we have all been waiting to hear…” he gazed calmly into their eyes “…Dr. Abubakar has a bounty of a hundred million dollars. Eighty percent of the sum goes to the missionary treasury, the rest will be shared. The average share is ten million Naira, work harder to get a bigger share. Any questions?’

  Adam rose his head “Yes?” “Is there any security?”

  Frankenstein sighed “In fact, there is. Salih has employed the services of a private security corps. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem but for one disturbing news. Their leader happens to a rouge missionary. A calvary.

  Eko hotel was a glamorous sight at night, and it kept the customers flocking in. Senators, ministers, commissioners, oil barons, company CEOs, artists and the sort always paid heavily to spend a night or a day with a few friends or ladies.

  Tonight, Dr. Salih had booked his usual deluxe size room up on the 3^rd floor that represented everything he wanted. A king size bed, five 3- seater sofas, a divan, a minibar stocked to the brim, twelve to thirteen mini chandeliers revolving round a major one with around twenty bulbs hanging on it.

  Salih walked to the bar and took a brandy from the man opposite the counter, and he poured it in his glass.

  “Is everything ready, Banks?” he asked the man

  “Yes boss” Banks replied “Not even a fly can penetrate the security”

  Salih nodded “Alright. Secure my immediate perimeter. I will be busy”.

  Banks looked over his boss’ shoulder at the five women seated on a sofa each, then he nodded and left.

  Meanwhile, Adam flashed into existence behind a huge flower bush, he looked around and quickly spotted others appearing like flashes of light.

  Frankenstein was at the edge ‘’I want a clean sweep’’ he said calmly into his car piece ‘’Salih is still on the edge after Makinde’s death, but they barely know we’re here’’.

  Adam sighed and put on his gloves then he concealed half of his face with a mask and the stole away.

  Banks stepped out of an elevator and into the floor, he was going to take the stairs to the ground floor. He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial ‘’Hello. Yes, double the patrol, no lapses”.

  The moment he end the call, 3 male figures walked past him with a suspicious air. One of them even had the guts to glare at him.

  On a normal day, he would have let them go, but not after the call they had received that afternoon. In the brief moment, his eyes darted around their bodies, searching.  Then he paused and his memory served him the evidence he was looking for.

  The one that glared at him, that one had a tattoo on his neck. The tattoo of an equal armed cross. He smirked ‘’ I suggest you don’t go into that elevator’’ he said calmly, a strong aura emanating from him, the 3 men paused.

  Banks cocked his head slightly to the right so he could see them in his peripheral vision. “The man you’re after tonight, is under my protection”.

  The men turned around and glared, the first one to talk was the one with the tattoo on his neck. “Oh, is that so?” he said in a cocky tone “It’s useless trying to protect him. You’re already surrounded. But since you’re hell bent on it…”

  His tattoo shone with a cold blue light, then large ice spikes began protruding from his back and right arm “…I guess we’ll just  have to kill you first”.

  Banks turned around calmly and stared at the ice calvary “I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but it won’t end well. I have a burning hot temper, and the flames can easily melt ice”

  The calvary chuckled “That’s what I’d expect from you! The missionary’s former greatest fire user! Banks! Don’t forget, you’re clearly outmatched”

  The other two stepped forward, one of them crunching his fist into his other palm. He grinned and suddenly began to increase in size. His body swelled and he became as huge as a monster almost seven feet tall.

  His shirt gave way, tearing apart as his skin hardened after expanding and turned to rock solid stone “Stone art; stone skin!”

  Banks looked at the huge stone man, towering at a staggering seven feet, or almost. He was just around 5 ft 10, this man was at least a whole foot taller.

  But that didn’t bother him, he looked at the last person left ‘An ice calvary and a stone calvary’ he thought to himself ‘Ice smashes against stone. But he’s going to try to counter my every move so that the stone guy can tackle me. Still won’t be a problem if it’s just two of them. But this guy…he’s a barrier calvary, isn’t he? They’re always quiet and are the most annoying guys in the CCA’

  He turned to the ice calvary “Did I forget to tell you that I’m already pissed?”

  The calvary almost chuckled in anger “Who cares! We’re going to take you…”

  Banks took one step forward, only one, and his feet crushed the floor directly underneath it. And in a trigger response chain reaction, the entire place were the three missionaries were standing, went off in a stellar explosion.

  Outside, the security agents were on full alert, high profile suited agents in black. They patrolled steadily along the perimeter, but this was not even a hindrance to the missionaries.

  Like a silent wind, they swept through the security formation, making clockwork of them and swiftly yet quietly reducing their numbers.

  But suddenly, all the security agents began pulling back and heading for the hotel entrance. Frankenstein and his missionaries noticed this, the security were regrouping.

  Adam, who was next to Frankenstein, seemed puzzled “They sniffed us out already?”

  “No” Glassman seemed and stepped out of the shadows with Jerry “They knew all along that we were carving. Someone sold us out”.

  They approached the hotel entrance brazenly now, missionaries pouring out of the shadows in numbers.

  The security were pulling themselves closer to the perimeter, closing the net, so they simple had to use brute force. As the security rushed into the hotel building, one agent whispered into the ear of another one, that was when Frankenstein, Adam and Jerry came into view.

  Then like a swarm of bees, the rest of missionaries poured out behind them.

  Then security agents gawked in surprise ‘They’re coming with full force! Are they going to attack in the open…’

  Titan stepped forward, the liquid metal swimming behind him. Then they transformed into the spikes and his lips moved “Metal construct!”

  The four or five spikes shot at them and impaled an equal number of them, stabbing straight through them and sending them smashing through the glass walls.

  People screamed as human bodies burst straight through the glass walls and chaos quickly erupted in the hall of the ground floor. The security agents were beyond terrified, this was not a power that a human should possess.

  “Fall back!” their leader yelled “Pull in and secure the doctor. Await the boss’ orders!”

  They began falling back, rushing into the hotel to go bind protect doctor Salih. The men outside opened fire, shooting sporadically to take down the missionaries. But this was where Jerry stepped in. as the bullets hit him, he split into dozens of clones, then began attacking the men in black.

  Frankenstein looked over to Adam “Join Jerry to take them out. The rest of you, take care of the ones inside”.

  The calvaries behind them vanished and appeared at different locations inside the hotel and begun targeting the security agents. Adam on the other hand, pulled out two daggers from his pocket space, and attacked.

  In an instant, he had closed the gap between him and two men, they turned towards him in alarm, but before they could react, he dug the daggers straight into their jaws, piercing through so that the blades were visible in their mouths as they gasped and groaned.

  Blood poured and he pulled the daggers out, then two other agents opened fire on him. His body crackled with humming blue electricity and he moved.

  In a heartbeat, he appeared before one of them, flashing only like an electric current in space, and he rammed one blade straight through his neck. Then before the other man could react, he was there and slashed his chest open, spraying blood everywhere.

  Frankenstein watched closely, Adam was more cold blooded now, maybe he had accepted his fate, or maybe it was something else.

  They stepped into the hall after taking out the men outside, people were running helter-skelter, taking cover and trying to escape.

  The other missionaries had followed the security agents, taking them out one by one.

  “First floor, not far from the lift” Glassman said “Three of our men are dead. I sent them up as spies but they didn’t make it past the first floor”

  Jerry chuckled and looked up to the ceiling “It’s probably him” he said with a smile “He’s still got that firepower and rage. You can just smell it from down here”.

  Glassman didn’t smile, he just looked straight ahead “Let’s go”