On the train
3/4/2030
7:00pm
The train conductor bot just announced the next stop. All three children sat together holding hands. Discouraged and exhausted, their wet and red rimmed eyes had people staying away from them.
What if they had the Virus, they thought.
Not long after, they slept, having troubling dreams of their own. Alpha stayed alert, silently watching over them from Dayo's Celo.
Ovic Incorporation
4/4/2030
12 noon
“So are you going to do it or not?”
Sharon observed as Yomi set Third to abuse her husband physically and verbally, and yet Dayo didn't budge from his mute position. Her heart tugged at the sight of bruises all over him but she couldn't do anything. She had to pl
Ovic Incorporation4/4/20304:00pmOnlineHer eyes pried open and met with light. It was not blinding at all. Everywhere was just bright.Who was she? What was she? What was her name?A man stepped into view and bent over her. He was bald and appeared to be in his mid forties. She focused on his face. She did not recognize him but knew him.“Third,” he said.She immediately registered that as her name. Third. She was One Nine Two Point Three, also known as Third. She remained on the flat cool white surface which she registered as bed. She could not move. Her body was not hers. She felt a dark wall in the corner of her mind preventing her from thinking too much or making actions.“Who is your Creator, Third?”In a robot-like clear voice, her lips moved, “My Creator is the powerful and cunning Doctor Yomi.”“Go
“Sharon?”Glassy and wavering eyes met his. Her brows knotted in confusion for awhile. Her lips parted to speak but only a wail escaped. Racking sobs came from her as she raised her hands to touch him.Dayo felt himself pulled back before she could.“No, no. We can't have our genius doctor infected before we can have the cure. Shut up, woman or I will make you never speak again,” Yomi said. Immediately, Sharon pressed her trembling lips together and held back cries.Dayo felt a cold air blast at him from head to toe. This was the new sanitization protocol.“Much better,” Yomi said. “Welcome back from the land of the almost dead, Sharon. We were just talking about you. Weren't we, Dayo?”Dayo ignored him. He did not take his eyes off his wife. He observed as her chest rose and fell at a quick pace. He saw the twitch of her fingers and the sweat that grew on her fore
Well, things could be easier now. Right? Elijah thought.“How are we going to get an auto to the Port now?” He heard Ire ask.Elijah silently cursed himself for hoping things could be easy.“We hotwire one,” Temi simply said. Elijah noticed how she answered so calmly. What was going on in that small head of hers?“Could we find a way to change our disguises first?” Elijah asked.“You have to manage this for now,” Alpha replied. “I can't change your appearance right away.”“All right then. We steal a car,” Ire said. He brought his finger to his lips and bit the nails. Elijah fought the urge to slap his finger away from his mouth.“Are you guys going to stand there all day or let me direct you to a car to steal?” Alpha asked.“I'm just surprised we are discussing this so causally.” He fell in line with the others, reading the words i
Port Harcourt5/4/20307:00 amThe automobile sped across the streets like any other vehicles. Temi drummed her fingers on her lap, observing the cars and the buildings.“Could we get something to eat first?” Ire asked.Elijah's stomach growled in agreement. Embarrassed, he chuckled. She let a smile draw on her lips as she watched him.“There is a restaurant up ahead. What would you like to eat?” Alpha asked.“Jollof rice!” The two boys exclaimed.“With fried chicken,” Ire added.“Fried Turkey for me,” Elijah said.“What about you, Temi?”“I'm ok. Water, perhaps.”She felt Elijah's eyes on her. Ever since he knew her secret, he treated her like an egg. Just like Dad. She was extremely grateful when Alpha had changed his appearance. Seeing Dad after so long had her tearing up.
Port Harcourt7:30 am“Let us never do that again,” Ire said.Elijah nodded in agreement before letting his breakfast ride back up from his stomach. He retched, heaving and coughing.They had just narrowly escaped one of the worst type of death.Just when Ire thought the train would climb over them and crush them to pieces, they were on the other side of the road. They had managed to cut off the police by risking their lives. Alpha had drove them to a mall's parking lot.“Man up, you two,” Temi said.Ire and Elijah glared at her. It's moments like this that made Ire realize that death would not mean anything to her.“Miss Personifid, we are not like you.”“Yeah, I noticed.”“Come on, you three. The bus would soon leave,” Alpha said. The AI stretched out his hand towards Ire. In it was his father's Celo. Ire collect
Port Harcourt6:00pmThe sun had begun to set. Ire had left the shack for some 'fresh air'. Temi and Elijah sat side by side, waiting for their boat to arrive. The shack smelt like sweat, fish and urine. Other people clung to themselves or their partners, minding their own business.“Guys,” Ire exclaimed as he entered the shack.“What is it?”“The boat to Cameroon just arrived.”“Finally,” Temi got to her feet. The three of us exited the shack and went straight for the boat.“There,” Ire pointed to the man who got off his boat and was greeting his fellow men. Some men were rolling nets into their boats.“Good evening o,” Elijah greeted.“Good evening, are you people going to Cameroon?” The man said. He wiped sweat off his forehead and sniffled.“Yes sir,” the three of them said.“Y
Ovic Incorporation6/4/2030“Scorpion!” Dr. Yomi barked.“Sir," he answered.“I want that place burnt down!” He pointed at the screen depicting Dr. Johnson's lab with contempt. One of his men who worked in Aso Rock had given him info on Dr. Johnson's lab. How could the place be right under his nose all along?“Bring anything useful to me,” he added.“Yes sir.”Osun State7/4/203011:00pmThe three children got off the auto-trans yawning and stretching. After hours of hitching rides, they finally arrived where it all started. Osun. As the auto-trans sped past, Temi got a good look at her new disguise. She was a young girl of 16 or 17 years with a Bob haircut and dark skin. She had a pretty face resting on her slender neck. Elijah and Ire were given new disguises as well. They were twin brothers
Osun State8/4/20308:00 am“You seem pretty close with that guy.”“Who? Tobi? He's really nice,” Elijah said, a smile playing on his lips.“I don't trust him,” Ire confessed. He felt uneasy since they met those four the previous night but what could he do? Besides-“You don't trust him and yet you ate the meal he gave you the night before,” Elijah uncrossed and crossed his legs.Ire watched him from the top bunker, resisting the urge to throw a pillow in his face. Elijah was right though. The roasted plantain tasted really good.“To be honest, I feel uncomfortable too,” Elijah confessed, with a small sigh.Ire tried to contain his surprise and failed. Elijah was the confident one who knew how to adapt and who to trust. It was shocking that