Muur Chronicles

CHAPTER 8

   EPISODE ONE:                                   

      Steve continued with his journey back to his sister's lodge as soon as Neerudi asported off. He tried not to anticipate any pre-speech as to his whereabouts, keeping only what he intends to say at the tip of his replies. He didn't want to lie about what he has done but neither did he want to say it because they wouldn't understand, and even though nothing justifies it, he had to do it. Killing Landon is doing humanity a favor, and he will not be missed, at least that's the thoughts which guided Steve's line of action. Whatever it is, Landon really did hurt him really bad, and he would kill him a billion times if he had to do it all over again.

So many other thoughts also crept in, keeping him occupied as he walked away from that mountain, went to the car park and chartered a taxi back to his sister's place. When he knocked, Annie quickly rushed out, opened the door and led him inside, closing the door behind him. His knocking pattern is very much familiar to her and everyone close to him.

"I don't like this face Annie." He said calmly.

"Then stop making us this worried Steve."

"What about your friends?" He inquired.

"You mean your girlfriend and your two other girlfriends?" She teased.

"Yes, that would be them." He replied, visibly smiling to her soft mock.

"Check the time Steven. You got us worried, and you left your phone right here; almost like you planned it out so perfectly well. I thought you said you were going to watch the Champions League?"

"I'm so sorry Annie, I'm really sorry. It's just...one of this days probably I will tell you, but not today."

"And you know how Christie is... it's not fair. You are just giving room for unnecessary loops in your relations with her."

"I have heard you, mom."

"I am serious Steve; I am really serious about this." She repeated again.

"I have heard you, mom. Where are they?" he inquired again.

"The hotel!"

"Okay then. Thanks my sweet beautiful and adorable marvelous sister...don't forget I carried you, and petted you..." He joked.

"I have heard you...Mr. Carrier!" She said smiling casually before going to bring him food.

He used the opportunity to pick his phone. As expected, there were a lot of missed calls. He called Christie.

"Just come back here now!" She said as soon as she picked the call and ended the call before he could mutter any word.

"Eat first!" Annie said to him after hearing Christie too.

"Sure."

"How did the swimming go then?" He asked.

"Great as usual. Had to come back early because of our lectures on Monday... assignment ish!"

"Okay...hope they are not a burden, your new girlfriends?" Steve inquired.

"Those two are wonderful and sweet!" She acknowledged.

"That's nice coming from you."

“Don’t even get me started."

"Okay mum!" He replied jokingly.

"So where did you go?" She queried him afterwards.

"Are you sure you really want to know?"

"Of course, you are my brother, why not. Except it has something to do with a girl..."

"No, it’s not a girl. You know I'm not like that. This is something personal, and I don't think I should tell you. I'm sorry, but for now, you just have to trust me on it."

"We were all really worried Steven. This is not fair at all."

"I'm sorry."

"So what happened at the school? Heard cultists were at it again today." He deceitfully inquired from her sister to know what the current news is.

"Yes, it's everywhere. But you wouldn't know that because..."

"I know you are going to finish me off before I leave here... I better eat fast and go." He said, cutting her off midway jokingly between her mild mannered mockeries.

"It's late already anyway...Just be careful." She advised him, "You know how it is here".

It was at this point that Steve saw the other side of her cheeks and eyes; it was swollen to some extent. Apparently, she didn't come back because of her lectures, but the boyfriend.

"What happened to your face Annie?"

"It's nothing." She said. He stood up, went closer to her and examined it a little amid change of position slightly from Annie who tried to avoid it.

"This doesn't look like nothing Annie."

"Just let it go please...it's late already, you should start going or else I'm not going to allow you leave again because it's already very late."

"Annie?"

"Tomorrow please."

"Alright" He replied. "Take care!" He further said, before taking his leave, worried about her.

* 

Christie is used to not controlling her emotions when Steve is involved in the equation, especially if she doesn't get to hear from him. It's normal, except this time around. The news going round the school got her very shaken because she knows his history with cult boys.

Unknown to Steve, he did set in play a lot of chain reactions when he attacked and carried out his long borne revenge on Landon. There were retaliatory attacks in that same night among cult groups in the University. More than thirty-five persons were reported dead, while numerous others have been severely injured excluding cult members.

As soon as he left her lodge, he saw a taxi immediately he came out from the gate and boarded it to the hotel to face Christie's fury. He knew exactly what he was going to do when he sees her anyway. As the driver started conveying him to the hotel, his phone rang...it was Esther.

"Hey!" Steve said as soon as he picked the call.

"Jesus Christ Steven, you really got me worried." She stated immediately.

"Sorry about that dear. I would have called as soon as i reach where i am staying. Didn't go out with my phone" He said.

"I'm relieved hearing from you. I have been trying your line for ages now. With everything going on now, wanted to make sure you are okay."

"Thank you for your concern sweetheart, I appreciate. Hope you are safe yourself?" He inquired.

"Sure...safer now that you are okay." She said casually while her soft giggle echoed over the phone’s speaker.

"The police apparently acted speedily with the information you provided...you are a hero you know." He uttered, making her to laugh slowly in between giggles.

"Well, a lot of rumors are circulating in the school right now, we will get the full information tomorrow i guess. But, I heard the mighty Landon is dead. He is amongst the casualties if what they're saying is true."

"He deserves it though." Steve calmly said.

"100%. He is disgusting, a r****t and a murderer!" She added.

"Wait, that useless boy is dead?" The driver cut in, and Esther heard it too.

"Who is that?" She asked.

"The driver!"

"We don't know for sure, but I hope it's true." Esther replied him.

"I hope Satan reserves a special place for him in hell when he gets there." The driver said hatefully, making them laugh.

"I advocate for a place worse than hell for him." Esther added.

"It's good riddance anyway. Hope others learn from it though." Steve simply said as he observed the shared hatred for Landon from them in silence.

"If at all they will listen" The driver said.

"I'm sure they will listen this time around." Esther added.

"I hope so!" He replied.

"Hope I will see you tomorrow?" She inquired.

"I really don't..."

"Please...don't tell me why you won't make it." She cut in, stopping him from completing his sentence.

"Okay, I will call you." He replied instead.

"I will be waiting." She said.

"See you later then."

"Cool; take care love." She said and ended the call after he replied "bye!"

"She has a wonderful voice!" the driver remarked immediately.

"Yeah, she does."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, she is not."

"She is a good friend then, though I doubt from her actions she just wants to be a good friend."

"I know."

"Does she know?"

"Of course." he said, though it is a complicated situation with Esther.

"You did well to let her know, it's the right thing to do. Always let everyone know where they are with you from the beginning. It saves a lot of future heartbreak problems and those long rides on guilty trips." The driver commended.

"We share the same philosophy my brother."

They arrived at the hotel a few minutes later, and he paid him with extra tips. The moment he entered the hotel, someone called out "hey!" from the background as he tried to make his way upstairs to his room; it was Tracy. He turned around, and when he saw her, he smiled and approached her.

"You've been a bad boy Steve. We've all been worried about you!" She said while hugging him.

"I admit, I've been a bad boy...but not in the bad...bad sense of it." He said jokingly, and she smiled.

"What about Nora?"

"Worried about you; But, you know who is even more worried about you."

"Tell her I’m fine...we will sort ourselves out, I mean Christie... We both have our ways." He said smiling at her.

"So what happened? I actually thought you guys were going to stay with my sister?"

"Change of plans I guess. Some 'we' time I guess." She joked with him as they started walking.

"A welcome development" He added.

"I better go meet the big lady upstairs."

"Yeah, you should. See ya!"

"Room number?"

"105." She replied as she walked away.

      He went straight to the room to meet Christie and whatever she had in store for him. Once he was standing just inches from the door, he knocked at the door and the doorbell simultaneously. After he knocked, he listened and heard steps approaching the door. She inquired as to the identity of the person knocking.

"It's me."

As soon as she heard the voice, her steps froze mid-air, followed by an uneasy hesitation to continue moving or not.

"Christie?" he called out with a calm and composed voice. Once she heard her name from him, she started walking to the door again, visibly out of her previous hesitation. She opened the door once she reached it but didn't wait for Steve to say anything before turning back, walking back to the bed clearly not happy but relieved. He closed the door behind him, started calling her as he hurriedly rushed after her, went to her front and blocked her path.

"Please." He pleaded.

"Please what?"

"Don't treat me like you are about to right now."

"And how is that?"

"Emotionally torture me."

"You can't be serious now right now Steve, honestly."

"I am... serious."

"No you are not. I'm i a joke to you?"

"Why will you even think of something so vile like that?"

"Can't you see that I'm not happy and that you are the cause?" She questioned.

"I know, and I'm trying to apologize, to tell you what happened." He said, moving very close to her and planted a warm embrace. She didn't reject nor back off from the hug.

"It won't happen again, I promise...full disclosure, 100%!" He added.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, I cannot ever want you to feel the way you are feeling, the way i made you feel by this singular act."

"It sounds better when you couch it that way." She joked.

"It's because I mean it."

"Okay...so where have you been?" She finally asked him.

***

       There were serious activities at the Commissioner's office at Owerri aside the workmen fixing up and rebuilding destroyed parts of the police headquarters. Much of the night's activities were however focused on the mayhem that occurred at the university involving cultists and an unknown assailant as most of the suspects they caught were saying. Nevertheless, the official status report is that the occurrence was a clash among disagreeing local cult groups, and an anonymous tip helped the police appropriately swing into action at the right moment to save the day.

"Sir, the Force Public Relations Officer is around now." An orderly told him.

"Alright, send him in!" The commissioner said. Once the FPRO walked in, he told him to sit after telling him to stand at ease.

"You have to put out a statement tonight!" He ordered the FPRO.

"I thought you said to put it out in the morning sir?"

"Yes, I know what I said. I'm saying again that you should put it out this night. The people need to be assured that we are handling the situation, and are proactively tackling everything." The police commissioner said.

"Yes sir."

"The earlier the better" The police commissioner added.

"I will get on with it sir." He said and left.

     The police commissioner rang the secretary afterwards to tell he is done for the day.

"Not yet sir" The officer replied.

"What else?" He inquired.

"The meeting sir" He said in reference to the Amarandubi officials meet up.

"Thank you... almost forgot." He gathered some of his belongings in the office, and some aides came rushing in to help him with it as soon as he was through and came out of his office.

The meeting was scheduled to hold around 10pm for more briefings and solutions as well as Operations reports so far, and the way forward with the whole development. When he reached the location, they ushered him in and briefed him.

"How did you...?" He questioned immediately after going through the files on his table with the complimentary images and statistics displaying on the huge screen.

"We have our ways. Thought we were clear on that earlier?" The Amarandubi operative in charge of the briefing stated in reply with rhetoric’s. "You can't have any of them by the way." He joked, and some of his colleagues laughed.

"Here is our hypothesis now that you have acquainted yourself with the reports." He continued, moving closer to the screen to use it and buttress his presentation.

"When you look at the trajectory of recent events and the energy signatures we are reading from each of these scenes, we have triangulated it graphically and pinpoint that the person responsible is very much around in this area marked red on the map you are looking at.

"We could have caught him today when we got a read of his energy signature, but there was another more powerful signature around which we couldn't do anything about as it blocked everything off. At the moment, we are dealing with something far more powerful than we previously thought." He ended.

"What's really happening then?" One of the police operatives asked.

"We will need every directory of hospitality businesses as well as direct access to your CCTV database." The agent replied.

"I think the captain and team leader asked an important question." The CP reminded.

"And it will be answered. Right now, we need what I just requested. We have been thorough here and nothing can be left to chance. Every detail no matter how irrelevant or minute must be examined." The agent replied.

"That appears like a one-sided collaboration in the alleged 'joint efforts' we've been made to believe is in existence." The DIG, who has been calm all this while stated out authoritatively.

"The earliest the better" The agent responded, as if he didn't hear the DIG.

After a little quick silence that fell around the room, the DIG told the police commissioner to provide them with what they requested. "By the way, has any one of the arrested suspects given any reasonable information with regards to the alleged unknown assailant?" The DIG inquired.

"None yet" The CP replied.

After that, he went on to grant the Amarandubi access to their request, giving him a specially encrypted electronic device with the password.

"Thank you." The operative replied him. He plugged it in through its USB port into his anani. The operative clicked on some of the displays that popped up and flipped it over to the central screen which everyone can see. After running a lot of simulations and permutations alongside another operative who is their in-house analyst, he shared his hypothesis with them.

"I have been able to do a lot of simulations and an in-depth analysis of most of the data in your device. As you already know, the person responsible for the c*****e must have stayed at a location not far from the scene to traverse through and from, especially for easy access." He stated while everyone focused on him.

"Now , with the graphics on display which we have of him alongside a CCTV footage, coupled with the distance from the scene to all the surrounding hospitable buildings, we might be closer, even more closer to getting him than we thought. But..." He didn't continue intentionally, to watch all the faces staring at him in expectation of something.

"We are getting multiple readings."

"It’s funny how they are all showing up in the same places." He said to himself aside outside his previous comment.

"Anyway, we will be conducting a large scale inquiry to solve all this as soon as possible."

"This three points..." He continued, pointing at the specific points in the big screen.

"...are the only consistent energy readings from our analysis and investigation so far. Therefore, while we await the next energy signature, we shall circle our investigation within these areas as well as outside of it, including but not limited to the area marked as the inconsistent points." He ended.

"Print it out" the official told the analyst in a low voice. He handed back the devise and told them their next plan of actions and how relations will work between them going forward. When they were through, everyone left for their private business for the night.

Due to the unavoidable absence of Edurol, Mavi had to take charge of the meeting, and will be taking charge of things till Edurol joins the team back. He is the next ranking officer as mandated by the Amarandubi rules as well as the most senior. As soon as everyone who is not their operative left the place, he dispatched some operatives to specific locations within the state to collect energy readings, analyze it and examine if they all matched. They were to clarify it, tag them and categorize accordingly. Collected readings will be brought back and tested for final cataloging for proper decisions. Their findings were to also include the particular measure, level and distance the energy readings covered and determine if they are native or imported. While the assignment above will help them determine the estimated threat level of the persons giving off the unknown energy signatures, it will also help them determine the likely place another reading may occur and give them the opportunity to be there when it happens to take charge of the situation. Though time consuming and exhausting, it could no longer be delayed. Mavi figured its best they know exactly the whole rather than operating from a part of the whole.

Deep in his mind, he knew this was something very much deeper and the first of its kind, and all evidence collected so far points to the same direction. The operatives went to work immediately just as he got himself engaged.

*

Going to their various operational bases within the city, the Nigerian police officers also went to work immediately in line with the guidelines given them by the Muurians. They were also given advanced investigative equipment's and devices to help with the task. Not that the Muurians have been forthcoming with the real truth and the full detail of what they are dealing with exactly yet.

**

               Meanwhile, Varodi has been tracking one of the officer's sent from the headquarters, and somehow figured that the meeting will hold, but just didn't figure out where on time. Since discretion has been a big part of their activities, he didn't want to risk confrontation or being detected. So, as he observed from his seat, and detected certain movements, he started stalking and monitoring the CP at a close range before he entered his car and drove off. Though the CP drove off just as soon, he tagged his car with a car tracking device and followed behind after it synchronized with his own end of the tracking connection. He beeped Bonadi afterwards through his anani.

"I am sending you a zant link now. I need the whole mapped out region!" He said as soon as Bonadi was on the connection.

"That's a whole lot of region." Bonadi said.

"I am onto something."

"Alright....done"

"Till I get back then" Varodi said and severed the link connection. The last thing he needed was any altercation with the Amarandubi as he is sure he cannot create and traverse through asportation links in and around an Amarandubi occupied area without getting detected and probably get caught; he should know at least.

The device in his hands beeped again, signifying that the CP's car is no longer in transit. Varodi promptly asported off directly to the house of the CP, where the device tracker led him to. Having been given Muurian energy sensors and detecting devices by Edurol, some of the CP's security detail, about seven in number, detected his entrance, and swung into action to see why they were getting the reading in the CP's house and to report accordingly. Due to the nature of the front facing side of the house and his blind entrance, they were able to pinpoint his exact location. As he tried to meander his way through, they accosted him after the second entrance through the garage and an altercation ensued. However, they were no match for him as he quickly knocked all of them out and proceeded to enter the main building. Despite Varodi’s efforts, the CP was alerted about an intruder on the premises by one of the guys he knocked down before dislocating his right arm, knocking the officer out instantly.

The CP immediately left where he was seated inside his own room after he heard the distress and breach call. In the hurry to get to safety, he forgot the encrypted device in the pocket of his suit he dropped off quickly, but sent an SOS call to Mavi before running to a safety room in the house. After knocking them out, Varodi started walking into the house in a hurry. He used the encryption Bonadi sent to map the place using a heat mapping technology to determine the total number of people in the place and the threat level. The reading picked up the encrypted device in the CP's suit, which consistently showed a small arrow on his anani mainly as a result of the energy it was giving off. He speedily rushed to the place, asporting out of view and quickly appearing where the beep came from.

As soon as he picked the device, he was sent flying away, crashing against the wall and destroyed structures as he fell; the shot was fired from the weapon which the CP held in his hands. He had hurriedly rushed back to pick the device after getting hold of the weapon, a P-20 Midrange .x450 energy blaster. The surprise he felt from the weapon catapulting Varodi away was only bettered by the way he looked at the weapon in awe and astonishment. Surprised by the firepower of the handheld weapon, he started approaching Varodi slowly, still afraid and wondering if he should not be running away rather than approach him. Duty and curiosity took over him rather.  

As soon as he crash-landed, Varodi got a hold of himself very fast after realising what hit him. As he observed, he heard the CP's footsteps approaching and fired immobilization energy shots  at the CP in succession very fast, but it was blocked off by Mavi who has asported to the location after getting the CP’s SOS call alongside ten other operatives. Three were told to guard outside after setting up asportation fields to block off links.

"You are not from here!" Mavi asked him as they all faced him, weapons pointed at him and ready to fire.

"I could say the same thing about you. You are very much far from home." Varodi noted, while calculating an escape means in his head.

"So what's the game here? We've already blocked off all asport fields in the area and are arresting you under the Intergalactic Autonomy Charter" Mavi told him, while the CP stood there wondering what they were talking about as they spoke in a foreign language.

"I suggest we do this peacefully." Mavi warned.

"Not today, I'm afraid!" Varodi cynically stated, and brought out a small improvised explosive device immediately he saw Mavi give his men order to subdue and nerg him - unknown to them. As soon as they tried to touch him, he released it and made a quick dash to his left while the device exploded, creating a miniature distraction with its ear drilling sound. This disoriented the operatives temporarily and allowed him maneuver his movements to shoot one of the operatives dead, send another flying off with a blast and punched the next one to the chest with a furious hit, instantly killing him as he smashed against a hard wrought concrete pillar.

Seeing what was happening, the CP took to his heels, leaving only Mavi and the intruder in the room with the remaining operatives whom Varodi soon immobilized. Varodi laughed the moment he saw Mavi as the only person standing.

They entered into it just as soon physically, with both of them displaying that they can stand their own against even tough opponents. As the fight ensued and raged, they hurled objects, debris and shot energy beams at themselves in fast display of pro-knowledge of weapons use. They entangled in a furious battle of supremacy, throwing punches and blasts coupled with fisticuffs as it is obvious they both knew many fighting techniques. However, Mavi was the better fighter, and used a combination from the Mantacles of Muuragi and a strange attack technique to unleash a damning hit at Varodi, hurling him backwards with a heavy force, and crashing against the wall. Mavi launched the same move again as he didn't give Varodi chance to recuperate from the first hit. It was successfully blocked off by Varodi who reacted quick enough to escape its path; but, he was not quick enough to block off the pinned down hit to his left chest wall.

"This is your last chance!" Mavi sounded as he approached him, having outclassed him, a fully charged energy weapon in his hands. His plan was to shoot him if Varodi doesn't back down, a blast he wouldn't survive.

Realising he has been backed into a corner and out of moves, he decided to play an ugly card. Prompted by him, his anani lit up, creating a smile on his face and putting Mavi on alert.

"I'm not your problem!" He said before unleashing a laser-pointed EMP Muurian device almost as soon as Mavi fired. Mavi was forced to open an asport link instantly and asported off from the room before the blast occurred, destroying the place in a blink. While Mavi asported just outside to where the other three operatives were, Varodi has keyed in a back link which helped him escape instantly using the momentary disruption created by the EMP blast that destroyed the house they were in previously. Mavi and his men travelled back to their base unhappy and furious. He quickly called home and alerted a B6-TA, which is a grade level 1 threat alert for unchecked energy manipulations from an outside force among peaceful inhabitants of a given area.

The head of the Amarandubi reported the situation to the highest security council in Muur which fast-tracked the identification and neutralization protocol for unrecognizable energy threats. Linagu knew that the description as detailed out by Mavi in his presentation does not fit Steve, so his mind was at ease as he fast-tracked the implementation of the B6-TA Protocol.

     When Varodi asported back to the place they were using as their base, he told Bonadi that he has been compromised.

"You have been compromised, and you thought it right to come here?" Bonadi said out of anger as he quickly started gathering the major things he might need to leave the place alongside Elvis.

"To give you this" Varodi said handing over the encrypted device.

"You are doing the exact opposite of what we agreed on. You are bringing the type of attention we've been avoiding all this while." Bonadi said, expressing his disappointment and disapproval of his carelessness. It was at this moment they heard a heavy vibration outside.

"Now they're here!" Bonadi added.

"Who?" Elvis questioned. "Amarandubi..." Varodi answered.

"I guess we are going to have to fight this one out and hope we are not captured in the process." Bonadi casually stated and proceeded to wear a full armor while urging them to do the same, including choice weapon.

There were more than two-hundred highly trained and combat ready Amarandubi and Muurian Guardian operatives that descended and surrounded the building. They were backed up by twenty-five operatives drawn from an elite division of the B6-TA Covert Protocol.

"What are my supposed to do then?" Elvis asked though not looking as worried as both men. "Fight" Bonadi answered.

"What? Fight against what you just described? I didn't sign up for this." Elvis complained instantly as they all got geared up.

"Neither did I. Just follow my lead and you will be fine!" Bonadi assured him.

***