There was something about the air that morning, a distant whisper, something wrong was going to occur. Jacob was standing next to a brown table adorned with gears and gadgets, he seemed cheery though I did not know if it had to do with us graduating or a new lead as to where his family was so I decided not to ask, directly. Yamba greeted me with a nod and just stared at Makela. Now that I knew about their history, it had not felt as if she stared out of loathing though out of guilt.
Jacob: how-fa. [cheerful]
Makela: all is well, mostly…
Jk: you in a good mood, mentor.
Jacob: of cause I'm in a good mood. Now, your uniforms-
Jk: what? Do we have uniforms?
Makela: Jk… Seriously… Why are you acting shocked?
Jacob: this is yours [handing me a muscle breast plate] and this one belongs to you, dear [handing a female muscle breastplate to Ta-hawa].
Jk: wow! This is awesome [with a sarcastic smile]
Jacob: really? Sarcasm in the morning…
Makela: Jacob? was there a change in uniform?
Jacob: no… every rank consists of a uniform starting from Disciple and these killer beauties are Sergeant uniforms.
Yamba: you should have seen my Sergeant outfit, top gear. You should upgrade to Nimwii and Quantum.
Jacob: Thanks for the advice but our Creed is based on tradition and culture, unlike Kinks.
Yamba: yeah, that explains why you still fly with wings engineered like a million years ago.
Jacob: and you believe that Carbon Jet Boots are fresh to death?
Yamba: duh…
Jacob: man, you don't know what you are talking about. Ain't nothing like old school. Gear up, Juda.
I placed the breastplate on my torso and nothing happened… Wait, I got this tingling sensation, the breastplate extracted into a bodysuit armour, something like the Black Panther suit but without all the heavy artillery and body, it was lighter, stylish, and in black.
The coolest thing about the armour was that it was extremely light like fabric, a body cooling system and it had futuristic pouches and holsters for my weapons and tools. It felt like wearing a Bugatti Chiron. There was a glowing symbol on my breastplate, the letter A in Mdw Ntru, the symbol of the Apostles, and our Creed.
Makela tried hers it was just as cool as mine but she looked way hotter in hers. We were also given black hooded robes which just added to the swagger, "that's not all", said Jacob, "some gates are hard to find, teleportation is a tricky business and Apostles don't fly with brooms and that includes Nimwii brooms", Jacob threw a look at Yamba. He handed Makela a cylinder disc gizmo that perfectly inserted on the back of her armour suit. "Now, I'm sure you feel a hold so step back and release that hold by spreading your arms," said Jacob instructively. Makela had done so without stepping back, iron wings extracted from the cylinder disc with such a force; I, Yamba, and Jacob were blown away, literally blown away.
After getting up and removing dust from our clothes, Jacob gave me a cylinder disc though he did not want me to test it, "the hold will become less uncomfortable over time", he assured, "the mask, well, the helmet is automatically activated in battle, while flying or in life-threatening situations.", "which is all the time", Yamba added.
Jacob was not amused, he scolded her for interrupting his speech, "Your suit is Black though if it turns white it's a warning of extreme danger. The colour changes back to Black once you are aware of the danger" explained Jacob. "Won't the blades on the wings tear the hooded robe", asked Ta-hawa as she inspected her robe. "no… You see the robe is a gift from the Boarder Tribe" assured Jacob, "meaning?" I asked. "Meaning, it is made of self-healing fabric", said Jacob in a tone that indicated he was getting tired of the questions.
The Border Tribe fabric robes come in handy, insisted Jacob but I got distracted by that same whisper, which was louder than before. It whispered words I could not understand and then I got tugged back into reality. Makela was complaining that her robe should have been in crimson, however, Jacob insisted that the colour of the Apostles is Black.
We were suited and ready to fly, literally ready to fly. The cylinder discs were pilot discs that had a synchronization system, it was some sort of ancient computer, stealth, navigation system, radar, and autopilot so you could fly while sleeping.
A year of training and preparation had passed by but what now? I wondered, the Maditau had told us that the second step would come after training so, where was she? I know this is going to sound corny but she pounced in the training ground (I still don't know how she pounces in out of the blue or how she fades out of existence). As on cue, Ta-hawa and Yamba bowed their heads while placing their left arm on their chest. "Rise", said the Maditau.
Jacob: I was beginning to wonder when you would pounce in. [smiling]
Maditau: did you know that harvests are done at a precise time or the goods may go to waste?
Makela: I did!
Maditau: all in good time. [eyeing Jk]
Jacob: you should have been here on graduation day, they were absolutely... deadly. [Delighted]
Makela: oh! Don't remind me of that…
Maditau: yes they were Jacob, you never cease to impress me. Once again, you have my gratitude [still eyeing Jk]
Makela: my mistress, what do we do after here?
Maditau: hmm… I believe Juda knows, don't you? You seem too quiet. Is there anything troubling you, child?
Jk: no.
Maditau: go on. [ she encouraged]
Jk: it's nothing.
Maditau: anything unusual happened, Juda?
Makela: beside five hundred Disciples being defeated by two, Jk had a strange-
Jk: it's nothing! [Interrupting Makela]
Maditau: very well then. Jacob, I thank you for your most excellent work.
"Yamba, do you recall our conversation?", asked the Maditau. "My mistress has it ever occurred to thee that thou requesteth too much... take too much of me", exclaimed Yamba with her head faced down, "has it ever passed thy prudent mind that I no longer want to do this", "whether I have or not is inessential. You took an oath, child. It is time we execute the matters of our previous conversation", said the Maditau and in adherence, Yamba left unceremoniously.
"Now, Eisenhower and his Nights have rounded every arsenal they can, they infiltrated a lot of Gentile governments to sponsor their ideologies. There will be another war this year and millions will die, the Odum, Kammatu, and Apostle Council believe that we can only win if the Kammatu and Bantu work together, to win this war we have to reunite", said Maditau.
That's where I came into the picture, I am a Bantu and Makela is a Kammatu if we could work together there was hope for a greater force. The objective was to prevent a war though the Maditau made it transparent that even if we prevented this war it was still inevitable. You are wondering what was the point of preventing a war that was bound to occur. A greater army that could stand against forces led by Bearers of Light. Our commission was to stall.
Maditau: it's quite simple if you can work together then we can win the war.
Jk: that's all?
Maditau: not quite though, you need to understand that the bond between you is the catalyst to our victory. It is through your bond that will heal what was once broken.
Makela: the rift between Kammatu and Bantu.
Maditau: yes, dear.
Jk: this is a huge risk you are taking.
Maditau: that's what makes us who we are.
Jacob: Apostles.
Maditau: have faith, belief and you shall succeed.
Jacob: Jk you have to understand that this war is greater than a continent, it's no longer a Kammatu Greek affair.
Makela: what do they want?
Jacob: what they have always wanted, Alexander to those who refer to him as the Great and Aristotle and their lot had not invaded Egypt for the reasons that are written in history ̶
Maditau: they wanted the Scroll of Zayi, Alexander whom the modern world claims as to the Great, and Aristotle and his band of bumbling buffoons of supposed philosophers were all members of the Bearers of Light.
Jk: we fighting an invasion?
Jacob: we are fighting One World Order.
Makela: so…so… We have to prevent a war that will take place this year and fight the same war in a near future?
Maditau: yes. Jk are you down for the cause?
Jk: I'm always down for the cause. Dala what they must and we shall do the same.
Maditau: Now, let's get to work.
Jacob: hold on I have one last gift pack for each of you. This Juda is what your people call an iPod, for you, it has all the music you will enjoy. These are Kush beads and they are crimson [placing it on Makela's palms]. Finally, these Aviators are for you.
Jk: what does it do?
Jacob: it makes you look fly, brother!
Here's the funniest thing, we were fighting something inevitable, there was no super-villain with incredible powers at the end, nawao! I do not have superpowers well except the fact that I can compel people but that's not a superpower. Makela is a sorceress though that's real stuff, not comic whatever. The fact was, things were going to get pretty ugly and bloody.
"Juda. I am certain that this will answer your question", started the Maditau. I was not sure though I had an idea of where the conversation was leading to. "A year ago you wanted to know what came after your training", she reminded me. I nodded in agreement. The morning mirrored our mood, solemn. A morning too quiet with an eerie tension lingering in the background.
"you will have to topple the Night's Table", she said, "the Night's Table?", asked Ta-hawa, "Yes, Ta-hawa. The Night's Table. A formidable force within the Bearers' faction.", "They are particularly responsible for shifting the Gentile world to their tune", added the Maditau.
"Topple the Night's Table. How many Bearers are part of this supreme force?", I asked, "Jed Carter, Elizabeth Bathory, Reginald Argus III, Mahmoud Abdul Raof Mohammed and Deucalion Eisenhower", Jacob Listed the Night's Table. A surge of revenge rushed through my body, Deucalion Eisenhower must be the first to die, I thought to myself. "No, Juda and besides, he has eluded himself from us. Especially after the fall of Thanatos", she said grimly, upon reading my mind.
The mention of the name Thanatos left an uncomfortable aura. Saying the name seemed to have unleashed a dark omen. "who is Thanatos?", I asked. My curiosity was on another level. Jacob look disturbed in thought. Makela was just as curious as I was. "Thanatos was the Bearers' greatest weapon against us at the beginning of the late 60s. It single-handedly toppled our order, and then we discovered that-", "THAT is enough", interrupted the Maditau.
Jacob and the Maditau stared at each other silently as they exchanged voiceless words. I didn't know how to interpret but it probably went something like this; my mistress, they should know, especially Juda. No, Jacob, that is irrelevant, I apologize for bringing that name up. A bitter memory. "Juda. I can understand your need to seek retribution for the death of your parents, however, remember the First Tenet", she turned to me. I adhered even though I was still disturbed in thought.
"How do we find them, My Mistress", asked Ta-hawa. "Well, you will start with Inessa Romanov. She's a notorious mob leader and favours the Anti-Fascist movement and regularly finances them", replied the Maditau. "sounds like you, JK", Ta-hawa teased me. "Yes, however, Juda has never placed a cause before himself, until now", added the Maditau. Now really, why would I finance a just cause?
Once, the People Against Gangsterism And Drugs (PAGAD) movement gave me an ultimatum, to choose the right side. PAGAD is a menacing movement to all criminals but joining them meant that all gangs would be after me. Remaining an American Street Gang Affiliate meant only the PAGAD would be an actual problem.
"Romanov knows of the first Bearer on the Night's Table; Elizabeth Bathory. The rest you will find per your skills.", informed Jacob. "abolishing the Night's Table will give us an advantage installing the inevitable war", the Maditau grimaced.