One of the operatives of the Amarandubi surrounding Steve deployed a device and blocked off asportation fields within and outside their established assigned links around the whole hotel area. Another went straight at Steve very fast, blocking off his attempts at him with intent to nerg Steve. He grabbed Steve by his right hand but failed to keep him still as intended. Another came at him almost instantly just as soon, kicking the back of his left knee after Steve also blocks off his successive jabs and hits meant to cripple him into submission. This sent his other knee halfway to the ground as two more rushed at him swiftly to lock him to a very powerful nergen which one of them carried after he successfully dodged shock blast's and electric tasers fired at him. But, he wriggled his arm free from the hold, grabs the second operative who pinned his knee to the ground, and sent him hurtling backwards with a well targeted blow to his sternum, much to the surprise of the operative.
The two incoming operatives did a quick maneuver as they came at him, which allowed an Amarandubi operative to slip the electronically charged nergen to his left foot, pinning him to the ground while they tried to subdue him in the process instantly. Being more experienced, they knew exactly what to do and what to aim for, and started weakening him with their ferocious hits and counter-punches seeing as gagging him with any restraining nergen was more work than they anticipated. He tried in blocking off some, but majority of the hits on him got their intended mark. As they continued their suppressive attack, another operative came from the side and pinned another square-like nergen on his scruff, which pierced deep into that part of his neck, creating an electrifying flash shocking pulse all through his body system, causing him to lose control of his motor functions momentarily. As he was falling down, two operatives launched at him to cuff him with another nergen. Surprisingly, he flashed all five of his right fingers at them unknowingly in an attempt to block them, unleashing an electromagnetic beam that sent the two flying backwards uncontrollably, crashing into two other operatives along their path.
He used same hand to get a hold of himself as he landed on the ground, surprised at what happened just like the rest of the operatives. Acting as a single collective, they rearranged themselves seeing as he was still pinned down. Two from the Royal Squadron leaped up and lurched at him, and before their double-edged fire hits landed on him, the one who had earlier strapped the device to his neck used his anani to send a shrilling shockwave through the nergen still attached to Steve's neck. It made him scream and screech in pain as he felt his body cells constricting, creating a rippling riptide buzzing sound in his head. The two weakening hits landed freely on him. He barely managed to stand, defending one kick to the chest while taking another quick furious kick to his right thighs.
Realising what he is in for, he tried to run away by mustering enough energy to propel himself off the nergen that pinned his left foot to the ground. The moment he did that, another operative pinned a nergen to his right leg which was previously free. An operative was fast enough to fend off the resultant energy blasts which he was able to unleash for the second time though unknowingly from his right hand. The operative that strapped the nergen to his neck quickly amped it up, making it beep rapidly as a blue encased translucent light on the nergen increased from two percent to fifty. The device opened further, stretched all around Steve's neck and strapped together with a clanking click. It joined all around his neck like an electronic chaining device.
The pain at this point magnified and rippled throughout his body in a whirring whiz, making him vibrate and shake from the instant electrifying seizure but with a low conscious effort, almost like his entire motor functions was shutting down on him. He tried to forcefully take off the nergen from his neck but it only increased the pain drastically. As he struggled with the pain and frustration, another operative pinned down both his hands. Just as soon, one other free operative communicated with someone to get the asportation channel for the prisoner transport ready.
"Ready to jump"
*
Upstairs at their room, Steve's anani beeped and vibrated violently with a weird humming sound. Christie was there, but oblivious of what was happening downstairs just like the rest of the suite occupiers. Her attention got drawn to the buzz almost as soon as the violent noise from the anani started, startling her. She stood up and casually started walking to it in her blue pajamas. The vibration continued as she walked to the anani, and stood still when she saw that it was beeping in the last trouser Steve wore before he just went out.
Her face barely portrayed her surprise once she saw the source of the vibration when she lifted his trouser and brought the Anani out. She kept it a few inches from her eyes and curiously continued to stare at it in disbelief. It was the same device he showed her a few days back claiming his alien friend gave it to him. She started having all sorts of thoughts about the device while imagining what the device is doing, and why it was making that strange vibrating noise. After few seconds of uncertainty, she dropped it back into the trousers pocket, same as she found it; it is going to be a very big point of discussion when he gets back she reasoned.
As she tried to go back to the bed, the buzzing started again, and this time, it buzzed and beeped without ceasing unlike the first time. She stopped dead in her track with a jolt midway to the bed and went back to the anani. She picked it up from the trouser, and after observing it at close range for a few seconds, she pressed the 'activate' key which displayed on the screen. The minute she did that, a separate screen popped up straight from the anani, about twenty inches wide and displayed on the air directly in her front as she dropped the device from surprise and fright; Neerudi was on the screen. She fixed a stare, a non-threatening smiling stare at Christie who stood there totally bewildered, wondering who she was and what was going on as she picked the anani again.
"Hello Christie!" She said to her while she was still occupied with staring at the anani and Neerudi unbelievably.
"Look through the window!" She told Christie.
At this, she immediately dropped the anani from her hand again when Neerudi's voice echoed through to her oblivious state. The anani bounced on the ground and stood still.
Her gaze went back to the screen which still displayed Neerudi on the feed pointing to the window and urging her to go on and take a look in a hurry which Christie didn't really fancy as she was still lost with what was happening.
However, she slowly approached the window out of curiosity while observing Neerudi who continued to urge her on. When she reached the window and looked, she saw Steve being nerged and writhing in pain. She rushed back to Neerudi.
"Is that my Stephen? No, no, no. What is happening? What have you done to him? Who are you?" She queried, now totally worried and transformed from fearful to agitate almost instantly.
"Yes!" Neerudi replied her.
"You have to help him please. You are the only one who can help him at this moment; else you will never see him again." Neerudi said.
"Wait, wait, wait... what are you talking about?" Christie queried her.
"I promise to answer all and any question you have, but right now, his life is in your hands." She replied.
A sudden realization as to the current state of things downed on Christie, making her to ask Neerudi what she has to do.
"This is what you are going to do!" Neerudi replied her, and then showed her.
She was to go downstairs silently, stealthily stay out of view and navigate the whole environment for Neerudi through Steve's anani.
"How is this going to help him?" A hesitant Christie asked after receiving the instructions and not really convinced.
"You will see!" Neerudi simply told her and urged her to get on with it as they have no time.
She sneaked out of the room, and was surprised that with all the carnage been done to the whole place, including the ongoing fight, no one was running around. There was neither shouting nor any police in sight, knowing full well that the hotel management should have at least alerted the local authorities by now. If anything, everyone was calmly in their rooms, unperturbed or so she thought as she passed by, Tracy and Nora inclusive.
She silently started going downstairs and was almost pushed down by the receptionist who speedily brushed past her after running to the wrong direction previously when she woke up from her unconscious state. She tried to warn Christie with a hushed voice not to go downstairs but she waved her off dismissively, telling her to calmly continue her flight upstairs, which she did and left Christie to whatever was in her mind.
When Christie came to the last step before the floor in the staircase, she sighted the damaged entrance, and retracted to the walls beside the stairs she came down from. She slouched and crawled to her right as her heart pounded very hard, fright written all over her face as she didn't know exactly what could happen to her should she be discovered. Sweat started to form all over her body, some creeping out from her face and body. A few feet from her at this point were huge packs of debris and fallen structures which created the perfect hiding area with a nice view of the outside entrance vestibule. Neerudi watched on also, busy with her own anani as she viewed her on the feed.
From that angle, she raised the anani more higher, then slowly moved it around to allow Neerudi execute what she planned.
"You have done a good job!" She said to Christie shortly afterwards from her end of the feed while Christie continued to gaze at her expectedly to see what she wanted to do. Neerudi was with a similar anani to the one she was holding.
"I'm sorry!" She added, bringing Christie back to herself. "Sorry about what?" Christie said but didn't finish before the anani left her hand. Just as soon, one operative asported in almost instantly to exactly where Christie stood after noticing a breach on the asport links from that point on their Simport, the asport link block they deployed. However, Neerudi was faster and asported Christie off with a quick bypass of the Simport almost at the same instant the anani left Christie's hand. Steve was almost being asported off by the operatives that nerged him when the anani came into his hand. He forcefully retracted quickly from the grasp of the two operatives holding him, created an asport link with the voice prompt and tried asporting off the Unit's logged travel channel with the Simport hacked by Neerudi.
An operative got absorbed into the link instantly with him and knocked him off course midway before he was outside of the Simport Blocked Area and near a vinting point. The operative achieved the fit by applying a highly advanced distributive end point link configuration using the asport collinear points which requires the fastest level of quick reflex to actualize.
The agents invasion of the link disrupted the points, and Steve landed heavily on a stall about five kilometers from the suite together with the operative and was able to rise fast enough to deflate shock blasts from the operative who attacked him that instant. Still nerged, Steve quickly stood up and asported off successfully the second time few seconds before other operative's asported to the place in huge numbers.
***
Izemoru was at the top of the palace observatory citadel from the north corner of the main palace building when Kamo came to see him. Sometimes, he spends the evening there, observing and watching the city, reinforcing his belief that his mission is the right one. Kamo greeted him accordingly even though he has always told him not to bother with it on numerous occasions.
"What do you have for me?" He inquired.
"We have finally confirmed the huge deposits of columbite, tantalum and niobium." Kamo said.
"Where?"
"Somewhere in Duria" Kamo replied, referring to earth but hesitated a bit before continuing.
"What's wrong?" Izemoru asked him as he noticed the hesitation.
"We also believe that a Muurian has performed the forbidden ami nri process on an inhabitant of Duria." Kamo replied.
"I see. Which means that a lot of Muurian forces are secretly lurking around somewhere there trying to do what they do best?"
"Yes. It also means that we cannot deploy the Interplanetary Portal Travel to Duria as planned. The risk of being detected there is high, and it's a chance we cannot afford to take at this moment." Kamo said.
"What do you suggest then?" Izemoru asked him.
"We ask Zanak for help with the promise of his freedom when we successfully execute our main plan." He replied.
"And if he refuses to help?"
"We kill him anyway and proceed with the IPT. I am sure that we can pull it off before being detected despite the risk...But, we have to try the safest option first before proceeding with more drastic measures." Kamo replied him.
"I agree. But, it is risky and I don't want to risk it if we can try a better approach. We can't lose anyone or start an unnecessary altercation this close to the execution of our long drawn out plan."
"We will see how it goes." Izemoru said. They talked about other issues including their kingdoms fate and how the search for Neddina by the Midlighters was going. They left the citadel when they finished their discussion, entered an elevator and started the descent downwards to their respective destinations in the palace.
"Have you decided yet what to do with the former Muurian king we arrested?" Kamo asked while the elevator took them down noiselessly.
"Yes. I'm going to use him without him realising it."
"How do you mean my king?"
"I may not know what his actual endgame is in all this, but i know one thing for certain...he is after the same thing we are." Izemoru told him as the elevator beeped and opened; they walked out from inside it.
"I think we should kill him if you ask me. He reeks of treachery, and i can smell it from miles away." Kamo said.
"That my friend we both agree on! But, he is a former Muurian king even though banished and exiled. We cannot forget that!" Izemoru cautioned.
"Yes my king."
"This is why we have been invading his mind without his knowledge and extracted his plans and some other important details. Given enough time, we will have more than we asked for." Izemoru answered, smiling at him.
"What?" Kamo asked totally taken aback and stopped in his tracks just outside the elevator.
"Yes...it can be done!" Izemoru said, tapping him on the shoulder.
"I never thought ... I thought it existed just in theory that you were just talking of it like something impossible?" Kamo said, still surprised.
"Some things should always remain a secret. How do you think Zanak has been helping us? Of his own freewill? Come on Kamo, you know better my friend." Izemoru said to him.
"Now you know, and you must keep it that way!" He ordered, not bothering to let him know the implications.
"What if...?"
"Don't concern yourself too much my friend. Every necessary precaution is being taken."
"Yes my king!"
"We have till tomorrow to get the minerals and perfect the Daspo Marigal." Izemoru said.
"I will be off now my king!" Kamo said and left. Izemoru spent additional thirty minutes in the citadel after Kamo left before going down to the portal to the IPT from where he will go back to his quarters. But first, he decided to go to the main palace prison instead because he wanted to know if his scientists have acquired the information he was after from Bonadi.
*
Menna, one of Neddina's men has been around the palace in disguise. He was hiding under a concealed part of the palace camping booth to the east front from the general refectory. He was part of Bonadi's plan after thoughtfully anticipating that he cannot trust Izemoru. Menna's job was to infiltrate the palace court guards and disguise as one of them. Following specific instructions from Bonadi, he will come for him after a specific time frame given to him by Bonadi. The time frame is for Menna to observe and adequately set his plans in motion. Menna is also to use the anani given him to track Bonadi and know exactly where he is and free him. Bonadi inserted a tracker on himself before the arrest which was not detected by Izemoru's guards when they arrested him. Menna passed Izemoru in the hallway as he attempted to use the entrance in the palace prison access near his personal armory.
As he passed and greeted him casually, Izemoru didn't recognize him but chalked it off. Menna walked on till he was at the end of the hallway to the left which led to the palace cell from another access further below. He turned around to see if Izemoru was looking, and he was, making their eyes meet in the process. Knowing that he has been found, he quickly started running down the stairs while Izemoru followed in pursuit, alerting the palace guards of the intrusion instantly.
The intrusion protocol was activated immediately, shutting the whole place immediately to block off any escape of any kind from the intruder.
There were two guards posted at each mount to Bonadi's twelve by twelve feet cell built for persons just like him, especially people who can perform the mystic rites. East, west and south side of the cell each had guards including the north which is the entrance. Menna easily immobilized the first two guards that came across him as they were on alert too, having been briefed of the current palace breach and who was heading their way. Once down the major stair, he propelled himself forward, running as fast as he could, then leaped up and launched double kicks to the left abdomen and the chest of the guard on his way. The guard blocked both kicks but couldn't block the final punch to the throat skillfully delivered after a left upper cut to the jaws from Menna who also did a flip in the process. The guard fell down, and the moment the guard stood up to attack again, Menna brought out a fireblaster retrofitted as a handgun and emptied ten clips on the guard while his blood splattered everywhere.
Bonadi remained in his cell never bothered about what was going on. Few seconds later, his cell beeped and opened, and Menna stood outside of the cell. "You are late." Bonadi simply said before coming out to meet him." Took my time" He replied before handing him his anani. "Follow me" he said after taking the anani from Menna.
Menna followed him as he led the way, both occasionally knocking off Nolnadian guards they came across in the chaos occasioned by the intrusion. Having seen Zanak's cell previously, they rushed there immediately. He hacked into the cell's security, bypassed the firewall and opened the cell with his Anani.
After that, he dropped the anani for Zanak alongside the schematics of the building. As he didn't want Zanak knowing he has anything to do with his escape, he left with Menna just as soon.
"Wait…that's it?" Menna asked as they traversed through a secret tunnel that will lead them to an escape route, a vinting point where they can asport off from.
"There's a program on the anani with a microscopic tracking chip. The moment he picks it, it activates itself automatically." Bonadi told him.
*
Zanak was surprised when he came and picked up the anani without knowledge of who dropped it and if the palace shutdown meant that someone was trying to free him but was probably seen…or another ruse from Izemoru. But, he was surprised that it was none of these things when he quickly scanned through the anani and saw the buildings schematics.
Looking at the schematics, he ran off instantly following a cue from the display on the anani. Some of the palace guards have already started descending with many others strategically positioned at all entry and exit points. This also includes the only doorway leading to the cell holds below from which Zanak will ascend up from. He had to turn back, changed his direction to the next end of the hallway which was clearly blocked by a door that is rarely opened except during emergencies. But, before he reached, he saw a solid big glass to his left adjacent to the door next to the one he was headed. It was at this point that some Nolnadian guards started firing at him with their custom guns and fireblasters.
He surged forward in his run, running as fast as he could in-between dodging the shots. As he got close to the glass windows, he created a powerful force-field with the anani, smashing the enclave glasses while knocking down a guard that came upon him from the room he smashed into. Another approached instantly from the vardle twisting stairs to his right, firing at him simultaneously. He dodged on time, positioned himself properly behind the guard and knocked the weapon off before landing a lethal kick to the guards belly with his right leg.
The guard was immediately immobilized. Knowing there were more of them still coming and waiting at points, he devised an alternative route and the anani pointed him accordingly. As he quickly ran off, on the way to this new route and breathing faster now from exhaustion, he ran into Nimulla, one of the toughest and meanest guards in the palace. He smiled as he had Zanak on the dead with a .250 retrofitted Asurga powered Fire-blaster pointed directly at Zanak.
"Always told you that one day you are going to do something stupid, and I will be there to catch you." He said smiling.
"You know what, I don't even care because you will be dead anyway." He quickly restated. As soon as his right index finger went for the trigger of the fire-blaster, Zanak created a force-field which effectively blocked the blaster bullets, and hurled the force-field at Nimulla in his counter-attack though Nimulla docked on time to see the force-field destroy structures along its path. Within this short space, he used the distraction to get within few inches of Nimulla and deflated all the shots he fired continuously with his skillful hand combat technique. Using a quick counter maneuvering technique, he got into a better position over Nimulla and quickly knocked the fireblaster off Nimulla's hand. The knock off was followed by furious successive hits from Zanak though also blocked off by Nimulla with his own fists. Gaining a small ground from this act, Zanak received double punches to his jaws and chest. He felt good about this move, infuriating Zanak in the process. He attacked Nimulla that instant, throwing heavy powered fast punches while he docked, pinning his left hand, hitting him severally over the other end of his right abdomen to deep concealed pain. He fell over, and heard footsteps approaching heavily to the place. He rushed up and smashed into Nimulla's head with his close-wrenched fist, watching him stagger backwards a bit before falling down. He quickly lurched at Nimulla who got up and started running at him too from his end in a rush to nerg Zanak.
But, just as he was a few centimeters to him, Zanak slid down in a well-timed slippery slide. Still sliding through to Nimulla's amazement, he grabbed a fireblaster and shot rapidly at a fixed point on the opposite wall.
Once he was just a few feet out, he stood up while shooting and hurled a powerful force-field at the wall he was sliding to, shattering it in the process to reveal an escape route as exactly mapped out in the anani. There, Bonadi kept a Dirra for him in case he should have use for it. Dirra is one of Bonadi's toy inventions that is capable of unleashing blinding sunrays for distraction.
Once he got hold of the device, he activated it and jumped to the next building that was about eighteen feet apart and landed at the library building barely unscathed. While he got a hold of his composure and concealed himself properly, guards ran around the whole palace looking for him and the intruders. A prompt appeared on the anani and he followed the prompt which led him to a tunnel through a hidden lonely road with pale bluish colors. The moment he came out from one end of the path, he entered another hidden path concealed with millennial paintings and structures. After following the prompting on the anani for a while, it picked up a vinting point, which means that he could asport off from that point. So, Zanak created an asportation link with the anani by accessing his credit points to pay for the service usage. The tracker promptly alerted Bonadi and Menna who hid at a deserted old Nolnadian factory just across from him. They have been there waiting for him to make his way to that exit point for a while since their own escape a while back. They watched him asport off.
"What next?" Menna asked Bonadi just as soon.
"We follow."
***
Neerudi stood just a few feet from the small arcadana pavement design outside of the building in the island when Christie appeared, almost falling from a flailing slip of her legs. She took a few steps backwards, turned away from Neerudi and vomited.
"The asport links can do that to you…especially on first time travel." Neerudi explained as she walked up to her and handed her a woolly drape handkerchief to clean her mouth before giving her a bottle of water.
Though still very much suspicious of her environment and Neerudi, she accepted the offer.
"What is this place?" She asked afterwards.
"Not Duria." Neerudi replied her as she started expressing same awe feeling and amazement she witnessed before with Steve.
"What's that? I mean, what is Not Duria?"
"Means we are not on earth at the moment; we call earth Duria" Neerudi explained.
"I don't understand." Christie said, more composed now and curious with her pupils dilated a bit and her body slightly slouched to relay her confusion.
"Take a look at this." Neerudi urged her and brought up her anani, displaying several arrays of planetary bodies. With that, she slowly explained to her by demonstrating it with the anani, showing Christie exactly where they are and how far from home she is at the moment. She concluded by assuring Christie of her safety with her, telling her she has nothing to worry about.
"Why me? Why did you choose me?" escaped her mouth as soon as Neerudi was through with the explanation.
"No one knew you."
"I don't understand…can you stop giving me this four letter word replies please… I would really appreciate that."
"The other two girls, where are they?" Neerudi asked, deflating the mild outburst from Christie.
"At the hotel." She replied and Neerudi's mood changed instantly.
"Alright, stay here, I will be right back." She uttered a few seconds later and was about asporting off when Steve landed from the asport link she created and channeled through to the island. He almost fell but got a hold of himself. They both rushed up to him and inquired if he was okay to which he replied in the affirmative. Neerudi checked if he had any tracker on him but he was free from it.
"Who are those people?" he asked immediately while Christie held him close to herself.
"From the Security Council" She replied.
"I will be right back." She added.
"Where to?"
"To get your other girlfriends" She said smiling at him.
"Wait, wait, wait… you can't go alone. I don't want you putting yourself at risk for me again."
"I can take care of myself." She casually replied him before telling him to take Christie inside and asported off, leaving them both alone. Suddenly hormones started rising.
"Take me inside Steve." She said, imitating Neerudi's accent and tone.
"Chi…"
"How long?" she questioned, cutting him off.
"I tried to tell you…"
"And I didn't believe you, didn't think you were serious."
"I am really embarrassed at the moment…it's just, this shouldn't be happening…this is like impossible, all the zapping off and strange bullets and people that look like us but are aliens of some sort…Steve?"
"Well, now you have seen it all. A lot of things are not impossible." Steve said.
"So what is all this, what is happening Steve?"
"I can't promise that you are going to like everything you hear and see."
"I will decide for myself."
He went on and told her everything as he has experienced it. The moment he finished, Neerudi came back and informed them that she didn't find their friends Christie said were at the hotel. They were deeply concerned at the news, shocked. Christie became afraid, afraid that something worse may have happened to them during the fracas at the hotel.
On his part, Steve kept to himself momentarily, totally absent-minded and ridden with guilt for putting Tracy and Nora in danger.
"Where could they have gone if they wanted to go anywhere else without the two of you?"
"They couldn't have gone anywhere. They were in their room as I was coming down before all this." Steve calmly recalled, referencing the fight he had and the destruction he witnessed. At this, Christie went closer to him and hugged him, hoping that nothing bad has happened to them.
"I think I might know someone who may have been involved in their disappearance…someone who may have the idea as to what happened to them" he said, drawing focus to himself.
"Who?" Neerudi inquired.
"Prior to the arrival of your people, there was someone who rescued him, the police officer who came to kill me as revenge. Whatever he did, brought the operatives there, and he was quick enough to zap off. I think he may be the person and the fight was just a distraction."
"Did you get a good look at him?" Neerudi asked him, to know if it was Bonadi or Varodi that rescued Elvis from Steve.
"I couldn't. He zapped in quickly, hurled an energy beam at me in same instant and was gone with the police officer before I could get a hold of myself."
"That would make sense."
"How do you mean?" Steve inquired.
"They are working together of course." Neerudi said to herself though it sounded like he was talking to Steve rather.
"Who are working together?"
"Nothing to concern yourself with, it's an internal issue and reserved for our security operatives." She replied.
Steve's revelations made her know that Bonadi and Varodi are working together, and have been working together all this while.
"Can you describe him in any way you can, in any detail? I have to be certain on this."
"He was really fast, very fast I would say and didn't look like he belonged to earth…and he was not young. I saw a royal-crafted anani with him briefly before he asported off."
"What about our friends, how are we getting them back…I mean obviously you can easily make that possible?" he added just as he finished the description.
"You will get them back in one piece. Though it's not in our culture to engage in kidnapping, criminals resort to it as a last choice most of the time."
"What if they request for what we don't have?"
"Literally speaking, you can't indulge in such act if you didn't think you will get something out of it. Nevertheless, we will get your friends back, I promise." Neerudi stated as he replied Steve's question. "Both of you should stay here, I will go get help." She ended.
"I have to check on my sister."
"Your sister is perfectly fine, don't worry about her." Neerudi replied.
"Wait, you know Annie too?" Christie inquired, surprised from her reply and she replied in the affirmative.
"She knows you too like Steve?" she asked again, still trying to figure out how she didn't know about any of it herself since Annie knew it too.
"No, she doesn't know me!" She said and asported off. Immediately she did, Christie's eyes fell on Steve who shrugged in display of his own ignorance as to how Neerudi knew what she was saying. They came outside from the back facing the big bluish waters and started talking.
"I can't stay here. I have to go back; I need to get them back you know. It's because of me they are caught up in this." He told her.
"No Steve, no!" was the simple reply he got.
"They're still out there waiting for you, remember? Or have you forgotten so soon?" She added.
"I know love, I know. I just can't stay here doing nothing. I owe it to them at least."
"She has promised they will be back in one piece Steve. Please, listen to her at least. I don't want you in harm's way, not today, not ever." she said with a concerned voice and demeanor.
*
Neerudi went straight to meet Linagu in his quarters which also houses one of his miniature office at the Security Council headquarters building there in the palace.
"I have been expecting you." Linagu said to her as soon as she entered. They both hugged before she withdrew, absolutely more concerned with the current state of things.
"How much do they know of our involvement?" She asked.
"They don't know about it, and never will." He replied.
"Having a rethink?" he inquired as he continued to go through some files about the VIAM on the table screen directly in his front.
"That was a near miss...he could have been captured." She said.
"We always knew it wasn't going to be easy with him you know. So much to do in such little time" He replied while she kept mute.
"How is he doing?" He inquired.
"Not fine. There was a complication!"
"What complication?"
"Two of his friends were taken during the operation, and he believes he knows who."
"Did he say?"
"Yes he did...Varodi!"
"Can we be certain?"
"He told me Varodi attacked him in a flash to save an officer that wanted to kill him, and was gone before Steve could realize what happened."
"They're still around then!" He stated.
"I will take the necessary steps, and tell Eledu to organize rescue operations for his friends from Varodi."
"No don't, I will do it myself." Neerudi replied him instantly.
"Why?"
"It was my fault this occurred, so I have to fix it."
"You can't be serious Neerudi."
"Just 24hrs Please, that's what I ask for."
"You have it then."
"Thank you!" She said with a delighted tone.
"Maa has been complaining of your whereabouts."
"That's good news then. Let her miss me a bit." She said with a smile and asported off. However, when she came back to the island, Christie informed her that Steve said he knows what to do and went off with the device.
"He knows I can track him with it." Neerudi said out loud to Christie whose face didn't look as good when she gazed at Neerudi after telling her of the current state of things. Before she could make up her mind and say another word, Neerudi asported off right in front of her.
***
As they tracked Zanak, he continued to move farther deeper outside of the Muurdom, further away from the Muurian protectorates in the Andromeda galaxy. They followed him still, using Bonadi's Xamai, a long distance Spaceship for Intergalactic travels. At some point, he realised where they were going from the trackers location in the digital telemetric charts and maps of the Spaceship. It is a solitary planet orbiting off the western axis of Centauri, a galaxy outside the full reach of the Muurs, and is called the Loste Horde Ark. It is named after the claimers of the planet known mainly as the Loste Hordes, and Narik their leader. Narik is a Muurian by decent but was corrupted by the unerg when he attempted to manipulate his ways through a forbidden spell from the Muuragi. He was found out and exiled.
However, he rose up above his exile, and colonized the Loste Horde Ark with some of his followers who were mostly former Dro-Bidders. With their vast knowledge about space travels, they became space pirates and terrorized unfortunate victims of space travels who do not use unerg to power their crafts for asportation travels. They successfully repelled Muurian assaults on numerous occasions, while also taking control of and controlling other non-viable places which the Muurs didn't care about. However, any time they tried invading Muurian held places, they failed. This made them give it a rest and mind their business, avoiding conflicts with them at all cost. There is an old saying among a lot of inhabitants of various planets who have come across the Muurians. The saying goes that one should never stir the fleabugs.
The tracker remained stationary after moving for a while, confirming Bonadi's suspicions. Zanak's tracker led them to the Loste Horde Ark, a place he would rather not be, seeing as he exiled Narik from Muur, and it didn't really go down well with him. It was also during his time as king that Narik and his group continuously tried to attack and invade some Muurian colonies and failed every single time; right before the attacks ceased and they left Muurian protectorates alone. He hoped though they didn't know he is no longer the king after he provokes them by springing out Anurami from them, while leaving clues that it was the Muurians that did it.
When they came within distance of the Ark which has a radius of 3,051.8 km and measured about 1500km in diameter, they stopped. Bonadi used the ship's scanner to scan the specific surface area that will serve as their point of infiltration. After that, he told Menna the plan while focusing on the analysis displayed on his anani, as well as how they will escape. He also told Menna that he also infused a magical spell inside the chip on Zanak which manifested his fear about Anurami, thus prompting him to first come here and ensure that Anurami was still held in his stasis. This revelation bewildered Menna, who simply gawked at him in awe, marveling at his genius.
Once he was through with the explanation, they geared up and strapped on all they will need to stealthily pull off the task; mostly electronic devices and modified Bazer-blasters. Once they finished, Bonadi gave control of the ship to automatic pilot controlled by his ship's AI. Using the ring of ascendance, he created an asportation link to the point in the area he previously marked out as the infiltration point of the Ark. As soon as they asported into the ark, to an abandoned old equipment store, they immobilized one of the guards taking his casual patrol of the area. They turned to their right which has an underground entrance manned by at least twelve persons as displayed on the Anani's heat signature reading. Using his anani, he hacked into the Ark's security and enabled the alarms. The building they guarded contains mostly foraged scraps and stolen things, including erabil which they used to fortify the place. The Lost Horde also help the Muurs keep certain prisoners locked away as part of a secret agreement to leave them alone.
*
The alarm created the intended required distraction which allowed them move in easily, avoiding minimal altercations on the way as they followed the tracker in his anani which led them. Zanak heard the blaring from the alarm, rushed on more quickly to make sure that Anurami was still locked up per his agreement with Narik as at the time of arrest. He had locked Anurami up here himself because he didn't trust anyone else to successfully do it as Bonadi roamed, and mostly because it is the furthest he could go when tasked with the plan. What he didn't currently know at the moment was that he has indirectly led Bonadi here after cycles of hiding Anuradha Anurami in plain sight. After confirming he was there, Zanak used the disturbance in the Ark to asport off unnoticed.
*
When they came to their next sought location on the Ark, Bonadi stopped, making Menna do same too.
"It's here. This is the last heat that originated from the tracker!" He said.
"Deploy the Graderer" He added. Meanwhile, all around them, Narik's men continued to scamper around, searching for the cause of the alarm and if there has been an intrusion.
Menna brought out a small coated niobium box opened it and deployed the Graderer. Using his anani, Bonadi activated the cylindrical shaped device which came alive with small humming buzz before attaching itself to the wall in front of them. The wall was built with foraged metals and steel. They also used materials that distort asportation links mostly because of the Muurians; a knowledge which Bonadi was aware of and the main reason he built the Graderer. The Graderer is a portable machine that is used to breach that gap, and allow phase-porting. He built it mostly using columbite, tantalum, niobium and a rare earth element which he found in deep deposits in Kontagora, Nigeria.
After the device came alive, it displayed a phase-porting link which they stepped through. They came out a corridor which had dark yellow fluorescent lights attached to the wall, emitting gray light all through.
He took a view of his anani as they observed the place, they were on track.
"Come on!"
They walked on for fifteen seconds before coming to a large door built at the end of the hall. It was open as Zanak left the place in a hurry and didn't bother closing it back when he heard the alarms blaring. They entered, observing the room in the process. To the left was a safe hold with dozens of lock cabinets arranged on a twelve feet tall row steel fixed to the titanium reinforced wall. He gave Menna a clothing pack and strap which is going to be what will help them escape when they achieve their aim. After kitting up, they left the room.
"To your right" Bonadi said to him as soon as they came out of the room. One of Narik's men was approaching in a rush from that angle, but was shot by Menna before he realized anything. They continued their walk down the hallway which was specially retrofitted with sophisticated constructions. When they reached the intended room, they walked through the door which led to a gray bind room full of prisoners they didn't come for. They still followed the map on the anani until they arrived at a hall which had a glass window that gave a view of another mini-large strong hatch built specifically with erabil.
It housed a lot of cryonic tubes with incapacitated inhabitants purely stretched and frozen on the transparent tubes. No one manned the hatch when they entered.
As they looked on, there were numerous countless others of similar structures fully layered in straight lines and strategically organized in straight lines both vertically and horizontally across the full stretch of the big hall. They were all fortified tubes with large computer screen on each detailing the inhabitants and their crimes. They both started checking the names till Bonadi found Anurami and released him from the cryonic tube. It took two minutes to restore him to normal fully after applying his invasive nanites which regenerated, healed and restored Anurami's body to optimal function, but not to full capacity.
They left after he expressed gratitude joyously. Before they asported off, Bonadi put in place some false clues to make Narik think it was Muurians that infiltrated the Ark. They arrived at the lair which Varodi and Elvis were sometimes later after making a casual stop for a meeting with Neddina. Varodi briefed him on the situation of things when he inquired to the status of his mission. He also went further to tell Bonadi that Elvis was a mistake and will end up probably ruining everything.
"What is he talking about?" Anurami asked Bonadi.
"More excuses about his failure to execute a simple task. It's a wonder though how you lasted that long in the Amarandubi." Bonadi jibed in a calm sneer.
"But, well done. At least this is a fruitful failure." He added almost instantly without giving a break and turned to face Elvis who has recovered from his injuries after Varodi used their invasive nanites to heal him.
"Since when did we start taking captives of Durians?" A somewhat confused Anurami questioned as he observed instantly that Elvis was not a Muurian.
"Well?" Bonadi said with a funny face, turning to Varodi to answer the question.
"It was the best decision i could make at the moment amidst saving him and evading the eventual arrival of Muurian operatives." Varodi said, defending his action.
"I don't..."
"No harm will come to them my friend i promise you. Be that as it may, we are on a very tight window and don't have enough time in our hands. We are left with making use of any available window of opportunity." Bonadi calmly explained, pointing at Elvis as he cut Anurami off to avoid his usual Muurian core values and principles speech that ought to guide them, banished or not.
"He is Durian too?" Anurami asked.
"Yes!"
"Is that the new thing now?"
"What new thing?" Bonadi asked to be cleared.
"Familiarization with Durians" Anurami replied.
"No Anu, no. This one is special, very special" Bonadi said to him, calming his nerves.
"Varodi will get you updated. Have to take care of some things." He added. Varodi left with Anurami while the rest remained behind.
"What are you planning?" Elvis asked.
"I am going to capture him myself, then warp him." He said with a mischievous smile, a little distortion to the right of his forehead clearly displaying as a result of the sweet thought of the idea to him.
"What is that?" Elvis asked further.
"You ask a lot of questions for a Durian. Do you even have an idea who you are talking to?" Menna chipped in before Bonadi could reply.
"Does it matter?" Elvis asked him with a full time probing look.
"Seems your pet Durian wants to take some serious Intergalactic lessons" Menna said to Bonadi in reference to Elvis while also ignoring his last question.
"You can have a go at it after we have finished with the plans and its execution." Bonadi told him as a matter of fact.
"Why is he this important?" Elvis asked Bonadi, referring to Steve.
"He doesn't know who he is yet. Whoever did the ami nri process on him either deliberately did it and left him to it or they didn't have enough time to finish what they started as a result of the incident that killed many people in your place. He is probably the most powerful person alive, but still doesn't know it yet from the look of things!"
"If he is this powerful as you say, how then are you going to capture him?" Elvis probed further.
"Can i just start teaching this fool some lessons already?" Menna begged Bonadi mostly because of the fact that he feels that Elvis still cannot comprehend what is happening.
"Don't you enjoy the naivety and ignorance my friend?" Bonadi jokingly said to him, making him to smile and withdraw back.
"I want him out of the way for now because he is an unplanned variable. I have surmised that his appearance has a lot to play out in coming events, but it cannot be against me." Bonadi simply told them both.
"Okay, what now?" Menna inquired.
"Take me to the girls." Bonadi told Elvis who immediately got up and led the way.
***
Steve asported in somewhere around the mountain he used to visit few weeks back using the mapping system of his anani just like Neerudi taught him. From there, he walked a little distance across the road before calling a taxi that picked him up shortly. He paid him and gave the driver the location he is going, and then relaxed at the back of the car to allow the driver do his job. As soon as he lodged at a hotel near the ever busy Portharcourt road by the new state secretariat building, he contacted the syndicate he had previously had contact with on his phone.
"What do you have for me?"
"She just arrived with the kids." The voice replied.
"Good. I will be there shortly."
"We will keep you posted." The voice said to him.
"Alright" He said and disconnected the call.
He had paid the syndicate to mount surveillance on Elvis after his encounter with him. During the surveillance, they got to know when Elvis relocated his wife and kids to a more densely populated part of the city at Orji area in order to hide her in plain sight. The syndicate have monitored her every movement since then.
Shortly after making the call, he arrived at the place. After having a brief conversation with the two syndicate members keeping the surveillance from across the other side of Parkman Street, he approached the building. The building they were keeping surveillance on is a three storey building, but she stayed at the first floor with her kids. On reaching the first floor which she stayed, he calmly knocked on the door before actually seeing the doorbell.
"I'm coming" came out from the inner room. Few seconds later, he could hear her footsteps approaching the door briskly as she inquired to know who was knocking.
"It's..." he didn't finish before the door swung open, and he was surprised by what happened next. Elvis' wife was strapped with an automated weapon, that from the size and structure, didn't appear like the everyday automatic rifles from any of the security forces in Nigeria. He raised both hands up in surrender immediately.
"Who are you and what do you want?" she queried him with her hands tightly holding the weapon firmly; a Bazer-blaster Elvis gave her, a gift from Bonadi.
"My name is Stephen, and I need your help!"
"I don't know you Mr. Stephen, and I want you to leave my house!" She replied him with a firm gaze expressing no fear or doubt.
"Listen, you don't understand. Please, I really need your help to get my friends back." He said with arms still raised up.
"I do understand well enough Mister, and I don't care about whatever you have to say. The next sound coming from you that is not your steps leaving this place, will be from this." She said, pointing to the .150 Bazer-blaster which was directly pointing at Steve's chest.
"Your husband may have something to do with the kidnapping of two of my friends and I need to talk to him. I know you have two kids inside, you should really think about them." Steve warned.
"Have you been spying me?" she asked in anger furiously, raising the gun up a bit and moved a few steps backwards.
"Yes!"
The reply was followed immediately by heavy blasts from the big gun which she carried. The heavy force from the blast took Steve out immediately, smashing him on the wall just above the stairs handrail. She tried to quickly rush and close the door but Steve was up just as fast after falling uncontrollably from the force of the blast, and stopped her from closing the door. Her effort to unleash more blasts and flurry of attacks at Steve was quickly redirected by him, and the blasts emptied on the walls, creating heavy holes on the walls as some blocks fell off their structural positions in its wake. He used the chance to knock out the weapon from her hands and knocked her unconscious. He quickly tied her up and went inside the flat.
He asported off afterwards from there alongside Elvis' wife and their twin babies, and went to a more secluded part of the mountain which he usually visited. She regained her consciousness afterwards to see Steve playing with the babies in a very lonely area filled with only trees, shrubs and sounds from animals and insects chirping.
"Stay away from my children." she shouted while trying to wriggle herself out of the firmly tightened rope on her hands.
"I didn't want this to be this way but you gave me no choice. If it's any consolation, I'm very sorry for this whole thing." Steve calmly told her as she sat on the ground there.
"What do you want?" She asked with her eyes fixed on the children.
"I want you to contact your husband." Steve said as a matter of fact.
"Or what?"
"My two friends are in danger and he knows who kidnapped them."
"I'm sorry about your friends but I cannot help you."
"Cannot help me or won't help me?"
"Both."
"You did ask me if I was watching you previously right." He asked her but she didn't make any statement.
"I may have mistakenly put your husband on a path, an ill-fated path and I regret it. I'm sure he told you anyway. However, they have my friends and you must have a way to contact him. He is a police officer, he is not stupid, which is why I'm sure he has anticipated an emergency and how you can contact him if there is need to. So please, contact him now." He told her and didn't even realize that he was glowing a little. "Think about your kids and yourself." He added.
She remained calm for a few seconds before telling him how Elvis told her to contact him in case of any emergency. She had seen the glow but Steve didn't. Steve called the emergency number from the cell phone handed him by Elvis' wife as soon as she gave it to him.
Bonadi, Elvis and Menna were in the room where they kept Tracy and Nora when the call came through. Elvis picked the call when it came through, but the voice he was expecting wasn't the one he heard.
"I have your wife and two kids. You have my friends or at least you know who does. I'll send you the location."
"No, no, no! Don't be too fast. I'll give you the location to meet and negotiate for your friends." Bonadi interrupted as he took the phone abruptly from Elvis.
"Who is this?" Steve asked.
"The person with your friends" Bonadi replied.
"I want to talk to them." Steve demanded.
"He said he wants to talk with his friends. Ok, here!" Bonadi spoke to no one in particular before handing over the phone to Elvis who went closer to Tracy and Nora. He removed the cover in their mouth and they couldn't help shouting and crying and asking Steve what is happening.
"I will explain everything to you. Just remain calm okay; you're going to be free very soon. I'm really sorry for getting you guys involved with my shit!" he said with a deep repentant and sorry voice.
"Okay, quite touchy rebounding assurances" Bonadi said urging Elvis to bring back the phone and put the cover aside.
"Where do you want to meet?" He inquired.
"Don't be in a hurry my young friend. You will get the location very briefly." He replied and disconnected the call.
"That's my wife and children and you just..."
"What? What, mmm? It's your fault they are in the mess in the first place. You now share ironical failures with Varodi my young friend."
"Where do you propose? You know better right?" Bonadi asked.
"I can't think of...oh wait; I have a place in mind." Elvis replied.
"Go on!"
"There is a special fountain with water falls off the lake of Oguta in my state. That should do it."
"Alright then, there it is." Bonadi said.
"Why water?" asked Menna who has been silent all along the conversation.
"You will see." Bonadi simply said. He used his anani, mapped it out and sequenced the links appropriately before they left. They arrived at a very plain secluded area of the huge fountain surroundings. After taking cognizance of the whole environment and charting his mapping system to synchronize with the environment using his ring of ascendance, he told Elvis to contact Steve. After contacting Steve, Elvis told him the details as directed, and cut the connection.
"Now what?"
"We wait!" Bonadi said in reply to Elvis' uncouth enquiry.
"Okay!"
*
Steve told Elvis' wife about the recent developments before asporting off with them to the lake town of Oguta, in the ever-busy fountain layout carved-out mainly for tourist attraction. He went alone to a car rental using the Google map on his phone and rented a car using fake credentials.
"I can pass off as your husband."
"Please, don't do something that you are going to regret. I have no quarrel with you or your husband even though he tried to kill me." Steve advised and warned her the moment they arrived a few meters away from the location inside the rented black Toyota Corolla 2019 model.
"My husband tried to kill you and you say you have no quarrel with him?" She asked in scuffed scornful manner.
"I have no reason to lie to you. Yes, your husband tried to kill me but it doesn't matter anyway." he replied her, and then opened the car door of the driver's seat.
"Don't do anything stupid." he said once again and left as soon as he made sure there was no way of her raising alarm or escaping from the car while he was gone.
Following the location given him by Elvis, he started to scoop the whole area which were filled except the northern part which lead deep into the surrounding green vegetation and some other state-owned structures. He followed the location given him and came out through a turf beautifully designed to beautify the whole northern front, giving it a lush European feel. It was from there that he saw them even though they didn't see him from the far corner they were. However, Menna was not with them as Bonadi gave him a task as soon as Elvis contacted Steve.
He started walking towards them and stopped at a distance where he was very much visible to them, flanked by a hill to his right and a newly constructed lake pathway. What he didn't know was that Menna was on surveillance duty from across a few meters away to his left.
"Can you see him?" Bonadi asked Elvis who was the only one among them that could recognize Steve face-to-face. Elvis looked around a bit before sighting Steve coming like he was heading straight to their direction.
"He is the one approaching." He replied, pointing across the hill as Steve approached casually and relaxed.
"Good. Activate the inhibitor now!" Bonadi communicated across to Menna after informing him that Steve was in the location and exactly where he is. Menna did as instructed.
"Alright, go to him and bring him here." He told Elvis, which he did. When he met him, Steve wanted to apologize for involving the wife and the kids but he waved him off with a mean face before telling him to follow him to Bonadi who waved from his end to Steve when he looked up.
"If you have laid a finger on my wife and children this is not going to end well for you. I promise you that." Elvis retorted as they walked.
"I'm not a monster." Steve simply replied him and looked away. A few seconds later, Steve was face-to-face with Bonadi who really took his time to observe him very closely.
"A Remiulian Durian" Bonadi said afterwards to himself as he continued to look at Steve in wonder but not totally bemused.
"And i am the best alchemist from Muur and level 1 Gradestar scientist!" He stated to himself, still marveled from what he was seeing.
"Such powers... on a Durian" He said out loud while still admiring him.
"Do you mind?" He asked Steve.
"Mind what?"
"Who did this to you? I mean, how did you perform the ritual? How did you come across such knowledge?" he asked Steve before waving off Elvis who wanted to remind him that they were there for a purpose.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Steve replied.
"A hard nut too. That's great." Bonadi said with a mean smile.
"And my friends?" Steve asked with reference to Tracy and Nora.
"Not harmed!"
"Can I see them?"
"You will."
"I mean now if you don't mind."
"Bring them." Bonadi ordered. A few seconds later, Varodi arrived with Tracy and Nora who were both excited to see Steve and immediately rushed and hugged him. In-between the show of affection, they started asking him what was happening, what happened at the hotel, about Christie and who all these people are.
"Go ahead, tell them." Bonadi told Steve while again waving off Elvis who wanted to raise the question about the whereabouts of his family and for Steve to release them.
"You will see them at the rented car, a black Toyota Corolla model 2019 parked just downhill. The rental company is Rova Car Services and Rentals." The moment Steve relayed the information; Elvis was relieved and ran off to get his wife and children. Midway between Bonadi and Steve, Varodi shut him down with a shock blast which knocked him unconscious immediately as he felled on the grass and sprawled there. Tracy and Nora quickly rushed and stayed behind Steve after witnessing that.
"He will be fine." Bonadi assured them.
"He has a habit of not sticking to the plan!" He added. Varodi was well pleased after hearing him say that.
"Our business is done then." Steve chipped in, though at alert.
"Not yet, but your friends are free to go." Bonadi said smiling.
Steve turned and urged them to leave despite their unyielding nature of not wanting to leave without him. In the end, they agreed to leave when he promised to explain everything later on when they meet again.
"I will also understand if you guys decide to not want anything to do with me after this"
"Whatever this is, Steve, you better not get yourself hurt in anyway because you have a lot of explaining to do." Tracy said to him.
"Let's go Nora." She uttered afterwards.
Though disappointed with his behavior, they still felt very much concerned about him. They held each other very close, taking casual glances as they walked away while Bonadi waved at them.
"Do you know this place?" Nora asked as they walked off the turf.
"Of course, this is Oguta, the lake area layout."
"I don't think I have come across this side in all my visits here." She said.
"I think it was newly built." Tracy replied.
After coming off the place, they boarded a taxi and left after agreeing they were going back to Okigwe to see Annie about Steve and Christie.
*
"I believe your friends are safe now." Bonadi said afterwards, redirecting his attention back to Steve.
"What do you want with me?" He asked Bonadi.
"You, I want you!"
"To become a puppet or turn into one of your weapons?"
"It sounds bad when you put it that way. Notwithstanding, that is not my aim."
"Well, whatever your aim is, I don't think I can help you."
"But you haven't heard my proposal yet."
"Not interested. Sorry for the inconvenience."
At this point, Menna informed him over the receiver that the Simport inhibitor is fully functional, prompting Bonadi to smile.
"Well, I had to ask."
Steve felt he has had enough of their talks and tried to asport off the place but it didn't work.
"I knew you were relying on the links to asport off which is why I decided to put on the show as a delay." he told Steve who became totally worried that this is not going to go well for him with the links blocked off. He tried using the master bypass Neerudi taught him, but, he didn't quite get it as he should; that too didn't work.
"You're wasting your time." Bonadi said to Steve as he started walking into a corner as if flanking him in the process.
"Like I said, i want you. Hard way, easy way, you decide. This is your last chance." Bonadi told him as a matter of fact.
"Not happening." Steve replied, and sent an emergency beacon to Neerudi immediately unknown to any of them.
"Very well then" Bonadi said to him. He tried to say something else when Menna interrupted and told him that he was getting a strange beeping sound from the inhibitor device.
"What strange noise?" Bonadi queried.
"A slightly buzzing bee..." he didn't finish before Neerudi asported in instantly just a few feet from him, knocking him off instantly with a heavy punch. Before Bonadi could know what was happening she was on him. He was quick enough to deploy an asportation tricks with the ring of ascendance which sent Neerudi drifting in-between asportation points.
Seeing what happened, Steve was alerted and before he could understand what was happening, Bonadi has ordered Varodi to execute the planned restraining spells which they had programmed from the Muuragi with his anani. He quickly recited the line, channeled the energy from the curse through his anani and unleashed it at Steve. They asported off to a distance of about 15 km. Steve stood there, oblivious of what was done to him, but he soon started feeling a trickle within him. His cheeks started becoming Blanche; the eyes began to turn glassy in a shielding form. His whole body started to tremble and his muscles twitched not of their own accord. He has had this feeling before, and it was exactly the same one as the blast which leveled Energy Avenue and killed a lot of people, destroying properties in the process. He could feel it overcoming him, taking control of him and subduing him despite all his efforts to keep whatever was happening to him under control.
He wanted to start running, to run away from the place which was crowded to the brim, but he realized he was stuck to the ground, totally pinned and unable to move an inch.
***
Izemoru was informed afterwards after the intrusion that both Zanak and the ex-Muurian king have escaped their prisons. He was furious and very angry, clearly shown in the disgust and disdain from his tone and the unsullied unremarkable identical linings across his left cheek. He fumed in disgust, and decided they have to fast track everything, citing that their plan is at risk at the moment and they have to act fast.
"How fast can your men pull this off?" he asked Kamo as soon as he sat on the throne but didn't relax on it.
"Just enough time to not register any permanent signature that may be detected by any of the Muurian outstations." Kamo replied.
"Very well then, start the preparations immediately."
"Nolnad needs you here my king!" Kamo said.
"I know which is why you are leading the operation yourself." Izemoru told him.
"Give him a little 'fuck you' from me." He added and watched Kamo take his leave to mastermind and execute the task entrusted to him.
The engineers and scientists at the military facility which housed the Interplanetary Portal Travel machine got them ready for the journey afterwards. After rechecking their calculations and making sure everything is as it should be with the IPT machine, they set the coordinates for the travel and landing points just a few feet away from the extraction location which they discovered in Kontagora. Among the high grade weapons they took along with them included RageII-TZ guns, and military standard issue of Rayglazers which can tear through most protective vests and shields at .500 calibration. After making sure that everything was okay, they activated and deployed the machines which linked up with the main IPT machine. Once they did that a portal door was created at the end of the spectrum which projected on the computer screen as everyone watched.
Kamo and his men numbering about thirty stepped into the interplanetary portal traveling machine extension in which a white light covered from above, a specially designed machine that modulated everything else in the place called Axib. Another engineer made sure they were okay and recounted to them how they will be bringing in whatever it is they will be bringing in, and how they should and must go about it for easy and safe returns. He also gave them more instructions before stepping back as the machine started whirring, a sign that it is about to teleport them off to the designated coordinates.
It wasn't long before the countdown timer started to read, and when it counted zero, Kamo and the team were all sucked into the white light which transported them through the spectrum, landing them on the fixed coordinate just a click from their actual landing point. Before they could acclimatize themselves with their new surroundings, a voice over the ear communication plug they had on them told them that the IPT timing has started ticking as they arrived exactly as calculated. He informed them they have fifteen minutes to run the operation before the portal opens again at the same exact coordinate to bring them home.
"You heard the man, let's move!" Kamo ordered after everyone timed their watch and noted the coordinate, each fully armed while some carried empty boxes. Kamo led the way as they started to approach their target very fast, moving like a unit.
The area they visited was called Jatun Torga, situated at a large and vast space of what may seemingly be the normal desert sand, the type that accompanies and announces most rain in the city of Yauri just forty kilometres away from Kontagora. With perfectly laid out hills, numerous non-vegetative mountains and out of reach for most locals because of its deep location, it was the perfect extraction place for someone looking to operate quietly undisturbed and no-questions-asked. What the locals didn't know was that their supposed forgotten barren lands has unrivalled huge deposits of columbite, niobium and tantalum stretching all the way to the Sahara from Kontagora through Jatun Torga in Yauri.
Equipment's and machineries for drilling and extraction were scattered everywhere including medium trailers for transportation when they arrived. Though Bonadi didn't discover the place himself, he saw its full potential and engineered an indirect takeover from the TBW company which had extraction agreements with the Nigerian government to use their high-powered Gravity and Magnetic Separation equipment's to drill and extract continuously, satisfactory concentrates as a revenue means for the country why they also make profit in the process. For their troubles, Bonadi upgraded their equipment and made things much easier for everyone while he took more than seventy percent of the final extracts and kept for himself. He has been using them to build and power some of his machines, equipment's, devices, weapons, as well as experiments on some of his discoveries and other scientific processes he is involved in.
As soon as Kamo and his team entered the facility, they met armed guards who opened fire on them but were immediately put down in a brutal fight that ensued afterwards because they had superior weapons, and better training. Using a special detecting device, they were able to detect where all the extracts of the three elements were being stored inside the facility. They also discovered a heavily locked room full of expensive and sophisticated weapons, arms and other devices which were stored by Bonadi for a lot of different purposes; they took everything. They ransacked the whole facility, packed everything they can and loaded the empty boxes they came in with. Within twelve minutes, they have finished the operation, and contacted home. But before they left, Kamo did as Izemoru instructed and wrote 'fuck you, exiled king' very clearly on the front gate. As soon as the portal was opened and they were about to leave, Kamo told one of his men to release the charges which they planted on the facility. Only the front gate didn't destroy in the explosion that occurred afterwards. The explosion sunk the rest of the whole drilling facility and the surrounding area into the ground, totally obliterated.
***
Neerudi finally got a hold of herself inside the asportation link and came out of the drifting rebounds course wrought by Bonadi. She came out a few feet from where Bonadi and Varodi stood 15 km away from Steve, observing him. Bonadi rushed at her, throwing a darg at her which exploded, hurling Neerudi backwards as she stumbled to regain her stamina. Her eyes went across the range to Steve, and she saw him stunned and struggling. Bonadi threw another powerful darg at her, a bang occurred, displaying ash-like particles which he controlled with his hands midair, terra-forming it into a huge electromagnetic force field in the shape of crossed out circle and hurled it with his might at Neerudi who easily blocked it off with her anani. She then controlled it in the air swiftly, and redirected it at Bonadi and Varodi. Seeing the incoming wave force, they asported off that instant at the same time, dodging the resultant energy blast. These gave her chance to asport off and appear directly in front of Steve.
She didn't know exactly what was done to him until she took a closer observation amidst heightened emotions boiling up within her. She realized that dark magic from the Muuragi has been exploited to react with the dormant gamma rays in Steve's body system after a quick analysis with her anani; Steve tried in vain to communicate with her still struggling as he tried to tell her to run away from him. But, she refused to and continued to try all she could to reprogram the process to no avail.
Seeing as time was not on her side anymore, she started thinking up many ways in which she can stop the impending doom when the uncontrollable gamma rays release in a huge outburst which they must, judging from the level of glimmering Steve is in. She knew that no amount of force field she could create can contain the blast and she didn't have the time to create what could do it before their operatives arrived at the scene. As she calculated and did what she did, it soon dawned on her that Steve is just few seconds away from destroying the whole area. She didn't know what to do within those precious seconds having tried to asport off with Steve and failed. She also did not want to use any energy related power on Steve for fear it might accelerate the process.
At this point, Steve was almost begging her to run, to save herself while he tried to control the surge raging inside him, but she still refused to leave him. It was at this moment a quick idea came to her almost at the nick of time as Steve continued to beg her to leave, assuring him everything will be alright. Bonadi and Varodi still continued to observe them both from a distance, watching as Neerudi tried all her tricks.
She stepped away a bit from Steve, quickly using her anani to transform some wooden objects to a sizable carrier and mounted Steve on it. She had previously tried to asport off with him but realized that the energy level emitting from Steve was blocking off the asportation links, making it impossible to asport. On his part, Steve continued to wedge off what is now a certainty to no avail and managed to get himself on the carrier which Neerudi created. Using her anani, she scanned the whole place for the quickest route to an unpopulated area deeper into the forest which was close by.
Quickly, she manipulated the carrier and was able to move it alongside Steve to the forest area and was fast enough to asport off before the ultrasonic powerful energy surge unleashed from his whole body. The resultant energy bust from him destroyed the whole area in a bout of gamma rays to about 13 km. He felled down immediately afterwards, and remained unconscious for a few seconds near a water body inside the forest, redirected from the lake nearby. When he opened his eyes seconds later still on the ground, it was immediately drawn to the water as he struggled to get up, weary from the blast but not tired or fatigued by it. He started staring at the water, not really admiring his face but quite fixated with his appearance on the water's surface. He was still apparently emitting rays all over his body at this point. Suddenly, something moved, but not in the water. It was as if there was a disturbance within the surroundings, and the water expressed it through a minor shake. Not knowing where exactly he was, he turned clockwise and observed around but didn't see anything. He turned again to look at the water, but the water took form and came alive right in front of him; it happened very fast. As if pulled up by a magnetic force, the whole water jacked itself up in a circular netted form to meet him midway as he quickly rose to his feet.
He started to breathe heavily, wondering what was happening as he felt powerless against the water which stood in front of him. The water spread itself in a splash that formed long netted threads in a rope like spread and forcefully projected itself into his body with a huge grip which sent him crashing to the ground. On the ground, he struggled to wriggle himself off of its embrace, but it was all a futile effort.
"We can take him now." A heavily suited Bonadi told Varodi. They carried Steve just as soon and asported off just a few seconds before Neerudi came hurtling in like a lightning bolt into the place. She frantically searched for him around and everywhere but didn't find him. A little to her left, she saw Steve's anani turned to dust from the gamma rays. She became alarmed and her face saddened. Neerudi asported off to her quarters in the palace and started sobbing slowly. She has ended up killing him, she thought to herself in her mouthed distraught frenzy.
When the Muurian operatives finally arrived at the scene, they cordoned off the area, deployed the Ecke and took Menna and Elvis with them when they left after finishing up with the restoration process, as well as cleaning up the mess.