"you've become so fierce, I wouldn't want to ever go into the ring against you spooky," Mika said as we sat down to dinner in the refine dining hall of level three.
"it has brought me this far Mika, in the ring, all I see in the opponent is a close door to my freedom, and I worked for it, every bit of it."
"oh, you've earned every bit of it, having won almost all your fights," she said with a raised eye brow…".
"all thanks to you Mika."
"I am flattered, except the fact that I really didn't do much. I happen to pull the right strings at the right time during our training sessions. I am glad it unleashed the warrior in you, but you have to be careful as you climb the ladder spooky, you are still not in full control of your anger, and that is not a good thing. It will bring you victory at the price of destroying you."
"I am already doomed Mika, I don't care about living anymore, at least not the way I used to…"
"are you still thinking about her?".
"every damn night Mika, last time I check in my dreams she was pregnant with child."
"those are nothing but dreams." "unfortunately my dreams are as real to me, and clear as the light of day."
"I thought you wanted to leave your past behind and move on when you get out."
"yeah, that's the plan, except that certain memories of the past crept under the skin into the blood stream. But hey, enough of me, tell me about you and Roy."
"he didn't make it to level three with us spooky." "I think Roy enjoys his work as a physician than a fighter."
"you are right about that, I guess that's why we never had anything serious, because we wanted different things. He prefers his labs to the arena. I on the other hand, can't wait to get out of this place."
"we have only two levels to go now Mika, we will be out of here soon enough."
"on the condition that we win all our fights."
"do you think, they are watching and betting on us?".
"Nka turns everything into a money making machine, every penny counts for the man."
"how close were you to him?". "not very close but my boss was close enough, reporting directly to him." Mika replied in a shiver.
"he killed him right in front of you?" I asked bluntly and mika looked at me sharply. "I don't want to talk about it….".
"maybe we should start talking about these things, Mika. Perhaps, figure out how his mind works."
"my boss was a thief okay, Nka knew, but let the man indulge himself as long as he didn't exceed the limits. But he got greedier, and started plotting against, Nka. I knew but didn't report to Nka, even though he gave me a chance to be honest with him. I was young and naïve, but I wasn't dumb or a sellout…
In all my years in this place, this is what I have come to learned about the man. His honor is as solid as a rock…. And if I go back, I will want to be on his side."
"after all he has done to you, enslave and starve you?", I just couldn't keep my mouth shut in my anger, how dare he or anyone for that matter to play the role of a judge and executioner?
"I think you still have a long way to go spooky, did you really want to know why he killed my boss? It was not because he was a thief, or plotting against him.
He killed him because he was trying to rape me, and not just me, he was using his vessels to ship helpless young girls abroad."
Enough! There were such stories about the villain I know so well, but everyone I met in the vessel seem to have something good to say about the man, like he is some kind of messiah, their deliverer, perhaps they're faking it to earn his good favors or something who knows.
"but, at the end of it all here we are mika, we are in a dark hole for three years and more without sun. out there in prisons, the inmates in the worst conditions are not denied the sun."
"you still don't get it do you? well, you are not the only one who don't understand, but I did been thinking you would have realized it by now after all these years.
No, you bury yourself in rage, fighting to get out… think around the circumstances under which you were brought here, maybe if you think had enough, you will find the truth."
At this the woman stood up and stormed out of the dining hall with flaming eyes. I am I the only one here who is not yet brain wash by the Nka fantasy?
I could see sky and momma at one corner chatting and enjoying their comradeship.
Even more like lovers. I wouldn't be surprise if they are doing it under the sheets. The thought brought long forgotten memories of canal passions with Ruby, but the woman was now married and chastised myself for thinking about her in that manner for even a split moment.
"hello spooky, do you mind if we joined you?". "no problem sky, momma, do have a seat."
The two couples seem to contemplate about how to start a conversation as we all bite into the apples we were having for desert.
"you two been doing great? Look, I want to apologize okay, I never knew things will turn out this way. I can believe we've been here for three good years; all we have are but scares to show for it."
The two exchanged a silent look, and turned their gazes back on me.
"we have been thinking about things for some time now, and we think we owe you an apology rather than the other way round."
They glanced at each other again before continuing; "we were not killed along with ziggy and felix because of you spooky," momma said almost tears and sky held and pressed her hand gently, encouraging her.
"sky was spared because he came to your side at the last minute to help with the women. For me, Nka spared me although I betray you for a reason still don't know. now I owe him my life.
And just so, you know, your cousin Rakaia is safed with her husband and family now. Nka saved her, along with many other girls that were in rout to abroad in some of our vessels, I know because I did been part of all that…"
she paused and her tears flows freely…
"it's okay babe, if you don't want to talk about it, we have more time to share the whole truth with spooky," sky deliberated.
"no sky, he has to know… I was working for Felix, along with Ziggy and the three lords in the ring. They run the illegal aspects of Lycan heights not Nka. The man is not an angel but he plays fair, he wants no drugs, or shipping young girls across continents.
He didn't want any of that around the vessels. But the other bosses are very shrewd and deadly rude, nothing will stand in their way. I work for them so many years in fear…." The woman chokes again in her sobs struggling to continue….
I led most of the drug operations for them, making sure they have a smooth voyage. I think turning on Mike at the last minute had been what save my life…..
May is because I am a government official. Truth is that Nka knew I am working for the other side of the organization."
"why not just split the family business.," I interjected…
"for them family comes first spooky, the family is the business.
Nka is forced to play as ruthless. He can't rely on the law or government, for that will only get him killed by both sides.
.....When Kate proved to be resourceful on her father's side, they came after her in marriage, and married her off to that animal at a young age…."
"it was at this time Gloria, Nkas wife developed hysteria leading to paranoia in her pregnancy. She died after giving birth to Ludhiana…".
"yet here we all are people, incarcerated by the same saint Nka…" I said plainly.
"look around you spooky, where are the missing faces?".
"now you tell me? they vanished just like that. Where did they go sky, momma? From what I know, they have to fight to the fifth level before they could be release?"
"being here without the sun is not favoring you spooky," momma said smiling.
"what do you mean?"
"a food for thought my boy, don't worry we got our eyes on you. You probably need to get laid with the fair one. It will help clear you fuddled mind, aye" momma invoked sweetly in her singsong voice which I missed terribly.
"you know all this, yet you gave me a punch on the face in our first encounter sky, and stayed away from me for two good years, what was that for?" I asked my two long lost pals.
"one; for losing your first fight. two; to fixed your mind in the game."
"Ludy claimed you as her man, when she kissed you on the forehead in front of her father and that is probably the reason why you're still alive...."
" 'Probably this, probably that'. From the way I see it, you two have nothing but probabilities. I will say you're brain washed by the Nka fantasy, or you've choose not look at this whole thing for what it is.."
"we will leave you to riddle out these intermingled algorithms you have up your brain spooky.
your problem is; you think too hard and long," sky said in a grinned as the two connect hands and walked out of the hall.