....✍🏾
The accusation hung heavy in the air, punctuated by the ominous hum of the approaching vehicle. In a heartbeat, the once-welcoming bridge had become a crucible of distrust and imminent danger. Modupe, caught in the maelstrom of conflicting emotions, could only stare in disbelief as the agents trained their weapons on her, their expressions twisted with a terrifying blend of paranoia and fury.
Dr. Hassan watched dejectedly as the agents treated her like a criminal. They dragged her out of the craft to the newly arrived NIA agents who stood around a Kudu-Class Armored Tactical Operations Vehicle (ATOV).
The Kudu-Class ATOV was part of the Kudu-Class, a fleet known for its imposing size and heavy firepower. Painted in dull black with reflective insignias of the NIA, its armored plating glistened under the hot sun, giving off a menacing aura. The Kudu-Class was built for hostile operations, with reinforced armor that could withstand rocket-propelled grenades and high-caliber rounds, making it virtually untouchable in urban combat.
"Here you go, Recovery squad. Took you long enough to get here," Agent Olivia said, who had accompanied Modupe from the ship.
"Squad E, we take it from here," said the new arrivals as they roughly took custody of Modupe.
The Squad E agents returned to the ship, leaving Modupe and her entourage perspiring wildly under the fiery sun.
"Dr. Hassan?" Lance called out telepathically.
No reply.
"Dr.?" She didn't answer.
The NIA agents herded her into the vehicle. To her shock, she saw her husband, Taiwo, sitting within, his eyeglasses shattered, his eyes swollen red, and his hands cuffed in front of him.
Rushing up to him, Modupe cried out, "Oko mi, what happened? What have they done to you?"
With a stony face, Taiwo narrated: "They came to our home almost immediately after you left. They battered down the door, barged in, and took me while I was designing that new airflight AI system. They knocked me in the jaw with a rifle butt and said I was under arrest. When I asked, 'On what charges?' it only led to more beatings. They planted an incendiary device in the house and loaded me into this vehicle. As we left, I saw our house go up in flames. And now here I am. What about you?"
Modupe sank to her knees, overcome with dejection, and began to weep.
"Don't worry, babe," Taiwo reassured her, his voice steady despite his situation. "These people have no idea who I am. The deadly arts of my fathers are ingrained in me. I could have broken free and killed them all, but now that you're here, I just need the perfect opportunity."
The soldier guarding them leaned casually against the reinforced interior of the Kudu-Class ATOV, one hand resting on his rifle as he fingered the trigger absentmindedly. His voice was thick with mockery as he eyed Modupe with a leering grin. "Madam, you too fine o. Na woman like you suppose dey house dey cook soup for husband. No be to dey chase tech and trouble."
Taiwo's fists clenched, his jaw tightening as he fought to control his rage. The soldier chuckled, tapping his gun as he continued. "You dey look me like say you fit do anything. Abeg, try am. Make I clear your doubt now-now. One trigger, and I go send you and oga go heaven sharp-sharp."
After a moment of silence, Taiwo turned to Modupe, his tone calm but deliberate. "Modupe," he said, his voice low, "give me the glasses. I can't see clearly. My own glasses are gone."
Modupe hesitated, glancing at the Sentinel Vision glasses perched on her face. She understood the subtle urgency in Taiwo's request but felt a pang of unease. Nonetheless, she removed the glasses and handed them to him.
The guard's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he watched the exchange. "Wait! Wetin be dat?" he barked, stepping closer. "Abi na one of una tech tricks? Give me that thing!" He snatched the glasses roughly from Taiwo's hands, holding them up to inspect them.
The Sentinel Vision glasses, sensing they were no longer in the hands of either Modupe or Taiwo, locked themselves down. The lenses dimmed, and the advanced circuitry shifted, making them appear as nothing more than a simple pair of prescription glasses.
The guard squinted at them, turning the glasses over in his hands. "Na ordinary glasses be this," he muttered, laughing as he tapped the frame. "See as I dey fear! Una too dey overhype una tech."
Satisfied, he shrugged and tossed the glasses back at Taiwo but stopped mid-motion. "Wait. Make I try am first," he said, grinning wickedly. He slid the glasses onto Taiwo's face, smirking as he adjusted them. "Wear am well, oga. Na for clear your eye."
The moment the glasses settled on Taiwo's face, the Sentinel Vision reactivated. A pulse of light swept across the lenses, and data streams began feeding directly into Taiwo's view. The system recognized its rightful user, displaying tactical layouts of the Kudu-Class ATOV, guard positions, and structural weaknesses.
Taiwo's lips curved into a faint smile as the AI's voice resonated softly in his mind. "Welcome, user. Threat analysis underway. Tactical solutions available."
The guard, oblivious to the activation, leaned back and chuckled. "Now you fit see clear, abi? No try nonsense o!"
Taiwo nodded calmly, his mind racing. The glasses had turned the odds in their favor, and now it was only a matter of timing.
"Anyways, take a look at your crimes," the guard continued, pointing at a screen mounted on the wall of the vehicle. "You think say una go fit hide forever?"
The screen flickered to life, displaying a live news broadcast. The anchor, a dark-skinned young woman, began: "Good morning, Nigerians and viewers all over the globe. Welcome to News at 6 with Funmi Ajayi, brought to you by Wide Eye News. Today's headline: 'A spaceship from an alien civilization in the forests of Maiduguri? Discovery or Conspiracy?'"
Modupe's heart raced as the broadcast continued, displaying footage of the alien ship she and Taiwo had encountered. The feed showed blurry images taken from a distance, with zoom-ins on the strange metallic surface of the ship. The broadcast then cut to shots of government officials and experts speculating on what this discovery meant for Nigeria, Africa, and the world.
The anchor continued, "It has now been established that Dr. Modupe Hassan and her husband, Taiwo, have ties to a guerrilla group that has been working to overthrow the government of President Jaye Martins. The entire claim of an alien spaceship is part of a plot to lure the president into an ambush in the forests of Maiduguri, where they intended to assassinate him."
Taiwo clenched his fists, rage simmering beneath the surface. "This is a lie! A complete fabrication!"
The agent overseeing the broadcast glanced at Modupe, his lips curling into a smirk. "You thought you could play games with the government? Now everyone knows who you really are."
Modupe's body trembled with fury, but it wasn't just from the accusations. Everything they had worked for was unraveling, and the truth was being twisted into a weapon against them.
Her eyes, red with pure anger, hardened as she thought, "Lance?"
"Yes, Dr."
"Those in the ship..."
"What about them, ma'am?"
"Annihilate them."