UNTAMED

Part Twenty

{I have no peace, no rest, and my troubles never end}
        His wrist was vibrating but he was too drowsy to open his eyes. It kept vibrating but he still did not feel like waking up. But he hated the sensation and wanted it to stop. He held his wrist but his hand touched something else. Slowly he forced his eyes to open, it was his android watch.
“What the fuck is this disturbance for?” he said pulling the watch from his hand.
He looked at the screen to check the time before he would throw it away to have some peace but saw something that cleared his drowsiness instantly.
‘Halima has escaped’ was written in capital letter.
He ran to his master bedroom and saw it was true. That was what he was missing. He had been so disturbed by his outburst and the headache that he had left the door without locking it. And he had slept like a log of wood. This had never happen with the sleeping pills he took. What was wrong with him? His left hand automatically located his forehead, the headache was now mild. He quickly went back to wear his wrist watch, then went to the dining table where he had left his phone. The time was 3:08AM. There were so many messages. He opened the message box but read only the last message which was about five minutes ago.
‘Tamed what the heck is going on with you? Jason is about to come to Asaba. It’s now almost an hour I’ve been trying to alert you. She is about to be taken to John and Ojogolo’ Mark wrote.
He entered the Circle app immediately.
“I don’t think I will make it to Asaba in time’ Jason wrote seconds ago.
“But Tamed is not responding. What the heck is going on with him?” Mark had responded immediately.
‘I’m here, took sleeping pills for headache’ he wrote.
‘But it does not work on you and that is a wrong prescription. Don’t you have Panadol?’ Doc wrote.
‘We will need explanations later but you have to move now before the car arrives’ Wild wrote.
‘Directions’ he wrote.
‘Just switch on your communication gadgets and be on the road immediately. Directions will be given to you as you drive’ Jason wrote.
‘But I will want to know why Tamed did not respond to the alert’ Fast wrote.
He left the app and looked for a T-shirt. He did not bother about jacket, he put on a blue jean trouser and transferred his weapons from the other trouser. He picked his communication gadgets including his spectacle and ran to his pickup.
“Okay I’m leaving my street now” he said after inserting the hearing tools and the mic in their right places.
“Switch on your pickup computer” Mark said.
“How long has it been since she escaped?” he asked as he switched on his pickup computer.
“About an hour and she ran like her life depended on it. She is now in residential areas” Mark said.
“I can’t believe someone escaped Tamed” he heard Fast voice.
The anger was back and almost immediately, it changed to fury. Halima was testing him.
“I’m going to park my car, I was not yet out” Jason said.
“Tamed what is going on? You don’t forget the details, how did you not close the door? And sleeping pills don’t work on you” Wild asked.
“Seriously, I don’t have the answer to your questions. I don’t know what is wrong with me. I’m having waves and waves of emotions, then headache.”
“Calm down Tamed, your voice has changed” Doc said.
“Can you see it now, the red dot is her current position. The green is your current position” Mark said.
He knew where she was, he would get there in about twelve minutes with his speed. But how did she run so fast?
“What is the current status?” he asked.
“Halima is right now sitting on a block with a guy named Onos standing in front of her. They are waiting for the second guy to come with a car from Aka which they will use to transport her to Ologbo boundary where they will swap her for three million naira. She had asked for their help and the peace message had gotten to them. There is a possibility of the said Aka joining them” Mark said.
“Jason did you find out what I sent?”
“Yes” all of them chorused.
“What?”
“You just needed to Google it Tamed. It’s a bible verse. Genesis 49:9” Jason answered.
“But what is it for?” Mark asked.
“The old woman from yesterday’s robbery attempt quoted it to me” he answered.
“Tamed is that not one of the quotes from your mum’s dairy, the one Major had seen and named you Beast?” Wild asked
“You still remember the words in that diary?”
“Not all but there are some I can never forget” Wild answered.
“She was definitely referring to you Tamed” Fast said.
“I know that’s why I wanted to find out where the quote came from.”
“That was Jacob’s final blessing to Judah. Jesus is the descendant of Judah. Go read it, you will see the full blessing” Jason said.
“You’re thinking it’s not a coincidence?” Wild asked.
“I don’t know” he answered.
“Jason are you back home?” Doc asked.
“Yes why did you ask?”
“You are talking” Mark answered for her.
He made up his mind to look for his mum’s old bible and search the quote.
“Fast you are going to burn that meat” Doc said.
“You wait till you taste it” Fast answered.
“Where the heck are you guys by this time?” Wild asked.
“And what are all of you doing awake by 3:AM?. There is no night mission I know of” he added.
“And Bilikisu why is your phone off, mum have been trying to contact you” Ghost joined the conversation.
“One, two go” Mark spoke fast.
“Saheed if you are trying to piss me off this early morning it will be better you do it right in front of me. Hausa idiot like you can’t pronounce Balikis.”
“Imagine having an idiot as your brother. Must you make mum worried?” Ghost replied.
“Saheed fuck off, I called her this morning, why is she calling my line to the extent she had to contact you” Doc responded.
“Because I’m her son and please show some respect to your senior” Ghost said.
“I don’t blame you, I can’t believe of all the people my mum could take as a son, it was you” Doc said.
At least she had not attacked Ghost for personalizing her mum. She might have given up during the one year he was absent or something must have happened.
“Ghost and Doc this is not a family meeting, and Sabrina can you just behave the way you do with your dad during business?” Wild came in.
“Are you warning just me? What of Ghost who started it? Have I ever acted this way with my dad?” Doc asked.
“But this father daughter relationship was hard for me to accept. In fact I only believed they were father and daughter during her mum’s birthday party, they were completely so close. I had to even ask if that was her twin sister” Mark said.
It was not only Mark, those who saw those two at any barrack, or parade or orientation or missions would never believe they were related and those who saw them at home would never believe if they were told they acted as strangers as soon as they were on duty. He still remembered the first time he had seen Doc. That was four years after he had join the army. She was sixteen then. She had come to their training ground and they had thought she was a lost girl. A cadet was told to ask her if she had missed her way but they had to rescue the cadet from Doc’s grasp. He was already on the ground and Doc was sitting on his back with her hand on his neck. Everyone was shocked and when they had asked what happened, she had said the Cadet had told her to disappear if she did not want to be flogged with a koboko, a kind of whip. Her dad had arrived at that moment and she had ran to him looking all innocent.
“Thank you Mark, I’ve always kept family business out of our meetings but Ghost always have a way of pissing me off.”
“I just don’t like the fact that mum can’t reach you” Ghost said.
“I feel like punching you Saheed” Doc said.
“The meat is almost done” Fast said.
“I’ve asked about your whereabouts” Wild said.
“We are at Eleko Beach having a barbecue party” Fast answered.
“After a disappointing show from Sabrina” Mark said.
“Mark disappointing show?” Ghost asked.
“Sabrina tricked us, I thought she was going to be one of the strippers” Mark said and Ghost responded with laughter.
“You think her dad will permit me to send her on an undercover mission were she will strip?” Wild said.
“I know. I was surprised he did not say anything but Sabrina could have given me a head start that she was going to be serving the drinks” Mark said.
“But she was still hot in that mini skirt” Fast said.
“I expected something hotter” Mark answered.
“I’m just going to ignore you two idiots” Doc said.
“I still don’t understand the fact that you guys are at a beach at 3:AM without me” Ghost said.
“I’m at home Ghost, I had to fulfill my promise and give Fast tips”
“You swam?” Wild asked.
“Of course. This is the best time to be at the beach, no disturbance, just us” Fast said.
“And Saheed why are you awake? Your watch did not vibrate” Doc asked.
“I’m working” Ghost answered.
“Ghost where are you?” Wild asked.
“In Barrister Omakor’s office” Ghost answered.
“What are you looking for?” Jason asked.
“Right now, I don’t know” Ghost answered.
“Ghost, even if you must break into an office you should at least have a reason. It’s 3:AM”
“Wild that time advice is for those three idiots cruising at the beach without me, you can’t be telling me it’s 3:AM. I’m ghost, this is my working time please” Ghost said making most of them laugh.
They had come again with their talks that could distract a raging mind. He had not even had any flash memory of the past.
“And they are even having a barbecue party without me” Wild said.
That was Wild favorite kind of party. Sit around wood fire and roast a meat under a clear moonlight.  Then discuss about childhood and battles. He too was not exempted. Even after modern barbecue machine had been introduced, none of them used it, they still used the old method.
“Where did you get the wood and meat?” he asked.
“I’m temporarily in Lagos preparing the city for the president’s visit” Mark said.
“A car just drove into the street I’m about to enter. I saw two people inside” he said.
“Okay. They have arrived with the car” Mark said.
“You have less than two minutes to stop her from entering that car” Wild said.
“Who said I plan on stopping them, that street has a dead end for cars, they will still have to come back to the main road. My pickup will be waiting for them” he said reversing left and stopping at the middle of the street.
No car would be able to go in or come out except his pickup was out of the way.
“Jason have you scanned the pictures of the smokers?” Wild asked.
“Still scanning, they are already negative for wanted criminals” Jason answered.
“Tamed you know what that implies? You cannot kill them” Wild said.
“Connect me to the bird” he said.
“That’s your gadget. Jason had already done that. Just look for it on your wrist watch and connect” Mark said.
He scrolled through the app and saw the triangle shape app. He clicked on it and saw connect which he clicked. He did not see what he was expecting, instead he saw trees and trees.
“Why am I seeing trees?” he asked.
“But that is not what I can see in the app. I can see the men talking to themselves” Fast said.
“Tamed you are still connected to my mission Flight. Disconnect and connect to your own. It will automatically appear since I permanently linked it to your watch” Jason said.
He did as Jason instructed and he could see and hear them.
“So how we won share am since una nor gree wetin I talk?” one of them asked.
Halima was sitting down staring straight at the bird.
“That should be Aka the new guy” Mark said.
“How come I can hear them when I have the communication tools in my ear?” He asked.
“You are connected to the Circle app. Please just go with the flow, leave technology for Jason and Mark” Ghost said.
“500 dey okay na” one of them answered the man.
“That’s Onos” Mark said.
“No, I nor gree, I still stand with one million or I go carry my car comot” Aka said.
“But na we find am na, he nor tally na” the unknown guy said.
But he knew him. His name was Sunday. He also knew Aka. Onos was the unfamiliar face.
“Take it or leave it” Aka answered.
“Onos abeg make we dey go, them fit don dey reach there” Sunday said.
“So una agree for the one million?” Aka asked.
“Wetin man go do na, make we dey go. Babe come enter car” Onos said.
“Are we going to meet Chief?” she asked taking her attention away from the bird.
He had calmed down as he talked with his comrades but her voice changed everything. The anger came back in full force.
“Yes, wetin you dey expect, come enter make we go meet Chief” Onos said opening the door of the back seat.