LANDVILLA ESTATE,
WUYE 6:30 PM…
The stealth dropship landed silently in a secluded, overgrown patch of bushland on the outskirts of Landvilla Estate, its engines powering down with a soft whir as it cloaked itself. The ramp lowered, exhaling a gust of cool, filtered air. Inside, the four boys stood, they had changed into their normal cloths on the way, to make themselves feel alittle comfortable, they still felt heavy than usual, not from the material, but from the weight of the truth they carried.
G's voice came through the comms, tired and sympathetic, "Boys… I am sorry I let this happen."
"Its not your fault G, you were captured too." Sadiq said looking into the distance.
"But aren't you going to come with us?" he asked G.
"I think its best to go yourselves, if I come with you their anger will be directed at me and that won't help them see reason." G answered.
"Understood." Umar said, his hands folded.
"Ok, be careful. Be clear, direct and most of all… Patient." G instructed.
"They've had a lot of time to sit with the news. So keep that in mind. I'll be on the comms if you need me." he added
"Yes sir."They all said.
"Where did you go?" Nasir asked.
"I have to find out what else our scientist is hiding from us. Once I'm done, I'll brief you all at the Vault. Over and out." G said.
"Toh," Ahmad's voice was tight. "Lets go."
Umar nodded, his jaw set. "Omo, Momcy go vex ooo."
"I just hope they even noticed." Sadiq said.
Nasir remained silent, his eyes distant. His mind was already replaying the scene from the inter-house sports event, his father's rage, his mother's tears, his own angry outburst . This wasn't just about truth; it was about reconciliation, a fragile hope he wasn't sure he possessed.
"Nas. Your place is closest. We'll give you some time before we move." Ahmad said, a sympathetic look on his face.
Nasir simply nodded, the weight of his family's turmoil heavy on his shoulders. With a deep breath, he stepped off the ramp, disappearing into the dense foliage, heading towards the familiar streets of his childhood.
NASIR'S HOUSE
6:45 PM…
Nasir moved like a ghost through the familiar streets, the quiet of the night allowing him to have clear thoughts. His house stood before him. The usual laughter from inside was absent. A knot tightened in his stomach.
He slipped through the side gate, moving with enhanced stealth, a skill honed by months of G's training. The front door was slightly open. He pushed it open slowly, the hinges groaning faintly.
The living room was quiet. No sounds of his sisters, Asma and Shamsiya, bickering over the TV, no rhythmic beat of his mother, Bilkisu, grinding spices in the kitchen. Then he heard it – hushed voices from the master bedroom. His mother and sisters.
He walked cautiously. The door to the bedroom was ajar. He saw his mother, sitting on the edge of the bed, her shoulders slumped. Asma and Shamsiya were huddled beside her, their faces tear-stained. The air in the room was thick with a palpable sadness, a lingering residue of the previous day's confrontation with his father, Abbas .
"Ummi," Nasir's voice was barely audible, but it cut through the silence.
Bilkisu flinched, her head snapping up. Her eyes, still swollen from crying, widened in shock and fear as she saw her only son standing framed in the doorway. Asma and Shamsiya gasped, their hands flying to their mouths.
"Nasir?! What is this?!" Bilkisu cried, scrambling off the bed, her voice laced with terror. She remembered the news reports, the propaganda of Nucron "cultists" and "criminals" .
"Ummi, please. Calm down." Nasir pleaded, taking a step closer, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Everything is okay. I need to explain."
"Explain what?!" Bilkisu retorted, her voice rising in panic. "Explain why you've been missing! Explain why you would do this to me… to your sisters! Explain leaving us alone!" Her eyes darted from his face to his chest and she spotted it, Nasir's battle suit visible under his buttoned down shirt. Fear battling with confusion. She stepped back, pulling her daughters closer.
"Baba… what happened? Has he done anything?" Nasir asked, a new wave of cold dread washing over him. He remembered what his father was capable of, but he hadn't imagined…
"He left months ago since the news came out! After… after what you did! He blamed you! He said you turned into a demon, just like the news said!" Bilkisu wailed, pointing a trembling finger at his suit. "He said you were cursed!"
The words hit Nasir like a physical blow. The shame he'd tried to suppress, the fear that his family would see him as the enemy, slammed into him with brutal force . Kane's propaganda had sunk its teeth deep.
"Ummi, that's a lie! It's all a lie!" Nasir retorted, his own voice cracking with desperation. "We're not cultists! We're not criminals! What happened at the school wasn't cultists fighting, it was just two Nucrons who have HATED each other for a long time."
"They used us, Ummi! They used me and Ahmad! The fight at school… it was all a lie to push this stupid narrative! The antidote, it wasn't what it was said to be, I told you this! It was the first part of their plan to control us!"
Bilkisu, Asma, and Shamsiya stared at their mother and brother arguing, their faces pale. They could see that their brother was telling the truth but were too overwhelmed with emotion.
"They're going to turn every Nucron they capture into their slaves! Into 'Enforcers'!" Nasir explained, his voice urgent.
Bilkisu collapsed onto the bed, her face buried in her hands. "Ya Allah! What is going on?"
"A war… and we're fighting them Ummi, me and them Ahmad." Nasir answered. Bilkisu raised her head, anger replacing her sadness.
"With who? With what? How are you to fight and who are going to fight Nasir!" she yelled
Nasir knelt beside her. "You have to believe me Ummi. Why would I be doing this if I didn't have to? why would I do something that will take me away from you and leave you with Baba?"
"You wouldn't… I know you wouldn't." Bilkisu answered, quietly sobbing.
"Then pls, don't believe whatever it is they showed you. I'm here and I won't let anything happen to any of you." Nasir promised, a tear rolling down his cheek. Bilkisu looked at her son, she had missed him so much, he made her feel safe and secure… and she knew he was telling the truth. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him as she burst into tears, Asma and Shamsiyya also joined in the hug as they cried. Finally their family was reunited and they felt safe again.
"I thank God that you're alive and well." Bilkisu said.
"Where have you been?" Shamsiyya asked.
"I'm happy to see you too. And I'm glad you're all safe." Nasir answered, the biggest smile crossing his face.
"Do you still have your powers?" Asma asked.
"Tell us what you've been doing since…" they began to bombard him with questions but Bilkisu interrupted.
"Don't overwhelm my son, please. Oya go and start preparing the kitchen." she commanded the girls.
"Lets go to the sitting room and you can tell us about what happened while I make dinner." Bilkisu said as she stood up. They stood up with her, smiling as they walked to the living. The women were now safe and Nasir was reunited with his family.
Umar moved with a slow pace, the unspoken truths about his powers and the world's perception of Nucrons pressed weighed heavily on him. He could already imagine his parents' reaction to the news, their strict, traditional views clashing violently with the reality of his abilities.
As he turned onto his street, the familiar two-story building of his family home came into view. His gaze immediately snagged on the compound. Near the partially open garage, a beat-up SUV sat with its hood up, and two figures, strong and familiar, were hunched over the engine. His older brothers, Kunle and Tayo.
Kunle, a year older than Umar, with a lean, wiry strength, was wiping grease from his hands with a rag. Tayo, two years older, broader and more imposing, was tightening a bolt with a wrench. The scent of oil and fuel mingled in the humid Abuja air.
Umar pushed open the gate, the rusty hinges groaning. Both brothers straightened up, turning at the sound. Their eyes, initially curious, widened in surprise and then narrowed with a mix of confusion and suspicion as they took in Umar's unexpected presence.
"Umar?" Kunle asked, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Abi na my eyes de pain me? This one na play-play, abi?"
Tayo dropped his wrench, letting it clatter to the concrete. "Where you dey come from? And what is that rubbish? Wetin you wan do?" His gaze was hard, accusatory. Umar felt a familiar tension coil in his gut, the same feeling he got when he had to explain a low test score. But this was different. This was everything. He looked them in the eye, trying to project a confidence he didn't quite feel.
"No be play, bros. I need to talk to you. Serious matter." Umar said with a low voice.
Kunle walked closer, circling Umar, inspecting him with a critical eye. "Serious matter? And why you dey look like say you just come from battlefield?"
"We just came from a fight," Umar stated plainly, his gaze unwavering. "A big one. And e never finish. But before I explain, I need to know say una go hear me finish. No vex, no shout. Just listen."
Tayo scoffed, crossing his arms. "Listen to wetin? To explain why you no dey for house for months? Why your phone off? Why mama and papa de vex finish? Oya, talk. We de listen."
Umar took a deep breath. He explained the so-called 'antidote' and how it was actually meant to enhance them, turning some into willing or unwilling soldiers for Kane . He told them about Kane's ultimate plan, 'Black Dawn,' to mind-chip and control all Nucrons. He revealed the truth about the school fight, how it was twisted by Kronos Labs to demonize Nucrons and justify the Task Force . He spoke of their captivity on the Island and their forced enhancements , and finally, their escape and the current mission to fight back and find their families.
He watched their faces as he spoke. Kunle's initial skepticism slowly gave way to dawning horror, his eyes widening with each revelation. Tayo's hardened expression softened into a mask of shock, then a profound sadness. When Umar finished, the silence was heavy, broken only by the distant hum of city life.
"So… that news… that talk about cultists and criminals… na lie?" Kunle whispered, his voice barely audible. "All those times mama and papa de vex about Nucrons… na propaganda?"
Umar nodded, his own heart aching. "Yes. All of it. They twisted everything. They used our fight to make everybody fear Nucrons, so they can isolate us."
Tayo walked over to Umar, placing a hand on his shoulder. His grip was firm, not angry, but sympathetic. "Chai, my brother. So na this kind wahala una de face. We for think say you don join bad gang."
"We tried to call," Umar explained, a flicker of raw emotion in his voice. "But they jammed our signals. We couldn't tell youi anything."
Kunle slammed his fist into the side of the SUV, a frustrated thud. "This is madness. To turn people against their own families… to use Nucrons as weapons…"
"It's bigger than that, bro," Umar said, his voice grim. "He wants to control the whole country. The whole world."
"So what now? Mama and papa… will they understand this?" Umar asked, the image of his parents' unyielding faces filling his mind.
Kunle shook his head. "Forget it, Umar. Our parents… they won't understand. Not now. Their faith in government, their beliefs… it's too strong. They see Nucrons as the problem, not the solution. They will just see you as a danger."
"Even with all this? You sure?" Umar asked, a flicker of desperation in his eyes.
Tayo put a hand on Umar's shoulder. "Truth no sweet for everybody ear, my brother. Especially when it de clash with wetin dem don believe for years. And they are angry, angry at what they believe you did. For now, the best thing is to lay low, don't confront them now. We'll talk to them and lean them into it small small." he explained.
"But I…"
"No 'but'!" Kunle interrupted, his voice firm but gentle. "You've already done what you need to do by telling us. We go cover for you. Give us you new number so we can keep you updated."
Umar looked at his brothers, a wave of gratitude washing over him. They believed him. They were willing to protect him from their parents' judgment, even if they couldn't fully grasp the magnitude of the fight ahead. It wasn't the full acceptance he craved, but it was a start.
"Bros Kunle, Bros Tayo, thank you. Truly," Umar said, his voice thick with emotion.
"No wahala, my brother," Tayo replied, pulling him into a brief, tight hug. "We are family. We go dey for you. But for now, you need to go, I assume your staying with G and your guys, so go and rest. We go tell you wetin mama and papa de talk about Nucrons, so you fit know how to approach them another time."
Sadiq's footsteps were silent, his mind a whirlwind of anxiety and anticipation. Unlike his friends, he wasn't dreading anger or confrontation; he was bracing himself for a different kind of pain: indifference . In his family's chaotic, bustling household, he was a ghost, his life overshadowed by his sisters.
He reached his home, a bungalow that always seemed to hum with noise. The gate was wide open, the sounds of movement inside was clear. He pushed the door open to find the living room, his parents were there, his father reading from his ipad, his mother on her phone, surrounded by his sisters who were talking and laughing loudly. The TV blared a popular show, but their attention was firmly on the girls.
Sadiq stood in the doorway, unnoticed for a full minute, a familiar ache settling in his chest. His combat suit was visible under his open hoodie jacket, a symbol of his perilous journey, felt foolishly out of place in this normal scene. He cleared his throat.
"Salam. I'm back," he said, his voice quiet.
His mother glanced up from her phone, a little surprised before she settled back into a neutral expression. "Oh, Sadiq. You're home. We were starting to get worried."
His father merely grunted, not looking up. One of his sisters waved vaguely without breaking her conversation with another. It was a familiar but cold welcome.
"It's been a while… I have something important to tell you all," Sadiq began, forcing the words out. "It's about… what's been happening."
His mother sighed, putting her phone down with a show of impatience. "Sadiq, we're all tired. Can't it wait? We've all had a very long day."
"This is more important," Sadiq insisted.
He started to explain everything that had happened since the interhouse sports event. But as he spoke, he watched their faces. They were listening, but their eyes kept darting back to the TV or the conversation around the sports event. He could feel their disinterest, a familiar, painful numbness. He finished his explanation, the silence that followed was more infuriating than anything he had felt before.
"So… you were really part of those Nucron riots they showed on the news?" his father finally asked, lowering the ipad, but his tone was more of mild annoyance than concern. "And the government is hunting for you now? Sadiq, are you trying to ruin your life? You have WAEC to focus on, not this nonsense."
"All of the things I just said… that's your concern?!" Sadiq retorted, his voice rising. "they are coming for me and everyone with powers!"
"Okay, Sadiq, we hear you," his mother said, her voice placating, as if humoring a child. "Now, just go to your room and relax. We'll talk about this later. When you're more calm."
The dismissal was final. He wasn't a hero, a victim, or a warrior. He was just Sadiq, the son who had an inconvenient problem. A problem that was getting in the way of more important things. He turned to his sisters, hoping for something other than indifference, but they had already gone back to their conversation, oblivious to the discussion that had just opened in the room.
Defeated, Sadiq turned to leave, the truth unaccepted, his warning unheard. Just then, a warm hand rested on his shoulder.
"Sadiq, my son. It's been long," a calm voice said.
He turned to see his Aunt Rabia, his father's younger sister, standing behind him. She was a no-nonsense woman with a kind face and a fierce spirit. She'd always been his confidant, the one person in the family who truly saw him .
"Aunty," Sadiq said, a wave of relief washing over him so powerful it almost brought him to his knees.
Rabia squeezed his shoulder gently. "Come. Let's go to my room. You look like you've been through a lot." She guided him away, a silent reproach in her eyes as she looked at his parents, who barely noticed their departure.
In her room, away from the noise and the indifference, Sadiq laid out the full story again, from their capture to their escape, from Kane's grand plan to the chilling truth about the mind-chips. This time, as he spoke, he saw understanding and genuine concern in his aunt's eyes.
"Oh my God," Fatima murmured. "You've been through so much, what kind of demon does this to a child?"
"I told them, Aunty. But they just… they didn't listen," Sadiq said, the last of his composure finally crumbling.
"They don't care. It's always been this way."
Fatima pulled him into a tight embrace, a gesture of comfort he so rarely received from his own parents. "I care, Sadiq. I have always cared." She held him for a long moment, letting him find a moment of peace in her presence.
When she finally pulled back, her eyes were filled with a fierce resolve. "You can't stay here. This is not a home for you right now. Your parents will never believe you until they see it with their own eyes. And by then, it might be too late. For them, and for you."
"But where would I go?" Sadiq asked, feeling lost and exhausted.
"You'll come with me," she said, her voice firm. "My house… you'll be there from now on. We'll plan. And we'll figure out a way to make them see the truth. But for now… you have a mission. And a safe place to return to."
Sadiq looked at her, his heart swelling with a mix of gratitude and sorrow. He had found a refuge, a true ally in his family. But the painful truth of his parents' indifference, laid bare by the day's events, left a different kind of wound, one that only time, and perhaps a victory against Kane, could heal.
Ahmad moved with a quiet urgency towards his home, the house with the bright red door that his mother loved so much. He needed to tell her everything, to warn her, to bring her to safety before Kane's net tightened around them .
He reached the gate and found it unlocked. A flicker of unease went through him. His mother, Amina, was meticulous about security. He pushed the door open slowly, the living room was dark, the furniture covered with white sheets. Dust everywhere, it looked like no one had lived there for months.
A cold dread washed over him, He moved from kitchen to her room, his footsteps echoing in the hollow space. The kitchen was bare, the fridge empty. His mother's room was stripped of her personal belongings. His own room, was completely empty, his books and clothes gone. There was no note, no message, no trace of a hurried departure. She left the house.
"Mama?" he called out, his voice a strained whisper that broke in the silence.
The empty house swallowed his cry. He moved to the back, to the small garden. It, too, was overgrown and silent. The silence was a physical weight, pressing down on him, suffocating him with a fear more potent than any Nucron power could conjure.
He walked back to the front of the huse and sat on the steps leading to the door.
After about 30 minutes of silence, he pulled out his phone, his comms still silent, and initiated a group call with the others.
"Sadiq, Umar, Nasir… you guys there?" he asked, his voice strained.
"How fa, how did it go?" Nasir asked. "I'm with my family now, they're doing fine." he added, the happiness evident in his voice
"I'm at the basketball court. Spoke to my brothers but I don't think I'll be seeing my parents anytime soon. Sado, what of you?" Umar asked.
"Yeah, I'm in my Aunt's house. She was just asking me where you guys were." Sadiq answered.
"What about you, Ahmad?" Sadiq asked. "What's happening?"
"My… my house is empty. There's nothing here. No one has been here for a long time." Ahmad answered.
A stunned silence fell on the call.
"What do you mean 'empty'?" Umar finally asked, the shock in his voice palpable.
"I mean empty, Umar. Everything is gone. It's like… she moved out." Ahmad's voice was a whisper of despair.
Just then, G's voice, calm and authoritative, cut into the call. "Boys, what's going on? Where are you all?"
"G," Ahmad said. "We're fine, but… my mom isn't here."
"What?!" G exclaimed.
"Its like she moved out.. a while ago." Ahmad answered.
"Damn it, we'll find her Ahmad, I promise. But we can't dwell on this now. You all need to get back to the dropship. We have an even bigger problem."
"What problem, G?" Sadiq asked, his voice tight.
Suddenly, a loud, panicked roar, amplified by a thousand times, blasted through the comms. It was Umar.
"ENFORCERS! They're here! They've found us!"
"Nasir! Sadiq! Get to your families now!" G commanded, his voice now a sharp military bark. "Protect them at all costs! Ahmad, a powerful squad has been deployed to your location, but they'll get no intel from your end. Make them regret it"
Reed's voice, a frantic, rapid-fire stream of information, came over the comms. " Boys! Commander, Ayah is triangulating. It appears the squads have a predetermined destination. A new pattern. They're targeting the remaining families of the Nucrons from the school! They're going after Umar's, Nasir's, and Sadiq's families as we speak! Ahmad, you have a troop very close to you as well."
Ahmad's despair was instantly replaced by a white-hot rage, fueled by the terrifying realization that while his family was gone, his friends' were now in immediate danger.
"Umar! What's your status?" G yelled.
Umar's voice, a raw battle cry, came back. "They came with a squad of six, G! Six of them! But no fear! I'm in the mood for a fight!!" the loud crashing and thuds of fighting echoed through the comms.
Nasir's voice was cold, lethal. "They just came. They've landed outside my house. I'm tired of this nonesense."
Sadiq's voice was a chilling whisper. "they just got to my aunts house, enough of this madness. This needs to end."
The call filled with the sounds of battle—concussive blasts of earth, the hiss of raging fire, the shriek of wind, and the powerful surge of water. This wasn't a fight for survival; it was a battle fueled by a primal, protective rage.
The boys, now separated, unleashed the full, terrifying might of their enhanced powers. Umar, fueled by his brothers' newfound trust and Tayo and Kunle's unwavering support, became a force of nature, smashing Enforcers with boulders and burying them beneath the earth. Nasir, his fury amplified by his mother's fear, unleashed a tempest, a maelstrom of razor-sharp wind that shredded the Enforcers' tech suits and neutralized their attacks with surgical precision. Sadiq, his heart a cold stone of protective rage for his aunt, wielded the very moisture in the air, creating high-pressure water whips and devastating pressure bombs that made quick, violent work of the Enforcers.
Ahmad, alone in his empty house, felt their rage through the comms, a fire of burning in his chest. His grief and fury, amplified a thousandfold, were focused on one thing: getting to his friends before it was too late. He burst out of his empty house, flames raging around him, a one-man army roaring into the heart of the estate.
The battles were short, brutal, and decisive. The Enforcers, though powerful and numerous, were caught off guard by the sheer, unbridled fury of the boys' synchronized attacks. The raw power they unleashed was far beyond anything Kronos Labs had prepared them for, leaving the Enforcers broken, defeated, and neutralized.
"They're done, G," Umar's voice, triumphant and panting, came over the comms.
"Mine are done too," Nasir said, his voice cold but firm.
"Same here," Sadiq added.
Ahmad, flying through the air, replied, "Good. Now lets get back to the dropship. I've sent you the coordinates. Its time to fight back."
The call ended. The boys, breathing hard, their hands still crackling with residual energy, looked at the destruction they had wrought. Their personal battle for their families had been won, but it had only served to harden their resolve. They had a new, terrifying purpose. They had a war to win.