1 Normalcy

YEAR: 2161

LOCATION: Adele Street, Lagos.

Time: 5:00 AM

It was very early in the morning as a knock was heard on Darey's room door. Darey wiggled on his bed before responding.

He yawned as he grudgingly said "Yess, who's there."

"It's mom! You boys should wake up, have your bath and get dressed starting now. Get down in an hour's time. We need to leave early if we intend to get to Orion by the end of today." Lara, the mother of the house firmly stated before leaving and her footsteps indicated she was heading downstairs, most likely to the kitchen to prepare their meal.

He smiled. He had found a way to alter their perceptions and memory of the events that had happened the previous day, thanks to the dreamlike trance he placed them in. That way, they believed that the entire abduction was a dream, and what they dreamt about was reality.

Since he had placed all the agents involved in the recapture operation under the trance as well, the same applied to them, though certain elements were changed to make them have varying perceptions of things.

Since it was a private and undisclosed matter, the information flow was very limited and Darey was able to resolve it without any issues. He had a long night, however, and so he really wanted to sleep in.

Darey looked at the time, and it was 5 am sharp in the morning, his mom was precise, as usual. He told them that both Tenny and Kyron were sleeping over in his room, so they wouldn't check their rooms. Finally, by using an ability he possessed VOICE MIMICRY, he told his parents goodnight with the voices of the missing boys.

These, however, were temporary measures taken by him. If Tenny and Kyron did not return, he would be forced to use 'That', he just hoped it wouldn't come to that. He then brushed those thought aside as he went into the bathroom to freshen up.

After a bit over an hour, Darey slowly descended the stairs. He had intentionally delayed for a few more minutes hoping they would show up, but it seemed, contrary to his expectations, Tenny and Kyron couldn't pull it off. He finally got down, his luggage by his hand, and what he saw surprised him.

Tenny and Kyron were already set, fully dressed, with their luggage in place as they were having breakfast and chatting with both Frank and Lara. Everyone suddenly stopped as he approached them.

"What took you so long bro? We're gonna be late at this rate!" Tenny jovially said to Darey, who could sense the hidden meaning behind the smile Tenny was making.

"Oh, I just had to make sure some things were in order." Darey said smiling, as he shrugged.

"And? Are they?" Kyron responded with his own hidden smile.

"Indeed, they both are!" Darey affirmed, also smiling.

Suddenly all three boys burst into laughter as the parents watched in shock and confusion at the scene. As though it was contagious, Frank and Lara also started laughing as well.

Darey was relieved. Now he could continue with his plan, even better than before. He was not alone, and in the absence of Kyron and Tenny, he had also dealt with a pesky problem that would have potentially come biting back at him. Everything was in place, and now... It was time for the next phase. Things would move very fast from the moment he was in onwards, but he was not worried. He smiled, as he looked at his family, all sitting round the table having breakfast, and urging him to sit and partake. He sat down, said a small prayer and spoke.

"Thanks for waiting, everyone. Time to dig in!" He said as he bit through every bit of his food.

MEANWHILE.....

LOCATION: ALAUSA, IKEJA (Manor of The Major General of SAD, Lanre Sanni)

The guards were all running around frantically, some searching the perimeter, some making calls as sirens went blaring. An ambulance vehicle came in a hurry, but there was no need for it. Medical experts on the field had already confirmed it, long before the Ambulance arrived. By the looks of things, the matter was already decided, even before the medical experts knew of what happened, no, even before the first person to witness the incident raised an alarm.

"Have you found the culprit?" A higher ranked security officer spoke through his mobile communications device, and from the expression on his face, one would realize the answer he got was not a good one.

Plenty guards searched the area, not just the compound. Flashes of light illuminated everywhere in the usually quiet area. There was no one to be seen, no evidence to be found, no traces to be tracked.

"It's like the culprit vanished." A security officer commented.

Already covered in sheet, and pronounced dead, was the Late Major General Lanre Sanni. His corpse looked shriveled up, but there was no ounce of blood found on the scene or any DNA sample, just the dead body... And something else.

The safe of the Major General laid bare, as well as tons of incriminating evidence lay before everyone. There was no room for doubt and no hiding it. The corruption of the once great and revered man was brought to light. This was a victory for the general populace, but still a crime in regards to the perpetrator. The question which was on everyone's mind was simple, yet complex.

Who was the strange killer? Was he on the side of the angels... Or was he something else?

The scene faded, and noise gradually died down as everything eventually passed into the dark night, awaiting the dawn of a new day to begin.

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME

TO BE CONTINUED....