AN EVENING WITH EVA 2

“Start the ignition!” Shina barked
at the man at the wheels. He
obeyed immediately. The engine
roared to life, making a very
silent and barely audible
humming sound. Iyke and
Francis watched Shina closely,
desperately trying to know what
stage of the plan they were at.
Shina was not scared of the two
criminals despite their menacing
look, especially Iyke. Iyke had a
deep scar that ran from his
forehead through the middle of
his eyes and stopped just by his
left nostril. A scar he had gotten
while in a brawl with a ‘friend’
who owed him money. His friend
had come at him with a matchet.
He had just his hands. That was
how he got the scar. He served
four years in jail because of that
incident. He was lucky. His friend
wasn’t. His friend currently lived
in a permanent wing in a federal
hospital popularly called Igbobi.
He was paralyzed from the neck
down. Iyke was a brute. He did
not fear anything or anyone.
People shook and trembled at
the sight of him. Even Francis
secretly feared him. And when he
got angry every one took to their
heels. But not Shina. Shina
detested him. Shina could finish
him with just a phone call. In a
way, Iyke knew he did not
intimidate Shina. He did not
know what kind of strings Shina
pulled. He was always keeping
his distance from him. Somehow,
THE GHOSTS had a way of putting
up the perfect team for an
operation. Shina was the head
for this mission. A smooth,
calculating man, never under
pressure and always with back
up plans A – Z, no matter the
situation. Francis was the very
handsome and sexy serial killer.
He loved to kill pretty women for
fun. He was never caught. When
he was accosted by The Ghosts
he had no choice. They could
give him away. They offered him
good money, a good home and a
family. And they were letting him
kill once in a while. He was
satisfied. Iyke the brute. The kind
of thug you need when the
situation gets tough and needs a
deal of rough handling. No one
does it better than Iyke.
Iyke was getting irritated at
Shina’s silence.
“Oga, wetin dey happen na? You
just keep us for silent since.
Which ones na? Abeg wetin be
scores? How e dey go? Time don
reach to arrange the baggas?”
He barked.
Shina just smiled. A kind of smile
that could annoy the meekest of
men.
“Move to the pick-up point.
Now!” he said to the driver
raising his voice with his left
hand still pressed to his ear.
He looked at the two men at the
back, then said,
“Beauty has got the girl. We are
moving in to pick them up. We
expect no incidence. This should
be as easy as dipping a hot knife
through butter. But if anything
comes up you know what to do.
Iyke, stay alert. Francis, you have
your orders.”
Francis was relaxing with his
hands across his chest and his
eyes closed. His back was resting
firmly on d seat and when Shina
spoke he just nodded, his eyes
were still closed. Iyke was almost
falling off the edge of his seat in
his eagerness to pick up every
word Shina spoke. The jeep
moved slowly and turned right
towards the waterside. It turned
again, reversed and re-parked
facing the traffic light. They were
looking directly at FourPoints by
Sheraton with the back door exit
of Oriental Hotels to their left.
They waited.
Beauty, the pretty woman in
glasses opened the bathroom
door and entered. She moved to
the last cubicle, entered and
gently folded the handkerchief
into place. She listened carefully
as Eva stepped out of her own
cubicle and approached the
central mirror, admiring herself
and adjudging the extent of
cleanup she had done. She felt
contented. She looked into her
purse.
Beauty stepped out quietly and
approached Eva from behind. She
took four quick steps. Eva
brought her head up from the
bag and noticed someone in the
mirror coming at her. She saw
her too late. Beauty placed the
handkerchief on Eva’s nose,
making her inhale every bit of
the handkerchief. There was very
little struggle. Beauty dragged
her into the cubicle she was in.
She felt Eva’s pulse. Normal.
Things were going according to
plan. She brought out a tiny
whitish substance and put it into
Eva’s nostrils. She jerked as
though she had just come out of
a nightmare. Eva regained
consciousness. She was weak.
“Who…who…who are you? What
do you want?” Eva said, looking
at Beauty. She was very afraid.
“Do you want to die, dearie?”
Beauty asked rhetorically, her
face totally hard.
“No ma. Please I don’t.” Eva
begged.
“Then listen to me very carefully.
Do you inderstand me?” She
asked.
Eva nodded.
“Do exactly as I say and no harm
will come to you or your uncle in
Gbagda. We also know your
mother lives in Ajegunle and
goes to church by 6pm on
Fridays. Your younger brother
attends the University of Lagos.
He stays in Jaja Hall, Room B212.
We know everything about you
Eva Makinde. We just need you to
help us with some information.
Thereafter you would be free to
go. If you make any funny moves,
we will poison Kunle. We have
people everywhere and we are
invisible. You would be released
in the morning. Try any funny
moves and the death of every
person you love and cherish
would be on your head. Can you
live with that? Do you want
that?” Beauty asked
threateningly.
Eva shook her head again.
Beauty had made her point.
She continued, “Now you will
follow me and make a very sickly
face. I will do all the talking. Don’t
say a word. Where is your
phone?”
“It’s here ma.” Eva said very
frightened.
“When I tell you, you will call
Kunle and tell him you had to go.
Your mum called and she is very
sick. He won’t be too bothered.
We have handled everything.”
Beauty finished.
“Okay ma.”
“Good.” “I have got the package.
Meet me at the pickup spot in
five.” Beauty said to her collar.
“Let’s go.” She commanded.
They went through the back,
passed a corridor and took a left.
She held Eva’s hand as they
moved through a maze of
corridors and doors. Finally they
got to the emergency exit. There
was a Mopol with a rifle. Shiiitt!!!
This was not planned. Beauty
wanted to turn back but there
was no time to. The man had
already seen them and she could
not risk raising an alarm. She
decided to risk it. She
approached the police officer.
“Please Oga, my sister is
pregnant. And she is feeling
dizzy. She needs fresh air. She
might faint any moment from
now. We were in the bathroom
and we lost our way trying to get
outside to get fresh air. That is
the only way she would be
better.” Beauty begged.
The police officer scrutinized
them. They looked exceptionally
dressed. He looked at Eva’s
stomach. There was no bulge.
Eva was supporting herself on
Beauty’s arm participating in the
drama.
“Wia una dey come from!” The
Mopol said eyeing both of them.
“We are from the CEO’s party in
the hall. Please sir, help us.”
Beauty begged.
Just then Eva contorted her face
and vomited on the floor close to
the man’s feet. Beauty patted her
and looked at the man. The man
dropped his rifle and began to
open the very difficult emergency
exit. Beauty took the gun and hit
him on the head with the butt.
He passed out falling on the
ground. Eva was shocked. Beauty
smiled at her.
Beauty spoke to her collar again.
“I encountered some hindrance.
He won’t be out for long. I need
evacuation now! I’m at the
zone.”
Shina signaled Iyke and he was
out in a flash. Iyke jogged to the
door and inserted a duplicate key
into the lock. He opened the door
from outside and the two
women stepped out. As Iyke was
shutting the door the Mopol
groaned. He was regaining
consciousness. Iyke dragged him
out and locked the door. He
collected the handkerchief from
beauty and emptied the contents
of her bottle onto the
handkerchief. He gagged the
mopol who was writhing and
shaking his legs. Iyke’s arm was
around his throat while his othe
palm forcefully pressed the cloth
on the mopol’s nose. After a
while, all became still. Iyke locked
the door and threw the mopol’s
body into the water.
They moved to the car and all
three got inside.
“Drive.” Shina directed.
They drove in silence. As they
approached Civic Center, Shina
nodded at Beauty. Beauty got out
Eva’s phone and told her to call
Kunle as planned. It took a while
for him to pick. He explained that
he was talking with his superiors
and asked where she was. She
explained that she was currently
in a cab going to see her mother
at Eko Hospital. She had suffered
another attack. He felt bad. His
proposal had to wait. He did not
pressure her to coming back. His
superiors were looking at him.
He asked her to be safe and that
he would be with her soon. He
did not plan to be.
They got to the traffic light at law
school and took their right into a
rough road where fish mongers
sold during the day. They parked
by the lagoon and every one
came down except the driver.
“The car was becoming too
heavy. We need one less
passenger. Francis, you know
what to do.” Shina said. He
nodded to Francis.
Francis smiled. He brought out
his .23 automatic. It was a
silenced pistol. He aimed at
Beauty and took her with one
clean shot. He got her in the
chest. She fell to the ground
lifeless. Eva was shocked. Iyke
had a grin. Iyke made to took her
jewelry. Shina stopped him.
“She was an undercover spy. A
double agent. What a waste.” He
spat on her body. Iyke deposited
her body in the water and
watched it float.
He came back to join Shina and
the rest in the car. Francis was
caressing his pistol that had just
carried out the hit and smiling to
himself. He would jerk off
tonight, thinking about the dead
body of beauty. He was happy.
Shina removed the earphone
from his left ear and said to no
one in particular
“Let’s go home” .

Sophia was shocked. Bruno was
covered in dirt and mud. He had
a small cut on his cheek. There
was dried blood on his forehead.
His shirt was bloody and messy.
He staggered into the room and
sat on the long couch. He looked
really bad.
“What in hell happened to you?”
Sophia asked.
“We got attacked. Some heavily
armed men ambushed us as we
entered Lokoja. I had to create a
diversion. I made myself the bait
while I asked Marshal to proceed
as planned.” Bruno replied.
Sophia picked her phone and
made a call. She called Gbenga to
call off the search party. She had
found Bruno. She also asked her
personal assistant to get her
private doctor to come to the
mansion. She hung up. Bruno
looked a mess. She asked him to
go clean up. She called the
General and informed him of the
recent development.
“I want to know exactly what
happened. Have you asked about
the boy? Where is Marshal?” the
General queried.
“Bruno was badly wounded. He
was almost passing out. My
doctor is currently seeing to him.
I will get him around and have
him tell me everything.” She
replied.
“S, you are really beginning to irk
me! Don’t contact me unless you
have something tangible to tell
me. I gave you a mission. You
had your orders. You have made
a mess of it. I do not need
crumbs. I need results. You have
24 hours.” The General said and
finished. The line went dead.
Marshal drove like a mad man.
Their driver had just been shot
and he had taken hold of the
wheels. He looked in the rear
view mirror. The boy was scared
as hell. The green Kia Optima was
still in pursuit. D--n it! He took a
sharp left. The tires screeched. He
was driving at 100km/hr. He was
not scared. His adrenaline was
pumping. He needed to shake off
these guys. He took another right
and got on to a lonely path. His
attackers were nowhere in sight
but he knew they were not far
behind. He stopped the car in the
middle of the road, opened the
door and got out. He pulled Sean
out from the back and walked
with him into the bush. He
pushed Sean ahead of him as
they walked through shrubs and
bushes. Marshal heard a car stop
in the distance behind. His
pursuers had found the car.
There was a chance they would
find them if they were smart
enough. Sean was slowing them
down. He brought out a syringe.
Sean was walking ahead, trying
to find his way through the
covered bush path. He was tired.
Marshal quickly got close to him,
injecting the contents of the
syringe into Sean’s neck. Sean fell
in a heap.
Marshal heard voices. His
assailants were getting closer
and he had Sean to deal with. He
slung Sean on his shoulders and
walked faster, making sure he hit
his legs firmly on the floor with
each step. He had walked for a
while when he felt himself step
on a metal.
“Thank you Bruno.” He said to
himself.
He put Sean down carefully and
opened the metal lid. It opened
into a small hollow tunnel that
led to a secret outlet across
town. He descended the ladder
into the tunnel, carrying Sean
with him on his shoulders. He
closed the lid shut. He locked it
with a huge padlock that had
been there and continued away
from the place. He did not expect
to be followed. It was the perfect
detour. There was a car waiting
for him when he got out of the
15minute walk out of the tunnel.
He was exhausted. He had been
through a burdened night and
early morning. He dumped Sean
at the back of the car and got
into the passenger seat. He
pulled the lever by his seat and
the chair moved backwards. He
relaxed on it and heaved a heavy
sigh. He tried to call Bruno.
Switched off. He sent a text.
“Package secure. Took the
detour. Heading towards safe
house.”
He closed his eyes and drifted
into a much needed sleep.
Bruno woke up to find Sophia
staring at her. He got up painfully
and sat up, caressing his head.
He felt much better now and
hungry. He looked at Sophia.
“How long was I out?” He asked.
“Six hours. How do you feel?”
Sophia asked, getting up and
pouring herself some wine.
“I feel better. Can I have some of
that?” He asked pointing at the
bottle Sophia was holding.
Sophia poured another glass and
handed it to him.
“I need to know what happened.
Everything.” Sophia said. She
settled down in a chair opposite
Bruno and crossed her legs.
Bruno cleared his throat.
They were driving in cruise
control when they saw a car
parked in the middle of the road.
It was a blood red Toyota Quest.
As they slowed down, a bullet
pierced the windscreen and hit
the driver on the forehead.
Perfect hit. The windscreen
cracked. Blood splattered
everywhere.
“Duck!” Bruno whispered as the
three of them huddled beside
each other at the back. They
heard footsteps approaching. A
gun was cocked in the distance.
Bruno signaled to Marshal that
he was going out of the car to
meet the three men who were
almost at the car. Marshal was to
get the wheel, start the ignition
and drive away with the package
as fast as he could. Marshal
nodded. Sean was about to
throw up. Marshal looked at him
with a cold stare. Sean
swallowed the phlegm that was
in his throat. Bruno opened the
door and came out of the car, his
hands stretched out.
“I’m unarmed.” He said, crawling
out of the car and assessing the
situation.
From the corner of his eyes he
could see Marshal moving
stealthily to the driver’s seat. The
three men approached. Heavily
armed.
“Where is the package?” One of
them asked. He was almost near
the car now. A few yards away
from the driver’s side of the car.
In one swift move, Bruno put his
hand at his back and pulled out a
pistol. He shot the approaching
man on the leg as he ducked and
rolled on the ground into the
bushes. At exactly the same time,
Marshal started the engine,
shoved the dead driver out and
drove wildly at the other two
assailants. They did not expect
this sudden surge and left the
road in time. Marshal drove into
the push, passed the car that
was parked in the middle of the
narrow road and back onto the
road. He was pursued by the
other assailants who entered
their car and followed him. The
man Bruno shot was cursing and
looking for him in the bushes.
Bruno was at a vantage point. He
could see the man approaching.
He quickly sent Marshal a text on
the location of a secret hide-out.
He also sent another text to the
driver who would pick Marshal
up. The driver replied his text.
Marshal hadn’t. The man was
getting closer, cursing as his left
thigh oozed blood. He said a
quick prayer and hoped Bruno
would read his message. His
phone rang. It was Bruno. The
id1ot had given away his
location. He cut the call, put off
his phone and slipped it into his
socks. The man looked in his
direction and moved faster
towards him. The man saw the
weeds move. He shot rapidly in
the direction of the movements
where Bruno was trying to
escape. The bullet got him in the
arm. He groaned.
The man stumbled forwards.
Bruno saw him just in time. He
aimed carefully and shot the man
in the head. His brains splattered
as he slumped on the ground.
Bruno was in pains. He took of
his jacket and tied it around the
wound. He tried to crawl out of
the bush until he got tired and
decided to rest. He slept off till
the very early hours of the
morning and found his way to
the mansion.
Sophia sighed.
“Where is your phone?” She
asked.
He brought it out and put it on.
He saw Marshal’s message. He
showed it to her.
She smiled.
She called Shina.
“Shina. Beauty has spilled as we
suspected. She is the mole. She
took the bait. Take care of her
after the operation.” She hung
up.
Just then she felt relieved. As she
got up to refill her glass, Bruno’s
phone rang. It was Marshal.
“I am down. Package jumped me.
He is on the loose. I am at the
safe house.” Marshal said.
Bruno got up to leave.
“Where are you going?” Sophia
asked.
“I have got to take care of
business.” He said, relating
Bruno’s message to her.
“The boy knows you. He might
jump you too. I guess this is
where I step in. I’ll handle this.”
Sophia said and smiled.
She grabbed her car keys and
headed towards the safe house.

Detective Ahmed Haruna woke
up startled. His phone had been
ringing nonstop. He felt his head
banging. He picked the call.
“Hello. What? When? How?” he
asked with a very croaky voice.
He listened for about two
minutes then replied,
“Oh my God!” He said sitting up
and continued, “Keep a
perimeter around the crime
scene. No one takes or touches
anything till I get there. You
understand? I will be there in
twenty minutes.” He hung up.
He took his wristwatch from the
bedside table and checked the
time. 6:37 am. He looked behind
him. Rita was fast asleep, covered
up under the duvet. They had
had a wild night, getting high on
weed and alomo bitters before
engaging in different s3x
positions. She came twice riding
him while he later turned her
and came into her from behind.
They slept off thereafter. She was
his tonic after a very hard day’s
job. They always met in her
house every Saturday night. She
looked so angelic. He did not
want to wake her but he had no
choice. He tapped her gently. She
stirred but did not wake. He
tapped her again, adding a little
more force this time around. She
turned, opening her eyes slowly.
“Hmmm…what is it honey?” Rita
asked.
“Do you have some aspirins in
the house?”
“Yes I do. In the Kitchen.”
Ahmed got up Unclad and went
into the kitchen to get the
aspirins. Rita began to get h0rny
under the sheets. The sight of
Ahmed’s perfect round as5 and
great body always drove her
crazy. He returned with the
aspirin and a glass of water. She
licked her lips at the sight of his
huge d1ck and his perfect abs.
Ahmed took the drugs and
accompanied it with water. He
sat on the edge of the bed, his
back to her, his muscles ripping.
She touched his skin. He did not
move. She continued, tracing her
hands to the side of his chest
and caressing his nippl3. He
turned to face her. Then he
kissed her on the lips. She
responded, moving close to him
and wrapping her arms around
his neck. He disengaged the kiss
and pecked her on the forehead.
He moved away from the bead
and got his briefs from the floor.
He wore them.
“What are you doing? Where are
you going?” Rita asked, a frown
appearing on her very pretty
face.
“Duty calls honey. I have to go.”
Ahmed replied. He was wearing
his jeans now.
“Should I make breakfast for
you?” She asked.
“I can’t tell. Looks like a serious
case. I will call you baby.”
He finished wearing his clothes
and gave Rita a light kiss on the
lips. He got his car keys and left
Rita’s house.
He got to Law School Bus Stop to
meet a small crowd of people
already at the scene. He made his
way through the curious crowd
shoving his ID card in their faces
as he screamed “Make way.
Excuse me, leave the road
please.” Even if he did not have
his ID card on him, his
intimidating stature and his
rough face was enough for any
sane person to leave the way. His
face was harsh and strong with
his forehead having permanent
wrinkles. His voice was throaty
and hoarse, his lips black from
marijuana smoking. He had very
broad shoulders with rippling
biceps. He stood at 6ft. 5inches
and always wore very tight black
shirts.
He bent and got into the yellow
tape area. The medics where
talking to a few pressmen and
some other officers where
huddling around the crime scene
looking for more evidence. There
was a body by the lagoon in
white cloth. He moved close to
the body and bent down. He
pulled away the white cloth. The
white, lifeless and decaying body
of Agent Mercy stared him in the
face. He removed his dark shades
and looked at the body closely.
He saw the gunshot wound. He
looked at her hair, her face. He
was looking at her arms when
he noticed something. All her
jewelry was not touched. All
except her wristwatch. He called
for a forensic agent.
“Get me a UV torch and some
gloves.” He commanded.
He took out two white gloves
from the pack handed to him
and collected the UV torch. He
put it on and scanned her wrists.
There were distinct finger prints
on her wrist where her wrist
watch has been.
“Where is Tunde!!!?” He
screamed at no one in particular.
Tunde came out of the police van
parked beside the ambulance
inside the crime scene. He had
been making a phone call.
“Let me call you back please.” He
hurriedly hung up.
“Good Morning sir. Seen anything
spooky?” Tunde said bending
beside Ahmed.
He ignored the greeting.
“Do you notice anything?”
Ahmed asked pointing the torch
at her wrist and using his finger
to show him what he meant.
“No sir.” Tunde said.
“Look harder, dumb head.”
Ahmed said angrily.
“Oh, I see them now. Finger
prints.” Tunde said animatedly.
“I want you to do this yourself.
Get me those prints by 12 noon.
Do not give this to your boys to
handle. This is a sensitive case. If
you do, I will find out and I will
have you controlling traffic by
Monday. Am I clear?” Ahmed
threatened.
“Crystral clear sir.”
Tunde waved at one of his boys
and they brought him a small
white plastic bag. He handed it to
Ahmed.
“This was found while the boys
were looking for evidence at the
bank of the lagoon. Seems like
the bullet that did the job.”
Tunde said.
Ahmed took the plastic bag,
opened it and put the bullet in
his palm, rolling it over.
“This bullet was fired from a .23
automatic pistol. Out of
circulation. Silenced. You can tell
from the charred edges. I will
keep this.” He said to Tunde,
putting the bullet back in the bag
and into his pocket and
continued, “Comb the entire
perimeter. Let me know when
you find anything.” He finished,
getting up and pulling off the
gloves.
He walked away from the scene,
got into his car and dialed a
number adding *4567# behind
it. It was a secure line. Only he
and 3 other agents could call the
line. It was the direct line for the
Head of Intelligence Operations.
“Ma, it was Agent Mercy. She had
been compromised. I have some
leads. Give me 8 hours ma. Thank
you.”
He hung up.

We drove in silence for a while,
navigating bends and going
through bushes. I felt Sophia’s
eyes on me as I looked far ahead
in the distance, eagerly hoping
that we burst into a busy major
road. We turned left for the
umpteenth time and I began to
feel nervous. Where was this
woman taking me? I was sure
that we were going in circles
now. We should have gotten to a
major road by no because we
had been driving close to twenty
minutes. I wanted to question
her but I thought twice about it.
After all if not for her help, the
Macho Man may have caught up
to me and who knows what may
have happened.
“Can I make a phone call on your
phone ma?” I asked
“Sure. Why not?” She replied and
handed me her Samsung S4. I
tried to make a call on the phone
and for some reason the call was
not going through. I complained
to her and she said that it was
because of the environment we
were in, assuring me that once
we got out of the bushes, I
would get better reception. She
asked who I wanted to call. I told
her I wanted to call the police. I
noticed a very brief flicker of fear
in her countenance, but she
quickly hid it. I may have seen
wrong though.
A few minutes later we hit the
freeway. I relaxed a bit. I was
glad that we were on a busy
road and we were at least seeing
other cars. I asked her where we
were. She said we were in
Kubwa, Abuja. She offered to
drop me at a park where I could
board a bus back to Lagos. I
could not thank her enough. We
slowed down suddenly and
parked the car away from traffic.
She turned off the ignition. We
were in the middle of nowhere.
Cars were zooming past us at
light speed. I became
apprehensive. She looked
worried. I was scared. She pulled
a lever beside the steering wheel
and got out of the car. I followed.
She opened the bonnet and
hooked it with the metal to
support it. Everything was
sparkling new. No dirt, dust or
oil. I wondered what could be
wrong. Her arms were akimbo as
she scanned the cars that
zoomed past us. She did not
make any move to stop anyone.
My hands were on the edge of
the bonnet trying to look for a
fault that was invisible.
She walked up to me.
“Did you find anything?” she
asked me.
“Still looking ma’am” I replied,
trying to find the solution. I knew
absolutely nothing about fixing
cars.
I was still looking for the fault
when I heard her say,
“This would only hurt just a
little.”
I tried to turn but it was too late.
She tweaked an artery around
my neck with her thumb and
forefinger in one deft perfect
move.
That was all I could remember.
Detective Ahmed sat in his large,
heavily furnished office, the
blinds drawn. He put the fan at
the highest and made sure the
air condition was blowing at the
lowest temperature. This was the
only way he could think. He was
still shaken at the death of his
most trusted colleague and
friend. He was disturbed. Agent
Mercy was the best undercover
agent the academy had ever
produced. She was recruited into
the Intelligence Operations at 19
and had successfully carried out
4 undercover jobs. Even in the
last one where they thought her
cover would be blown, she had
successfully maneuvered her way
and got out unscathed. She was
under cover as one of the
strippers in the joint owned by a
Mafia Boss. He was wanted for
drug trafficking and child abus3.
There was no single evidence
against him, but the Agency was
sure he was not innocent. So
they sent in Mercy and she did a
wonderful job.
The Ghosts had been a mystery
for many years, even before
Ahmed and Mercy came into the
Agency. However, three years
ago, James an alleged member of
The Ghosts was said to have
come out publicly to say that he
wanted to confess his crimes
and demanded 24-hour police
protection. That was his mistake.
He should have confessed when
he had the chance. He was
murdered in his sleep, in a house
protected by four trained agents
at his bedroom door, other
agents on the roof, in the
opposite holuses and scattered
everywhere around his house,
protecting him. Yet they still got
to him. He was found dead the
next morning.
Mercy’s death meant only one
thing: This was not a matter to
be handled lightly. He logged
onto his computer and entered
the encrypted password. He
clicked on the Mercy file. Her
picture popped up, alongside her
personal details and
achievements. He was not ready
for this. He closed the file and
logged off, shutting down his
computer.
He locked his office door and
pressed the conmbination codes
to permanently lock it. It was
8pm. Rita had called him a
hundred times but he had not
picked. He dialed her number.
“I am coming home. Okay. I am
fine. See you soon.” He finished
He got on his power bike and
sped off towards Ajah. He loved
speed. It helped him clear his
head. He did not notice the blue
truck speeding towards him in
the opposite direction. But he
always had very sharp instincts.
He was a second quicker. He
quickly slowed and jumped off
the bike into the nearby shrubs
before the truck made impact.
The noise was deafening.
Ahmed rolled far away from the
collision into the shrubs. He could
not feel his left leg. He pulled out
his phone and dialed a speed
code. It sent a signal to
headquarters, informing them
that he was in trouble and they
could track his location. A team
was sent to his location
immediately. His eyes were
closing; he barely heard what
was going on around him.
The last thing he heard from the
crowd confirmed his fears, the
driver of the truck was nowhere
to be found.
Sophia’s phone rang. The General
was calling.
“This is code Amber. Gather all
Super Agents and the Tactics
team at the Watch Tower. We
meet at 21:00 hours.”
She panicked. There was trouble.

Sophia dropped the call and
looked beside her. Sean was
lying down on the couch,
breathing steadily. He had been
injected with valium and should
be asleep for 12 more hours.
Everything was finally back on
track. She had Sean. Eva was
secure in the Charge Room. All
logistics were finally getting back
into play. She was behind
schedule by 20 hours. Timing
meant everything to The Ghosts
Corporation. The General was
definitely going to chew her raw.
In their code of law, it was better
to excommunicate yourself, go
off the radar and hope you are
not remembered, than fail an
operation you were supposed to
deliver. The General gave Sophia
a 24 hour window and she got
the job done. She smiled to
herself, and then frowned. She
had worked with incompetent
fools and had trusted them to
come through. She would deal
with them later when she got off
the General’s whipping. She
knew the other attendees of the
General’s summon were already
aware of the proposed meeting.
But orders are orders.
She composed a text and sent it
to the Super Agents. Shina,
Ambrose and Tawo. Together
they were called The Deadly
Quartet. The four of them were
in line to succeed the General.
Ambrose was the Tactical Genius.
His specialty was planning
operations, attacks and
infiltrating impossible fortresses
with a very short deadline. If
there was a place that could
never be breached and you
wanted someone to go in and
come out unseen, give the job to
Ambrose. He never failed an
operation. He always worked
alone. He loved men and was
known to be in love with any guy
whose as5 could take his huge
d1ck. He was the highest paid
member of the four.
Tawo was the super spy. He was
the king of multiple personalities,
and the master of deception and
disguise. He had eight different
names, 5 different passports, and
was a citizen in 3 continents. He
spoke English, French, German,
Spanish, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa,
Swahili and Italian. He was the
youngest of the Deadly Quartet
and also the coolest. He was also
responsible for bugging phones,
cars and people. He designed a
special application which could
make him connect with any
satellite he chose and track
anyone, anywhere in the world.
He was the General’s only son. He
was not close to his father and
secretly wished him dead. The
General knew this but could not
afford to have him silenced. He
was his only surviving blood.
Besides, Tawo was hard to
extinguish. He was the most
difficult member to find or reach.
You don’t find him. He finds you.
The Deadly Quartet was hard to
kill. Only the General knew all
their weaknesses.
Time was 9pm. Along with the
Deadly Quartet, the Tactics team
consisting of Bruno, Marshal,
Gbenga, Mark, Iyke, Francis and
Brenda was also invited to the
meeting at the Watch Tower.
They gathered in the large Oval
Office. Bruno, Marshal, Gbenga
and Mark sat on one side of the
room in a semi-circle, talking in
whispers. Iyke and Francis sat
together but were farther away
from the group. They were not
talking. Brenda was busy with
her blackberry phone. Sophia
was sitting at the top of the
conference table, cleaning her
nails. She looked so beautiful.
Ambrose was sitting 4 feet from
her, his legs crossed. He was not
smiling.
Tawo breezed in at 9:13pm. As
he sat down, a voice came in
from the speakers above. It was
the General.
“Thank you for coming late,
Tawo.”
Tawo nodded and waved to the
air.
“Welcome agents. I can see that
we have all been familiarizing
ourselves. There is cause for
worry. Our organization has
been infiltrated. This has never
happened before. Good job by
Sophia and Shina. The threat has
been nullified. However, this is to
warn you that you should be on
the alert now than ever before.
There could be others like her as
there is also a more desperate
detective who wants to get
behind the situation. Temporary
steps have been taken. Good job
by Tawo and Ambrose. Be on the
lookout. As from now, you will
resume normal jobs at various
offices assigned to you. You will
find a file under your pillows
when you get home. Show up at
your respective offices and live as
normal a life as possible. You
would be contacted if we need
you. That will be all.” The voice
went dead.
As the agents got up to leave the
room, the voice came back on
again.
“Super Agents wait behind.”
10 minutes later, each Super-
Agent had been assigned an
order. They also had identical
files under their pillows, but they
were instructions not job
descriptions. Operation
Subterfuge was activated.
Detective Ahmed woke up to find
himself in a very strange place.
White tiled walls, strange smell
and a very small and
uncomfortable bed. He tried to
move but he felt a sharp pain on
his left wrist. There was a drip on
his wrist and a small amount of
blood had formed at the tip of
the needed. How did he find
himself at the hospital? Which
hospital was he? He remembered
just a little part of the earlier
events. He was riding his Power
Bike. He had a collision. That was
all he could remember. He
pressed the emergency button.
“Nurse!!!” He called out. No
answer.
“Nurse!!!” He called again
screaming as loud as his
strength could carry and
pressing the emergency bell a
million times.
Seconds later, a young man in a
long white apparel came in to his
room. He was all smiles as he
approached his bed.
“How may I help you Mr.
Ahmed?” the doctor asked with a
smile on his face.
“It’s Detective Ahmed. Please
doctor where am I? Where are
my phones? How long have I
been here?” Ahmed said, trying
to sit upright.
“No no no pls Detective. You
need to relax.” He said pushing
him gently back on the bed and
continued, “You lost quite some
amount of blood and we have
been monitoring your condition
for a while. When you wake up
you will get all the answers you
seek. Please just relax.” He
finished.
He took out a syringe and drew
some liquid from a finger size
plastic container. He tapped
Ahmed’s free hand and found a
vein. He injected the contents of
the syringe inside Ahmed and
removed it from his body.
“That would help you relax” the
doctor told Ahmed.
“Thank you” Ahmed replied.
The doctor smiled, took his tray
and walked towards the door.
Ahmed’s eyes had begun to
close. He opened the door and
turned to Ahmed. He walked
back to him and spoke very
softly.
“By the way I am not a doctor. My
name is Tawo. You have been
poking your nose into business
that is bigger than you. The crash
should have killed you. You are
lucky to be alive. Ï just injected
you with a form of Amnesia
virus. When you wake up you will
lose all memory of the past five
weeks. I was never here. Good
day Ahmed.”
Tawo shut the door behind him
and left the hospital. He got to
the car park drove out and
headed towards Apapa Oshodi
expressway.
He sent an encrypted text to
Sophia.
“I’m done. Your turn to move.”

Sophia got out of the shower
dripping wet, with a towel tied
around her br3asts. She had
another towel on her head as
she walked into her huge
bedroom and sat on a stool,
facing a large mirror. There were
different kinds of tubes, creams
and plastics around the table on
which the mirror stood. She
picked a small plastic tube and
pressed the content into her
palm. She rubbed it gently on her
face, concentrating more on her
cheeks. She stood up and
loosened the towel around her
br3asts. She admired herself in
the mirror, smiling as she
caressed her flat stomach and
cupped her firm and DD br3asts.
She left the mirror and walked
towards a door, opening it.
Different dresses and shoes
stared her in the face. Thw walk-
in closet had different sections.
Shoes, jewelry, gowns, Shirts, and
suits. At another part of the
closet were stacks of folded
jeans. She picked one pair of
jeans and chose a long necked
top.
As she got out of the closet, her
phone beeped twice. There was
a message from Tawo. The
General had told her that she
would be the next to move and
that she should not check the
contents of the file under her
pillow until she had heard from
Tawo. She clicked the message. A
box popped up asking for a
password to decode it. She
smiled. Typical Tawo. He liked too
much ‘effizy’. She typed her
secret code and the message
opened.
“I’m done. Your turn to move.”
She sighed and exited the
message. Her phone suddenly
went blank then came on with a
new message.
“Self-destruct sequence
complete. Press ok to begin
factory reset.”
She did not panic. She had
expected that. She went under
her pillow and got out the file. It
seemed very light. She put her
hand inside it and got out a very
tiny piece of paper. Neatly typed
on it were the words:
“Initiate Operation Eva”
She did not know what that
meant. She was confused. What
was Operation Eva? She already
had Eva in her custody. So what
was this about? Her phone rang.
It was the General. She picked.
“Evening General.” Sophia
greeted.
“I can see the perplexed look on
your face. I’m sure you have
heard from the Chameleon.
Haven’t you?” the General asked.
Sophia looked round. How in the
world was he able to see her?
She scanned the walls and
corners of the house. She did not
notice anything unusual.
“I got his message. But I do not
think I have any information on
the file I got sir.” Sophia replied.
“You don’t need to scan the walls
for any device. You are wearing a
jean and a round necked top. I
am the General. You are my
Lieutenants. I keep watch over
you. It is for your safety, and for
the safety of the corporation.
Someone will deliver a file to you
in a few minutes. It is all
paperwork. Take your time to
study every detail. Your move is
next. Do not disappoint me
Sophia Dirisu. Any questions?”
Sophia was surprised. The
General never called her by her
full name before. This must mean
a lot to him.
“Could I get the file electronically
sir? It would make it very easy
and convenient to work with.”
Sophia requested.
“I do not completely trust anyone
in this Corporation. No one. Not
even you. But there are some
levels of trust I can vest in certain
people. This is a very sensitive
case. I am not convinced we have
flushed out all the spies that have
infiltrated us. Electronic
messages can be traced. I cannot
risk that. The package being
delivered to you has been sent to
six different addresses before
getting to your house. There’s a
finger print and pupil scanner
attached to the package which
gives ONLY YOU the clearance to
access it. Any other form of
intrusion will trigger the
automatic self-destruct option.
These are hard times my dear.
Let’s work with it. Good night”
Sophia heard her door bell ring.
Always on time. She opened the
door, signed the delivery form
and got the package from the
dispatch rider.
She went to the backyard and
opened the door to a thatched
hut. She usually came in here
when she needed to think. She
was sure no wires were run
here.
She opened the package.
I woke up startled. I did not
know how long I had been out. I
surveyed my environment. I was
in a very large room. It was
spacious and beautifully
decorated. I wondered how I got
there. I got up from the bed and
my feet fell into very comfortable
loafers. I walked to the door and
opened it. There was a small
passage in front of me after
which was a spiral stairwell. I
looked down at the sitting room.
Luxurious chairs of exquisite
taste. There was a huge plasma
television on the wall. The walls
were decorated by beautiful
paintings and work of art. A
transparent chandelier hung
from the ceiling. I walked down
the steps slowly taking in the
sights. My stomach rumbled. I
was very hungry. I took the
remote control and put on the
television. A documentary
channel was showing.
Just then the door opened and
Sophia entered. She smiled at me.
I was in shock. I remembered
that she was the last person I
was with before I found myself
here.
“Sean, we need to have a small
talk.” She said.
I knew there was no point
arguing with her or making any
form of trouble.
I sat down and listened to
everything she had to say.
Bruno drove into a heavily
guarded compound. He wound
down the window at the gate
and showed his ID to the military
officer. They nodded to each
other, the barricade was cleared
and he was allowed entry into
the Fortress. He took the elevator
to the third floor. He got out and
took the corridor to his right.
There were doors left and right.
He got to room 125 and
surveyed the door. He brought
out a special UV torch and
scanned the door knob. He was
looking for finger prints. They
were none. He removed a card
from his wallet and slipped it into
a slot in the key hole. The light
changed from red to green and
the door clicked. He got a
handkerchief from his pocket
and turned the door knob. He
stepped inside.
All of a sudden, he felt he was
not alone. His instincts were
never wrong. He brought out his
pistol and became very alert. He
walked slowly to the center of
the room. He did not see the
movement on time. There was a
gunshot. He fell on the floor in a
loud thud. His head banged and
he felt himself drowsing away. A
tall figure stood in front of him.
He pointed a gun at Bruno and
removed his mask.
“Where is the girl?” the man
asked softly.
Bruno winced. He tried to get up
but the man put his feet on his
chest and corked his gun. He
wore a very angry smile.
“I am going to ask only one more
time. Where is Eva?”
Without warning, Bruno kicked
the other leg of his attacker
while bending to his right just in
time to avoid the bullet from him.
The man fell, hitting his head on
the only couch in the room and
his gun falling out of his hand to
the further side of the room. He
got up and ran towards Bruno,
trying to head butt him on the
stomach. He caught Bruno on the
rib with his forehead, sending
them both spiraling into the
center table. Bruno was on the
ground writhing in pain. The tall
attacker got up and headed for
the gun. He picked it and turned
to face Bruno.
Bruno was no longer on the
ground. He turned to look for
Bruno but he seemed to have
disappeared into thin air. He
moved towards the door. He was
alert, holding the gun by his face
and watching for any sign of
Bruno. He heard a sound from
the other side of the room. He
walked slowly to the place the
sound came from. He found
nothing. He heard a gun cork. He
turned. That was his last moment
alive. Bruno shot him from close
range, the bullet piercing his
forehead. He fell down. Dead.
Bruno pushed a shelf of books
away from the way and tapped
the wall twice. A secret,
transparent keypad materialized.
He pressed some numbers and
the stone wall opened inwards.
Eva was in a chair, drugged. She
was in deep sleep.
His orders were simple. Get her
to the mansion.
He got her on his shoulders and
left the fortress.


Detective Ahmed opened his
small gate and entered his house.
He was wearing a Manchester
United Jersey and joggers. He
was sweating lightly as he had
just finished a 40minute jog. This
had been the psychologist’s
prescription as a way to get
some of his memories back. It
had been four days since he was
discharged from the hospital. He
was angry for his inability to
recall events from the past five
weeks. He had a terrible feeling
that it was not as a result of the
accident as the doctors were
trying to make him believe. They
told him he was suffering from
partial amnesia. What bugged
him most was the fact that it was
only five weeks of memory loss
he suffered. Why not more? Why
not total amnesia? He was not
satisfied with the mere fact that
his past five weeks were blank.
No matter how hard he tried to
recollect, he simply did not find
any headway. This to him was
more annoying than being alive.
The jogging cleared his head.
Made him think.
He sat down on his long couch
and closed his eyes. He felt good.
He was getting back in shape
and he was feeling alive again.
He was almost drifting into sleep
when his phone beeped. It was a
text message. He did not know
the number.
“We want to thank everyone
who was present at the burial of
our beloved sister, friend, aunty
and daughter Miss Mercy Etiebet.
May God continue to guide and
protect you and your family.
Thank you. Felix Etiebet for the
family.”
He could not believe his eyes. He
read the message again. His own
Agent Mercy? She was in an
undercover assignment. He
spoke to her a few days ago.
What was happening? He called
his Boss. She did not pick. He was
very distressed. What was the
cause of death? What other thing
happened in his absence? He had
to find out. He had a quick
shower and change of clothes.
He got his keys and got into his
black Toyota Corolla. He was
going to the office. He needed
answers and he had to find out.
His instincts were never wrong
and he had a very strong feeling
that something was just not
right.
A ‘red cab’ taxi was parked two
houses away from Ahmed’s
residence. Brenda and Iyke were
on duty this time. They had
watched him every day since his
discharge from the hospital. They
always came in different cars to
avoid suspicion and never
parked at the same spot twice.
Ahmed’s whole house had been
bugged. Every sound coming
from his house could be heard.
His phones were bugged too.
They listened in on every
conversation and saw every text
message and email. They knew
when he got the condolence text
message. They were supposed to
keep an eye on him and report
anything unusual to Shina. They
were aware that he tried to
reach his Boss but was not
successful. So when he got in his
car and drove off, they followed
him making sure they were far
behind not to be noticed and
close enough to monitor him.
When Ahmed slowed down and
turned to enter his office at
Osborne Foreshore Ikoyi, the red
cab sped off, the two agents
inside acting out a heated
discussion at the back while the
driver acted uninterested. Ahmed
did not suspect a thing.
When they got on Third Mainland
Bridge, Iyke called Shina and
informed him about all the things
that happened that evening.
Ahmed was at his office on a
Sunday and was acting weird. He
was also freaked out by the
news of his ward’s death.
Shina called Ambrose. Ambrose
did not pick.
He sent an encrypted text:
“The mouse is in the hole. Your
move.”
Ahmed put on his computer. He
entered his password and
another window opened. He
typed his special code and was
granted access. He clicked on
Agent Mercy’s profile. A red
branded mark appeared on her
profile “DEACTIVATED”. He could
not believe his eyes. He clicked on
the cause of death. He saw his
own report on the page. The
picture of the bullet and the
finger print reports submitted by
Tunde. All that information was
too much for him to handle. He
quickly shut down his computer
and rested his head on the table.
He was not emotionally and
mentally ready for this. He got his
keys and left the building. He
promised himself he was going
to get to the b0ttom of this early
Monday morning. He got in his
car and headed home.
Ambrose was at a bar drinking
when Shina was calling. He was
not in the mood for any work. He
just wanted to drink, and drink
and get a babe and go home. So
he ignored the calls. He was
already on his third bottle of beer
and already eyeing a dark
skinned plump girl when the text
got in. He opened the message, it
was encrypted. He decoded it
and read the content. He was
fuming. His fun had been cut
short. He exited the message and
his phone reset itself to factory
settings. He was prepared for
this. He had his plans already
mapped out. The file under his
pillow had given him just one
simple message:
“Be prepared to wipe out the
Intelligence Operation”. Since
then he had always carried his
kit in the trunk of his car. And
now, the time had come. It was
his time to move.
He left the bar and got to his car.
He drove to Bar Beach and
parked. The ‘rude boys’charged
him 200naira as parking fee. He
paid 500. He changed into his full
black ninja costume and wore a
hat. He reversed and faced the
freeway heading towards The
Intelligence Operations Head
Quarters in Osbourne. He parked
five minutes away from the
entrance of the office. He got out
his briefcase and crossed the
road. He walked to a restaurant
that stood directly opposite the
Intelligence headquarters. There
was a building undergoing
construction. He took the steps
to the 6th floor of the unfinished
building and placed his briefcase
on the floor beside him. He got
out his binoculars and scanned
the Intelligence Premises. There
was a guard just outside the
gate. He was not armed and was
half asleep. Easy to take out.
There was an armed guard
parading the open space just
inside the premises. He would be
the tricky one. He noticed that
the armed guard went out of
sight for 15seconds before
appearing again. He was
probably on patrol, checking out
the other parts of the open
space. The guard spent another
50 seconds before he was out of
sight again. He turned on the
thermal view of the binoculars.
He scanned the whole three
floors of the building. Not a
single soul was in. It was going
to be an easy job.
He took off his black ninja
costume and wore a tight black
shirt, black jeans and black
gloves. His army boots were still
on. He reset his stop watch. He
calculated his movements
carefully. Once the guard went
out of sight he initiated his stop
watch. He got off the 6th floor of
the uncompleted building and
walked quickly down the steps.
He crossed the road. 15 seconds
gone. The guard was now in the
compound. He waited and
watched his stop watch. After 50
seconds, he moved fast. He
walked in the shadows till he got
to the sleeping guard outside. He
put his hands around the guard’s
head and snapped. There wasn’t
a sound. The guard was dead.
10seconds. He carefully dragged
the guard’s body to the side of
the building and put him in a
sitting position. 55 seconds. He
made it back to the gate in time
to see the armed guard moving
to the other part of the
compound. He opened the gate
silently and stepped in. He hid in
the shadows, following the route
he had already memorized from
the plan of the building he
already had.
He got to the server room and
entered inside. He inserted a USB
drive and copied all the
information according to Tawo’s
instruction. He removed it and
put another USB drive. He left
that USB inside the main server.
It contained a deadly virus.
He left the server room and went
upstairs to Ahmed’s office. He
opened his computer and
yanked out the hard drive. He put
it in his sling bag. It was time to
evacuate. His stopwatch read 20
seconds. The guard was still in
the open space. He had to wait
10 more seconds. He was relaxed
and calm. 10, 9, 8…
He was counting. Suddenly an
alarm went off in the server
room. And there was only one
entrance! He had no weapons!
He heard footsteps. He backed
himself up on the wall. There was
nothing he could do. Once the
guard turned he would see him.
The armed guard saw him and
corked his rifle.
“Put your hands up. Who are
you?” He said looking at
Ambrose suspiciously, especially
his black gloves.
“I am the new IT person. I was
just leaving.” Ambrose said.
“Show me your ID card!” the
guard yelled.
“It’s in my bag. Can I get it?”
Ambrose asked
“Okay. But don’t try anything
funny.” He said pointing the gun
threateningly at Ambrose.
Ambrose took off the sling bag
and pretended to search for his
ID. Suddenly he threw the bag at
the guard’s face, at the same
time moving very quickly to the
side. The bag hit the guard’s face
as he screamed and shot at
Ambrose. Ambrose moved away
just in time to avoid the shot. The
gunshot pierced the night air.
Ambrose was fast. He moved very
fast behind the guard and kicked
his ball5 from behind. The guard
dropped his gun as the pain tore
through his whole body.
Ambrose kicked the gun away
from him and twisted the
guard’s neck.
He dragged the guard behind to
the back and left him there, his
gun on his body. He picked up
his sling bag, confirmed the
contents and hung it on his neck.
He got out of the compound,
shut the gate behind him and
walked to the other side of the
road.
He got to his car and called Tawo.
He picked at the first ring.
“I’m done. Pick the exhibits at the
mansion.”
He pulled off his gloves and
started the ignition. As he got
onto the expressway he began
to whistle
“Oh happy day…”.




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