There was a 911 distress call from downtown later that evening which he could have ignored and let the local police handle, but Blue Jay decided to go check it out. He needed a distraction anyway, something to focus his mind on other than the present situation of things. Sola and Akin had asked if he needed help with the operation but his reply was negative, saying that he had it under control and that they should take the night off and save their strength for the worst was yet to come.
Kachi assured him that he would be in his ears every step of the way, guiding and leading the way from behind his computer screen. And so it was.
The vigilante, Blue Jay, geared up in his dark blue rubber suit that made him look like a superhero from one of those movies. He hated guns because he was trained to hate them, the Katana sword however was his weapon. Blue Jay arrived at the supposed scene of the crime where the call had come from. It was an abandoned building with five floors, all of which he scoured for any sign of residual danger but found none. There was nothing that seemed out of place or threatening. Nothing at all.
He let out a heavy sigh of disappointment. “I’ve searched everywhere, Kachi. I think it was a false alarm.”
” I’m sorry this was a waste of time.”
“Someone thought it was cool to cry wolf. It wasn’t your fault. I’m heading back.”
“Copy that,”kachi said.
A figure moved quickly in the shadow behind him and he turned to that direction in a trice. “Kachi, did you see that?”
“See what?” He asked cluelessly.
Blue Jay sensed another presence and became alert suddenly. “I’m not alone.” He paid close attention to his surroundings and could soon feel the other’s presence growing stronger, he could hear their silent footsteps running around him in circles.
In a heartbeat, he drew out his blade and clanked away three throwing stars that streaked out of the shadows before him.”Who are you?” he challenged the attacker, “show yourself.”
Blue Jay watched as a copy of himself stepped out of the darkness of a corner. Same outfit, the same height, same weapons. It was like looking in a mirror.
“Holy,… crap.” Kachi drawled in shock.
“Kachi, are you seeing this?” he asked with almost a whisper.
“Yes, boss,” came the response,”guys, come check this out!” he called on the others who immediately surrounded him.
“Wait, which one is Bassey?”Seyi asked, looking at the two identical live images on their screen, standing opposite each other.
Kachi pointed at one and Akin added.” Then who’s the other guy?”
“Guess we’re about to find out.”
Blue Jay asked the look-alike one more time who he was and the reply was, “I am you,”
Both parties clashed into each other in a brief battle that lasted only a couple of minutes. In their brawl, the look-alike had lured Blue Jay to a separate room in the building before vanishing into thin air right after he’d hurled a knife to the wooden wall behind his opponent.
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Blue Jay knew that the throw wasn’t to hurt him, that the guy had missed on purpose. He turned to the wooden wall and saw pinned to it, a piece of paper with the hurled knife at the top of it, halfway through the thickness of the wall. The message written on the paper was inked with blood and it read, The reckoning has begun!
The stench of human blood enveloped the air so suddenly like a fart would, in a closed room. He saw red drops on the floor and followed the trail until he sighted a dead body somewhere in this separate room he’d been lured into. The man was dead, freshly killed as his body wasn’t entirely cold yet.
Blue Jay stood over his corpse, drowning in the puddle of his own blood. The victim had bruises from punches exerted only by brass knuckles, there were deep cuts on his chest with multiple stab wounds on his stomach. He’d been brutally murdered. He recognized the victim. Shit. It was the congressman that spoke against his vigilante crusade on TV saying he was a menace, not a hero.
Two days later now he was dead and he was the one at the crime scene. Although he didn’t do it, the one who did look exactly like him. Now it dawned on him that he’d been set up. Shit!
Kachi saw a SWAT team van pull over outside the building with cops jumping out and rushing in like characters from a Jason Bourne movie.
“Boss, get out of there, it’s a trap!”
He sheathed her katana back in but before he would take a step further, heavily armed forces came swinging in through the windows, shattering the glass in the process. “Get on the ground now!” One commanded with a loud voice. ” Don’t move- hands in the air!”
They had received an anonymous tip that the congressman had been taken to that building and was being held, hostage. Imagine their surprise when they saw him dead with the so-called guardian of the city standing over his corpse.
Detective Zainab Rasheed and her men rushed in through the front entrance. This was her chance to finally take down this lawbreaker for good.
“I didn’t do this,” he said.
“Sure looks like it, “Detective Rasheed replied, “I got you now, you son of a bitch.”
“Get on the ground, Blue Jay!” an officer ordered.
“I’m telling you, I didn’t do this.” He slowly went down on one knee. Cocked guns were pointing at him in case he had any silly ideas.
“Get on the ground now! Hands where we can see them!”
He obeyed, still insisting that they were making a big mistake.
Blue Jay was surrounded. There was no way out. This had to be the night she would finally arrest him. A wind of relief blew across Zainab’s face.
Two men approached him from behind and seized his hands, trying to cuff them but he instantly broke free, cuffing their hands to each other instead. He pushed a button on a small device and the power went out completely. As they opened fire, he dashed amongst them with a rapid blur of movements, knocking them down with powerful blows and kicks.
Their rounds sparkled in the darkness of the room, flashing with each shot, giving them but a glimpse of his momentary presence. He took them out with ease and escaped through a window. Zainab radioed the station on the unexpected turn out of events telling the D.P.O of the precinct to put out an APB on Blue Jay that he’d gone rogue.
“He needs help,” Akin said as he and Seyi rushed to suit up.
A cylindrical object rolled into their secret bunker-like someone had thrown it in from the entrance.
“What’s that?” Ada asked, concerned.
They watched the object for a second and it clicked open, emitting smoke that soon enveloped the entire space. Seyi pushed Akin away from his initial position beside her and an arrow whooshed past him.
Black ninjas raided the bunker. Akin and Seyi fought vehemently, doing all they could to hold down the fort and protect everyone in it. Their battle was fierce and they were equally matched against their opponents who seemed to be increasing in number by the minute.
Kachi and Ada hid away from the brawl and could only hear the sounds of thick grunts, heavy breaths, clanking metals, and breaking bones. The smoke had hindered their vision. Good thing Blue Jay had trained his companions to fight even in such harsh and unfavorable situations.
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His motorcycle sped up on the highway as he was being chased by police cars with a chopper in the night sky, beaming its bright light on him. Every cop in the city that night was after him. There was no place to hide or lose them. Every nook and cranny he entered had cops waiting for him. He hated this feeling of being wanted, he loathed the sound of those sirens barring behind him in a heated chase.
Blue Jay noticed that this time the helicopter hovering in the sky had a newscaster who was broadcasting the chase live. His motorcycle screeched to an abrupt sideways halt in the street as he watched himself at that very moment in the digital billboards hanging on skyscrapers. The news report said he was wanted for the murder of congressman Okeh.
He squeezed his hand on the throttle and the engine revved, ready for take off. The stares in the streets clearly read that they had lost faith in him. His rear tyre spun intensely, producing a fog of smoke as he rode away with so much speed that flung off weightless objects on the sidewalks.
The cops had blocked all the major roads and were outside their vehicles, armed and ready to shoot. He was alone out there with no backup and no one in his ears to guide him through. Contacting the bunker was a feeble attempt. The line had disconnected during the break-in.
The chopper followed him everywhere he went, watching him like a hawk.
Blue Jay swerved away from a police checkpoint and headed towards a tunnel. He glanced back and saw them relentlessly chasing after him. The second he went under that tunnel, they lost him. The cops couldn’t locate him even as they drove under it, there was no sign of the wanted vigilante. It was like he just disappeared. The chopper had flown over to the other end of the tunnel waiting for him to come out but he never did. Police cars drove out with other private and commercial vehicles but he was nowhere to be found.
Bassey hid away from automobiles with barring sirens as he headed into an alley like a normal civilian. He had drifted his bike onto the back of a truck carrying motorcycles where he’d packed it among the others like it was one of those being transported. From the truck, he’d hopped off and attached himself to a double-decker bus then he’d crept down and hid beneath the moving bus.
Zainab and her men never saw him because he was under a moving bus. They’d seen the truck carrying motorcycles but didn’t realize his was one of them. When the bus had come to a halt, Bassey laid down flat until it moved past him before he got up and pulled off his mask and gloves. He snuck amidst the crowd, entered a clothing store and shoplifted an ash jacket and a pair of brown trousers. Bassey stepped out undetected, tucked his hands into his pocket, and flipped over the hood of his jacket.
He was now walking down a lonely and foggy alley he saw the reflection of a ninja’s shadow tailing him on a rooftop. Bassey rushed to the rod laying carelessly beside a dumpster and turned it into a weapon. He whisked himself in the air and flipped away from a whip strike. His attacker materialized. It was Su, a highly trained ninja assassin. There was no time for formalities or questions like who are you? No. Su attacked immediately with no mercy.
Bassey wasn’t surprised that this newcomer knew who he was even without the suit. Obviously, she was one of Tanaka’s minions. Bassey ducked and weaved all of Su’s attacks. The way she swung that whip with much ease and speed was admirable but dangerous. Exactly how many assassins did Tanaka have at his command?
The blades of her combat fans arrived first then came her feet that connected with Su’s chest, knocking her off to the ground. The blades had attacked Su as though Zara had aimed at her, not Bassey. She walked past the latter like she had no business with him at the time.
“Stand down, Bassey. This one’s mine.”
It happened like a dream to him. For the first time, he wasn’t Zara’s target. She and this Su lady were supposed to be on the same team since they served the same master. Something was not right, but it wasn’t his problem. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about fighting them both at the same time.
“What’s the matter, Zara, still moping about your sister?”Su’s mockery wasn’t at all subtle.
Bassey wondered what that meant and became curious, sort of.
“You’ll pay for what you did.” Anger flickered in Zara’s gaze.
“I’m in for a rematch,” Su replied, cracking her knuckles,” and this time, I won’t spare you.”
Zara turned to Bassey and said sternly.” Get outta here. This isn’t your fight, it was just a distraction to keep you busy while Tanaka goes after your team.”
He took off without hesitation despite Su’s words;
“You’ll never get there on time!”
Zara spread out her blades and attacked her.
Meanwhile, back at the Bunker, things had taken a different turn as Lin, Su’s accomplice and a mutated assassin had joined the game. Akin and Seyi had bested the regular ninjas in battle, then came round two.
Lin strutted over to the two companions as they stood triumphantly over the knocked-out opponents. She chewed on bubble gum in a slutty and annoying manner.
Mark, the mutant barged in, roaring like an angry beast. He was four times Akin’s size, his eyes were pale blue, and his skin was covered in scales. Akin recognized him from one of the three assassins they’d put away months ago.
He growled in his face, “How do you like me now?”
“What can I say, you look handsome. Loving the new look.” He was like a child standing before that four-foot giant. “Are those-?” His words were cut off by a blow that sent him flying across the room. He rammed his back against a wall and crashed on their glass table and it broke under his weight. Akin groaned at his aches,”-scales…? He wheezed as he strained, to complete his previous questions. Akin rolled away from Mark’s mighty stomp that would have crushed him like a bug.
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It was more like self-defense than a fight as Akin avoided getting hit all through. His attacks were feeble and yielded nothing, instead, he practically sprained his wrist trying to throw a punch. He realized that Mark’s gene was manipulated not to feel pain at all. How can you beat something that doesn’t feel pain? He wondered.
Lin had engaged Seyi in a brawl which she was winning even though she admitted that her opponent was putting up a good fight.
“You must be Seyi,” she’d earlier said to her
“And you are?”
“The one who would break you.” Lin had replied.
In spite of the efforts they put up, defeat still met with them and it took Tanaka’s thunderous voice to stop Lin and Mark.” Enough!”
The companions struggled to stand as an average-height Asian approached them. A black lining traced the shape of his eyes, his head was bald to the skin. His red outfit had an overall coat that looked like a cape. He had a golden signet ring in his right hand with a sword perfectly sheathed to his waist. His boots clicked against the fine floor until he halted in front of them.
“Bassey taught you well,…that, I must admit. But I’m not here for you.” His English still had a touch of a Japanese accent.
“What do you want?” Nicki asked with scorn.
“I want Adaobi. Give her to me and I’ll be on my merry way.”
Kachi stood up from behind a table and confidently spoke up as though there was something he could do to prevent what was about to happen, “Never!”
“We’d rather die than let you take her,” said Akin.
“Ohh, you will die. All of you. But not today.” He nodded at Lin, “bring her to me.”
“No!”Akin attempted to launch an attack at Lin.
“Ah-ah…”Tanaka stretched out a hand and unleashed his power. None of them could move, they stood like stiff wood as Lin headed towards Ada who was also affected. In that tight and uncomfortable position, it was difficult to breathe let alone move a muscle. They strained and struggled but to no avail.
“Nighty night.” Lin snapped a finger in Ada’s face and she immediately fell unconscious.
Tanaka balled a fist in his outstretched hand and opened it a moment later, releasing a powerful force that knocked them all off their feet. By the time they got up, the invaders had disappeared, taking Ada with them.
Story By Samuel Francis
This is like seeing an action movie,so captivating
…A good job this writer has done,we need more of Nigerian action movie.