THE UNION

Chapter 28: WE CAN BE HEROES

"I can explain, don't hurt me." Papa pleads.

"At least let's hear him out." Richard says, he runs toward Ayo and pushes the blaster.

"I have a wife........." Tolu interrupts Papa.

"Is that it? We know." Tolu says and fakes a smile.

"Let him finish." Gboyega says tired of everything that is going on.

"She means the world to me and I'll do anything to protect her but now that Chong is dead, she's in

danger and I fear Essence will get to her." Papa voice shakens and tears filled his eyes, the team have

never seen him like this before, Ngozi and Richard immediately start to feel pity for him. "She's in

danger and I can't save her alone.... I can't, I'm begging all of you I need help, if that's the last thing

you'll ever do for me." Papa pleads, he uses his hand to clean his tear filled eyes. Tolu laughs

sarcastically and slowly walks up to Papa.

"Fuck you!" Tolu yells and walks out.

"I'll get Linda." Gboyega says disappointed and walks out too. Ayo looks into Papa eyes deeply, he felt

anguish and pain.

"I trusted you." Ayo says and walks out, Ngozi and Richard remain standing looking at Papa.

"We need to stop the others, we can't just let him stay like this." Ngozi says swiftly, her and Richard

quickly run to the hallway to catch up with the others. "Stop!" Tolu yells.

"We have to help Papa." Richard says, they all stare at him and Ngozi.

"Papa? Why would we want to help Papa?" Tolu says in disgust.

"Cause this isn't about Papa, it's about this lady who needs help." Richard says.

"She can't suffer for Papa's crime guys." Ngozi says, the three stare at each other and Tolu sighs.

"Fine, let's just get this over with." Tolu says and walks to the sitting room.

"Well, I know I don't have a say in this so........." Gboyega walks inside, Ngozi joins them while Richard

tries to convince Ayo to join them.

"I know it's hard for you." Richard says, he moves closer to Ayo.

"You know I won't come." Ayo says. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

"I know but do this for me, use it to make up for all the bull shit you've done to me in the past." Richard

says swiftly hoping he can bring a powerhouse to join them.

"Whatever." Ayo says and walks in, Richard dances around the hallway happy that they are doing this.

After meeting up with Papa, he gives them a briefing of what is about to go down.

"Mashee'a lives far from this place, very far so we're going to have to take my bus, it has some special

inputs in it so we'll get there really fast." Papa says swiftly.

"Why don't I just take us there or use the teleporter?" Richard asked.

"Cause there's a magic field around the place, if you try to sneak there then your body explodes. My

friend Oloogun helped me with that." Papa says boldly

"I don't think that holds up anymore, we kind of damaged that friendship." Gboyega says and chuckles

a bit remembering how the beast caused havoc in the shrine.

"We don't want to take any risk, let's take my bus." Papa says firmly, Ayo was pissed the way he was

taking control of the whole mission and acting like he didn't do anything

Minutes later, they were all in a black bus driving to meet up with Mashee'a, Ayo took the wheels and

while driving he suddenly has a vision.

"Where I'm I?" Ayo says and wonders, a group of robots that look like him suddenly walk up to him and

bow down.

"Our new King." They all chant praising him.

Ayo suddenly awakens back to the real world thinking about what just happened, he hears Slip voice in

his head again.

"That was my people and I need to get back to them." Slip says.

"The world will be better off without someone like you." Ayo says.

"I'm not giving you a choice, I'm coming for my body and you're not going to stop me, just need

sometime to get ready." Slip says proudly.

"Slip shut down." Ayo says the password he used to shut Slip down years ago but this time it doesn't

work.

"You're not stopping me." Slip says and his voice fades away. Papa moves closer to Ayo.

"You're going to turn to the left." Papa says and points.

"I know!" Ayo yells, he tries to focus on his driving but couldn't just stand looking at Papa.

"Did you ever care about me?" Ayo asked, he was worried.

"I did but I was born in a very dark time.........." Ayo interrupts Papa.

"You sold your integrity for those bunch of bastards, lied to me, used people.", Ayo says, he grunts and

pushes Papa away from him.

Richard and Ngozi sit together at the back seat, Richard moves his hand close to hers to get her

attention.

"What is it?" Ngozi says and chuckles.

"I just wanted to know how you're feeling, we've not really talked after that whole........." Richard didn't

know he'll put his words.

"I'm fine, I still hear his voices but I noticed that I've been holding myself down......... I saw myself

Richard in the fucking future and I looked badass, what if I could reach that level and what if I stopped

everyone from my life and be happy with people around me. I created my imaginary friends cause I

was lonely, I don't want to be that anymore." Ngozi says swiftly wanting to move on with her life.

Inside her amulet, Blitz and Miss Vicious listen to her conversation with Richard. "I told you Blitz, she

doesn't care about us." Miss Vicious says

Back in the bus, Richard looked really happy for Ngozi and she smiles back at him.

"What about you? You seem to be really interested about this mission." Ngozi says quickly.

"Yeah, I've done a lot of terrible things to different people and I don't know I feel like the least I can do

to repay for my sin is helping people, it make me feel good. I don't know if you get me." Richard

chuckles a bit.

"I do." Ngozi says.

"So you went a little bit crazy, where did you go to?" Gboyega asked Tolu.

"I went home to try and figure out myself." Tolu let's out a huge sigh. "It just feels like bad people

always keep on winning."

"I mean yeah, we have the politicians, bank robbers........." Gboyega goes on.

"Yeah and most of them get away with it, my mom left me at a young age." Tolu says and lays her back

on the sit.

"I'm sorry about that." Gboyega says.

"Not really a sad story but I've always waited for her to come back to me but she just keeps on winning

and look at us now we're helping Papa. I'm just sitting here wondering what I'm I fighting as a officer,

it's confusing." Tolu says firmly and faces her head to the opposite direction.

"I'm checking my emails today." Gboyega says, he was enjoying his discussion with Tolu so he decided

to just say anything.

"Huh?" Tolu says confused.

"I've been disconnected from the world for quite sometime, I've had the same email account my

parents opened and.......... I want to start a new life." Gboyega says not quite sure of what he was

saying.

"Do it!" Tolu says and moves closer to him, Gboyega chuckles a bit. He brings out his phone, he still

remembered the password and every other details correctly, he logs in and receives a bunch of

messages from different sites but there's one particular person who has been constantly messaging

him.

"Who's Tomi?" Tolu reads out the name of the person messaging.

"My younger brother." Gboyega says quietly, a sense of guilt hits him that he left his brother all by

himself to deal with the traumas of losing his parents. Ayo parks the bus.

"We're here." Papa says and they all get down from the car in the middle of a forest, all the cabins were

in flames and Essence is suddenly flinged out from one of the cabins.

"That's Mashee'a cabin." Papa says and runs towards it, Mashee'a runs out of the cabin coughing and

bruised up.

"Honey." She says and breathes rapidly.

"What happens." Papa says as he moves closer to her.

"He said he was your friend then he tried to peel off my skin, luckily I was able to knock him down but

my powers aren't really in good shape cause of the baby." Mashee'a says and breathes heavily.

"Is she okay? She doesn't look fine?" Ngozi says and touches Mashee'a belly.

"I think the baby is coming." Mashee'a says and screams.