Chapter 1: Monkey and Power

If you give a monkey a gun, wetin you think go happen? The monkey go first reason how e go fit run the monkey chief commot, so e go become oga, chop the sweetest mango, and enjoy all the fine female monkeys. Now, Ifedike finally realise say na him be that monkey.

For Naija, dem dey talk say if pikin never see trouble, e go dey laugh for rain. That kain realization fit reach like slap—e be as e get. Ifedike never think say power fit heavy like this. Him mind dey run like generator wey dem just pour fresh fuel.

1

The Dawn just dey hover quietly for Red Star’s orbit, optical engines on. With the kain technology wey humans for Blue World get, to detect am na wahala—almost impossible.

Space quiet reach. Na so the thing dey for real? If na Naija village, elder for talk say, “Eyes no dey see spirit, but spirit dey look you.” This spaceship dey hide pass masquerade for harmattan night.

So... na real be this?

Ifedike sidon for him creaky wooden bed inside hostel, dey look the flickering data for him laptop screen, heart just dey jump like okada for pothole. For middle of the screen, one simple interface dey: Dawn status: Normal. Command reception: Ifedike (sole authority).

Sweat small dey him forehead, laptop dey make faint humming sound like NEPA light wey dey drag itself. Him phone dey show missed calls from home, but this power for him hand pass principal own—yet, bedbug still dey bite am for hostel.

He try issue one simple mental command: “Xingzhi, abeg show me the bridge for real-time.”

Him tongue dey dry small. As he talk, him mind dey feel the weight—na only him dey control this thing. For Naija, person fit dey reason am: if you dey hold juju wey fit command thunder, you go gree use am anyhow?

One second later, the screen change, show the fine bridge. Through the big portholes, he see that blue planet wey e sabi—Blue World—and closer, the planet wey dey shine small red light, Red Star.

The view fine like new bride for traditional wedding—blue light mix with red, the two planets dey like agbalumo and mango for same plate. Ifedike eyes dey wide, the beauty dey touch am for chest.

“Permission confirmed, command executed.” Na the gentle, emotionless female voice of Xingzhi wey Ifedike hear for him mind.

The voice gentle, but get that robotic authority—like Naija aunty wey dey warn pikin for kitchen but no dey shout. Ifedike dey try blend the reality, wonder if na dream or if e don finally jam village people.

Ifedike take deep breath, try calm himself. The monkey and gun analogy still dey him head.

He remember wetin him uncle talk once: "Power na like palm oil, if you no careful, e go stain your white." The thing just dey worry am, e feel am for inside bone.

The monkey dey happy, think say e fit become chief. But e forget say humans dey beside am, and their own weapons pass gun.

The thing be say, for jungle, na who get sense survive. Na the silent hunter, not the noisemaker. Ifedike reason am—na so life be for Naija sef. Person go dey celebrate small win, e forget say those wey get bigger plans dey observe.

Humans no send which monkey chief the monkey wan remove; dem only know say this monkey don lose control, e dey dangerous, so e must go.

He remember how dem dey handle matter for village: if pikin too stubborn, na elders go sit down for family meeting. No time for story, solution dey sharp. Ifedike no wan become example.

“I must not expose myself,” Ifedike talk for himself. “If any power for Blue World—whether na Lion Nation or Yankee—find out, dem no go reason cooperation. Na control, or even... elimination go dey their mind.”

Him voice low, but the resolve dey hard. He remember how people for Naija dey quick call soldier when wahala pass their level. To carry last for this kind matter na real bad market.

He, ordinary student from one second-tier university, suddenly get power to crush the whole planet. E be like pikin wey carry gold waka for Alaba market; if gist leak, wahala go burst.

“Xingzhi,” Ifedike command—either aloud or for him mind—“I wan leave Blue World, go Dawn. Prepare landing craft sharp-sharp, two combat robots as guards. Make sure nobody for Blue World surveillance notice anything.”

As he dey give order, heart dey beat like Bata drum. Him thumb hover over the keyboard, mind dey race—if e press enter, no going back.

“Command received: Calculating best infiltration orbit and stealth plan... Plan ready: Landing craft ‘Swift Shadow’ don set, go reach your location in ten minutes. Confirm coordinates, abeg.”

Xingzhi voice dey steady, but Ifedike mind dey rush. Him hands dey shake, but him face still dey calm. E resemble politician wey dey arrange election rigging but dey smile for TV.

Ifedike quickly confirm, for him mind, the location of one abandoned factory near the school.

The factory don rot, bush don cover everywhere. Na the type wey area boys dey use hide for daybreak. Him choose am well—no CCTV, no wahala.

“Coordinates confirmed: Swift Shadow dey go, full optical stealth, dodge all radar and satellite. Two T-800 combat robots don board, dey wait.”

Him mind dey try calculate if security go notice anything. He remember how school gateman dey always ask, "Where you dey go for this kind night?" But tonight, na only shadows dey waka with am.

Ten minutes later, as night cover everywhere, Ifedike waka pass hostel security, quietly reach the abandoned factory.

He wear hoodie, blend for darkness. If any k-leg show, na to act like pikin wey dey look for lost charger. Na Naija, sharp guy dey always ready with excuse.

He look up; except for few stars, everywhere just quiet.

The air cold, na only crickets dey make sound. The moon dey hide for cloud, as if e no wan witness wetin dey happen. Ifedike feel one kind for body—half fear, half excitement. He tap foot, rub sweat for palm, and mutter prayer under breath.

Suddenly, he feel breeze. Then, like say the air twist, one small, sci-fi looking craft appear, just dey hover in front of am, hatch open softly.

The thing shock am, even as he expect am. For Naija, nobody dey see this kind wonder—no okada, no danfo, just machine wey no make noise.

Two humanoid robots, almost two metres tall, metal body dey shine, waka come out, stand each side of the hatch.

Their legs firm for ground, eyes dey flash small light. Them resemble people wey dey do bodyguard for governor, only say na metal and wire full body.

“Commander Ifedike, abeg enter,” one robot talk with that their robotic voice.

Ifedike swallow, hold himself, hide excitement and fear, then rush enter the craft. The hatch close, the craft vanish back into the night, like say nothing happen.

Inside the craft, everywhere neat, light soft, smell clean like hospital, but e still get small scent like antiseptic for Naija clinic. He sidon, eyes dey sharp, heart dey beat, but mouth no talk.

For the short journey to the Dawn, Ifedike just dey hold breath.

He dey reason whether na so spirit dey feel when baba call dem for midnight prayer. Him body dey there, but mind dey run everywhere.

When the landing craft finally dock inside the Dawn’s big hangar, he release long sigh.

He close eyes, rub palm together, as if to thank God. For Naija, person fit say, "Na God hand dey this matter." Him mind settle small, but body still dey tension.

For the days wey follow, Ifedike, like pikin wey dey see new toy, explore the big starship with Xingzhi as guide.

E resemble when person first enter Shoprite or Palms mall, dey touch everything, mouth dey open. Ifedike dey ask question, touch button, dey follow light, e dey learn.

From the ecological zone wey fit simulate any environment, to the deep-sleep chambers wey person fit sleep for centuries dey wait for future, to the arsenal with weapons wey fit destroy planets... Everything just dey shock am.

He pass one place wey get artificial trees and breeze—na like home, only say no goat dey shout for bush. Everywhere too clean. Ifedike wish say e fit find suya or gala for all this fine machine. Him head dey swell, but him mind dey sharp: na who get sense go survive.

Until he discover one technology for the production center—high-precision bionic human manufacturing.

He rub chin, wonder if na this one dem dey call "double wahala." For Naija, if person get clone, e fit use am escape village meeting or go write exam for am.

“Xingzhi, how far these bionic humans?”

He dey try make e sound normal, but excitement dey show for voice. For Naija, person no dey hide when e see better thing.

“Dem fit copy all outside features of any body, including fingerprints, iris, voice. Inside, dem get advanced bionic chips, you fit control them remote, behaviour go match original. Dem also get basic combat and information processing skills.”

Ifedike’s eyes shine: perfect substitute.

He reason say, if to say e get this kind thing when WAEC dey disturb am, e for no worry. The thing get as e sweet. He smile like person wey win awoof.

“Let’s do am,” he decide. “Original body go stay safe for Dawn, I go use bionic duplicate return Blue World continue university. This way, I go dey safe and still dey experience life for Blue World, dey observe things.”

Him voice get power now. E dey reason future plans. For Naija, na sharp guy dey win, especially if e fit dey two places at once.

“Command confirmed: Scanning your biological data... Data complete. Begin manufacture of bionic human ‘Ifedike-1’. Go take 24 Blue World hours.”

He dey count hours like JAMB candidate dey wait for result. He sidon, tap foot, wonder how e go feel to get "double."

But Ifedike no know say as he dey arrange himself these past days, for one university inside second-tier city for Lion Nation, Blue World, people don dey worry about his disappearance.

Wahala dey. For Naija, if pikin no return hostel, mama go call prayer line first before she call police. Palava fit big.

“What? You people never see am?” Ifedike’s mama voice just dey shake for phone, she dey cry. “Officer, abeg, help us! My pikin na good student; how e go just vanish?”

She wipe her tears with the edge of her wrapper, voice choke as she call Ifedike name three times. Her wrapper no straight, face don change, eyes red. For background, neighbours dey gather, dey console her, dey suggest prayer house and prophet.

For counselor office, everywhere heavy. Ifedike’s three roommates—Musa, Femi, and Oluchi—sit down, face two police officers.

The air get that "something bad happen" smell. Nobody dey smile, even the wall clock stop to tick well. Musa dey wipe sweat, Femi dey tap foot, Oluchi just dey look ground.

“When last una see Ifedike? Any strange behaviour?” police ask.

The police officer talk with small Yoruba accent, pad pen for hand. He dey look dem one by one, like say e go see lie for their mouth.

“Na... three nights ago,” Musa try remember. “He pick one call, say he get something to do, then...”

Musa voice dey tremble. For hostel, everybody sabi Musa as guy wey dey always quick remember gist, but now, e brain just blank.

“Strange?” Femi scratch head. “Ifedike don dey act somehow, just dey look computer dey lost. We ask am, e no talk. But na so he dey, always dey do him own, so we no worry.”

Femi add, "Sometimes e go just dey reason, dey look far, like say e dey chase spirit for dream. But we no too reason am."

“He tell una say he dey go anywhere? Or meet any strange person?”

The three look each other, shake head.

Na so for Naija, if person no dey talk too much, people go just leave am. But now, e don become case.

For school bulletin board, missing person notice don show, Ifedike photo and that him normal smiling face stand out.

Students dey gather, dey whisper. Gossip dey fly—some dey talk say Ifedike run go join secret cult, others say na village people carry am go.

Him parents rush from their hometown, dey cry every day, waka between police post and school, dey pray for miracle.

Mama Ifedike dey clutch rosary, papa just dey silent, beard no shave, eyes bloodshot. For Naija, when wahala choke, prayer and fasting dey start.

Nobody know say the Ifedike wey dem dey find don dey for space, billions of kilometres away, ready to return in new way. And the Ifedike wey go soon show for campus no be ordinary student again.

Spirit nor dey chop yam with human, but this one go soon shock everybody. Ifedike wey dem go see, na new Ifedike—bionic, sharp, cold as fridge, but e still dey reason like Naija pikin.

Na monkey wey hold starship, dey plan him next move.

For Naija, person fit talk say, "Na new chief don enter bush, old chiefs go hear am."