Chapter 2: Disappearance and Arrival

2

“Officer, abeg... una never see even one clue?” Ifedike’s mama face don thin, tears full everywhere, voice don crack as she beg the policeman. “My Ify always dey behave, he no fit just disappear. Abi... dem kidnap am?”

The policeman sigh, talk gently: “Aunty, we understand how you dey feel, but for now, we never see any sign of kidnapping or ransom. We don check the school area surveillance well, last time we see Ifedike, na when he dey leave hostel by himself. We dey expand the search, any news we go tell una.”

He bend head small, eye dey pity. For Naija, police dey try show empathy, but also dey careful not to promise too much.

Ifedike’s papa just stand one side, fist tight, eyes red. Every minute wey their pikin dey miss na torture.

He no talk, but if you see am, you go know say anger dey him body. People for compound dey whisper, "E be like say Ifedike papa fit break wall today." But he just dey bear am.

Counselor and school authorities promise to help, but as days dey pass, hope dey fade.

School principal dey promise, "We go try our best," but students and teachers dey move on. Na only those wey really love Ifedike dey still pray well.

Meanwhile, for low orbit above Blue World, the invisible Dawn just float like ghost.

Space cold, everywhere silent, only that kind humming wey fit make person forget say e dey alive. For the ship, time no dey move like earth. Dawn just dey look down, dey plan.

“Bionic human ‘Ifedike-1’ manufactured: biological feature match 100%, neural connection sync rate 100%.” Na Xingzhi voice Ifedike hear for him mind.

As e hear am, goosebumps run for body. E be like exam wey you pass with distinction, only say this one fit change person life.

Ifedike stand before the big life-support pod, dey look the person inside—exactly like am, just dey lie down.

He touch the glass, see him own face—like mirror, but with small fear. He reason, "If to say my mama see this, she go call pastor sharp."

He take deep breath, follow Xingzhi instruction, enter the next neural connection sleep pod.

He close eyes, make sign of cross for chest. For Naija, even sharp guy dey respect spiritual things when journey serious.

Cold liquid enter, him mind dey blur, but next second, new feeling rush am: he open eyes, no be inside sleep pod again, but see the transparent cover of the life-support pod.

He dey float for culture fluid, body light like feather, but mind dey sharp as needle. Na like dream, only say this one get sense.

He try move fingers, the bionic human hand move sharp-sharp. He even fit feel the touch of him fingers for the culture fluid—cold and sticky.

The sensation strange—na like when pikin first use chewing gum, e no sure whether to spit am or swallow.

“How e... be?” he ask with the bionic human’s voice, the sound just like him own.

Voice clear, e fit hear small echo. E surprise am, but also make am feel like say na real.

“Neural connection normal, all sensory data transmission sync 100%,” Xingzhi reply.

The thing sweet am. For Naija, dem go say, "If this one na lie, make e continue."

“Good.” Ifedike—now inside the bionic human—smile small.

Smile dey corner him lips. E feel like say e win lottery, but this one pass money.

He move body; control too perfect, even better than the original.

E stretch arm, shake leg, everything just dey flow. No pain, no stiffness—like new born baby wey dem just bath for Dettol.

“Xingzhi, make two more bionic humans. No need to copy me finish, basic templates dey okay—set them as my assistants.” Ifedike order. Him original body must dey safe, but only one Ifedike to return Blue World no go too work for some things.

He reason say, if person wan do big things, e need people wey go run errand. For Naija, if you no get boy-boy, your hand go full.

“Command confirmed: Begin manufacture of ‘Assistant-A’, ‘Assistant-B’. Go take 12 Blue World hours each.”

E nod. Na small waiting remain. For person wey get this kind tech, patience no too hard.

One day later, three bionic humans—Ifedike-1 and two normal looking assistants—stand for Swift Shadow hatch.

E be like recruitment for bank job. The three of dem fresh, eyes dey shine. Ifedike dey proud, like papa wey see him pikin graduate.

“Xingzhi, set course. Go Blue World, target: Lion Nation, near the abandoned factory from last time,” Ifedike order through neural link.

His mind dey calculate—if e land for market, people go shout, but for this abandoned factory, e fit control the scene.

“Course set. Enable optical stealth and radar evasion?”

Ifedike pause. Monkey with gun fit sneak remove monkey chief, but if he want make other animals know new chief don show? That urge to control—and small show-off—enter him mind.

He dey remember how for village, new king go do parade. Small pride dey him voice.

“No, cancel stealth. Enter atmosphere normal.”

He dey reason say, "If them wan fear, make dem fear. If dem wan come, make dem come." The boldness dey come from somewhere wey even am no sabi.

“Warning: Cancel stealth go make Blue World tech detect you, fit bring unknown wahala. Confirm?”

For Naija, dem dey talk say, "Who dey fear dog no dey enter bush." Ifedike wan make statement, e no mind the risk.

“Confirm.” Ifedike talk firm.

E voice no shake, e chest dey outside. E don dey ready for whatever go come.

“Command received: Swift Shadow dey go. Go enter Blue World atmosphere in 30 minutes.”

E close eyes, breathe in, as the craft dey zoom. For mind, e dey prepare, dey arrange him story for all the question wey go come.

As Swift Shadow leave Dawn, Blue World air defense alarms for many countries start dey ring at once.

For inside war rooms, red light dey flash. For Naija, na like when Area Boys shout, "Police don land!" everywhere dey hot.

Yankee, North American Air Defense Command:

“General, we don detect one strange target for high orbit, speed dey mad, dey dive come Blue World.” One blonde technical officer jump up, face white.

Monitors dey beep, people dey run helter-skelter. Na only few times dem see this kind wahala.

“Origin? Ballistic missile?” general ask sharp.

Eyebrow raise, voice serious—he dey hope say no be nuclear matter.

“No... no be missile. The way e dey move... no follow, like... one kain aircraft, dey move fast pass anything wey dem don see before, but e dey slow down small-small.”

People dey reason if na Russia or China, but nobody fit claim am. Tension dey increase.

Lion Nation, National Space Monitoring Center:

“Report: unidentified high-speed target dey enter atmosphere, speed still dey mad, but e dey slow down.”

Staff dey look screen, dey sweat. Boss dey adjust cap, dey hope say e no go become national disgrace.

“Calculate trajectory, predict where e go land,” commander talk.

Everybody hands dey move, calculators dey tap, the tension thick like ogbono soup.

“Calculation dey... Target dey slow down well, no be meteorite, na non-natural flying object, go land for Lion Nation, central-south, near Okigwe City.”

All eyes turn one direction. Okigwe no dey ever see this kain attention before.

“Alert Okigwe City Emergency Command Center. First-level alert, move all people for five-kilometre radius, fast!”

Police dey blow siren, people dey shout. For market, mama put dey pack pot, children dey cry, taxi dey jam each other for road.

Big Kudu Nation, Sakura Nation, South Stick Nation... All the countries wey get space monitoring see this uninvited visitor.

Diplomats dey call each other, embassies dey activate protocol. Some people dey shout "alien invasion" for Twitter, others dey pray.

“Connect Lion Nation Foreign Ministry emergency line now.”

“Tell embassy for Lion Nation to monitor the matter.”

“Na alien be this?”

People dey reason, "If na alien, abeg make dem come with rice and oil, no be war."

“Whatever, e dey go Lion Nation.”

World attention rush focus for that area for central Lion Nation. Communication lines just dey hot, different speculations and intelligence dey fly.

For Okigwe City suburbs, night don fall, police sirens dey ring. Residents wey get emergency notice dey move, confusion and fear for their faces.

Small children dey ask, "Mummy, who dey come?" Mamas dey drag wrapper, papas dey carry bag, everybody dey run for safety.

Dem no know wetin dey happen—only say something dangerous dey come down.

For radio, newscasters dey shout, "Stay indoors! Emergency!" Whatsapp groups dey scatter with fake news and memes.

And for ten thousand metres above, for Swift Shadow porthole, the fire from atmospheric friction dey shine like fireworks, person fit see am with naked eye.

The thing fine, but for ground, people dey reason rapture. Old men dey kneel, dey pray, youth dey snap picture for Snapchat.