At The Intelligent Agency lights turned on at the hall, at the centre Aaro was tied with chains against a customised chair made of steel for his body while his antennas roamed freely.
“Looking good so far!” Ken walked inside the hall as the slide door enclosed. “After some time having eating nothing,” Ken stood next to Aaro 5 feet away. “What difference does it make if you won’t talk?” Aro just looked at him. Ken got closer into his chair looking throughout the creatures alien eyes, and then held the two chair arms with his hands.
“We are working against time here!” Ken was not getting anywhere. He let go of the chair and stared up in the direction of professors swinging his defeated head.
*****
Late at night Dr Ferguson went passed Gabriel in the dining room watching the news channel. He stopped for a second as a report of a big roach which transformed and was roaming around someone else’s room was on.
He walked back to his lab. The evil scientist was commanding the bugs as they were all operating the computers in the laboratory.
“Everybody listen! The time is running out, the first species has been discovered. We can rest assured they are investigating him. By tomorrow we should be finished with the new extreme evolutionary machine so as the latest Version 6.8 general evolutionary machine. I need that blue light injection too. Lastly, by the break of dawn all the animals in this lab should have evolved or got rid of! Now get back to work!”
*****
In the next morning at the mars street the pair of pigeons observed the tired rats making their way back dragging their long tails.
“I told you, Kevin said, “they always don’t know where they’re going!” Donald agreed standing at the same roof of number 124.
James sat down on the street concrete and lay flat breathing hard; his gang stopped and went back to him.
“I’m dying today! Take my body and burry it next to Steve my uncle. And don’t let Sticks say a word” Sticks smiled at him across the sky.
“But but I want to write you a show short moaning poem!” Sticks stuttered.
“Look at this lazy fat rat with his belly still unsteady,” Daisy said.
“Don’t you want to be rich ha?” Captain Pain said. The three heads looked at James not moving a muscle.
“Yes boss I do,”
“Okay I’m feeling tired too! Will drink that grandma’s wine four houses away, steal her food on the oven, then rest under her sofa for the day. By night fall we should jump back at this street running the opposite direction. Now let’s go!” the three left James struggling to get back on his feet.
James managed to get up and ran to his companion. Mr Mifflin’s car got passed them, and stopped on the stop sign.
“What is bothering you Tom you look so worried?” Mr Mifflin asked.
“I just don’t feel like going to school today.”
The car left the stop sign as Mr Maffling struggled to look at Tom during their conversation and still pay attention to the road.
“People will always have something to say. You have to learn how choose what to listen,”
“It’s easy for you to say,” he looked outside the window.
Tom got to school and saw Gabriel getting off from Soffy’s car. Gabrielle waved Soffy goodbye as she joined Tom on his way to the school premises.
“Are you okay?” she asked and he stopped.
“Not after figuring out that your dad created him in order to get back at people,”
The school bell rang and they went their separate ways. During class the principal of the school Mr Stollard entered his class.
“Tom, can you report to my office now.”
Everybody looked at him as he stood up putting his books backin the school bag.
The teacher was trying to complete his explanation when Tom passed Gabriel; they both shared a look. Tom got in the principal’s office and saw three black suites in black shades sitting there. Mr Stollard stood up to close the door as Tom shifted to the side.
“I’m afraid to let you know that today I’m letting you go early from my school at the hands of these for gentlemen. I will contact your parents and let them know about this.”
The three gentlemen stood up and one of them gave Mr Stollard a hand shake.
Thank you for your co-operation.”
Tom was escorted out as the gentleman’s reinforced his movement. Tom’s class mates all looked from the windows as he was escorted out of the school by the man in black riding 3 classic black vehicles.
Tom entered the back seat with his school bag and saw Ken. Tom sat in front of him while the three cars turned. Ken took off his black shades to glimpse at the young man insecure of his presence there.
“By the way, I’m Ken the Ceo of The Intelligent Agency. We’re here to ask few questions about your friend and careless about whom you are!”
Tom looked down at him and frowned.
“What questions?” Tom asked.
“Questions like, what makes your friend different from his kind?”
Tom looked down on his bag between his legs.
“I don’t know. He’s just different, that’s all!”
Ken did not respond and enjoyed the ride with a chilled face. The cars drove for miles until they reached landscapes with no human activities taking place, where hawks dominate humble mountains with their distinctive calls; bushveld swap soil with declining twist’s across the valley of dissolution.
They drove to the nearest tall tree to park their cars in a mini circle around the timber. Came out in an overall of 8, one of them opened for Tom to exit the vehicle, he came out very slowly looking around to see where they were. Ken came out last from the other side to join them in the shadow of foliole.
“Isn’t it a lovely day to die? The sun has come out to say goodbye, Tom. And winds are ready to take you home.”
He stopped in front of them; one of his agents presented him with an open black brief case containing a 9mm gun. Ken clutched the pistol against his palms loading silver bullets.
“I wish I can die in the ocean during this war,” looking up the sky. “It seems more silent there. But only if it’s because of one futile kid.”
One of his agents opened a laptop, the other agent clicked the buttons to preview a video call back in the laboratory while the rest stood around in shades for a look out. The electronic P.C screen broadcasted Aaro from the hall unconscious. Tom viewed his friend and was taken by surprise.
“What is really going on here?” Tom shouted and the two agents captured from behind.
“What do you think? We have a big talking roach here. He can bring us same immense company if we do not act now!”
“Is that you Tom?” Aaro asked looking at the screen drowsly.
“Wake up sleepy head!” Ken shouted turning towards Aaro. “Your ally wants to say a word. Hasn’t he passed metamorphoses? But at least now he’s talking. Maybe tomorrow you can go buy ice cream together.” He was laughing along with his agents.
Tom turned his head towards Ken.
“What did you do to him?”
Ken turned his attention towards Aaro then suddenly pointed the gun towards Tom’s head; Tom panicked looking both at Ken and Aaro to hear what he had to say.
“Start talking,” Ken ordered looking at the screen. “Where is your boss?”
“What boss are we talking about?” Tom asked.
“They are talking about Dr Ferguson Tom.”
Ken’s agent searched about him in the laptop.
“We got him boss,” agent said, “he is 180km meters way!”
Ken smashed Tom’s head with the pistol behind and Tom fell on the ground holding his head. Ken escorted his agents as they drifted recklessly back into the road to speed off in the dust.
***
Tell us: What do you think will happen next?