ELVIS (ACTION) EPISODE 25&26

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.

02:00 AM

The ride to ‘work’ was a disparaging one, he almost ran into a truck, he knocked over dustbins lying on the sidewalks in a bid to avoid onrushing cars after turning to the wrong side of the lane, he disobeyed all traffic laws and ran all red lights leaving colliding cars and strings of accidents in his wake. Curses and abuses- a normal vocal interacting medium in Lagos- flew after him after been thrown by incredulous and angry drivers and pedestrians.

He kept on rummaging about how dumb and blind he had been, his stomach churning in fury impregnated with anger. He slammed on the brake as he turned into the compound housing ‘work’. He slammed his door in anger as he walked furiously towards the lounge and towards the elevator. He tapped his foot in anger as he waited endlessly for the elevator to ding and stop at the 19th floor. It did and he stormed furiously towards his office.

Ellie’s not at her table, he walked into his office and saw her coming from his restroom, he slammed the door shut before rushing towards her, he gripped the neck of her flowing gown and dragged her to his table throwing away everything on it, he raised his fisted right hand to strike her face, but his hands stopped in its tracks when he saw the pair of swollen blood-shot eyes looking meekly at him.

He couldn’t do it. All his anger dissappeared, her eyes are well swollen, she must have been crying for long, the swollen eyes reached into the recesses of his inner self, he saw love and pleading behind the pair of bulging eyes. He felt himself going numb and falling back. He hit the floor weakly with his buttocks and felt himself crying. He now knows how much he loved her.

“I’m sorry” he heard, he raised his head to discover that Ellie had raised herself off the table, she’s now sitting at the foot of the table, he gown dishevelled but she heed not to that. her make-up is ruined, he cheeks paler and she looks forlorn.

“I learnt about it yesterday’ She managed to say.

“What?, learn about what?, you’ve been leaking everything about us, did you do all those yesterday?” Elvis asked getting worked up.

She was silent.

Elvis walked up furiously, and went to her bag, rummaging all through it, spilling and knocking out some items, he found her phone and marched towards her angrily. He had selected the picture and showed her.

“Who is this?” Elvis asked.

No answer.

“I said who is this?, did you just meet him?” Elvis asked again getting angrier.

Yet no answer.

“I said who is this?” he said shaking her furiously

“He was my fiance.” she replied shaken.

“was……your…..fiance?, so you met all those YESTERDAY?, he’s a key member of MSN’s gang” Elvis said screaming.

Knocks could be heard from the door, with Timi requesting what’s going on. Elvis entreated him to leave, saying all is fine.

Ellie was all the while silent, sucking underneath the furious Elvis. She kept on sulking, which wetted the remorse appetite of Elvis. He felt hurt but still reeling in anger.

“After my graduation from Hallmark, my parents died in a ghastly motor accident with my siblings, I was the only one left, jobless and felt abandoned. I was a stranger even to my extended families and relatives, no friends, I was alone in the world. I was so sad so much that I was closing in on committing suicide, then I met Andrew.” Ellie started.

“Andrew gave me everything most importantly happiness, he made my happiness his sole responsibility, gave me a reason to live. He was handsome and I was attracted to him, but wasn’t in love with him. I felt indebted to him and felt the least I could do is give in to his proposal for all he has done for me, and we started dating before he got me this job” she poured out

“How he did it, I don’t know but he said he wants me to put my brain into work after a long time of none, I oblidge and was glad I could do something myself and not burden him too much, more glad because I could go a long way in fighting the insecurity of this nation. It changed when I met you, a hero from my past, you captured my heart but I can’t hurt Andrew, so I decided to bottle up my feelings.”

“It all started when I got a call from someone telling me they need me to do something for them, that is to release information about the ICO to them, I declined but they sent me a video of Andrew tied to a chair with scars all over him, he had been beaten to stupor and they are threatening to kill him if I decline their request, I owe him my life, now is my turn to save his. I complied and give out the information in exchange for Andrew, but they never released him.”

“I was crying over the issue when you saw me crying on my desk that day, I saw the hurt in your eyes, too timid to be betrayed especially by someone you love, I’ve been wanting to tell you but you always turn me down, or wasn’t available, I did it all to save my own good Samaritan”

“I learnt I was been used yesterday and also learnt of their impending attack on your house, that’s why I tried to warn you, but you have gone.” Ellie said.

Elvis was dumbfounded when he learnt all that, he couldn’t say anything, its true he had been turning her down, also he had been coming to the office less often, due to him not wanting to see her and also to him been busy.

The shrill from the phone with him broke the silence, Ellie’s phone. The caller is Andrew. He handed it to Ellie to pick it, she did grudgingly and put it on speakers.

“Hello” Ellie said into the phone.

“Why did he give you the phone?, give it to him” Andrew said curtly. Ellie handed it to Elvis.

“If you dare talk to her like that again, I’ll kill…….” Elvis ranted but was cut short.

“Shhhssss……she’s mine remember, but seems I’ve lost her, but I guess you have other things to worry about” Andrew replied coolly.

“What will I worry about from a s**tload like you” Elvis replied shaking furiously.

“Someone wants to speak with you” Andrew replied.

“Elvis….please…..who are these people……..came to your house and met……..pls dnt let them take me…” Jane’s voice rang out from the other end. His head went numb again.

“Jane….Jane..Don’t you dare hurt her……I’ll kill you b-----d……sone of a b***h……” Elvis screamed into the phone after Jane’s voice ended.

“Shsssh….you like shouting, bad for your health, if you want her, meet us under the Erinpa bridge by 10:00pm today, come alone and no foul play…..if you do, she’s a goner.” Andrew replied sternly…”Say hi to my sweetheart for me” He added sacarstically before dropping the call.

“Wait….wait….don’t hurt her please…. hello…. please……” Elvis pleaded into the dead connection.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Elvis almost slumped after the connection went stale. He couldn’t believe his sister; his only sister has been captured. He was dumbfounded and perplexed. His CNS went offline and he felt an emptiness feeling deep within him. Everything around him became still and he couldn’t breathe. His stiff self didn’t notice when the phone fell off his hands and hit the floor with a shattering sound, parts flying around on the tiled floor.

Ellie on the other hand was visibly shaken and couldn’t utter a word. She sat still in her previous location. Elvis was losing the inner war his mind is fighting against the dementing feeling quickly gathering within him. He will surely lose his saneness at this rate. The pounding on the door has increased and the apprehension shouts of his teammates reached him faintly as he sink deeper into himself. He managed to make for the door and open the door to meet the confused looks on his team members, other teams are already gathering at the door and some are already planning on breaking down the door.

Timi and Dauda rushed in and was relieved when they saw Ellie safe and sound; they must have thought there leader has gone to the extreme. Confused and questioning looks could be seen from the bystanders at the door, Elvis beckoned to Ben- who was totally lost- to come in before slamming the door shut on the face of the nosy bystanders.

After flurry of questioning and pleading questions, Elvis managed to explain in details to his teammates, from the very beginning with Ellie to the call, they listened with rapt attention, the atmosphere in the room got thicker as they each tried to think straight. Their team leader has given them the first details of a mission without him diving into it alone, but this is quite bigger than they could manage.

America doesn’t bargain with terrorists but we are currently in Nigeria where terrorism walks nakedly on the highway daring anyone to come near. Elvis going will be a as disastrous as him not going, his sister’s life is at stake and his too is at stake if he goes; if they could abduct his sister, his whole family is at stake too.

“Wait, you said they sent you videos of them torturing Andrew, are they still on your phone?” Timi said suddenly breaking the silence at Ellie.

“I deleted them, they are too gruesome to look at save the last one they sent yesterday” Ellie replied.

“Where’s your phone?” Timi asked, now catching the attention of them all.

All eyes turned to the shattered pieces of the phone Elvis has unconsciously thrown down, the battery and casing are light-years away from each other, and the screen is broken. Timi rushed towards it and started breaking it further apart to the dismay of others, he kept breaking it till he got to the micro hard disk of the phone. He made for the laptop on Elvis’s table and managed to connect it to the computer after a visit to his own desk.

He rummaged through the files on the micro hard disk with the mouse. He had been joined by the other members of the team including Ellie; they had stood around the desk watching in awe at the screen of the monitor as Timi ransacked the files of the phone memory.

“It’s not here” Ellie said, “It’s on the memory chip” she added. All eyes turned to the phone mess on the floor again like they are automated. Timi hurried towards the mess and found the memory card, after a few clicks……and with Ellie’s guidance, he found the video.

The video showed Andrew tied to a chair and him being oppressed by some assailants who’s face weren’t shown, only threatening words and hands of the assailants could be heard and seen as they slap and beat Andrew who groan and mumble in pain as he was being beaten. One of the hands of the assailants has a tattoo below his thumb which Elvis has seen somewhere before. His crisp sense of recollection came into play and he remembered the tattoo located in the same position on the hand of the man from his dream, the man who was examining the unconscious boy-himself. That is why the dream keeps coming back, its showing him something, and right before him in the video is the BTU hall bomber. He tried to recollect the face from his dream but he couldn’t, the identity of the man before him is also unknown.

After threatening words meant for Ellie has been said, urging her to leak more information or else her fiancé will be the casualty, the video went blank but the audio was still on-a mistake on the recorder’s part- the voice of Andrew could be heard laughing hysterically mocking Ellie’s gullibility and credulousness before reiterating the impending storm on Elvis’s house to a group of men who must be close by with the proximity of their response to the recording area. The audio scrambled before stopping finally. The all heaved and took deep breathes as they excogitated over what they just heard. Ellie for one is already crying apparently at her absolute dumbness and sheer gullibility.

“What is the plan?” Ben asked after some minutes of silence.

“The plan is for me to go and get my sister out” Elvis said.

“You can’t go alone, it’s too dangerous, and there must be a way” Dauda said still trying so hard to think.

“We have to tell the other teams and storm them before they could react” Ben suggested.

“Jane will serve as forfeiture” Ellie replied between sobs, wallowing in the guilt of the consequences of her downright stupidity. Elvis patted her softly and understandably, she sniffed in response.

“Something is certain, we can’t alert the other teams and you can’t go in alone” Timi said bringing them out of their individual reveries “But we can do it as a team” he added.

“I agree with Timi, we’ll sneak in on them as we did at the Emeralds, we have to come up with a convincing plan of annihilating them before they could act, we can rescue Jane and if possible arrest some of them” Dauda added.

“We don’t know how large they’ll be in quantity” Elvis asked

“Abduction and terrorist negotiations doesn’t need large amount of personnel, maximum is six, that’s the basic” Dauda said.

“Okay, I think the plan should be like this, Sir, you have to get close enough to the terrorist and make sure Jane’s safe, Ben and Dauda will be close by on hand to act as a first hand help, the other teams will lie in wait at the adjoining street ready to attack in civilian vehicles and clothing.” Timi summarized like a pre-crammed memory verse.

“That’s fair enough” Dauda agreed.

“Great thinking Timi” Ben said knocking Timi’s head, “thought you have only computers in this head” he added playfully before readjusting himself to the sober atmosphere at play.

“I’ll brief the IG of the situation at hand and prompt him to get the other teams ready” Elvis said.

Since no objection is raised, they all set to work, Ben and Dauda working on how to be in the vicinity of the upcoming event, Timi went to get to work on the Information amenities the team’s going to need for the mission. Elvis was left with Ellie, he made to go to the IG’s office but was pulled back by a hand, he turned and a pair of luscious lips met his, he responded as he kissed Ellie deeply. They were in each other’s hands for some minutes before they broke apart with Elvis still trying to recover from the sudden moment of bliss he just enjoyed.

“Save Jane and kill that b*****d of a thousand fathers for me” Ellie said softly before nudging him softly to go on.

Elvis nodded stupidly, still flushed as he turned and made for the IG’s office. Few minutes later, he walked out of the IG’s office smiling, all plans are in place, this is going to be good.
…………………………………………………………………………………….

10:15 PM

Elvis had been under the Erinpa Bridge for the past 30minutes, he’s punctual against his usual self maybe due to the sacrosanct nature of the situation at hand but there has been no glimpse of Jane’s abductors. Ben and Dauda are lurking under some large pillars of the bridge, his communication gadgets are in place and functioning pretty well, even Timi had insisted on injecting him with a tracker in case something unprecedented comes up, it’ll serve as a contingent to lead them to him. The other teams from the office are lying in wait in the adjoining street waiting patiently for any sign of suspicious movement.

The sound of a car rushing at him at full speed made him turn, just in time for him to jump out of the path of the onrushing van, two men in face masks jumped out of the van which has stopped right beside him, they rushed towards him and picked him forcefully, dragging him towards the van. Dauda saw what’s happening he rushed towards Elvis to help, a shot rang and he fell. Elvis was dumped inside the back of the van, an electronic device was used to scan him, it beeped at the location where Timi had injected the tracker, a knife is produced and the tracker was forcefully removed and squashed. He was searched and all communication devices are strapped off him and squashed. He watched helplessly has four masked men glare at him and one is holding him down, something he doesn’t think is needed; he can’t fight through five men.

“I told you to come alone, but cops are stubborn especially naïve and emotional ones” Andrews said smacking his lips lustfully.

Andrews dealt him a blow that was aimed to knock him out, it did its job, he felt himself falling helplessly as his eyelids close like a reflex action. Darkness engulfed him as the van gathered speed towards its location.