Thrones of Blood and Dust

Prison extraction

Zarundi, Africa

Diallo lay on his bed with an ear piece stuck in his ears. He closed his eyes, listening to Zugambo’ s music. He stretched his long legs, ran his hand over his afro hair while he ad lib to the music.

He heard a sound and opened his eyes. He saw nothing. He closed his eyes again.

The window!

He opened his eyes again and turned at the window. It was opened. He remembered vividly that he locked the windows. How come this was opened?

Did Funaya come into the room while his eyes were closed and she opened the window?

This was strange. He had to find out.

He got off the bed, and walked out of his room.

He moved his tall sturdy structure along the corridor, passed Teshanda’s room, and walked into the living-room.

He came to an abrupt shock and still. He saw his father’s body lying on his mother’s body. Funaya had her head on the dining table, lifeless and motionless.

Teshanda sat dead on a sofa. Her hair sprawled over her face.

What was going on? Was this for real? He just had dinner with his family forty minutes ago before he went into his room. Were the images of dead people he saw real?

“Hello Diallo.”

Diallo turned to see a huge man dressed in black outfits, wearing a mask.

“Who the hell are you?”Diallo asked in a state of confusion, fear and anger

“You must come with us.”

“To hell with you.’

Two more men came in. One of them smacked Diallo. He staggered before falling down. The second man held his neck with precision, covered his nose and left him lying motionless.

They picked up his body and went out.

********

Manvilla Correction  Centre, San Fransisco

Three years in confinement, clung to humdrum routine of captivity, low relativity, and intimidation. The sight of the sun was a fantasy , with darkness and loneliness in a solid bond to break down souls.

Manvilla Correcion Centre, a dreaded prison yard, where escape was said to be impossible, with twenty six escape attempts in five years and twenty six nullifications of escape plans by the authority, the reputation of Manvilla was scary.

This had been Max Maxwell’s abode for three years. He could still see the judge’s face as he sentenced him. He had taken it for a joke when he heard Life imprisonment. Then he looked into his mother’s eyes and saw her passing out.

That was the only time he ever came near to regret over his actions. He had wanted to regret, not for feeling remorse over his acts but for making his mother pass out.

Life imprisonment!

He was twenty seven years old.

Jailed for robbery. He could see his father’s face, remembering when he said, “you are never good for anything. I was cursed and you came. Your main function is to cause me pains. You are my punishment. You will end up in jail for the rest of your life you bloody thief!”

Life imprisonment for robbery! Was it worth it? Was there any amount of money worth  someone’s life wasting in prsison? Taking a risk over something that could end your life?

He lived the life. He robbed a lot of stores, people, and enjoyed women, alcohol, drugs, parties and clothes.

What else?

Everything he just mentioned was vanity. A lot of lives were wasting just because they could not wait for the right time, right direction or means.

He was going t spend the rest of his life here. His father had never visited him for once since he was incarcerated. He was not surprised.

“Max Maxwell!” A voice said harshly.

Max was sitting on the floor in his cell room. He turned to see the warder who had called him.

The warder was flanked by two armed warders, looking sternly at Max.

“You got a visitor.”

The only person who ever visited him was his mother. The door to the cell was opened and he was put in handcuffs and led to the visitor’s room.

Max saw a man sitting comfortably behind the glass, his hand dabbing the telephone lightly.

The man had a round face, completely shaven with thick eye brows.

He fixed his gaze on Max, studying him. He had some doubts but felt his doubts were personal feelings.

Max was tall, standing over six foot tall. He was strongly built, with moderate rippling muscles. His hair was long, brown and unkempt. His hollow, deep blue eyes looked restless. Below his long nose laid a bushy moustache which joined the long, brown beards.

There was a small dragon tattoo on his neck, and more tattoos on his body.

The man picked the telephone and dialed. Max picked the phone. Both men stared at each other.

“Hello Max.” The man said, with his gaze on Max’s eyes.

“Who are you?”

“I am Bitrux.”

“What?”

“Bitrux. I am told that you are doing a life sentence for robbery.”

“Who the hell are you? A journalist or what?”

“I see that you have a dragon on your neck. Do you love dragons?”

“I am not an interview specimen.” Max said, “if you are doing an analysis, or documentary, or just having fun, then you look  for less busy guys here. I got work to do.”Bitrux chuckled.

“Did you say busy? I mean going back to sit alone in your cell is work.”

“My brain move with a strong force through long distances and if work means force multiplied  by distance, then I got a lot of work to do.”

“Okay, Max. I have my personal doubts but orders must be followed. I am not a plotter. I am executioner.’

“What?”

Bitrux’s face changed at once. The smile he had on his face vanished. He turned his face and looked at a spot on the floor.

It was time!

There was a small blast and the spot he was starring at broke off . Three  men dressed in black outfits, covering their faces with masks popped out.

The prison officials watching the CCTV cameras became alert. What was that blast?

They saw three masked men come out of a hole under.

Shit!

They triggered the alarm system.

The alarm alerted all security units. The electronic fences were active; the pilots all got ready for the fighter jets, the gunmen were all set, running to take strategic position. The satellite trackers were set behind their screens, making sure no part of the yard is out of view.

The security units were in coordination, every unit in connection with the central security system.

“Find underground vibrations. There is a hole somewhere.” A security man behind a screen said.

“Copy that.” An officer said and turns to his screen.

“Enhance underground sounds, find reduced underneath density, amplify organic sound radiation, send data to geographic analyst in the next five three minutes.

Bitrux understood why the facility was s and said to be one of the most secured in the world.

The three men who came up from underground all had guns with them.

They fired at the glass between the visitor and the inmate and it shattered at once.

Max had to drop on the floor, lying on his face to avoid shattered glasses.

Bitrux crossed over and grabbed Max and pulled him up. Max sent a punch at Bitrux. Bitrux shifted his face and the fist zip pass over his face, with a whooping sound. He saw the strength in Max’s body and marveled.

The three masked men covered Max. punched him and he fell down. He tried to fight back, throwing punches which seemed to have little impact on his determined abductors.

The prison guards were now fully armed and coming to take care of the situation.

The men in masks began to fire shots and taking them down.

“There is an underground tunnel.” An analyst said. “From the visitor’s room, it slants with an angle of depression 300 for two hundred feet, then moves straight for three kilometers and elevates with an angle of elevation 450  and opens up..oh my God! It is opens up in the sea.”

“Send the geometrical coordinates. Let the choppers cover the perimeter. They plan to leave thought the sea. They must have a submarine. Get the submarine until there too. There is no escape route for them.”

Following the description of the underground geographical analyst, two submarines were sent towards the opening of the hole under the sea.

“How the hell did they do that?” A warder wondered.

There were fighter jets in the sky, and it seemed every angle was covered.

“Oh my God!” A man behind the screen exclaimed. He saw some of the warders removing their uniforms to expose a black outfit beneath. Impersonators. “We have been compromised.”

There was exchange of gun fires now. The men in masks had this well planned. They also knew the positions of the warders. So many warders and security men were down, including prisoners.

“Take him out.” Bitrux said.

Max wondered what they meant by that. He was bundled into a small box, with holes for air passages and locked. What! He was claustrophobic and this made him sick.

“What the hell are you doing to me?” Max shouted.

One of the men grabbed the box, raised it and flung it into the air. There was another standing a few meters away from him. He grabbed the box and flung it to another man. Max could feel himself being thrown and passed from one man to another. He could not understand this. How did they even have the strength to d that? This was an insult to his personality. Him, Max being flung around like a saucer.

“What are they doing?” The man under the screen observed. “What is in that box?”

“They think we will go out through the hole.” Bitrux said and laughed. “It time to leave. We have to reach Malvaries Station before 13:00 hours. The mission about to be accomplished.”

The box was caught by the last man in position.

From the sky, a big chopper descended and the box was put inside.

“There is a strange chopper landing!” A security man said. The chopper was made of ice.

“What the hell is that?” Another security man exclaimed.

The chopper lifted and the security choppers tried to give it a chase.

It vanished from their sight like flash. The men in outfits in the yard had also disappeared suddenly while a heavy guard was mounted on the hole beneath the sea.

******