Mirabel was panting, her legs burning, her lungs aching, as she ran through the seemingly endless hallways. She was grateful to have escaped, even if only temporarily, from Esse's clutches. She knew that her freedom wouldn't last long, that Esse would be hunting her, but she had to use this time to plan, to find a way to turn the tables.
Just as a flicker of hope ignited within her, she heard the unmistakable screech of Riptor, the sound echoing through the compound, shattering her fleeting sense of security. Her heart pounded in her chest, her blood running cold. She knew that Riptor's presence meant that Esse was close, that her escape was about to be cut short.
She continued to run, desperation fueling her movements, but it was too late. A searing pain ripped through her stomach, a blinding agony that sent her crashing to the floor. She gasped for breath, her hands clutching at the wound, her fingers slick with warm, sticky blood.
She looked down, her eyes widening in horror. Protruding from her abdomen was the unmistakable form of Esse's two-sided spear, its gold and steel gleaming menacingly in the dim light. The blood flowed freely, staining her clothes, pooling on the floor beneath her.
With a shuddering breath, she closed her eyes, her body trembling uncontrollably. This was it. This was how it ended. captured, and now, dying.
Then, with a gasp, she awoke, her eyes snapping open, her body drenched in sweat. She was still chained to the wall, still imprisoned in Esse's dungeon. The pain in her stomach lingered, a phantom sensation that felt all too real.
She looked up, her eyes meeting a familiar pair of glowing green eyes. Esse stood before her, a cruel smile playing on her lips.
"Hope you had a good sleep," Esse said, her voice dripping with malice. "I'm going to break you mentally before I kill you."
Esse kicked her hard in the ribs, the force of the blow sending her sprawling against the chains, her body wracked with pain. As Esse continued to taunt and torment her, Mirabel knew that she had to act quickly, before Esse changed her mind and decided to end her life.
She remembered a contingency plan, a failsafe she had reluctantly agreed to implement at Elliot's urging. She had hoped she would never need to use it, but now, with her life hanging in the balance, she had no other choice.
Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, ignoring the pain searing through her body. When she was sure that Esse wasn't watching, she managed to drag her chained hands to the back of her neck, beneath her hair. There, concealed beneath the surface of her skin, was a small, bio-engineered chip.
With a trembling finger, she quickly tapped the chip, activating it and sending a coded signal to the Bermuda Triangle headquarters, alerting Elliot to her dire situation.
Back at headquarters, Elliot received the signal, his face paling with concern. He shook his head, a mixture of worry and frustration washing over him. "I warned her," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "But she wouldn't listen." He was scared that what he had been fearing most has finally taken over and the reality of having to possibly save Mirabel from possible death was now his top priority.
Elliot reacted swiftly, his movements precise and efficient as he prepared for the daunting mission ahead. He slammed his fist on a large red button, activating a hidden compartment that revealed a gleaming array of futuristic, high-tech weaponry.
He knew the odds were stacked against him. He was about to confront one of the most powerful and influential families in Nigeria, a family steeped in ancient magic and wielding unimaginable power. But he couldn't abandon Mirabel, not after she had risked everything to help him.
Without hesitation, he grabbed every weapon he could carry, packing them carefully into a sturdy, reinforced suitcase. He grabbed his jumper, a device that allowed him to travel through time and space, took a deep breath, and typed in the coordinates he had received from Mirabel's chip. With a press of a button, he initiated the jump, the world around him dissolving into a blur of colors and sensations.
He materialized in 1885, the air thick with humidity, the sounds of the bustling marketplace filling his ears. He immediately opened a small, handheld device that displayed a map of the surrounding area, pinpointing Mirabelle's location with a blinking dot.
Meanwhile, back in the dungeon, Esse , having grown tired of her cruel game, left Mirabelle chained and bleeding, promising to return later for more. A few minutes after Esse's departure, Mirabel managed a weak whistle, the sound barely audible above the dripping water and her own ragged breathing.
To her relief, she heard a response, a series of quick, efficient footsteps approaching her cell. She looked up, her heart soaring with hope as Elliot appeared in the doorway, his face grim, his eyes filled with determination.
He quickly used a plasma knife, a sleek, futuristic device that emitted a beam of superheated energy, to unlock the cell door and cut through the chains binding Mirabel's wrists and ankles. The knife hissed and sparked as it sliced through the metal, releasing Mirabel from her prison.
As soon as they were free, they heard the distinct sound of approaching footsteps, the voices of Esse and Onome growing louder with each passing second.
"We have to go," Elliot said, his voice urgent, grabbing Mirabel's arm.
But Mirabel resisted, her eyes filled with determination. "We can't leave Eamon," she insisted. "We have to rescue him first."
Elliot hesitated, knowing that they were already pushing their luck, that every second they spent in the compound increased their risk of capture. But he couldn't deny Mirabel's plea, couldn't abandon Eamon to Esse's cruelty.
He sighed, relenting. He knew there wasn't enough time to argue. He handed Mirabel the jumper.
She quickly typed in the coordinates she received earlier. Then pressed jump and they appeared in the cave where Eamon was chained.
Suddenly, they heard a loud thunder which sent shivers down, Elliot and Mirabel's spine. They removed the gag from Eamon's mouth and tried to use a plasma knife to cut Amon free. Eamon then told Mirabel that the chains were magical. That there was no easy way to free him and they couldn't depend on technology for this.
He held a finger up and said, "Hush. Now listen." You could hear a distant hum in the air. Almost inaudible, he could tell the change in the environment. They wouldn't be able to move for long if they stayed there.
With a low voice Eamon said "That they've probably made Ehogsa create a storm to stop them so they better be going before it's too late!"
Mirabel didn't want to give up on Eamon. She desperately wanted to free him, to alleviate his suffering, but Eamon kept insisting that they had to leave, that their safety was paramount.
Then, something incredibly strange happened. Mirabel began to glitch, her body flickering and distorting as if she were a character in a poorly rendered video game. One moment she was there, solid and real, the next she was a fragmented, pixelated mess.
Both Elliot and Eamon stared at her in stunned silence, their faces etched with disbelief and confusion. Mirabel, equally bewildered and terrified, frantically tried to regain control, but the glitching continued, her body flickering in and out of existence.
She immediately looked at Eamon for answers. He had been trapped in this world for so long he would know what was going on. Eamon gave an expression that he had been expecting this for a while now. He gave her an answer, "One of them must be opening a gate."
Mirabel was still confused but knew that there was no time left to ask, she had to go. The situation turned urgent. Then Amon told her, his voice filled with urgency, that in order to understand this and get her powers back, they must get the boy, the medium Moses,to the Bermuda Triangle headquarters before it's too late! "Go now!" he yelled.
Meanwhile, back home in 2024 Lagos, Adunni was also experiencing the same bizarre phenomenon. She began to glitch, her body flickering and distorting, her surroundings momentarily transforming into bizarre, unrecognizable shapes. It wasn't 2024 anymore. Something was shifting. Time was moving in and out of shape.
The glitching worried her uncle Olamide who was right there. He tried to grab her hand but was unable to touch it! Everything around her began to change and was glitching out of control, with different parts of the environment switching uncontrollably Her eyes turned a brilliant shade of blue, and she released a wave of energy that washed over the house, causing everything around them to glitch and transform. The modern flat-screen TV reverted to a grainy black and white television from the 1950s, while a nearby table morphed into a sleek, futuristic design.
. Then, in a flash of light, Adunni glitched out of the room entirely.
Elliot, seeing the urgency in Eamon's eyes, didn't hesitate. He knew that they were running out of time, that the situation was rapidly spiraling out of control.
He immediately input the coordinates into the jumper, grabbed Mirabel's arm, and pressed the jump button. The world around them dissolved into a swirling vortex of colors and sensations, transporting them away from the cave, away from Eamon, and into the familiar surroundings of the Bermuda Triangle headquarters.
Just moments after their departure, Esse and Onome stormed into the cave, their faces etched with fury, their eyes blazing with power.
"Where are they?"Esse demanded, her voice echoing through the cavern.
Eamon, still chained to the wall, simply laughed, a defiant, mocking sound that infuriated Esee.
"They're long gone," he said, his voice filled with triumph.
Esse slapped him hard across the face, silencing his laughter, her eyes burning with malice. "Not from us," she hissed.
Turning to Onome, a wicked grin spread across her face. "I have an idea," she said, her voice dripping with menace.
Honome stared at her, her brow furrowing with concern. "No way," she said, her voice filled with apprehension. " she won't even agree, you know her." Onome said , knowing Esse's intentions
Esse, ignoring Onome's protests, turned and strode towards the entrance of the cave, her intentions clear. Whatever she was planning, it was sure to be devastating.
Adunni materialized in an unfamiliar location, her head spinning, her body disoriented. She looked around, her eyes widening with confusion. She knew she was still in Nigeria, but everything was different, alien. The architecture was a strange mix of the old and the new, the atmosphere thick with an oppressive sense of tension.
She couldn't tell what time period she was in, whether she had been transported to the distant future, the distant past, or somewhere in between. All she knew was that something was wrong, terribly wrong.
As she walked through the deserted streets, she noticed that everyone seemed subdued, their faces etched with fear, their movements furtive and cautious. The air was heavy with a sense of dread, as if an unseen force was watching their every move.
Then, she saw them. A group of figures dressed in black, their faces concealed behind menacing masks. They moved with a chilling efficiency, their eyes scanning the area, their hands gripping weapons of unknown origin. They looked like some kind of futuristic police force.
The moment they spotted Aduni, their demeanor changed, their eyes narrowing with suspicion. They turned towards her, their movements growing quicker, more aggressive.
"Who is she?" one of them barked, his voice distorted by a voice modulator. "Where is she from? We don't recognize her magical signature or anything."
Without waiting for a response, they surged forward, pursuing Adunni with relentless determination. She knew she had to escape, to find a safe haven where she could figure out what was going on.
Her eyes glowed blue as she reached out with her powers, releasing a wave of energy that rippled through the air, slowing time itself. The guards stumbled, their movements growing sluggish, their attacks losing their force.
But the effect was only temporary. The farther she got from them, the faster they recovered, their pursuit growing ever more relentless. They fired arrows, shot lasers. Aduni kept on running.
Just when she thought she couldn't run anymore, she collided with another figure, stumbling backward in surprise. She looked up, her eyes widening with recognition. She had seen this person before, somewhere, sometime, but she couldn't quite place him.
The figure stared back at her, his eyes mirroring her own sense of bewilderment. He had the same expression as if he saw a ghost . "Wait, Adunni? How is this…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he snapped to attention, his eyes hardening. "You time travelers," he muttered, his voice laced with a mixture of annoyance and resignation.
He turned to Adunni, his eyes urging her to take cover. "Get behind me," he said, his voice low and urgent. "He's going to kill him for this."
Turning to the guards he shouted . "Ihęn!" (Fire!). As he did, an explosion launched towards the black guard. As the distraction caused the black guard to stumble back, Christopher told her they were going to move!
Christopher grabbed her hand, dragging her behind him as he activated a device on his wrist. In a flash of light, they teleported away, leaving the guards behind, their pursuit thwarted, at least for the moment.
They materialized in a dimly lit underground room, a stark contrast to the sterile, oppressive atmosphere of the streets above. Christopher released her hand, striding towards a makeshift bar in the corner of the room. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey, poured himself a generous glass, and downed it in one gulp.
Adunni, still reeling from the whirlwind of events, stared at him in bewilderment. "Where are we?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Who are you? What is this place? What is going on?"
Christopher sighed, setting down his glass and turning to face her. "Okay," he said, his voice laced with weariness. "This might be confusing, or it might not be, depending on how you're going to take it. It's me, Christopher. And this," he gestured around the room, "is the future. it's safe for now. But the question is: what the fuck are you doing here?"