Chapter Four

What is the meaning of this?

A very familiar voice changed the mood in the training room with the speed of light, the very voice feared by everything and everyone in the institute. Doctor Mugabe the institute head scientist walked in followed by Logan and a few of his colleagues in tow.

The crowd moved back respectfully as he walked slowly towards the scene, hands folded calmly behind him as Logan rushed forward to heal the twins, hands glowing with electric current.

“What is the meaning of this Miss Monroe?’’ Doctor Mugabe asked again, his voice cutting through the dead silence, filled only with the occasional sparks from Logan’s powers as he healed the second twin. “Can you not carry out your simple duty without bringing the whole institute down on us eh.’’

“But professor,’’ Fortuna started.

“Miss Monroe, there’s a reason you were hired to be a drill instructor, to make sure the combat exercises doesn’t blow out of proportion, so explain to me why you seem to lag at your duty in controlling the specimens."

only doctor Mugabe still called the children specimens or use numbers to identify them, to him they were just objects of research. Fortuna was fidgeting, Babybaby seem to find it amusing because she wasn’t looking so tough now.

“The children were out of control professor, Obiora attacked the twins using his abilities when he was supposed to drill hand to hand, when I ordered him turned over for punishment the other hatchlings disobeyed direct order and turned against us.’’

“That’s not true; Babybaby cried, unfortunately bringing the doctor’s attention to where they stood fidgeting.

The doctor stared at them, cold fear ran down Omotola’s spine as his listless gaze swept past her, he had been known to put a specimen out of commission if he deemed it too below standard for his satisfaction, by commission; meaning disposal, eradication...you get the picture. A tall bony old man, heavily bearded, his bright beady eyes defining the mad genius of a mad scientist.

Babybaby too young to keep her mouth shut yapped on explaining how the twins mocked Obiora to anger resulting in him injuring them.

“He didn’t try to wound them on purpose, his wings caught fire and shot at them because they made him mad professor sir.’’

That got the doctor’s attention. He ordered for a video log of the fight to be brought to him.

“Interesting,” he croaked, oblivious to the gathering standing nervously around him as he watched Obiora showering the twins with the feathered dart from his wings replayed over and over again. “The pyrokinesis enhanced specimen seems to have evolved more around his abilities by directing his flaming wingspan to eject quill-like, in which unserviceable feathers are once again useful, fascinating.’’

The doctor seems to be in a lab of his own as he mumbled to himself. The twins fully healed helped each other up caught his attention.

“You boy, he croaked pointing a bony finger at the stricken Obiora, ‘’since how long have this abilities been procured.’’

“Huh, I don't know sir, I just did it errr it just felt right at that moment, Obiora shrugged.

“Fascinating the doctor croaked, once more, the subject of his attention forgotten, ‘’Mr. Lawal, report your handle to the lab for testing immediately, you should report any new development amidst your handles, it is what you are being paid to do.

“Yes doctor.’’ Obiora’s handler replied as he nervously ushered the glum faced boy out of the drill hall.

“The rest of the specimens are to be confined to their cubicles for the rest of the day without dinner, that's enough to think about the next time they decide to become bad eggs.’’

Babybaby started but Amaka her handler held her shoulder stopped her with a warning shake of her head as he continued.

“Miss Monroe and the twins are to write a report on why they almost started a coup at their stations and in which they are to convince this facility why it should still retain their services, now the rest of you no lollygagging, go about your businesses.’’

On saying this, the doctor turned on his heels and strolled out of the hall hands folded calmly behind him.

“That went well,’’ Logan smiled as the staff dispersed and the rest of the 5th generation children were being herded out like sheep by their handlers, mapper drones and nervous Askaris guards.

“That wasn’t fair’’ Binta moaned, “These wings are as big as we are and could turn on us if we don’t feed them.’’

Logan chuckled, “believe me the doctor seems to be in a good mood, I remembered the punishments used to be much more severe." They chattered on asking Logan about his health while he smiled and answered, Logan smiled a lot. tall and athletic, curly hair like a cherub, gentle despite his age and powers, the rest of the children on the other hand had tempers like a warthog with a boil on his butt, his single golden brown wing must had been beautiful to look at with its missing half.

Omotola didn’t realize she was brooding alone until Logan asked her joking if she was taking over Shettima’s ability to brood. She opened her mouth and was about telling them about the nightmares of the man with the tortured wail and the men in white coats that unsurprisingly looked like Doctor Mugabe and his fellow scientists, but the cctv cams, the patrolling robot sentinels, the Askaris and the ever present mapper drones kept the words back as she shook her head instead in answer to Logan’s question.