Two

Still at the Safehouse. 

Osun, Nigeria. 

Temi watched as her father swiped at the binary codes on the left and the robotic figure that hovered on the right. Emotions she couldn't explain fluttered in her. One, however, made sense. Guilt. 

Where this emotion came from confused her. She was not supposed to feel any, given she wasn't human anymore. 

"How do you feel?" She jerked up at her father's question. 

There are many answers to this question. She thought to herself of how she couldn't feel, wasn't supposed to feel or is supposed to feel. 

"All you had was a simple instruction, Temi, and you disobeyed. Her father sighed and turned to look at her. "I only want the best for you, I wanted you to live like an ordinary child. All you had to do was stay indoors."

"I am sorry," She said and lowered her head.

"Come here," A chair appeared between them, "sit. I need to remove the tracker I put in you. It could be hacked into and we don't want that to happen."

Her father crouched behind her, lifting her brown braided hair. She tilted her head forward and felt as he worked. It, however, did not hurt. It was as though someone gently stroked her neck. 

A gentle clap sounded and her hair fell down her shoulders. The tracker is removed. 

"Temi, promise me, from henceforth you will do as I say. No matter what happens." He requested. She felt his arms wrap around her. 

"I promise." 

Soft lips pressed against her forehead. "Thank you. Off to bed with you and remember to pray."

Temi nodded and had Alpha escort her to the room where her mother was already asleep. She sank into bed and let out a small sigh. She brushed away the hair on her mother's face and shuffled closer, enjoying the warmth. 

"I'm sorry. For everything." Temi whispered before closing her eyes. 

The next day.. 

6:00am

The Johnsons ushered themselves into the hovercar at the crack of dawn. 

"We are taking the ground, Alpha." Dayo decided. 

"Why?" He heard Ire ask. 

"We need to stay off radar and it is way safer going old school. They wouldn't be expecting us to do that. I hope." Dayo answered. 

All four tyres slowly dropped from beneath the vehicle and adjusted themselves to the sides. The plate number of the automobile changed and the colour of the automobile changed from silver to blue. 

"Switch to manual control and mask our features," Dayo said. Out of the smooth dash panel came a steering wheel. The front screen cleared, and a smooth paved road spread into oblivion before them. The features of its occupants changed for those looking in from the outside. Dayo's bald head became a mop of grey hair and wrinkles appeared on his face, Sharon looked older with a short pixie hair, Ire and Temi morphed into twin boys in their mid-twenties with moustaches. 

The car throttled forward without a sound. 

"Why are they after us?" Temi's small voice rang out.  

"I've also thought about that, darling. There could be many reasons but I think it's because of you." His wife replied. 

He noticed his daughter frown from the rear-view mirror at her mother's response. "Why?"

"I don't know. I don't understand why either. I’m sorry, baby."

"NSS must have known of what I did to you but how? Even my partners at the medical centre don't know. Except for... " Dayo said, a small frown on his face.

"Except who, Daddy?" Ire asked. 

"Yomi. Dr Yomi. I don't think he knows because I never told him we brought Temi back to life."

"That doesn't explain how the NSS knows. The government controls the NSS and that means the government knows." He noticed Sharon pinch the bridge of her nose. 

"I'm sorry." Temi said as the guilt gnawed on her. If only she had not contacted the virus, they would not be on the run. 

Her mother's seat swivelled to face the two children, "Darling, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, you did wrong. The government is just full of mean people who want to use the innocent for its own personal gain. Never feel sorry for nothing you did wrong." Her mother held her hands in hers. 

But I do, mummy, Temi thought, if I never fell ill none of these would have happened. Temi gave her mother a tiny smile. 

"It still makes little sense. Why would the government attack us? We have done nothing wrong," Ire complained. Temi could see the frustration clear on his face. 

"How about we figure it out when we are in a much safer place?" Her father suggested steering the wheel to the right. Few automobile sped past the road until they came to the Express where lots of automobiles were present. The traffic dragged on to a slow. 

Temi sighed, staring out the window eyeing the hovercar that sped past overhead. Many things may have changed in the country but not the 'go-slow'. 

Alpha set up a small screen in front of Ire. Pictures moved before his eyes and forced a small laugh from him at a comic scene. Temi noticed the corner of his eyes lit up when he laughed. 

"What are you watching?" Temi asked, leaning towards her younger brother. 

"Trolls 3. This old time cartoon, it's actually better than Rebound shown every year." He whispered. 

"What is it about?"

"Mostly music. All genre of music in one animation, that's just cool." he smiled. Temi told Alpha to block the stream of music from going to the parents at the front. The two kids smiled as the screen grew larger before them and watching as the Trolls sang. 

"What sort of music do you like?" Delighted, she asked. Ire was finally talking to her. This made her heart go skipping and the smile to never leave her face. 

"Honestly, I like the pop culture. The recent ones are nothing but noise." Ire replied. 

"You are an old-fashioned person, aren't you?" Temi asked, a smirk playing on her lips. 

"What can I say? I got it from her." Ire pointed at their mom. The two giggled, making the parents glance back at them. 

"What's going on?" Dayo asked.

"We will never tell," Temi grinned.

"Humph." Dayo had a small smile on his lips as he drove forward. That tingle in his chest came again when he heard them laugh. It made him happy to see his kids together, getting along and laughing. 

Temi had always been the sick one staying indoors and never had a conversation with her brother. Ire was the outdoor child, avoiding his ill sister because he didn't know her. It was funny that all it took for the kids to have a conversation other than 'good morning' calls was being pursued by the government. 

He felt a small squeeze on his shoulder. He glanced at the perpetrator who had glistening unshed tears in her eyes. It seemed she had the same thoughts going through her head. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. 

The entire family in one place without tension in the air. Finally. 

That was all he ever wished for.