A world Apart (The alien Assassin)

Chapter 10.

POV. The messager.

Fatima felt happy, worried and apprehensive in turns. It was the day of the escape.

The day seemed to be moving at a snail pace, she noted, looking at the antique clock in the class, 8:pm seemed far off.

"She couldn't even concentrate on her favorite subject; Navigation and calculation.

She feared the plan would fail. She had faced disappointment often enough to be optimistic. What if Papa didn't come on time? Or Hassan couldn't make it out of the dormitory.

Then there was the rebel group, she didn't know if they could be trusted, what if one of them talked. There were just too many unknown and little time to figure them all out.

She looked at the other trainees who were listening to master krim with rapt attention.

They seemed resigned to their new life. Some of them were now contesting for the top three assassin's spots.

"All she wanted to do was to go home but looking around at the mixed class with different races, it seemed like a far-fetched dream.

She had been so happy on seeing Hassan. She had walked around moping for the passed months with the concept that he was dead.

"She didn't know why he was captured and sent to kedran. He was not the studious type as he had left school long ago."

"Back when he was in school, he was intelligent though she couldn't say for sure now. He had walked with and befriended every tout on the streets of Tudun wada for a long time.

She had been angry at him because he was no longer close to her again and started living roughly after Mama's death. It has been hard on everyone in the family especially him. They had been very close.

"She discovered she had not thought too much about Mama here in kedran, the past weeks had been so filled of events, she hadn't been able to process things mentally again.

She felt relieved when the clock reached 2: pm. She joined the others in leaving the class. She had six long hours ahead of her.

*****

Hassan sat on the floor of his room doing pushups. He had feigned sickness and stayed back from his class.

"He was a favorite of Master Krim because of his rapid mental calculation of numbers.

He had used that to his advantage recently as he curried favors from Reshonian. Unlike other intelligent advances that were high in the I.Q aspect and low on the E.Q spectrum, Krim was balanced on both sides.

"He was generally preferred to the other trainees.

“150” he said as he pulled himself up by the ears and panted noisily.

"He drank a bottle of cold water beside him and poured some over his head.

He had always loved exercising and had a fit body to show for it. The discipline and effort was similar to taekwondo though less strenuous. His mind went back to the escape plan.

He tried not to think about it without much success. He was exercising in order to get his mind off the plan.

"He had not been sleeping at all recently, he still saw Sambo looking at him accusingly whenever he shut his eyes.

"It was a good thing the room was not shared because he had woken up shouting Sambo names most times.

His stubbornness has cost him his friend, he had resolved to settle things with his father when all these were done.

"Lately, he had been growing away from Fatima too. Defending a loved one did not always mean loving them, he reasoned.

He wondered what next they would do after the escape, he didn't know how soon the plan to overthrow the government was.

"He felt tiny in the larger event happening around him. He liked being in control of things, if he had his way, there would be fewer people involved in the plot.

"More people meant more likelihood of them being caught. He just hoped that Papa knew what was doing.

He threw the empty water bottle on his bed and continued with his pushups.

***

Danjuma went around the room sharing food with people nearby.

"A baby wailed on the laps of his mother and he quieted her down as he tickled her side. She let out excited giggles and clinged to his mother all through while he was there.

He and others had been hungry at first when Bok had run to join them with his wife and two years old son.

" They didn't have the resources to take care of a baby and there was also the risk involved as their were always changing locations. A silent Reshonian, he had then proven himself valuable to the rebels.

He thought back to when he was recruited himself.

"He had been sent to mines when Fatima started learning at the institute. One of the workers they had pulled him aside one day and told him about the rebels and their plan to free the other captives.

He pounded on the impending escape plan. He had gone over the whole thing carefully and had made some minor corrections.

"He was currently in charge of the rebels down in the underground railway system; an imitation of Earth's transport system as the kedrans love gathering ideas from different worlds.

The previous leader had been killed on a mission for the cause, the rebels were headed and financed by some government officials.

"They were known only to previous leaders. He guessed the official anonymity were to protect themselves in case of a breach so he was content with receiving their instructions and support through a messenger.

His experience as a head of vigilante in his local hometown of Tudun wada helped him assess any security threat and deal with it effectively. The officials didn't know of this mission though. This was his personal assignment.

“Danjuma” someone called out.

He looked back to see the person and was surprised to see the messenger coming towards him. They only saw each other thrice a month and that was in prearranged locations, this was the first time he was coming directly to their base.

They shook each other in a traditional rebel way of greeting: the opposite hands shaking with the other person.

The messenger was hooded as usual, he was always curious to see what he looked like under the hood but the other kept his face well veiled and wasn't very friendly.

“Why did he come all the way here? Any messages from your superiors? He asked as he withdrew his hand.

“Yes, they said don't go on with it, " he said.

He gave a stare in surprise then quickly composed his face in a blank expression when he saw the messenger still looking at him.

“I believe you know what they're talking about, the messenger asked.

“On the contrary, I have no idea, perhaps their had been misinformed this time around.

"If that's all, I have to go back to the others, it's lunch time, he said patting him lightly on the shoulder and turning back to meet the others.

How had they found out so quickly? Was there a spy among them? He asked himself, he had only told Tion and Bogar and he could truth them.

He could not suspend the plan at this stage, both Hassan and Fatima would be waiting for him and he could imagine they disappointment if he didn't show up.

"Just when he has began patching things up with Hassan. Hassan was just like him in his youthful days; fiery and intelligent. Back then, he had burned with Allah's mandate to spread Islam to the world.

Fatima had always be devoted to him like Halima, his wife; quite homely and resourceful, though they both had a venomous tongue when pushed to the wall.

" Lately Fatima had withdrawn from him, this was the chance to make up and bring his family back together. He was not going to give that up for some dame officials, he resolved in his heart.

The hooded messenger’s cape flowed freely behind him as he galloped on his Grof.

"The animals were native to the kedrans homeland and was twice as big as a kedran man.

It had a firm girth with bulging muscles around it body so it's legs seems comically small compared to its frame but Grof was very fast. It's mane was white like the kedrans and it's eyes, a bit hazel colour.

He liked riding on the plain grassland before they reached the main city.

"It was less compacted here and fewer questions were asked."

His mind went back to the kill he had made earlier in the day. The man screamed as he begged for his life still rang in his ears.

"He was quick and efficient though and had left the place without his prints on the scene. He had even set the affair to look like a suicide. He was a professional.

He had worked a long time for the officials and paid handsomely for his service. At first rate assassin, he had once been a trainee at the institute long time ago.

"He had been the 4th overall best after being tied for 3th and losing in armeggadon round. He was secretly employed by rebel movement and disappeared from public eye.

He came down from the Grof as he entered the city and gave it to a guard who put it in the stables.

He walked the rest way back to the government capital building. He entered and lift to the top floor.

“As the lift doors pinged open, he hurriedly walked along the smooth door ingoring the guards who tried to restrain him.

He pulled out a key card and swiped it across the right side of the steel door. On seeing the cards the guards apologized and withdrawal from him.

"On reaching the main door, he felt apprehensive as he always did when meeting the official.

He was a very cunning person with ears allover kedrans working for him, they was rumours he was more dangerous than the emperor himself.

On entering his office, he found him on his chair with his back turned looking at books in his shelves. He didn't turn around or acknowledge him.

He stood there waiting for the official to talk.

“ What did he say? He asked after a while.

“He denied it, saying he didn't understand the message.

“He has more balls than I thought, this escape plot would ruin my plan, the official said, swivelling his black cushioned chair towards him.

“I think he was lying, the informal is right, the messenger said looking at the official.