Wrongly Seen as a traitor by the organization he'd worked loyally for for many years, Henry suddenly found himself on the blacklist of his former friends, country and employer, and also by arch enemies that he had ruined things for. After him were also special agents and mercenaries working for countries that he had killed their citizens. And worst of all, Miriam, the woman that he had begun to like is also among those ordered to kill him. He had no option to fight it out
Chapter 1 THE ADVENT
"Frrrr!"
whirred the airplane's powerful engine, as the collosus machine roared to life. It was a Boeing 747, registered under Air Naija, The national carrier of Nigeria.
The green and White colour of Nigeria's flag, ran the full length of the 101 feet long aircraft fuselage.
The plane slowly made a left turn and taxied onto the main runway. Behind the aircraft, blazer the illuminating lights of the terminal at the George international airport, New York. To their right stood the control tower. With nearly 300 hundred people snuggled inside. All dedicated staffs of the airport, all of who are wholly and fully focused on the work they are doing. Like most control towers in airports around the world, the one at George international is a simple, unsophisticated looking, but greatly vital building. which without, the safe running of the ever busy airport would have been near impossible.
the main Pilot of the Air Naija Boeing 747 sat patiently in the plane's cockpit, waiting for the go ahead from the control tower. The flight was scheduled to leave by 9:00 pm, whilst the time is still 8:56 pm. Just 4 minutes to go.
Not long, the order came. The plane skidded down the tarmac at full speed and lifted off into the cold night air. This they set off for their journey across the vast Atlantic, to abuja Nigeria.
Seven minutes into their takeoff, the millions of lights down below them in the ever busy city of New York were now just tiny candle-like lights.
Aboard the plane were 197 passengers:120 Nigerians, 67 Americans, 4 Germans, 3 Italians and 3 Chinese, all heading to Nigeria for different purposes. All the passengers knew the flight across the Atlantic wouldn't really be a long one, but they all took their time. Some laid back on their seats, others were already sleeping or forcing themselves to, others just shut their ears with earphones, some were reading, while a few persons who are allergic to staying in one place for more than 10 minutes were restless.
A German mom and her 3 year old playful and restless daughter ground it out, with the girl insisting on running around with her doll. Apart from that, and a few yawns and groans, the flight had been a really calm and soothing journey so far. But at 1:47 am, just a few minutes to their destination, at a height of 38,000 feet, the loud wail of a baby erupted through the plane and into the cold night air. It was the cry of a second old baby. The other passengers were startled. Everyone whirred around with looks on their face to where the noise was coming from; the back of the plane.
Two air hostesses and a few of the female passengers immediately dashed to the plane's toilet. And were met by the surprise of their lives. There on the toilet's floor, sat a middle-aged Nigerian woman, with a wailing bloodied baby in her hands.
The air hostesses were mystified. At first thinking that it was a terrible thing that just happened. They stood in stunned silence staring at the frail child and the woman, but the child's piercing cry brought them back to reality, and they all scrambled to the woman's aid.
The woman was Sandra obi, A 32 year old Nigerian nurse. Her husband, a 36 year old black American mechanic, Dennis Graham. Sandra had left her husband in the U.S and was on her way to Nigeria to have a long sought after get together with her family.
The two hostesses and the four females passengers that had rushed in first remembered the woman clearly. Her bulging belly had been to big to miss. They had remembered her from earlier when they were boarding the plane, when she had unintentionally let go of her bag, which tumbled down the extendable aircraft stairs.
One of the hostess immediately rushed to the wash basin, filled a tray she was holding with water and rushed back to the other women. An elderly woman among the passengers was busy, carefully trying to separate the mother and child, cutting the umbilical cord, while the others cuddled around them peering inquisitively and anxiously at the whole thing.
By now, most of the male passengers were beginning to troupe to the bathroom to see what was happening. But each of them that peers in, hastily withdrew their heads as fast, made a U-turn and walked back to their seat. " It is a women thing" one man mutter to himself.
After about 23 minutes of tense and anxious running about, mother and baby were finally cleaned up. The child was a boy. He stared blankly and blindly at the intrigued faces peering into his face. He was handed over to his mother, who took him in her arms and stared lovingly at the cute boy in her hands.
As Sandra took in all the handsome features of her new offspring. A name clicked in her head. She would call him Henry. " yes", Henry "..
The plane made a low bumping noise as it touched down on the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport, abuja. It raced forward for a few meters, before slowly grinding to a halt.
One and hundred and Ninety seven they were when they took off about six hours ago from George international airport, New York. But one hundred and Ninety eight they were when they landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport abuja. One tiny little soul had joined on the flight across the Atlantic. And this as the law state, because he was born aboard a Nigerian plane and above Nigerian airspace, automatically he is a Nigerian citizen by birth.
That was 24 years ago.
* * * * *
The fair man strolled into the building with powerful strides. His shoes were barely making contact with the tiled floor as he marched on. At 6 ft 3 and weighing 211 pounds of raw muscle and strength, few could stand up to him in a all out physical combat and duel.
Henry took the hallway to his right and continued walking. He was undoubtedly a handsome man, even though he rarely pays attention to his physical features. His hair was cut low, skin low. While his bushy and arches eyebrows lay claim over a piercing and intense brown eyes. But behind all these soft looks, behind all the charming and alluring handsomeness, lurks something lethal and equally ominous.
Henry paused before a brown metal door at the far end of the doorway. Hanging on the door was a plaque with the word "DIRECTOR" boldly inscribed on it. Henry knocked on the thrice in quick successions, he then waited for two seconds and knocked thrice again.
" Come in"
Came the deep and coarse voice from inside the office.
To an onlooker or any unsuspecting person, the style of knocking by Henry was nothing but just impulse. Just a random spur of the moment thing. But that was anything but random. Only a few people know what that really is. It is a security pass and a signal initiated by the man inside the room so as to know who is at his door at whichever time. Any other knocking style apart from that would be met with dead silence.
In their world, being overly careful doesn't it, it is the opposite that does
Henry slowly opened the door and walked inside the office. The man pressed the remote in his hand, solidly locking the door again. The inside of the office looks simple and unsophisticated. There was a desk with chairs facing each other on both sides of it. Few feet behind the desk were two vault like looking cabinets.