After waiting for two hours into the night which felt like days, Omotola was beginning to doubt whether she got Shettima’s message right and when she was about calling it a night a sound made her jump.

The electricity in her wings flashed defensively, by their lights she watched in fascination as Shettima stepped out from a shadowed corner of her cubicle, his charcoal colored wings spread around him like a cloak. Omotola grinned in greeting. He smiled back then moved around checking out the room.

“I thought you wouldn’t get my message’’ he whispered, took me a while to find where you sleep, I stumbled into Orchid’s cubicle while she was shaving her legs, her room so pink and bright I could barely find a dark place big enough to escape with.’’ he made a puking face and gave another rare smile as Omotola chuckled.

"What took you so long?"

“My own cubicle has been renovated with bright fluorescents lights to stop me leaving, but they forgot to put one under my colt, imagine the great Dracula porting from under a bed.’’ he said, eyes twinkling as they both laughed.

“Why do you risk punishment to be here Shettima? He paused at this, his face back to its familiar scowl.

“Because I needed to tell you something, something that I was not supposed to know, cos this facility is not as it seems." he whispered, fear on his slant grey eyes.

“I knew you saw something’’ Omotola sat up breathless, “what did you see Shettima?"

“Enough to change my mind about this place’’ he replied pacing nervously round the room, “you are the only one reasonable enough could talk to, Binta jokes with everything, I asked Obiora what he would do if he ever had a chance to leave, he just shrugged and asked why would he leave, have you ever wondered why we were always weak and drained after we’re taken for testing, they are cloning our abilities and when they’re done?"

"We would be of no use to them; Omotola whispered; her voice hoarse with fear.

“When I first manifested my porting ability, I used it only to flinch foods from the kitchens, then I realized I could do more than steal foods to spying on the doctors, see why they’re so obsessed with every new ability we manifested, why we were created and for which purpose, for this week or soon, I know some government people and private companies will be coming to see us, I had a hunch they're the ones the lab works for, we are just weapons made for them, why is it that everyone of us have distructive powers except maybe for Logan’s healing abilities, you don’t see Obiora working in a flower shop. I reckoned if they’re satisfied tomorrow we may be shipped off to locations unknown or worse separated.’’

Her heart skipped a beat at this, separated? she had known the children ever since she could remember, Shettima’s warnings brought back memories of her nightmares, with a sigh she opened her mouth and told him, his face was impassive as always, she was grateful he did not laugh at her, what he said next was just wasn’t what she was expecting.

“I always have that dream too, of a man being tortured’’ he whispered urgently, ‘’that was the main reason I was here, I wanted to come show you, this man I think could be the answer to all our questions. After days of having the same nightmare I simply had enough to call it coincidence and began to port around the facility at night hoping I would find if he really existed’’, he paused to catch his breath stretching Omotola’s tension to the limit.

“But right after our trouble with the doctors I stumbled upon him.’’

“Who is he? Can you take me to him?" Omotola said dizzy with nervous excitement. Suddenly, a sound in the hall way had them frozen for a second, then Shettima got up, ran across the room to the corner he came from, turned around as Omotola heard his voice in her head.

“They must have found out I’m not in bed, next chance I get I will take you there, goodnight Omotola.’’

On saying this he turned on his heels gathered his wings around him, misty smoke blended him with the dark and he was soon gone, she quickly switched the night light back on and dived back gracefully unto her colt with the agility of an Olympic swimmer. Faking a snore, her cubicle door slid open with a ding, Katie entered with some other people.

‘‘I do not see the reason why you have to wake me up in the middle of the night to check on my handle captain,’’ she heard Katie complain.

“We are following orders to check up on the assets ma’am,’’ said a deep voice that must be the captain’s, ‘‘some dangerous 1st generation creature escaped from its cell, we have been told to check on the children for their safety.’’

‘‘At least try not to wake her up’’ Katie’s voice cuts in, ‘‘she’s had a long day and she’s quite knackered."

‘’As you wish,’’ the captain replied stiffly and commanded his men to search the room, they were not quiet about it and Katie grumbled and growled so fiercely they quickly performed their duty and left.

Omotola sighed in relief as the door hummed close and turn over to stare at the ceiling. Shettima was not the reason they were here, hopefully he made it to his cubicle on time, thinking about what he told her, she dozed off.