The last song of the ancestors

Two days passed. Fadala recovered from his injuries. The scar on his shoulder would serve as a warning until the end of his life. He felt that something was different. The members of the Ilê Apanyan had no family or friends. For the most part, their missions were solo, and their devotion was to their cause. He thought he should be more careful.

Before descending the falls and splitting up, Mashal took some old maps. He gave one of them to the other group. The map showed the old plans for the abandoned metro station. The original project was to connect the metropolis with the slums. The tracks would split into at least four transfer stations. They would connect with inclined planes, a kind of transverse elevator, and urban bus lines.

Fadala crossed his arms and analyzed the route. The only visible line was the one that belonged to the Burned Circuit Complex. It snaked through the savannah to a restricted access area controlled by the government. There was a small garrison, nothing too flashy, but it would cause problems for the unwary.

"We'll have to leave subtlety out of it."

Feruzi brought Akachi and Nyatui out of the hut. With the zimbas applied to their bodies, they had taken on the form of other people. In the absence of references, the young medium turned into Fenyang. Seeing this, Spin Bomb approached him. He felt a mixture of emotions.

"Damn! You look just like that pamonha, Akachi! Well, you don't have good taste. Why didn't you choose the look of an actor or rap star?"

"Sorry, Spin Bomb, I didn't mean to imitate anyone."

The medium looked like a maculelê fighter himself, only taller than Adisa's son. With her two index fingers, she poked Akachi, tickling him.

Fenyang felt like he was looking into a mirror. She stopped in front of Akachi, put the fingers of her hand into the shape of a screen and slowly moved it closer to the boy's face.

Why don't you take a picture, Fenyang?

Dude, it's not for nothing, but even my look-alike overflows with my beauty, bro.

Nyatui chose the look of a former African-American action movie actor from the 1980s and 1990s. But taller than the original version. When she saw him, Spin Bomb was stunned. She pulled out her smartphone and took a selfie against Nyatui's wishes.

Mashal put a hand to his chin and narrowed his eyes. After analysis, he gave his verdict:

"Didn't that infringe copyright?"

"Dead people don't need royalties, old man."

"Focus, we're wasting time here."

Feruzi drew the attention of his former colleagues. They had a lot to do until they realized their plans. He had them check their supplies. They would be walking for a long time. They might encounter patrols on the way, and even bounty hunters.

Mashal would take Feruzi and Spin Bomb to a port area in the north of the metropolis. There were collaborators from the Ilu Nla Liberation Movement. They were low-ranking coastguards who were poorly paid. Others helped out of ideological adherence to the movement.

Akachi, Nyatui and Fadala's journey would take them in the opposite direction. The risks for them could be even greater. They said goodbye and wished each other success. Spin Bomb hugged Akachi and whispered something in his ear that made him blush. Fenyang heard everything, but never broached the subject with Akachi.

⸎

Days passed. The group led by Nyatui was not very cooperative, more due to his imposition than the acceptance of the others. The ex-sage ordered them to take the river, as it was wetter and they would have an abundant supply of water. Contrary to Fadala's suggestion. The latter considered it safer to go away from the river.

Akachi was frustrated by the endless discussion. It seemed that Nyatui and Fadala were competing to see who had the most testosterone. The young medium thought that they were still high on adrenaline from the fight against the Savage Unit. They just needed something to blow off steam.

After another day of walking and pointless discussions, they noticed a fire. Hidden behind some rocks, they spied it. The light was coming from a campfire. A military group was camped on the left bank of the river. They noticed that there was a hybrid vehicle parked on the banks. The trio of travelers looked at each other.

With their frowns tightened, they didn't need to say anything. The malice was intuitive. They waited for the soldiers to sleep, and in the dead of night, they stole the hovercraft. Before the soldiers knew it, they were long gone.

Fadala drove the vehicle. On the arid savannah terrain, the hovercraft glided along at speed. The assassin drove well, avoiding rocks and branches that could puncture the air mattress. The moon was rising high in the sky. The stars circled in the dance of the stars. The low rumble of the vehicle was the only thing cutting through the silence. The vehicle's radio communicator called out. Akachi pointed with his finger. Nyatui shook his head.

"You think you're clever for stealing a military vehicle, don't you? This is theft of Ilu Nla Army property. We demand that you turn yourselves in immediately."

Nyatui let out a low laugh like an acoustic bass solo. He hadn't had this much fun for a long time. He switched off the radio communicator. The three of them continued their journey without sleeping. They reached the abandoned railway line. They used it as a geographical guide. Little by little, the vehicle approached the tunnel, to the southwest of the metropolis.

At the sight of the hovercraft, half a dozen soldiers stood by. Two booths, one on each side, controlled a steel gate. They gave the stop light, which was not respected. They radioed, but there was no reply. One of the soldiers inside the booth shouted to his superior outside:

"They didn't respond to the stop order, sir."

"All right, soldier. The hovercraft must be malfunctioning. I'll signal here. They can't possibly stop when they see me."

The head of the garrison, with the countenance of someone who had been forcibly removed from his tedious routine, stood in the middle of the driveway and waved both arms. The vehicle slowed down. But it kept its windows down and didn't give a rank identification light or an emergency signal.

"What are these idiots doing? Are they kidding me? These newbies, they don't know how to respect a damn protocol... Argh! What's that?"

The hovercraft accelerated. The soldiers, frightened as they were, without being ordered, fired shots at the invader. It sped down the tunnel, and only failed to run over the head of the garrison because he rolled over just in time. The vehicle moved on through the tunnel, leaving all the destruction behind.