“ what happened?”  Chad asked in surprise as they walked into the large office.

 
Roma quickly rushed to cut the tapes holding Maggie and uche bound to the steel chair with a dagger she picked from the ground.

It was unusually quiet and dead cold between Uche and Maggie. It was so clear that there was high emotional tension in the office.
It even looked like they’d been crying.

Were they tortured? Chad wondered.

Uche looked battered and beaten. His face was swollen with blood and bruises from blows.

“…sweetie who did this to you?” Roma asked lovingly as she held up his face with her palms examining the wounds carefully.

“ I’m the doctor here, let me help you” Chad suggested as he moved to help Uche.

“ can I get a first aid box?” He requested of Roma

“ I don’t know, we don’t have one around here”

“Maggie… tell me, what happened here?” Chad asked, turning to Maggie.

She turned her face towards him, her eyes red with tears. Chad hadn’t seen Maggie like that before. she was always Happy!  she didn’t hesitate to speak.

"Uche has just promised to give my only daughter to Medusa”

“what..? He’s just kidding, he can’t do that. Right?” he asked trying to sound cheerful and turning to Uche who just kept silent.

“What? Uche?” he asked again with his eyebrows up.

“the vampire was here” he cut in
“...with his Medusa army”

“damn!” Roma cussed
“what did he want?”

“ he wanted a flash drive and he was desperate about it. We didn’t have it and he was going to kill us anyway, whether we had it or not so I just bought us sometime, Maggie and I”

“what did you trade?” Roma asked lifting Uche’s face gently with her soft palms.

He kept calm

“Sweetie, what did you trade?” she asked again, this time firmly

“… the Fisheye in 48 hours” he replied with defeated eyes

“ No way!” she exclaimed

“ whoa whoa… wait, are we talking about the vampire that I know? Like from seven years ago..?”

“Yes!” Uche and Roma replied at the same time, like they had planned it originally.

Roma became restless, tense and anxious. 

“ what do we do now? How are we supposed to find this fisheye? Someone we have been searching for ever since we started this business?

"No record, no traces, no data , no nothing!!  Damn!!!!!! How could someone be that invincible? Non-existent? But still causes the loudest chaos?"

She paced around a bit with arms akimbo and face down, feeling pained, and defeated.

"In forty eight hours?! Forty eight hours? We find Fisheye in forty eight hours?” she asked Uche, surprised at how silent everyone in the room was.

“We don’t.” Uche finally replied ,his voice weary.

“ Giving up without trying? No way, that’s so not you. Even if you don’t wanna live, I want you to live Uche. I need you to live! I want Maggie to live too. You guys are my whole world. So, I’ll try. I'll find the fisheye, even if non of you is brave enough to...”

“… Roma, I’m your boss and I’m telling you not to”

“ Its not about that anymore Uche!
"Its not about who is boss anymore. Look at your face!” she was clearly pained within, her body language showing her intention to leave

“ it’s about your life and Maggie’s”

“ No! We don’t find fish eye!”

“ so you just die?!”

“ I don’t care, we still don’t find her!” Uche yelled with teary eyes and there was silence in the office.

Chests heaving and tempers burning...

“ her?” Chad broke the silence as his eyes met Uche’s.

He squinted his eyes in suspicion, he knew his friend.

“ What are you not telling us Uche?” 

Uche swallowed hard looked at Maggie, then turned back to Chad and then forced himself to stand erect, grunting of pain in the process.

"Chinny is the Fisheye.” he said as he moved closer to Chad and their faces aligned. Both chests rising and falling heavily with their breathing. In their silence they knew what it meant. 

Chad gazed into his friend’s eyes. They knew each other. It was like they were both reading each other’s minds.

“So we don’t find her” he added

“ I have always known you know” Chad began

“ that you love her. You always have, and helplessly too.”

Uche turned and his gaze met Roma’s, she was clearly surprised.

“But you know we have to find her. You know I love you , and I can’t loose you and Maggie. But this is bigger that that, you know it.”

“Even if we could, we can’t just betray Chinny and give her up, Chad , she’s not MD!”

Chad turned around sharply, backing his friend. It got to him, it pierced his heart sharply, like a dart that jut hit the bull's eye, just the mention of his name - Mac Donald.
He tried his best to gain enough composure before turning around again to face Uche.

“… and who says we’re giving her up?” trying to avoid the MD issue

“ you kids want to get into something you can’t get away from” Maggie spoke out with a weary voice.
“ run away, that’s my advice. Run away with what is left of your families and don’t look back” she advised

Roma walked over to Maggie and hugged her.

“ I’m sorry Maggie” , she was clearly touched by Maggie’s bitterness.

Uche knew Maggie’s advice should be taken seriously. She is Maggie! She knows everything!

“ I know you have a plan Chad, all those crazy plans of yours. So spill it.”

“Yes, i do, and it starts with finding Chinny.”

“ okay, fine, we’ll try, Maggie and I but, I need your help please”

“ anything that I can do”

“ I need you to get my parents out of the country”

“ Jeez, how?”

“ you're asking me? Chad seriously? Your family is royalty, you guys know people, lots of connections in high places. They’ll know people that know people. Besides, your dad is an importer, he knows the ways to smuggle things in and out”

“… dude...? In forty eight hours?”

“ Chad, just do it for me. You know you’re the only neutral person here.
"They don’t know you, Medusa. They are not tracking you or anything..”

“ we were being followed on our way here” Chad cut in

“ really? Then it must be Roma they’re tracking”

“ me?” Roma asked perplexed.

“ It doesn’t matter"
“ Chad, please? Do this for me?”

Chad stared at his helpless friend that didn’t understand his situation. 
How could he just return home after seven years and start making demands that were tasking? 

“Okay, fine, I’ll try” he couldn’t say no to a friend who had saved his life severally.

“ Promise me.” Uche requested stretching out his arm for Chad to take it in assurance.

“ fine, I promise” he took the outstretched arm and dragged his friend into a short hug.

“ I always knew you were gay!” Uche commented and they laughed.

“ you better be on your way out” Maggie added “the clock is ticking”

“ I’ll go with you” Roma suggested.
They all turned to her.

“ What? he needs protection. Besides, he doesn’t even know the way anymore”

“ Fine" Uche concurred
“but be careful”

“ Yes Dad” she replied and made for the exit with Chad before they were stopped in their steps by Maggie’s voice.

“ ... No matter what happens, no matter what happens, meet us at Springfield high in 40 hours. We’ll be in 'gold star' class, waiting.”

“…and no matter what happens, wait for us” Chad replied.

“ we’ll wait, we’ll wait” said Maggie, before they finally exited the door.

*****************************************

Author's note :

This is the beginning of the end of the beginning.

What do you think happens next?

Don't forget to leave a comment and up vote!

Thank you for being patient enough to this point.

#love_y'all