The next day, she was confined to her cubicle as the institute was still on lockdown, she acted surprised while Katie told her about yesterday’s incident, the rouge jail breaker was yet to be apprehended, she couldn’t help but envy the reptile that seemed bent on not giving up on its freedom, it was when Katie said the creature has camouflage skin that made it semi-invisible and it’s poisonous bite dries up its victim’s blood until they become dry husk diverted her sympathies to the Askaris sent around to find it.

The rest of the weekend was spent indoors with Katie the only visitor, reading the books she had brought her. Another few days passed by the time she was allowed to see the rest of the children again. That morning, they were all gathered together except Logan, dressed in matching uncomfortable tights that have been designed to adapt to their powers. Red on Obiora, White on Orchid, Omotola’s tight was reddish brown like her hair and spotted with green like the spattering on her wings, she felt ridiculous as the tights made her looked like a leopard that escaped a paint shop, a large symbol of the G.R.E.G.S labs at the front.

Shettima threw her a knowing glance as they were lead up above the ground level they’ve never been to, the rest of the children had a confused slightly nervous look on their faces. Amaka fussed over Babybaby as she tried to get her to calm down in order to arrange her rainbow colored tights. At last the elevator stopped with a ding as they were again led on by another set of mapper drones, newer and studier than the versions used at the ground levels.

They found themselves in a large dome shaped hall, bigger even than the halls they used for drills, the spherical roof inlaid with glass windows from which a group of people stared down at them, dressed in business suits, army uniforms and lab coats, Omotola noticed doctor Mugabe standing with a stern faced broad shouldered man in an army suit decorated with so much medals she wondered why she wasn’t hearing the jingling down from where she stood.

“Can someone tell me what’s going on here?’’ Orchid whispered nervously, they were alone now, their handlers had silently withdrawn.

“These people own us,’’ Shettima said so quiet Obiora had to lean forward to hear him; they’re here to watch us do what we’ve been trained to do since we learned to walk and fly, the 5th children were silent as his words sank in.

“What do they want from us?" Babybaby asked, her lower lip quivering.

“To do what we do best’’ Obiora replied this time, his eyes glowed red, fight!!!

“Distinguish Ladies and gentlemen.’’ Mugabe’s voice croaked over the speaker, ‘’you are here to witness the success of evolution, see there before you are the origin of a new generation of man, do not be alarmed for what you see are not angels out of myths but the evolution of many species combined to form a perfect gene. Strength, speed, resistance to diseases of any kind, possibly longitivity and extra ordinary abilities, I give you the 5th generation children.’’

The group of distinguished ladies and gentlemen clapped listlessly as they looked down. At their wings, at Obiora’s height they stared with interest in their eyes.

"They are not made just for beauty." the doctor continued, sit back and see what they are capable of for they are gods among men, begin!’’ he croaked and the door on the other end of the hall opened, vomiting giant robot sentinels, combat drones with laser guns and large catlike cyborg prototypes with wicked sharp claws and bloodcurdling yowls made a beeline for the children.

Instead of panicking in the face of this sudden onslaught, their lifelong trainings automatically kicked in. In a flash they spread out, wings flashing electricity, the group watching from above forgotten, Obiora was right, this is what they do best.

Binta worked her body into a blur, blitzed forward to meet the charging machines and dropped the first set of drones in a blast of electricity as Obiora charged the group of giant robots pounding the first in line into matchwood and then hurled the ruined metal unto it's mates.

Babybaby leapt on Shettima’s back as he rendered both of them intangible while a cyborg cat leaping for them crashed through them against another cat Orchid had frozen into popsicle.

Omotola rolled under the swiping fist of a robot, clubbed at it with her wings, the electric charges from the contact sent it sailing through the air away from her towards Obiora who punched it to the ground with so much force the hall trembled, the lab have placed some flower pots along the hall from which Babybaby grew great vines that wrapped around a lone cyborg cat strangling it faster than it struggled, Orchid drew water from a nearby water tank she froze into sharp spikes that brought down nearby drones.

The harsh daily drills they'd always ensured seem to come to fruition as they fought together in tandem, it was as if they knew one another's thoughts, they leapt and weaved rhythmically so mesmerising that to the watching gentry's uptop it was as if they rehearsed it.

Shettima dived into the robots like a spectra, causing them to malfunction and run into each other while Obiora pound them to smatterings at his leisure, Binta danced with the cyborg cats, fists encased in hardened force field like a boxing glove as she and Omotola fought side by side while the latter flicked acrobatically cutting a path through them with her razor sharp wings.

In a moment the impressive robots, drones and cyborgs that came out all deadly and shiny were garbage junks sizzling and smoking as they littered the domed hall floor.

The group watching from above stared stunned at the carnage below for a full minute, the whole place was silent except the occasional sparks from the children's wings, their panting breathes and the final dying coughs from the ruined machines and then broke the silence with hollering and applause.

The medaled man beside the doctor only nodded his head to show how impressed he was as their handlers suddenly appeared to ushered them out of the domed hall, Omotola looked back and caught the medaled man cold eyes at the same time, sending a cold shiver down her spine as the great doors closed behind her.

They were soon left alone in room, flushed with adrenaline and excitement before it dawned on them that for once no one was watching them, With a nugde of encouragement from Omotola, Shettima gathered them around quickly and told them what he told Omotola the night in her cubicle, their flushed faces morphed into confusion then fear.

“What are we going to do? I don’t want to be separated from you guys.’’ Babybaby sobbed.

“No we’re not going to be separated; we’ll figure something out’’ Orchid said pulling her into a hug.

“They’ve seen what we are capable of’’ said Obiora his face still sleek with sweat, “they wouldn't dare.’’

“We could go now when no one's watching.’’ Binta chipped in. "but we still don’t know where Logan is been kept, we can’t leave without him.’’ Orchid said.

“Easier said than done’’ Shettima answered in his quiet voice, the doctors are not stupid they would have made a fail-safe against our powers, and things could go wrong before we barely started, we just have to bid our time and whereas this lab is all we’ve ever known since we could walk, talk and fly, we were born here, the outside is alien to us, we just have to meet the creature I saw and talk to him, maybe he can help us.’’

“I thought you said you met him’’ Omotola accused.

“No I didn’t’’ he fired back, “I was afraid and alone, I ported away as fast as I could, but together we can face him and talk to him.’’

“Are you strong enough to take us all there?’’ Obiora asked.

“Yes, I think I can if there’s enough dark to manipulate.’’ He answered nodding.

“Leave that to me,’’ Binta smiled mischievously. “just tell us when and the quarters lodge electricity would be out of commission for a while.’’

“Shettima’s right, we’ll have to bid our time’’ Omotola said finally putting an end to their arguments, "no more stunts for now, no more mischief Binta, even you Shettima, no more midnight strolls, the institute have to let their guards down for this to work and no telling our handlers." she finished as she glared down meaningfully at Babybaby. “If Amaka finds out, then the doctors will know and we will be separated and you’ll never see us again.’’

“I won’t tell I promise’’. She gasped, her eyes the size of saucers.

Just then, the door opened putting an end to the rebellious meeting as their handlers headed in, a rare happy looking doctor Mugabe at their lead.