The pilot of the 737 Airbus announces that they would be landing at Heathrow Airport, London in twenty minutes. Tracy and Ted look at each other in anxiety. Would there be a reception party for them at Heathrow as in the other places they had been in the course of their assignment? They sincerely hope not, although they are putting a hypothesis to the test. While not telling Ted her suspicion about the source of the leakage, Tracy overruled his suggestion that they should first travel to Paris and then on to London by rail. Ted’s argument was that the reception party always picked them up at the airport. They would not be looking out for them on the metro from Paris or any other European nation. Tracy, however, insisted that they should follow their usual pattern to test a hypothesis about those monitoring their movements. Reluctantly, Ted agrees, thanks to years of obeying orders from his superior officers even when those orders sometimes appeared hare-brained. He grunted his acquiescence with strained grace. As for Tracy, she is silently praying that nothing would go wrong with their quest this time around. She had been shocked to discover that their client, Dr. Solomon Adams, always found out their next target through his son, David. According to David, his father always called him before their proposed trip and somehow subtly elicited Tracy’s next destination from him. The revelation was a great shock to Tracy, and she ensured that she did not tell David about their trip to London. If there is a reception party waiting for them at Heathrow, then their principal is above suspicion. If there is no reception party, then Dr. Solomon Adams will have some explaining to do. For the sake of the relationship between her and David, Tracy is praying, ironically, that a reception party would be waiting for them in London. She does not cherish the prospect of having as father-in-law a man of shady character.

“Welcome to London, ladies and gentlemen. Please fasten your seat belts as we are about to commence our descent to Heathrow International Airport.”

All the passengers obey. Some also begin to pray for safe landing, while the rest fall silent. Tracy and Ted do not fall into either category, filled more with dread over a possible reception party than the possibility of a crash. But contrary to their fears, they breeze through customs without a hassle, then go to the toilets to change to their alter identities. They later hire a cab to University of London and all the way keep their eyes wide open for any reception party. They alight in front of the library as arranged and sit on one of the benches under the trees beside the house of books. As they wait for their hostess to arrive, the eyes of the two investigators constantly sweep right through their vicinity, expecting trouble at any moment. But none occur, to the great relief of Ted and the mounting internal disquiet of Tracy.

Deborah, called Rohemat in Sambisa, is a law student in the University of London. She is undoubtedly the most fervent and steadfast Christian of the seven premium girls who escaped from Boko Haram captivity. Even in school, she was the Scripture Union leader and used to preach that death is preferable to denouncing Jesus Christ. The other girls were, therefore, astonished that she was one of those who eventually denied Christ to save her neck. But nobody had the guts to confront her or mock her; the four girls who refused to renounce were slaughtered like chickens right in front of them, their lifeblood crying out for vengeance as it turns the dark ground red. The oldest was thirteen while the youngest was barely eleven. Even then, Deborah was ready to be slaughtered along with the four but she heard a loud voice in her spirit and ears which says: “NO, DEBORAH, I STILL NEED YOU HERE.” Convinced that she had heard her Saviour, Deborah restrained her feet from stepping forward.

All through their months of captivity and degradation, she had been the one leading their secret prayer sessions and encouraging them to remain steadfast in the faith. Two days to their rescue, she had prophesied to the other girls: “Soon we shall be free.” Nobody believed, except Mary who interpreted her prophecy to mean that they would soon be killed and attain eternal freedom. By this time, none of them was afraid of death any more. It had become a familiar companion, too close to be feared. Two days later, the shining man appeared in their midst and led them safely to Chad Republic.

Deborah discovered her restored virginity as she was bathing this morning. Filled with joy, she spent about an hour just praising and thanking God. In the process, she forgot her Marine Law lecture scheduled for 8 am and 10 a.m. In the midst of her worship, she was suddenly aware of other presences in the room. She opened her eyes and looked behind her. She beheld her father and mother sitting in her couch and smiling beatifically at her. Both were dressed in pure white apparels, so bright it hurts her eyes.

“Mum! Dad!” she screams as she rushes to embrace the couple, but her arms simply go through them to encircle the couch.

“You’re forgetting that Boko Haram killed us some three years ago, Deb,” said her father using his pet name for her.

“O, I forgot.”

“The Lord sends us to tell you to prepare to come home,” said her mother. “He will send his angels to lead you Home in a way that the world would not forget in a hurry. Well done, daughter. You have made your Lord and Saviour proud!”

Deborah falls to her knees at their feet in sheer rapture on hearing those words.

“Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!”

“See you soon, daughter,” said her parents in unison as they slowly fade out of sight.

Deborah continues to praise God for the next twenty minutes until she remembers her appointment with some members of the Red Cross at noon. She looks at her watch and discovers that it is already five minutes past. She hurries out of her room, still singing melodies in her heart.

Meanwhile, Tracy and Ted are waiting for Deborah under the trees beside the main Library. They do not have a picture of her, so they keep looking here and there in keen surveillance. They notice for instance that that an Outside Broadcast van belonging to the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) is parked not too far away and a camera man is shooting a lady reporter as she interviews students on some domestic issue. They both see Deborah at the same time and instinct tells them she is their hostess. From a distance, Deborah is smiling radiantly, a toffee coloured lady with silky hairs that fall onto her shoulder giving her a stunning appearance. She reaches the trees and sits on a bench opposite Tracy and Ted.

“Sorry I’m late. I’m Deborah. You’re supposed to be from the Red Cross.”

“Hello, Deborah,” says Tracy. “We were looking out for …”

“A black lady with kinky hairs, right?”

“Yes, Deborah. Are you sure you’re a Nigerian?”

“Of course. My father was Fulani from Nigeria and my mother was Fulani from Niger Republic. Long silky hairs run in my mother’s family. I took my father’s extremely light complexion.”

“I see,” responds Tracy, nodding her head understandingly.

“But why do you refer to your parents in the past tense,” asks Ted piqued with curiosity.

“Because they’re both dead. Killed by Boko Haram.”

“Sorry about that, Deborah. Any siblings?”

“No. I am an only child.”

“Accept our condolences,” says Tracy after an awkward silence.

“Thank you.”

“I am …” begins Tracy.

“Tracy Winters and he is Ted Macdonald,” completes Deborah.

“What!” shouts the two investigators in united surprise.

“How did you find out our real names?” asks Tracy with rising fear.

“There is a spirit in man the Spirit of God giveth it inspiration.”

“You’re quoting the Bible,” observes Tracy. “That’s unusual among today’s youths in the West.”

“As unusual as your fighter jet that should have crashed on your last mission out in Sambisa but the Lord carried it in the palm of His hands all the way back to base?”

“How did you know that?” shouts Tracy.

“Or as unusual as our virginity that has been restored after giving birth to a child each?”

By this time, Tracy and Ted are so thoroughly confused that they could only look at Deborah in open-mouth amazement.

“You’ve come looking for the Chibok papers,” continues Deborah. “But the Lord says I should tell you that you’re both on a wild goose chase. What you seek does not exist…. At the same time it is in your possession. A riddle which I can’t crack for you. I have to go home now?”

“Home? You’re going back to Nigeria?”

“No. My eternal Home!” Deborah stands up to her feet. “Give this message to David, Tracy.”

“You also know about David?”

“Tell him the Lord says nothing catches Him by surprise. And none of their children will die until they have preached the Gospel of Christ! That is their ultimate punishment and God’s purpose for allowing all of this. He is a believer and will understand. As for you, the Lord says your patience must be long but you will surely win if you don’t faint. Goodbye!”

Slowly, Deborah begins to disappear by instalments. First her two hands disappear. Then her feet slowly disappear leaving her empty shoes on the ground. At this point, Tracy begins to scream uncontrollably while Ted falls on his knees, tears running down his face. The BBC crew runs over on hearing Tracy’s scream. There before a large crowd and the camera, Deborah continues to disappear in bits: her legs, her stomach, her chest, her neck. At this point her clothes fall entirely onto the ground. More than fifty men and women are now screaming as they fall on their knees, with the camera carrying everything life to the whole world. The last part of her to disappear is her head taking with it the radiance of her smiling face. Some of the ladies faint in shock while the men shout incoherently confessing their sins and asking for forgiveness. And the camera captures it all and sends it in real time all over the world into offices, homes, palaces, state houses, terrorist camps etc.

In hours, confusion reigns all over the world sequel to the worldwide publicity given to the BBC footage of Deborah’s translation. There is a lot of panic in religious circles as many thought the rapture had taken place. However, since no other person disappeared along with Deborah, religious leaders are able to calm down their panicky flock, assuring them that the saints had not been called home yet. One major gain of the episode is an increase in the number of believers worldwide, as many see it as a prelude to the Second Coming. Those who used to scoff at the Christian message and the fence-sitters who could not make up their minds to believe or not all flock to the church and give their lives to Christ. Churches that had been empty in the West for over five decades are suddenly filled to the brim with penitent converts seeking to escape the final judgement prophesied in the Bible. Even though many organisations, governments and powerful individuals rise up to denounce the footage as nothing but a scam, the louder they denounce the footage, the greater the flood of new converts flocking to the churches worldwide. The greatest gain of all, however, is the number of terrorists who suddenly see the light and rebel against their former masters. In Yemen, Syria, Somalia and Nigeria, many radicalised youths abandon the camps of ISIL, ISWAP and Boko Haram and head for the nearest Church. It is a body blow to the sponsors of terrorism all over the world.