The Chronicles of Sarah Jane

The Chronicles of Sarah Jane

  By

  Nia Eze

  The Chronicles of Sarah Jane

  By Nia Eze

 

  Copyright 2016 Nia Eze

  All Rights Reserved.

 

  ISBN 9781370379231

  Without limiting the rights under copyright preserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright holder and the publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  DEDICATION

  To the greatest Story Teller of all time, The Lord, God Almighty.

  Thank you.

  TABLE OF CONTENT

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Author's note

  Excerpts from upcoming books

  Other books by this author

  CHAPTER 1

  Sarah Jane made her way around the building back to the front door. She had been around it twice but had not seen any other way in. It had to be the front door. She looked again in the space that 'good ole Doctor Greene' had said the key would be in half hoping that some miracle would have occurred since the last time she checked and the key would be mysteriously where he had said it would be.

  Sarah Jane blew out a huff in her disappointment. She felt a whirlpool of bitterness opening up somewhere in her, threatening to overwhelm her. She had been back here every month for the past year hoping against hope that she would somehow gain access into the building. No such luck! The place seemed locked down tighter than a crypt. She pulled at the handle to the front door in frustration and rattled it noisily. It wasn't budging, just as it hadn't budged all the other times.

  As she made to pull her hand back, another hand closed in around hers from behind her. She jerked in shock and reflexively pushed back at the person who had come up so quietly that she had not heard. She felt, even as she turned, the person flung back down the porch steps to the yard. She watched as the person lay still for a few seconds and then begin to writhe as he recovered his breathe. When he turned to look at her, she sagged against a column holding up the porch.

  "Obi, you of all people should know not to scare me like that." she chided as she walked down the steps to him. "I hope you aren't hurt. I pushed really hard." she commented.

  "You do push hard." Obi complained, holding unto his side as he struggled to get up off the ground.

  "I can't seem to help it nowadays." she said. They were both quiet for a few long moments, taking the time to access each other, see how well or not the other looked in the long month since they had last seen themselves.

  "You look..."

  "How are..."

  They both began at the same time. They both stopped abruptly and smiled sheepishly. Sarah indicated with her hand that Obi should go first.

  "You look...alright I suppose, all things considered." he said on a shrug and he walked up to meet her at the bottom of the steps.

  "You are too foolhardy for your own good." she scolded as she noticed his slight limp and wondered if she had hurt him more than he was letting on. He sat on the second to last step and patted the space next to him inviting her to take a seat. She hesitated but a moment and then sat down next to him. It felt good to sit with someone and not feel the need to hide what she was becoming, had become.

  Life in the last few months had not been easy on her. Sarah Jane would never have imagined that her life could ever have turned out this way. She had wanted to be a doctor for as long as she could remember. She had trained for a substantial part of her life to make that dream come true. She had made sacrifices, forsworn relationships that had had so much promise just to fulfill that life-long wish to be a doctor and she had made it. She had been rising so rapidly through the ranks. She had taken an interest in genetics very early in her career and she had pursued it. Her parents had been so proud of her when she had been accepted to work with the revered team of doctors at The Centre.

  It had been all they could talk about to family and friends, 'Our daughter the scientist!' How it had all come crashing down. She could imagine that there would be a lot of people who would laugh at her now and say, 'Well, it's only fitting what happened to you. You were going too fast. There had to be trouble on that road.'

  "How are you keeping?" Obinna asked her as he shrugged out of the back pack she now saw that he was carrying.

  "I'm getting desperate." she answered with her usual forthrightness.

  Obi clucked his tongue, whether in rebuke or commiseration, she was not sure. He unzipped the backpack and brought out something wrapped in a nylon bag. The scent of peppery, fried chicken assailed her nostrils and Sarah Jane smiled. It started small and then widen as he brought out yet another nylon wrapped parcel and the sweet smell of her favourite soap bar reached her.

  "You really...thank you." she said softly overwhelmed by her feeling of gratitude for her unlikely friend. When she had run to him for help that day that her world as she had known it had come crashing down in that hospital room, she had not realized that it had to have been the Lord ordering her steps.

  "That's better! I was getting fed up with your complaining. It's not going to stop me from doing what I can you know."

  She snorted out a chuckle as she peeked into first the nylon bag that smelled of soap and then the other. She took out a piece of chicken for herself and offered him another which he took smilingly from her.

  "There's been no luck getting in?" he asked.

  "None." Sarah Jane answered despondently.

  "Don't know why you won't let me break in." Obinna griped.

  She slapped him on the

  hand in reprimand. "What if it sets off some alarm or there's some...something that's there that it releases." Obinna was quietly thoughtful for a while as he slowly gnawed at his piece of chicken.

  "I wish I could say your experiences are making you paranoid." he conceded moodily.

  They both lapsed into silence as they polished off the pieces of chicken and drink that he had brought her. As they both cleaned up with the tissue napkins that he had brought, Obi began to talk.

  "I've been thinking of something but I thought I should clear it with you first?" At Sarah Jane's nod, he continued. "You know that briefcase we retrieve from Doctor Greene and his clan is still with us at the HQ."

  "It's evidence though. I thought of it but wasn't sure if it was something I could lay my hands on." she said.

  "Well the good doctor said that most of it was untested stuff and that he couldn't say for sure what
they would do exactly. Perhaps there's something there that could help you." he concluded.

  Sarah Jane smiled. She always enjoyed a conversation with Obinna. He had a way of going round in circles before hitting the nail squarely on the head. Very squarely on the head.

  "How do you propose we lay our hands on it?" she asked.

  And Obi launched into his plans.

  CHAPTER 2

  "Isn't that criminal?" Her younger brother asked her when she had told him the plan that Obinna had outlined to her.

  "I don't know. He's the police officer." she said.

  Her brother eyed her. "You are not dumb sis. Don't start pretending you are now on my account." he reprimanded sarcastically.

  "I'm desperate Andoah."

  "Apparently, if you are going to allow an officer in the force sneak out a briefcase containing only-the-Lord-knows-what that would be better destroyed, you are!" he exclaimed.

  "Would you rather I remained like this?" she queried not sure she really wanted him to answer that question. Andoah turned to look at her sharply and then turned away again. He sat as far as it was possible to sit away from her while sitting on the same side of the bed.

  Sarah Jane mourned the loss of their relationship. There had been a time when they had been closer than most siblings she knew but as Sarah Jane had began to perform better and better at school, at work and in life generally, they had drifted apart. It was not so much that they hated each other but rather that they were focused on entirely different things. Andoah respected that she was driven and passionate about her 'calling' he just did not think that everyone could or even should be that intense about what they chose to be. Her parents may have let Andoah get away with being 'less' if they did not have Sarah Jane's illustriousness to hold up to him as an example every time. Ultimately, the once close siblings had stayed out of each other's way for the sake of their respective peace of mind and comfort.

  "Do you think it's reversible?" he asked avoiding a direct answer.

  "I don't know but I've got to try." Sarah Jane said as she stood up from her bed and flounced towards the bathroom. Andoah took that rightly as he cue to leave.

  "I think you should let it go." he said abruptly as he got to the door out of her room.

  "And just be like this? Not be able to interact with people without being treated like a monster? I glow eerily Andoah! I can't go out without covering up like a mummy so that people don't think I'm a ghost. My eyes are loosing colour while my eyesight is becoming preternaturally sharp. I'm scared to hug people just in case I squeeze too tightly and break their bones..."

  "I know sis. I know." he turned back to her on a sigh.

  "Do you? I trained Andoah for years and years to be a doctor. Now I can't treat a patient for even malaria. It's apparent even to a child that I have something much worse than malaria wrong with me!"

  "You've always put too much pressure on yourself!" Andoah snapped. "What makes you think you must always be healthy to be a good doctor?" he queried.

  Sarah Jane opened her mouth to reply but shut it again. She could not readily think of a response to that question.

  "Chrissa has been asking after you." Andoah said out of the blues. Chrissa was his wife and had been her best friend at one time. She was currently nursing their young child. While Sarah Jane was exceedingly happy for her friend, she did not feel as comfortable visiting her as she used to before. So badly had her relationship with Andoah deteriorated that she would rather avoid Chrissa than visit and end up quarrelling with Andoah.

  "How's she and the baby?" she asked.

  "You could come visit and find out for yourself." Andoah responded.

  Sarah Jane gave him an evil eye. "Andoah, now it's my turn to ask you not to be obtuse." she responded.

  Andoah sighed loudly rubbing his hand over his face. He looked steadily at his sister for a long few minutes.

  "Nobody deserves this sis." he said. "Least of all you."

  Sarah Jane shrugged. "Life has never dealt anyone fair cards."

  "This is...'unfairer' than most." "What are you going to do about Officer Obi's plan?"

  Sarah Jane stared at her brother, wondering if they would ever get back their relationship, wondering if he missed it as much as she did, wondering if they would ever be okay, whether she would ever be okay. Right at that moment, the odds did not look good for her either way.

  Obi walked out of the police headquarters with his innards roiling with tension. He walked to his car and carefully placed his back pack on the floor behind the driver's seat. He breathed in deeply and sent up a wordless prayer. He was not sure if it was in thanksgiving or in supplication. Perhaps both.

  He shut the door gingerly, shrugged his shoulders and made his way back into the building. As he went through the swinging doors, he turned back to look back at his car. His eyes surreptitiously scanned the scene around his car. He couldn't see anything to be suspicious about. He turned to walk back to his office when out of the corner of his eyes he saw a familiar looking man cross the gates out of the Headquarters with hurried footsteps. He went back out of the building and followed the man, his inner radar urging him to hurry after him. Just as he made the gates, a sedan car with tinted glass windows sped off from the side of the street where it had been parked. He could not see the occupants of the car no matter how much he peered at the glass. He tried to read the plates but could only get the first three letters, ABK. He looked around the street but could not see the familiar looking man. He huffed out a breath and went back into the premises of HQ.

  As he went back through the car park, he stopped by his car to check that it had not been tampered with. He opened the door and patted the backpack to ascertain that his treasured parcel was still within. It seemed like nothing had been disturbed.

  Just as he locked up his car the cell phone in his pocket went off. He checked the incoming call on his screen and saw the name of his beat partner. He picked up the call and said into the phone before Lawrence could start, "I'm stepping into the building. I had to...handle something outside. I'll be with you shortly." He was already walking briskly towards the building even as he snapped his phone off.

  He was almost late for the meeting. It was the meeting where they would get the necessary approval to destroy stored exhibits that had exceeded their usefulness. He needed to be sure that the briefcase was one of those things. It would be the perfect cover for what he had just done.

  CHAPTER 3

  Sarah Jane sat in her car across from the meeting place that Obinna had indicated. She was wracked with an attack of nerves. Obinna never called her. If he had, that meant he had somehow gotten the contents of the briefcase or...her mind shut down on her as she was overwhelmed by the implications of this single phone call.

  "What to do, what to do?" she mumbled to herself in a bid to gain some clarity. It was not working. Her mind was still flying around in fits and starts.

  The sound of someone knocking on her window jolted her. She turned to see the frowning face of Obinna looking in on her. She pressed on the button to bring down the glass.

  "Were you going to remain there?" He questioned and then when he saw the worry clearly etched on her face, he continued. "Perhaps that is an excellent idea." He went round to the passenger's side and got in as soon as she opened the door.

  Sarah Jane drew a deep breath as he settled in and pulled his seat belt on. "Why are you so frazzled?" he asked. "Has something else happened?"

  She looked at him with eyes that were a colour so light that they seemed translucent. "Apart from me feeling and looking more the freak?" She shook her head.

  Obinna sighed. "It's a bad day today right?" he noted.

  Sarah Jane felt the tears sting her eyes. She wiped at them hastily not sure that she would be able to stop crying should she give in and break into tears.

  "Funny enough, I can't tell if my hormones are going crazy or if I'm just depressed or...." she choked up again and fell silent. Obinna leaned over and p
ulled her into a hug. She leaned into it, accepting the comfort implicit in it as she struggled to gain some control of her emotions.

  "So what is it that you needed to see me about?" she asked as she pulled away from him. Obinna remained in his position, his arms still curved out in the mime of a hug, for a moment before he shook himself free and leaned back on his seat. Sarah Jane smiled. She knew that Obinna had some feelings for her but she was not ready to deal with it yet. She was equal parts amazed and alarmed by it and she found it rather unsettling.

  "Well there's good news and there's bad news." he started with a quirk to his eyebrow. "Which do I start with?"

  "I should be up for some good news." Sarah Jane quipped.

  "Okay. I got the contents of the briefcase and I think we've been able to bury that case administratively." he paused as if he were waiting for some sort of reaction from her. When it became apparent that there was none forthcoming, he continued. "I got it over to Mahmoud and he's sorting through them. I think he had started analyzing them before, when it was in his custody so..." he shrugged, "No feedback from him just yet but we are on our way."

  Sarah Jane raised her own eyebrows at him. "And the bad news?" she requested.

  "I think...that someone is watching me, us?" he said it questioningly. "I haven't seen any concrete evidence. Just things that don't add up you know. A sense, a sixth sense that someone is watching." he had a frown on his face as he concluded, like he was trying to figure out a puzzle for which he had no clear guide in his mind.

  "What do you mean, watching?" Sarah Jane enquired her senses going into ultra mode as her panic spiked. "I thought the network had been largely crippled."

  "Yes it has. But since we don't exactly know what it was like in the first place, who's to say that some part of it hasn't gone underground?"

  "I thought Doctor Greene gave an extensive confession during his plea bargain? That we have a fairly accurate idea of what the network looked like?" Sarah Jane asked, her agitation rising with each passing moment.

  "As extensive as his instructions to you about that house?" Obinna scoffed. "How do we tell that he told us everything he knows? What if he didn't know everything?”

  "Great!" Sarah Jane exclaimed sarcastically. "So on top of everything, we have the possibility of a rogue organization looking for whatever it is, with..." she stopped abruptly in her monologue.