After the ass whooping and capture of the three bandits—Ahmed, Olodo, and Eze—they were later escorted away by the Abuja Police Department (APD).
We barely escaped the bombardment of journalists before teleporting back to Nimbus 7.
The base hummed with its usual metallic glow, but today it felt brighter.
The joy of completing our first real mission lit up every corner of the room.
Uche:
"Guys, I'll be honest with you… during training I had doubts. But I still believed we could do it. The training was short, but look at us—we handled it. I have to say… good work, team."
Before anyone could respond, Ja'afar cut in loudly.
Ja'afar:
"Don't forget we picked the EASY mission!"
We all burst into laughter.
Emmanuel went straight to the computer system, already filing the report and analyzing our errors and mistakes—soon to be used for later briefing and training.
Victor, Atani, and Yusuf huddled together, bragging about how badass they looked in action, each exaggerating more than the last.
John didn't waste a single second. He was already experimenting, trying to see what he could change the katana into next.
Ja'afar walked up beside me.
Ja'afar:
"Imagine how everything changed—from being your average high-school student… to actual superheroes."
I nodded with a tired smile.
"As in."
While everyone was celebrating, something suddenly hit me.
I called out to them.
"Let's all meet at the main station in five to ten minutes. Once you're done with what you're doing. There's something important we need to discuss."
Seven minutes later, everyone rushed in.
Their faces were slightly tense and worried.
They sat down with folded hands and sharp eyes.
I let the tension hang for a moment…
(because why not?)
Then I chuckled.
Uche:
"Relax! I just realized—we don't have superhero names! You know say those names are important for secrecy."
They all stared at me like: That's all?
Victor:
"Uche, you're not serious! We just won our first real fight and THIS is the urgent meeting? If I come there and give you slap, my name no be Victor again!"
Atani:
"Guy! You for just talk am outside! You wan give person heart attack? We think say problem dey!"
I laughed and raised my hands.
"Sorry, sorry. I just wanted to build suspense. Anyway… should we choose our names now or later?"
They exchanged glances.
Victor didn't waste time.
Victor:
"Call me Helios. Greek god of the sun. I am the sun. A star that—"
Atani:
"Abeg! Enough! Talk, talk, talk you fit talk, but to fight you no fit! Chai!
Just call me Arcane."
I nodded dramatically.
"Nice. Valid. Okay, others?"
They looked unsure, so I leaned forward and pointed around the table.
"John… you're Forge.
Ja'afar… Phase.
Emmanuel… Techno.
Yusuf… Blu.
And me… Nova."
The room went quiet for a second before murmurs of approval filled the air.
Ja'afar:
"Not too dramatic. Not too bad. I like mine."
John:
"Yeah. Forge sounds solid."
Yusuf:
"Blu… like blur and blue joined together abi?"
I shrugged.
"Something like that."
The excitement in the room doubled.
We now had names.
Identity.
Presence.
For the first time… we truly felt like a real superhero team.
Then Emmanuel cleared his throat.
Emmanuel:
"Before we leave, we need to debrief the last battle, the prisoner release, and the awakened people around the world."
The room immediately became serious.
Emmanuel adjusted his glasses and continued.
"I picked up a strange coordinated pattern in how the prisoners escaped. During the explosion that caused the outbreak of superpowered beings—and even during our fight with those three mercenaries—there was a small news report. Not very popular, because people didn't understand what was happening."
He tapped the screen.
"It showed someone transforming a human into a grotesque abomination. The broadcast ended with a written sign:
'The Prime Age of Humanity Begins Now.'"
Silence filled the room.
"Few days later," he continued,
"that same sign appeared in about 456 prisons around the world. It's not just us. Other regions are experiencing similar outbreaks. According to my calculations, roughly 0.1% of the world population has developed powers."
He paused.
"In a world of 8.3 billion people… that is over 8 million superpowered individuals."
Nobody spoke.
"I'm monitoring global prison activity to predict which one they might target next. I'll keep you all posted."
I nodded slowly.
Uche:
"Alright. Good work. It's getting late. We should all head home before our parents start worrying."
Evening came quickly, and reality returned.
It was Saturday.
And for the Christians among us, tomorrow was Sunday—meaning church service and unavoidable responsibilities.
As we packed up, I looked at Ja'afar and Yusuf.
"You two might be the only heroes active tomorrow until the rest of us finish service."
Both of them grinned.
"You can count on us!"
When I got home, the moment I opened the door, my mom's voice thundered through the house.
Mom:
"Uche! Have you washed and ironed your Sunday clothes?!"
Fear activated instantly like a superpower.
"Yes mommy!"
As I walked toward my room, I passed my younger sister's doorway. She was squealing excitedly about how the Backbenchers looked "so cute" during the broadcast.
I didn't even have the strength to tease her.
I dropped onto my bed like a human log and knocked out instantly.
As the day finally ended, a small smirk formed on my face.
Today was exhilarating.
And with that thought, I slept—
deciding to leave tomorrow's problems…
to tomorrow's me.