The reply came ten minutes after Zara sent her message: "Meet me at the museum. Basement level. 11:15 sharp. Come alone."
Zara stared at the text on the burner phone. No signature. But she recognized Adrian's cautious phrasing. It was his way of protecting her—and himself.
She didn't hesitate. The Grey Circle packed her a decoy bag with a dummy drive. Chalo gave her a slim button cam, and Tobias rigged her phone with a kill-switch protocol. If anything went wrong, one swipe would alert the Circle and wipe all data.
Amira met her at the door.
"You're sure about this?"
Zara nodded. "Time for answers."
The museum, an aging colonial structure on the edge of Nairobi's city center, had long corridors of silence and shadows. Zara descended to the basement, past dimly lit exhibits and broken display cases. At the far end, beneath a flickering light, Adrian stood alone.
She approached cautiously.
"You're late," he said.
"You're paranoid."
He half-smiled. "With good reason."
He handed her an envelope.
"What's this?"
"Paper doesn't leave a digital footprint."
Inside were blueprints, personnel names, account numbers. All tied to Meridian's internal security department. It was a full organizational map of the division that had framed her father—and now hunted her.
"Why are you giving me this?" she asked.
"Because someone inside Meridian wants to talk. But not to me. To you."
Zara blinked. "Who?"
"Ms. Njeri."
"The woman who's been tracking me?"
"Exactly. She's starting to doubt the mission."
Zara narrowed her eyes. "And what does she want in return?"
Adrian hesitated. "Immunity. From everyone."
---
A Meeting with a Traitor
Two hours later, in an underground parking garage in Upper Hill, Zara met Njeri in the back seat of a heavily tinted Mercedes.
"Ms. Kimani," Njeri said, surprisingly warm. "You look like your father."
Zara folded her arms. "You mean the man your company ruined?"
Njeri exhaled. "I'm not proud of what we did. But I didn't have a choice."
"There's always a choice."
"Not when your family is involved. Meridian held my brother's medical debt over me. And they promised me power."
Zara's eyes stayed cold. "What do you want?"
Njeri slid a small, leather notebook into her hand.
"Everything you need is in there. Meeting schedules. Shell companies. Politicians on the payroll."
Zara flipped it open. Names jumped off the page. Some she recognized from the news. Others from childhood parties her father had hosted.
"Why now?"
Njeri looked out the window. "Because your father was the only honest man in that room. And because I've seen what happens to the people who know too much. Wanjiru's next."
Zara froze. "What do you mean?"
"She tried to run. She's being followed. She'll vanish if you don't get to her first."
---
The Rescue
Wanjiru Kuria's apartment in Kileleshwa was dark when Zara arrived, accompanied by Tobias and Amira in a nondescript car. The neighborhood was quiet—too quiet.
Tobias scanned the area through binoculars.
"There's a car three blocks down. No lights. No movement. But it's not supposed to be there."
Amira nodded. "We go in fast. Zara, stay behind until we secure the building."
But Zara was already out of the car.
She reached Wanjiru's door and knocked in a familiar pattern—three soft taps, one hard. The door opened slowly.
Wanjiru stood there, eyes red, one suitcase on the floor.
"You shouldn't have come," she whispered.
Zara stepped inside. "I'm not letting them take you."
Behind her, Amira entered with Tobias. "We have a safehouse. You have five minutes."
As they gathered the essentials, Wanjiru turned to Zara.
"You saw the video?"
"Yes."
"Then you know I wasn't strong enough to stop it."
Zara took her hand. "You were strong enough to warn me. That counts."
They left through the back staircase, slipping through a network of alleys. Chalo was waiting in a delivery truck three blocks away.
---
A Line Crossed
Back at the Grey Circle hideout, tension crackled.
"They'll know we helped her," Chalo said. "It's just a matter of time before Meridian targets us directly."
Amira nodded. "Then we strike first."
She turned to Zara. "Your father's name doesn't just need to be cleared. His legacy has to be restored. That means going public. But not with a whisper. With a scream."
"A data dump?"
"Bigger. A broadcast. Global. Live. With full documentation, proof, testimony."
Zara considered it. "And if they try to stop us?"
Amira smiled grimly. "We've got one shot. So we make it count."
---
A Tense Reunion
That night, Adrian showed up at the hideout. He looked exhausted, suit rumpled, eyes haunted.
"They know I helped you," he said to Zara. "I'm out. I've been locked out of my office, my accounts, everything."
"Then stay," she said. "Help us finish this."
He hesitated. "Why are you still trusting me?"
Zara looked at him for a long moment. "Because you didn't run."
He exhaled and sat beside her. "We release the video, the files, everything. But we do it on our terms. I can still get access to the rooftop server at Meridian. It has unfiltered bandwidth. We hijack the feed and push it live."
Chalo perked up. "That could work."
Amira nodded. "But once we're in, there's no backing out."
Adrian looked at Zara. "Then let's burn it down."
---
Chapter Close: Countdown to Exposure
Over the next twenty-four hours, the Grey Circle went into overdrive. Files were decrypted, video edited, documents cross-referenced. A carefully choreographed broadcast was prepared.
Zara recorded a personal message, staring directly into the lens.
"My name is Zara Kimani. I'm here to tell you the truth. About Meridian Analytics. About Project Harambee. About my father."
Outside, the city went on as usual. But beneath its surface, history was about to split open.