The sun barely cracked over Lagos, casting a golden glow on Makoko's piers as Kemi, Naomi, and Tariq huddled in Juwon's cramped music shed, phones buzzing with a mix of messages and warnings.
_Get safe, Kemi._ _The Consortium's people are everywhere._ _Lagos is watching._ Juwon stranged his guitar, a low hum cutting through the tension.
"The venue's set.
Eko Centre, 3 PM. Packed." Naomi nodded, scrolling through a secured feed.
"Consortium's got influencers, media, even NPF trucks parked outside. They'll spin this as 'progress for all.'
" Kemi tied her hair back, a familiar calm settling. "We'll spin it too.
Makoko to Victoria Island-Lagos decides."
Tariq handed her a small, wrapped bundle.
"Ade made this.
For luck."
A wooden _gẹ̀gẹ̀_ pendant, intricately carved with a wave motif.
Kemi smiled, looping it around her neck.
By 2 PM, Eko Centre's plaza thranged with people-students, vendors, hackers in black hoodies, old folks with _anso_ cloths.
The Consortium's team was there too, sleek in branded blazers, cameras poised.
Elara Singh stepped onto the stage, a megaphone gleaming.
"Lagos, we bring innovation! Clean energy, smart governance-" The crowd didn't wait.
_"What about Makoko?"_ someone shouted.
_"No more evictions!"_ Juwon's drums kicked in from a hidden speaker, a rolling beat that drowned out the PA.
Kemi climbed the stage, Naomi beside her, the _gẹ̀gẹ̀_ pendant warm against her skin.
Elara's smile didn't falter. "Ah, Kemi Adebayo.
Join us. Let's discuss-" Kemi took the mic, the crowd's roar like a wave.
"_Ẹ kọ̀ Lagos!_ We don't just want upgrades.
We want ownership.
Transparency."
Screens behind flickered-EkoBot's ledger, the _Iwọ̀n_'s pulse a live feed.
The crowd gasped.
Amara Rao from the Consortium tried to interrupt, but Kemi kept going.
"This isn't just tech.
It's our rivers, our homes, our future.
Do we let them control it? Or do we shape it?" The _Iwọ̀n_ stirred, a sudden shiver in the air.
People pointed-above the lagoon, a massive luminescent ripple, like the water was drawing a breath.
The Consortium's people exchanged nervous glances. Elara leaned in, voice low.
"Kemi, don't play with-" Kemi cut her off, raising her voice.
"Lagos, the _Iwọ̀n_ doesn't belong to them.
It belongs to _us_. Do we say yes to their terms... or write our own?" The crowd erupted. Drums, horns, _"Lagos! Lagos!"_ The screens flashed _#LagosUnbound_.
The Consortium's influencers stumbled, messages failing to trend.
The hooded figure appeared at the edge of the stage, voice distorted.
"This is reckless. You'll break the city."
Kemi faced them, mic amplifying her words.
"The city's already broken.
We're fixing it-together."
A police siren wailed, NPF officers moving in, but the crowd didn't back down.
Juwon's drums ramped louder, a heartbeat.
Naomi grabbed Kemi's hand.
"Time to move."
They plunged into the throng, people shielding them, chanting.
The _Iwọ̀n_'s ripple grew, water licking higher on the seawalls... then, a pause.
As if the lagoon itself was listening.
Elara's eyes locked with Kemi's, a flicker of something like respect.
"This isn't over."
Kemi smiled, the _gẹ̀gẹ̀_ pendant pulsing once.
"It's just beginning."
The crowd swallowed them, Lagos' pulse thrumming, the future hanging in the balance.
In the chaos, Kemi felt a message buzz on her phone-a single line from an unknown number: _The tide's turning.