Chapter 32: Cracking The Code

Marriam sat at a small wooden table, her laptop open and the flash drive connected. The dim light overhead flickered slightly, casting shadows across the room. Jay and Ellen stood close by, watching as Marriam's fingers flew across the keyboard, decrypting the files Zulu had given them.

"We're almost in," Marriam muttered, her heart pounding in her chest. Every click of the keyboard felt like a countdown to something bigger.

Jay paced the room, glancing at the boarded-up windows. "We've been here too long. Richard's men will figure out we're in this city sooner or later."

"We'll leave soon," Ellen said, though her eyes remained glued to Marriam's screen. "But we need to see what's in those files first."

Finally, the encryption broke, and dozens of files popped up. Marriam's breath caught in her throat as she scrolled through names, dates, transactions, and coded messages.

"This…this is enough to bring Richard down," she whispered. "His whole network—everything is here."

Jay moved closer, peering at the screen. "Can we use it? Expose him?"

"We can," Marriam replied, her voice steady but laced with uncertainty. "But we'll have to move fast. Once this goes public, he'll know we have it."

"Then we need to act now," Ellen said, her eyes sharp. "We send it to every media outlet, every whistleblower site, make it impossible for Richard to contain."

Marriam hesitated, her finger hovering over the "Send" button. Something nagged at her—the feeling that they were walking into the unknown, that unleashing this information would bring consequences they weren't ready for.

"We don't have time for second thoughts," Jay said, sensing her hesitation. "Once this is out there, we'll be free."

But would they?

With one last glance at Jay and Ellen, Marriam clicked "Send."