Chapter 3:The Unseen Forces

The rain tapping against the windowsill was the only sound that cut through the silence in James's apartment. He had spent the entire night mulling over Sarah and their brief yet heated exchange. Her generosity and the image of her family sitting down to a meal lingered in his mind, giving him a brief glimmer of hope in the dim light of his one-roomed place. But that was all it was hope. And he had known for a long time that hope was a dangerous thing for a man like him.

He sat on his bed, the early morning light streaming through the curtains, looking at the piece of paper Sarah had given him. Her number, scrolled in blue ink, mocked him from across the room. He hadn't called. Not yet. He didn't know what would happen if he did.

He was no longer the man he had been driven by duty and honor. That James Brown was long since dead, and in his place was this man who was fighting to survive in a world that had betrayed him.

But Sarah's sincerity, her faith in him, made the notion of reaching out hard to dismiss. Perhaps she could show him a way forward. Or perhaps, maybe, she could help him find some redemption.

His phone shrilled, interrupting his reverie. For a second he wondered if it was Sarah. But when he looked at the screen, the name flashing on it sent a chill down his spine: Colonel Ahmed Usman.

He hadn't heard from Colonel Usman since his discharge, but the man had always mentored him who had seen something in James that others didn't. And Ahmed had been a steadfast part of his life while in service, helping him as much as and as best as he could. And when James was turned out of the army, Usman had tried to step in, but to no avail.

James picked up the phone on the second ring, his voice low. "Colonel."

"James," Usman's voice crackled in, steady but with an edge of urgency. "We need to talk. Meet me at the old army base, the one they closed down last year. I'll tell you everything when you get here.'"

Before James could give an answer, the line went silent.

He sat for a moment, his mind racing. Why the old base? It had been out of commission for years, a mere relic of the past. And why the urgency in Usman's voice? Something wasn't right.

He couldn't ignore it. Not after everything he'd been through.

The base was a long drive, the road twisting through the ordure of the city, out where the lights of civilization fade to darkness. The air grew heavy the closer he came, as if the ghosts of the past were standing vigil.

When he got there, the place was strangely quiet. It had fallen into disrepair since the Old Base closed. The barracks had been overtaken by weeds, and rusted vehicles stood idle. The place seemed a graveyard for the once-proud institution it had been.

James parked around the side of the lot, near the main entrance, and stepped out of the car, crunching his boots on the gravel. He didn't have to search too far for Usman waiting by the rusted gates, his silhouette was framed by the low, dim glow of the moon.

"Colonel," James shouted, the sound reverberating in the deserted base.

Usman turned, eyes weary but resolved. "James, you made it."

"What's going on?" James, looking around the vicinity. The place seemed too peaceful.

Usman gestured for him to come along. "I don't have much time. We need to move fast."

The two men picked up their pace, moving at a fast clip through the derelict base, the sounds of their footfalls echoing in the silence of the nighttime air. Usman directed him to an old storage building at the far end of the base. When they got to the door, Usman stopped and faced James.

"I've been investigating something, James," Usman said in a low voice. "Something I should have told you a long time ago. Something about the true reason you were booted out of the army."

James's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

Usman looked around, confirming that no one was listening and then withdrew a folder from his jacket. He handed it to James. "It's all in here. The truth. Victor Kareem has been part of an entire network of illegal arms deals, and he's using his office to cover it up. You are getting too close to the truth, James. That's why he took you down."

James skimmed the papers in the folder, his brain buzzing. There were documents, photographs, coded messages. The evidence had been damning  Victor Kareem was no common corrupt general; he was central to a dangerous syndicate that extended far beyond the military.

"I knew something challenged that," James said, shaking his fists. "But I didn't realize it went this deep."

Usman nodded grimly. "It's bigger than you think. And it's not just Victor. There are more players in this powerful men who will do anything to protect themselves."

James's eyes narrowed. "So, what now?"

Usman raised his eyebrows at him in a bemused way. "Now, we go after them. But you must be cautious, James. You're not just a fighter anymore. You're a target. And it's not only Victor that we have to fear. There are others who would do anything to keep this quiet."

There was an almost palpable air of danger surrounding them, and James knew this was just the beginning of the storm. The past he thought he had left behind was dragging him back in and there was no avoiding the fight that lay ahead.

But for the first time in months, he was alive. He had a purpose again. And he wasn't going to let Victor Kareem or anyone else get away with what they had done.