Chapter 3: The Reveal

Daniel sat across from Amina in her modest flat, where the candlelight made long shadows on the walls. She looked tired, but her eyes were full of fire.

Amina responded, "You were right," and pushed a heavy folder across the table. "They're in bed with the terrorists, Daniel." And it's worse than we imagined.

Daniel's hands shook as he opened the folder. Inside were military maps, money transactions, and pictures. But the last page is what really drew his eye. There was a photograph of General Emeka Nwachukwu exchanging handshakes with an arms dealer alongside a large shipment of firearms.

"This... this is everything," Daniel said under his breath. "This is the proof we need."

Amina moved in closer. "It's not just about guns. They've been utilizing the instability to make money by running bogus charitable enterprises.

Daniel's thoughts were racing. Everything was starting to make sense. There are still missing pieces of the puzzle. Although he hadn't considered it before, his intuition was correct.

Amina went on, "There's one more thing." "Last night, I talked to an informant. They provided me more information, but… She stopped for a moment, her voice shaking. "We found them dead this morning." A hit-and-run.

Daniel's stomach sank. The person who gave the information was dead. The walls were getting closer.

"I knew it was too dangerous," he said in a low voice, tightening his jaw. "But we have to keep going." This is the end.

He felt the ground shake as he stood up to depart. A military vehicle came up, and its tires screeched as it turned the corner.

Daniel got to the safe place hours later, with the papers safely tucked under his arm. The information they had found felt like a time bomb in his hands. They couldn't stop now. Not when they were so close.

While he walked around the little room, Amina's comments kept coming back to him. It was one thing for the military to mess with things, but what about the politicians? It was a whole new level of corruption.

Daniel said to himself, "They can't just be washing money." "This is about power." They're starting a fight to take over the country's resources.

Amina emerged out of the dark with another stack of papers in her hand. "You are right. It's a grab for power." They've been planning these attacks to get more money for the military and make deals with other countries."

Daniel's thoughts were interrupted by the loud buzzing of his phone. It was an SMS from a number I didn't know.

"Stop digging, Daniel." You don't know how enormous this is.

The letter had only one initial, E.

Daniel replied in a chilly voice, "I don't think we're just up against corrupt cops anymore." "We're working with people at the very top."

Amina's eyes got darker. "We need to inform everyone, Daniel."

Daniel made a fist. "I'm not giving up."

But as he stood there looking at the phone screen, he felt a sense of dread. Someone wanted to shut them up. They didn't have any time left.

Daniel stood outside the high-security military base late at night, looking around the outside. He could feel the excitement rushing through his body, combining with the fear that had been building for days. The plan was simple: break in, acquire the proof, and leave. There would be no second chances.

His most trusted friend, Tunde, whispered into his ear. "Are you sure about this, Captain? If we get caught—

Daniel interrupted him, asserting, "We avoid detection." "We're in, we're out." "We don't leave a trace."

Daniel couldn't shake the sensation that their strategy was too easy. He had been on enough missions to know that the most dangerous times were when everything looked easy.

To get past the guards, they both crouched down and walked up to the fence. Daniel's heart raced as they got to the back door. The door remained locked, but not for long. Daniel's little tool clicked, and the door opened without a sound.

They crept inside and made their way through the dark halls. They knew exactly where the papers were: deep inside the building, behind the safe vault.

Tunde murmured, "Got it," and pointed to a little box on a desk.

Daniel nodded. "Let's go."

But just as they were about to depart, the sound of boots thundering down the hall made them halt.

Daniel snarled, "Tunde." "Now, move."

However, as they ducked into a nearby supply closet, Daniel heard a sound that abruptly stopped him.

A voice said, "Daniel Okoro," and it echoed along the hall. He knew that voice all too well.

His old friend. The person who had been bought out. They had all been betrayed by him.

There was no noise at the military base. The noise was insufficiently loud. Daniel's muscles stiffened as he followed Amina through the rear door. The heavy silence made it difficult to hear their footsteps. Amina's alert eyes darted to the security cameras as she quickly turned them off, one by one.

"Are we sure about this?" Daniel murmured, and his voice was hard to hear. He held his rifle tighter, and his body was on high alert.

Amina didn't answer right away. Her fingers moved swiftly as she used the control panel to unlock the vault entrance. There was a lot of tension between them, like the air before a storm.

"We don't have time to second-guess," Amina said quietly, glancing at Daniel. Her hair was dark and hung freely about her face. A few strands stuck to her forehead as she worked. "This is it." We either do it or we don't.

They stepped inside when the door snapped open. The walls were lined with rows of files, and each one was more damning than the previous. Daniel's breath caught when he saw the papers they had been looking for for weeks. They showed that high-ranking officials had been working with terrorists.

"Got it," Amina said as she took a folder off the shelf and gave it to Daniel. "This is the proof. We have everything we need to take them down.

As Daniel picked up the folder, a loud alarm went off in the building, breaking the silence like a knife.

"Shit," Daniel swore as the sound of footsteps coming down the corridor echoed.

Amina's eyes got bigger. "Go now!"

Daniel grabbed her arm, and they sprinted, their hearts beating in time with the chaos. The guards' shouts got louder, and the chase began.

They ran through the dark hallways, and the papers were so heavy that Daniel fell. They thought that every step could be their last. Daniel's thoughts raced with numbers—escape routes, the fastest way out, and how far they could get before help arrived. He could hear boots pounding on the floor in the distance.

Daniel remarked, "You keep an eye on the back," and his voice was calm even though things were going crazy. "I'll show you the way."

Amina nodded, her breath short. "Right behind you."

But when they turned the corner, Daniel saw a tall, broad-shouldered man with a familiar face standing at the exit.

"Kofi?" Daniel's voice got stuck in his throat. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Kofi's lips curved up in a snarl. "That's something I should be asking you, Daniel." Don't you know? The people in charge want this knowledge. They'll pay a lot for it.

Daniel stopped moving. He felt like he had been punched in the gut when he realized it. His friend Kofi had betrayed him.

"You sold us out?" Daniel's voice was low and full of incredulity.

Kofi's gaze moved to the folder that Daniel was holding. "What's in there is worth more than any loyalty." You were never supposed to win this struggle. I was.

Daniel's brain was racing. "You—"

Kofi lunged and knocked the folder out of Daniel's hand before he could finish. It skittered across the floor, but Daniel was able to grab it just in time.

Kofi growled, "Drop it," and moved his hand to his own gun.

Amina moved forward, but Daniel's hand shot out to stop her. "Don't." We don't have time to waste.

The sound of footsteps got louder. Daniel didn't have much time to react when Kofi made his approach. He ran at Daniel and grabbed him by the collar. For a moment, the world stopped.

Kofi murmured, "You can't trust anyone, Daniel," and his eyes were frigid.

Then, just as swiftly as he had come, Kofi was gone, slipping into the shadows and leaving Daniel with the crushing weight of betrayal on his shoulders.