In the aftermath of the tense meeting with Professor Zulu, Marriam, Jay, and Ellen holed up in yet another dingy motel room. The three of them sat around the small, dimly lit table in silence, the weight of the flash drive pressing heavily on their minds. The only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioner, but it did little to ease the growing tension in the room.
Jay was the first to break the silence. "So, what now? We've got this… but what's the next move?"
Marriam tapped her fingers on the table, staring at the flash drive in front of her. "We need to figure out exactly what's on this first. Zulu said it's enough to start unraveling Richard's network, but we won't know for sure until we see it ourselves."
Ellen stood up and started pacing, her nerves clearly getting the better of her. "Even if we do figure out what's on it, how are we supposed to use it? Zulu's not going to help us any more than he already has, and Richard's people are probably already looking for us. We don't have much time."
"I know," Marriam said quietly, her eyes still fixed on the flash drive. "But we can't panic. We knew this was going to get dangerous. Zulu's help gives us a lead, but we have to stay smart about this."
Jay sat back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. "What if this is a setup? Zulu could be playing both sides, leading us into a trap. He said he'd deny everything if it blows up in our faces. How do we even know this is real?"
Marriam looked at Jay, her expression hard. "We don't. But we don't have a choice. Zulu didn't have to give us anything, and he sure as hell didn't have to meet us. He has his own reasons for doing this. I don't trust him either, but we need to act fast."
Ellen stopped pacing and turned toward them. "We have to go through the data. There might be more people in Richard's network that we can expose—people who would have no choice but to flip if we can pressure them."
Marriam nodded. "Exactly. We need to use this information to find leverage. But we can't do that from here. We need somewhere safe, somewhere we can sit down and analyze everything without worrying about someone knocking on the door."
Jay stood up. "I'll go out and find another place to stay. Somewhere off the grid. But we need to move quickly. If Richard's men are close, we can't stay here for long."
Marriam agreed, handing him some money. "Get us somewhere secure. I'll stay here with Ellen and start looking through the data."
Jay took the cash and nodded, glancing at Ellen before heading toward the door. "Don't let anyone in," he warned as he left, his eyes scanning the street outside before disappearing into the night.
Once he was gone, Marriam plugged the flash drive into her laptop, and she and Ellen sat side by side, watching the screen as the contents loaded. As they scrolled through the files, it became clear that Zulu hadn't been lying—there were names, bank accounts, shell companies, and a detailed web of connections linking powerful figures to Richard's operation.
"There's enough here to take down half the people Richard works with," Ellen whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Marriam's pulse quickened. "We have to be careful with this. We can't go to the authorities—not yet. If we release any of this too soon, Richard will bury it before we even get a chance to use it."
Ellen looked at her, concern etched on her face. "So, what do we do?"
Marriam paused, thinking. "We need to find someone who can help us. Someone with enough power and influence to take this information and make sure it doesn't get buried. We can't trust just anyone."
Ellen leaned back in her chair, worry filling her eyes. "And who could we possibly trust? Everyone in Richard's circle is either on his payroll or too scared to act."
Marriam's mind raced as she stared at the names on the screen. "I don't know yet. But we'll figure it out."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Both women froze, their eyes darting to the door.
Ellen's voice trembled. "Jay wouldn't knock…"
Marriam quickly grabbed her phone and texted Jay: Did you come back?
The reply came almost instantly: No. Stay quiet. I'm close.
The tension in the room became suffocating as the knock came again, louder this time. Marriam motioned for Ellen to stay still and silent, her heart pounding in her ears. Whoever was outside knocked a third time before finally going quiet.
Marriam listened intently, hearing faint footsteps retreat down the hallway. She waited a few more moments before moving cautiously toward the window. She peeked out through the curtains and saw a dark figure moving away, disappearing into the night.
Ellen exhaled a shaky breath. "What do we do now?"
Marriam turned back to her. "We wait for Jay, and then we get out of here. Whatever's happening, we're running out of time."
Minutes later, Jay returned, his face tense. "We need to go. I saw someone watching the place from across the street."
Marriam grabbed the laptop and flash drive, and the three of them hurried out of the room. They didn't look back as they piled into the car Jay had managed to rent under a fake name. As they sped away into the night, Marriam couldn't shake the feeling that they were being hunted—like Richard's grip was tightening around them with every passing second.
But they had the proof. And now, they had to figure out how to use it before it was too late. The game was no longer just about survival—it was about who would outplay whom, and time was running out.
As they drove through the empty streets, the shadows of the city closing in around them, Marriam knew one thing for certain: this was far from over.