The tension in the room was suffocating. Zarah stared at the threatening message on her phone, her mind racing. For weeks, they had been careful, switching locations, encrypting communications, and keeping their movements discreet. Yet, the corporations were still a step ahead.
Ayodele sat at the edge of the desk, arms crossed. "It has to be Tunde. He led us to the Amazon site, but not before he tipped them off. This isn't a coincidence."
Zarah slammed her laptop shut. "We trusted him—again. And now he's feeding them information. He probably wanted to use us to clean up his own mess."
"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet," Ayodele replied cautiously. "What if they're using him? If we confront him without proof, he could turn hostile."
She frowned, conflicted. "Then we find proof."
---
The following day, Zarah and Ayodele split up. While Ayodele contacted their allies in South America to verify Tunde's movements, Zarah focused on tracking the message's origin. With her laptop and a secure VPN, she began tracing the IP address. Each digital breadcrumb brought her closer to unraveling the truth.
After hours of work, she leaned back in her chair, triumphant. "Got you," she whispered. The IP address was linked to a server based in Lagos—one owned by a private security firm that frequently worked with the corporations.
She immediately called Ayodele. "I found something. Tunde's been in contact with a security contractor in Lagos. They're running a private server where they've been monitoring us."
"Good. Let's use it to our advantage," Ayodele said. "I've arranged a meeting with him. He doesn't know we're onto him."
Zarah's pulse quickened. "You're meeting him alone?"
"No," Ayodele replied. "You're coming too. If he's lying, we'll catch him together."
---