Chapter6
555 Words
The counter-attack.
The slums weren’t silent anymore.
News of the rebel ambush by insurgents quickly circulated. Another youngster was killed, another crew member gone. The streets buzzed with whispers, anger, and fear. But Usman’s crew wasn’t hiding.
They were hunting.
New Base – The Bone Factory
Zara and Usman set up in an abandoned bone-cleaning factory. Cold steel. Long windows. Ideal for snipers.
Mara remained silent, still grieving. But her hands worked fast, wiring bombs, sharpening blades.
Zara held the shared encrypted data in her lap. The one Tiger hadn’t gotten. The one still hiding the secrets behind the saint's project.
She hadn’t cracked it.
Yet.
Usman’s Plan
“We struck their relay tower,” Usman said. “Tonight.”
Zara looked up. “Are you referring to their command center?”
“No. Their signal Hub. It is a conduit for all rebel messages. We take over that feed, we hear what they hear. Plan what they plan.”
“And then?”
Usman’s voice was sharp. “From the inside, we rip them out.”
The Mission – Rebel Relay Tower
The crew split into two teams.
• Usman and Mara: taking the highest level, planting charges.
• Zara: Attacking the relay system on the lower floor, alone.
Zara squatted beside the mainframe, fingers flying across her cracked tablet. Sparks flickered. Heat levels rose.
She found message logs, movement orders, then something deeper.
A hidden inbox.
Labeled: “TIGER / PRIVATE OPS”
Inside:
• Plans to sacrifice rebel units in order to save the secrets of the elites.
• Details on saint’s project subjects are still alive.
• And at the bottom, a note marked TODAY:
>>IF USMAN'S CREW SURVIVES, TRIGGER UNIT DELTA. CLEAN ALL TRACES.<<
Zara’s heart fell.
They were going to kill them all. Even Tiger’s own rebels.
As she copied the files, a soft voice came through the terminal speaker.
“Zara.”
She froze.
It was Tiger’s voice.
“I knew you would find this. I wanted you to.”
She looked everywhere in the room. All Alone.
“This is your test,” he said. Take the files. Use them. Burn us all if you want. But deep down, you know it’s not just me. It’s the system. The government. The streets. All of it.”
He paused.
“When the smoke subsides… I hope you remember who you truly are.”
The message ended.
Back Outside – Ambush Again
Usman and Mara regrouped with her.
Suddenly—gunfire. A kill squad. They were not rebels this time. Black gear. No emblems. They were the Government men.
“How would they find us?” Mara shouted.
Zara’s gut twisted. “The files. The system’s live, they see the access.”
A vicious yell. Concrete shattering. Flames climb the walls.
Usman shouted, “We’re outgunned!”
Zara threw a smoke bomb, grabbed Usman, and dragged him into the drain tunnel.
Mara followed, limping, blood on her sleeve.
They barely escaped.
The factory burns behind them.
Zara holds the particle, still clutched in her fist.
And she makes a promise:
“No more running. No more waiting. We strike them first, from the inside.”
Usman meets her eyes.
“Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
Zara remains unflinching.
“This is what I’m made for.”
- Writer
