Chasing Halima – Chapter 9

The heavy steel door to the vault swung inward with a low groan, revealing not a cavern of gold, but a chillingly sterile, high-tech chamber.
Rows of server racks hummed with a quiet intensity, their indicator lights blinking like a thousand watchful eyes.

Along one wall, transparent cases displayed what looked like ancient, intricate artifacts, alongside sealed containers of biological samples.
On a central console, multiple screens glowed, displaying complex algorithms, financial ledgers, and encrypted files.

This was the true “wealth”—
not just money, but the very fabric of Nuradeen’s illicit empire.

“This is it,” Halima said, her voice echoing in the confined space. “His ‘special projects.’ His research into… human potential. And his network of influence,
the names of every politician, every judge, every business leader he owns.”

She moved with purpose to the central console, her fingers already dancing across the holographic keyboard.

Amina gasped, her eyes wide.
“This is beyond anything I imagined.
This is a global operation.”

“He was building an army of… enhanced individuals,” Baba Segun muttered, his face grim as he stared at the biological samples. “Whispers of it reached me years ago. I thought it was madness.”

“It is madness,” Halima confirmed, her gaze fixed on the screens.
“But it’s also his ultimate leverage.
He controls them, and through them,
he controls everything.” She tapped a final sequence.

“I’m initiating a full data dump.
Every file, every transaction, every name. It’s going to flood the dark web, then trickle into every major news outlet. There will be no hiding from this.”

Just as the first progress bar appeared on the screen, a furious roar ripped through the silence.

“HALIMA!”

Alhaji Nuradeen burst into the vault, flanked by four heavily armed guards.

His face was contorted with rage, his eyes blazing as he took in the scene –
Halima at his console, Baba Segun, the traitor, and Kelechi and Amina, the interlopers.

“You treacherous snake!” Nuradeen bellowed, pointing a trembling finger at Halima. “You think you can steal from me?”

Halima didn’t flinch. She turned, a cold, triumphant smile playing on her lips.
“I’m not stealing, Alhaji. I’m exposing.
And you, my dear, are about to become the most infamous man on the planet.”

“Stop her!” Nuradeen shrieked at his guards.

The guards raised their weapons, but Baba Segun was faster.

With a surprising burst of speed for his age, he lunged, tackling the lead guard and sending him sprawling.

Amina, reacting instantly, pulled a small, EMP-like device from her bag and activated it, sending a high-pitched whine through the air. The server lights flickered, and the guards’ comms crackled, momentarily disorienting them.

“Kelechi! The data!” Halima yelled, pointing to a series of external hard drives connected to the console. “Secure them!”

Kelechi, his mind a whirlwind of shock and adrenaline, moved without thinking.
He grabbed the drives, his fingers fumbling with the connections as the remaining guards recovered, their weapons now aimed.

“Get out!” Baba Segun roared, grappling with another guard. “Through the ventilation shaft! It leads to the old service tunnels!”

Halima, trying to secure the drives, grabbed Kelechi’s arm. “This way!”

They scrambled towards a narrow opening high on the wall, barely visible behind a stack of crates.

Kelechi, still clutching the drives, boosted Amina up, then followed, Halima pushing him from below. As he squeezed through, he heard the sharp crack of gunfire behind them, and Nuradeen’s enraged shouts.

They dropped into a dusty, cramped tunnel. Amina immediately pulled out her device, checking the data transfer.

“It’s going through! The first wave will soon be out!”

“Good,” Halima said, her voice calm despite the chaos. “Now, we hurry.”

As they crawled through the dark, grimy tunnels beneath the estate, far above them, in a nondescript apartment, Zara watched her screen.

***
The narrow tunnel was a suffocating embrace of damp earth and stale air.

Kelechi, still clutching the external hard drives like a lifeline, scrambled forward, the sounds of gunfire and Nuradeen’s enraged shouts fading behind them.

Amina, surprisingly agile, led the way, her small device occasionally flickering to illuminate their path. Halima, calm and focused, brought up the rear, her movements precise even in the cramped space.

“The first wave of data is out,” Amina whispered, her voice tight with exertion. “But they’re on us. Nuradeen’s men are fast.”

“Zara’s our eyes,” Halima replied, her voice steady. “She’s feeding me real-time intel through a secure channel. They’re gaining.”

Kelechi felt a fresh surge of dread.
He could almost hear the pounding boots, the shouts of Nuradeen’s guards closing in. The tunnel, once a refuge, now felt like a trap.

After what felt like an eternity, the tunnel opened into a wider, subterranean passage, dimly lit by emergency lights.

A heavy grate, similar to the one Baba Segun had opened earlier, stood before them.

“This leads to the old service exit, near the perimeter fence,” Baba Segun grunted behind them, moving forward to work the lock. “But it’s exposed.”

As the grate swung open, a sudden, urgent buzz vibrated from Halima’s wrist.

Her eyes narrowed, fixed on a small display. “They’re almost here. Too close for all of us to make it out clean.”

She turned to Kelechi and Amina, her gaze resolute. “I need to make a diversion.
A big fast one.”

Before Kelechi could ask, Halima was already moving. She pulled a small, sleek device from her pocket, tapping its surface.

“Baba Segun, you’re with me. We’ll draw their main force. Kelechi, Amina, you take the drives. Get out, get clear, and get them to Kira.”

Kelechi stared at her, a cold knot forming in his stomach.

“What? No! I’m not leaving you!” The words were out before he could stop them, a raw protest against the calculated logic.

He had just found her, just understood her, and now she was sending him away.

The feeling of being a pawn, used and discarded, flared anew.

“Kelechi, listen to me,” Halima said, her voice firm, cutting through his protest.

“This isn’t about choice. It’s about strategy. They’ll expect us to stick together.
We split, we increase our chances.
And these drives,” she gestured to the data in his hands, “are too important.
They are the key to everything.”

Baba Segun clapped Kelechi on the shoulder. “She’s right, son. We’ll make enough noise to give you a head start.”

Amina, sensing Kelechi’s turmoil, stepped forward. “He’s right, Kelechi. We have to go. This is what she planned. This is how we win.”

She looked at Halima, a silent understanding passing between the two women. “We’ll get them to Kira, We promise.”

Halima gave Kelechi a look that was both commanding and, for a fleeting moment, held a flicker of something softer, a silent plea for understanding.

“We will see each other again, Kelechi. When all of this is over. When Nuradeen is exposed, the world knows the truth.”

Then, with a sharp nod, she activated the device in her hand.

A distant, muffled explosion rocked the ground beneath them, followed by the blare of alarms and the frantic shouts of Nuradeen’s men. The diversion had begun.

“Go!” Baba Segun urged, pushing Kelechi and Amina through the grate.

Kelechi hesitated for a split second, his eyes locked on Halima’s retreating form as she and Baba Segun plunged deeper into the estate’s labyrinthine passages, drawing the enemy away.

Then, Amina tugged his arm, pulling him into the cool, pre-dawn air.

They burst out into a dense thicket of trees, the sounds of the estate’s chaos echoing behind them.

NEWLY ADDED CHARACTERS

No New Characters

✨ Why This Chapter Won!

• Continuity: Perfectly follows Chapter 8’s cliffhanger (Halima’s “Meet me where it began” = Alhaji’s vault).
• Character Consistency: Halima balances vulnerability (protecting her child) and cunning (orchestrating the breach).
• Thematic Payoff: Resolves the “wealth” mystery (Alhaji’s heir + experiments) set up since Chapter 6.
• Pacing: Thrilling escalation from vault tension → tunnel escape → explosive cliffhanger.
• Setup: Drives en route to “Kira,” Zara’s surveillance, and Halima’s sacrifice prime Chapter 10.