Chasing Halima – Chapter 14

The corridor they entered was a stark contrast to the cafeteria’s relative warmth.

It was narrower, lined with reinforced doors, each bearing a cryptic alphanumeric code.

The air here was cooler, tinged with the faint, metallic scent of electronics and something else – a subtle, almost imperceptible tension that hummed beneath the surface.

Kelechi felt a prickle of unease, a visceral understanding that he was now deep within the operational core of whatever this clandestine group was.

Halima walked with a renewed sense of purpose, her earlier weariness momentarily forgotten.

Her shoulders were straighter, her stride more confident.

Amina, beside her, moved with a fluid grace, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings, a silent guardian.

Kelechi, caught between them, felt a strange mix of vulnerability and exhilaration.

He was out of his depth, yet utterly compelled to see this through.

They stopped before a heavy, unmarked door.

Halima placed her palm against a scanner, and a soft green light flashed before the door hissed open, revealing a dimly lit room.

The air inside was thick with the scent of ozone and stale coffee.

It was a compact, windowless space, dominated by a large, interactive holographic display at its center.

Miriam stood before it, her posture rigid, her eyes scanning the complex data streams that flowed across the projection.

Jide was there too, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, a grim expression on his face.

Several large monitors glowed with complex data streams, maps, and what looked like surveillance footage.

In the center of the room, hunched over a console, was a figure Kelechi recognized instantly.

It was Kira herself.

Her eyes, the same piercing shade as Zara’s, were currently glued to the screens, a frown of deep concentration etched between her brows.

She wore a tactical vest over a dark, long-sleeved shirt, and a headset was perched over one ear.

The air around her crackled with an almost palpable energy of intellect and command.

As they entered, Kira looked up, her gaze sweeping over Halima, then Amina, and finally settling on Kelechi.

There was no surprise in her eyes, only a brief, assessing flicker.

“Halima. Good. You’re here,” Kira said, her voice crisp and authoritative, devoid of any pleasantries. “The data from the drives is integrating. We’re seeing some significant overlaps with your intel. Nuradeen’s network is far more extensive than we initially estimated, but also more vulnerable than he thinks.”

Halima nodded, moving directly to a vacant seat at the console. “What’s the immediate priority, Kira?”

“Consolidating the financial trails.
Amina’s works on the digital ledger are proving invaluable. We’re tracing the money flow, and it’s leading us to some very high places. And, the drives kelechi handled… they will give us the missing piece of the puzzle regarding the supply chain.”

Kira gestured to a section of the screen where a complex diagram of interconnected nodes and lines was rapidly forming. “The full picture is almost complete.”

Kelechi felt a surge of pride, a small but significant validation of his chaotic journey.

He had contributed. He wasn’t just a pawn, but a player.

“Amina, any update on the cross-referencing of the drives?” Halima asked from her siting position

“Let me check, it should be almost complete,” Amina replied, moving swiftly to the vacant console directly at Halima and tapping away.

Kira stepped forward, taking command of the room. “Alright, everyone. This is it.
The final briefing. Nuradeen is consolidating his assets at his estate.
He believes he’s untouchable there, but that’s precisely where we’ll strike.”

Kira gestured to the display, which now coalesced into a detailed, three-dimensional map of Ilorin, overlaid with a web of interconnected nodes.

“This is Nuradeen’s empire. Each node represents a key asset: a corrupt official, a shell corporation, a distribution hub for his illicit goods, a safe house. The red nodes are his primary targets for elimination or acquisition. The blue, his established strongholds.”

Kelechi stared at the intricate network, a chilling realization dawning on him.
“He’s been building this for years, hasn’t he? It’s not just random acts of corruption.”

“No,” Halima confirmed, her voice tight with suppressed anger. “It’s a meticulously crafted blueprint for total dominance.
He wants to control every aspect of Ilorin, from its economy to its politics, even its social fabric. He sees himself as the architect of a new order.”

Kira tapped a section of the holographic blueprint, highlighting a series of interconnected buildings and a heavily fortified perimeter.

“Amina’s analysis of the network traffic from the drives indicates a critical flaw in his perimeter security here. A blind spot in surveillance, a weakness in biometric access. It’s small, but it’s enough for a precise insertion.”

Amina, now fully alert, her fingers flying across her laptop, projected a more detailed overlay onto the main screen.

“The window is tight. So, we have approximately a three hour interval before his security protocols cycle and patch detect this vulnerability.”

Kira nodded. “That’s where my team comes in. A surgical strike. We go in, secure Nuradeen, and extract him before he can destroy any remaining evidence or activate his final contingencies. Jide, you’ll be with my primary assault team, providing close-quarters support and intel gathering on the ground.”

Jide, who was quietly leaning against
the wall, gave a curt nod. “Understood. We’ll be ghosts.”

“And Halima?” Kelechi asked, his gaze moving between the three women. “What’s her role in this final phase?”

Amina looked at Kira, a shared understanding passing between them.

“Halima’s role is the most dangerous, and the most crucial,” Kira explained, her voice growing serious. “She’s the public face of this operation. Once Nuradeen is secured, Halima will go live, releasing all the evidence simultaneously to every major news outlet, every international body, every government agency that has been compromised by him. She’ll expose everything, leaving him nowhere to hide, no one to turn to.”

“It’s a high-risk strategy,” Amina added, her fingers hovering over her keyboard. “Once the data goes public, there’s no turning back. Nuradeen’s remaining loyalists will be desperate. Halima will be a target.”

“Which is why,” Kira interjected, her eyes hardening, “she’ll be under the tightest protection we can provide. But her message, her truth, will be undeniable.
It will be the final nail in Nuradeen’s coffin.”

Kelechi felt a shiver run down his spine.

The magnitude of what they were planning, the sheer audacity of it, was breathtaking.

Kira clapped her hands once, sharply. “Alright, team. Final preparations. Amina, get your digital assault ready. But before that, what’s the final piece that will bring nuradeen down?” Kira directed the question to Halima.

The air was thick with a palpable tension, a sense of impending confrontation.

“The plan is clear, it’s what we need.” Halima began, her voice cutting through the tense silence, her gaze sweeping across the faces of their small, determined group.

“But, to achieve this led out plan,” Halima continued, her voice firm, “we need every advantage. And that includes Zara.
Her access to Nuradeen’s inner circle, her understanding of his current operations—it’s not just valuable, it’s critical. We’re blind without it.”

Kira scoffed, a sharp, derisive sound that cut through the tense silence.

She leaned forward, her knuckles becoming as white as the edge of the table she gripped.

“Critical? Or suicidal, Halima? Have you forgotten who Zara is? She is Nuradeen’s shadow, his confidante, his… architect of misery. You speak of her as if she’s a new recruit, not someone whose hands are stained with the same dirt as his.”

“I may have struck a deal with her previously but she has to be initiated in this next plan for it to reach its full potential. Besides people can’t change, Kira,” Halima countered, her voice hardening. “Circumstances change, but people don’t. You’re letting your past experiences blind you to a present opportunity.”

“My past experiences are precisely why I’m seeing this clearly!” Kira retorted, her voice rising. “I’ve seen the recordings, Halima. I’ve read the intercepted communications. Zara was instrumental in some of Nuradeen’s most brutal campaigns. And let’s not forget the entries in my own sketchbooks – the ones detailing the very traps she helped him lay. She’s a viper, and you want to bring her into our nest?”

A murmur rippled through the small group.

Zara’s name was a divisive one, a ghost from their collective past that haunted their present.

Some nodded in agreement with Kira, their faces etched with doubt. Others, like Kelechi, watched Halima, sensing a deeper conviction beneath her calm exterior.

“Her involvement is a crucial element,” Halima insisted, her gaze sweeping over each face, trying to convey the weight of her certainty. “She knows his weaknesses, his patterns. She can anticipate his moves in a way none of us can. To dismiss her now is to fight with one hand tied behind our backs.”

“Or to invite the enemy into our ranks,” Kira shot back, her eyes blazing.
“I won’t be a part of a plan that relies on the word of a known collaborator. It’s a risk we cannot afford.”

“The drives Kelechi delivered have been successfully crossed- referenced.” Amina announced to interject the spiraled debate

“They contain Nuradeen’s internal financial ledgers, encrypted communications with his key lieutenants, and surprisingly, a detailed log of his disposal operations. Halima’s intel, however, will be the game-changer. It will fill in the gaps, provide context, and most importantly, give us the human element we need.” Amina stated

“But you listened to the recording of Zara and you heard her clearly,” Kira said, turning her piercing gaze to Kelechi,
” Zara can’t be trusted, she’s an unwitting pawn in his game. He even used you to flush out Halima, to test her resolve, to see how far she would go to protect her secrets. He knew you were looking for her, and he manipulated the situation to his advantage.”

Kelechi felt a cold knot tighten in his stomach. “So, the wedding… the flat… the chase… Was it all part of his plan?”

“Some of it,” Halima clarified, stepping forward. “The initial setup, yes. He wanted to draw me out. But your persistence, your refusal to give up, that was something he didn’t fully anticipate. You became an unpredictable variable. And that’s where my plan began to diverge from his.”

She looked at Kira. “The evidence I’ve gathered, combined with the drives, paints a complete picture. We have enough to expose him, to dismantle his network, and to bring down every single one of his collaborators.”

“Nuradeen must be neutralized. Permanently. We’ve exhausted every other option. This is the only way to dismantle his network and free those he controls.”
Halima concluded

“A vote, then.” Amina announced

“All in favor please write yes and if you’re against, please write No.”
Amina distributed small slips of paper and pens and instructed, with her voice low. “This will be an anonymous vote.”

The rustle of paper and the soft scratching of pens filled the room for a moment.

Amina collected the slips, her expression unreadable as she quickly tallied them.

“The count is in,” Amina announced, her voice flat. “It’s a tie. An equal number of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ votes.”

A collective sigh escaped the group, a mixture of frustration and renewed tension.

“We need someone to break the tie,so we can move on with our plan.” Amina noted

As if on clue, the heavy door tore open giving way to an important member of the assembly.

Babe segun

“Just whom we need” Kelechi thought to himself

“I’m sorry, I’m late, you can continue and I will ask questions afterwards because…..” he trailed off from completing his sentence, sensing the tension in the air.

All eyes in the room, heavy with anticipation and the unspoken tension of the debate, swiveled to Baba Segun.

The pressure on him was immense, a palpable weight that settled on his aged shoulders.

He would cast the last vote, the fulcrum upon which the entire plan now balanced.

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✨ Why This Chapter Won!

• Perfect Continuity: This chapter picks up exactly where Chapter 13 ended—Kelechi following Halima and Amina into the briefing room. It seamlessly integrates the entire team (Kira, Miriam, Jide, Halima, Amina) and the data from the drives.
• Logical Progression: It focuses on the crucial next step: formulating the final plan to take down Alhaji Nuradeen. The “surgical strike” strategy and Halima’s role as the public face are logical, high-stakes progressions.
• Character Consistency: Every character acts according to their established traits—Kira’s strategic command, Halima’s resolve, Amina’s tech genius, and the deep-seated conflict between Kira and Zara is central to the plot.
• High-Stakes Cliffhanger: The chapter ends on a masterful, tense cliffhanger with Baba Segun’s return, forcing him to be the tie-breaking vote on a plan that will decide everyone’s fate. This is a classic, effective narrative hook.
• Respects Established Lore: It avoids the dramatic, unsupported twists of the other submission (e.g., Jide as a sudden mole, Halima’s pregnancy being a focal point of action) and instead builds on the carefully constructed alliances and conflicts.