"What's going on, Daniel?" She asked, her voice cautious. "You don't usually come by without calling first."
Daniel walked in, and the door clicked shut behind him. He didn't spend any time. "I need your help, Amina." I found something that may bring down the whole military. But I can't do this by myself.
Amina stood up, her face getting hard. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I've seen how bad they can get." You think you can beat them?
He looked her in the eye and said softly. "The military has been working with terrorists." They've sold off warriors to make money. "It's worse than you think."
Amina stopped moving. She looked over at the pile of papers on the corner of her desk. She didn't answer right away; she thought about what he said.
"You can't be serious," she finally murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "Corruption goes that deep in the government and the army?" What do you plan to do about it?
Daniel moved closer and spoke more quietly. "Show them. Tell the public what really happened. But I really need you, Amina. "You're the only one who can help me make this known."
Amina hesitated and anxiously played with a pen. "You know what this could mean? It's not just your life at risk, Daniel, as soon as you let this out. It's all of it. Your job, your freedom, maybe even your life.
She stopped for a moment. She nodded slowly after looking him in the eye. "Okay. I'll help you. But we're being careful about it. "We can't afford to make mistakes."
Amina walked around the room, her mind racing with the details. She paused in front of the window and touched the cool glass with her fingertips as she looked out into the night. The city below had no idea that a storm was building in its midst.
"Okay," Amina responded as she turned back to Daniel. "Let's start with the news. Tell a reliable source about the information. "Keep it clean and to the point."
Daniel nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't care about the little things." I just need it to be out there. People need to hear the truth.
"Don't be in such a hurry," she said, moving closer. "This isn't just a casual leak, Daniel." As soon as we do this, it's over for both of us.
"I know," he said, his voice tight. "But it has to be done."
She stopped and squinted her eyes. "I'll help you, but I can't promise the safe way." The military will come after us and not stop.
Daniel moved forward, his jaw set. "Then we fight." We struggle till the truth comes out.
Amina's phone buzzed, and she looked down. She became pale as she read the paragraph. She shook her fingers as she showed him the screen.
The warning was short: "Don't go near Daniel Okoro." Your life is in danger.
Amina gazed at him, and her eyes were heavy with the weight of their choice. "We've gone too far now, Daniel."
Amina and Daniel sat opposite from each other at a little café, and the evidence was stretched out between them like a map of a battle. Pages of papers, pictures, and coded messages that show the military was deeply involved in a web of agreements with terrorists.
Amina said, "We're doing this the right way," as her fingers moved over the pages. "We'll start small, work with journalists we trust, and take out the most important people." But we need to be patient. "This is going to get bad."
Daniel observed her intently, and the way she focused on him made him feel better. He believed in her, but the stakes were tremendous. If you make one mistake, it might all come apart.
Daniel replied softly, "I just want this to be over," as he held a picture of General Nwachukwu in his hands. "Everything has been taken from me." It's time to get it back now.
Amina's face softened, but only for a minute. "I know." But you need to know that this isn't just a war against the military anymore. Politicians are involved. "This is a game of power."
Daniel looked her in the eye, and for a minute they both understood each other. They were all in this together. Not going back.
Daniel went outdoors to get some fresh air as they finished making their preparations. He didn't have much time to think about how serious their mission was before he saw something out of the corner of his eye.
A military truck that seemed familiar had just turned the corner. It slowed down as it went by, and Daniel's heart fell.
He was being watched.
Amina slumped back in her chair, feeling the weight of her choice on her shoulders. The walls of the small café were closing in, and the sound of people talking around her was hardly heard over the tempest in her head. She had said she would help Daniel, but now that the initial steps were taken, the size of the job seemed even bigger.
"Do you think we're ready?" Daniel's voice came through the phone, deep and stern.
Amina tapped the side of her cup and looked across at the two ex-soldiers she had set up to meet. Both were tough, with eyes that had seen a lot of things, and they both seemed out of place at the cosy café. One of them, an elderly male, was already talking as she hung up the phone.
"Do you think the army has anything to do with it?" She leaned in a little and asked, "How deep does it go?"
The man in front of her, whose hands were rough from hard work, nodded slowly. "We don't talk about it much, but yes, the officers were taking bribes and making deals with the wrong people." "You see things when you fight long enough."
The younger soldier next to him hesitated before saying, "It wasn't just the officers." Politicians were also involved. We spotted the packages. "Anything you want: guns, cash, you name it."
Amina wrote down notes, her heart racing. These were the words she needed to hear. But as they talked more, something inside her changed. What if this was too much for her? What if this brought them both down?
Amina's phone buzzed again, interrupting the quiet. She looked at the screen.
"He's dead." Hit and run. "Be quiet, Amina."
Her stomach dropped.
"Shit," she said under her breath, her eyes darting to the guards.
The older man said, "Is something wrong?" He could tell that she was acting differently.
Amina didn't say anything. Instead, she suddenly got up, her head spinning. There was something wrong.
Daniel sat in his flat with his back to the wall and looked at the stack of papers in front of him. His heart was pounding, and his mind was racing with ideas. This fight was no longer just about getting justice. It was a fight to stay alive.
His phone buzzed on the table, and he looked at the screen. Amina's name was in big letters. He thought about it before lifting it up.
"What's going on?" Daniel's voice was strained.
"A soldier who knew too much is dead." Crash in a car. Daniel, that doesn't feel right. "We have to be careful," Amina said, her voice tense as if she were holding back.
Daniel held on to the phone more tightly. He had already made up his mind, but now that he heard the weight in Amina's voice, the cold truth hit him hard.
Daniel responded with determination in his voice, "I'm ready for whatever comes, Amina." "But I can't let this go. Not right now."
Amina remarked softly, "You're talking about risking everything: your job, your freedom, and your family." "I agree with you, but you need to know how much it will cost."
Daniel's voice was stern as he said, "I know the cost." "I've seen it." And I'm not going back.
There was a pause between them, and the seriousness of the situation hung over them like a thunder cloud. Finally, Amina spoke again, but this time her voice was lower.
"Be careful, Daniel." They will come for you. And they will come for me.
Daniel closed his eyes and felt a knot in his stomach. He had already gone too far. But the effects were only starting.
His phone buzzed again all of a sudden. He took a quick look at it. A number that isn't known. He lifted it up, and his heart raced.
"Stop digging, Okoro," a voice on the other end said. "Or your family will pay."