Chapter 6: The True Genesis Connection

The safe house was a stark contrast to the chaos of Lagos. Hidden in a dilapidated building on the outskirts of the city, it offered a momentary reprieve from the relentless pursuit of the coalition. Kunle and Aisha sat on mismatched chairs in a dimly lit room, the air thick with the musty scent of old wood and damp walls. Tayo stood by the window, peeking through a crack in the curtains, his sharp eyes scanning the street below.

“We’ll be safe here for now,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “Adunni will send for you when it’s time to move.”

Kunle leaned back, exhaustion etched into his features. He had barely slept since leaving Oyo, and the tension was beginning to wear on him. “How long do you think we have before they catch up to us?”

Tayo shrugged, still watching the street. “Could be hours, could be days. The coalition isn’t sloppy, but Lagos has its own ways of hiding people. Just don’t do anything to draw attention.”

“Lagos hides people?” Kunle asked, a faint note of incredulity in his voice.

Tayo turned to face him, his expression unreadable. “Lagos is chaos. Too much noise, too many people. It’s easy to get lost if you know how. But it’s also easy to get found if you’re careless.”

Aisha nodded, her mind already racing with thoughts of what lay ahead. The revelations from the data chip were a heavy burden, but they also gave her a sense of purpose. She glanced at Kunle, who seemed lost in thought.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked softly, her tone gentle.

Kunle hesitated before answering. “I’m wondering if we’re in over our heads. This isn’t just about exposing the coalition. It’s about survival. Do we even know what we’re doing?”

Aisha’s expression softened. “You’re right. It’s bigger than us. But if we don’t do this, who will? We’ve seen the truth, Kunle. That means we have a responsibility to act.”

Kunle’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “You make it sound so simple.”

Aisha leaned back, crossing her arms. “It’s not simple, but it’s necessary. If we give up now, what does that say about us? About the people who are counting on us without even knowing it?”

Tayo, still by the window, chuckled softly. “She’s right, you know. Lagos has a way of breaking people who hesitate. You’re here for a reason. Don’t forget that.”

Later that evening, Adunni arrived. She moved with the confidence of someone used to navigating dangerous waters, her sharp eyes scanning the room as she entered. Her presence filled the space, and for a moment, even Tayo seemed to stand a little straighter.

“Tayo,” she said, acknowledging him with a nod before turning to Kunle and Aisha. “It’s time. We’re taking you to meet the core members of True Genesis. They’ll decide how to proceed with the information you’ve brought.”

Kunle stood, his nerves evident in the way he clenched his fists. “What should we expect?”

Adunni’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Expect to be questioned. Thoroughly. True Genesis doesn’t take risks lightly. They need to know you’re worth trusting.”

The journey to the True Genesis base was as covert as it was tense. They traveled in an unmarked van, winding through Lagos’s labyrinthine streets before heading into the countryside. The city’s lights faded behind them, replaced by the shadows of trees and the occasional flicker of a distant lantern. Every bump in the road, every shadow that seemed to move, put Kunle on edge.

The silence in the van was oppressive. Kunle stared out the window, his thoughts racing. Aisha, sitting beside him, could sense his unease.

“You okay?” she asked quietly, breaking the silence.

Kunle nodded but didn’t meet her eyes. “Just trying to figure out what we’re walking into.”

“You’re not walking into it alone,” Aisha said firmly. “Remember that. Whatever happens, we face it together.”

Adunni’s voice cut through the tension. “True Genesis isn’t perfect. There are factions within it, just like any organization. Some want to expose the coalition, others want revenge. You need to be prepared for both.”

Kunle frowned. “And which faction are we meeting?”

Adunni’s gaze didn’t waver. “The one that understands the stakes. Just be honest with them. That’s your best shot.”

The base was hidden in plain sight, nestled within an abandoned warehouse that bore the scars of a once-thriving textile industry. Inside, it was a hive of activity. Dozens of people moved with purpose, their faces a mix of determination and caution. Maps and blueprints adorned the walls, alongside pinned newspaper clippings detailing coalition activities.

They entered a conference room where a group of individuals waited. At the head of the table sat Zubair, a former coalition scientist turned whistleblower. His piercing gaze settled on Kunle and Aisha as they entered.

“These are the ones Baba Tunde spoke of?” he asked, his voice deep and measured.

Adunni nodded. “They have something we’ve been waiting for.”

Kunle stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly as he placed a copy of the data chip’s contents on the table. “This is proof of the coalition’s behavioral modification experiments. They’ve been targeting rural communities, using them as test subjects without their knowledge.”

Zubair picked up the drive, his expression unreadable as he inserted it into a terminal. The room fell silent as the files loaded onto the screen. Gasps and murmurs rippled through the group as the evidence unfolded before them.

“This is it,” Zubair said, his voice barely above a whisper. “This is what we’ve been trying to prove for years.”

But instead of relief, his eyes gleamed with something else—determination.

“We can do more than expose them,” Zubair said, his voice rising. “We can use their own technology against them. Modify the engrams, rewrite the minds of their soldiers, their leaders—turn their own weapons into our greatest advantage.”

A tension settled over the room. Adunni’s jaw tightened, her voice cold. “That’s not what we’re here for.”

Zubair turned to her, his eyes narrowing. “We have the means to fight back. You want to play the long game, build a movement? Fine. But while you’re waiting, people are dying. We need to act.”

“We act by revealing the truth,” Adunni shot back. “Not by becoming the same monsters we’re fighting.”

Kunle and Aisha exchanged a glance. The room had split into two camps—those who believed in Adunni’s vision of exposing the truth and those who saw Zubair’s plan as the fastest way to dismantle the coalition. The air crackled with unspoken accusations, each side unwilling to yield.

Aisha finally stepped forward, her voice steady. “If we do this—if we use the engrams—how are we any different from them?”

Zubair’s gaze flicked to her, unreadable. “The difference is intent.”

Adunni scoffed. “And power corrupts intent.”

A long silence followed. Finally, Zubair exhaled sharply. “We’ll see what the others say. But don’t expect me to stand by while you take the slow road to revolution.”

Kunle felt a chill. The battle against the coalition was only beginning, but now another war was brewing—one within True Genesis itself.