Six months had passed since Thorne's arrest, and the town of Bellflower was thriving. The health clinic was treating dozens of patients each week, the farming cooperatives had doubled their harvests, and the after-school programs were packed with children learning everything from math to music. Zara split her time between her home community and headquarters in Port Cascadia, where she worked alongside Clara and Enzo to track The Root's remaining cells across the island of Maravia.
On a humid Tuesday morning, Zara was reviewing satellite maps in the operations room when Isabella burst through the door, her face flushed from running up the stairs.
"Zara—you need to see this," she said, holding up her tablet. "We've got reports coming in from the Southern Province. Farmers are being pressured to sell their land again, and the tactics are exactly like The Root's old playbook."
Clara walked over to look at the screen, her brow furrowed with concern. "We thought we'd dismantled their local leadership after Bellflower. But this looks organized—someone's rebuilding the network from the ground up."
"I recognize some of the names on the list," Zara said, pointing to a section of the report. "They're connected to Thorne's former right-hand man, Elias Vance. We heard he'd fled to the southern provinces after the arrest, but we couldn't track him down."
Enzo leaned against the desk, rolling up the sleeves of his uniform. "The Southern Province is rough country—lots of remote areas where they can operate under the radar. If Vance is setting up shop there, he'll have already made deals with local officials and hired muscle to enforce them."
Zara stood up, gathering her notes. "Then we need to get out there. I'll take Chen and Maya—we know how they operate now, and we can work with the local communities like we did here."
Clara placed a hand on her shoulder. "I was hoping you'd say that. But be warned—Vance is more ruthless than Thorne ever was. He built his reputation on eliminating anyone who opposed him, and he won't hesitate to target you specifically after what happened in Bellflower."
That afternoon, the three of them loaded their supplies into a rugged SUV and headed south. The drive took nearly five hours, winding through mountains covered in lush green vegetation and past small villages where children waved as they passed. By the time they reached Willowdale, the largest town in the Southern Province, the sun was setting over the sugarcane fields that stretched to the horizon.
They checked into a small guesthouse run by a woman named Mrs. Campbell, who'd been one of the first to report the land pressure. Over dinner of spiced chicken and coconut rice, she filled them in on what was happening.
"Mr. Vance came to town three months ago," she said, her voice low as she glanced toward the door. "He bought up the old plantation house on the hill and started calling meetings with the farmers. At first, he offered good prices for their land—said he wanted to build a processing plant that would create jobs. But when people said no, things got ugly."
Maya pulled out her notebook, jotting down details. "What kind of tactics are they using?"
"Crops being destroyed overnight, fences cut down, threats left on doorsteps," Mrs. Campbell replied. "Last week, one of our farmers—Derrick Morgan—tried to organize a protest. He was found beaten up on the side of the road the next morning. Now everyone's too scared to speak up."
Zara felt familiar anger rising in her chest, but she pushed it down—she needed to stay focused. "Do you know anyone who might be willing to talk to us? Someone who hasn't been intimidated into silence?"
Mrs. Campbell nodded slowly. "There's a young woman named Sasha—she works at the community center. Her father owns a small farm that Vance has been targeting. She's been quietly collecting information, even though she knows it's dangerous. She'll be at the center tomorrow morning for the children's breakfast program."
After dinner, Zara, Chen, and Maya sat on the guesthouse porch, mapping out their approach. Chen had already pulled up satellite images of the plantation house and surrounding area, noting potential surveillance points and escape routes. Maya was assembling new surveillance equipment—smaller and more advanced than what they'd used in Bellflower.
"We can't go in guns blazing this time," Zara said, looking out at the darkening fields. "Vance will be expecting us. We need to build trust with the community first, gather solid evidence, and make sure we have local support before we make a move."
Chen nodded in agreement. "I'll start reaching out to some of the contacts we have in the southern provinces—see if we can get eyes on Vance's operation without alerting him. Maya, you should focus on connecting with Sasha and helping her organize the information she's collected."
"Which leaves you to do what?" Maya asked, raising an eyebrow.
Zara smiled slightly. "I'm going to visit the farmers who've been targeted. I know what it feels like to be scared and alone—if I can show them they have someone on their side, maybe they'll be willing to stand up with us."
As the moon rose high in the sky, casting silver light across the sugarcane fields, Zara thought about how far they'd come. The fight against The Root wasn't over—not by a long shot. But she'd learned that real change didn't come from one person or one mission. It came from communities coming together, from people who refused to let fear stop them from fighting for what was right.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new risks. But they weren't alone—and that made all the difference.