The black car didn't follow them.
It didn't need to.
It drove past slowly, headlights brushing across Sibom's face like a reminder.
*We see you.*
Arjun kick-started the bike. "Get on."
They didn't speak until they were three streets away from the abandoned building.
When they finally stopped near a quiet tea stall, shutters half-closed for the night, Arjun turned toward him.
"Who was she?"
"Meera," Sibom replied. "Investigative journalist."
Arjun's expression tightened. "You trust her?"
"No."
"Then why meet her?"
"Because she had files."
"What kind?"
"Land transfers. Signatures."
Arjun went silent.
The streetlight above them flickered.
"She wants you to confirm them," Sibom said quietly.
Arjun looked away.
"I knew this would come," he muttered.
"You knew?"
"I knew once this exploded, someone would connect the dots."
He ran a hand through his hair.
"You don't understand how deep this goes."
"Then help me understand."
Arjun stared at the ground for a long moment before speaking.
"The consortium isn't just real estate."
Sibom felt a cold wave run through him.
"What else?"
"They acquire land before development announcements."
"That's normal."
"They acquire it using shell companies," Arjun replied. "And sometimes they force signatures."
The word hung heavy.
"Force?"
"Threats. Legal traps. Debt manipulation."
Sibom felt his pulse quicken.
"And your father?"
"He's not the mastermind."
"But he's involved."
"Yes."
Silence settled between them.
"Why were you arguing that night?" Sibom asked again.
Arjun exhaled slowly.
"Because one of the land files was connected to the warehouse area."
"And?"
"And that land belongs to families who refused to sell."
The realization hit hard.
"They were going to take it anyway."
Arjun nodded once.
"And the meeting that night was about finalizing it."
Sibom clenched his jaw.
"So when you fell—"
"It was an accident," Arjun said quickly. "We were arguing near the stairs. I slipped."
"But they used it."
"Yes."
To distract.
To redirect attention.
To keep the real deal in the shadows.
---
Back home, Sibom couldn't sleep.
He replayed everything in his mind.
Dock arrest.
Warehouse meeting.
Hidden signatures.
Meera's files.
And the phrase the man had whispered:
*You stopped one branch.*
His phone buzzed again.
A message from Meera.
*They followed us. You have limited time.*
He typed back.
*What do you need?*
Three dots appeared.
*Proof from inside. Documents. Or testimony.*
He looked at Arjun's last message:
*We can't do this blindly.*
Sibom stood up and paced his room.
This wasn't just about exposure anymore.
It was about evidence.
Real, undeniable evidence.
Another message from Meera:
*There's a digital archive. Internal server. Not public.*
His heart skipped.
*Where?*
*Corporate office. Top floor. Restricted.*
Sibom stared at the message.
"That's insane," he whispered to himself.
His phone rang.
Arjun.
"You're thinking about it, aren't you?"
"About what?"
"Breaking into the office."
Sibom didn't respond.
"That's suicide," Arjun continued.
"Is it?"
"Yes!"
"If the server holds everything—"
"Do you think it's unprotected?"
"No."
"Then why risk it?"
"Because if we don't," Sibom said quietly, "they'll recover from this."
Arjun fell silent.
The truth sat heavy between them.
If the consortium regrouped, they would tighten security.
Clean trails.
Erase traces.
And the dock arrest would become a minor headline.
Sibom lowered his voice.
"You said you've been inside."
Arjun didn't answer immediately.
"Yes."
"You know the layout."
"Yes."
"And the security?"
"There are blind spots."
That was enough.
---
The next evening, the city lights shimmered unnaturally bright.
Corporate headquarters stood tall in the business district.
Glass exterior.
Polished metal.
Controlled entry points.
Sibom and Arjun stood across the street, watching.
"You're insane," Arjun muttered.
"You're here too."
Arjun didn't argue.
They had dressed simply.
Caps low.
Masks partially covering their faces.
Not to hide entirely.
Just enough to avoid quick recognition.
"Security changes every two hours," Arjun said quietly. "Between 10:30 and 10:40 PM, there's a system reset."
"How do you know?"
"I've waited in the lobby before."
Sibom nodded.
"That's our window."
They crossed the street calmly.
Entered through the side parking area.
Security guards barely glanced at them.
Confidence was sometimes the best disguise.
Inside the elevator, tension pressed down like gravity.
"Top floor?" Sibom asked.
Arjun nodded.
The elevator hummed upward.
Floor numbers rising.
Each beep louder than the last.
When the doors opened, the hallway was dimly lit.
Glass offices.
Clean carpets.
Silent air.
They moved quickly toward a corridor near the end.
"There," Arjun whispered.
A secured server room.
Keycard access.
"We don't have—"
Before Sibom finished, Arjun pulled something from his pocket.
An old access card.
"You kept it?"
"I never returned it."
He swiped.
Red light.
Denied.
He tried again.
Green.
The door clicked open.
Both of them froze for half a second.
Then stepped inside.
The server room hummed with steady electronic noise.
Rows of blinking lights.
Cooling fans.
Metal cabinets.
"How do we access it?" Sibom whispered.
Arjun moved to a central console.
"I've seen my father log in."
He began typing.
Password attempt.
Denied.
Again.
Denied.
"Think," Sibom urged.
Arjun closed his eyes briefly.
Then typed slowly.
A name.
A date.
Enter.
The screen unlocked.
Both of them stared.
Folders.
Project names.
Encrypted directories.
Land acquisitions.
Sibom's heart pounded violently.
"This is it."
They plugged in a small flash drive.
Copying began.
5%.
7%.
Footsteps echoed faintly outside.
Both froze.
"Did you hear that?" Sibom whispered.
"Yes."
Copy progress:
12%.
The hallway light flickered under the door.
Shadows moved.
Someone was outside.
19%.
The door handle shifted slightly.
Locked.
Whoever it was tried again.
More force this time.
Arjun's breathing grew shallow.
"They know."
"How?"
"I don't know."
25%.
A voice echoed outside.
Calm.
Measured.
"Open the door."
It was the same man from the dock.
Sibom's blood ran cold.
He was out on bail already.
Or never fully detained.
30%.
The door shook harder.
"You're making a mistake," the man called through.
35%.
Security alarms suddenly flickered to life.
Red lights began flashing overhead.
"They triggered it remotely," Arjun whispered.
42%.
The door lock beeped.
Override attempt.
48%.
"Hurry," Sibom muttered.
Footsteps multiplied outside.
Security guards joining.
55%.
The door clicked.
Unlocked.
They had seconds.
"Take it!" Arjun shouted.
62%.
The door burst open.
Flashlights flooded the room.
70%.
Guards rushed in.
"Stop!"
75%.
One grabbed Arjun's arm.
Sibom shoved him away.
82%.
The man stepped into the doorway calmly.
"You don't learn," he said quietly.
88%.
Sibom stared at the screen.
92%.
A guard lunged toward the console.
95%.
"Pull it!" Arjun yelled.
98%.
Sibom yanked the flash drive free.
100%.
He turned—
And ran.
Guards chased them into the hallway.
Alarms screaming now.
They sprinted toward the elevator.
"Stairs!" Arjun shouted.
They changed direction instantly.
Burst through the stairwell door.
Descending fast.
Footsteps pounding above.
Below.
They were being boxed in.
On the 8th floor landing—
Two guards appeared from below.
They were trapped.
Sibom looked at Arjun.
No words needed.
They ran upward instead.
Toward the rooftop.
The alarm echoed throughout the building.
On the roof, wind slammed against them.
City lights stretched endlessly below.
Nowhere left to run.
The rooftop door burst open.
Guards surrounded the entrance.
And behind them—
The man stepped forward slowly.
"You boys don't understand consequences."
Sibom held the flash drive tightly.
"You don't understand inevitability," he replied.
The man's eyes darkened.
"You think that little device saves you?"
"No," Sibom said calmly.
"It exposes you."
Wind howled louder.
Sirens echoed faintly in the distance again.
Approaching.
But too far.
The man smiled slightly.
"You're not the only one who can plan ahead."
He gestured toward one of the guards.
The guard held up a phone.
Screen lit.
Live stream.
Of the server room.
Showing corrupted files.
Deleting.
Erasing.
Sibom's stomach dropped.
"They've already begun wiping it," Arjun whispered.
The man nodded.
"Even if you escaped with something… it may not matter."
Sibom looked down at the flash drive.
Had they copied enough?
Or had they just risked everything for fragments?
Police sirens grew louder now.
Closer.
Real this time.
The man's expression shifted slightly.
He hadn't expected that.
"Go," he told his guards quietly.
They retreated toward the stairwell.
Before leaving, he looked at Sibom one last time.
"You've forced escalation."
Then he disappeared into the building.
Police vehicles screeched to a halt below.
Spotlights scanning upward.
Sibom stood on the rooftop, chest heaving.
Arjun beside him.
Flash drive in hand.
Sirens echoing across the skyline.
The night wasn't over.
And neither was the war.
Because now—
They had something.
But they didn't yet know—
If it was enough.