They waited before speaking up. Priya needed to recuperate and Niko needed time to consider future steps.

Priya’s recovery was slow, but the medical staff had proved excellent. In the meantime, Niko cautiously kept his head low, spoke very little, even with Priya, and tried to go out of Sayeed’s and Klara’s way. One thing seemed clear to him- they couldn’t stay longer with Sayeed. He was unpredictable and the highest bidder could buy his favors.

In the previous days, Sayeed had constantly been going in and out of the hideout, doing God knew what, but Niko was not asking questions.

It took Priya over a week until she could stand and walk by herself. Then, the time for confrontation came.

Niko glanced nervously around as he and Priya approached Sayeed’s makeshift office within the warehouse. Priya’s face was set in a determined expression, her eyes hard. They had been through too much to let another betrayal slide. They needed answers.

As they stepped into the room, Sayeed looked up from his laptop. “Niko, Priya,” he greeted, forcing a smile. “What brings you here? I’m glad to see your recovery is progressing well.”

Niko wasted no time. “Priya told me about your contacts with the pharmaceutical companies, Sayeed. The ones that want to bring NAPPA down. And the same who most likely removed me from my CEO position.”

Sayeed’s smile faded as he leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “I see,” he said slowly. “I suppose it was only a matter of time before you found out.”

“You just sit there and say nothing? Aren’t you going to apologize?” Niko demanded incredulously.

“Apologize? For what? It wouldn’t have changed anything if I had told you.”

Niko held his head in his hands. “It wouldn’t have changed—”

“Yes, it wouldn’t have changed anything!” Sayeed shouted, cutting him off. “There are things that will always stay the same, and thinking about them would only drive us crazy. Take hippos, for example.”

“Hippos?” Niko echoed, confused.

“Yes, hippos. Recently, I have read in the newspapers that when hippos run, they become airborne,” Sayeed said, puffing on his cigarette.

Niko and Priya stared at him, speechless.

“They are hippos! They weigh over a ton, yet they practically fly when they run! You see, Niko, I wish I hadn’t known that. Now I won’t be able to sleep. How is this even possible? What is the physics behind it? What if I ever come face to face with a hippo? But guess what, Niko? The hippos will still be airborne; They don’t give a shit. They’re out there, doing their hippo thing, defying physics, while we’re here losing my mind over it.”

“What did you …? How …? Are you using the Chewbacca defense on me?” Niko’s rage was growing.

Priya’s voice was cold. “Stop with your little tricks, Sayeed. You lied. The least you could do after framing him is to tell Niko the truth about your motivation.”

“Framing him? And what about me helping you all this time? Is this how you repay me?” Sayeed sighed, rubbing his temples.

Niko crossed his arms, getting angrier by the minute. “You were using me, that’s what you did, to get to Lopez’s drive and NAPPA’s dirty laundry. You did it for your customers and nobody else!”

Sayeed took a more conciliatory tone. “You’re right; there’s no point in hiding it. I did contract for several pharmaceutical companies—Chinese, American, you name it. At first, it was just business. I didn’t care which company came out on top. They could butcher each other for all I cared. They wanted NAPPA out of the way, and I needed the money. But then, things changed.”

Niko’s eyes narrowed. “How so?”

Sayeed leaned forward, his voice earnest. “The more I found out what NAPPA was doing—their collaboration with the military, the potential for mass control through the NanoChips—I couldn’t just sit back and let it happen. I decided to take them down myself, to expose them for what they are.”

Priya shook her head, her anger barely contained. “And we were just pawns in your game?”

“No,” Sayeed said quickly. “You were allies, and I needed your help to achieve our common goal. Tell me, what would it have changed if I had told you?”

Niko took a deep breath, trying to process everything. “Well, I would not have given you Lopez’s drive, which was my last bargaining chip, that’s what. Even if you helped me, I can’t work with someone I can’t trust.”

Priya nodded in agreement. “It’s best if we part ways. You’ve helped us a lot, and we appreciate that. But this isn’t going to work anymore.”

“I understand. But you know what? I—don’t—care.” Sayeed slammed his first on the table rhythmically with every word. “Just go. You are not going to last a day without me! I did what needed to be done, and I would do it again.”

“Do what again?” Klara had walked into the room. She glanced between them, sensing the tension. “What’s going on?”

“So, he didn’t tell you, either? Our friend here has been working for pharmaceutical competitors of NAPPA,” Niko explained. “There is no organization, there is no movement against NAPPA—these are all lies! He’s just using us to gain more money, more power for himself, and I’m done with this!” His voice was shivering with rage.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Is this true, Sayeed?” Klara’s expression hardened.

He nodded, looking down at his desk. “Yes.”

“And we’re going to leave now, Sayeed,” Priya said. “Thank you for helping getting me out, but I know you, and you can’t be trusted. You’re not a team player. Goodbye.”

Niko and Priya turned around and left.

Klara shook her head, disappointment evident in her eyes. “I can’t believe you. This whole time, you’ve been lying to me. You told me we were fighting the good fight, you promised me we will fight for a good cause. I can’t stay with you either, Sayeed. I’m done with lies and half-truths. I’m going with Niko and Priya.”

In a brief moment of candor, Sayeed looked at her and said, “I understand your decision, Klara. I am sorry. Please, take care of yourself.” He went up to Klara and gave her a hug.

Sayeed watched silently as Klara caught up with Niko and Priya, his shoulders slumping. Once they were gone, he sat still at his desk, thinking. He was happy that two of them left, but the third, he still needed for his plans.

As they walked away from the warehouse, Niko felt a strange mix of relief and uncertainty. Klara fell into step beside him and Priya, her expression resolute.

“Thank you for letting me come with you. I don’t have anyone here. And I’m really sorry you had to go through that,” Klara said quietly. “But I’m with you now.”

Priya gave her a small smile. “Thanks, Klara. We need all the help we can get.”

They found a quiet corner on the pier outside of the warehouse to regroup. Niko looked at Priya, who seemed unusually quiet. “What’s on your mind, Priya?”

Priya took a deep breath. “There’s something else I need to tell you both. I didn’t want to say in front of Sayeed. When I was still with NAPPA, I found out more than just about their collaboration with the military.”

Niko and Klara exchanged worried glances.

“What do you mean?” Klara asked.

Priya leaned in, her voice lowered. “Ryan inserted a loophole in the NanoChip software. This loophole can enable him to exert control over any users’ NanoChip from the AI center in Singapore, where all the NanoChip data is collected and stored.”

Niko’s eyes widened. “Anatoly did mention something along those lines before, but he didn’t know what happened with that project. So, you mean NAPPA could control people like they did with you?”

Priya nodded. “Exactly. And if Ryan can control individual NanoChips, he might be able to do that to entire groups. Imagine, if he does the same to get into the US and Chinese militaries NanoChipM systems …”

Klara’s face paled. “But that’s madness. Why would they even do that?”

“Well,” Niko said, “they are already one of the richest and most influential companies in the world. But what they might need is raw power in order to exert control.”

“Control? Control over what?”

“Well, the world.” Priya added.

Sayeed sat alone in the dimly lit room, listening to his phone. He couldn’t lie; the weight of his new loneliness was pressing down on him. He knew he had to act quickly but took out his cigarette and lit it up, as if he had all the time in the world. Grabbing Lopez’s USB drive, he toyed with it in his hands while dialing a number.

After several rings, a rough voice answered. “Who is it?”

“If you would answer the video call, you would know, dumb wit. Are you high again?”

“Oh, it’s you,” Mark Davies replied flatly.

“Yeah, it’s me. I need you to do me another favor,” Sayeed said.

“Last time I did you a favor, you almost cost me my job. You said you’d just join and listen to the press conference, not expose the poor guy to the world.”

“What is done is done. Professor Tesic and I now work together, in case you were wondering.”

“You’re what? You realize he’s wanted for murder in, like, every country in the world right now?”

“Meh, I don’t think he did it. But back to the favor you’re about to do me.”

“I don’t remember saying—”

“Shut up and let me talk, Mark,” Sayeed barked. “This is too big for a fame-hungry cunt like you to pass up. When this breaks, the name Mark Davies will be all over the world news, trust me.”

The line was quiet for a moment. “The usual spot?”

“See you there in half an hour. I know you don’t have anything better to do.” Sayeed hung up.

Sayeed hurriedly copied the USB drive contents onto a secure tablet and left the warehouse. The meeting was in FairPrice Joon Sun, an establishment in Singapore for anyone who wanted to buy anything from groceries to clothes, bikes to hardware.

Sayeed spotted Davies at a corner table of its food court, his trademark scruffy appearance and easygoing gaze unmistakable.

“Friend,” Davies greeted, his voice low and cautious. “You really like this place, huh?”

“They make the best Puri Bhaji I know, and I enjoy the free parking.” He grinned, placing his plate in front of him, and started to eat.

Mark tried to hide his confusion. “So, what do you have for me?”

Sayeed handed over the tablet with the documents. “These are from Alessandro Lopez’s USB drive, you know, NAPPA’s former CIO?” he said in-between bites. “They provide evidence that NAPPA is working with the US and Chinese military. The NanoChipM, as they call it, will be implanted in soldiers. Actually, at this point in time, it is likely that ninety percent of the army already has it implanted. All of this is highly secret, of course. But this story needs to be published. The world needs to know, and you’re the one to do it.”

Mark flipped through the documents, his eyes widening with each page. “This is explosive. I knew NAPPA was too good to be true, but this …”

“Can you get it out there?” Sayeed mumbled through a mouthful of Puri bun.

Mark nodded. “I’ll try my best so the truth comes out, but I have to speak to my editor.”

Sayeed stopped the puri mid-bite and looked up. “No, no, no, Mark. You will not try anything. You will bloody do this today, lah! People have died to secure these documents”

“Died?” Mark recoiled.

“Don’t worry about it.” Sayeed waved dismissively. “It has nothing to do with you now. Water under the bridge.”

“And what if NAPPA comes after me when I publish this? I’m putting myself in danger.”

“So what? What kind of investigative journalist gets scared off by the biggest company in the world, lah? If they come after you, it will only prove you’re right.”

“You’re not wrong,” Mark said pensively. “This would be a huge story. You know, I’ve been hearing recently about instances of NanoChip overdose. Kids have apparently found ways to circumvent the time constraints, and they just … never leave their VR world. If you pull them back, they break down.”

“For such a secure product, it sure seems they have a shit ton of security issues, no?” Sayeed smirked and took a sip of his mango lassi.

“It seems so … Since my wife got hers a month ago, there hasn’t been an issue, but …”

“Wait—what? Your wife’s got the NanoChip?” Sayeed had to constrain himself from shouting.

“Well, yeah, just some weeks ago. What’s the issue?”

“Mark, you idiot! You didn’t tell me?”

“Why would I? She doesn’t know you … What are you getting all angry for? I—”

“I-I-I what? You’re a bloody idiot, that’s what. They could have been shadowing you since you got here. I tell you now, go home and publish the story immediately! Don’t forget to send me the usual fee! Don’t wait for your moron editor—just bloody do it, understood? I’m out of here.” He stood up to leave. “Oh, and if I were you, Mark, I’d get rid of all my dirty laundry once you get home. NAPPA will be after you, big time.” Sayeed stood up and left in a hurry.

Mark sat there alone, contemplating whether he should finish Sayeed’s uneaten buns before heading back home.