Lynn stood in front of the mirror, applying eyeliner with hands that didn't shake.
Not anymore.
She wasn't dressing for a press conference.
She was dressing for war.
Tight black jeans. Leather jacket. Boots with the kind of heel that could crush a man's ego — or his kneecap. Her eyes were sharp. Controlled. Cold.
> "Where are you going?" Lwandile asked as she grabbed her phone and keys.
> "To follow the trail," she said. "Jayden may have lit the match, but I want to know who handed him the gasoline."
Lwandile nodded. "You want backup?"
> "Not for this."
He didn't argue. He knew her well enough to know when her mind was made up.
---
The drive through Cape Town's underbelly wasn't long — but it was familiar. Every turn held memories. Some she'd buried, others that haunted her dreams.
She pulled up to an old internet café in Salt River. No signage, just rusted gates and flickering lights. But inside? That's where all the data ghosts lived.
> "S'bu," she called as she walked in.
A thin guy in an oversized hoodie looked up from behind three dusty monitors.
> "Damn, I thought you were done with ghosts," he grinned.
> "This one came back screaming," she said. "Someone leaked a file I buried. You told me it was wiped."
S'bu frowned. "It was."
> "Then why is it all over the internet?"
He didn't answer right away. Just spun in his chair and started typing furiously. Screens flickered. Data scrolled. Lynn watched the reflection of her past light up in shades of red.
> "Found it," he muttered. "Encrypted leak, bounced through three dummy accounts. But I traced the final upload… IP belongs to someone in Green Point."
> "Who?" she asked.
S'bu hesitated. "Name came up as… Zee Rako."
Lynn's stomach twisted.
Zee had been her friend. A quiet girl in the crew who knew things she shouldn't have. Lynn had covered for her. Protected her.
And now she was the leak.
> "Send me everything," Lynn said. "And S'bu… this doesn't leave here."
> "You know me, I'm already forgetting your name."
---
As she walked out, the wind felt colder.
> "Zee," she muttered. "I gave you loyalty. You gave me fire."
Her jaw clenched.
> "Now I'll return it — in full."