The Truth that wasn't there

Thirteen

Owondiki was shocked at the amount of privileged information the anti-clan rebels had. As the jeep she was sitting in galloped its way past Osekoni borders, she studied the map on Jera's tablet. There were a lot of gaps on the map, many places left unmarked that Owondiki recognized from many years of studying Usehjiki geography, as well as history and information. Her mind was a sitting trap of secrets that she'd been entrusted with. Secrets she was willing to share. But the rebels had some of it. They'd had years to spy and they'd had the benefit of the Mbeteli files.

"We're almost there," Jera said.

"What of the others?" Owondiki asked, not taking her eyes off the map.

"They've been to twelve GSC buildings, but no openings yet."

"They should keep checking."

"They are."

There was a slight tone in Jera's voice that made Owondiki look up.

"I wasn't lying," Owondiki said in her defense. "Every GSC building couldn't possibly be an opening to secure facilities. Can you imagine having hundreds of gates to guard?"

Pinching her nail beds, Owondiki looked down at the tablet, just to get away from looking at Jera. It wasn't disappointment she was seeing in her eyes, or betrayal or suspicion. It was something else. Something even more devastating.

Belief.

She hadn't known Jera long enough for it to matter, but for some reason, she wanted Jera to believe her, to listen to her to understand her. And now that she had Jera's ear, Jera's understanding, Owondiki was pressured and worried by it. If it turned out to be wrong, if she made the wrong move, that look on Jera's face would change.

Owondiki didn't know if she could handle that change.

The two cars they'd come with turned into the small parking space in front of a GSC building, as they shut off the lights.

"Stay behind me," Jera said, as her people gently made their way into the tiny church building.

It was a bungalow, no wider than a regular bedroom, but it went further down the block, between the bigger buildings on either side of it. As they arrived during the day, they could see the front of the church, because the pulpit was facing the street.

The room was bare, with concrete floors, plastic chairs, and one white banner hanging off the ceiling behind the pulpit.

Jera signaled her people and they split up, moving down the sides while Jera and Owondiki took the center.

Owondiki had been terrible during field training, but she at least had the sense to shut up once Jera started communicating in hand gestures. Following closely behind Jera, they marched towards the back office as the others disappeared through the side doors. Gently, Jera opened the door into the smaller room and the sound of scuffing feet against the ground could be heard.

When she opened it wider, the pastor, a middle-aged woman, was on her feet, with her back to the door, dancing to no music at all. She hadn't heard them arrive because she was so into it that Owondiki almost laughed.

"The LBD shut down, Owondiki," Jera mumbled.

"Oh," Owondiki said, moving forward. "O boni owo, o boni edu. Na deng duyina edu."

The pastor didn't react. Instead, she continued dancing as she turned around, her eyes widening in surprise that lasted less than a moment before she snapped into action. She reached for Owondiki, but Jera kicked her out of the way, punching the pastor in the face as the pastor wedged herself on her brown desk.