The morning after Zara arrived at headquarters dawned clear and bright, the rain having washed the city clean and left the air smelling of damp earth and fresh possibilities. Zara had slept in one of the small guest rooms upstairs, wrapped in warm blankets that had finally chased away the chill from being soaked through the day before. When she made her way down to the common area just after sunrise, she found Clara already at the large conference table, spread out with maps and files, a pot of strong coffee brewing nearby.
"Morning," Clara said without looking up, her pen moving across a document as she made notes. "I hope you slept well. Isabella left out some breakfast things—there's ackee and saltfish on the stove, if you're hungry."
Zara pulled out a chair, her eyes immediately drawn to the maps covering the table. Alongside the familiar color-coded pins marking the network's current operations were new markers in red—each one indicating a location tied to The Root. "You've already started working on it," she said, her voice a mix of surprise and gratitude as she filled a plate and sat down.
"We don't have time to waste," Clara replied, finally setting down her pen and meeting Zara's gaze. "From what you told us last night, The Root is moving faster than we thought. They've already established a presence in two towns just outside Montego Bay, and our sources say they're targeting three more in the next month. But before we do anything, we need to be sure we're not walking into a trap—and that we're approaching this the right way."
Just then, Enzo and Isabella joined them, followed by Marcus Chen and his sister Maya. Chen had been quiet since they'd all gathered, his eyes scanning the maps with a focused intensity. "I've been cross-referencing Zara's notes with our own intelligence," he said, pulling out a tablet and setting it on the table. "The Root isn't just operating locally—they've got connections to shipping companies in Port Antonio and Montego Bay, moving goods out of the country and bringing in weapons. We've been tracking these shipments for weeks but couldn't figure out who was behind them."
Isabella leaned forward, pointing to a cluster of red pins in the hills north of Ocho Rios. "Zara mentioned that The Root uses a network of hidden storage facilities to keep their supplies and weapons," she said. "If we can find those, we can disrupt their operations long enough to give the communities time to organize."
"But we can't just go in with guns blazing," Zara said firmly, setting down her fork. "That's exactly what they want. They'd use it as an excuse to crack down harder, to paint us as criminals and themselves as the ones keeping order. In my town, they already tell people that anyone who opposes them is a threat to their safety. We need to show the community that we're different—that we're here to help them, not fight for control."
Clara nodded in agreement. "That's been our approach from the start," she said. "But we've never operated in an area where the syndicate has such deep roots. Tell us—what does the community need most right now?"
Zara thought for a moment, her mind going back to the faces of her neighbors. "They need to know they're not alone," she said quietly. "They've been isolated for so long, told that no one cares about them. We need to build trust first—listen to their concerns, help with immediate problems like access to clean water and food, then work with them to plan their next steps."