Mandla Strikes Back
The moment Sipho's hack hit Mandla's private server, Ntuli Group headquarters shifted into panic mode.
Screens flickered.
Security alarms pulsed red.
The internal network bucked like a storm-hit ship.
Mandla stood in the center of his office, watching a stream of error messages flood his screen.
"Unauthorized access detected."
"Root server breach attempt: HIGH-LEVEL."
His jaw tightened.
"So… you finally make your move," he whispered.
His reflection glared back at him from the dark glass, eyes sharp with fury and something else — fear.
Not losing power.
But of the truth getting out.
He grabbed his comms device.
"Lock down the entire east wing of the server floor," he ordered. "And give me a trace on the intruder. I want the location in seconds."
The tech team scrambled.
One of the interns stammered, "S-sir… the breach isn't attacking our main network. It's going directly into the—"
Mandla's voice sliced through the air.
"What?"
"The restricted archive… sir."
His blood ran cold.
Then heated.
"Trace it. NOW."
BACK AT THE CONTAINER — THE HACK DEEPENS
Sipho's screen was a battlefield of color — green streams of code from him, red defensive spikes firing back from Mandla's side.
"Damn…" Sipho muttered. "He's fighting me himself. This is no longer his system of defense. This is HIM."
Dombi felt her chest tighten.
"What does that mean?"
"It means," Sipho replied without blinking, "Mandla is sitting at his desk right now, typing against me like his life depends on it."
And it probably did.
Ms. Mokoena moved closer.
"How long until you break in?"
Sipho didn't look away from the screen.
"Twenty minutes… if he doesn't try something insane."
Kabelo stepped forward.
"He WILL. That's why we stay ahead of him."
He pulled out another device — a signal scrambler.
"If Mandla tries to triangulate this location, this will distort the trace by a few hundred meters."
He flipped it on.
A faint buzzing filled the room.
Sipho exhaled.
"Good. Buy me time."
MANDLA — RECOGNIZES THE PATTERN
Back at headquarters, Mandla's eyes narrowed at the incoming code.
"This… signature…" he murmured.
A memory surfaced.
A young intern in the coding division.
Brilliant.
Too brilliant.
Sipho Majola.
He slammed his fist on the desk.
"It's him."
The tech beside him flinched.
"S-sir, the trace is unstable—"
"Not unstable," Mandla growled. "Someone is scrambling it."
His voice dropped into a cold, dark whisper.
"Kabelo Mokoena."
He stepped back, the pieces falling into place.
Sipho.
Kabelo.
The girl.
They were working together.
This was a full assault — not random rebels.
But a team.
A team his paranoia had warned him about since Dombi returned.
He turned slowly to his head of security.
"Mobilize Field Unit Bravo," he ordered.
"Search the industrial district first. That's where Sipho would hide."
The man nodded immediately.
"And one more thing," Mandla added, voice sinking lower.
"If you find them…"
He didn't need to finish the sentence.
The head of security swallowed and nodded again.
BACK AT THE CONTAINER — UNLOCKING THE TRUTH
"WE'RE IN!" Sipho suddenly shouted.
The red folder blinked.
Then it opened.
Dombi leaned in, breath sharp in her chest.
A list of file names filled the screen:
• Project R.I. – Executive Notes
• Testimonies – Confidential
• Payment Trails
• Board Correspondence
• Final Directive – N. Ntuli (her father)
Her heart skipped.
"Open the last one," Dombi said.
Sipho hesitated.
"Are you sure? Once we open this—"
"Yes."
Sipho clicked.
A video loaded.
The image flickered.
And then —
Her father appeared on screen.
Alive.
Tired.
And speaking directly into the camera.
Dombi gasped and covered her mouth.
Ms. Mokoena shut her eyes.
She knew this was coming, but the pain still cut deep.
Kabelo put a hand on Dombi's shoulder.
Sipho muttered, "Oh God…"
Ntuli's voice came through, soft but urgent:
"If you are seeing this… I am either gone, or Mandla has made his final move."
Dombi's legs weakened.
Her father continued:
"The truth about my death will not be found in hospitals or police reports. It will be found in this company. Mandla is not the man I once trusted. He has stolen, manipulated, and destroyed everything he touches."
Dombi trembled.
"But worst of all," her father said, voice breaking, "he wants you, Dombi. Your inheritance. Your power. Your future."
Her tears fell.
Sipho whispered, "There's more…"
He scrolled.
And froze.
A document marked:
TARGET: D.N.
— Signature: Mandla S. Nkosi
The room fell utterly silent.
Dombi stared.
"Mandla… planned to remove me."
Kabelo's jaw clenched.
"He wasn't just after the company. He wanted you out of the way."
Ms. Mokoena took a breath.
"This is enough to destroy him."
Sipho turned sharply.
"No," he said.
"It's enough to make him come for us with everything he has."
MANDLA — FINDS THE EXACT LOCATION
Suddenly, Mandla's tech shouted from inside the office:
"Sir! We have it! The trace broke through the scramble!"
Mandla spun toward the screen.
Coordinates blinked on the map.
His lips twisted into a cold smile.
"So that's where you are."
He lifted his phone.
"Bravo Unit," he said calmly.
"Prepare for engagement."
He hung up.
And whispered:
"Dombi… you should've stayed in the shadows."
BACK AT THE CONTAINER — THE FINAL WARNING
Sipho's alarms began beeping rapidly.
"What's happening?" Musa asked.
Sipho turned pale.
"He found us."
Everyone froze.
"How long?" Kabelo asked.
Sipho swallowed.
"Five… maybe six minutes."
Dombi wiped her tears, stood tall, and said:
"Then we don't run."
They all looked at her.
Dombi lifted her chin.
"We finish what we started. We take everything. And we expose him to the world."
Kabelo smiled — cold, pr
oud.
"That's my girl."
Ms. Mokoena nodded.
"Sipho, copy all files to the drive. Musa, secure the exit route."
Sipho started transferring files.
But the alarm screamed louder.
"Three minutes!" he shouted.
Dombi whispered to herself:
"Let him come."
The war had officially begun.