Beneath The Flag

**Chapter One*

The sun was setting over **Vandeka**, casting a warm glow across the city. It should have been a peaceful evening, but for the people of Vandeka, peace had become a distant dream. The country had been under siege for months. **Dan_kabal**, the terrifying terrorist group led by the ruthless **Sa_kuk**, had been wreaking havoc-kidnapping families, demanding ransom, and then executing them anyway. The people lived in constant fear, not knowing who would be next.

Inside the **Vandeka Military Headquarters**, the atmosphere was tense. Officers scurried about, barking orders and making frantic calls, but no one seemed to have the answers. The terrorists were always one step ahead, and the military didn't know who was leaking their plans. They needed to find the mole before it was too late.

At the heart of it all was **General Obasi**, the Chief of Army Staff. He was a man in his late fifties, broad and thick around the waist, but still imposing. His face was weathered, with deep lines showing the stress of leading an army at war. His eyes were sharp, and when he spoke, his voice cut through the air like a whip.

"Another one?" he grunted, looking up at the young officer standing by his door.

"Yes, sir. The plan leaked again. Dan_kabal knew about the operation before we could even act on it."

Obasi clenched his jaw. He'd known this day was coming-the longer the war went on, the more the traitor inside their ranks would reveal himself. But who could they trust?

Meanwhile, across town, **Inspector David** was just finishing up his paperwork. The clock on the wall ticked away, but he didn't mind the late hours. For David, work was an escape from the madness outside. He picked up his phone and checked his messages. A text from **Juliana** popped up.

_"Meet me at the office. We've got work to do."_

David chuckled to himself. If there was anyone who could make a boring day interesting, it was **Inspector Juliana**.

When he arrived at the office, he found her already there, looking through a pile of files. Her long black braids cascaded down her back, and her sharp eyes flicked over every document with precision. She was beautiful, but when she was working, her focus was unshakable.

David leaned against the doorframe with a grin. "Long day?"

Juliana glanced up and smirked. "Long day? More like long week. If my brain were any more fried, I could serve it as jollof rice."

David raised an eyebrow, laughing. "Now that's a shame. I thought you had better things to offer than jollof rice."

"You should try my brain sometime," she teased. "Might be better than your jokes."

David shrugged. "You're just mad because I told you my band name is The Awesome band"

Juliana rolled her eyes. "Ha! Very funny. Like anyone's gonna invite you to sing"

David leaned back, grinning. "Come on, you know it's great. The band's so good, even the WiFi connection would struggle to keep up."

Juliana burst out laughing. "That was terrible. You're lucky I like you, or I'd be calling for your resignation right now."

"Resignation?" David said, pretending to be offended. "I'm *too* talented for that."

"Well, if being 'too talented' means making me laugh like I'm watching a Nollywood movie, then sure," she shot back, smirking.

David chuckled, and the two of them sat down, the lightheartedness vanishing as quickly as it had come. The task ahead was no joke. They had a job to do.

---

The next day, David and Juliana walked into **President Juma's** office. The president, looking tired and worn out, sat behind his large desk, his fingers tapping nervously.

"Sit down," he said in his usual calm tone, but there was a trace of stress in his voice.

They both sat across from him, and David cleared his throat. "Mr. President, you called for us?"

"Yes, we have a problem," President Juma began, looking them both in the eyes. "The terrorists are getting smarter. They seem to know every move we make. Our plans are getting leaked."

David leaned forward. "So, you need us to find the traitor."

The president nodded, his face grim. "Exactly. We've got a mole in the army, and we need to find them before it's too late."

Juliana raised an eyebrow. "How do you know it's one of your own men?"

"Because," the president said, leaning in, "every time we plan an operation, the terrorists are always one step ahead. Someone is feeding them information."

David's eyes narrowed. "Understood, sir. We'll find the leak. We won't let you down."

But as they walked out of the president's office, Juliana gave David a knowing look.

"You know," she said quietly, "there's something off about him. The way he's acting... it's like he's trying too hard to hide something."

David shrugged. "Everyone's got their secrets. Besides, we've got a job to do."

Juliana shook her head. "Yeah, but *he* looks like the kind of person who would steal the last piece of chicken and act like he didn't do it.

David laughed. "Well, if the president's hiding something, we'll find out soon enough. Until then, let's catch this mole. No one's getting away with this."

Juliana smiled. "Now, that's the David I know."