As soon as the door closed behind Jera, the director headed for it.

"SIR!" Owondiki called, running into the room to meet him. She slammed it shut and stood between him and the door. "You can't go in there, Sir."

He banged his hand on the wall and walked away.

"She can't just–"

He stopped, abruptly, breathing heavily. The director closed his eyes, and crossed his hands at his back, visibly making a conscious effort to calm down.

"She's toying with me."

"This is not new information, Sir. Jera Franklin is never straight with people."

"Right," he said, looking up at the ceiling. "Do you have any ideas?"

"She'll never agree to anything we have to say, Sir. All we've done is tell her that she has leverage over us because of the murder of two clans-blood. She has proof that she was right. That her family was right. She holds all the cards now."

"Get to the point, Owondiki."

"Send in a citizen undercover, Sir. Someone she can bond with and initiate trust till she tells the person where the files are."

"She's not just going to tell a stranger about them. Even her own family doesn't know where she hid those files."

"Prisoners in Ibesan don't come out. Ever. If there's a group of people that she would tell her secrets to, it's people like that, Sir."

"You're sure of this?"

"It could work for us."

"We're on a clock, Owondiki. If her grandfather predicted the fire at the Izeh Custody, then those files might be the only thing that can help us stop the next attack on clans-blood. Do you understand me?"

"I do, Sir."

"Okay," he said, picking up his file and placing it in the briefcase as he shut it. "I'm sending you to Ibesan, tomorrow."

"Heh?" she asked.

"Get to know her," he said, lifting the case. "Bond with her and earn her trust."

"Excuse me, Sir," she said, walking up to him. "I'm a desk officer. I don't know the first thing about covert operations."

"You're Clans Authority. And a citizen. You're uniquely qualified for this."

"It doesn't have to be a citizen. You can send a clans-blood. It's not as if the prisoners have blood scanners in there, Sir."

"Jera Franklin will know a clans-blood the moment she sees one. You can monitor her and get her to trust you, easier than anyone else."

"I can monitor from outside, Sir."

"Monitor, how? This place doesn't even have enough brooms to keep its facilities clean. Do you think they'll have cameras lying around for you to monitor with?"

Owondiki shook her head.

"You're sending me into a place filled with killers."

"You've had basic combat training."

"Years ago, at the academy, Sir," she said, as the pitch of her voice rose. "I haven't even punched a wall since I became a police officer. Or since I joined Clans Authority."

Grabbing her by the shoulders, the director looked right into her eyes.

"You'll just have to survive, Owondiki," he said. "The clans are depending on you to see this through."