When Ali held the microfilm up to the light, he was met with flickering images. They were documents stolen from the municipal archives:
Signed documents regarding the privatization of water wells in 2003
A list of 14 people buried under the rubble of a building that "accidentally" collapsed during protests in Blacktown
A single word written in red next to Ece's name: "Silenced"
His mother, Fatma, tapped Ali on the shoulder:
"That well was under Wellspring Park. Your grandfather Kamil used to say that the municipality buried toxic waste there."
When the files on the USB were opened, Ali's screen was filled with a document:
"Aurentia Water Resources Management - Special Permit"
The mayor's nephew, Baran Demir, had special access to the city water network under the name of "emergency intervention". With this authority, he:
✔ Directed city water to the golf course
✔ Dumped factory waste into clean water channels
✔ Made water cuts "not random" but specific to areas where protests were planned
Ece's additional note:
"Murat was killed because he tried to prove this. The documents in the well are missing. The rest is in Wellspring..."
At midnight, Ali and Eren entered the abandoned guardhouse behind the park (now the Aurentia Business Center). They lifted the wooden board on the floor, as Ece had described.
Below, there was a rusted iron door. An engraved text read:
"Water is a right. If it is polluted, accountability will be sought." - Kamil, 2004
When they opened the door, they found a small underground room:
Water tank maps from the 50s
Toxic waste samples (labeled)
A tape recording: "Mr. Baran, the test results... show that the water is carcinogenic. What are we going to do?"
On the way home, Ali got a notification on his phone:
"Aurentia Post: Excavations Have Started in Applehall Square! Mayor: 'We've Discovered a Historical Well'"
In the photo, Baran Demir was smiling at the well Ece described.
Ali looked at his mother:
"They know. They're collecting evidence in the well."
Fatma poured tea into her grandfather's thermos:
"Then we have to move faster."