Zora's Aurora 3 - the Serengeti Exchange
Copyright© 2026 by Art Samms
Chapter 9
Denver sunlight poured through the tall windows of Delta’s office, bright and unapologetic.
Uncharacteristically, the room itself was immaculate—sleek desk, digital display wall, precisely arranged seating.
Zora, naturally, had her boots propped on the edge of the conference table. Sophie was reviewing something on her tablet. Natalia sat cross-legged in her chair, scrolling through behind-the-scenes photos on her comm. Brian leaned against the window, coffee in hand, looking deeply amused.
Delta stood behind her desk, hands folded.
“You are early,” she observed.
“We were excited,” Zora replied.
“You were loud in the hallway,” Delta corrected.
Natalia laughed.
The fashion shoot had wrapped the day before. Two intense days of controlled lighting, camera drones, live percussion segments, and architectural backdrops layered with projection art.
The Drummer and the Dreamer.
Jennix had insisted on keeping the aesthetic grounded—minimalist tailoring for her, textured movement pieces for Natalia. They’d performed a live rhythmic sequence for the closing frames: Natalia drumming beneath suspended light sculptures while Jennix moved through the beams like a kinetic echo.
No rivalry. No undertone. Just collaboration.
“It went wonderfully,” Natalia said, still slightly disbelieving. “No drama. No tabloid nonsense. Just ... art.”
Brian grinned. “You were phenomenal.”
“You’re biased,” she shot back.
“Absolutely,” he said.
Zora leaned forward. “The lighting sequences were elegant. Whoever handled the projection timing deserves praise.”
Sophie didn’t look up. “I optimized the sync delay.”
“Of course you did,” Zora said warmly.
Delta inclined her head slightly. “Preliminary media reception is overwhelmingly positive. The narrative arc is being described as ‘restorative.’”
Natalia’s expression softened. “Good.”
A brief, comfortable silence followed. Then Sophie set her tablet down.
“There is something else we should discuss.”
Delta’s gaze sharpened slightly. “I suspected as much.”
Zora dropped her boots to the floor.
“The overlap,” she said simply.
Brian’s posture shifted subtly. Natalia straightened.
Delta moved around her desk and took a seat at the table with them instead of remaining behind it.
“That is an accurate term,” she said. “On the Africa operation, I spent as much time on investigative logistics as I did on band management.”
She paused.
“And—well, let’s just say I did not resent it.”
Zora blinked.
“Wait,” she said, mock-serious. “You enjoyed it?”
Delta held her gaze steadily.
“Yes.”
A quiet interlude followed.
“Crisis mapping. Strategic coordination. Cross-jurisdictional negotiation. It is ... invigorating.”
Brian smirked. “You like running tactical overlays.”
“I like effective systems,” Delta replied smoothly.
Sophie folded her hands.
“The division between performance and investigation is narrowing,” she said. “Operationally, it already has.”
Natalia nodded slowly.
“On Luna, we helped,” she said. “But it felt peripheral.”
The stakes had been high on Luna, but they had still been guests in someone else’s framework.
“In Africa,” Brian continued, “it wasn’t peripheral.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“I found myself noticing things,” he admitted. “Patterns in Vorenko’s staging. Body language at the Glass Hall. He telegraphed more than he realized.”
Sophie glanced at him.
“You identified the control pedestal shielding before I did,” she acknowledged.
Brian shrugged lightly.
“I watch crowds for a living.”
Natalia’s voice softened.
“And people,” she added.
They all looked at her.
“Dr. Amina,” Natalia said quietly. “She didn’t need data. She needed reassurance. If we’d pushed harder, she would’ve shut down.”
Zora nodded slowly.
“You gave her space,” she said. “I’m not sure I would have done that.”
“I know I wouldn’t have,” Sophie threw in.
Natalia shrugged slightly.
“I didn’t plan it. It just ... felt right.”
Delta studied both of them with new consideration.
“You assumed major roles,” she said. “Not as auxiliary support. As contributors.”
Brian exchanged a glance with Natalia.
“It was stimulating,” he admitted. “In a way I didn’t expect.”
Natalia nodded.
“I love performing,” she said. “But this—helping untangle something that shouldn’t exist—it mattered differently.”
Zora leaned back, considering them.
“You’re saying,” she said carefully, “you want in.”
Brian met her gaze evenly.
“I’m saying if there’s work to be done—and if we’re already in proximity—I’d rather not stand on the sidelines.”
Sophie studied them for a long moment.
“This is not tour-adjacent excitement,” she said. “DMI projects carry risk. Bureaucratic constraint. Ethical complexity.”
“We know,” Natalia replied.
“We’ve seen it,” Brian added.
Delta interlaced her fingers.
“You both demonstrated aptitude,” she said plainly. “Brian—your observational acuity is above average. Natalia—your interpersonal rapport yields high-trust disclosures.”
Zora grinned. “Delta, you’re starting to sound like Nigel.”
Delta shot her a narrow-eyed glare.
Zora turned to face Brian and Natalia.
“Translation,” she said, “you’re good at this.”
Sophie exhaled slowly.
“Nathan will need to approve any formal integration,” she said. “But we can initiate that conversation.”
Zora nodded.
“We’ll talk to him.”
Brian’s expression shifted—serious now.
“This isn’t about adrenaline,” he said. “It’s about usefulness.”
Natalia reached for his hand briefly.
“And purpose,” she added.