The atmosphere was heavy and suffocating. Darkness had swallowed everything, and the lingering tension from the recent blasts hung over the ISA like a thick fog. Khushi, an old friend but a newcomer to this specific group, stood ready. She knew this journey with the ISA was going to be dangerous, but the reality was starting to sink in.
"Jataksha," a voice broke the silence, "Samriddhi, give the equipment you have made to her fast!"
Samriddhi stepped forward, holding the specialized gear with a sense of pride and caution. "OK! But this equipment has a name: RS-01, or Radiation Shooter Level 1."
Khushi looked at the device, her mind racing. "We don't have time, right?" she asked, sensing the urgency of their mission.
"I have made four RS-01s," Samriddhi explained quickly. "You take one, and give one each to Veer and Shiven. The extra one will stay with us at the headquarters."
Khushi frowned, staring at the tech. "What if it does not work?"
Samriddhi's face turned dead serious. "Then one thing I will say for all of you: R.I.P. This is our only hope. And remember, this will only work on clones for ten minutes. It will not kill them."
"Then this is of no use," Khushi retorted, frustrated by the limitation.
"What do you want in 2 hours?" Samriddhi snapped back, her voice rising. "Man, this is what we can do in just one hour! And still, you get 10 minutes to escape from the clones. That's why I call it RS-01 Level 1."
"OK, OK, relax!" Khushi said, trying to calm her down. "So, do you have a troop ready?"
Anmol intervened, "Of course! Vansh is going with you along with his team. Samriddhi, I think we should give this RS-01 to Vansh instead. We already have enough troops with us here."
Samriddhi nodded. "OK, sure. Take it, Vansh."
The Rescue
Suddenly, the air began to vibrate. The ISA headquarters shook violently as the thunderous roar of helicopter blades filled the sky. Within minutes, Khushi and Vansh were airborne, reaching the site of the explosion.
As they touched down, Vansh looked around at the charred remains of the landscape. "This place is ruined," he muttered. "Nothing is left here."
"Look everywhere!" Khushi shouted over the wind. "We have to find Veer and Shiven."
Suddenly, a bright light streaked across the dark sky. A flare gun.
"There! Go fast!" Vansh yelled, pointing toward the light.
When they arrived, the scene was grim. Veer was completely surrounded by a sea of clones. Vansh froze for a second. "What should we do? He's surrounded!"
Khushi didn't hesitate. Without a word, she pulled the pins on four grenades and hurled them into the crowd of clones. A massive blast rocked the ground. As the smoke cleared, she quickly deployed the ladder from the helicopter. Veer was lying motionless on the ground, looking like a dead body.
"Veer! Get up!" Khushi screamed, rushing to his side. "You have to wake up. Veer, you have to solve this case! You can't die!"
Vansh knelt down beside him. "I should give him CPR!"
But before he could start, Veer gasped, taking a long, ragged breath and waking up on his own. He started coughing, looking up at Khushi with a weak smirk. "I am good... very nice way to help me, Khushi. But still... they are not dead."
Khushi handed him the device. "Take this RS-01. It will help you."
"Yeah, I was listening," Veer said, pulling himself up. "Khushi, you have to go and save Shiven fast. I don't think they'll be fighting the clones right now."
Vansh looked confused. "Why do you think they won't be fighting?"
Veer shot him a look. "Is this the time to tell all this?"
"Sorry! Sorry!" Vansh apologized quickly.
Khushi sighed, looking away. "Of course, I was thinking about shiven."
Broken Trust
"Of course? Hmm," Veer muttered, his voice trailing off.
Vansh leaned in, whispering to Veer. "Yeah, really strange. Khushi rejected him long ago, right?"
"Yeah," Veer replied quietly. "But Khushi still has feelings for him."
Khushi snapped, her voice coming through their earpieces. "You both! Don't you remember we all have AirPods on? Samriddhi gave them to me and you too, Vansh! Don't you realize you are all in danger? There's no point talking about this. Both of you are gone from my hands!"
Veer's expression turned somber. "Yeah, you are right," he said sadly. "I am not serious... that's why I lose my troops. I should not be the chief of all of you!"
Khushi's heart sank. "I did not mean it, Veer."
There was no response. Veer turned away, his silence deafening.
"Don't worry, Khushi," Vansh said softly. "I will see him."
Vansh called out to Veer, but the Chief didn't listen. He kept walking away into the darkness. And behind them, in the shadows of the ruins, the clones began to regenerate.
Written by Veer Tyagi
A young dreamer building his own universe.
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