Manav kicked a small stone.
"Okay but how do we even find that person?"
Arjun laughed a little.
"Five minutes ago you were talking like some anime hero."
Manav frowned.
"Dude I'm literally just a 10 year old kid."
Priya smiled.
"Yeah a very loud one."
Manav crossed his arms.
"I was serious."
Arjun nodded.
"I know."
Manav asked again.
"So how?"
Arjun pointed ahead.
"We go back to where I joined the army."
Manav blinked.
"The recruitment base?"
Arjun nodded.
"Yes."
Priya looked unsure.
"Isn't that place abandoned now?"
Arjun answered.
"Most bases are."
Manav asked,
"And what will we even find there?"
Arjun replied,
"Records."
Manav tilted his head.
"Old papers?"
Arjun said,
"Not just papers."
"Digital logs."
"Transfer lists."
"Clearance files."
Manav asked,
"You think the name removal is written there?"
Arjun shrugged.
"If someone did it officially… yes."
Priya asked,
"And if they didn't?"
Arjun answered,
"Then we look deeper."
Manav asked,
"What was that file again?"
Arjun walked slowly while answering.
"It was called a Continuity Selection File."
Manav didn't understand.
"That sounds boring."
Arjun gave a dry laugh.
"It wasn't."
Priya asked quietly,
"What did it do?"
Arjun looked serious.
"It listed people."
Manav asked,
"What people?"
Arjun answered,
"People who would not be allowed in the future plans."
Manav felt a little cold.
"You mean… not going to space?"
Arjun nodded.
"Yes."
Priya asked,
"And children too?"
Arjun nodded again.
"Yes."
Manav became quiet.
"That's messed up."
Arjun did not disagree.
"I know."
They kept walking.
Broken roads.
Old vehicles.
Quiet places.
Manav asked,
"When you saw my name missing… what did you feel?"
Arjun thought.
"Confused."
"A little relieved."
"A little scared."
Manav asked,
"Why scared?"
Arjun answered,
"Because files like that don't change easily."
Priya understood.
"So someone important did it."
Arjun nodded.
"Or someone very hidden."
Manav asked,
"What if they are a bad person?"
Arjun answered honestly.
"Could be."
Manav asked,
"What if they saved me for a bad reason?"
Priya looked at him.
"Like what?"
Manav shrugged.
"I don't know."
"Experiments?"
"Work?"
"Something weird?"
Arjun answered.
"That is why we find truth."
Manav nodded slowly.
They walked for hours.
Sometimes they found empty houses.
Sometimes nothing.
At one place they found a small shop.
Half broken.
Manav asked,
"Food?"
Priya checked inside.
"Some cans."
Arjun said,
"Take only what we need."
Manav said,
"Yeah yeah hero rule."
Arjun smiled.
"Not hero rule."
"Survival rule."
They sat and ate quietly.
Manav suddenly asked,
"Arjun… were you scared when you first joined?"
Arjun answered fast.
"Yes."
Manav looked surprised.
"You admit that?"
Arjun laughed.
"Only idiots say they are never scared."
Priya nodded.
"True."
Manav asked,
"What scared you most?"
Arjun answered.
"Dying."
After eating they moved again.
The old base was still far.
They had no vehicle.
Only walking.
At sunset they found an old transport truck.
Broken.
Arjun checked it.
"Hmm."
Priya asked,
"Can it run?"
Arjun said,
"If luck exists."
Manav asked,
"Do we have luck?"
Arjun smiled.
"We are still alive."
"That counts."
After one hour of trying…
The engine made sound.
Manav cheered.
"YES!"
The truck finally started.
Slow.
Ugly sound.
But moving.
They drove.
Manav looked outside.
"So many empty places."
Priya said softly,
"War takes noise first."
Arjun added,
"And leaves silence."
Manav didn't like that sentence.
After some time Manav asked,
"What exactly was written in that file?"
Arjun answered.
"Name."
"Age."
"Skill potential."
"Health."
"Family background."
Manav asked,
"Like school records?"
Arjun nodded.
"But darker."
Priya asked,
"Was there a reason column?"
Arjun nodded.
"Yes."
Manav asked slowly,
"What was written near my name?"
Arjun became quiet.
Manav insisted.
"Tell me."
Arjun answered.
"Initially… approved for removal."
Manav froze.
Priya grabbed his hand.
Arjun continued.
"Then a red mark."
Manav whispered,
"Red mark?"
Arjun nodded.
"Override."
Manav asked,
"What does that mean?"
Arjun answered,
"It means someone with higher authority changed it."
Priya asked,
"Was there any other name besides manav in that page?"
Arjun shook his head.
"No."
Manav asked,
"A code?"
Arjun nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Manav leaned forward.
"What code?"
Arjun answered.
"C-17."
Manav repeated,
"C-17…"
Priya asked,
"What does that mean?"
Arjun said,
"I don't know."
Manav asked,
"Is it a person?"
Arjun answered,
"Could be."
"Could be a department."
"Could be something else."
Manav sighed.
"So we are chasing a ghost."
Arjun answered,
"Yes."
Manav smiled a little.
"Sounds fun."
Priya rolled her eyes.
"You are weird."
Manav replied,
"I know."
Night came.
They stopped near an old checkpoint.
Small fire.
Simple rest.
The fire made small sounds.
Priya finally asked,
"What if we never find C-17?"
Manav answered,
"Then we tried."
Arjun added,
"And trying matters."
Morning came.
They drove again.
At one point they saw a group of survivors.
Five people.
Thin.
Tired.
They asked for water.
Priya gave some.
Manav gave his share too.
Arjun watched but did not stop him.
Later Arjun asked,
"Why did you give your part?"
Manav answered,
"Because someone gave me a chance too."
Arjun nodded slowly.
That answer mattered.
By afternoon they reached the outer zone of the old base.
Fences broken.
Watch towers empty.
Manav asked,
"This place?"
Arjun nodded.
"Yes."
They entered slowly.
Priya whispered,
"I don't like this place."
Manav agreed.
"Feels wrong."
Inside they found old rooms.
Training grounds.
Barracks.
Everything dusty.
Arjun guided them.
"Records room should be underground."
Manav asked,
"Why underground?"
Arjun answered,
"Protection."
Priya asked,
"From bombs?"
Arjun nodded.
"And from people."
They found the stairs.
Half dark.
Manav said,
"This feels like a horror movie."
Arjun said,
"Stay behind me."
They went down.
Step by step.
At the bottom was a heavy door.
Locked.
Manav asked,
"Now what?"
Arjun showed a small tool.
"Old trick."
After some effort…
Click.
Door opened.
Inside were terminals.
Dead screens.
Metal shelves.
Manav asked,
"Does any of this even work?"
Arjun said,
"Let's find out."
They searched.
Priya found a backup power switch.
She pressed it.
Nothing.
Then again.
Lights flickered.
One terminal came alive.
Manav whispered,
"No way."
Arjun sat at the console.
Typing slowly.
Old systems.
Slow response.
Finally…
A login screen.
Arjun smiled.
"Good."
Manav asked,
"You remember password?"
Arjun answered,
"No."
Manav became sad.
Arjun continued,
"But I remember something better."
He inserted an old army chip.
Access granted.
Priya smiled.
"You are full of surprises."
Arjun said,
"Army teaches many things."
Files started appearing.
Lists.
Codes.
Archives.
Manav was shivering.
"This is it?"
Arjun nodded.
"This is where I saw it."
They searched.
Year folders.
Selection programs.
Continuity authority tags.
Then…
Arjun stopped.
"I found it."
Manav's heart beat fast.
Priya leaned closer.
On screen:
**Continuity Youth Removal List**
Manav swallowed.
Arjun opened it.
Names appeared.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Manav searched.
Then…
He saw it.
**MANAV R.**
Status line:
**REMOVAL APPROVED**
Manav stopped breathing.
Then another line under it.
**STATUS CHANGED**
**OVERRIDE AUTHORITY : C-17**
Priya whispered,
"So it's real…"
Manav stared.
Arjun scrolled more.
"There should be a trace."
Manav asked,
"What kind?"
Arjun answered,
"Override logs."
He opened another tab.
System lagged.
Old data loading.
Finally one line appeared.
**Override terminal location logged**
Manav asked,
"Where?"
Arjun read slowly.
"Primary Continuity Authority Data Center."
Priya asked,
"Where is that?"
Arjun's face changed.
"Far."
Manav asked,
"How far?"
Arjun answered,
"Across two dead zones."
"Past restricted sectors."
Manav asked,
"How long?"
Arjun answered,
"Maybe weeks."
Manav smiled anyway.
"Then we start."
Arjun didn't smile back.
"There is more."
Manav asked,
"What?"
Arjun opened the last log detail.
His face became serious.
Priya asked,
"What is it?"
Arjun read the last line.
Then he said quietly,
"There is a note attached to your override."
Manav felt frozen.
"What note?"
Arjun hesitated.
Priya insisted,
"Read it."
Arjun read slowly.
**Subject must remain alive.**
Manav whispered,
"Why?"
Arjun continued reading.
His voice became lower.
**Transfer to special observation category pending retrieval.**
Silence.
Manav asked,
"What does that mean?"
Arjun looked at him.
"I don't know yet."
A pause.
Then Arjun opened the final hidden line.
His eyes widened slightly.
Priya asked,
"What now?"
Arjun answered slowly.
"There is also a scheduled pickup order."
Manav asked,
"For who?"
Arjun looked straight at him.
And said,
"For you."
Manav's stomach felt empty.
Priya asked quietly,
"When?"
Arjun read the timestamp.
Then his voice dropped.
"It says…"
A pause.
Manav whispered,
"What does it say?"
Arjun finished reading.
"It says the retrieval team was already sent."
Silence filled the room.
Manav asked the last question.
"When?"
Arjun answered.
"Three days ago."
Nobody moved.
Then suddenly…
A sound came from upstairs.
A door closing.
Footsteps.
Not theirs.
Manav whispered,
"Did you hear that?"
Arjun nodded slowly.
Priya grabbed a metal rod.
Another step sound.
Closer now.
Arjun turned off the screen.
Dark again.
Manav whispered,
"Are they… here for me?"
Arjun did not answer.
The footsteps stopped right outside the door.
Then someone tried to open the door.