The Contract Groom
The underground room fell completely silent.
Even the machines seemed quieter now.
As if the world itself had paused after hearing that single name.
Aryan.
The word still lingered faintly in the air.
Broken.
Weak.
Yet powerful enough to shake everything around it.
Sasmita stood frozen beside the bed.
Her eyes remained fixed on Sumitra Devi's face.
"…What did she say?" she whispered.
Dr. Prem didn't answer immediately.
Because his own mind had stopped for a second.
Not from confusion.
From recognition.
Aryan.
The name triggered something buried deep inside his memory.
Not clear enough to understand.
But sharp enough to hurt.
A corridor.
White lights.
Someone holding his hand.
And a woman's voice saying softly—
"Aryan, don't run…"
A sudden pain shot through his head.
Sharp.
Instant.
His hand tightened unconsciously against the edge of the machine.
Sasmita noticed immediately.
"What happened?" she asked sharply.
Dr. Prem looked away quickly.
"Nothing."
But his breathing had changed slightly.
And that alone was enough for her to know—
something about that name affected him.
Before she could ask again—
the monitor beeped loudly once more.
Sumitra Devi's neural activity spiked briefly.
Then stabilized again.
Dr. Prem immediately focused back on the readings.
Professional instinct overtaking emotion.
"She's exhausted," he said quietly.
"Her brain activity is fluctuating because she's forcing consciousness."
"Can she wake up now?"
"No."
A pause.
"Not fully."
Sasmita looked back at her aunt slowly.
But this time—
fear mixed with hope inside her eyes.
Because for years there had been only silence.
Now—
there were words.
Memories.
Names.
And names always carried truth.
Upstairs, Aarav remained motionless before the surveillance screen.
But inside him—
something had already broken.
Aryan.
That name should not exist anymore.
It had been erased years ago.
Buried.
Hidden inside old operations nobody talked about anymore.
Only a few people even knew it.
And most of them were dead.
Aarav slowly stood up.
His expression colder than before.
Because now—
this situation wasn't dangerous anymore.
It was personal.
His phone rang suddenly.
Nandu again.
Aarav answered immediately.
"Talk."
"Sir…"
Nandu's voice sounded tense.
"We traced the intruder partially."
"And?"
A pause.
"The identifier '17' belongs to an old Tiger Gang unit."
Aarav's eyes darkened instantly.
Unit 17.
One of the earliest covert groups.
Officially destroyed years ago.
But if someone from Unit 17 had returned—
then the past wasn't staying buried anymore.
"There's more," Nandu continued quietly.
Aarav's silence allowed him to continue.
"The surviving records connected Unit 17 to one classified operation."
A pause.
"Project Aryan."
The room went still.
Aarav's grip tightened around the phone slowly.
For the first time in years—
he felt genuine unease.
"Delete every digital trace," he said coldly.
"Now."
"But sir—"
"That's an order."
The call ended instantly.
Aarav stared at the dark screen for several seconds afterward.
Because one terrifying possibility had started forming inside his mind.
What if the child connected to Project Aryan…
never disappeared?
Back underground—
Dr. Prem finally stepped away from the machines.
"She'll stabilize for tonight," he said quietly.
"But after this…"
His eyes lifted toward Sasmita.
"…you're out of time."
Sasmita crossed her arms slowly.
Trying to hide the chaos building inside her.
"What exactly is Project Aryan?" she asked suddenly.
The question hit him unexpectedly.
Dr. Prem's gaze sharpened.
"Why would you ask that?"
"Because when she said the name…"
Her voice lowered slightly.
"…you reacted."
Silence.
He should deny it.
Ignore it.
Leave.
But something inside him had already begun changing.
That name.
Those flashes.
That strange feeling buried beneath his chest.
It felt less like memory—
and more like something trying to wake up.
"I don't know," he said finally.
Partially true.
Partially false.
Sasmita studied him carefully.
"You're lying."
"Maybe."
The honesty in that answer surprised even her.
Then suddenly—
the underground lights flickered once.
A faint humming sound echoed through the room.
Dr. Prem's eyes moved instantly toward one side wall.
"What is that?" he asked quietly.
Sasmita frowned slightly.
"There's nothing there."
But he kept staring.
Because he heard it again.
A low mechanical vibration.
Hidden.
Without warning, he walked toward the wall slowly.
Sasmita's expression changed instantly.
"Stop."
But he didn't.
His fingers brushed lightly across the surface.
Then paused.
There.
A hidden seam.
Almost invisible.
Another door.
A secret compartment hidden inside the underground chamber itself.
For the first time—
Sasmita looked genuinely alarmed.
"Don't touch it," she said sharply.
Dr. Prem turned toward her slowly.
And behind the mask—
his eyes had changed completely.
Because now—
he was certain.
This house wasn't hiding one secret.
It was hiding an entire past.