The lights didn't stabilize.
They flickered again.
And again.
Until finally—
Everything went dark.
For a brief moment, no one moved.
No one spoke.
Only the sound of slow breathing filled the room.
Then—
Emergency lights turned on.
Dim red.
Barely enough to see.
Aarav's eyes adjusted quickly.
Something felt wrong.
Not just outside.
Inside.
"They said Phase Two…" Kabir whispered.
"What does that even mean?"
No one answered.
Meera stepped forward slowly.
"This wasn't planned," she said.
Her voice was tense now.
"They wouldn't activate something like this without warning."
Raghav clenched his fists.
"Then someone else did."
The realization hit everyone at once.
This wasn't just an attack.
This was control.
Suddenly—
A loud metallic sound echoed through the corridor outside.
Like something heavy… dragging.
Neel looked toward the door.
"That doesn't sound human."
Aarav felt the same energy again.
But this time—
It was different.
Colder.
More mechanical.
"Stay ready," Meera said.
The door at the end of the room shook.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
It burst open.
Something stepped inside.
Not a person.
Not fully.
It looked human…
But wrong.
Its movements were stiff.
Its eyes—
Empty.
"Is that… one of us?" Kabir asked slowly.
The thing tilted its head.
Then rushed forward.
Fast.
Too fast.
Raghav reacted instantly.
A burst of fire shot toward it.
The impact hit—
But didn't stop it.
"What the—"
The creature slammed into Raghav, throwing him across the room.
He crashed into the wall hard.
"Raghav!" Zara shouted.
Kabir moved.
In a blink, he reached the creature and struck it from behind.
It didn't fall.
Instead—
It grabbed Kabir mid-motion.
Impossible.
"You're not that fast," it said.
Its voice was distorted.
Broken.
Then it threw Kabir across the room.
Aarav stepped forward.
Blue energy rising again.
"This isn't normal," he said.
Meera nodded.
"No. It's controlled."
Aarav understood.
"Then we break the control."
He rushed forward.
This time—
He didn't hold back.
Energy exploded from his hand as he struck the creature directly.
The impact sent it crashing into the wall.
For a moment—
It didn't move.
Everyone paused.
Then—
It stood up again.
Slowly.
"That didn't work…" Neel said.
The creature looked at Aarav.
Then smiled.
"You're evolving…"
Aarav froze.
That voice—
It wasn't random.
It felt…
Directed.
"Who are you?" Aarav asked.
The creature's head twitched slightly.
Then it spoke again—
Clearer this time.
"Subject A-17…"
Aarav's breath stopped.
"That's not possible…"
Meera looked at him.
"You know that code?"
Aarav shook his head slowly.
"No… but it feels familiar…"
The creature stepped forward again.
"You were always… the key…"
Aarav's mind started racing.
Project Astra.
Experiments.
Children.
He wasn't just part of it.
He was important.
Suddenly—
More footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Multiple.
Zara turned pale.
"There's more…"
The doorway filled with shadows.
And then—
More of them entered.
Five.
No—
Seven.
All with the same empty eyes.
Kabir stood up slowly.
"…This just got worse."
Raghav wiped blood from his lip.
"Good. I was getting bored."
Despite the situation—
He smiled.
Aarav looked at everyone.
Different powers.
Different strengths.
But now—
A team.
"We fight together," Aarav said.
Meera looked at him.
And nodded.
"Together."
Blue energy surged again.
Fire ignited.
Air shifted.
Speed blurred.
For the first time—
They moved as one.
And the real battle began.