Gaadi ke tyres ki aawaz us sunsaan highway par kisi darawni dhun ki tarah lag rahi thi. Main peeche ki seat par baitha tha, mere haathon mein electronic dampeners (power block karne wali hathkadiyan) lagi thi. Mere dono taraf do heavily armed guards baithe the, jinki ungliyan unke triggers par thi. Unhe lag raha tha ki wo ek dangerous criminal ko le ja rahe hain, par sach toh yeh tha ki unhone ek aisa shikaari apne gaadi mein bitha liya tha, jo unhe tab tak nahi khayega jab tak use pet nahi bharna hoga.
High-Security Block 9. Is naam se hi ache-ache villains ke paseene chhut jaate hain. Is prison ko is tarah design kiya gaya hai ki yahan insaaniyat ke laws khatam ho jaate hain aur 'System' ke rules shuru hote hain.
"Harsh Mehra," Driver ki seat se ek awaz aayi. "Tumhari file mein likha hai ki tum 'Null' ho. Par hume jo orders mile hain, wo tumhe ek 'S-Rank Threat' ki tarah treat karne ke hain. Soch lo, agar koi bhi crazy harkat ki, toh ye dampeners tumhare nervous system ko restart kar denge. Samjhe?"
Maine apni gardan thodi si jhukayi aur ek halki si muskaan di. "Agent, aapko kya lagta hai, main yahan se bhaagne aaya hoon? Main toh bas ye dekhne aaya hoon ki aapka system kitna mazboot hai."
Driver ne rearview mirror mein mujhe ghoora. Uski aankhon mein gussa aur thoda sa darr tha. Maine chup rehna hi behtar samjha. Mujhe apni energy save karni thi. Mere dimaag ke andar 'Void' abhi bhi dhak-dhak kar raha tha. Wo dhak-dhak... mere dil ki dhadkan ke saath sync ho chuki thi.
The Gates of Hell
Kafi der baad, gaadi ek bade se mountain ke andar bani tunnel mein ghusi. Wahan ek bada steel gate tha jis par 'BLOCK 9: CLASSIFIED' likha tha. Gates khule aur hum andar gaye. Yeh jagah kisi movie set jaisi nahi thi—yeh ek pura ka pura underground city tha. Wahan na toh suraj ki roshni thi, na hi koi khidki. Bas neon blue aur red lights thi jo har jagah flicker kar rahi thi.
Mujhe gaadi se utara gaya. Mujhe andar le jaya gaya, jahan cameras ki red lights mere chehre ko scan kar rahi thi.
"Subject 402, processing complete," ek robot ki mechanical awaz gunji.
Mujhe ek narrow corridor se hota hua ek cell block mein le jaya gaya. Har taraf sirf chillaane ki awaz, rote hue logon ki siskiyan aur kuch aise sounds the jo kisi insaan ke nahi lag rahe the. Yahan 'Abnormalities' aur 'System Glitch' wale logon ko rakha jaata tha.
Mere cell ka number tha: B-09-04.
Guard ne door khola aur mujhe andar dhakka diya. "Enjoy the stay, freak."
Door band hua—CLANG!—aur ek heavy magnetic lock activate ho gaya. Main cell ke beech mein khada ho gaya. Cell chhota tha, bas ek bed aur ek force-field window. Bahar ki duniya dikh rahi thi, par wahan sirf ek aur corridor tha jahan guards patrol kar rahe the.
Maine apne haathon ki dampeners ko dekha. Maine apni aankhein band ki aur apne andar ke 'Void' ko pukara. System, dampeners ka bypass code generate karo.
[Processing... Error: Hardware incompatible.]
[Suggestion: Use physical force to disrupt the magnetic frequency.]
Physical force? Maine ek gehri saans li. Maine apni mutthi band ki aur apni saari energy ko apne hathon mein focus kiya. Bilkul ek surgeon ki tarah, maine energy ko dampeners ke connection points par daala. Snap! Hathkadiyan toot kar gir gayi. Main ab free tha, par main abhi bahar nahi nikalne wala tha. Mujhe toh yahan ka 'Network' check karna tha.
The Encounter
"Tum kaafi tezi se nikle, ladke."
Ek dabi hui, phati-phati awaz aayi. Main chauka. Maine cell ke dusre kone mein dekha, jahan andhere mein ek budha aadmi baitha tha. Uske baal lambe the, kapde fate hue the, aur uski ek aankh par ek bada sa scar tha. Woh diwar ke sahare baitha tha, aur uski body language aisi thi jaise wo yahan saalon se hai.
"Tum kaun ho?" maine pucha.
"Main? Main ek galti hoon. Ek aisi galti jo 'Project Zero' ne ki thi," usne muskuraate hue kaha. Uske daant peelay aur gande the.
Project Zero. Mere dimaag mein wohi naam dobara aaya jo maine Agent Vikram ke dimaag mein dekha tha. Main uske paas gaya aur uske saamne baith gaya. "Project Zero kya hai?"
Woh thoda hansa, phir khansne laga. "Tum Monarch ho, hai na? Tumhari aankhon mein wahi chamak hai jo us din dekhi thi jab woh humein yahan laye the. Tumhe lagta hai tumne simulation todi? Tumhe lagta hai tumne Gatekeeper ko haraya?"
Maine uske collar ko pakda aur use upar uthaya. "Sawaal main pooch raha hoon, budhe. Batao, Project Zero kya hai?"
Woh darna ke bajaye, meri aankhon mein ghoor raha tha. "Project Zero... woh ek experiment hai jisme wo insaani rooh (soul) aur Void energy ko mix kar rahe hain. Woh tumhe ek god banana chahte hain, Harsh. Taaki wo tumhe ek 'Living Weapon' ki tarah use kar sakein. Jab tum 100th chapter par pahunchoge—jab tum Monarch banoge—tab wo tumhe activate karenge. Tumhare paas jo powers hain, wo tumhari nahi hain. Woh unki di hui programming hai."
Programming? Mera dil ek pal ke liye ruk gaya. Kya main sach mein sirf ek pawn (pyada) hoon?
"Jhoot bol rahe ho," maine kaha, par mere dil mein shak ka beej bo diya gaya tha.
"Jhoot hota toh tum yahan kyun hote?" usne kaha. "Woh tumhe yahan laaye hain taaki tumhari powers ko aur 'polish' kar sakein. Yahan Block 9 mein, har din ek battle hoti hai. Jo jeet-ta hai, uski power absorb kar li jaati hai. Tum yahan 'food' banne aaye ho."
The Realization
Main khada hua aur cell mein idhar-udhar ghoomne laga. Agar yeh sach hai, toh yeh bureau wale sirf mujhe contain nahi kar rahe the, wo mujhe 'farm' kar rahe the. Wo meri power badha rahe the taaki jab main peak par pahunchun, wo mujhe control kar sakein.
System, maine apne man mein pucha. Kya main sirf ek experiment hoon?
[Query analysis... Host identity is unique. Project Zero is a manipulation attempt, but the Necro-Monarch core is original.]
Original. Iska matlab mere paas woh choice hai jo unhe nahi pata. Main unki programming ko tod sakta hoon.
Maine us budhe ki taraf dekha. "Tumhara naam kya hai?"
"Naam bhool gaya. Sab mujhe 'Subject 0' kehte hain. Maine unhe dekha hai, Harsh. Maine dekha hai ki wo kya kar sakte hain. Agar tumhe bachna hai, toh tumhe yahan se bhagna hoga. Lekin sirf yahan se nahi... tumhe unke server room mein jaakar 'Project Zero' ke files delete karne honge."
"Server room kahan hai?"
"Level 10 par. Jahan main 20 saal se hoon. Wahan tak pahunchne ke liye tumhe is prison ke sabse khatarnak 'Wardens' ko harana hoga."
Maine muskuraya. Wardens? Main toh wahan apni takat test karne aaya tha.
"Subject 0," maine kaha, "tumhe 20 saal ho gaye yahan? Chalo, aaj tumhe azaadi milne wali hai."
"Tum mera saath doge?"
"Saath nahi," maine kaha, aur mere piche se kaali shadows nikalne lagi. "Main tumhe lead kar raha hoon. Aaj se, yeh prison mera hai. Project Zero wale bhool gaye ki jab tum Monarch se khelte ho, toh khel ka niyam badal jaata hai."
Main cell ke door ke paas gaya. Maine sirf haath lagaya aur poora magnetic system short-circuit ho gaya. Door apne aap khul gaya.
"Chalo," maine kaha. "Ab asli Monarch ki entry ka waqt aa gaya hai."
Bahar corridor mein alarm bajne lage. Red lights chamakne lagi. Guards apni guns nikaal kar bhagte hue aa rahe the. Maine apni obsidian dagger wapas summon ki.
"Ab mazaa aayega," maine apne aap se kaha aur us andhere corridor mein daud pada. Aaj ki raat, Block 9 ka itihaas likha jane wala tha.