Corridor mein woh 50 guards kisi purane zamane ke gulam lag rahe the, jo bas orders maanne ke liye paida hue the. Unki aankhon mein darr tha, kyunki unhone abhi-abhi dekha tha ki kaise maine Subject 0 ko ek jhatke mein neutralise kiya. Mere haath mein meri 'Void Edge' dagger thi, jo ab ek ajeeb si siyah raushni (black light) mein chamak rahi thi.
"Maaro ise!" lead guard chillaaya, aur usne apni plasma rifle se fire kiya.
Maine apni aankhein band ki. Shadow Step.
Ek pal mein, main wahan nahi tha. Agle hi pal, main us lead guard ke peeche khada tha. Maine koi weapon use nahi kiya; bas apna haath uski armor par rakha aur apni energy chhod di.
BOOM!
Uska pura suit ek electronic shock se fat gaya. Woh zameen par gir kar tadapne laga. Baaki guards piche hatne lage.
"Aao," maine thande lehje mein kaha. "Tumhe toh shauk tha na mujhe contain karne ka? Toh ab mere saamne aao."
The Identity Crisis
Jaise hi guards ne mujh par humla kiya, mere dimaag mein wo files flash karne lagi jo maine server room se churai thi. Mere dimaag ke panno par ek naya chapter likha ja raha tha, aur wo bahut dardnaak tha.
File Name: Prototype Zero.
Subject: Harsh Mehra.
Status: Null-Energy Battery for Reality Anchor.
Mera dil baith gaya. Null? Main Null nahi tha. Main ek 'Null-Energy Battery' tha? Matlab, meri purani zindagi, mere parents, school ki yaadein... kya wo sab sirf ek fabricated memory thi? Kya main sirf ek machine tha jise insaani roop diya gaya tha?
Mujhe gussa aaya. Itna gussa ki mere aas-paas ki hawa mein cracks padne lage. Ek guard ne mujh par spear chalaayi, maine use hawa mein hi pakad liya aur apne nange haath se use mod diya.
"Tum sab," maine chillaate hue kaha, aur meri awaz poore prison mein gunj uthi, "tum sab ek kachre ke experiment ka hissa ho!"
Maine ek 'Shadow Pulse' chhod di. Ek kaali wave mere sharir se nikli aur corridor ke dono taraf fail gayi. Guards ki rifles haath se chhoot gayi. Sab ke sab apni jagah jam gaye, jaise kisi ne unhe freeze kar diya ho. Main aage badha aur unke beech se hota hua nikal gaya. Main unhe maarna nahi chahta tha—abhi nahi. Mujhe abhi is prison se nikalna tha.
The Mass Prison Break
"System," maine command diya. "Is prison ke saare 'Safety Locks' ko override karo. Sabhi cells ko khol do."
[Warning: This will initiate a Class-S Prison Break. Are you sure, Host?]
"Main Monarch hoon, system. Main rulebook follow nahi karta, main unhe rewrite karta hoon. DO IT."
Click! Clack!
Poore Block 9 mein ek saath hazaaron locks khulne ki awaz aayi. Is prison mein koi mamooli criminals nahi the; yahan wo log the jinhe 'System' ne khatarnak maana tha. Pure prison mein sannata chhaya, aur phir... ek dum se shor mach gaya.
"Azaadi!" kisi ne chillaaya.
"Bureau walon ka khel khatam!" koi aur gaja.
Hazaaron inmates bahar nikal aaye. Guards ab mujhse nahi, balki un inmates se ladne mein busy ho gaye. Block 9 ek warzone ban gaya tha. Yahi toh main chahta tha—chaos.
The Warden's Arrival
Main corridor mein daud raha tha, tabhi mere aage ka rasta band ho gaya. Ek bada sa steel door upar se gira. Mere samne ek banda khada tha. Woh insaan nahi tha. Uska aadha chehra metal ka tha, aur uski aankhon mein red lasers chamak rahi thi.
"Warden Silas," maine pehchana. Ye wahi tha jiske baare mein Subject 0 ne bataya tha.
"Subject 402," Silas ki awaz mein koi jazbaat nahi the, sirf ek mechanical command tha. "Tumhare 'Necro-Monarch' class ko extract karne ka order mil chuka hai. Tum yahan se zinda nahi nikaloge."
Usne apni back se do bade 'Vibration Blades' nikaale.
Main haanpa. Extract? Matlab ye log meri power cheen lenge? Main apni mutthi kass li. "Try karke dekh lo, Machine."
Silas itni tezi se hamla kiya ki meri aankhein bhi use follow nahi kar paayi. CLANG! Uske blade aur meri dagger takraaye. Mere haath mein jhanjhanahat hui. Woh insaan se kahin zyada fast tha.
"Tumhare paas potential hai," Silas ne blade ghumate hue kaha, "par tumhara dimaag abhi bhi ek bacche ka hai. Tum emotion se lad rahe ho."
Woh mere chest par kick maara. Main piche diwar se ja takraaya. Ugh! Khoon mere muh se nikalne laga. Main utha. Meri energy drain ho rahi thi, par mera gussa badh raha tha.
"Emotion?" maine thookte hue kaha. "Emotion hi toh hai jo mujhe tum jaise machines se alag banata hai. Monarch ka matlab sirf taqat nahi hota, Silas. Monarch ka matlab hota hai—Willpower."
Maine apni 'Void Edge' ko ground mein ghusa diya.
"Void Field: Absolute Zero," maine dhire se kaha.
Poore corridor ka temperature gir gaya. Silas ki joints jamne lagi. Uski speed dhimi ho gayi.
"Ye... ye kya kiya tune?" woh chillaaya.
"Maine time stop nahi kiya," main uske paas gaya aur apni dagger uske neck ke paas le gaya. "Maine tumhari programming ko freeze kar diya."
Maine ek jhatke mein uska 'Core Controller' nikaal liya jo uske kandhe par laga tha. Silas ka sharir wahi dharaashayi ho gaya. Woh mara nahi tha, par ab woh sirf ek lohe ka dher tha.
The Escape Route
Main aage badha. Rasta khul gaya tha. Main Block 9 ke exit gate ke paas pahunch gaya. Par wahan ek badi mushkil thi. Exit par Bureau ka Director, Vikram ka boss, khada tha. Uske saath 100 soldiers the.
"Harsh Mehra," Director ne hansi udaate hue kaha. "Bahut achha drama kiya tumne. Prison break, fights... par kya tumhe sach mein laga ki hum tumhe itni asaani se jaane denge?"
Mere piche inmates ki bheed thi, aur samne Bureau ki army. Maine apni chip ko touch kiya—woh chip jisme Project Zero ka data tha.
"Maine jaane ki koshish nahi ki," maine muskuraate hue kaha. "Main toh bas tumhe yahan bulana chahta tha."
"Kyun?" Director ne pucha.
"Kyunki main akela nahi marna chahta," maine apne dimaag mein system ko command diya. [Upload Data to Public Network.]
"Maine Project Zero ka sara data world's biggest news network par upload kar diya hai. Ab puri duniya jaanti hai ki Bureau kya experiments kar raha hai. Tumhare pass do raaste hain—ya toh mujhe jaane do, ya phir duniya ke saamne expose ho jao."
Director ka chehra safed pad gaya. "Tumne... tumne ye kya kiya?"
"Main Monarch hoon," maine chillate hue kaha, "aur main is game ke rules badalne aaya hoon."
Maine apne piche ke inmates ki taraf dekha. "Bhaaiyon! Aaj hum yahan se nikal rahe hain! Agar koi humein roke, toh use raakh bana do!"
Humne ek saath exit ki taraf bhaag daudi ki. Mere piche chaos tha, aur mere dimaag mein ek naya mission. Project Zero ka sach bahar aa chuka tha. Ab Bureau ke paas chupne ki jagah nahi thi.
Hum jail ke bahar pahunche. Raat ka waqt tha. Asmaan mein taare chamak rahe the. Main wahan khada raha aur apni mutthi kholi. Mere andar ki power ab stability ki taraf badh rahi thi.
Main Harsh nahi tha. Main wo tha jise in logon ne 'Weapon' banaya tha, par ab wo weapon unhi ke gala katne ke liye taiyaar tha.
"Game ab real hua hai," maine apne aap se kaha. "Next stop: The Truth."