Rainy night thi. Shehar ki roshniyan door se ek dhoondli si lakeer lag rahi thi. Main ek purane, abandoned warehouse ki chhat par baitha tha. Mere kapde fate hue the, aur mere shoulders par wahi purane wounds the jo Prison Break ke dauran mile the. Par darr? Darr ka naam-o-nishan nahi tha. Mere andar ab sirf ek hi cheez thi—Aggression.
Mere samne ek holographic screen thi, jo maine us chori ki chip se connect ki thi. Poore internet par ek hi khabar thi: "Harsh Mehra: Global Fugitive." Bureau ne mere sar par itna bada inaam rakha tha ki shayad aam log ab mere liye apne khud ke bhai-behen ko bhi bech dein.
"Sahi hai," maine apne aap se kaha. "Main akela hoon, aur mere piche poori duniya hai."
[System Notification: Multiple Energy Signatures Detected.]
[Status: Bounty Hunters are within 500 meters.]
Maine apni aankhein band ki aur apni senses ko expand kiya. Void Sight. Mere charo taraf ki duniya ka rang badal gaya. Ab mujhe diwarein nahi, sirf thermal aur mana signatures dikh rahe the. 1, 2, 3... 10 bounty hunters. Wo mujhe dhoondhte hue aa rahe the. Unke weapons ka vibration mere kaanon mein ek irritating hum ki tarah baj raha tha.
The Ambush
Main chhat se neeche warehouse ke main floor par kooda. Warehouse ki purani lakdiyaan mere pairon ke neeche charcharayi. Main chupa nahi. Main toh unka intezaar kar raha tha.
"Subject 402 yahan hai!" ek bhari awaz gunji.
10 hunters andar aaye. Unke paas 'Mana-Dampener' rifles thi—wahi guns jo mere powers ko block kar sakti thi.
"Harsh Mehra," ek hunter aage badha, uske mask par ek red laser point thi. "Bureau ke orders hain, zinda chahiye. Par agar tu galti kare, toh hume tujhe kaatne ki permission mili hai."
Main muskuraaya. "Zinda? Main toh abhi khud ko zinda mehsoos nahi kar raha hoon. Tum kya mujhe zinda pakdoge?"
Main tezi se unki taraf badha. Unhone goliyan chalayi—Pew! Pew!—par main shadow mein convert ho gaya. Goliyan mere aar-paar nikal gayi. Ek hunter ki aankhein phati reh gayi. Main uske bilkul piche tha. Maine apna hath uske helmet par rakha aur energy chhod di.
CRACK!
Helmet chakhnachoor ho gaya. Woh behosh hokar gira.
"F**k! Ye toh shadow walker hai!" doosra hunter chillaaya.
Maine apne haath mein 'Void Edge' summon ki. Maine unhe mazaak mein nahi liya tha. Mere liye ye ab sirf ek fight nahi thi; ye ek training ground tha. Main har ek attack ko dodge kar raha tha, aur har ek strike ke baad, main apni power ko refine kar raha tha.
"Tumhe kya laga?" maine ladte hue kaha. "Project Zero ne mujhe sirf ek weapon banaya? Main ek aisa weapon hoon jo khud ko har din upgrade karta hai!"
Ek hunter ne mere pairon par shock-trap phenka. Main oopar kooda, hawa mein ghooma aur apni dagger se uska rifle ka barrel hi kaat diya. Main zameen par utra aur ek sweeping kick se do hunters ko door phenk diya.
The Identity Struggle
Ladte hue, mere dimaag mein wo purani yaadein aa rahi thi—school assembly, vo technical model, mummy ke sath photos... kya wo sab fake tha? Kya mere mummy-papa bhi isi experiment ka hissa the?
Is gusse ne meri power ko ek naye level par pahuncha diya.
"AGH!" main chillaaya. Mere sharir se ek purple blast nikla jisne bache hue saare hunters ko warehouse ki diwaron par patak diya.
Warehouse mein ek sannata chha gaya.
Main haanp raha tha. Mere samne wo log pade the jo mujhe 'pakkad kar' ameer banna chahte the. Main unke paas gaya. Ek hunter abhi bhi hosh mein tha, wo kaamp raha tha.
"Batao," maine uske collar ko pakad kar pucha, "Bureau ka agla command center kahan hai? Mujhe unhe khatam karna hai."
"Wo... wo tumhe khatam kar denge," wo ladkhadate hue bola. "Tum ek galti ho jo humein sudharni hai."
"Galti?" maine use zameen par patka. "Main galti nahi hoon. Main wo hoon jo tumhari duniya ko jalakar rakh kar dega."
Main warehouse se bahar nikla. Baahar baarish tez ho rahi thi. Main bheeg raha tha, par mere andar ka Void mujhe garmi de raha tha. Mujhe samajh aa gaya tha ki main ab wapas nahi ja sakta. Main Harsh Mehra nahi hoon. Main 'The Necro-Monarch' hoon.
Main ek purani motorcycle par baitha jo wahan khadi thi. Maine use bina keys ke start kiya—apni energy se. Raat ka andhera ab mera dost tha. Main shehar chhod kar nikal gaya, kyunki mujhe pata tha, Bureau ab apni badi forces bhejega.
Aur agli baar... ladai itni aasaan nahi hogi.