Do din beet chuke the. Main border ke paas ek purane cave mein chhupa hua tha. Main thak chuka tha. Meri energy level 20% par aa gayi thi. Har jagah drones the, har jagah cameras the. Bureau ne mujhe dhoondhne ke liye har ek resource laga di thi.
Main thandi zameen par baitha tha, apni dagger ko dhaar de raha tha. Tabhi, mere senses ne kuch feel kiya.
Ek footstep.
Koyi aa raha tha. Maine turant apni dagger pakdi aur andhere mein chhip gaya. Wo banda cave ke andar aaya.
"Harsh?" ek soft, jaani-pehchani awaz thi.
Main ruk gaya. Ye awaz... ye Sia ki thi.
"Sia?" main andhere se bahar nikla. Uski aankhon mein darr tha, par uska expression fix tha. Usne ek backpack utha rakha tha.
"Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?" maine gusse mein pucha. "Tumhe pata hai Bureau mere peeche hai? Tumhari jaan khatre mein hai!"
"Mujhe parwah nahi hai," usne kaha. Usne mere liye kuch food aur medical supplies nikali. "Maine sab suna. Prison break, Bureau ka expose... tumne jo kiya, wo koi nahi kar sakta tha."
"Tum chali jao," maine muh fer liya. "Main ab wo Harsh nahi hoon jise tum school mein jaanti thi. Main ek target hoon."
"Tum target ho," wo mere paas aayi, "par tum akele nahi ho."
Maine use ghoora. "Kya matlab?"
"School," usne kaha. "Principal Sharma... unhone tumhe kabhi student nahi maana. Tumhare saath-saath, hamare batch ke 5 aur bacche hain jinhe Bureau ne 'Hidden Assets' ke roop mein chuna tha. Maine... maine unhe tumhare baare mein batate hue suna tha."
Assets? Mere dimaag ki nashien phatne lagi. "Matlab hum sab experiment the?"
"Haan," Sia ki aankhein nam ho gayi. "Harsh, tumne toh bas prison todi hai. Tumne ye nahi dekha ki tumhare piche aur bhi kitne experiments hain jo Bureau ne school mein chhupa rakhe hain. Wo tumhe khatam karna chahte hain kyunki tum 'prototype' ho. Baaki bacche... wo abhi bhi incubator mein hain."
The New Mission
Mere andar ka gussa ab badle ki aag mein badal gaya tha. School? Wo school nahi tha, wo ek 'Processing Plant' tha.
"Mere dost," maine dhire se kaha. "Wo sab bacche... mujhe unhe bachana hoga."
"Wo tumhe trap kar rahe hain," Sia ne warn kiya. "Unhe pata hai ki tum wapas aaoge. Bureau ne school mein ek 'S-Rank Sentinel' rakha hai—wo tumhara intezaar kar raha hai."
"Sentinel?" maine pucha.
"Wo log... jo tumhari tarah 'Null' nahi hain. Wo tumhare jaise 'Monarch' level ke log hain, jinki loyalty Bureau ke sath hai."
Maine Sia ki taraf dekha. "Tum kyun madad kar rahi ho?"
"Kyunki main healer hoon," usne kaha. "Mujhe pata hai ki tumhari energy tumhe andar se kha rahi hai. Agar main tumhare saath nahi rahi, toh tum apni hi power se mar jaoge."
Maine ek lambi saans li. Ab mere paas sirf gussa nahi tha, ab mere paas ek maqsad tha.
"Sia," maine kaha, "hum school wapas jayenge. Par hum chupke se nahi jayenge. Hum wahan ek 'Message' dene jayenge."
"Message?"
"Haan. Ki Monarch aagaya hai, aur wo apne subjects ko lene aaya hai."
Sia ne haan mein sar hilaya. Maine apni dagger wapas sheath mein daali. Ab hum sirf do fugitive nahi the. Hum ek resistance (vidroh) shuru karne wale the.
"Tumhare paas koi plan hai?" Sia ne pucha.
Maine cave ke bahar dekha, jahan suraj ugh raha tha.
"Plan bahut simple hai," maine kaha. "Bureau ko lagta hai wo shikaari hain. Hum unhe dikhayenge ki jungle mein asli sher kaun hai. Hum seedha Bureau ke Headquarters par attack karenge, aur wahan se unhe forcing karenge ki wo mere doston ko release karein."
"Headquarters? Wo suicide hoga!"
"Suicide unke liye hota hai jinki maut likhi hoti hai," maine muskuraaya. "Meri maut tab tak nahi ho sakti jab tak main apne purane doston ko us pinjre se bahar na nikal doon."
Hum dono cave se bahar nikle. Raasta mushkil tha, par ab main akela nahi tha. Mere paas ek healer thi, aur mere paas wo data tha jo Bureau ko jala sakta tha.
"Chalo Sia," maine motorcycle start ki. "Ab kahani ka asli hissa shuru hota hai."
Hum dono wahan se nikal gaye. Mere dimaag mein ek plan tha—ek aisa plan jo Bureau ko घुटनों (knees) par laa dega.