The atmosphere was thick with tension and the smell of ozone inside the command center. At headquarter, the flickering screens cast a pale blue light over the faces of the team, highlighting the exhaustion they all felt. Outside, the world was ending, but inside, the silence was even more terrifying.
Samriddhi said, her voice trembling slightly as she looked at the dead frequency on her monitor, "Don't think so we will be able to contact Shiven."
The static on the comms line finally broke, replaced by the heavy, rhythmic breathing of someone in the middle of a war zone. Veer was saying from the Airpod, his voice crackling with desperation and the distant sound of explosions, "Samriddhi, you have to do it, we don't have time. I don't wont to loose my friend, my members."
Samriddhi closed her eyes for a brief second, feeling the weight of the entire mission on her shoulders. She looked at the complex code looping on her screen, a digital knot that seemed impossible to untie.
"I will try and see what can I do to this loop, please those loop," Somriddhi said, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. The fate of everyone hung on her ability to fix the system error that had trapped them. Somriddhi said, turning to the technician standing by the door, "OK! Then lets start the work. Anmol I'm giving you this list to—"
She handed over a crumpled piece of paper. On it, she had scribbled the essential components required to build the pulse stabilizer. She looked him in the eye and added, "These things are important for me."
List
(1) Every type of screw
(2) Tungsten and some strong metals
(3) Wires
(4) Battery
(5) Parts of guns
(6) Rays detector
Anmol looked at the list, his eyes widening as he realized the difficulty of finding these specific parts in a facility that was currently under siege. He looked back at the monitors, then at the door, calculating the risks of moving through the hallways.
"OK! But how much time you can stay till I bring it," Anmol said, checking the charge on his sidearm. He knew that every second he spent searching was a second Veer spent fighting for his life.
"I'm about 10 minutes," Somriddhi said, already diving back into the lines of code.
Anmol said in low voice, his brow furrowed with worry, "Are you serious." He didn't wait for an answer. He turned on his heel and disappeared into the dark corridor of the headquarters, the sound of his boots echoing against the metal floor.
The minutes ticked by like hours. Samriddhi's forehead was beaded with sweat as she fought the digital virus. Outside, the sound of the clones' march grew louder. After half an hour of agonizing waiting, the heavy blast doors hissed open. Anmol stumbled back into the room, covered in soot and grime, carrying a heavy crate filled with salvaged metal.
"Here is your tools and nothing is there that I have not bring," Anmol said, gasping for air as he set the crate down on the workbench with a heavy thud.
"Good for you!" Samriddhi said, her eyes lighting up with a spark of hope as she saw the tungsten plates and the battery cells.
Hardik, who had been silently calibrating the defense turrets in the corner, finally snapped under the pressure of the constant chatter. "Can you both please stop! I am doing work," Hardik said, his voice sharp and jagged.
Anmol stepped closer to him, his eyes flashing with a dangerous intensity. Anmol said in low voice that should only be heard to Hardik, "Are you mad, you dare to speak in front of somriddhi now you are dead." The threat hung in the air, cold and sharp. Hardik didn't reply, but his hands shook as he turned back to his console.
10 min later, the final connections were soldered into place. The machine hummed with a low, powerful vibration.
"OK! Now lets go to my lab," Samriddhi said, gesturing for them to follow her to the high-security testing chamber where the final assembly could take place.
As they walked, Anmol leaned in toward Hardik once more, refusing to let the earlier disrespect go. "I told you to be quiet," Anmol said.
By the time they reached the lab doors, Hardik's face was having the print of a punch, a red mark blooming across his cheek. He looked dazed and humiliated.
"When did you say to be quiet," Hardik said, his voice small and defeated.
Far away, amidst the ruins of the outer wall, Veer was ducked behind a concrete pillar. The sound of the command center's bickering was piped directly into his ear. Veer was hearing everything from Airpods, even as he reloaded his rifle.
Veer said in his mind, the thoughts racing through his head as he watched a fresh wave of clones approach, "So sad for Hardik he ordered somriddhi in rude way of course he will not be okay, but do they have time to do that. I am fighting with clones and they are fighting."
The battle raged on. Again after 2 hour, the sun began to set, casting long, bloody shadows over the battlefield. Inside the lab, Samriddhi finally stepped back from the completed device.
"ok done! Everything ready," Somriddhi said, wiping grease from her hands.
The comms channel opened again, but this time, the sound from Veer's end was different. "Ah! Finally but for 1 hour there is no firing and everyone of our troop is dead!" Veer said. His voice was hollow, stripped of all emotion by the horror he had witnessed.
There was a moment of pure silence in the headquarters. No one dared to breathe.
"I don't want Shiven and any other member to die," Veer said, his voice cracking.
Anmol stepped toward the microphone, trying to provide some semblance of hope. "Don't worry we have ready mode something that will help you to fight," Anmol said.
Samriddhi looked at him, confused. "We have made?" Samriddhi said, knowing they hadn't finished the "ready mode" software yet.
Anmol realized his mistake instantly. "Sorry, tounge slip," Anmol said, looking away.
"Stop it bro," Veer said, his patience exhausted. He didn't have time for slip-ups or games. "Who will give this to veer?" Somriddhi said, looking at the heavy equipment. They were trapped in the headquarters; there was no way to get the gear to the front lines.
Suddenly, a new voice broke through the encrypted channel, cold and ethereal. "Ah! Can I speak now?" Jataksha said.
Veer nearly dropped his weapon in shock. "Ghost!" Veer said, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"I will kill you! Just shut up now and listen," Jataksha said, her voice filled with an ancient authority. "As I have told you about my friend she is coming to the headquarter to help you and actually everyone of you know her."
Veer shook his head, trying to make sense of the chaos. "Everyone of our friend group have carred in some profession what is going on!" Veer said.
"Actually veer you change your subject in between to Arts right," Jataksha said, her tone almost playful despite the dire circumstances.
"No, I was just joking you can ask from Anmol," Veer said, desperately trying to steer the conversation back to reality.
Anmol growled into the mic. "Don't you think this is no time of talking," Anmol said.
"And from how you and somriddhi was also talking in rubbish thing," Veer said, throwing the accusation back at them.
The argument was cut short by a low thrumming sound that vibrated through the floorboards. A helicopter voice come and landed on helipod. The massive blades whipped the air into a frenzy. From Helipod one lady come out, her silhouette sharp against the setting sun.
Somriddhi was shocked. Her jaw dropped as she recognized the figure.
Anmol was shocked. He stepped back, nearly tripping over the equipment crate.
Hardik, however, stepped forward with a faint, bruised smile. "Good morning Mom!" Hardik said.
Veer's voice came through the Airpod, confused and small. "Who she is," Veer said.
Just then, the silence at the front line shattered. From background of veer firing started once again, the roar of the clones' weapons drowning out the wind.
"Veer, Khushi is coming to give you the equipment that will help you to fight clone," Somriddhi said, her voice regaining its strength as she watched the lady—Khushi—prepare to take off. "Now just handle there for 15 minutes."
Written by Veer Tyagi
A young dreamer building his own universe.
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© 2026 Veer Tyagi. All Rights Reserved Author's note : sorry for delay but my board exam is recently announced and as you i am promoted to 11th class there is very low time to make this novel but , i will try to make it and 100% will make it and , now every 21st my new chapter will come till then bye and thanks for supporting me .