Crimson Fangs Hideout — 06:12 HRS
The girl was stable.
But she still hadn't woken up.
Danny monitored her vitals. Meena ran simulations. Yash sharpened his blades in silence. Vijay hadn't slept in two days. Neither had I.
Because we all knew what the photograph meant.
She knew me.
Not recently. Not as an enemy.
From before.
And that scared me more than anything else.
---
08:47 HRS — War Room
"Agnidwar's deeper layers are still untouched," Meena said, pinning a 3D schematic on the wall.
"Thermal scans show at least three active floors underground. They're not just operating labs. They've got storage silos, electromagnetic dampeners, possible living quarters."
Danny frowned. "Living quarters?"
Meena nodded grimly. "They're breeding something down there. Soldiers. Or something else."
Yash leaned forward. "You think they're training kids like B-17?"
"Maybe." Meena said. "But I am not sure."
The room fell silent.
Then Vijay broke it.
"If we're going back in, we hit them hard. First wave, fast and lethal. Get what we need. Burn the rest."
"We won't survive that," I said. "Not as we are."
Everyone turned toward me.
"We need help."
---
09:22 HRS — Encrypted Line to Crimson HQ
The screen flickered.
Then came the deep, smooth voice of KiyaanMalik.
"You're calling early, Amit."
"We need backup," I said. "Something bigger than us. Agnidwar's second level is a fortress."
He didn't ask for proof.
He never did.
He just sat back in silence for a moment.
Then:
"I'll send someone."
The call ended.
No name.
No timeline.
Just that.
---
13:03 HRS — Hideout Entrance
The van rolled in. Dust kicked. One figure stepped out.
Alone.
Tall. Built like a steel gate.
Dark crimson overcoat, black combat gloves. A faint burn scar across his neck. Eyes like he'd seen the world die twice and didn't flinch either time.
Yash stared. "Is that...?"
Meena's eyes widened. "No way."
Danny's voice dropped. "That's RUDRA."
I stepped forward.
"You're the reinforcement?"
He didn't smile.
Didn't speak.
Just nodded once.
Vijay scoffed. "They sent one guy?"
Yash chuckled under his breath. "You clearly haven't heard the stories."
---
Rudra.
Kiyaan Malik's most trusted enforcer.
Some said he once held the dock against forty armed Gangsters alone.
Some said he never blinked when tortured for six hours straight.
Most said nothing—because if Rudra showed up, people tended to stop talking altogether.
---
15:10 HRS — Planning Bay
I briefed him. Layouts. Surveillance logs. Kill zones. Weak entry points.
He never interrupted.
Just nodded.
He stood in front of the map for a full five minutes after I finished.
Then finally spoke.
His voice was low. Unhurried.
"Two teams."
Everyone turned.
He stepped forward, marking the map with chalk.
"Team One — Doorway breach. My team"
"Team Two — Extraction. Silent."
Vijay raised an eyebrow. "Your team?"
Rudra stared at him. "You."
Danny muttered, "Damn."
---
Rooftop — 18:02 HRS
I stood alone again, watching the smoke bleed from distant factories.
Rudra stepped beside me.
"You knew her," he said.
I didn't ask who.
I just nodded.
"Does Kiyaan know?"
"I don't think even Kiyaan knows who she really is."
Rudra stared ahead.
"She doesn't kill for chaos. She kills to create order. Her own."
---
UNKNOWN LOCATION — TIME UNKNOWN
The woman stood alone in a wide chamber.
Circular.
Walls of blinking monitors.
Raaka approached from the shadows.
"The Crimson Fangs have brought Rudra."
The woman smiled faintly.
"I hoped they would."
Raaka frowned.
"You hoped?"
She turned toward the screen. Amit's face hovered, frozen mid-speech.
"I want him to remember."
Raaka scoffed. "You really think that memory will change anything?"
"I know it will."
She moved to a side console. Slid in a new chip.
The screens flickered.
Then showed footage.
From years ago.
School grounds.
Young Amit.
Young her.
The laughter. The betrayal.
The end.
"Let him prepare," she whispered.
"Because what's coming next…"
Her eyes sharpened.
"...won't just break his mind. It'll divide his soul."
---
Back at the Hideout – 22:58 HRS
The team was quiet.
But focused.
Maps aligned.
Gear prepped.
Rudra stood sharpening his blade. The steel sounded like thunder scraping against stone.
Meena whispered to me, "You sure about him?"
"No."
"But I'm sure we're out of time."
I turned to the group.
"This isn't revenge anymore."
"This is preemptive survival."
"Agnidwar's next layer is the real warzone."
Yash loaded his rounds.
Danny closed the drone kit.
Vijay slid on his gloves.
Rudra didn't say a word.
He just opened the van door and looked at us.
"Let's burn their goddamn gate."
---
TO BE CONTINUED