*Mikael gets from the test tube.
"This is; well, Mikael you believe or not. but your brain scans show trendemous changes since your injuries. Although it is not so severe but there is something inside of you now. Maybe it will make you think that I am mad but consider this as an advice." Docter said while puffing his cigarette.
"Don't worry doc. I'll befine." said Mikael.
"You should watch yourself. Remember if you look into abyss, the abyss looks back at you." Doctor said while staring at Mikael.
"Mikael you should be ready by now. Do you forget what time it is now?" said Abdullah who just entered the lab.
"Oh I'll be there." said Mikael.
*Mikael wears his coat and leaves the lab while looking at doctor
At Gozke :
The air in Gozke was nothing like the battlefield.No gunfire, no blood. Just silence… and eyes. Hundreds of them, watching, measuring, calculating.
Flags of every faction lined the hall, their colors burning brighter than the chandeliers above. Leaders sat cloaked in velvet, their words sweet but laced with poison. Deals were struck here, betrayals too — all behind handshakes and forced laughter.
To the world, Gozke was a festival. To us, it was a battlefield dressed in silk.
I walked beside Commander Shah, his expression carved from stone. Abdullah followed close, tense as always. But me… my mind was elsewhere. The voice from that night hadn't left me. Even here, in this hall of masks, I felt it whispering. A reminder of the silver-haired man. A reminder that fate wasn't done with me.
And somewhere in this chamber, I knew… his shadow was watching.
Oh Hi! Mr. Mohsin. I am Luec Markeous. We met during our mission in Afranotic.
Oh yeah! Nice to meet you again, Mr. Markeous.
Well, I am happy to see you as the new commander of Blackowls.
Thanks, But I am not the only one. Mr Sanni got this pleasure too.
Well, that's a good thing to know. Now, if I may.
*Markeous walks away.
Making new friends huh ??
Sheraz (mocking):"They let anyone in these days… even dogs."
Mikael (gritting teeth):"Wanna know who the real dog is? The Supreme Commander's scared little lap cat."
Abdullah (cutting in, calm but firm):
"Wait Mikael, he is—
Sheraz (furiously):
"You bastard."
Mikael (with anger):
Watch your mouth—
Abdullah (cutting in, calm but firm):
"Both of you, tone it down. We didn't come here to trade insults, Sheraz. We need to talk."
Sheraz (snorts):"Let me guess. This is about you two trying—again—to drag me into your little brotherhood. Save it. I told you before, I'm not joining your Black—"
Mikael (interrupting):"We're not here to recruit you. We want your help to destroy the Black Owls."
Sheraz (blinking, then scoffs):"…What?"
Abdullah (serious):"You heard him."
Sheraz (eyes narrowing, glances at Mikael):"Why? You, of all people… you swore loyalty to the Supreme Commander. What the hell changed?"
For a moment, Sheraz stares. Their faces blur in his mind, but their eyes—cold, unflinching—don't lie.
Mikael (quiet, steady):"Because the Supreme Commander is selling nuclear waste… to bomb suppliers. The same kind of filth that killed our families. I saw it myself. I was there."
Mikael begins telling Sheraz everything—the day he followed the Supreme Commander, the deal he witnessed, the truth he can't unsee.
Four Months Ago :
"Sir I have brought the cargos." (Transporter)
"Good, the alpha team will take of the rest."(Mikael)
(Mikael runs towards shah's quaters.
Mikael opens the door *panting*)
Mikael (in confusion)
"Sir, those weapons- i mean they- how they reached here?"
Commander Shah ( closes the book he is reading )
"Ah- those weapons. Well, they are the one we supply to ku-"
Mikael (interrupting)
"How could you? They are things that's why I am here! Everyone's suffering and yet you let it happen. Those weapons are-."
Shah (stern, leaning forward):"You don't understand the weight of this, Mikael. These weapons… they're not just bombs. They're leverage. They keep nations on their knees before us. Without them, we're nothing but another forgotten army in history."
Mikael (calm but firm):"And with them, sir, we're no better than the monsters we swore to fight. You've seen what radiation does. My family—your men's families—burned for it. And now you want to sell that same poison?"
Shah (slams fist on the desk, voice rising):"Watch your tongue! I raised you from nothing, turned you into a soldier. You owe me your loyalty, not your judgment!"
Mikael (steps forward, steady gaze):"I owe you the truth. And the truth is—if you go down this path, you're not protecting us. You're damning us. Selling death to the same devils who made us orphans? That's not command, My Lord. That's betrayal."
Shah (face hardens, veins showing on his temples, he points a finger at Mikael):"You think you're righteous? You think you're some hero above orders? No soldier decides the war, Mikael. That's my burden. Not yours. You disobey me again, and you're not my soldier. You're my enemy."
Mikael (after a beat of silence, voice low, almost pained):"Then maybe I already am."
(The room goes cold. Shah glares, unable to speak for a moment, torn between fury and disappointment. Mikael doesn't flinch. The seed of betrayal is planted.)
Present
(Three of them sit around a table. The air is heavy, the silence tense. A dim lamp flickers above, throwing long shadows across their faces. Mikael sits forward, fists clenched. Sheraz leans back, glaring at him in disbelief. Abdullah tries to stay calm, but even he looks unsettled.)
Sheraz (watching Mikael with shock, then scoffs)"Wait—hold on. You're serious, aren't you? You wanna kill him? Or worse—you wanna wipe out his whole faction because he's supplying those f*cking weapons? Are you out of your goddamn mind?"
Mikael (pointing at Sheraz, voice sharp)"See? I told you. I told you he wouldn't get it. This b*stard will never understand what's at stake—"
Abdullah (interrupting, raising his hand)"Sheraz. Listen. It's not madness. It's… it's something that has to be done. We can't bring the whole unit into this. We do it alone."
Sheraz (snapping, slamming his hand on the table)"Goddamnit, Abdullah! You? I thought—you're older, wiser—you'd talk some sense into him. But you're just as blind! Both of you!"
(Sheraz stands, chair screeching back. His fists are trembling, but his anger hides a trace of fear. Mikael leans forward, glaring up at him.)
Mikael (low, cutting)"You think this is about me? About revenge? You think I want this? Shah was ready to pull the trigger, Sheraz. Nuclear f*cking weapons. Millions of lives, gone in seconds. If we don't stop the supplier, then someone else will fire them. And you—you'll sit here, acting like we've got the luxury to debate it?"
Sheraz (furious, jabbing a finger at Mikael)"You're not thinking, Mikael! You're just another soldier like one of us! If you do this, there's no going back. Blackowls funds are second to none. Even our funds are depriciating. I just wanna know how the f*ck you plan to stop this. If he escapes this how would this be something i can handle. It's not the past! We are in UIC!
Abdullah (calm but firm, standing too now)"Sheraz. Enough. We've fought wars, seen people burned alive, children buried under rubble. If Mikael says this threat is worse than all of that… then I trust him. Even if it means standing against Shah. Even if it means the world sees us as traitors."
(Sheraz stares at Abdullah, then at Mikael, breathing hard. His rage falters for a moment, replaced by disbelief, maybe even betrayal.)
Sheraz (quietly, shaking his head)"You two are insane…"
(He storms away from the table, leaving Mikael and Abdullah in silence. Mikael exhales, finally unclenching his fists. Abdullah looks at him with a mix of concern and loyalty.)
Abdullah"You know he's not wrong. If we do this… we're done.
Mikael (coldly, staring at the door Sheraz left through)"I don't care. I'd rather die… than live knowing I let millions burn."
(Sheraz breathes hard, eyes darting between them. Finally, he sits back down, still fuming. He rubs his temples, muttering.)
Sheraz"You two… always dragging me into your suicide plans."
(He exhales sharply, then glares at Mikael.)
Sheraz"Fine. You want this madness? I'll give you a little assistance. But don't think I'm throwing my men or my life fully into your gamble. You'll get my eyes, my ears… maybe a few guns. That's it."
Mikael(grinning, almost taunting)"Knew you'd come around, Even if it's just a toe in the fire, it's enough."
Sheraz(pointing at him with venom)"Don't twist it, Mikael. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this because Abdullah still believes in your half-baked crusade. But if it blows up in our faces— don't expect me to crawl out of the rubble with you."
(The three exchange a long look — a mix of distrust, reluctant loyalty, and unspoken fear. The storm hasn't even started, but already they feel its weight.)
Sheraz (after pacing, sighs, sits back down):" I'll help… but only in a small way. Don't expect me to clean up your whole mess."
Mikael (grinning slightly):"Small way? Lord Sheraz, that's the only way you've ever helped."
Sheraz (narrowing eyes, but a smirk forming):"Say that again and I'll make sure you're the one dying first"
Abdullah (finally cracking a smile):"Both of you shut up. I swear, one day I'll lock you in a room until you learn to act like soldiers and not some street kids fighting over a football."
Mikael (mock serious):"Correction: I was always the star striker. Sheraz was the one crying on the sidelines."
Sheraz (snorts, shaking his head):"Keep talking, genius. You'll need me when your 'perfect plan' blows up in your face."
Abdullah (laughing softly):"You two are hopeless. Drinks are on me—just don't kill each other before then."
(They all sit back, the air still heavy, but the banter eases the edge. For a moment, they're just three brothers again—before the war drags them back under.)