Aarvansh sat with his hands tied, gaze steady.
Aarvansh:
"Who are you... Why are you doing this to us...?"
The villagers remained silent, avoiding his eyes.
Bhalla (bitterly):
"They're enhanced. Aryan knew we would come, so he set a trap for us.
These guys are a part of Aryan's army.
God knows what they're planning next.I feel like I'm stuck in Terminator 2.Anyway, we just have to wait for these guys to ki—"
A loud voice cut him off. The old man who had kicked Aarvansh stepped forward.
Old Man:
"Stop. We are not Aryan's soldiers, nor are we doing this out of bad motives."
Bhalla and Aarvansh froze, surprised.
Old Man (calmly):
"Yes, we are enhanced. When Aryan came here, he promised to make us better.
He looked for people who were ignored — people who needed love, respect, dignity.
He looked like a good man. Called me Dada. Took us to an underground lab, experimented on us... and when things went wrong—he dumped us here. Told us we couldn't be fixed. That we were defective."
Bhalla (narrowing his eyes):
"What did the serum do to you?"
The old man stepped closer, placed Bhalla's hand on his chest.
His heartbeat was fast — unnaturally fast.
Old Man:
"I cannot run or walk fast. Only small, controlled movements.
Even the kick I gave your friend… it cost me. The serum gave me strength, but destroyed my stamina.Each of us has some flaw. That's why Aryan left us here. Useless to him."
Aarvansh:
"Okay... but you still have numbers. And some strength, right?
Why not go against Aryan? His 'perfect' army is only twenty soldiers and—"
Old Man (interrupting):
"Every week, we need the serum to survive.We don't know how to make it. Only Aryan does.He gives it to us—on one condition: Obey him. No one can enter this village.
If even one person leaves… Aryan will stop the serum for all of us."
Aarvansh's eyes sharpened. He thought silently to himself:
"Once a week... So he really did weaken the dose.
Just enough to keep them alive — but still far below him."
Bhalla (suddenly hopeful):
"Don't worry. We planned for this.
That's why we parked the SUV two kilometers away — avoided every visible defense.
You should let us go."
Old Man (shaking his head):
"I can't risk the lives of forty people."
Aarvansh (surprised):
"Only forty? The settlement looks much bigger."
Old Man (quietly):
"The rest… they died. Side effects from the drug.
My son. My grandson. Everyone."
A heavy silence fell.
Old Man (softly):
"Yes, Aryan told us to kill anyone who came here.But we couldn't. We've never killed a single soul.Instead, we've hidden them. Kept them captive so Aryan thinks they're dead."
Aarvansh and Bhalla looked at each other — realization dawning.
Aarvansh (calmly):
"Then take us to the prison."
Aarvansh and Bhalla followed the villagers through a back path behind the settlement. Their hands were still bound, but loosely. Aarvansh's stride was steady, measured.
He felt the change.
Aarvansh (thinking):
"The serum's kicking in… I can feel it. Strength. Focus. I could snap these ropes now."
But he didn't. Not yet.
"Not without Albert."
They reached a moss-covered wall. One villager knelt and pulled aside a slab of stone, revealing a narrow underground tunnel. The air inside was colder—silent, stale.
They walked down worn stone steps until they reached a rusted door at the end of the passage.
One villager unlocked it slowly. Hinges creaked. Darkness inside.
It wasn't a dungeon. It was worse—a holding cell. Cracked walls, rusted bars, a moldy mattress on a metal frame. A scratched-up tin plate in the corner.
Empty.
Bhalla (stepping in, alarmed):
"…Where is he?"
Aarvansh:
"This is the only prison you have?"
Villager (genuinely confused):
"Yes. This is it."
Bhalla:
"Albert Lam. He was supposed to be here. The man you captured before us , a few weeks ago."
The villagers exchanged blank looks.
Villager:
A silence fell. A heavy one.
Aarvansh stepped into the cell, scanning the walls. Nothing. Not a scratch. Not a message. Not a sign of struggle. Just… absence.
Bhalla slowly shook his head.
Bhalla (quietly):
"Either he was never brought here…"
Aarvansh (finishing the thought):
"…or he didn't survive long enough to be."
The cold air hung around them like a question with no answer.