The livestream camera swung wildly, capturing flashes of violence:
A robber crashing into a wall, another crumpling to the ground.
Command centers across the city reacted instantly,
"What is happening inside?"
"Is that student neutralizing multiple assailants?"
"Reconfirm identity!"
Officers leaned closer to screens, replaying segments, slowing footage, disbelief tightening their expressions.
"That's not random movement," one analyst muttered.
"That's structured engagement."
The robbers tried to regroup—but momentum had already shifted away from them.
Every movement they made was now reactive instead of commanding, every hesitation became visible.
One of them shouted again, more desperate than threatening now,
"GET BACK—DON'T LET HER CLOSE—!"
Outside the school, the atmosphere transformed.
Only minutes earlier, the crowd had been paralyzed by fear.
Now— Disbelief had taken its place.
The livestream comments moved so quickly they became impossible to read.
Thousands of messages flooded the screen.
"Who is that girl?!"
"She's actually fighting back!"
"How is she doing this?"
"She's a student!"
"Look at her!"
"Stay safe!"
"Come on!"
"What kind of training does she have?"
Even news anchors struggled to keep up.
One reporter lowered her microphone slightly,
"I don't think anyone expected this development."
Beside her, a cameraman muttered,
"Neither did the robbers."
Near the barricades, anxious parents crowded around phones and television monitors.
Others stared in complete shock.
Then someone shouted, "Come on, girl!"
Another voice joined.
"Stay strong!"
A father clenched his fist, "You can do it!"
Nearby, several students' families were openly cheering.
Because, for the first time since the nightmare began, hope had appeared.
"Look at that!"
"Did you see that?"
"She's helping them!"
"She's buying time!"
Police officers exchanged looks.
Even some of them were struggling to hide their amazement.
One officer shook his head,
"I've never seen anything like this."
Another replied, "Neither have I."
At the command post, the atmosphere was equally tense.
Mahim stood motionless, watching.
Around him, officers continued working.
Communications.
Perimeter coordination.
Evacuation planning.
Yet more than a few eyes kept drifting back to the screen.
Fahad stared in disbelief,
"...How many surprises does she have left?"
Farhan let out a slow breath , "I don't know."
Fahan folded his arms,
"At this point I'm afraid to ask."
Fahim adjusted his glasses,
"The more I learn about her, the more questions I have."
Nearby, Rahi looked entirely too satisfied,
"I warned you."
Several heads turned toward him immediately.
Rahi pointed at the screen,
"I said you should be worried about the robbers."
Fahad closed his eyes,
"I regret every conversation I've ever had with you."
"Rahi. "
"Hmmmm."
Outside the school, the crowd continued watching.
Inside, the remaining robbers hesitated. Sweat beaded on their foreheads.
This was not what they expected.
They had come for easy prey, for rich children too scared to resist.
But the girl in black was no prey.
She was predator.
Maya stood in the center of the broken circle, her blazer torn at the shoulder .
But her face was untouched—calm, carved from shadow and will.
Her braid swung across her back like a whip, her eyes glimmering with something unnameable.
She spoke once more, her voice carrying across the gymnasium,
"I told you not to touch me."
And this time, it was not a warning.
The robbers charged again, desperation replacing arrogance.
But desperation is messy.
One ducked low—her knee met his jaw, snapping his head back with a sickening crack.
Another swung a chair—she caught it mid-swing, twisted it from his hands, and slammed the metal into his ribs.
He collapsed, coughing blood.
The last tried to tackle her from behind—
but she spun, her heel driving into his stomach with such force he flew back into the wall, plaster crumbling under the impact.
The children stared, wide-eyed, their fear into something new.
Outside, the parents screamed her name, "The girl! "
" The girl in black! Save them!"
The livestream erupted,
"She's a fighter. "
"Who is she?!"
"That girl is incredible!"
Within minutes, the gymnasium floor was littered with groaning bodies.
Men who had once strutted with guns and cruelty now writhed in pain, clutching broken ribs, shattered jaws, dislocated limbs.
Maya stood above them, her chest rising and falling with quiet control.
Her gloves were smeared with blood, but her hands did not tremble.
She looked down at them as one might look at ants crawling in the dirt—insignificant, pathetic .
And then she turned to the children.
And the children broke.
Tears streamed down their faces, not of fear, but of release. They clutched each other, sobbing.
Outside, the barricades shook with the force of parents screaming. Police surged forward, emboldened.
The livestream comments moved so fast that individual messages were nearly impossible to follow.
Yet one question kept appearing again and again.
"Who is this girl?"
"What's her name?"
"Does anybody know her?"
"Who is she?"
Then—
Among thousands of comments, one message appeared.
"I know this girl. Her name is Maya."
The comment was immediately buried.
Then screenshotted, then reposted, then shared again.
"Wait, you know her?"
"Seriously?"
"Who is Maya?"
The commenter replied.
"She used to live near my house days ago."
The response instantly drew attention.
"Tell us more."
"What was she like?"
"Was she always this strong?"
The person hesitated before typing again.
"Honestly?"
"She was quiet."
"Really quiet."
"She rarely talked to anyone."
More comments flooded in.
"That's impossible."
"The girl on screen is taking down armed criminals."
"You must have the wrong person."
"No."
The commenter responded,
"I'm pretty sure it's her."
"Same black hair."
"Same habit of wearing gloves."
"Same expression."
A flood of replies followed,
"Wait."
"She wears gloves?"
"The girl in the livestream is wearing gloves too."
"That's her."
Immediately—
Thousands of notifications.
"YOU KNOW HER?"
"WHAT WAS SHE LIKE?"
The reply came.
"Mostly drew in notebooks."
Someone responded immediately.
"You expect us to believe that?"
"We're literally watching her fight armed men."
The former classmate replied.
"I'm serious."
"If you told me yesterday she'd be doing this, I would've laughed."
Another comment appeared.
"Maybe nobody really knew her."
For a moment—
The comment section slowed.
Then another user wrote:
"That's actually sad."
"Millions of people are watching her right now."
"And nobody seems to know who she really is."
The message spread rapidly.
Meanwhile, news channels began picking up the discussion.
"Online users are identifying the student as Maya.
Several people claim to have known her.
Descriptions are remarkably consistent.
OFTEN ALONE."
Back outside the school, parents and reporters continued watching.
The question echoed across thousands of screens.
And in the center of it all, Maya adjusted her torn blazer, smoothed the fabric with calm hands.
The chaos outside the school still throbbed like a wound that refused to close.
Police sirens wailed in the distance, mingling with the hum of cameras, the murmur of reporters, and the anxious voices of parents searching for their children.
Floodlights illuminated the school grounds despite the fading daylight.
Emergency vehicles lined the streets.
Officers moved between barricades, coordinating evacuations and guiding frightened students toward waiting families.
A mother spotted her daughter among the crowd.For a heartbeat, neither moved.
Then the woman broke into a run.
The girl ran too .They collided in a desperate embrace. Both began crying immediately.
"You scared me."
"I'm sorry."
"I thought—"
The mother couldn't finish the sentence.
Nearby, another father knelt and pulled his son against his chest.
The boy's composure shattered instantly.
"Dad..."
Father murmured, "I'm here."
Reporters watched from behind police lines.
Cameras captured exhausted students wrapped in blankets.
Teachers speaking with officers.
Paramedics checking injuries.
One journalist lowered her microphone.
"I don't think anyone here will forget today."
The crowd pulsed, a living, breathing mass of fear and relief, each person carrying the weight of what they had seen inside the gymnasium.
After the injured had been treated and statements had begun to be collected.
The police officers spotted her immediately.
They approached cautiously,
"Miss."
One of the officers said, his voice polite,
"We need to ask you a few questions."
Maya tilted her head slightly.
She followed them quietly, moving with deliberate steps that made her seem both present and quite .
They led her away from the flashing cameras and desperate parents, past sobbing children and whispering teachers.
She was escorted into a temporary interview room set up inside the school administration building.
The room was simple.
A recorder, a stack of reports.
Two investigators sat across from her.
Neither looked hostile.
Pens hovered over paper, hands tapped tables nervously and eyes darted constantly toward her.
Detective Rahman opened a file,
"Miss Maya Sunaina?"
Maya nodded once.
"Before we begin, are you injured?"
"No."
"Several witnesses say you helped protect students during the incident."
Maya remained silent.
Detective Rahman pressed a button on the recorder,
"For the record, can you describe what happened from your perspective?"
"A lot of people attacked the school.
They threatened students and staff.
And they controlled the gymnasium?"
The detective stared.
His partner coughed suspiciously into his hand.
The detective took a deep breath,
"Let's try another question. You appeared unusually calm during the incident."
"Yes. "
"If you were calm... Then what changed?"
The detective leaned forward,
"What caused you to start fighting them?"
"They were bothering me."
The two detectives exchanged a look.
"They were threatening people, they were carrying weapons.
They were committing multiple serious crimes.
"And your conclusion was... They were bothering you ."
Outside the interview room, several officers listening through the partially open door exchanged looks.
One whispered, "She's serious."
"What were the attackers doing?"
"Trying to control the room."
"Did they seem organized?"
"No, they made mistakes."
The detectives immediately noticed that answer, "Mistakes?"
"Yes."
"What kind?"
"They weren't paying attention to everyone."
The two investigators wrote that down,
"Anything else?"
"They were nervous."
Officer Karim frowned, "How could you tell?"
"They kept repeating instructions."
The detective made another note,
"Observation skills."
Maya said nothing.
A few pages later, the questions shifted.
Several witness statements sat in front of them.
Detective Rahman tapped one of the pages,
"We've received a lot of reports about you .
Scary when she wants to be."
That last one earned several raised eyebrows.
The officer looked up,
"Apparently that description appears more than once."
"Oh."
The detectives looked at each other.
Neither knew what to do with that answer.
The observation room beyond the interview chamber had grown unusually crowded.
Administrators who had found excuses to linger.
Everyone seemed to have the same reaction.
Confusion.
They had seen trauma , they had seen frightened children and dangerous criminals.
But they had never met someone quite like Maya.
"Tell me again how old is she?"
The policeman beside him checked the report, "Fifteen."
A pause.
"Oh."
Another officer looked between them,
"What?
Nothing about this conversation sounds like a fifteen-year-old."
Several people quietly agreed.
One analyst folded his arms,
"She's sitting there like she's attending a school meeting."
After several more questions, Detective Rahman finally closed the file,
"I think that's all for now."
Maya stood.
The recorder clicked off.
And with that, she left the room, leaving the two investigators staring at the closed door.
After a long silence, Detective Rahman looked down at the witness statements piled across the table.
"Well?"
Officer Karim exhaled slowly,
"What do you think?"
The detective glanced toward the door Maya had just walked through.
Then he answered honestly,
"I think she's the most unusual student I've ever interviewed."
Outside, the afternoon sun caught her in golden light.
The interview finally ended.
The door opened she stepped into the corridor.
Immediately, dozens of eyes turned toward her.
Reporters waiting beyond the barriers.
Everyone seemed to pause for a second.
Cameras surged, children pointed, but she moved through it all without slowing , without any sign of vulnerability.
Then—
Without warning, the pin holding her braid loosened, her braid fell apart.
Thick, black hair tumbled over her shoulders like a waterfall. The light caught every strand, each one shining, rippling, framing her pale, emotionless face.
The crowd gasped.
Several students froze, "Wait—"
Nearby, a girl blinked repeatedly,
"That's unfair."
Her friend immediately nodded,
"Extremely unfair."
Several classmates began whispering at once, "She's beautiful."
"I knew she was pretty."
"I did not know she was that pretty."
"Neither did I."
Across the parking lot, reporters noticed the reaction immediately.
Cameras shifted, lenses focused.
Microphones lowered.
Flash.
Flash.
Flash.
The cameras continued capturing every moment.
Maya, meanwhile, seemed completely unaware of the effect she was having.
Or perhaps she simply didn't care.
A group of students watched from nearby,
"She looks like she walked out of a movie."
"No."
Another student shook his head.
"Movie characters look less beautiful than this."
That earned several snorts of laughter.
On social media, new clips appeared within minutes.
The comments exploded again.
"WAIT."
"THAT'S MAYA?"
"OH MY GOD."
"She looks completely different with her hair down."
"I thought people were exaggerating."
"They were not exaggerating."
"Not even a little."
A teacher passing nearby overheard the comments.
The woman sighed,
"Please remember she is still a student."
The students immediately nodded.
Then waited two seconds and started whispering again.
Back near the police building, one officer looked toward another,
"First she survives a hostage situation.
Then she walks out looking like this."
"Yes."
The officer shook his head,
"Today is getting stranger by the hour."
Back at the Sunayna estate,
Every major news channel was still covering the aftermath of the school attack.
Students being reunited with families.
Police giving statements.
Reporters repeating the same questions.
And then—
A photograph of Maya appeared on screen.
The room fell silent.
Mahi looked up.
For a moment, she simply stared.
The image showed Maya walking away from the school building.
Her black hair had fallen loose around her shoulders.
The afternoon light caught the dark strands as they moved.
Her expression remained calm.
Mahi blinked, then blinked again.
"...Oh."
That was all she managed.
Nahi stared at the screen, "Wait."
A pause.
"That's Maya?"
Farhan nearly dropped the glass in his hand,
Fahim adjusted his glasses, "...Apparently."
Fahish looked at the television.
Then looked again.
"I feel like I've been tricked."
Fahan nodded immediately, "Same."
Across the room, Faha folded his arms.
A very smug expression appeared on his face, "Hmm."
Nobody liked that tone.
Fahad narrowed his eyes, "Don't."
Faha ignored him,
"I distinctly remember complimenting Maya's appearance."
Nobody answered.
"I also distinctly remember being ignored.
I believe my exact words were: 'She's very beautiful.'"
Fahis groaned, "Oh no."
Faha pointed dramatically at the television,
"And now look."
The screen showed another photograph.
Faha nodded proudly, "Evidence."
Farhan rolled his eyes,
"You're acting like you discovered fire."
"I was right."
"Congratulations."
"I know."
Nahi pointed toward the television,
"No, seriously."
Everyone looked.
Another image appeared.
Even reporters seemed distracted by it.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Across the room, even Fahis had stopped arguing,
"...She's going to cause problems."
Nobody could really disagree.
Meanwhile, Faha leaned back in his chair.
Completely satisfied,
"I would like the record to show that I was correct."
Farhan immediately threw a cushion at him,
"Be quiet."
The cushion hit him directly in the face.
Fahis grinned, "Worth it."
——— ★
A convoy of black vehicles approached.
The polished surfaces reflected the afternoon sun like dark mirrors.
Each vehicle bore the same emblem upon its doors.
A crest.
People immediately noticed the emblem.
A silver crest engraved on the doors.
Recognizable to anyone familiar with the country's most influential families.
The Sunayna Crest.
The moment it appeared on the livestream—
The comment section exploded.
"WAIT."
"No way."
"I KNOW THAT SYMBOL."
"Isn't that the Sunayna family crest?"
"THE Sunaynas?"
"The business family?"
"The billionaire family?"
"You're kidding."
Comments began flooding in faster than before.
"Hold on."
"Are we talking about THE Sunayna family?"
"No. No way."
"You're joking."
"LOOK AT THE DOOR."
"THAT IS DEFINITELY THEIR CREST."
"THAT Sunayna family?"
"No wonder the media is going crazy."
Another user typed:
"Wait. WAIT."
"Does that mean Maya is a Sunayna?"
Thousands of laughing reactions appeared beneath that comment.
Another person wrote:
"So let me get this straight."
"THE STUDENT WHO JUST SURVIVED A HOSTAGE CRISIS IS A SUNAINA?"
"SINCE WHEN?"
"Nobody at the school knew this!"
The former classmate answered,
"She never talked about her family.
Never used her surname."
"THIS IS INSANE."
Across social media, screenshots of the vehicles spread immediately.
The door of the first limousine opened.
For a moment, nobody paid attention.
All eyes were still on Maya.
Still on the Sunaina crest.
Still trying to process what they had just learned.
Then a figure stepped out.
The reaction was immediate,
"Wait—"
"No way."
"Is that...?"
Cameras swung toward the newcomer.
Reporters straightened.
Mahi Sunaina stepped from the vehicle.
The crowd erupted into whispers,
"That's Mrs.Mahi Sunaina. "
The livestream comments exploded again.
"LAWYER MAHI?"
"WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY?"
"WAIT."
"WAIT."
"WHAT IS HER CONNECTION TO MAYA?"
Thousands of viewers began speculating instantly.
"Family friend?"
"Scholarship student?"
"There's no way she'd come personally otherwise."
"Who is she?"
Meanwhile, Mahi ignored the cameras.
Ignored the reporters, ignored the crowd.
She walked directly toward Maya.
The distance between them closed.
Mahi stopped in front of her.
"Daughter, have you gotten hurt somewhere?"
The entire area froze.
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
"Daughter?"
"What did she say?"
"Did she just say daughter?"
"DAUGHTER?"
The livestream practically crashed beneath the flood of comments.
"SHE SAID DAUGHTER."
"SHE SAID DAUGHTER."
"SHE SAID DAUGHTER."
"THAT'S HER DAUGHTER?!"
"WHAT?!"
"SINCE WHEN?!"
"NOBODY TOLD US THIS!"
Standing before her, Maya answered calmly.
"No, I am okay."
Mahi studied her for a moment.
As though personally verifying the statement.
Then she nodded, "Good."
Her voice carried quiet pride,
"You have done a great job."
"Thanks."
The comments kept pouring in.
"SO, SHE IS SUNAINA FAMILY'S DAUGHTER?"
"TODAY FEELS LIKE THREE DIFFERENT STORIES COLLIDING.
The livestream had turned into pure chaos.
"HOLY—"
"HER WHOLE FAMILY IS INSANE."
"NO WONDER SHE'S LIKE THAT."
"HOW DOES ONE FAMILY HAVE THIS MUCH POWER AND TALENT?"
The comments blurred together, almost unreadable.
"This feels like a movie."
"No, movies are less dramatic than this."
"She's amazing."
"If that were me, I would've fainted immediately."
One user wrote:
"I came late to the livestream."
"Now I feel like I missed history."
Another followed immediately:
"I WAS HERE FROM THE BEGINNING AND I STILL CAN'T PROCESS IT."
"I think everyone here just witnessed something once-in-a-lifetime."
She got into the car and sat down.
Her hair tumbled freely over the black leather seat, catching streaks of fading sun, glinting like black fire.
Even inside the limousine, she remained a study in control, a shadow at the heart of light and chaos.
She was neither hero nor victim.
A figure who carried silence like armor, and in her wake, everyone else's emotions seemed amplified — magnified in contrast to her emptiness.
The limousine rolled forward, cutting through the aftermath like a quiet blade through cloth.
Outside, the city still hadn't settled.
It was as if reality itself had been cracked.
And then—the comments returned.
"WAIT ??"
"I can't believe she's real."
"Fifteen years old. FIFTEEN."
"Someone explain how a student does that to trained armed men??"
"I swear the cameras couldn't even keep up."
"Did anyone else notice her face?
She didn't even change expression once."
"She looked like she was finishing homework, not a hostage situation."
"This is terrifying and beautiful at the same time."
"No, this is not normal.
This is not HUMAN behavior."
"Her hair down in the light… I don't know why everyone's talking about violence, she looked unreal."
"Focus. People were injured."
"I KNOW. I'm saying both things are true."
"She's From The Sunayna Family."
"So rich + that strong?? That's illegal."
"Bro the way she just walked out after everything… she is really brave ."
"I was watching live. My hands are still shaking."
"My sister was in that school ."
"I don't know whether to feel safe or scared of her."
Inside the moving limousine —
The glass reflected passing lights, flickering across her still expression like distant thoughts she did not belong to.
Mahi watched her for a long moment, then looked away—
because there was too much to understand at once.
The house loomed ahead, familiar yet foreign.
Its marble floors glinted under the faint evening light, carved pillars catching shadows in angles that seemed sharper than memory allowed.
It was a home, and yet it felt like a cage for the one who had grown beyond it.
The gates of the Sunayna estate opened slowly, and the limousine glided inside as if the world outside had been left behind at the threshold.
The air carried the faint scent of incense Mahi had placed hours before, a soft attempt at peace.
Maya stepped out.
Her black boots touched the marble in measured precision.
The sunlight caught her hair , sliding over her shoulders and back, framing her pale, immovable face.
The dark folds of her uniform clung to her without a hint of decoration.
She walked in.
And the moment she crossed the threshold, she saw the brothers .
Seated in the grand living hall like a court that had been holding its breath for hours.
Nahi, arms folded, eyes sharp with lingering disbelief.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then—
Fahad exhaled sharply, "…So it's true."
Fahim adjusted his glasses, looking at her carefully,
"The footage doesn't exaggerate."
Fahan leaned forward slightly, tone half analytical,
"How many of them did you actually disable?"
" Thirty. "
A pause.
Faha immediately raised a hand before anyone else could answer,
"It doesn't feel real."
Fahim glanced at him,
"It was real. That's the problem."
The room shifted slightly at that sentence.
Fahis stepped forward just a little,
"You're okay?"
"Yes."
Faha immediately leaned back again, satisfied like a man defending a lifelong theory.
"I would like to remind everyone. "
Nahi groaned, "Not again."
"You ignored me and now the entire country agrees with me."
"That is not how validation works," Fahim replied dryly.
"It is today," Faha said confidently.
"You are unbelievable."
"I know. "
Then a calm step echoed from the corridor.
Rahi entered.
Fahad's eyes narrowed immediately,
"You again."
Rahi glanced at him, mildly amused,
"I've been here all morning . Your memory is selective under stress."
Fahim looked up from his seat,
"You're surprisingly comfortable for someone who's been watching a hostage crisis live."
Rahi tilted his head slightly,
"I was also watching you panic in real time. We all have hobbies."
Nahi muttered under her breath,
"I don't like him."
"Noted. "
Ohi muttered,
"You said she'd be fine."
"I was correct."
Fahad exhaled sharply,
"That's your takeaway?"
Rahi shrugged,
"In most systems, correctness is a valuable metric."
Farhan looked between them,
"You call that a system?"
Rahi nodded once, "Everything is a system ."
That made the room quiet for a fraction of a second.
Fahim adjusted his glasses,
"You talk like you weren't disturbed by what happened."
Rahi's expression didn't change,
"I was disturbed but not surprised."
Faha frowned,
"That sounds like a very dangerous way to describe a child defending herself."
"You make it sound like this is normal."
" Hmmm. "
"So… just to confirm we're all pretending this is a normal family evening after national-level chaos?"
"Mabe yes. "
Faha stretched back on the sofa ,
"So, does anyone want to admit they underestimated her?"
Nahi shot him a look,
"No one is admitting anything. Sit down."
"I am already sitting. "
"You are crazy. "
[05:20 PM]
The evening settled over the Sunayna estate.
The earlier tension had faded into conversation.
Fahad was arguing with Faha.
Nahi was threatening to throw another cushion.
Farhan was quietly listening.
Then—
A familiar set of footsteps entered.
Every voice in the room stopped.
Mahim removed his gloves and looked across the room. His gaze briefly passed over his sons, over Mahi, over Rahi—
—and finally stopped on Maya.
Making sure she was truly unharmed.
Then he spoke, "Maya."
"Yes?"
"Go to the study room for a while."
"Ok , Mr.Mahim. "
With that she turned and began walking .
Rahi immediately pushed himself away from the wall,
"Guess that's my cue too."
Fahad frowned, "Why are you going?"
Rahi looked mildly offended,
"What if I enjoy books?"
"No one believes that."
"Fair."
Without another word, Maya and Rahi left the hall together.
The door to the study room closed behind them.
Something in his expression had changed.
He loosened his collar slightly and sat down.
Mahi noticed immediately,
" What happened? You look troubled."
"I spoke with my teacher. "
"Colonel Nahim ?"
Mahim nodded, "Yes."
Now the room became attentive.
Colonel Nahim was not an ordinary instructor.
He was a respected veteran, a man whose opinions on combat and military training carried enormous weight.
"He asked me what kind of martial arts I taught my daughter."
Fahad blinked.
Fahim lowered his glasses slightly.
Farhan stopped moving entirely.
Mahi stared at him, "What did you tell him?"
"I never taught her anything remotely like that."
Mahim folded his hands,
"He has spent decades studying combat disciplines.
But, some of what Maya demonstrated doesn't resemble any formal system he recognizes."
Farhan sat up straighter, "Seriously?"
Mahim nodded,
"He replayed the footage repeatedly."
"He said that?"
Mahim nodded, "Yes."
Fahim leaned forward immediately,
"Perhaps he means an unusual hybrid style."
"No.
He specifically said that whoever taught those techniques possessed extraordinary knowledge."
Fahan frowned,
"But nobody taught her."
"That's correct. "
Fahad rubbed his forehead,
"And when you told him there wasn't?"
A rare hint of disbelief crossed Mahim's face,
"He thought I was joking."
That earned several startled looks.
Because if there was one thing everyone knew—
Mahim Sunayna was not known for joking.
Fahim finally spoke,
"That's statistically unusual."
Faha looked at him,
"Only you would describe that as statistically unusual."
"It is."
"It is also terrifying."
"Those things are not mutually exclusive."
Nahi groaned, "You two are impossible."
A few quiet laughs appeared around the room.
After a moment, "There was something else."
Mahi looked up, "What is it?"
"Colonel Nahim said Maya's fighting skills were exceptional."
Fahad raised an eyebrow,
"Exceptional coming from him means something."
"It does," Mahim agreed.
"He told me that some of the movements visible in the footage were unlike anything he had encountered during his years of instruction."
Fahim immediately became interested,
"And?"
"He said he intends to include some of the techniques he observed in university lectures and military analysis classes."
Farhan blinked, "Wait what? "
"He wants to teach Maya's fighting techniques?"
"Yes. "
Nahi stared,
"A fifteen-year-old student accidentally created lecture material for military instructors."
Fahan rubbed his forehead,
"This family gets stranger every day."
Mahi looked genuinely surprised,
"Colonel Nahim said that?"
"Yes."
Then he paused,
"There is another matter, My friend Bahar visited me today."
Fahad immediately recognized the name,
"The journalist?"
"The broadcaster," Mahim corrected.
"What did he want?"
"He asked for permission to organize a live discussion and demonstration centered on Maya.
He said the entire country is asking questions."
The room erupted immediately, "What?"
"Absolutely not."
"Why?"
"Isn't that a terrible idea?"
"And what did you tell him?"
"I told him I would think about it."
Mahim raised a hand,
"I asked Colonel Nahim the same question."
"And what did he say?"
"He advised me to accept."
That produced an even stronger reaction.
Fahim looked surprised,
"That is not the answer I expected."
Mahim nodded, "Neither did I.
According to him, the military and security community could learn a great deal from observing Maya's methods."
"... A military colonel wants professionals to learn from her."
"Yes."
Mahi remained thoughtful,
"What exactly does Bahar intend to do?"
"A live interview."
Faha finally spoke,
"I can already imagine the audience."
"Millions," Fahad replied.
"Probably."
Mahi considered everything carefully,
"What did Colonel Nahim say after that?"
Mahim leaned back slightly,
"He said he wanted to speak with Bahar privately."
"Why?"
Fahim frowned, "About the broadcast?"
"Possibly, He didn't explain."
A thoughtful silence followed.
Colonel Nahim was not a man who wasted words. If he wanted a private meeting, there was usually a reason.
Fahan leaned back, "That's interesting."
"Very," Fahim agreed.
The discussion was still unfolding when a phone suddenly vibrated across the table.
Everyone's attention shifted.
Mahim glanced at the screen.
Colonel Nahim.
He answered immediately, "Colonel."
On the other end, Nahim's voice was calm, direct, "Mahim."
"Sir."
"I need you to come to the base."
Mahim straightened slightly, "Now?"
"Immediately."
The single word was enough to draw attention from everyone in the room.
"What happened?" Mahim asked.
Nahim replied,
"We've completed a more detailed analysis of the school footage."
"And?"
"I would rather discuss it in person."
"Is it serious?"
"Yes."
Mahim stood from his chair,
"I'll leave immediately."
"Excellent."
Then Nahim added,
"There are several people here who would like to speak with you."
"Military analysts?"
The wording caught Mahim's attention immediately, "Among others?"
"Come to the base. We'll discuss everything there."
"Ok sir. "
The call ended.