"But… I know someone who will assist you better than me." "A great scientist," Panditji had mentioned, "He might be your best hope against Dashanan ." And so, following Panditji's instructions, Dhruv and Anika set out on another expedition, this time to a remote research center nestled in the rolling hills.
They discovered Dr. Rudra, a person whose keen mind was reflected in his striking eyes and the agitated energy that seemed to emanate from him. He heard Dhruv out as he described the last month, the frightening phone call, the destructive assault, losing their families. He told him of Dashanan, their cunning grab for power, their desire for Dhruv's powers.
As he uttered the words "Dashanan ," a palpable shift occurred in Dr. Rudra. His normal fidgety energy surged, his eyes flashing with anger and recognition. When Dhruv had finished speaking, Dr. Rudra leaned back in his chair, a grim look on his face. "Dashanan ," he echoed the word, flavored with bitterness. "I know that name. Too well."
He stood up and strode to the window, turning his back to them. "Years ago," he started, his voice low and laced with bitterness, "I was making a revolutionary medicinal breakthrough. Something that would have changed the face of medicine.
Seth Dhanraj, a well-placed member of Dashanan, a man with huge wealth and political clout… he stole it. He took my work, my life's work.".
He sold it to German scientists, benefited heavily from it, grew even richer, even more powerful. He made his fortune on my stolen dreams, on my stolen work." He stood facing them, his eyes blazing with a fierce determination. "Dashanan has betrayed me too," Dr. Rudra said, his voice burning with a fierce determination.
"They are a cancer, Dhruv, an illness to be cured. And now… it appears our fates are bound to entwine once again." He began to pace over to a whiteboard filled with intricate equations and drawings.
"We need a strategy," he declared, his analytical mind already grasping the situation. "Dashanan is formidable, well-networked. We need to be clever, calculating."
They sat in silence for the next few hours, discussing, examining, planning.
At the same time, in Seth Dhanraj's lavish offices, a tempest was raging. Dhanraj, a stout man with the face of a bulldog, thumped his fist on the table, the crystal glasses sitting on it shaking. "How did they get away?" he thundered, his voice echoing through the office. "Inspector Robin, you guaranteed me they were locked in! How did two kids manage to evade your fingers, our tremendous security?"
Swami Vikrant, a wiry, thin man with piercing eyes, stood at Dhanraj's side, his face a mask of barely repressed anger. "This is unacceptable, Robin," he spat. "Dashanan does not accept failure. You were given a simple task, and you have succeeded at it in spectacular fashion. Dhruv holds a power we cannot afford to lose. Anika… she is a link to him, a bargaining tool we require. Their escape is a serious setback."
Inspector Robin, a man who typically had an aura of brutal confidence, now stood embarrassed in front of the two mighty men, his typical arrogance forgotten because of fear. "Sir, Swami ji, I… I don't know how it happened," he stuttered. "My men were placed. The house was surrounded. They just… vanished."
Dhanraj's face reddened to an alarming hue. "Excuses, Robin! I want them found. Now. Double security. Cover the city. Leave no stone unturned. They are not to leave this city. Hear?!"
"Yes, sir," Robin muttered, his head cast down.
"And Anika's parents?" Swami Vikrant demanded, his voice low and menacing.
"They… they are taken care of, Swami ji," Robin said.
"Good," Vikrant replied. "Their deaths will convey a message. A message Dhruv will get. Their escape, though. That is a message of weakness. A message we cannot send. Find them, Robin. And bring them to me. Alive."
Robin hesitated, and then spoke, a spark of comprehension in his eyes. "Swami ji, there is one chance… Dhruv's… time manipulation. It lasts only a few seconds, I know, but… perhaps that was sufficient.
An instant window, a moment's distraction… it might have enabled them to leave without anyone noticing."
Swami Vikrant's eyes narrowed. "No more debate, Robin," he growled, his voice filled with raw anger. "Find them. That is all. Bring them back. Or you will suffer consequences you cannot even conceive."
"Dhruv," Dr. Rudra inquired, his voice filled with curiosity and a dash of awe, "how….how did you come by these abilities? You said they were a gift from God. Was there some... transfer? A ritual?"
Dhruv paused, the recollection of the extraordinary experience sweeping over him. "I.....I do not know precisely, Doctor," he started, speaking in a low, awe-filled, and bewildered tone.
"It occurred at a temple, deep in the mountains. An old temple. I went there because I am grieving. There all of a sudden a misty weather rolled in.
And then. it occurred.". Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva… both… they… they put their hands on my head. It was… overwhelming. I felt… a rush of energy. Then, they offered me something to drink. It tasted… nothing like I've ever had. They said to close my eyes. And then… it was like a bee stung me, right here," he touched the veins on his hand. "The pain… it was severe.". My hand… it was bright red, puffed up, for an entire day. When I finally awoke and opened my eyes… things were not the same. I….I saw things differently. I was able to… feel things. I was able to… do things. I still don't get it fully, Doctor. It was…a miracle. A mystery."