Scene 1 – Morning, College Campus, Chennai
The sun pierced through the smoggy sky of Chennai, casting a soft warmth over the sprawling green grounds of Jai Bharath Arts & Science College. Buses honked, students chattered, and the faint scent of jasmine from a roadside vendor mixed oddly with the sharp smell of disinfectant near the biotech block.
Inside the Visual Communication department...
Haris, dressed in a loose hoodie and cargo pants, leaned against the stair railing, balancing a camera in one hand and a basketball in the other. A junior ran past him.
"Bro! Court la final match fix panniduchu! You in?"
He just smirked, tossed the ball high, caught it effortlessly. "I'll be there. Let them warm up first."
His phone buzzed.
Message from "Amma":
> "Don't forget to visit Appa's grave today. He'd be proud."
His smirk faded. For a moment, the leader mask slipped.
---
Scene 2 – Biotech Lab
Preethi adjusted her white coat as she noted down readings from the PCR machine. Her classmates were noisy, laughing over someone's prank video, but her eyes were on a peculiar result. A virus sample, stored as part of a collaborative project from an OMR biotech startup, showed an unusual spike in mutation.
"Preethi," Dr. Praba's voice cut in softly from behind. "Don't spend too long on that file. Some research... isn't worth digging into."
Preethi simply nodded but saved a copy onto her pen drive.
---
Scene 3 – Mechanical Workshop
Nitish wiped grease off his cheek, shouting over loud music as he tweaked a half-finished electric scooter. With wires dangling and smoke puffing, he grinned.
"Guys, this thing might fly or explode. Either way, it's gonna be awesome!"
Everyone laughed. He high-fived a junior but stopped as the lights flickered once. A power drop. Then steady again.
"Campus voltage acting up again. OMR power grid full drama," someone said.
Nitish muttered, "Just like my love life."
---
Scene 4 – Girls' Hostel, Room 217
Swathi checked her outfit in the mirror – perfect curls, winged eyeliner. But her eyes were fixed on an old photograph stuck to the side. Haris and her, smiling wide during their first college cultural.
She peeled it off, placed it in her diary.
"He doesn't care. And I don't either... anymore."
Her phone buzzed. An unknown number.
"Tell Haris to stay away from the biotech block."
She blinked. "What the...?"
---
Scene 5 – Computer Lab (Dark)
Karan wore noise-cancelling headphones, surrounded by three screens. A live feed from the biotech corridor flickered. Two men in hazmat suits entered the block late last night. The footage was timestamped 2:13 AM.
"No news... no alerts... who are you people?" he whispered.
He started typing furiously, tracing the signal.
---
Scene 6 – Staffroom, Night Before (Flashback)
Dr. Praba stared at the screen: a file blinking red – "VIRAL CONTAINMENT FAILED"
She muttered, "I told them this would happen. I told them not to test on cadavers."
She locked the file behind three encrypted layers. Burned the paper copy.
And looked out the window toward the biotech block.
"It's begun..."