11:52 AM – Estate War Room
The photograph on the giant screen froze the entire room.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The image showed a small laboratory chamber surrounded by scientists in white coats. Complex machines and monitors filled the background.
But none of that mattered.
Because at the center of the picture—
A little girl sat inside a glass testing pod.
Her hair tied into two small ponytails.
Her eyes calm.
Her face unmistakable.
She looked exactly like Sasmita.
Sasmita's breathing slowly became uneven.
"That… that's not possible."
She stepped closer to the screen.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she stared at the photo.
"I've never seen this place before."
Across the room, Srikant stood silently.
His mind was racing.
If this photograph was real… then Sasmita's past had been carefully erased.
And someone powerful had done it.
Beside him, Rudra Sen opened the file completely.
More documents appeared on the screen.
Medical scans.
Neural activity charts.
Psychological assessments.
Each page had the same header:
PROJECT AURORA – CLASSIFIED
Rudra read quickly.
Then his expression darkened.
"This program was far more advanced than I expected."
Srikant looked at him.
"What exactly was Aurora?"
Rudra exhaled slowly.
"An experimental intelligence program."
Sasmita turned toward them.
"Intelligence program?"
Rudra nodded.
"Years ago several global research groups began studying children with extremely rare cognitive abilities."
He pointed to one of the charts.
"These children had abnormal neural activity patterns."
"Higher memory retention."
"Advanced pattern recognition."
"Unusual emotional control."
Sasmita shook her head.
"You're saying they experimented on kids?"
"Yes," Rudra answered calmly.
"Some believed these children could become the most powerful strategic thinkers in the world."
The room fell silent again.
Srikant crossed his arms.
"But the program was shut down."
Rudra nodded slowly.
"Officially… yes."
"But the documents say something different."
He zoomed into a line of text.
SUBJECT A-17 – STATUS: RELOCATED
Sasmita stared at the screen.
"A-17?"
Rudra looked at her.
"That's your subject number."
The words felt unreal.
"Subject number…" she whispered.
Srikant stepped forward.
"Whoever ran this program erased your identity and placed you into a normal civilian life."
"Why?" Sasmita asked quietly.
Before anyone could answer—
The main screen suddenly flickered again.
A video transmission signal appeared.
Rudra frowned.
"That signal bypassed every firewall we have."
The room lights dimmed slightly as the screen activated.
Then a familiar voice echoed.
Calm.
Cold.
Calculated.
"Good afternoon."
The image slowly cleared.
The tall figure appeared again.
The leader of Axis.
Sovereign.
Srikant's eyes hardened immediately.
"You're getting predictable."
Sovereign smiled faintly.
"Am I?"
His gaze shifted toward Sasmita.
"You must be confused."
Sasmita stepped forward.
"What do you want from me?"
Sovereign tilted his head slightly.
"You were always meant to ask that question."
He raised his hand and another document appeared on the screen.
An evaluation report.
Age: 6 years old
Subject: A-17
Description:
"Subject demonstrates extraordinary strategic cognition. Capable of solving multi-layer tactical simulations beyond expected developmental level."
Sasmita's heart began pounding.
"I don't remember any of this…"
Sovereign nodded calmly.
"Of course you don't."
"Your memories were removed."
The entire room went silent.
Even Rudra looked shocked.
Srikant spoke slowly.
"Memory suppression?"
Sovereign smiled.
"Temporary suppression."
He leaned slightly closer to the camera.
"Your brain was designed to think differently."
"And the moment your environment becomes complex enough…"
"Those abilities start returning."
Sasmita felt a strange dizziness.
Suddenly small flashes appeared in her mind.
White lights.
Cold laboratory rooms.
Voices speaking numbers.
She grabbed the edge of the table.
Srikant immediately moved beside her.
"You okay?"
She nodded slowly.
But her eyes looked distant.
Meanwhile Sovereign continued speaking.
"Project Aurora didn't fail."
"It succeeded."
Rudra stepped forward angrily.
"You experimented on children."
Sovereign's voice remained calm.
"We created the future."
Then he looked directly at Sasmita again.
"And you are the most valuable result."
Srikant's voice became sharp.
"Why reveal this now?"
Sovereign's smile widened slightly.
"Because the game has reached the next phase."
He tapped a command.
A new file appeared.
GLOBAL ALERT – DRAFT WARRANT
Target Name: Srikant
Charges:
Illegal intelligence operations
International espionage
Cyber warfare
Srikant stared at the screen.
Sovereign continued calmly.
"In twelve hours this warrant will reach global authorities."
"Your accounts will freeze."
"Your operations will collapse."
"And your protection will disappear."
Sasmita's eyes widened.
"You're destroying his life."
Sovereign shook his head slightly.
"No."
"I'm removing obstacles."
He paused.
"And once Srikant falls…"
His voice became colder.
"You will belong to Axis."
The screen suddenly went black.
Transmission ended.
The room remained silent.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Finally Srikant turned toward Sasmita.
His voice calm but firm.
"They want to control you."
Sasmita slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes looked different now.
Stronger.
Focused.
"No," she said quietly.
"They won't."
Rudra looked at her carefully.
"What are you thinking?"
She stared at the screen where the Aurora file was still open.
"If they created this program…"
She said slowly,
"Then the only way to stop them…"
"Is to destroy it completely."
Srikant and Rudra exchanged a glance.
Because they both understood what that meant.
They would have to find the truth behind Project Aurora.
And that truth was buried deep inside Axis.