The ceiling fan creaked as it spun lazily above.
Kavin Arul didn't notice.
His eyes were locked onto the glow of his laptop screen, fingers moving in sharp bursts across the keyboard. Lines of code streamed endlessly, reflecting in his tired eyes.
Outside, Neo Madurai pulsed with life.
Temple bells rang faintly in the distance, blending with the low hum of surveillance drones that drifted across the night sky. Ancient stone towers stood beneath neon lights — old gods watching a new world.
Kavin leaned closer.
"Almost…"
The system resisted him.
Of course it did.
Aram Net — the most advanced predictive intelligence ever built. It didn't just track crime. It stopped it before it happened.
Untouchable. Perfect.
At least… that's what everyone believed.
But Kavin knew something was wrong.
Ever since his father disappeared, nothing about Aram Net felt right.
And tonight—
He found the crack.
"Got you."
A hidden directory flickered open.
Encrypted.
Buried deep.
Not meant to be seen.
Kavin's heartbeat slowed as he bypassed the final layer.
The file opened.
A single list.
Predictions.
Future threats.
He scanned it quickly—
Then stopped.
His breath caught.
His fingers froze above the keyboard.
NEXT THREAT: KAVIN ARUL
Silence.
The fan creaked above him.
"…Enna idhu…?"
His voice barely came out.
He blinked.
Refreshed the screen.
Again.
Same result.
His name didn't disappear.
It didn't change.
It stayed there.
Cold.
Certain.
Threat Level: Maximum
Kavin leaned back slowly, shaking his head.
"No… this is wrong…"
He pulled up another panel, digging deeper into the data.
Time stamp.
Coordinates.
Probability rate.
Everything checked out.
Everything confirmed it.
According to Aram Net—
He was going to commit a crime.
A serious one.
Something dangerous enough to label him a threat to the entire city.
"That's impossible…"
His voice cracked this time.
"I didn't do anything…"
A sudden sound cut through the silence.
WHOOOP—WHOOOP—
Sirens.
Sharp.
Fast.
Too close.
Kavin froze.
Another sound followed.
Heavy vehicles.
Stopping.
Right outside.
His heart began to pound.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
"No… no, no…"
He stood up quickly, moving toward the window.
Carefully.
Slowly.
He pulled the curtain aside just enough to see—
Black vehicles.
At least three.
Doors opening.
Armed officers stepping out.
Not regular police.
These were Aram Net agents.
And then—
She stepped forward.
Meera Vetrivel.
Even from a distance, there was something different about her.
Still.
Focused.
Dangerous.
Her eyes lifted—
Locking directly onto his window.
Kavin's breath stopped.
"…They found me."
Behind him, the laptop screen flickered.
A new line appeared.
CAPTURE PROBABILITY: 99%
His chest tightened.
For a moment—
He almost gave up.
Almost.
But then—
His eyes hardened.
Kavin grabbed his jacket, his mind racing.
"One percent…"
He whispered under his breath.
"One percent podhum."
(One percent is enough.)
Outside, footsteps approached his door.
Fast.
Precise.
No hesitation.
They knew exactly where he was.
Kavin turned toward the back exit.
No time left.
No plan.
Just instinct.
The door lock began to break.
Metal cracking under force.
Kavin took one last look at the screen.
At his name.
Burned into the system.
Then—
He ran.