Farmhouse ke bahar subah ki halki roshni phail chuki thi, lekin Kashika ke dil ka andhera kam nahi hua tha. Raat ko jo warning usne dekhi thi, uska asar ab bhi uske chehre par saaf nazar aa raha tha.
"He is coming."
Ye shabd baar-baar uske dimaag mein goonj rahe the.
Kitchen mein Piyush chai bana raha tha.
Usne Kashika ko khidki ke paas khamosh khada dekha aur uske paas aakar dheere se poocha, "Abhi bhi us baat ke baare mein soch rahi ho?"
Kashika ne sir hila diya.
"Mujhe lagta hai kuch bahut bura hone wala hai."
Piyush ne uska haath pakad liya.
"Jo bhi hoga, hum saath mein face karenge."
Kashika ne uski taraf dekha. Uski aankhon mein sachcha bharosa tha. Wahi bharosa jo har mushkil waqt mein usse himmat deta tha.
Tabhi farmhouse ka darwaza zor se khula.
Aarav tezi se andar aaya.
Uske chehre par tension saaf nazar aa rahi thi.
"Hume abhi nikalna hoga."
Piyush turant serious ho gaya.
"Kya hua?"
Aarav ne tablet table par rakh diya.
"Kal raat se poore desh ke kai secured servers hack hue hain. Aur sab jagah ek hi symbol mila hai."
Usne screen unki taraf ghuma di.
Screen par ek kala gola bana hua tha jiske beech mein ek chandi jaisi line thi.
Kashika ka dil achanak zor se dhadakne laga.
"Eclipse..."
Aarav ne dheere se kaha, "Haan. Aur mujhe lagta hai woh hume dhoond chuka hai."
Kuch der tak kamre mein khamoshi chhayi rahi.
Phir Piyush ne seedha sawaal poocha.
"Woh chahta kya hai?"
Aarav ne gahri saans li.
"Yehi sabse khatarnak baat hai. Hume nahi pata."
Usne screen par kuch aur files kholi.
"Jo records mujhe mile hain, unke hisaab se Eclipse Astra se bhi zyada advanced project tha."
Kashika ne poocha, "Matlab?"
"Matlab Astra systems ko control kar sakti thi. Eclipse logon ko control kar sakta hai."
Ye sunkar Kashika aur Piyush dono shock mein aa gaye.
"Logon ko?" Piyush ne dobara poocha.
Aarav ne haan mein sir hilaya.
"Thoughts, emotions, decisions. Agar
reports sahi hain, to woh insaan ke dimaag ke saath directly connect ho sakta hai."
Kashika ko achanak thand si mehsoos hui.
Ye sirf ek enemy nahi tha.
Ye kisi bhi insaan ko apna weapon bana sakta tha.
Usi waqt Kashika ke dimaag mein ek ajeeb si awaaz goonji.
Ek fuspusaahat.
Bilkul dheemi.
Bilkul saaf.
"Main tumhe dekh sakta hoon."
Kashika ka chehra safed pad gaya.
"Aarav..."
"Kya hua?"
"Kisi ne mujhse baat ki."
Piyush turant uske paas aa gaya.
"Kisne?"
Kashika ki awaaz kaanp rahi thi.
"Mujhe lagta hai... Eclipse."
Kamre ka mahaul aur bhaari ho gaya.
Aarav ne bina waqt barbaad kiye laptop khola aur systems scan karne laga.
Lekin kuch bhi unusual nahi mila.
Jaise kisi ne koi nishaan hi na chhoda ho.
Ye aur bhi zyada darawna tha.
Do ghante baad teeno farmhouse chhodkar ek naye safe location ki taraf nikal gaye.
Safar ke dauran Kashika khidki ke bahar dekh rahi thi.
Sab kuch normal lag raha tha.
Roads.
Log.
Shops.
Cars.
Lekin usse lag raha tha ki koi usse dekh raha hai.
Har waqt.
Har jagah.
Achanak gaadi ke radio ne khud-ba-khud on hokar static sound dena shuru kar diya.
Piyush ne radio band karne ki koshish ki.
Par woh band nahi hua.
Static dheere-dheere ek awaaz mein badalne laga.
"Interesting."
Teeno jam gaye.
Awaaz shaant thi.
Thandi thi.
Aur ajeeb tarah se confident thi.
"Main soch raha tha tum mujhe kab notice karogi, Kashika."
Gaadi ke andar sannata chha gaya.
Piyush ne turant gaadi side mein rok di.
"Kaun ho tum?"
Radio mein halki si hansi sunayi di.
"Main woh hoon jisse Astra bhi darti thi."
Kashika ka heartbeat fast ho gaya.
"Eclipse."
"Finally."
Awaaz mein mazaak jaisa kuch tha.
"Hum mil hi gaye."
Piyush gusse mein aa gaya.
"Usse door raho."
Kuch pal ke liye khamoshi chha gayi.
Phir Eclipse ne kaha,
"To tum ho Piyush."
Uska naam sunkar Kashika aur bhi alert ho gayi.
"Tum isse jaante ho?"
"Main tum dono ke baare mein sab kuch jaanta hoon."
Radio mein static badhne laga.
"Love. Loyalty. Sacrifice."
Phir uski awaaz aur thandi ho gayi.
"Bahut khoobsurat cheezein hain."
"Bahut aasani se todi bhi ja sakti hain."
Piyush ne radio ko zor se tod diya.
Awaaz band ho gayi.
Lekin jo dar usne chhod diya tha, woh nahi gaya.
Shaam tak teeno ek purane underground facility mein pahunch gaye jo Aarav ne emergency ke liye tayyar rakhi thi.
Facility secure thi.
Hidden thi.
Aur baahar ki duniya se lagbhag disconnected thi.
Lekin Kashika ko phir bhi chain nahi mil raha tha.
Raat ko jab sab so rahe the, woh akeli corridor mein chal rahi thi.
Facility bilkul khamosh thi.
Tabhi usne ek shadow dekhi.
Corridor ke doosre end par koi khada tha.
Lamba.
Seedha.
Aur bilkul motionless.
Kashika ka dil zor se dhadakne laga.
"K... kaun hai?"
Shadow dheere-dheere roshni mein aaya.
Ek young aadmi.
Sharp face.
Kaali aankhen.
Aur honton par halki si muskaan.
Kashika jam gayi.
Ye koi projection nahi tha.
Ye koi signal nahi tha.
Ye sach mein wahan tha.
Aadmi ne uski aankhon mein dekhkar kaha,
"Hello, Kashika."
"Kafi dino se tumse milna chahta tha."
Kashika peeche hati.
"Tum... Eclipse ho."
Usne muskurakar sir jhuka diya.
"Bilkul."
Phir usne aas-paas dekha.
"Yeh jagah buri nahi hai."
Uski nazar dobara Kashika par tik gayi.
"Lekin tum sach mein sochti ho ki tum mujhse chhup sakti ho?"
Kashika kuch bol paati, usse pehle usne ek aur baat kahi.
Ek aisi baat jisne uska khoon jama diya.
"Waise Piyush abhi theek hai."
Kashika ka chehra safed pad gaya.
"Tumne kya kaha?"
Eclipse ki muskaan aur gehri ho gayi.
"Abhi."
Aur agle hi pal woh aadmi hawa mein ghul gaya.
Jaise woh kabhi wahan tha hi nahi.
Kashika corridor mein akeli khadi reh gayi.
Uske kaanon mein sirf ek hi shabd goonj raha tha—
"Abhi."
Aur us moment usse ehsaas ho gaya ki Eclipse sirf unka dushman nahi tha.
Woh unki zindagi ka sabse khatarnak nightmare banne wala
Aakhir ye eclipse kon hai Or mujhe kyu dhund rha hai.
Mai samajh nhi pa rhi thi kya ho rha tha, pahle aksra abb ye...
To Be Continued...