Serene Hope's Forgotten Wing – 6:00 A.M.
The tension in the room was suffocating.
Vashti stood frozen, her father's hand in hers. Shabd stood protectively beside her. Dr. R watched, calculating. And at the doorway, framed in cold morning light—Miafel Amor Dhiman, gun raised, eyes locked on the man she once trusted.
"Mia…" Dr. R's voice faltered for the first time.
"You don't get to say my name," she hissed, stepping forward. "Not after what you did to my husband. To my daughter."
"Your husband volunteered," he argued. "He believed in our mission."
"He believed in saving lives," Miafel snapped. "Not sacrificing his own for your ego."
---
Flashback – 18 Years Ago
A younger Vivek Dhiman sits in a lab, scribbling notes. Miafel, heavily pregnant with Vashti, watches from the doorway.
"I'm scared," she says softly.
"I'm not," he replies. "Because everything I'm building here… is to protect our future."
Behind them, Dr. R watches silently.
---
Now
Vashti rose slowly, eyes locked on her mother.
"You knew," she whispered. "You knew he was alive."
Miafel's shoulders sank. "I suspected. But I couldn't prove it. And every time I got close… they threatened your life."
Vashti's voice trembled with rage. "So you chose silence?"
"I chose you," Miafel said, voice cracking. "If I lost him, I could still survive. But if I lost you…"
Silence. Then—
"I hate you," Vashti whispered. "For giving up. For lying. For making me think I was alone."
Shabd placed a steadying hand on her back. She didn't shake it off this time.
---
Dr. R moved suddenly—
Lunging for the control panel.
Miafel fired. A warning shot, close enough to slice the edge of his coat.
"Try it again," she said coldly. "And I won't miss."
Alarms began to blare anyway—backup systems Dr. R had rigged long ago. Security lockdown initiated.
They had 10 minutes before the facility sealed itself.
---
Vashti turned to Shabd. "We need to move Dad now."
Shabd nodded, already at the bed's controls. "Vitals are stable, but he's not waking up yet."
Miafel ran to help them detach him from the machines. Vashti hovered near her father's side, whispering.
"You promised you'd protect us. I need you now."
A blink. A flicker of movement in his left eye.
Then—
Vivek Dhiman opened his eyes.
---
He couldn't speak. But his gaze met Vashti's, soft and full of everything she'd needed to hear her whole life.
Tears streamed down her face.
"We're getting you out of here," she choked.
---
Dr. R made one last move—
A hidden syringe pulled from his coat.
He lunged toward Vashti.
But Shabd was faster.
With one brutal punch, he knocked the syringe away, sending R crashing into the wall. Blood trailed from his mouth.
"You're done," Shabd said.
---
6:09 A.M. – Facility Exit
They pushed Vivek's gurney through the crumbling halls as the countdown ticked away.
10… 9… 8…
The doors slammed behind them the moment they rolled out, the building locking down forever.
They made it.
For now.
---
Later That Morning – Safehouse
Vivek was resting. Miafel stood outside the room, eyes red.
Vashti leaned against the wall beside her. "You knew I'd never stop looking."
Miafel smiled faintly. "You're your father's daughter."
Shabd joined them. He handed Vashti her father's old ID card—retrieved from the lab ruins.
She held it tightly. "This was never just about finding him."
Shabd nodded. "No. It's about finishing what he started."
---