Location: Mirage Border Facility – Outer Perimeter
Time: 3:09 AM
Rain lashed down as Shabd adjusted the stolen Mirage ID badge on his chest.
The black uniform fit him too perfectly—it made Vashti nervous.
Vashti, dressed in a crisp white lab coat, her usual fury masked behind cold precision, glanced at the guard tower. Her eyes narrowed.
"We get 11 minutes inside before the systems reset and flags go up," she said. "After that, we're on our own."
Shabd smirked. "Just like med school exams."
She rolled her eyes. "Except in those, no one dies if we fail."
---
Inside the Facility – Main Research Wing
Their forged clearance cards worked. Mirage security let them in without a blink.
"Visiting surgeons from the Neural Observation Task Force," Shabd had said smoothly.
"Here to examine Subject 13's neural retention under trauma."
"Subject 13?" the guard had asked.
Vashti's eyes didn't even flinch.
"Arya R. Codename: Helix."
---
Cell Block Corridor
The hallway reeked of bleach and burnt circuits.
They passed dozens of doors before reaching hers.
Vashti paused. Something twisted in her chest. She could hear muffled crying. Soft. Rhythmic. Not from pain. From memory.
Shabd entered the unlock code.
Click.
The door opened.
And there she was.
Arya—shackled, shaking, eyes fluttering in and out of consciousness—was smiling at nothing.
"I told her," she murmured, "don't fall for him… he's too tall… he looks like a human lamppost…"
Vashti's heart cracked. "Arya…"
Arya's head snapped up. Her gaze unfocused.
"Vashti?" she blinked, "Are you real? Or just another one of their hallucinations?"
Vashti didn't answer. She just ran to her.
Held her. Untied the cuffs. Cradled Arya's head to her chest like she was made of glass.
"I'm real. And I'm here to get you the hell out."
---
Meanwhile – Surveillance Room
The camera feed in Cell 13 glitched. A technician frowned. "Sir? Visual loss in Block 7."
The commander leaned in.
"Let it play out."
"What?"
He smirked. "Let's see if the wolves think they can walk out in sheep's clothing."
---
Back in the Corridor
Shabd slung Arya's arm around his shoulder.
"She's weak, but she's fighting," he said. "Still trying to recite password sequences even while hallucinating."
Vashti wiped tears off Arya's face.
"She's not weak. She's in reboot mode."
Shabd's comm buzzed once. Then again.
Code Red. Breach Alert. Guards Incoming.
Vashti's eyes lit up.
"Then let's go full surgical strike."
She cracked her knuckles. Shabd drew a hidden blade.
And the hallways of Mirage… turned into a battleground.
---