Location: Zenith International Medical Conference – Helix Tower, Sector 1
Time: 10:14 AM
The lobby buzzed with neurosurgeons from every corner of the world—shaking hands, sharing papers, flashing credentials.
And right in the middle of it all…
Vashti Dhiman walked in, wearing her stolen ID badge and a white coat that felt heavier than armor.
Shabd was at her side, dressed as a medical tech. Arya lingered in the background, blending into the chaos like smoke—eyes twitching, murmurs under her breath growing sharper.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Shabd whispered.
Vashti didn't look at him.
"No. But it's the only idea."
She had thirty minutes before her face triggered Mirage's AI alert system. Thirty minutes to stand on the world stage… and tear down the people who built her like a machine.
---
11:02 AM – Main Auditorium
The hall darkened. A hush fell.
Dr. Kravitz—head of Mirage's civilian front—stepped onto stage.
Smiling. Powerful. Cruel.
> "Today, we celebrate the brilliant minds shaping the future of brain science…"
Behind him, the screens flickered on.
But instead of slides—
Vashti's voice echoed.
> "You've celebrated long enough."
Gasps filled the room.
Cameras turned.
Vashti walked down the aisle, head high, heart wild.
Arya hacked into the mainframe from the surveillance booth. A single USB in her hand. Her fingers trembled—but her code didn't.
On-screen flashed:
PROJECT HELIX FILES – LIVE TRANSMISSION
Unauthorized Human Experimentation
Engineered Intelligence Modification
Child Subject Tracking Logs
Subject V-7: Vashti Dhiman
> "I was born into this. Designed to obey. Monitored since I was twelve. Labeled disposable by the same hands that now call themselves healers."
Panic. Security scrambled. People shouted.
Dr. Kravitz reached for his mic—
> "Shut it down—"
BANG.
The shot echoed across the auditorium.
Shabd dropped to the ground—blood blooming across his side.
Vashti screamed.
Mirage agents had breached. Guns up. Orders loud.
Vashti dropped to her knees beside Shabd, clutching his hand.
> "No, no, no—stay with me, Shabd, please—don't do this to me now—"
He smiled, weakly.
> "You said you'd give them a war… I figured I'd… back you up."
More shots fired. Smoke grenades filled the air.
Arya's voice crackled in Vashti's earpiece.
> "I've got five minutes before this feed dies. You want the world to see everything… now's your shot."
Vashti stood, rage and grief consuming her whole.
She faced the cameras.
> "My name is Vashti Dhiman. I am not a threat. I am the proof that they created one."