A-1139-042 – MISSING PERSON: RAVI SEN
Filed by: Officer Raghav Anand.
Naira's father.
Before the weight of that realization could settle, a soft creak echoed behind him. He turned fast.
A man stood at the door of the archive room. Late 30s. Uniformed. Pale skin. Bloodshot eyes.
A slow, unnatural smile stretched across his face.
Without warning, he flicked something out of his pocket—a lighter—and tossed it into the open shelf.
WHOOSH.
Flames licked the old files like starving dogs. Aarav lunged forward, but the fire spread fast—deliberate, fueled by accelerants.
"Stop! Who are you?!" Aarav shouted, stepping toward him.
The man didn't flinch. He reached into his coat.
Gun.
Anahata buzzed in warning. "Weapon detected—short-range, modified. Defensive stance recommended."
Aarav braced.
But instead of pointing it at Aarav… the man turned the barrel to his own head.
Smile still plastered on his face.
" don't talk," he whispered.
BANG.
His body crumpled, blood splattering the marble floor. The fire roared louder behind them.
Naira's voice cracked through the Soul Connection. "Aarav! What the hell just happened?!"
He couldn't respond—because footsteps pounded from the hallway.
Two figures rushed in—also in police uniform, faces smeared with soot like they'd "discovered" the fire.
Aarav turned, relieved for a moment—until they looked up…
and smiled.
"There he is," one of them said.
The other pulled out a grenade.
"Burn the truth."
"Leave no whispers."
Aarav dove behind the metal cabinets just as the first explosion rocked the archive. Dust and paper blew like a blizzard of fire. Shells tore through steel. He heard laughter—mad, gleeful—as bullets ricocheted off filing cabinets.
Anahata: "Structural integrity compromised. 17 seconds to escape or burial risk."
"Elevator shaft," Aarav growled. "Mark it."
Naira screamed in his ear. "Don't die, Aarav!"
Another grenade rolled his way.
He grabbed the half-burned file from the floor, clutched it to his chest, and sprinted. Smoke blinded him. Heat scorched his back. Behind him, the room was collapsing—stone and flame swallowing the past.
He reached the elevator shaft, tore the doors open, and leapt into darkness.