Chapter 35: Firestorm Ignites
June 7, 2009 — 10:00 AM — Nehru Place, New Delhi
The smell of old electronics, dust, and cheap coffee filled the air.
Shiva weaved through the crowded lanes of Nehru Place — India's chaotic tech heart.
All around him:
Shops selling second-hand laptops.
Rickety stalls flashing pirated software.
Tech agents shouting over cracked walkie-talkies.
It was messy.
It was wild.
It was perfect.
Shiva wasn't here to shop.
He was here to build an empire.
---
Mission #1: Find an Office
Farhan panted behind him, carrying two heavy bags.
"Bro, can't we just work from the rooftop?"
Shiva grinned.
"No. Rooftop looks like a college hobby.
Office looks like destiny."
After three hours of haggling, Shiva found it:
A tiny 200-square-foot room.
Barely enough space for four desks.
No windows.
Peeling paint.
Rent: ₹4,500/month.
Deposit: ₹7,000.
It smelled faintly of dead rats.
It was perfect.
"Sign it," Shiva said.
The broker grinned, counting crisp ₹500 notes.
Farhan looked horrified.
Shiva felt alive.
---
Mission #2: Register the Company
Next stop: Patel Nagar — a maze of government offices.
Inside a dimly-lit cyber café, Shiva banged away at sticky keyboards.
> Company Name: Firestorm Games Pvt Ltd
Purpose: Mobile and PC Gaming Applications Development
Directors: Shiva Rathore, Farhan Ali, Riya Kapoor
Application fees.
Digital signatures.
Endless verification photos holding newspaper dates.
Everything slow.
Everything bureaucratic.
Shiva didn't care.
By 2:00 PM, it was done.
The emails buzzed in:
> "Registration Successful. Your Company ID: [REDACTED]."
Farhan whooped.
Riya texted heart emojis.
Manoj sent: "Bro we're legit AF!!!"
Shiva smiled to himself.
Firestorm Games was real.
Now they needed real firepower.
---
Mission #3: Recruit a Loyal Army
Over cold samosas and watery chai, Shiva wrote a list:
Coders who could survive 20-hour crunches.
Designers who could turn chaos into beauty.
Marketing minds who could sell ice to Eskimos.
He sent out secret invitations to the most obsessed players from Rickshaw Rush Society.
Only the best. Only the insane.
June 10, 2009 — Firestorm Office
Eight kids stood in the hot, cramped room.
Confused.
Excited.
Sweating.
Shiva stood on a broken plastic chair.
Spoke like a general.
> "You are NOT employees.
You are not interns.
You are Firestorm.
And together, we're going to destroy giants.
Build an empire.
Make history."
Silence.
Then Farhan tossed a water bottle into the air.
Cheering erupted.
Laughter.
Hope.
The revolution had begun.
---
Mission #4: Fight the Spy
Two days later, trouble arrived.
Manoj, nervous, pulled Shiva aside.
"Bro," he whispered, "I heard something. One of the new hires... he's leaking stuff."
Shiva's stomach twisted.
Already?
He moved fast:
Installed keyloggers.
Monitored WiFi packets.
Traced IP activity.
By midnight, the truth was clear:
> One coder — Kunal — was sending screenshots of their game designs to a random Gmail ID.
A front.
A spy.
Probably GameNode.
Shiva didn't rage.
He didn't scream.
He simply called a "pizza party" meeting.
When Kunal showed up, Shiva smiled warmly.
Handed him a folder:
Logs of his messages.
Screenshots of leaked files.
Kunal went pale.
Tried to deny.
Tried to beg.
Tried to cry.
Shiva just said:
> "Leave. Now. Before you find out what happens to traitors in Delhi."
Kunal fled.
The door slammed behind him.
The rest of the Firestorm kids stared, wide-eyed.
Shiva turned back to them, calm.
> "If you ever have doubts — talk to me.
If you ever feel scared — tell me.
But if you ever betray Firestorm... you won't get a second chance."
They nodded.
Loyalty sealed by fire.
---
Late Night — On the Rooftop
Riya sat beside Shiva, sipping warm Coke.
"Do you really think we can beat them?" she asked quietly.
Shiva stared at the dirty skyline.
The neon signs.
The smog.
The thousand dreams flickering in the dark.
"We're not just going to beat them," he said.
> "We're going to change India forever."
She smiled.
He smiled back.
And somewhere deep in the city,
GameNode HQ received an emergency report:
> "Firestorm Games has gone underground.
They're building something bigger than Rickshaw Rush.
They're coming."
---
Meanwhile — Far, Far Away
In a luxurious penthouse in Singapore,
a call was made.
The voice was deep. Cold.
> "If Shiva wants a war...
We'll give him one."
---
[End of Chapter 35]