Serene Hope Hospital – Emergency Stairwell
The smoke had cleared. But not the tension.
Vashti sat on the stairwell landing, knees pulled to her chest, her heart still racing from the explosion—and the kiss.
Shabd sat beside her, silent, eyes scanning the bruised edges of her hand.
"Who do you think set that fire?" she asked.
He didn't answer right away.
Because deep down… he knew.
---
Flashback – Six Years Ago
Shabd, Age 20
Internship at Serene Hope had just begun. He was assigned under none other than Dr. Satvik Ramesh.
At first, it felt like an honor—until he started noticing the inconsistencies. The altered charts. Patients going "missing."
One night, Shabd had followed Dr. R into the basement level.
What he saw scarred him: a child—barely ten—hooked to wires, unconscious, brain scans flashing red across the monitor.
He confronted Dr. R.
Dr. R smiled and said,
> "Science always demands a sacrifice. Are you willing to give yours?"
Shabd reported it. No one listened.
He transferred departments within the week.
But Dr. R had never forgotten.
---
Present Day
"It was him," Shabd finally said. "Dr. R. He's burning anything your dad left behind. He's done playing subtle."
Vashti looked up at him. "Then neither will we."
---
Later That Night – Shabd's Apartment
Vashti paced while Shabd worked at his desk, uploading the corrupted files he'd managed to recover before the explosion.
"Why didn't you tell me you already knew about Dr. R?" she asked.
He didn't look up. "Because I knew it would pull you into something you couldn't escape."
Vashti stopped pacing. "You think I can't handle it?"
"No," he said, standing slowly. "I think I'll lose you. And I'm not sure I could survive that."
Silence. Electric.
Then Vashti stepped closer. "So you do care."
He exhaled. "I've cared since the day you almost set the chemistry lab on fire in tenth grade."
She grinned, tears in her eyes. "That wasn't entirely my fault."
"You threw a matchstick into acetone."
"And you smiled like a maniac while I got suspended."
"Because I was already falling," he whispered.
Her heart stopped. "Why didn't you tell me then?"
"I wasn't allowed to fall for a 12-year-old, Vashti. I had to wait. I had to pretend I didn't feel it—until you became you."
---
Her voice softened.
"Then let's stop pretending now."
And just like that, the wall between them collapsed.
---
Meanwhile…
A USB drive was handed to a stranger in a black coat.
Encrypted. Sealed.
Inside: the original Project Mind Trace files. With Vivek Dhiman's voice. His warnings.
His final location.
---