Mumbai evening air felt heavy with the smell of car, frying street food Tejas Joshi walked through the crowded street, his backpack heavy on his shoulders.
At eighteen, Tejas was a top student in the PCMB stream—Physics, Chemistry, Maths, and Biology. He loved understanding how the world worked. Equations were easy for him; they made sense. Life, however, wasn't always as simple. He knew he was adopted. His parents, Eshwar and Komal Joshi, were the kindest people in the world. They adopted tejas.
His college was squeezed between tall office buildings and old apartment blocks. Right next to the campus was a place that always made Tejas curious: 'Futura Dynamics.' It was a private research lab. Students whispered rumors about robots and artificial intelligence. But Tejas, watching the strange power spikes at night and the specialized trucks arriving in the dark, suspected they were building something much more powerful.
He turned onto the quiet side street that led to the lab's service entrance. Suddenly, he stopped. Something was wrong.
A dark blue van was parked in the shadows. The engine was running quietly. Four men dressed in black, wearing masks, jumped out. They moved fast. One of them used a large tool to snap the chain on the side gate.
Tejas froze. His brain switched from physics to danger mode. This wasn't just kids playing a prank. These were professionals. He hid behind a parked auto-rickshaw and pulled out his phone. He dialed the police.
"I need to report a break-in," he whispered, staring at the gate. "Futura Dynamics. Four masked men. They might have weapons." He gave his name and location quickly.
"Stay on the line, sir. Officers are on the way," the operator said. "Do not go near them."
Tejas hung up. He looked down the main road. The traffic was jammed. 'On the way' could mean twenty minutes in Mumbai traffic. By then, the thieves would be gone. What if they broke something dangerous? What if people inside were hurt?
He was smart, but he also had a heart that couldn't just walk away. He saw the service gate left slightly open. He made a choice.
Keeping his head low, Tejas slipped through the gate. He moved silently along the wall of the building until he found an open window. He climbed inside.
He heard noises coming from the center of the building. He walked softly on the floor, peeking around a corner into the main lab.
His breath caught in his throat.
Several scientists in white coats were lying on the floor, unconscious. They were slumped over desks or sprawled on the ground. The room hummed with the sound of big machines. In the center, the four thieves stood around a complex device. They were carefully taking out a glowing orange object. It was small, like the size of a cricket ball, but it shine brightly.
That must be the target, Tejas thought.
Just then, a floorboard creaked under his foot. One thief spun around.
"Hey! Intruder!"
Tejas turned and ran. He heard heavy boots pounding behind him. He didn't just run blindly; he remembered the building layout he had seen from the outside. He ducked into a small storage lab and slammed the door, jamming a heavy metal stool under the handle.
The thieves banged against the door. "Open up!"
Tejas looked around frantically. Wires, tools, a large tank marked 'Nitrogen.' An idea sparked. He grabbed a heavy wrench and smashed the valve off the tank. He aimed the nozzle at the bottom of the door.
A cloud of freezing white gas blasted out. The door burst open, but the thieves choked and stumbled back, slipping on the suddenly frozen floor.
Tejas scrambled out the other side and ran for the main exit. But the leader of the thieves was fast. He cut Tejas off in the hallway. The man lunged. Tejas dodged, spinning the man around. Seeing a chance, Tejas kicked the bag the thief was holding.
The bag flew open. The glowing orange ball rolled across the floor.
Without thinking, Tejas scooped it up. It felt smooth and warm, pulsing like a heartbeat in his hand. He turned to run.
"Stop him! Don't let him take the core!" the leader screamed.
Another thief blocked the path ahead. He held a strange, futuristic gun.
"Drop it, kid!"
A red laser dot appeared on Tejas's chest. Instinctively, Tejas raised his hand—the one holding the orange object—to protect himself.
The thief fired.
A beam of red energy shot from the gun. It didn't hit Tejas. It hit the orange sphere in his hand.
For a second, time seemed to stop. The object absorbed the laser beam. It glowed brighter and brighter, until it was blinding. Then, it exploded.
It wasn't a fire explosion. It was a wave of pure orange force. It threw Tejas backward against the wall. The object disintegrated in his hand, the energy soaking into his skin. The blast ripped through the lab. Computers sparked, cables snapped, and a fire ignited instantly.
Tejas saw the thieves running away in panic as the flames spread. Then, everything went black.
He woke up to the smell of smoke and intense heat. The corridor was filled with thick black fumes. He coughed, his lungs burning. He had to get out.
Through the haze, he saw the main lab. The scientists were still there, unconscious on the floor. The fire was getting closer to them.
He couldn't leave them to die.
Tejas stumbled toward them. The heat was unbearable, but he felt strange. He felt... light. He grabbed the first scientist, an older woman. He expected her to be heavy, but she felt as light as a feather.
He turned to the exit.
Whoosh.
It happened in a blink. One moment he was holding the woman, the next moment he was outside, laying her gently on the grass. He blinked, confused. How did he get there so fast?
He didn't have time to think. He dove back into the burning building.
He felt that rush again. The world seemed to slow down around him while he moved at normal speed. He grabbed another scientist, then another. He was a blur, moving back and forth through the smoke and flames like a ghost. He didn't feel the burns on his skin. He just moved, driven by a need to save them.
He carried the last man out just as the lab's roof collapsed with a massive crash.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Blue and red lights flashed through the smoke. The police and fire brigade had arrived.
Suddenly, the strange energy left him. The adrenaline crashed. The pain hit him all at once—his lungs burned, his skin stung, and his head throbbed. The world spun violently.
Tejas collapsed onto the grass beside the people he had saved. As his eyes closed, he wondered how he had done the impossible.
[To be continued…]
Support me: vanshbosssrahate@oksbi (UPI ID)
Author: Vansh Rahate
Editor: Vansh Rahate
Story by: Vansh Rahate
Under: Alaukika Studios