The underground world believed it was just a race, a normal race, but it was something else.
Whatever happened on the tracks that night -- screaming engines, burning tires, a purple beast surprise which left everyone shocked - was not a race or a badass entry of a new team. Queens had planned something more, it was not about the war on tracks but about the war in silence.
The race was designed to keep thousands of eyes locked forward, hearts pounding but the real game moved in dark and shadows.
While the crowd roared,bets exchanged hands, four shadows were moving silently, precisely and without coming in someone's eyes, each playing a role that would rewrite the balance of power in the underground world.
Inside a black van parked, two streets away from the track, monitors glowed softly in the dark. Lines of code appearing even faster than human eyes could follow. Firewalls collapsed one after another, not with force -- but with elegance.
" Braves' external systems are too loud and sloppy. I was expecting something tough but.....", a calm female voice said through the earpiece, fingers dancing on the keyboard effortlessly." They're blind to anything that doesn't scream."
A pause.
Then quieter -- almost amused.
"Diverting their attentions.....now."
Across the city, every screen in the Braves' command network flooded with race analytics, live feeds and false alerts. Their focus narrowed to one thing : the track.
Exactly as planned.
Elsewhere, far from the cheers and chaos, two figures stood in the shadows
facing a concrete giant -- the Braves' Headquarters. Floodlights were moving across the areas, slow and predictable.
Predictable was good.
One of them rolled her shoulders, cracking her neck lightly, stretching her hands getting ready for the showdown.
On the contrast, the other one eyes rolling everywhere, every inch of the braves territory. They were hidden in the shadows waiting for the signal, to barge in.
"Security all clean , I have got you seven minutes. Don't get sentimental," came the voice in their ears.
A soft chuckle answered back," Seven minutes is generous, we won't take that much time."
"Go, go....go. now", as the voice entered their ears. They moved the moment the lights turned away.Their movements were not hasty but fluid, precise and practiced. No hesitation, no wasted motion. This wasn't an official match or mission rather it was an unofficial move in the unofficial world.
Then they entered, one after another guards dropped before alarms could breathe.They were not fighting, they were enjoying it. Not brute force-- control.
They were striking, moving like this was not something new for them. One said," You really need to work on your footwork, you're slow."
Other replied,"Oh! Come on. Don't make me laugh, I covered for you just now."
They were teasing each other.
But as they entered the main base.
Deep inside the facility, a symbol flickered briefly across a restricted terminal.
A single letter.
B.
The two figures exchanged a look. This wasn't random. This wasn't local.
"This again?" one muttered."They're everywhere."
"And nowhere", the other replied."Which makes them dangerous."
Above them a monitor crakled and a voice.
" You've got company rerouting through sector C."
The voice was calm and amused.
The one by the pillar straightened,
"Timing?"
"Thirty seconds, may be less. Security still thinks this is an internal failure. The systems were blind even before the race began."
The calculating one exhaled slowly. " Good let them keep believing that."
A blast echoed from the eastern corridor -- boots, shouting and confusion.
The woman near the pillar smirked, " Guess. We have got a way back, we just need to crush some of them. My favourite way to leave a place after the mission."
She moved first.
The hallway turned into noise - impact, bodies hitting concrete, weapons skidding across the floors.She didn't need any of the weapons only hands, it was not only about strength but also about speed and agility.
The second followed differently. She didn't seek confrontation; confrontation found her. And when it did, it ended fast. Twist of wrist, pressure points and movements timed perfectly with momentum.
"Left turn, two hostiles."
"Camera blind spot in three... two... Now."
They moved without a question , without any second thought.
And the two queens comes out from the Headquarters safe and sound. The one guiding them was standing right there waiting for them.
Before they could speak anything, they heard a horn.
The three of them looked back and that was the Purple Beast.
The racer comes out, helmet still on and said, " You guys are fast. I think I need to work more on my speed too."
"Ofcource, little queen you need to work on your speed as well as height, I wonder if your legs reaches the breaks and clutches of the car," the one with strength started to tease.
"You don't need to think and don't call me that." Racer replied all frustrated.
"Time to leave," the calm one said," They will notice the silence soon."
Then the four queens moved together.
Not as individuals.
As a unit.
Behind them, the headquarters groaned back to life. All systems rebooted. Sirens, boots and confusion, all chaos.
The queens giving each other looks, proud of themselves.
On the every remaining screen only one word remained.
QUEENS
One by one each of them removes their masks.
The first one from the right.
She removes her mask slowly. Her presence hardens the air. Her posture and body build tells about her discipline and strength.
"I am Durga.
The one who protects.
If you lay your fingers on Queens, I'll make sure you don't have them anymore.
I don't believe in rules - I break them.
And bones too, if your intensions are filthy.
Cross the Queens once.... and you won't get a second chance to regret it."
The next on the very left.
Helmet comes off, a grin flashing under neon lights. Her presence was not something like strength but sharpness and cuteness framed in a body.
" I am Saraswati.
I design cars - and victories.
Every engine you heard tonight, every path that cuts through the underground world, I built it all.
I'm the youngest.
I'm the fastest.
And speed isn't just my skill - it's my language."
And then the next- on the right of Saraswati - at the centre. Mask slides away, eyes calm, fingers tapping on the little screen. Her presence could be defined as something pure and innocent ,calm and beautiful.
"I'm Radhika.
The hacker, what they all call me.
I break into systems before they even realise the Queens exist .
No body catches us - not while I'm watching the screens.
Firewalls, cameras, data trails .... all bend for me
As long as I'm online, the Queens stay invisible."
The last to remove her mask -on the left to Durga- at the centre. Her presence don't need any announcement she was the one behind the Queens, reason of everything that works perfectly.
"I'm Sia.
The leader and CEO of the Queens company.
Queens is not just a company by day or a team at night.
It's a dream.
A rebellion.
A search for the truths buried in this underground world, the reason for everything that happened to our lives.
We didn't enter to underground world just to race.
We came to rule it.
And find the the answers we've been chasing since childhood."
The four of them stood together, masks in hand, eyes burning with resolve. Outside, the night air was thick with tension. Inside, unseen , a man leaned towards the screens and smiled.
"Interesting..." , he murmured. " Finally you.... appeared."
And the screen zooms in and the face of one of the queens appears.