7:02 PM — Athavan Mansion
Dhiviya gripped her phone tightly. On the other end, Punitha's mother was sobbing uncontrollably her voice fractured, words barely forming between gasps.
"Ok maa… please wait. I'm coming," Dhiviya said, her voice shaking.
She hung up and immediately tried to call Athavan but the screen blinked No Signal.
The call wouldn't connect.
Panic pulsed through her chest.
She grabbed her keys, rushed out of the house, and threw herself into her car.
The city outside was tense lights flickering, roads eerily quiet.
7:04 PM — DLA Command Centre
Athavan's console flashed an emergency alert strobed across the dashboard.
"Sir," a subordinate called out urgently.
"Your wife just left the house. GPS shows she's heading toward Metropore City. Her phone's compromised. Our tech team's trying to regain access but the firewall is military-grade, we can't break through!"
A chill gripped Athavan's chest.
Without blinking, he punched a command into his laptop.
"Connect to Pink Beast. Now."
7:05 PM — Highway S3, Outskirts of Metropore
Dhiviya sped down the empty highway, one hand tightening around the wheel, the other holding her flickering phone. Still no connection.
Then the dashboard screen glitched.
Lights blinked, reset, then stabilized.
Suddenly, Athavan's face appeared eyes focused, voice sharp.
"Dhiviya, you're in danger. Turn around. Go back now!"
She slammed the brakes, heart pounding.
"I've been trying to reach you! Punitha's in ICU, her mom called! I need to get to the hospital!"
"That call wasn't real," Athavan snapped.
"Your phone's been hacked. It was a lure."
Her breath caught.
"What do I do?"
"Throw the phone. Now."
She rolled down the window and flung the phone outside. It shattered against the roadside divider.
Back at the command center, Mathew rushed in.
"Sir, madam's car perimeter is compromised. Ghoul operatives are moving in. Our agents have been blocked. They're trapped outside the zone!"
Athavan's jaw locked tight.
His eyes sharpened.
"Dhiviya, listen to me.
Buckle up. Grip the handle.
I'm taking control of the vehicle."
"Take control? What does that even mean?" she asked, confused but obeying.... seatbelt locked, hand wrapped around the overhead grip.
"Activating Pink Beast Protocol."
The dashboard screen went black.
Cabin lights dimmed.
Then a synthetic female voice pulsed through the sound system:
"Pink Beast Protocol Activated.
Awaiting instruction."
Dhiviya's heart hammered against her ribs. Her eyes darted across the cabin, now alive with humming energy.
"Pink Beast," Athavan commanded,
"Battle Mode.
Incoming hostiles.
Deliver the package to HQ...safe and intact."
"Instruction received.
Scanning environment…"
"Fifteen identical vehicles converging.
Escape routes blocked."
"Engaging Battle Mode."
The engine roared to life.
The steering wheel twisted on its own.
The car reversed sharply, spun across the lane divider, and launched forward at blistering speed on autopilot.
"It's driving itself...Athavan, what is this?!" Dhiviya shouted.
"DLA tech. Department Zero override.
Your vehicle's been upgraded to an autonomous combat mode."
Two black sedans swerved ahead, blocking the central lane.
"Deploying frontal defense."
The hood split open with a metallic hiss.
A twin-barrel machine gun turret extended from the front bonnet—rotating, locking in.
"Targets acquired.
Hostile pursuit vehicles.
Firing sequence: active."
Gunfire shredded the air.
The sedans exploded in smoke and twisted debris.
"Why did you name it Pink Beast?!" Dhiviya yelled over the gunfire.
"It's your nickname for the car's AI, babe," Athavan replied.
Then the AI chimed in, voice calm and eerie.
"I accept the name.
Pink suits me.
Beast defines me."
Dhiviya blinked.
"Are you… talking back?!"
"I am the DLA Autonomous Combat Chassis-X29.
Your status: Package.
Package must be protected."
"Package?! I'm not some damn suitcase!"
"Correction: Mobile bio-priority.
Status override: denied."
"Athavan, this car is rude!" she hissed.
"She's normally sweet, darling. But in battle mode? She doesn't play around."
The car tore through city blocks.
Alarms blared. Civilians ducked into alleys.
Five chase vehicles swerved behind cutting through intersections, diving across rooftops.
Pink Beast drifted left, rolled over a divider, shattered traffic lights.
"Incoming RPG," the AI announced.
"Deploying smoke-mirror protocol."
Side panels shifted exhaust ports burst pressure fields and the missile went wide, exploding against an overpass. The shockwave rocked the car.
Dhiviya screamed, gripping tighter.
"Where are you taking me?!"
"Destination: AD Tech Building. DLA HQ.
Estimated arrival: 9 minutes."
"Am I going to survive?!"
"Probability: 58%."
"ATHAVAN!!"
"It's just a logic calculation.
I'm monitoring everything via satellite. We'll make it." He typed rapidly into his war console.
The car blazed past barricades.
A fuel truck ahead exploded, flames lighting up the sky.
A black SUV rammed into the rear bumper.
"Rear impact detected.
Initiating tail-kill."
From the back of the car, EMP grenades launched.
The SUV swerved, short-circuited, and spiralled over a flyover crashing in fire.
The jolt rocked the cabin.
Dhiviya screamed as the glass cracked. Blood smeared her lip.
"You're bleeding," Athavan whispered.
"Just don't let this beast lose me."
"I swear."
7:23 PM — Final Stretch
Five kilometres from AD Tech Building.
Three pursuit vehicles remained.
The traffic grid was dead.
No backup. No eyes.
And ahead...
A fortified roadblock.
Steel barriers.
Drone nests.
Ghoul operatives holding formation with raised weapons.
Pink Beast slowed.
"Path obstructed.
Calculating alternate routes…"
Then, the ground rumbled beneath the wheels.
A mined section detonated.
Smoke billowed. Debris flared.
Out of the haze stepped a figure
Ghoul Elite Commander, crimson steel mask gleaming under the blast light.
"We've found the target!" he growled.
"Engage intercept."
Ten suicide units emerged, armed with blade drones and thermal grenades.
Inside the car, Dhiviya stared forward eyes blazing, heart roaring.
"Athavan… this is bad."
"I'm watching.
Strike team inbound.
Hold for five minutes."
"Five minutes?" she whispered.
Outside, the enemy advanced.
Pink Beast scanned...
"Critical damage imminent.
Passage inaccessible.
Survival protocol: Evacuation required."
Dhiviya closed her eyes.
Gripped the handle.
Then the AI's voice blared:
"Missile detected. Front path.
Package: Exit now!"
The car slammed to a full halt.
Doors unlatched and opened automatically.
"Package: Evacuate."
"Dhiviya..get out now!" Athavan shouted.
"I'm on my way. Please… be safe."
Dhiviya burst from the car, stumbled across the gravel, and dove behind a shattered bus stop.
Pink Beast roared forward guns blazing.
Charging the blockade.
A missile fired.
Flames engulfed the vehicle.
Pink Beast exploded in a blast that cracked the sky.
Dhiviya gasped, buried behind steel, smoke pouring into her lungs.
The vehicle was gone.
But she is out in the bare open... Enemies surrounded!