Unknown Time – Unknown Place
The wind whispered through tall, rusted trees that bent like mourners in a graveyard. Beneath their skeletal limbs, a small girl sat curled in a man's lap, her fingers gently tugging at the frayed edge of his coat — old, sun-bleached, and riddled with silent stories.
"Dad," she asked softly, eyes wide with wonder, "why didn't Uncle come back that day? Everyone else did… but not him."
The man paused. His hands stilled over the worn photo album that lay open between them. But his eyes were far — staring not at the pictures, but through them.
Through time.
"He didn't leave us," the man finally said, voice low, carved with memory. "He stayed behind… so the rest of us could return."
The little girl leaned her head on his shoulder, the wind brushing strands of hair across her face.
"What happened next?"
He smiled, sadly.
"I'll tell you."
10 Years Ago – CGS Base
The drizzle fell light and steady, soft enough to feel like ash rather than rain. The training grounds were quiet. Most of the recruits had gone. What remained was only memory.
Leon sat alone inside the weapon bay, his elbows resting on a steel table. Laid out before him was Kartik's vest — the same model issued to his squad. He'd cleaned it, dried the blood, and removed the charred tag.
Now, he just stared.
There — a clean puncture through the ballistic plate. No burn, no fragmentation.
Not a sloppy shot.
A message.
He opened a field diagnostic kit and ran a scan. The device pinged softly.
"7.62mm, armor-piercing. Military grade. Discontinued. Registered only to: CGS & classified defense blacksites."
Leon froze.
"Fireflies don't use this caliber," he whispered. "Not anymore."
CGS Barracks – Ayush's Room
Ayush sat at his desk. Kartik's final audio recording played in the background, the words ghosting through the silence:
"You guys gave me something worth dying for…"
Then—bang.
Leon kicked the door open.
Ayush jumped up. "What the hell—?"
Leon tossed the vest onto the desk. "It wasn't a failure. The shot punched through."
Ayush frowned. "What kind of round?"
"Armor-piercing. Top-tier. Blacksite military. Stuff that was banned after the virus hit."
Ayush's mind raced. "Fireflies can't afford that. They use low-grade scrap. Salvaged bullets."
Leon nodded. "Exactly. Which means someone gave them this."
Ayush stopped pacing.
"Suraj."
Leon blinked. "What?"
"I've seen unlogged manifests. Weapon crates that shouldn't exist. Stuff disappearing from CGS inventory. A few weeks ago we intercepted contraband with CGS serial codes scratched off."
Leon's fists clenched. "You're saying Kartik was killed by one of our own bullets?"
Ayush stared at the vest. "Maybe not directly. But Suraj's empire runs deeper than we thought. He's been siphoning CGS gear for years — selling to middlemen."
Leon gritted his teeth. "And one of those middlemen sold to the Fireflies."
"Exactly."
Leon's voice dropped. "That means he killed Kartik… without even knowing it."
Ayush looked at him. "Then we ask him. Face to face."
Leon didn't respond.
Instead, he pulled a folded paper from his jacket. Tossed it on the desk.
Ayush opened it.
"Effective immediately: Lieutenant Leon is relieved of command and combat duties... restricted from all tech, arms, and field movement until tribunal review."
Ayush looked up, shocked. "They're blaming you?"
Leon's voice was hollow. "I was his commanding officer. They needed a scapegoat."
Silence.
Ayush stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You're not finished, Leon. Not even close."
Leon finally met his eyes.
"Then let's visit the king of shadows."
Underground Access – Emergency Tunnel
The two moved through an abandoned vent shaft — part of an old CGS smuggling route from the third outbreak. Ayush knew every bolt and bend.
Leon followed, no longer in uniform — just a plain coat and fire behind his eyes.
Below the city's surface, Suraj's empire pulsed with hidden life. The base was buried in steel, smoke, and secrets. Turbine fans whirred quietly. Spotlights tracked them.
Armed guards eyed them, hands resting on rifles — but no one stopped them.
Ayush had earned safe passage.
They entered the chamber.
Suraj's Base – Throne Room
The throne wasn't symbolic.
It was real — a welded monstrosity of train rails, truck armor, and old war banners. Suraj sat casually, legs crossed, shadows behind his eyes.
Beside him stood Vikram, silent and stoic, wearing the face of power the world believed in.
Suraj tilted his head. "Didn't expect you two so soon."
Ayush walked forward. "Where did your last weapons shipment go?"
Suraj raised a brow. "What is this — customs?"
Leon stepped beside him. "Kartik's vest was pierced by a round that only CGS or black-market military ops carry. One of your crates made it to the Fireflies."
The air changed.
Suraj's smirk vanished.
"That's impossible. We don't deal with them. Ever."
Ayush: "Then someone you sold to, did."
Suraj stood slowly, anger flashing.
"Every buyer I move product to is vetted. We keep Fireflies out."
Leon: "Then you missed one. And it cost us everything."
A silence passed.
Suraj looked at Vikram, gave a single nod.
Then back at Ayush.
"Give me 12 hours. I'll find who brokered the deal."
Leon: "You have two."
Vikram twitched toward his holster.
Suraj raised a hand. "Enough."
Then to Ayush, quietly: "You want the truth? Fine. The buyer's name is Mallick. He used to be clean. He's CGS… Quartermaster. Echo Division."
Leon's eyes widened. "CGS again?"
Suraj's voice turned cold. "Seems your house is dirtier than mine."
Later That Night – Outside the Empire
The city above was still broken. Sirens echoed in the far distance.
Leon and Ayush walked through the rubble-strewn alley in silence.
Then Ayush asked, "What now?"
Leon looked up at the stars — faint, barely breaking through the smoke.
"Now?" He exhaled.
"Now we burn the truth out of whoever's hiding it."
Ayush gave a tired smirk. "So we're rogues now?"
Leon's voice was steady. "No. We're what the CGS should've been."
Back to the Present – Unknown Time
The little girl had fallen asleep in the man's lap, the photo album still open beside them.
The wind danced across the trees. The man didn't move.
He stared at the final page of the album — a blurry photo of four boys in training gear.
One had a flame in his hand.
Another, a crooked smile.
Another, a blade.
And one, standing at the center, eyes full of fire and loss.
The man closed the book gently.
His voice barely rose above a whisper.
"They called it betrayal. But sometimes… betrayal is just the cost of knowing the truth."
End of Episode 20