# CHAPTER 2:- DEPARTURE
The sun hovered low over the horizon, painting the sky in fading orange and soft lavender. Evening was approaching—too fast.
Inside Agasta's room, time felt strange. The ticking of the clock was the only sound that dared to exist. Tick... tick... tick. Every second echoed like a countdown.
She sat silently on her bed, lost in stillness. The bed was tucked against the right wall as you entered, and to the left stood a tall, overflowing bookshelf—lined with novels, textbooks, and journals. Beside it, a closed wardrobe. A small nightstand sat next to her, its lamp switched off, cloaked in dim shadows.
Her fingers slowly reached for the photo frame lying next to the lamp.
She picked it up gently—almost fragile in her hands. A photograph.
Two girls. One moment. Kavya and Agasta, smiling together at their college farewell. Their final day as students—both just 22. The sky had been bright that day. Their futures even brighter.
Tears welled in Agasta's eyes, falling softly onto the glass of the frame. The drops blurred the image, but the memory behind it remained sharp.
***"Kavya, smile a bit—like Agasta's doing," a voice had said from behind the camera.
Kavya, standing tall with her arms half-folded, looked toward Agasta and gave a soft, reluctant smile. Click. The shutter captured more than a photo—it captured a bond.***
Agasta wiped the glass with her sleeve, but her hands trembled.
"Why did you have to go...?" she whispered, voice cracking.
The sunset outside kept falling—just like her.
Agasta, panic rising in her chest, grabbed her phone and quickly dialed Kavya's number.
No signal. Switched off.
Of course it was. She was already gone.
With a frustrated growl, she hurled the phone toward the corner of the bed. It landed just short of falling off, teetering for a second before staying still.
Agasta stood up abruptly, fists clenched.
"Damn it…" she whispered, her voice low but burning with helpless anger.
The main lab door slid open with a sharp hiss.
Professor Harish Soni stepped inside, the weight of the mission pressing into his posture. He had just returned from a final round of briefings with the other scientists and mission heads. The atmosphere buzzed with quiet urgency.
He walked straight to where Kavya Chandan sat alone near the terminal console, her helmet resting beside her on the table.
He stopped in front of her, raising a hand slightly, voice firm yet calm.
"The deadline is close. Be ready—full-time from now on."
Kavya nodded but didn't speak.
Her eyes flicked to the side for a moment—worried, distant.
Harish noticed immediately. His voice softened.
"Something bothering you?"
She stood up quickly, the tension clear in her shoulders.
"Sir… may I get my phone? Just for a moment. One last time before the mission starts."
Harish blinked, then gave a faint nod. "Of course. But don't take too long."
"Thank you, sir."
Without wasting another second, Kavya turned and headed for the door.
It hissed open, the sound slicing through the hum of machinery, and she walked fast—almost ran—toward the private room where she had left her phone.
Her boots echoed against the white tiles as she moved, faster than usual. Like the phone might disappear if she was a second too late.
Kavya Chandan reached the room and paused just briefly—barely a second—as the door slid open with a soft hiss.
She stepped inside.
Her boots hit the floor faster now, each step echoing faintly in the quiet, empty space. To the left of the room, on a small table, lay her phone—untouched since she left.
She grabbed it immediately.
Switched off.
Her fingers tapped the power button rapidly, almost anxiously.
The screen lit up.
A black boot screen. Then the logo.
It took nearly forty seconds to boot—forty painfully long seconds.
As soon as the lock screen appeared, she unlocked it without hesitation and went straight to the contacts.
She didn't think. She didn't hesitate.
She called Agasta.
Ringing...
Ringing...
Still ringing...
No answer.
Kavya's brows furrowed. She ended the call and tried again.
Ringing...
Voicemail.
Again.
Nothing.
She exhaled sharply through her nose, frustration flashing in her eyes.
"Why isn't she picking up? She always answers… always."
Her voice cracked slightly as she stared at the screen.
"Even if it's the middle of the night—two, three rings, and she's there… but now?"
She clenched the phone tightly, her other hand brushing over her helmet.
Not now.
Not today.
Not when this might be her last chance to hear her voice.
After one more failed call, she gave up and tapped the voice message icon with a shaky thumb.
A long breath.
Silence.
Then she hit record.
She took a breath. Pressed record.
"I know this is coming real fast...
But there's so much I want to say to you. So much I never said.
You're probably wondering why I made this decision.
Why I volunteered for a suicide mission.
Why I didn't even tell you properly.
It's not like I don't have anyone.
I have you. And God, Agasta... that should've been enough.
But sometimes, even when you're here… I feel alone.
Really alone.
And it hurts.
I never told you this but—
Sometimes I wonder… why am I even alive?
Everyone I ever cared about is gone.
Why me?
Why was I left behind?
But then... even in that darkness—
There's you.
You've always been the light.
You are the moon in all my dark nights.
If—no.
When I come back...
Let's go grab coffee. Morning, sunrise, like old times.
I wanna see you smile again. Laugh again.
Sit with you again.
Thank you, Agasta.
For everything.
For being there.
For being… you."
As her tears continued to fall, the speakers crackled to life—
a mechanical voice echoed throughout the entire facility:
"MISSION DEADLINE APPROACHING — T MINUS 30 MINUTES."
Kavya's eyes widened slightly.
She wiped her face quickly, gathered herself, and stood up with sudden resolve.
The voice had shaken her back to reality.
She turned on her heel, walking fast toward the door—
Hiss. It slid open automatically.
Then she was running.
Her boots pounded against the corridor floor, echoing through the sterile white halls.
No hesitation now. No time to waste.
She was heading back to the main lab—
to the ship.
To her fate.
The main lab door slid open with a soft hiss.
Kavya stepped inside, her boots clicking sharply on the floor.
The door sealed shut behind her with a quiet thud.
Professor Harish Soni was already approaching.
"Are you ready?" he asked, eyes scanning her face for even the slightest hesitation.
She nodded firmly, her expression steady.
"Hmm."
He gave a short nod back, satisfied.
"Good. Put on your helmet. And—"
He gestured to the side with an open palm.
"These are your companions for this mission: Mr. Rakesh Shaurya and Mrs. Ananya Shukla."
Two astronauts stepped forward—both already suited up.
Kavya turned toward them, offering her hand with a calm smile.
"It's nice to work with you."
They shook her hand, replying in sync,
"Same here."
The wooden door creaked softly as it opened—
then slowly shut behind Agasta.
She walked in wordlessly, shoulders heavy, and sat on her bed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Ding.
A notification lit up her phone screen.
She glanced at it—then froze.
4 Missed Calls – Kavya Chandan
1 Voice Message Received
Her breath caught.
"No... no, no..." she whispered, unlocking the phone with trembling fingers.
She pressed play.
And then...
Kavya's voice filled the silence.
Honest. Raw. Cracked with emotion.
Agasta listened without blinking—every word cutting deeper than the last.
By the time the message ended, her phone slipped from her hands onto the bed.
She lay down slowly, curling up like a child, her face buried in the pillow.
And she cried.
The room was silent—
except for the sound of her quiet, broken sobs echoing in the stillness.
At the main lab, the central monitor flickered urgently—
the countdown blazing in red digits:
T–10:00 MINUTES.
Kavya Chandan and the two astronauts were already strapped inside the rocket.
All systems go.
No turning back.
Attached to the rocket was a massive, specially designed air module—sleek, high-tech, and built for one thing:
To carry Kavya alone... into the black hole.
The engineers called it the "Singularity Probe."
She called it her last ride.
T–9:00 MINUTES.
Inside the cockpit, Kavya stared straight ahead through the curved glass of her helmet.
Her breath fogged the visor slightly.
Her heartbeat was steady.
But her thoughts?
Elsewhere.
Far beyond Earth.
Far beyond fear.
The lab buzzed quietly.
Everyone was focused—typing, checking data, adjusting parameters.
T–00:50 SECONDS.
The countdown blazed on the screen.
Inside the rocket, Kavya sat still—
helmet on, hands clenched, her gaze lowered.
The weight of it all pressed on her chest.
She wasn't panicking.
But she wasn't calm, either.
Just... thinking.
Beside her, Mrs. Ananya glanced over.
Without a word, she gently placed a hand on Kavya's lap.
A warm smile followed.
No speech. No advice.
Just quiet reassurance—
one woman to another.
Kavya blinked.
Then nodded slowly.
They were ready.
3... 2... 1...
LAUNCH.
The rocket tore through the sky—
A deafening roar.
A flash of fire.
A trail of fog exploded outward, blanketing the front of the massive laboratory in thick, white mist.
It was done.
There was no turning back now.
Inside the control room, people stood still—watching, hoping, praying.
All eyes locked on the sky.
All hearts tied to one mission.
Far away… in a quiet bedroom...
A soft clink—
Then a sudden CRASH.
The photo frame on Agasta's nightstand slipped and slammed against the floor.
Shattered glass.
Agasta spun around, startled.
She rushed to pick it up—knees hitting the ground.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The photo.
Their photo.
Kavya's smiling face from their farewell day...
Was now slashed—
split by a spiderweb of cracks running right through her image.
Agasta stared at it, hands trembling.
Tears welled up again, faster this time.
Her brows furrowed.
Her gut twisted.
Something felt wrong.
So terribly wrong.