A Silent War Turns Physical
By August of 2018, the atmosphere around Deepak Rawat's empire had changed completely. What once felt like an unstoppable march of progress was now tinged with paranoia and vigilance. Security personnel at Shakti, Saraswati, Prithvi, and Sanjeevani were no longer just guards — they were soldiers on the frontline of a war that had no formal declaration.
The Global Intellectual Property Protection Act had barely dried in Washington when the whispers began: contractors, private militias, ex-special forces — all for hire, and all willing to take on missions that governments couldn't officially sanction.
Money flowed like a hidden river. Oil cartels in the Middle East, pharmaceutical conglomerates in New Jersey, and even some shadowy tech investors pooled their resources. Their goal was simple: if they couldn't stop Deepak legally, they would choke him physically.
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First Blood – The Warehouse Fire
It started small, almost dismissible.
On August 3rd, a storage warehouse in Pune belonging to Prithvi Energy went up in flames. The fire spread unnaturally fast — investigators later found residues of a rare thermite compound. The blaze consumed prototype superconducting coils worth nearly ₹200 crore.
On the news, it was reported as an "industrial accident." But inside Shakti Tower, Aarya's voice was cold:
> "Pattern consistent with arson. This was not an accident."
Deepak clenched his jaw. He had expected this, but the reality stung more than he thought it would. Someone was declaring open season.
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The Conspiracy Meeting – Dubai
Far away, in a luxury villa overlooking the Persian Gulf, a group of men and women gathered around a polished mahogany table.
A Saudi oil magnate, robes gleaming, worry etched on his face.
A pharma lobbyist from New York, nervously tapping her pen.
A retired American general, now head of a "security consultancy."
A French energy tycoon, his company's stock value plunging since Arc Reactors were announced.
They weren't allies by ideology — they were allies by desperation.
The retired general laid out satellite photos of Deepak's projects: the Rajasthan Arc Plant, the Sanjeevani research labs, the Saraswati data centers.
"Gentlemen. Ladies. You all know why we're here. This boy from India is dismantling your industries, and my clients are very generous if I can dismantle him first. You want results? You'll get results. But no fingerprints."
The Saudi nodded gravely. "Do what you must. Just make sure his reactors never power the world."
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Escalation – The Rail Attack
On August 10th, a freight train carrying sensitive medical supplies for Sanjeevani Pharma derailed near Bhopal. Dozens were injured. The cause: deliberate tampering of the tracks.
When local police arrived, they were baffled. There were no obvious fingerprints, no group claiming responsibility. But Deepak didn't need claims — Aarya's analysis of the timing, the train's GPS, and intercepted chatter painted the truth.
> "Sabotage confirmed. Perpetrators used military-grade jamming devices to disable surveillance. Probability of mercenary involvement: ninety-four percent."
Sitting with Sanjeev Rawat, his humanoid CEO for Sanjeevani, Deepak rubbed his temples. "They won't stop with trains. They're testing our defenses, probing for weaknesses."
Sanjeev, ever calm, replied, "Then we must make ourselves stronger than their will to destroy us."
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POV – A Worker at Rajasthan
On August 15th, India's Independence Day, celebrations rang across the nation. But at a dusty site outside Jaipur, hundreds of workers toiled under the blazing sun, assembling the colossal Rajasthan Arc Reactor.
One of them, a welder named Suraj, remembered that day vividly. "We thought we were just building a machine," he would later say in an interview. "But after the attacks started… we realized we were soldiers too."
That night, when rumors spread that saboteurs were seen scouting the site, the workers didn't leave. They stood guard with bamboo sticks and homemade torches, protecting the project like it was their temple.
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Aarya's Warning
By August 18th, Aarya compiled a chilling report. Holograms of intercepted communications flickered before Deepak in the war room of Shakti Tower.
> "Multiple coordinated attempts detected. Timeline indicates a major attack within two weeks. High-value target: Rajasthan Arc Reactor."
Deepak leaned forward, his face illuminated by the glowing projections. "Do we know who's paying them?"
Aarya hesitated for a fraction of a second — unusual for her.
> "Funding traced to offshore accounts linked to US pharmaceutical conglomerates, Middle Eastern oil consortiums, and European energy interests. Plausible deniability maintained. Political cover near absolute."
For the first time in months, Deepak felt the cold chill of vulnerability. His enemies weren't just companies. They were nations hiding behind companies.
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Preparing for the Storm
Rather than panic, he mobilized.
Security doubled at all critical sites, drawn from India's elite private security forces.
AI surveillance drones designed by Saraswati patrolled project perimeters day and night.
Local villagers were recruited and trained, given stipends to act as watchmen, turning communities into rings of defense.
Counterintelligence units under Vikram Malhotra's semiconductor team worked with Aarya to set digital traps for infiltrators.
But Deepak knew — no matter how strong his walls, someone would still try to break them.
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The Sabotage Orders
On August 29th, a mercenary unit — ex-NATO operatives now working privately — received their instructions.
"Neutralize the Rajasthan site. No survivors if necessary. Payment: $25 million upon confirmation."
They studied aerial maps, drone feeds, and weak points. The plan was surgical. Clean. Untraceable.
They didn't know that every one of their communications had already been flagged by Aarya.
The trap was being set.
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The World Watching
Meanwhile, newspapers in India ran stories of Deepak's success, not his danger.
"Arc Reactors Promise Very Cheap Power for All Indians by 2022"
"Sanjeevani Reaches Rural Villages — First Cancer Cures Administered"
The public saw only the miracles. They had no idea that in the shadows, powerful industries were plotting murder to keep those miracles from spreading.
But Deepak understood perfectly. And as he looked out across his empire that August night, he whispered to himself:
"They think they're fighting a businessman. They're wrong. They're fighting the future."