Scene 1 – The Calm Before the Storm
The sound of Mumbai's evening traffic was like a chaotic orchestra—honking horns, chai vendors shouting, and Bollywood songs blasting from a roadside shop. Amid this madness, Nikhil sat at a seaside café, looking like a man without a care in the world.
Tall, broad-shouldered, 5'11" of pure confidence. Black T-shirt, aviator shades, and a grin that made strangers wonder if he had just pulled off a bank heist.
He stirred his cutting chai slowly, eyes scanning the horizon. It's been 3 weeks since I ended Crimson Viper. India owes me peace… he thought.
His phone buzzed. Of course.
"Speak." His voice was calm, deep, like a man who's done with nonsense.
On the other end, Aditi sounded like she had just run a marathon.
"Nikhil! Where the hell are you?"
"Enjoying my chai. Why? You found a new way to ruin my weekend?"
"This isn't funny! We have a problem. A BIG one."
"I'm listening," Nikhil said, sipping his tea like a king.
"Remember the Crimson Syndicate? That was just the warm-up. Intel confirms something called Project Specter is in motion. Cyber + arms. And it's here. In Mumbai."
Nikhil raised an eyebrow. "Specter? Sounds like a cheap horror movie villain."
"This villain can shut down India's defense systems in 48 hours if we don't stop him. Meet me. Now."
He put his glass down, stood up, and muttered, "Goodbye, peace."
Scene 2 – Briefing with Aditi
Location: A dimly lit safe house in Colaba.
Nikhil walked in, and Aditi was already glued to a laptop, her brown hair tied up, eyes sharp. She looked like someone who could decode a missile launch code while scrolling Instagram.
He leaned on the table. "What's the party about?"
She shot him a glare. "Specter isn't a myth. He's a ghost in the system. Whoever he is, he's got access to military protocols. And we just intercepted this…"
She pressed play on a video. A masked man appeared, his voice distorted:
"India thinks it's safe. In 72 hours, your skies will go dark. Your systems will burn. Stop me if you can."
Nikhil smirked. "Typical villain monologue. So dramatic."
"Focus, Nikhil!" Aditi snapped. "The attack isn't just cyber. A shipment of advanced EMP devices entered Mumbai last night. If deployed, every defense base in a 500 km radius goes blind."
Nikhil's brain switched to overdrive. "So we're looking at cyber warfare + physical sabotage. Double kill."
"And we have no time. I got clearance to assemble a covert team under your command."
He leaned closer, smirk playing on his lips. "Finally. Someone giving me the respect I deserve."
Scene 3 – Assembling the Misfits
The Team:
Aditi – Intel queen, sarcastic as hell.
Kabir Singh Rathore – Ex-army major, muscles the size of coconuts, sense of humor? Zero.
Tara – Hacker extraordinaire, looks like she belongs in a college fest but can break into NASA before you blink.
First meeting was… chaos.
Kabir walked in, sized Nikhil up. "You're the legend? You look like a gym influencer."
Nikhil grinned. "And you look like a man who lost his sense of humor in Kargil."
Kabir: "I prefer action over words."
Nikhil: "Good. Because I prefer winning over both."
Then Tara popped her gum and said, "Wi-Fi password?"
Nikhil stared. "You're about to hack into India's defense grid, and you need Wi-Fi?"
Tara: "I like comfort."
Aditi facepalmed. "We're doomed."
Scene 4 – The First Move
Intel traced a suspicious container to Nhava Sheva Port. Nikhil decided to hit it personally.
Black SUV. Rain pouring. Mumbai traffic honking like it's the end of the world.
Kabir drove like a maniac. Tara was busy setting up surveillance. Aditi sat beside Nikhil, pretending not to stare at him while he checked his Glock.
"Why are you always so calm?" she asked.
"Because panic is for amateurs," he replied, flashing a grin that made her roll her eyes.
The port loomed ahead. Dozens of containers. Foggy lights. Silence.
Then—BAM! Bullets ripped the air.
"Welcome party!" Nikhil yelled, diving behind a stack of crates.
Five armed men advanced.
Nikhil moved like liquid lightning—two headshots, one gut shot, then a roundhouse kick that sent a guy flying into a container.
Kabir was pure brute force, smashing skulls like they were tender coconuts. Tara? She sat in the SUV, livestreaming thermal feeds like it was a video game.
One thug crawled away, muttering into his radio:
"Specter… target engaged…"
Nikhil grabbed him by the collar. "Where's Specter?"
The guy smirked, "Behind you."
Click.
A sniper shot rang out—but missed by an inch.
Nikhil didn't flinch. He just smiled. "Nice try."
Scene 5 – The Twist
After the fight, they cracked open the container expecting EMP devices. Instead, they found… laptops. Hundreds of them.
Tara's eyes widened. "Holy… this isn't just hacking gear. These are mobile cyber-nodes. They're building a distributed attack network. They can fry our defense servers remotely."
Kabir: "Meaning?"
Nikhil: "Meaning Mumbai is the launchpad for the biggest cyber-war India has ever faced."
And then came the real kicker—Aditi's tablet beeped. A message from the intelligence feed:
"Specter = Former RAW asset. Code Name: Vayu."
Nikhil froze for the first time. That name hit like a bullet.
Vayu wasn't just anyone. He was Nikhil's mentor.
Aditi whispered, "You know him?"
Nikhil's jaw tightened. "He taught me everything… including how to vanish."
Scene 6 – The Chase
They tracked Specter's signal to Worli Sea Link. Midnight. Empty highway.
Nikhil drove like a demon, headlights slicing through the rain. Suddenly, a black bike zipped past. Rider in black leather, helmeted. Specter.
Kabir aimed his rifle.
"Don't shoot!" Nikhil barked. "He's mine."
The chase was pure madness—cars spinning, bullets flying, Nikhil pulling stunts that made Fast & Furious look like a cartoon. At one point, he drifted under a truck just to avoid an RPG.
Finally, Specter's bike skidded near the edge of the bridge. He turned, helmet still on.
"Well done, kid," the distorted voice said.
Then—BOOM! A flashbang.
When the smoke cleared, Specter was gone. Only a USB drive remained on the railing, blinking red.
Aditi picked it up. "Trap?"
Nikhil smirked. "Gift."
Scene 7 – The Revelation
Back at the safe house, Tara plugged the drive in. Files opened: schematics, codes… and a single video.
Vayu's face filled the screen—older, scarred, eyes burning with something Nikhil didn't want to name.
"Hello, Nikhil. If you're watching this, you've caught up. Good. You always were my best student. But this time, you'll have to decide—save India… or save her."
The video ended with an image: Aditi, bound and gagged in some unknown location.
Kabir cursed. Tara gasped. Nikhil just stared, rage simmering under his calm face.
He whispered, voice like a storm,
"Specter… you just declared war."
[TO BE CONTINUED…]