'Another day. Maybe now it's been 3 days,' Ayaan muttered to himself in his mind. His body lay flat on the cold floor, and his thoughts were submerged in a whirlpool of reflection.
'For the past 3 days, I've been here, alone. The lights are off, there's silence everywhere, and there's not a soul in sight.'
'Since Nyra left, no scientist has come by, and there hasn't been a single experiment done on me.'
'My body has probably shrunk due to a lack of proper food. It's not that I'm not being fed, but will food really end this loneliness I'm going through?'
'I've been left here to sit alone, Nyra hasn't even come to see me. It's clear now, these people are all the same—ruthless and low-life.'
Ayaan gets up and looks at his hands. "Trust me, Ayaan, I'll help you," he recalls Nyra's words.
'Where are you, Nyra?' he says aloud, his tears falling onto his hands. Ayaan starts trembling, comforting himself as he places his head in his hands and sits back down.
"Are you just going to lie here like this?" Suddenly, a voice comes, making Ayaan quickly turn his attention to the other side of the room.
"Or will you say something in your defense?" The manager speaks to Ayaan.
In front of Ayaan stand the manager, Nyra, and the two scientists.
Ayaan's eyes begin to glimmer with hope as he looks at Nyra. "You came?" he says.
"Did you miss me? Aww... Sorry, it took me some time to come," Nyra speaks through the microphone.
"You left me alone here for 3 days! I was so scared," Ayaan begins to cry.
Nyra clasps her hands together and says, "Please, please, I'm sorry... Things got so complicated that it took time to fix them. That's why you had to wait so long."
"What do you mean by that?" Ayaan asks.
"Manager sir wants to talk to you, and that too alone."
Ayaan looks towards the manager. "Talk to me?"
The manager's gaze is fixed on Ayaan. The manager enters Ayaan's containment area and sits down on the ground in front of him.
Ayaan is taken aback by this, but he still feels suspicious of the manager.
"Would you not like to sit?" the manager asks.
Hearing this, Ayaan hesitates for a moment but then sits down.
They both sat across from each other, Ayaan glaring at the manager with his eyes lowered, while the manager's gaze remained cast down.
For a while, there was silence. Neither of them spoke. Outside, the scientists and Nyra watched them.
The manager raises his eyes and looks at Ayaan. "You must know what condition your sister is in."
Ayaan, hearing this, looks away from the manager and softly says, "Yes, I know."
"After hearing your story, I've come to believe that..." The manager's gaze is serious as it meets Ayaan's. "Trusting you is still out of the question."
Ayaan, hearing this, calms down and looks away.
"The girl you just met," the manager points toward Nyra, "She's my granddaughter."
Ayaan, startled, looks at the manager. "She's your granddaughter?"
"She was sent to you so we could figure out just how dangerous you are. And when you met Anya again, you hurt her. Did you have no remorse before doing that?"
Ayaan's eyes turn red, his hands begin to shake, and his voice breaks. "What nonsense are you talking about?" Tears fall from Ayaan's eyes. "She's my sister! Why would I hurt her?" Ayaan says, his anger rising.
"You just did. You hurt her." The manager's cold words pierce Ayaan like an arrow.
He couldn't understand what to say next, after all, it was because of him that Anya was hurt. Ayaan, now beyond his patience, stands up and punches toward the manager.
But the manager catches his fist, gripping it tightly. The pain was so intense that Ayaan collapses to the ground, trying to break free.
"There's no point in doing this. Admit your mistake, it's the only right thing to do," the manager says, releasing his grip.
Ayaan rubs his hand, lowers his gaze, and begins to cry. "Yes, you're right. I was the one who caused the cut on Anya's face." Ayaan breaks down in tears.
"But I wasn't the one who put her in this condition. He killed both my friends, didn't spare my sister either, and now he's after her life."
Ayaan lowers his head to the ground, joins his hands in prayer, and begs for forgiveness. "I have nothing left to lose now. The only reason I want to live is because of my sister. If anything happens to her, I won't be able to live. I beg you with folded hands, please save her. I will do whatever you say. Just save her."
Everyone in the room is looking at Ayaan, their gazes fixed on him. The room is immersed in silence.
Nyra looks at Ayaan with worried eyes.
The manager, who was sitting across from Ayaan, looks at him very seriously.
Ayaan is sobbing, his voice breaking, still bowed down on the floor.
"I'm giving you a chance," the manager says, placing a hand on Ayaan's shoulder and helping him up.
"Your sister's well-being is our responsibility. We'll bring her back to consciousness, I promise you, she will wake up."
Hearing this, a glimmer of hope appeared in Ayaan's eyes as he began to wipe his tears.
"But in return, you will have to help us," the manager continued.
Ayaan, confused, asked, "Help with what?"
"Either you stay here forever, or you help us capture the strange creatures that exist around the world."
Ayaan's eyes widened in shock as he trembled. "What... me?" His voice cracked, "How... how will I catch them all alone?"
"You won't be alone in this. You will have three others with you, who will train you so that you are prepared for the challenges ahead."
Ayaan's mind became tangled in questions, and the words stuck in his throat.
"Nyra will lead your team and assign you the missions."
"As long as you help us, your sister will remain safe with us. But if you try anything clever and harm any team member, remember, I will not show mercy when necessary."
Hearing this, Ayaan grew even more terrified, lowered his gaze, and whispered, "Okay." He stammered and softly said, "I'll do whatever you say."
Ayaan paused and then added, "Please! Protect my sister."
In that dark, silent room, Ayaan knew that his freedom was now in someone else's hands. One wrong move from him, and his sister would bear the consequences, her life now hanging in the balance, controlled by his enemies.