11:45 PM - Riya's Safe House
Rain lashed against the windows of Riya's rarely-used safe house—a small, nondescript apartment in a neighborhood where nobody asked questions. The only light came from her holographic display, casting blue shadows across both their faces.
Arav stood awkwardly by the kitchenette, dripping water on the floor. "I can leave if you want to examine the chip alone."
Riya didn't look up from where she was scanning the data chip for trackers. "You've seen what's on it already. And you saved my life. The least I can do is trust you until morning."
The scanner beeped green. Clean.
She inserted the chip. Files bloomed in the air between them—blueprints, financial records, and one folder labeled "Project Chimera."
Arav moved closer, his shoulder almost brushing hers. "That's it. Verma's been developing it for years."
Riya opened the file. And her blood ran cold.
Project Chimera: Mass Dream Integration Protocol
"It's not just about reading dreams," she whispered, scrolling through the technical schematics. "He wants to broadcast dreams. To influence the subconscious of entire populations."
Arav pointed to a subfolder. "Open that one. 'Operation Morning Star.'"
The file contained mission logs, dates, and one name that made Riya's hands tremble: Officer Rajesh Sharma.
Her father.
Flashback - Eight Years Earlier
The young Riya, barely sixteen, answering the door to two senior CIB officers. Their somber faces. The words "line of duty." The closed casket. The hero's funeral.
Present Day
"The official report said he was killed during a riot," Riya said, her voice tight. "But Verma's files show he was investigating Project Chimera's early prototypes."
Arav zoomed in on a security log. "The night your father died, he accessed the central dream server. Look at the timestamp—he was in the system when he was supposedly at the riot."
Riya's professional composure cracked. "They killed him? Because he discovered Chimera?"
"Worse," Arav said softly. "I think they used Chimera on him. Look at this neural pattern—it matches the early test subjects."
He brought up a dream sequence recording. A man running through endless corridors, being chased by shadows that looked like his own memories.
"That's my father's dream?" Riya asked, horrified.
Arav nodded. "Verma was testing Chimera's fear amplification capabilities. Your father didn't just die—they tortured him in his own mind first."
Riya turned away, gripping the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white. All these years, she'd believed her father died a hero's death. Now she discovered he'd been murdered by the very system he served.
2:15 AM - An Unexpected Lesson
"You should get some sleep," Arav said gently. "We can continue in the morning."
Riya shook her head, her eyes burning with unshed tears. "I need to understand. Show me how you do it. How you navigate dreams."
Arav looked surprised. "Now?"
"Now. If my father died in a dream, I need to see what he saw."
Reluctantly, Arav set up his Dreamcatcher. "This isn't a game, Riya. What we see in there—it stays with you."
"I know," she said, determined. "Show me."
3:00 AM - First Lesson
Riya found herself standing in a replica of her own childhood home. Everything was perfect—the faded blue curtains, the smell of her mother's cooking, even the crack in the ceiling she used to stare at as a child.
"This is my memory," she whispered.
Arav appeared beside her. "I pulled it from your surface thoughts. Dream walking 101—always start with familiar territory."
He taught her the basics: how to stabilize the environment, how to recognize dream constructs versus real memories, how to protect her own mind from intrusion.
"You're a natural," Arav noted as she quickly learned to manipulate simple objects.
"My father taught me meditation when I was little," Riya said, making a rose bloom in her hand. "He said a clear mind was the best defense against deception."
Arav grew serious. "That might be why he was able to resist Chimera as long as he did. He recognized he was in an artificial dream."
4:30 AM - The Warning
They were practicing memory navigation when Arav suddenly stiffened. "We need to leave. Now."
The dream world began to distort at the edges, colors bleeding together.
"What's happening?" Riya asked.
"Verma's found us," Arav said, quickly shutting down the system. "He's got dream sensors tracking my neural signature."
Back in the safe house, Riya's wrist comm was blinking red. Emergency alert.
Ankit's voice came through, panicked: "Riya, where are you? The whole division's been activated. There's been a breach at the National Dream Archive. Director Kapoor is dead."
Riya and Arav exchanged horrified looks.
"He's moving ahead with his plan," Arav said. "And he's tying up loose ends."
Riya stood, her grief replaced by cold determination. "Then we move faster. Tomorrow, we break into Verma's corporate headquarters."
Arav stared at her. "That's suicide."
"Maybe," Riya said, gathering her weapons. "But my father didn't have a choice when he faced Verma. We do. And we're going to finish what he started."
Somewhere across the city, Mr. Verma watched the neural activity from their dream session. How interesting, he thought. The daughter had her father's gifts. She would make an excellent test subject for Chimera's final phase.