The grainy images showed a scene of utter devastation. A massive crater smoked where a high-security government building, hidden beneath an ordinary office complex, used to be. The news reports were chaotic, filled with speculation about a terrorist attack, a gas explosion, or even a missile strike. But the five friends knew better.
"DSP Headquarters," Simran whispered, her face pale behind her helmet's blue glow. "It's gone."
Krishna felt a cold dread seep into his bones. He remembered Agent Rao's calm, authoritative voice, her offer of partnership, her promise to protect their secret. Now, she was likely gone, along with the entire organization that was supposed to guide them. They were truly on their own again.
"What could have done this?" Rosy asked, staring in horror at the destruction on the screen.
No one had to say the name. They were all thinking it. The creature from the lab. The man who had been consumed by the meteoroid.
"He escaped," Krishna stated, the pieces clicking into place with horrifying clarity. "The experiments Agent Rao mentioned... they must have pushed him too far. He broke free."
"And destroyed the entire DSP," Simran added, her mind calculating the terrifying level of power that would require. "He's stronger than we thought. Much stronger."
A heavy silence fell over the group. The distant threat they had only just learned about was now a confirmed catastrophe. And the monster responsible was loose.
For the next few days, an uneasy quiet settled over Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Panch Shakti stayed on high alert, constantly monitoring the news and police channels, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Krishna tried to reach out through the secure channels Agent Rao had given him, but there was only silence. The DSP was gone.
Then, one afternoon, it began.
Not with a roar or an explosion, but with a feeling. A wave of unease rippled through the city's animal network. The birds fell silent. The stray dogs began to whine, tucking their tails between their legs. It was a feeling of wrongness, of something unnatural approaching.
Krishna felt it too, a cold prickle on the back of his neck. "He's here," he said, his voice grim.
The first attack was brutal and seemingly random. A massive explosion rocked the busy marketplace near the railway station. A wave of green energy tore through stalls and shattered windows. People screamed and ran in panic.
Before the dust even settled, another blast hit a crowded bus stop near the university campus. Then another, near the historic Panchakki water mill. There was no pattern, just pure, terrifying destruction aimed at causing maximum chaos and fear.
"He's trying to draw us out," Krishna realized, watching the chaos unfold on Simran's monitors. "He knows we're here."
"How?" Mahira asked, horrified.
"The meteoroid," Simran theorized, her voice tight. "He's the core. You four are the fragments. He must be able to sense you, now that he's... fully aware."
"We have to stop him," Rosy declared, clenching her armored fists. "He's hurting innocent people."
"Agreed," Krishna said. "But carefully. This isn't the mindless creature from MIHAN, or the confused monster from the lab. This is something else. Something angry. Suit up. Anura, give me his location."
"He's moving towards the Bibi Ka Maqbara," Simran reported. "The energy signature is massive."
Panch Shakti moved fast. They emerged from their hidden base and raced across the rooftops towards the iconic monument, a miniature Taj Mahal standing serene against the afternoon sky. As they got closer, they saw him.
Meteoroid Man stood in the gardens before the Maqbara, a dark, rocky figure radiating waves of green energy. He wasn't attacking the monument itself. He was just standing there, waiting, his glowing green eyes fixed on them as they approached.
"So," his gravelly voice echoed in their helmets, amplified by his power. "The fragments reveal themselves."
"Leave this city," Krishna commanded, stepping forward, his team fanned out behind him in a ready stance. "You've caused enough destruction."
Meteoroid Man tilted his head, a strangely human gesture in his alien form. "Destruction?" he rasped. "This is merely... communication. I sensed you. I called. And you came. Good."
"What do you want?" Rosy demanded.
"What was taken from me," Meteoroid Man replied, his green eyes flaring. "The energy you carry. It belongs to me. Give it back."
"We can't do that," Simran stated calmly. "It's part of us now."
"Then I will take it," Meteoroid Man declared.
He raised his hands, and green energy crackled around his rocky fists. He didn't wait for them. He attacked.
Two massive beams of energy shot out, aimed not at one of them, but splitting to force them apart. Judith easily blocked one beam with her armored forearm, the energy splashing harmlessly. Pritha met the other beam by touching the ancient stone pathway, her body becoming as solid and immovable as the monument behind her.
"Engage!" Krishna ordered. "Judith, Rukhsar, close combat! Pritha, Anura, support and containment!"
The battle was joined. Judith charged, a saffron-red juggernaut, slamming into Meteoroid Man with her full strength. He staggered back, surprised by her power, but his rocky hide held firm. Rukhsar used her speed and agility, darting around him, trying to find a weak point, her movements a confusing blur.
Pritha kept changing her form, touching the ground, a metal fence, even the water in a nearby fountain, trying to find a material that could affect him, using blasts of absorbed energy to keep him off balance. Anura stayed back, her mind racing, analyzing his movements, his energy output, feeding constant tactical updates to Krishna.
"His regeneration is incredible!" Anura reported. "Minor damage heals almost instantly!"
"Keep pressure on him!" Krishna commanded. He drew his own pistol, firing precise shots of armor-piercing rounds at Meteoroid Man's joints, trying to slow him down, creating openings for Judith's powerful blows.
They were working as a team. Learning from their disastrous first mission, they moved with a coordination that surprised even themselves. They were anticipating each other's moves, covering each other's weaknesses. They managed to land several heavy blows. Judith cracked his rocky shoulder plate. Pritha, using the conductive properties of metal, managed to deliver a powerful electrical shock that made him roar in pain.
But Meteoroid Man was relentless. His power seemed limitless. He absorbed their attacks, regenerated from the damage, and struck back with devastating energy blasts and crushing strength. He wasn't just fighting them; he was testing them, analyzing their powers, learning.
He blasted Judith backwards with a focused energy wave, sending her crashing through a stone wall. He anticipated Rukhsar's shapeshifting feint and caught her with a glancing blow that sent her tumbling. He seemed to know what they were going to do before they did it.
Then, he stopped. He stood in the center of the ruined garden, green energy pulsing around him. He looked at each of the four girls, his glowing eyes lingering for a moment on each of them.
"Yes," he rasped, a strange satisfaction in his voice. "It is you. The fragments are strong."
He turned his gaze to Krishna. "And you... the mind that guides them. Interesting."
Before they could react, he stomped his foot hard on the ground. A massive shockwave of green energy erupted outwards, not aimed to injure, but to push them all back, giving him space.
"This is not over," Meteoroid Man declared. "I know you now. I will reclaim what is mine."
With that, green energy flared brightly from the cracks on his back and feet. He rose into the air, hovering for a moment, his glowing green eyes promising a future conflict. Then, he shot away, a dark streak against the blue sky, disappearing over the city.
He had run away.
Panch Shakti stood amidst the wreckage, breathing heavily. They had faced him. They had hurt him. But they hadn't stopped him. And now, he knew who they were. He knew what they could do.
The hunt had just become personal.
[To be continued…]
Support me: vanshbosssrahate@oksbi (UPI ID)
Author: Vansh Rahate
Editor: Vansh Rahate
Story by: Vansh Rahate
Under: Alaukika Studios