They returned under the cover of darkness, five shadows moving silently through the city back to their sanctuary – the abandoned construction site on the outskirts of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. They descended the hidden ladder into their basement headquarters, the familiar scent of dust, concrete, and Simran's ozone-heavy electronics filling the air.
The adrenaline from their first battle with Meteoroid Man had faded, leaving behind a heavy silence filled with exhaustion and a new, grim understanding. They took off their helmets, the weight of their first real confrontation settling upon them.
"He knew," Krishna said, breaking the silence as he ran a diagnostic on his command suit. "He wasn't just rampaging. He was testing us. Analyzing us."
Simran nodded, her own helmet off, her face pale but her eyes sharp with calculation as she reviewed the sensor data she'd collected. "His energy output increased throughout the fight. And his regeneration... it's unlike anything I've ever recorded. He's adapting. Learning."
"He said he wants the energy back," Mahira whispered, shivering slightly despite the warmth generated by Simran's equipment. "The energy that's inside us."
"Then we can't just wait for him to come back," Rosy declared, slamming a fist onto a nearby workbench (which thankfully Gunjan had reinforced with absorbed steel earlier). "We have to be ready. We have to be stronger."
That night marked a shift. Their training, which had started as a way to understand and control their powers, now became a relentless drive for improvement. Their lives became a cycle: college classes attended sporadically, brief moments with their worried families, and long, grueling hours spent in the basement workshop or utilizing the ruined upper floors of the construction site as their private, dangerous training ground.
Krishna was the strategist, analyzing the data Simran had gathered during the fight. He used the digital board to map out Meteoroid Man's attack patterns. "He relies on brute force and energy blasts," he explained. "His weakness is his predictability. We need speed, coordination, and overwhelming counter-force at precise moments."
Simran became their trainer and tech guru. "Judith," she said, projecting a complex stress analysis, "your strength is immense, but unfocused. We need to refine it. Practice hitting precise targets."
Rosy spent hours in the shattered foundation levels of the site. Instead of just punching concrete blocks to dust, she learned to focus her power, shattering designated steel beams with single, controlled strikes while leaving adjacent structures untouched. She trained her reflexes against drones Simran had jury-rigged, learning to react with explosive force in fractions of a second.
"Pritha," Simran continued, turning to Gunjan. "Your adaptability is key, but the transformation takes time. We need to shorten that delay." Simran had gathered samples of various materials found within the construction site itself – different grades of steel, types of concrete, wiring insulation, even toughened glass. Gunjan spent hours touching, absorbing, and learning the feel of each, practicing shifting her suit's texture and properties from stone to steel to rubber and back again in rapid succession. She discovered she could even partially transform, making one arm diamond-hard while the other remained flexible.
"Rukhsar," Simran addressed Mahira, "your shapeshifting is our wild card. We need faster changes, more versatile applications." Mahira practiced shifting not just her face, but her entire body, mimicking different heights and builds almost instantly, using the shadows and broken walls of the site to practice blending in and appearing unexpectedly.
Simran herself worked tirelessly in the basement workshop, upgrading their tech. She reinforced their suit armor. She boosted their comms system. Most importantly, she developed a sophisticated energy sensor calibrated to Meteoroid Man's unique signature, setting up perimeter scanners around the construction site.
Krishna trained alongside them. While Simran drilled the girls on their powers, he pushed himself through grueling Kalaripayattu routines on the dusty concrete floors, honing his combat skills. He practiced with his rubber-bullet pistol, setting up targets amidst the rubble, perfecting his aim. He also worked with Simran on tactical equipment they could create from salvaged materials found at the site.
It was exhausting work. They lived and breathed their mission within the confines of the abandoned building. The secrecy wore on them. They missed their old lives.
One evening, after a particularly brutal session where Rosy accidentally brought down a section of unsupported concrete, they were all slumped against the basement walls, too tired to speak.
"I don't know if I can do this," Mahira whispered. "What if he comes back and... and we're still not strong enough?"
Before Krishna could answer, Rosy stood up, her face set with determination. "Then we get stronger," she said. She looked at her friends, her family. "We don't stop. We don't quit. We protect each other. We protect this city. That's who we are now."
Her words hung in the air, reigniting the fire in their weary hearts. They were stronger. Not just in their powers, but in their bond.
[To be continued…]
Support me: vanshbosssrahate@oksbi (UPI ID)
Author: Vansh Rahate
Editor: Vansh Rahate
Story by: Vansh Rahate
Under: Alaukika Studios