Manya woke up to the scent of rajma chawal. She sprinted down to the kitchen, starving like a puppy. Atharv was holding a plate of steaming rajma chawal and fanning it with a smile. She charged and grabbed the plate, and ate a spoonful, which she regretted the next second, as her taste buds ignited, a dance of heat and flavour, "Water!". She reached for the glass in Kri's black poisonous hand.
With a sudden jolt, she woke up, her heart pounding and gasping for air. A rush of relief washed over her. Kri was nowhere around; not even Atharv. In fact, the entire room was different. "Where am I?"
The room was large enough to support hundreds of her. Its interior, a stunning combination of white and black with patterned art. Inside the room, there was just a bed. And a door, possibly the entrance. Or an exit.
Her eyes drifted away. "A beautiful part of my life has become a mere dream," she whispered. "But why the hell he was there?" Her gaze fell on Dhruv's ring tied to the silver chain resting on the side table. She kissed the ring and wore the chain.
The memories of the mercenary island brought waves of grief over her, remembering the victims who jumped off the cliff, and hundreds of lifeless bodies engulfed by the tornado. "But who was yelling my name?" she took a deep breath. "Like hearing voices are new."
Upon stepping on the floor, the room filled with comforting lights that eased her tired eyes. A mirror materialised on the wall. She found her wearing a navy cami and shorts. She ran her finger over the spots where thunder had struck her; not a single scratch. Her eyes glanced all over herself. "What about that soul layer?" She pinched several times, but all she had was just skin. "Yash?" No voice responded. "Cool, sexy Yash?" Again, no one responded. While she was touching herself, she stumbled upon a bracelet over her wrist. A normal silver bracelet adorned with intertwining vines, but upon moving the bracelet closer to her eyes; it had a faint glow surrounding it. All her efforts to remove it turned futile.
"Is it a tracker or a mission reward?"
The door opened. With wide smiles plastered across their faces, a guy and two girls entered the room, bringing a burst of energy with them. Appeared to be slightly younger than her.
One girl let out a scream of pure excitement. "Can't believe you are standing next to me! Oh my god, got to take a photo with you!" she clicked few photos and deleted most of them next second. "And you said she's going to take a day more." She giggled.
Their sudden presence and the weird funky attire of both girls confused Manya. The guy had a decent attire of a tee and jeans. But girls were looking like models coming straight from a cosplay event. They definitely have an in-built AC somewhere in them.
"How did you get access to my room?" Manya said. She maintained her stern gaze, wanting to intimidate whoever she encounters in a place unknown to her.
The girl with a cat tattoo approached Manya and threw a punch at her, which she blocked with little effort. For a full minute, she continued her unusual hello. There was no sign of relief on her face after their intimate moment.
The girl, who was too eager, extended her hand. "I am Sana, and I am your biggest! Fan."
"I am Hemant. It's nice to meet you, Ira," the guy said.
Ira? Oh. "And I am Ira, get out." Manya said. Her answer surprised them. Yet, they understood that this was not the suitable time to disturb her, and rushed out of the room.
Checking the drawers of the side table, she found the pass. The one it claimed would unlock all her necessities. A pass with "Ira Wings" displaying on it. She joined her hands. "Krishna, please take care of her and mamu."
Right after taking a long warm shower, which appeared as she smelled her underarms; she began searching for food. With no luck in finding a refrigerator, she moved to the cabinet, which appeared when she was correcting her shorts. It was concealed within the wall. Not like the shower that popped out from the floor. Cabinet was full of tight or form-fitting dresses. Their fabric was soft and comforting. She selected a soft grey blouse and matching pants.
***
Understanding that staying longer would only delay her progress in exploring the place and increase her hunger, she left the room.
Sana blocked her path. "Where are you going?" she said while eyeing her dress, mostly focusing on her chest. "You look amazing."
A compliment from a girl like her was never trustworthy. The quiet one who punched her introduction approached her alongside the Hemant guy, adding to the growing tension. Were they here all this time?
Manya's wrist bracelet took aback Sana. She couldn't keep without touching it. "It's beautiful!"
"Touching someone without their permission. Don't know about you, but at least these two respect other's space," Manya said.
Sana sulked and distanced herself from her.
"I need a direction for food court," Manya said. The silent girl pointed to the path to her right. "Name?"
"Kavya," she said.
"Thank you, Kavya." She had doubted Hemant and Kavya, but knew Sana wouldn't stay silent after the insult, something she seemed to care little about. Her only concern was finding a plentiful supply of food.
Stepping into the alley, the sight of wall-sized transparent screens lining both sides greeted her, with few icons on sides. It was displaying the never-ending ocean, with its soothing waves and thousands of stars above. Nice.
Continuing on her journey, she came across the training centre, where the noise wrapped her as soon as she entered and subsided when she stepped outside. Few trainees giggled at her neck whipping in and out. The panel on the wall contained various training schedules. She was eager to step in and warm up, but her stomach's cry was stronger. The insides were constructed with glass and a shiny metallic material that she couldn't understand. "Might be some advance steel," she whispered. "Mamu, I know you said not to, but I have finally reached MS. Just wait for me."
As she explored further, she came across rows of hangers after it, with unfamiliar aircrafts and devoid of life. Eerie aircrafts with matte black surface, if not for lights around and under them it would be hard to feel their presence. Pointed front, sharp wings at sides and not a single decoration, no glowing lights, just a cold, lonely aircraft. Best for night missions. Even if someone stumbled upon it, they would just run away, believing it to be a devil's art.
There were more training zones, but not the place she wanted, and there was no one to help her. She spotted a map on the wall and approached it.
'What?' the map said.
Its ability to talk and rudeness took her aback. "I need directions to the food court."
'That's why am I here, so I can help novices like you.'
An AI with a higher ego than the majority. It showed the most direct and simplest way to get to the mess hall. It was right next to the alley her room was.
"Kavya," Manya said. "… Thank you for your esteemed guidance. The great one."
Manya waited for its response. Complimenting the arrogant always comes with a reward. She acted to walk in the direction the map showed.
'Wait,' the map said. She turned back. 'You look decent than the most, and you know how to speak to ones who are far more intelligent and superior to you.' A door-like opening appeared on the wall, next to the map, with a blurred view of the crowd inside it, with a label above "Mess Hall." Manya thanked it and was about to go in. 'Listen, as an entity greater than you, I would advise you to be wary of those whoever you team up with. Now hurry inside or they'll issue a complain for favouring a novice.'
***
The door led her into the mess hall. Not only did it surprise her but also the crowd present there. Their eyes sparkled with joyous smiles. They rushed towards her, encircling her with an array of floating devices, capturing every single moment.
"You are real!"
"How come you are here?"
"Yes, we thought they'll send you to the best ones!"
"Can I click a photo with you?"
"Oh my god, tell me your room number!"
"God, now I am ready to die!"
"Guys! Give her some room," Hemant arrived to her rescue. "She's new here. We should welcome her! Now move!"
They came to a mutual understanding and shifted back a few steps. This was the first time she faced cameras alone, without Atharv. Unsure of which pose to give, whether to smile or pout. She recalled the celebrity events on TV, but refrained from striking those poses as it would only invite stress in a setting like this. All she desired for a way to teleport back to the room or become invisible to catch fragrance of coffee that had been teasing her.
Hemant, without touching, guided her towards a bench that was surrounded by the most flashy crowd. The bunch who was encircling her since morning were among them.
Kavya approached her, her face filled with guilt, unable to meet Manya's gaze. Sana, sitting beside her, was also hesitating to meet Manya's gaze. There were a couple of narcissistic types idly occupying the bench.
"Sorry," Kavya said.
Manya nodded.
"So, this was your plan Sana," a girl patted on Sana's shoulder. "Bringing her to your group," Sana gave a weak smile. The new girl was way more fit and confident in the group. Following Hemant, she appeared as their leader. Her shoes had made her a few inches taller than Manya. As approached Manya, the crowd returned to their seats.
"I am Saanvi," she offered a handshake.
A whiff of the enticing aroma of coffee again teased Manya. Even after accepting the handshake, her attention remained fixed on the counter. "Man…" She faced the girl. "Ira."
Manya caught a giggle and looked around. Sana had covered her mouth. Manya's coffee obsession had angered the new girl. "Sorry, I didn't get your name." Fear washed over the flashy batch.
Annoyed, the girl walked away. "Saanvi!" Hemant followed her.
"Saanvi… nice name." Manya hurried to the counter and ordered her desire.
The woman at the counter requested her pass. "I have never seen someone clearing a mission like that," the woman said. "My whole family is a fan."
Manya instinctively spoke with a subtle smile. "Thank you?"
The woman showed her a clip of her first mission. "This one is my favourite." It was when Manya carried the injured Japanese mercenary into the tornado. The woman swiped to another clip. "And this one my daughter's—"
Manya snatched the device. "Sorry." The clip—was fake. It wasn't her who created the tornado, but in the clip, it was shown how she had formed one using ariots and helicopters. She watched all her mission footage, and most of it was made up. According to it, she arrived at the island and sneak herself onto the base of mercenaries and killed them using their own weapons. C10 didn't show up again until after the completion of the mission. And there wasn't any existence of—Yash.
Everyone around her was discussing her mission. The mission that made her an overnight sensation was partially fabricated. And not a single one of them knows the truth.
Manya was about to leave the counter when the woman reminded her of the device. What she had just witnessed was beyond belief. "How can this be possible?" she whispered.
She recalled Yash's conversation about keeping certain events a secret. But for an AI to change a clip so much, was further than impossible. Everything appeared real. As though she had completed the island mission twice, or perhaps the initial raid was a product of her imagination. She dipped her finger in the coffee, but instead of getting the pain of relief, it surprised her. The mug has a feature which prevented burn. To her fingers coffee felt as same temperature as them, but to her lips, it pouted with perfect warmth.
A technical sharp sound covered the mess hall. Followed by a screen emerging mid-air. Excitement filled the air as everyone moved closer. It displayed the list of all the groups. Groups with weird names like - Shiv Ke Das, Brahmacharis, Fire Breathers, Storm Breakers, etc. However, what really grabbed everyone's attention was the name "Happy" written in the solo section.
"What an idiot!" Hemant said. "Trying to solo a mission, where a team of 10 won't be enough to clear it."
"You know about the mission?" Manya said.
He scanned the area. "No, but it's a given. Future missions are always dangerous than the previous one."
She remembered the words from the map. The map's intention was not for her to play solo, but to be cautious of those around her. But as far as her eyes could see, there wasn't a single person who saw her as an accomplice.
The name Happy had transformed into a target of laughter. However, Manya didn't find it amusing. No rational person in this place would take such a daring leap for the sake of fleeting fame, given the challenges of the tasks.