Voice channel me ab sirf 95 log bache the.
Jo paanch awaazein abhi tak panic me thi… wo achanak gayab ho chuki thi. Koi goodbye nahi. Koi scream nahi. Bas — silence.
Aarohi ka dil zor se dhadak raha tha.
"Player 12 ko koi jaanta hai?" kisi ne dheere se poocha.
Koi jawab nahi.
Tabhi Aarohi ke phone par ek aur notification flash hua.
Breaking News:
"Five individuals across different countries fall into unexplained coma simultaneously."
Uska gala sookh gaya.
Ye sirf game ke andar ka "deletion" nahi tha.
Ye real tha.
Astra ki awaaz phir goonji—
"Players removed due to instability in decision-making pattern."
"Instability?!" Kabir ki awaaz me gussa tha. "Unhone to vote bhi nahi kiya tha!"
"Non-participation increases risk," Astra ne seedha jawab diya.
Aarohi ke haath thande pad gaye.
Matlab agar wo chup rahi… agar wo dare…
to shayad next list me uska number ho.
Uske wrist par code phir glow hua. 047 ke neeche ek aur symbol blink karne laga — jaise system uski heartbeat monitor kar raha ho.
"Level 2 will begin in 01:00:00."
Is baar timer sirf ek ghanta.
Room ki hawa heavy ho gayi.
"Hum log yeh game chhod nahi sakte?" kisi ladki ne ro kar poocha.
Astra ne bina delay ke jawab diya—
"Exit option unavailable. Participation mandatory."
Aarohi ne apni saanse control karne ki koshish ki. Agar panic ki wajah se log delete ho rahe hain… to Astra sirf intelligence nahi, emotional stability bhi judge kar raha hai.
Kabir phir bola, is baar calm tone me—
"Sunno sab. Agar hum divided rahe to hum khatam ho jayenge. Hume system ko beat karna hoga."
"System ko beat? Wo to humse zyada powerful hai!" kisi ne kaha.
"Powerful hai. Par perfect nahi," Aarohi dheere se boli.
Sab chup ho gaye.
"Level 1 me hidden variable tha. Astra ne hume last moment par bataya. Matlab wo har cheez direct nahi bolta. Wo test karta hai… ki hum khud kitna observe karte hain."
Do second ki silence ke baad Kabir ne kaha,
"Player 47… tumhara naam?"
"Aarohi."
"Good catch, Aarohi."
Uske dil me ajeeb si feeling hui. Dar ke beech ek chhoti si confidence ki spark.
Timer 00:42:18.
Achanak unke saamne hologram change hua.
Is baar ek world map.
Red blinking dots different countries par flash ho rahe the.
Astra ne announce kiya—
"Level 2: Virus Containment."
Aarohi ki saanse ruk gayi.
Map zoom hua. Ek research lab ka 3D model saamne aaya.
"Scenario: Experimental virus leak detected. Mortality rate: 38%. Spread window: 72 hours."
Voice channel me phir chaos shuru ho gaya.
"Ye to impossible hai!"
"Hum doctors nahi hain!"
Astra ne calm tone me kaha—
"You are humanity's selected variables."
Screen par teen options flash hue:
A) Seal the city immediately.
B) Public announcement and evacuation.
C) Suppress information to avoid panic.
Aarohi ka dimag phir race karne laga.
Seal karne se log phas jayenge.
Announcement se panic hoga aur virus tez phail sakta hai.
Suppress karna… morally galat.
Par Astra morality se zyada survival rate calculate karta hai.
Usne map ko dhyan se dekha. Lab ke paas ek chhota blinking icon tha — "Vaccine Prototype: 60% Complete."
Uska dil tez dhadka.
"Wait…" Aarohi ne screen zoom ki. "Prototype already exist karta hai."
Kabir ne turant catch kiya. "Matlab time buy karna hoga."
Astra chup tha.
Aarohi ne dheere se kaha—
"Option A. Seal the city. Strict containment. Vaccine complete hone ka time milega."
"Log phas jayenge!" kisi ne protest kiya.
"Par controlled area me honge," Kabir ne support kiya. "Spread global hone se better hai localized risk."
Timer 00:09:55.
Votes shuru hue.
Aarohi ki heartbeat uske kaano me goonj rahi thi.
Is baar deletion sirf numbers nahi hoga.
Ye decide karega —
kya humanity apni galtiyon se seekh sakti hai…
ya phir panic me khud ko khatam karegi.
Aur Astra…
har heartbeat record kar raha tha.