Smoke filled the room as the door broke open.
Agents wearing black armor rushed in. Red lights flashed on their helmets.
"Target secured. Agent Aarav, stand down!"
But Aarav was no longer the agent who obeyed orders.
First Shot
Aarav picked up his memory gun—
but this time he set the trigger to overload mode, not delete mode.
The first agent moved toward him.
Fire.
A blue wave emanated, and the agent's chip shorted out. He fell to the ground, his eyes blank.
Ishani pointed to the window.
"Back fire escape!"
Fire erupted. Plaster began to crumble from the walls.
Aarav grabbed Ishaani's hand, and the two jumped down the stairs.
The World of the Low-Level
The "low-level" of New Tokyo was the part the city had forgotten.
There were shining towers above.
Down below—rusted pipes, broken lights, and the warm air of old servers.
There were fewer cameras here.
People here lived outside the system.
The two stopped in a dark alley.
Aarav's breathing was heavy, but his eyes were steady now.
"How did you learn to overload?" Ishani asked.
Aarav was silent for a moment.
Then he said softly, "Because they didn't just teach me how to delete...they also taught me how to hack."
The Door to Truth
They reached an old warehouse. Inside, dozens of old monitors and wires were scattered.
A man emerged from the darkness.
Long beard, eyes sparkling.
"So the hunter has finally become the hunted," he said with a smile.
"Kabir..." Ishani breathed a sigh of relief.
Aarav looked up, startled.
"Who is he?"
"Former Memoria engineer," Kabir himself answered.
"And part of your experiment."
Aarav felt a stir again.
"Experiment?"
Project Rebirth
Kabir turned on an old screen.
The file opened—
Project: Rebirth
Objective: Perfect Memory-Controlled Operative
On the screen was a picture of Aarav—
in a white room, unconscious.
"You were the first successful case," Kabir said.
"We erased all your emotional memories. But…"
"But?"
"Some people don't forget. Their memories are very deep."
Another file opened on the screen—
Residual Anchor: Ishani Sen
Aarav's heart stopped.
"What do you mean…?"
Ishani looked at him.
"Your mind didn't let me go completely."
The Real Truth
Kabir showed the next slide.
Memory Bank—a massive data center hidden beneath the city.
Where the memories of millions of people were stored.
"The government doesn't run Memoria," Kabir said.
"Director K. Rao runs it. He doesn't just erase memories—he changes history."
Aarav's fist tightened.
"And I… was his weapon."
"Yes," Kabir said calmly.
"But now you are his biggest mistake."
New Decision
The sound of a drone echoed outside.
Kabir said sharply, "They will reach here. You have two options—"
Run away. Take a new identity.
Attack the memory bank.
The room fell silent.
Ishani said softly, "If we don't do anything, they will continue to change the lives of thousands of people."
For the first time, there was determination—not anger—in Aarav's eyes.
"We won't run away."
Kabir took a deep breath.
"So you need a way in. The memory bank has three layers of security. But…"
"But?"
"Your bio-signature is still in the system. If you want, you can use it against them."
The Pain of Memories
Aarav clutched his head.
More memories flooded him—
of the day he was taken away.
Ishani's crying.
His own fear.
And then—
An injection.
Darkness.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
He was crying for the first time.
Ishani came to him.
"You're still the same, Aarav. They didn't change you… they just covered you up."
Aarav held her hand.
"What if I forget everything again tomorrow?"
Ishani smiled slightly.
"Then I'll find you again."
The Approaching Storm
Suddenly—
There was an explosion on the warehouse roof.
Dust began to fall.
Kabir yelled, "They're here!"
Aarav stood up.
He recalibrated the memory gun.
"Where is the way out of the low-level?"
Kabir threw the map to him.
"From here, straight to the underground tunnel. That tunnel leads to the memory bank."
Ishani asked,
"And you?"
Kabir smiled.
"Someone will have to stay behind and close the door."
Aarav grabbed her shoulder.
"We'll all leave together."
But Kabir's eyes were already determined.
The door broke down.
Agents in black suits burst in.
Firing began.
Aarav and Ishani ran towards the tunnel.
Kabir's voice came from behind—
"Rewrite history!"
And then—
A loud explosion.
The tunnel was plunged into darkness.
Aarav and Ishani kept running.
Next—
There was the memory bank.
Where the truth was imprisoned.