The dense forest cloaked Abhay and Ash in shadows, the moonlight barely piercing through the canopy. The hum of the motorcycle had faded into the background, leaving only the sound of their labored breathing and the rustling of leaves in the cold night air. Abhay clutched the flash drive tightly in his hand, its contents weighing heavily on his mind.
"We need to move," Ash whispered, her sharp eyes scanning their surroundings. "This spot is good for now, but they'll keep tracking us."
Abhay nodded, still shaken by their narrow escape. "I know. But before that, I need to check what's on this."
Ash gave him a skeptical look. "You're really going to risk it here? What if it's a trap? What if Rajan put something in there to trace you the second you open it?"
Abhay hesitated. The possibility hadn't escaped him, but the urge to know what his father had been working on was too strong to ignore. If the drive held answers, it might also hold a way to fight back.
They moved deeper into the forest, finding a secluded spot near a small clearing. Abhay retrieved a portable laptop from his bag—another tool salvaged from the lab—and inserted the flash drive. His hands trembled as the screen blinked to life. At first, the drive appeared empty. No files, no folders, nothing.
"What the—" Ash leaned closer, frowning. "Is this a joke?"
Abhay's heart sank, but then he noticed something odd. The file size of the drive wasn't zero. It was full, but the data was invisible. His father had encrypted it.
"It's hidden," Abhay murmured, more to himself than to Ash. He began typing furiously, running decryption scripts he'd learned during his darker days on the web. Lines of code flashed on the screen, the tension building with every failed attempt.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a single folder appeared on the screen.
Project: Aegis
Ash whistled softly. "That sounds... ominous."
Abhay clicked the folder, his breath catching as dozens of files opened before him. Blueprints, chemical formulas, schematics for devices he didn't recognize—all detailed and precise. But one file caught his eye.
Experiment Report #47: The Catalyst Incident
He clicked it. The screen filled with lines of text, interspersed with blurry images of lab equipment and what looked like... weapons. His father's research wasn't just academic—it was practical, tactical, and dangerous.
As Abhay skimmed the report, his heart raced. The document described an experiment gone wrong—a project meant to create "a controllable energy source" for advanced tools. But the energy had become unstable, resulting in an explosion that wiped out an entire testing facility.
Ash leaned over his shoulder, her expression grim. "This isn't just research, Abhay. This is... this is something people would kill for."
Abhay's mind spun. His father had always been secretive about his work, but this? This was beyond anything he'd imagined. It wasn't just groundbreaking; it was dangerous.
Before he could read further, a faint rustling sound reached his ears. He froze, his hand instinctively going to the small knife at his side.
"You hear that?" he whispered.
Ash nodded, already pulling out her pistol.
The forest had gone eerily silent, save for the faint crackle of leaves underfoot. Abhay's eyes darted around, scanning the darkness. His pulse quickened as the rustling grew louder. Whoever it was, they were getting closer.
Abhay grabbed the laptop and stuffed it into his bag, adrenaline coursing through him. "We have to move. Now."
Ash motioned for him to follow as she crept toward the denser part of the forest. The trees offered cover, but the moonlight also cast long, jagged shadows that made every movement seem like a threat.
Suddenly, a figure stepped into view, dressed in black combat gear and holding a silenced pistol. Ash fired first, her shot ripping through the stillness and hitting the figure in the shoulder. He staggered but didn't fall, raising his weapon in retaliation.
"Run!" Ash shouted, firing again.
Abhay bolted, his heart pounding as more shadows emerged from the trees. Bullets whizzed past, some hitting the trees with dull thuds. Ash was right behind him, her movements quick and calculated as she returned fire.
They reached a rocky incline, and Abhay nearly slipped as he scrambled upward. The assassins were relentless, their footsteps crunching closer with every second. Just as he reached the top, a hand grabbed his ankle, yanking him back.
Abhay kicked out wildly, his boot connecting with the attacker's face. The man grunted and let go, giving Abhay just enough time to pull himself over the edge. Ash helped him up, her eyes scanning the area for more threats.
"Keep moving," she urged, her voice tight with urgency.
They didn't stop running until they reached the edge of the forest, where the faint glow of a distant town came into view. Abhay's legs burned, and his chest heaved with every breath, but he couldn't afford to rest. Not yet.
As they approached the outskirts of the town, Ash slowed down, pulling Abhay into a narrow alleyway. "We need to lay low for a while. They'll be swarming the forest by now."
Abhay leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. The flash drive felt like a ticking time bomb in his pocket. Whatever secrets it held, they were worth killing for—and Rajan wasn't going to stop until he had them back.