Time didn't just slow down; it turned into sludge. The ticking of the wall clock was like a hammer hitting an anvil, echoing in the silence while I locked eyes with Mr. Khan. It was a staring contest I was definitely losing. Meanwhile, Divyansh was leaned up against the flower-covered wall, his thumb rhythmically flicking upward as he scrolled through reels. The tinny sound of a trending song leaked from his phone, making the whole "secret base" thing feel ridiculous.

  Finally, Khan’s lips parted. I braced myself.

  Suddenly, a bark of laughter exploded from the corner. Divyansh doubled over, nearly head-butting a pot of lilies. He caught himself mid-laugh, realizing the room had gone dead silent. He looked up, seeing both of us staring at him like he’d just grown a second head.

  "Uh... sorry," he muttered, coughing awkwardly. He adjusted his posture, tucked his phone away, and tried to look professional again. It didn't work. Two seconds later, he was back to the screen, pretending we didn't exist.

  Khan sighed—a long, weary sound—and turned back to me. Please, no more staring, I prayed.

  "What is the Zero Program?" Khan asked.

  I blinked. I’d expected a question about international espionage or the chemical makeup of my blood. Not... whatever that was. "Excuse me? I, uh... I don't actually know what you're talking about."

  Khan didn't look convinced. He glanced at Divyansh and made a quick, sharp gesture with two fingers—a twisting motion.

  Oh god. They’re going to twist my fingers. Panic, hot and cold at the same time, surged through me. My mind raced, trying to find a lie, a truth, anything that wouldn't end with my bones snapping. Divyansh started rummaging through a desk drawer. Searching for the pliers, I thought. The torture tools. "Wait! Please!" I shouted as Divyansh approached me, holding something black and metallic with wires trailing off it. "Don't twist my fingers! I don't know anything! I swear!"

  I expected them to sneer or pull out a car battery. Instead, they laughed. It wasn't a "villain" laugh either; it was the kind of laugh you hear at a dhaba when someone tells a really bad joke.

  "Hoh hoh hoh! Nice one, kiddo!" Divyansh grinned, shaking his head. "Don't worry, we aren't into the medieval stuff. It’s just a lie detector."

  My face went from pale to a deep, burning red. I tried to stutter out an excuse, but the embarrassment was a physical weight. I felt like a total idiot.

  Divyansh, still chuckling, clipped the device to my finger. Khan repeated the question. I gave the same answer, staring at my shoes this time so I wouldn't have to see their faces. A strange, tingly vibration spread from the clip through my hand, making my skin feel buzzy and "funny." A few seconds later, a green light flashed on the laptop screen and a soft buzz filled the air.

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  Khan let out a breath and actually patted my shoulder. "Sorry, kid. Security protocol. It was necessary."

  I felt the tension drain out of me, my grip on the chair finally loosening.

  Divyansh gave me a slap on the back that I was pretty sure was going to leave a bruise. "I told you, Sir. They wouldn't pick fragile civilians for Subjects. He’s a total innocent."

  Khan nodded, but his shoulders slumped. "Yeah. I think you're right. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm disappointed."

  Disappointed? That stung. I’d just survived a monster and a kidnapping, and this guy was disappointed I wasn't some super-soldier?

  "That’s why I told you to take me along," Divyansh chimed in. "If I’d been there, our chances of finding a real one would've been way higher."

  "Wait, wait!" I blurted out, the curiosity finally overriding the fear. "What are you guys talking about? Please, I'm requesting you—just explain what is happening."

  Khan’s tone shifted. It wasn't "military" anymore; it was gentle, almost fatherly. "You have the right to know. Honestly, I think the time is coming when every citizen in India will know. I just hope they get the good news first, not the bad."

  I frowned. Why can't these people ever just give a straight answer?

  Khan reached behind his head, his fingers finding a release at the back of his helmet. There was a pressurized hiss, and he pulled the mask away.

  I’d expected a man in his thirties—someone in his prime. But the man underneath was in his late forties. His face was rugged, textured like coarse sandpaper, with deep lines carved around his mouth. But it was his eyes that held me. His right eye was dark and piercing, but his left was a solid, milky white. A dead eye, likely lost in a fight I couldn't even imagine. There was something familiar about him—a nagging feeling in the back of my head—but I knew for a fact I’d never seen him before.

  "I don't know how you’ll take this," Khan said. "You might think it’s ridiculous. But our country is in terrible danger. Or, more accurately, our country is the danger for the rest of the world. There’s a secret organization out there, just like us, but—"

  "Definitely not like us, Sir," Divyansh interrupted.

  Khan rubbed his temple, his patience clearly thinning. "They are experimenting illegally on people. And you've already met a sample."

  "Wait," I interrupted. "How did you know we met a sample?"

  Khan looked at the ceiling as if asking God for strength. I coughed and muttered an apology, which earned me another snort from Divyansh. Khan finally had enough and signaled for the boy to get out.

  Once the door shut behind Divyansh, Khan turned back to me. "I was the one who shot the thing in the desert. I didn't know you people were there at the time. I followed the organization back to their base, hoping to snatch a test sample for our own research. I found you in that room instead, thought you might be a 'Subject,' and brought you here. That’s it."

  I stared at him. He said it so casually, as if "snatching test samples" was a normal Tuesday. He was a terrible teacher—he explained world-ending threats like he was reading a grocery list.

  Before I could ask about my friends or the monster, he stood up and straightened his jacket. "That’s enough. One of my men will drive you back. We’ll drop you off safely where you came from."

  I just sat there, my mind spinning. That’s it? You kidnap me, put a wire on my finger, tell me the world is ending, and now I’m just... going home?