The information Sierra-4 provided was gold.
Over the next two weeks, she fed them operational details. Guard schedules. Security protocols. Facility layouts.
And one crucial piece: the location of the Shimla facility where Priya's sister was being held.
"We have to go," Priya said. "We have to get her out."
"We will," Rudra promised. "But we do it smart. No emotional decisions."
They planned meticulously. Studied the facility. Identified weak points.
The Shimla facility was different from Kupam. Smaller. More focused.
It wasn't a training center. It was a research lab.
Where they studied survivors. Mapped their neural patterns. Tried to understand what made them different.
What made them useful.
"How many subjects inside?" Anvi asked, studying the schematics.
"Twelve," Karan reported. "All long-term. Some for years."
"Like Priya's sister," Bhairav said.
"And others," Maya added. "People who disappeared. Who families gave up searching for."
"Then we get them all," Rudra decided. "Not just one rescue. Full extraction."
"That's ambitious," Arjun said. "Twelve people. Plus security. Plus potential resistance."
"Ambitious is what we do," Zara said with a grin.
They assembled equipment. Called in favors. Contacted other survivors who were ready to help.
By the time they were ready, the team had grown to fifteen.
Not all fighters. Some were drivers. Tech support. Medical personnel.
But all committed.
The operation was set for a Friday night. Minimal staff. Maximum chaos.
The Approach
Shimla in winter was beautiful. Snow-covered peaks. Pine forests. Tourist couples walking hand-in-hand.
And hidden in the mountains: a facility where nightmares were studied.
The team split into three groups.
Group Alpha (Rudra, Maya, Arjun): Primary breach. Enter facility. Locate subjects.
Group Bravo (Anvi, Bhairav, Zara): Support and extraction. Secure vehicles. Provide cover.
Group Charlie (Priya and tech team): Digital warfare. Disable security. Control communications.
They approached at 2 AM. Cold. Dark. Silent.
The facility looked like a resort hotel. Expensive. Discrete.
Perfect cover.
"Karan, status?" Rudra whispered.
"Security systems mapped. I count eight guards. Two at entrance. Two patrolling. Four at monitoring stations."
"Can you loop the cameras?"
"Already done. You have ten minutes before the loop becomes obvious."
"Move."
Group Alpha approached the service entrance. Maya picked the lock—old-school, no electronics to trigger alarms.
Inside was a kitchen. Industrial. Clean. Empty.
They moved through. Silent. Professional.
Down a corridor. Through a door marked: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
Into the real facility.
The atmosphere changed immediately. Clinical. Cold.
White walls. Fluorescent lights. The smell of disinfectant.
And underneath: something else. Fear. Pain. Suffering.
"Subject quarters are sublevel," Karan guided. "Take the stairs. Elevator is monitored."
They descended. Each step careful. Controlled.
At the bottom: a long corridor. Doors on both sides. Windows showing rooms.
Small rooms. Sparse. A bed. A desk. A bathroom.
Prison cells disguised as bedrooms.
And in them: people.
Young people. Teenagers. Early twenties.
All sleeping. Or pretending to.
"Which one is Priya's sister?" Rudra asked.
"Room Seven," Karan confirmed.
They moved to Room Seven. Looked through the window.
A girl. Maybe sixteen. Sitting on the bed. Eyes open. Staring at nothing.
She looked like Priya. Same features. Same dark hair.
But empty. Hollowed out.
"Meera," Priya's voice came through the comms. "That's Meera."
"We're getting her out," Rudra promised. "Along with everyone else."
He tried the door. Locked. Electronic.
"Karan?"
"Override in progress. Give me... thirty seconds."
They waited. Exposed. Vulnerable.
A guard appeared at the end of the corridor.
Saw them.
Reached for his radio.
Arjun moved. Fast. Silent. Took the guard down with a precise strike. Non-lethal but incapacitating.
"Time?" Rudra asked.
"Twenty seconds. Keep holding."
Another guard. From the opposite direction.
This one got his radio up.
"Breach in subject quarters—"
Maya tackled him. Wrestled the radio away. Ended the threat.
But the damage was done.
"They know," Karan said. "Facility-wide alert. You have maybe three minutes before reinforcements arrive."
"Open these doors. Now."
"All of them?"
"All of them."
The locks clicked. Doors swung open.
Rudra stepped into Room Seven. Meera looked up. Confused. Scared.
"Your sister sent us," Rudra said gently. "Priya. We're getting you out."
Meera's eyes widened. "Priya? She's... she's alive?"
"Very much alive. And waiting for you. But we need to go. Now."
Other subjects were emerging from their rooms. Blinking. Disoriented.
"Everyone!" Rudra called out. "We're here to help. Follow us. Stay together. Stay quiet."
Most moved immediately. Desperate. Grateful.
A few hesitated. Too traumatized. Too conditioned.
"We can't force them," Maya said.
"Then we take who we can," Rudra decided. "Anvi, status?"
"Vehicles ready. Route clear. But we're seeing movement. Security response. Multiple vehicles."
"How many?"
"At least three. Could be more."
"Then we move fast. Group Charlie, start the fireworks."
"On it," Priya confirmed.
Suddenly, every alarm in the facility went off. Lights flashing. Sirens blaring. Sprinkler systems activating.
Chaos.
"That's our cue," Rudra said. "Everyone move!"
They ran. Back through corridors. Up stairs. Through the kitchen.
Nine subjects followed. Three had refused to leave.
It hurt. But there was no time.
Outside, snow was falling. Beautiful. Surreal.
And racing toward them: security vehicles.
"Get in!" Bhairav shouted, engines already running.
They piled into vans. Cramped. Disorganized.
But everyone fit.
"Go!" Rudra ordered.
They peeled out. Tires spinning on snow. Then catching. Accelerating.
Behind them, security vehicles followed. Faster. Gaining.
"We need to lose them," Anvi said, driving.
"Take the mountain route," Maya suggested. "It's dangerous. But we know it. They don't."
Anvi turned hard. Off the main road. Onto a narrow mountain path.
Snow. Ice. Darkness.
Behind them, the security vehicles followed. Too fast. Too reckless.
One spun out. Crashed into a snow bank.
The others kept coming.
"Roadblock ahead," Karan warned. "They called in local police. You have maybe two minutes."
"Can we go around?" Bhairav asked.
"Not without going off-road. And in this snow, that's suicide."
Rudra thought fast. "Then we go through. Ram it."
"Are you insane?"
"Possibly. Do it."
Anvi accelerated. The van roared forward.
The roadblock ahead: two police cars. Lights flashing. Officers standing ready.
"Hold on!" Anvi shouted.
Impact.
Metal screaming. Glass shattering. The van shuddering but pushing through.
Police diving out of the way.
And then they were past. Free.
For now.
"Everyone okay?" Rudra asked.
Groans. Confirmations. No serious injuries.
In the back, Meera was crying. Priya's voice through the comms: "Is she okay? Is Meera okay?"
"She's safe," Rudra said. "Scared. But safe."
"Get her to the rally point. I'll meet you there."
They drove through the night. Winding through mountains. Avoiding main roads.
By dawn, they reached the rally point. An abandoned ski resort.
And there: Priya. Running toward the van.
The doors opened. Meera stumbled out.
The sisters collided. Holding each other. Sobbing.
Rudra looked away. Giving them privacy.
Around him, the other rescued subjects were processing. Some crying. Some laughing. Some just staring in disbelief.
They were free.
For the first time in years: free.
"Good work," Maya said, standing beside Rudra.
"Just the beginning," he replied.
Because they'd rescued nine people.
But three hundred more were still out there.
Still targets for Operation APEX.
Still in danger.
The real work hadn't even started yet.