The trials began three weeks later.
Rajesh Kumar. Vivaan Malhotra. Shreya Kapoor. Colonel Ashok Mehta.
Four of the five Directorate members. All captured. All facing charges.
Conspiracy. Kidnapping. Murder. Human experimentation.
The evidence was overwhelming. Recordings. Financial records. Victim testimonies.
Survivors lined up to testify. Telling their stories. Showing their scars.
The public was horrified. Outraged. Demanding justice.
But Rudra knew better.
Justice was slow. Imperfect. Easily corrupted.
He attended the trials. Watched from the gallery. Listened to the proceedings.
And noticed patterns.
Defense attorneys were expensive. Connected. Making arguments about national security. Classified operations. Protecting the country.
Some people were listening.
Some politicians were wavering.
The narrative was shifting from "horrific abuse" to "controversial but necessary program."
"They're going to get away with it," Bhairav said, sitting beside Rudra.
"Some of them. Maybe."
"That's not justice."
"No. But it's reality."
After the day's testimony, Rudra was approached by a woman. Mid-thirties. Professional. Carrying a folder.
"Rudra? I'm Advocate Meera Sharma. I represent the survivors' coalition. Can we talk?"
They found a quiet conference room.
Advocate Sharma laid out documents. "We're building a comprehensive case. Civil and criminal. But I need your help."
"I've already testified."
"I need more than testimony. I need the fifth Directorate member. Director E. The one you haven't found."
Rudra tensed. "What makes you think I know who that is?"
"Because you're methodical. Strategic. You've been investigating Nexus for months. You don't stop at eighty percent. You push for completion."
She was right.
"I have suspicions," Rudra admitted. "But no proof."
"Tell me your suspicions. Let me investigate legally. Through proper channels."
Rudra considered. Then pulled out his own folder. Notes. Research. Patterns.
"Director E is the architect," he explained. "The founder. The person who started Nexus thirty years ago. The other four are operators. But E is the philosopher. The true believer."
"And you think E is...?"
"Dr. Kavita Rathore. Child psychologist. Published researcher. Government advisor on education policy."
Advocate Sharma's eyes widened. "The Dr. Rathore? She's a national figure. Respected. Award-winning."
"Also patient zero for Project Rekha. She developed the methodologies. Tested them on herself first. Then on others. Built Nexus from the ground up."
"How do you know this?"
"Financial trails. All shell companies eventually trace back to one source. A trust established in 1995. By Rathore. For 'educational research.'"
"That's... circumstantial."
"There's more. Rathore's research papers. They describe trauma-based conditioning. Resilience training. Selection pressure. The academic foundations for everything Nexus does."
"Research papers are public. That's not proof of crimes."
"No. But her private papers would be. And I know where they are."
Advocate Sharma leaned forward. "Where?"
"Her residence. Home office. She keeps physical journals. Detailed records of every program. Every subject. Every outcome."
"How do you know?"
"Because I've been inside."
The revelation hung in the air.
"You broke into a national figure's home?" Advocate Sharma asked carefully.
"I surveilled her home. Mapped it. But didn't enter. I'm not stupid. A break-in would contaminate evidence. Make it inadmissible."
"So you need legal access."
"Yes. Which requires a warrant. Which requires probable cause. Which requires—"
"Me," Advocate Sharma finished. "I can petition for a search warrant. Based on the circumstantial evidence. It's a long shot. But possible."
"Do it."
She gathered the documents. Stood to leave. Then paused.
"Why are you doing this? You've already won. APEX is stopped. Four Directorate members are facing trial. You could walk away. Live your life."
"Because a hundred people died," Rudra said quietly. "A hundred survivors who trusted me. Who believed I could protect them. And I couldn't."
"That's not your fault."
"Doesn't matter. It's my responsibility. As long as Nexus exists—even one member—survivors aren't safe. So I keep fighting."
Advocate Sharma nodded. "Then we fight together."
She left.
Rudra sat alone in the conference room. Thinking.
His phone buzzed. Message from Karan.
Found something. You need to see this. Meet at the warehouse. NOW.
Rudra arrived thirty minutes later. The warehouse had been repaired. Reinforced. Converted into an actual command center for the survivor network.
Karan's station was in the corner. Multiple monitors. Endless data streams.
"What did you find?" Rudra asked.
"Encrypted communication. From Director E to the captured Directorate members. She sent it three days ago. Before the trials started."
"How did you intercept it?"
"I've been monitoring Nexus channels. Most went dark after APEX. But some remain active. This one used old protocols. Probably thought it was secure."
"What does it say?"
Karan played the decoded audio.
Dr. Rathore's voice. Calm. Professional. Terrifying.
"To my colleagues. The trials are theater. Designed to satisfy public outrage while preserving core operations. You will be found guilty. You will serve time. But not much. And afterward, you will be compensated. Generously. For your sacrifice."
Pause.
"But more importantly: Phase Two is ready. New facilities. New subjects. New protocols. Learning from past mistakes. When this settles—and it will—Nexus will return. Stronger. Smarter. Unstoppable."
Another pause.
"To the subjects who think they've won: you've only won a battle. The war continues. And I have time. Patience. Resources. I will rebuild. And next time, you won't see us coming."
The recording ended.
Silence.
"She's planning to continue," Anvi said from behind Rudra. "Even after everything. Even with four Directorate members captured."
"Because she's the true believer," Rudra said. "To her, this is a setback. Not a defeat."
"Then we finish this," Maya said. "No more half-measures. No more legal processes. We end her."
"Carefully," Rudra cautioned. "Rathore is protected. Connected. We can't just—"
"Can't we?" Bhairav interrupted. "She's planning to kidnap and torture more kids. How is that different from what we've been stopping?"
"Because if we kill her," Rudra explained, "we prove her right. That survivors are dangerous. Violent. Need to be controlled. We give justification for the next person who wants to start Project Rekha."
"So what do we do?" Priya asked.
Rudra thought. Calculated. Planned.
"We expose her. Completely. Undeniably. Not just to courts. To everyone. Media. Public. International observers. We make her so toxic that even her allies abandon her."
"How?" Anvi asked.
"With those private journals. The ones in her home. We get a legal warrant. Seize her records. Publish them. Every detail. Every crime. Every calculation. We show the world who Dr. Kavita Rathore really is."
"And if Advocate Sharma can't get the warrant?" Maya asked.
"Then we find another way. But we do it right. By the rules. Because we're not Nexus. We're better."
The team dispersed. Planning. Preparing.
Rudra stayed at Karan's station. Watching data streams.
In the flow of information, he saw patterns. Connections. A network that extended far beyond five people.
Nexus was a hydra. Cut off one head, others remained.
But every head had a weakness.
And Rudra was very good at finding weaknesses.
The truth about Nexus would be revealed.
All of it.
And when it was? When every secret was exposed? Every crime documented? Every victim heard?
Then—maybe then—they could rest.
But not yet.
Not while the fifth Directorate member remained free.
Not while Phase Two was being planned.
Not while survivors lived in fear.
The work continued.
The fight continued.
And Rudra? Rudra was just getting started.