The night before the infiltration, Rudra couldn't sleep.
Not out of fear. He'd long since learned to quiet that particular noise. But anticipation was different. It hummed in his veins like electricity, sharpening every sense.
Tomorrow, he and Bhairav would break into the locked room. Tomorrow, they'd find answers.
Or they'd find trouble.
Both felt equally likely.
But the morning brought something unexpected. Something that threatened to derail everything.
Karthik was back.
The Return
Rudra first noticed him in the mess hall. Same swagger. Same smirk. Like nothing had happened.
Like he hadn't been humiliated two weeks ago. Like the video and the photo had never existed.
Karthik walked in with his usual crew, laughing too loud, slapping backs, reclaiming his territory.
Rudra watched from across the room, expression neutral.
Something was wrong.
People didn't recover from public shame that fast. Not without help. Not without leverage.
Karthik's eyes swept the room and landed on Rudra. For a moment, their gazes locked.
Then Karthik smiled. Wide. Confident.
Predatory.
Rudra's instincts screamed.
The Challenge
That afternoon, during the geology lecture under the banyan trees, Karthik made his move.
He waited until the teacher was distracted, scribbling diagrams on a portable whiteboard, before standing up and addressing the class.
"Hey, everyone. Quick question."
The teacher frowned. "Karthik, sit down—"
"Just one sec, sir." Karthik's tone was polite, but there was an edge to it. "I wanted to ask Rudra something."
Every head turned.
Rudra sat at the back, arms crossed, face blank. He didn't react.
Karthik grinned. "You're into tech, right? Cameras, computers, that sort of thing?"
Silence.
"Funny thing," Karthik continued, pacing now, enjoying the attention. "Someone's been installing hidden cameras around campus. Did you know that?"
Murmurs rippled through the class.
The teacher straightened. "What are you talking about?"
Karthik pulled out his phone, scrolling. "Found this in the common room yesterday. Tiny. Wireless. Real spy movie stuff."
He held up a photo. A pin-hole camera. Mounted inside a smoke detector.
Rudra's camera.
The one he'd installed three weeks ago.
His expression didn't change. But inside, his mind was racing.
Karthik continued, voice dripping with fake concern. "Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Who's watching us? Who's recording us without permission?"
The teacher stepped forward, alarmed. "Karthik, if this is true, it's a serious matter. We need to report—"
"Oh, I already did, sir." Karthik's smile widened. "Security's checking all the footage now. Whoever planted it is gonna get caught. Expelled, probably."
He looked directly at Rudra. "Crazy, right?"
Rudra met his eyes. Calm. Unbothered.
But he knew exactly what Karthik was doing.
This was revenge. Clean. Calculated. And potentially devastating.
If security reviewed the footage, they'd see Karthik destroying Dev's laptop. But they'd also see Rudra installing the camera. They'd see him moving through restricted areas. They'd see things Rudra couldn't afford to explain.
And Karthik knew it.
This wasn't just payback. This was mutually assured destruction.
Karthik was betting Rudra would back down to protect himself.
He was wrong.
The Counter
That evening, Rudra didn't panic. He didn't run. He went to work.
First, he accessed the camera's cloud backup. The footage was encrypted, stored on a private server Rudra had set up specifically for this purpose.
He downloaded everything, then wiped the server. No trace.
Then he created a new video. Ten minutes long. A compilation.
Karthik destroying Dev's laptop.
Karthik bullying a junior student in the corridor.
Karthik stealing cash from someone's locker.
Karthik cheating during a quiz, phone hidden under his desk.
All from different cameras. All timestamped. All undeniable.
Rudra didn't just collect evidence for single operations. He collected it constantly. Because you never knew when you'd need leverage.
And tonight, he needed it.
He encrypted the file, uploaded it to a burner email account, and scheduled it to send to the principal, the head of security, and the regional education board.
Subject line: "Student Misconduct - Evidence Attached."
Send time: Tomorrow morning, 6 AM.
Unless Rudra manually canceled it.
Then he went to find Karthik.
The Negotiation
Rudra found him near the basketball court, surrounded by his crew. Loud. Confident.
Rudra walked straight up to him.
"We need to talk. Alone."
Karthik's friends laughed. "Who the hell do you think—"
"Alone," Rudra repeated, voice flat. "Unless you want this conversation to be public."
Something in Rudra's tone made Karthik pause. He waved his friends off. "Give us a minute."
They walked to the edge of the court, away from prying ears.
Karthik crossed his arms. "You got something to say?"
Rudra pulled out his phone, opened a video file, and handed it to Karthik.
Karthik's smirk faded as he watched. His face went pale.
"Where did you—"
"I have six more," Rudra said calmly. "All queued to send tomorrow morning. To everyone who matters."
Karthik's hands shook. "You're bluffing."
"Test me."
They stared at each other. Two predators. Two strategists. Both knowing exactly what the other was capable of.
Finally, Karthik spoke, voice low. "What do you want?"
"You drop this camera thing. Tell security it was a prank. A fake. Whatever. Make it go away."
"And if I don't?"
"Then everyone sees what you really are. And unlike me, you don't have the skills to disappear."
Karthik's jaw clenched. "You think you're so smart."
"I think I'm prepared. There's a difference."
For a long moment, neither moved.
Then Karthik shoved the phone back at Rudra. "Fine. Done. We're even."
"No," Rudra said quietly. "We're not even. You started this. I'm ending it. But if you ever come at me again—if you so much as look at me wrong—I won't give you a warning. I'll bury you."
Karthik's fists clenched, but he didn't swing. He just turned and walked away, shoulders tense, pride shattered.
Rudra stood alone on the court, phone in hand, heart steady.
He'd won.
But he didn't feel victorious.
He felt tired.
The Mission
That night, at 1:45 AM, Rudra met Bhairav at the edge of the forest.
Bhairav had a backpack full of tools. Rudra had his cameras and a small flashlight.
"Ready?" Bhairav asked.
Rudra nodded. "Let's go."
They moved through the darkness like shadows. No words. Just practiced silence.
The old wing loomed ahead, darker than the rest of the compound.
They slipped inside through the broken window. Down the corridor. Down the stairs.
To the metal door.
Bhairav knelt, pulling out a lockpick set. His hands moved with precision, confidence.
Two minutes later, the lock clicked open.
They exchanged a glance.
Then Rudra pushed the door open.
Inside was exactly what the camera had shown. Shelves. Boxes. Archives.
But there was more.
On the far wall, pinned like evidence in a crime scene, were photos. Dozens of them.
Students. Different years. Different faces.
All marked with red X's.
Rudra's blood ran cold.
"What the hell is this?" Bhairav whispered.
Rudra stepped closer, reading the labels beneath each photo.
"Missing. 2015."
"Missing. 2017."
"Missing. 2019."
"Missing. 2021."
All field program students. All from October.
And at the bottom of the wall, in neat handwriting:
"Project Rekha - Phase 4 Complete."
Rudra pulled out his phone, started taking photos. Evidence. Proof.
Bhairav grabbed one of the boxes, ripping it open. Inside were files. Medical records. Psych evaluations. Consent forms.
All signed by the same person.
Dr. A. Malhotra. Director, Kupam Research Institute.
"We need to get out of here," Bhairav said, voice tight. "Now."
But Rudra was already at the desk, photographing everything. Every page. Every name.
"Rudra—"
"Almost done."
That's when they heard it.
Footsteps.
Coming down the stairs.
Bhairav's eyes went wide. "Shit."
Rudra grabbed his phone, shoved it in his pocket. "Back door. Now."
They moved fast, slipping through a side exit Bhairav had scouted earlier.
They didn't stop running until they were deep in the forest, lungs burning, hearts pounding.
When they finally stopped, Bhairav leaned against a tree, gasping.
"That was too close."
Rudra nodded, pulling out his phone. "But we got it. All of it."
Bhairav looked at him. "What now?"
Rudra's expression was hard. Cold.
"Now we burn them down."