The first thing Rudra did was control his breathing.
Panic was useless. Fear was useless. The only thing that mattered was thinking clearly.
The room had transformed. What was once a simple observation cell was now something else entirely. The walls had reconfigured, revealing passages, hidden doors, and corridors that hadn't been visible before.
"It's a modular space," Anvi said, voice tight but steady. "Reconfigurable architecture. Military-grade."
"How do you know that?" Bhairav asked.
"Because I've studied his research papers. Malhotra published work on adaptive environments for psychological testing. I thought it was theoretical. I was wrong."
Rudra examined the nearest door. Solid. Electronic lock. No manual override.
"Sneha's still unconscious," Bhairav said, checking her pulse again. "We need to get her out of here."
"We need to get all of us out of here," Rudra corrected.
The speakers crackled again. Malhotra's voice, calm and detached.
"I'm going to make this simple. You have one hour to navigate the facility and reach the exit. There are cameras everywhere. I'll be watching. Evaluating. Taking notes."
"And if we refuse to play?" Rudra called out.
Malhotra laughed softly. "Then you stay here. Indefinitely. Until I decide what to do with you."
"You can't keep us here forever," Anvi said. "People know we're missing."
"Do they? Three students who've been caught breaking into restricted areas multiple times. Who've stolen confidential files. Who've shown signs of paranoia and conspiratorial thinking." Malhotra's tone was almost pitying. "If you disappear, people will assume you ran away. Just like the others."
Rudra's jaw clenched. He was right. Malhotra had been building this narrative for weeks.
"Your hour starts now," Malhotra said. "Good luck."
The speakers went silent.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Rudra turned to Bhairav. "Can you wake her?"
"Not without medication. Whatever they gave her, it's strong."
"Then we carry her."
"Rudra, she's deadweight. It'll slow us down—"
"We're not leaving her." Rudra's voice was final.
Anvi nodded. "Agreed. We all get out or none of us do."
Bhairav exhaled. "Fine. But we need to move fast."
Rudra scanned the room. Three visible exits. Two were dark corridors. One had faint light at the end.
"Light means cameras," Rudra said. "They want us to go that way."
"So we don't," Anvi said.
"Exactly."
Rudra pointed to the darkest corridor. "That one. Stay close. Watch for traps."
They moved Sneha carefully, Bhairav supporting most of her weight. Rudra took point. Anvi covered the rear.
The corridor was narrow. Cold. The walls were bare concrete, slick with condensation.
After twenty meters, they reached a junction. Three paths.
"Left, right, or straight?" Bhairav asked.
Rudra closed his eyes, listening. Air flow. Faint. From the right.
"Right. There's ventilation that way."
They turned right.
The passage sloped downward. Deeper into the facility.
"This doesn't feel like an exit," Anvi muttered.
"It's not," Rudra agreed. "But exits are guarded. We need to find another way."
"Like what?"
"Maintenance access. Emergency systems. Every building has weak points."
They continued until the corridor opened into a larger space.
A laboratory.
Old. Abandoned. Filled with dusty equipment, broken glass, and the unmistakable smell of formaldehyde.
"This is the old biology lab," Anvi said, recognizing it from the building plans. "The one that was supposed to be condemned."
"It was never condemned," Rudra said. "It was repurposed."
The room was filled with old examination tables, specimen jars, and filing cabinets.
And on the far wall, a large window. Reinforced glass. Looking into another room.
Rudra approached slowly.
On the other side of the glass was a control room. Banks of monitors. Keyboards. And sitting at the center console, watching them on screen, was Dr. Malhotra.
He waved.
Rudra didn't react.
Malhotra pressed a button. His voice came through speakers in the lab.
"Impressive. Most subjects take the lit path. You're already exceeding expectations."
"We're not your subjects," Rudra said coldly.
"Not yet. But you will be." Malhotra leaned forward. "You see, Rudra, I've been studying you since you arrived. Your patterns. Your methods. The way you think."
"Why?"
"Because you're different. Most students are predictable. Emotional. Easy to manipulate. But you... you're strategic. Detached. You don't trust anyone."
Malhotra smiled. "That makes you perfect for what comes next."
"Which is?"
"Phase Five of Project Rekha. Advanced psychological conditioning. Breaking down autonomy. Rebuilding neural pathways. Creating individuals who can operate under extreme stress without emotional interference."
Rudra's blood ran cold.
"You're trying to make weapons out of people."
"I'm trying to make better people," Malhotra corrected. "Stronger. More resilient. Capable of surviving what others can't."
"By torturing them."
"By training them."
Anvi stepped forward, voice shaking with rage. "My sister. Where is she?"
Malhotra's expression softened. "Ah. Meera. Yes. A promising subject. Unfortunately, she didn't complete the program."
"What did you do to her?" Anvi's voice cracked.
"I gave her a choice. Adapt or break. She chose to break." Malhotra's tone was clinical. "It was unfortunate. But necessary."
Anvi lunged at the glass, slamming her fists against it. "YOU KILLED HER!"
The glass didn't budge.
Malhotra watched her calmly. "I gave her an opportunity to transcend her limitations. She refused. That was her failure, not mine."
Rudra grabbed Anvi, pulling her back. "He's trying to provoke you. Don't give him what he wants."
Anvi was shaking. Tears streaming down her face. But she nodded.
Rudra turned back to Malhotra. "You're not going to get away with this."
"I already have. For ten years."
"Until now."
Malhotra raised an eyebrow. "You think you're going to stop me? Three students against an entire institution?"
"We have evidence. Files. Recordings. Photos."
"Which you conveniently brought with you. Into my facility." Malhotra smiled. "All of which I now control."
Rudra's heart sank.
Malhotra was right. They'd walked into a trap. And now all their evidence was contained within a space he controlled.
"Your hour is almost up," Malhotra said. "I suggest you keep moving. Unless you'd like to stay and chat."
The door at the far end of the lab clicked open.
Malhotra gestured to it. "Your next challenge awaits."
Rudra stared at the control room. At Malhotra's calm, confident expression.
He wanted to break through that glass. Wanted to make him pay for everything he'd done.
But not yet.
First, they had to survive.
"Let's go," Rudra said quietly.
They carried Sneha through the open door.
Into whatever nightmare Malhotra had prepared next.