Chapter 13: Rescue Protocol

The warehouse loomed at the edge of the city, its corrugated metal walls rusted and silent. Arman, Riya, and Kian crouched behind a row of abandoned rickshaws, the night air thick with tension.

Arman adjusted the small device strapped to his wrist—a makeshift signal jammer he had built from spare circuit boards. “This should block their cameras for a few minutes,” he whispered.

Riya clutched a flashlight modified with a low-frequency strobe. “And this will disorient anyone inside, at least long enough for us to move.”

Kian held a bundle of wires connected to a car battery. “If we need to cut power, this will fry their circuits. But it’ll only work once.”

They exchanged nervous glances. Improvised electronics were all they had.

Arman activated the jammer, and the faint hum reassured him. “Let’s go.”

They slipped through a side door, the strobe flickering just enough to mask their movements. Inside, the warehouse smelled of oil and dust. Shadows stretched across the floor, broken only by the faint glow of a single hanging bulb.

At the center sat Zara, tied to a chair, her head bowed.

Riya gasped. “She’s here.”

Arman rushed forward, cutting the ropes with a small soldering tool he had carried in his pocket. “Zara, it’s us. We’re getting you out.”

But as the ropes fell away, Zara lifted her head. Her eyes burned with defiance, not fear.

“You shouldn’t have come,” she said flatly.

Arman froze. “What do you mean?”

Zara stood, rubbing her wrists. “I wasn’t kidnapped. I infiltrated them. I needed them to think I was vulnerable so I could get inside.”

The three stared at her, stunned.

Riya’s voice trembled. “You… you planned this?”

Zara’s lips curved into a faint smile. “And now I know more than you realize.”

Before Arman could respond, the warehouse lights snapped on, flooding the room.

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✨ Cliffhanger Ending: Zara reveals she wasn’t kidnapped at all—she infiltrated Black Circuit herself, leaving the group shocked and uncertain about her true motives as the warehouse lights blaze to life.