Running Out of Time
Vikram's hands trembled as he pulled Aisha up from the wreckage. The derailed train lay in ruins behind them, smoke curling into the night sky. Gunfire echoed through the railway yard as the agents regrouped.
Bose was still unconscious. His breathing was shallow, his face pale from blood loss.
"We can't leave him here!" Aisha whispered, panic creeping into her voice.
Vikram's mind raced. They had seconds before the agents found them.
His eyes darted to the abandoned train tracks. A few hundred meters ahead, the rails disappeared into a dark underground tunnel.
That was their chance.
"Help me lift him," Vikram said, gripping Bose under the shoulders.
Aisha hesitated but nodded, taking his legs. Together, they dragged him across the gravel, moving as fast as they could.
Behind them, the agents' leader raised his radio.
"Seal the exits. No one leaves this yard alive."
The Tunnel of Secrets
They stumbled into the tunnel, their footsteps echoing in the suffocating darkness.
The walls were lined with ancient bricks, damp and crumbling. It was clear this tunnel hadn't been used for decades.
"Where does this lead?" Aisha whispered.
Bose let out a weak chuckle. "Somewhere... important."
Vikram frowned. "You knew about this tunnel?"
Bose coughed, wincing in pain. "Not just me. The British did, too."
Aisha's breath hitched. "You mean this is—"
"A forgotten part of British intelligence operations," Bose murmured. "They used tunnels like these to move classified cargo during the war."
Vikram's pulse quickened. "What kind of cargo?"
Bose's expression darkened. "Documents. Artifacts. And sometimes… people."
Aisha shivered. "So why did they abandon it?"
Bose's voice dropped.
"Because something went wrong down here."
Shadows in the Dark
Vikram's stomach churned. Something about this tunnel felt off.
Then—
A noise.
A faint scraping sound echoed through the tunnel.
Aisha gripped Vikram's arm. "Did you hear that?"
Vikram nodded, his throat dry. "We're not alone."
Bose groaned, trying to sit up. "We need to keep moving. If the Phoenix operatives catch us here, we're as good as dead."
They hurried deeper into the tunnel, their footsteps muffled by the damp earth. The air grew colder, the darkness pressing in around them.
Then, suddenly—
A doorway.
It was made of reinforced steel, rusted at the edges but still intact.
And on it, barely visible under the grime—
A symbol.
A three-headed eagle.
Aisha's eyes widened. "That's the same emblem we saw on the documents in Bose's satchel!"
Vikram stepped forward, his pulse hammering. He pressed his hand against the cold metal.
The door shuddered.
And then—
It unlocked.