The Navy bunker was a fortress of steel and blinking monitors, deep under Clifton's cliffs. Every step echoed as Jamshed, Farooq, and Mehmooda crept through the dimly lit corridors. Rain from the outside had soaked them to the bone, but adrenaline kept them moving.
"Abba," Mehmooda whispered, "how do we even find Rehan in this place?"
Jamshed held up a small device — a makeshift signal tracker built from fragments of the second packet.
"This will pick up his encrypted command signals. He can't hide from his own network."
---
Control Room – Navy Bunker
Major Rehan sat at the central console, unaware of the approaching trio. His fingers danced across the keyboard, monitoring Black Pulse's progress.
Dr. Zafar, standing behind him, didn't look at the screens. His eyes were on the security feeds of Karachi streets, blinking with growing chaos.
"Rehan," Zafar said, "the inspector will never make it here alive. Are you ready?"
"I am," Rehan replied, though doubt flickered in his eyes. "He trusts me too much."
---
Bunker Corridors
Jamshed motioned for silence.
"We split," he whispered. "Farooq, take the north wing. Mehmooda and I take the south. We converge at the control room."
The corridors were eerily quiet. Then, a faint click — a trapdoor in the floor swung open, revealing armed guards.
"Ambush!" Farooq shouted, firing first.
A short but brutal firefight erupted. Farooq ducked behind pipes as bullets ricocheted. Two guards fell. He ran forward, adrenaline guiding him past the chaos.
Meanwhile, Jamshed and Mehmooda moved swiftly, avoiding cameras and lasers. Their training and street smarts gave them the edge — but the tension was suffocating.
---
Control Room
Jamshed burst in first. Rehan turned slowly, shocked.
"Jamshed…" he said softly, almost pleading.
"No time for words," Jamshed said coldly. "Step away from the console."
Dr. Zafar turned toward them, eyes narrowing.
"You shouldn't have come," he said, calm but dangerous.
Rehan's hand hovered over the keyboard.
"Abba… wait," Farooq called, his voice shaking with emotion.
Jamshed noticed it first — Rehan hesitated. That split-second hesitation was all it took.
"You betrayed your friend," Jamshed said, stepping closer.
"For power?"
Rehan's shoulders slumped. "I… I thought I was protecting Pakistan…"
"By helping him destroy it?" Jamshed's voice thundered.
Before Rehan could react further, a well-aimed shot from Farooq disabled the console. Sparks flew across the room. Dr. Zafar stumbled back, yelling in frustration.
Jamshed lunged, grabbing Rehan by the collar.
"You could've stopped him. Why didn't you?"
"I… I was scared," Rehan admitted, tears forming.
"Fear makes cowards of men," Jamshed said grimly. "But now, you have a choice. Help us fix this — or die trying to protect him."
Rehan's face twisted in conflict. Seconds felt like hours. Then, with shaking hands, he pulled the backup key from his pocket — a failsafe to deactivate Black Pulse.
"I… I'll help," he whispered.
---
Meanwhile – Dr. Zafar
Zafar had already begun escaping through a side corridor.
"No matter," he muttered. "Even if they stop me tonight… the seed is already planted. Black Pulse will rise again."
---
The Control Room – Moments Later
Jamshed, Rehan, Farooq, and Mehmooda worked together to shut down the network. Red dots blinked, servers hissed, and alarms screamed — then slowly, one by one, the lights on the map went out.
Black Pulse was offline.
Jamshed sank into a chair, exhausted but victorious.
"It's over… for now."
Farooq slumped beside him.
"Abba… he almost got away with everything."
"Almost," Jamshed said quietly, eyes scanning the horizon. "But we learned who our real enemies are — and who our allies can be."
Rehan, kneeling on the floor, looked at Jamshed.
"I've failed as a friend… as an officer."
"You've just begun making it right," Jamshed replied.
---
Outside – Karachi Dawn
The first light of morning painted the city gold.
Jamshed stepped out of the bunker, looking over the harbor.
Mehmooda and Farooq joined him, exhausted but alive.
"We stopped him," Mehmooda whispered.
"For now," Jamshed said, eyes hard but calm.
"The world is bigger than one packet… and one man."
In the distance, the faint hum of servers still lingered — somewhere, in a hidden location, Dr. Zafar's empire waited to rise again.