The Seraph-01 glided silently through the black water, its hull gleaming under the faint blue glow of bioluminescent fish. The ocean around them was an endless abyss, broken only by strange metallic shadows rising from the deep. It was as if they were sinking into another world—one not meant for humans.
Farzana pressed her face against the viewport. "It's… enormous."
Before them stood a sprawling structure of steel and glass, shaped like an inverted pyramid anchored to the ocean floor. Dozens of glowing cables extended from it like veins, pulsing with light that seemed alive.
Rehman adjusted his headset. "No wonder no one found it. It's buried in a trench."
Mehmood's fingers danced across the console. "We're approaching docking coordinates. Keep quiet; any sonar pulse could give us away."
The Seraph crept closer, weaving through a field of metal debris—scraps of drones, rusted weapons, and cracked submarines. Each bore the mark of Jeeral's symbol: a simple J, carved with surgical precision.
Farhat whispered, "It's like a graveyard."
Aftab muttered, "Yeah, of everything stupid enough to come here."
They reached a small maintenance port beneath the fortress. Mehmood activated the docking clamps, and the craft latched onto the hull with a soft metallic click. The engines powered down, leaving only the hum of water pressure against the steel walls.
Rehman checked his weapon. "Masks on. We don't know what's in that place."
Within minutes, they were inside the airlock chamber. The door opened into a long corridor, lit by faint blue lights that flickered like candle flames. The air was cold, sterile, and tinged with the metallic scent of machines.
Shoki moved ahead, his flashlight cutting through the mist. "No guards."
"That's worse," Mehmood said.
They passed a wall covered with digital panels—each displaying fragments of code, moving like veins of light. One word repeated itself across the screens: *Evolution.*
Dawood's theory echoed in Mehmood's head. *He's not entirely human anymore.*
The corridor ended in a vast chamber filled with towering glass tanks. Inside each floated human forms—men and women suspended in pale liquid, their bodies lined with glowing wires.
Farzana gasped. "Dear God…"
Rehman approached one tank, eyes narrowing. "These… they're people."
Mehmood shook his head. "Not anymore. They're data hosts—extensions of Jeeral's mind."
Farhat stared in horror. "So he's… cloning himself?"
"Not cloning," Mehmood replied quietly. "He's merging. He's turning human consciousness into code."
Aftab took a nervous step back. "That's not science—that's madness."
The sound of a metallic click froze them all. From the shadows above, figures dropped to the floor—armored assassins in black, their helmets glowing faint red.
Rehman raised his gun. "Phantoms!"
Gunfire erupted, echoing like thunder underwater. The team scattered for cover behind the tanks as glass shattered, liquid spilling across the floor. Sparks flew as bullets tore into walls of machinery.
Shoki fired back, sharp and controlled. "Mehmood! Get us a way out!"
Mehmood crouched by a terminal, typing rapidly. "I can't! The system's closed—Jeeral locked it from the core!"
Farzana grabbed a fallen guard's weapon, eyes blazing. "Then we go through the core."
Rehman smirked grimly. "That's the spirit."
He tossed a grenade toward the far door. The explosion shook the room, tearing a hole through the metal frame. The team sprinted through the smoke, leaving the shattered chamber behind.
---
They found themselves in a massive atrium filled with glowing server towers. In the center stood a black monolith, humming with energy—the heart of the fortress.
Mehmood approached it slowly. "This… this is where he lives."
Suddenly, the lights dimmed. A holographic image flickered to life above the monolith—Jeeral's calm, unblinking face.
"You shouldn't have come here," he said softly. "This place was built from your father's design, Mehmood. His mind and mine are the same."
Farzana stepped forward, trembling. "You're lying."
"Am I?" Jeeral's expression didn't change. "Ask him yourself."
A new hologram appeared beside him—Jamshed Khan, eyes hollow, expression distant.
Farooq whispered, "Dad…?"
But Jamshed didn't respond. His voice came through cold and mechanical. "Leave this place. It's too late."
Mehmood's breath caught. "What did you do to him?"
Jeeral smiled faintly. "I perfected him."
Before anyone could react, the holograms vanished, and alarms blared across the chamber. Red lights pulsed. Doors slammed shut.
Rehman shouted over the noise. "We're trapped!"
Mehmood turned toward the main console. "Not yet. If Jeeral built this place from Dad's design, then I can break it."
He plugged in his device, screens flooding with code. "Cover me!"
The others took defensive positions as more Phantoms poured in from the upper decks.
Farzana glanced back at her brother, voice steady despite the chaos. "You better be right about this."
Mehmood didn't look up. "I have to be. He's not taking our father."