(Starts the second Vikram steps out of the palace – 00:07 AM)
I ran down the palace steps.
A matte-black Hayabusa was already waiting, engine growling.
Key in the ignition.
On the tank: one sticky note in golden ink.
"Don't die.
I still need you."
No signature needed.
I twisted the throttle and shot into the night.
First stop: the only person in Mumbai who owes Fluffy his life,
Sameer "Hacker" Shetty, my old school friend, now the underworld's best digital ghost.
3:12 AM – Dharavi rooftop
Sameer opened his door in boxers and instant fear.
"Vikram? Tera number 3 saal se off tha… aur tu abhi bhi us kutte ke liye kaam karta hai?"
I shoved the photo of Aria in his face.
"72 hours.
They took Fluffy's daughter.
Find the room in this picture.
Or Mumbai burns."
Sameer looked at the photo, then at me, then at the red glow reflecting in my eyes that wasn't mine.
He swallowed.
"5 minutes."
4:58 AM – Location traced
"Old cold-storage warehouse, Byculla.
Owned by a shell company called 'Red Lotus Holdings'.
CCTV is looped.
20 armed guards.
One underground level.
And Vikram… the ransom video just dropped on dark web."
He turned the laptop.
Aria on screen, tied, bleeding from lip.
A masked man spoke in a voice changer:
"Fluffy Oberoi has 60 hours left.
Bring us the original neural transfer data from 2018.
Or the girl dies every hour… on live stream."
Sameer whispered, "Bhai, ye log serious hain."
I was already walking out.
5:30 AM – Byculla cold storage
I didn't knock.
I drove the bike straight through the shutter.
Bullets started flying the second I entered.
I didn't stop.
Fluffy's training from three years ago kicked in,
every move automatic.
Six guards down in thirty seconds.
The rest ran.
I found the underground door.
Locked with biometric + keycard.
I pressed my palm on the scanner.
It beeped green.
Fluffy's voice in my earpiece (I didn't even know I was wearing one):
"My palace. My city.
All doors open for you now."
Door opened.
I walked down the stairs.
At the bottom: Aria.
Still tied.
Still alive.
But in front of her stood a man in a red dragon mask.
He clapped slowly.
"Impressive.
The dog's loyal pet arrives faster than expected."
He pulled a gun on Aria's temple.
"One more step and she loses her pretty head."
I stopped.
He smiled under the mask.
"Tell your Master the price just changed.
We don't want the old data.
We want him.
In person.
Tomorrow midnight.
Marine Drive.
Alone."
He pressed a button.
Gas started filling the room.
He vanished through a side door.
I ran to Aria, cut the ropes, pulled her out.
We made it to the bike as the entire warehouse exploded behind us.
06:11 AM – Marine Drive
I sat on the parapet with Aria shaking in a shock blanket.
She looked exactly like the little girl from the old videos… only grown up.
She whispered, voice breaking:
"He told me my father was dead.
That he died saving me.
But… that dog… is my dad?"
I didn't answer.
I just showed her the live bank transfer on my phone.
₹50,00,000 credited
Narration: Bonus – For bringing my daughter home alive
Sender: F.O.
She started crying.
I looked at the sea.
59 hours left.
Fluffy's voice crackled in the earpiece again.
"Good work, assistant.
Now bring her to me.
We have a meeting to crash tomorrow night."
I revved the bike.
Aria climbed on behind me, arms tight around my waist.
As we sped toward the palace, she asked one last question:
"Is he really my dad?"
I smiled for the first time in 12 hours.
"He never stopped being your dad.
He just became the scariest father in the world to keep you safe."
The sun was rising.
So was the war.
**To be continued…**