The next morning, Queens office felt almost ordinary in daylight. The morning sun poured over the city, but in heart of it, the four queens were working, not as queens of the night but as normal girls of the day. Sleek glass panels, humming computers,half - finished designs and a strong fresh coffee smell spreading all over the room.
The Queens office was still wrapped in silence when Sia stepped in.
At twenty-six, she carried herself like she was born for leadership. Her fair skin glowed faintly under the white office lights, sharp eyes framed by neatly tied hair. A tailored suit hugged her frame, professional and composed, files clutched against her chest, She looked like a corporate executive preparing for a board meeting - not someone who ruled the underground world by night.
She hadn't slept.
The letter B had followed her thoughts all night, pressing behind her eyes.
Everywhere.
Nowhere.
Her heels echoed softly as ahe walked in-- and stopped.
Radhika was still there.
Twenty- five, fair skinned. Delicate, almost at first glance. Long hair tied carelessly, strands escaping from her tied hair and she doesn't care about it but that didn't made her look messy instead, beautiful. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, coffee cups on the desk showing she didn't sleep all night.
Multiple screens glowed before her - codes scrolling, firewalls collapsing, rebuilding collapsing again.
She hadn't left.
Sia placed the files down slowly.
" Don't tell me you didn't sleep."
"You worked all night."
Radhika didn't looked away from the screens," Since yesterday."
Sia leaned closer , eyes scanning the data.
"Anything ?"
A pause.
Radhika leaned back, fingers rubbing her temples and frustrated.
"No."
That single word was enough to realise it is something important as Radhika can hack anything.
"I can't find this B anywhere I tried everything but not a single clue."
"What about rank one ?", Sia asked.
"I can't trace them," she continued.
" Their digital trail disappers before it even forms. Their hacker thinks exactly like me. Same techniques, same counter moves."
Sia's jaw tightened." So neither side can see the other."
Radhika nodded," Which means we finally have competition here?"
Sia, "What about the rest of the teams ?"
Radhika said, " Braves were ranked second and other two teams, doesn't look like a problem."
Radhika continued, " But the hacker of this team which is ranked one is just like
my ---"
Sia,"reflection."
A shadow shifted near the window.
Durga stood there, arms folded across her chest, her presence solid and unmovable. At twenty-three, she was tall, muscular, fair skinned, scars were marked on her hands which she didn't care about much. She wore a training clothes - simple, dark and sweaty.
Her eyes weren't on the screens.
They were on Radhika.
Sia noticed, " You look like you are calculating how many people you could take dowm before breakfast."
Durga smirked. " I was thinking how ironic it is."
Radhika finally glanced at her,
"About ?"
Durga tilted her. " You sit like someone who belongs in a dance studio... yet you can bring entire systems to their knees."
She shrugged. " Meanwhile I look dangerous --- but I only punch things."
Radhika smiled faintly." Different weapons."
The moment broke when Sia's phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen and flipped it face down.
Durga already knew. " Let me guess. Grandmother ?"
Sia signed. " She wants to set me up again."
Radhika smirked, " Another 'perfect match' ?
"Perfectly boring," Sia replied." I don't want to go on these stupid dates. All I see are man wrapped in arrogance, stupidity and expensive suits."
She paused.
"I don't think love is meant for me."
Durga scoffed. " Same."
Before conversation could deepen, a groan came from the couch.
"I really want to marry him..."
All three turned.
Saraswati lay sprawled across the couch, hugging a pillow, hair messy, eyes barely open. At twenty-one, she looked nothing like the mastermind engineer she truly was -- just a sleepy college girl caught between dreams and reality.
Durga groaned." Not again."
Saraswati smiled lazily. " Jai was not bad. He was hot."
Durga shook her head," Four breakups and still dreaming about men. Pathetic."
Saraswati shot up. " Atleast mine are not in ICU."
Sia and Radhika burst out laughing.
Sia, " When did this happen?"
Radhika looking at Durga."Last week's date?"
Durga rolled her eyes," he was stupid. He said girls can't fight.They always need a man to protect them."
Sia, " Then?"
Durga, " then what? I proved him wrong."
"How ?" , Saraswati asked.
"The wall took his ego first."
The laughter filled the room - soft, humourous, almost normal.
For a moment they weren't queens.
Just four women starting another day.
Sia looked at Radhika.
" What about you?"
Radhika asked, "What ? "
Sia leaned forward." You are the most beautiful queen here, you must have something to say about love?
Radhika paused for a second then replied. " Love? I don't know. I haven't felt that....but yes , once I liked someone."
Everyone looked at her.
Saraswati fully interested." And who was he ?"
Radhika smiled a little bit.
"K."
Durga rolled her eyes. " Oh come on Radhika, k is not a name."
Radhika replied, " this is all I knew about him."
Saraswati eagerly waiting to know more but Radhika replied, " he is a closed chapter of my story. Never coming back."
Sia checked her watch." Enough. We need to move.'
She turned to Saraswati." College. Already late."
To Durga." Training."
Then to Radhika, " What about you ?"
" Dance," Radhika replied.
Saraswati paused mid-step." You know..
I always wondered."
Radhika looked at her.
"Dancing and hacking are two completely different worlds," Saraswati continued." You destroy systems... and then you dance."
Radhika hesitated.
Then spoke quietly.
" Someone once told me - sometimes all we need to do is to escape from the chaos of the world."
She met Saraswati's eyes.
" And sometimes - from the chaos within ourselves."
She smiled faintly.
" Dance helps me escape from myself."
Durga and Saraswati exchanged a look.
Durga smiled, " That someone ... was it K ?"
Saraswati," Ofcourse, who else would talk to our hacker like that."
Both Durga and Saraswati smiling and teasing Radhika.
But Sia was the one who didn't smiled cause she knew more about Radhika than Durga and Saraswati.
Sia looked at Durga and Saraswati, said.
" Enough for today."
"You will be late."
Saraswati and Durga rushed after realising.
Sia came to Radhika, " Are you okay?"
Radhika replied smiling ," Ofcourse, I' m
used to it. You know what Sia, fate has never loved me enough to give me what I wanted the most."
She picked her bag.
" So no," she added softly.
" I'm not meant for love either."
Sia with a smile. " We're here together, we don't need anyone to love us. Afterall we are the Queens."
Radhika smiled back,"Exactly."
They walked out - each toward the different life.
College.
Training.
Meeting.
Dance.
And somewhere beneath the daylight, the underground world waited - watching, patient and hungry