The military base burned through the night.
Smoke covered the sky. Sirens screamed. Soldiers moved in chaos.
Preyajeet took cover behind a damaged vehicle, firing precise shots at masked infiltrators.
"This isn't random," he muttered into his comm. "They know our blind spots."
Static answered him.
Communication towers had been jammed.
Inside the command bunker, senior officers shouted conflicting orders.
Confusion.
Misdirection.
Exactly what Phoenix Circle wanted.
Preyajeet dragged an injured soldier to safety and turned back toward the inner compound.
Then he saw something that made his blood run cold.
The attack team wasn't trying to destroy the base.
They were heading toward the secure data vault.
They wanted classified launch codes.
This wasn't revenge.
This was preparation.
Across the border.
Akanksha stood in a dim underground parking lot.
In front of her: a black unregistered vehicle, fake plates, forged clearance IDs.
If she crossed tonight—
She would officially become a traitor.
No diplomatic immunity.
No protection.
Just survival.
She closed her eyes briefly.
Then she drove.
Back at the base.
Preyajeet reached the vault corridor.
Two guards lay unconscious.
The security door was half open.
He stepped inside carefully.
A familiar voice echoed in the dark.
"You should have listened to her warning."
Lights flicked on.
Standing near the main console—
Colonel Arvind Rana.
One of the most respected officers in the division.
Preyajeet's superior.
"You?" Preyajeet's voice was steady, but his grip tightened.
Rana smiled calmly.
"Young soldiers fight for flags. Men like me control the future."
"You're behind Phoenix Circle."
"Not behind it. Above it."
Rana stepped closer.
"You think peace benefits nations? No. Controlled conflict does. It increases budgets. Power. Influence."
Preyajeet felt anger rising.
"You're risking millions of lives."
Rana's eyes hardened.
"Sacrifices are necessary for dominance."
Suddenly—
Gunshots echoed from the corridor.
Both men turned.
A masked figure eliminated two armed guards with silent precision.
The figure removed the mask.
Akanksha.
Preyajeet's breath stopped.
"You crossed," he said quietly.
She looked at him.
"I told you not to trust anyone."
Rana laughed softly.
"So the foreign spy returns. How poetic."
He pulled out a concealed weapon and fired.
Preyajeet pushed Akanksha aside.
The bullet grazed his arm.
Akanksha rolled, grabbed a fallen rifle, and fired back.
The vault filled with gunfire.
Rana moved strategically, using cover like a trained veteran.
He triggered the vault lockdown.
Steel shutters began descending.
"If I can't control it," Rana shouted, "I'll burn it all!"
He initiated a self-destruct sequence.
Timer: 05:00
Preyajeet rushed toward the console.
Akanksha provided cover fire.
Bullets sparked off metal.
"Can you stop it?" he yelled.
"Trying!"
Her fingers moved fast over the interface.
Rana charged at Preyajeet.
The two men collided, crashing into metal racks.
Fists. Elbows. Raw force.
Years of discipline turned violent.
Rana was strong. Experienced.
But Preyajeet fought with something more—
Purpose.
Akanksha finally cracked the override.
Timer paused at 00:48
"Done!" she shouted.
Rana roared in frustration and lunged again—
But this time Akanksha struck him from behind, disarming him completely.
Preyajeet pinned him down.
Military backup forces finally stormed in.
Rana was arrested.
Phoenix Circle's internal leader exposed.
Silence fell slowly inside the vault.
Heavy breathing.
Smoke.
Adrenaline fading.
Preyajeet turned to Akanksha.
"You just declared war on your own country by coming here."
She looked at him calmly.
"No. I declared war on corruption."
Sirens echoed softer now.
Outside, dawn began rising again.
He stepped closer.
"You could have stayed safe."
She shook her head.
"Not while you were standing alone."
For a moment—
No uniforms.
No borders.
Just two people who had chosen each other again.
But footsteps approached.
High command officers entered.
They saw her.
Foreign operative.
Inside a restricted military vault.
Weapons in hand.
This wasn't going to be simple.
One officer spoke sharply:
"Captain Preyajeet, step away from her."
Tension filled the air.
Preyajeet didn't move.
Akanksha slowly lowered her weapon.
If he chose duty now—
She would accept it.
But if he chose her—
Everything would change.