The vault doors stood open.
Armed officers surrounded the room.
Colonel Rana was dragged away in handcuffs, still silent, still dangerous.
But all eyes were now on one person.
Akanksha.
A foreign operative.
Inside a classified Indian military vault.
One officer stepped forward.
"Captain Preyajeet, move away from the suspect immediately."
Silence.
Preyajeet looked at Akanksha.
Her face was calm.
No fear.
No regret.
She gave him the smallest nod.
It meant: Do your duty.
His jaw tightened.
Slowly—
He stepped forward.
But not away from her.
He stood beside her.
"She is not the enemy," he said clearly.
Murmurs filled the room.
"She prevented the self-destruct sequence," he continued. "She helped expose Phoenix Circle."
"She illegally crossed the border," the officer snapped.
"Yes," Preyajeet replied firmly. "To stop a war your own colonel was preparing."
The words hit hard.
The officers exchanged glances.
Truth was uncomfortable.
And dangerous.
Akanksha finally spoke.
"I am ready to surrender."
Preyajeet turned sharply.
"What?"
She didn't look at him.
"If my arrest stabilizes diplomatic tension, then do it."
Her voice was steady.
"But investigate your own system first."
For a moment—
No one moved.
Then a senior intelligence official entered the vault.
He had been monitoring everything.
"We will handle this at the highest level," he said calmly.
"To arrest her now would create international headlines."
He studied Akanksha carefully.
"You saved thousands of civilians."
He turned to Preyajeet.
"And you violated protocol to protect her."
A long pause.
Then—
"Both of you are suspended from active duty until further review."
Relief and uncertainty mixed in the air.
No prison.
Not yet.
But not freedom either.
Later that evening.
A safe house on the outskirts of the city.
Temporary custody.
No uniforms.
No ranks.
Just silence.
Akanksha stood near the window.
"You shouldn't have stood beside me," she said softly.
Preyajeet leaned against the wall.
"If I had stepped away, I would've lost more than my rank."
She looked at him.
"You don't know what consequences are coming."
"I don't care."
"That's the problem," she replied quietly.
He walked closer.
"For once, I'm choosing what I want. Not what the file says."
Her eyes softened.
"But what if they force us apart again?"
He gave a small smile.
"Then we find another way."
Outside, news channels were exploding with updates:
"Senior officer arrested in internal conspiracy."
"Foreign involvement suspected."
"Joint investigation committee formed."
Politics had begun.
And politics was more dangerous than bullets.
Suddenly—
Akanksha's secure emergency device vibrated.
She froze.
No one should have this frequency.
She answered cautiously.
A distorted whisper spoke:
"Rana was only phase one."
Her heart stopped.
"There are five directors."
The line cut.
She looked at Preyajeet.
"This isn't over."
He exhaled slowly.
"Then we finish it."
For the first time—
They weren't just reacting.
They were ready.
No longer soldier and spy.
No longer divided by nation.
But united against something bigger.
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky.
The real war had just revealed itself.