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Chapter 20 - EPISODE 20: “Mind Games and Madness”

EPISODE 20: "Mind Games and Madness"

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[Scene 1: Enter the Trap]

The night was dense. Humid air wrapped around the shadows of the broken-down warehouse. Harsh and Ankit entered through a shattered glass panel, eyes sharp.

Harsh (whispering): "They said only two guards. So why does this place smell like an ambush?"

Ankit: "Because they lied. Like always. Anyway, I brought snacks."

He pulls out a protein bar, takes a bite casually.

Harsh (facepalming): "You'll die chewing one day."

Suddenly, the lights flicker on.

Voice from loudspeaker: "Welcome, gentlemen. Let's test your evolution."

A hidden door slams open — six enhanced soldiers flood into the room, armored, armed, and fast.

Ankit (grinning): "I guess we're invited to dance."

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[Scene 2: Mind Under Control | Ankit's Segment Begins]

Ankit raises one hand, eyes glowing faint purple. He focuses on one soldier — a heavyset brute with titanium gauntlets.

Ankit (calm): "Hey, big guy… you're mine now."

The soldier freezes mid-charge, turns — and in a blink, slams his fist into the nearest comrade with full force.

Enemy Soldier 2 (shocked): "Bro?! What the hell?!"

Ankit (laughing): "Let's call this remote-controlled combat. Auto-pilot mode activated."

Now under full control, the brute begins tossing his own squad one by one like ragdolls.

Controlled Soldier: "RAAAAAAHHH!!"

Enemy screams: "He's lost it! Take him down!"

Ankit (mocking): "No, you take him down. I'll just... supervise."

Panel: A soldier lunges at Ankit with a baton — he ducks, rolls, presses two fingers to his temple — and controls him, too.

Now it's 2 vs 4, with both mind-controlled enemies wreaking havoc on their own team.

Ankit (to himself): "Two down, four confused, and I haven't even broken a sweat."

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[Scene 3: Enter the Invisible Demon | Harsh's Segment Begins]

Meanwhile, Harsh disappears — literally. His body fades into transparency.

Harsh (invisible): "Time to mess with their heads."

One enemy soldier suddenly hears a whisper right in his ear.

Whisper (Harsh's voice): "Your friends think you're useless."

The soldier swings wildly — hitting nothing.

Second Whisper: "They'll leave you behind. Like always."

Third Whisper: "You hear that? That's your own heartbeat slowing down."

Panic creeps in. The soldier throws away his gun, falls to his knees screaming.

Enemy Soldier: "HE'S IN MY HEAD! GET HIM OUT!"

Another soldier sees his teammate break down, panics — just as Harsh smacks him from behind with a wrench, still invisible.

Harsh (laughing): "I'm just your friendly ghost therapist. Let's talk trauma."

Now three soldiers are either mind-controlled or mentally broken.

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[Scene 4: Mid-Fight Comedy Break]

Harsh appears beside Ankit, finally visible again. Blood on his hands. Sweat on his brow.

Harsh: "How many you got?"

Ankit: "Two and a half. The third one bit his own arm. Not sure if he's with me or just lonely."

Harsh: "I made one cry. Therapy session complete."

Ankit (snorting): "We are so unqualified for hero work."

They bump fists — just as another soldier roars and charges in.

Ankit (quickly): "You take left?"

Harsh: "Nope. I'm going under."

He disappears again. The soldier gets whacked in the groin by thin air and folds like paper.

Ankit (laughs): "Classic Harsh. Fighting dirty since 2007."

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[Scene 5: Boss Appears – The Shadow Enforcer]

Suddenly, the room darkens further.

A new enemy drops in — tall, masked, wrapped in armor that glows red. His voice is like gravel grinding metal.

Shadow Enforcer: "You two. Dangerous. Funny. But still human."

He stretches — and creates two shadow-clones of Harsh and Ankit.

Ankit (frowns): "Oh. A copycat. How original."

The clones attack instantly — matching their exact powers.

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[Scene 6: Clone War]

Ankit vs Mind-Control Clone:

Ankit tries to take control of the clone mentally. Nothing.

Ankit: "Crap. You're immune to me?"

Clone smiles — then uses Ankit's own trick, tries to control him.

Ankit (eyes widen): "Oh no you don't—"

His head starts pounding. Sweat pours. But with effort, he redirects his control — and makes the clone punch itself.

Ankit (grinning): "Guess only one brain fits this head."

He finishes it with a chair across the back.

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Harsh vs Invisibility Clone:

Harsh's clone fades and reappears in flashes, whispering fake words to confuse him.

Clone: "Your friends will turn on you."

Harsh (grinning): "Old news. They already did once."

He stands still. Breathes slowly.

Then he vanishes.

Clone (confused): "Where—?"

From behind, Harsh reappears — and shoves a live wire into the clone's back.

Harsh: "You copied my powers. But not my trauma."

BOOM. Clone gone.

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[Scene 7: Final Blow]

The real Shadow Enforcer claps slowly.

Shadow Enforcer: "Impressive. But not enough."

He charges forward — arms morphing into blades of darkness.

Ankit (to Harsh): "Let's do the combo."

Harsh: "Control and confuse?"

Ankit: "Classic mix."

Ankit throws a controlled soldier like a bowling ball. Harsh turns invisible and guides the body midair, redirecting it like a missile.

BOOM! The soldier smashes into the Enforcer's chest, breaking his stance.

Harsh appears behind him and whispers: "Boo."

Then headbutts him unconscious.

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[Scene 8: Silence After Storm]

The room is in ruins. 6 enemies down. 2 clones shattered. One elite unconscious.

Harsh (panting): "How many minutes was that?"

Ankit (sitting on a broken crate): "Twelve. Wanna beat that next time?"

Harsh: "Only if you bring samosas."

They both laugh.

Ankit (looking serious suddenly): "But… you heard the voice, right? They called us 'evolved.' Someone's tracking our abilities."

Harsh nods.

Harsh: "Yeah. And they just leveled up the game."

Narration Box: "Unseen enemies. Evolving powers. And now… surveillance begins."

End of Episode 20

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