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Scene 7 – Arrival at the Aravalli Training Facility
Location: Aravalli Hills, Rajasthan – One Week Later
The bus rolled to a stop.
Outside the window, a dry breeze swept through ancient rocks, golden scrub, and wide skies that stretched forever. But beyond the dust and wilderness—there it was.
A gleaming fortress carved into the mountain. Steel towers merged with sandstone. Satellite dishes blinked under the sun. Solar panels hummed. A runway curved beyond the ridges.
This was The Foundation's Training Base — India Sector Alpha.
The door hissed open. One by one, Shrey, Maya, Yash, Mayra, and Arjun stepped out.
For a moment, none of them spoke. The silence wasn't from fear. It was awe.
> Mayra (whispers): "We're not in school anymore…"
> Yash (dryly): "You think?"
The facility loomed above them like a vision out of a science fiction movie. Giant blast doors. Security drones hovered near the entrance. Men and women in silver-blue uniforms walked briskly between buildings.
> Maya (eyes wide): "This place... it's like Wakanda and NASA had a baby."
> Arjun (muttering): "And then trained it in the mountains."
As they gathered near the main gate, footsteps approached from the inner courtyard. A tall woman in a crimson uniform stepped out—graceful, serious. Her gaze was sharp as her words.
> Kim (clapping once): "Line up."
The five teens snapped into place. Kim walked past them slowly, inspecting each face like she was reading their minds.
> Kim: "I'm Kim. Second-in-command under Captain Jacks. If you think volunteering means applause, think again. You've signed up for pain, failure, and heartbreak. But if you survive, you'll become the future of this planet."
She paused in front of Shrey.
> Kim (softly): "Are you ready for that?"
Shrey met her gaze. No bravado. No fear.
> Shrey: "Yes."
> Kim (nods): "Then follow me."
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Scene 8 – The First Encounter
Location: Dormitory Entrance
The teens followed Kim through winding corridors of stone and steel until they reached a wide glass chamber with four sliding doors.
Each door had names glowing above them in bright blue:
Dorm A: Shrey, Yash, Arjun
Dorm B: Maya, Mayra
Dorm C: Kabir, Zaid
Dorm D: Isha
As Kim left them to settle in, footsteps echoed again from the other side of the hallway.
In walked three more teens—each very different.
First came Kabir, muscular, cocky smirk on his face, sunglasses on even indoors.
> Kabir: "Well, well. Fresh meat."
Then Zaid, quiet, a single black glove on his right hand. His eyes flicked across the group, calculating. He said nothing.
And finally, Isha, dressed in a grey hoodie, a book in one hand. She didn't look up.
> Kabir (grinning): "You kids from the north?"
> Mayra (folding arms): "We're not kids."
> Kabir (laughs): "Sassy. I like it."
> Yash (muttering): "I don't."
Chibi Moment 1: Kabir tries to fist bump Zaid
Kabir: "My man!"
Zaid (ignores him, walks past)
Kabir: "...cool, cool, we'll work on that."
> Arjun (to Shrey): "I already feel like we're in some reality show."
Shrey chuckled.
> Shrey: "Yeah. One where getting eliminated might mean dying."
> Isha (suddenly speaking): "Statistically, the fatality rate in the first month of real-world field training is 24%. So you're not wrong."
Everyone turned to her.
> Maya (blink): "...Hi?"
> Isha (without blinking): "Hi."
> Yash (muttering): "I miss home already."
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Scene 9 – The Grand Tour
Captain Jacks himself showed up later that day, leading the group through the training grounds:
A K-Energy testing arena, surrounded by pressure sensors.
A combat simulator hall with floating targets and virtual landscapes.
A meditation garden, silent and sacred, where K-Energy control was practiced.
And a dining hall the size of a school gym, filled with smells that didn't belong in a military base.
> Captain Jacks (with a grin): "Even warriors need biryani."
Chibi Moment 2: Mayra smells chocolate cake and levitates
Mayra (sparkly eyes): "They have desserts? We're gonna survive this!"
Yash: "That's what convinces you? Not the drones or energy weapons—the cake?"
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Scene 10 – Bonds Begin to Form
That night, they gathered in the common area outside the dorms. For the first time since volunteering, the teens were alone—no orders, no rules. Just themselves.
Shrey found himself sitting next to Zaid, who was silently sketching something in a worn notebook.
> Shrey: "What are you drawing?"
> Zaid: "The queen bee's wing anatomy. I saw it once."
Shrey paused.
> Shrey: "Wait… you've seen one?"
Zaid glanced up, one eye briefly glowing amber.
> Zaid: "I was attacked during the first breach. I survived."
> Shrey (softly): "So did I. My town was hit."
The two sat in silence, not as strangers anymore—but as survivors.
Meanwhile, Maya and Isha shared a bench nearby.
> Maya (trying to bond): "So... do you like books?"
> Isha (deadpan): "I like silence more."
> Maya (smiling): "Cool. I like challenges."
Chibi Moment 3: Isha brings out a 700-page book
Maya (sweating): "Maybe not that much of a challenge…"
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Scene 11 – Lights Out
That night, the mountain facility turned quiet.
Inside Dorm A, Yash stared at the ceiling, hands behind his head.
> Yash: "So… this is it. No turning back."
> Arjun (quietly): "Yeah. But we're not alone."
> Shrey: "We've got each other."
Outside, the stars lit up the sky above the Aravalli Hills. But deep within the mountain, in chambers no volunteer had seen yet, strange vibrations stirred.
Something ancient. Watching.
Waiting.
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Chibi Moment 4: Arjun sleep talks
Arjun: "Nooo… don't take the last samosa…"
Shrey (half-asleep): "I knew you stole it."
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