The sun was barely rising over the small village, casting golden hues across the fields. Khan stood silently outside the hut where he had found temporary refuge. His eyes, usually calm, were sharp with determination. A bag lay beside him, lightly packed but filled with purpose. Lucy walked out behind him, her hair loosely tied, a faint bruise on her cheek still healing from their last encounter with Phantom.
Lucy (softly): "You're really leaving?"
Khan (nodding): "Phantom is out there. I can't sit still anymore. He's dangerous. And I know I'm the only one who can stop him."
Lucy: "You're not alone in this anymore, Khan. You've got me… and now, you've got Captain too. You're changing."
Khan (smirks): "That's what scares me. I'm becoming smarter, faster. Like I'm... evolving."
At that moment, Khan's eyes flickered slightly, as if something clicked. Inside his mind, he felt a familiar shift—he was being called inward again.
---
Inside Khan's Conscious Chamber
The chamber of Khan's mind had grown. The five chairs still stood in a circle, though only three were active. Shurya leaned against a pillar, his arms folded like a stone guardian. Captain sat on his chair, his robotic companion hopping onto his shoulder.
Captain: "He's ready for training. Time to sharpen him."
Shurya (grunts): "Hope he's stronger than last time."
What followed was a storm of internal battles—Khan against Shurya's brute strength and then against Captain's lightning-fast logic puzzles and tactics. At first, Khan stumbled—bruises formed in his mindspace as if he were fighting real wars.
But by the end of hours—or maybe days in that warped mental space—he stood, sweat dripping, heart racing, and both personalities nodding in approval.
Captain (smiling): "You're finally catching up."
Khan (panting): "I'm not done yet. I need to find Phantom."
Location: Abandoned Underground Chamber – dim light flickering, Phantom sits alone on cold metal floor.
[Phantom — thinking to himself]
"Why do I hesitate? Why can't I kill him? Khan… who are you to me?"
> (Camera closes in on his eyes—tired, confused, twitching. Suddenly, a faint glowing chip activates on his neck.)
[Phantom winces, clutching his head]
"No… not again… Stop forcing thoughts into me!"
> (Suddenly, everything fades into white. His mind spirals into a vivid memory —)
---
Flashback: 10 Years Ago – Orphanage Backyard
[Young Phantom] (sitting alone, bruised, hungry)
[Young Pathan] (aggressive kids yelling at him for stealing food)
[Young Khan] (running in between)
Khan (firmly): "Leave them alone!"
[Bully]: "Why do you care? They're not your friends!"
Khan (stepping forward): "Then I'll be their friend now. You got a problem with that?"
> (The kids back off. Khan kneels and hands bread to Phantom, then to Pathan.)
Khan (smiling): "You both need strength. I don't have much, but I'll share what I have."
Young Phantom (shaky voice): "Why… why would you help us?"
Khan: "Because if we don't help each other, then who will?"
> (Phantom tears up. Pathan silently watches, unsure but comforted.)
---
Back to Present
[Phantom — eyes wide, breathing heavily]
Phantom (whispers): "You were always the heart... even when we had nothing."
> (He stands up, takes out communicator, dials a frequency. It rings. Static. Then a voice—)
Pathan (cold): "Speak."
Phantom (calm, resolute): "I remember now."
Pathan: "What?"
Phantom: "Ten years ago. You, me, and Khan. He stood up for us. Fed us. He gave us a reason to smile."
Pathan (tense): "Don't start—"
Phantom (interrupting): "You're lost. I was too. But I see clearly now. Khan never turned his back on us. You did."
Pathan (growling): "Watch your words."
Phantom (voice rising): "No. You want to hurt him? You'll have to go through me first."
> (He ends the call. Static returns. Phantom stares at the wall, breathing slowly, at peace.)
---
Scene Sifts to pathans Location: Pathan's Penthouse – Dark Room, Only Screens Glow
> (Pathan stares at the communicator. The echo of Phantom's words loops in his mind.)
Phantom (echoing): "He gave us a reason to smile."
[Pathan — whispering to himself]
Pathan: "He… did, didn't he?"
> (Flash of memory: Young Khan's smile. Sharing food. Defending them. Pathan closes his eyes. For the first time, his hands tremble.)
Pathan (angrily to himself): "Shut up. SHUT UP. I'm not weak like before!"
> (Suddenly, everything falls silent. Then — a cold whisper from the shadows.)
Ganga (off-screen): "Oh, but you are, little Pathan."
> (Pathan turns, startled. From the shadows, Subject 6 — GANGA — steps out slowly, barefoot, dressed in a flowing black robe.)
Ganga (smirking): "Regret? Doubt? So unlike you… or is it… exactly like the boy you used to be?"
Pathan (growling): "Leave me. I don't need your riddles."
Ganga: "You remember too much. I warned Dr. Vikrant… you'd be a broken puppet eventually."
> (She raises her hand. A pulse of dark electric energy hits Pathan's head. His body shakes violently.)
Ganga (chanting softly): "Obey. Reset. Rebuild."
> (Pathan screams—images flashing in his head. Khan, Phantom, orphanage, laughter—shattered like glass. His expression turns blank.)
Ganga (whispers): "Much better."
Pathan (cold, robotic tone): "Find Khan. Kill Phantom."
> (His eyes now pitch black. All warmth is gone.)
Ganga (smiling faintly): "Good boy."
Scene 5: Khan and Lucy Trace Phantom
Back in the real world, Khan and Lucy had tracked a set of abandoned buildings connected to Phantom's escape route. Khan, now working in sync with Captain's intellect, deciphered clues within minutes—symbols, hidden messages, tactical layouts.
Lucy (watching him): "You're really not the same Khan anymore."
Khan (smiling): "Captain's helping… but I still feel like someone else is waking up too."
As they searched deeper into the facility, Khan paused, staring at a cracked mirror.
Khan: "He was my friend, Lucy. Phantom. I didn't even remember it."
Lucy: "Then we have to save him too."
But just as she said that, the ground beneath them shifted. A trap sprung. Gas began flooding the corridor.
Captain (in Khan's mind): "Time to put your training to the test."
Khan (gritting teeth): "Let's do this."
Khan lifted Lucy, ran through the corridor, kicked down a sealed door, and found the control panel. His fingers danced over it—like instinct. Gas cleared. Door opened. Safe.
Lucy (catching breath): "Okay... definitely not the old Khan."
---
Phantom Watches From Afar
On a rooftop, Phantom watched the duo from a distance. For now, he wouldn't interfere. He had something else to do.
Phantom (to himself): "The time is near. Pathan… you've forgotten who we are. But I'll remind you. One way or another."
[To be Continued....]