The campus was alive with its usual chaos — students hustling between classes, laughter and chatter filling the air, the faint hum of distant engines blending with the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. Alex and Brad strolled through the throng, relaxed yet alert, like predators surveying their territory.
Brad nudged Alex with a sly grin. "You really think Gaurav will show up today? He's been avoiding us like we're some kind of plague."
Alex flicked his cigarette ash into the gutter, the orange glow briefly lighting his sharp features. "He's stubborn. He wants to keep his distance. But I bet he's curious too."
Their banter was easy, but beneath it was a layer of concern neither wanted to admit out loud. Gaurav was more than just a quiet genius — he was a mystery wrapped in layers of pain and silence. Sitting near the old oak tree in the quad, Gaurav hunched over a notebook, scribbling complex equations furiously, his headphones drowning out the world.
He flinched as a group of students passed, whispering behind their hands, their voices dripping with cruelty. "Four-eyes won't last long..." "Bet he's still scared of those bullies." Their words stung like invisible knives, but Gaurav kept his gaze locked on the page, desperate to lose himself in numbers and formulas rather than face reality.
"Maybe if I just disappear, no one will notice," he thought bitterly.
Alex approached with a warm smile, dropping a sandwich beside him. "Lunch, genius. Don't tell me you forgot again."
Gaurav glanced up, surprise flickering in his eyes. There was something different about these two — no sneers, no judgment. Just... company. Brad appeared on the other side, leaning casually against the tree, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.
"We mean it, man," Brad said softly. "No tricks. Just us."
The three fell into an awkward rhythm — small talk about classes, jokes that didn't quite land, and silences that stretched longer than comfort allowed. But even in that uneasy quiet, a spark of something like friendship began to take root.
Later that day, as the sun dipped low and painted the sky in hues of orange and pink, the trio gathered at Alex's cramped apartment. The walls were plastered with posters of space missions and old rock bands, the air thick with the smell of cigarettes and stale pizza.
Alex spread out a collection of newspaper clippings, government reports, and grainy videos of the meteor's approach. "No one's telling us the whole truth. The government's playing a dangerous game, hiding the real story."
Brad tapped his fingers on the table, his expression darkening. "And if we don't figure it out? What then? The world gets blindsided?"
Gaurav leaned in, eyes sharp despite his exhaustion. "We don't have the luxury of waiting for answers. We have to act. But we'll need more than just brains — we need guts."
A sudden knock at the door startled them. Alex glanced through the peephole before opening it to reveal Maya — a young woman with sharp eyes and an enigmatic smile. She slipped inside, her presence unsettling yet strangely familiar.
"I hear you're looking for answers," she said, voice smooth as silk. "Maybe I can help."
The three exchanged wary glances. Trust was fragile. Alliances could shatter with a single misstep. But the stakes were higher than ever, and the clock was ticking.
Meanwhile, miles away in a stark government office, Minister Ashok Verma watched the meteor's trajectory with cold calculation. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk as he issued orders to the Syndicate — a shadowy network bent on seizing control amid the chaos.
"This isn't just about survival," he murmured. "It's about power."
Back at the apartment, Maya's eyes gleamed with secrets she wasn't ready to share. As the group plotted their next move, the tension between hope and danger thickened — a thin line between salvation and destruction.
For Alex, Brad, and Gaurav, the battle was just beginning. And in the shadows, enemies waited patiently, ready to strike when the moment was right.