Chapter 20: Secrets of the Forgotten Tech

Aarav stepped into the massive chamber, and his breath caught in his throat. The space was unlike anything he had ever seen—a fusion of ancient machinery and futuristic technology, pulsating with a strange, rhythmic energy. Towering servers lined the walls, their surfaces etched with holographic symbols that constantly shifted and rearranged themselves. Suspended in the center of the room was a massive sphere of light, swirling with data streams that fed directly into the city's core.

The woman—who had yet to reveal her name—walked ahead of him with a knowing smirk. "You feel it, don't you?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

Aarav nodded. "It's like… the entire place is alive."

"Because it is."

She turned to one of the glowing consoles and placed her hand on its surface. Instantly, the room responded. The light from the sphere intensified, and a voice—cold, mechanical, yet oddly sentient—echoed through the chamber.

"IDENTIFY."

She tilted her head. "Come on, old man, it's me."

The voice paused for a moment before responding, "RECOGNIZED. ACCESS GRANTED."

Aarav raised an eyebrow. "Who exactly are you?"

She grinned, finally giving him an answer. "Name's Nyra. And this?" She gestured around them. "This is the last remaining piece of India's forbidden technology—the remnants of a project they tried to bury."

Aarav took a slow step forward. "Forbidden technology?"

Nyra nodded. "Decades ago, before corporations took full control, there was a government-backed research initiative to develop an autonomous AI capable of controlling every system in the country. Banking, defense, infrastructure—it was supposed to unify everything. But the moment they got close to success, the project was declared a failure and erased from public records."

Aarav narrowed his eyes. "Because it worked too well."

Nyra smirked. "Exactly. The AI was too powerful. It didn't just follow commands; it adapted. It made its own decisions, optimizing everything beyond human control. The government panicked. They shut it down, destroyed the labs, and scattered the technology. But some pieces survived."

Aarav exhaled, staring at the swirling data sphere. "And now, you've rebuilt it?"

Nyra shook her head. "Not exactly. This isn't the full AI—just a fragment of it. A piece of something far greater. And it's still incomplete."

Aarav frowned. "If this is just a fragment, where's the rest?"

Nyra's expression darkened. "Lost. Hidden. Or worse—being used by someone who understands its power."

Aarav felt a chill run down his spine. If even a fraction of this AI could control an entire underground city, then the full version…

Nyra tapped a few keys on the console, and suddenly, streams of data flowed onto a large screen. "We've been tracking unusual activity in global networks—data anomalies, encrypted transmissions, untraceable movements of information. Someone out there is using pieces of the original AI for their own agenda."

Aarav crossed his arms. "And you need me to find them."

Nyra smirked. "I don't need you to do anything. But let's be real—you're not the kind of person who walks away from something like this."

Aarav let out a small chuckle. "You're not wrong."

The chamber buzzed with quiet energy as the realization set in. This wasn't just about uncovering the truth anymore. It was about stopping whatever force was out there before it was too late.

And Aarav had the sinking feeling that whoever had the missing pieces… was already watching him.

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