Chapter 20: Memory Loading… Please Wait
Interior – Island Control Room – Late Evening
The team stepped into the dimly lit Central Command Room, a massive circular chamber lined with flickering monitors, rusted switches, and dust-covered keyboards.
Captain Krishnan waddled in confidently, then paused.
> "Wait… was this always a circle?"
Sid didn't answer. He was already skimming an old operations log on a surviving terminal. Shiva booted up a side panel, its blue light humming to life. Akash leaned back on a dusty chair, arms crossed.
> Akash muttered, "So we're trusting the guy who forgets breakfast to lead us to weapons-grade uranium?"
Krishnan looked up sharply.
> "I remember lunch, thank you very much."
Shiva interrupted, pointing at a blinking panel.
> "Sid, look — multiple storage vaults. One marked Deep Vault–Delta. Coordinates show… under the sea bed. About 100 meters offshore."
Akash's jaw dropped.
> "Seriously? They stored nuclear fuel underwater?"
Krishnan's face lit up — like a glitching lightbulb.
> "OH! YES! Now I remember! That's right — Project VASUDEV ! We submerged the vault to protect it from airstrikes and internal sabotage. It's accessed by a sub-shaft from the maintenance dock. I knew it was somewhere salty!"
Akash looked at Sid and whispered theatrically,
> "He remembers after we find it. It's like one of those videogames where the sidekick forgets everything until you solve the puzzle yourself."
He mimicked a loading bar with his hand and said,
> "Memory: 12%... 42%... 84%... DING — vault unlocked!"
Krishnan scratched his head.
> "Hey! I'm not a sidekick. I'm the secret bonus character! Takes time to unlock greatness."
Sid tried not to smile.
> "Regardless… we know where the fuel is. That's a win."
Shiva added, "But we need diving suits. And a plan. That shaft won't be safe."
Krishnan nodded seriously.
> "Yes, it's dark, deep, and the elevator's likely damaged. Plus, you'll need to bypass three-level security. And don't forget — avoid the sea leeches. Nasty little things."
Akash blinked.
> "Leeches?"
Krishnan shrugged. "Could be eels. Or… pipes. I forget."
Akash to Sid: "He's gonna be the end of me."
Sid walked toward the door, gears already turning in his mind.
> "Let's gear up. We have a vault to visit."
Narrator Voice:
> "Sometimes, memories come late. Sometimes, heroes arrive uninvited.
But in a bunker full of Traps , and a vault buried beneath waves…
The clock still ticks. The danger still waits.
And the game… just leveled up."