A few days had passed since the battle on the Godavari bridge, and for Panch Shakti, the world had changed.
Their names—Judith, Pritha, Rukhsar, Anura, and The Leader—were the biggest story in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and the surrounding districts. The legend that had started in whispers was now the headline on every local news channel.
For the five friends, this meant their world had shrunk to the size of their basement headquarters. They were in a self-imposed lockdown, their leave from college now an indefinite absence. They were famous, but they were also trapped.
The media was in a frenzy, and it was divided.
"Have you seen this?" Rosy said, her voice tight with anger. She pointed to a news channel on one of Simran's monitors. The screen was showing blurry, chaotic footage from their first mission at the jewelry store.
"...what we see here is a lack of control," the news anchor was saying, his tone critical. "These costumed individuals, calling themselves 'Panch Shakti,' endangered hostages and only succeeded when the police intervened. Are these powerful amateurs a greater risk to our city than the criminals they claim to fight?"
"That's not fair!" Rosy fumed. "We were new! We made a mistake!"
"Switch to channel three," Simran said quietly.
Krishna changed the channel. This one was showing the clear, heroic footage from the train hijacking. A different anchor was speaking, her voice full of praise. "...an act of incredible bravery. Panch Shakti successfully disarmed multiple bombs and captured a team of professional hijackers, saving hundreds of lives. They are the heroes this city needs."
The five of them sat in silence, watching the debate about their very existence play out on television. Some people loved them. Some people feared them. They weren't just a myth anymore; they were a controversy.
"This is a problem," Simran said, analyzing the situation. "Public opinion is split. It makes us unpredictable. It makes us a political issue."
"I don't like it," Mahira whispered. "Half the city thinks we're a menace."
"Then we'll have to prove them wrong," Krishna said, his voice calm but firm. "Our actions have to speak louder than their fears."
Just as he said that, a new alert flashed on Simran's console. It was a direct, encrypted message to their private network.
"It's not a hack," a calm, female voice said, speaking from their workshop's speakers. "It's an invitation. Please open the main door. I've come to talk."
The team instantly went on high alert. After a tense, silent debate, Krishna made the call. "Let her in. But everyone be ready."
The heavy steel door hissed open. A woman stood there, flanked by two silent guards. She was middle-aged, with sharp, intelligent eyes and an impeccably tailored suit. It was Agent Rao.
"Quite the setup you have here," she said, her eyes scanning the workshop. "And quite the debate you've started in the city."
"Who are you?" Krishna demanded.
"I'm with a special department of the government that deals with... unusual phenomena," she explained. "You five have just become our highest priority." She looked at the TV screens. "Some people think you're a menace. Some think you're saviors. My department thinks you're an asset that needs direction. The world is watching, and you're making a messy first impression."
She offered them a deal. They couldn't just act on their own anymore. She offered them resources—funding, better technology, and access to intelligence the police didn't even have. In return, they had to agree to a set of rules and work with her department.
"We don't need a babysitter," Rosy grumbled.
"No," Agent Rao agreed. "You don't. You need a guide. A way to control your public image and prove to everyone that you are the heroes you claim to be. We can give you that."
Krishna was wary, but he saw the logic. They couldn't stay hidden forever, and they couldn't operate if the public was against them.
To prove her point, Agent Rao brought up a file on a slim, transparent tablet. "Perhaps your first official mission will convince you."
The image on the screen was a satellite map of a remote, uninhabited section of the Western Ghats mountain range. "For the past week," she explained, "we've been detecting a series of strange geological tremors from this area. They are not natural earthquakes. They are rhythmic, like a slow, massive heartbeat. And they are getting stronger."
She swiped the screen, showing a thermal image. In the center of the tremor zone, deep underground, was a massive, pulsing heat signature. "Local animal populations have fled the area entirely," she added. "Whatever is down there, it's scaring them away."
She turned the tablet to face them, the image of the strange, pulsing heat source glowing in the dim light of their workshop.
"We don't know what it is," Agent Rao said, her voice serious. "It could be a volcano getting ready to form. Or, given our new reality, it could be something else entirely. Something big. Your first mission, should you choose to accept our partnership, is to go to that location, investigate the source of these tremors, and report back. Quietly. This is a reconnaissance mission. A way for you to prove you can be disciplined and effective."
The five friends looked at the image, then at each other. This was not a gang of robbers. This was a giant, unknown threat, a mission they could never have known about on their own.
Krishna looked at the calm, professional face of Agent Rao. This was their crossroads. This was their chance to prove their critics wrong.
Agent Rao seemed to read his mind. "So, Panch Shakti," she asked, her voice quiet but firm. "Do we have a deal?"
[To be continued…]
Support me: vanshbosssrahate@oksbi (UPI ID)
Author: Vansh Rahate
Editor: Vansh Rahate
Story by: Vansh Rahate
Under: Alaukika Studios