Ayan is a graphic designer by profession, but his life was dreadfully monotonous. That monotony shattered last Tuesday evening. Someone had dropped a blue envelope at his doorstep. No sender's name, just an address—his own.
Inside was an old, yellowish paper with strange symbols and a note at the bottom: "Be at Platform 4 of the station tomorrow at 9:20 PM. A final chance awaits you."
Ayan initially thought it was a prank. But seeing a dried bloodstain on the corner of the paper, a cold shiver ran down his spine. He remembered that exactly ten years ago, on this very date, his elder brother Animesh had vanished. The police called it an accident, but Ayan knew the truth was hidden somewhere else.
Chapter2:The Shadow Man
9:20 PM. The station was nearly empty. Ayan stood at the far end of Platform 4. The rhythmic clatter of a distant train echoed. Suddenly, someone whispered near his ear, "Look to your right."
Startled, Ayan turned and saw a man in a black hoodie walking rapidly toward the stairs. Without hesitation, Ayan followed. The man led him to a deserted warehouse behind the station. It was pitch black. Suddenly, the man stopped and tossed a key ring toward Ayan.
A note was attached to the keys: "The answer lies where it all began. Do not trust your own shadow." Before vanishing into the darkness, Ayan caught a glimpse of a specific tattoo on the man's wrist—a Broken-Winged Falcon.
Chapter3:The Hidden Chamber
Ayan realized he had to go to their old ancestral house. At midnight, he reached the place. The rusted lock groaned as it opened with the key. 🚪🔦
Behind a large portrait in the drawing room, he found a secret compartment. Inside were a few torn pages of a diary. In Animesh's handwriting, it said: "Ayan, if you are reading this, know that they are stealing human memories to build a database. And the head of this project is someone we trust the most."Suddenly, a photograph fell from the pages. Ayan's hands began to shake. It was a picture of himself, but on the back, the date written was—tomorrow's date! Does this mean he is also part of this lab?
Chapter4:The Mask Falls
The sound of slow clapping echoed from behind. Ayan turned to see his long-time friend, Dr. Ronojoy, standing there with a remote control in his hand.
Ronojoy smirked, "We didn't kill Animesh, Ayan. He's still alive. But he's a human hard drive now. We've extracted everything from his brain."
Ayan roared, "What have you done to my brother?" Ronojoy replied calmly, "Brother? Ayan, haven't you realized yet? You are a clone! Ayan died in that accident 10 years ago. Animesh created you in the lab using his brother's memories. You are a living experiment!"
Chapter 5: The Final Move: Data Delete
Ayan's head spun. Did he have no identity of his own? Was it all a setup? As Ronojoy moved closer, Ayan pulled out a USB drive he had found in the secret compartment.
He shouted, "If I am a clone, then the virus in this drive will work on my system too! If I end myself, your entire network crashes!"
Ronojoy turned pale with fear. But Ayan didn't stop. He plugged the drive into his phone and hit 'Enter.' Sirens blared throughout the house. Ayan's vision began to blur. He felt his memories fading away, but along with them, the evil syndicate's servers were being pulverized.
The next morning, the police rescued Ayan from the house. He is physically fine, but he has no idea who he is or what his name is. However, a note was found in his pocket that read: "You are free now."