Chapter 4:
The Truth
D3 Protocall
"Huh? Dad, you shouldn’t have bought this smartphone for me. It’s too expensive. We can’t afford it… we still have debts to pay."
"Hey, isn’t it your birthday? I thought kids your age liked this kind of stuff."
"It’s not like I don’t like it... it’s just... we shouldn’t have bought it."
"Take your birthday gift while I’m still asking nicely."
"...O-okay."
"Debts are my problem.So live like a normal kid, Yash.Your old man’s still here—alive and kicking. Hehehe."
Ah, yes.Now that I remember it properly—he was a fool.A total fool.
That fool worked overtime for us.Even when he was sick.Even when he had no will left.Even when his eyes had gone dull from lack of sleep.Even after that fight with the contractor.
He smiled every time and said, “Don’t worry, I’m here. Everything will be alright.”
Yeah. He was a fool.A total fool.
I opened my eyes, staring up at the ceiling fan as it spun lazily.There were tears in my eyes.Then I remembered... what I was doing.
I got sudden powers. I hadn’t looked into it much, but.
What should I do? What should I do?Should I tell my friends?No. I shouldn’t.Should I tell Mummy?No. She’ll worry.Yeah... I shouldn’t tell anyone about it yet. If this information spreads, the government might quarantine me.
My mind wandered.
Night came.Curfew was on.It had been three weeks since I saw that thing.And almost seven months since Dad passed away.
"I miss him," I whispered.
Then I fell asleep again.I didn’t even know how I felt so sleepy—despite just waking up.
"It’s kind of strange..." I muttered.I closed my eyes and drowned in sleep.
Wh... who are you? And why are you trying to protect me?
YOU KNOW ALREADY.
I opened my eyes.
This wasn’t my room.
I stood up slowly.
The place was as big as a hall, and the walls shimmered with a cold, metallic sheen.Everything looked high-tech—like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
There was a giant screen in front of us.
Yeah—us.I wasn’t alone.
Teenagers. Adults.Normal-looking civilians.All of them looked just as clueless and confused as I felt.
Except for the ones stationed at the corners of the room.They were dressed in sleek, black combat suits—more advanced than any soldier’s uniform I’d ever seen.They didn’t speak. They didn’t move.But their presence alone was enough to shut everyone up. No one even dared to whisper.
Who are they...? What am I doing here? I wondered.
Next to me, I noticed a guy.
He looked surprisingly calm.
He had dark, long, messy hair and a red tika on his forehead.He wore a tank top, a cloth wrapped tightly around his forearm, and a mala bracelet near his bicep. He also had a cloth tied to his waist.He glanced at me and smiled.
"You’re awake now," he said casually.
I didn’t know who he was, but I nodded and smiled back."Yeah, I am.""What is this place?" I asked.
"My name’s Kaal. I’m sure we’ll find out soon," he replied.
I didn’t ask for your name, I thought.
Suddenly, the screen flickered.A large, stylized W appeared.
A calm, confident, almost soothing voice echoed through the hall.
"Hello. I’m your friend.My name is W.Welcome to CAFE."
"You must be wondering why you’re here, what this place is.The answer is—you’ve all been invited to CAFE."
"We sent invitations, but most of you ignored them.So, we had to go beyond fundamental rights."
A girl stepped forward, shouting:
"You kidnapped us! We’ll report this to the authorities. You’re violating our fundamental rights!"
The voice paused.
"You are a foolish girl.Pretty foolish.
You're standing alive right now because you're in CAFE.Now think as hard as you can—do you see any exits?Do you see anyone coming to help?Do you even know where you are?No, right?"
"On the other hand, do you see those gentlemen in the corners?They can kill you in an instant—without breaking a sweat.But we won’t.
So next time you want to expose someone... don’t announce it out loud.It’s pretty foolish."
The girl went quiet.The hall fell completely silent.
"I didn’t mean to terrify you.If you stay quiet, it’ll help us all."
"Now... back to CAFE."
"We’re not criminals.We’re not a trafficking group.We’re an undercover government organization."
"So don’t worry. We won’t harm you—As long as you cooperate."
"Any questions?"
A man asked, "Why did you bring us here?"
"That’s a good question.To answer it, you’ll need to know what’s happening in the world right now."
"Seven months ago, an asteroid fell to Earth.You probably heard about it."
"When we arrived at the impact site, the area was damaged—craters, dust, and destruction...But the asteroid itself? Gone."
"It didn’t crash—it disintegrated.It spread through the atmosphere, like the one that caused the Cretaceous extinction.But this one didn’t leave behind ash or radiation."
"It left something else."
"A new element."
"We call it D3, now"
"And now... we’re breathing it."
"We’ve confirmed the same element in the asteroid’s fall zone."
"It causes mutation.Animals.Humans.They’re turning into monsters."
"And for your information—you’ve mutated too."
"But—but—but don’t panic."
"Not everyone becomes a monster.You won’t, as long as your mind stays sane."
"That’s why animals are more affected.Their instincts are easier to corrupt."
"Anyway, to put it simply:These creatures—They only come out at night.They hate sunlight."
"And we—CAFE—protect civilians from them."
"And now, you’ve been chosen to become... Shards."
A teenager spoke up:"But we’re underage! You can’t force kids to do this—it’s against our rights!"
An adult shouted:"Why only us? This isn’t right! We’re citizens too!"
The crowd erupted into noise.Arguments. Panic.
Then W's voice returned, cold and calm:
"Hello, Mister Amar Kumar.You live in Delhi, Block 3, with your wife and daughter.You once tried to rape a minor girl in your neighborhood. Nobody found out... but we did."
"And you, Mister Aryan.You live in HUDA, Haryana, with your wife and your 12-year-old son.He goes to school daily—from 8 to 2.Do you know where he is right now?No? That’s what I thought."
"And don’t play dumb, kids.We already know you’ve awakened strange powers."
"You’ll be fine—if you shut your mouths and follow orders.Don't speak unless you’re told to."
"Now, line up.We’ll be doing some checks."
"And if any of you act up again...""We might just kill you here. Hahaha."
"Everything else will be explained later."
The screen glitched and turned off.Silence fell again.
Everyone was terrified.But none of us could do anything.
So we started lining up.
I was behind Kaal.I couldn’t stop wondering how he was so calm. He was humming something slowly.
They were using some kind of scanner—looked like a metal detector—to check us one by one.
I didn’t have anything suspicious on me, so I felt safe.
Kaal passed through smoothly.
Then it was my turn.
As I walked through...
Beep.
The device lit up red.
One of the black-suited guards stepped forward, grabbed my arm, and twisted it behind my back.
I fell to the floor.
"Ahh—what the hell?! What did I do wrong?!" I shouted.
Kaal tried to step in, but other guards held him back.
What’s happening?!What did I do wrong?!
—END OF CHAPTER—
Word Notes:
Tika – A small red mark applied on the forehead during Hindu rituals, often symbolizing blessing or protection.
Mala – A garland of flowers or prayer beads used in religious or ceremonial settings.
"Hey, isn’t it your birthday? I thought kids your age liked this kind of stuff."
"It’s not like I don’t like it... it’s just... we shouldn’t have bought it."
"Take your birthday gift while I’m still asking nicely."
"...O-okay."
"Debts are my problem.So live like a normal kid, Yash.Your old man’s still here—alive and kicking. Hehehe."
Ah, yes.Now that I remember it properly—he was a fool.A total fool.
That fool worked overtime for us.Even when he was sick.Even when he had no will left.Even when his eyes had gone dull from lack of sleep.Even after that fight with the contractor.
He smiled every time and said, “Don’t worry, I’m here. Everything will be alright.”
Yeah. He was a fool.A total fool.
I opened my eyes, staring up at the ceiling fan as it spun lazily.There were tears in my eyes.Then I remembered... what I was doing.
I got sudden powers. I hadn’t looked into it much, but.
What should I do? What should I do?Should I tell my friends?No. I shouldn’t.Should I tell Mummy?No. She’ll worry.Yeah... I shouldn’t tell anyone about it yet. If this information spreads, the government might quarantine me.
My mind wandered.
Night came.Curfew was on.It had been three weeks since I saw that thing.And almost seven months since Dad passed away.
"I miss him," I whispered.
Then I fell asleep again.I didn’t even know how I felt so sleepy—despite just waking up.
"It’s kind of strange..." I muttered.I closed my eyes and drowned in sleep.
Wh... who are you? And why are you trying to protect me?
YOU KNOW ALREADY.
I opened my eyes.
This wasn’t my room.
I stood up slowly.
The place was as big as a hall, and the walls shimmered with a cold, metallic sheen.Everything looked high-tech—like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
There was a giant screen in front of us.
Yeah—us.I wasn’t alone.
Teenagers. Adults.Normal-looking civilians.All of them looked just as clueless and confused as I felt.
Except for the ones stationed at the corners of the room.They were dressed in sleek, black combat suits—more advanced than any soldier’s uniform I’d ever seen.They didn’t speak. They didn’t move.But their presence alone was enough to shut everyone up. No one even dared to whisper.
Who are they...? What am I doing here? I wondered.
Next to me, I noticed a guy.
He looked surprisingly calm.
He had dark, long, messy hair and a red tika on his forehead.He wore a tank top, a cloth wrapped tightly around his forearm, and a mala bracelet near his bicep. He also had a cloth tied to his waist.He glanced at me and smiled.
"You’re awake now," he said casually.
I didn’t know who he was, but I nodded and smiled back."Yeah, I am.""What is this place?" I asked.
"My name’s Kaal. I’m sure we’ll find out soon," he replied.
I didn’t ask for your name, I thought.
Suddenly, the screen flickered.A large, stylized W appeared.
A calm, confident, almost soothing voice echoed through the hall.
"Hello. I’m your friend.My name is W.Welcome to CAFE."
"You must be wondering why you’re here, what this place is.The answer is—you’ve all been invited to CAFE."
"We sent invitations, but most of you ignored them.So, we had to go beyond fundamental rights."
A girl stepped forward, shouting:
"You kidnapped us! We’ll report this to the authorities. You’re violating our fundamental rights!"
The voice paused.
"You are a foolish girl.Pretty foolish.
You're standing alive right now because you're in CAFE.Now think as hard as you can—do you see any exits?Do you see anyone coming to help?Do you even know where you are?No, right?"
"On the other hand, do you see those gentlemen in the corners?They can kill you in an instant—without breaking a sweat.But we won’t.
So next time you want to expose someone... don’t announce it out loud.It’s pretty foolish."
The girl went quiet.The hall fell completely silent.
"I didn’t mean to terrify you.If you stay quiet, it’ll help us all."
"Now... back to CAFE."
"We’re not criminals.We’re not a trafficking group.We’re an undercover government organization."
"So don’t worry. We won’t harm you—As long as you cooperate."
"Any questions?"
A man asked, "Why did you bring us here?"
"That’s a good question.To answer it, you’ll need to know what’s happening in the world right now."
"Seven months ago, an asteroid fell to Earth.You probably heard about it."
"When we arrived at the impact site, the area was damaged—craters, dust, and destruction...But the asteroid itself? Gone."
"It didn’t crash—it disintegrated.It spread through the atmosphere, like the one that caused the Cretaceous extinction.But this one didn’t leave behind ash or radiation."
"It left something else."
"A new element."
"We call it D3, now"
"And now... we’re breathing it."
"We’ve confirmed the same element in the asteroid’s fall zone."
"It causes mutation.Animals.Humans.They’re turning into monsters."
"And for your information—you’ve mutated too."
"But—but—but don’t panic."
"Not everyone becomes a monster.You won’t, as long as your mind stays sane."
"That’s why animals are more affected.Their instincts are easier to corrupt."
"Anyway, to put it simply:These creatures—They only come out at night.They hate sunlight."
"And we—CAFE—protect civilians from them."
"And now, you’ve been chosen to become... Shards."
A teenager spoke up:"But we’re underage! You can’t force kids to do this—it’s against our rights!"
An adult shouted:"Why only us? This isn’t right! We’re citizens too!"
The crowd erupted into noise.Arguments. Panic.
Then W's voice returned, cold and calm:
"Hello, Mister Amar Kumar.You live in Delhi, Block 3, with your wife and daughter.You once tried to rape a minor girl in your neighborhood. Nobody found out... but we did."
"And you, Mister Aryan.You live in HUDA, Haryana, with your wife and your 12-year-old son.He goes to school daily—from 8 to 2.Do you know where he is right now?No? That’s what I thought."
"And don’t play dumb, kids.We already know you’ve awakened strange powers."
"You’ll be fine—if you shut your mouths and follow orders.Don't speak unless you’re told to."
"Now, line up.We’ll be doing some checks."
"And if any of you act up again...""We might just kill you here. Hahaha."
"Everything else will be explained later."
The screen glitched and turned off.Silence fell again.
Everyone was terrified.But none of us could do anything.
So we started lining up.
I was behind Kaal.I couldn’t stop wondering how he was so calm. He was humming something slowly.
They were using some kind of scanner—looked like a metal detector—to check us one by one.
I didn’t have anything suspicious on me, so I felt safe.
Kaal passed through smoothly.
Then it was my turn.
As I walked through...
Beep.
The device lit up red.
One of the black-suited guards stepped forward, grabbed my arm, and twisted it behind my back.
I fell to the floor.
"Ahh—what the hell?! What did I do wrong?!" I shouted.
Kaal tried to step in, but other guards held him back.
What’s happening?!What did I do wrong?!
—END OF CHAPTER—
Word Notes:
Tika – A small red mark applied on the forehead during Hindu rituals, often symbolizing blessing or protection.
Mala – A garland of flowers or prayer beads used in religious or ceremonial settings.
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