Masks

“Bzzz...” The television flickered to life.
“The pyramid: a three-dimensional shape that is incredibly stable according to the laws of physics. But what was their true purpose as monuments? Let’s ask one of the world's most famous Egyptian archaeologists, Dr. Zahi Hawass.”
Dr. Hawass: “Actually, the pyramids are simply grand tombs. They were constructed to carry the bodies of the Pharaohs...”
“...The Egyptians believed in life beyond death, so they prepared these elaborate tombs for the afterlife. But the interesting thing is, no mummies were ever found inside the Great Pyramids.”
Interviewer: “But why? Weren’t they built specifically to house them?”
Dr. Hawass: “There are many speculations. The most realistic theory is that they were raided by ancient looters or robbers, which would explain the missing bodies.”
Interviewer: “And what are your thoughts on the pyramid that was recently discovered in India’s Western Ghats?”
Dr. Hawass: “That is fascinating. I have studied Indian history, and in India, pyramids were traditionally seen as symbols of worship—a path toward enlightenment. So, what is a structure that looks identical to the Egyptian pyramids doing deep inside India?”“...Bzzzzz.”
Someone snapped the TV off.
“We should get going now,” a voice muttered.
“Right. We need to free him, after all.”
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Northwest, inside the CAFE facility.
Number 203 walked right past Naman, ignoring him completely. He stopped in front of Yash and extended a hand. A faint, cold smile played on his lips.
"Long time no see. I honestly thought you were dead, Number 102."
"Well... who are you?" Yash asked, tilting his head.
Number 203 froze. "Huh?"
Number 206 blinked. "Huh?"
The entirety of Batch B echoed in a confused chorus: "Huhhhhhhh...?"
"Y-you don’t know who I am?" 203 asked again, his voice actually stammering.
"Well, no," Yash answered plainly. "I was never very good with numbers."
Kaal stepped in.
"Well, he said he doesn't know you, so why don't you step aside?" Kaal’s eyes were calm, but his gaze was unblinking. "And joking about death isn't funny. You should try being polite to everyone."
203 looked down at the band on Kaal’s arm, then back into those steady eyes. He stepped aside without another word.
Yash looked at 203 and offered a small shrug. "I'm sorry if I don't remember you, but it's nice to meet you."
They walked past him toward Naman, who was currently interrupting a conversation between Numbers 206, 207, and 90.
They were talking about a rumoured masked elite, and training tommorow.
"Hey, hello," Yash waved toward 206.
206 leaned in and whispered, "You remember me, but not him? How?"
"Yeah, these days my memory is kind of messed up because of this whole situation," Yash replied."I don’t even know how I’m staying this calm right now... regardless, I remember you because you were the one who almost kicked the instructor. If he’d been a normal person, you likely would have had him."
"T-thank you... but it wasn't my strategy," 206 said, stammering slightly.
Naman cut in loudly, "Hey! I'm the one who almost had him!"
"Yeah, yeah," Yash added, "and a second later you were crushed on the ground. I seriously thought you’d died."
Kaal looked toward the door, his ears twitching. "Okay. I'm leaving now."
"Okay," Yash said.
Kaal walked away, humming a low tune, but this time yash matched the tune...he was not humming he was chanting a name shiv shiv shiv...
"Well it suits him." Yash thought to himself.
"Hey, how do you know him?" Number 90 asked.
"I don't think I really know him," Yash admitted. "Yet, he calls me a friend for some reason."
90 looked Yash in the eye, his expression stern. "I don't like you, kid, but I’ll give you a piece of advice: don't make a friend out of someone whose betrayal you can't handle."
Without waiting for a response, 90 turned and left.
Yash's eyes roamed around the room and fell on a girl sitting quietly on the bed.
"Who is she?" Yash thought to himself.
207 checked the wall clock. "It’s lights-out in thirty minutes. We should probably head to our beds."
Suddenly, the door hissed open.
A man stepped in, loosening his tie. His black suit was uncharacteristically wrinkled today, and the yellow band on his arm—A25—shimmered under the overhead lights.
"Long time no see, kids," Number 25 said. His eyes were half-lidded, looking as if he had just woken up from a nap.
Yash’s eyes widened, the veins in his forehead popping with sudden, hot anger. "You?"
Suddenly, 203 placed a firm hand on Yash’s shoulder. "Keep it calm. Even if we all attacked at once, we couldn't defeat him. It’s useless."
Yash gritted his teeth, forcing his rage back down.
203 shouted toward the instructor, "What do you want?"
"Well, I came here for a reason, but I forgot..." Number 25 paused, looking them over. "Anyway, you all look like you're in good condition."
"Not thanks to you," 203 snapped.
Number 25 looked toward Yash. "Hey, you look good. I thought I'd crushed your skull, but you seem fine."
"What do you want?" Yash repeated, his voice cold.
"Well, I was thinking about the training session tomorr—" Number 25 stopped mid-sentence. "Oh. I remember now why I was here."
He paused for a moment, then added casually, "The thing is... there is no training tomorrow. Because we are currently being ambushed."
As if on cue, the lights turned a deep, blood-red and a piercing alarm began to wail through the facility.
"So," Number 25 advised with a bored shrug, "run."
"B-but how?" 206 asked, panic rising in his voice. "Can't you defeat them? You're strong!""They’ve already killed all the Y-guards. And for some reason, the Z’s aren't responding," Number 25 said with a perfectly straight face. "So, what do you expect from a lone A-ranker like me?"
The room erupted into a panic.
"Shut up!" Number 25 barked. "Get out of this room. Panicking won't save you. Run left to the end of the corridor. You'll see a giant metal gate. Enter 26349 into the password panel; it'll open. Once you're all inside, don't forget to break the password panel from the outside. That way, it locks permanently and can only be opened from the inside."
"What about you?" 203 asked. "Aren't you coming with us?"
"Nah. I'm not a babysitter," Number 25 said, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Well... you might not see me again... So, I'm repeating myself... run."
The batch scrambled, running past him into the corridor and sprinting toward the left.
Number 25 watched them go, then turned in the opposite direction. 
He began to walk slowly, his footsteps tapping rhythmically against the metallic floor, echoing in the alarming hall. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a transmitter, lifting it to his ear.
Zero’s voice crackled through the device. 
“Bzzz... you aren't running away, are you?”
"Maybe... I should," Number 25 answered, entering through a jammed sliding gate.
“You know CAFE doesn’t tolerate cowards,” Zero said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Well, tell me, Zero... will you go out with me if I manage to kill all of these intruders?" Number 25 asked in a mocking tone.
“I don’t think I need to answer that,” Zero replied in her classic, flat tone. “Because you won’t be around for a date anyway.”
"My bad," Number 25 whispered, And shoved the transmitter away.
"Oh so they turned off the alarm too." number 25 talked to himself.
He stepped out into the center of a massive trial arena. The floor was covered in grass, the arched ceiling soaring high above like an open field. He was immediately surrounded. Unknown masked men carrying assault rifles emerged from the shadows, every barrel pointed directly at Number 25’s head.
"My, my... what a weekend I'm having," Number 25 said, calmly adjusting his tie.


                    —END OF CHAPTER—