Chapter 27: The Betrayer's Echo
Location: Military Hospital, Classified Zone – Day 5, Morning
The sterile smell of disinfectant mingled with the faint beep of a heart monitor. Viren, pale and stitched up, slowly opened his eyes. Pain wracked his body, but his mind raced ahead — the plan wasn't over yet.
Straining, he whispered into his phone. Moments later, one of his most loyal men entered, disguised as a medical assistant.
"Bring me… the comms device," Viren muttered weakly.
The assistant nodded and disappeared. Minutes later, hidden behind the curtain, Viren sent a coded voice message to the enemy command.
"There are still survivors on the island. I don't know how many, but they're interfering."
A cold reply came almost instantly.
"Impossible. You gave us a full list. We eliminated all personnel."
Viren's voice was sharp despite his wounds.
"Check again. If even one is alive, they could activate the old systems."
Silence. Then the order came:
"Very well. We're sending 20 soldiers to the island. If survivors exist—eliminate them on sight."
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Meanwhile: Island – Control Room
Siva hunched over his console, tweaking the signal trap he'd built — a clever hack designed to catch any communication entering the island's airspace.
Suddenly, his screen blinked urgently.
"Sid… Akash… Old man… come look at this."
They crowded around as the intercepted transmissions decrypted.
[INTERCEPTED SIGNAL]
ORIGIN: Unknown
Voice 1 (Viren): "There are still survivors on the island."
Voice 2 (Enemy Commander): "Impossible. You gave us a full list. We eliminated all personnel."
Voice 1: "Check again. If even one is alive, they could activate the old systems."
Voice 2: "Sending 20 soldiers—seek and kill any survivors."
Akash swallowed hard.
"They're sending twenty soldiers? We're just teachers, not fighters, we will confirm die …"
Old Man Krishnan stiffened.
"I remember now. Viren — he was the traitor who leaked our base's location before the attack."
The room went silent. The weight of betrayal settled heavily on them.
Siva clenched his fists.
"This isn't just survival anymore. This is war."
Sid stared out the bunker window at the calm, deceiving sea.
"And we're running out of time."
---
Narrator:
A traitor is revealed. Reinforcements are coming—not to save, but to kill. Will these teachers turn the tide or become ghosts lost to this island?
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