MUMBAI02:17 A.M.
Mumbai never truly slept.
Even after midnight, the city breathed through flashing traffic lights, the distant horns of local trains, and the endless glow of skyscrapers that refused to switch off.
People chased deadlines.
Dreams.
Money.
Power.
Life moved at its own relentless pace.
But tonight...
The silence felt different.
It wasn't peaceful.
It was watching.
A black luxury SUV slowly came to a halt outside an abandoned warehouse near the old Mumbai docks.
The engine switched off.
For a few seconds...
Nothing moved.
The driver's door opened.
A well-dressed man stepped out.
His expensive leather shoes echoed against the cold concrete floor as he walked into the deserted warehouse.
He looked around impatiently before checking his watch.
02:17 A.M.
"Damn it..."
"Where are you?" he muttered.
His phone vibrated.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
He frowned.
"I don't have time for this."
He answered the call.
"Hello?"
Silence.
Only the faint sound of breathing.
Then...
A calm, emotionless voice echoed through the speaker.
"You are exactly thirty-eight seconds late."
The man froze.
"What?"
The voice continued.
"Current heart rate... one hundred and twenty-four beats per minute."
His face lost its color.
He immediately turned around.
"No cameras..."
"No one here..."
"Who's playing games with me?"
His breathing became heavier.
Before he could react...
Every monitor inside the warehouse suddenly flickered to life.
Old security screens.
Broken televisions.
Dust-covered computer monitors.
One after another...
Every screen displayed the same black background.
Then...
White letters slowly appeared.
ECHO PROTOCOL
The man's eyes widened.
"No..."
YOU ARE READING
ECHO PROTOCOL
Fanfiction~~~~~~One trusts evidence. One trusts logic. Together, they uncover the truth.~~~~~~~~
