Chapter 10: The Shadow of Alliance
Arjun Kade stood frozen in the flickering light of Uncle Ramesh's chai stall, the scarred woman's venomous decree—"You failed, boy. Meera's ours—join, or she dies"—reverberating through his mind like a death knell. The cart, its base charred by Raju's latest assault and its wheels wobbling under a patchwork of scavenged metal, rested outside, a battered relic of his dwindling hope. Meera lay on the mat, her breathing shallow but steadier after the five hundred rupee hospital visit, though the doctor warned of a relapse without consistent care. The tin box, his fragile lifeline, held eleven hundred rupees—a fleeting gain from the crate sale, offset by a staggering two thousand rupee debt to the loan shark and Sanjay Bhai, both due tomorrow. Rent loomed at five hundred, Chotu Bhai's fee at two hundred, and Meera's daily medicine at two hundred, totaling nine hundred against his precarious balance. The weight of VedaCorp's ultimatum—join or lose Meera—gnawed at his soul, each option a bitter pill threatening to shatter his pride.
The slum hummed with the tension of the raid's aftermath, the air thick with the sour stench of burnt thatch and the murmur of families preparing for the worst. Vikram paced nervously, his neon-green shirt stained with dockyard dust, his voice a mix of dread and defiance. "Bhai, we can't join them! But Meera… what if they take her again?" Priya sat cross-legged, her laptop casting a soft glow on her furrowed brow, her fingers dancing over the keys as she analyzed VedaCorp's movements. "They're consolidating power," she said quietly. "The merger's close—relics are the key. Joining buys time, but resistance could expose their weakness." Arjun's jaw tightened, the image of Meera's frail form hardening his resolve. "We fight," he declared. "But we need Sanjay—and a way to turn their trap against them."
Fighting meant leveraging Sanjay Bhai's resources, despite the sting of potential betrayal. Arjun trudged back to the warehouse, Sanjay counting cash under a flickering bulb, his scar a stark reminder of his ruthlessness. "They want me to join," Arjun said, his voice firm. "Help me fake it—lure them into an ambush, free Meera for good." Sanjay's eyes glinted with greed, his laugh a rough bark. "Smart rat. Ambush costs three thousand upfront—plus your debts. Success, I'll clear it all." Arjun's tin was short, but Priya interjected, "I'll hack their payroll—four thousand." Sanjay smirked. "Done. Tomorrow night."
Back at the stall, Arjun mapped the strategy. Vikram groaned, "An ambush? I'll mess it up, bhai!" Priya grinned, coding a decoy. "I'll spoof their systems—make it look real. But we need precision." Arjun outlined the plan: "Vikram distracts, Priya hacks, I grab Meera. Sanjay's men strike." Meera's weak squeeze of his hand from the mat fueled his determination. "For you," he vowed.
The next evening, they met VedaCorp at a derelict factory in Bandra, the scarred woman surrounded by agents, her smile a predator's grin. Arjun, coached by Priya, feigned allegiance. "I'm in—release Meera." She nodded, signaling a guard to bring Meera, her wrists bound, her eyes pleading. Priya's hack siphoned four thousand, paying Sanjay, reducing the debt to negative fourteen hundred. The tin rose to forty-five hundred, but the handover was a trap.
As Meera was handed over, alarms blared—the scarred woman's sting. "Bind him!" she ordered. Arjun dodged, Sanjay's men clashing with agents, knives flashing. Vikram juggled debris, shouting, "Not my legs, yaar!" drawing fire. Arjun untied Meera, lifting her as Priya jammed the signals, the van roaring closer. They fled into the alleys, Sanjay's men covering, the crate of fake relics abandoned.
They reached Ramesh's stall, Meera gasping but safe. The doctor demanded five hundred for follow-up care—borrowed from Sanjay, debt rising to nineteen hundred, due tomorrow. The tin dipped to four thousand, medicine easing Meera's breath. Rent and Chotu's fee took seven hundred, leaving thirty-three hundred. The cart's repair cost four hundred, borrowed at fifty percent, due in one day, sinking the tin to twenty-nine hundred. Debt grew to twenty-three hundred.
The next day, they hid Meera with Ramesh, paying fifty rupees, leaving twenty-eight hundred fifty. Arjun launched a new hustle—street vending of repaired goods, selling at fifteen rupees each. Vikram's charm drew crowds, earning two hundred daily, Priya sourced materials, adding one hundred. Over three days, they netted nine hundred, paying Meera's medicine—six hundred—leaving twenty-two hundred fifty. Debt remained at twenty-three hundred, the cart's wheel broke, costing five hundred, borrowed, due tomorrow, dipping the tin to seventeen hundred fifty.
Raju's goons ambushed, smashing the stall, costing three hundred, sinking the tin to fourteen hundred fifty. VedaCorp's van reappeared, the scarred woman sneering. "You're out of tricks. Join, or Meera's gone forever." Arjun's fists tightened, the rupees a fading hope.
Priya proposed a final heist—VedaCorp's relic vault, worth fifty thousand. Sanjay demanded five thousand upfront. Arjun borrowed five thousand, debt hitting twenty-eight hundred, due tomorrow. That night, Priya hacked the vault, Vikram staged a riot, and Arjun entered, grabbing ten Yantras—twenty thousand potential. The scarred woman ambushed, her baton cracking his ribs. "End this!" she roared. Vikram tackled her, Priya jammed the doors, and they fled, the van in pursuit.
Back at the shack, Arjun counted—negative twenty-eight hundred debt, twenty thousand cash. Meera's medicine took two hundred, leaving nineteen thousand eight hundred. Rent and Chotu's fee claimed seven hundred, leaving nineteen thousand one hundred. Sanjay's fee took five thousand, leaving fourteen thousand one hundred. The cart's repair cost five hundred, leaving thirteen thousand six hundred. A warehouse cost ten thousand, leaving three thousand six hundred. Raju's torching cost four hundred, dipping the tin to three thousand two hundred.
VedaCorp's van screeched up, the scarred woman stepping out. "Your heist failed, boy. Meera's ours—join, or she's dead." Arjun froze, Vikram paled, Priya's laptop shook.