Chapter 7: Sanki Manor

 PRUTHVI’S POV

Agni and I pounded on the doorframe, my voice raw from screaming her name. Agni wasn’t yelling—but he was thinking fast, his eyes darting over the security panel, searching for a way in. Behind us, the university director finally caught up, gasping for air. Sprinting across campus hadn’t been easy for him, but right now, none of us cared. He had the override access for the student ID scanner. With a quick tap on his datapad, the door slid open.

The room was a disaster.

Books and papers were scattered across the floor. Clothes were thrown haphazardly over the bed. Drawers left half-open. She had packed in a hurry. Agni strode in, his movements sharp and frantic. He checked the bathroom—empty. His hands hovered over her desk, eyes scanning the mess.

I had never seen Agni like this before. His face was tight, his breathing uneven. Panic clung to his features, raw and unguarded. And then—something worse. His eyes were shining. He was on the verge of tears. Agni. It scared me more than anything. 

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to focus. All of Antariksh’s comms were off. Not just ignored—completely unregistered. Like she had disappeared.

The university director wasted no time. He connected his datapad to the room’s computer, fingers flying over the interface. A projection flickered to life—a CCTV feed.

And there she was. The footage played in eerie silence. Antariksh, in the middle of the night, walking out of the dormitory. A week ago. Alone. Where the hell was she going? I stared at the screen, my stomach twisting into knots. The grainy footage looped. Agni stood frozen beside me, fists clenched, his jaw locked so tight I thought it might break. She had been gone for a week. And we had just realized it. A sharp chill ran through me. We were already too late.

Agni whirled on me, his hands gripping my shoulders as he shook me hard. "Pruthvi?! Where were you?!" His voice was raw, shaking—not just with anger, but with something closer to fear. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what he wanted to hear. "Do you have any idea where she might have gone?!" His voice cracked. I stared at him, my own heart hammering in my chest. Agni never lost control. But right now? He was breaking. And I had no answers.

Agni held his head in his hands, sliding down against the wall, his breathing unsteady. But just as he did, the 3D periodic table on the wall shifted. Iboth froze. Of course. There was a safe behind the wall.

Antariksh had built it herself—by punching a hole into it and wedging in a stolen cafeteria tray. The periodic table wasn’t just for decoration. If you slid it along the Group 13 elements, the hidden compartment opened.

We had used it to stash diaries, books, and—more importantly—her datapad. The one with her blog, her sci-fi stories…And some really, really graphic fanfiction.

I let out a strangled gasp, pointing at the opening. Agni was on his feet immediately.

The metal tray clattered as our diaries and datapads tumbled onto the floor. The university director let out a deep, frustrated sigh. For a second, he looked downright furious—probably at the blatant destruction of school property and the fact that Antariksh had literally used stolen cafeteria trays for a makeshift vault. But after a moment, he exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. Yeah, now probably wasn’t the best time to sue a missing student.

My diary was barely filled, just a few scattered notes here and there. But Antariksh’s? She had recorded everything.

Agni reached for her datapad just as its screen flickered to life. A document was open—a half-written fanfiction. I barely had time to register the title before Agni picked it up. I snatched it out of his hands immediately. "Absolutely not." His eyebrows shot up. "What—?"

I held the datapad against my chest, face burning. Antariksh’s fanfictions were… sigh… a little graphic.and…a little cringe to be honest. Agni blinked at me, clearly confused. I refused to meet his gaze. There was no way he was reading this.

Still frowning, he reached down and picked up her diary. The pages flickered with strange, indecipherable text. But of course…It was our language. Part Klingon, part English, with an alphabet entirely of her own creation—a mix of symbols that only we understood. A code only she could have come up with. Agni ran his fingers over the page, eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of it.

I yanked out my communicator and quickly searched for "Secret Language." There it was—the rulebook. Agni leaned in to look, and as the screen flickered to life, his expression shifted from confusion to pure horror. Every single alphabet had a different symbol. And to make things worse—it was written in a chaotic mix of English and Klingon from her favorite Star Trek universe. It was going to take us hours to decode. Agni let out a slow breath, rubbing his temples. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I sighed, scrolling through the endless pages of rules and translations. No, Agni. This was exactly the kind of thing Antariksh would do. And now, if we wanted answers, we were going to have to think like her.

But then—I remembered. I had complained about this before. A lot. Antariksh had spent weeks crafting this ridiculous language just so we could pass chits in class without anyone decoding them. I had told her it was insanely over complicated—so, to make my life easier, she had created a translation software.

Well… technically, I had worked on it. It was supposed to scan the text, identify the symbols, and convert them into pure English.

The problem? The rules were absurd.

Sentence structures changed depending on mood. Some symbols had three different meanings depending on where they were placed in a sentence. And don’t even get me started on the tense changes..

It had been so tedious that I had left the project midway. But now… I had to try something. I pulled up the unfinished software, fingers hovering over the interface. This was our only shot.

I picked up the latest page of her diary, my hands trembling slightly as I placed it under my datapad’s scanner. The software whirred to life, analyzing the text. The symbols flickered on the screen before dissolving into messy, broken English. The date—two weeks ago. I swallowed hard and began reading.

"I hate everyone… specifically myself… I don’t know what to do… the hand and the leg jerking uncontrollably… if I could just… sigh… disappear somewhere… stop being a burden."

Each word landed like a punch. I barely glanced up, but I could see it—Agni’s jaw clenched tighter with every sentence. Without a word, he snatched the datapad from my hands and continued reading, his grip almost too tight, his eyes scanning the screen with a burning intensity.

The room felt suffocating. Antariksh hadn’t just left. She had given up.

But then—another date. Scrawled at the bottom of the page. The rest of the pages had been torn off, scribbled over, as if she had tried to erase something even from herself.

Agni shoved the datapad back into my hands, barely acknowledging me as he frantically tore through the mess in the room. Then—he froze. His fingers had just brushed against a stack of crumpled, half-torn pages.

Wordlessly, he pulled them out, flattening them against his knee. The writing was messy, rushed, unstable. Some lines had been scratched out so violently the paper had nearly torn apart.

I leaned over his shoulder, my pulse pounding in my ears as he began reading. With every word, my stomach dropped further into a pit.

"I seriously need help. But I don’t know who to go to. Who would even listen? My cyborg limbs are getting worse. The spasms won’t stop. I can barely hold a pen sometimes."

"And now… the hallucinations. I can hear them. They whisper when it’s quiet. I don’t even know what’s real anymore."

Agni's breathing went shallow. His grip on the pages tightened. I felt like I couldn’t breathe either. He turned to the next page. The words sent a cold shiver down my spine.

"I should go back… back to Sanki Manor… to… to my room.

My mother… she is calling me back there."

"I can finally join her. I need to go back… I must."

The room fell dead silent.

Agni’s entire body locked up. I watched his knuckles go white as he clenched the paper, his grip so tight it crumpled in his hands. And for the first time since I’d met him—Agni looked terrified. His voice, when he finally spoke, was shaky. Uncertain.

“She was delirious… What the hell does she mean by her mother calling her?” His eyes flicked to me, searching for answers. “She’s never even seen her?!”

I swallowed hard and nodded. But then—I remembered. Her fanfictions. Her stories. The ones she wrote late into the night, the ones she never let anyone read except me.

"She… imagined a mother." The words felt heavy coming out of my mouth. "I know it sounds weird, but… she created her. She had a whole idea of what she would be like. I hesitated, rubbing my arms. “She made up a lot of imaginary people—friends, even an imaginary mother. Yeah, it’s kinda cringe, but…” I exhaled, my throat tightening. "If she was hallucinating… if her mind was breaking down… it makes sense that she'd start believing in her own creations."

Agni’s expression darkened. This wasn’t just about hallucinations anymore. This was about Sanki Manor. And that meant we had to find her. Fast.

Agni’s expression darkened.

This wasn’t just about hallucinations anymore.

This was about Sanki Manor.

And that meant we had to find her. Fast.

Before I could react, Agni grabbed my wrist. His palm was burning hot, but he didn’t slow down—yanking me down the hallway, dragging me across campus toward the professor’s quarters.

The university director hurried after us, struggling to keep up.

“Where are your parents?” Agni asked, his grip tightening as he picked up the pace.

“Uhh—” I stumbled, trying to keep up. “They’re at a hotel nearby.”

“Tell them you’re coming with me. It’s urgent.”

I barely nodded before fumbling for my communicator, my hands shaking.

—------------

AGNI’S POV

I booked the earliest hyperspace plane to Brihaspati Sourmandal. Time was running out. I called Sameer and Neer, who were still looking after Professor Garud on Pluto. I told them everything—about Antariksh, her disappearance, the urgency—and asked them to meet us at Sanki Asteroid. It would take us a day to leave the Astralis system and reach Sanki.

I shoved whatever I could into bags and suitcases, barely thinking about the items I packed, my mind fixated on Antariksh. Pruthvi followed me as we took a space taxi to the platform. Once on the plane, we sat together in silence, neither of us knowing exactly what to say. It was the kind of silence that seemed to stretch on forever, heavy with everything we hadn’t said yet.

About three hours into the flight, a space hostess approached us, asking if we wanted dinner. I glanced at Pruthvi. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast, but neither of us had any real appetite.

I shook my head, ordering something for her. She raised an eyebrow at me. “You need to eat,” I muttered, looking out the window. “So do you,” she retorted, her voice sharp but tired.

I didn’t respond. Instead, I turned my gaze back to the stars outside. The glowing trails of hyperspace stretched out ahead, each one an endless ribbon, a reminder that time was slipping away. But all I could think about was how fragile things had become.

—-------

We reached the main platform of Brihaspati Sourmandal and quickly booked another space taxi to Sanki Asteroid. The journey was long, but two hours later, we finally landed on the blighted rock.

The cold wind hit us immediately as the shuttle doors opened, cutting through the air with an icy bite. We stepped out, the stark, barren landscape of Sanki Asteroid stretching out before us. Towering ahead was Sanki Manor, its imposing structure looming in the distance, casting a shadow over the deadened landscape.

The silence was unnerving—too quiet, even for an asteroid. But Pruthvi murmured, “It’s always like this.” Her voice was distant, but she didn’t seem phased. She had been here before.

As we stood there, taking in the desolate surroundings, I spotted a man walking down the otherwise empty road. His pace was unnervingly smooth, his movements stiff and robotic. As he drew closer, it clicked. His eyes were vacant, his face expressionless, and his gait was entirely mechanical. This man—he was one of the mindless people of Sanki Manor.

Antariksh had told me about them before. They were once people—lost, defeated souls, crushed by life’s weight, with no place left to go. They had willingly given themselves up to Dr. Sanki. In exchange, he wiped their memories, clearing their brains, and implanted AI enhancements. They weren’t controlled by him directly, but they were tethered to the asteroid by an overwhelming sense of duty. They worked tirelessly, maintaining Sanki Manor and the asteroid, farming and working in the factories. Their entire existence revolved around keeping the place running. And yet, they had no true will of their own anymore. They weren’t quite alive, not really, but they weren’t dead either. They existed only to serve.

We sprinted across the garden in front of the towering Sanki Manor, the cold wind biting at our faces. Pruthvi muttered, “It looks more deserted than usual…” I nodded in agreement. The entire left wing of the manor was dark, the lights completely off, as though the building itself had been abandoned for a long time.

As we hurried toward the entrance, we almost collided with a butler. He paused and looked at us, his expression vacant. He seemed to recognize Pruthvi, but his voice, when he spoke, was eerily mechanical.

“Dr. Sanki isn’t home,” he said, his tone flat, devoid of any warmth. “He isn’t coming back.”

It was strange. The servants here didn’t usually speak unless spoken to, and even then, it was only to offer the bare minimum of information. Something about his words felt off. But there wasn’t time to dwell on it. Pruthvi didn’t hesitate. She asked him directly, “Where is Antariksh?”

The butler’s gaze drifted toward the east wing. With a slow gesture, he pointed toward a dimly lit corridor. “There,” he muttered. Without another word, we teleported to the corridor and sprinted down the hall, our footsteps echoing in the empty manor. The place felt unnervingly quiet, as though even the walls themselves were holding their breath.

—--------

PRUTHVI’S POV

I remembered this room. One of Antariksh’s many hideaways in the manor. We bolted it open, and as the door creaked, I felt a familiar sense of awe wash over me. I had been here before. The room was vast, breathtaking in its emptiness.

It was mostly bare, save for the odd assortment of trinkets Antariksh had “borrowed” from around the manor—laboratory equipment, trays, shovels, cushions, bedsheets—everything she could find to make a fortress for herself. She had a lot of toys, too. Mostly hidden, because Dr. Sanki was always quick to mock her, calling her childish and immature for finding comfort in them.

Agni stepped into the room with me, his gaze scanning every corner. A desk sat in the far corner, papers, books, and clothes scattered across the floor. Her projects and models were stacked haphazardly in one spot. I saw a miniature spaceship and, oddly enough, a dollhouse—futuristic, complete with dolls. It was so Antariksh. But even with all these familiar details, she was nowhere to be found.

Just then, I heard a faint whimpering sound. My heart stopped. I turned toward the bed, eyes narrowing as I tried to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. Agni was already moving before I could blink. In seconds, he had flipped the bed over.

There she was.

Antariksh’s body was trembling uncontrollably. Her cyborg hand and leg were jerking violently, out of her control. She was…gulp…missing one eye. Wires stuck out from her head. She was curled into a tight ball, hands clutching her head as if trying to keep it all together. It was a sight I had never imagined.

Agni’s face twisted with fear as he reached for her human hand, gently pulling her out from under the bed. His worry was palpable in every inch of his movement. As her head lolled back, limp in his arms, a sharp, cold chill shot through me. My breath caught in my throat. I watched as Agni sobbed into her hair, holding her close, completely losing himself in the moment. I couldn’t move. The sight of him—of her—broken like this shattered something inside of me. It was worse than I had ever imagined.

—-----------

SAMEER’S POV

The moment Agni alerted us, we sprang into action. Pops wasn’t feeling well yet, but he insisted on joining Neer and me. We had no choice but to use a hyperspace tunnel that stretched across the entire solar system. We landed on Sanki Asteroid, barely able to keep up with the urgency of the situation.

As soon as we reached the manor, we ran into a butler who wordlessly pointed us in the right direction. We rushed down the hall, and when we reached the room, my heart sank. Agni was there. Holding Antariksh’s body. He was crying. His face twisted in anguish, his hands shaking as he clutched her like a lifeline. Pruthvi stood beside him, her eyes bloodshot, clearly fighting back her own tears. The air was thick with sorrow.

I barely registered the surroundings. The manor was massive, and even though I had been here before, it felt like I was stepping into a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. I sprinted through the hallways, my mind racing. I needed to do something, anything to help. It wasn’t long before I found the medbay—thankfully, there was a doctor there. He was one of the mindless people, his movements mechanical, like he was only half there.

Without wasting any time, Agni lifted Antariksh and carried her to the medbay. Pops quickly dialed Professor Prakruthi, and Neer called Pawan. They would know more about Antariksh’s cyborg limbs, what had been done to her, and what could be done to help.

We sat outside, unable to do much but wait. Agni was still sobbing uncontrollably. It was one of the few times I had ever seen him so utterly broken. He didn’t care about his reputation, about anything. All that mattered was Antariksh.

—----------

AGNI’S POV

My mind was a storm—guilt, worry, and anger swirling inside me. I could barely hear Sameer trying to say something comforting, his words muffled in my mind. The arrival of Professor Prakruthi and Pawan barely registered either. I was consumed by a devastating sense of helplessness.

I didn’t know if Antariksh would survive. The chances were slim, and even if she did, what kind of horrors had she endured? The trauma, the isolation, the humiliation? And how could I face her after everything?

I had abandoned her—abandoned her because of stupid rumors. Because it was too overwhelming for me to manage my feelings for her, too daunting to confront what was happening between us. How could I ever apologize for that? How could I make things right after letting her fall through the cracks like this?

Professor Garud called me aside. His grip on his staff was weak, his body still frail, but even so, he managed to step toward me. I stood up, hastily wiping my tears, feeling a bit foolish for breaking down in front of him.

“Agni…” he began, but the words seemed to escape him. Instead of speaking, he pulled me into a firm, steady embrace. And that was it. I broke.

“I-It’s all my fault!” I choked, my voice raw with anguish. “I ignored her—oh my god! When she needed help… when she needed me!”

Garud tightened his hold, his voice calm yet resolute. “Shh… don’t blame yourself, Agni. What has happened, you cannot change. But she needs you now.”

“No, she doesn’t!” I gasped, barely able to speak through the lump in my throat. “She’s already—” I inhaled sharply, my breath shuddering. “I don’t even know if she’ll make it!” Fresh tears welled up in my eyes. “There’s nothing I can do! Nothing!”

Garud pulled back slightly, just enough to look me in the eye. “Actually… there is something you can do.” I swallowed hard, trying to ground myself as he continued. “I need you to explore the manor,” he said, his voice low but firm. “Find out what else it’s hiding.”

I sniffed, wiping my face with the sleeve of my jacket, trying to steady my breathing. “Explore the manor?” I repeated, my voice hoarse.

Professor Garud nodded, stepping back slightly, his tired eyes sharp with meaning. “Dr. Sanki was always a man of secrets, Agni. If Antariksh was drawn back here, it wasn’t without reason. Something here led to her breakdown. We need to understand what.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, my mind still clouded with guilt. “But—”

Professor Garud placed a firm hand on my shoulder. “Agni, you have always sought the truth, no matter how painful. This is no different. She needs you to seek it now.”

I nodded, exhaling shakily. My legs still felt weak from the weight of everything, but I forced myself to stand taller. “I’ll find out what’s going on,” I promised.

Professor Garud gave a small nod of approval. “Good. And Agni?” I turned back. His voice softened. “Don’t forget—she isn’t gone. She’s still fighting. So fight for her, too.” With that, I turned and walked away, steeling myself for whatever I was about to uncover.

I went back to the group, still a little flustered by the fact that I’d been crying the whole time—but everyone else seemed too lost in their own grief to notice. I told them the plan, and they nodded in silent agreement before we split up to search the manor.

I found myself back in Antariksh’s room. It felt strangely personal, like stepping into a part of her mind she rarely shared with others. The toys, the stacked models, the scattered projects—it was both chaotic and endearing.

My eyes landed on a set of 3D-printed dolls, carefully arranged in a corner. I hesitated before picking one up. It was... us. Pruthvi. Sameer. Neer. Professor Garud. And—me.

I turned the tiny model of myself in my hands, studying the details. My chest tightened. Did she really still play with these?

She’d really gone into detail. My miniature version even had abs and biceps. I chuckled to myself, shaking my head. "At least someone appreciates my physique," I muttered under my breath, rolling the tiny figure between my fingers.

For a moment, the weight of everything lifted just slightly. But then my gaze drifted back to the rest of the room—the overturned bed, the scattered papers, the eerie silence.

The warmth in my chest faded.

I glanced around the room, making sure no one was watching, then quietly slipped the miniature version of myself into my pocket.

—-----------

My heart heavy, I forced back the tears threatening to spill. I needed to focus.

Just then, my comm buzzed, and Sameer’s hologram flickered to life. His expression was tense. "Agni, you need to see this. I found a lab. There’s… strange equipment here. Encephalographs, neural scanners—stuff I don’t even recognize."

My stomach twisted.

At the same time, Neer’s voice crackled through. "I’m in what looks like a data center. Massive amounts of stored information—years’ worth. This isn’t just standard research. It’s something else. I’m pulling up whatever I can."

I didn’t waste another second. I teleported, descending through the manor’s hidden pathways, deeper into the asteroid’s underground chambers.

The deeper I went, the colder it became. The air grew stale, and the walls shifted from the sleek metal of the manor to the rough, unpolished rock of the asteroid’s core.

I swallowed hard.

I had a terrible feeling about this.

—------------

I walked down a hallway of pure stone, the dim lighting casting long shadows along the walls. Around the bend, the laboratory came into view. Sameer was hunched over a console, fiddling with the encephalographs, while Neer scanned through a stream of data, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Pruthvi was there too, sitting stiffly in one of the chairs, her fingers gripping the armrests like she wasn’t sure if she should be there at all.

Then I noticed them—three, maybe four chairs, each equipped with straps and metallic restraints. Above each one hung a sleek, ominous-looking helmet, wires running down like tangled veins.

My stomach lurched.

“Mind Realm Projectors…” I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips.

“What?!” Pruthvi snapped her head toward me, her eyes wide.

Sameer paused, looking up sharply. “Wait…”

I nodded frantically, my pulse hammering. “Yes. These are bloody Mind Realm Projectors… He actually managed to build them.” I swallowed hard, dread settling deep in my chest.

Sameer had already stopped fiddling with the encephalographs, his expression shifting from curiosity to unease. “No way… You’re saying these things actually work?”

I swallowed hard. “I—I don’t know if they work exactly as intended. But I know what they’re supposed to do.” I took a step closer, my fingers ghosting over the cold metal of the chair. “The entire purpose of a mind-realm projector is to force someone into a simulated world. A space created from their own subconscious.”

Pruthvi cursed under her breath. “That’s insane.”

Neer turned to me, his expression tense. “Do you remember that project we had to do? Back in university? On Dr. Sanki’s work?”

I nodded, a bitter chuckle escaping me. “Yeah. You chickened out because of the math.”

Neer scoffed. “Oh, please. That wasn’t math—that was nonsense masquerading as equations.”

Despite the situation, I felt a flicker of excitement. The mind realm projector had always been a fantastical concept, something out of legend. Back in the day, I had been a huge fan of Dr. Sanki’s work. But after meeting him at the science fest—and after hearing Antariksh’s descriptions—I had grown to hate the man. I remembered our conversation at the fest. He had hinted, almost too smugly, that even after the galaxy authorities cut his funding, he had never actually stopped his experiments.

“It was this work that caused the Great Tragedy, right?” Pruthvi asked.

I nodded grimly. “ It’s rumored that his wife and a few other scientists died because of an experiment gone wrong,” she whispered.

Another nod from me. But then—something clicked. My breath hitched.

“Wait…” My mind raced, piecing things together. “If his wife died in the Great Tragedy… that happened when I first moved to Brihaspati Saurmandal—with Professor Garud and you guys.” I turned to Sameer and Neer, who both nodded, their brows furrowed in thought.

“Antariksh is the same age as Pruthvi,” I continued slowly, the realization settling in. My throat felt dry. I glanced at Pruthvi. “Pruthvi… you and Antariksh…” I swallowed hard.

“You weren’t even born yet.”

It felt like my insides were filling with lead.

“So… Antariksh…” Pruthvi’s voice wavered as the question we were all dreading finally took shape. “How was she born… two years after her mother’s death?”

The words hung in the air, heavy, suffocating. None of us had an answer.

“Do you…” Sameer hesitated, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. “Do you think Antariksh knew about this?”

“She would’ve figured it out at some point…” Neer muttered.

“But she never mentioned it,” I said firmly. “Not once.” All I knew from Antariksh was that she had no memory of her mother. Not the faintest trace. And now… I was starting to wonder if that was intentional.

—-----------------

We returned to the medbay, the weight of our discoveries pressing heavily on our shoulders. Professor Garud lay in bed, his expression calm yet weary. He looked older than I had ever seen him.

Outside the medbay, Professor Prakruthi and Pawan sat in silence, their faces grim. A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. Had Antariksh…? I couldn’t even finish the thought. The mere possibility sent a fresh wave of panic through me.

Swallowing hard, I forced my feet forward and approached them.

Professor Prakruthi looked up first, her expression unreadable. Pawan sat beside her, his hands clasped tightly together. My heart pounded against my ribs as I forced out the words. “Is she…?” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Professor Prakruthi shook her head. “She’s alive, Agni.” I exhaled sharply, my legs nearly giving out beneath me.

“But…” Pawan’s voice was strained. “She hasn’t woken up.”

I swallowed hard and glanced at the medbay door. Beyond it, Antariksh lay unconscious, trapped in a sleep she might never wake up from. My fists clenched.

Professor Garud stirred from his bed and opened his weary eyes. He looked at me, then at the others, and sighed. “You found something.”

I nodded, forcing my voice to stay steady. “We did. And it’s worse than we thought.”

"Mind realm projectors," I said, my voice tense. Professor Garud and Professor Prakruthi immediately perked up, their expressions shifting from exhaustion to sharp interest. They knew what I was talking about.

Pawan, however, looked confused, glancing between us. "Mind what?"

Professor Prakruthi exhaled deeply, rubbing her temples. "That’s it..." she muttered, as if something had finally clicked into place. She turned to me, her expression grave. "Agni… she’s in a coma. I’ve tried everything, but I can’t reach her—not physically, not medically." She looked straight into my eyes. "We need to use the projector. Hook her brain to it. And then… we have to guide her out of there."