The Sanjay Gandhi National Park was a dark, quiet jungle, far from the noise of Mumbai's suburbs. Under the midnight rain, Vikram, Rohan, and Rahul slipped past the wire fence of the reserve.
Rahul led the way, checking the guard patrols on his screen. They walked quietly through the trees, their boots sinking in the mud, until the big black cliffs of the Kanheri Caves rose before them.
Cave 90 was hidden behind large banyan trees. A heavy steel gate blocked the entrance, locked with chains.
"Give me two minutes," Rahul whispered, kneeling by the lock. His fingers moved fast, inserting a tool into the keyhole.
In ninety seconds, the lock clicked. Rohan caught the chains to keep them quiet and pushed the gate open.
The moment they stepped inside, the air changed.
The hot jungle air was gone, replaced by a dry, freezing chill. The temperature was below freezing, and their breath turned to thick white mist. The walls of the cave, made of black rock, were completely dry.
"The air is dead," Rohan whispered, holding his iron pipe tight.
Vikram turned on his flashlight, sweeping the beam across the room.
In the center of the cave, the stone floor had been drilled away, showing a deep shaft. Around the hole, the cave walls were covered in old writing. It was painted over with a black liquid that seemed to absorb their flashlight beam.
"It's not paint," Vikram said, stepping closer. He reached out to touch the wall.
*Don't,* his instincts warned.
A shadow fell from the ceiling.
It landed quietly between Vikram and the door. It was a person in a tight, dark suit. The face was covered by a black mask with glowing gold lines.
An **Acolyte** of the Vow.
"You should have stayed in the gym, Rathod," the man said.
He raised his right hand. The shadows from the corners of the cave rushed to his palm, turning into a solid, sharp blade of black energy. As the blade formed, the air went even colder, frost spreading on the stone floor.
The man lunged, his shadow blade cutting through the air with a high hum.
Vikram moved on reflex. He willed the bio-electric energy in his nerves to start, his **Prana** rushing to his arms. His vision sharpened, and the blade seemed to slow down.
He ducked under the swing, the cold wind of the blade passing just above his head.
*Hit him,* Vikram thought.
He threw a hard left hook, his fist crackling with blue electricity. The punch hit the man's ribs. The electrical shock broke the suit's defenses, throwing the man against the stone wall.
But the fighter was quick. He rolled to his feet, his shadow blade expanding into a shield.
"Light it up!" Vikram yelled.
Rohan threw a bright halogen flare into the center of the cave.
The flare ignited with a blinding white light. The shadows in the cave disappeared instantly.
The man's shield broke under the bright light, the black energy dissolving with a loud hiss. The fighter screamed, covering his eyes as the shock ran through his nerves.
He fell back into the dark corner behind a stone pillar.
"Vikram, look!" Rahul shouted.
Vikram ran behind the pillar, but the man was gone. He had left a small, leather notebook on the floor. Its pages were covered in hand-written notes and a list of names.
Vikram picked up the notebook and looked at the list.
The first name was **Devendra Malhotra**, boss of Malhotra Corp. The second was **Commissioner Patil**, head of the Mumbai Police.
"They are not just hiding," Vikram said, looking down the dark hole. "They are running the city."