The lab was silent.
Not the calm silence of focus—but the stiff, suffocating kind that followed shouting. Twenty-five students stood frozen beside their chairs, eyes lowered, shoulders tight, afraid that any movement might be interpreted as defiance.
The computers hummed softly, oblivious.
Saxena stood near the door, arms crossed, chest still rising from his earlier outburst. The anger had drained from his face, replaced by something colder—evaluation.
Varun stood a few steps away.
He could feel the shift.
The shouting phase was over.Now came the decisions.
The HUD hovered faintly at the edge of his vision.
[ENVIRONMENT STATUS: TEMPORARILY STABLE][THREAT: HOD SAXENA — ACTIVE]
Varun spoke before the silence could harden.
"Sir," he said, measured, respectful, "may I say something?"
Saxena looked at him.
"What?"
Varun inclined his head slightly. Not submission—acknowledgment.
"I wanted to say this earlier," Varun continued, "but things escalated quickly. I should have welcomed you properly."
Saxena's eyebrows lifted a fraction.
Varun didn't pause.
"I was actually your student once," he said.
The words landed heavily in the quiet room.
Saxena blinked.
"You were?" he asked.
"Yes, Sir," Varun replied smoothly. "Long time ago. I don't expect you to remember me. You've taught many batches."
Saxena studied Varun's face now, curiosity beginning to override suspicion.
"Which batch?" Saxena asked.
Varun answered instantly.
"2006, Sir."
He had chosen it carefully.
Not the first batch—the memorable ones.Not the recent ones—the documented ones.
A year that sat in the grey fog of routine.
"I was tall," Varun added lightly, gesturing at himself, "thin back then. Sat mostly at the back benches. You were already very experienced by then."
Saxena frowned—not in doubt, but in recollection.
"Hmm," he murmured. "I have been here… what… twenty years now."
"Yes, Sir," Varun said immediately. "That's exactly why I said you might not remember."
The HUD flickered.
[TARGET: HOD SAXENA]Ego Dependency: HIGHMemory Confidence: LOWLegacy Sensitivity: VERY HIGH
Varun pressed gently.
"Sir taught us fundamentals properly," he said, turning slightly so his voice carried across the room. "That foundation helped me later."
The students listened without lifting their heads.
"I worked in Dubai," Varun continued, careful not to boast. "Large companies. IBM projects. Dubai Stock Exchange systems."
Saxena's posture changed.
Not much.
But enough.
"If you students listen to Sir," Varun said, now clearly addressing the room, "and follow discipline, you can also succeed. Sir's methods are strict—but they work."
The HUD updated.
[ALIGNMENT SHIFT: HOSTILE → NEUTRAL][STUDENT PERCEPTION: SAXENA — AUTHORITY REINFORCED]
Saxena cleared his throat.
"Yes," he said slowly. "Discipline is important."
Varun seized the moment.
"These students," he said calmly, "were following my instructions. If there was any lapse in manners, it is my responsibility."
He turned to the students.
"Stand straight," Varun said quietly.
They obeyed instantly.
"Fold hands."
Twenty-five pairs of hands came together.
"Say it."
The students hesitated—then spoke together, voices low.
"Sorry, Sir."
The apology echoed.
Saxena straightened.
His chest expanded. His expression softened into approval.
"Yes," Saxena said. "This is how a class should behave."
The HUD pulsed.
[EGO SATURATION: OPTIMAL][CONFLICT DE-ESCALATION: SUCCESSFUL (TEMPORARY)]
Saxena looked at Varun again.
"You should have said this earlier," he said. "There must be order."
"Yes, Sir," Varun replied.
Saxena glanced once more at the students.
"Next time," he warned, "there will be no excuses."
"I understand," Varun said.
Saxena nodded, satisfied.
"I will take tea," he said absently, turning toward the corridor. "We will talk later."
He left.
The door closed quietly behind him.
The lab remained frozen for several seconds.
No one moved.
The HUD shimmered.
[RESOURCE COST: ₹500 — PERSONAL FUNDS][STUDENT MORALE: -63% → -50% (Conflicted Stability)][WARNING: FALSE LEGACY CLAIM DETECTED — CONSISTENCY REQUIRED]
Varun exhaled slowly.
The lie would hold—for now.
But lies like this demanded repayment in results.
He looked at the students.
They weren't inspired.
They weren't relieved.
They were watching him with a new, unsettling understanding.
He hadn't fought the system.
He had used it.
And every one of them had just learned how.