Elevator & Radio

Jay and Lokesh entered the elevator along with Noel and Udhay. As the guards moved to enter, Udhay halted them with a wave of his hand.

"The rest of you, stay here until we return. Understood?" Udhay ordered.

The armed guards exchanged helpless looks, their expressions visible even through the masks they wore. 

The squad leader, an older man with a grey beard and brooding eyes, stepped forward and voiced his concern, "Young Sir, it's our duty to stay by your side. What will we tell the Honourable Chief Minister if something happens to you while we're not around?"

Udhay, visibly annoyed, replied, "You're really getting on my nerves, 10 Tails. People will think I'm leading a terrorist group if we storm a hospital armed to the teeth."

Seeing that the guards still weren't budging, Udhay sighed with irritation, "Fine, just two of you come with me, and take off those ridiculous masks. You and 8 Tails, no one else. Push me any further, and you'll all be reassigned to some backwater post. You know how petty I can get."

Reluctantly, the squad leader agreed. He waved at one of his subordinates, a young man who looked barely older than Jay and Lokesh, to follow and ordered the remaining guards to secure the perimeter.

Both armed guards entered the elevator, removing their masks. The contrast between them was stark: the squad leader looked every bit the seasoned veteran, while the younger guard seemed out of place, almost too fresh-faced for the job. 

Noel, noticing the disparity, was about to comment when Udhay preemptively explained, "He looks like a kid, but he's actually 26 years old. I asked 8 Tails the same question when he was first assigned to me."

Noel nodded in understanding but couldn't help but ask, "Why do you call them by the number of tails instead of their actual names?"

Udhay leaned in and said, "Mr. Noel, in their line of work, they go by code names."

Noel looked puzzled. "Then who the heck came up with the 'tails' thing? Even calling them by numbers would be less embarrassing."

The young guard gave Noel a look of gratitude. Udhay let out a couple of fake coughs and pointed at the print on his oversized T-shirt. "That would be me, Mr. Noel. I named them after the powerful beings in my favorite anime. The more tails they have, the stronger they are. I applied the same idea to them."

Noel laughed awkwardly, realizing he had indirectly insulted the overbearing bigshot. Seeing that Udhay wasn't offended, Noel sighed in relief. 

He then shifted his attention back to the guards. "I get why the squad leader is called 10 Tails, but does that mean this young guy is the third strongest?"

Udhay shook his head. "Nah, he knows how to rap. That's why."

Noel still looked confused. Udhay sighed, "It's an inside joke that only those who've watched the anime would get." 

He then turned his attention to Jay and Lokesh. "Please tell me one of you understood what I was talking about."

Jay remained silent, but Lokesh quickly responded, "Of course, who wouldn't know the legendary anime?"

Udhay smirked, "Who are you trying to fool? Did you really think I'd believe you like I did in the parking area?"

For a moment, Lokesh froze, realizing his act had been blown. The tension in the elevator grew awkward until Jay broke the silence with a single word, "Kurama?"

Udhay looked at Jay and smiled pleasantly. He clapped satisfactorily. "Finally! Someone with great taste. I pegged you for one of those training maniacs with all the muscle you're packing for your age. Not bad, not bad."

Jay knew the character because his sister liked that very much and named their cat after it. During Halloween, Qew even used to add a prosthetic dress that has tails to it making it look like the monster in the anime she watched since childhood. From her rambles, he caught on to one or two things about it. 

As Udhay continued to praise Jay, the elevator doors opened, revealing two elderly couples waiting to enter. Their eyes widened in shock at the sight of the armed guards. They quickly stepped aside, deciding not to enter.

Once the doors closed, Udhay gestured with his hands and rolled his eyes. "You see what I mean? Those poor old-timers nearly fainted from shock. Put those guns out of sight."

The guards complied, racking their weapons into the slings on their backs. Silence filled the elevator once more as they passed by several floors. No one else dared to enter the elevator with two armed guards inside.

Lokesh broke the silence, trying to strike up a conversation. "Mr. Noel, have you ever been to India before? How are you enjoying your stay here?"

The man in the grey suit smiled warmly. "Thanks to Udhay here, my stay in India has been wonderful. In the past ten days, I've been treated to more than a hundred delicacies. If it weren't for the fear of upsetting my stomach, I would have tried more. I've fallen in love with some of the dishes, especially Biryani and Rabdi. I plan to take the recipes home. I really have to thank Udhay for everything."

Udhay brushed off the praise. "I'm a huge fan of F1 racing and mixed martial arts. When I found out the legend himself was coming to India, how could I not roll out the red carpet? It's a real honor."

Noel smiled wryly. "I truly appreciate your hospitality, but giving me a Lamborghini is way too generous. I can't accept it."

Udhay waved his hand dismissively. "Please, I insist. It's a little something to remember me by. After all, who else but me would give such a gift? Plus, it only cost me a quarter of my pocket money. I'll have my full allowance back in a couple of months. So, don't worry about it."

Even Jay and Lokesh, who had grown up in a moderately wealthy lifestyle, were shocked by Udhay's magnanimity. Noel sighed, already having tried multiple times to convince Udhay to take back his extravagant gift.

As Lokesh processed the conversation, an idea formed in his mind. He addressed Udhay, "Young Sir, did you mention you're into mixed martial arts?"

Udhay replied nonchalantly, "Duh, isn't that what I just said?"

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Jay forcefully pulled Lokesh out, limping as he did. Jay murmured to Lokesh, "I know what you're thinking. Don't do it."

Holding his cousin tightly, Jay turned to Noel and Udhay as the elevator doors began to close. "This is our floor. Thanks a lot for your help."

As soon as the doors shut, Just then, the radio of the armed guard code-named 10 Tails buzzed, "Squad Leader, we've got over 30 goons down here, most still unconscious. They appear to be from the earlier group. At first, we thought it was a clash between rival gangs because of the sheer scale of the brawl, but from what the few conscious ones are saying, it was all the doing of a single person—a teenager, no less."

The voice was loud enough for both Noel and Udhay to hear, and the news left them wide-eyed with shock. Even a seasoned veteran like 10 Tails struggled to maintain his composure. Noel and Udhay exchanged incredulous glances, their minds racing to comprehend what they had just heard.

10 Tails, despite his initial surprise, quickly regained his professional demeanor and responded, "Are there any surveillance cameras around there? Look around!"

His subordinates scanned the area, taking a moment before confirming, "Yes, there are cameras here."

"Now, go to the hospital security control room and bring me the records," 10 Tails ordered with a firm, authoritative tone. The urgency in his voice was unmistakable.

The radio buzzed off, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Among the group, one particular individual in an oversized T-shirt, Udhay, had stars tingling in his eyes.

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Author Note:

I'm thrilled to share that I'm taking a big leap forward! Alongside Earth's Alpha Prime, I've launched the first sub-book for EAP.

ALTER REALITY: Online

The book is now available, and I'll be releasing new chapters at a rate of 3 per week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday). Do check it out!

Chapter Release Rate: 3 Chs/Week.

<<<< Tue, Thu, Sun >>>>

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The first ten to comment for new chapter releases will get '1 ADVANCED CHAPTER' for free on Earth Alpha Prime's Discord server.

In the discord server, I opened a private channel for those Top 10 candidates, where I posted the respective Advanced Chapter.

 ╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :

https://discord.gg/maQC7xDBYZ

 ╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯