Member-only story
The Price of Patriotism: The Vikram Chronicles
Vikram was enjoying his retirement, sipping on his morning coffee when his phone rang. He answered, and on the other end was his former boss, who had never called him since he retired.
“Vikram, we have a situation. We need you to come back. There’s a terrorist group that has acquired a deadly virus and they’re planning to release it in Chennai. They have a personal vendetta against the government and want to send a message,” his boss said.
Vikram took a deep breath and replied, “I’ll be there in an hour.”
As Vikram got dressed and prepared to leave, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. He had been a spy for most of his life, and had always been ready for action, but now he was retired and the thought of going back to that life scared him.
He arrived at the agency’s headquarters and was greeted by his old team. They briefed him on the situation and gave him all the information they had gathered. Vikram learned that the terrorist group was led by his former protégé, Adithya, who he had trained and mentored when Adithya was an agent, but who had turned against his country and was now a dangerous enemy.
“I trained him, and now he’s trying to destroy everything we’ve worked for. I won’t let that happen,” Vikram