Grace, now transformed into Priyanka, adjusts her deep maroon dupatta with a practiced flick, her blue eyes hidden behind tinted sunglasses. Josephine, disguised as Bhairavi, lingers near the duty-free perfume counter, inhaling the scents with a dramatic flourish. Emily, now Pooja, giggles as she helps Lucy—or Pradishka—fasten a gold anklet. Gracie, the youngest, nervously smooths the pleats of her turquoise sari, becoming Manjula. Their excitement is tinged with the thrill of subterfuge as they approach the Thanos Airlines check-in counter.
"I can't believe we're actually pulling this off," Emily whispers, her accent softened by mimicry. "Let's just hope no one sees through us," Gracie murmurs, eyes darting nervously to the uniformed agents.
Priyanka gazes out the oval window, the city shrinking below as the plane taxis. The intercom crackles, and the flight attendant's polished voice welcomes them aboard. Pradishka leans over to Pooja, her voice low. "Imagine if we see Thanos himself on this flight," she jokes, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Bhairavi laughs, but Priyanka's smile is tight, her mind elsewhere.
Thanos's eyes narrow, uncertainty flickering across his perfect features. For a heartbeat, the hum of the engines seems to hush. "Excuse me, have we met before?" he asks, his gaze fixed on Priyanka. "I'm not sure, sir. Perhaps in Mumbai?" Priyanka responds, her voice carefully measured, heart pounding beneath her sari.
Bhairavi distracts Thanos with tales of a fictional wedding in Goa, while Manjula fumbles with her chai, nearly spilling it in her lap. Thanos returns to his seat, but his thoughts churn, haunted by memories of Grace. "There's something about her...," he mutters, watching Priyanka from across the aisle.
"You remind me of someone I once loved," he confesses, eyes searching hers for hidden truths. "Sometimes, people are not who they seem," Priyanka replies softly, her hand trembling slightly. The other women watch, anxiety painting their faces, as the boundary between disguise and reality begins to blur.
Pradishka squeezes Priyanka's hand, the tension dissolving into relief and laughter as the wheels touch down. "We made it," Pooja whispers, their disguises still intact but their adventure forever changed by the near exposure. Behind them, Thanos stares into the night, haunted by a memory that refuses to fade.
