Chapter 15

2 years ago

NoeticLife

@NoeticLife

CHAPTER 15

OF ACCIDENTS AND ATTACKS

“Sir, computers aur cameras toh humne check kar liye hain”, Sanket said, leading them out of the room. “Woh sab toh theek kaam kar rahe hain. Ek baar wires bhi check kar lete hain.”

“Aur agar wires mein bhi koi problem nahi hui, toh kya issue ho sakta hai?” Karan asked.

“Phir toh matlab kisi ne manually hi koi chedhkhaani kari hai. Koi aur choice nahi hai.”

Faizi glanced at Karan. “Sab cameras chal rahe hain ab?”

“Bas ek nahi chal raha. Camera mein toh koi issue nahi hai, par connection nahi aa raha uska. Blackout se pehle toh bilkul theek chal raha tha, par blackout ke baad, band ho gaya.” Sanket opened the lock, pulling the small door open. Karan tilted his head, inspecting the wires. Sanket lifted a cut up wire. It seemed to be gnawed. He sighed. “Lagta hai koi chuha kutur gaya.”

His gaze snapped to him. “Yeh pehle hua hai?”

Sanket shook his head. “No, Sir. Kabhi nahi hua hai.”

“Aur aage se hona bhi nahi chahiye”, he warned. “Agar yeh problems hain, toh pest and animal control priority par hona chahiye. No compromise on the security. Sanket, dhyaan rakhna.”

“Sir”, he said, nodding.

Karan picked the wire up, inspecting the ends. He narrowed his eyes slightly, observing it deeper. It seemed… unnaturally cut. He gave the wire to Faizi, who inspected it too. His gaze lifted to meet his, before he glanced at Sanket. “Hume bhi chooha hi lagta hai”, Faizi said. “Andar ghus gaya hoga aur wires ko idhar udhar kar diya hoga, isliye blackout ho gaya. Aur woh waala camera bhi isliye hi nahi chal raha hoga.”

“Yeh theek karwaao”, Karan said. “Priority par. Aur aage se aisa kuchh nahi ho chahiye.”

“Kisi choohe ne nahi kutra hai”, Faizi said when they were both in their room, door locked. “Hume poora yakeen hai ise kaata gaya hai. Aur kisi blunt knife se kaata hai. Agar sharp knife se kaatte, toh ek smooth cut aata. Blunt knife se kaata isliye pehli glance mein yeh impression padha ki woh shayad kisi choohe ne kutra hai.”

“Humaara shaq bilkul sahi tha. Academy mein ek spy hai. And he’s very smart.” Karan held up a finger. “Bas ek baat nahi samajh aayi. Third floor ke camera ki wire hi kyun kaati? Third floor par toh kuchh hai nahi aisa.”

Faizi shook his head. “Koi bhi random kaat di hogi.”

“Nahi, Faizi. Jo insaan itni chhoti chhoti baaton par bhi dhyaan de raha hai, woh bina matlab ke kuchh bhi nahi karega. Usne intentionally wires ko idhar udhar kiya, woh wire kaati, aur thodi der baad jab uska kaam ho gaya, toh wires phirse theek kar di. Bas… question yeh hai. Kaam kya tha uska?”

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

“Dinner ke baad third floor jaakar check bhi karke aayenge”, Karan said, sitting down on the bench. “Batra Sir ki meeting ke chakkar mein jaana reh gaya.”

Faizi shook his head. “Yeh meeting har cheez ke beech mein aa jaati hai. Hume toh yeh lagta hai ki jitna waqt hum mission karte hain, usse zyaada waqt hum Batra Sir ke cabin mein meeting karne mein bita dete hain.”

Karan shook his head exasperatedly. “Abhi Sunday khatam bhi nahi hua, aur abhi se soch raha hoon ki agla kab aayega. Baby se bhi baat karni hai. Gussa thi ki Sunday ko bhi dhang se nahi mil paaya usse.”

He chuckled. He opened his mouth, pausing when loud footsteps ran into the mess. He turned around, like everyone else, eyebrows furrowing at Sid’s panicked expression. His eyes were wide, eyebrows drawn. He almost seemed to be on the verge of having a panic attack.

“Kya hua, Sid?” Koel asked.

“Monu”, he huffed out. Karan glanced at Faizi, eyebrows drawn together. “Woh mujhe kahin nahi mil rahi.”

“Siddharth, mil jaayegi”, Sanju said, entering the mess behind him. “Shaant ho jaa. Idhar udhar hi hogi kahin.”

Karan stood up, moving closer to him, as did everyone else. “Sid, tu itna ghabra kyun raha hai?” Suman ji asked. “Tu toh jaanta hi hai, na, use chhup kar baithna kitna pasand hai.”

He shook his head. “Jab main aur Sanju ma’am room mein gaye, lights on thi, laptop ki charging khatam thi, music chal raha tha, as if woh bahut der se wahan nahi thi. Agar Monu kahin baithi hoti, toh sab kuchh band karke jaati, na? On chodh kar jaana use bilkul pasand nahi hai. Aur maine uska phone bhi try kara. Woh bhi kamre mein tha. And Monu kabhi apna phone chodkar nahi jaati, aur kahin akele baithne ke liye toh bilkul bhi nahi. Use pata hai mujhe uski chinta hoti hai. Terrace par nahi hai, washroom mein nahi hai, kamre mein nahi hai, kahan hai phir woh?”

Karan glanced at Sanju, tilting his head. Was it concerning? She shot him a worried look, and he looked at Faizi. Faizi nodded, taking his phone out. “Hum guards se puchhte hain ki woh bahar gayi thi kya”, Faizi said.

“Sid, tune #locker room check kara?” Chitra asked. “Monami nazar rakh rahi thi, right? #Mission? Shayad kisi #reason se upar gayi ho?”

He shook his head. “Nahi, uspar… uspar mera dhyaan nahi gaya. Main check karke aaya.”

‘Humaara shaq bilkul sahi tha. Academy mein ek spy hai. And he’s very smart. Bas ek baat nahi samajh aayi. Third floor ke camera ki wire hi kyun kaati?’

Karan looked at Faizi, who lowered his phone. “Siddharth”, he said. “Main aur Faizi bhi chalte hain.”

Siddharth’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Aap dono?” He shook his head slightly. “Okay.”

“Baaki sab, spread out”, Karan ordered. “Check karo dhang se. Shayad kuchh miss ho gaya ho. Go.”

They dispersed, all running outside the mess. Karan walked briskly up the stairs. ‘Kahin koi problem naa ho’, he thought. ‘Mujhe achhi feeling nahi aa rahi.’ He threw the door open.

He walked in, the two boys walking in as well, and glancing around. It seemed to be empty. The lights were on though, and he walked in further. His gaze fell on a shoe, barely peeking out from behind some of the lockers.

Karan darted to the place, eyes widening. Monami was sitting up, leaning against a wall with her eyes closed. The left side of her face was covered in dried blood, and her open hair were stuck to her face with clotted blood. “Faizi, Siddharth”, he said, kneeling down in front of her. He kept two fingers on her neck, pressing gently.

“Monu!” Sid yelled, darting to her. “Monu… Sir, yeh..” He fell to his knees, hand hovering her face in a want to touch.

“Zinda hai”, Karan assured. His hand slipped underneath her knees. He carefully lifted her up in his arms, stalking out of the room

Sid nervously paced back and forth. The doctor was checking her up, and time ticked as slow as it could. Karan leaned his head back against the wall. No one made a move to go back, and Karan was briefly surprised at the cadets’ concern and genuine worry for Monami, considering how reclusive and introverted she was. She still seemed to have managed to worm her way in, it seemed. The concern pleased him.

‘Third floor ke camera ki wire hi kyun kaati?’

‘Yeh… sach mein spy se related hai kya? Ya bas ek ittefaaq? Yeh sab kab hua? Agar blackout ke time hua, toh it seems to be too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence. Par… Monami se kya matlab hai iss spy ko? Monami se matlab hai bhi?’

The curtain drew back and everyone glanced up. “Doctor, Monu theek toh hai?” Sid asked.

“Thodi gehri chot hai. Stitches ki zaroorat padhe. Par it’s nothing to worry about”, she assured. “Main phir bhi X ray aur CAT Scan order kar rahi hoon aur inhe jab tak hosh nahi aa jaata, yeh yahin under observation rahengi.”

“But she’ll be fine, right?” Sid insisted.

“She’ll be okay.”

“Main mil sakta hoon, please?”

“Sure, aap jaldi se mil lijiye. Phir inhe X Ray ke liye bhi lekar jaana hai.”

Karan nodded to Faizi and he leaned in closer. “Inn sab cadets aur Sanju ko kisi bhi tarah yahan se dafaa kar”, he muttered.

He raised an eyebrow. “Dafaa karne ka kaam toh tumhaara hai, na?”

He glared at him. “Pyaar se dafaa kar”, he clarified. “Mujhe doctor se baat karni hai, par kisi ko, especially Siddharth ko yeh nahi lagna chahiye ki hume shaq hai ki Monami par kisi ne attack kara hai. Explanation deni padegi jo main dena nahi chahta.”

Faizi turned to the cadets. “Aap sab ek kaam kariye”, he said. “Jaaiye aur kuchh khaa lijiye. Monami ke paas aap waise bhi reh nahi sakte thodi der ke liye, toh aap log khaa lijiye. Sanju, tum bhi jao.”

“Main Monu ko chodkar nahi jaa raha hai”, Sid protested.

“Siddharth, Monami yahan nahi hogi abhi. Uska dhang se check-up karne do”, Faizi said. “Tum thoda paani peeo, shaant ho jaao. Itna panic karne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai. Woh theek hai. Khaa peekar aa jaana.”

“Chal, Sid”, Suman ji said. “Aa jaa. Faizi Sir sahi keh rahe hain.”

“Sir ji… hum ruk jaato hain”, Sanju said, when the cadets had left.

“Sanju…” Karan said. “Main aur Faizi hain. Kuchh chahiye hoga, toh hum hain. Tu jaa, khaa le.”

She nodded, leaving the room. Karan immediately turned to the doctor. “Aapko kya lagta hai?” He asked. “Yeh chot ise kaise lagi?”

The doctor frowned. “Sir, pakka toh kuchh keh nahi sakte. X-Ray dekhkar phir bhi kuchh bataa sakti hoon shayad. Par wound ki position dekhkar, aisa lag raha hai ki kuchh thoda upar se laga hai. Maybe a locker?”

He nodded a little. “Doctor, Monami ko jab hosh aaye, toh mujhe immediately call karna. Aur make sure ki mujhse baat karne se pehle, isse koi bhi baat naa kare. Just… don’t tell anyone ki use hosh aa gaya hai.”

She nodded. “Yes, sir. Sir… can I take Monami for the X-Ray?”

“Haan, le jaaiye, please.”

Faizi looked at him when the doctor left, flicking his eyebrows up. “Sach mein accident hi lag raha hai hume. Humne ise kayi baar aise hi girte hue dekha hai.”

“Mujhe feeling aa rahi hai yeh accident nahi tha.”

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

“Maine toh aise hi keh diya”, Koel said, leaning against the wall. “Karan Sir ka toh sach mein soft spot lag raha hai Monami ke liye. Jab doctor ne kaha ki woh theek hai, X Ray aur CAT Scan mein kuchh bhi concerning nahi hai, aur Sid bhi keh raha tha ki woh Monami ke saath ruk jaayega, toh sabko bhejkar khud ruk gaye?”

“Ab Monu Madam hain hi aisi”, Bala said. “Kyun, Sid Bhai ji?”

He hummed absentmindedly, typing on his laptop. “Haan”, he muttered.

“Kya kar raha hai tu?” Suman ji said.

“Kuchh nahi. Bas cameras check kar raha hoon”, Sid said. “Sahi kaam kar rahe hain ya nahi.” He rubbed his eyes. “Kal subah uthkar aaj ki footage bhi dekh lunga. Aur thoda bahut issue lag raha hai. Beech beech mein hang ho raha hai. Kal check bhi kar aaunga.”

Chitra peeked over her shoulder. “Woah… tumhe yeh sab #kaise aata hai? Abhi tak toh technical skills ki koi class bhi nahi lagi.”

“Maine Computer Science and Engineering mein degree kari hai, Chitra”, he answered. He heaved a sigh. “Do you think mujhe Monu ke paas hi reh lena chahiye tha? Woh theek hogi, na?”

The cadets groaned. “Arey, woh theek hai”, Koel said. “Aur Karan Sir hain, na, uske saath? Chal, jaa so jaa. Sab niklo humaare kamre se.”

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

“Tera dimaag kharaab ho gaya hai?” A man snarled. “Karan Shergill ki cadet hai woh.”

“Toh?” Another man said.

“Academy mein jitna raub chalta hai, usse kayi zyaada uska dimaag chalta hai. Agar use bhanak bhi ho gayi ki kuchh gadhbadh hai, toh woh tab tak nahi rukega, jab tak sab kuchh jaan naa le. Aur agar uske trainers ya cadets se panga lega, toh woh khud kood jaayega andar pata lagaane ke liye. Kitni baar kaha hai tujhe, Karan Shergill se door reh.”

“Ek kaam karte hain, uss ladki ko maar dete hain. Kuchh bol hi nahi paayegi.”

“Bina bole bhi kuchh cheezen samjhi jaati hain”, the man gritted out. “Agar tune dobara uspar attack kiya, aur use sach mein kuchh ho gaya, toh Karan apni power mein sab kuchh karega tujhe pakadne ke liye.”

“Toh kya karna hai ab?”

“Sar par maara tha, na, tune? Sab kuchh shayad yaad naa rahe. Lay low. Cut contact. Bas special agent ka kaam kar. Karan ko shaq hua bhi, toh bhi kuchh nahi milega use. Pata lagaa ki uss ladki ko kya yaad hai. Par agar kisi ko ittu sa bhi shaq hua, toh tujhe thok dunga main.”

“Ab main kaise pata lagaoon? Uss ladki ke aas paas bhi kabhi nahi gaya main, naa hi uske doston ke paas. Aur baaki kisi ko kuchh pata hoga nahi. Jaunga, toh shaq toh hoga hi.”

“Woh teri problem, nalaayak. Do hafte baad main tujhe contact karunga. Usse pehle tu mujhe contact karne ki koshish nahi karega. Aur agar inn do hafton mein tu yeh pata nahi lagaa paaya ki uss ladki ne Karan ko kya bataaya hai, toh teri khair nahi.”

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Karan shifted in the small chair, curling up to the side and closing his eyes again. He peeked them open briefly, closing them again when he saw her closed eyes. He sighed softly, shifting again in the chair and relaxing slightly.

A light moan interrupted his sleep, and his eyes snapped open. He straightened up, ignoring the pop of his bones as he did so. “Monami”, he said. Her eyebrows furrowed, as she glanced around. Her confused gaze settled on him, blinking.

“Karan Sir?” She murmured.

“Monami… tum theek ho?” He asked.

Her hand flew to her head, and she frowned at the feeling of the bandage. She pushed herself up on shaky hands. Karan gently helped her sit up, offering her a glass of water. She took a few sips, before holding it back to him, and he kept it aside.

“Tum theek ho?” He asked again. “Zyaada dard ho raha hai?” She blinked at him with confused eyes for a few seconds. “Monami?”

“H-Haan?” She muttered. “I am… I am f-fine. Yeh… Yeh m-mission ka p-part tha k-kya? M-Mujhe n-nahi p-pata tha ki woh m-mujhe m-maarega bhi?”

‘Toh main theek tha’, Karan thought. ‘Yeh accident nahi tha.’

“Monami… yeh mission ka part nahi tha. Tumhe… tumhe jisne maara, tumne uska chehra dekha?”

She shook her head. “Usne m-mask p-pehna tha.”

Karan glanced around. He stalked to the infirmary door, closing it. He returned to her side, sitting down on the chair. “Mujhe exactly batao kab, kaise, kya hua?”

“M-Main l-locker r-room par n-nazar r-rakh rahi thi, for the m-mission. And m-mujhe k-koi d-dikha. Usne g-gear p-pehna h-hua tha, with m-mask. J-Jaise… Jaise aap log m-missions ke t-time p-pehnte ho. M-Mujhe l-laga woh a-attacker hai, isliye m-main u-upar ch-chali gayi. P-Pehle toh m-mujhe k-koi n-nahi dikha, toh m-main… m-main r-room s-search k-karne lagi, for c-clues. Phir main… m-main mudhi and he was… he was th-there. Aur usne m-mujhe s-sar par m-maara. M-Main p-poore time b-behosh n-nahi thi. I was c-conscious in and out, par m-main apna ph-phone l-laana bh-bhool g-gayi thi toh isliye…c-call n-nahi kar paayi.”

She coughed at the end of her tale, and Karan passed her the glass of water again. She took it, sipping it slowly. “Tumhe time ka andaaza hai? Kab hua yeh?”

“L-Lunch time ke b-baad tha. M-Mujhe e-exact time n-nahi yaad.”

‘Lunch time ke baad?’ Karan thought. ‘Usi time ke aas paas toh blackout hua tha. Lagta hai yeh third floor par kuchh dhoondne gaya tha. Monami bas galat time par galat jagah thi.’

“Monami, do baatein”, he said. “Pehli, tum yeh baat secret rakhogi. Kisi ko yeh bhi nahi bataogi ki wahan par koi tha. Kuchh bhi bahaana bana dena. Siddharth ko bhi. Yeh baat ki tumpar kisi ne attack kara tha sirf tumhaare, mere aur Faizi ke beech mein rahegi. Baaki sab ke liye, yeh accident tha.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “C-Can I know wh-why?”

He shook his head. “Nahi. Confidential hai. Tum sirf galat time par galat jagah par thi.”

She looked ready to protest, and Karan mentally prepared himself for some arguing, coaxing and ordering. But she just nodded after a couple of seconds. “Okay. D-Doosri?”

“Doosri, tumne kaha tumne uss insaan ko camera mein dekha?” He asked. She nodded. “Mujhe woh footage chahiye.”

“L-Laptop toh m-mere k-kamre mein tha. Sh-Shayad…Shayad S-Sid ke p-paas h-hoga ab.” She swung her legs over the bed. “I c-can g-get it f-for you.”

“Ek minute”, he said. “Mujhe Faizi ko bulaana hai.” He took his phone out, sighing as he listened to it ring.

“Hello?” His sleepy, annoyed voice snapped. “Kya hai?”

“Infirmary aa”, he said. “Monami ko hosh aa gaya.”

He sighed. “Use kaho ki woh dobara so jaaye, aur hume bhi sone de.” He heaved another sigh. He could hear the scuffling as he moved around. “Aa rahe hain. Kya kaha usne?”

He glanced at Monami, walking a safe distance away. “Woh hi kaha jiska shaq tha. Kisi ne maara hai ise. Keh rahi hai mask pehna tha, field gear mein tha. I think woh third floor par kuchh dhoonde gaya tha, aur Monami ne Foxtrot waale cameras mein se dekh liya. Galat time par galat jagah.”

The door opened, and Karan cut the call, as Faizi walked in. Faizi smiled at Monami. “Tum theek ho?” He asked. “Zyaada dard toh nahi ho raha? Painkillers chahiye?”

She shook her head. “I’m f-fine.” She looked at the IV that was attached to her hand- fluids and painkillers for a speedy recovery, the doctor had said. She carefully took it out. Karan resisted the urge to stop her, reminding himself that she was a doctor. She knew how to take an IV out. It was still kind of concerning to see it, reminding him of all the strict warnings he got from nurses and doctors never to take an IV out himself.

She stood up, wobbling a little on her legs. Karan reached out instinctively, sliding an arm around her waist and holding her up. She stepped back, almost immediately, holding her hands out.

“M-Main th-theek hoon”, she said, backing away a little from him. His eyebrows furrowed. “S-Sid so r-raha hoga a-abhi, isliye l-lena a-asaan hai, w-warna woh a-apne se z-zyaada d-door nahi h-hone deta l-laptop a-agar woh a-academy mein hai. Aur woh f-footage bhi d-dekh l-lega k-kal tak. Abhi t-tak n-nahi aaya aa-aapke p-paas, toh m-matlab n-nahi dekhi. Woh a-attack par b-bahut g-gussa hota.”

“Hum woh footage laptop se delete kar denge”, Karan said. “Monami, cadets ko sambhaalne ka kaam tumhaara.” He crossed his arms. “Special training tumhaare liye. Convince everyone.”

‘Har cheez ko training ka naam dena koi inse seekhe’, Monami thought. ‘Agar yeh khud ke liye coffee bhi banwaayenge, toh kaise na kaise, koi na koi justification de denge ki yeh kaise training se related hai. And the best part, woh sense bhi banaayega.’ She tilted her head slightly, glancing at him. ‘Admirable, really. Logon ko convince karna. Useful skill.’

“Monami, tum rest karo”, Faizi said. “Hum le aayenge laptop. Karan, tum apni-” Karan glared at him fiercely. Faizi paused, glancing at Monami. “Karan, tum Monami ke saath yahin ruk jao, in case use kuchh chahiye toh.”

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

“Meri ice cream kahan hai?” Monami asked, as Sid cleaned the wound gently. “Aur tujhe yeh karne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai. Doctor kar deti.”

He glared at her lightly. “Mujhe karne de”, he said quietly. “Tujhe itni chot lagi hai. Aur tu itne time se wahan thi, just because I left you alone.” He sighed.

Monami rolled her eyes. “Tu paagal hai, Sid. It’s okay. Tujhe toh pata hi hai, na, mujhe hamesha se chot lagti rehti hai.”

“Aise kaise gir gayi tu? Dhyaan rakha kar, na?” He scolded.

“Bro, camera chal nahi raha tha. Tune dekha toh sahi. Fix karne ki koshish kari, aur balance bigadh gaya, aur main gir gayi”, she said, shrugging. “Gravity, bro.”

“Gravity ke saath keep up karna hota hai, bro. Tu koi alien hai jo space mein rehti thi ki abhi tak gravity ki aadat nahi padhi? 25 saal ki hai, phir bhi girti padti rehti hai.” He threw the cotton away. “Aage se main tujhe kabhi chodkar nahi jaunga.”

“Bro, tu hoga, tab bhi main gir sakti hoon.”

“Haan, par tu aise itni der bleed toh nahi karti rahegi.” He sighed again. “I am sorry, bro.”

“Chot sar par mujhe lagi hai, aur asar tere dimaag par padha hai. Gadha”, she said. “Idhar aa.” She hugged him tightly. “I am fine.”

He hummed, pulling away and kissing her head. “Footages missing hain kal ki thodi bahut. Do teen cameras mein kuchh connectivity issue tha. Ab fix kar diya hai maine. Main aur baaki sab soch rahe the ki hum ek aur baar upar check karke aa jaayenge. Just in case usne kal kuchh kara ho, aur hume mila naa ho.”

She nodded, humming. “Good idea.” She hugged him again, snuggling into him. “Meri ice cream?”

He chuckled. “Freezer mein hai.”

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

“Sir, main ise khud handle karna chahta hoon”, Karan said, staring straight ahead.

“Shergill, are you sure?” Colonel Batra asked. “Tumhaare paas already bahut kaam hai.”

His jaw clenched. “Usne meri cadet par attack kara hai, Sir. Just because Monami theek hai, main yeh baat nahi bhoolunga. And main aur Faizi already saare details se familiar hai. Hume nahi pata hum kis special agent par trust kar sakte hain aur kis par nahi. It’s better to keep it in close circle. Jitne kam logon ko yeh baat pata chalegi, utna better hai.”

He nodded. “Theek hai. Agar tumhe kisi bhi point par lage ki tumse itna kaam manage nahi ho raha, aa jaana. Dismissed.”

“Sir”, he said. He saluted him, before moving out of the cabin.

“Karan”, a voice called, and he turned around, waiting for Faizi to catch up.

“Spy ko investigate karne ki responsibility humaari hai”, he filled in. “Koi problem?”

Faizi shook his head. “Bilkul bhi nahi. Humne footage dekhi, woh waali jo humne kal raat Foxtrot ke laptop se li thi.” Karan looked at him. “Kuchh zyaada pata nahi chala. Achhe se masked tha, aur humaare security cameras band the, isliye kahin aur bhi trace nahi kar sakte. Hume sirf itna samajh aaya ki male commando tha, based on his body structure.”

“Tune Foxtrot ke laptop se footage delete kar di thi, na?” He asked. Faizi nodded. “Ek kaam kar, yeh emphasize kar open mein ki Monami ko kuchh dhang se yaad nahi, aur use yeh lagta hai ki woh gir gayi thi. Uss spy ko cameras ke baare mein nahi pata hoga.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Kyun?”

“Faizi, woh nahi chahta tha ki kisi ko bhi pata chale ki woh wahan gaya tha, isliye usne cameras off kare the. Monami ne use dekh liya, isliye uspar attack kar. Agar use abhi bhi lagta hai ki Monami uske liye danger hai, toh…”

“Toh woh uspar dobara attack kar sakta hai”, he completed.

“Main bas risk nahi lena chahta.”

Faizi nodded. “Hum baat phila denge.”

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

“Hum dono ne check kar liya hai”, Koel said, entering the mess and sitting on the bench with the others. Bala followed, hopping on a nearby table. “Kuchh bhi nahi hai.”

“Suman ji ne suna hai ki Alpha aur Echo ne apne missions complete bhi kar liye hain”, Suman ji said. “Suman ji ne suna hai ki trainers keh rahe the ki yeh waale missions bahut easy hain aur jaldi ho jaane chahiye. Suman ji ko mission mein fail nahi hona hai.”

Monami shoved another spoonful of ice cream, beaming at the taste. Sid glanced at her, shaking his head slightly. “Kisi ko fail nahi hona hai”, Sid said. “I really think ki third floor waala locker room hi attack spot hai.”

“Aur #clues ke hisaab se bhi koi aur jagah nahi banti”,Chitra said.

“Hume thoda dheeraj rakhna chahiye”, Prem ji agreed.

“Who’s dheeraj? And hum uski help kaise le sakte hain?It’s not allowed”, Sid said.

Monami looked from the ice cream she was immersed in, blinking at their collective facepalm. What happened? “Dheeraj matlab patience”, Koel said.

“Oh”, he said. “Haan, I agree. Hume dhe… whatever rakhna chahiye.”

Monami licked the cup and then her lips before sighing. She poked Sid’s arm and he looked at her. “Kh-Khatam”, she said, her lip jutting out.

“Monami, woh #endless nahi hai”, Chitra said, chuckling.

“Maine aaj tak Doctor Madam ko itna khush kabhi nahi dekha”, Bala said. “Aapko dekhkar mujhe ice cream khaane ka mann ho gaya.”

She narrowed her eyes. “T-Tumne meri ice c-cream par n-nazar daali?” She asked. She glared at him.

“Monami Madam, ek aap hi hain jo meri band nahi bajaati hain”, he replied. “Warna, toh sab mandir ke ghante ki tarah bajaa jaate hain. Maine koi nazar nahi daali. Mujhe aise mat dekho.”

She stopped glaring, heaving a sigh. She poked Sid’s arm again and he looked up from the laptop. “M-Mere liye tu a-agli b-baar bhi ice c-cream le aa-aayega?"

Sid rolled his eyes. “Ice cream se bahar aa, Monu. Hum yahan mission discuss kar rahe hain.”

“M-Main s-sun rahi hoon”, she said. “K-Kuchh nahi k-karna, w-wait k-karna hai.” She shrugged. “Ice c-cream?”

“Main le aaungi tumhaare liye”, Koel said. Monami gave her a wide, excited smile and she chuckled.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

“Mujhe har hafte security reports chahiye”, Karan said into the phone. He sifted through his notebook, stopping at the notes of the footages of Mission Euphoria. “Sunday, 1000 hours tak har hafte mere paas report aani chahiye. And security ko tighten karo. Academy mein kya ho raha hai, sab pata hona chahiye. Aur haan, sign in and sign out mein kisi ko bhi miss nahi karna. Koi ek minute ke liye bhi academy ke bahar gaya hai, toh uska record hona chahiye.”

“Yes, sir.”

He cut the call, keeping the phone aside. He started a footage, stifling a yawn as he leaned back in his chair. His phone buzzed, and he paused the footage, opening the message. Faizi. Humne academy mein baat philaa di hai. Monami ko warn bhi kar diya hai. Euphoria ka kuchh pata chala?

Wo hi dekh raha hoon.

Kahan ho?

Kamre mein.

Hum aa rahe hain. Hum bhi help kar dete hain.

Karan shot him a thumbs up in reply, keeping the phone aside and starting the footage. He paused it a second later, eyes narrowing at a sudden glint. “Yeh kya tha?” He muttered to himself, playing it again. He tilted his head, slowing the footage down and watching it frame by frame.

It seemed to come from a wall, which was strange because the walls shouldn’t reflect light the way it had. He played a few seconds ahead, pausing at a clear shot. He zoomed in, eyes narrowing. “Vent?” He muttered. “Poori building mein hai kya?”

He took his phone out, shooting a text to his informer. Euphoria ke andar ke venting system ke baare mein pata laga.

A knock on the door made him look up, and he kept his phone aside, standing up. He opened the door. Koel? He raised his eyebrows expectantly. “Yes?”

“Faizi Sir hai kya?” Koel asked.

“Nahi”, he said. “Kuchh chahiye tumhe?”

She shook her head. “Nahi. Main bas…”

“Usse milna chahti thi?” He completed.

She glanced away, nodding. “If he’s busy, then koi baat nahi. Main baad mein aati hoon. Sorry to disturb.”

“Woh busy nahi hai”, he said before she could turn away. “Woh aa raha hai. Tum andar aakar wait kar sakti ho.” He opened the door wider, letting her in. She stepped in hesitantly. He grabbed a chair, nodding to it and she sat down. She looked around the room and Karan raised an eyebrow at her surprised expression. “Kya hua? Pehli baar kamra dekh rahi ho kya?”

“Nahi. Usually, ladkon ko apna kamra ‘dirtiest pigsty’ ke contest mein eligible karaane mein interest rehta hai. Aapka kamra toh kaafi saaf hai”, she said.

“Dirtiest pigsty ka contest?” He repeated. He shook his head. “I like my room clean.”

“Aur Faizi Sir ko?”

‘Toh mujhse uske baare mein information niklwayi jaa rahi hai?’ Karan thought. ‘Kahan beech mein phas gaya hoon? Ek woh chup nahi hota iske baare mein, aur ab yeh aur aa gayi.’

The door opened and he almost sighed in relief, when Faizi came in. “Koel?” He said. “Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?” He smiled. “Humse milne aayi ho?”

“Faizi”, Karan interrupted. “Mujhe thoda kaam hai.” He grabbed his laptop, picking his notebook up. Faizi shot him a grateful look and he nodded a little in acknowledgement.

He sighed in relief a little as he walked to the mess. ‘Wahan se toh bacha. Warna, pata nahi inki ajeeb si flirting sunni padti, aur pata nahi kya kya sunna padta hai.’ He shuddered a little at the thought.

Mess was a much better idea.