Chapter 44

1 years ago

NoeticLife

@NoeticLife

CHAPTER 44

THE DIWALI BREAK STARTS

Monami sat down on the empty table. It almost seemed strange. Sitting alone. She seemed to always be surrounded lately. Even her quiet times- alone and holed up in a corner- didn't quite seem to be as alone.

"Monami", Faizi called. She glanced up. She tilted her head in slight question at the three trainers.

"Aa jaa", Sanju said. "Akele kaahe ke laane baithi hai?"

Monami glanced at the other two, who tilted their heads welcomingly. She took her plate, hesitantly sitting down on the empty seat, which happened to be next to Karan.

"Jab tak baaki cadets nahi aate, tum humaare saath hi baitho karo", Faizi said, smiling at her.

She smiled slightly, nodding. "Th-Thank you." She looked down at her plate, eating a small bite of her roti. She had spent a fair bit of time with each of the three trainers, but all together? Wasn't she a little out of place with all these big, senior agents?

"Monami", Sanju said. "Tujhe meethe ka shauk hogo, na? Yeh le." She pushed the small bowl of her kheer towards her. "Humaara zyaada mann naa hogo."

Her eyes lit up. "S-Sachhi le l-loon?" She asked. Sanju nodded.

"Arey, humne kya gunah kara tha?" Faizi protested. "Aadha aadha kar deti."

"Oye, bukhadh", Karan said, scowling at him. "Khaane de use. Doosron ke khaane par nazar rakh bas tu apni. Apni plate par dhyaan de."

"Sir ji, aapne hume apne aur Koel ke baare mein naa bataayo, na? Isliye", Sanju teased lightly. "Jhingooron ko humse pehle bata diyo aapne. Hum naa deto apni kheer ab aapko."

Monami chuckled a little. She extended her own bowl to Faizi, taking the one offered by Sanju. Faizi's eyes lit up and he accepted it, scooping a spoonful up happily.

She looked up when Karan nudged her gently. He pushed own bowl towards her, gesturing to it. She smiled, accepting it. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

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

Sid pushed open the door to his house. It was his Daddy ji's office hours and even with the high standards he had set for him to redeem, he didn't expect him to leave his business unattended in favor of him.

"Sid", Avinash's voice called.

His head snapped up in surprise, finding him leaning on the railing of the first floor. "Daddy ji?"

Avinash walked down the stairs and Sid grinned, hugging him tightly. "Kaisa hai?" He asked, pulling away.

"Aap ghar par kaise? I mean, abhi toh aapke office hours hai, na?"

"Tu aa raha tha, na? Toh maine saara kaam kal hi kar liya. Aaj subah bas thodi der ka kaam tha, phir main aa gaya." He smiled. "Kaisa hai tu? Tu aur zyaada patla ho gaya hai."

Sid grinned. "Bahut exercise karwaate hai, Daddy ji."

"Dikh raha hai. Achha, Monami shaam ko aayegi, na, ghar par? Maine tum dono ke liye khud mithaai banaayi hai."

"Daddy ji, Monu nahi aayegi. Woh academy mein hi hai."

Avinash frowned. "Kyun?"

"Woh... Daddy ji, uska mann nahi tha."

He sighed. "Deepak aur uska phir se jhagda hua kya?"

Sid scowled slightly. "Jhagdha kahan hota hai? Uncle bas use daantte rehte hain, aur put down karte rehte hain." He shook his head. "Aap woh sab chodho. Aap mujhe woh mithaai dikhao."

"Aa jaa", Avinash said, clapping his back. "Bahut saari banaayi hai maine. Thodi si side par rakh dena. Monami ke liye."

Sid followed him to the kitchen. "Achhi nahi hui toh rakh dunga."

Avinash laughed, shaking his head. "Tum dono bhi, na?"

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

"Koel!" Nikhil yelled.

Koel knelt down, hugging him as he ran into her rooms. "Aa jaa, mera mendhak", she cooed. She kissed his head. "Bahut miss kara maine tujhe."

"Tujhe pata hai Nanu Nani ne mujhe kitna tang kiya?" He said, shaking his head. "Tu kya keh rahi thi? Main tang karunga unhe? Unhone hi mujhe tang kar diya."

She laughed. "Achha? Aisa kya kar diya aap logon ne?" She looked at her parents.

Her father stared at him, offended. "Aye", he said. "Woh ek hafte ke liye aayi hai, Mendhak. Waapas jaayegi, toh tujhe rehna humaare saath hi hai."

"Dekha, dekha?" Nikhil said. "Yeh ab toh mujhe dhamki bhi de rahe hain." She laughed. He crossed his arms. "Koel, tu hasna band kar, na?"

"Achha, sorry, baby. Nani se toh problem nahi, na?"

"Arey, unse toh aur bhi zyaada hai", Nikhil said. "Tujhe pata hai woh mujhse saari baatein manwaa leti hain. Mujhe cartoon dekhna hota hai aur pata nahi maine kaise kuchh aur hi dekhne lag jaata hoon. Pata nahi kaise ajeeb ajeeb si cheezen dekh rahi hain yeh."

"Haww", her mother complained. "Teri maa kya waapas aayi, sab kuchh bhool gaya tu? Koel... le jaa ise."

She laughed. "Arey, aap dono bhi iske saath bacche ban jaate ho", she said. She ruffled Nikhil's hair. "Itni jaldi chidha mat kar tu, samjha?"

"Haan, haan, pata hai mujhe", he grumbled.

"Koel... tu apne boyfriend ko kyun nahi laayi saath mein?" Her mother raised her eyebrow.

"Use kaam tha", she said. "Maine offer kara tha, par..." She shrugged.

"Humse milna nahi chahta kya woh?" Her father demanded.

Koel rolled her eyes. "Papa, please. Waise bhi bahut zyaada time thodi naa hua hai humaare relationship ko. Agar thoda slow karna bhi chahta hoga, toh bhi kya problem hai? And besides, use sach mein kaam hai. Special Agent hai woh. Kaam karna hota hai."

"Itni tarafdaari bhi mat kar ki tere Papa jalne lage", her mother joked. Koel chuckled.

"Tumhe bas mujhe sunaana hai", her father said, shaking his head. "Main toh bas puchh raha tha. Sahi keh rahi hai yeh. Thoda... thoda slow rakhna chahiye. Jaldi ka kaam shaitaan ka kaam. Dheere dheere chalega. Bas... ek baar milwaa dena usse. Ya baat hi karwaa dena."

Koel kissed his cheek. "Aap chinta mat karo. He's a very nice person. Hurt nahi karega mujhe."

"Karega toh tu seekh rahi hai, na, yeh training wagera mein? Thoda implement kar dena uspar", her father said.

She laughed. "Haan, okay", she said, shaking her head. She walked deeper in, dragging the suitcase behind her.

"Arey, main serious hoon", he said, walking after her.

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

"Sir ji", Sanju said. "Humne woh academy ke defense plans taiyaar karo hain."

Karan nodded, looking down at her expectantly as they walked up to Colonel Batra's cabin. "Bol."

"Sir ji, jab cadets ke exams chalenge, do hafte baad, toh headquarters se kaafi log aayenge. Matlab, iss hafte aur agle hafte ko naa maan kar, agle do hafte tak academy ki security bahut zyaada sakt hogi. Hume naa lagto hai yeh EFR ke paas itni taakat hogo ki tab attack karega."

He hummed. "Toh matlab... yaa toh agle do hafte mein attack hoga, yaa phir 4 hafte baad, jab headquarters ke officials waapas chale jaayenge." She nodded in agreement. "Security tu hi dekhegi, Sanju. Sab logon ko new security positions aur guard places bata dena. Aur har cheez personally check karna."

"Ji, Sir ji."

Karan paused in front of the cabin, knocking on the door. "Come in", the colonel called. He pushed open the door, both the agents walking in. They saluted him, standing at attention. "Faizi kahan hai?"

"Sir, informer se milne gaya hai."

Colonel Batra nodded. "Karan, Sanjana, next week headquarters ke officials aa rahe hain. Minister Sir khud aa rahe hain jab do hafte baad exams shuru honge. Agar cadets achhe se perform nahi karte hain iss exam mein, toh the mission will be over."

Sanju lifted her chin slightly. "Sir ji, cadets bure naa hogo. Hume lagto hai ki woh pariksha mein achha karenge." Karan nodded in agreement.

"I hope aisa hi ho, Sanjana. Exams- practical aur theoretical- dono next week headquarters se aaye officials set karenge. You won't be involved in this." They nodded again. "Par maine tumhe yeh bataane ke liye yahan bulaaya hai ki kuchh weeks academy ki security tighten karni hai. We can't afford any risks jab Minister khud aa rahe hain. He's a public figure and there will be a lot of terrorists jo unko maarna chaahenge, given the risk."

'Agar kuchh hafton tak security zyaada rahegi, toh iss hafte bhi woh nahi chahenge. Hum isi hafte se security tighten karni shuru kar deto hain. Matlab jhingooron ke exams hone ke baad hi attack hone ki sabse zyaada sambhaavna hogo', Sanju thought. 'Par... ek second. Agar humne kabhi bhi academy mein security tighten kari toh jasoos ko pata chal jaayego, matlab sab bekaar kyunki tab woh hamla naa karenge. Matlab... hume security mein kami rakhni padego agar hum unhe bahar nikaalna chahto hain. Par phir usse academy bina defense ke reh jaayego.'

She saluted the colonel as he finished talking, following Karan out quietly as her mind struggled to come up with a sound plan.

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

Faizi heaved a sigh. He was exhausted. The low end bar and its musky smell didn't contribute much in curbing his tiredness and he glanced at his watch again.

"Sorry, sorry, Sir ji", Sanjay said, running up to him and sitting down.

"Khabar?" He asked, stifling a yawn.

"Sayed ke baare mein puchha tha, na, aapne?" He asked.

Faizi straightened up, nodding. "Kuchh pata chala?"

"Sunne mein aaya hai ki EFR ke ek boss ke bete ka naam bhi Sayed hai. Mujhe lag raha hai ki yeh woh hi Sayed hai. Kisi ne naa dekha use kabhi."

"Boss ka beta?"

He nodded. "Ho sakta hai. Pakka nahi hai."

"Photo mil sakta hai? Bachpan ki bhi chalegi."

Sanjay stared at him. "Ab kya samay mein peechhe jaakar photo kheenchu main? Main kahan se lekar aaon yeh sab? Ek toh aapko manaa karna achha nahi lagta hai mujhe, upar se aap aisi aisi cheezen maang lete ho. Abhi ruko, thode din. Puchhne do mujhe idhar udhar." He shook his head. "Khabar kaafi naa, ab inko photo bhi laakar deni padegi."

Faizi chuckled. "Laa sakta hai toh le aa. Thoda dhyaan-"

"Aye, phir se apna yeh 'dhyaan rakhna' walaa jaap par mat aa jaana. Samajh aata hai mujhe."

He stood up, patting his back. "Call karna agar kuchh pata chale toh." Sanjay nodded.

Faizi walked out. 'Boss ka beta? Yeh toh bahut upar ki baat hui phir. Agar Virat handler hai, toh sirf woh nahi, ek poori ki poori gang hogi inke peechhe. Aise hi nahi chodenge itne higher ups ko.'

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

Karan rubbed his shoulder a little as the ache started to make an appearance again. He let his hand fall down as he walked closer to the bar.

It was one of the many locations Laxman had frequented. The younger boy never drank, hating the taste as he had told him once idly. So, it had to be for work.

He sat down on one of the stools, looking around. "Orange juice hai?" He asked the bartender. He nodded, extending a glass to him before continuing to do whatever he was doing.

He nursed the drink, glancing around the place. It was cheap, dark and loud- a classic place for such sort of activities. He leaned against the counter, taking in the people.

"Kya pata karna hai?" A voice asked.

Karan looked up, seeing a man sit on the chair next to him. He looked him up and down. A boy, really. Wild hair, dirty clothes. He tilted his head in a silent question.

The man gave him a distasteful look. "Aap jaise log yahan par usi ke liye aate ho. Ab bologe?"

He pulled out his phone, showing him the picture of Laxman. "Ise dekha hai?"

"Laxman? Toh iske murder ki baat pata karne aaye ho?" He looked him up and down. "Police ho kya?"

"Army", he corrected. "Special Agent."

The man nodded, straightening up. "Laxman dost tha mera. Ek hi anaantaale mein badhe hue. Aap Karan ho? Aapko khabar deta tha kya yeh?"

Karan nodded slightly. "Kya baat hui isse? EFR ke baare mein shayad kuchh?"

"EFR?" He repeated. "Naam suna hai. Aaj kal charche gali gali mein hain iske. Main thodi bahut khabar laakar deta tha Laxman ko. Woh khabar puchhne hi aaya tha."

"Kya bataaya use? Aur kab?"

"Uske marne se kuchh ek do hafte pehle ki baat hai. Maine ek bande ka pata diya tha use jo yeh sab kaam ki jaankari rakhta hai."

"Mujhe woh pata de."

The man shook his head. "Sir ji, pata toh de dunga par kuchh milega nahi aapko. Woh banda toh shehar chodkar bhaag gaya. Kya pata kahan hai. Yeh saara Laxman ke loche ke baad hi sab hua."

Karan nodded slightly. "Phir bhi pata de." The man grabbed a piece of stray paper, scribbling something and handing it to him. He nodded in thanks. He stood up.

"Sir ji... kuchh pata chale toh bata dena. Mera dost tha woh. Bole toh bhai jaisa", he said. "Aur... kuchh madad kar sakoon toh bataana. Number likha hai uss parchi par. Kabhi marzi phone ghumaana." He touched his forehead in a lazy salute, before standing up as well. Karan nodded in thanks. The man disappeared into the mass of people.

Karan glanced down at the paper. His name and number were scrawled along with an address. Bittu.

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

"Haan, Amma", Sanju said, shaking her head in exasperation. Monami looked up from the novel she was reading. "Jai, Maa Bhavani." She kept the phone on her bedside.

"S-Sab th-theek?" Monami asked, gesturing to the phone.

Sanju waved her hand dismissively. "Woh Amma ka phone tha", she said. "Diwali ke laane nahi gaye isliye apne taane ki bojhaar de raho the." Monami smiled a little in amusement. Sanju glanced down at the book. "Yeh kaa padh raho hai tu? Phir se padhai?"

"Nahi. N-Novel hai", she said.

Her eyebrows flicked up, and she nodded. She grabbed the files she had Ustaad ji deliver to her room, taking the first one. She heaved a sigh. Paperwork. 'Kasam se kabhi kabhi mann karto hai inn ko phadhkar punching bag mein bhar loon', she thought.

"Aa-Aapko h-help chahiye?" Monami asked hesitantly. "M-Matlab k-kuchh karna hai toh m-main f-free hoon. I c-can help."

Sanju frowned. "Kaahe ke laane?"

"A-Aise hi. Aa-Aapke paas k-kaam b-bahut hai, aur m-main f-free hoon, so wh-why not?"

She looked down at the pile of papers. "Ek kaam kar sakto hai tu. Inn papers ko department ke order mein lagaa de. Karegi?" Monami nodded, taking them. She crossed her legs underneath her, beginning to sort through it. "Sab logon ko sabse bura kaam yeh hi lagto hai- paperwork. Sab log bas yeh sochto hain ki kaise ise kisi aur ke gale daal sake."

Monami chuckled. "B-Boring h-hota hai. H-Humaare h-hospital mein bhi s-sab b-bahut or-organized h-hota tha. S-Surgery r-reports, p-patient r-reports." She shook her head. "M-Mujhe b-bahut saare l-log apna k-kaam de d-dete the k-kyunki main m-mana nahi k-kar p-paati thi."

Sanju shook her head. "Naa bolna seekh tu", she advised. "Warna bahut dikkat hogo tujhe."

"M-Mujhe l-logon ko b-bura feel k-karwaana a-achha nahi l-lagta."

"Jis cheez mein tujhe dikkat ho, aur saamne waala naa samjhe, toh tujhe uss insaan par itna dhyaan nahi deno chahiye. Iska matlab hogo ki use teri toh koi kadar hi naa. Humaare gaon mein kehto hain ki achhai ko apni taakat banana hoto hai, apni kamzori naa. Agar log tujhe teri achhai ke laane istamaal karne lage aur tu kuchh nahi karego, toh woh teri kamzori ban jaayego."

"Aa-Aap keh r-rahe ho ki a-achha nahi b-banna ch-chahiye?"

"Naa, naa, bilkul naa. Hum bas itna keh raho hain ki yeh kahin naa likho hai ki achhe logon ko bhole banna zaroori hai. Log tedhe aur achhe dono ho sakto hain. Kuchh kaam tedhe hokar hi hoto hain. Jab ghee seedhi ungli se naa nikaalto hai, toh tedhi se nikaalna padto hai. Us mein kuchh galat ya bura naa hai."

Sanju paused, missing what the younger girl had said as she fell into a thought. If the information of the security plans was going to be leaked, she could control the information she wanted to leak.

A bait. That was it! She would use a bait.

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

Karan raised an eyebrow, leaning against the door frame of the kitchen as he inspected her. Monami had her fingernail in her mouth, eyes widened slightly as her eyes darted across the lines of the page she was reading. He chuckled a little, shaking his head. She screeched slightly suddenly, turning the page quickly.

"Tum kya kar rahi ho, Monami?" He asked, chuckling.

"Shhh", she said. "M-Marne w-waala hai woh."

"Novels mein koi nahi marta hai."

She looked up, giving him a frustrated look. "Novel hai. I-India ke t-tv s-serial thodi naa ki l-logic aur r-realism se d-door r-rahenge. Y-Yahan m-marte hain aur p-permanently m-marte hain. W-Waapas n-nahi aate. Toh shhh."

He chuckled. He grabbed a pan, pouring some milk into it and grabbing two cups. Her mouth twisted up in a smile, and she relaxed a little.

She looked up at him, a wide smile on her face. "N-Nahi m-mara."

He shook his head. "Mujhe lagta tha tum aadhi paagal ho. Tum toh poori ki poori paagal ho."

"Your pr-problem. Ab aa-aapne pehle m-mujhe d-dost bola, toh ab jh-jhelo", she said. She looked down at his arm. "H-Haath k-kaisa hai? D-Dawaai li?"

"Tumhaari deduction skills ko kya hai? Kal subah toh badha chehra dekhkar bata rahi thi", he said.

She eyed him. "Le li", she decided. His lips quirked up in a small smile, and he nodded in affirmation. She smiled a little. "Achhi b-baat hai, w-warna main d-daantti."

"Woh toh pata chal gaya mujhe", he said. "Mujhe nahi pata tha tum taunts mein itni fluent ho."

"M-Mere sa-saath t-taunts f-free aati hain", she said, referencing to when he had said it to her. "P-Packaged d-deal."

"I'll take it", he said. Her smile widened. He glanced down at the novel. "Kya padh rahi thi? Kiske baare mein hai?"

"Aa-Aapko toh in-interest nahi, na, in s-sab ch-cheezon mein?"

"Tumhe toh hai", he said. "Dikhaana." She handed him the book. He turned it over, reading the words at the back cover. Monami tilted her head, staring at him reading. He looked up. "Kya hua?" She shook her head. He handed it back to her. "Kiske baare mein hai?" He repeated.

A small, warm smile spread on her face, and she began talking, telling him about the story and the characters and the relationships. He listened quietly, nodding at appropriate spots.

Later, as the two parted, Monami's footsteps halted, turning around and watching him quietly as he walked back to his room. Her gaze didn't falter, and she smiled to herself, turning away only when he had turned the corner.