The beginning

Abhimanyu often dreamt of home.

His dad's study table is messy as usual with newspapers, files, books and ashtray as smock filled the room. He frowns as he sits back in his chair, engrossed in a red file, sunlight falling in room as pastel colored curtains of the room flew softly. His Mom enters sometimes in this setting, sometimes he finds her watering the colorful roses in the garden as she hums, pushing back her shoulder length open hair, saree tucked to her waist. He sees the house staffs around the house, driver washing the Toyota SUV, his father's favorite, and maid stirring his favorite sweet dish in the kitchen. If he tries hard enough, he can smell the house too, jasmine and rosy like his Mother.

He dreams and then he cries in his sleep.

It's probably months he has seen them, and there is little to no chance that he will ever see them. He don't even know why he is still kept alive- if there was any scope of negotiations he would had been out of here long back. But Human can be sadistic, he has seen literal hell in these months of captivity and now knows, with absolute clarity and horror that there is nothing human can't do. Or, these people, if he can call them Human. Living in jungles and trading guns, changing one hiding place to another, bringing small girls and boys for their pleasure and sings in chorus in the night as they circle around the bonfire. Maybe he is their entertainment, as he wither and will die one day. One of them, Muzammil, has taken a nasty liking towards him, his day don't end until he spends an hour with him, marking his skin with knives and cigars.

"You are the prized possession." He was told one day by one of the captors, and if he had strength he would have laughed at his face. He was sent for spying on them, a decorated Flight lieutenant like him just don't lose control of a F16 and crashes near international border, that too amidst nowhere. For a couple of weeks he was focused, gathered Intel and hoped from the other side there would be progress to bring him back. Week turned to month, and one failed extracation mission later where he barely escaped, the resolve weakened. He has lost count how many times he has changed places, and one day he just stopped caring. He can't make peace with the situation, but what else choice he have?

Coward! His father would have yelled. A decorated war hero and ex Commando himself, the inspiration for Abhi to join Air force, he absolutely hates giving up. One of his story went when he was stuck in jungle for 7 days and nursed his co pilot back to health, escaping the enemy repeatedly as they stayed. It was 1987 or 1988, he did not remember. His memory was fading, he was forgetting how his father's voice sounded like or how something clean, pure smelt like.

Then one day, when it was dead of the night and the bonfire was slowly dying, he heard a distant song. Straining his ear, he concentrated for the familiar sound of of a helicopter hovering, lips slowly widening into a tiny smirk as time passed. The hands tied behind started a slow, rhythmic movement to remove the binds.

Minutes later the area was bombed and it was chaos everywhere. This time, Abhi was ready. He ran without care and without looking back, but as the son of a fighter had to payback somehow-kicking that bas tard Muzammil where it hurt the most. He groaned in the pain and for the first time in forever Abhi felt something replacing the dead, frozen feeling inside. This was freedom. He ran some more until he came across a group of soldiers, and he squinted his eyes to identify the gears and uniform- clearly military. A helicopter- Pokhra, he realized faintly, flew overhead. His knees gave out and he collapsed surrounded by gunshot, blood, scream and fire. He was finally free.

One of them removed his mask and extended a hand, "Flight Lieutenant Abhimanyu Rathore, it's an honor to meet you finally." Looking over his shoulder, he added, "Let's get you home."

Abhi hung his head and shed tears of relief.

++++++AZ

Far away from the darkness of the Jungle, in the strict four walls of Kamakhya Air base of Pune, a bunch of newbies were being trained, this time in rigorous physical exercise. The Trainer, huge bulky man towering over everything and everyone, screamed at anyone who slowed down, but despite this there was this one girl who just could not speed up and meet the others. Giving her a disgusted look, the Trainer proceeded to yell at other officers just as her head hung in embarrassment.

After the run was over and the girl was sitting on the grass, tying her shoelaces when a man joined her, "Today was tough, eh?" The handsome man stretched out his long legs in front, then drank half a bottle of water before passing it to her, "His voice, God! Monster Rawte he is."

The girl gave a smile, "You know it's always hard for me." He nodded, then got up and gave his hand to the girl, pulling her up easily as they grinned at each other.

"But then, not one can't be good at everything."

"Except you."

"I am the best." He said casually, drawing a chuckle and shake of head from the girl.

"Sam! Samsam!" Another man, of well built physique and almost similar height of the other man ran toward them, throwing his arms over the two as the trio moved. Behind him two women walked, not really joining the group but keeping up, the petite short woman, Disha, had a smile and eyes only reserved for the man, Ali, whereas the other girl, Natasha, looked disinterested as she looked around, not following the conversation in front.

Ali went on nearly dragging the other two with him towards the familiar way of Canteen, "It's so hard to call you both together. Why you both have similar name anyway? Samrat, Sameera?" Pausing to take a breath, he frowned just as Sameera braced herself for the familiar question, "Are you two siblings?"

"No." Came the chorus reply.

"Are you sure?"

"Come on Ali, I would have known if we were related." Samrat moved his arm over Ali's shoulder and whispered conspiratorially with a twinkled eyes, "Besides, look at me! Don't you think if I had a sister she would had been gorgeous? Not this shorty."

"Hey!" Came the indignant reply from Disha, "As a fellow short person I feel offended."

"The arrow was meant for someone else but someone else got hurt." Ali and Samrat hi-fied each other as the women shook head. Natasha, bored with the topic, gave an eyerol and walked briskly towards canteen, behind her Ali gave a puppy eye. Seeing his face Sameera chuckled, swiftly moving away underneath his massive arms.

"You are asking this question since the day we met, I am bored." Disha told him and Ali shook off his momentary sadness.

"But it's so hard to call them! That's why I invented the names." He pointed at Samrat, "He is Samsam, she is Sam."

"Why I am Samsam?"

"Because she is the original Sam."

"What does that ever mean. . ."

As the men bickered, the group entered the canteen. The girls on their behalf and chatted about nothing, Natasha looking at them sideways as she drank her Green tea. Sameera waved a hand to join, which she ignored, finished her drink quickly and slammed the glass as she left in a hurry. Turning to Disha, who gave a sympathetic smile in return, Sameera tuned out the conversation as she glanced outside the canteen, lost in her thoughts.

"Earth to Sameera?" Ali snapped his fingers and she came out of her thoughts, smell of freshly made sandwich feeling her nostrils. Making a 'ooh' sound Samrat dived right in, with a mouthful and fingers dripped in ketchup looked up at his partner. She shook her head at him and took the untouched other half of his sandwich.

"Where were you lost? You have that sad thinking face. Are you missing your Mom?"

"Ali, take a breath while talking, would you?" Sam teased, "No, I am not sad. I do miss Mom, but not at this moment."

"She is thinking about Trainer khadoos." Samrat replied, giving her a look of defiance as she shook head at the offensive nickname, "Rawte! Yelled at her."

"Again?" Disha replied in sympathy, patting the other woman's hand.

"What's so new in that? He yells at everyone." Ali replied.

"He doesn't. But then, nobody is performing poorly like me." Her words brought a silence in the table. Pausing for a beat, Sameera gave a smile, "On the positive note, I did run 600 metres without panting like a dog today, so," she raised her tea, "Cheers to that? I think?"

Everyone laughed and clinked their glasses, and once again it became the noisiest table in the canteen, the sound echoing outside of the room.

++++++++++++

Wing Commander Veer Pratap Singh was not an impatient man by any means. Years in the system and sitting through meetings, making connections and attending phone calls and looking over an airbase meant he had to sit down a lot and waited for others to do their job. People knew he was a good administrator, as well as a decorated Fighter pilot, but what they did not know was he did not enjoy his current position. Sometime he wished he never accepted any promotion and just flew like juniors around him does every single day, it’s been years he had sat inside a fighter jet and felt the machine under his hands. The closest he has been to a Plane recently was when they bought a bunch of Timisura E-20s from Germany and the Defence minister inaugurated them in the base.

He is a closed-up person, never letting away what he thinks except for anger or annoyance. But if someone saw him with a little bit of attention could have seen the Wing commander moving his foot impatiently, almost in a rhythm as his reflection fell on a glass window. On the other side, his Protégé and the Man most people thinks would take over Singh was Flight lieutenant Abhimanyu Rathore, going through psych eval. It’s been almost 2 months since his return from a nearly disastrous mission in the deep jungles of from the other side of the border, they had nearly lost him. His physical wounds have healed, but he knows from stories from others that people, after going through trauma like this don’t remain the same. His Father-in-law, god bless his soul, killed himself after not being able to cope from Kargil war horrors. One reason why his wife pushed him towards administration, not wanting to go through the same pain again.

What felt like ages later the doctor came out of the room and upon seeing the Wing commander, gave a nod. Relief flooded him as Veer closed his eyes- it’s all good. Abhimanyu Rathore can return successfully, now only the flight test is left, which he will pass successfully. Afterall, Abhi is his protégé. Smiling to himself at the good news, he took out his phone to call his wife, leaving behind the psych eval area.

On the other side of the glass window, Abhimanyu kept staring at nothing, and after a long time sat up with a jerk, looked around in panic before realizing where he was. He got up and left slowly, uncaring where his feet takes him.

++++++++++++++++++

Veer left a voicemail for his wife, as like majority of times not being able to reach her when he needs. Shrugging off thoughts which will take him to nowhere, he looked ahead, finding Trainer Rawte yelling at a bunch of newbies as they struggled to keep up with his rigorous exercises. He responded with salute with his own as the students greeted him, signalling the giant man to come forward. With a bark to carry on with the routine, the two men walked toward the shadow of a tree. They talked about new student’s progress and old students daily sessions, when the Trainer casually mentioned the new trainee HAWKS team performance. Veer could hear the taunt as the other man mentioned how a female member from the team is ruining the performance of the entire team and felt the burn intensely- after all, HAWKS is his personal responsibility. He picks each of them, he oversees their selection and their training phase, and finally their posting and their works. It has always been one of his forte, where he feels at ease and closest to what he always wanted to do. Also, the nature of the team is such they are involved in Military intelligence and air-force activities, hence falling into multiple jurisdiction of Defence, Home, External affairs and Intelligence gathering agencies. One mistake, even in training phase would lead to questions and speculations on his unstained profile and damn him if he lets it happen.

With a sigh of annoyance, Veer inquired, “What’s her name?”

“Shekhawat. Sameera. Miraj airbase.” The Trainer smirked a bit and proceeded to give him a rundown of how she had failed to live up-to every single physical activities. With each incident his annoyance grew, and in the end Veer decided to have an one-on-one with this Shekhawat Trainee. If she can’t handle training, she is not fit for the job. Even if he had made a mistake he has still time to rectify the situation.

Behind him Sameera heard a part of the conversation, took a few steps back and finally left with tears running down her face.

+++++++++++++

The rain came down with thunder and cold, strong wind just as Sameera had slumped on a wooden bench after leaving the corners filled with personnel and found a silent corner in the air base garden in the back of the office premise. She shivered as time passed but made no movement to shield herself from the water or get up.

She knew she was lagging compared to others, but she did not know it was this bad. There was a say in Pune base that whoever has a one-on-one with Veer sir is one step away from getting kicked out of the program and seems like her days are over. Sameera also understood if she gets kicked out from HAWKS program, there is a slim chance she can carry on back in Miraj base. The end of HAWKS would also mean the end of her air-force career, and she had never looked outside of this life. If this goes away, she would not know what to do next.

It’s not that she had blindly decided to apply and later joined the program. It was a prestigious military intelligence program with 0.01% chance of getting in. Airforce was in her blood, as her Mom would always say. Her Dad was a rescue pilot who died saving civilians during cross border terror attacks in Rajasthan, and from childhood she knew nothing but the sky and air force flight making noise as they flew over her house. She read about HAWKS program intensively before applying, thinking if she gets in, her Intelligence side will help her. It’s not that she was poor in the physical aspect, her stamina and other activities were above average, but after coming to Pune she struggled like nothing ever before. It might be the strict regime, the unknown people or the constant pressure that HAWKS should be best of all, an example. All her life she was nothing extraordinary.

For the first time after coming in here she doubted her choice, and the sad thing was there was no way to backout now. It was sink or swim, and she was sinking. Along with her career, she will let down her Mother’s faith and even her Father’s legacy from the grave.

A sense of despair fell upon her and she cried harder, squeezing her eyes shut and looking down as she gripped at the bench. Her small body shook with pain and cold, sky over her grumbling.

+++++++++++++++++++

Abhimanyu was living in a daze post his return.

It was chaos everywhere- his hospital was filled with flowers, there was media uproar and public speculation, injuries both mental and physical needed to be tended. Weeks passed and things went a bit smoother, but he found himself in a limbo, unable to react. There was no relief of returning home, or seeing the familiar faces. He decided, after a bit more disappointing glances around him, that he would try to pretend. After all, he was good at that, he had been doing it for years.

He fooled the world but not his parents.

His Father, intimidating Man with a cane who himself went through war trauma and still can’t cope with civilian life, watched him for far for any breakdown, at the same time telling anyone he could find that he had a Hero of a Son whom he was proud of. Abhi did not understand how he should react, and for the first time the father son felt the distance between them. His Father, ex Army, was his pillar, his mentor, the person he looked up to for life and career advice and he could not reach him now, feeling like he would let him down if he tells him that he feels nothing these days. His Mother has been disappointed with him for years- she never wanted another army man in her house and Abhi’s recent choices had not been stellar, but his staunch refusal to let out any emotion meant she was not only even more disappointed, but also hurt. Unable to deal with the situation in home, Abhi channeled all his focus to physical exercises and was fit and fine in no time, albeit the scars on his body never went away.

He felt at ease at the base for the first time in weeks, itching to wear the suit and get inside a flight. Veer sir assured that he would be in soon, just a few more tests. The psych- eval was hardest, he had almost let out how he don’t sleep because he broke his bedside mirror during a violent episode and sometimes cries because he could almost hear Muzammil whispering You are the prized possession. But then, he was a Hero now- the questions were not too hard because the department needed him back, there was intense pressure to show the people that the national treasure is strong enough to endure anything, even enemy beatings. His intelligence records previously made sure he had a way to get back, even though on some days he would box until his knuckled bled and words would be on his lips, but never uttered.

I wish I had died in there.

Nothing touches him these days, neither pain, nor happiness. But there something so heart wrenching about this girl who sat in the rain and cried her heart out that Abhi was almost jealous. He wished he could cry like that, maybe he would have felt a bit relief. He looked up and felt as if the cloud has split open and decided to join the girl and felt something like concern for this unknown girl. She is probably a staffer, maybe a trainee. Getting sick means missing out on classes, which means bad record on files. Frowning, he looked around, trying to find someone from the staff for an umbrella, but by then the girl has decided to end her crying. He watched, fascinated, as she wiped her face, shook herself and got up, spine straight. With shaky but definite steps, she walked away, and miraculously after a while rain also stopped.

Abhi wondered what had happened to the girl- maybe death in the family, maybe struggling to cope here, maybe fight with lover. He also understood the lesson nature was trying to teach him, that as long as he breathes, he’s got to fight. Shake himself off the daze, gather courage to face the day, one step of a time. What else worse can happen to him? Keep his spine straight, just like the girl did.

Maybe he can also afford to shed a few tears.

++++++++++++++++++++++=

Sameera fixed the collar of her dress shirt and proceeded to tap her feet impatiently for the umpteenth time that morning, feeling sweat tricking down her back and heart pounding at her throat. Sitting in front of Veer sir's office in the empty hallway, she tried to close her mind and calm down as to not to make a fool out of herself but to no avail. When the summon came, there were three identical faces of horror and sympathy, as if it was her funeral, while Natasha rolled her eyes dispassionately. Samrat made a rude comment about Trainer Rawte being the happiest today, and Sameera had to physically stop herself from going to dangerous train of thoughts. There is no point of thinking negatively now, just need to get this meeting over with.

A clerk came out from the office, and Sameera stood up, heart beating so fast it echoed in the hallway. It was time.

+++++++++

Abhi was absently stirring cornflakes in his bowl, the spoon making a repeated sound of clink when his Mother entered, standing in the door of the kitchen for a moment to simply watch him. It was a privilege to see him these days, he spend his majority times in gym, or go over some files, or talk only to his Father regarding work. There was no time for her in his days now.

Sighing, she entered, trying to be quiet but as usual Abhi jumped, staring around wide eyed, after a while finding her entering as he cooled his panic, giving away nothing. Smita wondered when her son started to hide from her, and knowing that it was not her fault she could not help but ask herself again Where did I go wrong?

But the question will carry her back in time, so she decided to shut off her brain, opening the fridge and taking out juice she squeezed out last night, trying not to look at her Son who also tried to do the same. They stood side by side on the counter but never felt more apart than this, and she tried to end both of their misery soon- hurrying up with her work. Of course, it had to go awry. The juice glass shattered just as she had emptied the jug and turned, and beside her Abhi jumped yet again, his grip tightening on the spoon.

She felt tears pricking in her eyes - at the ruined morning routine, her only sense of normalcy these days. Then she found Abhi had moved at some point and had brought broom, and the sadness turned to anger.

"Leave it." She spoke coolly. Abhi froze for a moment before kneeling down, that's the first time in months she has spoken to him directly.

"It's ok." He replied softly and started cleaning. Smita almost snatched the broom from him- How dare he? - but stopped herself. Her touching or going near him will only make it worse for him.

"Leave. it." She gritted her teeth, and Abhi looked up, for the first time seeing her. And she let him see- the angry tears, the disappointment, the resentment. When he hung his head she wondered if he felt ashamed. Good for him. He should. Then immediately cursed herself- it's her Son. It's tough time, how can she even think of shaming him?

But then, she was tired too. This is the second time this was happening to her and once again there was none to help her go through this. She was tired of being the strong one.

Her hand gripped the counter tightly as she sighed, the anger and emotions draining away. She had no energy left now, not even to look at her Son who also had tears in his eyes, but won't look up in fear and shame. She wanted to reach out, but he would not let her, and she did not want to feel the disappointment and resentment again. So she did the best she could do- leave, and pretend this did not happen.

Abhi continued to clean the glasses, clenching jaw as unshed tears obscured his vision.

++++++++++++++++++++

Sunaina Veer Pratap Singh was overseeing dinner arrangements and scaring her housestaffs when her husband decided to join her, folding the sleeves as he descended from the stairs. She internally rebuked him for ruining the iron, and sensing her irritation, Veer paused at his ministrations, before taking a seat on the table. The quiet dinner was interrupted by staffs serving delicious food and his wife occasionally enquiring about work- despite not being a part of the office Sunaina knew things, sometimes more than an officer posted in the Base. The conversation took turn towards their daughter Shikha who is currently in LA for a modelling gig, and then inevidently towards the upcoming promotion.

There is a whisper in the air about the next Chief of staff being Veer, and it’s an open secret that his Brother-in-law, a central minister along with his wife’s wining and dining influential people will make sure of it’s reality. Veer was always uncomfortable at the open display of power, more so that it will take him from the actual line of work towards more administrative side. There are days he can barely take the daily chores of the Air base, being Chief of staff is a lot of responsibility. There were often heated arguments and long talks regarding the issue, and him despite not being on-board with the idea Veer knew it was inevitable. Tonight his wife was even more pushy, as she needed to give a definite answer to her Brother and wanted a clear cut answer from him, but she also knew apart from his dislike for administrative side, what else was truly holding him back.

“I know you are worried about HAWKS.” She wiped her mouth with tissue before intertwining her fingers, “Did you consider what I suggested you?”

Suggestion is not something Sunaina Rai (Veer calls her that in his head) ever does, it’s always softly yet firmly spoken idea which had to consider as a candidate for a decision. But this time it was not that impossible. Veer can give the authority of HAWKS to Abhi, he is his protege afterall. In his mind he knew after him the officer is the best candidate to handle the job, and post the psych eval it’s clear he is also mentally fit to comeback. Maybe leading a team will fix whatever is left broken in him.

But then, Sunaina doesn’t think about these. She is fond of her soon to be Son-in-law.

“I did, actually.” Veer leaned back on his seat as staffs took away their plates. As the former’s expectant look he added, “It’s a good idea.”

“Good.” She smirked with satisfaction, the stiff shoulders ready for another round of debate loosening, “So, when you are going to give him the good news? He will be thrilled.”

Abhi will be humbled, no doubt. He will push himself and the team to be the best version of themselves. Maybe he will also straighten up that officer, Shekhawat. If she can’t handle him, Abhi will make sure what’s necessary to be done.

Satisfied with his decision, he half heartedly listened to his wife excitedly talking to his Brother-in-law over the phone, remembering a Shekhawat back in his days and smiling to himself.

Abhi looked at the car mirror, fixed his collar and got out of the car, spine straight as he strided the hallways of the Airbase. Sometimes his eyes work overtime to really make sure he is back here- lingering over the familiar uniforms and officers, the parades, the sound of flights taking off and coming back, and finally the national flag proudly flying over the main building. Nodding along the ways to the various Good mornings and Welcome back Liutenants, his feet carried him in front of the HAWKS meeting room. He paused for a second, exhaled a long, deep breath, before pushing the door and entering.

Veer sir was already inside, giving speech about a new person overtaking operation when the exact precise moment Abhi entered. Greeting him with a proud smile and handshake which he returned back, he introduced him to the five officers standing in front of him. After formal introductions, he left them alone, giving him a clap on the back and ‘They are your responsibility now.’ line.

Not trying to show the impact of his words, he shook off the feeling internally before turning towards the members, quietly trying to assess the personalities.

Ali Mirza was a tall, well built man who was, surprisingly, into IT. He greeted him with a wide smile and made a joke about meeting the Hero at last, which, for some reason, did not make Abhi cringe. Samrat Shergil greeted him with a ‘It’s an honor’ and equally firm handshake which told him about his interest in sports or Gym. Disha Rastogi was a petite, short officer who looked right into his eyes, and Natasha Mirchandani gave him a nod. Sameera Shekhawat barely shook his hands and did not meet his eyes, lost in her own world, but he remembered her. The girl in the rain. He looked at her for a few more seconds until she looked back, just as she frowned slightly he let go of her hand, swallowing hard.

This is his team now, like Veer sir said. He is responsible for their performance, he need to ensure they become the best and can work for the country. Which means there is no place for his mental breakdown or nightmares now. He need to be better, he has to.

With renewed vigour, he started speaking, setting the agenda of the upcoming future.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

Sameera was absent mindedly playing with the Egg bhurji on her plate and staring ahead as her team mates, sans Natasha, chatted around her.

It’s been a week since Flight Lt. Abhimanyu became their Boss. Her team mates loved and admired him, he was strict when was needed but after training period he let them joke around and even smiled at them. He was not over bearing, breathing down their neck, neither was he abused them verbally when they failed, unlike Khadoos Rawte. He let them be, analyzed their strengths and helped them to hone their skills. Even Natasha started interacting more with them because of him, she was his best student.

Sameera was not sure where she stands in the team.

Sure, getting away with Trainer Rawte’s bark was welcoming as Abhi completely took over their physical as well other training modules and personally saw through each and every sessions, but the lack of input made her unsure where she need to work more. He complimented on her problem solving skills and encouraged to learn basic coding from Ali, but she knew she lacked in physical department and Abhi made no comment on that. She did not know if he is not pushing her because he wants to play to their strength or he got the feedback on her weakness and knew it was fruitless to even bother working on her. The thought of it being the latter left a sour taste in her mouth.

It’s not that she did not try asking, but Abhi was a hard man to find. Quiet, kept distance, vanished post their work time, or having conversation with Natasha, she did not find a correct time to approach him. As if on cue, Abhi entered the cafeteria, gave a nod to the greetings of the HAWKS team before taking a seat at a long table with mug of coffee in his hands. Sensing her stare for a long time, he finally looked up, face impassive as always.

In her defense, she was not aware she was staring. Jerking up, she gave a small, hesitant smile, then signaled him to come over.

He politely nodded and went back to his coffee, staring at nothing.

He never joined them in their table. Samrat gave her a look, silently berating her for the waste of time. She shrugged, trying to concentrate on the bickering of Disha and Ali and trying not to stare at her Boss again. But the restlessness remained, as her legs shook under the table. Once Abhi was done with his food and left, she followed. She called him Sir, despite him telling the HAWKS team it was Abhi, but she could never warm herself to the nickname. At least, she called out ‘Abhimanyu Sir!’ and the man stopped, then slowly turned to her.

She ran to him, trying to reign in her breathing as he sighed, “It’s Abhi, Sameera. How many times have I mentioned?” She looked down apologetically as he continued, “Never mind. What is it?”

“I . . .I was trying to reach you to ask about some things.” At his impatience she stuttered through her speech she prepared in her head and hurried, ”I was meaning to ask if you had any inputs regarding my performance. It’s been a few weeks since you have been training us.”

He frowned, “I did have some inputs and I think I already conveyed those to you.”

“You did.” She agreed, “But I was wondering if you have any tips on improving on my weaker sections, like physical aspects.”

If Abhimanyu looked confused earlier, he looked irritated now. Crossing his arms, he towered over her, “Don’t you think if I had anything to say on that I would have already done so?” His tone irked her but she calmed herself down internally, “What exactly do you want from me?”

“Officer Rawte will always comment how bad I am in PT, Abhi. And not even once you have mentioned that.” Her voice choked up but she cleared her throat, “This is important to me, please understand. I have nothing else to hold onto.”

“And what do you think I am doing here?” He raised his voice, making her jump, “This is important to me too! This is all I have too.” He abruptly stopped talking, looking surprised at his own outburst, and even though Sameera was shell shocked herself she took an absent minded step towards him, confused but strangely not angry. The two stared at each other for a long time, until Abhi closed his eyes and calmed himself down, rubbing his temple. When he spoke, his voice was a lot softer.

“Officer Rawte and I have different ways of working. I think we should work on our best parts rather than trying to be average in everything. Please trust me on this. If I had anything, I won’t hesitate to let you know. As the Head of HAWKS, it’s my duty to make this team stronger. If your performance hampers anything, if it affects the functionality or the purpose to serve the Nation, I will fix this. Trust me on this.”

With that, Abhimanyu walked away.