Chapter 12

Bloomie

@bloomie

Part 12 [NOCOPY][MEMBERSONLY]

Riya: Shree! Ek aur ID banao……………………

The leader grills Arjun. He tries to give as satisfactory answers as he could. Just then, a female voice enters from the corridor staring at papers and files in her hands and scolding her assistant.

Riya: What the hell Ajit! Tum ek kaam dhang se nahi kar sakte? Inhe arrange kaun karega? aise hi chalta raha toh dusra project dhundh lena tum samjhe ya samjhau? aur tum mera fresh lime soda lene gaye the (stopping in front of him) ya fir nimboo ugane gaye the?

She looks up to see men with guns and yelps. Arjun stares at her in confusion and surprise.

Leader: ae tu kaun hai? aur kaha se aayi?

Riya: main… woh…

He snatches the ID from her neck, Sonali Bose, Indian Institute of Management.

Leader(threatening): kaha thi tu?

Riya: woh main… apne boyfriend se baat kar rahi thi, chat par

Leader: ek ghante tak?

Riya rolls her eyes: woh mera bevkuf boyfriend, ab kya kare? Mardon ko ek baar mein batayi hui baat samaj mein kaha aati hai?

Sameer, Shree and Chotu chuckle in the control room while the minister and Vikram exchange uncomfortable glances.

Sameer : Riya aisa kaunsa sitam kar diya humne tum par?

Leader(glaring at her): phone check karo iska!

One of the men comes forward. He tries to pull it out of her pocket.

Riya stops him: uh ek minute

She removes the phone and gives it. He checks the call log and shows it to his leader.

Leader: baat toh hui hai

She gives a fake smile.

Leader: daalo inhe bhi!

The men drag the duo and throw them with the other hostages.

Arjun whispers angrily: tum yaha kya kar rahi ho?

Riya whispers back: aapki madad karne aayi hu

Arjun: mujhe tumhari madad ki koi zaroorat nahi hai…

Riya: duty zaroorat par depend nahi hoti

Arjun: matlab mere liye nahi aayi? (she squints in confusion bringing him back to Earth) chat se aakar tumne humara raasta bhi band kar diya

She looks at him flatly: chat par se kya helicopter se airlift karte sabko? Inse kaise nipat te? woh andar aane ke liye theek hai, baahar jaane ke liye nahi

Arjun grumbles: main handle kar raha tha!

Riya: ha sunai de raha tha hai hume, agar main ek minute baad aati toh woh aapko goli se uda deta, waise bhi kahani mein alibi hona zaroori hai

Arjun: ha of course, boyfriend se behtar alibi toh koi ho hi nahi sakti, aur ab woh admi tumhe aise ghur raha hai jaise ki 100 saal baad use registaan mein paani dikh gaya ho

Riya squints. He gestures to the man behind her. She looks from the corner of her eyes. It was the same man who had checked her phone

Riya: aapko kis cheez se problem hai? mere aane se ya uska mujhe ghurne se?

Vikram taps Sameer’s shoulder gesturing towards the minister who was listening in confusion. He clears his throat.

Rathore bends to the mike : guys enough! Kaam par focus karo! kisi ko pehchan pa rahe ho?

Riya: unhone kapde se apna chehra dhaka hai

Arjun: mujhe nahi lagta hai ki ye sab khud khatarnaak hai

Rathore: kya matlab?

Arjun: nauseekhiye ki tarah guns pakad kar rakhi hai

Riya: semi-automatics hai sir, aasani se nahi milegi aur agar nauseekhiye hai, toh haal hi mein kisine black mein se itni saari uthayi hai, Chotu pata kar!

Chotu: main apne khabriyon se baat karta hun

Vikram: iska matlab, we can attack, it’s not dangerous

Arjun: nahi, gadhe ke haath mein ghoda kaha jaayega iska andaaza nahi lag sakte, inka naya hona unki sabse badi kamzori bhi hai aur taaqat bhi

Vikram: toh fir ab…

Riya: sir ye kisi ko phone kar raha hai

Shree: kise?

Arjun: aao, aakar puch lo

Shree shut up as Rathore shook his head in disbelief.

The home minister’s phone rang.

Mangesh: private number?

Rathore: sir hume dijiye, ho sakta hai uska ho

Mangesh gives him the phone. Shree connects it and answers.

Mangesh: hello?

Man: home minister sahab, kaise hai aap?

Mangesh: kaun?

Man: main kaun hu chodiye, aap pata kijiye Rene Hotel mein kya ho raha hai

Mangesh: kya… kya matlab hai tumhara?

The man laughs and cuts the call.

Rathore: Shree!

Shree: Too short to trace sir! guarantee nahi ki phone us admi ne hi kiya hai ya fir baahar se kisi ne

Riya: end mein hasa tha?

Rathore: ha

Arjun: it’s him

Rathore takes a deep breath: par isne hotel ke aage kuch kaha kyun nahi?

Riya: sir, kidnapping aur hostage situation ka golden- rule hai, 87.4% cases mein pehle call ka maksad information dena nahi, sirf dar paida karna hota hai

Arjun: chalo itna toh pata chala ki pure nauseekhiye nahi hai

Riya squints at him.

Rathore: Shree! Is building ka blueprint kab tak aayega?

Shree: sir maine, PWD mein baat kar li hai, woh admi kabhi bhi aayega

Rathore: theek hai (turning to Mangesh) uski jo bhi maang ho, aap jitna ho sake utna zyaada waqt lijiye, humare liye behtar hoga

Mangesh nods. Just then, Rathore’s phone rings.

Rathore: bol Chotu!

Chotu: sir! humara andaaza sahi nikla, 10 din pehle Golu ne 8 semi-automatics supply ki thi, us admi ka naam Babloo hai

Rathore cuts the call and relays the information to the rest. Shree dives in to find out further information about the said Babloo. Around 15 minutes later, the minister’s phone rings again. Shree patches the connection to Arjun and Riya’s headsets as well.

Mangesh: hello?

Leader: pata kar liya?

Mangesh: kya chahiye tumhe?

Leader: Ranade

Mangesh: kabhi nahi!!

Leader: soch samajh kar bol mantri, kahi aisa na ho ki ek Ranade ke peeche in 70 logon ki jaan chali jaaye

Mangesh: tum aisa kuch nahi karoge!

Leader: kar toh main sakta hun

Mangesh: woh ek criminal hai! uske Naxali hamlo ki wajah se humne 6 mahine mein 34 officers aur civilian ko khoye hai, use toh main jaane nahi dunga

Leader: toh fir theek hai, main in logon ko maar…

Mangesh: nahi!! aisa… aisa mat karna…

Leader: tere paas 3 ghante hai, mujhe Ranade chahiye warna ek-ek ko goli mar dunga!

Mangesh: dekho meri baat..

Call disconnect

Rathore: Dammit!!

Vikram: sir?

Mangesh: use kaise chod sakte hai hum?

Vikram: par aur koi chaara bhi toh nahi hai

Rathore: sir, ek option hai, hum Ranade ko hi kadi bana kar in logon ko pakad sakte hai

Mangesh: lekin aisa risk? Agar un logon ko pata chal gaya aur unhone inhe kuch kar diya toh?  hum aisa risk nahi le sakte

Rathore: sir aap fikar mat kijiye, hum sab dekh lenge aur Arjun aur Riya toh andar hi hai, woh sambhal lenge

Vikram: ha sir, ye toh hai agar ye kaam koi kar sakta hai toh woh ETF hai, I think we should take this

Mangesh ponders over it and sighs: theek hai, aap apni planning kijiye, main mantralay jaa kar Ranade ko chodne ko formalities karta hun

Arjun shook his head. She looks at him quizzically.

Arjun: ye sab ek Naxali ko chudaane ke liye? Aur itni feeki planning? Agar ye Naxali hote toh sirf 10 pehle guns kyun khareedi? Aur nauseekhiyon ki tarah kyun use kar rahe hai? Kuch na kuch toh chut raha hai

Riya thinks about it. Suddenly, she stands up.

Riya: mujhe washroom jaana hai

The leader gestured to one of his men to go with her. The ghost staring at her promptly came forward.

Riya: aap ek admi ko mere saath washroom bhejenge? Chi!

Leader: ae zyaada zubaan mat lada, jaana hai toh jaa warna baithi reh!

Riya: uh…nahi, nahi main… jaati hu

She forces a smile and the man comes with her. They turn into the corridor.

Riya: waise aapse ek baat kahu?

Man: kahiye na

Riya: aapko pata hai main aap logon ki badi fan hu, jab Ranade ji pakde gaye toh sunkar bahot dukh hua, jab hum college mein the toh main Jagdish Karle ji ki marches mein bhi jaati thi fir band ho gaya, I hope ki kisi din unse mil pau

Man: are apun haina? Hum milayega aapko use

Riya: sach?

Man: ha kyun nahi, par uh… aapne…

They reached the washroom.

Riya: uh, main jaakar aati hu

Man: ha, ha

Riya returns after 5 minutes: waise aap kuch keh rahe the

Man: woh aapne kaha ki band ho gaya, kyun?

Riya: are kya karu? aapko toh pata hai ladkiyon ke liye kitna mushkil hai, meri maa toh ek hi baat kehti hai, ki shaadi kar lo aur bache paida kar lo aur woh mera assistant Ajit? Woh bhi mujh par line maarta hai ab aise mein kaha jaaye?

Man: are aap fikar kyun karti hai? apun haina? Aap ek kaam karo, ye ho jaaye na toh Koliwada ki Gulaal basti mein aa jao, Babloo bolna, koi bhi bata dega aur fir aapko Karle sahab se bhi mila denge

Riya pretends to swoon over him: oh aap kitne ache hai!!

He giggles shyly: acha toh… chale?

Riya: ha, ha aapko bhi toh apna kaam karna hai

He escorts Riya back to the bunch of people. Just as Riya knelt again, the butt of the rifle came heavily on Arjun’s head. She gasps.

He grabs his collar: woh meri hai samjha?!

She rubs his forehead: oh god! Im so sorry, maine toh aise hi bol diya!

Arjun holds up his hand making her stop: Use patane ke liye meri bali chadhana zaroori tha? Rathore tumne ise meri supari dekar bheja hai? 

Riya glares at him……………………..