CHAPTER 25
DECISIONS AND PERMISSIONS
Karan leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping against his desk.
'Third floor ke camera ki wire hi kyun kaati?'
'Use bahut achhe se pata hai ki cameras kahan lage hain aur kya capture karte hain.'
'Usne Monami par do hafte pehle attack kiya tha', he thought. 'Aur 8-9 din pehle uska peechha kara. And then, he vanished. Naa Monami se baat kari aur naa kuchh aur kara.'
'Academy mein koi aisi activity toh thi nahi. Inhe kaise pata chal gaya? Spy ka kaam hai ya phir coincidence?'
His fingers paused. 'Euphoria ki information isne leak kari kya phir?' His fingers started drumming again. 'Par yeh kya information di hai phir? Naa log zyaada hue, aur naa plan kuchh achha tha. Sirf peechhe ke raaste par 2 log khade kar diye.' His fingers paused. 'Par... hume wahan se zyaada drugs nahi mile. Could it be ki uss information se unhone drugs ko protect kiya ho?'
He stood up, opening his laptop. He typed in his access codes, opening up the list of items they had confiscated from Euphoria. He scrolled through them, staring at the amount of drugs. It really wasn't that big for a supplier.
'Aas paas ke saare shehron mein yahan se supply karte hain.'
'Supply karne jitni toh bilkul bhi nahi hai.' Karan kept the laptop aside. 'Agar usi din information leak hui hoti, toh unhe itna time toh nahi milta ki itni saari drugs idhar se udhar kar paaye. Matlab, yaa toh information pehle se thi yaa Laxman ko galat pata hai. Jo log humne pakde the, unhe toh kuchh nahi pata. Nihaayti useless hai.'
He took his phone out, sending a message to all his informers. Unn clubs ke naam pata karo jahan par Euphoria drugs bhejta tha. ASAP.
He drummed his fingers on the bedside table for a few more seconds. "EFR... cameras ki knowledge... third floor..." His fingers paused. He grabbed his phone again.
"Ustaad ji", he said into the phone. "Pichhle ek saal mein Parakaram ne EFR ke against jitne bhi operations aur missions conduct karein hain, aur information collect kari hai, woh mujhe chahiye. Mere room mein bhejwaa dijiye, please."
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
"Haan, Amma?" Sanju said, sighing a little.
"Sanju, hume naa tere laane ek bahut achha ladka milo hai", his mother said. "Hum tere phone pe photo bheje hain. Dekh le."
She suppressed a sigh. "Bhejo." She pulled the phone away from her ear, looking at the picture. She brought the phone back up. "Theek hogo. Hum shaam ko padh lenge. Inhe pato hai ki hum army mein hogo."
"Haan."
"Aur inhe koi aapati hogo humaare kaam karno se?" Her mother fell quiet. Sanju narrowed her eyes. "Amma? Woh hume kaam karne se rukenge?"
"Sanju... kaun tujhe kaam karne dego? Aur woh bhi sena mein? Mahinon tak ghar nahi aati tu. Kabhi kabhi phone nahi uthati, kabhi baad karne ki fursat naa aur kabhi iss mission par, aur kabhi uss par. Kaun karego byaah tujhse inn sharton par?"
"Ek shart hogo, Amma. Aur agar koi naa kar sakto hai poora, toh hume bhi naa karno hai shaadi."
"Kaa zidd pakad kar baith gayo hai tu? Aiso hi hota hai. Ladki ko sasural jaakar ghar grasthi hi dekhni padto hai. Shehar jaakar bigadh gayo hai tu. Humaari baat ki koi kadar hi naa hogo tujhe ab."
"Amma, humne itne saal training aise hi thodi naa karo hai. Amma." She pulled back the phone, shaking her head in disbelief at the dropped call. She dialed the number again, listening to it ring for almost a minute before the automated voice started.
She heaved a sigh. She opened the message app, typing out a message. Amma, hume pato hai ki aap chahte hogo ki humaari shaadi jaldi se ho jaaye, aur hume usse koi dikkat naa hogo. Par desh ki seva karna, Special Agent Captain Sanjana Dubey ki pehchaan rehno, yeh hum chodhna naa chahto hain. Aapki baat ki kadar hogo, isliye hi shaadi ke liye haan karo hai, par itni kadar aap humaari baat ki bhi rakh lo, na? Please keh raho hain.
Vaishali lowered the phone, heaving a sigh. She rubbed her forehead, trying to push back the headache. Her phone rang and she heaved another sigh. It was the mother of the boy she had sent the picture of to Sanju. She accepted the call, holding it to her ear. "Jai, Maa Bhavani."
"Jai, Maa Bhavani. Kaa baat hogo aapki mori se? Boliye aap, pandit ko bulwaa lein hum?"
She paused, thinking her words over for a second. "Humaari mori ki shart hogo ki use byaah se baad kaam karno hai. Academy mein rehno hai, aur desh ki seva karno hai."
The other woman let out a chuckle. "Yeh kaa keh raho hain aap? Byaah ke baad aise hi mori ko thodi naa itna door itne samay ke liye bhej denge. Ghar grasthi ki zimmedaari kaun sambhaalego? Teacher wagere ki naukri hoto, toh phir bhi soch sako the. Par yeh..."
"Aap shart maanto, toh shaadi ke laane phir bhi soch sako the, par ab... Humaari mori shaadi ke baad kaam karego. Aapko manzoor hogo, toh baat aage karno ka faida hogo, warna... Jai Bhavani."
"Ek baat bata raho hain aapko hum. Mori ko zyaada hi sar par chadha rakho hai tabhi aisi shartein rakho hai aapne. Aapki mori, aap jaano", she replied back in a dismissing tone. "Humaare ghar ki bahu toh kaam naa karego. Jai Maa Bhavani."
Vaishali lowered the phone. This one was perfect. Except they didn't want Sanju to work. She heaved another sigh. She shook her head, dialing another number.
"Sushma!" She said. "Sanju ke laane koi mora nazar mein ho, toh hume bataano. Padha likha ho, thode khule vichaar ka..."
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
Sid poked his head out from behind the door. Koel leaned over him, peeking out. Bala crawled out under him, clutching the door for balance.
"Mood toh theek hi lag raha hai", Sid whispered.
Karan was sitting on his bed, files sprawled around him in what seemed to be an organized mess. The door was left wide open, for once. Sid's eyes widened, and he ducked back when Karan stood up. He peeked out after a few seconds, seeing him having pulled the white board close and scribbling something on it.
"You know", he said suddenly. "It's rude to stare. And chori chhupke dekhna bhi rude hi hota hai. Door ke peechhe chhupna band karo, aur jo kehna hai, aakar keh do. Foxtrot, out with it."
Sid stumbled as he felt someone push him. He grabbed Monami's arm, pulling her out of the huddle before pushing her into the room. She stumbled in. She glanced back at them, wide eyed. She shook her head, turning back but another push from Koel made her stumble in more.
"Jaa, na", Sid hissed.
"Kutta", she hissed back.
Karan's gaze lifted to them again, and the rest of the cadets stumbled back, running away from the door. Monami stared at them in disbelief, before her gaze turned back to Karan.
'Agar yahan se sahi salaamat nikli, toh sabko scalpel se kaatungi', she thought. 'Kaafi hafte ho gaye kisi ka operation nahi kiya. Aaj 6-6 karungi. Aur woh bhi bina sedative ke.'
"Rani Sahiba", Karan said, and her gaze darted to him. "Mera paas poora din nahi hai. Jo puchhna hai, puchh lijiye."
She took a deep breath. 'Monu, puchh le. Phattu mat ban. Zyaada se zyaada kya hoga?' Her gaze glanced him over, and her strength melted. 'Agar yeh gusse mein dragon bankar muh se aag nikaalne lage, toh bhi mujhe koi hairaani nahi hogi. Kaan se smoke, muh se aag, aur aankhon se laser. Sab ko combo bhi ho sakta hai.' She shook her head slightly. 'Nahi, nahi. Manaa kar denge. Bas. Aur kuchh nahi. Shayad thode taane maarenge, par koi naa, Papa ke bhi sunte hi hai. Inse bhi sun lena.'
She took another deep breath. Her gaze lifted again to meet his, and she swallowed a little, meeting his amused one. He was... amused? Good sign. Very good sign. Even if it was condescendingly amused, at least he wouldn't spontaneously combust.
"Ch-Chaar din b-baad B-Bala ka b-birthday hai", she began, her gaze wilting. "Usne a-apna b-birthday k-kabhi nahi m-manaaya. H-Hum sab ch-chahte hain ki h-hum uska b-birthday a-achhe se c-celebrate karein. H-Hume ek chh-chhoti si p-party ki p-permission ch-chahiye. C-Cake b-banaane ki, thoda r-room d-decorate k-karne ki, j-junk f-food ki aur r-room mein kh-khaane ki. P-Par s-sabki z-zaroori nahi hai, aa-aap th-thodi b-bahut bhi d-denge, toh bhi h-hum b-bahut g-grateful h-hone. Woh chh-chhota hai, na, aur k-kaafi e-excited hai, isliye h-hum uska b-birthday th-thoda achhe se c-celebrate k-karna ch-chahte hain."
She fidgeted nervously, forcing herself to keep still and not bounce on her feet. She coerced herself to lift her gaze up. His eyebrows were furrowed in a thoughtful stare, and she waited.
"Okay", he said finally. "Cake, party food, decoration, room mein khaana, sab allowed. But... three conditions. Pehli, jitna bhi room tum log philaoge, woh tumhe khud saaf karna padega. Doosri, agar tum logon ne zyaada halla kiya, yaa zyaada indiscipline mein rahe, toh usi second sab band karwaa dunga. Aur teesri, agle hafte, Monday se lekar Saturday tak, tum logon ko extra duty karni padegi."
She blinked. It was a... yes? Just like that? Her mind caught with the rest of the conditions. She frowned a little. "Extra d-duty? M-Matlab?"
"Matlab special agents ke chhote mote kaam. Idhar se udhar file lekar jaani hai, message pass on karna hai, paperwork file karna hai, cheezen organize karni hai, things like that." He tilted his head a little. "Ab favor chahiye, toh aise hi toh milega nahi. You'll have to earn it."
She nodded. "Okay."
"Theek hai, phir. Permission granted. Conditions yaad rakhna and everyone who is involved in the party has to do extra duty for one week. Sirf one evening ki permission hai, koi class miss nahi honi chahiye, sab kuchh saaf hona chahiye, kamre mein ke andar jitni masti karni hai, karna, but agar corridors tak bahut zyaada shor hua, it'll be stopped immediately. Is that clear?"
"Yes s-sir", she said.
Karan nodded at her. "Kuchh aur nahi puchhna, toh you're dismissed."
She turned around, leaving the room. Four steps in and she was hounded around by the rest. She looked at them with narrowed eyes. 'Mujhe dragon ke cave mein push karke bhaag gaye the, na, sab? Ab maine baat hi nahi karni inse.'
"Kya bola?" Koel demanded.
"Chehra kyun utra hua hai?" Suman ji asked. "Daant padhi?"
"Doctor Madam, aap theek hain, na?" Bala asked. "Karan Sir ji ne zyaada daantta? Sorry, Doctor Madam. Aapko meri wajah se Karan Sir ji ne daant diya."
Monami's resolve faded, and she shook her head. "B-Bakwaas m-mat kar. T-Teri w-wajah se k-kuchh nahi. W-Waise bhi, K-Karan Sir ne h-haan kar di."
"WHAT?" The cadets shrieked.
"Sach mein?" Prem ji asked.
"I can't #believe it", Chitra said.
"K-Kuchh c-conditions hain", she added.
The cadets' smiles faded a little. "Conditions? Kya hai?" Sid asked.
She crossed her arms. "M-Main n-nahi b-bataati. Maine b-baat hi n-nahi k-karni hai." Her lip stuck out in a pout. "M-Mujhe s-sab chodhkar ch-chale gaye. K-Koi m-mere s-saath bhi n-nahi ruka. Bh-Bhaag g-gaye saare." Their eyes widened, seeing the tears welling up. "T-Tum logon ko m-main p-pasand hi n-nahi hoon. M-Mujhe aise hi ch-chodhkar ch-chale gaye." She pushed past them, walking off.
"Monami", Koel called. "Sorry. Ruk, na?"
"Monu!" Sid said, walking briskly after her.
"Doctor Madam, aap toh meri favorite ho", Bala called, as they all ran after her.
"#Mine too", Chitra said.
"Suman ji ki bhi favorite hai", Suman ji said.
"Monami, shama kar do. Hum aage se aise tumhe chodhkar kahin nahi jaayenge. Vaada!" Prem ji called.
Karan leaned on the doorway, arms crossed. A small smile upturned his lips and he shook his head. He turned back to his room, sitting down on his chair. His smile widened a little.
'Akad toh dekho. Humaare saath baithna bhi nahi chahti.'
'I... I want freedom.'
She hadn't realized it but she has begun to walk the path to the freedom she craved for.
And he wasn't the only one rooting for her.
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
Monami smiled happily, biting into the sandwich. "Th-Thank you", she said to Koel after swallowing the bite. She smiled at her, patting her hand. The cadets had come to a unified conclusion to pacify her- food. And so, she now had her favorite sandwiches and a cup of Sid's special coffee as an apology for pushing her in and leaving her alone. She had melted faster than butter on a hot pan.
"Moti Billi", Sid said, flicking her forehead. "Bas khaana de do tujhe. Bhukhad."
She scowled at him. She eyed him as she sipped the coffee. Was it worth it to dump the coffee on his head? She took another sip. Nuh-uh. The coffee was too good to waste on Sid. She took another bite on the sandwich, turning some of her attention to the planning.
"So, we need a cake. Kis kis ko cake banana aata hai", Koel said. Monami raised her hand, along with Sid.
"Monu aur mujhe bahut saare types ke aate hain", Sid said. "Cake hum banaa lenge. Aage chalo."
"Next up, khaana?" She said. "Main aur Suman ji manage kar lenge. Decoration Prem ji aur Chitra kar lenge."
"Aur main?" Bala asked.
"Tu kya?" Koel asked. "Tera toh birthday hai, na? Tere liye hi toh kar rahe hain. Ab tu thodi naa kaam karega. Tu baithkar aish karna." She ruffled his hair. "Ek din ke liye tu raja."
Suman ji smiled at him. "Tera birthday bahut special banayenge hum." She patted his cheek.
Bala's eyes welled up with tears, and he threw himself in the arms of the person closest to him, which happened to be Sid. "Thank you", he said, his voice muffled. He sniffled. "Aap sab kitne achhe ho."
"Oye, bas kar", Sid said, patting his back. "Itna kya senti ho raha hai?"
Suman ji hit his head lightly. "Buddhu", she said. He pulled away, wiping his tears a little.
"Paagal kahin ka, rone laga", Koel said. "Yeh koi rone ki baat hai?"
"#Smile, Bala", Chitra said.
Monami looked down at her sandwiches, before holding one out to him in offer. "R-Rona b-band ho j-jaayega", she said. "Le le. L-Limited offer hai, w-warna m-main kha j-jaungi ise."
He chuckled, wiping his tears. He accepted it, and she offered him a smile, taking another piece and biting into it.
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
Sanju leaned against the railing, clutching the parapet tightly.
'Shehar jaakar bigadh gayo hai tu. Humaari baat ki koi kadar hi naa hogo tujhe ab.'
"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice said. Sanju turned around.
Koel.
She smiled at her, walking closer. She leaned against the parapet. "Kya hua, ma'am? Aap itna pareshaan kyun hain?"
Sanju started to shake her head. She paused. "Teri toh shaadi ho chuki hogo, na?" Koel's smile faded a little. She glanced away, nodding. "Tera baccha bhi hogo. Phir bhi tu kaam kar raho hai aur itne saalon se karti hogo. Pehle nurse ka kaam, aur ab yeh." Sanju sighed. "Tujhe kaa kisi ne kuchh naa bolo?"
"Bola, na? Bahut logon ne bola", Koel said. "Logon ka toh kaam hai bolna. Kuchh naa kuchh toh kehte hi rahenge."
"Par agar yeh log Maa Baapu ki hue toh?" She asked.
Koel fell quiet in a thoughtful silence. Sanju turned her head, looking at her. "Aapke parents chahte hain ki aap shaadi kar le?" She asked finally. She nodded. "Aur aap nahi chahti?"
"Aisa naa hai. Hume shaadi se koi dikkat naa hogo. Par hume shaadi ke baad bhi kaam karno hai, desh ki seva karno hai. Par koi ladka taiyaar naa hoto hai. Toh hum bhi manaa kar deto hain. Humaari Amma chahti hai ki hum yeh shart naa rakhe."
She hummed. "Aapki Maa yeh chahti hai yaa yeh woh keh rahi hain jo aapki society chahti hai?"
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Matlab?"
"Ma'am, aapki Maa ne kya aapka decision support kiya tha army join karne ka jab aapne shuru kiya tha?" She asked. Sanju nodded. "Toh matlab unhe aapke kaam karne se toh koi problem nahi hai, na? Problem hai shaadi. Aapki Maa chahti hain, aapki shaadi ho jaaye, aur aapki yeh shart kisi ko manzoor nahi. Agar aapki Maa ko aapke kaam karne se problem nahi hai, and woh in fact, aapko support karti hain, aur phir bhi shaadi ke chakkar mein aap yeh chodh do, toh aap kiski baat maan rahi hain? Apni Maa ki yaa uss society ki jo yeh kehta hai ki shaadi ke baad ladki ko kaam nahi karna chahiye? Society ki, right? Ab iss society ko aapki koi fikar nahi hai- aap kya feel karti hain, aap kya chahti hain, kisi bhi cheez ki nahi. Phir aap kyun karein inki fikar?"
She shook her head. "Koel, yeh sab baatein sunne mein, bolne mein achhi lagto hain, par humaare Maa aur Baapu ko toh isi samaj mein rehno hai, na?"
"Toh ek kaam kariye. Village chodhiye, aap shehar mein koi ladka dhoond lijiye", she said. "Aapke village mein yeh mentality hai, poore desh mein thodi naa. In fact, aap soldier hi dhoond lijiye. Problem solved. Use aapke kaam karne se bhi problem nahi hogi, aur aapki shaadi ho jaayegi toh aapke parents bhi peace mein rahenge. Ab yeh toh kahin nahi likha, na, ki shaadi village ke hi kisi ladke se honi chahiye."
She hummed, nodding thoughtfully. "Hum baat karto hain."
Koel smiled at her. "Ab aapki problem solved? Toh chalo."
"Kahan?" She asked.
"Aapka mood theek karte hain", she said. "Training room chalte hain. Aapko achha lagega. Main baaki sab ko bhi bulaati hoon. Ek do ko dho dena, apne aap mood theek ho jaayega."
Sanju chuckled, following her out. "Training mein bahut dhoto hain hum. Aur karenge, toh koi naa koi chodkar bhaag jaayego."
"Aap mujhe hi kuchh sikhaa dijiye phir", she said. "Main Sid ko bhi dikhaungi. Hamesha show off karta rehta hai."
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
Faizi hummed to himself happily, walking back to his room. His cheek tingled where Koel had planted a kiss minutes ago. He opened his door, footsteps faltering as he walked in.
Karan was sleeping on his bed which was littered with files. A couple laid over him, and some around him. Papers were spread out and kept under paperweights on the desk, and a few coffee mugs were laid all over the room.
'Main hoon, na? Tu puchh toh sahi. Haan karegi, toh tu jaana. Main sab sambhaal lunga.'
'Par jaana hai, tu main sambhaal lunga. Tu uski tension mat le.'
Faizi walked in, his jaw clenched. He shook his head, carefully gathering the files around him. He placed them on the desk, before he gently tried to lift the ones he was holding over his chest.
Karan's eyes snapped open. His gaze settled on him, and he glanced down at him, letting go of the file. He groaned, turning to his side. Faizi kept the files on the desk.
"Kya hua?" His sleepy voice asked. "Koel se milkar aaya. Khush kyun nahi lag raha?"
"So jao tum", he said quietly.
Karan sat up. "Faizi?" His eyebrows furrowed. "Kya hua? Jhagdha ho gaya kya? Usne kuchh kaha tujhe?"
"Usne kuchh nahi kaha, naa humaara jhagdha hua", he replied.
"Toh bol, na? Kya hua?"
He heaved a sigh, sitting on his bed. "Kya hai yeh?"
"Kya?"
"Yeh, jo tum kar rahe ho. Itni files, itna kaam ki karte karte so rahe ho. Tum humaare hisse ka bhi kaam kar rahe ho? Isliye kar rahe ho ki hum Koel ke saath waqt bitaa sake? Tabiyat kharaab ho jaayegi tumhaari. Waise hi, overwork karte ho aapne aap ko."
Karan rolled his eyes. "Ho gaya tera?"
"Hum mazaak nahi kar rahe hain. Serious hain hum."
"Serious nahi, paagal hai tu."
"Karan!"
He sighed. "Tu bekaar mein dukhi ho raha hai." He stood from his own bed, sitting down next to him. "Main ek saal pehle ki EFR ki files check raha tha, spy ke baare mein. Tu Koel se nahi milna jaata, toh bhi main yeh sab kaam khud hi karta hoon. Tujhe pata hai mujhe saari information khud padhni pasand." He hit him lightly with his shoulder. "Zaroorat padhi toh sabse pehle tujhe hi bulaaunga. Date chodh, teri shaadi se bhi bulaa lunga." He slapped his head. "Gadha."
He laid back down on his own bed after grabbing a file. Faizi rolled his eyes, grabbing it back. "Bahut ho gaya", he said sternly. "So jao, na?"
He snatched the file back, hitting his leg with it. "Ab tu rondu shakal banaakar aa gaya. Tere drama ke chakkar mein neend udh gayi. Do file padhunga, dobara aane lag jaayegi." He opened it. Faizi smiled slightly. Within a couple of minutes, his eyes started to droop.
Faizi chuckled, plucking the file from his hand. Karan didn't protest, instead sliding down and lying down. He was asleep in the next second. Faizi pulled the blanket up, covering him. "Good night."
"So jaa, na", he snapped sleepily. "Phir se neend kharaab karega. Aur light band kar!"
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