Chapter 54

CHAPTER 54

RESULTS

"Raawat ka naam case file mein padha toh tha", Karan said. "Par it's been 11 years since unhone EFR ke against kuchh kara hai. I didn't think they would have planned an attack on him."

"Sir ji, kahin..." Sanju trailed off.

"Kya?" Faizi asked, eyebrows furrowing. "Bolo."

"Kahin yeh EFR ke saath... Matlab, Rahul ne sirf naam suna tha."

The two men stared at her in surprise. "Sanju, bakwaas hai yeh", Karan said. "Raawat ki nature jaise bhi ho par sabse pehle, he's a soldier. A good soldier. Desh se gaddari nahi karenge."

"Hum bas... keh raho the", she said quietly.

"Sanju, we have no reason to believe that Raawat is a traitor", Faizi said patiently. "Aur yeh bahut serious allegation hai. Jab tak hume aisa koi bhi fact ya even rumor nahi milta ki Raawat traitor hai, hum unpar, as a soldier, trust karenge."

"Ji, Sir ji."

Karan pinned up a picture on the white board. He patted on it. "Sheikh", he said. "EFR ka ek kaafi known leader tha. Raawat ne maara tha. 11 years back. It's one of the reasons EFR went almost silent 5 years later. Revenge is enough of a reason."

Faizi nodded. "Hume Raawat ko warn karna chahiye."

"Hum Batra Sir ji aur Raawat Sir ji ko bulaato hain", Sanju said, standing up.

"Nahi", Karan said quietly. "Raawat ko naa pata ho toh behtar hoga. Ek tareeka fail hua, unki chah nahi hai maarne ki. We can use him as bait."

The two paused. "Bait?" Faizi said. "Karan, yeh bahut dangerous hai."

"He's a trained commando. And obviously, inhe aise akele thodi naa ghoomne denge. We'll have someone keep an eye on him whenever he's out of the academy." He glanced around the photos he had pinned up on the white board. "Chal, Faizi, Batra Sir ke paas. Sanju, Mridul ko keh security plans banaaye dobara. Jo teri bait ke liye gaps chodhe the, use smoothen out kare."

"Ji, Sir ji."

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

The exam week passed without a hitch in the academy. The cadets fell into an almost monotonous routine of studying and writing their exams and the trainers a quiet schedule of waiting and anticipating for change in the mission. But it rolled by quick and thankfully, Raawat hadn't had anything too much to say.

"Cadets ne kaisa kara?" Karan asked, the Monday of the result week. The official results would be out the next day, but the officials had compiled the results. "First kaun?"

Faizi shrugged. "Raawat ne kaha sabke saath hi batayenge hume bhi."

"Foxtrot mein se hi aayega koi", Karan said, sitting down on the chair. "Koel se baat hui? Uske exams kaise hue?"

"Keh rahi thi ki Military Geography ka bura hua. Baaki achhe the." He flicked his eyebrows up. "Monami ka?"

Karan looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Tujhe yeh kyun lagta hai ki mujhe-"

"Tumhe pata hai, na?"

He looked away. "Theek hue", he said after a moment. Faizi smiled. "Baaki zyaada bataaya nahi. Par nervous nahi thi toh I gathered ki kaafi achhe hue honge uske."

There were beeps from their phones, and they both sighed, picking it up. "Meeting", Faizi said disappointedly. Karan heaved another sigh. The continuous meetings were getting on his nerves too.

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

"B-Batao, na?" Monami said, a pout on her lips. "P-Pretty please."

Karan sighed. "Monami... maine tumhe bataaya toh. Mujhe nahi pata first kaun aaya hai. Mujhe bas itna pata hai ki fail kaun hua hai."

She sighed. "M-Mujhe pata hai m-main f-fail nahi hoon. Itna b-bura nahi g-gaya tha." She eyed him. "N-Nahi hoon, na?"

He chuckled. "Nahi", he assured. "Tum fail nahi ho."

Her eyes widened suddenly. "F-Foxtrot se k-koi hai f-fail?"

"Nahi", he said. "Kal result mil toh jaayega. Itna kya impatient ho rahi ho?" She sighed, nodding. It was silent for a minute, the two sipping their coffees. She looked at him, opening her mouth. She paused, shaking her head and closing it. "Puchh lo."

"D-Do you h-have a g-girlfriend?" She asked.

Karan paused, looking at her. He stared at her for a moment before swallowing the hot coffee in his mouth. "Huh?" He said. "Girlfriend? Yeh... sudden question kahan se?"

"J-Just r-randomly. Agar z-zyaada p-personal hai, ya aa-aapko a-answer nahi k-karna, toh it's o-okay."

He shook his head. "Nahi", he answered. "Main relationships mein nahi padhta."

"A-Agar py-pyaar ho g-gaya toh?"

He scoffed. He leaned closer, looking into her eyes. "Mujhe kabhi pyaar nahi hoga, Monami. I will never fall in love."

She tilted her head. "P-Pyaar b-bolkar nahi h-hota", she said softly. "Bas ho j-jaata hai."

"Pyaar ek choice hai."

"P-Pyaar nibhaana ek ch-choice hai. H-Hona nahi. K-Kisi ke liye aa-aap kya f-feel karte ho, woh k-kabhi ch-choice nahi ban s-sakti hai."

He furrowed his eyebrows. He nodded slowly. "Par mujhe phir bhi nahi hoga. It's not for people like me."

She smiled. "Woh toh w-waqt hi b-batayega, na?" She looked him up and down. "But I th-think you'll b-be in l-love one d-day."

He kept his empty cup aside. "Aur tumhe yeh kyun lagta hai?"

"I j-just do", she said simply.

He frowned, but let it go. It wasn't going to come true anyway. "Tum batao? I know you don't have a boyfriend, but... ex?" That thought didn't entirely sit well with him, leaving a light pit of uneasiness.

She shook her head. "K-Kabhi z-zyaada b-baat hi n-nahi kari."

"Tumhe boyfriend chahiye?"

She shook her head. "N-Nahi. It's n-not for people l-like me." His eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I am t-too br-broken."

His jaw clenched. He shook his head. "Tum itni galat kaise ho sakti ho?" He said. "Mujhe nahi pata tumhe yeh kyun lagta hai ki tum broken ho, ya whatever, but you are wrong. You are dead wrong, Monami."

'Tooti hui cheezen waapas judti nahi hai, beta. Kitna bhi try kar lo, cracks toh rahenge hi. Tum toot chuki ho.'

She looked down. Why was she broken? The nightmares, the stuttering? The social anxiety?

"Cheezen tootti hain. Log nahi", Karan continued. "Log gir sakte hain par girkar tootte nahi hain."

"Toh k-kya karte h-hain?" She asked.

"Uthte hain." He paused. "Jab tum chhoti thi, aur kabhi khelte khelte gir jaati thi, toh apne Mumma Papa ke paas jaati hogi roti roti, woh tumhe comfort karte honge, tumhaare wounds par dawaai lagaate honge, aur kuchh time baad tum apni life mein aage badh jaati ho. Jitni badhi chot, utna zyaada time usse recover hone ke liye."

"Par m-mujhse n-nahi ho raha. Main n-nahi badh paa r-rahi aage."

He chuckled. "Monami... look around you", he said softly. "Look at yourself. Tum ek doctor ho. And you are in an academy. Tumne apne aap ko ek capable doctor banaaya hai, aur ek promising cadet ho. Shayad tumhe yeh lagta nahi hoga, par tum apni life mein aage badhi ho."

Monami kept the empty cup aside, fidgeting with her bracelet as she took the words in. It was so different than what her father said.

Karan was quiet after that, and she appreciated it. She needed time to think about his words. Even as they parted ways to their rooms, a good night was all that was exchanged. As she walked back, she was still dangling on the question.

Had she moved on?

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

"Aaj result hai", Sid said, tapping the table restlessly.

"Chirkut, achha hi kara hoga tune", Sanju said. "Itni chinta mat kar." She looked at the time. "Samay hone hi waala hai."

He sighed. "I hope so", he muttered. He looked up at her face.

Sanju frowned, staring back for a few seconds. He didn't even blink. "Kaa? Humaare muh par kuchh lago hai kaa?" She asked, patting it self-consciously.

"Nahi", he said, looking away. "Bas... kuchh sochne laga tha."

"Kaa?" She asked. "Aisa kaa soch raho tha?"

"Woh... main..." He paused hesitantly.

"Sid!" A voice said, breaking their conversation. He turned around to the entrance of the mess, finding Chitra running in. "Result lag gaya."

Sid was out of his seat in an instant, running after the other cadet out of the mess. Sanju shook her head, following them into the main lobby. The lobby, of course, was crowded. She spotted Monami, sitting quietly to the side, although the rapid bouncing of her leg spoke her feelings to the trainer.

"Abhi inn mein se apni team bhi separate karni hai", a voice said behind her. She almost jumped, before recognizing the looming presence and the deep voice. Karan.

She looked up, nodding. "Raawat Sir ji ne aapko nateeja bata diyo?"

He sighed. "Kahan?" He asked. "Kehte sabko pata chal jaaye phir hume bhi bhej denge. Aur chahte hain ki kal tak new team ke cadets choose ho jaaye aur saara paperwork ho jaaye. Taaki parso se inki training shuru kar sake."

She rolled her eyes. "Inhe kaa lagto hai? Kaam hawa mein ho jaato hain?" She asked. She looked back at the cadets.

"Monu", a voice broke out loudly. Siddharth. She'd recognize the voice when she couldn't even hear quite right. "Tu first hai. Main second. By a hair. But tu first hai." Sanju smiled. The two deserved it.

"What?" She said, jumping to her feet. "Main first hoon?"

There was a slight movement behind her, and Sanju looked up. Karan was staring at Monami with bright eyes. It was only a second later she realized why. She hadn't stuttered.

Sanju looked back at the two, her attention drawn to her curly haired man, bright smile and happy faced. Sid laughed as Monami jumped in his arms, wrapping her legs around him. He spun her around playfully, and she buried her face in his shoulder, hugging him tightly.

Monami's face hurt slightly from smiling so wide. She was first! And Sid was second. They were the two top. She did it! She was first.

'I want you to be the best. Meri best cadet ho tum. I want first.'

She looked around the crowded lobby. Was he here? Her eyes had paused before her mind had caught up. He was leaning against a door, eyes quietly sweeping the area. He had a small smile on his face. Her breath caught slightly as he leaned his head against the door frame.

His eyes suddenly darted to her, their gaze meeting. His smile widened slightly and he nodded a little in appreciation. Her face broke into a grin.

She was first.

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

"Kitna #achha hua, na?" Chitra said excitedly. "All seven of us are in the #top ten."

"Kamini, tu toh Monami aur Sid ka mazaak udhaati thi ki woh dono topper hain", Suman ji said. "Khud third aa gayi?"

Koel grinned. "Mujhe laga nahi tha ki main third aa jaungi. Papers achhe gaye the, par maine imagine bhi nahi kiya tha ki main top three mein hongi."

"Mere saath rehne ka asar", Sid bragged.

Koel hit his head, giving him a distasteful look. "Tere saath nahi rehti toh first aati." He pushed her playfully, making her laugh. She grabbed his head, ruffling her hair. He pushed her away, setting his hair.

"Congratulations, everyone", Faizi's voice said. Koel looked up, a smile breaking on her face. He rested his arms on her shoulders, smiling at them. "Bahut achha kara tum sab ne."

"Thank you, Sir", the cadets said in almost harmony.

Koel leaned up, gesturing Faizi to come closer. He leaned down. "Aise congratulations nahi chalega", she whispered. "Kuchh special karo?"

He pulled back, looking at her. "Kya?" He asked. She shrugged. He hummed. "Okay. Hum kuchh sochte hain." He suddenly pulled away, straightening up, and the seven looked at him at the sudden action.

"Faizi", a voice said, the next moment and the questions melted away. Raawat. "I hope Karan ne tumne bata diya hoga ki mujhe kal tak woh kaam chahiye." He glanced at the cadets.

"Sir", Faizi said.

"Oh, the cadets", he said. He glanced at their faces, before pausing at Monami. "Tum first ho, na?" She nodded. "Good job."

"Th-Thank you, S-Sir."

Monami shifted a little, uncomfortable in the mere seconds that he looked at her. There was something about the man that didn't rub her quite the right way- not in the feral, unsafe kind of way, but in the sense that the army man was judging her- absorbing every bit of information she had unwillingly put to offer and storing it away to use it as a weapon.

But the man just merely turned around, gave a look to Faizi, before moving out of the mess. She relaxed slightly. She could see why the trainers didn't quite like him.

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

Monami stared at the e-mail quizzically, rereading it again.

'Cadet,

You are requested to reach the training area at 0600 hours sharp tomorrow. Adhere to the proper drill uniform. You are prohibited to discuss the existence of this mail and/or mention any information offered in this mail. Failure to do so would result in serious consequences.

Regards,

The Parakaram Academy.'

'Kal subah 6 baje?' She thought. She kept the laptop aside, walking over to her cupboard. She set the uniform in the hangers, before taking some clothes out to change for the night. 'Kyun? Aur... kisi ko bataana allowed kyun nahi hai?'

The door opened. Sanju walked in, an exhausted look on her face. She opened her mouth. Surely, the trainer would know. She closed her mouth after a second consideration. The mail had prohibited her to speak of it to anyone.

Sanju smiled at her. "Monami... bahut achha kiya tune pariksha mein", she said. "Sab bahut..." She paused uncertainly. "Impressed the." She looked at her, unsure if she had used the right word.

"K-Karan Sir bhi?" She asked hopefully.

The trainer eyed her before nodding. "Karan Sir ji bhi", she assured.

Her face broke into a grin. She clapped her hands happily. "Thank you", she said, skipping out of the room. Sanju tilted her head, turning to look at the door. Monami ran back in, grabbing her clothes and running out again.

"Sir ji khush the isse, yeh sunkar itna khush ho gayi?" She muttered to herself. She shook her head. "Boranti. Tab hi Siddharth ke saath itni achhi banto hai iski."

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

She fidgeted nervously. It was 5:55 in the morning, yet she couldn't see a soul there. Even Karan, who on normal days, came early to set was nowhere to be seen.

The door opened and she looked up hopefully. Koel. She froze for a second, before walking in. "Mail?" She asked cautiously. Monami nodded. "Koi aur nahi aaya?" She shook her head. Koel sighed, sitting down on the tire. Monami followed the lead, sitting down too. "Why do you think hume bulaaya hai?"

Monami shrugged. "K-Kal se s-soch rahi hoon y-yeh. Par k-kuchh s-samajh n-nahi aa raha."

The door opened again, and Prem ji walked in. The cadets started trickling in- all from Foxtrot for the time being. Monami checked her watch impatiently. It was 5:59.

The door opened again, and she paused, freezing slightly. Parikshit. He was panting slightly, clearly having run to reach on time. He didn't quite notice the stares on him till he was halfway in the room. He paused, eyeing them warily, before sitting a safe distance away.

Apart from the Foxtrot cadets and Parikshit, there were a couple more- Manvi, from Alpha, if she remembered correctly and Aarush- from Echo.

They were the top ten, Monami realized just as the door opened. She shot to her feet, seeing the Colonel walk in, Raawat a step behind him and their three senior trainers behind them.

"Cadets", Colonel Batra said. "First of all, congratulations on your results. Aap log bahut achhe se apne exams mein pass hue ho. I am proud of you guys." He smiled at the cadets. "Now, coming to why humne tumhe itni subah bulaaya hai." He looked at Karan. Monami's eyes darted to Raawat, as he shifted a little, an unhappy frown crossing his face.

"Cadets, jaise tum logon ko pata hai, the point of our mission was to have trained soldiers to fight off terrorists", he started. "Isliye humne yeh decide kara hai ki tum logon ko hum alag se special training denge. It won't be any different than the rest of your peers, par yeh unse zyaada fast hogi. You are chosen based on your aptitude, your sincerity and your performance in the exams." Karan looked at the ten. "Yeh purely voluntary hai. If you do not want to stay, you are welcome to leave. Tum log waapas apne puraani team mein chale jaoge. There is no shame in it, agar tumhe jaana hai."

"You have two minutes to think about it", Raawat piped in.

There wasn't even any choice for Monami. She had her decision made. She wasn't going to walk out that door. There were a few beats before Manvi stepped out of the ranks.

"Sir, I am sorry but I don't think main isse zyaada cope par paungi", she said. Karan nodded, and she saluted the seniors before moving out of the room. 9 left now. Aarush was the next out, leaving just the Foxtrot cadets and Parikshit. 8 now.

Karan looked at each of them, and a small smirk spread on his face. "Good", he said. "Abhi se, aaj se, aapki training shuru ho jaayegi dobara. The training will be harder, and you'll have to put in your everything. Tum log humaari team hoge. Meri, Faizi aur Sanju ki. We have chosen you, but agar tumne hume disappoint kare, toh hum tumhe nikaal bhi sakte hain. Give your absolute best. Are you ready, cadets?"

"Yes, Sir", the cadets echoed.

"Tum sabka yeh josh aur jazba dekhkar mujhe bahut khushi ho rahi hai", the Colonel said. "Karan, Faizi aur Sanju ki guidance ke andar, you'll be some of the best commandos of this country. Good luck, cadets. Jai Hind." The Colonel turned around, Raawat walking just behind him but their trainers stayed.

"I am giving you another chance", Karan said. "Agar tumhe yeh nahi karna hai, you can walk out the door. Koi tumhe judge nahi karega, koi tumhe kam nahi samjhega." He paused, but no one even twitched. "Okay. Good. Ab suno. Humne tumhe isliye choose kara because hume lagta hai ki tum baaki cadets se zyaada fast ek commando ki qualities aur skills pick kar sakte ho. Tumhaari theory classes se lekar tumhaari physical classes tak, everything will be harder. Tum alag se train hoge, and the only time tum aur baaki cadets ek saath train hoge will be in the morning drills, because they are basic fitness.

This is an experiment. Sabse pehle hum 3 mahine tak tum logon ko train karenge. Agar hume lagega ki isse zyaada faida ho raha hai, then it'll be continued. In the next 3 months, tum log ek doosre ke saath bahut time spend karoge. So, it's better ki tum log koi grudge, koi misunderstandings, kuchh bhi apne beech mein mat rakho." He stared at the Foxtrot cadets pointedly. "Tumhaari training aaj se shuru hogi. Meet me at Room 104 at 1000 hours sharp. Tab tak, I recommend tum log taiyaar ho jao and talk to each other. Dismissed."

The three trainers walked out of the training room and the cadets relaxed, looking at each other. It was silent for a few minutes, as they digested everything.

Parikshit looked at the Foxtrot cadets. Did they still hold a grudge? The academy was hard to keep up and his friends in Charlie had eased off some of the stress. But if they all held a grudge against him, would he be able to cope up with the training? Monami looked at him, and he flinched a little, taking a step back.

'Mere Mumma ke baare mein bolne ki, unke upar sawaal uthaane ki, unki beizzati karne ki, aukaat nahi hai teri. Toh apna muh band rakho, warna, Mumma kasam, todh dungi.'

She wordlessly walked out of the room, and most others followed, until it was just Chitra in the room.

"Parikshit", she said. "#Welcome to the team."

Parikshit looked at the door. "Tum log abhi bhi mujhse nafrat karte ho?"

She shook her head. "#Nafrat nahi, but... it'll take some #time for everyone to warm up. Par koi tumhe kuchh #kahega nahi." She smiled at him. "I know yahan par #doston ke bina, it's a little hard. Tum humaare saath #reh sakte ho. Khaane ke time, even on #Sundays. It'll also help everyone #accept you."

"Thank you", he said.

Her smile widened. "We are a #team now", she said cheerfully. "Chalo. Ready ho jao. Phir sab #breakfast karenge."

Parikshit nodded, walking out after her to the door. It was a comfort that not everyone hated him. He couldn't say much about the others but at least, Chitra didn't seem to.