Chapter 55

CHAPTER 55

CONFLICTS

The breakfast with Parikshit was a little unusual. It was awkward. Monami wasn't all that sure on how to react. She wasn't angry at him anymore. But she didn't like him either. Should she engage him in a conversation?

In the end, she focused on her poha, eating it quietly. There were a few talks, but no one quite acknowledged the addition of the new member- neither taunting him, nor engaging him.

Parikshit was satisfied with the breakfast. It wasn't welcoming, but it wasn't the other way around either. He ate quietly, before sitting patiently, waiting for everyone to finish. It was already 0930 hours. Would they all just go straight to class or what? They all sat there, even after they had kept their plates on the counter, just chatting idly.

"Parikshit", Chitra said, and he looked at her. "Tum hume apne #baare mein batao."

He glanced at others, who had fallen quiet, looking at him expectantly. Even Monami. "Well, main ek CA hoon. Chartered Accountant. And main 8 saal se corporate life mein tha before I decided to leave it, and serve my country."

"K-Kyun?" Monami asked quietly. "Yeh s-suddenly k-kyun?"

"I guess mujhe hamesha se army bahut fascinating lagti thi. And agar aapko desh ko serve karne ka chance mil raha hai, then chhodna kyun? It's an honor. Nahi?" He looked at her, finding something flickering in her eyes. She smiled a little, nodding. "Aap log batao? What did you do before this aur aapne kyun join kari?"

Prem ji was the first to start, and the rest followed, telling their stories to him in brief.

"Meri Mumma... She w-was in the a-army. L-Lieutenant C-Colonel Dr. Juhi Mahajan", she said proudly. "A-Almost 10 s-saal pehle, woh sh-shaheed ho g-gayi." Parikshit winced. "M-Mujhe h-hamesha se u-unki t-tarah b-banna tha. I am a d-doctor. Main isse p-pehle apne D-Dad ke s-saath unke h-hospital mein ek r-resident d-doctor thi before I r-resigned to c-come here."

"Monami... I am sorry", he said sincerely.

She looked away. "Main y-yeh nahi k-kahungi ki it's o-okay because it's not b-but... l-let's move on." She paused. "S-Sorry for the c-coffee."

"Let's move on", Parikshit assured.

It was slightly more pleasant after that little conversation was out of the way, but Parikshit could see the reservations still. The little looks by Sid, slight weariness by Koel, Monami's quietness, but he was hopeful.

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

Karan was drawing something on the board, placing random X's and O's on different spots but as soon as the eight entered the room, he erased it with the duster, turning his attention to them.

"Chess ke rules pata hai?" He asked, leaning against the table. The eight looked at each other, nodding. "Sabko? Nahi pata toh bata do?" They all nodded in confirmation. He crossed his arms. "Good. Aaj ek thinking exercise karte hain."

Monami smiled a little. They didn't have too much of them, perhaps a couple since the training had started, but they were always interesting. They kept her in her head for hours and she always had plenty of things to think about.

"Kisi ko pata hai ki chess mein haathi, ghode, rani, raja, wazir, pyaade, pieces ko yeh kyun kehte hain?" He asked.

Koel raised her hand the first, although a couple others had their hands up too. Karan nodded to Koel. "Chess ko war jaisa maanta the. Strategy soch paane ke liye khelte the."

"Correct", he said. "Chess mein stakes kam hote hain. However good of a strategy game chess is, it's just that- a game. Shayad similarities se zyaada, differences hain. I want you guys to think ki chess aur war mein differences kya hain, and as a strategist, yeh humaare liye achha saabit hota hai ya bura, and kaise. It's an open discussion."

Prem ji, surprisingly was the first to raise his hand after a beat of thoughtful silence. "Shatranj mein hum badhe aaram se apne pyaade, apne mauhre kurabaan kar dete hain par asal mein hum woh sab karte hain ki hum ek ek sipaahi ko bacha sakein."

Karan nodded. "As a strategist, sometimes aapko apne soldiers ko aisi position mein daalna padega jahan par unke bachne ke chances bahut zyaada kam hain. But those are the more dire situations. A successful strategy, not only ends in a successful result, but also, in the conservation of as many resources as possible. And human resource se zyaada koi resource zaroori nahi hai." He glanced at Bala, but he seemed to understand what he had said in English. He smiled slightly.

Monami raised her hand hesitantly, and he nodded to her. "J-Jab hum ch-chess kh-khelte hain, t-tab humaari aur o-opponent ki st-strength s-same h-hoti hai. H-Hume pata h-hota hai ki d-doosre s-side ke p-paas kya hai, k-kitna hai. Ch-Chess mein s-saare p-pieces ke m-moves pata h-hote hain. H-Haathi sirf s-seedha chal s-sakta hai, wazir s-sirf d-diagonal. Par w-war mein naa h-hume y-yeh pata h-hota hai ki d-doosri s-side ke p-paas kitni s-strength hai, n-naa unke koi p-patterns. We are b-blind."

"Very good. But?" He prompted. She paused, thinking. She tilted her head in confusion.

"But jaise hum blind hain, waise doosri side bhi hai", Parikshit said. "Humaari strength, humaare patterns, woh unse bhi toh hidden hain. We are both blind. Aur strength disparity mein yeh bhi ho sakta hai ki hum superior ho."

"Hum log emotions ko factor in nahi kar sakte chess mein", Sid said. "War mein we are not dealing with pieces, we are dealing with humans. Toh fear, anger, saari possibilities hoti hain."

"Jasoos bhi", Bala said. "Kabhi kabhi koi humaare naak ke neeche se gaddari karta hai, aur hume pata bhi nahi chalta."

"What's gaddari, bro?" Sid asked.

"Betrayal", Karan said quietly.

'Academy mein ek spy hai.'

'Usne mere informer ko maara hai.'

His hands clenched around the table he was leaning against. He closed his eyes. All he needed was for them to take the bait. Raawat. He had, for the first time since the exams had started, gone out of the academy on what seemed to be an errand run, and Faizi was following him, keeping an eye out.

Patience. Karan desperately needed that. He was getting really tired of the waiting. He took a deep breath, shaking his head. He opened his eyes, trying to shift his attention back to the class.

The cadets talked amongst themselves and Karan listened quietly, intervening only when they missed a crucial point of discussion. They were good for their time of training, raising points he wouldn't have expected out of them if he hadn't known their capabilities.

He smiled slightly. He had chosen a good team.

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

Sid sighed, staring out at the city. He had wanted to spend some time with Sanju- was dying to, would be more appropriate- but she had work to do. He looked down at the beer in his hand, finishing the last of the can. Too much drinking resulted in punishments and he, anyway, couldn't afford a hangover with the new training regime, so he didn't pick another one.

"Itne akele kyun ho?" A voice asked.

He turned around. Faizi. He smiled at him. "Kuchh nahi", he muttered.

There was a slight chuckle. "Bura naa manna agar thoda personal ho gaya", Faizi said. "Sanju ko baare mein soch rahe ho?"

Sid's head snapped up to him. His eyes widened. "Kya?" He asked. The older man merely smiled. Sid rolled his eyes. "Aapko Koel ne bataaya hoga?"

"Nahi. Humaari aur Koel ki iss baare mein koi baat nahi hui hai. Humaara andaaza tha jo sach nikla", he said. He leaned against the railing. "Hume kaafi samay se lag raha tha par kuchh dinon se woh shaq yakeen mein badal raha tha." He paused. "Tum use bataoge?"

"Main unki feelings ke baare mein thoda jaanna chahta tha", Sid said. "Warna pata chala confess karne gaya, hospital pahunch gaya."

Faizi laughed. "Concern galat nahi hai. Woh thodi violent hai." Sid smiled in amusement. Thodi? "Par... humaari maano toh chance lekar dekh lena chahiye."

Sid looked at him in interest. "Aapse unhone kuchh kaha kya?"

He shrugged. "Pata nahi."

"Pata nahi ya bata nahi sakte?" He asked.

"Does it matter?" He countered. Sid reached down in the bag, holding out a can of beer in offer. Faizi shook his head. "Hum bahut kam peete hain." He tossed it back in the bag. "Tum drink karte ho regularly?"

Sid nodded. "Ek point par... I would say it was a problem", he admitted. "But that was a long time ago. Hard time so... thode unhealthy coping mechanisms the. Monu helped me get out." He smiled. He looked up at Faizi. "Ek baat puchhoon?"

Faizi nodded. "Puchho, na? Jo puchhna hai, puchho."

"You're... you're serious about Koel, right?" He asked. "I know she is serious about you. I know woh aapko bahut pasand karti hai and... she is a very good friend. I would really hate to see her heartbroken. I just hope aapki priorities mein woh bhi aati ho."

"Siddharth, hum tumhe assure kar sakte hain ki hum Koel ke saath koi game nahi khel rahe hain. Humaari feelings genuine hain. Hum uske liye bahut care karte hain."

Sid eyed him. "Sir... maine aur Monu ne bahut kuchh dekha hai apni life mein. And one thing I learnt, yeh baat bolna, even believe karna, bahut easy hai ki aap kisi ke saath hamesha rahoge when things are good. But when everything falls apart, that's when you really know. I hear you now, but main aapko tab believe karunga jab main aapko uske saath dekhunga. Not before that."

Faizi opened his mouth, the words dying on his tongue when his phone rang. He took it out. Karan. "Haan, bolo, Karan?" He said.

'Night drive par chalega?'

He frowned. "Matlab?"

'Raawat academy se bahar jaa raha hai.'

"Itni raat ko?"

He hummed. 'Apparently. Chalna hai toh aa jaa. Warna mujhe toh jaana hi padega.'

"Aa rahe hain hum." He cut the call, looking at the cadet.

Sid tilted his head. "Everything okay?"

Faizi nodded. "Haan. Baat karne achha laga, Siddharth. Par abhi hume jaana hai."

"Of course", he said.

As Faizi walked away, there was something about the conversation that lingered in his mind. Perhaps this serious side of Siddharth that while he knew existed, he has never quite seen. But mostly, it had to be Koel.

Where was their relationship going?

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

"Itna chup chup kyun hain?" Karan asked, turning a corner as they quietly sat in the car, watching the man do whatever he was doing at the market.

Faizi sighed. "Kuchh soch rahe the", he muttered. Karan looked at him, flicking an eyebrow up. "Bataate hain. Jab khud samajh aaye."

He tilted his head, eyeing him. "Sab theek?" He hummed. Karan turned back to Raawat, letting his best friend wallow in whatever thoughts he was so deep in.

His eyes narrowed, focusing on a man that was glancing at him periodically. He grabbed the camera, snapping a few shots of the man.

"Faizi, Sanju ko bhej", he said, handing him the camera. "Use bol database check kare."

His thoughtful gaze sharpened into a focused look and he grabbed the camera. Karan started the car again, following Raawat as he pulled out of the market.

"Raawat ko tail kar rahe hain woh log", Faizi said. Karan nodded.

"Number plate?"

"Stolen", he answered. "No lead."

He would have been very surprised if there was. He tensed up when Raawat pulled up onto a quieter road. It was already late, night having fallen in earnest.

He pushed down on the breaks when the car ahead stopped abruptly, Raawat's car stopping too when another pulled up in front of it. They were mostly hidden, having kept a safe distance.

He grabbed his gun, cocking it and both the men hopped down from the car, mostly shielded by the darkness of the night. Raawat hopped down from his jeep on the insistence of the men, his own gun drawn but not aimed. There were a few words of exchange, some insults thrown from the looks of it, and then one of them raised his gun.

Faizi, beside him, pulled the trigger. The shot didn't miss. The gun clattered to the ground and the man followed, the life drained out of him.

Raawat dove for cover, ducking behind his jeep. Shouts and confused yells were enough of a distraction as the three soldiers raised their guns, pulling the triggers in quick succession.

Karan paused for a few moments, before he walked out from the cover. He paused, looking around. The men were all dead. He sighed.

"Karan", Faizi shouted, alarm and panic shining in his voice. A loud crack followed, his ears ringing from the suddenness.

A man fell to the ground, his gun clattering noisily in the dead of the night. He had two holes in his head. Karan blinked. He looked up between his best friend and Raawat, both with their guns drawn and smoking.

Karan glanced around, reanalyzing the area. No one. He looked at Raawat, who was inspecting the dead bodies too. He looked up at Karan and then at Faizi. "I was the bait?" He asked quietly. His sharp eyes glared at the two and they looked at each other.

"We had suspicions", Karan said carefully.

Raawat gave him a deadpan look. "You want me to believe that you two of all the commandos in the academy were acting as my personal security because of a suspicion?"

Karan was spared to answer when a bullet whizzed past him, and the three ducked instinctively, glancing at the direction. A bike. Two men.

Not another beat missed before the three dove to take covers, guns drawn again.

Faizi narrowed his eyes, taking a deep breath. In. Out. The tire. He flinched as a bullet missed his head by an inch, throwing himself down on the ground.

He peeked out a second later. The bike had stopped. But they had taken covers too, bullets flying between the two sides. Faizi pulled the trigger.

One down.

"Faizi, try kar ki mare na", Karan said.

Faizi narrowed his eyes. The hand was too close to the head. He needed to shoot the hand. The world fell apart around him as his concentration sharpened. He pulled the trigger.

The gun clattered to the ground.

Faizi exhaled, lowering the gun. Karan was the first one out, his own gun out as he carefully approached the man. Faizi and Raawat were quick to follow.

The man glared at them as they approached. "Tum mujhe kabhi zinda mahi pakdoge", he spat. Karan's eyes widened as he crushed a pill between his teeth. He knelt down, checking the pulse. He sighed. Dead. Probably cyanide.

"I am assuming itne saare log aise hi randomly toh aaye nahi honge", Raawat said. "Kya chal raha hai?"

Karan and Faizi glanced at each other. "Sir, matter confidential hai. Hume lagta hai Batra Sir ke cabin mein unke saath yeh discussion better hai", Faizi said. He glanced around. "I think aapko academy jaana chahiye. It is not safe here."

"Cleanup crew ko notify kar diya hai", Karan said. He looked at the shattered glass of the jeep. "Aapko woh log chhod denge."

Raawat didn't seem happy with the lack of answers but he nodded. It was silent for a couple of minutes as Karan and Faizi inspected the bodies, looking for a hint.

The jeeps pulled up, and Karan ordered a couple men to take Raawat back, instructing them to keep their eyes and ears open and warning them of possible attacks.

It was almost an hour of analyzing and patting down the several bodies before the two majors had a chance to return back. Typically, their juniors handled these specifics but they couldn't risk the clues vanishing.

"Achha hai itna late ho raha hai." Faizi shook his head, sitting in the passenger seat of their thankfully intact car, courtesy to the fair distance they had parked it in. He inspected his dirty clothes, brushing off some. He wasn't even sure where the dirt had come from. "Koel sawaal puchh puchh kar jaan le leti agar aise dekh leti", he grumbled.

Karan chuckled. "Goliyan chali hain humpar par tujhe iss baare mein chinta hai ki Koel ko jawaab dena padega?"

The words knocked his breath out and he looked at Karan wordlessly, blinking. The younger major merely started the car, not quite noticing as his world fell apart.

'Humaari feelings genuine hai. Hum uske liye bahut care karte hain.'

'Goliyan chali hai humpar par tujhe iss baare mein chinta hai ki Koel ko jawaab dena padega?'

He licked his suddenly dry lips, staring out at the dark outlines of the trees in the jungle. As the words echoed, and he thought about it, Faizi accepted what he probably knew but was too terrified to accept.

He was in love with Koel.

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

Darkness shrouded the room, his own heart pounding in his ears. Faizi turned in his bed, staring at the fast asleep Karan across the room.

'Goliyan chali hain humpar par tujhe iss baare mein chinta hai ki Koel ko jawaab dena padega?'

The words made him flinch. He turned to his back, staring up at the ceiling. He was in love. He took a deep breath. What to do now?

A 6 year old Faizi grinned, staring at his parents quietly. His mother blushed deeply, her fair skin flushed red as she accepted the flower his father offered her.

'Abu, aap Ammi ko phool kyun de rahe ho?'

'Faizuddin', his father said, pulling him onto his lap. 'Jab kisi se mohabbat karte hain, toh yeh sab dene se uss mohabbat ka izhaar karte hain.'

His jaw clenched. Just like the promises of love his father had sworn to his mother, the flowers had wilted. He never quite liked flowers after that, never quite trusted in love as much.

It wasn't that he believed love didn't exist. No. He believed it did. He saw it every day. He saw it in the patient waiting of soldiers to go home to their significant others, saw it in the little gifts sent, the daily calls, the worry when they went for missions. He believed in that love.

He just didn't quite trust it.

'Aapki zubaan se nikle ek bhi shabd par hum bharosa nahi karte', a 23 year old Faizi spat. 'Isi zubaan se aapne humaari Ammi ko kaha tha ki aap unse mohabbat karte hain. Aur isi zubaan se aapne unhe kaha tha ki woh aapki kuchh nahi lagti. Naa aap par bharosa hai aur naa aapke shabdon par.'

He wasn't all that strong, he had long known that. He didn't have his mother's quiet strength, nor Karan's invincible mental fortitude or even Sanju's stubborn persistence. And so, he had kept everyone at an arm's distance. Karan had been the only one who had sneaked past his fence, quietly standing by and never leaving.

And now Koel.

The only problem was that he wasn't sure she wouldn't leave. And that was a big problem. A really, really big problem.

He shifted again, lying on his stomach as he stared at the wall. What was he supposed to do now? His problem wasn't Koel. It was his feelings. So he'd throw these feelings away. He shifted, staring at the ceiling. He nodded to himself.

That'd do it.

He'd throw his feelings away. And for that, he needed to stay away from her.

The thought made his insides twist with displeasure. But he nodded to himself again. He would stay away from Koel from tomorrow.