Chapter 66

CHAPTER 66

SUSPICION

"Aaj shaam tak, I want the cadets' weekly reports", Colonel Batra said. "Dismissed." The special agents saluted him. "Karan, tum ruko." The veteran waited till the other two special agents were out of the room, the door closed behind them. "At ease." He relaxed slightly. "Baitho."

He sat down, tilting his head. "Kya hua?"

"Faizi told me kal shooting range mein kya hua. With Monami", he said. Karan nodded. The veteran leaned forward. "I am concerned that she is not mentally fit to be a field agent."

What? He stared at him. He opened his mouth before closing it. "Are you..." He blinked. "Are you saying that you... you want Monami out of the program? Sir, she is my best cadet! She..." He trailed off when he held up a hand.

"I know tum dono dost ho and you care for her." He looked away. "But please think of this from a special agent's point of view. Hum mentally unfit soldiers ko field mein nahi jaane de sakte hain and yesterday was a big proof ki woh maybe iss stress ko handle nahi kar paayegi. I am not saying I want her out. But yeh baat toh tum bhi deny nahi kar sakte, na, ki Monami has a lot of trauma which may interfere with her work."

He jerked his head down in a nod grudgingly. "Yes, Sir."

"I'll schedule her for a psychological evaluation", he said. "We'll see what the psychiatrist says. But considering Monami has been a great cadet and usually, uska past uski training ko affect nahi karta hai, I am sure she'll able to continue training with some therapy and by the time, she has to go to the field, she'll be able to handle it."

'M-Mere Papa toh s-sirf yeh w-wait kar r-rahe hain ki m-main kab f-fail hongi.'

'Tumhe naa main haar manne dunga, aur naa tumhe training chodhkar jaane dunga. Meri best cadet ho abhi. One of my best commandos banogi tum.'

"Karan..." He looked up. The colonel smiled at him soothingly. "Do you think Monami is unfit for training?" He shook his head firmly. "Toh maybe tumhaari judgement sahi hogi and she'll be one of your best commandos. I'll call her to tell her about the psychological evaluation. Tum mention mat karna cadets ko ya use."

"Yes Sir."

"You can leave", he said. Karan stood up, turning away. "Karan." He turned back. "Ek baat puchhoon main?"

He frowned. "Of course", he said.

"Itna concern... for a friend?"

He blinked. "Aap... kya imply kar rahe hain, Sir?" He asked.

The colonel smiled. "Never mind, Karan", he said. "You can go." The younger male stared at him in confusion for a moment before nodding and turning away.

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

Karan eyed Sanju, who hummed under her breath, happily writing something. He glanced at Faizi, who watched her in amusement. "Bahut khush lag rahi hai tu, Sanju", Karan said. "Kya baat hai?"

She looked up. "Kal hum aur Siddharth bahar jaa raho hain", she said.

Karan's eyebrows raised. "Ooh, date?" Faizi asked, grinning. She nodded. "Hum bhi date par jaa rahe hain. Naasik. Weapons exhibition hai." His grin widened and he looked at his best friend. "Karan..."

The younger male eyed him, narrowing his eyes. "Kya hai?"

"Tumhaari waali free hai kal?" He teased. Sanju chuckled as Karan rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Monami ko date ke liye puchho. Hume poora yakeen hai woh haan karegi."

"Ho gaya tera?" He asked. He shook his head. "Kaam par dhyaan de. Paperwork submit karna hai warna teri kal ki date cancel. Aur waise bhi, kal main ghar jaunga aur rest karunga. Kam se kam aadha din songa."

Faizi opened his mouth, the phone ringing interrupting him. He stretched over to his desk, grabbing his phone but before he could accept the call, it stopped. "Sanket", he muttered under his breath.

Karan's phone rang almost immediately after and he grabbed it. "Sanket", he said, looking at Faizi. The older agent frowned and Sanju leaned forward in interest, eyebrows furrowing. He accepted the call. "Haan, Sanket, bolo?" His eyebrows furrowed. He leaned forward, keeping the phone on the desk and turning the speaker on.

'-ra saara kaam and... I don't know how this happened... I swear... I can't believe it... I don-"

"Sanket!" Karan said firmly. "Stop!" The agent stopped blubbering. "Take a deep breath and start from the beginning. Kya hua?"

"Sir... you remember that signal? Jo back trace karna tha. Laxman ki death ke time se?" He hummed. "I have been working on it. And... I was so close. I was so bloody close! It would have taken me just a few hours more but it's all gone. It's all deleted! Mera saara kaam. My backups. Mere backups ke backups. Everything is deleted. It's all gone! Mere hafton ki mehnat!"

Karan looked at Faizi with wide eyes and then at the phone. "Sanket, are you sure there hasn't been any mistake?"

"I checked and double checked and triple checked and quadruple-"

"I get it. You checked."

"Sanket", Faizi said. "Hum aa rahe hain. Don't worry. Calm down. Hum dekhte hain sab."

Karan hit the end call button, exhaling. "The spy found out." He looked at Sanju. "Sanju, Siddharth ke paas jaa. And usse check karwaa if his work is safe. And then Param Bhaiya ke paas jaa and then tell him about this. Faizi, chal. Sanket ke paas."

Karan walked briskly through the academy, Faizi matching his pace and the two pushed open the door, finding Sanket explaining something to Abhi intensely, pointing to the screen.

"Report", Karan barked.

The two looked up, standing up. "Sir", Sanket said. "Kal raat ko main ispar kaam kar raha tha and I saved it and then I went to bed. Jab subah aaya, after routine work, I went to open it and kuchh bhi nahi tha. All my work... it was like... it never existed. I checked my issued laptop, us mein backup tha. Woh bhi gayab. Then... I checked my hard drive, where I had a backup of the backup aur woh bhi gayab."

"All your work has a lot of protection, na?" Faizi asked. "Toh yeh kaise?"

"I don't know, Sir. And this is a lot of work for one night."

Karan looked at the computer and then back at him. "Sanket, tumne apna backup last kab check kara?"

"I check it every three days", he said. "It was due today. Toh Thursday ko."

"Kis kis ko pata tha iske baare mein?"

"Mujhe, Abhi, Sanju ma'am ne puchha tha ek baar and Param Sir asked for it. I even showed him everything, explained it. Kya, kaise work kar raha hai. And it's in my reports." He rubbed his face with his hands, shaking his head. "I have been working on it for 7 weeks. And it's all gone. Meri saari mehnat."

"Aapko paani chahiye, Sir?" Abhi asked, looking at him with sympathetic eyes. Sanket shook his head miserably.

"Abhi... tum bhi iss par kaam kar rahe the?" Faizi asked.

He shook his head. "He handed me some of the duties taaki woh khud kaam kar sake. But I didn't work on this."

Karan's phone rang and he dug it out, accepting the call. "Haan, Sanju?" He said, walking a few steps away from the three.

"Sir ji, Siddharth ka saara kaam uske paas hogo. Kuchh deleted naa hogo."

He sighed in relief. "Tell him to make backups and hide those." He cut the call, pocketing the phone.

The spy knew about Sanket's work but he didn't know about the cadets' involvement, probably. Hopefully. That was good. He looked at Sanket. Did he find anything out? The spy... well, he definitely wasn't above attacking agents.

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

Karan traced his finger over the stain. If he could figure what that was out, maybe it could help narrow it down. The forensics' results were inconclusive the first time around.

'Bacchon ki tarah khaati ho tum.' He tilted her chin up with a finger, inspecting her face.

That dried up chocolate on her face... He ran his finger over the stain. Sticky, flaky. Just liked the dried chocolate. He narrowed his eyes, observing it. Could it be chocolate?

Monami opened the door. Karan smiled at her slightly and she smiled back, letting him in. "Hi", she said. "Do you w-wanted to h-hang out? Main-"

"Actually, kuchh kaam tha mujhe", he said. "Kuchh puchhna tha." She nodded. "You know that chocolate jo... tumhe Abhi ne di thi? Uh, do you have those?"

She blinked. She nodded, reaching into her desk and pulling out a container. She opened it and offered it to him.

"Thank you", he said, taking one.

"E-Eat them w-with c-coffee. B-Bahut achha c-combo hai."

"Mujhe khaani nahi hai. Mujhe chocolates zyaada nahi pasand", he corrected. She tilted her head. "I'll... I'll explain later." He inspected it. He had never seen a chocolate of that brand. "Monami... yeh nayi chocolate hai ya something? I have never seen it."

She stared at him with confused eyes. "Uh... n-nahi. Abhi S-Sir said ki y-yeh l-local hai wh-where he l-lives. Koi u-unke gh-ghar ke p-paas b-banaata hai. And h-he loves it."

Local? He turned the chocolate over in his hand, inspecting it. He nodded slightly. Perhaps with a sample to compare with, the forensics could reach a conclusion. If he was lucky, this would be the same brand of chocolate. But he doubted his luck was that good. "I'm keeping this", he told her.

"M-Maine toh kh-khaane ke l-liye hi di th-thi", she agreed, shrugging. "Par aa-aapko n-nihaarne ke l-liye chahiye toh k-koi baat n-nahi."

He rolled his eyes. "Mera mazaak udhaana band karo", he said.

She smiled in amusement. "Do y-you want to h-have l-lunch t-together?" She said. "B-Baaki sab th-thoda b-busy hai."

He glanced at the time. 1345 hours. The forensic analysts would be off to lunch too. He could drop it later. "Do you only ask me as a last resort jab aur koi nahi milta?" He asked.

"Is th-that a n-no?"

"Nahi", he said. "But should I be offended?"

She rolled her eyes slightly. "No. M-Mujhe akele l-lunch k-karne mein koi d-dikkat nahi. I a-ask you b-because I w-want to h-have to l-lunch with you. I l-like having l-lunch with you."

He smiled slightly. "Chalo phir." He gestured her to lead and she locked the room before they moved to the mess.

His mind wandered back briefly. Local? He should check if there was any other agent living in the same area or a close proximity of Abhi. That... could be a lead. Narrow it down to certain agents. Considering it was a match, of course. That was a far cry but it was worth a try.

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

Faizi heaved a sigh, looking at his watch. Why was Sanjay always late?

"Sir ji", a voice said, and he looked up. Sanjay grinned at him, the smile slightly dropping when Faizi didn't smile back. "Arey, sorry, na? Ho gaya late. Ab kya bandi ki tarah manaana padega aapko?"

He rolled his eyes. "Kuchh mila tumhe?"

"Aur kya? Aise hi thode naa bulaaya hai." He sat down in front of him. "Aapne khaana nahi mangwaaya? Bahut bhookh lag rahi hai mujhe. Mujhe laga restaurant mein bulaaya toh khaana toh hoga hi."

Faizi chuckled. "Kya khaana hai? Mangwaa lo. Hum kar denge pay."

Sanjay grinned, placing his order to the waiter before turning to him. "Achha, khabar suno ab. Aapka woh Hamza hai, na? Uske baare mein hai."

He raised an eyebrow. He leaned forward. "Itni jaldi kuchh mil bhi gaya tumhe?"

"Aur kya? Aapne mujhe kam samjha hai? Sab pata hota hai mujhe." He paused, hesitating. "Sab ka matlab sab nahi. Aapka kuchh nahi pata. Yeh bhi puchh sakta hai ki bhagwaan ki photo kheenchkar le aa." Faizi chuckled again. "Pichhli baar aapne Sayed ki photo maang li. Ab aapko main unka khaas lagta hoon jo mujhe-"

"Khabar?" He interrupted.

"Arey haan", he said. He leaned forward. "Hamza shehar mein hi hai. Pata mila nahi abhi. Par mil jaayega. Hamza ke naam se koi nahi jaanta ise yahan. Ise sab Najjad ke naam se jaante hain."

Najjad. Faizi nodded a little. "Aur tumhe pakka pata hai ki Najjad hi Hamza hai?"

"Haan, Sir ji", he said. He paused. "Agar judwa bhai ho toh kuchh nahi keh sakta main. Par shakal toh ek dum milti julti hai. Poora match." His eyes lit up. "Inki photo laa sakta hoon agar chahiye toh."

"Hai photo", Faizi said.

Sanjay deflated, shaking his head. "Jiski photo mere paas hoti hain, unki inke paas bhi hoti hai", he muttered to himself. "Aur kaunse khabri hain inke?" He looked up as the waiter came, placing a plate of noodles. He grinned, looking at Faizi who smiled.

"Aur kuchh pata hai?"

He paused chewing, looking up. "Aur... kuchh bhi puchha tha?" He asked slowly. "Main bhool gaya." He looked at him with guilty eyes. "Sorry."

"Nahi", he said. "Bas puchh rahe hain ki kuchh aur pata hai toh." Sanjay shook his head, beginning to chew again. Faizi nodded, standing up. He placed some money on the table, a little extra for the informer to keep. "Arey, aap jaa rahe ho? Kuchh khaaoge nahi?"

"Hume bahut kaam hai academy mein", he said. "Pata mile toh bataana hume."

Faizi mounted his bike again, inserting the key and starting the bike. He won't be able to go to the weapons' exhibition if he didn't get the paperwork and reports done. No weapons and no date and no Koel. That sounded like a horrible Sunday.

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

Sid rubbed his forehead. He needed some coffee to even bear glancing at the computer screen for another minute. He was exhausted. This was not taught in college. He had to learn so many things just to stand a chance in narrowing the location.

"And phir w-woh l-ladka uss l-ladki ko b-bolta hai ki m-main t-tumhaare liye itna toh k-kar hi s-sakta hoon", Monami's voice traveled through the mess. "And itna romantic tha!"

He paused, peeking into the kitchen. Monami was sitting on the slab, a smile on her face, her legs swinging as she talked about probably the book she was reading. But his attention was drawn to Karan. The special agent leaned on the slab next to her, staring up at her with soft eyes and a small smile.

'I am here. You are okay.'

'I know a coffee place. Want to come?'

Sid's eyes traveled back to the special agent, taking him in. His eyes widened. Holy shit. Karan Sir liked his Monu?

---x---x---x---x—x---x---x---x---x---

Monami stared at the door, swallowing a little. She had never really talked to Colonel Batra before, not like this. Not alone. She raised a hand, knocking softly.

"Come in", a voice said.

She took a deep breath, clutching the door handle. She pushed it open, walking in. She paused in front of him, saluting. "Sir."

"Monami", he greeted. "Please have a seat."

She blinked. That was... unexpected. Nonetheless, she grabbed the chair, pulling it back and sitting down. The colonel seemed unreadable, almost... unapproachable, a far cry from his usual smiling and cheerful mood.

"I heard about what happened during the weapons' training", he started. Her thumb nail rubbed the side of her other hand nervously. "Are you okay?" She jerked her head down in a nod. "Main sugarcoat nahi karunga and I will tell you in simple words. I am concerned that you might not be able to handle the stress of being a field agent. I have scheduled you for a mandatory psychological evaluation."

A psychological evaluation? She couldn't say she didn't expect it. The panic attack interfered with her training. "I was ex-expecting it", she said softly. "Wh-When is it s-scheduled, S-Sir?"

"Kal subah", he answered. "Jitni jaldi hoga, utna better hai."

Tomorrow morning? That was really soon. Too soon, perhaps. She needed a minute to breathe. More than a minute, really. She nodded nonetheless. "K-Kitne baje?"

"Tumhe ek official mail aayega, containing all the details", he said. "I wanted to personally tell you first and clear any doubts you have."

"Th-Thank you, S-Sir." She hesitated. "Sir? A-Agar main n-nahi clear kar p-paayi toh kya h-hoga?"

He offered her a sympathetic smile. "It depends on your results. If you are deemed unfit to be a field agent, then you will be offered jobs in the departments where you are deemed fit enough to work. But you will have to stop this training. Yeh training, yeh program, it is to turn civilians into special agents. You won't be allowed to continue it. And if you are deemed unfit to be in the army, then tumhe honorably let go kara jaayega."

'Kitni baar samjhaaya hai ki yeh military, yeh training, it's not for you, baccha. Yeh tumhaare liye nahi hai.'

She took a shaky breath, nodding. "Okay", she muttered softly.

"Do you have any more questions?" He asked. She shook her head. "You are dismissed." She stood up, saluting him before walking out.

She found herself on the terrace, sitting on the parapet as she stared out at the city. A psychological evaluation. She knew it was coming. She should be grateful they didn't just kick her out because of the panic attack. It was... a hope.

'Kitni baar samjhaaya hai ki yeh military, yeh training, it's not for you, baccha. Yeh tumhaare liye nahi hai.'

'Tumhe bhi pata hai yeh training wagera tumse nahi hogi.'

"Psychological evaluation ko lekar tension mein ho?" A voice asked. She jumped, and a hand clutched her arm tightly. She looked up. Karan? "Gir mat jaana. Aaram se."

"Aa-Aap... Aap kab..." She looked at the door.

He raised his eyebrows. "Tumhe pata nahi chala?" She shook her head. "Paanch minute pehle aaya. Are you okay?"

She looked down at her shoes. "Do you th-think I'll p-pass?"

"I think you are fit for training, yes", he said.

She lifted her head, staring at him. "Kal ke b-baad bhi? My... My p-panic attack?"

"You are not the only one who has had a panic attack here", he said. "Agar hum sabko field mein jaane se rokne lage, toh humaare paas agents nahi bachenge. A lot of agents here will have soft spots. Tumhaara soft spot... it would need some work kyunki guns hain and we need to use them every day but it can be managed."

She looked away from him again, staring at the city. "M-Mere Dad b-bahut khush h-honge agar main gh-ghar w-waapas chali g-gayi toh." The words tumbled out before she could stop them. She swallowed. What would she say to him if she failed? She wouldn't be able to stand his taunts. She wouldn't.

"Tumhaare Dad chahte hain tum fail ho jao?"

"Aisi b-baat nahi hai ki w-woh ch-chahte hain m-main fail ho j-jaaon", she said. "He d-doesn't b-believe I can. He th-thinks main w-weak hoon and he d-doesn't understand ki m-main kyun ch-chahti hoon. He w-wants me to just be a d-doctor. Bas... usi skill ko h-hone karoon. Unke s-saath r-rahoon. He d-doesn't u-understand ki m-mujhe yeh k-kyun karna hai."

'Aur Juhi ma'am ki... Dr. Mahajan ko.'

'Dr. Mahajan ko army se, especially humaari team se chidh hone lagi thi.'

He hummed lightly. "Does he really think you won't pass?" She looked up at him, eyebrows furrowing. "Unke fears... regarding this life... agar hain, it won't be misplaced, na?" He eyed her, unsure of what she was thinking. Should he even say anything? He didn't know much about their relationship. Nothing, really. He didn't even know much about her father, just what he had heard from his brother or her. "Tumhaari Mumma ke saath jo hua, tumhaare saath jo hua... unke liye bhi toh traumatizing tha. I won't blame him if he doesn't want you to be a soldier."

'Tum samajhti kyun nahi ho, Monami? I don't want to come home to another corpse on my bed, baccha.'

'Apni jaan risk par daalne ki kya zaroorat hai tumhe?'

'Jis army ke khilaaf tum ek shabd nahi sun sakti, uss army ne mujhse meri wife li hai, meri bacchi ki hasi, uska sukoon liya hai.'

Monami traced the lines on her palm lightly. Was that really it? He was... scared? She had always complained that he never understood her. But did she understand him? "Ek t-time tha jab... j-jab hum l-log bahut cl-close the", she said softly. "We were... fr-friends. Par ab... h-humaare b-beech bahut d-distance aa g-gaya hai. Hum... b-baat nahi k-karte hain." She took a deep breath, shaking her head. "Let's... Let's t-talk about s-something else."

"Do you want to go out?" He asked. "Shayad tumhe achha lage."

She brushed her tears away, looking up. "Kahan?"

"Tumhe ice cream pasand hai, na?"

She smiled, hopping down from the parapet. She took a shaky breath as they walked down. She should relax. And ice cream sounded perfect.