Chapter 68

CHAPTER 68

THE STORM

Karan leaned back on the couch, inspecting the middle aged psychiatrist quietly. She had a kind face, slight wrinkles- laugh lines- around her eyes. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. She held his gaze, offering him a small smile. Kind but firm. His eyes darted to the Colonel and then to Sanju and Faizi, the room shrouded in silence.

"I am Dr. Vamika Goyal", she said. "I took your cadet's psychological evaluation."

"Special Agent Major Karan Shergill", he introduced.

She smiled. "I know who you are. Aapko kaun nahi jaanta? There is no need for introductions." She offered a smile to the others too. "I know aap log busy hain. Let's not waste time and get down to discussing her results." They nodded. Vamika opened the file, taking out a piece of paper. "My end line conclusion is that Dr. Monami Mahajan is not mentally fit to be in the field in her current mental situation."

Not... mentally fit? Karan froze. What? She said 'not', didn't she? Did... Did that mean they were going to kick Monami out of the program? Just... Just like that?

"She is not violent or volatile. If not triggered, she is capable of taking sound decisions and has shown signs of being on the path of becoming a good commando. But she does not know how to manage her triggers. She cannot control her emotions when she is pressed and this is a big hindrance in the field. Hence, I rule her unfit for field work."

"Kya field agent ke alaawa woh army mein reh sakti hai?" Colonel Batra asked.

Vamika nodded. "Definitely", she said. She paused for a moment, looking at the colonel. "I know you are short on field agents and Monami is a good cadet, so if I may add something?"

"Feel free, doctor", he allowed.

She fiddled through the file, bringing out another paper. She looked at the agents. "Aap logon ke plan ke hisaab se, when are you planning to let the cadets go into the field? Minimum time?"

"Abhi se?" Karan said. "About 8-9 months. Inki training ko 1 saal ho jaayega. Par depending on their performance, hum iss time ko extend kar sakte hain. Par at least 8-9 months. Not counting behind the scenes assistance, of course. That's not field work."

She nodded. "The only thing jo Monami ko field mein hone se unfit banaata hai is her triggers. If she can manage her triggers, toh she would be fit to go into field." She looked at the colonel. "Sir, agar aap Monami par invest karna chahte hain, then I can work with her until her time to go into the field to help her manage her triggers through therapy. But uske baad bhi, if she will be fit to be in the field or not, woh pakka nahi hai."

The colonel looked at the agents and then back at her. "We will let you know by 1300 hours hum iss baare mein kya sochte hain", he said. "If there is a need for further discussion, you might need to come again."

She smiled, nodding. "Anytime." She stood up, walking out. She closed the door behind her, leaving merely the commandos in the cabin.

Colonel Batra looked at the agents. "What do you think?" Karan opened his mouth, pausing when he held up a hand. "Tumhaara opinion mujhe pata hai, Karan." He closed his mouth, leaning back into the couch. "Faizi?"

There was a moment of contemplation. "First day se compare karein toh... Monami has gotten better. Woh zyaada confident bani hai. Woh ek achhi cadet hai, toh... hume lagta hai ki kaafi chance hai ki woh yeh kar legi. Hume achhe agents ki zaroorat hai aur woh ban sakti hai."

"Hume bhi yeh hi lagto hai", Sanju pitched in. "Pehle Monami ko kisi se baat karne kehto the, woh darr jaato thi. Ab toh dispensary mein bhi kaam kar leto hai. Pehle se behtar zaroor hui hogo woh. Aur agar therapy se aur behtar ho sakto hai, toh hume lagto hai ki uss jaisi cadet ko ek chance milna chahiye."

Colonel Batra nodded. "Give me an official report, stating this", he said. "I'll talk to Monami and let you know my decision. You can go."

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

"Batra S-Sir t-told me he w-wanted me to st-start th-therapy", Monami said quietly. Karan hummed, sipping his coffee. "Warna main training nahi kar sakti. He said p-paperwork Th-Thursday tak ho j-jaayega. And I h-have to st-start by F-Friday."

"Tum therapy jaogi, na?" He asked.

"Of course." She traced the rim of her cup. "Papa... b-bahut khush h-honge ki maine th-therapy join k-kar li d-dobara. He was... v-very angry j-jab maine chh-chhodi thi."

His gaze traced over her features. She hadn't seemed to mind his comment the day before. "Maybe you should tell him", he said quietly. "Ki tumne therapy dobara shuru kari hai. It'll make him happy probably." She nodded.

His phone pinged and he brought it out, unlocking it. Forensics head? He unlocked it, opening the text. Sir, the report has been mailed to you. Please check.

He straightened up. "K-Kya hua?" Monami asked.

He shook his head, keeping the mug down and opening his mail. "Ek minute", he muttered. "Ek cheez dekhni hai." He opened the report, scrolling down to the conclusions.

The sample has been matched with 95% accuracy. This implies that not only was the sample the same substance, i.e. chocolate but also contains a similar composition of ingredients. This implies it was most likely to be of the same brand.

Same brand. It was local to Abhi's area. He had checked. There were a total of 8 workers from that area- out of which 3 were agents. But no one other than Abhi was a head or deputy head.

"E-Everything okay?" Monami asked.

His gaze drifted to her. "Monami... woh jo chocolates tumhe Abhi ne di thi... does Abhi like them?"

She blinked. "Aa-Aapko suddenly i-itna p-pyaar kyun h-ho gaya hai unn ch-chocolates se? Book l-likh r-rahe ho kya?"

"Answer", he demanded.

She flinched in surprise, her hands tightening around her cup. She swallowed, jerking her head down in a nod. "He... He t-told me he l-loves them. He said... woh... woh unki s-sister unko bh-bhejti hai wh-whenever he w-wants."

He looked down at his phone. Could it be the lead he was looking for? "Monami... main tumse kal milta hoon. I have some work. Good night."

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

"Kya hua?" Param asked, closing the door behind himself. "Raat mein kaun aa gaya tere sapne mein jo itni subah subah bulaaya hai, Chhote?"

Faizi sipped his coffee, looking at his best friend who was inspecting the board he had been preparing for almost the entire night. "Hume toh laga tha, Bhaiya, iske khwaabon mein sirf Monami aati hai", he commented.

Param chuckled, shaking his head. His amusement faded when his brother didn't even glance up. He looked at the other two, before back at him. "Kya hua, Karan?"

"I think I know who the spy is", he said quietly.

The three were seated in chairs a moment later, expectantly looking up at his pacing form. He adjusted a few photographs before turning back to them.

"Here's what we have. Pehla, yeh 20 heads and deputy heads hain iss academy ke. We have extremely good cause to believe the spy is among them. Doosra, the spy has a considerable knowledge of cameras. Teesra, the spy has access to said cameras, and the ability to manipulate them. Chautha, the spy has good technical skills." He tapped a photograph. "I think Abhi is the spy."

Param tilted his head. "Evidence? Abhi fits the profile but... unn 20 mein se half of them do."

"Mere paas circumstantial evidence hai", he admitted. "Nothing I can prove. Agar hum yeh sab aside bhi rakhte hain ki Abhi has been acting weird, I found some other things." He tapped a photo. "Yeh bracelet ke beads. Yeh hume Euphoria se mile the. Abhi aisi cheezen pehenta hai. Uske wrist par maine aise type ke bracelet dekhe hain."

'Kuchh beads mile hai zameen par, shayad kisi ke bracelet ya necklace ya kisi cheez ke.'

"Yeh map jo mujhe uss EFR ke former safe house se mila, it was tampered jab koi humaare ghar mein aaya tha. Maine yeh stain forensics se inspect karwaaya. It's chocolate. And it's the type of chocolate jo uske area ke liye local hai. And he likes that chocolate. His biggest red flag."

'He... He t-told me he l-loves them.'

"Sanket ka saara kaam gayab hua. Abhi knew he was working on it. He had the means and the ability to delete all his work. IT expert hai woh."

'Kis kisko pata tha iske baare mein?'
'Mujhe, Abhi...'

"This is all circumstantial", Karan said, keeping the marker down. "Bahut kuchh hai jo hume nahi pata but... Abhi seems to fit everything. This is not nearly enough for a court martial or a written report. Par... I think hume Abhi ko interrogate karna chahiye."

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

"Everything okay?" Koel asked softly.

Faizi hummed, gently tracing the rim of his phone. Abhi as the spy? It... wasn't unfathomable, but he couldn't quite digest that. He had never been particularly close to Abhi. Mridul was more of a friend. But... could it really be him? He glanced down when Koel snuggled closer to him, and he smiled slightly, kissing her head.

After Karan's briefing, Param had taken on the task to convince Batra Sir and while he approved of the interrogation, he wanted everything to be under wraps. That meant quietly taking him when no one would raise even a single question. It was best to wait till evening after most of the agents had retreated to their rooms. They didn't want rumors floating around and alerting the real spy, if they happened to be wrong.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he grabbed it, opening the message. Sanjay. Sir ji, khabar mili hai. Aaj shaam mil sakte ho?

Haan. Kitne baje?

7. Aapko jagah tab hi bataata hoon.

He glanced up when Koel clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Chodh do, na, phone", she said. "Kisse baat kar rahe ho jo itna important hai?"

He sent Sanjay a thumbs up before clicking it shut and keeping it aside. He shook his head, smiling at her. "Sorry", he said. "Ab nahi uthaate phone. Theek hai?"

She smiled. "Tumhe pata hai-"

A knock cut her off. Faizi kissed her cheek in apology before standing up and opening the door. Sid had a laptop balanced on his arm, his eyebrows furrowed together in concentration as he watched the screen. He glanced up at him when the door opened. The agent's mouth pulled down in a frown. What was he doing here?

"Sid?" Koel said. "Tu hamesha galat-"

"I got it", Sid interrupted. "I got the location."

What? Faizi opened the door in invitation, closing it behind him. Sid pulled up the chair, setting his laptop down and typing a few things before the laptop beeped. "Academy ke paas ke forest mein hai", he said.

Faizi leaned over, enlarging the map and inspecting the area. He zoomed out a little. A fair portion of the forest was patrolled and monitored by the academy's agents, especially the area that bordered the academy limits. The location wasn't too far from it. That meant if a patrolling officer strayed a little away from the edge, no one would be too suspicious.

"Sir?" Sid said. He hummed lightly. "Is this helpful?"

The major looked at him, finding him looking with hopeful eyes. He smiled slightly, nodding. "Yes", he said. "You did a really good job, Siddharth." The cadet's smile widened. "Send me the coordinates."

"Tu useless nahi hai?" Koel asked, mockingly surprised. Sid reached back, hitting her arm in retaliation and she chuckled. She gently patted his back in appreciation.

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

Monami was inspecting her calf when Karan paused in the doorway. He tilted his head in confusion, knocking slightly on the door to get her attention. She smiled in greeting. "Sir! Aa-Aapko knock k-karne ki z-zaroorat nahi hai j-jab d-darwaaza khula h-hota hai", she said. "Aise hi aa j-jaaya karo."

"Kya hua tumhaare pair ko?" He strolled in, taking in the open first aid kit. "Gir gayi kya?"

She sighed. "Main d-dispensary mein thi. G-Galti se s-scalpel gir g-gaya. Z-Zyaada d-deep nahi hai par. I am f-fine. Bas b-bandage ch-change kar r-rahi hoon. Thodi g-geeli ho g-gayi."

He blinked. "Scalpel gir gaya?" He repeated. He shook his head in exasperation. "Dikhao. Main kar deta hoon."

"I am f-fine", she started to protest, yelping when he grabbed her leg, tugging her closer to him. She stared at him with wide eyes as he gently placed her leg on his lap, inspecting the cut. It really wasn't deep. But it was pretty long. He glanced up when she cleared her throat. He frowned. Why wasn't she looking at him? Was she... embarrassed? Why? "Aap... Aap y-yahan kyun aa-aaye the?"

"Mujhe Sanju se kuchh baat karni hai", he said, cleaning out the cut with the antiseptic. "Hai kahan woh?" His gaze trailed down to her ankle. What... were those silver lines?

She shrugged. "Call sh-shayad", she said. He nodded a little, tying the ends of the bandage. "Th-Thank you."

He kept a hand on her foot before she could take it off his lap. "Yeh kya hai?" He asked lightly, tracing a line on her ankle. Was that... a scar? From... a cut? So many cuts. "Yeh scars. How did you get these?"

She yanked her leg back, yanking down her leggings. "Aapko jaanne ki zaroorat nahi hai", she said quietly.

He nodded. Only one thing got that reaction out of her. Mission Pari. His gaze trailed to her other leg. Did she have scars there too? His eyebrows furrowed. Black? He inspected her left ankle. What? She wore a thread.

'Jaisa log nazar naa lagaane ke liye pehente hai, na, waisa? Par jab aakhri baar mila, uske pair mein nahi tha.'

'Naam hai Virat. Last name unknown... Iska common alias hai 'Mask.'

'I think Virat is the handler.'

'Jo yeh boss tha, isne koi pair mein dhaaga pehna tha?'
'Nahi.'

'Woh dhaaga... Virat aur spy mein se ek dhaaga pehenta hoga aur ek nahi. Jisse woh school teacher mila... woh Virat tha. No dhaaga. Matlab... spy dhaaga pehenta tha. Abhi dhaaga pehanta hai kya? Sabse pehle yeh puchhunga jab interrogate karunga. Agar pehenta hai, that's another description he fits into.'

"Sir ji?"

Karan looked up, finding Sanju lingering at the doorway. He stood up. "Chal." She nodded, and he looked at Monami, waving his fingers in goodbye to her.

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

Sanjay was waiting for him when he walked into the restaurant, which was a surprise. He was always late. Faizi sat down, nodding his head in greeting.

"Mujhe Najjad ka pata mil gaya", he said.

Faizi's eyes widened in surprise. He leaned forward. "Pakka se?"

He nodded. "Aapke academy ke paas waale jungle mein ek chhota sa warehouse hai. Kaafi andar jaakar hai." He reached down into a bag, pulling out a map. Deolali's map. He patted a marked spot. "Iske aas paas hai. Sunne mein aaya hai ki jagah bahut khufiya hai. Achhe se chhupi hui. Agar naa pata ho yahan kuchh hai, toh milegi nahi."

The agent stared at his finger. That place... He grabbed his phone, opening up the text Siddharth had sent him. The coordinates. He glanced at the map, taking in the key at the side.

"Kya hua, Sir ji?"

He shook his head quietly. That mark... that should be right around the place Siddharth had back traced the signal to. That warehouse was still occupied. Najjad was there.

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

"Aaram se baat karni hai", Karan instructed. "Gussa nahi, aggression nahi. We need information and confirmation, foremost." He glanced around, lowering his voice. "Agar Abhi hi spy hai, then he would have a lot of information regarding EFR jo hume chahiye."

She nodded. "Ji, Sir ji. Faizi Sir ji kahan hai?"

"Informer se milne gaya hai", he said. "Abhi ki interrogation Bhaiya aur Faizi kar lenge. Tu aur main kal subah subah, as soon as andhera kam hota hai, uss location par jaayenge jo Siddharth ne pinpoint kari hai. Abhi se baat karne ke baad, I'll give you a list of some agents. We'll take them along. Unko inform karna to be ready par mention mat karna kyun jaa rahe hain. Okay?"

"Ji, Sir ji."

Karan stopped outside Abhi's door, knocking loudly on the door. A moment. And then another. He frowned, knocking again. "Abhi?" He took a step back, glancing down at the gap. Light. Someone must be in. "Mridul?" He glanced at Sanju, who shrugged.

"Phone karein?" She asked. He nodded. A moment later, he could hear faint ringing from inside. He paused, knocking again when he didn't open.

That... was strange, to say the least. Was he... sleeping or something? But most agents woke up easily. He twisted the handle, and it clicked open. "Abhi?" He called. "Hum andar aa rahe hain." He paused another moment before pushing it open.

No one? What?

A noise attracted his attention. On the other side of the bed? There was some space. He walked closer, pausing in surprise at the liquid on the floor. Red liquid. Blood.

He darted closer. "Abhi!" A knife was lodged in his throat, blood flowing out like a broken pipe. "Sanju!" He heard her footsteps run away from the room. Karan dropped to his knees, his jeans soaked in seconds. He yanked the bed sheet off the bed, balling it up and pressing it tightly against his wound. He let out a strangled noise. "Abhi", he said gently. "You'll... You'll be okay. Can you hear me?"

Abhi's eyes moved to him slowly. He closed his eyes in a long blink. "S..." His voice was hoarse, too deep and shaky. Karan leaned closer to his mouth. "Spy." Karan pulled back, swallowing. He knew about the spy.

'He got too close shayad. That seems to be the pattern. Woh apni information bahut strictly protect kar rahe hain.'

"Abhi", he said firmly. "Look at me." His eyes moved to his face. "Kya pata hai tumhe spy ke baare mein?" He blinked a little. "Are you... Are you in league with him? Did he trick you?"

Anguish filled his eyes. He let out a strangled breath. "Main gaddar... nahi hoon", he forced out. Karan swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding. "Spy nahi hoon. I can't... I can't betray my... my country."

"Do you know who is the spy, Abhi?" He said. "Do you know who did this to you? Was it the spy?" He let out a strangled noise, his hands clenching tightly around his.

Footsteps alerted him and he glanced up, finding Monami and Sanju both skidding to a stop. "Abhi Sir." She fell to her knees, staring at his throat. "Ma'am", she said, looking up at Sanju. "Get me a stretcher. Jaldi." She looked up at Karan with teary eyes. His heart dropped and he looked away, taking a deep breath. "Abhi Sir... sab theek ho jaayega. Don't worry."

His eyes traveled to her and he reached with a bloody hand. It shook violently. Monami gently clutched it, stroking his hair. "It... It hurts so bad", he gasped out. Her eyes welled up with tears and she gently brushed his away, trying to force her lips upwards in a comforting smile.

Karan took a shaky breath. He closed his eyes. The spy. Abhi knew something. He had to. "Abhi", he said. "Do you know who is the spy?"

Abhi's traveled to him. "Uska... Uska asli naam... Sayed hai." He coughed a little, blood flying out of his mouth. "He has... He has a plan. Bombs. So... So many."

"Kaun, Sir?" Monami asked. "Who is it? Kaun hai woh?"

His eyes slide close. Karan tapped his cheek, harsher with each slap. "Abhi?" He said. "Abhi! Abhi!" He grabbed his wrist, Monami grabbing the other one.

No pulse.