Chapter 11: Tactical Moves

Riya sat on her bed, knees pulled to her chest, staring at her phone. The file with the threat still lying beside her, untouched.

After a long pause, she dialled.

Kabir picked up quickly, “Thank God! You called! Hey, sleeping beauty. Or are you crying again? I could sense it all day, something wasn't right.”, his concern grew seeing the shadow under her eyes and hearing her sob.

Riya sobbed again, "You knew? But you didn’t call me, the entire day! Why didn’t you call me the entire day?”

Kabir teased her gently, “Sorry jaan, patrolling duties today. Tell me, what happened?”

She exhaled deeply and told him everything — the script, Arjun’s scolding, the betrayal by Shree and Chotu, just like a small child complaining to his mom.

“I thought I was helping. But I ended up being blamed. Again.”

“Ri, I know how your mind works. Fast. Sharp. But this isn't your college research team or a private agency. This is government. Every move need paperwork, permissions, and patience.”

Riya smiled bitterly, “I’m a psychologist, but I don’t do patience very well.”

Kabir smiled at her honesty. “Clearly. But we can work on that.”

He paused, then sat up on his side of the call.

“Okay. Let’s fix this!”

He pulled up a virtual whiteboard on his tablet while talking. Riya's eyes lit up at the plan forming.

“Ok! Let us make a formal proposal. Use internal resources, approved methods. Get a nod from your senior- whoever’s in-charge.”

“And the digitization?”, Riya was curious.

“You draft a request to IT with Shree’s script as the suggestion—not the action. If he objects, he exposes himself. If he agrees, he clears your name.”

Riya grinned, “That’s so… tactful. Strategic and shaatir”

“Shaatir? Welcome to the adult table, sweet heart!”

“Remind me to promote you to my life coach, Kabir.”

Already applied. Full-time position. Fringe benefits included.”

“I love you.”

“I know. Now go be the storm.”

---

Next day, Riya walked in with new confidence. She had got her proposal file ready, a copy of the script attached with annotations, and Shree’s GitHub history printed, just in case. She found Arjun sitting in the conference hall.

She dropped the file in front of Arjun.

“Sir. A formal proposal to digitize past records through internal tools. With full protocol and IT approval, once granted.”, she spoke each word with utmost caution.

Arjun didn’t look up, but smirked inwardly. He knew she was not going to take it all silently, but he never knew she would come back at them like that.

“That’s your way of cleaning up the mess?”, Arjun asked flatly, hiding his smirk.

“It’s my way of showing I’m learning. And still trying to do my job.”, Riya was as polite as she could be, rather too polite than what Arjun could digest.

She walked away without waiting for approval. Arjun finally looked up.

There was a flicker of something on his face. Pride? Guilt? Respect?

He didn’t say.

---

Shree and Chotu were stunned to see an official memo requesting digitization—with Shree’s name in the acknowledgements.

Shree blinked, in disbelief, “She…outplayed us.”

“And made us look like fools in front of Arjun sir.”

---

In the evening, Riya wiped sweat from her brow and pulled the last folder into the digitized archive. It was done.

Weeks of dust, back pain, coffee-fuelled nights, and silent tears… done.

She took a moment to just… breathe.

A small terrace break later, Riya walked to the conference room. The team was gathered around the briefing board—a new case was up. Shree and Chotu were already reading through notes. Arjun was leading the brief.

Riya was happy, this was going to be her first case, first ever case in the police department.

She approached. Hopeful as Arjun was assigning work to everybody.

Arjun turns to her with his usual stone face.

“Stick to the desk for now.”

Riya’s face fell, which didn’t go unnoticed by the trio.

“We might need back-up, stay here!”

“But---“, Riya ate her words as Arjun interrupted.

“That’s not your call to make. I’m the boss here! You focus on your training; you have your weekly test on the coming Friday, Understood?”

A long silence followed. The rest of the team quietly watched. Riya swallowed the sting. She nodded once.

“Understood.”

She walked back towards the records room. Shoulders square, back straight—but heart heavier.

Arjun watched her go. He didn’t move. But his fingers twitched slightly against the folder he was holding.

They just don’t know if they can afford to let her in.

--

Riya spotted Shree and Chotu gearing up with files and earpieces, preparing to head out. She hesitated for a moment before approaching.

“Shree. Chotu.”, Riya said in a low voice, clearing her throat.

They both turned, arms crossed — wary.

“Oh, look who it is. Miss AI Hacker. Came to reprogram us again using some script?”, Shree said raising an eyebrow.

“Or maybe she’s here to install emotional upgrades.”, Chotu smirked.

Riya smiled — a small, genuine one.

“Actually… I just came to say good luck.”

That stopped them.

“Whatever’s happened between us, doesn’t mean I don’t wish you both well. Stay safe.”

“Don’t start getting all emotional on us.”, Shree blinked.

Chotu looked away. Neither expected that.

“And don’t think this means we’re suddenly best friends or anything.”, Chotu grumbled.

Riya nodded, unfazed.

“Of course. Wouldn’t dream of it.”, Riya grinned.

She walked off, leaving the two standing there, oddly quiet.

“She’s weird.”, Chotu muttered after a beat.

Shree sighed.

“Yeah. Weird... but kind of...”

They headed off — their eyes softer, their guard just a little lower.

--

The briefing room echoed faintly with the quiet clinks of metal. Arjun stood in front of the long mirror, pulling the zip of his black tactical vest up, methodically strapping on the final layer of his gear. His jaw was clenched. His focus absolute. Every strap, every buckle was tightened with practiced ease. He didn’t need to think. He just moved.

Emotion? That was for later. May be never.

The door creaked open.

Arjun didn’t look up, assuming it was Shree or Chotu—until he heard the footsteps pause behind him.

“Nice suit. Very ‘blow-up-and-walk-away-in-slow-motion’ vibes,” came Riya’s voice—soft, playful.

He glanced in the mirror.

She was standing there, holding a mug of coffee she hadn’t taken a sip from, eyes scanning his gear. But there was something else beneath the smile. A quiet ache. Disappointment, perhaps.

“I told you, you’re not coming,” Arjun said flatly, turning away to double-check the gear pouch.

Riya nodded, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.

“I know, I’m not supposed to be here”, she said before he could open his mouth.

“You said desk duty. I heard it the first three times.”

Arjun turned, his jaw clenched.

“Then what are you doing here?”

She took a slow step in, her voice soft but teasing.

“Wanted to check if you needed help with your shoelaces. Or maybe a good luck charm?”

He didn’t smile. Of course, he didn’t.

But his shoulders relaxed, just a little.

Riya walked further in, setting the mug down on the bench beside him.

“Actually… I just wanted to say something before you left.”

Arjun raised an eyebrow, half-expecting another of her sarcastic lines.

But Riya didn’t smirk. She looked up at him with a small, genuine expression. Almost… worried.

“Come back safe,” she said, gently. “Preferably in one piece. No limping. No dramatic blood-soaked entrances. Got it?”

He blinked, surprised by the sincerity in her voice.

Arjun’s eyes lingered on her for a beat too long. It was... unfamiliar — this worry that wasn’t laced with melodrama or forced concern. Just simple. Real.

The kind that used to come from Roshni. Once.

He masked it with his signature cold stare.

“Well, if I don’t return in one piece,” he said dryly, “I expect you’ll archive my autopsy report correctly.”

Riya rolled her eyes. “I’ll make it the most colour-coded autopsy report in ETF history.”

A beat passed. Then, before he could stop himself—

“Sounds like you’ve already said this many a times before.”

Riya chuckled, a flash of warmth in her otherwise guarded tone.

“Yeah… but to someone who never listens either.”

Arjun looked at her and her eyes flickered away just long enough for him to suspect the weight behind her words.

Still, he scoffed, slipping his arm through the sling of a duffel bag.

“You really think I’d go down that easy?”

“I don’t know, Sir,” she said, tilting her head. “You look like the type who’d rather take a bullet than admit he needs backup.”

That earned the tiniest twitch at the corner of his mouth. A shadow of amusement. It disappeared quickly.

“I’ll manage,” he said.

But Riya wasn’t done.

She stepped forward — close enough that Arjun felt it. Not just her presence, but the calm she carried, the strange peace that trailed her like a scent.

“Still… just in case — come back, okay? Don’t make me write a condolence speech. I don’t do well with grief.”

Something about that struck Arjun deeper than he expected. He stared at her, unreadable. Something flickered in his eyes, something she couldn’t name.

“I’ll be fine,” he said, voice softer than before. “Always am.”

She gave a small nod. “Good.”

And just like that, she turned on her heel and walked out — leaving behind a stunned silence, a faint trace of her smile, and a mug of untouched coffee that still steamed beside his gear.

Arjun stared at it for a long moment.

Then, for some reason even he couldn’t explain — he sat beside it.

And for the first time in a long time…he just sat.

---

Riya spent the entire day alone. In the evening, she stood on the ETF building rooftop, looking out at the city.

She had the brown file in her hand, the one with the letter.

“Who could it be? I’ll figure it out. No matter what it takes.”, she was determined.

--

She checked the time. Again.

The team had been gone for hours now. No updates. No messages.

And though she wasn’t on the field, her heart had left with them.

Unable to bear it anymore, she picked up her phone and video-called the one person who always brought her back to herself.

Kabir.

He picked up in seconds, breathless and smiling. The background behind him was dark, unidentifiable. But he looked okay. Safe.

“Ahaan! Look who finally remembered her soldier boy! Missing me already?”, Kabir grinned.

Riya rolled her eyes. “Dramatic much? I just needed a face to look at that’s slightly less annoying than my teammates.”

“Wow. My heart. It shatters into a thousand emotionally intelligent pieces.”, Kabir placed a hand on his chest.

The wind on the rooftop was gentle now, brushing against Riya’s face as she leaned over the railing, phone pressed to her ear. City lights flickered below, but her world was reduced to the warm voice on the other side of the line.

“Kya baat hai? Aaj badi yaad aa rahi h meri?”

Kabir’s voice teased, but there was tenderness behind it.

“Don’t be dramatic. I’m calling because your genius plan worked.”

She smiled, her eyes scanning the dark horizon.

“They were all shocked. Even Arjun sir didn’t say anything this time. I don’t think he expected me to fight back. But I did, Kabir. Because of you.”

Kabir’s heart fluttered on the other side.

He sat down on the edge of his cot, closing his eyes.

“That’s my girl.”

His voice softened.

Riya paused. Then said the words like an exhale:

“I love you. You know that, right? Not because you fix things. But because you believe in me when I forget how to.”

Kabir smiled, touched.

Riya too smiled, but only for a second. Kabir noticed it — the flicker of a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Ri… what’s going on?”, his voice softened.

She exhaled, fingers playing with the edge of the file.

“They’re gone. On a mission.”

“And you’re worried.”

She nodded, eyes finally meeting his through the screen.

“I know they’re trained. I know they’re good. But I also know that danger doesn’t check resumes before showing up. It just… happens.”

There was a pause.

“You know when I met you… I never used to think like this. Loss was just a theoretical thing. A word in my textbooks. But then you happened. And suddenly, ‘goodbye’ started sounding permanent.”, Riya said softly, her voice cracking just a little.

Kabir's playful expression melted away.

“Hey… I’m still here, aren’t I? See this annoyingly handsome face? Very much alive. You’ve got me for life.”, Kabir said gently.

“You joke about it. But you don't know how it feels to wait… not knowing if the person you love is walking into a storm they won’t return from.”, Riya pouted.

He did know.

Too well.

“You know what they say — soldiers have nine lives. I’m probably on life five, but I’ve got time.”, Kabir said with a forced laugh.

“Stop it.”, she shouted.

He fell silent.

“I didn’t say this when you were injured last time, but I couldn’t breathe that day. I smiled when I saw you fine, but inside, I was… drowning.”

Her words hit him like a knife.

He wanted to tell her the truth. That he might be walking into a similar storm this week. That he had to go on another mission.

But he couldn’t.

Not now. Not when she looked like this.

“Ri, if you keep talking like this, I’m going to start carrying you in my bullet proof vest pocket. Safety first.”, Kabir said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Good idea. I’d fit in that oversized ego of yours anyway.”, Riya smiled through her tears.

“Rude.”

“Promise me something?”

“Anything.”

“Don’t go anywhere without telling me.”

Kabir paused. His heart clenched. He forced a smile.

“Fine. But only if you promise to keep calling and nagging me like this. Keeps me alive, apparently.”

“Deal. You annoy me, I annoy you. Balanced relationship.”

“Perfectly dysfunctional. Just the way I like it.”, Kabir grinned.

“Riya…”

He hesitated, fingers tightening on the phone.

“Hmm?” she asked, voice light.

“Nothing. Just… I’m proud of you. Always.”

He swallowed the lump rising in his throat.

“Bas... kuch din agar message ka reply na aaye toh… panic mat karna. I’ll be okay.”

“Kabir, are you—?”

“Just prepping you for the next time I oversleep.”

He chuckled to deflect.

Riya smiled faintly but felt a flicker of unease.

And yet—she didn’t tell him either.

Didn’t mention the brown file. The red ink. The chilling words.

You could be next.

“Okay. I’ll wait. Like always.”

She said softly.

“And when I’m back—Scotch the golden retriever better not have replaced me.”

He teased.

“Never. But don’t get too happy. You’ll have to share my cuddles.”

They laughed again, long and light.

When the call ended, Riya looked at the sky.

“Stay safe, all of you.”

Back on his end, Kabir stood still in the darkness of his room, staring at the blank screen of his phone. His smile faded as he looked towards the sealed envelope on his table.

The orders had come.

A dangerous infiltration mission. Radio silence. No communication. No guarantees.

He hadn’t told her the truth.

But he promised himself that he would return — if not for the mission, then for the woman who waited with bated breath every time he left.

Two hearts in different corners of the world, beating to the same rhythm—yet hiding fears from one another.

---

In an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, gunshots cracked through the walls.

Arjun crouched low, pinned behind rusted machinery. A bloody gash on his arm throbbed.

“Chotu, status!”

He barked into his comm.

“Target escaping from the west wing. Need cover!”

Chotu’s voice crackled back.

Arjun scanned his surroundings—two hostiles ahead. The intel had been off. This wasn’t a gang meet. It was a trap.

He got up from his hiding, when suddenly a bullet just missed him by an inch.

And for a moment, his thoughts flickered—not to Roshni.

But to Riya.

Her voice.

Her defiance.

Her smile.

He blinked, gritting his teeth.

What the hell are you thinking, Raute?

This wasn’t the time.

Not the place.

And certainly not the person.

He slammed the memory out of his mind and pushed forward, emerging from cover to take the shot.

But inside his head, something had shifted.

And he hated himself for it.