Chapter Forty Four
The party had ended some time ago and most of the inhabitants of the academy had gone to bed, but one was still awake. After all, how could she sleep when there was so much to get done?
Pulling the mask over her face, Ritu moved forward towards her destination, the rundown shack that contained the nuclear triggers. If she was successful tonight then it would be the end of her mission, she would finally be out of this dump of an academy. She smiled as she thought of the reactions of her bosses if she were to succeed, there would be rewards for her, more money than she could ever wish for.
Entering the shack she scanned the room with the equipment they had given her, trying to locate the card reader that would give her access to the inner chamber. After such a long time she had finally gotten the opportunity to steal Captain Rajveer's access card, having ordered one of her colleagues to shut off the power during the party that night. She had known that due to his happiness at his wife's pregnancy he would be at his least alert, less prepared for any type of hostile action. She had managed to take it without him ever realising.
She was the best after all, that was why they had sent her for this mission.
Locating the card reader, she attached a device to read the pincode, smiling when it came up on screen just as she had been promised. Swiping the card, she waited, barely daring to breathe. This was the moment… the moment when she would gain what she most desired.
But nothing happened.
Resisting the urge to scream in frustration, Ritu searched for the source of the problem before she spotted another disguised card reader on the other side of the room. She suddenty realised that all of her plans had been in vain… they hadn't been tipped off about the change in security arrangements. Looking at the identical card readers, she guessed that a new card must have been issued to Captain Abhimanyu, and that the cards would have to be swiped simultaneously.
It was too late now… Captain Rajveer would soon realise that his card was gone, and they must have already been alerted to her presence here. After this, security would be even further tightened, making her mission all the more impossible. Ritu cursed, striking the machine and removing the card. Colonel Shakti must have kept the new arrangements secret from everybody, otherwise the spy in his department would've found out and notified her bosses.
Knowing that she had no time left, Ritu left from there as quickly as possible.
No matter how bad things seemed… there was always hope. She would find a way to complete her mission.
**
Raj and Naina had just gone to bed when his phone rang, startling him. Seeing Colonel Shakti's number on the phone, he picked up immediately, knowing that there must be some problem for his superior to be calling him at this time of night.
"Yes, Sir?" he questioned, answering the call.
"Captain Rajveer, did you just try to gain entry to the trigger room?" Colonel Shakti asked him, "Your card has just been used to do so…"
"No…" Raj told him, "My card…" Suddenly panicking, he reached for the jacket he had just taken off, freezing when he realised that the card was not where it should be. "Sir… my card." He said in a panicked voice.
"Get there as soon as possible!" Colonel Shakti ordered him, "Don't let the spy escape!"
Raj was already pulling on his shoes as his superior gave the order, grabbing his gun and hanging up the phone.
"Naina, stay inside!" he told her as he ran out, "Lock the door after me and don't open it for anybody except me or Abhi."
Fear evident on her face, Naina got up from the bed, locking the door after him as he already ran down the hallway.
Running towards the shack, Raj pressed Abhi's number on the speed dial, his friend picked up quickly.
"There's been an attempt to access the trigger room, my card is missing." Raj told him shortly, "Join me there as soon as possible!"
"I'm on my way!" Abhi told him, and Raj hung up the phone, slowing and readying his gun as he reached the shack, taking it off the safety setting. Kicking the door open, he surveyed the room, not surprised to find that the intruder was already gone. He quickly surveyed the room, looking for any clues that might give an indication of where the intruder had gone or who they had been.
Within a minute Abhi arrived, breathing hard, having obviously run the whole way.
"They're gone," Raj announced to him grimly, "They got my card somehow…" and he suddenly remembered the lights going out at the party… the person crashing against him. He groaned, cursing himself for not realising it at the time. "They must have gotten somebody to switch off the electricity to be able to get it."
"It's not your fault, Raj." Abhi told him, "Whoever has done this is a professional… they knew exactly what they were doing."
"Let's split up and search the grounds," Raj suggested, "See if we can find anything."
They searched, but found nothing. The guards hadn't seen anyone exiting the academy which meant one thing, whoever had done this was still on the grounds somewhere.
"Our suspicion was right…" Abhi told him, "Whoever it is has been posing as either a faculty or a cadet here."
"And more and more these days…. My suspicion is directed towards a certain person." Raj mused. The evidence was beginning to mount up…
"Dr Ritu Mishra." Abhi finished for him, "Even I think so… everything adds up to her. Her past relationship with Naveen, the way that she's behaved with both of us. You know Sherry has never trusted her since the very beginning… was constantly warning me about her."
"Well it's good to see that my sister could have a career in army intelligence," Raj said completely seriously, "She's always had very good instincts about people… I trust her judgement."
Abhi nodded, Raj's words reminding him of Sherry's reactions to her own father. If she hated the man that much then…
"If it is Dr Mishra then we have to find some way to trip her up… take her by surprise so that she reveals herself." Raj said, interrupting his thoughts, "Perhaps it's finally time to reveal that we know about her and Naveen."
Abhi nodded, "If nothing else can be done for tonight then we'll go back to our quarters, and inform the guards to be on high alert. Tomorrow we'll tackle the problem of Dr Mishra.. for now, Naina must be worried."
They made their way back to the main building quickly, Abhi bidding goodnight to Raj and heading for his own quarters. Raj knocked on the door to his own quarters, calling out Naina's name softly.
She opened the door quickly, her face showing the nervousness and fear that she must be feeling. "Is everything okay?" she asked him, "Something has gone wrong hasn't it…"
"There is a problem," he admitted, "But it's been managed for now. Try not to worry too much, I don't want you stressing yourself."
He rubbed her back soothingly, trying to calm her down before hugging her.
Naina smiled a little sadly, "How can I not worry?" she asked him, "I know how dangerous your job is, and I can't help but think that something has gone wrong… that something is happening…"
He settled her back into bed, pulling the sheets over her and making her lie down before taking off his shoes, and putting his gun back in its normal place. Finally ready, he climbed back into the bed, hugging her to him.
"Nothing will happen to me, Naina." He told her, resting his chin on her shoulder as he hugged her back. "I'm not going to leave you that quickly, we have our whole lives ahead of us still."
"Good…" she told him, "Don't even think of breaking that promise."
"Actually I was going to tell you something," Raj begins to say, "Abhi and I were discussing it… and we decided it's a good idea if Dr Mishra finds out that we know about her and Naveen. If there's any opportunity then feel free to bring it up."
"I'll do that…" Naina promises him, as she twists her face around to kiss his cheek, "Anything that I can do to help at all… you know that I'll do it."
Because she knows that this is as much her fight as it is theirs.
Whatever happens, she will help to prove her brother innocent.
**
Naina's chance came the very next day, after she had returned from her classes and had gone to the mess with the intention of studying. Most of the students were still in class so it was quiet enough for her to be able to get her work done. Her exams were coming up soon and she wanted to be as prepared as possible. These would be her final exams before she began her internship, and she was determined to get the best marks possible.
"Aagayi tu, Naina Putar?" Suriji asked her as she sat down, "You relax now… I'll just get you some lassi and make you some parathas."
"You're spoiling me, Suriji." She told him, "You're so good to me."
"I want you to be as healthy as possible," he told her, "And lassi will be good for the baby too… now you just rest there, don't go anywhere, and I'll be back soon."
Naina smiled as he departed, she loved the older man like an uncle, he was one of the kindest people she'd ever met.
"I must say, Mrs Shekawat…" a cool voice interrupted her thoughts, "That you're certainly lucky, you've got everything you could ever wish for in life. The love of so many people…"
Naina looked at the woman in front of her, measuring her. "Even you could've had the same," she told Ritu, "If you'd made the right choices."
"What do you mean?" Ritu asked her, startled by Naina's words, what did this girl know…. Did she know that…
"I know about you and my brother." Naina told her calmly, "I've seen the picture of you both together at the alumni night ball. Now all I don't know… is why you abandoned him, what happened between you."
Ritu's face turns white, and then red, as Naina watches her, and she sputters for words.
"You don't understand…" Ritu tells her, "It wasn't my fault… you have no idea what happened."
"Then explain it to me." Naina tells her, an edge of anger in her voice, "Help me to explain how it is that you could've abandoned my brother who loved you so much."
"It's not that simple, Naina." Ritu told her, and tears appeared in the woman's eyes but somehow Naina wasn't moved by them. Everything seemed too fake, after all when Ritu had been lying for this long, why should she believe a single thing that the woman said.
"Then tell me your story," Naina told her, "Make me understand."
Suriji came out then with the lassi and parathas, looking curiously at Dr Mishra where she stood in front of Naina.
"We could go somewhere else…" Ritu suggested.
"No, I'm fine here." Naina told her, "I need to finish my lassi and parathas… and I think you owe me answers."
And so Ritu reluctantly sat down in front of her, and began to tell a story of how the she had been arrested along with Naveen, and tortured until she signed a confession, all in the hopes of seeing him, in clearing it all up.
As Naina listened to the story, she tried to keep her face calm, even as the anger built up inside her. She knew that this woman was lying, knew that she had probably betrayed her brother, even trapped him, but how should she prove it… how could she expose the truth?
When Ritu had finished her story, tears glistening in her eyes, Naina nodded once, considering the woman.
"And I should believe you for what reason?" she asked her, one eyebrow raised. "My only brother… who I loved most in this world… his death was at least partially caused by you."
"I don't know how to make you believe me," Ritu said smoothly, trying to keep a guilty looking emotion on her face, "I hope that I can prove myself to you in time…"
"I hope that you can too." Naina commented, leaving it at that. She dusted off her hands and picked up her books. "Thank you Suriji, that was delicious." She told him, "And Dr Mishra… I'm glad we finally talked about this."
She managed to get back to her room before she broke down, throwing down her books on the table and breaking into tears, collapsing on the couch.
Her brother… so full of life, so loving, always ready with a joke and a smile… had been trapped by that woman, used by her. He had been betrayed by his own love. She wonders how he must have felt when he found out… how he would've reacted. He would've been broken by it, defeated…
Fifteen minutes later Raj found her still there, crying bitterly on the couch, clutching one of the pillows.
"Naina? Naina what happened?" he asked her, as she reached out for him. He gathered her in his arms, rocking her back and forth as she cried, whispering soothing words to her and kissing her hair while he rubbed her back. "Naina say something!" he pleaded with her.
"Bhaiyya…" she said hiccuping and the whole story poured out, everything that Ritu had told her, from the beginning of the story to the end.
"Do you believe her?" Raj asked seriously, still smoothing Naina's hair.
"Not a single word," Naina told him, "None of it… I think she's lying about everything."
"We will prove it in the end." Raj promised her, "Now dry your eyes and don't think about it anymore, I don't want to see you upset like this again."
Naina nodded, and wiping her eyes attempted a smile. She had to be strong, she couldn't become weak at a time like this.
There was a knock at the door and it opened to admit Sherry, who looked at Naina and Raj suspiciously as she came in.
"Bhabhie, why were you crying?" she asked her, "Did something happen?"
"No, nothing." Naina lied, not wanting to worry her. "It's just the hormones, makes me want to cry quite often…"
"Well that's alright then I suppose," Sherry told her, still looking as if she didn't quite believe it, "But if I come in to find you crying again then Bhaiyya is going to be in some serious trouble with me for not keeping you happy." She gave him a stern look to prove her point.
"Well you'll be able to keep a close eye on me in future," Raj told her, a grin coming to his face. He looked down at Naina, who nodded, a genuine smile coming to her face.
"And why's that?" Sherry asked him, an eyebrow raised.
"We want you to come and live with us." Raj tells her, "I couldn't take you before… I was by myself, in the army… there was no way I could have looked after you, but now that Naina is with me we want you with us, you're a part of our family."
Sherry stares at him in shock before turning to Naina, "Do you really mean this?" she asks them, "I can't… I mean you have your own lives and I'll be a burden and…"
"Of course you won't be a burden, silly." Naina tells her, "Didn't you promise me that you'd babysit? Don't think that if you live with us, you'll escape from doing work! You'll be a huge help to me!"
And even as she smiles, Sherry's face suddenly crumples and she bursts into tears, trying to talk and instead babbling incoherently. Shocked, Raj and Naina both got up from the couch and went over to her, hugging her.
"And I'm not even pregnant." Sherry sobbed, "I don't have any excuse."
"I haven't been a good brother to you, have I?" Raj asked her, guilt spreading across her face, "I was never able to look after you… you've been so unhappy and I was never able to help. But I promise you, Sherry, that from now on, I'll do everything to make sure that you're never unhappy again."
Naina kisses her cheek, hugging her, and Sherry puts her arms around both of them, hugging them back. Is it really possible that she could leave her old life behind, come out from her father's shadow? Could she have a normal life? A happy life?
She wants to believe that it's possible… that she could really honestly be happy in life.
"Am I disturbing something?" Abhi asks, looking a bit amused as he walks in.
"Not at all… just a nice family hug." Raj tells him, "From now on, my sister's going to be staying with me. I won't allow her to go anywhere."
And as Abhi grins at Sherry, she feels that familiar warm feeling spread low in her gut at the sight of her smile.
And happiness… does not seem so very far away at all.
**
Ritu glanced around her practically destroyed room, at the things that she had thrown everywhere. That little… how did that girl dare to sit there at the table and challenge her like that, questioning her about Naveen, calling her a liar.
Ritu wasn't used to having to answer to anybody, and today… she had had enough.
She was sick of this, sick of the waiting, and the planning, and having to be nice to people. It was time to make her final move.
They might think they had covered all bases, but Ritu knew… that even if the enemy's defenses were strong, there was always a weakness. If she couldn't gain the triggers while the remained inside the academy then she would have to wait until they were moved outside it.
And Ritu smiled… because she knew a perfect way to achieve it.
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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