A NEW HOPE - Page 10

"Naina, don't worry… hum dono ko kuch nahi hoga, aakhir humne maut ko ek baar dhoka diya hai… tumhe itni jaldi hum dono se chutkara nahi milne waala hai…" Rajveer assures her.

"Haan chuhiya, Raj sahi keh raha hai… humein kuch nahi hoga…" Navin tells her.

"Theek hai…" Naina says looking convinced.

"Ab apun sab andar chale? Warna kisi ko shak ho jaayega ki apun sab koi na koi khichdi paka rahe hai…" Aalekh tells them.

"Haan let's go inside. Ab kuch ghanto ke liye rest karte hai…" Abhimanyu tells them.

They all get up from their seats and go back inside the chalet and into their rooms to rest for a while. 2 hours later, when the five of them wake up. The clock had struck 2:00 p.m. and all their friends had gone down to the hall to have lunch. After freshening up, Rajveer, Naina, Navin, Abhimanyu and Aalekh go downstairs to join their friends for lunch. When they reach down they see that Sameera and Mr. Shroff were also awake and seemed to be calmer and less tired than before.

"Ah, Major Rajveer, aapse kal ke baare mein aapki behen kuch poochna chahti thi…" the minister tells Rajveer as he sits down opposite Sherry.

"Haan Sherry, kaho; is there any problem?" he asks his sister.

"No, no problems bhaai… mujhe bas ek baat poochni thi ki kal ke liye hum apne weapons kahan se lane waale hai?"

"Very good question Sherry, main uss waqt batana bhool gaya tha ki ek-do ghante mein Gunny aur Abhi KMA jaane waale hai aur Brigadier se baat karke, Suriji se guns lekar waapis aayenge…"

"Oh… okay, thanks…"

"Anything else?"

"No"

For the next half an hour, everyone sits quietly eating their lunch. Once they all finish, Abhimanyu asks Roma to stay back in the hall so that he could discuss her interview with the minister tomorrow. When he was sure that they were alone; Abhimanyu spoke to her.

"Dekho, kal jab aap Mr. Shroff ka interview logi, tab shayad wahan kuch ho jaaye, isliye hum chahte hai ki aap apni safety ke liye apne paas ek bandook rakh lijiye…"

"But Major, I don't know how to use a gun, phir main ek gun ke saath kya karoongi?"

"Roma… agar wahan par terrorist's aate hai; humein pata hoga ki aapko gun chalaana aata nahi hai, aapko bhi yeh baat pata hai… par unhe yeh baat pata nahi hai; isliye aap iss baat ka fayda utha sakti hai…"

"But how?"

"Chahe gun loaded ho ya na ho, tum usse apni paas rakhkar un logon ko apne aap se dorr toh rakh sakti ho… aur agar phir bhi aapko kuch hota hai toh humaare paas ek fully loaded gun hai jo badi aasani se chala sakte hai…"

"Hmm, okay… I guess gun rakhne se koi problem nahi hai… thanks Major."

"Koi baat nahi… waise kya aapne kal ke liye saare sawaal taiyaar kiye hai?"

"Ji haan, maine sab kuch taiyaar kiya hai… bas kal ke liye intezaar karna padega…"

"Good… okay, hum abhi chalte hai; thodi der mein humein KMA jaana hoga, aap baaki sab ke saath baithiye…"

"Okay… bye."

"Bye."

Abhimanyu leaves the hall and goes upstairs to the vacant room from where he and Navin were spying on the terrorist's. He wears his earphones and sits at the window with his walkie-talkie nearby and waits for some sort of change or development, but nothing interesting happens for the next hour. After he switches places with Aalekh, Abhimanyu and Gunny leave the chalet and go to KMA to get the guns.

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There you go everyone.... i'll continue the rest in the evening tomorrow...

Hey dear

Fabulous update. I wish i could write as well as you.

You describe every minute detail so perfectly....great suspense. Thanks for the updates.

Waiting for the next. 😛

@ quietrajpri - thanks...

@ dazzling_glory - thank you... i'm sure you will be able to write just as well as i do....

The next update will be put up in another half hour... and the next one at night.

Sorry for the delay, here goes the next update.....

At the academy; Gunny and Abhimanyu enter the gates and leave their jeep there and head inside to meet Brigadier Chandok. Although it had been not more than a month or two since they had left KMA on leave, the two friends were glad to have returned so quickly. Kanchenjunga Military Academy was their home, the roots of their careers and the safest place to keep anything and anyone in its walls. Once they reach the Brigadier's office, Gunny knocks on the door and enters when he hears the familiar, 'come in'

"Ah, Major Randhawa, Major Abhimanyu… aaiye, baitho… itne dino baad aapse mulakat ho rahi hai… kaisa chal raha hai sab kuch?"

"Fine sir, everything is going smoothly." Gunny replies.

"That's good. So Major's kahiye, aapki kya madad kar sakta hoon?"

"Sir, hum aapse kal ke function ke baare mein baat karne aaye hai…" Abhimanyu says.

"Is there any problem Major Abhimanyu?"

"No sir, problem toh nahi ahi… bas aapse ek request hai… kal jab mantriji KMA mein aayenge, zahir si baat hai ki unhe kisi tarah ki khatra ho sakti hai, isliye hum soch rahe the ki KMA se kuch ammunition agar humaare paas rahe toh…"

"I see… yes well, mantriji ki jaan ko humesha khatra rehta hai, main Suriji se keh doonga ki who aapko armoury mein lekar aapko saari weaponry aur ammo di jaaye…"

"Thank you sir." Gunny tells him.

"Anything else Majors?"

"No sir, that'd be all."

"Very well then, main aapse aur baaki sab se kal theek saath baje milta hoon…"

"Yes sir"

Standing up and saluting; Abhimanyu and Gunny exit the Brigadier's office and head for the armoury. Brigadier Chandok meanwhile calls for an orderly telling him to call Suriji to meet him here. After waiting for only 5 minutes, Gunny sees Suriji coming towards the armoury.

"Suriji… kaise ho?"

"Oye Gunny puttar, hum toh bade change hai… tussi ki ho?"

"Ekdum mast…"

"Oye Abhi puttar, ki gal hoye, tussi aithe kyun khade ho?"

"Kuch nahi Suriji bas kuch soch raha tha… aap toh bade khush nazar aa rahe ho aaj; Lolita ma'am waapis aa gayi hai kya?"

"Oye nahi puttar; Lolita ji ki ab bhi Dehli mein posting hai; aaj main khush hoon kyunki tum dono aur baaki sab kal KMA waapis aa rahe ho…"

As they talk, they go inside the armoury, take all the necessary guns, rifles, pistols and ammunitions in two big bags and then lock the doors and set off for the mess.

"Oye, tum dono itne dino baad aaye ho, Suriji ke haathon ki badiya parathe khaaye bina hi jaoge?"

"Arre nahi Suriji, hum toh bas yeh sab gaadi mein rakhwa kar canteen mein aa hi rahe the…' Gunny says.

"Accha, tu mainu bewakoof samjha hai kya, ullu ke patthe; orderly, yeh Major Abhiamnyu ki jeep mein rakho… aur tum dono mere saath chal rahe ho…"

"Haan Suriji, hum aa rahe hai…" Abhimanyu says.

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After eating Suriji's famous paratha's and his free special lassi; Gunny and Abhimanyu leave the academy at 5:30 pm and head back for the chalet after promising Suriji that they would bring everyone to the canteen for lunch tomorrow after the function was over. In the car, Abhimanyu and Gunny were talking and discussing about which Lieutenant would get which gun, when Abhimanyu's cell rings.

"Kiska phone hai?" Gunny asks him.

"Neelu ka phone hai…"

"So, pick it up. Kuch important ho sakta hai…"

Abhimanyu picks the phone up only to find that it was Aalekh calling him from Neelu's cell. They speak for about two minutes, after which Gunny notices that Abhimanyu has increased the speed on the car and his face is very grim.

"Abhi… kya hua? Aalekh kya keh raha tha?"

"Umm, kuch nahi… usne bas kaha ki humein jald se jald ghar lautna padega… news par dikha rahe the ki kuch terrorist's faraar ho gaye hai…"

"Oh, toh shayad yeh hi woh terrorist's hai jo kal KMA mein aayenge aur Mr. Shroff par hamla karenge…"

"Haan shayad…"

But as they continued to drive towards the chalet, Abhimanyu seemed to keep thinking about the same thing; if the terrorists who were going to attack KMA had just escaped, who were those terrorists that were spying on them since 4 days? Could the two groups be connected somehow?

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Once they reached the chalet, Abhimanyu and Gunny unloaded the bags from the jeep that were filled with the guns and ammo for the next day and went inside to the den where everyone was sitting and trying their best to pass the time. With the help of Ali and Huda, they pass the guns to everyone excluding Mr. Sroff, Sherry and Sameera. Guuny then stands up and makes a small announcement to everyone.

"Jaise aap sab ne news par dekha hoga, ek terrorist's ki group abh abhi faraar hua hai; yeh hi woh group hai jo kal KMA aakar mantriji par hamla karne waale hai. We only have 12 hours left guys, out of which we must use at least 7 hours to rest ourselves. So, for the next 5 hours, humein sab kuch plan ke mutaabik karna hoga… kal ka din bahut lamba hone waala hai… I suggest that you all start the preparations now."

With that, he sits down and watches as everyone begins loading their guns, and getting prepared for the next day. Gunny was right, the next day was going to be a long one, and who knows, it could prove to almost be the last one for some tomorrow. Even though, all protections had been made, who was to say that no one would be getting injured while on their mission to protect the minister? But who would that person or persons be, only time would tell…