A NEW HOPE - Page 11

After a while, everyone decides to go up to their rooms and rest for a while; they all would be waking up at 3:00 and would leave the chalet at 4:00. Since it already was 9:30 p.m. everyone thought it best to get some sleep before it all began. So, one by one they get up from their seats, hoist their guns and walk upstairs to their respective rooms. Not one of them spoke to each other for quite some time because they all feared that if they broke the silence then it would make them nervous, which may not prove to be a good thing since they had to maintain their focus on their mission.

FIVE HOURS LATER –

Rajveer, Navin, Abhimanyu, Aalekh, Huda, Ali and Yudi had gotten up and were sitting by the fireplace in the den. They were going through the plan one last time before everyone else awoke and they left the chalet.

"Alright, toh jab hum KMA pahunchenge, sabse pehle humein academy mein jaakar, ek floor ko occupy karna hoga, jahan par Mr. Shroff aur Sameera rahenge, aur unke bodyguards bhi. Phir theek seven hundred hours ko hum Brigadier se mil lenge…" Navin tells them.

"Brigadier se milke, Abhi, mantriji ko lekar Roma ke saath interview shuru karenge 0730 hours pe… tab tak Gunny aur Sherry, Sameera ke saath rahenge…" Rajveer continues.

As the discussion goes on; the rest of them begin waking up. And soon after, at around 3:45, everyone left the chalet in two jeeps while the minister followed in his car with his bodyguards. Everyone sat in silence for this was the calm before the storm. Over the next few hours, a lot of things was going to happen, all of which would change their lives.

The jeeps pulled up at the gates of KMA at around 5:30 a.m. and everyone began to unload all their equipment as quickly but as silently as possible. Once they entered the academy, they all went upstairs and occupied the whole floor which included the boys dorm and the girls dorm.

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Mr. Shroff was shown into one of the rooms where Abhimanyu sat inside and explained the last minute details to him while the bodyguards stood outside. Gunny ordered Sherry and the other girls to take Sameera to the girl's dorm and stay with her until it was time to meet the brigadier.

Everyone then waits patiently for the time to pass by; with them checking their ammunitions, first-aid kits and other important necessities. Finally, at 6:55 am, Rajveer comes to Sameera's room and tells her to come on downstairs with Sherry and Naina to meet Brigadier Chandok. Rajveer, Navin, Abhimanyu, Gunny, Roma, Mr. Shroff, Naina, Sameera and Sherry go downstairs towards B.C's office. They knock on the door and enter. Brigadier Chandok was conversing with Suriji at the moment and when he saw his officers standing at the door, he dismissed Suiji who went back to the mess. He requested the minister to take a seat and addressed the officers.

"Major's and Lt. Alhuwalia, fecilitation do ghante mein shuru hone waali hai, isse pehle aap logon ka plan of action kya hai?" B.C asked them.

It was Navin who answered, "Sir, Ms. Roma Shetty Mantriji ki interview lene waali hai, uske baad hum sab KMA ke andar aur grounds par ek perimeter search karenge…"

"Perimeter search? Major Alhuwalia, kya kisi tarah ka khatra hai?" B.C asked him.

"Ji sir, waise toh yeh sirf ek preliminary army precaution hai, lekin aaj ke din humein yakeen hai ki KMA par attack hoga…"

"KMA par hamla? Lekin… hamle ki wajah?"

"Brigadier Chandok, iss hamle ka target main hoon, kuch log hai jo mujhe maarna chahte hai…" Mr. Shroff spoke up.

"Kya? Aap par hamla hone waala hai? Lekin aap sab ko yeh pata kaise chala? Aur kya Mr. Shroff ko KMA mein rehna chahiye?"

"Sir, jahan par hum abhi reh rahe hai, ek terrorists ka group hai jo pichle paanch dino se hum par nazar rakhe hue hai… unhe pata nahi hai ki humne unke base ke andar bhi bugs dale hai jisse hum unke baatein aur plans sun sakte the… do-teen din pehle humne unhe baat karte hue suna ki jis din KMA mein mantriji aake Major Rajveer aur Major Navin ko fecilitate karenge, ussi din, woh log mantriji par hamla karke usse maar dena chahte hai…" Abhimanyu said.

"Haan sir, aur waise bhi humne saari protection ka intezaam kiya hai; Mantriji ko ek bullet-proof vest pehnaya jaayega taaki unhe koi khatra na ho… aur usse protection bhi di gayi hai…" Gunny added.

"I see, well… Sameera ko koi khatra toh nahi hai?" B.C asked.

"No sir, lekin phir bhi Sameera ko bhi extra protection milegi… Major Rajveer ki behen Sherry unke saath poore function ke dauran saath mein hi rahegi…" Navin said to Brigadier.

"Good. Aur aage ka plan…?"

For the next 15-20 minutes, all of them take turns in explaining to Brigadier Chandok what they planned to do. At 0730 hours, they all are dismissed with a direct order from B.C himself to rest themselves till it was time for the function to begin and also to go to the mess and have breakfast. Everyone leaves for the mess, excluding Abhimanyu, the minister and Roma. They inform an orderly to tell their friends to meet them at the mess.
Meanwhile, Mr. Shroff followed Abhimanyu to a vacant and safe room where Roma was going to begin the interview. Taking their seats, Roma waited for a minute or two before she told her cameraman to switch the live feed of the interview on. In those few minutes, she spoke to the minister about the main points of the interview.
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"Dekhiye mantriji, iss interview mein main sirf aapse aaj ke fecilitation ke baare mein sawaal poochungi… aur aane waale elections ke baare mein bhi…" She said to the minister.

"Alright Ms. Roma, jaise aap chahe, Major Abhimanyu, kya aapko lagta hai ki iss interview se kuch hone waala hai?" the minister asked.

"Mr. Shroff, is interview se bahut kuch hone waala hai… Roma, agar aap chahe toh interview shuru kare?"

"Oh yes, of course Major."

Roma sits down opposite the minister and the cameraman switches the live feed on and the interview begins. Abhimanyu stays in the room only, standing behind the camera view at all times. The interview went on for about 20 minutes. Once the interview was over, Mr. Shroff, Roma and Abhimanyu went upstairs to the mess to meet up with the others and have some breakfast. As they all are sitting and eating, Rajveer and Navin who had been conversing quietly finally spoke to them.

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That's all for now... rest of the update coming up at night; it's going to be an action-packed update, so stay tuned everyone....

really nice..and i hope that the next ud will hv something exiting for the raj-naina jodi lovers.........i mean 4 the one's like me........by the way i m a silent reader of ur ff and i think it's really gud.....
bye and take care..........
ud soon

Thanks dear

execellent update. will wait for the next one 👏

Thanks everyone... update coming up now

"Guys, it's almost 8:15, aur Brigadier ne kaha tha ki saare press waale, ex-cadets aur officer's 8:45 tak pahunchenge… which means ki humaare paas sirf aadha ghanta bacha hai…" Navin began to tell them.

"Haan, toh ab humein kya karna hoga?" Gunny asked.

"Well, first of all, Neelu. Tumhe, Huda aur Ali ke saath ek baar phir se academy ke upper floors ko thoroughly search karna hoga, aur uske baad kahin bhi jaake chup jaana… okay?" Rajveer said to Neelu.

"Yes sir." Neelu replied.

"Good. Abhi, Gunny, aur Sherry, Sameera aur Mr. Shroff ko lekar aadhe ghante ke liye ek saath rehna hoga… main aur Navin apne bodyguard's ke saath yahin par rukenge aur Roma, Shalu ke saath infirmary mein jaake rukenge… has everyone got it?" Rajveer finished.

"Kya kisi ko kuch kehna hai? Ya koi problem hai?" Navin added.

No one said anything. Everyone knew that this was their final chance to speak up. But they were confident that they all would complete their duty as instructed and would be successful in this mission; they all would definitely protect the minister from harm's way, no matter what it cost.

"Alright then, let's go everyone. Until 10:00 am, humein alert rehna hoga aur yaad rakhna hoga ki kuch gadbad nahi honi chahiye… if all goes as planned then kisi ko kuch nahi hoga…" Navin said to them.

"Yes sir, don't worry. Hum sab apna apna duty poori tarah se nibhaayenge…" Ali said.

"That's the spirit Lieutenant. Ab hum chale? It's almost time." Abhimanyu asks.

Everyone nods in agreement and they get up from their seats and go their own ways. Navin and Rajveer stay behind in the mess with their four bodyguards; Yudi, Naina, Pooja and Aalekh. The 6 of them sit on the table and for a while just exchange glances amongst each other, each look saying something different. Tired of the silence, they soon try to make some small talk to make them feel lighter and calmer.

On the other side; Neelu, Ali and Huda had gone to search the upper floors of the academy for any sign of change or disturbance in the environment. Once their search was complete, they stood near the railing of the staircase that led downstairs to the courtyard where the function was going to take place. This was where they separated, two of them were to remain upstairs while the third was to go down. Ali and Neelu went in opposite directions and found a hiding place to stay till the function began. Huda went downstairs and found a suitable hiding place for him where he could aim easily.

Abhimanyu, Gunny and Sherry had led Sameera and Mr. Shroff to the boy's dorm where they all waited patiently in one of the dorms until it was time. Abhimanyu and Gunny hand the bullet-proof vest to the minister who wears it; Sherry and Sameera stand by the window, talking to each other so that they felt more at ease when they were supposed to pretend to be friends in front of everyone.

Roma and Shalini head for the infirmary where they sit and talk about what was most likely to happen during the course of the next hour. Neither of them had thought that a simple fecilitation ceremony would turn out to be a mission where their friends would have to fight terrorists and that too inside the academy.

Soon the clock strikes 8:45 a.m. everyone gets up from their sitting places and they proceed to head downstairs to welcome the guests. The minister and everyone protecting him and the three officers who were in hiding remain where they were; waiting for the chance when they had to make a move. As everyone moved about, whether to assemble at the courtyard or prepare themselves before the function began, the same thought was going on in their minds; 'It was time. No chance of going back. The mission had to be successfully accomplished.'

"Naina…"

Naina had been walking with Aalekh, Yudi and Pooja ahead of Navin and Rajveer. They were heading out of the mess to go downstairs for the function. Naina stopped when she heard Navin calling her name. She told the others to go ahead and turned around to see that Navin and Rajveer were waiting for her. She walked back to them.

"Kya hua bhaiyya?" She asked.

"Dekh Naina, main sirf itna kehna chahta hoon ki agle ek ghante mein bhaut kuch hone waala hai… lekin job hi ho jaaye, promise me ki tum Raj ko protect karte hue apne aap ko bhi…." Navin is cut off by Naina.

"Bhaai, mujhe kuch nahi hoga, main apna khayal rakhoongi… don't worry."

"That's my sister. Mujhe Aalekh se kuch baat karni hai, tum Raj ke saath niche aa jao."

"Okay."

Navin left the two of them and went downstairs. Now, standing in the corridor were Rajveer and Naina. For about a minute, neither of them said anything. They were just staring into the others eyes. Finally, breaking the silence Rajveer spoke up,

"Naina…"

"Hmm…"

"Lagta hai ki iss baar tum mera bodyguard ban gayi ho, pehle toh it was always me who had to protect you… aaj tumhaara turn hai… lekin please vaada karo Naina… ki tum Aalekh ke saath rahogi, kahin mujhe protect karte karte, mujhe phirse tumhe bachana hoga…"

"Phir toh muhe accha lagega ki har baar ki tarah tum hi mujhe bachaoge…"

"Naina please, yeh mission kaafi khatarnak hai… kisi ko kuch bhi ho sakta hai; promise me you'll be careful."

It was then did Naina notice Rajveer's expression. His eyes said it all. He was worried for her, and he should be, but Naina had never seen him so… so tensed for her before. She felt happy, knowing that he cared for her as much as Navin and Aalekh did. She stepped closer to him and took his hands in hers and looking up she spoke to him.

"Raj, main vaada karti hoon ki main apna poora khayal rakhoongi aur mujhe kuch nahi hoga… aur main tumhe bhi kuch hone nahi doongi."

Rajveer smiled, feeling better knowing that Naina would be safe. She was KMA's best cadet pass out and his protge. Everything would turn out just fine. He hugged her and after giving her a small kiss went downstairs with her to end this mission once andd for all. When they reached down, Naina went and stood next to Aalekh while Rajveer went with Navin and Brigadier Chandok towards the stage where they would be feciliated.

A lot of the press had arrived and Roma could be seen amongst many other reporters. There were quite a number of army officials and ministers who had arrived from Delhi and were busy getting acquainted with each other. As soon as the clock struck 9:00, everyone present in the courtyard fell silent as Brigadier Chandok came forward and took the mike. Navin and Rajveer were standing a few feet behind B.C, next to Dr. Shalini and Suriji with their bodyguards close by. The brigadier cleared his throat before he began to speak.

"My fellow colleagues, senior officers and ex-students of Kanchenjunga Military Academy, aap sabka swagat hai KMA mein. Aaj ka din bahut hi khaas hai kyunki iss function mein humaare mukhya mantriji Shri. R.P Shroff aaye hai, Mr. Shroff aaj ke function ke chief guest hai aur woh KMA ke do naujawan ko apne bahaduri aur sehenshilta ke liye unhe sarkar ke taraf se bhartiya puraskaar milne waale hai. Main ab Mr. Shroff ko yahan stage par aamantrith karta hoon." B.C says.

Everyone starts to clap as they see the minister coming downstairs with Sameera and all their bodyguards. Mr. Shroff and Sameera head for the stage with Abhimanyu, Gunny and Sherry staying close behind them. B.C welcomes Mr. Shroff and after shaking hands, B.C hands the mike over to the minister and steps behind. The minister begins his speech about feeling honored in coming to Ambala for the fecilitation ceremony and says that he is proud of the two officers who sacrificed everything, almost their lives so that they were successful in giving a traitor like M.D Gehlot what he deserved.

As the minister is talking, the group of terrorists that had escaped from jail the previous day and those that had been spying on Rajveer's chalet comes out from their hiding places. Ali and Neelu, who had silencer guns see them heading for the pillars from where the minister was a vulnerable target. Quickly and as silently as possible, Ali and Neelu manage to kill 5 of the 8 terrorists that were aiming for the minister.

"Main ab un do naujawan ko yahan bulaana chahta hoon, unke wajah se aaj Lala Gehlot jail ke salaakhon ke peeche hai; Major Navin Singh Alhuwalia aur Major Rajveer Singh Shekhawat."

Everyone claps once more as Rajveer and Navin step forward, in their army uniforms looking completely at ease. The minister then calls for the medals. An orderly comes forward and it is when the minister places the medals on Rajveer's and Navin's lapels does Yudi notice a laser beam coming from somewhere in the crowd. He signals to Aalekh who informs Naina and Pooja. The two girls then silently tell Gunny and Abhimanyu that there was a laser beam aimed on the minister.

Out of nowhere, all of a sudden a gunshot is fired....

*BAM*