Maryada: Vidya-Gaurav FF - Updates. p. 145 (6/29) - Page 40

Nice update, short but nice. Waiting :)

I thought I commented...but apparently I didn't!
I'm very glad that old Vidya is back...and have to give props for making that effort! 👏
Second ...self defense class, definitely very useful! I remember we had that as part of peer leadership classes!
I love how the rolling up the churidaar has captivated everyone..no lie I was thinking the same think! lol ..but I believe in your stretchy material theory!
last but not least... I said this before, but I'll say it again.. I'm loving the whole suspense part of the story!!

Great updates Devi!

Chapter 37: Andromeda

Almost three weeks after that day, she was kidnapped. She had finally convinced Gaurav that she did not need to be picked up by him everyday and that she could use her newly acquired, albeit shoddy, palm-heel-strike and kick-him-where-it-hurts skills to protect herself. Little did she know how untrue that was… Just as she was walking out of the coaching center to catch her bus that evening, she was caught unawares and before she could even think of raising her palm or knee to activate said attacks, someone held a musky cloth to her nose and she felt a darkness steal over her. Her body slumped as her mind retreated from consciousness.

***

"Your wife is with me as of 7:01 pm. If you want to see her alive, come to this address." Such was the text that he received at 9:29 pm just before he reached home from work. His first reaction was to call his mother to check and, indeed, Vidya had not reached home yet. His mother was surprised at his question as she thought that Vidya was with him. He told her he would call her back and waited a few minutes before calling to say that Vidya had just been running late from the coaching center and that she had now been found. He told his mother that they may stay out for the night, much to his mother's predictable surprised pleasure.

He didn't waste a minute before turning his car around to head to the address mentioned in the text; it was a deserted corner of two roads much removed from any main streets. But, no sound greeted him other than the beeping of his phone. A new text came through now, giving him yet another address, which he knew was at least a half hour's drive out of the city. When he arrived there, in the middle of an inconsequential town, yet another text came through, this time asking him to drive even farther, at least 45 minutes out still…

Someone was leading him on a merry chase for a reason; they wanted him to become angry and agitated… and so he would not.

When he arrived at the third location, his phone beeped on cue. This text was a bit different from the others though.

"Welcome to the Poseidon, Perseus. Are you ready to rescue your Andromeda?"

-the CUP"

The CUP?

"Who are you? Where am I? Where is my wife?" he texted back quickly before flipping his other phone on and sending another text.

"To: 696969

Random question. Andromeda was tied to a rock to be devoured by a sea monster in Greek mythology, right?"

-00O00"

OP, his ever reliable resource and wingman of thirteen years replied back within a few minutes.

"To: 00O00

"Yes. Perseus rescued her before she met her unfortunate fate. Are you in trouble? By the way, the fourth chapter on the SSP is coming in print tomorrow, and you must have guessed of course – it's printing in another tabloid."

From: 696969"

There was nothing to guess about that. The maverick who had stolen the expose about his father that had taken him years to put together had taken on a novel approach for its publication. Every week, each successive chapter was going to a completely different tabloid. Once the second chapter was picked up by a different one, there had been an uproar from the first tabloid, the upset giving it more popularity than the usual trash such papers printed. By the time the third chapter came out in yet another tabloid, both the content and the odd publication strategy had become something of a phenomenon. But that mattered not in the least right now and he texted back.

"To: 696969

Have you heard of the CUP?

From: 00O00"

He glanced at his regular phone, waiting for further directions, while trying to keep his impatience down and not let his agitation take over.

But the phone that beeped now was the one with OP's text.

"To: 00O00

the CUP? Yes, I have, but it's is a myth. He doesn't exist."

From: 696969"

That did not sound good. Not that anything that had happened since he got the first text at 9:29 pm had sounded good.

"To: 696969

What is the myth?

From 00O00"

He glanced at the other phone again, still frustratingly mute. He checked to see whether his last text had gone through and when he saw that it had, he forced himself to not text again.

Beep.

"To: 00O00

Well, he is basically a vendor. But the legend is that the service that he sells is… a specialized form of torture. If you have obscene amounts of money to pay, you can buy his service for any purpose really… including murder. Although, he does not take on work that is just straight murder. While he has no qualms about killing people, the central purpose of buying his service is to get something out of someone that they are not willing to give… like secrets… or favors… or loyalty… You get the idea. But like I said, it's a myth. He doesn't exist. How did you hear about him?"

From: 696969"

Still nothing on the other phone.

"To: 696969

What is so mystical about that? Sounds like every other psychopath or Mafioso out there.

From: 00O00"

He didn't have to wait long before the reply came.

"To: 00O00

Ah, that's because you don't know what the CUP stands for. It's an acronym, but you probably already guessed that. It stands for the Cruel and Unusual Punisher.

From: 696969"

Cruel and Unusual Punisher

The other phone beeped just then.

"I am the legendary CUP, of course. If you didn't know, I am sure that whoever you were just texting now enlightened you." He looked up and around him. He had already figured that he must be being tracked; one or both of his phones were likely compromised, although he seriously doubted that it could happen with the second phone. It was untraceable and disposable and he changed it weekly.

He looked back down at his phone to read the rest of the text.

"You are in Poseidon, just as I told you before. And your wife, the incandescently beautiful Andromeda, is here with me too. I am the beast Cetus to your Perseus. Come… Come rescue this exquisite nymph who is shackled quite provocatively to the proverbial rock in my lair."

He closed his eyes as a deep chill spread through his body, no longer able to stop the images that flooded his mind about what could have happened to his wife.

The phone beeped again before he could release the breath that he was holding in.

"Each minute you delay will cost this untouched sprite of yours. You know, there is a luminescence that only virgins have… Your wife's body is practically glowing with it…"

The chill in his body turned just that swiftly to rage and he quickly opened the car door to step out into the pitch dark. Before he could take a step, he was grabbed from either side and blindfolded while someone else tied his hands behind his back.

"Walk!" he heard the harsh whisper behind him as a hand pushed him forward.

--------------------------

Devi...Its becoming more and more of a deep mystery...cool!

Res

Wow... I completely felt like i was with Gaurav and his frustration!

Oops...suspense and a very unusual turn !!

So I've been a silent reader for not only this FF but all of your works and after this update I couldn't take it any longer! You are an amazing writer and words do little to express that. The characterizations and settings are so well put together I'm easily able to visualize the updates. And I'm always left with curiosity after your updates and this one is no less. I seriously can't believe she got kidnapped I can't wait to see what happens next.

Btw I've never seen Maryada and never planning on because I know I'm not going to like it half as much as I do like yours. Continue soon…

Ooh, the plot thickens!!! <wrings hands> Awesome update Devi!

Originally posted by: Limerance

So I've been a silent reader for not only this FF but all of your works and after this update I couldn't take it any longer! You are an amazing writer and words do little to express that. The characterizations and settings are so well put together I'm easily able to visualize the updates. And I'm always left with curiosity after your updates and this one is no less. I seriously can't believe she got kidnapped I can't wait to see what happens next.

Btw I've never seen Maryada and never planning on because I know I'm not going to like it half as much as I do like yours. Continue soon'