Chapter 1 A New MissionIn an old, abandoned house, a young girl was trapped inside a room in a disheveled condition. Her hair was messy, bruises were found on her arms and she was dressed in bridal attire. She was tied up on her hands and she sat in a chair, crying. That was when a crooked looking man came inside the room, holding a gun in his hand. "Payal...Payal...Payal," the man said, smirking. "I didn't have to do this to you. But what could I do?! Girls like you are so hard to deal with."
The girl, Payal, looked at the man with a terrified face. The man stepped towards her, putting her at gunpoint. "Now...if you want to save yourself, marry me...then your nightmare shall end." the man said. Payal didn't say a word. "Come on...what choice do you have?! No one can save you now!" the man cackled.
Just then, the room door was knocked down. The man turned around to see a man in a black suit standing in front of him. Two other men came behind him. "Who are all of you?!" the man asked in a yelling voice.
"Ayaan, get the girl." the man in front ordered. One of the men came inside the room, untying Payal's hands. The other two men began to fight the man, kicking him in his legs and punching him in the face. "Who are you?!" the man asked, infuriated.
"Cadet Asad Ahmed Khan of the S.R.O." the young man replied.
"S.R.O.?" the man said.
"Secret Rescuing Organization...of India," the other man said. "By the way...I'm Cadet Haider Sheikh."
"And Cadet Ayaan Ahmed Khan here!" Ayaan added as he finished untying the girl's hands.
"But what have I done?!" the man asked.
"Don't act innocent. Real men ask a girl's permission for marriage... But you...you tried to force this girl into marriage by gunpoint! That doesn't make you a man," Asad replied. "Haider, handcuff him."
Haider took out a pair of handcuffs, handcuffing the man's hands and taking him away. Asad went up to Payal as Ayaan got her up from the chair. "Are you okay?" Asad asked her.
"Yes. Thank you so much."
"Please...it was my duty."
"May God bless you all."
"We'll get you home safely now."
Hours after the cadets took Payal back home, they headed back to their main base. The S.R.O was centered in the suburbs of Mumbai in a tall building that was protected by security walls. Asad, Ayaan, and Haider entered the building, using their ID's and went inside. "Another job well done." Ayaan smiled.
"Haan, yaar. I think we should go for dinner now." Haider said.
"Agreed. Bhaijaan...what do you say?" Ayaan asked Asad.
"Sure." Asad replied.
The three of them headed down to the canteen area of the building. The three of them sat at a table. Ayaan had ordered paneer and parathas for all of them. Once they got their food, Ayaan and Haider gorged on the food immediately. "Mmm...long time since I had paneer!" Ayaan exclaimed.
"And that too this good!" Haider added. As Haider continued to eat, he noticed Asad was sitting still, pondering rather than eating. "Asad." Haider called. Asad turned to Haider. "You're not hungry?" Haider asked. "Eat some." Asad nodded his head as he began to take some paneer on his plate. "Bhaijaan." Ayaan called. Asad turned to Ayaan.
"What's wrong?" Ayaan asked.
"Nothing, Ayaan." Asad replied.
"You're lying. Something is definitely bothering you." Ayaan said.
"What makes you say that?" Asad asked.
"Bhaijaan...we're brothers. I know you well enough by now." Ayaan replied.
"What are you thinking about?" Haider asked Asad.
"Nothing...I just don't know why...but I feel as if something big is going to happen," Asad answered. "Have you ever felt like that before?"
"Yeah, I understand." Haider said.
"What big thing?" Ayaan asked.
"I don't know. I have some weird feeling that something will happen that's going to change my life. I don't know why I feel as such." Asad said.
"If that is it, then something is going to happen," Ayaan smiled. "Question is what."
"Hello, cadets." a man, in a gray uniform, said coming upto the three boys.
"Mr. Sharma!" Ayaan exclaimed.
"Sir, you here?" Asad asked.
"Yes...actually I have to give you three your new task." Mr. Sharma said.
"Sure, we'll come." Asad agreed.
On the other hand, all the way in Rajasthan, there lied a dark, secret hideout. It was like a small castle almost, but no one could see it as it was guarded by a circular wall. Within the walls of this castle, there was a girl who was in the balcony of her room. The girl had long, raven black hair, shiny and silky. She had tears forming from her big chocolate brown eyes as she looked downward. Here's my chance. I can escape while they're having dinner, the girl thought to herself. The girl was about to get off the balcony until a voice called, "Zoya."
And that was her name. Zoya turned around, looking at the girl standing there. She was a short girl with long dark hair, wearing a green salwar kameez. "Humeira...what are you doing here?" Zoya asked.
"That's what I should be asking you, Zoya. Don't do it."
"Humeira, this is our chance to escape. Come on!"
"Zoya, we've tried this before. We were caught and beaten for it. Its best not to."
Zoya sighed and got down from the balcony. She headed inside the small room with Humeira. The two sat down in their room. "I wish we could continue trying. But no matter what...we still can't escape!" Humeira cried.
"Humeira, I've spent five years here in this prison. I've tried many times and failed many as well. But I still believe...that there is some light out there waiting for me to bask in it. So i can't stop trying."
"It's because of you. I was taken here two years ago. These two years would be far more worse had you not been here to support me."
"Which is why we have to be here for each other...until the light comes."
"This is your mission." Mr. Sharma said. Back at the S.R.O. headquarters, Mr. Sharma was going over the new mission with Asad, Ayaan, and Haider. "How long have these girls been in captivity?" Asad asked, looking at the computer screen showing screenshots of the hideout. "That we don't know. Our spy was only able to capture these shots. No one knows about the girls in there as the castle is guarded by circular walls." Mr. Sharma explained.
"He could've taken pictures of the girls in there!" Ayaan exclaimed.
"Why?!" Haider asked Ayaan.
"One of them could be my potential bride!" Ayaan smiled.
"Our job is to rescue them...not send them our kundlis." Haider said.
"Shall we go tonight?" Asad asked.
"Is that okay?" Mr. Sharma asked.
"The sooner the better." Asad replied.
"Then so be it. You can rescue them tonight itself." Mr. Sharma said.
"Who knows, Bhaijaan?! Maybe one of them might be the something that'll change your life!" Ayaan exclaimed.
"Ayaan, please. This is just my job to rescue them," Asad retorted. "And besides...my job has so much importance...that I don't have time for such nonsense."
"I still can't believe how you can be so hopeful, Zoya." Humeira said to Zoya as the two stood by the balcony of their room, watching the night sky.
"One thing I can assure you, Humeira," Zoya said. "Whatever may come...some where Allah has someone that will take us away from this nightmare...a savior."
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