A Blade of Steel (TS) Part 3- page 16 - Page 5

26 July, 2007 1:48:45

"I will love you like I've never been hurt,

 Run through fire for you, like I've never been burnt."

Abhay was running through the corridor, fully aware of the three men behind him. It was hard not to be, after all, because they were shooting at him. He glanced back only for a second to fire back , and the answering cry told him he hadn't missed. Then again, he rarely did.

He turned a corner, fully expecting to meet his partner on the other side.And his expectations were met- he saw a petite figure running in front of him, her long hair flying behind her. He turned back to fire two more shots, and the footsteps behind him stopped. The familiar thrill of victory filled his veins-

And the wall next to Piya exploded in a shower of bullets : he thought she had dodged, but the very next moment, she dropped to the ground, and something inside him exploded, that had never touched him before : panic.

He had never been afraid...not as far as he could remember. But there was something terribly chilling about watching his partner fall. He ran towards her, dodging the bullets, holding out a hand. Piya pulled herself up, and they jumped over the banisters, together. They made their way to the car, Piya leaning ever so slightly to the left. Yet, in a revelation that horrified Abhay, all he was worried about was that she could have died today. And not the information they had come for.

"Did you get it?" he asked her tersely, switching on the ignition; the car careened forwards swiftly. His eyes were locked on the speedometer. "All of it," she answered, her face in a tight smile. "You okay?" He couldn't help asking. They weren't supposed to form attachments, it had been drilled into his head. "Yeah," she answered. "Stop by a motel, if you can, though. You still have that bottle of gin, right?"

He nodded tersely. So she had been hit. In the dingy motel room, Piya collapsed on the floor, even as he locked the door from inside. Pulling out a scalpel from the inside of her leather jacket, she proceeded to cut open the material encasing her thigh. "Let me," he muttered, dropping down beside her. She made no sound as he dug the bullet out, applied the alcohol and made a makeshift bandage for her. He glanced up at her white face. "I've never taken a bullet before," she whispered, her voice hollow, dejected. "Remember what you said last year, when I got hit?" he told her. "All of us get hit. You're just human." She smiled at him. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last, but something tore inside him. It scared him.

10 December 2008 22:45:56

"You can go the distance 

You can run the mile

 You can walk straight through hell with a smile"

Piya whirled around, gun in her hand, and shot into the darkness of the alley. The man pursuing her teetered and fell , but there was no time for celebration : there were at least five or six behind him.

Grimacing, she took off at a sprint, cursing the moonlight. They should have timed this better, she thought.

Scaling a wall, she jumped down on the other side, catlike, then took off again, not looking back. Her soft shoes made barely any sound on the cemented pavement.

She hoped Abhay had made it. It was silly, of course, because in all the years they'd worked together, neither of them had failed the other...but it would have never done to become overconfident. Besides, there was another life at stake tonight.

She turned left,pulling out a small, ball shaped object from her pocket and throwing it in the opposite direction.

The resulting explosion would be a good diversion.

"Good to have you back on time, Blade," said Abhay, smiling slightly, his hand resting on the steering wheel of the van. She got in and slammed the door; Abhay's foot slammed down on the accelerator, making the van shoot forward.

Piya glanced at the man in the back. The one they had rescued. "Well done," he said, his voice even, yet with the weakness that came out of a prolonged starvation , accompanied by torture. This man was one of their own agents.

"Never thought you'd need an assistant, though, Steel," he said, his lips twitching slightly.

"Shut up and conserve your energy, Agent Black," came Abhay's cold voice. "You compromised all of us and damn near killed us. So zip it."

There was silence, then, till Abhay pulled over near a shack, and transferred Black over to their other colleagues.

"Mind driving for a while, Piya?" he said quietly, once they were alone. She nodded. "No problem." "Good." He got out and Piya crawled over to the driver's seat.

She started the van, even as Abhay undid his jacket and pulled off his shirt, revealing the gash in his side. She bit her tongue, holding back the impulse to shout at him for endangering his life. If he knew how attracted she was to him...

Oh, god, she thought, pressing the accelerator, I could lose this. And we could get assigned to different partners. I mustn't say a word.

She'd been attracted to him since the first time they'd worked together, three years ago, when they had saved each other's lives and found out each other's names. Now, Abhay was the only one, apart from their boss, who knew her real name. She was pretty sure she was the only one who knew his, too.

Despite her resolve, she glanced to the side. He had finished tying his bandage and was pulling back his shirt over his head. He caught her eyes, silvery blue clashing with topaz brown. She turned away.

But he hadn't.

3 February 2010 02:15:45 

"Chua kisi ne tujhko toh laga ki

 Dil mein kisi ne jaise aag laga ke... 

Duniya jala di hai meri.."

"I was not dancing like a hooker, damn you," she hissed back. He raised an eyebrow coolly. "Oh, really? Pray tell me, Queen Elizabeth, how was that lap dance suddenly included? I had no idea you included that too-"

"And how the hell was I supposed to put the bug in his pocket, without getting close to him?" she snapped back, keeping her voice low. Although the door of the hotel room was closed, they couldn't take too many risks.

"What the hell is your problem? We had a job to do!" "His paws were all over you," he shot back. "Did you enjoy it?" "How dare you!" she hissed. "I did my responsibility! The job is done, isn't it? So what the hell is the problem? You're acting like I'm an innocent little girl and you're my boyfriend! The job is done, isn't that supposed to be our focus?"

Abhay glared back at her, then suddenly, something in his expression changed. He looked almost afraid. He turned away from her, examining the vase of artificial flowers on the table by the side of the bed. "Get some sleep," he said abruptly, his voice devoid of inflection. "I'll take first watch." "But you haven't slept for three nights," she protested. "I said, I'll take first watch," he said firmly. "Go to sleep."

She said nothing more, but got on the bed. The lamps went off, and Abhay sat alone in the darkness on a chair, his senses alert in case they were startled.

You are not supposed to form emotional attachments, he told himself. So what had happened? Why had he acted, in Piya's own words, as if she was "an innocent little girl" and he was her boyfriend? But they were supposed to watch their partners' back. Wasn't that what he had done? No, a voice inside told him. He had not. He was just looking out for her, he told himself. Because he was dependent on her. Like family did, he supposed. No. He was not her family. Push it away, he told himself. He had better self control than this. If anything happened...

He would be assigned a new partner. Or go solo. And he didn't want that. He didn't want Piya to not be his partner.

15 July, 2010 11:34:20

"But you're a king 

And I'm a lionheart."

Piya glanced around the not-quite-posh hotel. It was one of the better places they would be staying in. She glanced in Abhay's direction and found him looking at her,as he waited for the keys to their room. his lips tilted in that small half smile he wore whenever they were in public and acting as a married couple. She wondered if it was genuine, like the one she returned.

She glanced down at her attire- a long sleeved dress, and leggings. She hated them. They made her feel vulnerable. But they were being tourists here, so she'd have to stick it till they got a room.

As she watched, Abhay received the keys from the receptionist and walked over to her, a bag similar to hers slung over his back. "Come on, darling," he said, and they slipped into the role of newlyweds with ease, taking each other's hand.

Abhay locked the door behind them and the pair of them performed the usual checks in the room to ascertain that there would be no eavesdroppers.

Piya walked over to the windows, drawing the blinds over them.

"This should be easy, though," she said quietly. "Yeah, well, even we need "easy" sometimes," answered Abhay, grimacing. She grinned back at him. "And that's what makes me think maybe it isn't," she said. "Which just adds a whole new element of fun, doesn't it, Mrs Mehta?" he answered, flopping down on the bed. " "Absolutely," she replied. "And by the way, I'm going to change. I bloody hate these flowy dresses."

When she came back, Abhay was leaning back against the headrest, his brow furrowed. "Do your parents ask often about your job?" he said. Slightly taken aback, Piya fumbled. "N-No," she answered. "They never ask you where you're going?" he said, his eyebrows travelling higher. "What have you told them you do, anyway?"

"I don't have any," she replied, sprawling on the floor and stashing the thrice-damned dresses inside- without finesse. "Parents, that is. Family."

There was a silence. "I..didn't mean..." His voice was careful, even.

 She glanced up. "Don't worry.It's not like I remember them, much. I've been an orphan for a long time, nothing to get upset about.." It was a half-truth, but it was all she could give him.

 He smiled. "Maybe you're lucky, then. I wish I didn't remember them, too. Sometimes, the memories..."

He cut himself off.

She was staring at him. "When?" she said finally, her voice shaking slightly. He looked at her. "I was nine."

She stared back at him, until he looked away.

Then Piya zipped up the bag, locked it and switched on the television. The one thing both of them were thanking each other for was for not asking questions.

Mentally, of course. Because how stupid would it be, two people who were simply working together, to start sharing emotions? Stupid enough to potentially be a partnership-breaker, if word ever got around. Stupid enough to get them killed, if their many enemies found out.

31 July, 2010 : 04:10:57

"One heart to break

One soul to save us

Not forsake us...

Only one!"

Sid glanced at his partners, Ginger and Ice. "Any news, guys?" he asked. Ice shook his head. "No go, Black. I've been trying to reach them for hours. You think they made it?"

"They'll make it," said Ginger. "Steel and Blade don't fail, ya know. Like, ever." He took a swig of a bottle of beer. Sid got up and started pacing. He was tired of sitting in their room, doing nothing except waiting.

There was a knock on the door. "Mohawk," said a low, female voice. "It's them," said Sid, though there was no need.

Ice went and opened the door. Blade and Steel walked in.

And right away, Sid knew something was wrong with Steel. It was something in the way he held himself, rather than anything else. He'd been to four missions with him to know Steel never looked at the ground.

"Good to see you, Black," said Piya, giving him a terse nod. "Can you lot connect to Headquarters?"

"Right away," said Ginger, pressing a few keys on the laptop.

Piya watched Abhay nod at her, then turn and walk out of the room, towards the restroom at the end of the corridor. She turned away, only to see her boss' face fill the screen. "Sir, mission successful," she said without preamble. "I managed to transfer the files you asked, and the hostages are freed.They're in the jet, should be landing any time now."

"But?" said her boss, picking up on the unsaid word.

"One died," she replied, keeping her voice cool. "Sorry, Sir."

Her boss's face was grim. "And Steel?" "In the restroom," she answered. "None of us suffered major injuries. But just for the record, Sir, next time, we'd appreciate a heads up for a potentially life threatening mission."

"Yes, Blade," said her boss, smiling slightly. "Get back to Headquarters ASAP, the two of you."

The screen went blank.

"Got a drink, boys?" said Piya, glancing at Ginger. He held out his bottle to her. "Thanks, mate," she said, taking a long swig. Wiping her mouth, she said, "So- that's it. See you at Headquarters."

She turned and walked out. Sid stared after her with grudging admiration. The woman was as tough as nails.

Piya walked down the corridor and pushed the door open, keeping her silencer ready in case of attack. But there was only Abhay near the sink, splashing water on his face, washing his hands.

She holstered her weapon and touched his arm. His reflexes were as quick as ever, pulling out a gun and pointing it at her face , and then he relaxed. "Piya." His voice was ragged.

She looked him up and down. His front, though damp. was still streaked with dried blood.

She turned off the tap and stared him down. "It's not your fault." He reached for her then, pulling her in a fierce hug that left her shocked and disoriented. They had always had the most impersonal of physical contacts, and something was repeatedly telling her they were breaking several rules.

Somehow, she ignored it, wrapping her arms around him, letting the tears fall silently.

"She was so young," he whispered brokenly, his own eyes glistening. "So young, dammit. She wasn't supposed to- we were supposed to save her-"

She fought the urge to bawl. Not for Lida, the seventeen year old who'd taken three bullets by the time they'd got to her, but for Abhay, who'd never shown emotions like this. Her arms tightened convulsively around him, tears making his shirt wet. "Misha would have been seventeen today if she'd lived. She was only a baby- only a baby, Piya, I can feel her blood on my hands, I-"

She disentangled herself, furiously swiping at her eyes, not that it mattered much. Then she took his face in her hands. "What is your name?" she asked, keeping her voice steady. He took a deep breath. "Steele." "No. The real one."

His eyes widened slightly. "Abhay," he said finally, his voice so low that she had to strain her ears to catch it.

"Yes." she said firmly. "You are human. Get it?"

There was an edge in her voice he noticed now.

"Yeah."

"Good," she said quietly. "Mind leaving for a minute?"

"Why?" he asked, in spite of himself. "Are you that upset over her?"

Her eyes flew to his, shocked. She felt as though in one swoop, he'd destroyed her defences and seen right through to the soul.

He smiled tightly. "Don't form any emotional attachments, Blade. Distractions don't make for successful missions."

He turned and left, closing the door behind him, leaning against the wall. More than her, he had needed to hear those words. If they started caring too much...

they'd stop caring for the goals, he reminded himself. And there were no shortage of people willing to exploit vulnerabilities. Damn if he'd let Piya become his.

3 August 2010 22:00:10

Sid stared at the man in front of him. "I think I deserve more than such a ... paltry amount,don't you think?" He said, smirking. "This information is worth far more."

"Get us the identites of those two, and then we'll talk," snapped the man in front of him. "And you are in no position to make threats. I hear that the...EIA isn't too lenient with traitors, is it?"

Sid smirked at him. "Sure. I'd give you the identities, but as I have already said, none of us disclose names. Give me some more time."

Note : Apologies for the choppy writing. I hope those of you who managed to understand whatever gibberish I've written will take the trouble to comment...even if it's a rude one.