FF: Ishq-e-Watan *Chapter 78 Posted* - Page 49

CHAPTER 37

CONSEQUENCES

"Tum log yeh baat bhool gaye ho kya ki tum log ek military academy ho?" Karan snapped. "Rules, regulations, discipline, kuchh yaad hai ya nahi?"

He stared at the seven cadets, who hung their heads, staring at the ground. "Par Sir..." Koel started.

"Par kya?" He snarled.

"Sir, woh Parikshit ne bhi toh galat kara, na?" Koel asked. "Usne Monami ke Mumma ki beizzati kar rahi thi. Woh kitna hurt hui, kitna bura laga use."

"Toh kya socha tumne?" He asked. "Parikshit ki coffee mein mirchi daal dete hain aur badla poora ho jaayega? Badle ke liye kara yeh? Yahan rukne waale the ya aage ka bhi kuchh plan tha?" He stared at them. "Bolo!"

"Hum log usse maafi mangwaana chahte the", Sid admitted. "We wanted him to apologize. Agar mirchi ke baad bol deta, toh theek hai. Nahi bolta toh..."

"Toh? Muh jala dete uska? Ulta taang dete? Kya karte?"

"Pranks", Chitra said. "Uske #shampoo mein dye daal dete, superglue se uski uniform chipka dete taaki woh uthta toh phat jaati. Bas tang karte."

"Ise tang karna nahi, ise undisciplined hona kehte hain", Karan snapped. He crossed his arms. "Aur kya sochkar yeh kara hai tumne? Really? Yeh sab kuchh sirf ek sorry ke liye?"

"S-Sirf?" Monami asked. "Usne m-meri Mumma ki i-insult kari."

"Toh tumne uthaakar patak diya tha, na, use? Ab kya jaan logi uski?" He said. She closed her mouth. "Aur maine Parikshit ko uske liye punishment di hai." The cadets looked at each other. "In fact, tum logon ke iss genius idea se pehle bhi woh Monami se maafi maangne waala tha."

"Hume nahi pata tha, Sir ji", Bala said.

"Tumne puchha mujhse?" He asked. They looked at each other before shaking their heads. "Punishments ki baat hai, toh Monami ko bhi milni chahiye. Ustaad ji ke whistle blow karne ke baad, fights khatam hoti hain. Isne phir bhi maara use uske baad. Haan ya naa, Monami?"

"Haan", she muttered, her head hanging.

"But maine jaane diya, kyunki tum gusse mein thi and your anger was justifiable. But this... is too far", he said. He looked at them, glaring. "Ek hafte tak, you will have to do the assigned punishment. And jo kal ka competition jeetne ke liye tumhe reward mila tha, woh weapons training cancel. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir", the cadets muttered.

He stared at them. He sighed. "Kya kar rahe ho tum log?" He asked. "Kyun kar rahe ho? Kiske liye aaye ho tum yahan? Kya karne?"

"Training", they echoed.

"Aise karoge training? Parikshit is not your enemy. Woh tumhaara colleague hai, tumhaara teammate hai. You can't hurt your teammates like that. Tum logon ko gussa tha, shikaayat thi, mere paas aate. Yaa yeh bhool gaye ho tum log ki yahan trainers bhi hain?" He shook his head. "Agli baar se mujhe aise kaam dikh gaye tum logon se, toh bahut bhaari padega. Abhi halke mein chodh raha hoon because pehla offense hai. Samjhe?"

"Yes, sir."

"I hope jo sorry tum log usse sunna chahte the, tum bhi use bologe. Tumhe uski punishment decide karne ka koi haq nahi tha." They nodded. "Good. Dismissed." Karan looked at Sanju. "Tu ruk, Sanju."

Siddharth paused, looking at her. Karan looked at him, nodding to the door. The cadet hesitated, before nodding and moving out of the room.

"Ji, Sir ji?" Sanju asked.

Karan crossed his arms. "Sanju... yeh kisne inke dimaag mein daala hai? Aise sorry bulwaao Parikshit se?" He tilted his head. "Kisi aur ne kaha inhe ya yeh inke khud ke dimaag ki upaj hai?"

She hesitated. She looked at him, and then at Faizi and then back at him. "Sir ji... woh humne... kaho... hum bas..."

"Lag hi raha tha mujhe", he said. "Kya soch rahi thi tu? Woh gussa the, toh tujhe unka gussa shaant karna chahiya tha. Aag mein ghee kyun daala?"

She looked away. "Sorry keh raho hain, Sir ji. Woh... Parikshit ne zyaada bol diyo toh..."

He heaved a sigh. "Sanju... Parikshit bhi humaara cadet hai. Yeh 7 jaise hain, waise hi Parikshit hai. Usko bhi hume hi commando banana hai. Tu toh trainer hai uski. Tujhe lagta hai ki woh galat tha, toh punish kar deti. Cadets ko kyun bhidha rahi hai ek doosre ke saath?"

"Sir ji, hume lago cadets ka maamla hogo. Aapas mein suljha lenge."

"Baat karne se suljhaate toh theek tha, Sanju", Faizi said. "Cold war tak baat theek hai, par yeh sab..." He shook his head. He sighed. "Sanju, humne yeh baat tumhe bhi boli hai. Gusse ko kaabu nahi rakhungi toh kisi din aisi galti ho jaayegi jo tum zindagi bhar pachhtaogi."

"Abhi toh inki chhoti si fight hui hai. Do din mein bhool jaayenge. Baat mirchi ya sorry ki nahi hai. Aaj gusse mein inhone yeh kara hai, kal gusse mein kahan tak jaayenge? Kisi ko maarne, murder karne? Kisi ki jaan chali gayi, toh seh paayenge? Yeh baat tu bhi samajh le, toh behtar hoga", Karan continued. "Aur Sanju... bias mat ho. Tujhe Monami, Siddharth, shayad Koel pasand hain, theek hai, par woh sabse pehle humaare cadets hain."

"Ji, Sir ji."

He walked past her, and Sanju turned her head, staring at him. She looked at Faizi, who sighed a little. "Sanju... agli baar se dhyaan rakhna. Hum nahi chahte ki hume tumhe punish karna padhe. Yeh baat naa hume pasand aayegi, naa Karan ko aur tumhe toh bilkul bhi nahi."

She nodded. "Sorry keh raho hain, Sir ji."

He patted her head, smiling at her a little. "Koi baat nahi. Bas... dhyaan rakhna aage se." She nodded.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Parikshit eyed the seven. Monami stepped forward. He immediately took a step back, holding up a hand. "Dekho... I get it", he started. "Tum mujhse gussa ho, and I am sorry. I shouldn't have gone that far. I just wanted to win the competition. But... itna zyaada nahi karna chahiye. Aage ne nahi karunga. Please... maarna mat."

She tilted her head. "M-Main i-itni violent n-nahi hoon", she said.

He stared at her. "Monami... I don't think tum yeh baat ab keh sakti ho."

"M-Main y-yahan s-sorry bolne aa-aayi thi", she admitted. "I'm s-sorry t-tumhaari c-coffee mein m-mirchi d-daalne ke liye."

"It's okay. Maine bhi zyaada bol diya."

"We agree", Koel said. She crossed her arms. "Tumne bahut zyaada bol diya." She pointed to him. "Yeh mat sochna ki isse tumhe yeh sab dobara karne ka free pass mil jaayega. Hum back off kar rahe hain, iska yeh matlab nahi hai ki tumne jo kara, woh justifiable tha." She looked him up and down. "Sorry." She glared at him, turning around and walking off.

"Humaare group se dobara panga mat lena", Bala warned. He eyed him. "Sorry." He narrowed his eyes at him, turning and walking away as well after her. Prem ji and Suman ji followed, after uttering their own half-hearted apologies.

Chitra looked at him. "#Sorry for the mirchi. Thanks for the #apology. Call it a #truce?" He nodded. She turned away, joining the others. Monami followed them, till only Sid was left.

Sid stared into his eyes, leaning closer. "Monu ko agar tune kabhi bhi hurt kara dobara, bahut zyaada bhaari padega. Yeh mat sochna ki tumne sorry bola, humne accept kar liya and sab theek ho gaya. Monu ne tujhse maafi sirf isliye maangi because Karan Sir ne kaha aur woh unki bahut respect karti hai. Yeh dobara kabhi hua, you'll pay."

Parikshit stared back, narrowing his eyes. "Dhamki de rahe ho?"

"Nahi. Yeh sirf ek warning hai. I hope I am clear?"

"Crystal."

"Awesome", he said. "Sorry for the mirchi." He turned around, stalking away from the man.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Sid knocked on the door hesitantly. Sanju glanced up, sighing a little. "Aa jaa." He strode in, sitting down in front of her hesitantly.

"Sorry", he said. "Karan Sir ne aapko bhi daanta, na? I am so sorry."

She sighed. "Teri galti naa hai. Humaari hi hai. Hume tujhe shaant karna chahiyo tha." She looked at him. Her eyebrows raised. "Coffee mein mirchi?"

"I don't like it jab koi Monu ko rulaaye. Plus usne Juhi Aunty ke baare mein sab kuchh kaha. I don't like it jab koi Juhi Aunty ke baare mein bakwaas karta hai." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a locket- a four leaved clover.

'Yeh mujhe Juhi Aunty ne diya tha. Monu ki Mom? Mummy ji ke jaane ke baad, unhone mujhe apne bete ki tarah treat kara tha.'

"Yeh toh tujhe Monami ki maa ne diyo tha, na?" Sanju asked.

He nodded. "Haan", he muttered. He heaved a sigh. "It's been so long... kabhi kabhi lagta hai ki kisi aur lifetime ki yaadein hain."

Sanju gently touched his arm. "Tujhe bahut yaad aato hai, na, unki?"

Sid shook his head. "Yaad toh unki aati hai, jinse door hote hain." He took a deep breath, forcing a smile on his face. "Aapko pata hai, jab Monu bahut chhoti thi aur Juhi Aunty jaati thi and she used to cry? Toh Juhi Aunty use kehti thi ki aankhein band karo, and imagine me. Aur main wahin hongi. Imagination mein hi sahi, hain toh paas hi, na?" He clicked his tongue, blinking back the tears. "I refuse to believe ki woh mere paas nahi hain ab. Jab tak mujhe woh yaad hain, she is close to me."

She nodded a little. Sid suddenly stood up, grabbing her hand. She glanced down at it, and then up at him. He wordlessly pulled her to the window, sitting on the space before it. She sat down in front of him, looking at him expectantly.

"You like star gazing?" He asked, pointing to the sky. Sanju blinked, staring at him and then at the sky. "I wish... woh abhi bhi zinda hote", he whispered quietly to himself. She turned her gaze out, pretending not to have heard it.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Koel knocked on the door hesitantly. Faizi glanced at her and then back at the papers. "Aa jao", he said.

"Tum mujhse gussa ho?" She asked, walking closer to him.

"Nahi. Gussa nahi", he said. He glanced up at her. "Par tumse yeh umeed nahi thi hume."

"Main gusse mein thi", she said.

He shook his head. "Gussa apni jagah aur kisi ko hurt karna, apni jagah", he said. "Aur tum sab yeh plan kar rahe ho aur tumne hume bataaya bhi nahi?" He sighed. "Koel... Monami gussa thi because uske liye personal tha. Sid gussa tha because uske liye bhi personal tha. Par tum paanchon ke liye toh nahi tha, na? Tum logon ko unhe samjhaana chahiye tha, unke saath lagna nahi chahiye tha."

She nodded. She sighed, sitting down. "I am sorry", she said. "I know hum logon ne rules todhe and humne galat tareeke se handle kara. But uss time par tit for tat sahi lag raha tha."

He looked at her. "Attached hone mein, emotional hone mein kuchh galat nahi hai. Par blind mat bano. Jo galat hai, woh galat hai. Monami is your teammate, but so is Parikshit. Kaunsi battle, kitni ladni hai, kitna effort daalna hai, seekho use. Koi zaroorat nahi thi itna hurt karne ki use."

"Yeah." She stood up, moving closer to him.

He snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. He gently pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Humaare kaam mein... hum logon ko bahut kuchh sehna hota hai. Jitni cheezon par react karte hain, usse bahut zyaada cheezon ko chodna bhi hota hai", he explained gently. "Monami ne bhi toh Parikshit ko utha kar patak diya, na? Training room ki baat thi, training room mein khatam karte."

"He could have said sorry", she complained quietly.

"Could have, should have", Faizi agreed. "Par... kabhi kabhi, naa chahte hue bhi, hum aisi cheezon par react nahi kar sakte jinpar hume karna chahiye. Aap jitna zyaada aage jaoge, utna hi zyaada risk hota hai. Some things are not worth the risk. Baat mirchi ki nahi hai. It's about choosing your battles."

She hummed. She smiled at him a little. "Waise... mujhe nahi pata tha tum itna achha gyaan bhi baante ho." She laughed slightly.

Faizi chuckled. "Mahutarma, humaare andar bahut hunar hain. Bas koi pehchaanta nahi."

"So sad", she said, laughing. She leaned closer, kissing his cheek.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

"Karan Sir", a voice halted him. Karan turned around, finding Mridul run up to him. "Sir... woh aapne sketch database mein run karne ko bola hoga?"

He straightened up in interest. "Haan. Kya hua? Match hua?"

"Haan, Sir", he said, holding up a file. "Naam hai Virat. Last name unknown. EFR ka ek leader hai. Iska common alias hai 'Mask' because he can disguise well."

'Mask. Virat. Isliye familiar lag raha tha. EFR ki files mein dekha tha, na, ise? Disguise well? Matlab, he can spy well', Karan thought. 'He could be the spy. Or... one of them.'

"Okay", Karan said. "Ek kaam karo. Virat ke upar jitni bhi information hai, sab mujhe aur Faizi ko mail kar do."

"Yes, sir", Mridul said. He looked down at the file. "Sir, aapko lagta hai ki Virat ne aapke informer ko maara hai?"

He shrugged. "Possible", he said. "Kuchh bhi ho sakta hai. I don't rule out possibilities jab tak facts use rule out nahi karte."

Mridul nodded. "Of course. Woh jo... Sachin tha, you know the school teacher? Usne aur kuchh bataaya? Besides the sketch?" Karan shook his head. "Oh. Actually, woh jisne parcel diya hai, na, main use trace karne ki koshish kar raha tha. But... no luck. I was hoping ki usne kuchh bhi bataaya ho toh shayad I would have more leads on where to look."

"I don't think usse bahut zyaada lead mil sakta hai. He's probably just some middle man jise pata bhi nahi hoga ki andar kya hai", Karan said. Mridul tilted his head a little in agreement. He glanced at the time. "Mujhe aur Faizi ko Virat ki file zaroor bhej dena." He nodded again.

Karan turned around, walking towards the mess. He glanced at the time again.

Monami would be waiting for him.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

'Tum log yeh baat bhool gaye ho kya ki tum log ek military academy mein ho? Rules, regulations, discipline, kuchh yaad hai ya nahi?'

Monami stared at the milk in the pan. She sighed a little. She glanced at the door of the mess, slumping a little. She fidgeted with her hands. 'Karan Sir mujhse naraaz honge. Isliye hi nahi aaye.'

'Ek hafte tak, you will have extra physical training and extra duty.'

'Punishment bhi di, sorry bolne ko bhi kaha. Aur itne gusse se dekh rahe the.' She heaved another sigh. 'Tu kitni stupid hai, Monu. Hamesha aise kaam karti rehti hai. Ab teri wajah se, sabko punishment milegi. Tu sab kharaab kar deti hai. Stupid, stupid, stupid.' She looked down at the coffee.

"Monami", Karan said, walking into the kitchen. "Hi."

She blinked a couple of times, pushing back the tears before looking up. Oh. He was here? She glanced away quickly. "Hi", she murmured. 'No tears, smoothen your voice', she scolded herself. 'Crybaby mat ban.'

Karan's eyebrows furrowed. Why wasn't she looking at him? "Kya hua?" He asked. She shook her head, her head bowed as she fiddled with the rim of her cup. "Monami... tum mujhse naraaz ho kya?"

Her head snapped up. "N-Nahi. B-Bilkul nahi." She hesitated. "Aa-Aap ho?"

"Nahi. Main kyun naraaz honga?" He grabbed his coffee mug, keeping it on the counter.

She blinked, tilting her head. "M-Matlab... b-because mir-mirchi."

He shrugged. "Tum undisciplined thi, tumhe punishment mil gayi." He looked at her. "Woh humaara professional relationship hai. Yeh-" He gestured to the pan and then vaguely in the direction of the kitchen- "humaara personal relationship hai. Dono ko jab tak aur jitna door rakh sakte hain, utna achha."

Her eyebrows raised. "P-Personal?"

"What? You think main yeh har cadet ke saath karta hoon?" He asked. "Coffee peena, apne din ke baare mein bataana." He tilted his head. "We are friends. Hai, na?"

A small, hopeful smile spread on her face. "We are?" She asked, her eyes lighting up.

He nodded. "Of course we are", he said. "Maine tumhe as your trainer punish kara. Tumhaare dost ki tarah tumse gussa rehne ka kya matlab?" She smiled a little, nodding to his words. "Waise... tumne Parikshit ko sorry bola?"

Her smile dropped. She nodded. "B-Bola", she said. Karan handed her a mug. She looked up at him, a slight pout on her face. "P-Par s-sirf isliye k-kyunki aa-aapne k-kaha."

He sighed. "At least, kaha toh. Tum gussa thi, understandable. Tumhe apology chahiye thi, understandable. Par... yeh kya tareeka tha? Coffee mein mirchi daalne waala? Mere paas aati, ya Faizi ke paas jaati. Humse baat karti."

She nodded. "S-Sorry", she said, holding her ear.

He chuckled slightly, pushing down her hand gently. "Iski zaroorat nahi hai. Bas baat samjho. You made your point. Uske aage jaane ki koi zaroorat nahi thi." He halted for a brief second. "Tumhe... retaliate karne mein aur hunt karne mein difference samajh aata hai?"

She blinked, a frown on her face. "Uh..."

"Aap kisi sher ko chedoge, toh woh aapko maar dega. But that's not hunting, that's retaliating. Hunting is entirely different. Predators bahut kuchh hote hain and patient is one of them. Woh ghanton tak baithkar apne prey ko dekhte hain, samajhte hain, wait karte hain and then, they attack. That's calculated. Retaliate karna is important because people need to learn that they can't mess with you. Image bahut matter karta hai. Aapki image, achhi ya buri, hamesha aapko precede karegi. But hunt karna... that's reserved."

"R-Reserved? For?"

"Aise logon ke liye jo actually aapke time ke worth ho." His jaw clenched slightly. "Jinhone aapse kuchh liya hai, jinhone kuchh galat kara hai." He looked down at her. "Yeh sab cheezen... let them go. Koi faida nahi hota hai inhe itna paas rakh kar."

She nodded. "Yeah", she muttered. She heaved a sigh.

"Kya kara aaj poora din?" Karan asked. "Yaa sirf conspiracy theories banaayi Parikshit ke against?"

Her gaze lifted to him. She scowled lightly. "T-Taana add k-karne ki z-zaroorat n-nahi thi", she said.

He chuckled. "Mere saath taane free aate hain. Packaged deal."

She smiled. "I'll t-take it. Aa-Aapko p-pata hai, m-maine ek b-bahut sundar b-bird d-dekhi aaj..."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

"Sun... yeh Virat... yeh jo Mask hai", Karan said. "He could be the spy."

"Mask", Faizi repeated, humming. "Kitna ganda naam hai." Karan dipped his head in agreement. "Database mein run karte hain. Facial recognition check."

"Woh toh kar lenge but agar seedha seedha kisi ko bolenge, toh unhe shaq ho jaayega. We can't take that risk."

Faizi looked at him. "Toh kya karein?" He asked. "Check toh karna hi padega, na?" He paused. "Tumhe sach mein lag raha hai Virat hoga? Kyunki humse yeh baat digest nahi ho rahi."

Karan frowned. "Clues ke hisaab se, makes sense. But background check mein toh aana chahiye tha. If it's Virat... mujhe samajh nahi aa raha woh andar ghusa kaise?"

"Maybe Virat ho hi naa? Maybe woh bahar waala hai. Spy andar, aur ek leader bahar." He sighed. "Phir bhi facial recognition toh check karna hi padega."

He paused. "Ek second", he muttered. "Leader. EFR ka leader. Sun... ek kaam kar, jitne bhi known associates hain, mostly leaders, sab ke photos apne informers ko bhej. Agar Virat hiding se bahar hai, matlab... they could be planning something big. And if they're planning something big, then chance hai ki aur leaders bhi bahar ho."

Faizi nodded. "Hum karte hain message", he said. "Raghav ko bolte hain, woh files bhejega."

Karan hummed. "Mujhe bhi bhejna." He paused. "Aur sun... apne informers ko thoda alert kar dena." His gaze dropped. "Laxman jaisa incident nahi chahiye."

He nodded again. "Kar denge."

"Ab yeh soch, bina inhe alert kare, tech support kaise milega?" Karan said. His fingers tapped against the bed frame under her idly. He lifted his head. "Sun... kitna mushkil hoga khud karna?"

Faizi shrugged. "Pata nahi. Par software bhi toh chahiye. Woh toh tech room ke computers par hi hai."

Karan let his head fall back down. His phone buzzed. He reached for it, sighing as he opened the message. "Batra Sir ka message hai", he said. "Kal subah meeting hai. 1000 hours."

"Hum so rahe hain. Batra Sir ke cabin mein jaane ke baad waise hi har baar neend kam naseeb hoti hai", he said immediately, sliding down. Karan hummed in agreement, closing his eyes. "Light band kar do."

His eyes opened. "Aalsi", he hissed at him. "Teri baari thi." He pushed himself up, drowsily switching off the light and then falling back on the bed. His tired body welcomed the sleep.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

'Sir ji.' A hand shook him. Karan blinked, looking up to see Laxman's serious face staring back at him. He was lying on the floor of a rough terrain. He frowned, sitting up. The jungle? What? 'Sir ji, khabar hai. Bahut badhi.'

'Kya hua? Bol.'

'Academy ki baat hai, Sir ji. Koi dhokha de raha hai aapko.'

'Kaun? Kya pata hai tujhe uske baare?'

'Sir ji, woh-" A gunshot cut him off. Karan flinched as warm blood sprayed on his face. He opened his eyes again, just in time to see Laxman fall forward over him, a bullet in his forehead.

Karan's eyes snapped open. Faizi's snores were a welcome change from the dead quietness of the jungle in his nightmare and the loud gunshot that still echoed in his ears. He sat up, running a hand through his hair. He shook his head, throwing the blanket off of himself. He sat down on the desk, opening the diary. He paused, staring at the blank page.

"Academy ki baat, spy ke baare mein pata chala hoga use", Karan whispered to himself. "But... kaise?" He stood up. "Kaise?"

He grabbed his phone from his night desk, searching through his contacts. He paused at one, dialing the number and holding it to his ear. It rang for a few long rings.

"Karan Sir ji?" Raju's voice greeted him, a yawn evident in it. "Aap sote wote nahi ho kya?"

"Ek baat bata", Karan said. "Tujhe pata hai Laxman kisi se milne gaya tha kya? Matlab, kisi cheez ko follow kar raha tha?"

"Sir ji, Laxman toh idhar se udhar ghoomta hi rehta tha. Kabhi kisi se milna, kabhi kisi se."

"Koi jo tujhe yaad ho?"

Raju paused. "Sir ji, thoda puchhna padega. Ab khabriyon waala kaam kabhi kara nahi, par aap kaho, toh abhi ban jaata hoon. Peechha karoon kya?"

"Nahi! Nahi, koi zaroorat nahi hai. Tu... Tu door reh in sab se. Jahan tak sabko pata hai, Laxman mera khabri tha, yeh pata tujhe nahi pata."

"Theek hai, Sir ji, jaisa aap kaho. Par kabhi chahiye hogi madad, number toh hai hi. Kabhi bhi phone kar lena."

"Thank you. So jaa tu." He sighed, cutting the call.

He glanced at the shelves of books and textbooks. Switching on the torch on his flashlight, he checked the titles of the books, before pulling one out- 'The Art of Spying.' He sat down on the desk again, opening the book and beginning to read.