CHAPTER 53
TURMOIL
Monami rested her chin on her knees, clutching her legs closer to her chest. It was her first exam today. The week that followed would have a series of exams of theory and physical and the week after would have the result. A few days of holidays and then, the new quarter would begin.
Or she would go home. If she failed.
‘Tum samajhti kyun nahi ho, Monami? I don’t want to come home to another corpse on my bed, baccha.’
‘Bas woh hi karna hai, jo tum chahti ho. Selfish ho tum.’
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. No, she couldn’t think about it. She couldn’t falter. There was no way she would be able to go back to Mumbai, go back to her home and forget everything she had lived here.
‘Agar sab kuchh chodkar chali gayi waapas, toh kabhi apne aap se nazre nahi mila paungi. Jo zindagi bhar chaaha, use chhodkar kaise chali jaoon? Itne saalon baad lag raha hai ki meri zindagi waapas meri hone lagi hai. Kaise ise chodkar chali jaaon main?’
She stood up, walking to the window. She stared outside into the moonless night. They say that the army wasn’t a profession. It was a way of life. This life… this was what she wanted to live. She cannot go back.
Was it selfish? Maybe. Probably. But she couldn’t find it in herself to care all that much.
She wanted to be a soldier. She was going to be one.
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
Karan leaned against the table, stifling a yawn. Rahul’s screams were mercilessly loud and shrill. He glanced at the time. 4:05. It was way too early to be listening to such shrill tones. They haven’t even touched him. Yet.
“Aye, chup”, Sanju snapped. His mouth immediately slapped shut, and he stared at her with wide eyes. His eyes trailed down to the pliers in his hand. A close mouthed whine escaped his mouth. “Chup. Ek dum chup. Ek aur awaaz naa aayegi ab tere muh se.” The whining stopped. He nodded frantically. “Ab jo hum puchh rahe hain uska jawaab dena. Tu academy kaa karne aayo tha?”
“W-W-Woh… pata nahi.”
“Chhuti manaane aayo tha phir?” Sanju asked, clutching his hair. “Tehelte tehelte pahunch gayo?”
“Sach mein pata nahi. Woh… Woh mujhe aage ki instructions baad mein call karke dene waale the.”
Karan’s eyebrows furrowed. He straightened up. This wasn’t an intrusion. They were dipping their toes in the water. That means they were suspicious already that something wasn’t right.
He suppressed a frustrated sigh.
Who the hell tipped the spy this well?
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
“Kya soch rahe ho?” Faizi asked.
Karan glanced up from the apple on his fork that he was inspecting idly. “Spy ko tip kisne diya? Kisne kisko kya bola? Yeh yahan kyun aaya tha? Kisne bheja? Kyun? Aur… dobara kab attack karenge?”
“Kuchh toh miss kar rahe hain hum.”
“Kuchh nahi, bahut kuchh”, he corrected. “Sawaal ke jawaab milte nahi aur naye sawaal khade ho jaate hain. Iss point par mission se zyaada, film ki story lag rahi hai. Sochta kuchh hoon, hota kuchh aur hai, aur clues toh pata hi nahi kahan pahuncha dete hain. Gol gol ghoom rahe hain bas.”
Faizi eyed him, taking a sip of his milk. “Shooting range chalna hai? Training ke time jaise?”
Karan chuckled. “I wish, yaar”, he said. “Par nahi. Yeh jo neeche hai, uska bhi kuchh karna hai.”
“Kya karoge?”
He tapped his fingers on the table. “Dekh, kuchh toh pata chalega isse. Yeh feeling aa rahi hai mujhe. Bas yeh sochna hai ki sawaal kya puchhne hai.” He stood up. “Mujhe thoda kaam hai. Karke aaya.” He paused. “Achha sun… jab cadets ka exam ho jaaye, ek baar call kari. Milte hain inse.”
Faizi smiled, eyebrows raising. “Cadets se milna hai? Ya Monami se?”
He glanced away. “Kaafi… Kaafi nervous thi”, he conceded. “Mil lunga toh better hoga.” Faizi chuckled. “Aur baaki sab se bhi milna hai. Unse bhi baat karni hai.”
“Haan, theek hai, hum call kar denge.”
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
“Tu yahan baithi hai?” Sid said. “Hum sab kabse dhoond rahe hain. Paper ke baad gayab ho gayi.”
Monami gave them a pout. “Ek q-question g-galat ho g-gaya”, she whined.
“Kaunsa?” Koel asked.
“Co-coordinate n-nikaalne waala. M-Main B-Biology ki st-student. N-Number se th-thoda g-galat hi s-sambhad hai”, she said.
“Doctor Madam, ek hi toh galat hua hai”, Bala said. “Mere 4 galat hain.”
“Bas, bas, exam mat #discuss karo”, Chitra said. “I am #nervous already.”
“Suman ji ko fikar nahi. Itna bura nahi gaya ki Suman ji pass naa ho. Aur kya chahiye?” Suman ji asked.
“First”, Monami and Sid echoed together.
“Tum topper log aur tumhaari demands”, Koel said, chuckling. “Tum dono mein se hi koi first aayega.”
Sid whipped out the question paper. “Monu, tera iska answer-”
“Arey, bas, bas”, Prem ji said, snatching it out of his hand. “Koi pariksha ki vartalap nahi karega.”
“Vartalap…” Sid muttered. “Conversation? Hai, na? I remember this word.”
Koel rolled her eyes. “Award laakar do Sir ko.”
Sid’s smile melted off. “Tereko meri khushi se kya problem hai?” He demanded.
She leaned closer to him, her voice dropping into a low tone. “Aaj kal toh teri khushi ka source koi aur hai. Nahi?” She teased. His eyebrows furrowed. She looked down at the bed she was sitting on. “Jiske bed par baithi hoon?”
He lunged at her, playfully grabbing her arm and twisting it backwards. “Tujhe kisne bataaya?” He hissed.
She chuckled. “Aankhein hain”, she said.
He leaned closer to her ear. “Yaar, subah se nahi dikhi. Pata nahi kahan hai”, he whispered. “Tujhe pata hai?” Koel burst out laughing, shaking her head. “Arey, bata na?”
“Nahi pata”, she said, laughing.
“Pakka?” He asked, tickling her sides. She laughed, trying to push him away. She nodded to his question, laughing.
Suman ji chuckled, sitting down next to Monami. They were too far to hear their quiet conversation but their squabbling was a constant source of entertainment for them.
“Mujhe bhi jaanna hai kya baatein ho rahi hain”, Bala said, jumping in. Sid groaned lightly, as his foot hit his shoulder. “Sorry, Bhai ji.” Koel panted, trying to catch her breath after the tickling session. A wide smile was on her face, and she chuckled as Sid shot Bala a dirty look.
“#Me too”, Chitra said, hopping up on the bed.
“Mere upar se utho”, Koel protested, trying to get out from under the other three cadets. Sid relaxed his body more, lying completely over her. “Ugh, Sid! Uth! Sid!”
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
“Baat hui Monami se?” Faizi asked.
“Gaya tha. Par sab cadets ke saath thi”, he said. He shrugged. “Theek nahi laga interrupt karna. Waise bhi, socializing karna uske liye achha hai. Teri hui Koel se?”
“2 minute ke liye”, he said, sighing. “Hum miss kar rahe hain use.”
Karan glanced at him. “Thoda time, Faizi”, he said. “I have a feeling Raawat Sir waise bhi problems create karne ki koshish karenge. And nahi bhi karenge toh bhi, better safe than sorry.”
The guard outside the door saluted them, pushing open the door quickly. Faizi halted for a second. “Koi aaya?” He asked.
“Nahi, Sir”, he said. “Koi hall mein bhi nahi aaya.”
He nodded. He glanced around. “Pata hai, na, kisi ko nahi aane dena?”
“Ji, Sir.”
Faizi walked in. “Naa, Sir ji”, Ustaad ji was saying to Karan. He saluted him. “Kuchh nahi bol raha zyaada. Kehta burner phone se kaam ka pata chalta tha. Baaki abhi jaari hai puchh tachh.”
Karan glanced at him. He sat down on the chair, leaning closer to Rahul. He looked him up and down. “Pehli baar kab contact kara usne?”
“2 saal pehle”, he said.
“Kaise mile?”
“Bas… ek din call aaya ki kaam karega? Maine haan keh diya. Paise ki zaroorat thi”, he said. “Achha paisa tha.”
Karan leaned back in the chair. “Paise kaise milte the? Cash hi milta hoga?” He nodded. “Kaun aata tha dene?”
“Aata nahi tha. Main jaata tha. Club mein. Euphoria”, he said.
“Paise kisse leta tha? Bartender?” Rahul shook his head. “Toh phir?”
“Sir, woh ek aadmi tha. Usse leta tha paise.”
“Ab toh Euphoria band ho gaya hai. Ab? Ab kahan se leta hai paise?”
Rahul shrugged. “Ek hi baar liya tha uske baad. Warehouse mein. Woh jungle mein tha kahin toh. Thode bahut log the, zyaada nahi.”
“Jisse milne gaya tha, uska naam kya tha?”
Rahul gulped. “N-Naam nahi pata.”
“Shakal dekhi?” He nodded. Karan looked at Ustaad ji, gesturing him closer. The older man leaned down. “Virat ki photo?” He muttered. Ustaad ji quickly handed him one. “Yeh tha?”
“Nahi, Sir ji, yeh nahi tha. Thoda umar mein badha tha isse, yeh nishaan bhi nahi tha chehre par.”
“Sanju”, he said, not taking his eyes off him. “Sab kuchh nikalwa isse. Ek ek inch uss insaan ka jo isne dekha hai aur ek ek shabd jo isne suna hai.”
“Ji, Sir ji”, she said.
Karan clutched his collar. Rahul gulped. “Agar kuchh chhupaaya, toh tere liye bilkul achha nahi hoga”, he whispered dangerously. “Samjha?”
“Ji, Sir ji.”
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
Param sat in the car, head tilted back and eyes closed. He opened his eyes, taking a deep breath. He opened the car door, walking into the academy.
He stumbled a little, accidentally hitting someone’s shoulder. Damn the jitters in his legs at times. He opened his mouth, an apology on the tip of his tongue. The word faded out when his eyes met the person’s. “Ambar.”
The lieutenant colonel glanced down. There was always a hint of metal peeking out from somewhere, and he was used to the glances. “Param”, he said simply, nodding.
The former special agent turned around, walking up the stairs to the colonel’s cabin. “Param”, Mrs. Batra greeted happily, standing up.
“Ma’am”, he said, smiling. “Kaise hain aap?”
“Main toh theek hi hoon. Par tu kabhi milne kyun nahi aata hai?” She complained. “Tum dono aise hi ho. Tu bhi, aur Karan bhi.”
Param smiled. “Aap ghar aaiye dinner par, tab hi main milne aaya karunga.” He looked at the colonel. “Ma’am, mujhe… mujhe Sir se kuchh baat karni hai.”
Mrs. Batra nodded. “Of course”, she said. “Par bina mujhse mile ghar mat jaana.”
“Ji”, he said. He sat down on the chair on the colonel’s gesture.
“Bolo, Param?” He asked, a knowing smile on his face.
Param leaned forward. “Sign me up, Sir. I want to join the academy again.”
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
“Uss warehouse ko bhi check out karte hain”, Karan said. “Details le li Sanju se?”
Faizi nodded. “Rahul keh raha tha jungle mein kahin hai. Thoda andaaza bataaya hai, par dhoondna padega.”
“Chalte hain”, he said. “Kal subah subah nikalte hain.”
“Team?”
Karan shook his head. “Hum dono. Dekhkar aate hain.” Faizi nodded. “Sun. Bhaiya aaye hain. Main milkar aaya.” He patted him on the back, moving to the colonel’s cabin.
He paused, watching Monami walk quickly, her attention entirely on the books in her hands. She gasped, slamming straight into him and Karan grabbed her arm before she could fall down. “S-Sorry”, she squeaked.
“Kahan jaa rahi ho itni jaldi mein?” He asked.
“Ek t-topic r-revise n-nahi kara”, she said, eyes wide. “Kal ke e-exam ka. I d-don’t know m-main k-kaise bh-bhool gayi.”
He chuckled. “Relax”, he said. “Bahut time hai.”
“Kya b-bahut t-time hai?” She demanded. “Bas th-thode se gh-ghante hain. Aapse m-main b-baad mein m-milti hoon, mujhe p-padhna hai.” He nodded. She paused, looking at him hesitantly. “A-Actually, mujhe aa-aapse k-kuchh imp-important b-baat karni thi. If you’re… if you’re n-not t-too b-busy.”
“Bolo”, he said.
“I am… I am s-sorry”, she said. “I sh-shouldn’t have r-reacted that w-way kal. Aapke aur Bh-Bhaiya ke b-beech mein jo bh-bhi b-baat hui, th-that’s your b-business, not m-mine. And… And aap m-mujhe b-bataaye, woh toh b-bilkul z-zaroori nahi hai.”
“Tumhe sorry bolne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai, Monami”, he said. “I… I understand. Mission Pari and jo kuchh bhi hua, woh tumhaare liye bahut sensitive topic hai and understandably so. But…”
She tilted her head. “B-But?”
“But you are wrong. About a lot of things”, he said. “Especially ki log tumhaare baare mein kya sochte hain aur kya feel karte hain.” She opened her mouth before closing it. She nodded. He turned around, shoving his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.
‘You are w-wasting your t-time with m-me, Sir.’
‘I th-think aa-aapko j-jaana ch-chahiye.’
That had stung more than he cared to admit. But he saw it for what it was. She was trying to push him away. He had to be patient. That was what she needed. Not anger, not force, but patience. You put medicine on wounds, not scrape them in anger when they don’t heal fast enough.
“And”, her voice halted him. “And… l-log… l-log kya s-sochte hain m-mere baare mein?”
He looked at her. “Main jo bolunga, tum maan jaogi?” He asked. She glanced away. “Log jo sochte hain tumhaare baare mein, they show it. Kaafi simple hai agar dekhna chaaho toh. I think tumhe bhi pata hai main kya bolunga if you genuinely want me to tell you ki log tumhaare mein kya sochte hain. You just won’t accept it.”
She bit her lip. “I am s-sorry. I know I… I was r-rude.”
“Thoda sa”, he acknowledged. “But it’s okay. Main naraaz nahi hoon.”
She smiled a little. “Th-Thank you.”
He glanced at her books. “Padhna nahi tha tumhe?” He asked.
Her eyes widened. “Shit!” She said. “Main b-bahut l-late hoon. Bye!” She turned around, almost running back to her room. He chuckled, shaking his head. He tilted his head, a small smile on his face.
“Chhup chhup kar kisi ko dekha jaa raha hai?” A voice said.
His smile disappeared, and he rolled his eyes. He turned around, raising an eyebrow at his brother. “Nahi”, he said.
“Monami thi, na?” Param asked, chuckling. “Dhyaan se dekh nahi paaya.”
“Aap use chodho”, he said. “Sir se mil liye?”
“Haan, woh toh mil liya”, he said. He slung an arm around his shoulder. “Tu yeh bata mujhe. Monami bhi tujhe pasand karti hai?”
Karan pushed him away. “Hum dono dost hai. Bas. Ab aur baat nahi Monami ke baare mein. Warna main chala jaunga.”
Param chuckled. “Achha, theek hai. Upar aa jaa. Ma’am bhi hain. Bula rahe the.”
---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---
“Keh raha tha kahin yahan par hai warehouse”, Faizi said, pointing to almost the middle of the jungle.
Karan glanced it over. He nodded. “Haan, mujhe yeh jagah pata hai”, he said. “Par kabhi warehouse nahi dekha. We’ll have to search. Taiyaari kar li?” Faizi nodded. “1 ghante mein nikalte hain.”
A knock interrupted them. Faizi quickly put the map away, opening the door. “Arey, Ustaad ji?” He asked. “Aap yahan?”
“Sir ji, woh Karan Sir ji ko Raawat Sir ji ne bulaaya hai”, Ustaad ji said.
Karan sighed, standing up from his bed. “Kuchh bataaya kyun?” He asked. Ustaad ji shook his head. “Aap chaliye, main aata hoon.” He paused for the few seconds it took for the older man to disappear. “Ab inhe kya chahiye?”
Faizi shook his head. “Lag hi raha tha hume ki itne din ho gaye aaye ho. Tang kaise nahi kara?”
“Main jaakar aaya”, he said. “Hopefully, zyaada time nahi lagega.” Faizi gave him a look. “Haan, mujhe bhi zyaada umeed nahi hai.”
“Hum neeche dekhkar aate hain. Itni der Sanju ko Rahul ke saath chhodha hai. Dekhte hain zinda bhi hai kya.”
The two parted ways, and Karan quickly climbed the stairs. He knocked on the door to the cabin Raawat was assigned, hearing his voice call out.
“Sir?” Karan said, walking in.
“Karan”, Raawat said. “Have a seat. Mujhe bas cadets ke baare mein kuchh discuss karna hai. Tumne ek plan banaaya hai regarding the training? Jo cadets inn exams mein achha karenge, ek certain criteria pass karenge, unhe tumhe special training doge?”
“Yes, Sir”, he said. “I believe the official report has all the details and yeh plan Batra Sir ne approve kara.”
“I can see that”, he said. “For an initial trial period of 3 months. Agar successful hua, you’ll extend the time period. Tumhe sach mein lagta yeh work karega?”
‘Nahi. Mujhe extra kaam karne ka shauk chadh gaya tha’, he thought sarcastically.
“Yes Sir”, he said instead. “Some cadets are exceptionally well. Baaki cadets ke saath pace par rakhenge toh it’ll be a waste.”
“So you already have some cadets in mind?” He asked.
“Of course”, he said. “Training ki performances se we can judge.”
Raawat nodded. “Kaun hai yeh cadets?”
Karan paused. “I am sorry, Sir, but I don’t want to make any statements. Jab hum cadets ko segregate karenge, it’ll be on the basis of the exam results and the official reports of all the six trainers.”
The older man eyed him. He leaned back in his chair. “All your cadets are assets for the country, Karan. I hope you are not skipping out on your responsibilities on training the rest of them in the favor of a few.”
His jaw clenched. “I hope aap yeh imply nahi kar rahe hain ki main kisi ki taraf biased hoon”, he gritted out. “Sir.”
“Not at all, Karan”, he said. “Tum toh famous hi apne dedication, apni honesty aur jazbe ke liye ho. I am just pointing out ki maybe yeh baaki cadets ke liye fair nahi hai.”
“What’s not fair?” He challenged. “Aisa thodi naa hai ki hum unhe bura train kar rahe hain. We are just separating the toppers from the rest. School mein aksar bright, intellectual bacche class jump karte the. Yahan par thoda sa course jump kar rahe hain.”
Ambar leaned back in his chair. “I assume you know well enough ki agar yeh work nahi karega toh you’ll have to answer to certain people.”
“Don’t worry, Sir. I’ll have my answers ready. But I assure you, I won’t have to give those answers to anyone.”
His phone rang in his pocket, interrupting them. Karan fished it out. Faizi. He declined the call. It rang again almost immediately, and his eyebrows furrowed.
“Le lo, Karan”, Raawat said. “You are a busy man.”
Karan ignored the taunt, swiping to accept the call. “Itna kya important hai?”
“Ulti mein se heera nikla.”
He straightened up. Raawat’s eyes lifted to him. “Excuse me”, Karan muttered to him, and he stood up, walking to a corner of the room. “Rahul ne kuchh bola?”
“Bol hi toh raha hai kal se. Sanju ki jaan kha li bol bol kar. Lagta hai tumhaari baaton ko kuchh zyaada hi seriously le liya isne. Par ab jo bola, woh bahut kaam hi baat boli.”
“Batayega kya bola?”
“Kisi ki toh maarne ki planning chal rahi thi. Par sab ke beech mein isne ek naam suna. Raawat.”
Karan’s gaze lifted to the person. Say what now?
Taara
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