This story starts during the episode where Arjun breaksdown after Rathore blames him for Roshini’s death.
Arjun OS: The Phoenix
Shree bursts into the conference room yelling: Sir, sir, Arjun sir kahin nahin mill rahein hein.
Everyone looks at him confused. They were all present in the conference room after the Commissioner Vishnu Sharma have paid them a surprise visit. The Comm wanted to talk to both Arjun and Rathore regarding the progress of their case.
They were all a bit on edge after witnessing the breakdown of Arjun. They all were afraid of him and curse him behind his back due to his aloofness. But, they all care about him in someways as they all know, he might be strict, he might be khadoos, he might be rude but from the heart, he is an admirable person with a heart of gold.
Commissioner: Kahin nahin mill rahe hain matlab? Woh office mein nahin hain kya?
Rathore: Nahin sir, woh office mein hi hain aur bahar gaya bhi nahin.
Addressing shree: Shree theek se dekho, yahin kahin hoga.
Shree: Maine har jagah check kar liya hain, naa woh apne cabin mein hain, naa chatt pe hain, nahin parking lot mein aur nahin kahin aur. Main puri office ghoom chuka houn lekin Arjun sir kahin mile hi nahin.
Ayesha: Aisa kaise hosakta hain, Arjun sir hum sab ke saath hi office aayein hain aur kahin gaye bhi nahin. Afterall, dono cars toh parking lot mein hi hain.
Rathore: Dammit! Pata nahin kahan chala gaya hain yeh admi. Sir, I’m sorry, mujhe nahin pata woh kahan hain. Aapko usse joh kaam hain aap mujhe bataiye main usse badmein baat karlunga.
Commissioner: Kuch hua hain kya? Arjun kabhi bhi aise duty ke time pe bina kissi ko inform kiye hue kahin jae…
The Comm stops mid-sentence when the man in question enters the room. He was shocked seeing him. Arjun shirt was untucked, his hair dishevelled, his head was down, and he looked like the whole world was on his shoulder.
The team and the commissioner were shocked to see him in such a state. They had never seen him like that. He always portrays the image of an invincible man that no matter what nothing can shake him. However, this was the second time today that they were seeing that the man was human as well, something they tend to forget due to his angry young man behaviour.
Comm: Arjun? He called softly. Arjun was his favourite officer. He really likes and care about him. He had seen Arjun go through the hurdles of life. He had seen Arjun go from a simple sub-inspector to one of the best ACP of the department. He had seen him go from a very young and full of life man to someone recluse and aloof. Despite all he has suffered, Arjun was still an admirable person in his eyes, he might be an angry young man, he might be a rude ACP, he might also be someone who loves to break the rules and protocol but he was a good human being, one of the best that you can find in the world who would let no crime go unpunished, no injustice to prevail no matter what.
Hearing his name, Arjun looks up. The look on his face takes everyone aback except maybe Rathore, who does not care much about him. Arjun had a blank face on however, his eyes were speaking volumes. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, the pain and mental turmoil he was going through clearly visible in it. The tears had dried,but the tracks left its mark on his face.
The Comm harden his heart, dreading whatever was going on with him but at the same time he softens his gaze and face, knowing that Arjun is not in the right state of mind right now.
The Comm(addressing the team):Rathore, mujhe case ki progress ke baremein update dethe rehna. The home minister is paying special attention to this one. Mujhe yeh case jald se jald solve chahiye. Rathore keep me posted.
Rathore: Yes sir!
Comm: And Arjun, zara aana mere saath. Kuch zaroori baat karni hain tumse.
Arjun follows the Commissioner till the parking lot silently, still not having uttered a word since he had come back to the conference room.
The Comm turns to Arjun, concern clear on his face and in his eyes: Kya baat hain, pareshan kyun ho? Kuch hua hain kya?
But Arjun just stares blankly at the Commissioner. He was so disturbed mentally that while the voice of the Comm was reaching his ears, he could not process them.
Seeing him still in the same position, the Comm place a hand on his shoulder and called his name loudly.
Arjun comes out of his thoughts. He looks at the Comm, with the words of Rathore still ringing in his ears, tears again wells up in his eyes. He looks down to avoid the Comm from seeing them.
The Comm sighs and told: Kahin aur chalke baat karte hain
He signals Arjun to sit in the car and sends Rathore a message that he has some work with Arjun and that he won’t be returning to the office. After which, they drove off.
Thirty Minutes later
The Commissioner’s car stops infront of a beautiful house. It was the Commissioner's house which was on the outskirts of the city. The whole way, Arjun has not uttered a word, completely immense in his own head. The Comm knew something has happened and he does not know why, but he feels like Rathore is somewhere involve in all this mess.
Getting out of the car, he signals Arjun to follow him. Reaching inside, he signals Arjun to take a seat and goes to inform the maid to prepare tea. Coming back, he observes Arjun a bit, the man was sitting still, head down and staring at his lap.
He comes to sit besides him and asked softly: Kya baat hain Arjun?
Arjun looks up at him, with unshed tears in his eyes: Kya maine sach mein Roshni ko maara? His voice cracked when he asked, his heart and mind heavy with Rathore’s words.
The Comm frown, completely taken aback by that question. Everyone in the department knows about Arjun’s past and his wife tragic death. They all know that Arjun has been searching for the murderer with desperation, following any leads that he can get his hands on. His determination and desperateness has gained him the name of “CrazyOfficer” in the whole department.
The doubt and vulnerability in his voice touch the Comm’s heart: Aisa kyun pounch rahe ho?
Arjun: Aisa Rathore ka kehna hain. Ab maanne bhi laga houn
Comm: Aisa kya kahan tha Rathore ne?
Arjun looks at the Comm, having not expected the question. Everything flashes in front of his eyes, the death of Roshni, Rathore breaking up their friendship, the blames, the accusations, the hatred in his voice and eyes whenever Rathore talks to him, the discussion they had in front of the mandir during Roshni’s barsi and most of all, the accusation of this morning.
At that, Arjun starts telling him everything, his friendship with Rathore, how he met Roshni, what he remembers of Roshni death, the reason he joined the ETF, the drug case that Aisha was undercover, the evidence they had found, the conversation he’s had with DIG Coelho and their current case. After recounting everything, Arjun was exhausted, going through the emotional turmoil all over again.
The Comm, on the other hand, was shocked to the core. He would have never guessed that Arjun had gone through that much. He knew that Rathore and Arjun had issues, but he would have never guess that Rathore would blame him for his wife death or not even bother to look further into the clues that might be linked to Sikander. He was angry on behalf of Arjun, angry at Rathore, angry at the DIG and most of all, angry at the situation.
Taking a deep breathe to controlhis anger: joh joh sabot tumhe mile hain, kya kiya tumne uske saath?
Arjun: Aisha ke drug case vaala evidence maine DIG sir ko diya tha aur iss case mein, woh abhi bhi office mein hain.
Comm: What do you want to do Arjun?
Arjun: Mujhe nahin pata sir, Sikander ke khilaaf joh bhi saboot mila hain maine sab DIG sir ko diya tha. Unke mutabik, intelligence ispe kaam kar raha hain. Lekin itna waqt hogaya hain ke mujhe aisa lagne laga hain ke DIG sir ne mujhse joh bhi kahan ho, woh sab jooth tha. Vishwas kho chuka houn main unpar. I don’t trust him anymore.
Comm: And Rathore?
Arjun just shook his head: Usse aur ladne ki himmat nahi raha mujhmein, pak chuka houn sab kuch se. I just want it all to end.
Comm: DIG sir aur Rathore ko side mein rakhte hue, tum mujhe yeh batao ke tum karna kya chathe ho?
Arjun: Mujhe Sikander ko dundhna hain sir aur uske liye mujhe confidential information ko access karne hoga jiska code na mere paas hain aur nahin main DIG sir ko pounch sakta houn.
Comm: Confidential code toh main bhi tumhe nahin desakta. Lekin tum khud access code paa sakte ho.
Arjun looks at the Comm confusedly:Kaise?
Comm: Tum ek ACP ho Arjun, one of the best at that. Tum aur main dono ache se jaanthe hain, that you have the ability to become much more. Access code paane keliye tumhe sirf 1 level aage jaana hain.
Arjun: Aur woh kaise hoga sir. Agar aisa hona hotha toh ETF mein mere kaam ko dekhkar kabka hochuka hotha.
Comm: And that’s the problem Arjun. Tumhare upar Rathore hain, aur jabtak Rathore yahan hain, tumhe promotion nahin milega. You will get the recognition but not the promotion. Normal chain of command ke mutabik, jab tak tum ETF mein as Second in Command ho, tumhe access code khabhi nahin milsakti.
Arjun: what do you want me to do? Resign from ETF?
Comm: Hann!
Arjun: WHAT
Comm: Mere puri baat sunlo pehle. Resign from ETF aur ek aisi assignment lelo jisko crack kartehi tumhe promotion miljayein. Mujhe tumhare kabiliath pe pura yakeen hain Arjun.
Arjun: Kaisi assignment?
Comm: Humare intelligence ke mutabik, Darjeeling mein baithkar ek gang hain jo sheher se dur rehkar Mumbai mein sleeper cells chala rahe hain. Main chaatha houn ke tum undercover jaake uss gang ko khatam kardo. Yeh kaam 3 se 6 mahine lagegein.
Arjun: lekin isse confidential information se kya lena dena aur uske liye mujhe ETF se resign karne ki kya zaroorat hain?
Comm: Yeh kaam tum ETF mein rehke bhi karsakte ho. Issiliye toh aaj aaya tha. Issi case ke bareme discuss karna chatha tha but I also wanted you to wrap up the current one before taking this one. Isliye update mangne keliye aaya tha. But back to your question, yeh case itna pechida hain ke usse sirf ek insaan ko diya jasakta hain, tum. Aur zaahir si baat hain, har pechida undercover case ke tarah, promotion almost pakki hain. ETF se resign karke iss case ko crack karte hi, tumhe promotion miljaaega. ETF mein rehkar tumhe sirf recognition milega aur joh tum chathe ho woh nahin hoga yaani access code. Resign from ETF, take the case, crack it, apne promotion lejao aur code lekar jao.
Arjun: Aur uske baad? Maine toh ETF sirf aur sirf Sikander ke case ke liye join kiya hain
Comm: Uske baad tumhe jo karna hain kar sakte ho. If you want to join back you can, if you want to work solo as well you can. I’ll fully support whatever you want to do.
Arjun soch mein parjatha hain. Now that he had nothing to lose, he can actually do it. But can he actually trust the Comm after the trusting the DIG and Rathore. Despite the fact that they had a problem between them, Arjun had always thought that when the time comes, Rathore would stand beside him. Afterall, Roshni was important to him as well. But now, he was not so sure. The question is though, why would the Comm help him. Deciding to take the bull by the horn, he asked
Arjun: Aap meri madad kyun karrahe ho?
The Comm smiles: Arjun, maana ke maine humesha se tumhare kaam karne ke tareeke ko question kiya hain lekin iska matlab yeh to nahin ke tum mere liye kuch nahin lagthe. I know ke tum sirf mere officer ho, par main tumhe sirf ek officer ke nazar se nahin dekhta. You are my favourite officer, tumhare liye thoda rules to main bhi todsakta houn. Aur waise bhi, tumhein kya laga, sirf Raghu hi hain joh tumhe ek bete manta hain.
Arjun eyes widen at that. He had known for awhile that the Comm favours him in some way. He had always defended him in front of senior officers whenever he had broken the rules and was on the verge of facing a suspension. Ever since, they had started reporting to Vishnu sir, he had not had to go through anything like that. But the Comm actually sees him as a son, that was news to him.
Comm: You are like a son tome, woh beta joh mujhe kabhi mila nahin. Aur off duty ho yah on duty, I will always support you, no matter what. Isliye mere baat manlo aur jaise main kehtahoun waisa karo. Tumhare balai issi mein hain.
Arjun fall into thoughts, still not sure if it was the best solution to everything that was going on.What he was sure though that Rathore or the DIG Coelho were not going to help him. After today, he was not sure either if he wants to keep working with Rathore either. Their differences aside, they were best friends once, he had always thought that Rathore would not let the differences come in between their work, now though, he was not so sure.
He was not sure of anything right now. His mind has completely stopped working. He needs time to think and process everything. Too much has changed in the last few hours.
Arjun sighs: Kya mujhe sochneke liye thoda waqt mil sakta hain?
Comm: Zaroor, tumhe jitna waqt lena hain lelo, maine Rathore se kahan hain ke tum mere kisi kaam se bahar gayeho. Kuch waqt legega. I can stall for time so don’t worry.
Arjun: Mujhe bass do din ke muhlat dijiye, aapko aapka jawab miljayega
Comm: No problem, take your time.
Arjun nodded and decides to go. He tells the same to the Comm and gets up, but the Comm stops him before he could move
Comm: Are are! Jaane se pehle chai to peeke jao.
Arjun : Thank you sir,lekin kabhi aur. Abhi main chalta houn.
Comm: Are lekin..
Arjun: Thank you, sir, but main chalta houn.
The Comm does not try to stop him again after seeing the look in his eyes. He could tell that Arjun was going through too much right now. The man needed to be alone for sometimes.
Arjun left, taking a taxi to his house. Two days pass in jiffy, Arjun stays scooped up in his house, without any contacts from the team or the Comm. He had switch off his phone to be able to think properly. He did not want to deal with Rathore or anyone from team. He just wanted to be left alone.
The ETF on other hand was focusing on the case. After the Comm had sent Arjun away for some work, the case has come at a standstill. Rathore, not wanting to acknowledge that Sikander was involve in all of this, had completely decided to ignore Arjun outburst and continue as normal. The rest of the team was on edge, not knowing what to think. Arjun had left the case in the middle of it all, Rathore was ignoring his absence while they were divided in their opinions. Arjun would not mention Sikander unless he was sure of his involvement, but at the same time, if Sikander was involved, why was Arjun gone? He is not the type of person to leave a case in the middle of it all, and definitely not when he is personally involved.
They do not know what to think, Arjun’s breakdown had left a mark in their heart and mind but so had Rathore’s indifference. Should they support Rathore, or should they support Arjun? Who is right? Who is wrong? Where was Arjun? What now? They have so many questions but no-one to answer them. So, they decided to just go on as usual despite their inner turmoil.
Arjun was a different story all together. He had put aside everything, the case, the ETF and Rathore. He was just thinking about what he wanted and needed to do. He has only one goal, bring Sikander to justice and for that he is ready to do just about anything. Once he has understood that he knew immediately what he had to do. He had called the Comm, agreeing to the mission. He had nothing more to lose, so why not risk it.
He had also managed to think on his relationship with the Comm and understood that while he had never seen the Comm as a father figure, he respected the man a lot and quite like him. Having another person having his back would be wonderful, especially when people who would have his back are becoming rarer and rarer.
On the third day, Arjun goes to the office really early, before anyone has come. He puts his resignation letter on Rathore desk, clears his cabin and left. No one was there at that time not even the desk holders. From there, he goes directly to the meet the Commissioner at headquarters.
Arjun: Jai Hind Sir.
Comm: Aao Arjun. Baitho. Yeh raha case ki saare details. Tumhe aaj raat ko hi nikalna hain. Tumhara kaam gangmembers mein shamil hone ke zaroorat nahin hain tumhe bass unke leader ke bareme pata karna hain. Woh information milte hi, hum unpe raid maarenge. Tumhe seedha mujhe hi report karna hain. I don’t want you to take any unnecessary risk Arjun.
Arjun: Sure sir. Mere awala aur koi officer hain joh undercover iss case pe kaam kar rahe hain?
Comm: Nahin, joh bhi iss case pe kaam kar rahe hain woh intelligence information ke mutabik hain aur kuch nahin.
Arjun nodded and starts reading the file. A name struck him. He looks up shocked at the Commissioner. He was not expecting that. The Comm was already looking at him and gives him a small reassuring smile.
Arjun: Sir?
Comm: Aise kya dekh rahe ho?
Arjun smiles, understanding the whole situation immediately.
Comm: Please be careful aur yahan ki chinta mat karo main sab sambhalunga.
Arjun nodded, stood up, salute the man and goes.
Few hours later
Rathore reach the ETF office, the team was already present in the conference room working diligently to solve the case. He greets the team and goes to his cabin to drop his things. Upon reaching his office, he notice an envelope on top of his desk. He frowns, not sure what he has to deal with so early in the morning. Deciding to be done with it once and for all, he picks it up and open. He began reading it, shocking the daylights out of him. He sits heavily on his chair, not having expected the resignation of Arjun.
Frantically, he picks up his phone and call the commissioner. The Comm on his side was actually waiting forthis. He pick it up on the first ring itself.
Comm: Haan Rathore
Rathore: Jai Hind sir, I’m sorry to disturb you, mujhe aapse kuch zaroori baat karni hain.
Comm: Bolo
Rathore: Sir woh, aaj subha jab main aaya, maine apne desk par Rawte ka resignation letter paaya.
Comm (pretending to beshocked): His what?
Rathore: Haan Sir, Aapke reaction se aisa lagta hain ke aapko bhi iske bareme kuch pata nahin tha.
Comm:Nahin, usse aaj wapas join karna hain. Kal raat ko usne mujhe mere report dediya lekin iska zikar nahin kiya mujhse.
Rathore sighs, not sure what to do: now what sir?
Comm: Tum sab mere office aajao. Baithke baat karte hain.
Rathore: Yes sir, Jai hind sir
Rathore cut the call and goes to tell the team that they need to go HQ immediately. They moved out at once. They could tell Rathore was tensed, but no-one understands what was going on. They all look at each other trying to figure it out but could not tell what was going on.
Upon reaching the HQ, they immediately goes to the Commissioner’s office. They salute him.
Comm: Aao. Letter?, the Comm said forwarding his hand. Rathore gives him the letter. The Comm starts reading it immediately.
After which, he puts it aside and signals them to take a seat.
Comm: Sach sach batao Rathore, kuch hua hain kya?
Rathore with his gaze down:Sir, woh darasal, uss din jab aap office aaye the, mere aur Rawte ke beech ek jaghra hua tha sir. Woh paagal hogaya tha sir. Keh raha tha ke yeh sab Sikander ne kiya hain. Rocky, joh hamara suspect tha, uske ghar mein sab udhar putar kardhi. Usse rokne ki koshish ki maine aur issi mein hamara jagta hogaya tha.
Comm : Jagta kiss baat pe hua tha?
Rathore: Woh manne keliye tayar hi nahi tha aur gusse mein aakar maine usse yeh bhi kehdiya ke Roshni ki maut uske wajah se hua hain.
Comm: You said WHAT? Tumhara dimag kharab hogaya hain kya Rathore. Tum aur main, dono achi tarah se jaanthe hain ke Arjun apne biwi se kitna pyar karte hain. Tum dono ke jitni bhi differences kyun naho, I have never thought ke tumlogon ke kaam ko bhi affect karega. No wonder he resigned.
Team: He WHAT!
The team was shocked to hear that. They had all known that something was wrong, but Arjun resigning was not what they imagined. They all looked at each other not sure how to react.
Comm:Kisise uski baat hui?
Shree, answering for all: No sir
Comm: toh yeh letter?
Rathore: Aaj subha apne deskpe mila.
Comm: aur case ka kya? Kya Arjun ka shaq sahi tha?
Rathore: No sir, I don’t believe it. Sikander exist hi nahi karta. Woh ek saaya ko mujrim tehra tha. aur…
Rathore stops when the Commraised a hand to stops him. the Comm was getting really really angry.
Comm: Rathore, mujhe iss baat se koi faraq nahin partha ke tum maante ho ya nahin ke Sikander hain ya nahin. Mujhe iss baat se faraq partha hain ke tumhare iss prejudice ki wajah se Arjun jaise jaabaaz officer ETF chorkar chalagaya hain woh bhi kisiko bina kuch kahein. Upar se, tum chief ho ETF ki, tumhara personal opinion case ko affect nahin karna chahiye. Yeh bhi mujhe hi yaad dilana parega.
I want this case solved as soon as possible Rathore. Mujhe koi shikayat nahin chahiye, Get the damn case solve. Sikander involved hain yah nahin yeh baadmein decide karlegein. Rahi baat Arjun ki, woh main sambhal lunga. Filhaal ke liye, the second in command posting will remain vacant. Uski resignation accept karna hain ya nahin woh main baadmein decide karlunga.
Ek aur baat, agar Arjun tummein se kisiko contact karta hain, turant mujhe inform kardena. Is that clear?
Team: Yes sir.
Comm: Dismiss!
They salute and left the office. Their moral down now that they know what had happened. They all go back to the office their heart heavy with guilt. Rathore decides to address the team.
Rathore: Guys, as you already know, Rawte has resign from ETF. Jaise Comm sir ne kahan, filhaal ke liye Rawte ke post khali rahega. For now, let’s focus on the case. Let’s check the facts again. Shree saari reports and evidences 5 minute mein conference room mein lekar aao.
Shree nods as Rathore moves to his cabin and the rest goes to the conference room.
Shree: Arjun sir ne resign kiya, yakeen hi nahin horaha hain yaar.
Chotu: Yakeen toh mujhe bhinahin horaha hain yaar, woh khadoos hosakta hain yaar lekin dil ke bura nahin hain.
Ayesha: Uss din unhe uss haalat mein dekhar mann hi mann mein bura lag raha tha yaar.
Liza: Haan yaar, kabhi khabar hum yeh bhi bhool jathe hain ke woh bhi insaan hain.
Shree: Lekin, resign hi kyun. Agar maan bhi le ko woh sahi hain, sikander sachme involve hain woh jaayega kyun. Ulta toh unhe yahin hona chahiye.
Sakshi: Sameer ki wajah se!
Chotu: Kya bol rahe ho Sakshi
Sakshi: tum logon ne shayad notice nahin kiya, lekin Arjun aur Sameer ek dusre ko bohut pehle se jaante. Mujhe yeh baat uss din samaj mein aayi jab Sameer ne Arjun par unke hi biwi ke maut ka ilzam lagaya. Jis tarah Sameer baat kar raha tha, woh Roshni, Arjun ki biwi ko achi tarah se jaante the.
Shree, with realisation: tumsahi keh rahe ho yaar. Yaad hain, uss din, woh Sheena kidnapping case mein, Arjun sir ne Sam kahan tha. Sam, Rathore nahin. aise maanlo jaise woh apne dost se baat kar raha ho.
Chotu: tumhare kehne ka matlab hain woh dost the?
Shree: pata nahin yaar, agar aisa hain toh phir woh dono aise kyun hain. Kabhi kabar aisa lagta hain jaisa woh dono ek dusre ke jaan ke dushman hain
Liza: Ayesha, tujhe kuch pata hain kya?
Ayesha, shook her head: nahin yaar, kabhi aisa lagtha tha ke Rathore sir Arjun sir ko achi tarah se jaante hain aur kabhi khabar jaise ke woh ajnabi hain.
Sakshi: Now what guys, Arjun to chale gaye, mujhe nahin lagta woh wapas aaegein. Toh ab?
Chotu: Case solve karte hain
Ayesha: Kya
Shree: Chotu sahi kehraha hain. Case solve karte hain. Agar Sikander involve hain humein pata chal jayega aur agar nahin at least we have done our job. Rahin baat Arjun sir ki, main unka phone trace pe lagatha houn, kya pata kuch patachal jaayein woh kahan hain.
Ayesha: Good Idea shree, let’s get to work.
The team gets to work,determined to solve the case, not for ETF, not for themselves but for their Arjun Sir.
On the other side, after the ETF had left the office, the Comm calls Arjun, informing him of the events of the morning. Arjun just listens, still not sure what to think of the team as a whole. But he pushed all of it aside and concentrate on his mission.
Aise hi teen mahine guzar thi hain. The team managed to solve the case, the only thing they got from the case that might be related to Sikander is the logo S, which according to Arjun previous cases is the logo of Sikander gang. The team continues to solve the cases they get though ever since Arjun left, things had changed a bit. There was always a heavy silent prevailing in the room, Arjun’s name was never mentioned again. There were no zameen hilane waali theories anymore, there were no samjhe ya samjhaun, there were no kuch toh chut raha hain anymore. Nothing. They all miss him, none of them knew that Arjun has actually touch their heart in such away. The most affected among them were Shree and Chotu, they had been working with Arjun since day 1. Somewhere along the way, they had stopped seeing him as a senior but rather as an older brother.
Rathore, on the other hand,looked indifferent. He had never wanted to work with Arjun from the beginning. He regrets the way Arjun left, but he does not regret him leaving.
Arjun, on his side just focused on his mission with minimum contact with the Comm. During that time, he had managed to get close to the Comm, he starts seeing Vishnu sir as another mentor and guide instead of only a senior. He could tell the man truly care about him.
He was silently figuring out the case until he finally managed to find out about the leader of the gang. He immediately contacts the Comm who helped him to prepare for a raid. The raid was successful,and they managed to arrest everyone involved.
It was in the middle of the night when the DIG Coelho, DGP Rajput, Rathore and Raghu gets a call to be gathered immediately at the headquarters. They all know something big has happened. They all get up and start getting ready. Rathore gather his team and they all meet 1 hour later at the headquarters, ready for action.
The ETF salute the Commissioner, the DGP and DIG who were already present in the room.
DIG Coelho: Now that everyone is here, Vishnu will you tell us what is going on?
Comm: Ek insaan reh gaya hain Coelho.Woh aata hi hoga.
DGP Rajput: Kaun
The Comm was about to answer when the door opens and come in Arjun. He looks just as before, he was wearing a white shirt with dark blue jeans. He still looks the same but there was something different about him. He looks at peace.
ETF Team/Rathore/Dig Coelho:Arjun sir/Rawte/Arjun
They were all shocked to see him. They had not seen him in 3 months. Arjun, on his side, just ignore them all and salute the seniors. After which, he immediately moves to Raghu and hugs him who hugs him back just as tightly. They all smile a bit seeing their bond.
Comm: Aao Arjun, baitho
Arjun: Thank you sir.
The ETFs, the DIG and the DGP were all confused about what was going on. They all looked between Vishnu and Arjun, trying to decipher the situation.
DGP Rajput: Koi bayega kya horaha hain
The Comm sighs and signals everyone to take a seat, this was going to be a long discussion.
Comm: Kuch teen mahine pehle,ek murder case aaya tha ETF ke paas joh baadmein murder cum drug case bangaya. Ussi dauraan, mujhe ek aur case ke baremein information mili. Uss case ko main ETF ko saumpna chata tha aur unke office gaya tha. Wahan jaakar main Rathore aur Arjun se baat karna chatha tha, khas karke Arjun se. Lekin uss waqt Arjun aur Rathore ke beech koi behes hogaya tha jiske wajah se Arjun emotionally stable nahin tha. Uss waqt Arjun ko iss halat mein dekhkar mujhe tension hone lage aur baat jaanne ke liye maine privately Arjun se baat karnachaha.
Jab Arjun se baat hui, toh mujhe pata chala ke Arjun ne ETF apne marzi se nahin balki ek shart pe join kiya tha. Yeh baat Arjun hi bataiye behtar hoga,
Arjun: Sab jaante hain ke ETF mein mera pehla case Sheen ke kidnapping ka case tha. But that was supposed to be a one-off case kyunki Raghu sir ne specially mujhe iss case mein involve karne keliye request kiya tha. Uss case ke baad Coelho sir ne mujhse milna chaha. He wanted me to join the ETF. Lekin, mujhe koi shauq nahin tha. Tabhi Coelho sir ne mere aagein ek shart rakha, ke main ETF join karlun aur Sikander ka case jab bhi crack hojayein ETF ko diya jaayega. Unke baat mankar maine ETF join karli.
ETF mein kaam karthe waqt aise do cases aayein hamare paas jismein Sikander ki involvement ka shaq tha mujhe.Ek baar Aisha ke undercover walein case mein, jiske baad maine Coelho sir se baat kiya tha. Aur dusri baar ETF ke 3 mahine pehle waali case.
Comm: Uss case ke dauran, jab Arjun ko Sikander ki involvement ka shaq hua, woh apna aapa kho baitha aur issi beech mein Arjun aur Rathore ke beech issues hogayein. Jab mein unke office mein tha, Arjun ke joh haalat thi mujhse dekha nahin gaya isliye maine Arjun se akele mein baat karne ki request ki.
Arjun se baat karte waqt mujhe pata chala ke Rathore Sikander ke existence pe believe nahin karta aur mujhe Coelho aur Arjun ke beech ke deal ke bare mein bhi pata chal gaya, Mujhe yeh bhi pata chal gaya ke Coelho ne joh promise Arjun se kiya tha, he was not acting on it. Arjun had also somewhere along the way stopped trusting Coelho.
The DIG looks at Arjun shocked. Arjun completely ignores him.
The Comm continues: Isse mujhe koi diljasbi nahin thi. Main Arjun ke mental state ko samajna chatha tha and uss waqt Arjun ne mujhe bataya that he wanted it all to end. Thak gaya tha woh.Woh bass apne biwi ko insaaf dilana chatha tha. He did not work in ETF anymore.
This time it was the ETF team to be shocked.
Jab mujhe yeh pata chala toh maine decide kiya hain ke jiss case main ETF ko saumptne wala tha woh main darasal Arjun ko saunpuga. Aur wahin hua.
DGP Rajput: Ek minute, kaisa case.
DIG Coelho: I believe wahin case hain joh Darjeeling ke ek gang shehar se bahar rehkar Mumbai mein sleepercells chala raha hain.
The Comm and Arjun smirks,they shared a look among themselves.
The Comm: Haan bhi aur na bhi.
Rathore: Matlab
Arjun: On the record, main ussi case ke liye undercover kaam kar raha tha
DIG Coelho: and off the record?
The Comm: Woh Sikander ka case handle kar raha tha.
Everyone except Arjun, and the Comm: WHAT!
Arjun: Haan. Pehle to mujhe bhi laga ke main Darjeeling waale case handle karunga. Vishnu sir ke plan ke mutabik mujhe pehle ETF se resign karna hain, phir mujhe yeh case handle karna hoga jisko crack karte hi, mujhe intelligence ki confidential information access karne ke liye ka code mil jaayega. Jiske though main Sikander taq paunch sakta houn.
Maine wahin kiya, ETF se resign kiya aur Commissioner se milne chalagaya. Jab unhone mujhe case file diya usse parte hi mujhe samaj mein aagaya unka plan kya tha. Coelho sir, Rathore aur department mein Sikander keliye kaam karne waalein officers se chupke Sikander ko investigate karna. Darjeeling wala case sirf ek cover up tha taaki kisiko pata na chalein main asal mein kya kar raha tha.
Uss file mein Sikander se judhe har information maujhood tha khas karke uss insaan ka joh Sikander ka pura business handle karta hain, Balraj.
Mujhpe shaq na aane keliye,maine train pakarke sach mein Darjeeling chala gaya. Wahan do din raha, aur phir gadhi pakadke wapas Mumbai agaya. Balraj tak pahunchene ke liye maine sabse pehle Govind ko pakda aur uske through main Rajat, Chetan, Hari aur Javed, aur phir Balraj tak pahuncha. Balraj se main Pathaan tak pahuncha, Pathaan ke saamne toh main nahin jasakta tha isliye maine Balraj aur Pathaan ka right hand Peter ka istemaal jiske through main Sikander tak pahuncha.
Insab ko pakadne ke liye waqt toh laga. Jaise jaise mein baakhi sab ke baremein pata karne laga, waise hi Vishnu sir ke madad se main Sikander ki business dheere dheere jaamp karne laga. Jiski wajah se uske paas aur koi chara nahin tha, he had to come out.
Comm: Jab woh bahar aaya, Arjun ne mujhe turant inform kiya aur aur humne milkar ek team ko banaya aur raid mardi. Sikander was taken by surprise.
Flashback
The atmosphere was tense as the unit assembled for the raid, The operation was under Arjun’s command. Arjun voice broke the silence, his instructions clear and concise.
“We go in fast and hard. Remember,stay focus and stick to the plan”
The team moved with precision,breaching the entrance of the derelict warehouse in a coordinated sweep.Inside, the scene was chaotic. Dim lighting flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls covered in graffiti and drug paraphernalia. The air was thick with the pungent smell of chemicals used in drugs manufacturing.
Arjun led the charge, his eyes scanning every corner for threats. His team fanned out, securing each room swiftly. The element of surprise was on their side and the initial resistance was quickly subdued. Shouts and the sounds of scuffle echoed through the corridors as officers detained Sikander’s men.
In the heart of it all, Arjun finally comes face-to-face with Sikander, Sikander stood defiantly, flanked by his remaining loyalists. His eyes were cold and calculating but there was aflicker of recognition as he met Arjun’s steely gaze.
Without hesitation, Arjun raised his weapon: Sikander, this ends now.
Arjun declared, his voice filled with authority and finality.
Sikander reach for his own gun, but Arjun’s reflexes were quicker. A single shot rang out, echoing through the warehouse.
Sikander collapsed, a look of shock and anger frozen on his face. The room fell silent, the only sound being the distant sirens approaching.
Arjun lowered his weapon, his expression unreadable: Secure the area
He walked over to where Sikander lay dead on the floor and stared at the body for a long moment. This was the man responsible for the death of his wife, the pain and loss that had haunted him every day since. Now, with Sikander dead, a profound sense of relief washed over him.
For the first time since that tragicday, Arjun felt a measure of peace. Justice had been served and his wife’s memory avenged.
Flashback ends
The room stays silent, shocked at all the secrecy and the happenings. The DIG and Rathore were shocked that Arjun had bring Sikander to justice. The former because he had always thought Arjun would not be objective regarding the case and the latter due to the fact that he had never wanted to believe in that reality.
That explains the peaceful expression on Arjun’s face. He had finally won the battle he had been fighting for a while. At the end, he had come out of it victoriously.
DGP Rajput clears his throat,addressing Arjun: ACP Arjun, now what do you want to do?
Arjun: Yeh toh Vishnu sir batayegein.Plan unka tha mera nahin.
The Comm glare at him but answers anyway: Iss case ki report jald se jald complete karke submit karlo aur kuch din ki chutti lelo. Ussi daruan hum decide karlegein tumhare posting kebaremein.
Arjun nodded and stood up in attention to salute to the DGP who was exasperated with them all but decided to just ignore all the rules breaking and let it go. Besides, Arjun deserves some leniency in all this and Sikander deserves whatever happened to him
The DIG looks at Arjun, not sure what to think of all the happenings. He wanted to talk to the man but he could tell Arjun wanted nothing to do with him. He just sighs and left the room as well.
Arjun glance at the ETF team, when Rathore clears his throat: Would you join back?
Arjun looks at him with his eyebrows raised: Kya baat hain Rathore, koi taana nahin, koi ilzaam nahin?
Rathore stays silent not sure what to say. Arjun continues: Tumein yaad hain tumne mujhse kya kahan tha Rathore.Mere wajah se Roshni ki jaan gayi. Mujhe rishton ki samaj nahin hain. Woh sach hain yah nahin yeh to mujhe nahin pata Rathore, lekin main itna to jaantha houn, Rishton ki samaj tumhe nahin hain. Maana ke tumne Roshni ko khoya, woh tumhari dost thi. Lekin in sab mein tum yeh bhool gaye, ke Roshni mere liye bhi important thi. Biwi thi meri, pyar karta houn main usse. Tumne apne sirf dost khoya tha Rathore maine apni dost, apni jeewan saathi, apna pyaar sab kuch khodiya.
Unn sab mein tum yeh bhi bhool gayein ke Roshni ke saath saath humara bhi ek rishta tha, dost ka. Joh tumne thode the. Unsab keliye main tumhe maaf bhi kardun Rathore lekin main tumhe uss cheez keliye kabhi maaf nahin karsakta joh tumne Roshni ke saath kiya.
Sikander ke existence ko na maankar tumne uske saath nainsafi ki hain jiske wajah se usse insaaf milne ke liye itna waqt laga. I can never forgive for that. Aur uske bawajood, you actually have the audacity to ask if I would join back. No thank you, I prefer leaving the force than actually work with you.
With that, Arjun turns his back to Rathore, severing the last bond that tied them together. Rathore sighs, understanding his mistake and goes out.
The team, before following Rathore, call out to him.
Arjun turns to look at them. They all come forward and one by one hugs him. They all stood there in a group hug happy to have him back. After awhile they leave him
Shree:Congratulations sir, ant mein jeet aapki hi hui.
They are all happy for him,before they go out, Ayesha asked: Aap humein nahin bhulenge na sir?
Arjun smirks: Arjun Rawte kabhi kisiko nahin bhool tha.
They all smiles and leaves to follow Rathore. Arjun turns to the Commissioner and Raghu sir. He smiles at both of them. Arjun moved to give a hug to the Comm who was pleasantly surprised but returns the favour. Arjun whispers: Thank you sir, Thank you so much.
Comm: Arjun, maine kahan na, tum mere liye mere bete jaise ho.
Arjun:Jaanta houn sir. Lekin aap aur main dono achi tarah se jaante hain ke aapke bina yeh mumkin hi nahin hota. So thank you for everything.
Comm :Ab kya karna chahoge ?
Arjun : Aap bataiye, i’m sure apne kuch na kuch to sochke rakha hain.
Comm: Well pehle, report submit karo aur phir take 2 weeks off. If you need more, take them, you deserve them. Uske baad itna bara racket ko khatham karne keliye tumhe promotion miljaayega. You will be a DCP now so I want you to lead a team in the Intelligence bureau. Joh aisi big rackets aur underworld ke log ka parda faash karsake.
Arjun: Coelho sir ke rehte aapko lagta hain ke yeh mumkin hain?
Raghu: Coelho ki fikar tum matkaro Arjun. Hum sambhal legein. Tum bas haan kehdo baaki sab hum dekhlegein.
Arjun looks at Raghu, who was sporting a smirk mirroring the Comm’s expression. Not sure what both were planning but he wanted the posting, so he said yes. The Comm and Raghu beamed at that, happy with his decision. They hug him once again and congratulate him once again before urging him to get out and get some rest.
2 weeks pass quickly. Arjun delivered the report in 2 days, after which the media was informed and Sikander’s encounter was broadcasted all over the news. In those 2 weeks, the Comm managed all the backlash of hiding the mission from senior officials who were completely unaware of the whole thing, most precisely the DIG Coelho. He has even tried to stop Arjun from getting the promotion he deserves but the Comm using his own connection managed to get Arjun promoted to DCP level.
The day had come whereby Arjunto report back to duty. He reached the headquarter early, he salutes the Comm and sit down.
Comm: Good morning Arjun, Kaise ho?
Arjun: Acha houn, thank yousir
Comm: Tumhare chehre pe dikhraha. Anyways, back to business yeh lo tumhara appointment letter and promotion letter. Tumhe ek mahine ka waqt diya jaaraha hain apne team chunne ka. Uske baad you guys will be officially working on critical cases. Apni team banane ke baad, tumhe jobhi cheez ki zarurat paregi mujhe bata dena. Funding ki problem nahin hogi. Intelligence ke liye alag se funding aati hain.
Arjun nodded and read both letters. He signs them and gives them back.
Comm: Tum siddha mujhe si report karoge aur agar main nahin houn toh home minister se. Any question?
Arjun: No sir!
Comm: Good, now go DCP ArjunSuryakant Rawte.
Arjun stood up and salute. He leaves the office with a lighter heart and a bright future in front of him. The Commissioner watch him leave with a smile on his face, proud at the officer that Arjun has become.
This whole things has started with a broken Arjun but finished with Arjun becoming one of the strongest officer in the whole department. He represent an image of someone who was reborn from his own ashes. The Phoenix.
The End
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