The following morning Samrat and Farhan step out of their residential quarters, dressed in their uniforms as usual. Midway to the administrative block of the airbase, Farhan suddenly asks,

"Sam, are you sure? Kaam par lag jayega, aur rest ki sirf ek raat ke liye?"

Samrat chuckles; his eyes soon take on a distant look. "Ek raat kafi hai na, yaar... Aur fir kaam hi toh mukammal karta mujhe. Kitna karunga toh hisab chukta hoga mera? Duty karte main mar bhi jaunga toh bhi kam hi hoga..."

"Sam, tum mujhe gussa mat dilao... Mujhe waise gussa bahut kam aata hai, lekin tum! Tumhe pata kal sham ko maine tay kiya tha... Oh God, bhul gaya! Mujhe tumse baat nahi karni thi. I was so mad at you after you collapsed, Sam. Main baat nahi karunga tumse!"

Farhan starts walking ahead briskly. Samrat jogs after him. Eventually Farhan stops because he doesn't want Samrat to strain himself further.

"I'm sorry yaar, Farhan!" Samrat catches his breath once they both stop. "I'm sorry. Please. I promise you yeh dobara nahi hoga. I will take good care of myself. Aur jo baatei maine ki mukammal hone ki. Woh bhi nahi karunga, I promise."

Farhan folds his arms and huffs. He could discuss the serious underlying issue but that might only corner Samrat. So he keeps it light. For now.

"Main kaise yakin kar lun, Sam?"

Samrat gets desperate, holding Farhan's arm. "Dekh, Farhan, yaar, maan jao! Tanvi ko manane ke liye pushups karna pada, ab tumhare liye kya karun, batao?"

"Uthak baithak karvata! Lekin tumhari halat patli hai toh, jaane deta hu..."

Farhan sheds his serious face and suddenly chuckles. Samrat laughs out of relief. The guys share a quick side hug and proceed into their office.

"Thanks for handling my flight, yaar," Samrat says when it is time for them to part inside the office hallway. Farhan brushes off the gesture.

"It's nothing yaar, Sam. Lekin tum abhi se kaam par lag jaaoge? Please, reconsider, mere dost!"

"Kaam ka pata nahi, Farhan. Abhi bulawa aaya hai. Abhimanyu Adhikari se baat karni hai. Pata nahi, kya lecture milega!"

Farhan lapses into silence. He can second guess what's going on in Samrat's head. Samrat is always deeply affected when Abhimanyu is involved. "Hmm. Good luck. Take care, yaar."

With a gentle pat on Samrat's back, Farhan goes his way. Samrat heaves a small sigh.

The hallways are quiet as he walks on slightly worn out limbs. He recalls his past. Meeting Abhimanyu always triggers these memories — the guilt attached to his sinful deeds that stays with him intensifies; the memories become more vivid. But he can't belittle these experiences. A talk with Abhimanyu Adhikari is life changing, always. That Abhi is like that... Clever, confident, an inspiration to all. A role model to everyone including Samrat.

Years ago. He was the one officer who had called Samrat out. His voice was a calm yet unexpected threat during the meeting of the Hawks that fateful night.

"Maine janbujhkar yeh file ki information Samrat ko nahi di thi!"

Samrat was stunned to hear Abhimanyu say that. So was everyone else — Farhan, Isha, Tanvi, Sameera.

"I'm sorry, Samrat," Abhi went on with a serious look in his eyes. "Sorry tum... jo bhi ho... Your game ends now. I know tum Samrat ho hi nahi! Tumhare fingerprints teen saal pehle ke Samrat fingerprints se match nahi horahe."

Abhimanyu smiled while everyone else was shocked further. In Samrat's view, the small bugproof room became much smaller.

"Maine tumhe janbujhkar voh purani file unlock karne ke liye bola tha, Samrat. Tumhari sacchayi bayan karne. Now there's no escape."

"Lekin Abhi... He's Samrat! Tum kya keh rahe ho?"

Abhimanyu silenced everyone else's protests with a hand. His intense stare landed on Samrat, his low voice, menacing.

"Kaun ho tum? Tumne kya kiya hai Samrat ke sath?"

Everyone gasped as Abhimanyu roared all of a sudden. Samrat stood still, frowning at the sudden turn of events. He was panicked inside, also outraged. He'd always been tacky and in control. To be beaten in his game was unacceptable. Unlike him, Abhimanyu was unfazed.

"I have a hunch of your identity. A hunch of your goals. Yaad hai? I'm your senior, Samrat. Umar mein aur chalaki mein... But yes you were a tough opponent. It took me a long time to figure you out because you are disguised as our friend."

The more Abhimanyu spoke the more Samrat's panic grew. He couldn't stop it or brush it off.

It'd been a while since the rumours of a spy infiltrating the Kota airbase had raged. And the search operation to root out the culprit was on. Samrat, who was the spy, wasn't even close to finding a clue to where his Abbu-jaan was held. His mission was to free the ill famed terrorist, his father Haider Sheikh from the IAF. Yet everyday he was pretending to be a fellow officer, friend of the Hawks, carefully concealing his ambitions. Or was he careless somewhere?

"Bachana chahte ho na tum apne Abbu-jaan ko?" Abhimanyu's voice cut through Samrat's thoughts. "Yahi sabse bada maqsad hai na tumhara? Jiske liye tumne air force mei bhi aa gaye... Chudhana chahte ho na unhe humare kabzei se? Iskeliye tum kuchh bhi kar sakte ho. Apni jaan bhi gawasakte ho, nahi? What a waste of your precious life, Samrat—"

Abhimanyu pushed more accusations. Samrat remained frozen, unable to believe he couldn't couldn't utter a single syllable in defence of him. He couldn't stop Abhimanyu from dragging him out of the hall to the back room.

"Really, Samrat! I will keep calling you that because tumhara naam mujhe nahi pata. I looked into you. When this hunch became solid, mujhe gussa aaya tum par, par ab taras aa raha hai. Tumne itna kuch kiya uss betuki maqsad ke liye?"

Abhimanyu spoke after closing the door, ensuring they were alone. Samrat opened his mouth to speak but nothing came. This was where he's supposed to kill himself or Abhimanyu. That's what they taught and yet... he couldn't move. He had the pistol in his pocket, and yet... How inexperienced was he? This not only endangers him but also his Abbu. How did Abhi find the truth?

"Tum soch rahe honge mujhe sacchayi kaise pata chala..." Abhimanyu calmly inserts a pendrive into the large TV at the end of the room, next to a shelf and picks up its remote.

"Tum aise ho, Samrat, aur tumhare abbu-jaan ko dekho! Dekho, kaise woh apni jaan bachane ke liye tumhari jaan daav par lagane ke liye taiyar hai... Usee ne bataya tumhara naam."

Samrat watched in horror, heart pounding wildly. The video on the monitor definitely showed his abbu-jaan, Haider Sheik, in a dim interrogation cell, admitting that his son had affiliations to terrorist activities and had infiltrated the IAF.

***

AN: How did Samrat turn a true soldier? What happened in his past? What does Abhi ask him? Stay tuned to know more.

V & C