CHAPTER 33

THE ASHES SETTLE

Karan stared at the map. He tilted his head. He grabbed a pen, keeping a butter paper over it. He marked a spot. "Yahan par Laxman ki laash mili." He marked another spot. "Yahan par uske phone ka last location tha." He traced the roads idly. "Instant death... chloroform ke traces nahi, koi needle marks nahi, kuchh khaaya bhi nahi hoga... probably shot before he could do anything." He tapped the second spot. "Yahan par hi maara hoga. Jungle mein lekar gaye honge taaki ek dum detect naa ho."

"Kuchh mila?" Faizi asked, entering the room.

He shook his head. "Bas soch raha hoon ki kya hua hoga." He paused. "Jahan par hume Laxman ki body mili, woh jagah famous landmark ke bahut paas hai. Matlab, body recently dump kari thi wahan par, warna 3-4 din mein toh kisi na kisi ko dikh jaati. Matlab... use maarkar, pehle kahin aur lekar gaye and then, jungle mein." He frowned. "Kyun?"

"Evidence mitaane?" He proposed. He sat down on his bed, untying his shoes.

He hummed. "Ho sakta hai. Idhar aa." Faizi leaned over his shoulder. Karan tapped on the spot they had found Laxman's found in. "Iss jagah andar aane ke yeh chaar ways hain. Try kar ki aas paas ki kisi jagah ki raat ki CCTV footage mil jaaye. Kuchh shayad pata lag sakta hai."

"Hum karte hain."

Karan paused. He grabbed his phone, dialing Sanket's number. "Sanket, ek kaam karo, jis jagah par se hume Laxman ki phone ki location Delhi mein mili thi, dekho ki woh sunsaan jagah thi yaa busy?"

There was a slight pause. "Din mein thodi busy rehti hai par 10-11 baje ke baad, kaafi sunsaan ho jaati hai, Sir."

"Aas paas ke CCTV cameras nikaalo raat ke."

"Sir", he said.

"Kahin na kahin, kisi na kisi camera par toh capture hoye hi honge, na?" Karan said. He tapped the desk. He grabbed his phone again. "Ustaad ji, EFR ke against jitne operations kare hain, un sabki files dobara mere room mein bhej dijiye. Aur jitne bhi successful missions hain, unki files bhi. Aur jitne bhi known leaders ya associates hain, unke baare mein jitni bhi information hai, sab dijiye."

Faizi stared at him. "Karan, tum itni information kaise sort karoge?"

Karan's gaze lifted to him. "Usne mere informer ko maara hai. Jo ho sakta hai, woh karunga." He stood up. "Main abhi aaya."

Faizi kept a hand on his shoulder. "Tumhaari galti nahi hai."

He nodded a little. "Okay", he said simply. He turned away from him, walking out. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

'Laxman... tu theek hai? Kahin phas toh nahi gaya hai, na, tu?'

Karan closed his eyes. He should have seen this coming. He should have been able to predict this. He should have worked harder- gotten somewhere with something. Maybe... Maybe Laxman would still be alive.

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

Faizi fidgeted with the thread of the pillow. "Hum theek hain, Ammi", he said quietly.

"Kya hua? Tum thake hue lag rahe ho?"

"Haan. Bas... kaam hai, na."

"Karan kaisa hai? Theek hai woh bhi?"

He paused slightly. The words of the notes flashed in his mind. "Haan, Ammi. Woh bhi theek hai", he said. He sighed a little, turning on his back. "Ammi... hum shayad Diwali par naa aa paaye."

"Kyun? Tum toh Eid par bhi nahi aaye the. Yeh jo tumhaara naya mission hai, isse pehle sirf itne se din rahe the, phir dobara chale gaye."

"Thoda kaam zyaada hai."

She sighed a little. "Theek hai. Koi baat nahi." She paused. "Jab aaoge, toh apni uss ladki ko bhi saath mein lekar aana. Kya naam tha?"

He smiled. "Koel."

"Haan, woh hi. Itni tareef karte ho, toh milaana bhi."

"Haan, theek hai." His phone beeped and he took it away. A source's name flashed. "Ammi, hum thodi der mein call karte hain. Kisi ka call aa raha hai. Thoda important hai. Khuda Hafiz."

"Khuda Hafiz."

He cut the call, picking the other one up. "Hello?"

"Faizi Sir, humne kuchh logon ko padka hai. Clubs aur pubs ke maalik ko. Aap interrogate karna chahte hain?"

He straightened up. "Haan. Hum tumhe thodi der mein bataate hain ki hum kab aayenge. Bail mat dena unhe. Agar koi zyaada bole, toh written orders tumhaare paas pahunch jaayenge."

"Ji, Sir. Jai Hind, Sir."

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

Laxman looked around in wonder. He grinned at Karan when he sat down in front of him. 'Kya baat hai, Sir ji? Restaurant mein bulaaya hai? Kya jagah hai. Kya khabar chahiye aapko aisi?'

Karan slid the menu over to him. 'Kya khaayega?' Laxman glanced down at it. He hesitated slightly. 'Paise main dunga.' He smiled excitedly, opening it. 'Padhna aata hai tujhe?'

'Thoda bahut. Seth ne sikhaaya tha. Dukaan mein thodi madad ho jaati hai.' He checked the prices as he glanced over the dishes.

'Paise dekhne ki zaroorat nahi. Jo chahiye, bol de. Peene ke liye bhi le lena.'

His grin widened. He pointed at one of the dishes and a drink hopefully. Karan glanced over at the waiter, holding up a hand to call him. He placed the order, ordering just a drink for himself.

'Yeh kis khushi mein, Sir ji?' Laxman asked as he ate it happily.

'Birthday hai, na, aaj tera?'

Laxman paused. 'Aapko yaad tha?' He grinned. 'Thank you, Sir ji.' Karan pushed over a gift to him, smiling slightly. Laxman grinned in excitement, ripping open the package. He stared at the phone in wonder, eyes lit up in happiness.

The door opening pulled Karan out of his thoughts. He glanced behind himself, watching Monami walk in. Her head was down and she quietly sat on one of the tires without looking at him, fidgeting with her boots.

Karan frowned. She usually smiled at him now, at the very least. He quickly set the few things that were left, sitting down next to her. She glanced up at him and his frown deepened, seeing her slightly red eyes.

"Tum ro rahi thi", he said.

She glanced away. She shook her head. "K-Kuchh n-nahi."

He leaned back on his arms slightly. He stared at her for a couple of seconds. "I think I get you now", he said. "Tum mujhse isliye jhooth bol rahi ho because tumhe lagta hai I already have a lot on my mind."

"M-Meri pr-problem aapki p-problem se b-bahut chhoti hai", she murmured.

"Matlab problem toh hai."

She shook her head. "I am f-fine."

He shrugged. "Woh toh maine puchha hi nahi. Problem kya hai?" He tilted his head. "Is it the note?" He shook his head. "Monami, you don't have to worry. Tumhe kuchh nahi hoga. Main tumhe kuchh nahi hone dunga."

There was a couple of beats of silence between them. "I know", she muttered. "I know aap m-mujhe k-kuchh nahi h-hone d-denge. Par aapko k-kaun pr-protect k-karega? I am n-not the one th-they w-want to k-kill."

"Tum mere liye worried ho? Don't... don't tell me tum meri wajah se ro rahi thi." The words didn't settle well with him, and the knot eased only slightly when she shook her head.

"I... I h-had an... an e-eventful S-Sunday", she admitted. "I... I d-don't like e-eventful d-days now. B-Boring b-better hai."

"Eventful Sunday?" He repeated. "Aisa kya hua? And... And tumne mujhe kal raat kyun nahi bataaya?"

She shook her head. "Aap... Aap i-itna d-disturbed hain a-already. I'm f-fine. Aapko m-meri st-stupid p-problems sunne ki z-zaroorat n-nahi hai."

"I want to."

Monami stared at him. He... he wanted to? Karan wanted to listen to her? She blinked a couple of times. He wanted to listen to her. That... That was new. Someone wanted to listen to her. "You... You w-want to?" He nodded. "Wh-Why?"

"Why not?"

She blinked a few times. She swallowed a little. "M-Maine... Maine k-kal Papa ko c-call kara tha. It d-didn't go o-over v-very w-well."

"You had a fight?" She shook her head. She paused, before nodding her head. "Haan ya naa?"

"Woh m-mujhse b-bahut g-gussa the, then... then h-he sh-shouted at me, phir ph-phone k-kaat diya. M-Main toh k-kuchh bol hi n-nahi paayi."

Karan frowned unhappily. He shouted at her? His hand curled around the edge of the tire he was sitting on. "Isliye tum ro rahi thi?"

She shook her head. "B-Bad dr-dream", she admitted softly.

He hummed slightly. "You did have an eventful Sunday. Fight, bura sapna, woh note. Not the good kind."

She smiled a little, nodding. "H-Haan."

"Tum logon ki thodi extra practice hogi aaj. By the time you're done, you'll be too exhausted to feel", he said. "Ab iss baat par khush hona hai, toh khush ho. Warna..." He shrugged. She chuckled slightly.

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

"Tum nahi jaoge", Colonel Batra warned.

"Par kyun?" Karan protested. "Pehle, jab main gaya tha, toh aapne kuchh nahi kaha tha. Phir ab yeh 'aur logon ko delegate karo' waali baat kyun bann gayi hai?"

"Karan... pehle baat alag thi."

"Kya baat alag thi?" He demanded. "Yeh hi ki Laxman mara nahi tha, aur mujhe kisi ne death threat nahi diya tha? Aap keh rahe ho main chhup kar baith jaoon?"

Colonel Batra sighed. He pushed the glass of water towards him. "Pehle, paani peeo." Karan scowled, looking away. "Karan..." He sighed, picking up the glass and taking a sip. "Isi wajah se main nahi bhejna chah raha hoon tumhe. Tum bahut emotional ho rahe ho. And main tumhe blame nahi kar raha hoon, naa tumhe mission se hata raha hoon. I know you want justice for Laxman. I know tumhe Laxman achha lagta tha. Par tum abhi ke liye yahan academy mein raho, aur yahan se cheezen dekho. Sanju aur Faizi sambhaal lenge. Tumhaari yahan zyaada zaroorat hai."

Karan kept the glass back on the table, idly tracing the rim of the glass. "Fine."

"Good." He leaned against the table next to him, patting his cheek gently in comfort. "Ab batao mujhe, what do you think? Kya soch rahe hain woh?"

"I think... I think they're scared of us. Laxman ka haath kaat kar bhejna, Monami ke shoes mein woh note rakhna, shayad... Laxman ko bhi do teen din tak gayab rakhna, it wasn't to erase clues. Shayad... Shayad it was to nerve us out. Woh chahte hain hum back off karein, because unhe yeh baat lagti hai ki agar hum un tak pahunch gaye, toh they won't be able to stand against us."

The Colonel hummed. "So... tumhe nahi lagta woh kuchh karenge?"

"On the contrary... I am sure woh kuchh karenge. Par... abhi nahi. Thode time mein. When we'll get closer. Woh bahut desperate honge and they'll attack. Like... like ek cornered animal karta hai, waise." He tapped his fingers on the table. He paused. "I want protection. Bhaiya Bhabhi ke ghar ke bahar, aur Faizi ke parents ke ghar ke bahar. Drone surveillance, cameras, personnel. Agar yeh log desperate ho gaye, toh there's no telling how far they'll go to get what they want. Hum dono lead kar rahe hain toh..."

There was a knock on the door, before it opened. Mrs. Batra peeked in, before sauntering in when she saw just the two in there. "Karan, tu theek hai?" She asked.

He nodded. "Aap yahan kaise? Aap toh do teen din baad aane waale the waapas."

She glared at him lightly. "Chup reh. Tu itna pareshaan hai. Main aise kaise nahi aati?" She waved her hand dismissively. "NGO ke kaam toh kabhi khatam hi nahi honge." She sat down on the other chair, keeping a hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes, leaning into her gentle touch. "Tu pakka theek hai, na, Karan?"

He opened his eyes, nodding. "Sher nahi darta, ma'am", he said. "Sirf daraata hai." She smiled slightly, patting his cheek affectionately before letting her hand fall back down.

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

"Ek baar woh dhokebaaz mil jaayo, aisi haalat karenge ki jitni bachi kuchi zindagi hogi uski, us mein bas Yamraj ko bulaane ki puja karego", Sanju gritted out.

Karan stared at her with raised eyebrows. She was taking the news of the spy better than he had even hoped, let alone expected. There wasn't anything that laid broken on the floor of their room after she had subjected it to her wrath. He turned his head slightly to glance at Faizi, who was staring at her too. Sanju sighed slightly, sitting down.

"Ho gaya?" Karan asked. She nodded. "Ab sun kya karna hai. Tu aur Faizi kal subah Euphoria se connected pubs aur bars ke owners se miloge. Tu interrogate karna un sab ko. Kuchh bhi pata lage, chhote se chhote, bata dena. Hume ek profile banaani padegi."

She nodded again. "Ji, Sir ji. Aapko kisi par shaq hai?"

The men shook their heads. "Abhi toh nahi", Faizi said. "Academy mein koi bhi ho sakta hai, isliye abhi tak sirf hum aur Karan hi yeh handle kar rahe the. Aur ab tum."

"Sir ji..." She paused hesitantly. "Woh... Monami ko jo note milo hai, woh... bas khaali dhamki hi hogo, na?"

Karan glanced at Faizi, and then back at her. "Mujhe nahi lagta woh Monami ko kuchh karenge. Tu aise kyun puchh rahi hai?"

"Monami humaare saath humaare kamre mein rehto hai, Sir ji. Humne use raat mein bure sapne ki wajah se uthte hue dekho hai, darte hue dekho hai, rote hue dekho hai. Hum naa chahto hain ki bekaar mein use aur dukh pahunche. Bahut chot pahunch chuko hai use."

"Tu chinta mat kar, Sanju. Hum use kuchh nahi hone denge." He smiled slightly. "Aur sherni hai woh. Apne aap ko sambhaal legi."

"Tab hi toh tumhe itna interest hai us mein", Faizi said making him roll his eyes. "Tum sher, woh sherni."

"Duniya mein aisa ek bhi topic hai, jisse tu iss topic par land nahi kar sakta?" Karan asked.

He tapped his chin exaggeratedly. "Nahi", he said finally making Sanju chuckle. "Hum hamesha yahan pahunch sakte hain."

Karan rolled his eyes. "Achha hai main tere saath nahi jaunga. Warna jaayenge hum do zinda log, aur sirf main zinda aaunga waapas. Tu laash bankar aayega." He threw his pillow at him. "Kaam par dhyaan dena." He looked at Sanju. "Tu ghar jaa rahi hai Diwali par?"

She hesitated. "Sir ji, aap naa bologe, toh hum nahi jaayenge", she said.

He paused in thought. "Nahi, koi baat nahi. Tu jaa. Faizi, tu jaa raha hai?"

"Tumhe chodkar?" Faizi cried out dramatically. "Kabhi nahi."

Karan rolled his eyes. "Tu dramatic hona band kar. Jaa raha hai kya?" He shook his head. "Kyun?"

"Ek toh yeh saara jo raita phaila hua hai, hum tumhe aise kaise akele chodkar jaa sakte hain?" He scrunched his nose up. "Aur Abu bhi aa rahe hain. Humaara unse milne ka mann nahi."

Karan nodded slightly. "Bhabhi ko bata dunga ki tu bhi mere saath aayega phir", he said.

Faizi grinned, nodding. "Unhe kehna ki hume kheer khaani hai Diwali par. Tum rehne do, waise, hum hi bata denge hume kya khaana hai. Thodi lambi list hai."

Sanju smiled, chuckling at the annoyed look Karan shot him. "Bukhadh", he snapped. "Bhabhi ko tang mat karna."

"Arey, humse tang nahi hoti woh. Aur sab tumhaari tarah alien thodi naa ho sakte hain jise sirf kaam dikhta hai. Khaana hi toh zindagi ki asli khushi hoti hai."

Karan shook his head but his lips upturned fondly. Faizi smiled slightly, seeing the smile. He didn't like the dark, guilty look he saw each time their eyes met these past couple of days.

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

"Wow", Monami muttered, almost starry eyed as she stared at the laptop.

"Dude", Sid drawled, jaw dropping open as he scrolled. "This is so cool."

"Oh my God, is mein undercover aur spy karne ke baare mein bhi courses hain", Koel breathed out. "This is so good."

Bala glanced over at Sid's laptop, before at his own, blinking. Sid looked at his, clicking a couple of links and opening up the list of possible courses. Bala scrolled through them, frowning at some of the unfamiliar words. "Yeh cryptiligy kya hota hai?" He asked.

"#Cryptology, Bala", Chitra said. "Matlab, codes solve karna."

"Achha", he muttered, scrolling through them.

"Hashtag, dekh!" Sid said. "Technical skills mein jaa. Us mein ek course hai jahan par yeh sikhaayenge ki social media ko kaise use karna hai to gather information. Tu yeh try kar."

"Yahan par acting ka bhi course hai", Prem ji said, blinking.

"For undercover missions", Koel said. She clicked it open. "It's about teaching different accents aur teaching about how to lie on the spot and make stories up."

"Strategy cl-classes", Monami squealed quietly. "Aur t-trauma a-aids. Aur k-kaise common i-items se kaise f-first a-aid administer k-karna hai."

"Suman ji ko toh yeh bomb diffusion waala course achha laga", Suman ji said.

"Bala, tujhe kya achha laga? Sabse pehle kaunsa start karega tu?" Sid asked.

"English", he said, making the rest chuckle.

"Good choice", Koel said. She ruffled his hair. "Help chahiye, toh aa jaana."

Sid whistled lowly. "Yeh dekho. Yahan par trainers se questions puchhne ka option bhi hai, privately and we can even direct the questions to a trainer. Jab trainer free hoga, they'll answer. This is such a good system."

"Yeh sirf hum #civilian cadets ke liye banaaya hai", Chitra said. "Because humaare paas kam #time hai, na? Isliye."

The rest six cadets hummed in unison, reading through the courses in interest. Monami clicked one open on strategy, reading through the overview.

'This course offers tips and practice cases to better review pre missions. Picking the facts that would help the unit gain an edge over the enemy is imperative in making a good strategy. This course would aim at opening the cadet's mind to observing and sorting the information and would additionally offer some mind mapping tips in an attempt to help the cadet retain maximum information.'

'Karan Sir ne bhi aisa sa hi kuchh kaha tha, na? Intelligence reports mein chhupe needles par hi poori strategy build karni padti hai. Saare facts dhyaan rakhne padte hain taaki aapko aur clues mile. Mind mapping karo. Information organize karo', Monami thought. She smiled slightly. 'Agar main saath mein yeh karungi, toh shayad Karan Sir jo kaam dete hain usko aur achhe se karoon.'

She quickly clicked on 'More details', reading through the information. It was a long course. Lots of articles, some reference videos, some case studies and a ton of practice case files. 'Recommended courses' was a small list at the side and she clicked on it, finding more strategy based sub courses. She shook her head.

'Zyaada tempt mat ho, Monu. Bas do course. Ek strategy ka, aur ek trauma ka. Bas. Zyaada karegi, toh exams par dhyaan nahi de paayegi. Fail hona hai kya? Fail ho gayi, toh academy se bahar ho jaungi.' She shook her head. 'Nahi, nahi, aisa nahi ho sakta. No failing.'

She opened the exam aid tab, opening up the module on Military Geography. She'll study for exams first and then, the courses. She couldn't fail.

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

"... Aur u-us mein i-itne s-saare c-courses hain", Monami completed, giving him a toothy grin. Karan smiled, chuckling.

"Tumhaare paas time hai courses karne ka?" Karan asked.

"T-Time toh m-main manage k-kar hi l-lungi. B-Bas e-exams aa r-rahe hain, na, woh pr-problem hai", she said. "I d-don't w-want to f-fail."

He chuckled slightly again. "Fail? Aur tum? Please. Main shart laga sakta hoon ki tum try bhi karogi toh bhi fail nahi hogi. Tension lene ki koi zaroorat nahi hai tumhe." He gave her a look. "Paas hona ka aim bahut kam hai. Go for first."

"Y-Yahan r-ranking h-hoti hai?"

"Of course." He sipped the coffee. "Exams achhe se karna par. Thoda dhyaan dena, us par. Fail nahi hogi, par I want you to be the best. Meri best cadet ho tum. I want first."

"N-Nahi aa-aayi toh?"

He tilted his head. "Nahi aayi, toh nahi aayi. We'll work on it."

"Aa-Aap m-mujhse naraaz n-nahi hoge?"

"First nahi aane ke liye? Kabhi nahi." He sighed. "Kabhi kabhi... apna best dene ke baad bhi... you fail." He let out a humorless chuckle. "Exams se toh koi farak bhi nahi padta. Jab logon ki jaan jaati hai, na, tab asli haar ka matlab pata chalta hai."

Monami stared at him. She looked at the hand that gripped the slab tightly. Her hand reached forward, hesitantly hovering for a couple of seconds before resting on his. He looked down and then up at her. She tilted her head slightly, blinking slightly in assurance. His hand curled around hers, clutching it gently.

She kept her mostly empty mug down, reaching behind her and producing a leather bound diary. She hesitantly pushed it towards him, staring up at him hopefully. He glanced at it, and then up at her again before releasing her hand and taking it. He flipped it open, eyebrows furrowing as he read the diary.

'Jo dil mein hai, agar muh se bol nahi sakte ho, toh diary mein likh liya karna. Andar se light feel hoga.

Aapki cadet,

Dr. Monami Mahajan.'

'I... That's... That's not for me.' 'B-Baat k-karna?'

'I... I need a distraction. Kya... Kya tum... please?'

He looked up at her. "Yeh mere liye hai?"

"Aa-Aapko d-diya hai, toh aa-aapke l-liye hi h-hoga, na?" She answered, shrugging. She clutched the cup, squeezing it tightly. "D-Distraction a-achhi hai, b-but it's t-temporary. J-Jab aap f-feelings l-likhte ho, toh you f-feel l-lighter."

"Tumhaare paas hai aisi diary?"

She nodded. "M-Mujhe bhi l-logon se b-baat k-karne mein d-dikkat h-hoti hai."

"Thank you", he said sincerely.

She smiled. "Aa-Aapko d-distraction chahiye toh aa-aap ph-phir bhi aa s-sakte ho."

"Woh toh aaunga hi. Tumhaare alaawa kisi ke paas jaa bhi nahi sakta. Faizi aur Sanju dono bahut bura gaate hain. Unke gaane se mujhe distraction chahiye", he said. She chuckled lightly. He smiled. "So... courses mein se kaunsa karna hai tumhe?"

Her eyes lit up. "Is mein d-do c-courses b-bahut achhe the! Ek th-tha..."

Note- So... I am back! Bahut time ho gaya. I missed this! I am a little rusty since I hadn't written in my absence at all, toh shayad yeh waala chapter zyaada achha nahi laga hoga. Sorry for that. Also, woh notice waala part main delete kar dungi, because personally, when I read a story, I find it annoying jab beech mein chapter ke alaawa kuchh bhi hai, toh isliye, I'll delete that part.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so if you have the time and will, do consider dropping a comment. It'd be appreciated. If you like the chapter, do vote as well. That'd be appreciated as well.

I had been reading some quotes these few days, toh I found some that I absolutely love and I wanted to share those with you. Toh, I'll add one in every chapter like I write the questions.

Quote- 'Anyone can love a rose, but it takes a lot to love a leaf. It's ordinary to love the beautiful but it's beautiful to love the ordinary.'

Question- From the tashan ships of the canon (in the sense that the two people don't get along with each other)  which one is your favorite?