CHAPTER 87

THE ADVENT OF CHANGE

Sanju stared at her quiet boyfriend. It was always strange to see him with such tensed shoulders, mouth pursed tightly in a frown and his gaze darkened into unwelcomed thoughts. "Siddharth?"

His gaze lifted to hers, and the dark look disappeared slightly, his gaze softening slightly. "Hmm?"

"Kaa soch raho hai aisa? Kal se dekh raho hain, kuchh theek sa naa lag raho hai tu."

He sighed, leaning against the railing of the terrace. It was a long way down and he slightly pushed himself away from the railing, keeping his gaze fixed on the city lights. He was terrified of heights, Sanju had often noticed. "I... I talked to Param Bhaiya."

Her eyes widened. She tilted her head, staring at him. "Kaa... Kaa baat karo?"

He looked at her for a long moment. He took a step closer, gently grabbing her hand. "What do you know about my relationship with Bhaiya?"

She blinked. "Zyaada kuchh naa. Hume pato hai tu aur Monami, Bhaiya ko pehle se jaanto the. Aur yeh pato hai ki tum dono unhe zyaada pasand naa karto. Bas itno hi."

He pursed his lips. "Aisa nahi hai hum unhe pasand nahi karte, Sanju." She frowned. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that they didn't exactly get along. He sighed. "Juhi Aunty Param Bhaiya ke pehle commander the." Her eyes widened. "That's how we met him. We were close. Kaafi close. Main aur Monu... hum dono ke liye he was like an older brother. Family." He gently rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand. "Jab Juhi Aunty shaheed hue the... woh hum dono ke liye sabse bura time tha. And not... not just because Aunty nahi the humaare saath... but..." He let out a shaky breath. "There were... other reasons. Jis... Jis tarah Aunty shaheed hue the, jo circumstances the uske around... it wasn't pretty. And when we needed Bhaiya the most, he left. Woh hum dono ko chhodkar chale gaye. Aisa nahi hai main unhe pasand nahi karta. Bas... unhe dekhkar ab bas unka jaana hi yaad aata hai."

She gently snaked her arms around his neck and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. His warm breath gently tickled her neck, the two standing in silence under the moonlight that illuminated them. "Aisa... kaa hua tha Ma'am ke shaheedi ke saath?" He tensed up, his grip tightening around her waist. "Kaa... Kaa Monami ke saath jo hua, uss sabse-"

"Sanju", he cut her off. "I... I don't want to talk about this. Abhi nahi. I will tell you. I promise I will. Ek din. But aaj nahi."

She bit her lip, not entirely happy being in the unknown. But he wasn't ready to talk about it. This wasn't an interrogation. She needed to take a step back about certain stuff. "Theek hai", she muttered softly. "Kaa tujhe yeh bataano hogo ki teri aur Param Sir ji ki kaa baat hui?"

He sighed, taking a step back away from her. She almost wanted to take her words back. Had she said something wrong? But he didn't seem to be angry or frustrated, just thoughtful and overwhelmed- perhaps, unsure of what he should be feeling. "I... I asked him why he left", he said softly. "You know... for the longest of times, all I wanted was to ask him ki... kyun? Kyun aise hi chale gaye the woh? Par jaise jaise time gaya, saal guzre, meri... meri naraazgi badhti gayi and then, I never wanted to ask him kyun. I stopped caring kyun. I just... never wanted to see him again. But... I had to ask. And... he... he said he regretted it. Regretted leaving."

She stared at him. His eyes had welled up with tears. It was strange to hear all this about Param. If it had been anyone else, perhaps she would have been furious. Hateful, resentful for hurting him, leaving him, making him cry. But it was Param. And she knew he wasn't the one in the right here- at least, not by what little context Sid had given her- but she couldn't bring any resentment out. "Toh... tujhe achha lagna chahiyo, na? Ki... Ki unko unki galti ka ehsaas hogo?"

He pursed his lips. Quiet for a few more seconds, he finally started talking, his voice slightly shaky. "It was... easy to hate him when I thought he believed he was right. It was easier to be angry. Ab... it's harder. I know he feels guilty, and you are right. It should make me happy. But... sach toh yeh hi hai, na, Sanju, ki he did leave. Humaari zindagi ka sabse bura samay... and he left us. Main 18 saal ka tha. I lost the woman I considered my Maa. Meri Monu... she lost her world, she lost everything. And jab hume unki zaroorat thi... he left. Just... left. Never returned, never called. And... ab jab woh guilty hai, I cannot just forgive him. Mujhse nahi hoga."

"Mat karo", she said softly. His gaze snapped to her. "Tumhe kisi ko maaf karne ki zaroorat naa hogo. Tab tak naa jab tak tumhe khud genuinely nahi mann unhe maaf karno ka. Par... shayad unse nafrat naa karno se tujhe thodi shaanti milego."

"It's not easy."

She chuckled slightly. "Tu commando ki training le raho hai, Siddharth. Agar tujhe asaan raasta chahiye hoto, toh yeh training, yeh academy, yeh tere liye naa hoti."

He smiled at her slightly. "Yeah, you're right", he said softly. He sighed. "Thank you." He leaned down, closer to her and she bit her lip. Her cheeks felt warm, and she closed her eyes as he leaned forward, gently planting a kiss to the corner of her mouth. His breath caressed her cheeks, and she opened her eyes when he pulled away, smiling softly at him. His closeness made her heart race, yet she wished to spend her days in his arms, feel his breath on her skin like butterflies fluttering along and bask in the warmth his closeness brought her.

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

Param stared quietly at the picture. It was old and the quality showed it, slightly hazy, not as clear as the modern day cameras could capture. Him with Monami and Sid. Just a little while before Juhi's shaheedi. Monami had a vibrant smile on her face, leaning against him, and Sid with a goofy hand gesture with a cheerful grin, both settled on either sides of him, who too, stared back at the camera with a grin. Their eyes shone with innocence and brightness, so hopeful towards what the future would bring them, unknown to the terror that would flip their lives upside down.

It was so unlike the way the two were now. Monami, with her downcast gaze, with her fearful smiles and her quivering voice and Sid, with his eyes dimmed slightly from the enthusiasm, with more hatred than he ever had before. He had his hand in those.

"Kya soch rahe ho aisa?" His younger brother's voice said and he jumped, looking over his shoulder. How had he not noticed his brother entering his room?

Param pursed his lips, blinking back the stray tears that had welled up in his eyes. "Kuchh nahi", he said, sighing. "Siddharth aaya tha. Baat karne."

His eyebrows shot up. "Did you talk? Kis baare mein baat kar rahe the?"

He hummed. "Just a heavy conversation." He waved his hand dismissively. "I... I don't want to talk about it abhi."

"Okay", he said softly. He glanced down at the photo, gently tugging on it. Param let go, letting his brother look the picture over. "That's... Monami."

Param chuckled. "Teri gaadhi usi par aakar atkegi."

But he didn't even glare at him, his gaze fixed on the picture. "She's smiling", he said softly. "Maine... Maine kabhi usko aise smile karte hue nahi dekha. She... She looks so beautiful. So happy." Param swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn't mean to make him feel worse, he knew. But he did. Karan looked up at him, his gaze almost shining. "I am going to make her smile like this, Bhaiya. I promise. I will make her smile like this."

His eyes stared at his brother's soft, shining ones, the lump in his throat growing. He wasn't in a position in her life where he could make her smile. Hell, he was probably only ever going to make her cry. But he can make sure he punishes the person who took everything away from them. He would catch the bastards.

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

The terrorist gasped for air, blood dripping down from his mouth. Sanju stared at it, her own knuckles slightly aching from the punches and hits she had bestowed upon his bruised and bloody face. His gaze lifted to hers and despite the annoyance bubbling in her at his audacity to meet her gaze again, she found it almost amusing how devoted he was.

"Hume kisi bomb blast ke baare mein nahi pata", he forced out.

Her fist found his face again and he groaned, his head snapping to the side. It took a lot longer for him to lift his face again. Another denial. Another hit. Another time his head snapped to the side. Each time, it took a bit longer for him to lift his head until he didn't.

She grabbed a handful of his hair- almost barely able to grab it because of how short they were- forcing his face upwards. His eyes were closed. She slapped him roughly, but he didn't even twitch, limply tied up in his chair. Blood dripped down from his hairline, strands of his hair stuck to his face with clotted blood, She took a step back, glancing over at an agent- Raghav- watching from aside, gesturing him closer. "Uthao ise", she said. She turned away, walking out of the room.

It was only a few hours later that when the terrorist wasn't waking up- not by brute force, not by splashing water and definitely not by waiting for him to wake up- that Raghav was a little alert. Sure, he wouldn't lose sleep over a terrorist dying but he wanted to ask a few more questions before there was a little less scum on the face of Earth.

He looked up when the door opened, surprised to see Karan himself walking in. It wasn't unusual to see Karan dealing with the terrorists up close but lately, Param and Sanju were really the ones who handled it. But he explained the situation nonetheless, unable to determine what exactly the strange look on Karan's face meant as he stared at the terrorists. "Main doctor se baat karta hoon", he said dismissively. "Sar par zyaada chot lag gayi hogi. Baaki kisi ne kuchh bola? Anything strange?"

"Nahi, Sir", Raghav said. "Inn sab mein se lag toh yeh hi raha hai ki bas isi ko kuchh pata hai. Baakiyon ko nahi pata."

He heaved a sigh, nodding. He cast a glance at the bloodied, unconscious agent that was still tied up on the chair. "Ise fourth floor par lekar jao. Make sure the security is tight, Raghav."

"Sir!"

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

Monami gently injected the man with a clear liquid, covering it with cotton after she had taken the needle out. "He'll be al-alright", she said quietly, glancing at his vitals. "Unless he h-has some b-brain swelling. Woh th-thode time mein p-pata chal j-jaayega." She stood up, turning to Karan, who nodded.

He gently grabbed her arm, making her gaze drift down to it. He guided her out, closing the door behind him. "Thank you", he said softly. "You are okay, na?"

"Of c-course. Mujhe k-kya hona hai?" She dabbed at her hair, almost consciously.

Karan tilted his head, eyeing her movements. She almost seemed unsure. Why? It has been long since she was so conscious in front of him. "Is it hard for you? Treating terrorists?"

She frowned slightly. "I mean... I d-don't like it. But he is a p-patient. And as a d-doctor, aapki duty h-hoti hai har ek p-patient ko f-fairly treat k-karna. We are n-not judges. Just d-doctors." He stared at her quietly. Would he able to do that if he was in her place? His respect and resolve for duty was greater than anything he had ever wanted in life- perhaps, even more than his desire for his woman he had given himself to completely- and yet, he wasn't sure he'd ever able to look at someone so terrible and nurture them to health. "Kya?" His gaze lifted to her eyes, finding her staring at him suspiciously. "Aap... a-aise kyun d-dekh rahe ho?"

He smiled at her softly. "I admire you", he admitted quietly. "Your respect for your profession, your duty. I admire it, Monami." She smiled back, ducking her head slightly as her hair hid her face. "Chalo, I'll drop you neeche tak. Also, akele mat milne aana ise. He's very dangerous, even if he's handcuffed. Okay?"

She nodded, casting a last look over her shoulder to the room inside before following him out.

Inside, the terrorist laid quietly on the bed, still, the room echoing with a constant, steady monitor. His eyes snapped open. His lips curled up in a smile as he gazed around. His plan worked. He was out of the dungeons.

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

The man laid in the dark, the hard ground poking his back uncomfortably. He sighed, staring up at the red inner of the tent he was now used to seeing every day. It wouldn't be a lot of days now that he would have to see it. Hopefully.

There was a slight flutter at the entrance of the tent. The figure that stood was familiar, hunching over. Iqbal. He sighed, sitting up as the tent was unzipped. "Kya hua?" He asked, when the man- their leader- crawled in.

"Nawaz ke baare mein khabar hai", Iqbal said. "Uska plan kaamyaab ho raha hai." His eyes widened in wonder. He wasn't sure what his plan was- it changed, flickered with the situation inside the academy. All he knew was that it was almost impossible to escape from the academy. "Thode din aur. Aur hume academy ke baare mein woh sab pata hoga jo Sayed pata nahi kar paaya."

His mouth twisted up in a smile. "Unn faujiyon ki maut ab zyaada door nahi", he said quietly. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. His little brother, his niece. They were killed by those heartless, uniform clad demons. Murdered in cold blood. And he would take revenge. He opened his eyes, finding Iqbal's own eyes lit up in hope.

"Abhi baaki aadmiyon ko mat bataana", he said. The man nodded. Iqbal gently patted his shoulder. "Jab Nawaz ka plan kaafi hadd tak mukammal ho jaayega, tab hi hum baakiyon ko batayenge." He straightened up, intending to leave the tent now that the news was delivered.

"Iqbal", he said softly and the man paused, looking over his shoulder. "Hum Nawaz se baat kaise karte hain?"

Iqbal's mouth twisted up in a smile. "Abbas, hum logon ke tareeke isliye hi bahar nahi aate hain kyunki unke baare mein bahut kam logon ko pata hai. Imam ke alaawa koi nahi jaanta ki woh Nawaz se kaise baat karta hai."

Abbas nodded, lying back down on the tent after the superior left. Although as he drifted off to sleep, he still couldn't help wondering about Imam.

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

Monami took a deep breath before pushing open the door. Karan followed quietly, his gun in his hand as he stood a respectful yet approachable distance away from her. The terrorist that laid on the bed didn't bat an eye and she walked closer, sitting down on the chair next to him. The terrorist's gaze followed her, his grimy presence making her uncomfortable.

She glanced at Karan, who was watching them carefully, and his presence comforted her. She took another deep breath, glancing over at his vitals before back at him. He seemed fine, just weak and disoriented from the beatings. When she looked at his face, he found her staring at him. She worked in silence for a few seconds, checking everything over before she finally turned to him. "Kahin d-dukh r-raha hai?"

He let out a chuckle, amused eyes staring at her. "Doctor Madam, aap yeh puchhiye kahan nahi dukh raha hai", he said slyly, his gaze flickering to Karan behind her. "Aapke yeh fauji logon ne chhoda kahan hai kuchh bhi."

He looked back at the doctor, only to find barely any sympathy or softness in her eyes. Instead, she stared back, almost just like any other soldier. Indifferent, almost satisfied. But she didn't comment, which was not very much like the soldiers. "K-Kahan kahan z-zyaada d-dard hai? Kya aa-aapka sar d-dukh raha hai?" He stared at her for a moment. Was she an officer too? She stuttered. Was she nervous? She seemed nervous. Yet... strangely bold. What a weird combination. He nodded to her question, eyeing her as she noted down something in her notepad. "Okay. Follow m-my finger."

His gaze followed her finger, merely for humoring her. It seemed stupid and she noted down something. He almost wondered if she was writing how stupid he was for following that direction. "Yeh kis liye hai?"

He didn't expect an answer, but he got one, surprisingly. "B-Brain injury r-rule out k-karne ke l-liye. The w-way your e-eyes follow my f-finger t-tells a l-little about the s-state of your brain."

He tilted his head. "Aapka naam kya hai?"

Her gaze lifted to meet his and behind her, Karan made a little sound, drawing the woman's attention. The special agent shook his head, almost impercetipibly. She looked back, ignoring his question. Nawaz looked down in surprise when her fingers grazed his arm, finding her pushing his sleeve above. She gently cleaned his bicep, pushing a big needle inside before holding the cotton to it.

"Ab yeh kis liye?"

"P-Painkiller hai", she said. "Z-Zyaada dard rahe ph-phir bhi, toh b-bataana. Main d-dose z-zyaada kar dungi."

Nawaz decided he liked the doctor. She was pretty, smart and she seemed to genuinely wish to make him better. He was pretty sure that wasn't true, considering the place he was in, yet she seemed kind enough. Perhaps he would kill her the first- just to make sure she wouldn't see her friends die- or kill her mercifully. Just a quick shot between her eyebrows. Yes, a merciful, quick death. He'll give her that. His gift to repay her kindness.

She stood up, gathering her stuff up before moving out. Karan followed, and Nawaz's eyes narrowed. He pushed open the door for her, and was that his hand on her back? He leaned back, staring at the boring, white ceiling. Did Karan personally know her? He glanced at the now closed door. That woman... he would find more about her once he gets out.

Note- I hope you like the chapter! It hints at a lot of things that are going to be up and coming, and I doubt you'd be able to catch it all but feel free to share the theories. If you do like the chapter, please vote and comment.

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