The Pre-wedding celebrations ran late into the night. While Deeba and the troupe entertained with their dance and music, the men fired shots in the air showing off their guns. Sadiq seemed least interested in any of the proceedings and sat there with a bored face but Naqeeb enjoyed the night most, and even teased Fayiz about Deeba as she kept dancing near him.

The food was sumptuous, as Fayiz hoped, and he didn't hold back. The guests enjoyed a grand buffet meal with an assortment of meat Kebabs, Challow with Korma, Mantu and the traditional Kabuli Pulau as well as a variety of sweets. Due to the hot weather, the wedding guests made a beeline for different types of drinks including the local favourite Shombleh or Lassi, a yoghurt drink in savoury or sweet flavours.

Fayiz grimaced the moment he tasted his sweet lassi, and Haji Malim who was sitting next to him, asked "What is wrong Fayiz?"
"Oh nothing..." Fayiz looked away in embarrassment.
Sadiq joined them by now and offered, "Don't be shy my friend. If the Lassi is not good, I can ask the boys to get you another one."
"No... I mean y...yes, it tasted a little bit off for me. May be due to the heat the yoghurt has turned bad or something. Please don't trouble anyone. It could be my taste buds too. I haven't been feeling well." Fayiz admitted.
"Another fresh glass of Lassi for Fayiz" Sadiq snapped his fingers towards one of the boys.

*******
Few hours later
*******

Fayiz struggled to keep his eyes open and nodded to whatever Naqeeb was saying, as they sprawled on their beds in Naqeeb's room.
"Are you going to stay here for few months?" Naqeeb asked.

"Hmmm it depends. I haven't decided yet." Fayiz yawned as his mobile rang.

"Who on earth would call you at this hour? You don't have to answer you know!" Naqeeb's irritation was evident at the interruption.

"No idea. It is an unknown number, but it could be important." Fayiz's brows furrowed as he swiped the screen to answer the call. The moment he heard the voice at the other end, he swore loudly "What the... who gave you my number?" He controlled his temper with difficulty as he noticed Naqeeb was hanging on to every word he said.

Before he could cut off the call, there was a soft knock on the door and Naqeeb rushed to open the door.
Deeba was waiting outside with a shawl wrapped around her head, a mobile clutched in one hand. Naqeeb whistled, a wide smirk spreading on his face. Fayiz reached the door in two strides.

"Fayiz, can't we talk for few minutes, for old times' sake?" Deeba pleaded, as Naqeeb watched the changing colours on Fayiz's face with a mix of amusement and fascination.

Naqeeb decided to put Fayiz out of his misery and pushed him past the door towards Deeba. He took out a key chain hung to the wall and handed over to Fayiz. "Go upstairs and open the last room on the right. There are some repairs going on in that part of the house, so no one will be there. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks, Naqeeb. I will be back soon." Fayiz's sheepish smile said it all.

"Of course!" Naqeeb winked at Fayiz as he closed the door. He remembered too well how Fayiz and Deeba were looking at each other throughout the night. He gulped the last remnants of the Lassi in the glass and grimaced. May be the yoghurt has gone off... it definitely tasted bad! He slumped on his bed, and immediately fell asleep, tired after the long day.

******
Naqeeb tossed in bed. He could hear loud noises and people running outside his room. What was all that commotion? That too in the middle of the night? He tried to open his eyes but was too tired and sleepy. There was a knock on his door. But it felt like someone was pounding his head instead. He somehow managed to get up from the bed and ambled to the door, opening it a little.
It was one of Sadiq's men, Jameel.
"Sadiq wants to talk to that friend who came last night. Where is he?" He asked anxiously.

Naqeeb could hear people screaming and jumping into a car outside the compound and asked irritably, "What happened?"
"Something terrible. That guy in the outhouse... he escaped. We don't know how!" Jameel replied in a low voice.

Naqeeb's mind was on full alert now. "What?" He yelled.

"Shsh... keep your voice down. By the way where is your friend?"Jameel repeated.

Naqeeb opened his mouth and closed it again. "Er... he is in the bathroom. Tell Laala we will be there in a moment."

He closed the door before he heard anymore objections. His head ached and he was still feeling drowsy. How did this happen? And where was Fayiz anyway? Wasn't he supposed to return much earlier? Naqeeb staggered towards the room upstairs. As this side of the house was quiet and unoccupied, he couldn't hear what was going on. He knocked on the door.
After a few moments, the door opened a little, showing Deeba's face, but Naqeeb pushed it wide open, ignoring her protests. Fayiz was fast asleep on the bed, half naked. Naqeeb sighed with relief. He wasn't thinking clearly... what was he expecting? He couldn't help but notice that Fayiz looked much thinner. Naqeeb shook his head, as if that would help his grogginess. What was wrong with him? This wasn't the time to think of Fayiz's physique!

Naqeeb shook Fayiz's leg and woke him up. "Fayiz! Get up! Quickly! There is no time to lose. We are in so much trouble if my brother finds out that you spent the night here."

Fayiz opened his eyes and rubbed them.

"What happened? You said you will back in one hour when you left!" Naqeeb demanded .

Fayiz stretched lazily as he got up. "Sorry. I just fell asleep. It was a long tiring day for me and on top of it..."
But Naqeeb cut him short. "Come on, we don't have time to discuss all this. Hurry up!" and threw the clothes lying on the floor at him.

"What happened?" Fayiz asked in a worried tone, as he began to pull on his pants.

Deeba peered through the window. "Has something happened in the family? Why is everyone running around?"

"Hey Deeba, it's none of your business, okay? Get out of here, or hide somewhere. If my Laala or anyone see you now, they will kill you. Run away as fast as you can, but don't go anywhere near the outhouse." Naqeeb warned her.

Fayiz too signalled her to leave. Deeba hurried outside.

After making sure she was out of earshot, Naqeeb repeated whatever little he came to know. Fayiz was equally shocked and realised the urgency. Naqeeb locked up the room again and both of them hurried towards Naqeeb's room. As Naqeeb hung the key back on the door handle, Sadiq and his men walked into his room.

Fayiz reached out to his friend.
"Sadiq, how did this happen? Naqeeb told me just now. I warned you yesterday not to take everything for granted! What were your guards doing?"

"Someone drugged my guards and took that bastard away. There was no way he could have done this on his own. There is a traitor in my house who helped that guy, and the moment I find out who it is, I will kill him or her." Sadiq's jaw hardened as he glared at his old friend.

This is what Naqeeb was afraid of. As he watched both the friends, Fayiz moved closer, his face a few inches from Sadiq's.
"I am getting a bad vibe here. If you weren't my old friend, I would have smashed your face to a pulp by now. I told you yesterday Sadiq, I don't like the way you talk in such roundabout manner. Why don't you say exactly..."
Sadiq cut him short.

"Did you help that guy escape?"

"No!" Hissed Fayiz.

"Why should I trust you? You are the only new person..."

"Shut your filthy mouth and use your brain instead. Hundreds of guests came to your house yesterday and out of everyone, you choose to blame me, the one who came here purely on your invitation! Wow! Is it because I am the only one who is still in your house? Do you think I am such an idiot to still linger around, if I helped that scumbag to escape?"

Sadiq's anger faltered but he still looked suspiciously at Fayiz. "Who knows...who can vouch for you?"

"I can..." Naqeeb intervened nervously. "I can assure you Laala, he was here with me in the room."
Sadiq's eyes bore into his brother's face.
"Was he here all night?"
"Y..yes!"
"Why are you lying and covering for me Naqeeb? Tell him the truth." Fayiz demanded, but Naqeeb looked at him in despair. How could he reveal everything to Laala?

"Okay, if you fear your big brother so much, let me say it myself. I wasn't here all night, in fact..."

"He was with me, as he wasn't feeling well." Haji Malim's commanding voice boomed from the door.
Sadiq gulped in embarrassment as Haji Malim walked in.
"What are you doing Sadiq? Is this how you treat your friend and an esteemed guest in our home? Shame on you!"

"I am sorry Abba but I was just trying to..."

"Fayiz came downstairs early this morning, as he was down with fever and feeling thirsty. I gave him our traditional medicine and he sat with me for an hour or so, till the medicine took effect. I don't want to hear another word from you. Is that clear?" Haji barked at his son.

Sadiq nodded curtly and moved away from his father.
Haji Malim faced Fayiz with a guilt stricken face.
"I am.... how do you say Wabakhai...I am sorry."

Fayiz held the elderly man's hands.

"Please Kaka, don't insult me like this. Elders like you should bless us, not offer apologies. I know Sadiq's temper very well. He is a good man at heart."

"I am glad you think that way." Haji smiled stiffly at Fayiz before turning his gaze towards his sons.

"Now, can someone tell me what is this all about?"

Fayiz and Sadiq looked at each other. Fayiz tried his best to put the elderly man at ease.

"Kaka, it's nothing. One of your guys is missing and we suspect that he might have stolen something valuable... I mean stole cash from the house. We should search for that guy straightaway, what do you say Sadiq?" Fayiz asked.

Haji was quick to notice the relief on Sadiq's face.

"Hmm... just because I am old, please don't think I am a fool Fayiz. I know my son too well."
Fayiz averted his eyes from the Haji.

"Are these things more important Sadiq? Today is your wedding day, you shouldn't be going out at all and you should definitely not trouble your friend in this. But when did you ever listen to your father? On your head, so be it." Haji Malim sighed and left the room followed by his guard, leaving an uncomfortable silence between the friends.

"Did you offer to help me for real or was it just a ruse to fool my father?" Sadiq sneered at his friend.

"Oh... I see that you are still mad at me. Why Sadiq? Is it my fault that someone made a fool of you and managed to kidnap your prisoner right under your nose?"

"Look. I know I shouldn't have suspected you, but I am not myself at the moment. If others come to know what happened, I will become a joke in this area. So please! Can you help me find these traitors? And what makes you say it was a kidnap? Do you think someone is trying to call me and blackmail me? I thought someone who have connections with ISI planned the whole escape."

"Well... we can't rule out kidnap either. I know you have lots of enemies here. I mean, you were with Taliban and then turned against them, right? You started selling the drugs using your own network. So, it could be the Taliban which arranged the whole thing to mock you and remove your power in this area."

Sadiq grabbed Fayiz's shirt. "How the hell do you know all this about me?"

"This is exactly the sort of immature behaviour which has landed you in trouble here. Why do you think I am what I am Sadiq? Knowledge is my power and I use it every way I can, to my advantage, while helping others. Isn't that the reason you called me in the first place? Shouldn't you be looking for the missing man, rather than feeling offended?"

Sadiq winced but eventually nodded his head, and let go of his friend.

Fayiz grabbed his Ak47 hanging on the wall and Sadiq signalled his friend to follow him.

"Whoever it is, we have no time to lose. Let's go. Do you have any idea when this escape happened?" Fayiz asked, as they briskly made their way to the cars parked in the compound.

"Well, the guards swear that they were awake till midnight, I am not sure how they were drugged, because they swear that no one approached the outhouse till they were awake. So, it must have been something in their food or drink that had a delayed reaction. And they woke up after many hours and alerted me straightaway."

"So, we have already lost many hours. That prisoner and whoever took him could be anywhere by now. All we can do is trace which path they might have taken and ask if anyone had seen them. But how practical would that be? To be frank Sadiq, I think this is pure waste of time. Leave the search to me and your men. It is your wedding day today, for goodness sake. We will split up and search in different directions." Fayiz's plea had no effect on Sadiq.

"This is my problem and I will deal with it Fayiz. Thanks for your offer, but let's not waste any more time here. But as you said, we will split up. One of my men will join you..."

Naqeeb caught up with them. "Laala! I want to come too. Please don't say no! Fayiz, can you tell my brother that I can be of help too. I want to find out who our enemies are. I am not a kid to be left behind anymore."

Before Sadiq could object, Fayiz intervened, pointing to his gun. "Don't worry Sadiq, he will be safe with me."

Sadiq agreed reluctantly.

"So, about the split up... May be me and Naqeeb can go towards Panjwai and you guys can take the highway to Kandahar?" Fayiz suggested.

"No! I don't think they would have gone towards Kandahar, it is way too obvious. But you guys better check that route, to make sure we haven't overlooked it. It is quite safe as well, and I don't want my kid brother in any danger. Me and my men, we will go towards Panjwai."

"Sadiq, don't take the shortcut through Rawat or other villages but use the terrain route along the mountains. I heard that Taliban have planted more IED's in the borders of villages, to block the US and Canadian troops."

Sadiq opened his mouth, as if he was ready to dismiss Fayiz's advice. Instead, he merely nodded and walked away.
Sadiq and his men got into a large pick up van while Naqeeb and Fayiz took a smaller car and they set off in different directions.

Naqeeb tried his best to engage Fayiz in conversation, asking questions about his lifestyle or what ideas he had about catching the captive, but all his attempts were futile. Fayiz seemed quite lost in his thoughts.
Finally, when he spoke, Naqeeb realised why Fayiz seemed to be so upset.

"I had a long chat with your father last night and the more we talked, I felt so terrible lying to him. He is such a nice man. All he wants to do now is live in peace and play with grand kids. He had lived through enough war and bloodshed. But both of you don't seem to care a hoot for him. Show of respect is never the same as actually respecting someone and their feelings. All Sadiq seems to care about is power, take shortcuts everywhere to get that power, even in his dealings with groups like Taliban. Those people are terrorists and murderers. For them he is nothing but a small pawn. Sooner he realizes that, and let go of his stubbornness, the better for him. And if you really love your brother and your family, please don't even think of becoming like your brother."

"Oh wow!! Why suddenly this heavy mood and advice Fayiz? What happened to you? From what I have heard, your life was nothing short of dangers too. You should be the last person advising others to lead a boring life. Hahaha!" Naqeeb mocked.

Fayiz sighed. "I knew you would say that, but I had to try. Look, I don't think we will be able to find out much. That bird has truly flown. But I don't want to let down Sadiq... So, here's the plan. I will stop the car at various pit stops and Dhaba's along the highway and you ask the drivers and shop owners, if they have seen any car with an injured man etc. There is small surgery and medical store along the way. We will ask there too. And then we will go home. Okay?"

Naqeeb agreed and they proceeded to do exactly that.

Many hours later, Naqeeb had to agree with Fayiz that all their attempts were quite futile. He tried to call Sadiq but there was no answer. By evening both their phones had completely died and they were forced to return home. As their car approached home, they could notice a large crowd assembled outside. Cursing themselves for wasting time on a wedding day, Naqeeb and Fayiz rushed out of the car. But something was odd, everyone seemed quite distraught. As they made their way inside, it was to find the whole family in mourning.
One of Sadiq's aides informed them that a roadside Bomb exploded right under Sadiq's pickup truck on the outskirts of the village of Rawat.

There were no survivors.

In fact it was hard to identify the bodies due to the intensity of the explosion.

Fayiz watched mutely as Naqeeb clutched his father and cried out loud. He knew the moment he advised Sadiq not to take the shortcut, he would do exactly the opposite. He hated being right all the time. He stayed back till the funeral was over and took leave from Haji Malim and Naqeeb, and hoped that he would never have to come back to that cursed area again!!

He went back to his hotel in Kandahar whose staff had the same instructions wherever he stayed- That his room be left unattended in his absence. He had already settled the bill for his stay. In his usual slow and methodical manner, he began to get rid of everything that belonged to "Fayiz Khan"

The thick traditional attire with extra padding, the thick beard and skin makeup to cover the extra pouches along his face, and the ultrathin skin grafting and wire which gave the cleft lip look. He placed everything in a carry bag, wiped the room clean including the swipe card.
A much thinner and muscular man, well covered with a cap and high neck jacket exited the hotel through the back entrance and made sure the carry bag was burnt to cinders before he made his way to the airport.

****
Two weeks later, New Delhi.
****

The nurse walked in with the breakfast tray, and greeted the patient warmly with a smile.
"Oh! You are finally up! How are you feeling? Here's your morning medicine. You need to have this before breakfast."
Ashwin Rajan tried to answer her, but realized that his vocal chords could barely function and nodded his head instead. He licked his dried up lips and swallowed the medicine with a gulp of water, noting how his hands shook, even for such small movements.

His eyes followed the Nurse as she checked his vitals and noted down the findings on the patient chart, but his mind wandered off again, trying to recall everything that happened that night, a fortnight ago. He had almost given up that he would ever walk out that cellar alive, after repeated torture from Sadiq and his men. He couldn't take it anymore! He wanted to end it all, the torture, or perhaps even his life. He wasn't sure which!!

As he lied on the floor in a heap, surrounded by his blood and vomit, barely conscious, he heard that voice and then the torch beaming right into his face... the immense relief he felt once he realized who it was. The elation however was short lived, once he heard all the ridicule at his expense but he bore it silently.

He passed out again and woke up some time later, as he felt someone carrying him on his shoulder....Finally he was out, in the fresh air. In spite of his blurred vision and senses, he could make out the open fields, as the man carrying him walked for a long time before he was in a vehicle of some sort. He still remembered the exhilaration he felt when he saw the helicopter that took him to the Indian embassy in Kandahar. He was passing out in between. He only knew who his rescuer was but there were others too, especially a young pretty woman with a shawl around her head....

"Her name is Deeba and she is our informer in that area. And if you had even half the brains you claim to have, you would have gone to her first, instead of trying to take on Sadiq on your own."
As he heard the chilling voice, Ashwin recognised it even with his eyes closed, and the man it belonged to!

Victor.

And like all his colleagues, he too often wondered if Victor was real or a mere shadow. A cold fear ripped his heart at the prospect of facing this man. Although he was one of the very few who knew how Victor looked like, it didn't make him any closer to decode the enigma behind him.

Bracing for the worst, he opened his eyes reluctantly to find Victor sitting cool as cucumber and eating from the breakfast tray. As always, he never understood how Victor got in here and read his thoughts so accurately. And was he eating his food, a patient's food in a hospital?

"It is never hard to read that pea sized brain of yours, so don't worry. And for a hospital standard, this food is quite good." Victor wasn't even looking at him as he finished the fruit salad.

The inevitable taunts and the ridicule have begun, just as he feared. Ashwin bristled with indignation. He was a fool to hope that Victor might let him off considering his current physical state.
He cleared his throat with difficulty and said "Thanks Victor for saving me. And I wasn't planning to take Sadiq on my own. I got caught before my back up arrived on the scene, so you can stop your long lecture."
"Please don't use words which are foreign to your vocabulary or mindset Ass-win. Planning and preparation is something that professionals like me undergo, when they begin to take on a job. Not wannabe agents and attention seekers like you who pickup jobs because they look cool or to appease their boss!"

"STOP... just STOP it okay. I warned you never to utter that nick name, yet it is pathetic how you continue to do it. I always wonder how that ego-maniacal brain of yours works! People tolerate you because of your so called success rate, nothing else. You too will fail miserably one day, and trust me, everyone is waiting for that to happen so that they can dump you without mercy. You think you are the only smart guy around, don't you? What makes you think you are above us? You are at the same rank as everyone else, just a senior Field Officer of R&AW who is..." Ashwin's croaky voice fell silent as Victor strode up to his bedside.

"Awww... cho chweet!! You finally revealed your innermost wish. But I can assure you that you will be waiting forever because I don't and won't fail. Do me a favour and don't ever put yourself in the same league as other agents and certainly not me. You are someone who has traded your way up the ladder based on your knowledge of how your boss's bottom tastes rather than your skills as a field officer. I didn't give that nick name for nothing. Should I start listing all those botched up missions of yours and how many times I risked my neck to get you out of danger? But this latest stunt you pulled, I didn't come to save your neck. You were about to crack and even with your minuscule knowledge, you might have created a risk to my mission and network that I had built so meticulously over many years. If you knew how many lives were at risk that night to pull an asshole like you out of that cellar, you would be more grateful that you are alive, rather than boast about your ranks and capacity. All those people, who have never seen me now know who Fayiz Khan is! I had to abandon my most precious asset, my anonymity to save your worthless life. But why do I even bother explaining all this to you. It is beyond the grasp of your microscopic brain."

Ashwin tried to lunge forward but stopped immediately, noticing all the medical devices attached to his body.
Victor slipped his hands into his trouser pockets and smirked, his face angled to the side.

"It's very amusing to watch that you stopped because you think you can't attack me in the current state. So, you really think you can take on me when you are fully fit, don't you? Great, I look forward to that. Rest now and get better so you are up for it."

"Don't act so high and lofty Victor, as if you have no weaknesses. You are as vulnerable and fallible as anyone else. It's just that you have been careful to avoid failure and hide your weaknesses or regrets to the world. Unless you are as robotic and devoid of all feelings as everyone thinks of you. I had a briefing from the boss about Nakhonay. Was killing Sadiq really necessary?"

"Wow what an analysis!! That too from someone with an IQ of... Leave it. Beyond a point, I really don't enjoy mocking the same person for the same silly things. I knew you were stupid but I just realized you are delusional too. I killed Sadiq, huh... what else?"

Ashwin scowled. "Well... not directly but it seems you were expecting that he would go through that shortcut which were full of IED's, since he hated your advice. So, indirectly you are responsible for his death, which was very handy for you, I am sure."

"If everyone behaved exactly as I expected them to, my life would have been so peaceful. My advice to you is this! rest your over-fried brain."

As Victor turned back to leave, Ashwin couldn't hold back , and asked. "Who is Razzaq Ahmed?"

"This is exactly what I said, no one takes my advice. You wont rest till I spoon feed everything that you don't understand, do you? Okay, I will humor you this time, to show you how I work. I had come prepared with three different agents' names, their full life history and background to identity you with, and multiple scenarios and alibis. That is what I call as preparation. Razzaq was another asshole of an agent whose uncle was in Pak Military. He has been MIA for past few years although many suspect he had defected or was killed during the defection."

"What was the right question then? What happened to the real Fayiz Khan?"

"Caught on finally, haven't you? May be there is still hope for you. Fayiz Khan died in an encounter few years ago at the Indo-Nepal border, while he tried to smuggle some secretive documents."

"What sort of encounter?" Ashwin continued, but Victor had left by then.

^--------------------^

So, what do you think of Victor?