Vaibhav chewed his tongue, regaining composure to adapt to the threat in front of him. He was suddenly out of his breath.

"Vaibhav take this!" Biraj shouted from behind. Vaibhav turned around to meet an awestruck Biraj for a split second when a rifle was thrown at his face. He juggled the weapon before firmly holding it and turned around to the woman making her way to here. Vaibhav pointed the rifle, he heard a creaking sound, the jeep shifted its centre of mass.

Vaibhav focused on his target again and pulled the trigger. Time slowed around Vaibhav again. The rifle recoil was like an explosion in his hand, and through the muzzle flash, he saw it all.

The woman extended her arms, looking up to the sky as if calling to the skies. Vaibhav saw dark clouds gathering around her like a halo. Before he could process further the momentary shock was over and the sky crackled with light.

Thunderbolts came down all around her. Vaibhav covered his face but couldn't resist seeing it all. The woman stood in the middle, blue essence surrounding her, a billion watts of electricity coming down and going into the ground. Vaibhav saw a yellow spot in the thunder, the bullet was being charred, and she just stood in the middle of it all. Not proud not angry, it was as if skies bled on her command. Eventually, the woman dropped her hands and everything was as clear as it was in the foggy rain.

"What do you want?" Vaibhav shouted. He was not in a mood to encase his Sanskrit speaking skills. He cocked his rifle again and got into a firing position.

"Dharma Sangstapanrta...", the woman said with defiance.

Vaibhav looked around and found himself seeing a severed power line from one of the electric poles that bordered the cliffside of the road.

"Establish righteousness?" Vaibhav walked away from the side of the car and pointed his rifle at her again, "I don't think ambushing a police transport is the way to go about it."

Vaibhav got ready to fire again when a fist hit him hard on the face. At that particular moment, Vaibhav did not remember the lesson, that rifle is not a close combat weapon, you need distance to use it. So the moment Vaibhav tried to fire again, the woman slapped away the barrel and hit him again on the chest.

Vaibhav coughed and staggered a few steps back holding himself for loss of breath. The woman grabbed his right arm and twisted it behind his back. Vaibhav buckled under her grasp. She almost dragged Vaibhav up to her face and looked at him.

Vaibhav saw nothing except her veil-covered mouth and her eyes. Her eyes, the pupils were perfectly centred, the viscous white so clear that Vaibhav could detect the minimum dilation and nearly zero shifting in the pupils. She looked at him with a cold stare, violently expressing her desire that she didn't want Vaibhav here.

Biraj shouted again and the woman turned her gaze. Vaibhav realised his position and stepped up to regain balance. Hitting the woman hard on the cheek with the rifle handle.

The woman released Vaibhav's arm and massaged her cheek, walking back a few steps. Vaibhav fired again and immediately rolled over. As the woman tried to bring down another lightning bolt, Vaibhav fired at her from the side. The bullet missed but it grazed her.

Vaibhav took the time and ran over to the car. Gulping he pulled open the left back door. He noticed the unconscious constable and pulled the ramrod from under the seat. Biraj shouted on. Vaibhav came over to the open bonnet and plunged the rod through the engine compartment onto the ground.

The woman regained balance and her pupils moved. She was angry. Vaibhav now pointed at the electric pole and fired. The woman was confused and by a natural impulse, she rained thunder on the bullet. The severed power line was undone, the thunder came down directly to the supply. Vaibhav got clear of the jeep. The power line touched the engine and fed a billion joules, travelling back to earth through the ramrod. The engine roared to life. Biraj must have not removed his foot from the accelerator. Because at that moment the car sped out of the cliff and directly hit the woman standing a few feet away. She was thrown into the road.

Biraj came out of the car. Both him and Vaibhav cocked their guns. The woman stood up clutching her abdomen. She looked at Biraj and Vaibhav and waved her arm again. The fog started swirling again until it completely surrounded her and the area was clear. The air was dry and the woman was gone.

"What was that?" Biraj shouted.

Vaibhav was going to answer when he saw Biraj pointing at the jeep. Vaibhav arched his eyebrows, "you said you needed a jumpstart."

"With a lightning strike? You could've killed us!"

"That is why I earthed it with the rod."

"Which could've sliced the carburetor!"

"Well it did not, the rod was uprooted with the car speed. The engine is fine!"

And that was the moment a fire erupted in the engine. There was a scream, the constable in the back seat had just regained conscious.