Shravan stood goosebumped infront of the illusional door,until recent ,he had been believed it to be a mural painting like every others. ..it's like a true folklore to see a secret chamber infront of him. ..He wouldn't have believed so ,if he didn't see it by himself. ..

    Ranjith was intrigued by the door and the secret it embedded with. ..

     Sumo glued to Shravan's back, grasping his elbow as though she's going to face a black hole. ..she had a mixed feeling of fear and anxious. ..

  Shravan swiped the thump card into the door and typed the password. ...'MNEMONICS '...

  The lock clucked ,twisted twice.there was a  series of clicks and whirls, then  the door creaked open. ...the two halves of the painting sliding aside with a soft rumble. ..

  Shravan stood transfixed to see his father's intelligence and his workholic nature. ..His eyes blurred as they're curtained with warm fluid. ..His thoughts raced ahead that what must be the important stuff the secret chamber would possess. ..

He stepped into the darkness, switching on his mobile 's flashlight. ..

  
  He looked around the tiny room with wonder. ..there were stainless steel shelves with a lot of files. ..the  corner was occupied with devices that are used to record and transmit databases. ..the wall above the small study table, inscribed with some dates and locations. ..

    Shravan's eyes were fixed at the table that were filled with piles of papers. ..

  " Ranjith. ..there must be electrical switches. ..search. ..where it is. .?"

   Ranjith found and switched it on. ..the room was lit up with illumination. ..

    Sumo still eyeing everything like a dream that she never had been went through. ..

While Ranjith was checking the shelves, shravan browsed through the papers ...

    They all address vikram s foreign tours. ..His meetings. ..phone call details. ..

    Shravan pulled the drawer chest and found a audio tape. ..With great surprise, he pressed it to life. ..

    The audio began to play. ..Needless to say, it's ramnath s voice. ..

'My dearest shravan. ...

      If you are hearing this ,then it means that you have lived up to my expectations and decoded my messages. ..it also means that you now know about my secret mission. ..what you don't know yet is that I almost completed  my job. ..

     Your presence at my secret room implies that I am dead, probably killed by someone. .but, that isn't important. .

What you must know however ,is that your life may also be in danger. ..that's why I kept it with me. ..sorry for not letting you know about my job. ..

   It's my sincere hope that my decision to share the informations with you will not put your life at peril. ..after all, you're shravan. ..shravan malhothra. ..and, honestly, I trust no one more than you. ...

Shravan,  I am asking you to shoulder my burden I bore until then. ..

   Here,  you will find vikram s foreign tour details and the delegates with whom he had met every time. ..I am damn sure that, he had  blanketed those political trips to do his criminal discussions. ..but, this won't enough to prove his crime. ..

Moreover, I have heard his telephonic conversation by bugging it yet, I wasn't able to tape them as a proof. ..

      You can find a very fine details of vikram and his business person's  background over the files at the shelves. ..

    I found vikram to be the chief of the international criminals. ..he's a brilliant white collar criminal. ..he is manufacturing and retailing deadly weapons against our country...if, I am right a deal has been signed between vikram and the developed countries to stop the ISRO project. ..that's why, I chose you to go to Antarctica. ..

If I say this to anyone, no one would believe so, as vikram already had a Mr. clean image. ..so we need a solid proof like vedio recordings ...otherwise, he would slip off easily by using his fame and money. ...

   At long last, I sketched vikram s palace's map which would enable to barge in as required. ..His palace  had a oblivion basement that's used for retailing weapons. ..

  By this month end, the US  delegates are visiting our country as a diplomatic perspective. ..yet, I believe it's about more than what it is. ..

     So, shravan. ...I have faith in you that you would discharge this responsibility. ..

I am truly sorry for burdening you with this without your consent. But, there's no other whom I could trust. ..hope you would understand. ..

God bless you beta. ...

I will miss you a lot. ..'

  As the audio went to mute, shravan couldn't hold himself that he knelt in the floor with the heart wrecking pain. ..His eyes continued to trickle down the tears desperate of his efforts to control them. ..sumo touched his shoulders gently in an attempt to console him . ..she pressed his hands and spoke with concern. ..

" shravan. ..Hold yourself. ..stay strong. ..papa trusted you that you will continue his responsibility. ..vikram is a selfish demon who needs to be abolished. ..it's not the time to regret but to device a  plan against vikram. ..papa almost found the door. you ve to knock it by time. .."

She cupped his cheeks and continued to see him,a tall malhothra who was curling like a toddler with pain and guilt ...one side, he was angry that his father didn't let him know about the mission he went through. ..perhaps...He might not be missing him now. .. On the flip side, he was proud that his father had trusted him to discharge his own duties. ..

" shravan. ..look at me. .."

Sumo shook him to listen to her. ..

" promise me that you will accomplish the mission. ...as we know, vikram is the one reason for our every problem. ..let's catch him by red handed. ..."

   She extended her palms at him. ..shravan grasped them determined to her words. ..Ranjith joined their promise without uttering a word as he was ready to unleash his strength to knock out vikram. ...

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    The morning began to shine slowly. ..it was half past eight where Ranjith left to the army quarters to be back after a short while. ..

  Shravan reclined to the bed in a thought of recalling everything that's related to vikram. ..His face creased thoughtfully to think how his father would have worked with every details related to vikram. ..He wondered that his father would be working on it for long time. ..

  
    Thoughts that raced one by one made him exausted. ..in addition, his sleep deprived previous night drag him to a phase of little doze off. ...

 
Sumo knew well that shravan was experiencing a hardship , she deliberately wanted him to be alone to recover himself. ..she was yet to go for shower. ..she stood leaned at the door to witness shravan sleeping  at a reclined posture. ..

  She crawled upto him silently , not disturbing him. She continued to stare his face without a wink, softly tracing his jawline. ..

Why you are looking too  charm  while sleeping. .?

  She smiled wide. ..in a feeling that he's hers. ...

   She pulled the duvet to cover him until his shoulders before leaving to bath. ..

   Midway between the shower, sumo realised that she didn't take her spare clothes. ..relishing Shravan's sleepy look, she only took the towel. ..

Sumo scolded her own, she wrapped the towel around and peeped out ...to her satisfaction, shravan was sleeping still. ..but, what if he woke up. .?This thought itself made sumo to turn redder. ..

  Shut up sumo. ..

She hissed mildly. ...

" issh. ..issh. .."

He didn't respond. ...

" shravan. .. "

She whispered , letting out her head alone. ...

There was no any response. ..

  Suman clucked hopeless. ..

" shravan. ...shravan. .."

This time he waggled slightly. ..but didn't sounded verbally. ..

" shravan. ..will you get my clothes. .?"   She asked if he could hear. ..

    Shravan didn't...instead, he pulled the duvet over his head and drawn into sleep. ...

  Sumo. ..no way he would wake up. ..get yourself. ...

  In a wink, sumo ran out of the bathroom, and at the same moment shravan woke up with a jerk recalling her words. ..

'Shravan. ..will you get my clothes. .?'

  Sumo hid  behind the curtain ,wearing the bath towel till her knees. ..

   Shravan sat up by rolling his eyes. ..rubbing his palms together. ...His stare fixed at sumo, who's sticking to the curtain like a moon in the cloud. ..

  Shravan took his steps steady towards her. ..

  Sumo nodded her head left to right. ...

" no shravan. ..Please. .."

Instead of hindering, her eyes exhibited an open invitation for shravan. ..He closed her at fast pace. ..

   " shravan. ..I said no. ..."

Her voice was stubborn to stop shravan. ..as he neared her, she clenched the curtain around her. Shravan was  got carried away that  her ivory skin turned to crimson red. ..He gently pressed her nose tip with his index finger, slowly running it down to the lips. ..

    Overly filled with electrification, sumo shut her eyes with trembling lips. ..

  Shravan got a look back at their first meeting and the situation they got married. ..He sighed deeply how he was standing at a critical point to prove his wife's innocence and to discharge his duties to his father. ..

     He cupped her face and tugged the tresses behind. ..

" sumo. ..get ready. ..I will drop you at the lab. .."

Without looking back at sumo, he went inside to shower. ..

  Suman knew well that shravan was undergoing a dramatic scenario. ..she wished everything to turn  positive at his every move. ..she too sighed and got ready to go to the lab ....

  Shravan halted the jeep 's engine at the microbiological lab. ..He   helped sumo to get down..He grabbed her texts .while  giving them  back to her , he pressed her palms. ..

" sumo. ..take care of yourself. ..don't respond to any blank calls or unknown invites. ..even if they address me that I had met with an  accident or something like that. .."

  sumo didn't let him to finish. ..she held his lips together by pressing them with her fingers, tiptoeing to his height. ...

" don't ever say that malhothra. ..now, listen to me. .."

She spoke like a strict wife. ..

Shravan shrugged off her hold at his lips with a smile...

" sumo ...I am in uniform. ..and. ..for your kind notice. .we are at parking lot. .."

Mischief danced at Shravan's grin. ..

"  I don't care. ...you are my husband and I have the right. ..now, listen to me. ..take care of you. ..Every bit of you belongs to me. ..if I suppose to see any scratch over you, surely I gonna kill you. .."

Telling it in a theatrical expressions, sumo hugged him by putting her hands around his neck. .pressing her delegate lips behind his one of ears, she wiggled her brows. ..

" you better watch yourself my dear. .."

Shravan stood dumbfounded to her direct display of love, he stayed there itself  until her image faded away from his vision. ..

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  Awe. ..here's the next part. ..hope you will like it guys. ..so, we are heading to the end so soon. ...before the strom, I guess this would be one of a kind, gentle chapter. ..

And. ..and. ..happy birthday bhavi dear. ..@BhaviMehta4 ...this chapter is for you....have a wonderful birthday dear. ..may god bestow you with peace and prosperity. ..stay happy always dear. ..

  regarding this chapter. ...what would be the next move of  vikram ?

  How shravan would utilise ramnath s informations to get hold of vikram. ..?

Will shravan succeed in his turns. .?

Let's see. ...

Till next chapter. ...

Have a happy read. ..do vote and I would love to hear from you. ..

Love,

Arulpirai. ..