Ishq-e-Watan

Chapter 10- Mission Euphoria Begins

CHAPTER 10

MISSION EUPHORIA BEGINS

'Aaj kaafi time baad bina kisi reason ke diary mein likhne ka mann kar raha hai. Toh socha thoda academy ke baare mein hi likh doon. Do hafte ho gaye academy aaye and things are starting to settle down. Well, as much as it can when you're in a military academy.

Doosra hafta kab aaya aur kab gaya pata hi nahi chala. Subah drills, phir theory classes aur homework aur raat ko thak haar kar so jao. I can't wish for anything else. I'm living my dream. Yeh academy, yeh training... I can't believe main sach mein ek commando banne ki training kar rahi hoon. Lag raha hai ek sapna dekh rahi hoon.

Yahan ke log, yahan ki vibe, dono expectations se kuchh zyaada hi achhe hain. Kisi se khud jaakar baat karne ki himmat toh nahi hui naa hi mann karta hai, par kisi ki taraf dekhoon- especially mere subgroup ke cadets- toh ek smile zaroor milti hai mujhe. They seem nice.

Except uss Khadoos ke.

Wo bahut kuchh hai par nice toh bilkul bhi nahi.

Pata nahi use mujhse kya dushmani hai? Ek toh har class mein ek baar toh kam se kam mujhse koi question puchhna hi hai use. Usko kya nahi pata main nervous ho jaati hoon?

Sid ko lagta hai wo yeh sab isliye karta hai kyunki wo mera darr khatam karna chahta hai. Usko pata nahi kyun wo khadoos itna pasand hai. Aur wo darr khatam karna chahta hai ya aur badhaana? Agar Sid sach keh raha hai, toh kyun? Kyun mera darr khatam karna chahta hai wo? Itna dhyaan mujhpar hi kyun?

Abhi toh Khadoos Shergill ki jagah Confusing Shergill bana hua hai woh. Jab bhi woh mujhe dekhta hai, aisa lagta hai jaise koi puzzle solve karne ki koshish kar raha hai. Usko main jigsaw puzzle lag rahi hoon ya crossword puzzle? Shayad wo mujhe figure out nahi kar paa raha, jaise main use nahi kar paa rahi. Par wo mujhe figure out karna hi kyun chahta hai?

Wo mujhe samajh hi nahi aata. Sid ki judgement achhi hai and he believes Khadoos bura nahi hai. Faizi Sir ne bhi kaha tha Karan Sir nariyal hai. Par jo woh sabko dikhaate hain, wo toh in dono baton se bahut door hai.

He's Special Agent Major Karan Shergill to the world. Shayad Sid aur Faizi Sir sirf Karan ko dekhte hain, Special Agent Major Karan Shergill ko nahi.

I wonder... Karan kaise hain jab wo Karan Sir nahi hote?

Kahan maine academy ki baat karne ka socha tha aur kahan main Karan Sir ki baat rahi hoon. Anyway, I should go, class ka time hone waala hai.

Monami Mahajan.'

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

"Informers par chodkar toh kuchh nahi mil raha", Karan said. He glanced at Faizi and Sanju, flicking his eyebrows up. "Kya karna hai?"

"Sir ji, hum kehto hain seedha chhapa maarte hain", Sanju said.

Karan clicked his tongue. "Yeh last plan rakhenge. Public place hai, club mein jo log honge, unki jaan khatre mein padh sakti hai. Aur hume koi idea nahi hai ki kitne log honge, kitne weapons honge. Risky move."

"Toh aur choice kya hai?" Faizi asked. "Kuchh toh information honi chahiye jis par act karenge. Hume toh sirf itna pata hai abhi tak ki wahan par drug peddling chal rahi hai."

Silence fell. Karan drummed his fingers idly, thinking. "Humne apne informers ko door rehne ko kaha hai", he started. "Clearly, yeh toh work kar nahi raha hai. More than a week aur humaare paas kuchh bhi nahi hai. Toh hum paas jaakar dekh lete hain."