Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 89 - Raid

Shehnaaz had deliberately hung up on Sidharth. It was wonderfully cathartic.

She stood up, stretched, and began walking back and forth in her bedroom. When she was done stretching her muscles, she ducked into Sidharth's gym.

The gym was equipped with a comprehensive range of exercise machines.

Shehnaaz absolutely loathed the treadmill; she thought of it as her archenemy. She had not expected to have to face this "nightmare" again, not after having moved out of the
military base two years ago.

She stared at the innocent treadmill; her eyes were grim as she slowly walked over to it. A small Swiss army knife gleamed in her hand.

Five minutes later, Shehnaaz walked out of Sidharth's gym with a triumphant smile on her face.

She had secretly cut up the data lines for the treadmill...
╮(╯▽╰)╭.
Shehnaaz cheerfully walked into the bathroom to take her shower.

She stood in the shower, and felt the muscles in her arms.

Her heart was still beating fast from what she had done to the treadmill.

Her arms had turned all bulky and sinewy the last time she trained. She found the muscles unsightly; she was never going to put herself through that hellish training program again.

Shehnaaz enjoyed her unexpected two-week holiday at the military base.

One of the first things she did was to visit Brother Rao at the hospital, accompanied by Sandeep.

Little Rao had not expected her to visit him. He was very surprised and touched by her gesture.

He had put his life on the line for many people over the years, but Shehnaaz was the only one thoughtful and caring enough to check on him afterwards.

It had been his duty and responsibility to protect them, of course. Even so, it was hard not to take it personally when no one came around to see how he was doing. It was not a happy feeling to be treated like a disposable tool, to be discarded when he was no longer useful.

Little Rao was therefore very glad to see Shehnaaz.

Shehnaaz spent the entire day in his ward. She helped him get his food, picked some of the better movies for him to watch, and made sure the nurse changed his dressings. She even helped him post a few letters.

Shehnaaz was perplexed by the letters.

"Brother Rao, why don't you just email or text your family?"

Little Rao was sitting up on his hospital bed, watching a movie on his iPad. He said to her, his eyes still glued to the screen, "We're not allowed to have accounts on any kind of social
media. We can't use any of the apps, either. Same goes for email."

Shehnaaz was speechless. She stared at him, her eyes wide and dubious.

"Some of my colleagues are on social media, but only because their work requires it. Everything they do is fully
monitored, of course." Little Rao gave a wry smile. "Don't tell Mister Shukla I told you. He'll flay me alive."

Shehnaaz was always happy to hear about Sidharth from someone else. She sat beside Little Rao's bed and asked eagerly, "But you're okay with your job?"

Shehnaaz had grown up with the internet; she could not imagine a life without the internet and social media.
Little Rao's plain-looking face was suddenly radiant. He nodded enthusiastically. "I love my job. I don't care if I have to remain behind the scenes for the rest of my life, or if no
one knows what I've accomplished. I have no regrets."