LAST MAN STANDING

CHAPTER-07

In QUT headquarters, Karachi, Aasim is in the laboratory creating the circuit board for the missile. Then, Qasim entered the lab. 

"Aasim, what are the updates on the project?". 

" sir, the chip has been created with the written instructions. I am currently designing the circuit board for the missile." Qasim said, "you are going slow, Aasim. We have a client meeting in two weeks. If anything goes wrong, you will be responsible." He gave Aasim a deadly stare and left.

Aasim didn't like Qasim bossing him every time. He felt like he didn't have any independence to do his work in the company. He continued working on the circuit board and connected it to the thrusters. It didn't work on the first attempt. He went back to check the codes written on the chip. He retried and again it failed. He continuously tried without giving up but the results were the same. The sun slowly started to disappear from the evening sky. 3 hours passed, and it was finally his 50th attempt. Just before he was going to start, Inaaya came in and saw Aasim was in the worst state possible. His hair was shabby and his specs were tilted. There were dark circles under his eyes. "Aasim, you need a break. Leave it and walk outside." she commanded.

"No, I won't come until I complete this." "you are stressing yourself too much. You will lose productivity." "fine. If I get it right in this attempt, I take you out for coffee and you pay the bill. Otherwise, I will pay the bill. Fine?", Aasim declared. Inaaya agreed. He started to get nervous. He took another good look at everything because now was the moment of truth. He pressed the start button. The thrusters started revving with releasing fire. Aasim started to cry with joy. 

"WOOOHOOO!!!"

He quickly sets his hair with his hands. He walks forward and opens the door for her. " shall we go?" "Yes", she smiled.

They reach the café which was 2 miles outside their company. they sat next to a table in one corner while Aasim signalled the waiter to come to the table. "yes sir. What would you like?". " I want a latte and you?". "just get me a cold coffee", Inaaya told the waiter. Inaaya was looking at her phone. Aasim's eyes looked fixedly at her face details with a wide grin. He could even find a small dot on her face but that happened to be a dust particle. When Inaaya looked up, she just freaked out looking at his face. Inaaya asked, "What the heck you are doing?" "admiring your face." "Just don't do that. You look like a creep." Aasim was hurt by the straightforwardness of her words. Inaaya understood that she was being rude and lifted his head. "I am sorry." "Fine." She knew he wasn't yet convinced so she tried to divert the topic.

"you are feeling stressed with Qasim bossing you, right?" "No, it's good. I don't have much problem." "It's fine, tell the truth."

 " the thing is I just got so used to working alone with my weapons in a more creative way. It just feels hard to work when someone constantly monitors you and gives you deadlines. I feel like the same child I was in school or the same IT person getting scolded by his boss." 

" I understand. The problem with Qasim is he just gets angry for no reason. He is been like this in childhood and the biggest trouble of my whole life." "Wow, you are his sister and you are speak like that about him." "What to do? It's just every younger sibling. I have a plan. You were given 14 days if you can complete the project in 10 days, you get to stay at home. you will have your complete independence and all the materials delivered to you. So, do we have a deal?" "  wow , yes...yes...We have a deal." Aasim replied in amazement.

In the General's secret office, Lahore, a dark interrogation room with one glass window and a white tubelight on one of the walls. Ravi's hands and legs were tied tightly with a rope. Blood leaking out of his mouth and nose was smeared all over his face. An interrogation officer was sitting on the other side of the table with the light shining from the top. "what was your plan? What were you doing in the hospital." "nothing."

"WHACK!! "The guard beside him punched him in the face. Then, General Kadir opened the door. Except for Ravi, everyone else in the room left. The General was staring with his large, black eyes and a smirk on his face as he watched the blood dripping off Ravi's face. " it's so hard to believe that killing another RAW agent to ensure he doesn't leak out any evidence was your plan." "That would be the last thing I would do. I would rather save him.", Ravi said. " I would have believed that if you didn't kidnap my PA and lock him in the room." "I didn't even expect him to be there. I just saw him in that room. How will I kill Abhinav with the PA still in the room and guards guarding."

"l will tell you the real story. So my PA came in and told me about the informer, I had to meet. Once I met the informer, he told me that they found a truck that had krygonium in it Since they saw you steal it from the market while taking Omar as hostage. Then, we get to know from our safe breaker that there is no krygonium in it and we realized it was a decoy to distract us. During that time, the PA had to use the bathroom. You kidnapped the PA to ensure no one was there in the room. Later, you bribed the nurse to cut his oxygen mask and choke him with the pillow. This killed him. Then, you went to the room to change your clothes to merge with the rest of the patients and escape but we caught you during that scene."

Ravi had so many questions in his head. He was surprised at how it all sounded right. "wait, so you arrested the nurse?" "yes, we did. It was a nice talk." General said. He walked out of the room and called one of his officers. "let the government know we have arrested him. He will be executed next week." "Sir, just wanted to ask, how did you find out about Zoya?". " we heard the name from our informer in Omar Faruq's gang. We need to be cautious," Kadir explained. "sir, but the thing is the PA was seen entering the room again. There was no way someone would enter the room without the guards and throw him out. Someone kidnapped him and was suing face masks." "who?"

In Aasim's house, Aasim throws his shoes towards the side and climbs the stairs to go check on them. He opens the door and sees Zoya tapping the chair with her fingers. "stop making sounds." He takes off her bandage. "what happened tell me?", she asks. "I am sorry. Something went wrong. Abhinav is dead." Tears started dripping from her face. "I am sorry. I just thought I will try to escape with him when he gets discharged. Then, I just saw some surgeon tipping the nurse." "Why didn't you stop ?", Zoya cried. "I didn't know." "I need to use the washroom." "fine." He untied the rope from her legs and followed her to the washroom. this was the least he could do for her after her loss. She sat in the bathroom and started crying. Hearing her voice, tears leaked out of his eyes. He didn't know why it was happening. Why he had feelings for her? Why does he care for her? Why did he feel like he did something wrong?

Tears of joy? or sadness? or regret?