Shadows Of The Stumps

Bullets & Promises

Kupwara, Kashmir – Later That Day
Unauthorised Recon Unit – Assembled by Arjun

The chill hit Arjun the second he stepped out of the chopper — thinner than the Delhi fog, but biting in its intent. The air in Kupwara wasn’t just cold; it was tense, heavy with everything unsaid. The base was alive with controlled chaos — air force squadrons prepping for another round of strikes, medics awaiting casualties that hadn’t yet arrived, and soldiers walking with an urgency that meant something had gone horribly wrong.

Arjun adjusted his jacket, stepped aside from the rotors, and immediately scanned for his contact — Captain Rehmaan, the only officer here who had offered help off the record. Within five minutes, the two were walking briskly through the base towards a low tent near the comms tower.

"Are you insane?" Rehmaan hissed. "You're not even listed in the active ops chart for this zone. The Colonel gave no such—"

"The Colonel’s still my father," Arjun snapped. "And I didn’t come here to seek permission. I came to find my team."

Rehmaan stared at him a beat too long, then sighed, motioning him inside. “Fine. But you’re playing a dangerous game, Nair.”

Inside, two more people waited — a tech specialist named Rivan and an ex-intelligence field agent, Lt. Kiara Sen. Both had worked with Meera before. Trusted. Loyal.

“This is the team?” Arjun asked, folding his arms.

Rivan nodded. “Unofficially? Yes. Officially, we’re just here running 'base diagnostics'.”

“And we have something,” Kiara added. “A partial trace of the last encrypted signal sent by Meera’s unit before their radios went dark.”

She flipped open a tablet and zoomed in on the map — a red circle flashed near the border, just a few kilometers from POK.

“We think this is where they were ambushed. Not by chance. It was timed.”

Arjun leaned forward. “You think someone leaked their movement?”

Rivan looked up. “Not think. Know.”

He tapped a folder beside him.

“One of the encrypted comm-pads from our own base was accessed six hours before their coordinates were jammed. Whoever did it knew Meera’s team was moving. They gave that intel away.”

Arjun’s jaw tightened. “From this base?”

Kiara nodded grimly. “And whoever it was had clearance. High-level. Either an officer… or someone being paid by one.”

Arjun stood frozen. Then his voice turned sharp. “Then we find the rat. We trace the signal, cross-check duty rosters, surveillance, every log-in. I want every fucking corner of this place turned over if that’s what it takes.”

Rehmaan raised a brow. “You’re not even supposed to be here. If you start interrogating officers—”

“I don’t care what I’m supposed to be,” Arjun said. “Meera, Shaurya, Maithili, Anamika— they matter more than your red tape. They’ve been off radar for too long. We all know what that means.”

There was silence. Heavy. Real.

Then Kiara’s voice cut through it. “There’s one more thing.”

She turned the tablet, showing a grainy satellite image — a small group of figures moving in the snow, close to the tree line. It was barely visible, timestamped two hours ago.

“This is near the old checkpoint at Kupwara's edge. Could be them. Could be civilians. But it’s the closest signal to the last known location.”

Arjun’s voice was steel now. “Then that’s where we go.”