Agent 024

I'M BACK

"You people are acting weird today.", Aviral observed after Aradhya had called Irrfan and I for another impromptu meetings for Aviral's birthday preparations.

"No, nothing weird, all normal just like all other days.", Aradhya said, nodding her head.

Aviral raised his eyebrow and looked at me and said, "Common, out with the truth!"

"Uhh Aradhya's dating... someone.", I said as I panicked and said the first excuse that came to my mind.

"What!", three voices said together. Aviral looked shocked, Roger looked panicked and Aradhya looked like she was ready to murder me.

"What?", Aviral went around us with his head held in his hands. He was the hopeless romantic of our group. He had been rooting for Aradhya and Roger even before either of them had started liking the other.

"And you didn't even try, Roger? Shame on you man!", Aviral said looking at Roger accusatorily.

"Man-", Roger looked around confused while Aradhya was still figuring out the best way to kill me.

"Who is it?", Aviral asked Aradhya.

"Who is it, Tisha? Even I'd like to know.", Aradhya said, crossing her arms.

"Uhh... Samir.", I said, nodding.

"What! That idiot? I mean he's got better looks-", Aviral said looking disappointed at Roger.

"Hey-", Roger objected.

"But still that guy is a player!", Aviral said, moving his arms around wildly.

"And you're not?", I asked with a chuckle.

Aradhya gave a death glare and I shut up immediately.

"Anyways guys, it's her dating life and we have no right to object, right? So let's get to the animal training session in time before Agent Thakur kicks all our asses out.", I said, pushing the entire group forward.

"I expected better of you, man. You're letting down the whole club.", Aviral said shaking his head as he walked forward.

"Hey man!", Roger called out.

I nudged him and mouthed sorry.

"He's making me feel more guilty than my parents ever did and that too for something I didn't even do!", Roger said.

"That's what man! You should have done something! What were you waiting for? Now look what you've done!", he said pointing ahead at Aradhya who was walking along with Priya and Prakhar.

"What! You had money on us getting together or something?", Roger asked, exasperated.

Aviral shook his head as sat down down on the carpeted floor. I was still trying to get comfortable around dogs and if I didn't manage that this week I was going to fail the one class, no one ever failed. The embarrassment at stake here was pretty high.

"Animals can sense your fear, they can feel that you are nervous and that will make them nervous around you too. You have to win the animal's trust. On missions, the dog and you are a a team. You protect each other and while the dogs are trained to shield you in case of an attack, only a true relationship between you and your dog will work out well in the field. It should come as a basic instinct to protect someone you care about. Training can only take you this far, the rest has to be an authentic connection.", Agent Thakur said. Aviral looked at me and laughed silently. I promptly elbowed him.

"It won't bite you, Tisha.", Aviral laughed again.

"It's a dog. It is its nature to bite.", I reasoned, explaining my fear of dogs.

"Yeah it bites only the jerks though.", he shrugged and I shot a glare at him.

"Okay, head over to your dogs now and start the bomb detection drill.", Agent Thakur instructed and all the cadets sprang happily towards their dogs.

I walked nervously towards Tracy and she looked at me with that mean stare again. 

I took a deep breath and shook my head trying to focus. I walked confidently towards Tracy this time and knelt down in front of her. Her ears perked up and she looked intently at me. My first instinct was to run but I told myself that the worst that could happen was that I would get bitten. 

I slowly extended my hand towards her waiting for her to respond.  She extended her head towards me and I lightly held her head and rubber her ears. She leant towards me appreciating the love. I rubber her ears and she looked at me with a friendly expression in her eyes.

"Let's go Tracy?", I asked her and she barked excitedly as she put a collar on her and led her out.

Random objects sprayed with a small quantity of explosive powder were hidden all around campus. The powder wasn't enough to cause an explosion but was sufficient to come under the radar of a well trained dog and that is exactly what our mission was to train our dogs to detect explosives.

I made Tracy smell some explosives so she would get an idea of what we were looking for. I had to cover the law department and detect all the explosives hidden there. We were not given any range of the amount of objects hidden and it could take all day but I couldn't rest till I had found all of them. Whether there was just one or a hundred of them, I had no clue.

"But maybe you do?", I said to Tracy as we begun to look in garbage cans.

"Still looking?", Prakhar said as he walked past me with a bag which I guessed contained the object he had found.

"Yeah, you're done?", I asked.

"Found each and every one of them!", he boasted.

"What! How?",  I asked, flabbergasted.

"Some of us actually trained our dogs for months now.", he smiled.

I hung my head. I was never going to find those object. I was completely new at this and thanks to my fear of dogs so was Tracy.

"Hey, you will find them. Keep at it, okay?", Prakhar said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah.", I nodded and resumed my search.

It was almost 8 now. The sun had set and I was no near to finding the objects. This was just a prelude to the actual drill test. If I couldn't pass the drill, there was no way I was passing the test.

I stared down at the only object I had found since six hours. I looked at Tracy was also tired by now.

"I'm sorry love.", I said rubbing behind her ear.

"Take some rest.", I said, as I opened the collar around the neck and she happily ran around me celebrating her freedom.

I looked down and sighed. Suddenly I saw a shadow walking towards me. My own shadow looked small and lean against this overpowering shadow. By now, I knew karate and judo. Shruti, my combat partner had ruthlessly thrown me right and left in our first bout but since then I had learnt pretty fast.

As the shadow, came near me, I grasped the neck of the person behind me and attempted to twist it. Whoever this intruder was, he had another thing coming if he thought he could kidnap me in the middle of the Academy.

 The person easily escaped my hold and now held me with his arms against my neck and waist pinning me against his body with my back against him.

"Not the greeting I was expecting but nice to see you again too, Tisha.", a familiar voice whispered into my ears. The kind of voice that sent shivers down my spine.

"Irrfan!", I said as I turned back.

He smiled and I hugged him and he staggered back with the force.

He held me back as he regained his balance.

"You're back!", I smiled into his chest.

"I'm back.", he said into my hair.