It's in our hands whether we make our emotions advantage, or weakness.
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Humans are the most superior race on this Earth. They have the brain and muscle power, because of which they ruled this world for thousands of years. They created, destroyed, and recreated civilization. They are powerful, but the basic thing which separate Human from Animals is their emotions. Animals don't have any emotions, but Humans have. The day they will lose it, Civilization will truly cease to exist.
For all human's superiority, it's really astonishing to witness their original master is not the brain, or even God, but emotions. Emotions, like love for parents, friends, understanding for a stranger, caring for a baby, these are the things which dominate human life, make them appear humane. Even the strong, logical people crumble in front of emotions. If God really made Human beings, then it's his way of balancing the indomitable race. Power with accurate weakness.
Some say caring is not an advantage. Caring for someone means putting someone else before you, think about the other person. Caring for someone else means you are not alone, there is a responsibility for another person on your shoulder. Sure, the person might not need your support, but in your heart you will always be tied with him or her. Care, the emotions has it's own way of creeping onto you silently, you are already there before you can understand and stop it, almost like Love. Care might be the first step of falling in Love, the basic feature of a relation.
It's safe to say Riya didn't care for anyone in this World. There was logical reason behind it. For example, she had a big, joint family where everyone share the same house and work in same empire, everyone takes care of everyone and have each other's back. She never had to worry about her parents or stay with them because there were others who could fill in her shoes and do better than her. There is a possibility her parents doesn't even remember her.
Family, check.
She had only one true friend in life, and she has many people to be with her. So Friend . . . check.
Love . . . no point of taking care of deceased Lover so . . . meh.
Yeah, no care for anyone, because she didn't have to.
Who knew, the ETFians will be her undoing?
The very first time she worked with them, when the Commissioner had not dropped the possibility on her to join the team and evoked a sub-interest to exploit this opportunity for her own in fullest, when she had saw and worked with her former Best Friend after a gap of 3 years of being AWOL, when she had nearly damaged the neck of a irritating Man who was inquiring a little too harshly for her taste, Her head was too involved with the main case. But Sub-conscious Mind is an ever active tool, it picks up things which our mind doesn't, so her's also did. She noticed the efficiency of the team, like a well oiled machine, every member is vital, has it's own role, they all contribute equally and help each case to solve. She noticed the true urge to do something good for this society, wipe out the wrong doers, make a difference through their profession. They worked with all seriousness, but there were silly banters and witty remarks as well, not the pessimistic crude cop humour. There was a lightness surrounding the group even in middle of the gruesomest crime scenes and dead end cases, which never ceased, even on the darkest days.
The team was a mix of different individuals who came together. Most often, people so different from each other create nuisance than good, but they didn't. Maybe it was respect for each other, or the respect for their profession, which bind them together. But she was proven completely wrong when she was in that cabin with the Director.
It was not a team, it's a family.
At first, it was just working with the team on her part, not going solo, one woman army like the Director required. The former didn't want her to mess up with the team so she didn't. She messed up many things in life, but she was not yet ready to see the disappointment in the eyes of her former best friend. It was going well, she would like to think.
When things actually started to change, she can't exactly pinoint.
With the ever present chaos in her life which only increased tenfold in these months, it was safe to say she might have overlooked the signs, and even the sub-conscious disappointed her in this regard. But one day when she had already submitted her resignation, yet stood with the team beside her for the hearing of an investigation of an assult of a criminal during interrogation by her, she witnessed how everyone of them stood beside her and supported her. She was more surprised with the attitude of the team than the unexpected soft result of the hearing.
Then she thought back on the months.
The things she remembered was how team was surprised to hear the Officer they worked some weeks ago in a case was now joining them. She remembered the ever present scowl of the Second in Command who was, in some manner she later find out, was alike her and which increased often due to her flippant remarks and disregard of his superiority. She remembered the displeased expression of the Forensic expert when she barged in the lab with the parents of a victim, demanding to let them see the body before autopsy. She remembered how the IT expert was taken aback everytime she appeared out of nowhere and demanded things from him without explaining why. She remembered how she dismissed the Crime Journo way before she even joined the team and the mutual dislike between them. She remembered the curious glances from the Senior Officer, the exchanged looks between the Commando and the IT expert.
She didn't know if she overnight developed a craving to belong somewhere, to become a part of team, which was laughable on the outside and so accurate deep down that she would rather not think about it, or sub-consciously moulded herself with the ways of the team. Whatever it was, she never realized it. It happened with time, so natural and with ease that it took her by surprise in that hearing room. With sudden clarity she realized how the scowl changed into intense gaze, words stopped being heated verbal exchanges and were now finishing what she was thinking and talking about. Curious glances turned to light remarks, gathering around the desk of the IT expert with mugs of ETF coffee and her own McD caffiene. Displeased expression and irritation turned to surprised and often, admiring looks. Silence around her turned to laughter and banters. Now she was not the only one going the reckless way, or even if she did, rest of them would follow her no matter how crazy the idea sounds. Curiosity turned to understanding, acceptance, having each others back. The team which appeared to her waiting to go into chaos with various characters, now looked like a family, a team, which was together at the end of day no matter what, sticking together and now extended to her as well. The innocence of the IT expert now didn't look silly, or something to be disapproved, the nosy feature of crime journo was easy to bear, light exchange with senior officer was now beyond the line of colleague. Gym sessions, surprise delivery of McD when she would pull her hair out during paper work in late night, sitting on SUV bonnet and having conversation which had some intense internal meaning underneath was now as easy as sneaking out without any note, disappearing for hours and having a dual purpose in life.
She didn't know who raced to catch up with whom, but now it happened and she was left to deal with it.
Maybe it won't be so easy to walk away when it's all over. Won't be easy to pick one over the other.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sometime in life, all you want to do is to show a middle finger to the world and be done with it. For some time, then of course you have to return to it.
ETF Director Aisha Kapoor was now feeling this exactly same emotion.
The problem was, even on her worst days, she was not that person. She thinks and acts rationally, impulsive and reckless is the exact antonym of her. She was seldom angry, and even when she is, it's during work and often on the Crime journo of her team. That was, of course, before her AWOL best friend appeared out of nowhere and joined the team.
She never asked her superior Raghu sir why he sent the former in her team. She suspect maybe it was for her to keep an eye on her. But often, in these months, she suspected whether the Commissioner wanted her to go lunatic after the ACP. If he wanted that, then he was halfway to there. She wanted to pull her hair out to think or even assume what the ACP was doing, and the half clues she got was enough to drive her up the wall. Often she tried to stop thinking what the former was doing, but then she will get something and the process will be repeated over and over again.
But tonight, it was not the time to pull her hair out in frustration. She was angry, seeting even, and was here, in front of the apartment of the ACP for the second time in less than 10 days. The ACP was to return the day after tomorrow, and she wanted to avoid any argument in Office.
Today, the Director had an interesting meeting with one officer from IB. At first, she was surprised, then curiosity got the better of her and she told her PA, to bring the Man inside. The normal exchanges happened, and when the Man came straight on topic, it felt like someone pulled the rug under her.
"We were wondering why ETF is interested in a person, you surely know the name, Nasir Jamal."
The damned name which added another reason of her sleepless nights. Since the day she got hint of the name, she tried to find out everything about him. Other than that the Man makes fake passports and also supply girls from all over South Asia, she didn't get anything and it made no sense why the ACP went to great lengths to pull his contact details. But then, hardly anything the ACP makes sense.
She answered truthfully that the name popped out during one undercover operation. The IB guy was persistent, asking why only that Name was important to ETF and not other names in the contact list. After some minutes of cat and mouse, she asked why IB sent an officer only to ask this question.
"He is an asset." The Main rested his frame on table, a subtle attempt to intimidate the Director, "But you surely went one step above of your regular interest. We were wondering why."
The Director was puzzled, "You mean?"
"You searched RAW database for Nasir Jamal."
Several words, and suddenly all was crystal clear. She didn't even have to rethink or overanalyze her thought process.
How she sat through the rest of meeting and had to endure the suspicious gaze and subtle warning that over interest in that Nasir character will not be appreciated, she was not sure. But once the IB guy was out of her room, she sat in stunned silence in the four wall of her cabin, clearing her schedule for the day as she drowned herself in deep thought. It was out of her mind just how the driver which was the only way to access RAW database came in contact of the ACP, or how she never suspected her driver was misplaced. It also stunned her how far the ACP was willing to go on her crusade, breaking into her cabin and cautiously putting it back in it's place.
Even if this confrontation will bear no fruit, still anger got the better of her and she banged the door of the ACP's apartment 10 o'clock in night, adamant to put some sense into the latter and rebuke on her audacity to break into her cabin and do something like this. A mocking voice softly whispered in her ears that even if she always got the wind of what the ACP was doing, she still had no clue of what actually she was doing, what is the actual big picture. Even after staying one step ahead, she is, in reality, many step backwards. It added fuel to the fire, sufficient to say.
The ACP merely frowned at the Director, before closing the door behind her and walking out to have the conversation. Even someone oblivious can say from the look on Director's face that it was going to be a loud conversation which will attract neighbours. They stopped outside, in the parking lot, and the ACP crossed arms over chest, signaling her to continue.
"How dare you to break into my cabin and use my driver to access RAW database?"
To ACP's credit, she didn't look a slightest bit of surprised at the outburst. The Director wondered if she was trying to look unaffected or actually was expecting her, and the confusion added more to the anger.
"RAW has a database?" Was the only reply she could get.
"Funny you are not interested about the driver." She glared. The ACP shrugged.
"I am not interested in either."
"Cut the BS." She raised voice, "You really thought I won't know you used my driver for it? How thick do you think I am?"
"Do you have any proof I took it?" The ACP asked quietly. The Director crossed her arms over chest, mimicking her.
"Today one officer from IB came to meet me, without any appointment. Imagine my surprise after pleasanteries he asked straight about Nasir Jamal, the guy you are also looking for." She gritted teeth, "He asked me why ETF is interested in that guy, more like why I am interested. They sure as hell know ETF is handling no regular or undercover case on Jamal. I am now under IB's scrutiny, great," She mocked, "and I don't even know why."
"They didn't say."
"Of course not, except for the regular line." The Director's voice dropped bitterly, "He is an asset." She shoot an suspicious look at the ACP, "How did you even got the driver?"
"You should not accuse when you don't have any proof."
"I have enough points to link them together."
"Fine." The ACP smiled a little without any humour, "You live with your line, I will live with mine."
She tried to walk away, but the Director caught her wrist, "I won't tolerate this next time Riya, I warn you. Don't test my patience."
The ACP raised her eyebrow at the action and the former removed her grip and turned to leave, before saying, "Be careful. It's not only me after you now."
The ACP looked on as she left.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Now that's interesting, the ACP thought to herself, really interesting.
In the 10 days of absolute silence, she was contemplating how to proceed further with this Nasir Jamal angel. There was no news from Raghu sir's side, so she was assuming the imposter angel proved futile, like she had assumed. She had finished reading the some 400 pages of surveillance info on this Jamal, but didn't get why RAW was tailing him and what was they actually looking for. She also didn't understand why her deceased Lover and that Raja was linked by this Man only.
And then the Director came knocking.
She was not honestly expecting anyone to notice that ETF Director accessed RAW database, because, what were the odds, right? But they did and it only cemented her faith, from some reason beyond her grasp RAW was interested in him and they were looking out for anyone who even tried to do a background search on him. Aisha said he was an asset, and how much it sounded broken record on the Intelligence Agency's part but somehow it made sense. Jamal may not be some spy, but RAW and IB was hoping to crack some walls by tailing him, if the surveillance info was anything to go by.
But exactly what?
She didn't know.
She didn't have any time to ponder or brood also, because the next thing she knew, she was hurrying to return in her old job. Days passed in the same way like it used to before 10 days break, late night working, pulling hair in report filing after case was over, and angry glares of the Director.
Same old , same old.
"What's with the lovey dovey looks?" Sameer, obviously, had to notice how the Director's mood shift whenever the ACP is near and had to ask about it, even if he gets the most roundabout answer, and sometimes, none. The ACP merely met his eyes.
"The usual."
"Same old same old." He said to himself, sighing dramatically.
"It's because she has a way of doing that to others." The Second in Command joined them and remarked. Sameer chuckled and the ACP just gave a sugery sweet smile.
"You starting to know me so well."
And reasons unknown to them both the Senior officer coughed at that.
Some days of total mundane cases there was this simple case which divided the team, literally. There was nothing unusual about this case, a Guy was locked in a room with his girlfriend. When the door was opened, they found the Girlfriend holding a knife in her hand and blood in the room. The guy was, obviously, dead.
The moment the case came, Arjun and Riya went to one side and concluded it's not as easy as it looks. They were more persistent after the Girlfriend broke down during her interrogation and demanded them to find the original culprit who killed her Lover.
"What's there to find?" Sakshi said after they returned from the interrogation, "They were both inside, and she had the knife in her hand. She killed him."
"Even if her expressions and vehement denial of the crime," Sameer said softly, "makes me think, but still, I am with evidence on this. She is the guilty, there is no other option."
At the end, team divided into two parts, those who believed something was wrong with the crime, and those who believed evidence and normal cases like this. Shree, for the first time, separated from his partner in crime Chotu and Sakshi and joined the duo in their quest for truth, for which he had to listen to stung accusations for days.
Then, to add more into it, some supernatural element was thrown into.
The boyfriend and girlfriend were locked into a hotel room, where they stayed on their return from a road trip. The Manager of the hotel informed the room was haunted from nearly 20 years, some spooky things always happens in there. Even though the team saw nothing in there when they tore apart the room in their investigation.
"So Ghost killed the guy rather than the girlfriend?'' Chotu asked to none particular in one of the discussion.
"I have strong suspicion in anything supernatural." Shree replied to it.
"Better our suspect than Ghost." remarked the ACP lightly, as she wiped the ring of her McD and took a sip, humming lowly at the taste.
"Of course you will say that." Sameer said, scoffing, "Your suspect will go free."
"Why we didn't know about this earlier?" Demanded the Second in Command.
"It would help your case if you knew ghost was involved from the very first?" Sakshi replied, and everyone chuckled at it.
But all the fun was sucked out and things turned paranormally serious when the team actually witnessed the Ghost in the room.
It was all that damned hotel manager's fault, really. He said ghosts usually make an appearance in night, so they arrived after midnight in the room, waiting for ghost to arrive. They were not disappointed, suddenly wind and light fog appeared in the room out of nowhere and they saw white cloudy figure hanging from the ceiling, the limbs they could make out in dark moving in all direction.
The officers shot at the ceiling repeatedly after Sakshi let out a cry of whimper, spotting the figures initially. The figure disappeared immediately, and soon the hotel manager came running.
The next day Rawte was rather pissed when members of his team started to sport things like chains with god's picture on it, some holy threads on wrist, rings with sparkling colorful stones on fingers. He used his loud voice when the ACP from her far away seat could only hide her smirk behind her McD.
"What nonsense is this?"
"Protection from Ghost." Sameer was the only one, apart from the duo, who didn't arrive with some chain or thread on his body. Others scowled at him.
"There is no Ghost." The Second in command said stubbornly.
"We all saw it last night." Sakshi reminded softly, and was gifted with a stern glare.
"You all should be ashamed." He exclaimed, and immediately everyone felt bad.
2 nights later they went back in the hotel room. The ACP replied casually when Chotu asked, voice trembling slightly, if it's necessary to visit the room again.
"Let's see how effective is this protection, shall we?"
And they were again welcomed by the sight of Ghosts hanging by the ceiling. In the earlier visit the power supply in the room was cut, but tonight the power of whole hotel was suddenly out. The power circuit was intact when one of them ran from the room during the ghost show to see why power was suddenly out.
The threads and chains increased by the next couple of days. Sakshi even started to use vermillion and mangalsutra, because according to her ghost attacked that couple because they were unmarried and spoiling the Indian culture. From the identical incredulous cum pissed look on the duos face, it was clear they didn't buy this crap.
They met the girlfriend once again some days after, and when they were leaving the infamous interrogation room she caught the arm of the ACP, who was once again allowed inside, but in the presence of Sameer and Rawte.
"I didn't kill him." Her eyes were wide and earnest, and for a moment the team was stunned by the emotions and truth in them, "I can never hurt him."
"Why we are still working on this case?" Sakshi demanded one day not long after that interrogation, "She is guilty, it's evident."
"We are working." Rawte said, head cocked in one side, "if your readers are bored with the news, find something new."
Everyone stared at the harsh tone. It was something new from the Second in Command, who never liked the crime journo and barely tolerated her antics, yet never talked to her like that. They wondered what she did to piss him off, unknown to her tipping off press when the ACP was under investigation a month ago.
The ACP merely raised an eyebrow at the tone, which Rawte mimicked. Sameer cleared his throat.
"Do we have something new?" He asked. The momentary staring contest was interrupted then as they all returned to the case.
In that evening, when the team was brainstorming behind the real reason of ghost sighting in the hotel room, Liza entered, to everyone's surprise, with Coffees and McD. Rawte noticed the subtle exchange between the forensic expert and ACP Mukherjee, the former's gulping and nervousness and the latter's ever present calm exterior. When she met his eyes, he raised his eyebrow, much like she did to him, to which she raised hers right back.
After some 30 minutes, when they had finished their coffee, Chotu suddenly started to ask them whether they can see the shadowy figure outside the discussion room. When he asked once, they all refused, the second time Sameer teased him about day dreaming and advised to wash his face. The third time he did, everyone could tell from the sweat on his forehead that something was wrong. When ACP Mukherjee, taking chance of this moment, switched off the light, Chotu went crazy with fear. It took the return of light and another coffee that he became normal.
"That explains the Ghost now." ACP Mukherjee said softly once they all calmed down. Rawte did his semi glare semi curious look on her, lips pressed thinly with disapproval.
"What was in the coffee?" he looked back and forth between her and Liza, who hid her face.
"It was a drug." The ACP answered, "It made him see the ghosts, or the shadowy figures outside discussion room."
"So we were drugged before entering that room?" Sameer asked, recovering from the situation quickly, "But how is that possible? We didn't have anything in the hotel, or area near it."
"HNB, the drug," Liza opened her mouth, looking at everyone with apology, "it mostly comes in gas state. One can inhale it accidentally and see all kinds of vision."
"So HNB was in the air of that room?" Shree asked, frowning.
"The sudden fog in the room." Rawte nodded slowly.
"Exactly." The ACP agreed.
"The hotel manager must be behind this ghost crap." Chotu recovered from his semi crazed state and said, "But what about the murder? Did he do it?"
"I don't think so." Sameer said, "He didn't look the murderer type to me."
"I think the girl did it." Rawte said slowly, "they both were under drug, they might have been panicked by the ghost sighting. Is this impossible?"
"No." Liza answered, "There are reports of people doing horrific things under the influence. It's just another unfortunate incident."
The next day, the manager was under arrest for murder and they got traces of HNB in the room. They also discovered some device which did the whole power off thing without touching the circuit. In a way, the duo lost, but they were right too, the girlfriend didn't do it. She had no reason, it was under drug influence.
After the case was over, ACP Mukherjee offered one cup of Coffee to Chotu, who eyed it suspiciously.
"No drug, promise." She said, and beside them both Shree laughed.
Sakshi asked Chotu heatedly after the ACP walked away, "Why did you take the coffee from her?"
"No drug in it, she said." He replied. She narrowed her eyes.
"She drugged you, how can you trust her?"
He shrugged, and she huffed angrily.
By some weird twist by universe, ACP Mukherjee and Rawte found each other sitting on the bonnet of ETF SUV and the last piece of normalcy was put back in place.
"You drugged him." He said, and just like earlier there was no accusation or judgment.
"I won't ever." She answered sincerely.
"You could have told him about the coffee."
"It was not for him." She answered with a touch of irritation, looking away. He suddenly realized for whom the coffee actually was and chuckled.
"Thank goodness it was not for me then."
"Why do you think it was not for you?" She threw back, eyes rising.
"You would do that to me?" He answered in faux surprise. She shrugged in reply.
"ACP Riya Mukherjee, you are one evil person." He said in mock stern voice.
"I never claimed I am angel." She replied in her usual flippant way, but there was an undercurrent of seriousness. He stared at her for several seconds, and then changed the subject.
"I saw you offering Coffee to him, did he take it?"
"Of course."
"You drugged him, and yet he trusted you." He observed, and she frowned in response, like she didn't know the reason of the trust. The frown that turned to something bitter.
"Why is that," He asked softly, staring at her as she looked back, "you think?"
She took some moments to answer, "Don't know."
"Would not you like to know?" He said the same way she does and she let out a breathy laugh, like she was surprised of it herself, both the answer and her laugh.
The moment was short lived when two Men in formal suit approached them.
"ACP Riya Mukherjee?" One of them asked. Rawte frowned, looking back and forth.
"Yes."
"We are from IB. We would like to talk to you, if you can step away."
His eyebrows shoot up in hairline, while she looked little bit irritated, but then brushed it off as she jumped down from the SUV. She didn't look least bit surprised, even if he was used to her covering her real emotions and expressions, he could tell she didn't look surprise because she was not surprised. It was almost as if she was expecting them.
She tilted her head at him as she turned, and then walked away with the two men, leaving him with thousands of questions.