The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are stronger at the broken places.
- Ernest Hemingway
"How come you didn't ask why the Magician is a male and not, a female?"
The question was suggestive in a lot different ways. While one part of her brain, the cop part which loves to solve puzzle and goes after criminals based on barely there clues was already tearing apart the words, the rest of her body and soul can only chant one thing.
No. No. NO NO NO!
"I don't understand." She answered flatly to his earlier question, but it sounded pathetic even in her own ear. No wonder even Rahane looked disappointed.
"You don't, or you don't want to?" He retorted, exhaling slowly, "You can already feel it, can't you?"
She looked away, her left foot tapping impatiently midair.
"You really want me to spell it out for you?" The otherwise sharp words had no heat. She would go as far as to say he was being gentle to soften the blow, "It's him. The Magician."
"No." She whispered quietly.
"He is back, is not he? He never died." He exhaled once again, "Don't you think his timing is spectacularly co-incidental to everything that's going on around us?"
This time, she looked up with fresh anger, "No." She repeated, this time her voice forceful. Getting up from her seat in a flash, she raised her voice an octave, "What you think is wrong. The Magician, or whoever the hell you are chasing you right now, it's not him. I don't know how . . . "
"I tell you how." Rahane interrupted her, "While he was being recruited, Magician was directly in touch with Nasir and Haqqani. Haqqani never met him, but Nasir was constantly in touch with him. He was the one who helped him to come onboard, leave his former life, get settled in a new place. Neel Sahaay's death investigation . . . "
"Don't you dare." She threatened, lowering her voice.
" . . . led you directly to Johny, and to Nasir when all other roads were closed." He went on, "Tell me it never crossed your mind, because I know it had. Or else you would not be so hyped up right now."
"I am hyped up?" She glared, "You are sitting there and making all these assumptions in air . . ."
"It's not assumptions." Rahane also got up on his feet, "All roads led to this one point."
"It's a ton of horseshit." She replied stubbornly, crossing arms over chest. They stood there in silence, glaring at each other.
After a few beat, Rahane opened his mouth once again, "He contacted you, right?"
"How . . . " She trailed off, the next moment her eyes steeled, "Director told you?"
"Commissioner Ram." He answered, "I didn't just come here with speculations, Riya. I have evidences."
"No. What you have is bunch of circumstantial evidences and co-incidences."
"Okay." He nodded once, "So how you explain his sudden appearance then?"
She had no answer to that.
"Why he faked his death? Why he never contacted you? Why he is here now? Why he needs your help to escape country?"
"He said . . . " She started, but he cut her off.
"Yeah, bad guys were after him. Putting himself in front of you as a victim." He ran fingers through hair before starting again, "You know how Nasir got wind of Magician?"
She stared wordlessly.
"Some years ago, there was a coding competition in City. 9 people from various corner of city participated in that. The venue of the competition, any guess?" He gave a twisted smirk just as she gulped.
"Googly. An Internet cafe in the heart of city. He was a frequent there, was not he?"
Slowly, she kept both of her palms on the backrest of the chair she was seated in, silently bracing herself.
"And the winner was a participant, with the code name, The Magician." He let out the final blow. "The staff of Googly still remember his face, because he was so frequent there."
Her grip tightened as she closed her eyes.
"It's him." Rahane stated unnecessarily, letting out all cards on table, "Neel Sahaay was involved with Nasir and Haqqani. Willingly. He is the Magician, the code maker, a mastermind of their mission."
She shook her head repeatedly, disagreeing with him at the same time trying to block his words.
"We need your help, Riya. If he had contacted you, that's only means he has no idea that you know about his involvement in this whole mess. We need to take the chance and trap him, it might be our only way." He went on, the expression urgent.
The next moment she straightened her back, turned on her wheels and stormed out of the room without another word, the door shaking behind her wake.
Director Kapoor ran after her as she signaled Agent Rahane to stop where he was. She caught the ACP near the stairs where she was descending two steps a time.
"Riya . . . "
"I need to be alone." Came the hurried, out of breath reply.
"But . . .
"Dammit Aisha!" Riya stopped, her whole frame shaking, "That Man dropped some bombs on me. I need time to freak out, okay?" Blinking, she gulped once, and for a moment the former thought she wanted to say something, but then she started descending once again, thinking running is better than talking.
Rahane was in bullpen by the time she walked in and she cursed. Her eyes met Sameer who had one hand on Rawte's shoulder, physically stopping him from moving and asking questions from a corner.
"Director." Rahane sounded drained as he sighed, "She just . . . "
"It was a lot to take." She replied, putting one hand in air to stop him, "She will come around. You will know."
"We don't have much time."
"Then start the preparation."
He frowned, "How are you so sure that she will help us?"
She looked around her office as she spoke, taking in the daily ordeal of the place, "If there is one thing I am fairly certain, is that she always takes full responsibility of her actions. And Neel Sahaay, whatever mess he created, is her responsibility in her mind. She will clear it up, even if she has to walk through fire and burn herself." She met his surprised eyes, "Go and make plans, Agent. She will contact you soon."
As he walked out of building, the Director wondered to what length her friend will go this time to move past the mess that monster created in his wake.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As if the scene in the discussion room in mid-day was not enough, to intrigue and worry the ETFians further, Raghu sir dropped in unexpectedly after a few hours just as Shree and Chotu along with Liza was talking near the IT expert's desk.
"The guards near Director's cabin saw her taking off." Chotu was saying.
"We didn't see her leave." Shree frowned in confusion, as the elevator can be seen directly from the bullpen.
"She must have taken the stairs." Liza chimed in, to which Chotu nodded, confirming her theory, "But what exactly happened between them?"
"I think another person was present with them. She was very angry and mentioning some man. Director looked like she knew who it was." Chotu replied to her query, rubbing his face with one hand so the words came out muffled, "I've never seen her so . . . "
"Distressed?" Shree supplied timidly, worried himself, while the Forensic head looked between the two back and forth.
"Was it that bad?"
"Understatement of century." Shree confessed, the next moment groaned as his eyes fell on someone, "Brace yourself for round two."
In response to his remark, the duo looked at the direction he was staring. Chotu mimicked Shree's face-palm expression, as Liza looked confused.
"Is he here because of what happened a few hours back?" She asked unsure.
"Wanna bet?" Chotu remarked just as Director Kapoor moved to greet the old Man.
The Director and Police Commissioner moved toward their respective seat.
"You look like hell." Raghu sir commented at Aisha's face which looked like she aged 5 years in a span of few hours, "That bad, huh?"
"Rahane went to you before he came to me. Could you have at least informed me so I could, you know, prepare myself?" Aisha asked in frustration, pursuing lips in a thin line.
"You think any amount of preparation could have ready you?" He retorted, "I spent 20 years in this service, have seen countless manipulative bastards and devils. But the shock value of this thing just blew me off." His eyes harden.
The door of Director's cabin opened and Sameer entered, Arjun in tow, weariness evident in their eyes. The entry of their senior is never a good thing, if past experience is anything to go by.
"Good afternoon, Sir." Arjun greeted quietly as the duo took their seats.
"Nothing is good about this day, let alone afternoon Rawte." Raghu sir replied in a gruff voice. Glancing sideways at Aisha, he took a deep breath before opening his mouth.
"The thing I am going to say, just listen to it first and react later." He started. The trio sat up straight at the words.
"ETF is going to handle the manhunt for Neel Sahaay along with IB."
They gave a look at each other, shock evident in their faces. Sameer gave a look of betrayal toward Aisha who raised her hand in air, a universal sign of surrender.
"Hey, don't look at me." She said in mock surprise, giving a look of contempt to Raghu sir, "Nobody tells me a thing nowadays."
"Can you save your sarcasm for later?" Raghu sir snapped, making her blink, "It's bloody serious."
"I know." She tried to calm herself down, "But our handling the case along with them doesn't seem like good advice."
"So you are perfectly alright to leave her alone?" He made a show of buttoning his suit, like he was about to leave, "I wasted my time to arrive here, in that case."
Before she could reply, Arjun spoke up with barely held annoyance, "What are you two talking about, may I ask, Sir?"
The Commissioner gave a look to Aisha at the question, who looked away. "You didn't tell them?"
Without waiting for her reply, he turned to look at the males, "A few days back, Agent Rahane came to me. You know him, right?"
The duo nodded.
"They are interrogating Haqqani and got some hints about a mission they are planning in India. Linking a few dots, they have pin pointed a potential suspect and now after him."
"Neel Sahaay?" Sameer asked, incredulous, "He is involved?"
"According to them. They presented some solid evidence which we can't overlook. Of course, there is whole faking death thing hanging over Sahaay. If he is innocent and nothing to do with Haqqani, he needs to have a hell of explanation to pull something like that off." Raghu sir paused, "Nonetheless, they are going after him. Rahane came to me and in between conversation I let Sahaay's current state slip. He put two and two and figured he must have contacted Riya."
"He now wants her help." Arjun spoke, his voice growly, his eyes shifting toward the Director, "He came here today, didn't he?"
She nodded in response.
"Is she ready to help him?" He asked. Aisha rubbed her temple.
"She will."
"How are you so sure?" Sameer wondered.
"Let's just say its years of experience." Raghu sir dismissed the question, now turning toward Aisha, "So, are you all in or she have to deal with it all by herself?"
She didn't reply, and he released a frustrated breath.
"I know dealing with IB is never a pretty thing. If I could, I would not have let them drag her or any of you into this giant mess." He gave them pointed look to emphasize, "But I am helpless in this matter. I was helpless the moment Haqqani came to picture. They will pressurize me to win your loyalty, but I am not here to pressure you. I am here to tell you to jump in and have one of your team mate's back. National Security doesn't care about a person and her suffering. There need to be some part of her left when all of this is over." He soften his voice, "You stuck by her all these time. It's the darkest of period. Save her."
The trio looked at each other for the longest time.
"There is no choice to make." Arjun was the first to look away, his voice bitter yet determined.
"Damn right." Sameer agreed. Aisha sighed.
"You heard them." She waved her hand in air as Raghu sir gave barest of smile.
"I appreciate it." He stood up, "They will contact you and bring you on board." Eyeing the trio, he spoke, "Good luck."
After he left, Aisha started pacing back and forth, pinching the bridge of her nose occasionally.
"Who is this Neel Sahaay?" Sameer muttered, "He is creating havoc in our lives, literally."
"Only child, hacker extraordinaire, babble king, lover of rock and roll." Aisha replied without missing a beat, "At least, that's the man we both knew. Now?" She stopped, lowering her voice, "Maybe she was right. We both knew a ghost. Maybe he never existed, at least not the version he presented to us."
"Did you ever sense . . . " Arjun started, but stopped as Aisha's gaze fell on him.
"That he will turn out criminal mastermind? No." She started pacing again, "He was ambitious. Wanted to do something big. Government jobs were not his cup of tea. He used to make fun of us two, said we were wasting our skills." She gave a humorless smirk, "Looks like he found a nice way to utilize his skills."
"Maybe he was misled." Sameer offered gently.
Her voice shook as she replied, "You didn't see the evidences Rahane showed me." She pinched her nose again, "It seemed like Nasir found him in one of those hackathons he used to participate. The preparation to fake his death went on for months." Pausing, she added, "According to Haqqani, this Magician, the code name for this hacker who IB is suspecting as him, made major changes in their mission. Became some sort of a legend among them." She exhaled a breath, "He was a brilliant man. A master coder."
"Don't you think we are missing something here?" Sameer said after a while, looking between the pacing Director and his friend who was sitting stiff beside him, "It all looks like bunch of circumstantial evidence. Too many co-incidences, but maybe it's what actually is. How can we even trust Haqqani? That guy sent shooters after IB deputy just to teach them a lesson. Vengeance is the only thing he understands. Maybe he is trapping this Magician, thinking why he should be the only one who goes down."
"And him?" Aisha asked.
"Maybe Nasir did recruit him. But why we are thinking he was guilty? Who knows, they may have threatened him. After Haqqani's arrest their mission went to hell, and Sahaay is smart. He may have gotten a chance to escape."
"And contacted her." Arjun added his two cent, his voice never rising. Sameer nodded.
"It had to be a shocker. And now this. I don't condemn her to jump into conclusion and detach herself. We all know how troubled she was after you were shot." His voice clouded slightly, but he carried on, clearing his throat, "Her judgment could not be its usual self."
"She was so sure of his lies." Arjun recalled.
"Because he was lying. He could not tell her the whole picture, can he?" The former asked rhetorically. "Of course, the only way we can all get answers is by catching him."
Aisha looked like she was contemplating his points, but Arjun's anger rose.
"So supposedly, even after helping Haqqani, he is a good guy?" He asked with heat in voice.
"I am just saying," Sameer answered cautiously, taking in his friend's expression, "he might be the one who was trapped. We are seeing one side of story here. There might be another angle."
Arjun gave a twisted smirk, "Why, don't you sound like Sakshi?"
Aisha frowned at his tone while Sameer hurried to explain, "Hey now, don't make me the guilty here. I am just saying there might be something we are missing."
"How come your counter-argument didn't come after we came to know that he was alive?"
"Because we didn't have these bombs dropped on us that time. We didn't know the full story then, we don't know now."
"And yet you are giving him benefit of doubt."
"I think you need to control yourself." Aisha used her stern voice, eyes narrowing. Arjun clenched his fist on his lap, fixing his jaw.
"We were supposed to have her back. And we can't even agree with her." He stated after a few beats passed, his facial expression sour. Before either of the two can say anything to his remark, he was out of his chair, crossing the room in a few strides, the door ringing as he slammed it behind him.
Aisha stared at the door for a long time as silence descended upon them, "He is taking this with a lot more intensity than I have imagined."
"Are you surprised?" Sameer leaned on his seat, slightly exhausted, "I can't be the only one who is seeing it."
"I see it." She turned her neck to look at him, "Since when?"
"Feels like forever." He replied, "One moment they were out for each other's blood. The next thing I know, he is smitten." He chuckled after a few seconds.
"Did you notice it? Each time Raghu sir grace us with his presence, we have some kind of fall out. Earlier it was you and her, this time me and him."
She smiled a little and took the chair which Arjun occupied before, "You two will be okay, I hope?"
"Oh, don't worry." He brushed aside her concern, "He will grunt, have shouting matches. Then he will be okay." He grinned, "I have the patience of a saint."
"Anything that helps you be at peace." She humored him. His smile faded with time, becoming serious once again.
"You were not too willing to let us work on this case." He tilted his head, "Why?"
Aisha sighed, letting her head fall on the backrest of the chair, "We are a Task Force which is formed so that we can work with Police to fast forward cases. We take over cases which are either too easy, or just stuck because department made silly mistakes on it." Looking at him, she went on, "We work to catch criminals, not Devils."
His eyes widen slightly.
"IB, National Security, criminal mastermind from across the borders, we don't deal with things like this. It's too high for us. We are the people who solve cases so that people have a certain closure, not have meetings with Ministers and plan infiltrating terrorist groups."
"You make it sound like we are normal." Sameer responded.
"Because we are." She replied, sighing, "By God's wish, somehow we have become a part of something which is way above our league. I just don't want to continue this. Don't want us to be a target because high level people are dealing with big things. Don't want us to be collateral damage." She voiced her worry, "Like Raghu sir said, these people don't care about person or emotion. I don't want our team, us, him or her to have anything to do with it."
"But you were not letting her deal with this alone, were you?" He frowned.
"Is not she dealing with them way before we have even gotten wind of it?" She inquired, "She never said a word, but it's all implied. Who know how far their partnership went?"
"That was different." Sameer defended, "That was about her seeking revenge."
"And now it's about . . . closure? Responsibility? Guilt? Maybe all of them?" She stared into a corner of her cabin, "Once, she said to me the reason she doesn't want me in her mess is maybe because she is already too far. If that's true, and I can't pull her back, then the least I can do is to make sure I don't lose my team too in the process."
He squeezed her hand softly.
"But one thing I can do." Her voice rose and some heat came back in her eyes, "I can help to catch that asshole, pull him by collar and demand some answers. If it's not satisfactory, I can kick him in groin."
Sameer grinned, "Don't leave without me to do that."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Agent Vir Rahane didn't move an inch as the car pulled several hundred meters away from him. He was too busy to stare at the grave, his hands inside his suit's pocket, his mind blank.
Jackson Horatio Harper. Loving Son and Brother.
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind
A footstep came near him, crumbling dry leaves under its feet as it went on. It halted right by him, the person mimicking his position.
"A friend?" ACP Mukherjee asked quietly. He shook his head.
"It's my future." He answered, "Ten, twenty years down the line. Or maybe tomorrow." Blinking once, he added, "It's every one of us future."
A strong brush of wind blew their dresses and leaves on the ground, giving the graveyard a sinister effect in the dead of night.
"Death is coming for all of us." He looked at her, "It's up to us how we make our living hours count." He gave a meaningful look as she stared hard at the gravestone.
"How he died?"
"Delhi." He looked back toward the grave, "His body rotted for a full month before we could hand it over. His family thinks he died in African desert." He fixed his jaw, "All of their family knows the same story. They all died and only I was left behind."
This time, she looked at him.
"And I will damn well make sure that their death, and my living counts." He met her gaze, "With, or without your help." He vowed, "But I want you because I am so tired of the wait. I need full answers, not speculations. Only Neel Sahaay can give me that."
She stared back at the grave with a blank expression, speaking up after a long time.
"The moment I pursued this, it only managed to blow up in my face." Her words came out in whisper, "It happened again and again. I could take the heat for myself, but with time, people associated themselves with it. Raghu sir, Aisha, my informers, you." This time, she looked at him.
"I can't take the heat for all of them."
He turned his body slightly so that he was fully facing her, a small frown visible in the dark of night.
"You want them away?"
"No." She replied, "They are already too deep, and they won't back off." She blinked once in regret, exhaling slowly, "I want their protection. If this thing goes south, no harm should come to them." Stopping, she thought for a moment, and then added, "And Hydrabad can't be involved or mentioned, under any circumstances. They are off limits."
"We can protect them." He answered with confidence. Something flashed in her eyes.
"You better." She warned quietly, "Or else, you will find neither him, nor me, National Security be damned. Remember, I went off grids for 3 years and resurfaced only when I wanted to. Neel Sahaay is not the only person who can go dark."
"Is that mean . . . "
"I am in." She replied, taking out her hand which he shook slowly, nodding repeatedly.
"Then we have a deal."