*PROLOGUE*
6 yrs ago..
Mumbai Central Rail Station
She was sitting on a bench on the train platform mindlessly
gazing at the empty train tracks before her.
Nineteen years of her life zoomed
in and out of her head, bringing along bittersweet memories. Some she wished
she could gather in her palms and never let them drift away while others she'd
rather forget.
Her cellphone buzzed in the sling bag around her arm and she
answered it, "Haan Mamaji, bass nikal hi rahi hoon. Trains are running late..
I'll call you once I reach the station."
The man on the other end instructed her sternly and her face
fell.. She pinched her lips and nodded voicing, "Okay. But you might have to keep
checking with the local rail station, in that case."
When he refused to do that, a familiar disappointment filled
her up. But she managed to maintain her composure, "Fine. Nahi, Samajhti hoon main. That would raise
suspicions.. You're right. Main station se koi bus ya auto lekar aa jaungi.
Rakhti hoon.."
She hung up and leaned back against the stone bench closing
her eyes.
This was the end.. She was leaving the place she was born
and raised in. The city that had sheltered her for years and had played a major
role in grooming her into being the strong, confident girl now seemed alien to
her.
Friends and relationships dear to her would cease to exist
now on. She only had one living relation, her Mama who had very generously
offered to shelter her after the tragedy that had ripped apart her family.
Broken and distraught that she was, she agreed to it, accepting it as a part of
her destiny.
She didn't remember what her mother had looked like. She was
hardly four years old when her mother had passed away following a car crash.
Whatever little she knew was from stories she'd heard from her father and her
grandparents.
And since then, her world had only revolved around her
father. He'd been her father, mother, her best friend and her guardian angel,
playing every role with such ease and honesty that she'd never felt the need
nor place for a third person between them.
But now that he was gone too, and she was left all alone to
fend for herself in the big bad world..
A whistle blowing announced the train's arrival into the station and
she picked up her modest belongings.
Once the cleaning and refilling was done,
she occupied the window seat she'd booked a day back. Placing her bags securely
underneath the seat, she wrapped a scarf around her head and closed her eyes,
letting the reality sink in.
She was leaving forever, never to return back to the place
that had snatched away everything from her. Her dreams lay shattered beneath
her feet, but she was far from giving up..
Her life had found itself a new purpose to cling onto.
If her father's demise had shattered the young girl, a new
person was slowly rising from the ashes.
It would take her time to gather herself up and move on. But
she knew she had to do it, eventually.
She carefully removed the sim card from her cellphone and
cut it into pieces with a pair of scissors she borrowed from a fellow
passenger. It now lay on the tracks, next to her cellphone which would soon be
crushed once the train started moving..
Her father had taught her to hold her high and put up a
fight when adversities came knocking. She wasn't a coward. She wasn't running
away..
But for now, she needed to steel her spine and gather enough
resources..
Someday, she would avenge her father's death and fulfil a vow made to him and to herself..
Someday, she would go back to being Sakshi Samar Anand..
****
Stretching his arms, he flung the duffel bag over his
shoulder and hopped out of the train. His chiseled face was as inscrutable as
always, but there were traces of satisfaction lingering in his steely eyes.
Once again, an innocent had been saved from the clutches of
greedy, conniving men. Fighting for those who were incapable of defending
themselves and serving justice to the needy was a mantra he lived by.
He had no family, no soul to call his own and the only
friends he had were the three musketeers, he worked with. He was playful and frisky
at times, while at work, he was the stern, no-nonsense cop who had the entire
police force cowered with one sharp glare.
Shree and Chottu stepped down, pushing each other and trying
to squeeze through the narrow train door. A thunderous voice bellowed behind
them and they froze.
"Sab teri galti hai.. Kadam rakha nahi ki daant khila di..
Chodunga nahi tujhe.", the curly haired guy scowled at his muscular partner.
Chottu flexed his wrists and eyed him fiercely, but jumped
when a pair of footsteps neared them.
"Aai shappath, Shree.. Rathore Sir toh encounter ke mood
mein lag rahein hai.. Chal katt lete hain.."
They scurried towards the exit dragging their bags only to
bump into the devil himself.
He turned around and glared at them before shaking his head
at their childish antics.
"Deva.. Kya khunnas se dekha re, jaise dinner mein humein
fry karke kha jayenge."
He spun on his heel and crossed his arms, "Ho gaya tum dono
ka? Ab jaake taxi bulaoge ya dobara issi train mein bithake wapas bhej doon?"
He paused and turned around, "Waise bhi Rathore khushi khushi transfer orders
sign kar dega."
The men hung their heads and scowled at each other silently
before stepping towards the exit.
"Aate hi aatank macha diya. Policewala hai, ya
aatankvaadi?", Rathore muttered under his breath as he walked past his
team-mates.
"Rawte, something is terribly wrong.", Sameer's anxious
voice made him lift his head from the bags he was unpacking.
"Kya hua?", he enquired as he walked around the bed and
stood beside Rathore whose eyes were glued to the TV screen.
He followed his senior's worried gaze and what he saw
knocked his breath out of his lungs.
No.. No.. It couldn't
be happening.
His head spun with the impact of the news and images being
flashed on the TV screen. He clutched his head refusing to believe any of it.
By then, Shree and Chottu too had gathered in the room and
looked on breathlessly as their senior officer gasped for breath right before
their eyes.
They rushed to him upon feeling him shake, but it was too
late. He had already fallen on his knees, burying his face in his large palm,
attempting to stop the throbbing in his head.
Minutes later, he had drifted away into a different world..
Very vividly did he remember the day when he'd first met him 3 years ago at the
Police Academy.
Within a few days, he had taken an instant liking towards
the authoritative, principled In-charge of the Academy. The older man was a
ruthless and devoted cop, highly respected amongst his peers and a true patriot
who wouldn't hesitate once before laying down his life for his motherland..
He had been in awe
of his senior when the latter approached him for a rifle shooting drill. After
a series of not so impressive attempts, he'd given up. But one day, the officer
walked up to him, held his broad shoulders and showed him pictures of bomb
blast site.
Humein kamzor padne ka haq nahi hai, young man. There are
people out there who need to be protected, because they cannot fight for
themselves. Thousands of children and women sleep in their homes safely because
they know our bullets will safeguard them. So pull up your socks and keep
trying until you get it right. There is no other way out."
He hadn't forgotten those words after all these years. Neither
could he forget the look of pride on his mentor's face when he was awarded the
rank of an ACP. The man had himself pinned stars on his shoulder straps,
blessing him with courage and honour instead of the usual Jeety raho.'
After brooding over his loss in the dark room, he walked to
the washroom and splashed water on his face. The cold water ran down his face,
causing his bruised jaw to sting, but he couldn't feel the pain.
The following morning when he walked into his cabin,
everyone knew something had changed when he refused to even look at the
steaming glass of his favorite cutting
chai.
"Try karke dekho,
ismein bhi ek alag nasha hai. You'll never want to even try any other hard
drink, son."
He slammed the paper weight on the desk and ran a hand through
his neatly gelled hair.
He'd only been a dutiful cop, abiding by the law, serving
the nation and seeking justice for the needy until now.
But not anymore.. The very system that he took great pride
in had failed one of its own..
Justice, Pride and Courage had been mere words to him years
ago, but today they were the commandments of his life. And he owed every bit of
himself to the one person who had tamed an unruly and aggressive boy and molded
him into being the respectable cop he was today..
Pushing aside the rewarding letters of praise on his desk,
he logged into the database. He now had a purpose to fulfill before he could
embrace death.
He had to get to the root of the betrayal that had maligned
his mentor's name.
He entered the password and waited for the data to show up.
A tiny circle rolled around his name on the screen which
read, ACP Arjun Suryakant Rawte.'
****
Phew! Ho gaya.. Bring on the jootis.. And the comments too.. ð Waiting!
Precap: 6 years later.. Jab they met.. ð
Edited by Fantasia_junkie - 9 years ago
comment:
p_commentcount