Gone Rogue

03 . c o n f l i c t

❝Priyanka Ahuja.❞
—Rajveer Chhabra
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"I REQUEST EVERYONE to settle down. We'll be starting in a few minutes." Shruti announces from the podium of the meeting hall.

Immediately, people start to disintegrate from the group circles they were standing in and begin to settle down in the chairs placed facing the podium.

Alisha looks around. The room was filled with the confused and curious faces of her fellow coworkers, colleagues and agents. People were mumbling amongst themselves. The department had been thrown into a complete chaos since the time the news of the agent's death had been going around.

There were so many questions.

Luthra had called in everyone working in the building to assemble in the common meeting hall following the news of the late agent.

After a few minutes, Alisha sees Rajveer walk in the hall with Violet strolling behind him.

Violet was his assistant. More so, she was pretty, always well-dressed and catching everybody's eyes in the room. That woman was the dream of every man and all the ladies of the department secretly envied her. Nevertheless, that never stopped the confidence that oozed out of her every time she walked into the room.

Alisha continues to watch them as Rajveer seats down in the corner-most seat of the second row and Violet seats beside him quietly. The minute they settle, Violet's eye catches something at the corner of the room. More like someone.

Siddharth Thakur.

He was typing away on his phone while Violet ogles him out from head to toe. Beside her, Rajveer shakes his head at her but doesn't say anything.

One thing everyone working in this building knew, was of the tension that brewed between Siddharth and Rajveer and how both of them could never be kept together alone in one room. There was no history. It was plain rivalry. They couldn't stand each other's guts so they always avoided looking at each other.

Men and their hard egos, Alisha thought to herself and rolled her eyes.

Seth slides next to her. He clicks his tongue. "You think he's going to announce about Zain's death to everyone?"

Alisha shrugs knowing well that he was talking about Luthra. "That man is capable of anything. Who knows."

"Sorry, I'm late." Luthra appears with a completely worn out expression on his face. He gets on the podium and stands in front of everyone and purses his lips. All eyes are fixed at him.

"I'll come straight to the point." He begins. "There is no sugar-coating this. I'm sure everyone must have heard about the news. Zain Siddiqui, one of our officers, has been found dead at his apartment. It wasn't a natural death so obviously, we're ruling it in as a homicide. His death was reported today at 7:30am by an old lady who claims to be his house maid. However, we believe that he was murdered in the middle of the night."

Seth takes a deep breath beside here.

Luthra looks around at all his workers. "One more thing I'd like to inform. We know who has killed him. It was Kabir."

There were a couple of gasps as whispers flew along the agents.

"He left a note." He moves aside and gestures at the projector. The projector displays a handwritten note. The whispers begin again when people realise what it read.

The first one, but not the last.
—Kabir.

"For two months," Luthra begins. "We've been trying to get him. He's been slaughtering people left and right who seem to have no relation with eachother. This time, he targeted one of us. I'm afraid his next target can be one of you'll. I can't and I won't let him take one more life. I don't want to know why is he doing this anymore. I want him. Him. Alive and responsive. I want Kabir Ahuja."