Alpha advanced cautiously. Naina scanned through her binoculars, spotting a faint trail of smoke in the distance. “Campfire—northwest, about 400 metres. Could be them.”
“Or could be a trap,” Huda countered.
“Everything’s a trap,” Alekh said dryly, adjusting his rifle strap. “Question is—do we spring it, or walk away?”
Naina weighed the options quickly. “We check it. Quietly.”
As they moved closer, the campfire’s smoke thinned into the morning air. They found the remains of a small fire—still warm—but no people. A piece of fabric lay on the ground, its edge torn and frayed.
Huda picked it up, frowning. “This is from an Academy uniform.”
Naina’s pulse quickened. “Falcon was wearing one.”
Before they could search further, a single gunshot cracked the air. It came from the east—where Bravo Team was supposed to be.
---
Contact
Bravo Team was pinned down behind a fallen tree when Alpha arrived. Paint pellets—simulating live rounds—splattered the ground inches from them.
“They came out of nowhere!” Pooja yelled over the gunfire.
“Suppressing fire—on my mark!” Naina ordered. Alpha and Bravo coordinated, their weapons barking in unison. The opposing force’s ambush line faltered, giving the Super Six enough cover to retreat into the trees.
When they stopped, chests heaving, Rajveer’s voice came through on the secure channel.
“Report.”
Naina answered quickly. “Enemy ambush. Casualties simulated—Ali and Yudi tagged out. Possible lead on Falcon’s location.”
There was a pause, then Rajveer’s voice again, calm but edged with steel. “Then move fast, cadet. Every second counts.”
---
The Trap Within the Trap
The trail from the campfire led deeper into the forest. As they moved, Naina noticed something odd—the footprints they were following suddenly split into two different directions.
“This doesn’t make sense,” she murmured.
“Maybe the hostage escaped?” Pooja suggested.
“Or maybe they want us to think that,” Naina replied. “Alekh, check the left trail. Huda, with me on the right.”
It was a mistake.
Five minutes later, Huda and Naina were surrounded. Opposing force members emerged from the trees, their camouflage blending perfectly with the foliage. One of them—a tall, masked figure—spoke in a clipped voice.
“Nice of you to join us, Captain Ahluwalia.”
Naina’s muscles tensed. How did they know her name? This was supposed to be a simulation.
Before she could react, the masked leader stepped closer and whispered just loud enough for her to hear: “Your brother would have made the same mistake.”
The words hit harder than any bullet.
---
The Rescue
Alekh’s voice crackled in the earpiece. “Alpha Leader, sitrep?”
Naina forced her voice to remain steady. “We’re compromised. Multiple hostiles.”
Alekh didn’t waste time. “On my way.”
Minutes later, paint rounds tore through the enemy position as Alekh, Pooja, and the remaining cadets launched a surprise counterattack. Naina and Huda broke free, joining the fight. The masked leader slipped away in the chaos, disappearing like a shadow swallowed by the forest.
When they finally secured the area, they found Falcon—a fellow cadet tied and blindfolded—hidden in a makeshift shelter nearby. Mission success.
Or so it seemed.
---
Back at Base
The debrief was tense. General Abhimanyu commended them for rescuing the hostage but didn’t miss the flaws in their coordination. Rajveer’s assessment was harsher.
“You were too reactive,” he told them. “You let the enemy dictate the pace. And you, Naina—you walked into a situation without considering the bigger picture.”
Naina didn’t argue. She only asked, “Sir… the masked leader… was that part of the simulation?”
Rajveer’s eyes flickered, but his expression remained unreadable. “Sometimes, cadet, the line between simulation and reality is thinner than you think.”
---
That night, Naina couldn’t sleep. The masked leader’s words replayed in her mind—about her brother, about her mistake.
And for the first time, she wondered if Operation Sentinel was more than just a training exercise… and whether the enemy wasn’t just inside the simulation, but watching them from the shadows of real life.
YOU ARE READING
Left Right Left: The Return of the Hero
Non-FictionLeft Right Left: Rajveer's Last Mission follows the emotional and heroic journey of Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat, who is presumed dead after a betrayal within the army. Years later, as a new threat looms over the nation, his former student Naina...
Chapter 4 - The Echoes of the Past
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