Hello Fam :)
Thank you for being the best readers and understanding me. I got my laptop back but I was really serious about blocking people out who demand updates and mute everyone with 'update soon' comments. As I always say, if you can't wait, kindly remove the book from your library and I would notify you once the book is completed so that you can read it all at once.
Happy Reading...
Manik woke up to find Nandini tangled with him. It was nothing new but after nearly losing her, he didn't have the courage to leave her out of the sight. Taking a breath, he pulled her beside him in a more comfortable position. There was only one thought that has been stuck since yesterday. What would he have done if something happened to her yesterday?
Nandu: Stop thinking. It's disturbing my beauty sleep.
He rolled his eyes as she snuggled closer without opening her eyes.
Manik: Yeah, because you can hear my thoughts too now.
Nandini raised her head and grinned at him.
Nandu: Of course, love. I can hear your thoughts too. For example, right now you are thinking 'how much I love this girl and how I can't function without her even for a moment that I need her with me as soon as I wake up without caring about her beauty sleep'. Am I wrong? Anyway, what a view to wake up to in the morning.
She said, caressing his cheek. Manik smiled sarcastically.
Manik: Nandu, baby, this was the view you woke up to for ninety percent of your life since your childhood.
Nandini smacked his arm in reply.
Nandu: Manik, let me be romantic for once in my life.
Manik: Romantic? By smacking your boyfriend?
Nandu: I smacked my best friend who questioned my intentions. My boyfriend is the sweetest.
Manik: Do you realize saying this stupid logic, you have made me your punching bag without ever apologizing? Because no formalities between best friends?
Nandu: I don't know what you are talking about. Anyway, stop lazing around Malhotra. We need to explore Mars.
She dragged him as if he were the one trying to sneak in the extra minutes of sleep.
XXX
As soon as they went out, they saw Zain grinning.
Zain(screamed): Nandu, I missed you.
Nandu: I missed you too, Zainu.
Arya: Zainu?
Manik: It happened last night. Leave that. They are behaving as if she hadn't been with him all night, teaching him that stupid game.
She smacked him again.
Nandu: That's not a stupid game, Manik. It's knots and crosses. And I am just being productive with the amount of sand that is present on this planet.
Zain: No one has ever taught me these many uses of the sand here, Manik.
Manik glared at him before turning to Aryaman.
Manik: Don't you think it's better to leave this idiot with those ancients from yesterday?
Arya: I think the same.
This time Nandu smacked the both of them.
Nandu: Manik, he is my new friend. How can you do this to him?
Manik rolled his eyes.
Arya: Anyway, Manik, leave them. I have got permission to visit our labs. Get ready. I have something interesting to show you.
XXX
Sometime later, they went to a lab sort of place. There were students in white coats with gloves and goggles. Manik felt conscious when a few openly stared at them but Nandini stared back at them and Cabir followed her.
Manik(hissed): What are you doing?
Nandu: Manik, if they think we are aliens, they are aliens to us too. If they are staring, we have the right to stare at them too.
Manik: Nandu, this isn't Earth. They don't have any fundamental rights here probably.
Nandu: Don't take their side, Manik. You are my boyfriend.
Manik: Blind trust, yeah.
Arya: Blind trust?
Manik: On a random day, I was told that since I claim I love her, I should trust her blindly. Even if they are hazardous to both our lives.
Arya: That's a dictatorship, Nandu.
Nandu smacked his arm.
Nandu: That's love, Aryaman. How can you accuse your own sister of dictatorship?
Zain: I blindly trust you, Nandu.
Manik and Aryaman rolled their eyes.
Arya: Only he would blindly trust you because his decision-making skills are as legendary as yours.
Cabir: You can trust me, instead, Aryaman.
Aryaman turned to Manik.
Arya: Are we the only sane ones on this planet?
Suddenly, a guy walked to them and had put his hand on Aryaman.
Guy: Arya, ce mai faci? Aceștia sunt pământenii? [Arya, how are you? Are these the Earthlings?]
Arya: Sunt bine, Mad. Da, aceștia sunt oaspeții noștri. Putem trece la engleză? [I am fine, Mad. Yes, these are our guests. Can we switch to English?]
The guy chuckled before bowing down to them.
Maddy: Hey, you three. I am Maddy. Welcome to our planet.
Cabir: Hello, Maddy. What madness are you trying to show us today?
Maddy: Something that would blow your mind. Follow me, people.
While Cabir engaged Maddy in his non-stop chatter, the rest fell a step back with Aryaman.
Arya: Maddy is one of the brilliant scientists here on Mars. He looks after this lab which was established by his grandfather.
Nandu: Nepotism.
Manik: Nandu, that might be knowledge passed on to younger generations in a family. It's a lab, not a business.
Zain: It's Nepotism, Manik. Maddy never allows me to handle his lab even for a day.
Arya: That's a reflection of the amount of trust he has in you.
Zain: You are insulting me.
Arya: Glad at least you know the difference.
Maddy turned back towards Zain.
Mad: Is he complaining again about the lab?
Arya: Are you surprised?
Maddy sighed and glared at Zain.
Mad: I don't care if they are your guests too. You touch anything inside my lab, I would throw you out and banish you from ever stepping into this building again.
Zain(pouted): Why do you always repeat this to me?
Mad: Because you keep on forgetting it. Guys, grab a pair of gloves and face shields. It would help you from not contaminating anything inside.
They did as told. When Manik stepped inside the lab, it was nothing extraordinary but then Maddy took them inside a chamber and it really blew his mind. There were test tubes and instead of any specimens, they consisted of parts of half-formed human bodies.
Mad: The Martian reproduction system is totally different from that of Earth. As Aryaman might have told you before, we maintain our population count. Hence, when one of the people in a family finally leaves the planet or dies, we take the DNA of that person and harvest it inside this lab. That's how everyone on this planet is born.
They have heard of test-tube babies on Earth but this was something different. Manik had never thought about the mechanism of controlling the population when Aryaman first mentioned it after arriving on the planet. He felt Nandini grabbing his arm and stepping closer towards him. Manik wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a side-hug. He heard while Maddy told some more theories before Aryaman informed him of leaving. When Manik glanced at him in confusion, he pointed towards Nandu, who had gone suddenly silent.
They bid bye to Maddy before leaving. Manik pulled Nandini into a proper hug as she buried her face inside his chest.
Manik: Hey, what happened?
Nandu: I got scared.
Arya: Nandu, don't be scared, okay? I was even born like this. We all are.
Manik: Nandu, it's just their mechanism and it's a new technology. They accepted us. So, it's time to accept their culture too.
Nandu nodded and smiled at Aryaman. Cabir and Zain, who were silent until now, rubbed their hands.
Cabir: Finally. I was thinking you would ruin my lifetime dream of setting up a restaurant on Mars.
Zain: Setting up a restaurant? What would you serve there?
Aryaman groaned.
Arya: Zain, don't ask them the ideas. It's crazy. They have planned a freaking apartment complex here.
Nandu: It's called the rocky world complex.
Zain(excited): Wow. It sounds like some dancing pub.
Arya: I seriously should have left him with the ancients yesterday.
XXX
After their little outbursts, they followed Zain for a surprise. Even though they were at a distance, Manik could feel the heat seeping into his bones.
Manik: What's that?
Arya: That's Olympus Mons. It's the tallest mountain in the solar system.
Cabir: I thought it's Kanchenjunga?
Manik: That's in India.
Cabir: What about Mt. Everest?
Manik: That's in the world.
Cabir: Isn't Mt. Everest in India?
Manik: Between Nepal and China. Or Tibet.
Cabir: What? We don't even own Mt. Everest? That's rude. Manik, we are going back to India and claiming our rights on Mt. Everest.
Zain(grinning madly): 'If' you are going back.
Cabir(gaped): What?
Zain: Yes. When someone insults our culture we take them here and throw them inside that mountain. Because we still believe there's volcano lava erupting inside it. But Nandu is my best friend and I wouldn't let any harm near her so, I will throw you out instead.
Nandu burst out laughing, forgetting about the previous mood. Cabir stomped his foot, earning screams from both Aryaman and Manik. As he jumped three times higher than the ground, Zain and Nandu did a complicated hand movement to hi-five each other.
See you soon :)