Gaela can only watch helplessly in the middle along with their newest member Folisha as Rin and Adrienne continue to bicker in the hallways of the agency. Right outside of Mr. Häyhä's office too. Brian went inside the office since their fearful boss wanted to have a nice little chat with Brian about their squadron and their newest member.
"I do not wish to contend with you Rin. It is evident an assassin with malicious intentions of killing someone in our group shouldn't join us," Adrienne hissed, glaring daggers at Rin. "Nonsense!" Rin exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Folisha (who grimaced in response), "Folisha is pretty and I need to have her join my harem!" "What are you on about Rin? Stop saying such inconceivable things!"
The door to Mr. Häyhä's office suddenly opened and Brian as well as the Finnish man stalked out. The two blondes almost have harmonious strides as if they were nearly exact copies of each other; except they weren't. Mr. Häyhä gave Brian a nod. "Adrienne, Rin, Gaela. Folisha have permission to join our squadron," Brian started. This earned a cheer from Rin.
"However..." Mr. Häyhä continued, "she must prove to be worthy of living." Mr. Häyhä's cold eyes glared at Folisha, his dark brown eyes clouded with hatred. "She tried to kill my beautiful gem. That is unforgivable." He turned to Brian. "Cadet Speller. Kill her if she dares to touch Gaela." Brian nodded.
"Putting that aside, I have a mission for this... squadron." Mr. Häyhä said, struggling to utter out the word 'squadron', "in Kashmir, there are rebels fighting for freedom of Indian rule. Those pests are upsetting the people. They are degenerates staining our paradise. Your mission is to find the camp and obliterate them. Lydie Wang have more information on them for you. I've already booked your tickets for tomorrow morning. Let's see how efficient this newfound squadron is."
With that, Mr. Häyhä bounded off. Gaela can only watch the man retreat as her mind was flooded with mixed emotions. "Let's talk with Miss Lydie and plan this out," Adrienne said as she fixed her glasses, "it's time for me to put my brain to use." Gaela, Rin and Brian all voiced their agreement. Their newest member, Folisha, can only nod with an indescribable expression.
***
Footsteps, fumbling by the door, a small click, footsteps retreating. The door separating Trinamani and the world outside could now be opened.
The Kashmiri boy immediately opened his eyes and was greeted with the ceiling of the shanty himself and some boys rested in. It was finally morning. Trinamani held up his tanned hands and stared at it. It was covered with blisters and scars from harsh training to become a soldier to fight for the freedom of his country. He sat up slowly, careful not to wake others up before reaching for the door and ignored the complaints of his aching muscles.
Trinamani opened the door, back faced away from other sleeping boys. Back faced away from his previous life as a village kid. Back faced away from his wishes to go home. The mountains of the Freedom Camp were as stunning as always. The biome stretches across the horizons and the mountains were rocky and tough like the rebels themselves. Some ice can be seen on mountains, reflecting the morning sunrise right back to the sky and the iciness of the people in the camp.
This place, this freedom comp was his home now. Not the small peaceful village five thousand miles away. Trinamani was now a soldier fighting for freedom, not the village boy he was a few months ago. Those day were long gone.
"Already awake Trinamani?" Someone asked. The Kashmiri boy blinked before looking around and his eyes landed on the women in the camp by the tent in the far back cooking. A kind lady Trinamani was quite fond of waved to him. "Breakfast will be served soon. We will wait until others are up and perform our prayers okay?" She called out. Trinamani can only nod. "Thank you for your hard work. I don't want breakfast. I'm off to train and perform my prayers. I'm fasting. I won't go far." With that, Trinamani left the camp.
Trinamani walked around the mountains of the Pir Panjal Range, trekking while admiring the frosty morning of Kashmir. No one was there but Trinamani himself and his thoughts. Should he run away from the camp now that he have the chance since soldiers trusts him to go off on his own? No. A soldier like himself should never give in to his childish desires. The camp existed because they were fighting for the freedom of Kashmir. Running away is what the weak do and it's cowardly. He cannot leave his fellow brothers behind.
Trinamani stopped in his tracks, sensing a presence among the mountains other than himself. The boy narrowed his eyes as his hand slowly snaked to the hunting knife in his belt. Could it be a farmer walking their cattle? A kid with their goat? Maybe. Would it be a merchant with a horse? Debatable. After a few seconds of thinking, voices started echoing throughout them mountains in a foreign language. It sounded like two girls engaging in heated discussion.
Below him by the mountains, a blue haired boy, no, girl in a low ponytail and a redhead appeared, both quite light in complexion. Trinamani stared at them. They didn't seem like someone who belongs to Kashmir, India, Pakistan or China. Tourists maybe? But why? Trinamani let go of his hunting knife back into his belt, deciding it was wise not to bring harm to the ladies. He need to get them out of here, it wouldn't be nice for them to discover the camp.
"Hey - what are you two doing? Are you lost?" Trinamani asked, finding his rough voice echoing throughout the mountains. The two girls below him immediately jumped and both reached for their skirt pockets, only to stop and stare at Trinamani. The blue haired girl said some foreign words Trinamani didn't understand and gave him a troubled look. Trinamani blinked.
"Tell me. Is this the Pir Panjal Range?" The redheaded girl asked, fixing her glasses, "you talked to us in Urdu right? Thank Allah we can converse." The redheaded girl sounded like a fluent speaker. Trinamani was very impressed; Urdu isn't an easy language to learn. "Yeah," Trinamani found himself replying, "are you lost? Why are you here? It's dangerous here. You should leave."
The blue haired girl said something to the redhead who scowled and rolled her eyes. "I am Adrienne. This is Rin. Who are you?" She asked. "I am Trinamani Veer," Trinamani answered. "Trinamani why are you here? Where are you from?" Adrienne asked. Trinamani hesitated.
"If you're here then there must be a village nearby. We are lost. Do you mind giving us directions where we can get help?" Adrienne asked. Trinamani couldn't tell them about him being a brave soldier fighting for the freedom of Kashmir. The outside world vilifies them and the girls would definitely go to the police to destroy the camp. The nearest village isn't far. He can give them directions there.
"Head that way," Trinamani grunted, pointing at the opposite direction of the camp, "walk for half an hour and you should find a mosque. A small village follows behind the mosque. Stay away from this place since it's very rocky and dangerous." The two girls shared a look. "What about you?" Adrienne asked.
"Don't worry about me. I'm going to find my kid brother with his goat," Trinamani said dismissively. With that, Trinamani fled the scene. The two girls observed him for a while before heading away, towards the direction Trinamani gave out.
***
Gaela, Brian and Folisha waited for Rin and Adrienne to come back from scouting in the local marketplace nearby in a village. It was noon. They said they will meet at half past eleven. The three assassins stood by a stall in total silence, attracting a concerning amount of people with their abnormal hair colour, skin complexion and clothing. They definitely stood out amongst the people there.
"Where are those two b*tches?" Folisha spoke up, exhaling a trail of smoke from the cigar in her hands, "are they dead? Can I go back?" "They cannot die. Rin won't allow it," Brian replied, "we can't head back until we finish our mission." Gaela kept quiet, she stared ahead, watching people walking past them. Gaela finally spoke up. "They're here," Gaela said.
A redhead and a blue haired girl groggily walked pass stalls and people. Rin brightened up once she saw Gaela, Brian and Folisha, rubbing towards the trio at lightning speed. "Brian! Gaela! Foliiiii!!!" Rin exclaimed as she embraced Folisha tightly with a big smile. Folisha, clearly disturbed, shoved the blue haired girl away with one hand. Folisha then flicked some embers on the stub of the cigar in her other hand onto the ground. "Folishaaa!" Rin whined, "I'm sorry for being late! You see, Adrienne and I got lost. If it wasn't for a lone boy in the mountains telling us directions, we wouldn't be here!"
Remembering Gaela's erratic yet wise Finnish mentor's advice and tips upon taking this mission, Gaela spoke up. "A lone boy?" Gaela asked, "what do you mean by that? He might be an escapee from the rebel camp. I believe in my opettaja and his words." "I see what you mean. It is plausible." Adrienne said, "the boy avoided some of my questions." "Huh really?" Rin asked, clearly startled.
"Well, it's my time to shine now." Folisha said as she rolled her eyes, "my pride as a spy or agent or information gatherer or whatever is on the line. Leave this to me. Do you know the boy's name?" "Triangle Beer," Rin answered confidently. "No Rin. It's Trinamani Veer," Adrienne scowled.
"Trinamani Veer....." Folisha began as she pondered for a while. The pink haired girl then smiled. Folisha's smile was ravishing and captivating even to Gaela. Gaela stared into Folisha's bewitching ice silver-blue eyes. "I will find some information regarding to him. Worry not." Folisha looked at Brian lovingly. "Brian, I won't let you down. Give me a few days and I'll find this camp and the history of Trinamani Veer in no time. Be glad I can speak Urdu to charm rich men."
***
It was a week after Trinamani met the two abnormal girls in the middle of nowhere. Trinamani had forgotten about them if he had to be honest... It was until one day Trinamani was assigned to kill an Indian politician and it all changed. The two girls' faces showed up again and it bored a scar in Trinamani's heart.
Trinamani spent the evening gazing at the dancing embers of the campfire, deep in thought. He was assigned with a new mission: to kill a politician with his fellow soldiers (whom he considered his brothers) to assist him. As a soldier fighting for freedom, it was important to kill any one who was in the way of the freedom of Kashmir.
Trinamani already planned out all the essentials with some other boys. They were smart when they worked together. All they need to do is to wait for further instructions. The sun fell behind the mountains and the last of its ethereal glow faded into the expanding darkness. "So we need to lay landmines in the road tracks and get ready for an assault?" A boy asked. "Yeah." Trinamani answered.
A moment of silence. "Hey, why isn't Tariq coming? What's taking him so long to give us further instructions?" The same boy asked, "he's never late." "I'll go find him!" Another boy cheered before he scrambled up and ran towards the artillery hut. Trinamani spent the moment in silence, enjoying the peace until a petrified shout snapped him out of his thoughts.
Instinctively, Trinamani stood up and ran towards the artillery sector. By the door laid the boy on all fours, scrambling away from the hut. His eyes were wide as saucers and he seemed taken aback by something horrific. The boy was scared. Trinamani slowly looked inside the hut.
A corpse laid on the long wooden table that was supposed to bear the AK-47s. The body's hanging head was chopped professionally and it's expression was that of surprise, suffering and utter terror. Completely opposite of Tariq. The glossy eyes of the corpse was stained with blood and it's limbs were all brutally smashed. A bullet was in its head.
Immediately, Trinamani got to work. "Quick! Get the medics! Call the other adults to come here as quick as possible!" Trinamani ordered around loudly. The boy shakily stood up and nodded. He scurried off, only to be shot in the head by an anonymous sniper and fell onto the floor, cold and motionless.
Trinamani can only watch before collecting his thoughts together. He began sprinting and stumbling in uneven zigzags towards the communication sector, a shed concealed in the darkness. "Bad news!" He shouted as soon as he bust open the door. Trinamani's dark eyes widened until it was completely black for a split second.
The room was a complete mess. Thick crimson liquid splattered onto the floor, walls and even the roof as if was paint in an art class. Bodies of familiar people all littered over the room. The dead corpses in the room were completely dismembered, limbs and organs all over the place. Some corpses, especially older men, were all brutally skinned as if the killer had strong resentment against men. The bodies were nearly unidentifiable if it wasn't for Trinamani knowing those people quite well. A strong smell of blood wavered in the air.
Trinamani stared at the bizarre scene before slowly collapsing onto his knees, stunned. The buildings of the camp in the background was suddenly set ablaze and the artillery sector exploded from the fire and gunpowder. The boy paid no mind to any of that, mind still occupied with what was in front of him. Distant shouts and screams of utter suffering and pain of his brothers etched into the poor boys head as he tried his best to comprehend what was going on.
"YEAH! DIE YOU B*STARDS! THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"
"Rin refrain yourself from talking. We need to eradicate these filth quickly and leave. I want to take a bath."
"Awww Adri doesn't like bloodshed and fire? Worry not my princess! Just keep your eyes closed and ears shut. Leave this to us professionals!"
"Hm. How foolish."
Two female voices talking in a foreign language. Two familiar voices. The voices of the two lone girls in the mountains Trinamani met a week ago... Trinamani helped them. "What do we have here?" A sweet voice asked in a teasing manner into Trinamani's ears. The voice was soft and dulcet, talking in Urdu with a very strange and foreign accent. He slowly cocked his head sideways.
A goddess with blazing pastel pink hair that glimmers in the firelight was leaning down by Trinamani's ear. She have piercing silver blue eyes that stared into Trinamani's soul. Six giant skewers, three in each hand, were bloodied along with her hands. Her pale skin was completely drenched with dried blood and dirt. She was no doubt the most beautiful woman Trinamani had ever laid his eyes on. The two tourist girls Trinamani had met before appeared behind the goddess, looking down at him.
"Fufufu~! Trinamani Veer, I need to thank you for making this such a successful operation!" The goddess explained eagerly yet with her sweet lilt remaining, "thanks to your name alone, we found this camp and got rid of it without a problem! Brian will love me for sure now!" "You have my upmost gratitude mister Trinamani. My condolences for the loss of the people we killed whom you lived with." The girl called Adrienne if Trinamani remembered correctly said.
"Adrienne. Gaela and I had successfully killed everyone. Men, women and children. They are all dead. We left no one behind. Let us return." A voice said. The voice belonged to a man. It was low and devoid of emotion talking in a foreign language. Trinamani shivered. He must be a very strong man and a boss of some sort.
He was wrong? Kind of?
The voice belongs to a blonde teen with rich Prussian blue eyes and a pale complexion. He was tall and handsome wearing a dashing black suit. Despite not knowing him at all, Trinamani felt immensely inferior in his overwhelming presence. Beside the blonde was an Asian girl shorter than him with dark eyes and hair. She was a stunning lady too, wearing black leather clothing. She held onto a sniper rifle. Trinamani seriously had no idea what was going on anymore.
"So, this is the last of them." The Asian girl said as she aimed her rifle at Trinamani, "I'll finish him off." Even if she didn't speak the same language as Trinamani, Trinamani can tell he was going to die. He closed his eyes and faced down at the floor. He had accepted death. Allah had protected him long enough: he was simply too weak to live on. He cannot beat five people on his own.
"Gaela, hold up a second."
The pink haired goddess gently took the rifle away from Gaela and gave her a small smile. "Let's talk about this okay?" She said gently, "I believe he can be a valuable asset to our team. I want to give him a chance like how Brian gave me one. I mean, he did help us find this camp." "Tsk, you're mad." Adrienne said as she rolled her eyes, "I will not accept a rogue as an ally. Same applies to you Miss Folisha." "I see no problems with it!" Rin said happily, "the more the merrier amirite?" "I don't mind either," the Asian girl said, "as long as I have Brian by my side I'm happy." "If Gaela's okay with it then I'm okay with it too." The blonde man said simply. "You're insane, all of you," Adrienne growled.
Trinamani suddenly found his hands in the pink haired girl's. Her grip was loose and cold. Cinders and the wild blaze danced around the burning camp. The wind hissed in his ears in hostility but he paid no mind to it. He was mesmerised by the goddess' beautiful eyes.
"Trinamani Veer. I will give you two options. Will you join us to create a paradise for all? Or do you prefer death alongside the rest of these degenerates? It's your call," she said in Urdu, "choose your path. Choose your Fate. Do you want to have faith in us? Do you have faith in me?"
What was with all this nonsense? The whole point of the Kashmiri Freedom Camp was to create a paradise for all, for the freedom of Kashmir. Kashmir is a country that has been taken over by others for too darn long now. All Trinamani wants to do is to serve Allah and create a world for all... What does the pink haired girl mean by paradise? What were the group's intentions and motives?
Trinamani wasn't sure what they're up to but he knows one thing: he serve for Allah. If all of this was Allah's doing to free him from the camp to join this foreign group in order to serve for Allah, then he will do it. "I am a humble servant of Allah. If I can contribute to making this corrupted land holy, then I shall join you for your cause. Glory to Allah." He found himself answering.
Trinamani found his hands gripping firmly into the goddess' and she hoisted him upright. Her grip was warm and firm now. As the Kashmiri boy stood up, his aching legs barely supported him. They were heavy and aching but he still stood upright. Suddenly, he was taller than the pink haired goddess and she was no longer a divine woman but a petite and adorable lady.
"Welcome to our squadron," she said to him, "you better work hard and study English in order to communicate with the rest of the team." "You better prove yourself useful," Adrienne scowled, "don't make me regret not harming you with my duel daggers."
"You probably don't know what I'm saying since I don't know whatever language you speak but welcome to my haram!" The blue side ponytailed girl, called Rin if Trinamani remembered correctly, chimed happily. Adrienne rolled her eyes before translating what she said to him. Trinamani hesitantly nodded in acknowledgment. The blonde man and Asian lady gave Trinamani a nod. They didn't seem that much of a threat now that Trinamani knew they're harmless.
The inferno around them died down as the Kashmiri Freedom Camp burnt to the ground. Buildings collapsed and imploded and bodies withered into ash and cinders from the blaze. Trinamani can only watch as the camp slowly chip away into nothing but dust right in front of him. The Kashmiri boy simply watched, feeling strangely calm and composed.
He was exposed to too many things all at once and nothing fazed him anymore. He was taken away from his family to join this camp. Just as he was about to accept this camp as his family, they all burnt to ash as quickly as it came. Does he even have a place to give him a sense of belonging? Who can the boy consider family without getting separated or dying?
That very night, the former Kashmiri freedom fighter watched the full moon of the Pir Panjal Range together with his new team. They were killers of his brothers and those he considered family in the camp. The very camp continue to crumble and fall apart behind them as they watched the night sky in silence.
The cool night sky was a gradient of black, blue, purple and brown littered with millions and millions of blinking diamonds in the sky. The stars twinkled and gazed down upon Trinamani and a full moon smiled down at him. He looked away from the moon, feeling as if the moon was mocking him. He set his gaze to his new comrades.
Everyone was staring into the moon, eyes lost in the moon's alluring silver glow. Each and every one of them was unique in their own way all with distinctive fortes. The night seemed to favour them. The moon had blessed them all with a soft and heavenly glow. They all radiate different auras of tranquility and calmness as well as deadliness.
It was there Trinamani knew who he was going to work with. The rulers of the dark, the kings and queens of the night. Compared to them, Trinamani was just a humble servant amongst the nobles and royalty. Trinamani opened his mouth and found himself asking a question to the group of assassins.
"Are you the Kings of the Moon?"