Observation is actually obsession, making them feel restless unless they know it all.
-
Since days, actually weeks, he is noticing her fidgeting, the restlessness. Granted, her impatience for anything can rival his own, and is part of her traits, but from some weeks it's stronger. It's almost like she is anticipating something, but that something never happens.
She brainstorms on cases harder, bickers with Sameer a little bit more, compliments Shree far more than she would ever do, does that passive aggressive thing with Director Kapoor occasionally. But when it's all over, it's quiet, when none is watching, she broods, gets lost in something, rubs her thumb and finger next to it and taps her foot impatiently.
But he notices, he always notices and wonder what it's all about.
Then he put it under category of 'Unknown traits of ACP Mukherjee'. His brain had actually made a list like that sub-consciously, not that he will ever admit.
Today, the tapping of foot made him snap, finally not able to take her desperation for something unknown anymore. They were near the ETF SUVs and were going over theories one moment, and the next moment all is silent and she is brooding.
"Oh just stop it!" he exclaimed, making her turn to him and frown.
"Not the first time tapped my foot. Didn't know it was causing so much trouble." She scowled.
His jaw locked, "It's not about foot. You are doing it for weeks, what is it? What are you expecting?"
He should have known simple questions piss her more than a full blown argument.
"That calls none of your business." She was totally pissed and he realized it was just her to blow off steam, by fighting with him, like she did last time and before that in Gym, "And if my foot is causing so much trouble, I am leaving."
And she actually did, making him wonder just how much her anticipation for something is messing with her head that she is doing such silly things.
They didn't found her back in ETF, but found Director Kapoor with an identical scowl on her face near the Discussion room door like hers.
"ACP Mukherjee won't be joining you for this case." she sounded annoyed. Everyone frowned, and Sameer, the brave heart, approached the angry Tigress.
"Did she say why?"
The Director just grabbed his hand and thrashed a post it note on it, "If you can decode it."
The post it note merely said --- Taking time off - There was no name on it, but the words were so like her.
"I take it no letter then." he added good humouredly, giving the note to the Second in command. She grumbled.
"When the last time she said she would leave a paper, I should have known better." It looked like she wanted to stomp, but she left without doing it, letting them get back to work.
He wondered if the something had finally occurred.
Rawte found her 30 hours later in ETF office, at 3 in morning, behind a desk full of files and angry expression on face. She touched the coffee mug near her and something must have been off because she looked murderous, glaring at the poor inanimate thing. He remembered she almost never drinks ETF Coffee.
"McDonalds is not open at this hour." He said in lieu of knocking door, arms crossed over chest. The annoyed expression vanished from her face, for some seconds earlier playfulness was there.
"Is that mean you are offering Coffee?"
"Why not?" He shrugged, "Or these files will burn under the heat of your look."
She scowled at it, shutting the file she was working on and leaned on seat, spinning it on the sides, "I despise paper work."
"You should have left a letter."
"I left a note."
"Post it." He corrected, "That doesn't count. Serves you right."
She glared, "Always so helpful, Arjun."
It has been ages she called him by his first name again. All of a sudden she started that Boss thing, not that he mind, but that moment he realized he missed her calling his name.
"The thing you were expecting, did that happen?" A part of him was screaming stupid at him because she will never answer straight, but he had to get a response. She stared at him, but looked away after a while.
"Not even close." She sounded angry, not the usual kind, but intense. He frowned at the tone.
She went back to her reports after a while on her own with the same irritated expression, and he found himself staring. If she noticed, she didn't say, or maybe she didn't, too busy to glare at the papers and trying to concentrate through her irritation. He left for home to change, and came back at 9, with a cup of Mc Caffeine. He left it on one of the benches inside the locker room, and was pleased with himself when he saw her talking to someone with the red mug after a while.
But then Director Kapoor summoned her, and irritated expression was back.
He wondered just how much he is missing in her life.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"What is this, your way of punishing me?" ACP Mukherjee said through her comm, "If this is, then let me congratulate you. I am totally feeling the heat."
"Don't fret." Director Kapoor replied keeping her face straight, but the mocking tone gave her away, ''Let me repeat once again. You go inside the restaurant, spot Raja. Then you spill a drink on him and push him toward Men's room. Make sure you get his phone and fix the GPS tracker and other chip on it. Then you get out of there without any sound, is that understood?"
"Yes Mom." The ACP replied deadpanned.
"Riya." The Director called through gritted teeth, eyes fixed on the monitor. Nothing came from other side, but then the video in the screen was moving, the camera fixed on the ACP's dress showing the glass door and bright walls inside the restaurant. The camera spotted Raja and then one of the waiter, from whom the ACP took one drink. In the matter of 40 seconds, the orange juice was on Raja's shirt and the Director along with her team heard the ACP apologizing to the man in her sugary sweet voice, while the man eyed her from to bottom. The Director rolled her eyes, and then smirked proudly as the ACP stealthily took out his phone in the pretense of cleaning the shirt with tissue, while not letting him move his eyes from her. He hurried towards Men's and the ACP sat on the same seat he had occupied earlier, her fingers taking out the device's cover fast and adjusting the chip inside.
"Faster Riya." The Director said, unable to stop herself.
"Patience, Director." The ACP countered, earning chuckles around the Director. She glared at the team around, and then found the phone on the screen was coming alive.
"Did he come back?" She asked.
"No. It will take a while." The ACP answered, quickly going through messages and Contacts. Message option was secured by a password, but contacts were not.
"Shree would have unlocked it." she replied, going through the names. The Director unnecessarily adjusted her headphone to hide her nervousness.
"Well he is not there, so you better leave."
The screen froze over one particular contact, and before she know, the camera was out.
"What happened?" The Director all but shouted, both to her team and the ACP. Her team hurried to check the connection, and then she heard Raja already back, talking with the former. The Director's heartbeat rose and continued like that as her team struggled to get the footage back, but she realized it's of no use.
The ACP switched off the camera of her own.
It made her blood boil, the unnecessary risk on her part and her inability to do what she was ordered. She all but threw away her headphone when the ACP swiftly moved out of restaurant, after flirting with Raja for several minutes.
"I am out." she informed. The Director gritted her teeth.
"I am waiting for you."
"What was that back there?" She opted for calm, which she was feeling anything but. The ACP narrowed her eyes, but didn't reply anything instantly unlike other time.
"It was taking time, and he was back. I had to stay."
"You already placed the chips." She forced herself to keep her voice even.
"I had to activate it." ACP Mukherjee countered, fixing the other with a stare. The Director glared.
"I told you, put the chip and come out. I never said anything about activation." She paused, frowning, "Why you cut the camera feed?"
"I didn't."
"Don't lie." She thundered, "The camera was working perfectly. What were you doing with his phone?"
"I was doing nothing." The ACP answered calmly, taking a step toward her, "You sent me, I didn't go with my own."
Director Kapoor gazed at her for a while, then remembered something.
"What was that contact detail you found in his phone?"
"I don't know what you are talking about." The ACP replied, now anger rising.
"I can always check the footage."
"Screw you, Aisha!" She all but shouted, "First you send me for some stupid thing just to get back at me, and now you accuse me of something imaginary? There is a limit I can take here."
"There is a limit of secrecy I can take too." The Director raised her voice as well to match the other, "I don't care what you are doing behind my back, but I sent you there. I have a right to know what you did back there, and, mind your language. I am your Director."
The ACP continued to glare, fists clenched, then she spoke calmly emphasizing each word, "You sent me. I placed the chips. The Camera was out on its own. Believe me, or not, I don't care." she added, "Director."
With that, she all but ran toward the door and banged the door shut, making the receptionist outside jump with the extra sound than usual. The Director contemplated to throw something or bang her head against the wall, but she did none, instead went back to her desk and ordered for the footage of ACP Mukherjee in that restaurant. Then she made some calls.
"I need to know everything about Nasir Jamal."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Riya thought her week can't get worse. First, Arjun called her out on her fidgeting which she thought none noticed, then she took off for that irritating family meeting and went Hydrabad. After returning a pile of paper work was waiting for her and then that idiotic undercover thing. Yes, she got someting, but she didn't get what she wanted, and she was not going to work on it unless she get the first thing on her list.
Raghu sir finally was kind to her and said she can have Johny now all by herself, their work with him was finished. It's been one month and 9 days, and yes, she was keeping count. He gave her address of an abandoned Police colony, in the quarter no. 23 they kept Johny. She reached there one morning, the clouds rumbling over her head, ready to pour out anytime. The Officers nodded at her and took her to Johny, who was bruised, bleeding, looked bad enough.
If he didn't answer her truthfully, he will look worse.
She took a chair to sit in front of him, with a knife in her hand just to freak him out. He looked alarmed at the weapon, by now used to sticks and fists. He met her eyes with half courage, half dread.
"I said everything I know." He started. She calmly met his eyes.
"I want to know something else."
She took out some photographs of a particularly gruesome crime scene, a bomb blast of a Chevrolet, some news paper cutting regarding the scene where her own side story was removed from the paper.
"Remember 10 January, 2011?"
Jonhy frowned at her, eyes going back and forth to her face and the papers in front of him.
"10th Jan, there was a bomb blast in Dharavi, near Highway no. 67." Her voice was low and somewhat dangerous, "The bomb was kept in the back seat of a Chevrolet. One Man died, and his body was unrecognizable. It's your MO, is not it? Using C4, keeping it in car and damaging the body so bad that none can recognize?"
He didn't answer instantly, and the next moment she was stabbing at the back of his hand with a twisted expression on her face as he screamed in agony.
"I understand you blow people up far too often, but I need you to remember Johny." She spoke through gritted teeth, the tip of knife constantly with the contact of wound. He breathe in and out quickly, the pain spreading through his veins and reaching to the very core. He concentrated for the sake of his hand, and when she prepared for the second round, he remembered bits and pieces of it.
"White Chevrolet, put the bomb in front of a small Internet cafe called . . . " he paused, panting, "Googly. Yes, I remember."
"Good." She was till now watching his every move, the way he screamed or hold his breath to endure the pain, and it made him feel more scared and exposed, "Now, I want you to remember who gave you the order to kill him."
Johny is a professional killer, with the MO to blow people up. He never works unless there is money for his effort, not even for his own personal vendetta. He was never caught by police, but he was, this time, and well where that brought him . . .
"It was not anything special. I don't remember who give money." He said quickly. Something flashed in her eyes.
"Will it be special," She forced her voice to keep even, the tip of knife going over his knuckles, "if I chop your fingers off one by one until you remember, Johny?"
She pressed the knife on his pinky to prove her point, not too much to cause pain, but just to warn him.
"I don't remember." He begged.
"Then remember. Because it's necessary." She continued to run the knife over his fingers, occasionally pressing a little to give him mini heart attacks. It felt like eternity when he finally remembered something.
"It was a Man." he spoke quickly, trying to retreat his hand even though it was tied tightly with the arm rest, "Young man. Gave me 5 lacs. But that's all I can remember."
"I need more." She said simply, "Description of the man."
"I don't remember." He whimpered.
That earned him another 2 hours of torture by other officers until he was unconscious.
Something, but not enough.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What she has become?
She looked at herself in the mirror of her apartment, the water running down the sink washing away the blood from her hand. Her eyes were hollow like ever, there was nothing out of ordinary, but somehow she felt sick, disgusted with herself.
Before her life spiraled out of control and completely fell apart, she never considered herself a violent person. Sure, she was always reckless, physical person to intimidate others by her strength, but never raised her hand unless it was strictly necessary. She marveled at her strength that she could control her own reaction and carried her Krev Mega skills like a secret.
But after that, everything changed.
Earlier it was only Gun, but after that, Bullet was sure it would come out of Gun and get a place in one of people's anatomy, enough to wound. Fists were sure it would bruise and break something. Anger was sure it won't stop at glares or snarls. Her motto in life had slowly become to cause pain, to herself, to others. To live to cause pain, to live with pain, with the ever present anger like a second skin.
Ever since she had gotten the case file and saw Johny's MO on it, she wanted him. The reason she left department because they could not touch a criminal belonged to a closely knitted group, surrounded by protectors and carefully hiding. When they could not catch him, they stopped trying altogether. She took matters in her own hands then, because she had joined the department to bring justice to others. When she found herself in the other category, and saw her own department was unable to provide her justice, she left. She just didn't see any point in staying.
The reason she spent so much time assessing, observing, planning and plotting to drag some scumbag criminals around the city toward her, saving them from her own planned trap and earning their favors in the process, was just to keep tracks on Johny. They didn't prove to be much help, and she was ready to infiltrate more, but then ETF happened. In Raghu sir's offer, she saw an option. He was not there earlier, but he was now, willing to give her support. And he did, first letting her to deal with Aslam, and later luring Johny. Sure, he had ulterior motive, but she doesn't care until she is getting something out of it.
And she got Johny today.
She braced herself against the sink after throwing water on her head and face repeatedly, clenching jaw. Something snapped inside her seeing that Bastard inside that room, all bruised and tied, looking utterly helpless. The struggle of 3 years overwhelmed her, and there was this knife in her hand.
In his cry, she found sadistic pleasure. Did he cry out in pain too when the bomb went off? He didn't get time, didn't get time to even notice he was dying, didn't even get a chance to remember his dreams hopes and regrets. He just died, without any reason or warning, and Johny did that. He placed the bomb, he killed him.
There was someone else in the shadow too, who made him do it. She will get him, she was sure. Even if she had to physically tear apart Johny.
But what she had become? A hurting machine? A person who torture others?
She promised herself the countless times earlier, just one last time. One last time before she get that person responsible for this. One last time before she ends it all. She justified all of her deeds just for that ultimate motive, until the line of limit wiped out. Now looking at the blood at her hands, one part of her mind repeated same thing, just for him, just for my destiny. It won't happen after it's all over. She will stop after it's all over. She will end the person responsible and these deeds won't matter. Her actions are not on her, but on the person responsible to ruin her life.
Yet, the blood felt totally on her.
Having a genetic disorder which doesn't allow her to feel pain comes rather handy. She didn't feel anything when her fist collided with the mirror, shattering it to pieces and pouring blood faster than earlier.
Now it's not his blood anymore.
She didn't even both to put anything on the cut, letting the water flow on it until the blood stopped pouring. Then she went to proceed her usual routine for night, sitting against bedroom wall and staring into nothing.
Johny cracked 3 days later. Riya might have freaked out her team mates with her worse brooding and closed off attitude, as they glanced at her every now and then, either expecting her to burst or bolt for the door in these past 3 days. When she got the SMS she glanced at the Second in command who was going on over some recent case. She don't even remember which case they are working. He stopped talking, and everyone noticed them staring at each other.
"I need to go." She said simply. She might have ran, but her restraint was already holding by a thread and she could not handle some scene near elevator. With her luck, Arjun might follow her till downstairs and start a shouting match on etiquettes and team work, the stubborn nature of that man. She wanted to avoid anything before and after, not sure what condition she will be after she meet Johny today again.
"Then go." He replied simply. He was tired mostly, first due to her constant edginess, and then her indifference and closed off state from past 3 days. She was no use in work, and he wanted her to get over with whatever this thing is and become like her earlier state. He will take a shouting match any day over this brooding.
The answer was all she needed. She was out of the room and running for stairs faster than anybody could blink, nearly colliding with people outside. The team mates gave each other stares, Sameer raised brows to silently ask what is going on, but he just continued his earlier speech, as if there was never any interruption. The team took the hint and got back to work.
When she reached the place, the picture according to Johny's description was already present. One look at it and she saw red, storming toward the room he was kept, knocking the chair and strangling his throat as his head hit the floor with a thud.
"Who gave you money?" She shouted, gone the low snarls everyone was so used to.
"I already gave the description." He choked.
"You are lying! Where is the man who gave the order? How he looked? Why he gave you money?"
"I swear, it was him!" He was scared, eyes wide and breathing frantic. She banged his head to floor painfully, making him grunt in pain.
"Who. Was. The. Man?" She nearly crushed her teeth.
"Why don't you believe me? I am telling truth, it was him!"
"Him?!" she roared, now leaving his head and taking out her phone, showing him a picture, "Him? It was him?"
"Yes!" He shouted, looking back and forth at the picture and her face, "It was him! He was there, with full money. He gave me Chevrolet's number, he told me to place the bomb in front of that cafe. It was him!"
She threw away the phone, kneeling over him and choking the life out of him. She looked possessed, sure that he was lying even if he repeated the same thing as he took which would have nearly been his last breath, if not others pulled her away from him.
Raghu sir found her in the long veranda of the abandoned quarter, pacing, lost in her own world, angry yet at the same time confused, uncertain, nervous. He noticed what seemed like a cigarette in her hand, and then she put it in her mouth, blowing off the smoke.
"That's a disgusting habit." he commented. She stopped pacing and stilled, waiting for him to stand in front of her. He did, and saw the similar expression on her face which was radiating off her from a distance, with the additional ashen face and red rimmed eyes. If he didn't know better, he would have said she was crying. He noticed her hands shaking.
"What happened?" He knew what happened, but still asked, hoping to know whatever this thing is which spooked her so much. She exhaled a shaky breath, suddenly anger flaring.
"He is lying." She snarled, stabbing a finger toward the door, "He is lying outright. The sketch, it's wrong."
"Are you sure?"
"200%." She ran her fingers through hair, causing the dry ashes to fall around her, and then took another mouthful of smoke. If he didn't witness her distress, he would have yanked the death stick off her fingers and crush it under feet. He would do this now too, first dragging her out of her zone.
"That man can't give orders. Johny is lying. To protect someone. We need to press him more." she continued in the same shaky voice, this time filled with determination.
"You nearly killed him, and yet he said he was not lying."
"But he is!" She never shouted in front of him, and he had never heard her shouting while in anger. Something must be very, very wrong.
"Why are you so sure he is lying Riya?" He took a step forward, asking calmly. She ran fingers through hair again, her lips trembling.
"The man in sketch could not give the order."
"And why is that?" He was getting impatient. She finally threw away the stick, swallowing tightly, and met his eyes with a forced calmness.
"Because that was the man who died in the blast of 10 January."