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Today's Maynia Prompt: crow
Today's Daily Freewrite Prompt: succulent
Writers can choose to use one of the prompts, both the prompts or not use the prompt at all. It is all up to you!
I wish to make this into a sci-fi novel. Let's see how it progresses! 😊
Continued from Day 11. You can read it here.
The team along with Olyint and Sarvi returned to Delhi. Zarqui's location was still unknown while Akash and Radhika had briefed Arvind about the discussion in Mumbai. Olyint and Sarvi were free birds as there were no charges against them. However, they chose to stay close to the IB team. Radhika was not happy at all with this arrangement. She wasn't comfortable with her other-world-guests piggyback riding on them.
Ever since they decided to take up the case, the director's cabin was growing miserable by the hour. What bugged Radhika further was that she was hardly involved in anything for the country or against the COVID attack; feeling grim under those conditions was justifiable considering that humans or Indian, at least, were set to benefit. Here all the stress for some alien beings was just a big waste of time.
Radhika involuntarily cupped her fist and continued tapping Arvind's desk. Akash was staring at oblivion mindful of the rhythmic taps on the teakwood desk. They were waiting for Arvind and heard the door open behind him. Akash lazily stood up to greet Arvind.
"Jai-Hind, sir."
"Ji sahab. Jai-Hind," the voice responded. Akash's eyebrows sprang up. Radhika stopped tapping and in a jiffy was cupping her mouth with her right hand. The continuous shivers down her body as if she had accidentally touched some live wire, embarrassed Akash further.
"Ah, Madan," Akash hoped to improvise, "get me some tea," as Akash watched Madan noting down.
"Sir, I have hot kachoris. Would you like to taste? Everyone loves my kachoris," Madan said.
"Not for me. What's for lunch?"
"Chicken biryani, sahab. We also have vegetable biryani," Madan said knowing very well that Radhika wouldn't want anything to do with flesh and blood.
"Hmm. Okay, I will order later," Akash said.
"Coffee and kachoris for me," Radhika called out.
Madan took the order and left.
"Don't want to have chicken biryani?"
"Chicken? No offence, but with Madan's chicken biryani, I can't imagine succulent chicken pieces at all. It's as if all his chicken legs are polio affected, or maybe, crow legs. I have no intention of testing the DNA of the bird that he puts in his biryani," Akash said.
The door opened again, and Akash stood up. Radhika cupped her mouth once again.
"Mam, kachoris will take some time," Madan said, "they are making a fresh batch as we speak."
"No problem," Radhika said through her giggles. As Madan left, she burst out laughing, "not your day, huh?"
Akash winced and refrained from letting his one-liners out. The door creaked again, and Akash continued to sit. Radhika stood up, "Jai-Hind, sir."
"Jai-Hind," was the response as Akash realized this time it was indeed Arvind. "Sit, sit."
As they both sat, Arvind settled on his leather chair and was stroking his chin. Akash knew that that action meant that Arvind's was in stress much like Radhika's tapping.
"All well, sir?" Akash asked.
"What do we do about these guys?" Arvind asked. The question sounded rhetoric to Radhika. However, she wanted to share her opinion.
"Sir, we either convince these guys to get off from here and solve their family disputes back on their planet or let's hand them over to America," Radhika pursed her lips hiding her clenched teeth.
"No, no," Arvind waved his hands, "things are way more serious now."
"Why, sir?" Akash looked at Arvind and then turned to Radhika.
"I have just come off a call briefing the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the President's Office," Arvind leaned back on his chair, "the IAF Chief was also present."
Both Radhika and Akash knew the seriousness when the IB Chief briefed the PMO and President's office. To be doing it along with the IAF Chief was like sounding the war bugle. Neither Radhika nor Akash had to prod further. They knew more information would follow and maybe, some action items for them.
"While Olyint and I, along with the IAF team, went to check on the hoppers, Olyint realized that some heavy-duty weapons were missing."
Radhika realized that all of a sudden, a galactic level war was going to be played out in her neighbourhood. It was no more a family feud which they can sit aside and watch. Now, people could get affected. "How heavy, sir?"
"Olyint estimates that if it went off, it would vaporize Earth, Mars and Venus," Arvind said.
"Sir, how could things go missing under the IAF's watch?" Akash asked.
"They are clueless," Arvind looked out of the window, "but they had indexed the weapon during their first recce of the site. Their list showed the weapon."
Akash and Radhika instantly knew only one being was capable of sneaking into a security establishment and coming out undetected. The situation was no more of a battle between Olyint and Zarqui but one where either one of them was planning to obliterate the planet.
"Sir, are we sure that this is not a human work?" Radhika cupped her fist again.
"For once, I would be happy if a human stole the weapon. They can't activate it. Only these three extraterrestrials can," Arvind sighed, "the work is too clean for humans. Not even the best of bests could have done it."
"This is confusing," Akash said. "After yesterday's conversation, I was inclined to believe that Zarqui could be a good guy, and it was Olyint, the wrongdoer."
"No, don't let your guard down on any of them. Olyint and Sarvi were in Bhopal for three days. They were the closest to the weapon. Can't rule them out."
"I don't know if Sarvi or Olyint is fast enough to get in and get out of the IAF base. Zarqui surely is," Akash surmised.
"Let's check if Olyint or Sarvi has the same ability as Zarqui," Radhika said. "Anyway, we have to meet them now."
"Meet them," Arvind said, "but now its no more an alien excursion. We need answers and answers fast."
"We are on it right away, sir," Radhika got up to leave, and Akash followed suit. As they were going, Madan came in.
"Madam, kachoris are here."
"I will have it later. Leave it in my cabin," Radhika said.
Conference Room, IB Office
The office, which once in a blue moon, also hosted the Prime Minister was the cosiest corner in the whole building. The cushion, leather upholstery and even the lights were supposedly changed almost every year. The security was state-of-the-art, and that room was like a steel locker built into a building. Olyint and Sarvi were seated in the twenty-seater conference room.
Radhika and Akash stood outside the conference room. They were figuring out things to be discussed with Olyint and Sarvi.
"I don't know where to start," Radhika said.
"It's simple. They both would be knowing about the stolen weapon. Sarvi wouldn't have shared about Zarqui's meeting…"
"Nope. I suspect after the weapon was stolen, she would have shared," Radhika said.
"You know what, we both don't know what to expect so let's go in and go with the flow," Akash said, and Radhika agreed.
As they went inside, a familiar sight of the extraterrestrials sipping on Coke or Miranda was visible. Radhika wondered if those aliens ever worried. There was a planet-destroying weapon missing, but it appeared business as usual for Olyint and Sarvi.
"So, what's going on here?" Radhika asked to neither in particular.
"Get Zarqui, and we'll get the weapon," Olyint said. Somehow he sounded as if it was Radhika and Akash's job to get back the weapon.
"How do we get him? He seems to find you both with ease while you'll are nowhere close to finding him," Akash picked up a water bottle from the table.
"That's his power," Sarvi intervened.
"His power is speed," Olyint said, "each elder has a unique power which is insurmountable by any on our planet."
"I get that he is the fastest, but are you'll fast as well?" Radhika was not keen to wait for Olyint's explanation.
"We are faster than humans…"
"Leave the humans," Radhika was once again impatient with Olyint, "how fast as compared to Zarqui?"
"He is faster," Sarvi said, "a lot faster."
"Now show me how fast you are," Akash called Sarvi outside the conference room. It was already 9 p.m., and there was no one on the floor. The gangway was easily fifty meters long. "We run, touch that door and come back. Don't mind my speed but show me your fastest. Alright?"
"Olyint too?" Sarvi asked.
"Yes, one-by-one," Akash said, "all three can't run at the same time through the gangway.
Akash and Sarvi went first and Olyint and Akash next. Both the times the extraterrestrials were faster. However, neither was as quick as Zarqui. Akash remembered that Zarqui ran past his vehicle at 120 kmph hardly being visible. That was way too fast for even the other two extraterrestrials.
Akash surmised that they would be too slow to enter the IAF base undetected and leave with the weapon. Radhika, who was watching the race, also reached the same conclusion. They both still had to figure out where the weapon was and if Zarqui was a rogue element messing with them and ready to blow the planet to pieces.
After a couple of hours of discussion with the two aliens, Radhika and Akash left them in the conference room.
"Now, what do we do?" Akash asked.
"Let's get the kachoris in my cabin," Radhika said, "I am famished."
Image Courtesy: Pixabay
