Chapter Twenty

Now

Everyone else is already gathered when Naveen reaches the conference room. He takes his seat between Abhimanyu and Shalini, ignoring an empty one by Ritu's side. Shalini gives him a hesitant smile while Abhimanyu barely acknowledges his arrival, a frown on his face as he regards Ritu from across the table.

For her part, Ritu doesn't even look up from her notes, still writing something when Brigadier Chandook enters, everyone then standing in greeting.

He gestures for them to sit then turns to her. "What are your findings, Dr Mishra?"

Naveen watches as Ritu straightens in her seat. It is as if a switch has been flipped, and she is cool, calm and collected once more. "Having examined Cadet Sherry, I believe that there are a number of issues. She believes her brother is innocent and is determined to prove it. Behind this belief I suspect that there may be a deep anger and hatred towards her father due to what she perceives as neglect towards her, which could easily manifest into rebellion against the academy in future. My recommendation is that she should be dismissed in order to prevent any future problems caused by her presence here."

Abhimanyu snorts. "And what exactly was there in Cadet Sherry's testimony to make you believe that, Dr Mishra? Can you point to any phrases or actions that make it seem likely she would cause any issues? Perhaps we should listen to the recording ourselves to decide."

Ritu raises her eyebrows. "Are you questioning my professional abilities, Captain Chauhan?"

Abhimanyu is angry, Naveen can see it even as his friend struggles to maintain his composure. "Only your impartiality. Since this started you have seemed determined that Cadet Sherry should be found guilty and thrown out. It makes me wonder what the reason for that is."

Ritu's eyes flash. "And since this started, Captain, you have shown a great deal of partiality for the cadet. I wonder what the reason for that is."

"Enough." Brigadier Chandook tells them both. "We have now heard Dr Mishra's opinion and as she is a trained professional, I'm inclined to believe her version. Should Cadet Sherry simply be dismissed however, it is likely to cause an uproar in the academy. Since this morning I have received a petition asking for her to be allowed to stay signed by most of the cadets as well as by some faculty members." He gives them a pointed look. "So how do we proceed?"

"Simple, Sir." Major Bhargav interjects. "Hold a trial to determine the outcome of Cadet Sherry's actions. The other cadets won't be able to argue there hasn't been fair treatment in that case and I will take personal responsibility for questioning her and proving her guilt."

Abhimanyu opens his mouth to respond again and Naveen kicks him hard under the table, interjecting first. "I believe that a trial would be a mistake, Sir."

"And why is that, Captain?"

"Sherry Gehlot is the daughter of a Minister. If a trial were to be held, then whether she was to be found guilty or innocent it would cause a great deal of talk and if it were to reach the press..."

Major Bhargav scoffs. "Minister Gehlot will support our actions even if it does reach the press."

"And how do you know what Minister Gehlot would or wouldn't support?" Naveen narrows his eyes. "Were you in touch with him before coming here by any chance?"

The question knocks Major Bhargav off balance and in the moment it takes him to gather himself again, Abhimanyu has already spoken. "Rather than a trial I believe it would be better if you were to take the final decision after speaking personally to Cadet Sherry, Sir. When I escorted her to solitary confinement she requested the opportunity to meet with you. I believe she deserves the chance to explain her actions herself. If after that meeting, you still believe that she should be dismissed, then the cadets will also accept that she's been given a fair judgement."

There are a few long moments of silence as Brigadier Chandook thinks over each of their propositions before he finally nods. "Have her brought to my office. I will make the final decision and once it has been made, I expect that every faculty member will support it."

Fixing them all with a stern look, he stands, making his way towards the exit.

When Abhimanyu stands, intending to head to the solitary confinement room, Naveen places a hand on his arm, shaking his head. "I'll get Cadet Sherry."

While Ritu may be the only one currently making comments about Chauhan's partiality, Naveen knows there's a danger of rumours spreading. He doesn't want to see his friend become a casualty to Major Bhargav's plans and manipulation's, it's far better if Abhimanyu maintains some distance for the time being.

For a moment it looks like Abhimanyu might resist, but then he nods. "Make sure she's prepared."

"You know I will." Naveen reassures him. "She'll get through this."

Abhimanyu brushes past him but when Naveen steps outside there is someone still waiting.

"Do you have a moment, Naveen?" Ritu asks him.

He looks at her, her expression guileless, almost hesitant. A few days ago he would have believed it unquestioningly. "Brigadier Chandook is waiting and I need to bring Cadet Sherry to him. We'll have to speak later."

"Are you avoiding me, Naveen?" She asks, and in her tone he detects a trace of hurt. Just the smallest amount to make him doubt. "Do you blame me for presenting a professional opinion?"

For a moment, Naveen really does doubt his own judgement. Then he remembers the look on her face as she had spoken in each of the meetings, cold and calculating. "We'll speak once I've completed my duty, I promise."

He turns quickly then, not wanting to spend any more time doubting whether his impressions of her are right or wrong. As Naveen makes his way to the meeting room he remembers not only Naina's earlier warnings but also the way that she has behaved during every interaction with Ritu. His sister has never been one to judge people without reason, yet from the beginning he has noticed her become tense whenever there is an interaction.

Why didn't he listen sooner? Why did he assume that he was correct?

As he reaches the doorway, Naveen signals to the guard to open it, revealing Sherry sitting in the low light inside.

She does a double take when she sees him, quickly recovering, and Naveen knows that she was expecting his friend instead. For whatever reason it may have happened, Abhimanyu is too deeply involved in this matter. Naveen doesn't doubt his friend's motives but he also knows that appearances can decide many people's fate, no matter how innocent they are.

"Did they come to a decision?" Sherry asks as she walks out. She seems almost nonchalant about it, but Naveen sees the signs behind her act; a clenched jaw, hands by her side that shake slightly.

"You'll speak to Brigadier Chandook now. He's in favour of expelling you so you'll need to make a very convincing case for yourself."

For a moment, Sherry's expression is distant and then she nods. "I'll do it. Whatever he requires of me, whatever I need to do to stay here."

"Why couldn't you then?"

Sherry looks back at Naveen, surprise on her face before she once again straightens her expression. "Could you have done it, if they asked you to?"

Naveen opens his mouth to tell her yes and realises that the answer could just as likely have been no instead. "I would have struggled."

Sherry's mouth quirks. "You and Naina are very much alike."

Naveen stops Sherry with a touch to her hand. "Have you involved her in this? Has she been helping you in some way?"

"Helping me? No she hasn't been helping me. She's a true friend though, she's always known how I felt."

Naveen nods and they continue until they stand in front of Brigadier Chandook's door, he raises his hand to knock. "All the best."

Sherry nods in acknowledgement and heads inside to face her fate.

/

Sherry is allowed to stay.

When the announcement had been made, Huda and Aalekh had lifted her onto their shoulders, cheering. She had laughed, not minding at all as they did a round of the courtyard with her.

It hadn't taken much, just a certain level of earnestness about her dedication to the army and a promise not to try and investigate the circumstances around her brother's arrest. It had been even easier than the session with Dr Mishra. Brigadier Chandook may seem stern but Sherry had sensed that he appreciated honesty and she had used that to her advantage.

She figures she hasn't lied to anyone, it won't be her doing the investigation after all.

Captain Abhimanyu is curiously absent during the celebrations and even as Sherry tells herself that there must be a good reason for that, there's still a twinge of pain. As much as she might have vehemently denied it during her session with Dr Mishra, she has grown used to the people she cares about abandoning her. She had thought that this time... she had thought that maybe he cared enough to stand by her.

Her friends are there though, Naina and Aalekh's hugs the warmest of all, and Sherry won't allow herself to think about it now. She'll ask him about it the next chance she gets and if he has decided to distance himself from her for whatever reason, she won't blame him.

She had thought though... he had said that he would fight for her, that he would do everything possible in his power to save her and she had thought that meant something.

It's stupid really and Sherry refuses to think about it anymore until she can ask him what the truth is so she allows herself to be pulled along to an early dinner after missing lunch, her friends still in a celebratory mood and insisting on piling food on her plate.

Both Shalini and Suriji come over to congratulate her and wish her well but the rest of the faculty are absent as they eat. Sherry makes her excuses quickly once she's had her dinner, she knows that Major Bhargav typically comes down exactly half an hour after dinner has started and she feels like she's already fulfilled her quota of confrontations for the day.

She makes a sign to Naina as she stands and Naina nods, she'll follow in a minute or two which is good because Sherry desperately needs to discuss something with her tonight.

It doesn't take long, Sherry has just sat down on her bed when Naina enters, shutting the door behind her. Naina crosses the room quickly to take a seat beside Sherry, pulling her into a warm hug. "I was so relieved when I heard you could stay. I'm sorry you had to go through all of this because of me."

Sherry shakes her head. "Don't be sorry, Naina. I'm glad that it's out now, it makes it easier to be here without the pretence. I know now that I have real friends and besides, I could never regret that you love my brother so much you can't even harm his image."

Naina laughs ruefully, "I never imagined that I would be the romantic type before I met him. It seems ridiculous to feel that strongly when we spent such a short amount of time together but I can't love him any less than I do."

"If only he'd met you first." Sherry sighs. "Instead of that cold hearted bitch."

"If only my brother had had a bit more foresight and introduced us." Naina jokes. "We could have all been comfortably at home right now."

Sherry pauses, thoughtful. "Would you give it up now that you have it though? Obviously I don't mean Bhaiyya being convicted as a traitor, but the rest. Would you give up the academy and becoming a soldier and the friends you've made here?"

Naina shakes her head. "I wouldn't. If I had to trade it for Raj's freedom I would do it in a heartbeat, but if I had to choose between this life and my old one, I would choose this one every time."

"There's something I need you to ask Bhaiya when you speak to him tomorrow."

"What is it?"

"It's about my mother." Sherry pauses, her throat thick with emotion, thinking back to the day when she had been told. "Dr Mishra tried to use her against me during the interrogation but she never should have known in the first place. It's a closely guarded secret that my mother killed herself and I need to know how she found that out. Can you ask Bhaiyya if he ever told her?"

"Oh, Sherry." Naina reaches out to grasp her friend's hand tightly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. I'll make sure I find a way to ask him tomorrow."

"If it wasn't him..." Sherry is still thinking, tossing over options in her mind. "Then we need to find out if Major Bhargav knows the truth. He's the only other person I can think of who could have told her, if my father really did send him here to get rid of me maybe he told her."

"We'll figure this out together. Once I have the answer from Raj we'll work out what to do next, I feel like this could be the key to exposing Dr Mishra somehow. We have to be careful though, at this point all eyes are on you. Don't do anything that they can use against you, leave it to Aalekh and I instead."

Sherry nods. "Until Major Bhargav is gone it's best if we're not seen together too often. It's alright if we're all in a group, otherwise we'll have to meet carefully."

She stands, intending to head for her own bedroom. They can't afford to be found together.

"We're getting close," Naina tells her. "I can feel it."

Sherry nods but she wonders just how much more each of them must lose until they reach there.

/

The next morning, Naina ensures that she's returning from her morning jog just as the phone rings. She doesn't slow down, doesn't do anything that would show that she's expecting it, continuing as normal towards the girls hostel until the orderly calls her name.

"Naina."

"It's good to hear from you." She wishes that she could say more. Wishes she could say that she's dreamt of him, that every moment without him she reminds herself of why she's doing this, of why it's necessary to be apart. For every drill she completes she thinks of how proud he would be to see her, as proud as she is of herself.

"You don't know how true those words are for me. I wish that it was safer to call you more often."

"I agree. It's even more important than ever that I concentrate on my training now that the academy's annual appraisal is on. They've sent someone called Major Bhargav to conduct it, he's been shaking everything up."

There's a sharp intake of breath on the other side. "Every time I think it couldn't get any worse. First Naveen and Abhimanyu being there, then Ritu, and now... are you safe, Naina? Do you think they suspect anything?"

"Luckily I think I've performed well enough to pass. Do you remember I told you about my friend Sherry? They wanted her to leave the academy but she convinced them to let her stay."

A pause. "They used me against her?"

"She's strong but we were all worried when they made her undergo psychoanalysis. Dr Mishra tried to use personal information against her, including her mother's death. Sherry has no idea how she could have known about it."

"If you're asking if it was me, it wasn't. I never discussed that with Ritu, I knew Gehlot Saheb wouldn't want me to. It could mean there's a traitor at a higher level. I've been tracking the group that took you and I have reason to believe they're communicating with someone from KMA. If equipment is found in her room it could expose her but you'll need to plan it for the right time."

"I agree, it's not the right time. We'll all just have to wait for these days to pass."

"I know you'll be sensible, Naina. Don't do anything while Bhargav is in the academy. I'll call you next Tuesday now, same time."

"I'll talk to you then. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Naina, I love you."

"Me too."

She's about to disconnect the phone when she hears Raj's voice once more. "Don't go just yet. Tell me more about your life there, about your friends and how you're doing."

"Are you sure?"

"It will seem more normal if you have a longer conversation and talk about regular things. That, and I really do miss speaking to you."

So Naina stays on the line and tells him about her friends and her drills, answering questions and laughing as she tells him some of the lighter moments that have happened since they arrived. Raj listens attentively, laughing at the stories she tells and making comments and before Naina knows it the breakfast bell is ringing.

"I'd better get going if I don't want to miss breakfast." She tells him reluctantly.

"You don't know how alive I feel every time I speak to you, Naina. It's these calls that get me through while we wait. I'll speak to you next week now."

"I'll speak to you then."

She hangs up the phone, biting her lip in concentration. They'll now need to figure out if Major Bhargav was the one that passed the information to Dr Mishra. It may seem like a small thing but it's nagging at her and it needs to be solved.

As Naina enters the mess she meets Sherry's eye, giving a small shake of her head. The other girl nods in return before going back to her food.

"Naina, come and sit with me!"

Naina looks at Naveen quizzically from where he's beckoning her over. "Any particular reason, Bhaiyya? Have you been missing me or are you trying to avoid sitting with someone else?"

"I think my baby sister has become a bit too sharp." Naveen comments wryly. "Sit with me anyway, we haven't had as much time together as I could wish."

"If we're going to sit together for ulterior motives of yours then you can serve one of mine." At Naveen's questioning look, Naina continues. "You need to speak to Dr Mishra eventually, Bhaiyya, even if it's to put a stop to whatever was happening between you."

"And who says that's what I plan to do?"

"It's written all over your face, you wouldn't be avoiding her otherwise. You've never liked confrontations with your girlfriends."

"How did you know?" Naveen asks suddenly, changing the topic. "You warned me, much before you should have been able to tell that she was like that. How did you know?"

"You could say that my time in the forest taught me to trust my instincts." Naina responds cryptically. "But back to what I need from you, Bhaiyya."

"I feel like this is going to be something I shouldn't be agreeing to."

"You owe me for being right." Naina is calm but Naveen can see the determination in her expression. She's not going to back down. "Now when you speak to Dr Mishra, I want you to find out if she was acting on anyone's behalf when she decided to conduct the psychoanalysis."

"What do you mean?"

"She knew information about Sherry that she shouldn't have, information that wasn't in her personal file. Now I want to know who gave that to her, has she been working with Major Bhargav?"

"Working with... Naina, you're not serious?"

Naina's expression is hard as she looks back at him. "I am and you need to become serious too, Bhaiyya. How do you think your friend was trapped? If an officer as good as him can be set up, do you think they can't do the same to you? I want you to find that out for me, Bhaiyya, and I want you to find those photos I'd requested."

Naveen stares back at his sister. This is a side of her he hasn't seen before and he can see that she's in earnest. She expects this of him, he can see it in her eyes, and she's not prepared for him to let her down.

"You know that Sherry has been expressly ordered not to investigate anything to do with Raj's arrest."

"Which is precisely why you need to do this now, Bhaiyya. She'll never even touch those photos, but somebody needs to find out what's on them. If you really want to prove your friend innocent then I'm giving you a step to do so without placing any of us at risk."

"At risk?" Naveen grabs his sister's hand. "What aren't you telling me, Naina? How much about all of this do you really know?"

"Please just do what I'm asking you to, Bhaiyya. I'm looking out for my friend and it's time you did something for yours."

Naveen watches Naina as she leaves, troubled at the conversation they've just had. He had assumed that Naina might only have a basic knowledge of the situation but it appears that there are things his sister has been hiding from him. He thinks of the people who trapped Raj and the idea of Naina falling into their hands as well makes his blood run cold. He'll do what she's asking and he'll pray that it keeps her out of trouble.

A/N: Thank you to the guests who commented, it makes me really happy to hear how much you love Sherry since I am very attached to her. Don't worry, while I've mentioned the epilogue we've still got 12 chapters to go until then so it'll still be going for awhile!