"Jeet!" shouted a young adult as he fell off the cliff.
"Jay! Jay!" a dark-skinned man in his early twenties yelled as he woke up suddenly, sweating profusely and trying to grab the air. It took him quite a few deep inhalations and thumb-induced pressure on his temple to gather his nerves and bring his breathing back to normal. But what had him after 5 hours of disturbed sleep was the killing headache. He can tolerate this physical agony, but the frequent recurrences of such attacks have turned his otherwise localized discomfort into neuropathic pain, and this throbbing ache is becoming exponentially unbearable for him by the ticking of the clock.
Sighing audibly, he made his way towards the balcony to recite a beautiful self-composed ode to the Sun, which is the only powerhouse driving him to sanity and giving him some positivity. He needs it. After all, he has to work in surroundings filled with pessimism, blood, and crime while dealing with his demons.
He alighted from the car and climbed the stairs in a hurry as he had to report to his senior before executing the planned raid to get hold of the gold smugglers.
"Good morning, sir." he greeted ACP Pradyuman.
"Morning. I went through the blueprint of the plan, and it seems okay to me. Just that, you must be vigilant and take some momentary decisions. I am going to attend the meeting with the higher authorities. Inspector Arjun from IB and his head should be your men of contact in case any emergency arises."
"Yes, sir. Also, before heading to the headquarters, kindly mail the local police station superseding that area to be ready with arms and personnel. Just in case we need them."
"I will. Gear up, you all. All the best! We shall win!"
"We will win, sir. We will." a determined voice roared in the bureau.
"Freddy and Vivek, climb the pipeline at the back of the dockyard and enter via the window in the North. Daya, attack from the East. Tasha and Purvi will accompany you. I and Shreya will enter from the front and will make noise deliberately to shift their focus towards the front. You guys will perform your respective tasks in the meanwhile. Comrades, bring it on!" ordered Abhijeet before the team dispersed towards the dilapidated dockyard.
"SIR!" bellowed the pumped-up detectives in unison while raging towards the dockyard.
"It was rather an easy raid," smirked Tasha.
"Indeed! I thought it would be a herculean task, especially going by the status of the culprit and the firm associated." retorted Purvi.
"Are we having a golden weekend, then?" winked Vivek.
"I wish," Freddy replied, smiling broadly.
"But why was Abhijeet sir shocked to see that kidnapped businessman there? Weren't we expecting a high-profile hostage there?", queried Tasha twitching her eyelids intentionally.
"He might not be expecting a Delhi-based businessman, maybe." Said Vivek. He added, "And that too a stalwart of this stature. I mean, who would have thought that the leading garment exporter who spends 10 percent of his earnings in his security would get captured this easily."
"Makes sense, intelligent." smiled Tasha. Her words made Vivek blush hard.
"Abhijeet, we had a successful raid and registered zilch injuries and no casualties on either side. We have infinite witnesses this time around. What's making you this tensed?" asked a concerned Daya.
"Nothing related to the raid and success, Daya. It is related to Mr. Sinha. He is unconscious even after four hours of rescue. I hope he is fine.", said Abhijeet.
"Good Lord! Are you alright? I mean, it's the first time that I am seeing you concerned for someone in duty hours and that too for an unknown.", uttered Daya dramatically.
Abhijeet merely smiled. Daya could feel the melancholic vibes irradiating from his best friend. He glanced at him and discerned the note of regret in his eyes. He was taken aback. Like, this side of Abhijeet, these gestures of dejection were unknown to him. Never in his six years of duty alongside Abhijeet has he seen him going through the emotional turmoil that he was in at this moment. He has always seen him as a strong and nearly emotionless man who exhibits only the emotions of happiness and surprise, and that too is a seldom sight.
"What?!" yelled Abhijeet after feeling a constant stare on himself.
"Nothing," replied Daya.
Author's Note:
Hola readers!
This piece is my first attempt at fanfiction. I hope it matches up to the standards.
I will be waiting for the detailed reviews and constructive criticism.
I will try to give regular updates.
Signing off,
WisMod