A/N: Hello again, guys. How are you all doing?
So, here's another one of the old stories that I had promised to post here. This story is based on Episode No. 1539 named Radioactive.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it.
HAVE A HAPPY READING…
The car swayed a bit and Daya stopped it at the side of the road they were on.
Abhijeet: Kya hua?
Daya: Lagta hai tyre me kuch problem hai.
Abhijeet (grits his teeth): Yaar...
Daya: Ue peeche wale tyre me...zara check karna.
Abhijeet: Issi samay hona tha ye bhi.
Abhijeet got out of the car as Daya held the bomb and kept it on the passenger seat.
Daya: Sambhal ke.
Just as Abhijeet moved to check the tyre, Daya drove away, leaving Abhijeet behind. Abhijeet tried to catch him when Daya takes a turn but is unable to do so.
Abhijeet: Ye cheating hai! Ye cheating hai Daya!
Daya looked at Abhijeet in the rear-view mirror and could clearly hear his words reverberating through the deserted jungle road. He could understand the frustration his friend must be feeling but couldn't regret his own decision for that.
Here, on the other hand, Abhijeet had tears in his eyes as the worst possible situations that this mission can lead to, started coming to his mind unbidden. But as his nature was, he couldn't allow himself to wallow in those thoughts for long. He collected himself fast and looked around in hope of finding a taxi or an autorickshaw. The chances of finding one in this deserted road were slim, but still, he had to try. Even a private car or a motorbike will do, he thought, but his luck didn't support him in even that.
He tried calling Daya but the phone didn't connect. Out of coverage area, it said. Frustrated, and not wanting to waste any time, he started to walk back in the direction of the main city. There he saw a patrol jeep coming towards him. He stopped it and identified himself to the two constables inside the jeep. They were of course ready to help him as soon as they recognised him as a CID officer.
Abhijeet didn't bother explaining the situation to the constables. His first instinct as a friend was to follow Daya on this jeep. But once again his logical brain won, which didn't want to waste a single moment. If he had two patrol police at this hand, he will use the situation to the best, just as Daya had done a few minutes ago. He could feel his anger bubble at the thought, which led his mind to think what Daya was up to doing, all alone. This time it was fear creeping up his spine. He shook his head and took a deep breath. Then he turned to the cops, outwardly in control of all emotions.
Abhijeet: Ye raasta kaha jata hai, pata hoga na tum logo ko?
Constable 1: Haan sir, ye raasta aage jak er do raasto me divide ho jata hai. Unme se ek thode aage jak er teen raasto me divide hota hai aur doosra do raasto me.
Abhijeet's brain was processing and drawing conclusions quickly. He had to, given the current situation.
Abhijeet: Inme se koi raasta kisi sunsaan jagah pe jaata hai?
Constable 2: Sir, raaste to saare hi sunsaan hai. Par yaha se aage ja ker do raastein major highways pe nikalte hai. Aur baaki teen me se ek sunset point pe jaata hai. Pehle kaafi tourists aate the lekin khaayi me kuch accidents hone ke baad se visiting without permission ban ker di gayi hai.
'Yaha pe ja sakta hai', Abhijeet thought.
The constable continued speaking faster, seeing Abhijeet getting impatient with every moment: Baki do raasto me se ek raasta aage jak er jungle me hi mil jata hai, kafi time se band ho gaya hai isiliye maintenance nahi hoti. Aur teesra purane helipad pe rukta hai, waha bhi koi insaan nahi jata abb.
'Pata hai. Pehle bhi ja chuke hai hum.' Abhijeet thought as the old memory of Daya and him rushing the car through the traffic with Abhijeet holding the virus bomb in a similar case came to mind. 'Bomb diffuse karne', he couldn't help but add sarcastically in his mind. (Episode reference: Secret of the Code No. 571 E 1115)
Abhijeet jumped into the back seat of the jeep and commanded to the constable who was driving: Mumbai city ki taraf le lo. (In a low tone added to himself, as the jeep turned back towards the city) Abb aage jak er fayeda nahi hoga. Patan ahi kaunse raaste se gaya hoga. Yaha se to call bhi nahi lagta.
The two constables exchanged glances and the first one dared to ask: Kaun nikal gaya sir? Criminal hai kya koi?
"Haan!" Said Abhijeet through clenched teeth.
The constables wisely kept their mouths shut after that.
On reaching the border, Abhijeet stopped the first car he could see, and took the steering wheel in his own hands after explaining his identity, as the cops had to go back to their patrol duty. He drove as fast as he could to the City Hospital, where the rest of the team was waiting for him and Daya.
'Sabko kaise bataunga ki Daya…' he sighed, not willing to go where that thought led.
He was out of the car and running towards the hospital as soon as he stopped the car in front of the gate; barely thanking the man whom he had kept on the verge of a panic attack by the speed he had taken with his car. Abhijeet took the lift with his last hopes in heart that the team would have found out some way of diffusing or destroying the bomb. He tried to call Daya once again, already knowing the result from his previous tries. His call was disconnected by his friend. It was frustrating beyond measure. And scaring.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
They had finally found the way the bomb could be defused, but it was not an easy feat. Abhijeet could hear the desperation in Daya's voice, which was slowly turning into hopelessness as he failed each time. He heard Daya's broken voice on the mobile as he said frustratingly, "Nahi ho raha Abhijeet."
How he wished he could actually be there beside him as he said, "Hum log hai sath me tumhare…"
He could not explain the fear that gripped his heart as he heard Daya saying, " Shayad waqt aa gaya haid yaar", knowing his friend was giving up.
"Daya aisa mat bolo please." He didn't notice that he had said the words out loud that had come to his mind. But he couldn't let his friend give up so easily. He bolstered him up, using words he knew would push Daya to try harder, and breathed a sigh of relief along with the others when he heard Daya's victorious and joyous cry from the other end.
"Kar liya na dost tune", Abhijeet said to Daya, his relief showing in every word.
He would admit it to no one that it was one of those very few times when he had almost given up hope, as the timer had slinked to the last second.
A/N: Next chapter after at least 25 reviews. ;p