"I spy you!" - 30

What a manly walk! She felt a thrill ran through her which actually annoyed her. I can’t be so clammy in front of stranger, though a colleague. For all she knew their paths may never cross again.

Durjaya dropped her home. She was not at all talkative. May be she is tired after all this adulation, Durjaya thought.

The next two days she could not concentrate. His face, his body, his talk haunted her. Without her knowledge she tried to poke into Durjaya’s computer to pick up some details about Pushpahaasa. There was not much she could get.

May be he is very secretive thought Vasupradha. She kicked herself for being in this position. She tried all means to come out of this. She knew if she continued like this, it would affect her work.

Work is separate and private feelings are separate – she started chanting to herself. She could not still concentrate on her work.

She met Durjaya and tried to talk the usual stuff with him and to her horror she failed to make even ordinary conversation. Oh God, please help me, she prayed the unseen God multiple times.

She decided that only remedy for this is to get involved in her work. She wanted to meet Bhanu and ask her for a job and then decided against it. May be she won’t take it kindly.

Then she remembered Padmanabha. She had seen an admirer in him. She mustered courage to meet him and ask him some job so that she could come out of this infatuation. She was sure it was not more than that!

Padmanabha beckoned her to come in the moment she knocked on the door and put her head in the slightly opened door.

“Did you get my message?” he asked. Vasupradha was surprised. She said “No Sir!”

“Oh, how come you have come?” he said in a surprised voice and pulled a file towards him and opened it.

“Look at this lady! She has given us a lead. She feels her husband is up to some nefarious activities. The police have forwarded the case to us since it involves some matter of national security” said Padmanabha pointing to a photograph of a woman. She looked beautiful.

 “You have to go undercover. You have to live in a house opposite to hers for at least 3 months” said Padmanabha. Vasupradha was very elated.  Undercover! To live as someone else!!

"I spy you!" - 29

He was keenly looking at her. She had to go up six steps to be on the stage. She walked up the steps just like Charlie Chaplin and there was a huge round of applause.

She shook hands with both the judges and gracefully accepted the prize.

“Now, we would like to know the true identity of the person. Could you please show your real face?” asked the senior judge.

She took off her hat and shook her hair loose. Then she pulled the brush moustache with alacrity.

Now there was a bigger sound of claps. All of them stood up to clap.

Vasupradha’s eyes scanned the crowd to single out the Mask man. Oh, he has removed his mask. By seeing him and his expression, her legs felt rubbery and she was sure she will fall down. She bravely came down the steps just like Charlie Chaplin both feet on each step and removing the hat at every step.

The claps continued till she reached the seat next to Durjaya. His mouth was agape with her charade.

He just kept on shaking her hand for quite some time.

There was quiet after that. All went for dinner. As she filled her plate with the snacks and searched for a place to sit, a voice said, “That was a smart performance!” The same voice, the manly voice, which was making her melt like ice cream.

She now looked at his face boldly. Really a great face. Each part of the face was made with perfection. And his body! It was a match for his good looking face. Oh God, I hope I will not fall for him. He has all the characters of Adonis.

“Thank you!” she said and sat down thankfully on a stool and placed her plate on the table.

“My name is Pushpahaasa! You are Vasupradha?” he asked.

So, this man has done some homework between my appearance on stage and the dinner.

“Pushpahaasa! Very rare name” she blurted out just to talk something. Then she bit her tongue. She knew what he will tell!

“Yes madam! Just like yours, my parents also searched the same scripture to name me!” he smiled. Oh God, what a smile!

She felt she was split into two. One portion wanted to see him forever. The other portion wanted to avoid him, that too only to avoid a heart ache!

Oh no, not during the first meeting. Have I not seen more handsome men? She tried to reason out herself.

Even as he was trying to strike a conversation with her, he got a call.

The moment he said “Yes!” and heard the message from the other side, his face became like a mask. He went some distance, spoke a few words, came back, nodded at her and left in a hurry.

"I spy you!" - 28

She hurried her steps and entered the hall. In a hurry, she tripped on the carpet. A hand with an iron grip held her and made her steady.

The body heat soared. Oh, who is this man? Why is he coming behind me like this? Thought Vasupradha. Of course, she suddenly understood. He is also a part of the office. That means he is a colleague! No wonder, he is wearing the (most famous) mask!

Inside the hall, there were many people already. All of them were dressed in some or the other film personality’s dresses.

She looked out for Durjaya and suddenly spied him in the dress of Aamir Khan in Gajni. He was wearing a bunion which looked like a bare six pack! And a wig of slight hair and a deep wound mark!

She just went and sat beside him. He just gave her a customary glance and started looking at his watch.

Suddenly she realized why he was seeing the time! He was trying to see at what time she is coming in and as what!

She smiled to herself and was scared immediately that her brush moustache may come off!

There were two people who were not in any fancy dress. They were peering at everyone. May be they were the judges, suddenly thought Vasupradha.

The judges went up the stage. Durjaya was restless. He looked at the door again and again and then called her over the mobile. She could not contain her laughter. She just moved to the end of the row and received his call.

“Yes, of course, I am here. Only thing is you did not recognize me! Let us meet after this speech is over” she whispered and came back and sat next to him smiling to herself.

“There are three prizes. The third prize goes to... “ One of the judges announced and continued, “The second prize goes to ....”

Then the other judge picked up the mike. “The first prize goes to the person who is in the makeup of .... “ He did not tell the name. He went on narrating an incident. “There was this famous international actor. Once there was a competition to dress up like him. Out of curiosity the actor came as himself. Funnily he got the second prize!” There was a buzz among the audience. Many of them knew about who the judge was talking about. “Yes!” continued the judge. “The prize goes to Charlie Chaplin! The person in the dress may come on the stage please!”

Durjaya nudged with his elbow and said “Go!” and not knowing in the world that it was Vasupradha!

Vasupradha felt very uneasy now. Dressing up like Charlie Chaplin was fine. But going on the stage in front of colleagues... that too when she was yet to be accustomed with most of them.

But her legs stood up and she walked to the stage. The man in the Mask was in the first row.

"I spy you!" - 27

She felt uncomfortable. She wanted to badly change the subject. But she was unable to think of anything to talk about. The whole world of hers revolved around the case studies.

She need not have worried. Durjaya could speak about many things simultaneously!

“Hey, do you know we have a party this Saturday?” he told excitedly.

“What party?” asked Vasupradha

“It is called the charade party. You need to dress up like any movie actor you like. The condition is that the dress should make you recognizable as the actor” explained Durjayan.

Vasupradha found it interesting. She wondered what dress to wear.

Somehow two days were passed with her filing her reports of what she did in Middle East. As Saturday approached she started rummaging her wardrobe.

At that moment it struck to her which would be the best dress to wear. In fact, she had won accolades in her final year of college for the same fancy dress.

It was time to reach the party hall. The charade party was arranged in a 3 Star Hotel in a well known suburb of the city.

She hired a cab and got in. she was doubtful whether somebody would recognize her. She had dressed to the core. She could not even remove one part of her dress. She felt uncomfortable by watching the eyes of the cab driver. The eyes were full of curiosity to know what was being seen was for real!

She got down in the porch and paid the cabbie and walked in. The hall was somewhere in first floor. She decided to walk the distance as it was only one floor.

“Hello, I have seen him walking down the steps in a peculiar way. But, I don’t see you going up the steps in the same style” said a very manly voice. Her ears became hot by those words.

She immediately turned to see who commented. She could see a very wide chest, narrow hips, long legs and a shock of curly hair.

The face was not seen. It was in a mask. The mask of Jim Carrey. Who is this handsome man?

"I spy you!" - 26

Finally he got up and handed over her the pen drive in which he had brought some important documents. He said, “Madam, please take this back. Speak with Bhanu madam. If she pardons me I will be the happiest. Even if she punishes me, I request you to tell her that I am happy to abide by any punishment she plans to impose on me”

Vasupradha did not know what to reply. She patted his hand, left from his room and retired in her room. She contemplated whether to call Bhanu and decided against it. She wanted to face Bhanu in person, face to face.

She took the next day morning flight and reached back the Nation’s capital. She was in front of Bhanu in the next two hours.

Bhanu called Padmanabha to be part of the meeting.

When Vasupradha recounted the whole story, there was a look of admiration in Bhanu’s look. Vasupradha learnt that Padmanabha’s appreciation had gone up hundredfold as far as Padmanabha is concerned.

“Good job young lady! How on earth you got the idea of ‘blackmailing’ him?” Bhanu’s words were tough, but there was a twinkle in her eyes.

Vasupradha told, “It was not blackmailing boss. All I did was to tell him what he will miss if he resorts to the path he wanted to walk.”

As a very rare gesture, Bhanu told, “I appreciate what you did. But...”

“Boss, I needed to speak about that” Vasupradha said, looked at Padmanabha and continued, “If Gupta is to be punished, he requests that his family need not know where he is gone. May be we put in a good word so that he can be with his family without guilt after his punishment is over”

“Nice one young lady! You seem to have all good qualities!” said Padmanabha.

Vasupradha thanked them and went in search of Durjaya.

He was in the lab doing some experiment with a mobile connected to a personal computer.

“Hello” Vasupradha said and she could see the real happiness in his eyes, action.

“Hello elder sister! Turning to be a heroine with each one of the cases being handled by you?” he took her hand and shook it.

“How come...?” Vasupradha was surprised, so asked.

Durjaya laughed. “Do you know something? In this office it is difficult to see each other, but rumors and news spread fast!”

After the usual discussion regarding what each one underwent in the past few days (this, they had made a habit. Both felt that a lot can be eased out whenever two people talk and share.

“Good thing elder sister. You are really good in analyzing people. God bless you!” he said with a lot of feeling.

"I spy you!" - 25

The situation suddenly became friendlier towards Vasupradha. There was a knock at the door and all the three men turned towards the door.

Vasupradha did not lose a moment. She was slid out from below the cot and rushed towards the guy with the gun. She did not even think what could happen next. She hit his head with the butt of her pistol. The man fell on to the carpet like a bull. Next moment she held the gun pointed at the guy sitting on the chair. Gupta jumped out in a jiffy and put his foot at the neck of the fallen guy.

The man sitting on the chair was stunned. It looked as if he had never expected any sort of resistance from Gupta. Vasupradha ensured that her pistol-held hand was rock steady. When he saw that he could not do anything he just stood up. Vasupradha aimed her gun at his face.

“No, no! They will go. They should have known what is word commitment” said Gupta hurriedly and removed his foot from the fallen person’s neck.

Both of them staggered out of the door very fast and Gupta closed the door immediately and went back and sat on the bed.

He was in a furious mood. He was muttering to himself loudly, “What do they think of themselves? Is theirs the only country? I shall send feelers to some other country and sell them!”

It was at that moment Vasupradha searched for a video clip in her mobile and played it loud.

A small boy’s voice said, “My father is a good man. He is a great patriot. He takes good care of us. We all love him. We always want him with us”

Gupta’s mouth was open with shock. He came near her and snatched the mobile.

Vasupradha could feel the dilemma Gupta was undergoing. When she recorded the video she had a very vague idea how to use it. The idea got solidified when Gupta muttered to himself that he will sell the secret to some other country.

“Are you holding my son for ransom? Will you kill him if I don’t listen to you? Is that why you were behind me all this time?” words were rolling out of his mouth with a high speed.

Vasupradha said, “Hold on!”

He kept quiet and looked at her.

“I went to your home and met your family. Great family I should say. They have high aspiration about you. They feel that you are the best person ever as far as love for the country is concerned. Your son who is so small is imbibed with love for our country. When that is so, how can you even think of selling some important documents to the other countries?” she said and kept looking at him.

He kept silent for a long time. Vasupradha knew that she had played her pawn and she now had to wait for the reply from Gupta.

He must have been silent for more than an hour. He went on playing the video clip repeatedly. Vasupradha had also captured the other members of his family in her photo album. He seemed to weigh the situation for quite a long time.

"I spy you!" - 24

She was embarrassed by his gaze. But she had a job to do.

The talk turned to subjects like Nation, our duty to the nation etc. The subject was brought up by Vasupradha but not directly. She ensured that it started with him. She did not want to make him learn at any cost that she is from the Intelligence Office.

He was in high praise of the country. But there are issues he said. What issues she asked. He was not ready to divulge any more details than that.

She wanted to tackle him with what she had brought specially from her country which should either make or break the case.

Would he take it positively or negatively depended on how much his words were true about loving his family.

She cleared her throat to broach that subject when there was a careful knock on his door.

He suddenly became alert and asked her to hide below the cot. The bed had a drape which was touching the carpet on the floor of the room. She was below the cot in a jiffy.

It was almost immediately that she could hear two hissing voices. They were not being pleasant in their talk. She decided to see what is happening. She lifted the drape a little and peered from below the edge of the drape.

To her horror the same two people who had dinner with Gupta were holding him at a gunpoint.

She found that one of them had a gun and the other was sitting on the same chair where she was sitting a few moments ago.

She was attracted by a small movement. It was Gupta’s feet. He was still sitting on the bed and he had slowly slipped something which fell in front of her with a soft thud due to the plush carpet on the floor.

It was a pistol. She was very fast in moving it towards her. When she held the pistol in her hand, she felt a lot confident.

She was given training in handling the guns. She loved the banging noise of the guns.

She did some quick thinking. Why did Gupta push the pistol towards her? Obviously to use it. All these days she had never used it in a real situation. Well, it has presented itself now.

She mustered her courage. She had to divert their attention first. But she suddenly understood why they not shot him. The reason is that the guns are noisy and they would attract attention.

They were trying to negotiate whatever it was, by talking. But how long? Probably they will knock him off on his head.

She had to act fast. How? She started thinking furiously.

"I spy you!" - 23

“Your mission is simple. Try to put some sense into him. If he is turning hostile, just come back. No compulsion to continue” Padmanabha had told her while she went to say bye to him.

The plane journey was uneventful. She took a neat nap during the flight. But the mind was seriously contemplating what to do when she meets him.

What’s his name? She thought. His name was Gupta. She did not get his first name. Not that it mattered.

She had collected enough details of his family who were in the Nation’s capital.

She landed into a very hot evening. Must be 50 deg C she thought. She hailed a cab and checked into the hotel where Gupta is supposed to have checked in.

While entering her details in the form given by the hotel, she casually asked the receptionist “I am here to meet Mr. Gupta. Is he in this hotel?” and gave him a dazzling smile.

The receptionist was happy to tell. “Yes madam, actually he is in the room now” he said.

She got the number of his room and proceeded to her room. She was not sure whether to meet with him in his room or at the restaurant.

Finally she decided to see whether she could actually get him in the restaurant. If not, then there is no choice but to meet with him in his room. Is it safe? She wondered for a moment.

But she had no luck to meet with him in the evening at the restaurant. He was there but with two people talking in serious tones. Vasupradha was keen to know whether exchange of some document happens. Nothing of that sort happened. After dinner the other two left and Gupta left for his room.

She followed him and joined him in the lift. Encouraged by her friendly smile, he asked whether she can join him in his room. “Eager to have company of a fellow country person, just for talk” He told.

She went into his room. It was a replica of her room. She chose to sit in the chair opposite the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed facing her.

She thought she will have the bold approach as her strategy.

She started talking about his life. His eyes lighted up when he spoke about his family.

“I would do anything to make my family happy. I want to give them the best things in the world” he said with stars in his eyes.

This guy is a misunderstood person. I have to be careful in my approach she thought.

When he asked about her, she was cool saying she is an orphan without anyone to say hello at home when she returned in the evening after she finishes her work.

She told she is a teacher in so and so school. He was flabbergasted. “Oh my God! You are in the same school where my kids are studying. How come I have never seen you?” he said looking at her admiringly.

"I spy you!" - 22

It was the first time she was out of country. She had to get a passport and a visa for her travel.

She was given a new name Muktaa.

“What do you say if they ask you what’s your second name?” asked Durjaya.

“Who are they?” asked Vasupradha... no, Mukta.

She wanted to get used to the new name given under the new identity. She made Durjaya call her Vasupradha many a times and did not turn. She made him call her Mukta and she immediately responded.

After the exercise went on for an hour, Durjaya said, “Oh, Mukta, you are not a very familiar figure in our office itself, then how do you think someone will recognize you outside the country? That too in a Middle East country?”

She thought for a moment and accepted that he is right.

Her boss Bhanu had summoned her. When she went to meet with her, Padmanabha was also there.

“Young lady! Let me tell you straight. This is not a usual mission. The person who was to go is still in the previous mission. I chose you because you have been highly recommended by him” Bhanu nodded her head towards Padmanabha.

“He says that you have spark in your eyes and innocence on your face that no one will ever suspect you as a spy” she said as if she was reciting a poem from a primary school book. Vasupradha was wondering what Bhanu would think about her. Bhanu replied her unasked question saying, “I agree with him to a maximum extent” and smiled.

Maximum extent? Does that mean there is still some doubt?

She was still thinking how to go about it when she was being dropped to the airport by Durjaya.

“Miss chatterbox, where is your tongue? Did the cat take it?” Durjaya teased by moving his left hand in front of her face.

“Hello, please keep both the hands on the steering. I want to go in one piece to Middle East.  I may not come back in one piece while coming though!”

“Hey, please don’t talk like that. I know I only told you that this is a dangerous mission and matter of life and death. That doesn’t give you the right to talk like as if it. I want my elder sister back. Ok?” Durjaya said seriously and parked the car in front of the Airport.

She got down and went to the boarding pass queue.

She found that her plane was on time and left after saying bye to Durjaya.

She could feel that Durjaya was not at all happy that she has been chosen to go to the Middle East to stop a deserter who could be turning a traitor.

"I spy you!" - 21

He showed the whole demonstration. Vasupradha was keenly observing how the small microchip was inserted inside the skin of the person just near the arm pit on the torso.

Vasupradha was amazed to see how good he was in showing the demo. Once the demo was over, there was a coffee break. She went to the instructor who was sitting alone and sipping his tea.

“Sir, I am Vasupradha. Can I sit here?” She asked him. He was of about 30 years. Tall, lean with a moustache and a French beard. The spectacles gave a very high intellectual look for him.

“Sure Miss. My name is Swayambhu. You may call me by my name. I feel old if someone calls me Sir. Especially young girls like you!” his smile was infectious and she had to smile.

They developed a rapport. She learnt a lot of secret tricks from him. He was amazed by her speed of learning and her questions were out of the world.

He said so when they were alone in the coffee shop after the last day of the training.

“You are amazing. You showed super skills of learning. You know what?” he asked sipping his tea. Vasupradha who was more a coffee lover asked what.

“When you ask more questions, you get more answers and thus more knowledge. You are a genius” he praised unabashedly. She did not blush. She just smiled and acknowledged his observation.

She met Bhanu. She was very happy to see her progress.

“Wow, you are a fast learner young woman! You go places” she said in a matter of fact tone. She looked at Vasupradha and smiled. “I can read the question. I am fully trained. Now what? Is your question. Right?”

Vasupradha could just nod. “Just wait!” said Bhanu mysteriously.

Vasupradha did not have to wait for long. Durjaya came running to her and said, “You are having a real test. You are going to be in a dangerous mission. Take care of your life! Good luck!!”  He said solemnly.

Vasupradha felt a chill run up her spine. 

"I spy you!" - 20

The instructor who was quite an old person said smilingly, “Young lady, this dot and dash language is very useful during distress. When you are in trouble or you find someone in trouble, even with torchlight you may send signal. If you are lucky enough to find someone who could read the Morse code you have a chance of getting rescued”

Vasupradha became very attentive to learn all the letters in dot and dash language.

“Read the book on Noor, a British trained Spy in Germany occupied France, a signal operator’s story of courage” said the instructor.

Vasupradha read the book and was thrilled and also felt sad. She imagined herself in the character’s place.

She was taught the hardware parts of the computer. At the end of the session, she came to know how to dismantle a PC and a laptop. How to copy files, how to retrieve the lost files, how to delete incriminating data etc.

She was also shown how to transfer files to a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), how to put a tracker in a mobile.

“Today your training is at the medical center” Durjaya said.

He had told her that the 5 persons who were apprehended belonged to a neighboring country and they were on the verge of making a bomb as they could not carry a bomb across the border. They were rounded and taken into custody.

“Their leader escaped. The net is getting tightened to capture him” informed Durjaya.

She felt very disappointed. In the movies everyone is apprehended. Even if they escape, it is only a matter of time before they are captured.

‘I do hope I shall be instrumental in catching him’ she thought.

May be someone was saying ‘Tathaastu’ from somewhere.

The medical training was interesting. They taught her how to give an injection to a person to make him/her survive and how and where to give an injection to make someone numb for a few hours and how to kill a person (may be an attacker or a terrorist) using an injection.

Vasupradha wondered whether she would be able to master all these things. But as she was a person to catch everything fast, she did pick up all the tricks of the spy trade.

The other interesting thing she learnt was the transmitter being injected to a person. How to escape the checking from the tracking device. She asked many questions.

One of her questions was appreciated very much. She had asked, “Here you injected a transmitter which helps in tracking the person who is being sent as a spy to the opposition. But is there a chance of hiding a device bigger that the size of the transmitter? How do they do it?”

The instructor clapped his hands. “A very good question! Suppose the secret of the country is to be taken to the enemy country. The equipment if bigger than the width of a grown man’s thumb, could be inserted inside the body of a person by a small surgery”

"I spy you!" -19

She could not open her mouth to scream since his hand was on her mouth. She struggled a little and bit his hand as much as she could. The man removed his hand for a moment. She said, “Hey, leave me! Why are you holding me?”

The man gave a gasp and said, “Oh God, Older sister! Why did you not tell me it was you?”

Vasupradha recognized the voice and said, “Durjaya! It’s you! How could I tell you that it was me when you had shut my mouth?” she struck a pose putting her left hand on her left side of the hip and showing the right hand thumb finger up.

“Wow, what a pose! If some producer makes a movie on a lady spy, you are the right choice!” he mocked.

“Let us come to the work part please, if you have finished your bantering” she said in a serious tone.

He said in an equally serious tone, “The next door activities have not started. I am waiting. Since you have come let us wait together”

Both of them settled near the window in the dark.

Vasupradha suddenly remembered and asked, “When will be I going to check about the fake ID woman’s son’s kidnapper? What will happen to the woman with the fake ID?” 

“Oh, the woman would be undergoing some enquiries. As far as the kidnapper’s case, one of our colleagues who is on the field would go” he said.

“Who?” she asked as if she knew everyone. It was just an idle curiosity.

“The best man in the business. Pushpahaasa” said Durjaya.

That was the first time she came across the name of Pushpahaasa!

The name sounded interesting she thought and opened her mouth to ask some more questions, when Durjaya said, “Sh!”

Vasupradha saw a few shadows almost floating into the next house. She felt goose bumps on her arms. It was just like in the movies except for the background music!

“Where is your gun?” asked Vasupradha.

“Hey, wait for a moment! What do you think? Some James Bond movie? My job is to report what is happening after checking for about 2 days. The field team along with the local police would take the necessary action to apprehend them”

“Oh” she said, trifle disappointed.

The next day she did not come to this house. She was asked to learn the Morse code.

“Why should we learn this? What is the advantage?” she asked.

"I spy you! - 18

After dark, 4 to 5 people were seen stealthily going inside the house. The windows will be totally closed even at this height of summer. Not even a small ray of light comes out of the house. Someone had seen just one evening a glimpse of the people going into the house.

So, he had taken the next house for rent. The owner, the old man, wanted to give the house to a married man only. Hence Durjaya had produced Vasupradha as his fiancée.

“So, what do you do next?” asked Vasupradha.

He got up and walked to a side window and beckoned to Vasupradha. The window was open. Vasupradha walked to the window.

“Don’t look very keenly. They may get suspicious. The house may have some people inside” he whispered in her ears.

He then had a doubt whether someone from inside the house is watching them.

But Vasupradha squealed as if it was her natural reaction.  “Look at that dear! Drum sticks tree! I shall make drumsticks sambhar one day and feed you” He smiled at her and closed the window.

They went off. He dropped her near the Intelligence office and left from there. She had casually asked him what time is he planning to come back and stay.

“I will come here by 8 pm” he had said.

Vasupradha had her dinner and collected some food in a carrier. She wore black slacks and a black cotton shirt, pulled all  her hair to a bun and took an auto to the house taken up by Durjaya.

It was beyond 8.30 pm when she reached the building which she and Durjaya visited in the morning.

The lights were off because there was no power. She slowly started going towards the main door of the house. She was about to knock the door when someone grabbed her suddenly, clamped a hand on her mouth and whispered fiercely, “Who are you and what are you doing here? If you don’t reply me properly, your dead body will fall here in the next 30 seconds. Now, I shall count 30” he said and started counting. Though not scared fully, Vasupradha started wondering what to do to escape from this man’s clutches! 

"I spy you!" - 17

Vasupradha collected the phone from the Facilities department and called him. He asked her to meet with him, so she returned to the laboratory to meet Durjaya.

He was leaving for somewhere.

He said enthusiastically, “Come, I am to meet a person regarding his problem. You can join me. Junior Boss, I mean Padmanabha wants you to be introduced to our field operations”

She was thinking, this is better and better. I would know so many things!

She sat behind him on the bike when they came out of the building.

The bike zoomed past many buildings in the Nation’s capital and finally stopped near an old house. It was small group of houses inside a big compound.

He asked her to go with him. Just before knocking the door of a house, he hissed in her ears, “Just nod to whatever I say. Don’t have any surprised look on your face!”

She hardly had time to digest what he said when an old man opened the door.

“Namaste Sahib! I am back” he said smilingly and continued talking to the person after casually putting his right hand on Vasupradha’s shoulder. She cringed inwardly but put on a smiling face on the exterior, “And this is my fiancée”

The old man smiled from ear to ear. “Now, I have no problem to give the house for rent. When is the wedding beti?” he asked Vasupradha.

Vasupradha had understood the situation very fast. Durjaya wants a house in that compound desperately. So he had invented a lie that he is her fiancé. She did some quick thinking and said with a smile, “It is 2 months from now uncle!”

“Uncle!” he repeated and said, “Nice pair you make! God bless you”. He then handed over a set of keys to Durjaya.

Once they were inside the house, Durjaya locked the door from inside and said, “Thank you older sister! You are good in the job. You are very fast!” he admired her.

Vasupradha did not feel bloated with this praise. Her idea was to learn new things.

She said so to Durjaya.

He looked at his watch and sat down on the sofa there.

“All right. I will tell you. In fact, I shall tell you the whole background. Then you will understand my today’s action”

Durjaya could tell a story nicely.

Some six months ago a man of about 30 came from nowhere and started living in an independent house next to the compound of this house. A whistleblower came to know about a suspicious activity being carried out in that house and informed the Intelligence Office. A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department or private company or organization.