an: dear friends/readers, do vote n comment if you are reading this story and want to see its end. ty😇💖

💫***💫

It was the same 8 years ago. He had to put his moves first. With Thiya Arun, it's always like this. It is out of habit that he chased after her forgetting they are on duty and over looking her reminders. Even her mentioning Dr Shah couldn't have her desired effect on him.  He only wanted to hear a yes, only wanted to take a break. But of course there were his height and emotions to. This is extremely rare and it has to do with the fact that Thiya is back in his life after 8 years and all the misunderstandings between them are cleared. but little did he asume at the end of this little game (as usual thiya enjoys dragging things) that they would stumble upon professor Arindam and the ACP talking. Enough of the personal thoughts, got the turn on the duty mode, Seyon.

Huddled close, Seyon and Thiya activate their recorders in their trouser pockets. Although they are unsure if they will hear anything significant, they are ready and waiting.

"Arindam! Why..."

At first the voices are muffled. The ACP loses patience and raises his tone.

"Why did you come here? There are cameras everywhere... There will be a proof of your visit. Why visit the CBCID?"

Arindam responds in a calm voice, "can't I visit an old friend? You know why I'm here. I thought you promised they would leave my kid alone."

"Ah... I did what I could, I dissolved the SIT and yet... DCP Pandiyan... I'm afraid it's not in my hands now. Well, why are you worried? Isn't your kid innocent in all of this? The whole slasher Asterix idea is a fluke, anyway. Waste of time to investigate... yet none understand!"

Arindam falls silent for a moment, then declares the conversation has ended.

ACP mutters irritably, "good riddance. You can always use phones to contact, you know?"

Seyon, Thiya hear the shuffle of feet from above. Pulling away from each other, they scramble for cover. Arindam descends the stairs first; the slim man he is, trots down the stairs further at her speed, heading for the exit gate. The ACP, the stout and slightly bellied old guy comparatively, walks the corridor Seyon, Thiya occupied a second ago, eventually getting into the elevator at the north end.

Seyon, Thiya emerge from their hiding spot behind the pillar and share a meaningful glance. They are in detective mode now, eyes narrowed, mind focused on what they heard and recorded. It's astounding how much meaning Arindam and ACP's small conversation holds.

The kid Arindam speaks of is Aran, isn't he? Arindam didn't respond when the ACP asked if the kid was innocent. That aside, it's clear ACP has been cooperating with Arindam all along. He even dissolved SIT to keep Aran safe! On Arindam's instructions.

Did Arindam bribe the ACP? At least, the ACP seems to believe Aran is innocent. Though he's committed a crime, he's not entirely corrupt to help a criminal. What is Arindam's relationship with Aran? If he's going this far for Aran...

Who's the other man from the photograph Aran and Arindam preserved? Image processing can answer these questions to some degree, but the rest of the explanation has to come from Arindam himself.

***

Soham and Mira take over guard duties from Ulla and Ramya at the studios, who are happy to assist. The two women officers laugh, brushing off the SIT officers' thanks, saying they could easily handle their division's paperwork and sleuth for the SIT.

That late afternoon, Soham and Mira join the crew for lunch and continue to watch the shooting. Kavya's injury is healed. She is always a delightful and fearless young woman, showcasing her stunts alongside Aran. This time, the shoot finishes with no casualties.

Suddenly, Aran approaches the director and announces he has to go home.

"Go home, Aran? You have another sequence with your other costars..."

Aran doesn't wait for the director's response, let alone permission. However, he tenderly reassures Kavya, who crosses his path, that everything is fine. Alarmed, Soham, Mira stealthily chase after him, only to confirm indeed he has gone to his home and is up to nothing.

***

Pretending to be an extrovert when you are an introvert is hard. But Aran does it at the studios, only finding peace within the confines of his home. It's why he ensures his house is as secure as can be. A young lad barely 21, living by himself, needs all that security. Plus, using homemade technologies fulfils him and allows him to utilise his skills.

He hurried home after his smartwatch detected suspicious activity there. One step inside his abode, he knows it wasn't an erroneous signal. His place has been messed with.

The motion sensor LEDs have been turned on. Concealed from prying eyes, under his desk, the infrared sensors are as precise as they can be. They are also lit up, which means somebody broke in.

Aran frantically searches his house to ensure all his treasures are intact, in vain. His artwork is there, with a few expensive paint tubes missing. Who's the thief going after his art? For the next half hour, he reviews the hidden camera footage at his desk, searching a clue.

On his desktop screen, he sees a man and a woman dressed as punks enter his home. Judging by the Gali-gali band song playing in the background, it is likely that these two are affiliated with the notorious gang. If only his treasure chest — the puzzle box isn't taken... Aran bolts from his chair and checks his secret locker and finds it gone.

With wild determination, he ransacks his house, flipping it over in search of the box. That box is important to him. Alas, the thieves took it. With a grunt, he runs his hands through his hair, casts his black spandex bodysuit aside (set property; he must return it). Dressed in pyjamas, he sits back at his desk and goes through the security footage again with a calmer mind.

On his computer screen, he sees the continuation of the video feed from before. Indeed, the man and woman stole his treasure chest! They were whispering something back and forth. Aran cannot hear what the infiltrators are saying. His audio processing software cannot pick any meaningful conversation. Had he been at the time of the robbery, he'd have choked those thieves to death. With his bare hands or with one of his high-tech gadgets...

"Ugh!" he slams a diet against his desk. His breath is stifled by overwhelming indignation. "Calm down, Aran."

Yet his nerves refuse to calm. He feels the strange, familiar madness rising to the surface. His brow glistens with sweat as he wrestles with his emotions.

He looks at the man and woman on the screen again. No matter how hard he tries, he can't recognise them. Many individuals can have that physique. There isn't anything particular to give away the offender's identity.

"The treasure chest... that's mine, you fools!" He screams, watching the thieves make their way out of his house. "Hmm. Even if you are the gang of famous thieves, I am surprised you could enter past my security systems. But why my house? Did you come to steal my gadget? Okay, calm, calm... phew!"

He sucks in a deep breath. "Sing a melody, Aran. The lullaby mom used to sing to you before her passing. Hm, hm... la la... Gotcha, you thieving lot took that box, but you must have found it absolutely useless! If you had decoded the puzzle box, you would have cast it aside!"

With that last thought, Aran changes into his formal attire and rushes out of the house, digitally locking the front door with a simple touch on his smartphone.

The street security cameras, the ones he setup, were disabled and heed him no clue. He checks the nearby streets and alleys, eventually turning to the large municipality garbage bins.

With gloved hands (he always keeps the gloves handy in his pocket), he removes dirtbags, stray dirt that reeks of rotten eggs. Viola, he finds what he's looking for, his treasure chest!

Open sesame. He unlocks the box, sliding the puzzle pieces rhythmically only to find it empty inside!

"Why!!! If you were thieves, why'd you... Are you the police looking into the slasher case? One per cent chance. I cannot think why you will target me. Aren't you supposed to guard Kavya Krishnan?"

Aran has no clue to tackle or view his current situation. He has no choice but to lie low as he promised to professor Arindam. He should not cause the professor any worry or trouble.

He remembers the old professor's words from a year ago. "They came here inquiring about you. What were you up to? I thought you were redeeming your ways..."

Redeeming my ways? Am I ever wrong? I committed no wrongdoing, nothing! The world's committing wrongdoing with innocents like me every day!

Cursing loudly, he stands tall and crushes the box under his foot after throwing it to the ground. It is broken down to smithereens under his force. He laughs like a lunatic, scaring a couple of passersby. He laughs until his chest hurts, his breath heaves, sweat coats his entire body. Once done, looks at the sky dyed in the hues of sunset, finding momentary calm.

***

As the sunsets over the city and the CBCID, Thiya finishes the image processing. She tells Seyon what Dr Shah said. The two of them gear up to visit Arindam's home. Late hour of the evening isn't a hindrance. Soham and Mira are watching Kavya. So far, so good. Armed with the image Thiya processed and the recorded conversation from the afternoon, Seyon and Thiya embark on their quest for answers.

***

💫TBC💫

💫Up next:  Seyon Thiya meet Arindam after which a roadtrip is in the order to find the truth. Mira devices her own plan to tackle Aran and seeks Soham's help! 

💫✍AN: short chapter. I choose Dhruv Vikram for the role of Aran. All these years I couldn't think of any face for Aran ACP or Kavya, but seeing there will key events of the story coming up I have to choose a face. I will soon choose ACP and Kavya😅