SURPRISE!
Hi there lovely people!
Thanks for patiently waiting for this update. I really appreciate your patience.
As promised, here is an update-

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Four hours have passed and none of the boys have even peeped out of the hall. I was worried for that bloody Killer. Well, I think the only one who was worried - worried enough to be pacing outside the interrogation hall with food in my hands.

Nick has no authority on me. I mean, worst he could do is deny Killer his food. Ok, take a deep breath, Jane and just knock on the stupid door and get it over with. They must have already heard my pacing anyways.

But before I could, door opened to a sight I was not prepared to see. The room was hotter than my pressure cooker. Killer was front rolling on the floor with red eyes and dark circles, covered in sweat.

"You are a dear, Jane. Thank you so much." Nick said looking overjoyed at the food tray. What is happening?

"Eat. We need fuel for those rolls." Woah! That tone change gave me a whiplash. Killer is not going to last for these 10 hours, let alone 3 days if Nick is going to talk to him in that tone.
Man he's pissed off.

"Jane, could you please get one meal sent for him too? I mean, for coach-" Killer says in a tone I have never heard on him before. He never seemed so broken, tired or humble. What the hell went down here in just four hours?

Whatever he intended to speak, he was cruelly shut by Nick.
"Major Wills, about a few hours back, you begged me to take charge. Now, you wish to speak without permission. Why don't you make up your mind? Who is in charge of the session?"
The rolls continue with a loud and clear "You, coach."

Nick turns towards me without an ounce of his previous tone and says politely, "There is no need for more food, Jane. He is a lucky dog to have so many people care about him. But don't you worry. I don't plan on touching or killing him. Infact, I'm going to make him 'proud and happy'."
The last line was said with him looking at Killer. Why is he throwing Killer's words back at him?

"One more thing dear. I want you to stay away from this complex for next three days. Don't get involved in things you don't want to be a part of. Alright?"
What is wrong with him?

I opened my mouth to counter but he didn't give me a chance to speak.

"Thank you Jane. Please tell Flyn to send the food through someone else, only at times that I've told him. Also, would you mind shutting the door when you leave? Thanks girl."

Okay. What the heck?

He just pretended that I'm not there and turned to look cruelly at Killer.
"I told you to eat. Do it while I still treat you as a living human. Up." he barked at Killer who wasted no time in getting up and reaching for the food kept on Nick's table.

I was horrified to see his state.
That was too much. I turned around and did as Nick told me - shut the damn door.

********

Killer made it through first ten hours with Nick. Apparently, standard procedure requires that he gets a complete medical examination and 'fit to proceed' from Ren before they go ahead. So, it is now Ren and Killer in the med care.

"Ren please, just make something up. Please. Give me whatever you can. Please Ren.. "
Is this the same Killer that trains me?
There is no better example of 'begging' than him right now.

"He will kill me if he finds out." Ren says trying to be stern.
She is so scared of Nick, that she is denying to help Killer? Is that true?

"I wish he would just get on with the physicals. I don't think I'll last long otherwise."
He chuckles to himself but continues, "In this anger though, I wont last much with the physicals either. I think I can see that Coach Carter more now than ever"
Ren joins him in the little laughter still unaware of my presence at the window.

Ren drowns herself back into his medicals and then comes up after a few minutes
"Willy, there is nothing in your physicals that I can use to keep you out." She said in a sad tone.

"No, Ren. Please! Do something. He wants me to torture him. Until I do, he will play mind games with me in that interrogation room. He hasn't eaten, hasn't slept. He won't leave that room and he won't let anybody but me enter. I need a reason for me to be here. I need him to be forced to come find me and get out of that room. I tried begging, pleading, defying and ordering. Nothing works Ren. I need some time away from that to clear my mind and think. The pressure in there is just too much! Please Ren. I can't stand with him like this."
Killer would have cried if he wouldn't have stopped.

"You stupid potato, tell him what you just told me and he would listen. Keep your ego on the side and just promise him that you won't ever do such a thing again. Take your words in that interrogation room back and maybe, maybe he might go a little easy on you."
Ren said hitting him with her clipboard.

Nick has gone crazy.
I need to stop him before he really makes Killer torture him and harm him.

Killer will be going to Uncle next.
Nick will be alone right now.

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I walked silently through the office and reached the door.
Before I could knock, I heard his voice "I don't want to meet anyone. Go to Captain Renee if there is anything urgent. That's an order!"
He practically barked the last part.

For a moment, I was so scared, I decided to turn around and run away.
But soon I realised that I'm not his junior. His words are not orders for me.

Instead of knocking again, I just pushed open the door and went in.

"How dare you!" Nick shouted as he approached me.
I was taken aback!
As soon as he realised it was me, he stopped in his track. He looked at me surprisingly.

"You are not supposed to be here." he stated, rudely.
"Neither do you. Your hours with your brother are over. You need to come out."

"I don't think I take orders from you."
It felt bad. Truly.
But I will let this one slip.
He hasn't slept, he is empty stomach, dealing with an ass hole in a suitable ass-hol-y manner. He is supposed to be irritated.

"I know Nick. That's why I've come here to talk, not pass an order. Nick, don't do this to yourself. It's hurting him, yes, somewhere you are winning. But I'm sure there's other way out than harming yourself just to teach him a lesson. Please Nick, just-"

"Did he send you?" did he just ignore everything I said?!

"No! He doesn't know that I'm here. Heck he doesn't even know what I know. Please don't go worse on him."
God! Killer do you have any ass left from beating? Because you've got to have some more, thanks to me.

"Then why are you here?"
"I'm here for my friend. He is acting stupid, using crazy means to interrogate someone he is angry at. Can you please tell him to think how bad others might be feeling? Can you please ask him to stop?"

Nick smiled at me. Smiled?
"Thanks Jane. Thanks for showing how much you care. I will tell him, I promise." he said, still smiling, sitting down on the chair he's been sitting on for hours, I presume.

I thought that was sarcastic, but he sounded very serious.

"I will meet him day after tomorrow, and I will convey your message. Anything else you want me to tell him? If there is, please write it on a paper, and slip it under the door."

Freak!
"Nick! For God's sake!"

"Jane, for his sake, go out. Now onwards, every second of your stay in this hall, will cost him.. a.. lot. And I'm sure you know that I mean it. So, you have exactly 60 seconds, before I start counting." with that he looked at his watch.

There is no way I'm giving in to his warning.
"Nick. Grow up, man! He did it for you guys. What else did you expect from him? I agree you should have been in the picture but they have given you genuine explanations. What more do you want?"
I was screaming at him. Atleast something should enter his thick skull.

"Ten, nine, eight..."
Darn it!
I rushed towards the door and slammed it shut before I hear 'one'.
Killer is in enough trouble already. I don't have to make it worse.

Wait a second.

Nick didn't vent out anything on me.
He was irritated as hell, but he didn't say a word to me. Nobody else is allowed to meet him.
What is he doing with so much of aggression?
Freaking hell! All his buildup is being channeled at Killer. That's why that dumbo was begging Ren to do anything that works.

Man, Nick IS as dangerous as fire. And I think I just added fuel to that fire. Well Killer, please know that I had good intentions before you die.

**********

I stand behind the tree I did when I watched Killer punish the cadets who failed to salute right. Right now, it is Killer facing the same fate and Uncle burning him alive.

It's been two hours with him. Uncle has been standing there like a pillar. And Killer has not stopped for a second.

He has been jogging with his palms near his waist and his knees hitting the palms everytime it comes up. I arrived a few minutes back, and with the speed with which he is moving, I'm sure he has completed twenty rounds of the ground, at the very least.

"Halt."
Ah finally he got to breathe.
He stood in attention. With months of experience at KMA, I know that he won't expect the order 'stand at ease'.

Nothing moved for next few minutes. Just Killer's chest filling in and pushing out the air like he will die any moment.
Those few minutes were silent, but tense.

Calm before the storm is an old phase.
"Storm in the calm" is what Uncle believes in. Soft tone used for deadly orders, staying quiet when people expect him to launch missiles, making people wait and ultimately fall on their knees to beg for their punishments - are a few characters this old yet dangerous man has.

"You ready to confess yet, Officer?"

"Sir, I.."
What confession? I thought the interrogation had ended in that room.

"I fail to understand why you underestimate my sources. Why do you think that you will be able to hide anything of this kind, from me. And in this case, hide an entire PERSON, Wills?" He said with an eyebrow raised.

The look on Killer's face was funny.
He just couldn't believe what he just heard.
I agree with uncle.
In these months I've accepted that he will come to know about a single leaf falling from trees. Why did he hide matters like Fumes by his boss, and now this girl.
Oh, girl. Finally answers are coming.

"Sir... She.. It.. won't affect my training, I swear. I.. I promise."
So much of stammering. Haha you are hanging on the edge of a cliff, Killer.

"Atleast you are straight. Glad to know that."
Killer looked down embarrassed.
I had to seal my mouth to hide my laughter. Uncle is savage!

Just then he threw a water bottle at him, which Killer caught, awesome reflexes I must say.
"Stop panting like a dog. I've worked hard on you, don't embarrass me. Drink."
He finished the bottle in one go and kept it aside.

"Now that you've accepted that it's her, I want her details. Shoot."
Where are my popcorns?

"I don't know, sir."
Killer spoke calmly.
Is he out of his mind?

"Well. Then may be Nick knows about her. You wait, I'll call him here, and tell him that you indeed had a secret. One that everyone else knows, except him. I'm sure he'll treat you better in the Interrogation hall after that. What say?"

"Sir, please, no. Don't do that. He is already pissed at me. I.. I didn't want this matter to ever come up. I don't know why he suspected this. I kept it a secret because I didn't want it to affect my daily life. Sir please, it is not as big as it sounds. My first priority is, and will always be my work. Please sir, let it slide. Just this once, I beg you."

"And what about him?"
"Sir, I'll tell him at the end of third day. I promise. Please don't say a word to him. He'll kill me for doing this to him."

"Hmmm. I see. So there is someone in your life, that you don't want anything to share about with us. And you promise that it won't affect your training. So you want us to act like you are on your own. Is that right?"
Uncle asked him in a intrigued tone.

"Ye- yes sir."
Damnit Killer! You wasted my mental popcorns.

"Alright then. I never heard about this girl. But if one fine day you gather the courage to ask me for some leniency using her name, I'm going to throw you out of here. Kadner was lucky to survive despite having two living weaknesses. But you won't be. Got it?"
"Yes sir."

"One last thing, son. Since you've denied me the info I wanted, I will decide what to do with your future. If it's a yes, you have to accept. If it's a no, you have to move on. No cross questioning, no back answering. Am I clear?"
What? Come on! It's his life! You don't get to decide his future. The man needs to have a personal life too, old man!

"Your decision will be final, sir."
You did not just agree to a permanent lock down of your personal life dude!
Or does she not matter to you at all?
Considering your cold heart and dark soul, I guess the latter is more likely.

He deserves people to stay pissed off at him. He has done nothing called good.
Nick is rightly treating him.
Asshole.

I left them for whatever uncle has planned to do with him.
He deserves it.

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