Later that night Naina was crying in her room holding the broken recorder pieces while Pooja was sleeping with her back towards her or rather say pretending to sleep. She was somewhere disturbed with Naina's tears. Having bonded so much over such a short time she had considered Naina as her sister and till today repents the day she had accusingly joined Naina's name with their Rajveer sir. The distance between 'once' best friends was visible to all. Unlike before times Naina didn't spare a look at Rajveer, while he had started being formal and silent, only speaking when needed, not indulging in their stupid talks or sharing some extra information. Just to the point.

Naina's tears came to a halt with a knock at the door, who could it be at this time ? Lolita Ma'am...? Wondering she opened the door but found no one. Naina was about to return when her eyes caught something unusual, a recorder, it looked old, oh wait! It was a recorder same as Naveen possessed. Picking it up she saw a chit attached which read "Kisi bhi nateeje prr aane se pehle asli aur nakli kii pehchan hona zaroori hai" confused about the message she sat on her bed and inspected it. On one side she saw a horizontal S inscribed over a vertical N and a horizontal line crossing one half of the N looking as A...putting some pressure on her brain cells she remembered how Naveen marked all his possessions with a similar sign...Naina checked the broken pieces of the recorder she had initially nd got amazed to find no such sign....Moving ahead she tried to play it

"Raj...bacha le mujhe...please mujhe bacha le" Naina heard her brother's begging voice.

"Navu...tu tension kyu le rahaa hai...mai aa gya hu na...tujhe mai bachaa loonga...tujhe abhi yahaan se mai Punjab ke raaste Rajasthan le jaaunga...wahaan tu kisi gao mei underground ho ja jab tak mai tujhe nirdosh saabit nahi karta...I promise mere yaar mai tujhe teri vardi tera wo samman sab waapas laa krr dunga....bass tu hausla rakh" she heard someone else's voice which she identified as Rajveer's

"Tu nahi samjh rahaa hai Veer....aisa nahi ho sakta...wo log pichhle do hafton se slow poison de rahe hai zabardasti....mere left hand ne kaam karna band krr diya hai aur Dheere Dheere mere paer bhi mera saath chhor rahe hai...kuchh hii dino mei marr jaunga mai..." she gasped listening.

"Tu yeh kaisi baat kar raha hai Navu"

"Veer...tu bhi army mei hai...you know a person won't survive long enough after being injected with slow poison over a week....aur mere case mei to it has been 2 weeks" fresh tears appeared in her eyes

"Nav tu meri baat to sunn..."

"No you listen to me Capt. Rajveer Singh Shekhawat...either you shoot me right here right now or I'll shoot myself" Naveen said

"Nahi navu...please tu please baat samjh mai tujhe bachaa loonga...I'll get you the best treatment"

"Rajveer tujhe meri kasam...do as I say"

"Mai aisa bilkul nahi karunga" said a wailing Rajveer

"You have to do it"

"No I won't...tera dimag kharab ho gya hai Naveen mera nahi" She heard Rajveer's angry voice

"Gudiya....yeh mera tere liye aakhri message hai....apne bhaiya ko galat matt samjhiyo meri jaan...tere bhaiya ne kabhi koi galat kaam nahi kiya...jitney bhi ilzaam lage hai mere upper wo sab galat hai...lekin mai ab aur nahi jhel sakta Gudiya....I want to be free...thak gya hu mai...aur please yeh matt samjhna kii tere bhaiya gaddaro ke haathon maare gaye....mai apni maut sirf mere veer ke haathon sweekaronga....aur mere jaane ke baad kabhi bhi koi bhi problem ho to mere dost, mere bhai ko contact karna...Capt. Rajveer Singh Shekhawat" she heard her brother's message for her with tears flowing continuously down her cheeks.

"Please Raj I am begging you....you have to do it....please Raj....Please....tujhe meri kasam....you are exempted from my killing"

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"BHAIYAA...." Naina shouted when she heard the gun shot.

She was still coping up with the gun shot when she heard Rajveer's crying voice "I am sorry Naveen....I am sorry....sorry....mujhse tera yeh dard dekha nahi gya...I have set you free....please maaf krr de mujhe...lekin mai waada karta hu mere yaar...tujhe insaaf zaroor dilwaunga...mai apni aakhri saans tak teri liye ladunga...tere parivaar ko wo sammaan dilwaunga...aur jis din mai tujhe nirdosh saabit krr doonga uss din I'll reveal everything to your family...I'll surrender myself to them phir chaahe wo mujhe koi sazaa de infact I'll beg them to set me free as well...kyunki uss din ke baad mere pass koi wajah nahi hogi apni laash ko zinda rakhne kii...aaj Shaheed Capt. Naveen Singh Ahluwaliya ke sath Rajveer bhi marr gya"

The recording ended with sounds of shoes on soil and some gun shots following, which she assumed as the respect salute.

Along with Naina, Pooja too had heard the recording nd now was crying too...sensing Naina needs her support she got up and sat beside her but Naina was too numb to understand anything....the only thing running in her mind were the two gun shots...one through which her brother got freedom and the other which Rajveer had taken on himself saving Naina. She was crying uncontrollably without listening to any of Pooja's talks...when Pooja sensed Naina going uncontrollable she decided to call Dr. Shalini.

***

Pooja knocked at Shalini's door repeatedly worrying about Naina's condition in the room.

"Cadet Ghai...kya hua ? Is everything alright ?" Shalini asked as she opened the door

"Ma'am kuch theek nahi hai...wo Naina....ma'am wo theek nahi hai aap please saath chaliye" 

"Kya hua hai Naina ko...nd why are you crying like this...wait...have some water"

"Nahi ma'am...aap bass chaliye please"

"Okay come"

They both rushed to Naina's room where she was still in the same state...Shalini tried multiple times but Naina didn't co-operate with her or even stopped crying for a minute. Shalini had even tried to take the recorder from her hands but her grip was so tight that even Shalini's army training didn't come to any help.

"Naina bilkul respond nahi karr rahi...nd iss halat mei I can't even give her tranquilizers...she is already drained by this crying aur aisa hii chalta rahaa to it won't be good for her health...I guess there is no option now...go and call Capt."

"Ma'am Rajveer sir ?"

"Haan Cadet Ghai...iss waqt Capt. se zyada Naina ko koi nahi samjh sakta aur naa hii sambhal sakta hai" 

"Yess Ma'am" Pooja uttered before rushing towards Rajveer's room.

***

Listening to Pooja's description Rajveer had guessed that Naina might be crying for the broken recorder. As he reached her room he got devastated seeing her in this state...but when he saw the broken recorder pieces on side of the bed and an all fine recorder in her hands he had understood that somehow the real recorder had reached her and now the truth was out.

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Resuming my writing from this shot...I don't know how it went...please share ur views...hopefully I will update JTM very soon

Till then
Byeeeeeeee 👋🏻

Signing off
Kikaberry