Hatighisa was one of the small villages that surrounded the main Naxalbari county. There was no separate police force here. The area was once popular for elephants until the national parks took all of them. Free of the elephantine influence, the jungle grew over fast, becoming wild before becoming beautiful.

The police formed a perimeter around the jeeps. They came through the only way into the jungle and there was no other way out of the jungle unless someone wanted to go deeper, in which case they'll emerge to the main Naxalbari on the other side.

Vaibhav landed on the damp ground and the misty starkness almost blinded him. Most of the officers were standing before him, they formed a perimeter around the jeeps blocking the exit. Vaibhav crawled up to reach the jeep and grab his bag. Then he frantically searched for Biraj. Vaibhav walked half bent and looked at the panorama through the shoulders huddled before his eyes. He could see the far end of the rifle pointed directly at men who emerged from the darkness. Some were locked in combat with other officers who dared to venture closer, the ones who made past them never lost the rifle mark.

Vaibhav adjusted his bag on his shoulders and searched for Biraj among the trees. Then he heard the noise. The air around Vaibhav changed direction. Vaibhav turned to see a lean-looking girl. She was wearing flannel pants and a sweatshirt covered loosely in a checkered shirt. She wobbly walked towards Vaibhav, fiercely eyeing him as if destroying him was the most important thing to her. She held a handkerchief in her hand, a stone tied to one corner. Vaibhav took a step back, he didn't dare to defend himself against her. The constables on the perimeter did not look back. Vaibhav kept backing up and looked down for a moment when the girl charged. She aimed the stone at Vaibhav's throat and let the handkerchief unwind around his neck, forming a makeshift noose, the stone locking it in. Vaibhav arched forward in panic while the girl jumped on his back. She kicked his waist with her knee and pulled on her kerchief. Vaibhav choked, he tried to reach behind to unwind the noose but the girl kept pulling. Vaibhav stopped struggling for a moment then breathed in deeply and let his legs loose. The entire weight of his body was thrown against the girl, she slipped, both of them fell on the cold ground. The girl would've fought again but the clicking of Biraj's pistol made her stop moving.

Vaibhav jumped and stood up, throwing the handkerchief off his neck. He looked around to see several men and police lying on the ground. Their enemies seem to have called a seizefire. Bimal manhandled an elderly-looking person into his jeep.

"So these are Naxals! Naitik seemed a lot tougher!", said Vaibhav pointing at the girl.

"You expecting uniforms and flags!?", Biraj made the girl stand up.

"I wasn't expecting common people!"

"Really!", answered Biraj, "you arrive at that insight all by yourself!"

"You agreed to bring me!", Vaibhav said exasperated, "you know there is more to that bizarre device!"

The girl kept looking back and forth, suddenly unsure of her role, until Biraj handed her over to a constable. Then he instructed Vaibhav to walk with him, "I told you rushing into a hideout situation based on Kali's description was a bad idea!"

"Well Chaitali helped too, without her I would still be confused among Terai regions and the Duar forests!"

"You two done!?", Bimal came out of nowhere, "we've found their hideout tent if Dr. Roy could kindly assist? You found this place after all!"

Vaibhav and Biraj bellowed as they followed Bimal into the tree cover. Biraj hopped over a fallen branch and sarcastically asked, "how did you do this again!?"

Vaibhav revolved around with style to look momentarily at Biraj before turning back and answering, "I examined the dirt from the crash site and matched it to old survey records to locate a general area in the jungle..."

"Don't", Bimal stopped them from walking and talking, "just tell me what these are?"

Vaibhav avoided looking around the clearing. Biraj stepped into the hastily set up large tent. Bimal was pointing at large open drums of various coloured liquids.

Vaibhav put on his gloves and brushed the rim with his fingers, "they were sealed with wax?", he asked Bimal.

"Yes, what're they? Designer Drugs?"

Vaibhav crawled and fidgeted around the tent willfully avoiding taking notice of the surroundings.

"You know, once in a while, you could tell us what you're looking for.", said Biraj, "We could help you!"

Vaibhav kept crawling around until he pulled a packet out of nowhere. Biraj and Bimal kept watching, along with some police officers. Vaibhav upturned the packet over the drum and some white powder fell out of it into the red liquid inside. Vaibhav picked up a long branch lying by the side and stirred the liquid in the drum with it.

"It's not drugs!", Vaibhav kept violently stirring the liquid with the branch. All the people around watched as slowly the red turned to faint yellow. Vaibhav stopped and stood up. He lifted the dripping branch, noticing each drop and then spoke, "it's the silver!"