City of Sthapan, Present Day, 8:55 p.m.

The doctor was nowhere to be found in the parking lot, and no, Omkar actually expected that. He even wanted that.

Dr. Bhide, with all that he was, was a man who essentially thought with his heart. That was why he was not fit to be a TTI agent.

Omkar had pissed off the doctor with the sheer hope of getting that man out of here, and yes, it had worked. Mitran was standing in the parking lot, and no, Mitran was neither angry nor worried. He was just thinking things out, and Omkar saw that the man was armed.

Yes, that made the chief of TTI a very dangerous man, physically speaking. But Mitran was dangerous, even otherwise. As an adversary, Mitran had the capacity to stay completely unruffled, and yes, the man was capable of neutralizing his enemies, without much use of physical force.

He had no questions as Omkar came to the parking lot and just silently got inside Omkar's car. If Omkar found Mitran's sudden lack of belligerence surprising, he definitely made no mention of it.

The unusually hot weather of Sthapan was unrelenting. But both the men ignored it.

Omkar slowly pulled out of the car from the parking lot of TTI, and he was quiet.

Mitran was quiet too.

Omkar needed none of his gray cells to know what Mitran was thinking about.

No, it was not about Aadi. That was completely Omkar's problem, and Mitran would not be worried about that. Well, Mitran was worried, but not in the way that Omkar was.

"Do you want to talk about Shreya, chief?"

Mitran studied Omkar for a huge second, as Omkar stopped the car at the red light. Mitran noticed that Omkar had used one of the crowded alleys to get out of TTI's street, and waddling through the traffic in this street took more time. But Mitran had been seriously thinking about something else and had not noted Omkar's choice of path to get to Vani's house.

Yes, Omkar's question dragged the chief of TTI out of his thinking. But for a few seconds, there was no emotion in the eyes of the TTI chief. Not one.

Then Mitran sighed.

"The offer is still open, Om." Mitran told Omkar. "When all this is over and Aadi is back. I have to go and talk to Shreya. Do you want to accompany me while talking with Shreya?" Mitran shook his head unhappily. "You were my first choice to come with me. You refused. That was why I had to take Bhide and Aadi, to talk to Shreya."

Right now, Shreya's matter was a backbench matter, but still it was there, and yes, there was a very specific reason Omkar had brought that up now.

"I still refuse." Omkar flatly shook his head. "Chief, there is nothing you can say to convince me to change my mind on this one." He sounded disgruntled, almost broken.

Mitran noisily breathed through his mouth. The thing was, he could make this an order and force Omkar to come. But Mitran did not want that. Not in this particular case, because Mitran understood that.

So he was silent for a few seconds, and Omkar was driving slowly.

"It hurts me too, Om. But... Mitran took a deep breath. "I need to know why she ended up making the choices she did." He nodded at his agent. "I need to know why someone whom I had chosen for the work that we do at TTI, turned out like her."

Omkar shook his head. "Count me out." He was serious. "I was never envious of your job, chief." Omkar said fervently. "Now is no different."

Mitran clutched his forehead and looked to ward off a headache. "After what Bhide did in Vani's case, I am wondering whether it is sensible to take him along while talking to Shreya." Mitran sighed, shaking his head. "After all, Vasant chose Shreya to work at TTI, ten years back. I... had my reservations about her. I sensed something cold in her. But Bhide convinced me otherwise."

Omkar rolled his eyes, actually rolled his eyes. "You had reservations about me too, chief. The doctor convinced you about me too." Omkar's voice was dry.

But then that was a thing. While the others believed that Mitran had problems with Omkar because of his inability to do what he was told, Omkar knew that was because Mitran found Omkar too... clinical, unemotional.

Omkar had noticed that distinct pattern after he had entered TTI.

All the people that Mitran had selected for TTI had to be able to look at the bigger picture and think. That was a basic necessity. But that was not all. Mitran made sure that the people whom he chose were all amenable to emotion. Not reason, but emotion.

After his training, Omkar realized the wisdom in Mitran's choice. The training into TTI was brutal. It was very easy for the people who survived the training to fall into the dark side. Their training was such that only the people who were amenable to emotions could do what they did in TTI, for a higher cause, and continue doing it.

Mitran was silent during the entire time that the traffic light at the signal was red.

"You were a corner case, Om." Mitran sighed to himself. "Bhide told me that your childhood would not scar your adult life, because, according to him, you had moved beyond it. You were not looking for any appreciation from your parents, anymore. You set your own rules and none of your rules involved hurting others."

Omkar said nothing.

Mitran was silent for a few seconds and then studied Omkar. "Do you think Bhide learnt his lesson about not to meddle in actual cases of TTI?"

Omkar frowned for a few seconds and then shook his head. "Temporarily. But he will always look at the good side of people. It is what makes him what he is." Omkar nodded to himself. "You can count on him to make the same mistake with others, the same way that he did with Vani. He sincerely believes that we should not devote any of our time or resources to tracking down non-violent criminals. He feels that TTI was not formed for that." Omkar shook his head again. "Nothing you say can change that idea."

Mitran sighed and snarled at the same time. "I thought so too." He pouted as he looked out of the window. "I should have probably done something a little drastic to you. Then that idiot would stop making stupid mistakes like these." Mitran shook his head. "What if that idiot develops a sudden soft spot for Shreya and thinks that she is not dangerous? What if he tries to help her escape?"

Omkar rolled his eyes. "Chief, the doc sees the good in people. That does not mean he is not stupid. He let Vani go because he thought that she was not dangerous or someone we had to stop." Omkar studied Mitran. "Do you think the doc might think the same about Shreya?" Omkar let out a mirthless chuckle. "Do you think the doctor has not seen that Shreya has confessed to hurting innocent children? He is a doctor, chief. These things would hurt him more than they hurt us. He is that type."

Mitran was silent for a few seconds, and then nodded to himself. "You are right. The doctor would not do that."

Then he looked a little curiously at Omkar. "How difficult was it to falsify Vani's records?"

Omkar chuckled at first and then caught himself. Even the smile did not reach his eyes. "Online was the most difficult part, chief." Omkar told Mitran. "It helped that Bhide has overriding powers for altering those personal records online, but a techie helping out would have been great."

"God, you mad men!" Mitran almost chuckled at that. No, Mitran did not think that Omkar had done the most obvious thing – approached Kriti for that.

To be very honest, he had a high opinion of Omkar's intelligence and, whether or not Kriti was his wife, she was not someone who could keep secrets in the long run. She was not capable of that. Omkar definitely knew that. Not to mention, letting Kriti know things like this could hurt her career too. No, Omkar was not foolish enough to drag Kriti into this mess.

Omkar smiled mirthlessly. But he was too busy thinking. "You also saw the cameras of TTI, after Shreya was arrested. That is how you knew that the doc had done it."

Mitran suddenly looked serious as he nodded. "I was badly shocked that day, Om. I hoped I had double-guessed myself. I hoped I had made some mistakes. I hoped that... Shreya would turn out to be innocent. There was nothing wrong with her when I chose her. Her psych-eval files came back perfect every time. Just a day before, in her talk with me, she was happy. She was going to start a new life with someone. I had written it down in her file because I felt happy for her." Mitran sighed, shaking his head. "The doctors and the leader of the TTI of the city, are the only people in TTI who have access to these psych-evaluation files of an agent. These are all experienced people, who know how to evaluate people. None of those who had seen those files had any complaints about Shreya." Mitran sighed, shaking his head. "But then investigating Shreya led to the fact that she had been doing this for ten years. That means we were not paying attention or we should have caught her a long time back."

Omkar took a deep breath and stopped at another red light. "I couldn't figure that one out, myself, chief." Omkar shook his head. "I still feel that there is some mistake on that one."

Mitran gave a mirthless smile. "Feelings don't substitute for a confession." Mitran studied Omkar. "Did you look into Dr. Chari's case, after Shreya's confession?"

Omkar swallowed painfully and shook his head. "I had proved beyond doubt that Chari was the main culprit. Shreya had confessed to helping Chari and offering protection for the smuggled goods. That was enough. I wanted to do nothing more with the case."

Both the men were silent for a few seconds. Then Mitran studied Omkar again. "This is what you wanted me to know. You dragged me to Bhide's clinic before Aadi's kidnapping to get the doctor to admit to falsifying Vani's record, wasn't it?

Omkar nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it is connected to everything today."

Mitran frowned. Then he shook his head. "I already have enough on my head. Give me facts and don't beat around the bush."

Omkar knew exactly what the chief was asking and, no, he did not beat around the bush.

"Vani messed up this morning, chief." Omkar started.

Mitran swore under his breath. "How many times is she going to do this?" Mitran exploded furiously. "She gets involved in some theft which connects to TTI. She keeps doing this again and again!"

Omkar sighed. His luck was such that he was the TTI agent involved at all times that Vani came into the scene. The first time that had happened had started Omkar's story with Vani. The second time, Omkar ended his relationship with Vani. The third time had been a fresh start for Vani, all courtesy of Dr. Bhide. The fourth was the present.

Mitran sighed to himself. "What did she do this time?"

"She stole from Ramesh at the time that Ramesh was... murdered."

Mitran thought that out for a few seconds. "And how do you know that?"

Omkar took a deep breath, as he turned right very slowly. "She wanted TTI to know that she was the one who exchanged the painting."

Mitran stared. "What? Why?"

Omkar nodded to himself. "This is a guess, but a reasonable guess. The murderer got inside Ramesh's house at the same time that she got in. She could not save Ramesh. And if she stole the painting , then the TTI was going to hit upon her as the culprit." Omkar shrugged. "We would have hanged her because she was there at the crime scene at the wrong time."

"This is not even the first time that has happened." Mitran was exasperated.

Omkar would have rolled his eyes. "She did the only thing she could do. She smudged up the fake painting, obviously, letting the TTI know that it was a fake. Then she escaped from Ramesh's house, probably knowing that there was nothing that she could do for Ramesh."

"She could have called the cops." Mitran was furious.

"She did." Omkar asserted. "The cops sent a patrol there. That was the reason, Ramesh's... death was not... prolonged." Omkar nodded at Mitran's surprise. "I talked with the cops this morning. The cops came to that particular location because of an anonymous call. I am willing to bet everything I have on the fact that Vani made that call. Because, no one else could have made that call. Definitely not the killer. So who else could it be?"

Mitran slowly nodded to himself. "Then?"

Omkar started, and Mitran held up his hands, silencing Omkar. "Wait! How do you know that Vani was not involved in Ramesh's murder, Om?"

Omkar nodded because he had expected this question from Mitran. "The painting was switched by Vani. I am convinced of it. If she was involved in Ramesh's murder, why would she draw any attention to it?"

Mitran seemed convinced of that. He nodded. "Continue."

"Ramesh's killer has come to know about Vani's presence in the house." Omkar said unhappily.

"How?" Mitran was confused.

"My best guess is the smudged painting." Omkar shrugged. "Or it could be some hidden camera or something. Ramesh was a TTI agent. Obviously, he would have things like this in his home to check on intruders, chief. The killer has already shown that he knows details about Ramesh's house. He probably knew something else too."

Mitran had no further questions on that one. "So the killer knew that Vani had been the one who had stolen the painting and that she had been there and seen him torture and kill Ramesh. Then what happened?"

"But the problem was that the killer did not know where Vani was living, so that he could silence her. Because to the rest of the world, she was dead." Then Omkar shook his head. "But because the killer knew that Ramesh's house was burgled by Vani, he had reasonably guessed that I could find her." Omkar sighed to himself. "If Vani was alive, I am, after all, the best person to know where she could be hiding. That is the kind of history I have with her."

Mitran swore under his breath. "Aadi was kidnapped today to force you to find Vani."

Omkar did not nod. He was just driving ahead, focusing on his driving.

Yup, a part of Omkar, acknowledged that the chief was a little slow, because at any other time, the chief would have been on the next step and asked the next logical question.

Mitran was two minutes late. But that was entirely because he was still preoccupied with Shreya.

But two minutes later, Mitran swore angrily under his breath. "What the fuck, Omkar! You didn't think it through, you asshole!"

Mitran waved around and looked angrily at Omkar. "If you knew all this, why the fuck are we going to Vani's house? It is certain that you will be followed. The killer would make sure of it." The chief of TTI looked aghast. "The minute you find her, the killer is going to take her out. Remember, if Vani is allowed to talk, she can pin a murder on him."

"Oh. I did not see that coming at all, chief." Yup, Omkar managed that in the most dry and boring manner ever.

For a second, Mitran was infuriated.

Then Mitran remembered that this asshole did not react to anger.

More importantly, Omkar did not make mistakes like this either.

Mitran did not turn around and look behind the car. He was too well trained for that. "Are we being followed, Om?"

Omkar looked extraordinarily proud of himself. "I am sure we are, chief. That white car, two cars behind us, is doing an almost amateurish job of following us." Omkar chuckled to himself softly. "This could be because of my slow speed too."

Slow speed. Red light. Traffic. Oh fuck. Mitran swallowed the string of curses in his mouth. "Vidyut."

Omkar did not nod this time. He was just focusing on his driving and studying the rearview mirror of the car.

Mitran pouted at his agent. "That is why you are driving so horrendously slowly. You are giving Vidyut time to get to Vani and, more importantly, you want all eyes on you."

Omkar nodded, but his eyes were still serious, making it obvious that he was still worried about Aadi.

"Aadi...?" Mitran started looking very serious and then sighed. "We are going to wait at Vani's place and see who turns up to take her out. That person is going to lead us back to Aadi and the kidnapper."

Omkar nodded seriously. "The only difference is, I will be going inside Vani's house. I will park the car at the end of the street. You will wait in the car and see who comes into the house after me. I am the bait. You will take out whoever is coming to kill Vani."

Omkar's cell phone chimed at the appropriate time.

Omkar nodded at Mitran, who took it. "It is from Kriti. It says 'VV safe and away'."

Omkar nodded quietly. "Vidyut has picked up Vani."

"Where are they going?" Mitran asked. "A TTI Safehouse?"

TTI Safehouses were a thing. TTI, being what it was, naturally had places where they could keep the people whom they had to protect in safe places. In court auctions or by other means, TTI bought the property and set it up as a safehouse. That was very useful because the best way to protect people was to give them the anonymity of a normal life, surrounded by normal people. To the normal people in the surrounding area, the story was that the owner of the land lived abroad and he just did not have time to maintain the property, which was why the tenants of the place kept changing. The people living in the safehouses were encouraged to mingle around with their neighbours to keep them even safer. But they could not call anyone from their past lives. In rare cases where agents were also present in the safehouses with the people to be kept safe, the agents were encouraged to remain completely isolated from anyone in TTI. So, yes, Mitran was totally right in his assumptions. Vani would be unhurt in a safehouse now, until they solved this whole thing.

Surprisingly, Omkar shook his head. "No." He gave his chief an icy glance. "I have a feeling that someone in TTI is involved in the whole thing, chief. So I specifically instructed Vidyut not to go to a safehouse."

Mitran thought that out for a few seconds. "Then where are they?"

Omkar thought for a few seconds and then slowly shook his head. "I am not sure as of now and I specifically do not want anyone to know about it. So do not ask me any questions about it."

Mitran understood that almost immediately and did not ask any questions.

Five minutes later, Omkar pulled up in a narrow street, and he stopped the car. Even before Omkar could say anything, his cell phone chimed repeatedly with messages.

Omkar took the cellphone, and a first slice of worry crossed his face.

Reading the messages, Omkar rolled his eyes.

It was Kriti.

'Doc is sad and furious. Why? '

'The other doctor is trying to talk to the doc. No use. Doc is still grumpy.'

'Both went to the clinic. What happened? I am also going to talk to him.'

'Both the doctors have called the night shift doctor and are going out. What did you do?'

Omkar almost growled on reading the messages. Why the fuck did everyone have to assume that Omkar was always responsible for Dr. Bhide's bad mood?

Well, Omkar had conveniently forgotten that, till date, he had been the primary reason for Bhide's exasperation. It was either Omkar's utter disregard for himself, his injuries, or the way the man directly disobeyed the doctor's advice. It was a pattern, and others in TTI had not forgotten it.

'I did nothing.' Omkar typed on his cell phone furiously. He was almost sure the snort he heard was real and not imaginary.

'Doc and Mitran have some problems.' Omkar typed truthfully, knowing full well Kriti was not going to believe it.

Yup, in 98% of matters, Kriti trusted Omkar implicitly. The other 2% dealt with Dr. Bhide, Mitran, and Omkar's health. Omkar was known to lie to or about these three things.

Omkar was right. The curt and immediate 'Ok. I believe you.' which came as a reply, was proof enough for Omkar.

Gawd. Considering the fact that he was actually good at his job and worked well, people could trust him a little more.

For once, Mitran was immune to Omkar's family drama, and he pulled the gun from his holster.

Then Omkar rolled his eyes. "Chief, I really want to talk to this guy who set up such an elaborate plan." Something vicious passed through Omkar's eyes. "And he has to pay for Aadi's shoulder." Omkar eyed Mitran's gun. "No killing."