New week, new update. Enjoy! Early update as its Ganesh Chaturthi!

HAPPY GANESH CHATURTHI TO EVERYONE READING THIS.*★°*:.☆*.°★* 。

Dedicated to aDARKfangirl(Thank you for reading this story❤.)

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"Oh no, don't call me that. Call me Apa." She says.

Apa. Sounds good. Did I just get a sister in a foreign land?

"Okay, but how did you find me? I mean. . ."

" Because you called back in India. Your mother is no fool. She immediately contacted the police and they traced the number to Pakistan. Before ISI could do the same her number was changed and given to somebody else with different credentials. So, they cant trace you through that number.

So, your identity is safe. RAW reached us immediately to confirm if it was you. But we reached you late, because we couldn't reach you before as the only way we could reach you was through the hospital. And you didn't come to the hospital for the past few days.

Anyway, as soon as I got the information today, I got here to find you. And here we are." She completes.

That's a lot to take in, but one question predominates all of it, " But, where do I come into play here? I mean how will I come to any use? How do I know you not from ISI, testing me? "

" Whether to trust me or not, depends on you. You have to be the judge of character as I dont have anything to prove my nationality here. And whether you will come to any use or not depends on what you choose. "

I decide to go on my gut feeling. Anyway, I am already here, taking the risk. Might as well take more.

" Choose?" I ask, confused at her words.

Is there a choice? Like multiple choice questions?

Why is my life basically an MCQ?

" Yes, you can either stay here and help us or you can get back to India. We will provide you your passport and money, our man will take you where you will cross the border as just another illegal immigrant entering India. We have men waiting on the other side who will escort you back home."

The silver lining behind the dark clouds.

Home. Finally I can go back home, get back to my normal life. My eyes tear up as I remember my country, my land, finally away from these bloodshed and this people. But, then why does a certain face flash every time I think of going back and a certain organ in my chest clenches painfully?

I should be elated at what she offers me. This is what I have wanted from the very first day. That is why I never acted insolent except that one darn situation. Going back home suddenly doesn't feel that glorious. I should choose the second option, but then why do I want to choose the first one?

But, would returning home be actually that easy? I wonder.

" What would I do to help?" I ask her curious how I can help.

" So, you choose the first one?" She asks, her sharp eyes filling with admiration.

I haven't actually made a choice, yet. But I am more inclined to choose option two to prove that stubborn, irrational part that seems to fancy him, that he deserves none of my emotions than hatred. But, the logical side tells me to choose the first one and bolt home, I am a bloody doctor, I don't belong here.

" No, I haven't made a choice, yet. I want to know how I can help." Staying back to help them would imply a lot of things, particularly for someone untrained like me.

" Okay, I see. You will work for us by keeping your eyes on Basheer, or in other words you will spy for us, India." She says stopping to judge my reaction.

Spy on Basheer? Do they know all those drug cases?

A fucking spy?

" A spy? But I have no training in that. How am I ever going to do that? " I ask her, wondering how someone like me with no training can be a spy.

" Simple, you know how to use a gun, in fact you are a sharp shooter. And surviving this many days without a scratch shows your patience. You didn't lose your facade in front of them , something you need as a spy. You have earned his trust enough that he allows you to work here, and still believes that you never made the phone call. Earning trust is the most important thing as a spy. We will teach you the rest. How and where, you will get to know it later when you make the choice.

Now as for what you will do. You will keep a close look on Basheer. You have to use the trust you have earned."

I burst out in fits of cough as she says he believes I never made the phone call. I wonder that too, why would he save me? Why? I haven't actually earned his trust, another reason for me to bolt home.

There's so much of Basheer I don't get. He's a mystery, always aloof but his gestures speak otherwise.

" Is Basheer. . ." I trail off as I am not sure what to ask her.

Is he a murderer?

Is he a terrorist?

Is he a smuggler?

He certainly is. Why else would someone give him information regarding deaths due to drug overuse?

" We don't know yet. He is a suspect for dealing in drugs, but no existential proof to support that. He could be the one funding the entire terrorist groups based here. So, we are keeping a watch on him. But, it's tough given that he lives in a highly furnished house with only one lady who has any access to him as he controls most of the work from home.

But now, there's you and he seems to be fond of you." She smiles, a triumphant look taking upon her face as she spells the last part.

" What do you know about Basheer?" I ask, curious as to what she knows about him.

A smirk registers on her face before she starts speaking, "Muhammad Basheer Sheikh, pass out from Sheikh Medical Institute, top student of his class, he happens to be the sixth son of a rich Arabian Sheikh, Muhammad Kabiruddin Sheikh who discovered Basheer was his son from one of his affairs with a lady called Begum Razina when Basheer was twenty four. The sheikh was previously involved in a lot of gambling and black market business.

When he discovered he had a son specializing in Medicines, he made him the CEO of this Pharmaceutical branch based in Pakistan. Now, the sheikh has retired with his five other branches of business passed on to his five other sons. Given the previous involvement of the Sheikh in underworld business, before he was caught, Basheer could be his replacement.

As for Basheer's life before that, not much is known except that he was brought up by his maternal grandmother and his mother died while he was still a child. Plain details of his school, his college are the only things we know. He was an A+ student in his college, his teachers know him to be academically brilliant."

" What happened to his father, then?"

" He won the court case proving himself innocent on the lack of existential proof." She answers grimacing.

The same story Basheer told me except the part where his father was involved in black market. and he is the CEO. He didn't lie.

A part of me feels relieved that he didn't lie. He didn't break my trust, this one time.

" So, Basheer may or may not be guilty?" I ask her, hoping the 'may not' is more probable.

"Yes, most of the people staying so close to these camps are involved in one way or another. Seeing his status, he's not staying without his will, it's possible he funds all of the organised terrorist activities.So, any information we get about him will come useful.

Follow him anywhere you need to. Do anything you need to get close to him. Any document he accesses, any person he meets, keep a tab on all. We will teach you the rest and how to contact us when you have information."

Information?

The blood report comes to my mind. I need to find the disease he's suffering. It might come to use. All those drug cases.

Was there a recent case where thousands of people died of drug overdose or something like that? Drugs like heroin and cocaine?" I ask her.

She quirks up an eyebrow as she ponders for a moment before answering, " As far as I know, no. Drug cases in India particularly Punjab has gone done in the recent years after strict impositions of the government on drugs. India being one of the countries where drugs were imported from Pakistan contributing to a major source of the funds, having being cut off has incurred them a huge loss. This has somehow increased the frequency of terrorist attacks. "

" In any other countries like Afghanistan or any other neighboring countries?" I ask, desperately seeking an answer.

" None, I am aware of. But, deaths due to drug overdose is a regular incidence among teens. So, it's kind of hard to pinpoint. Why, have you heard anything ?"

I gulp," No, I was just curious."

What did they mean then?

The bell chimes, denoting the end of lunch break and my stomach makes an embarrassing sound denoting it's angry that I missed the lunch break. I will have to go hungry now up to 4 o'clock.

" Time to go, Nehali," she says, taking my hands in her's, encasing them in a tight hold, " Your training will start today itself. There's a Fateh Baba's Dargah here famous for its power to fulfill the wishes of its devotees. Meet me there today at 7 pm." She says before turning back and walking down the stairs.

" How am I supposed to reach there?" I ask her retreating figure.

" Oh, don't forget to wear a burqa, a plain one without too many designs. It will help you hide and fit in the mass of burqa clad women." She says, stopping to turn back once before continuing down the stairs.

Fateh Baba's Dargah.

Author's Note:

Burqa- A veil that covers the entire body from top to bottom with only a mesh screen allowing the wearer to see in front of her.

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