The Loner Agent: Suppressing The Truth || Part-1

 The Loner Agent: 

Suppressing The Truth

I have seen people being eager to succeed in the fields they crave. They fail and feel guilty (Ugh! All that emotional thingies). As an ordinary man, I craved and had innumerable desires but I had no idea that it would make me so famous. 

Today, I was seeing a cadaver that was being carried by a group of people in front of my eyes. I had no idea why I was crying like lakhs of others. It wasn't me alone. The corpse was of someone who was a disputed character by everyone. For me, that someone was my saviour, my enemy, the reason for my success and a murderer, too!

This is the story of my life and the story of the most secret lies one has ever made to the country. Maybe after 20 years, I want to read and experience them again. Don't know why, maybe INTUITION! 

I should open my diary that I made and maintained all those days ago and the series of grave events that happened were all recorded. The old stacked bunch of pages of the diary were struggling to survive in the given condition they were in. They spoke a lot about me and the collection of my incapabilities. Words tear apart but emotions don't. 

The first page and the start of this diary. I maintained it to share my feelings with something that would just listen to me. And paper is sometimes better than a man. I took a wooden chair and seated myself comfortably between the arms. In between, I don't know why I was intuited that something had fallen. But never mind...

I started reading the first page and I, in my imagination, lost myself in the words I had written.

15 May 2000

'The night was all gloomy. Everything was dark and seemed sad. The streetlight was dimming continuously making the street deeper and darker. I was in my thoughts. What thoughts, I don't remember exactly... The only line I was thinking of was- Who was the man behind the mask?

Abruptly, I heard a sound. Sound similar to nothing. Something near me displaced. My thoughts dissolved and the sound scared me. I was afraid. After all, I was a young man about twenty-five at that time with ordinary looks. 

A scary move of someone made my blood run cold. I was stupid and silly that instead of running from that place, I was trying to hide my face. It was an abrupt action and it's difficult to make decisions in graver times. 

The streetlight that made my shadow visible in the dark was now blocked by another opaque object and its shadow in my front. I, out of curiosity, decided to turn back and I noticed a black hooded figure whose face was not visible. He was wearing a cap and who was that man, I didn't know. And a moment later, it rushed at me. I was crucified by fear and my legs didn't move. That man snatched me and tried to strangle me. I went unconscious and the moment I woke up...'

The old page was torn after this. I was holding a handful of ripped pages of a diary that had been separated from the spine and were limply attached to each other. What can you expect from this now? 

The torn page would have been surely mixed between all the pages of the diary. The next page I could see was of the day after that day. The day of 16th May was also not seen. Must have been misplaced.

17 May 2000 

'I can't really understand what I did yesterday. I don't even know if I am right. I am just doing what I am ordered to. It's fun to talk with a diary when the family is not in your support. 

I was sitting in my grief when my landline telephone rang and I picked it up with no excitement in my voice, "Hello, Who's This?"

"Oh! Come on mate. It's me, Farhan!", the man said.

Farhan Qureshi, a man just like me. For me, friendship would be defined in just two words, Farhan Qureshi. He also lived alone in New Delhi but I, in Noida.

"Been an era since I last reached you. Good to hear someone supporting!", I exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's the same thing with me too. Well, apart from this fact, I am sorry to hear about your job"

"Oh Leave it! It happens regularly now!", I told him with a sigh that I wasn't sad about it but we both knew what was the real thing. I continued, "What do you think about elections? That's so much overhyped!"

"Yeah, that's a tiring topic. Adarsh Sethi would be selected once more for the post of Prime Minister from the Indian Leader Party (ILP) keeping in mind his popularity and of course the visit of Olivia Jones will make him more popular!"

"Yeah, there stands no chance to defeat that man! The arrival of Olivia Jones is a big deal for India. A British Minister for foreign affairs will sign some drafts and all! What do you think about the HSP (Hindustan Sanrakshan Party)?"

"They've got no luck! They can only rule Delhi and not the centre and probably, they'll lose next time from the capital territory, too."

I went cold and for a minute both of us went quiet. I don't know what happened to him but I was quite clear for myself because of the death of A.Q. and the work that was allotted to me was quite terrifying.

I broke the silence, "Well, I am coming to Delhi soon. What's about your brother?"

Farhan's voice faded and said, "You're Welcome!". He didn't mention his brother.

And we said goodbye and disconnected the phone'

I, really, can never forget what happened on the 18th of May. I, certainly, never wanted to read that page. I thought it was enough for today to read and I would continue reading 18th May from the next day. And that was the time when I got up from my wooden chair that made creaking sounds while it was scraping against the floor. My leg stepped on two scraps of paper piled up over the other. I picked them up and they were the pages of the diary that had been lost. The half-page of 15th May and the full page of 16th May.

These pages had silently slipped off my hands when I was seating myself and my intuition was right! The page hooked me and I decided to read these. I again attached myself to the chair and started reading 15th May from where I had left.

​

'The moment I woke up, I realized that I had gone unconscious for hours and the night had gone darker while I was surrounded by a group of people who had tied me in ropes. I was in an old-ragged building.

The scene was dark and grim. Someone was sitting in front of me. His face wasn't visible. All of it was covered in shadows and I had no emotions for this. I had got no plans; I was already depressed and this incident didn't affect me much (well, it should have affected). Two people had rifles in hand and it petrified me. 

The 'someone' who was sitting in the chair leaned the body towards me and said in a high pitched voice much like a mimicked voice, " Been a lot of days since I saw you. "

"I, actually, never saw you...", I thought but wasn't able to say because my mouth was covered with a cloth too!

"Oo! I actually never saw you", that 'someone' said, "This is what you're thinking, right?"

"Wait, what? This creature could read my mind", I thought again.

"Well, it's obvious. I cannot read your mind actually", I was assured that this 'someone' was surely reading my mind, "I met you during the Army Training."

My cloth was drawn away from my mouth. Consequently, I screamed, "How do you know about that?"

"Who passed you the orders?"

"Those of betrayal. I don't know who made me do that? I was accused of some tasks like 'betrayals' to my army..."

"Who actually performed those tasks?"

"Got no ideas. I've worked for about a year in the army but I lost my place through intrigues. Maybe, I fell a victim to calumny."

"You were guided by someone to do some illicit activities. So that you may earn respect but that creature deceived you and rather paying you respect, the things that were done by you were determined against the army. You were expelled, right? Your family is not accepting you now and therefore, you were roaming depressed out there. Who was that creature, Abhi?"

"What? Knows everything about me... And my name too", I thought and then said, "How is it you know these things?"

"SHUT UP!! And Answer me!!", the voice went high.

"I don't know! That man always wore a mask. Black mask", my voice went out of wits."

On listening to this, the man came out of the shadows and I was shocked to see that this 'someone' wore the same mask and said, "Why do you always think it's a man??"

It was a woman as she put off her mask at a side and untwined her hair. She had ordinary looks and wait a minute. She was the Chief Minister of Delhi, Supriya Sharma from HSP.

"It was you who guided me all this long to bring me here and that too depressed?", I screamed.'

I turned to the backside of the page.

' "Yeah. It was me behind the mask. And I knew you're brave and to bring you here, I had to deceive you and expel you from the Army."

"What do you need from a man like me?"

"Negotiations!"

"Of What?"

"Of doing a murder...", she said with a deep voice.

"What! Where's the negotiation here?"

"Do that murder and I must leave your family free. The family which has thrown you out can get you back!"

I got a bit emotional, "Where's my family?? Doesn't matter what they did to me in the last few hours"

"Captive with us. I shall leave them free or if you deny, well, you better know?"

"Tough choice! But who's murder?"

"Olivia Jones!"

"The Minister of Britain visiting India?"

"Yes"

"Are you mad? It's going to kill me..."

"That's what I want. Get into the surrounding area. Her rally is in an open field. We'll get you on a top of a water tank and you will snipe her. You were a sniper in the army, I suppose?"

"What will that give you? And how will I do that? There will be too much security"

"You will surrender. Tell that you were an agent of Indian Leader Party and it will get them out of the throne in the upcoming elections. It would be determined a blunder for Indian Intelligence system. What could be a better reason to throw them out? And for the security leave that on us"

"But how?"

"The police won't stop you"

"You fail. Police isn't under you. You're the CM of Delhi and the police goes under the Ministry of Home Affairs. You cannot control them"

"There are some provisions where we can control the police and also, their families are also captive with us. And with the Army, I don't know why, but they are stationed at only three sides. You can fire from the fourth side and there's where the water tank is."

I got a bit tensed. Decided to remain quiet.

"This is Mr. Raj Mohan Rai. (Pointing to a man) He will train you all along and this is Arnav Ahuja (Pointing to another). He is my assistant. Contact him anytime"

I had no reactions. My life was over and I was compelled to do this. Supriya stood up, patted me and while she was going, she pointed- "Someone is watching us. Catch Him"

A man was peeking through the window. He listened to all the things and I couldn't have got much happier. I thought he would open all the secrets and I wouldn't do that task. But wait a minute! I would also get cash for it. Maybe I should do this! Such a dilemma!

All of us went behind him. Supriya ran behind us. I could easily beat Mohan and Arnav in the race behind this man. We had two rifle carrying people but they didn't fire. God knows why! I just had a stick in hand. That man was running and we were chasing. I didn't want to run behind him but the fear of my family and the greed of cash for them just made my legs move. We chased him through streets and boulevards for about a kilometre. 

After we all were very doubtful of this man, Mohan decided to fire. I don't know why he made all of us exercise if this was the easier way.

 He fired at his leg. That man fell there itself and we followed his descending motion.  He wore a shawl and his face was covered with the same. Wasn't visible. In revenge, Mohan fired at him brutally again on the man's another leg. The man screamed with the top of his voice. And then we started beating on his face again and again. With sticks, with the back of the gun. I had to do this too and I was becoming one of them. 

After a lot of brutal beating, we uncovered his mask and his face had swollen red. very difficult to identify. It seemed that I knew him. But how can that be? 

"This is someone spying us. Kill him. We need to know the source. Take every clue from this man and then, don't let anyone know if he was even some creature in the world."

That man was lying unconscious and I was just seeing this situation. Very cruel.  That man probably had succumbed to his injuries. And I just identified a glowing button at his coat. It remarked- A.Q. We were all puzzled. Got no clue what was this. But the truth was suppressed.

Everyone went away from that situation. Took the body. I went to the nearest hotel and the visit of Olivia Jones was on 30 May 2020 in New Delhi and I was going to leave for Delhi on 18th May.'

I went bad and greedy that day. It was my darker side. Somehow, I escaped that night 20 years ago but I didn't know the situation was going to be graver. I opened the page of 16 May 2000 and it was just a para. Not many things occurred that day. 

16 May 2000

'I am free today. The death of A.Q. has totally made me go out of normal states. But why was it only me? Well, I had decided to stay at one of my friends' house in Delhi. I am writing the diary of 15th May today because  I didn't get much time yesterday and also I was totally astounded to see what was going on. Well, let's see what's tomorrow'

Not much on 16th May and then on 18th May, I left for Delhi all those days ago, to stay at my friends' house. Yes, it was Farhan Qureshi. The day of 18th May has also not many things written in it. Words are less but the context is much beyond your expectations.

18th May 2000

'I left for Delhi from a bus at night after I knew my life wasn't more than the 30th of this month. When you don't have a fear of death, you have no emotions. It's my personal experience. I reached Delhi in an hour and at my friend's house at about 8 at night. 

He lived in one of the apartments on the fourth floor. I knocked on the door many times. There was no sign of movement. Rather I heard a bulb break. There was no one. After giving a lot of knocks, I thought this was something serious. I gave very powerful blows to the door. After many blows and jerks, the latch got opened. Of course, it was the reason of the Army Training. There was no one in the flat except hotchpotch. I saw the broken bulb was there and from a window nearby, I just out of curiosity looked down and Farhan was lying there. Dead! It was someone who did this to him. I had no doubt that it wasn't a suicide. He wasn't his behaviour. He didn't talk to me yesterday though he always did. Maybe he was too much depressed and committed suicide while he did all this hotchpotch because of frustration and then jumped. Maybe it was not a murder. Both thoughts were there in my mind. Amidst all this, I saw a person running from the back of me towards the door. I ran behind him but it was too late. The society had gathered near the body and he took that advantage to get to the lift. I knew what was going to happen to me. While that man was running, I asked him in fear, "Who Are You?"

"We--", he chuckled.'

-To Be Continued

(Abhinav Srivastava)

(This is a short story of three parts. This is just a piece of fiction and doesn't portray anything from real life.)