Agent 024

I'VE GOT YOUR BACK, ALWAYS

"Any news on Gaurav?", I asked Aviral as he entered the common room.

It had been a week and none of us still knew where Gaurav was being operated on.

"No, his location is still being kept confidential. I tried all my contacts but no luck.", he said sitting down and I held his shoulder, comforting him.

"So, I guess you all must have a lot of questions.", Irrfan said as entered the common room.

"Of course.", Aviral said.

"None-", Aradhya said at the same time.

"None, that you would not be comfortable answering.", she completed.

"It's okay.", Irrfan said to Aradhya. "You people were my team after all, you deserve to know, at least as much as I am allowed to tell."

"Were? You won't be with us anymore?", Roger asked as Irrfan sat on the sofa at the furthest away position from me.

"Now that my cover here is blown, there's no point of being an undercover cadet.", Irrfan shrugged.

"But why did the Academy send you on an undercover mission here in the first place? Don't they trust us?", Aviral asked, crossing his arms.

"The basic survival rule you learn here is don't trust anyone till they have earned it. We conduct thorough background checks of the trainees we accept into the Academy but as we saw recently often the person no one would suspect, turns out to be the mole. So for each batch, an undercover agent is introduced as a fellow cadet. We keep a close watch on all of your activities and besides if anything goes wrong with a first year s' assignment, at least an agent would be there every time who would know what to do.", Irrfan said.

"But you're so young!", Aviral said, shaking his head, "You can't be more than 20."

"I'm not.", Irrfan confirmed.

"So?", Aviral prompted.

Irrfan took a deep breath. These two men needed to sort out whatever ego clashing trifle they had going on.

"When both the partners are agents, their wards are trained in the Academy itself. The risk is high when both the parents are out on high-risk missions. Their children could easily be made targets. Both my parents were agents and I was brought up in the Academy. I was trained for 18 years. I went for missions after that. And two years later, I'm back."

I noticed the past tense Irrfan had used while talking about his parents. And as much as I wanted to know more about it and comfort him, I wanted to protect his privacy too. The guy had already been through a lot. He didn't need to go on another painful memory lane.

"What was the mission about? I mean, you were sent back to the Academy, did the mission fail?", Aviral asked.

"That is confidential information and under official secrets act, can't be disclosed.", Irrfan shrugged.

"Oh common, I've read the constitution-", Aviral said and all eyes turned to him.

"Ohh common, for the hundredth time, just because I have a social life, does not mean I'm not a nerd.", Aviral said.

"Anyway, the constitution does not mention the word agents well not in this sense at least.", Aviral said, pointing around.

"Ever heard of army law?", Irrfan asked.

"Yes, while on duty, an army officer shall be tried only in an army court. No civil case can be filed against him, he cannot be arrested by police. Only the army has the right to deal with its officers.", Aviral said.

Irrfan nodded.

"Right. And we have the Agents law. Pretty much same only the punishment is much stricter here.", Irrfan said.

"Any specific reason you landed up in our team?", Aradhya asked him.

Irrfan stood up, ignoring her and said, "So, we might not meet again. I just came here to say goodbye. It was a pleasure working with you, team.", he nodded.

We all nodded.

"Good luck Irrfan.", Roger and Aradhya said.

Irrfan left without so much as looking at me and I debated whether to go after him or not.

"Go.", Aradhya answered my internal crisis and I nodded.

I ran after him and shouted, "Irrfan."

He stopped immediately and turned back.

"Tisha?", he looked at me surprised.

"What did you think? I wasn't going to let you get away without a goodbye.", I said, smiling at him.

"I know. I didn't want to either. It's just that things aren't exactly-", he said pointing towards us.

"Sorted, yeah I know. But I don't want to play strangers with you, Irrfan. You're my team after all, you'll always be. You're my friend.", I said, the last part more as a plea, hoping that he would stay.

"I don't want that either, Tisha. But the plan wasn't long term anyway. I was just here for this year, I'm just leaving a few months before. This-", he said pointing towards us, "wasn't part of the plan."

"I know.", I said, nodding.

"I still hope you stay though. I'm going to miss your daily source of sarcasm and of course your death glare contests with Abhay, whatever those are about.", I said, hugging him.

He hugged me back and said, "We might have our trifles but we have each other's back. I have your back, Tisha. I'll always be there for my team."

"Take care, okay?", he said, breaking the hug.

"Now that you're not here, I think I'm going to flex my reckless side a bit.", I smirked.

"Give them hell. I never liked the professors here anyway.", Irrfan chuckled.

"Right, the confidential information, I will never get to know.", I said, referring to the missing context of Irrfan's dislike for the professors here.

"You already know too much.", he said, shaking his head, "Look where that landed you."

"Saving your life, you mean?", I asked, crossing my arms.

"Oh boy, I'm never going to hear the end of it, am I?", Irrfan asked.

"Tch, tch.", I said shaking my head.

"Goodbye.", he said, with that rare smile I had become so fond of now.

"Goodbye.", I said, pursing my lips. I should have taken the therapy sessions Doctor Kumar had advised. My emotions had been all over the place since the incident.

I waited till Irrfan's figure had faded into the distance.

With Abhay avoiding me in all training sessions for a week and Irrfan gone, I had just lost the two pillars of support I had come to rely on so much. I needed an anchor now more than ever, someone to catch me as my grip on the railing of sanity was slipping and in this exact crisis, I had cut off both the anchors of support from my life.

Oh I wish someone could take an honest opinion of what an agent's life actually was behind the glamour and insane adventures they showed in the movies. It got lonely often and well it sucked.