Agent 024

WHO ARE YOU AGAIN

Aradhya and Roger looked at each other and said together, "It's personal."

"Okay, I may not be a part of team 4 anymore but as your friend, let me tell you that personal doesn't do well with professional, not in an agent's life.", Irrfan said.

"We know. We screwed up. It won't happen again.", Aradhya said.

"And what were you two thinking, approaching and confronting them?", Irrfan asked looking at Aviral and I.

"What?", Aviral and I asked.

We were the martyrs here. We had gone to save the operation and we were taken down with them. Suddenly Irrfan's words made sense to me.

"We made a mistake by risking our cover too. We should have figured out a way to separate Aradhya and Roger without making ourselves obvious too.", I said, nodding as I realized how we had screwed up when we acted without thinking.

"Yes.", Irrfan said, "If in a mission, your team is compromised, you will not be helping them if you jump in the fire too. Escape, call for help, do not put yourself in obvious danger. Five dying instead of four isn't a mark of your loyalty, it just proves your stupidity." Irrfan said, getting up.

We nodded as Irrfan left to continue marking the cadets who got identified.

"Guys, whatever it is, sort it out. I won't lose another point just because you two can't act mature in a mission.", Aviral said, getting up.

"Hey.", I said, interrupting him. 

Aradhya and Roger had enough of it. And even though they had screwed up the mission, they had realized their mistake and I didn't see any point in continuing to badger them.

"Common.", I said, taking Aviral to the side.

"What?", he asked me.

"You tell me. You and I have done our fair share of mistakes. They're embarrassed as it is. Take it easy on them.", I said.

"Oh and you aren't pissed off? You are, Tisha. You're just too polite to say anything. Well guess what? I'm not. And yes, you and I have screwed up but those were honest mistakes - plans that didn't work out. It was never because we couldn't handle our emotions in the middle of a damn mission!", he said.

"This isn't just about this mission, is it? What is it?", I asked.

Aviral sighed.

"Look, I'm tired of trying to prove myself as smart and intelligent. Whenever I speak sense, people look at me in shock, my own team, the entire class - when I answer something in class-", he said.

"Hey, we're sorry, we didn't mean it like that.", I said, regretting all those times when Aviral had figured out a plan or stated facts and the entire team had looked at him in surprise. It had happened and it had happened often.

He raised his hand interrupting him.

"I get it. The guy who has too many friends and dates someone new every month, wouldn't care about his grades, right? He's just here to fool around. Well, guess what? I care about my academic performance. I came here to be an agent and I'm going to be a bloody good one.", he said, walking away.

I sighed. Just when I though every thing was going to return to normal with Irrfan back, everything was falling apart again. Roger and Aradhya were not talking, Aviral was pissed off at them and it hurt me that Aradhya won't even tell me what was going on. My team comprised just four members now and that was falling apart too.

"And that's a wrap. Gather around, cadets.", Agent Abad said and I walked towards the center of the hall where the class had started gathering.

We sat in a circle in the middle of the hall and Agent Abad joined the circle.

"Great work, cadets. Of all the classes I've taught in this Academy, your performance pleased me the most. You were given an identity of an opposite gender however that won't be the case in most of the missions assigned to you. In real life, the anatomical differences pose a much greater risk of getting caught during missions and hence are rarely assigned. However, we must be prepared for the worst. There have been instances where agents had to cross dress to extract information or to orchestrate last minute escape operations. A cross gender identity makes it difficult to track you because-", Agent Abad said, leaving the question hanging in the air.

"Because if you had to issue a search for a suspect, the primary identification factor you would state is the gender of the person. If they're looking for a man, everyone without pants escapes the radar.", Srinivas said.

"Not the way I would have put it but the essence remains the same.", Agent Abad said and chuckled as he got up.

"Your points and ranks have been put up on the projector.", she said pointing to the projector. Irrfan pressed some buttons on the laptop on the table and a table of names and numbers appeared on the screen.

"The schedule for your exam has been put up too. Since it's your first exam, let me say it to you for the first and the last time, "Be there on time.", Agent Abad said and exited the room.

"They have a way of making exits, don't they?", Prakhar said, next to me as he laughed.

"You frigging rascal.", I said, looking at him, "Tera kapaal fod delu.", I said the only insult I remembered from my native tongue, Garhwali.

"What's kapaal and what are you planning to break?", Prakhar asked innocently.

"I caught you and you ran away!", I said, pointing at him as I accused him.

"Hey, leave the rivalries in the missions remember. I wasn't going to stay I had a chance to escape. Although I did add a few more layers of duppata and that really helped with the deception.", he said.

"Yeah, well you are welcome. The last team standing - you people did good.", I said applauding the team we were pitted against.

"Every cadet has his day.", he said, as we exited the hall.

"By the way, teach me some Punjabi cuss words.", I said as we walked towards the hostels.

"Which Punjabi pissed you off?", he asked.

"Including you?", I smirked.

He laughed.

"Dhaun Napp Deyange Tuhaddi.", he said in fluent Punjabi.

"Not the frigging address man. Give me one word, like gujjar maybe.", I said, shrugging.

"Naah, that won't be fun. Just hold the person by the collar and shout this at him for maximum impact.", he laughed as he entered the boys hostel.

I waved at him as I continued towards my hostel.