An Imperial Affliction

Chapter 24- For already have I suffered full much

Yea, and if some god shall wreck me in the wine-dark deep,Even so I will endure...For already have I suffered full much,And much have I toiled in perils of waves and war.Let this be added to the tale of those.

― Homer, The Odyssey

It's interesting, that whenever something bad happens to someone else, people around him or her seem to be more affected with the situation. A health issue, misfortune, a tragedy, or the giant of them all, Death, all these things touch person of interest or not alike, and leave sometime bigger impact than the situation might have intended. The unfortunate events link minds alike, make them retrospect their lives and choices.

But some people don't have the time, or the interest for the retrospection. There is always something else to do, something important, so hours later, she planned to get back at work, as good as new.

But of course, plans are like your temper, every now and then it keeps changing.

She was hoping there is actually a case and not tons of paper work, no team mate showing excessive concern for her or anything remotely closer. Unfortunately, the world and red tape-ism of Indian Offices doesn't get back at feet as fast as hers. Merely hours had passed after the bio-attack at the ETF had occurred, media was still there in front of entrance of office, the workers were still busy whispering and speculating what happened after evacuation, their imagination letting them go overboard. The Director was out of office, keeping in loops with other Intelligence service about the attack and investigating it further, she is probably pissed at the ACP too, as last night the latter snuck out without telling anyone and didn't receive any calls from her. Not that it's anything new.

The summary is, no new case.

She figured it as much the moment she walked out of the lift, the absence of team in the discussion room only putting a stamp on it. Without the team, the room looked hollow, the emptiness glaringly obvious. She could not remember a day when she had seen the room empty, without any team member inside it.

Irritated, she walked through the glass door and slumped on her usual seat, fingers tapping on the edge of table in impatience. Outside the room, everyone was peeking at the officer, the whisper only intensifying, which she noticed from her peripheral vision. Pursuing her lips in disapproval, she started to think what else she can do if she walk out of here now, and with a surprise realized for the first time in her life, she had nothing to do. No informer visit, no secret meeting with higher intelligence officers, no pissing off Director. She was . . . free.

Which was strange. And so very unusual.

The glass door was suddenly opened and she turned her neck, only to see the Second-in-Command Rawte and Senior Officer Rathore entering inside, brows knotted together.

"What are you doing here?" The Officer asked, "Should not you stay at home or something?"

"I am not contaminated." She remarked dryly, head tilting to a side, to which he made a face.

"He didn't mean that." The Second-in-command replied quietly, intensely staring at her. She stared back for some moments.

"No case today?" She asked instead, shifting her eyes on the officer. He dragged a chair nearby before sitting on it.

"I hope you didn't forget about the case last night? You know a virus which came in ETF inside a 'Dear John' letter."

"It was not a 'Dear John' letter." She answered, then frowned, "You guys captured the Professor, right? What else now?"