Two Lives - Origins (Episode XVII)

"I went to W.I.S.A.C."

I turned and looked at him. There was an incredulous look on his face which disturbingly brought a smile on my face. Sundar wasn't a huge fan of the corporation but he appreciated the fact that they only sold to registered security agencies. He felt that it changed the face of security and would save a lot of his men. It was true, until that explosion. I used to imagine how things would've unfolded, if he weren't there that day. If only, imagination came true. After that day however, he hated W.I.S.A.C. truly. The only reason he still has their car and drives it around is because of his daughter. The thought made me feel sad.

"I'm sorry, Sundar. They are the only people with literally unlimited access to all the great techs we've seen. They almost own 90% of the security market. I had to try."

"Why do you always run towards the most dangerous option you have? I don't get it. Wasn't Catherine already working on it? Did you at least tell her?" He was pissed but he bit down his anger.

"I uh... may have borrowed her bike." I didn't want to lie to him. He'll find out one way or the another.

"That's great. So I'm the one that's left out." He shook his head and turned towards the door. I snatched his arm and called him. He looked at me and said, "I told you not to go down that road again. Don't say I didn't warn you. I'll be in the medical wing." And he left. He's not wrong to be against me in this. We've each had an incident with them that would last a lifetime.

I looked at the man sitting on the bench. I have to do something. I can't shake the thought that they may be working together. Even if they did, there's nothing much I can do. I hate to jump in blind but I can't stay idle either. I'll have to talk to him. I turned away from the screen and looked around the surveillance room. I called the only surveillance guy in the room.

"There was a woman with him. Did you get a good look at her?"

"Through the cameras, yes Sir. The guys left me behind to keep watch." He seemed grateful that they left him.

"Great. I don't care if you have to scour the entire building but find her. Is Rahul here?"

"He said he missed his ride. He'll be here any minute now."

"The moment he comes in, tell him that I've left him a message."

"Yes Sir", and he left for his station.

I turned towards the monitor and recorded a message for Rahul. He doesn't have a communicator. Says it distracts him too much. Whatever!

Unlike other times, I'll have the upper hand this time. I felt nervous and unsettling at the thought of meeting him. Damn! I felt like I'm going for an interview. I locked the system and stood up. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Now... Off to meet the devil.

Two Lives - Origins (Episode XVI)

I walked through the door.

My fingers were wrapped around my gun. After I parked Catherine's bike, I noticed that the gate patrol was nowhere to be seen. Normally bustling with people, the Hall felt empty. Something was wrong. As I turned towards the door, I saw the Commissioner sitting on the bench on the right side with someone. I took a couple more steps and noticed the attire of the man sitting with the Commissioner. My heart started beating faster. He wasn't wearing a ballistic mask but a tiara like accessory on his forehead.

"Mr. Commissioner. Are you alright?"

The Commissioner looked at me holding his stomach with one hand.

"Come on. I know you two are buddies. Drop the Mr. Commissioner act."

My hand still around my gun, "Who are you?" I prayed it wasn't him. Then I wished it was him. I really wasn't sure how I felt about him.

The Commissioner stood up and started walking towards me. He was still holding his hand around his stomach. Strangely, I guess I knew why. I asked him the moment he reached me. "Did you get punched in your gut? Is he the one who did it?"

He turned towards the guy sitting on the bench, smiled and then turned to me. "Right now, I think we may have bigger concerns than who punched my gut." He pulled me and started walking. He took me to the surveillance room. I looked at him confused and he pointed to the monitors. "Go ahead. Take a look."

I turned on the live footage of the Hall and brought all the ground floor cams upfront. I started rewinding the footage until I noticed two figures standing in the hallway. Everything went in a blur. I was reliving my nightmare from the rooftop. The way that woman moved & covered space was much like his, when I met him at the rooftop. I felt sorry for the guards and anger for... for... I really wasn't sure why I was angry at him anymore. Maybe because he abducted Mrs. Ramachandran in my watch or maybe it's because I was helpless before him. Both the thoughts made me feel sick to my stomach.

And then I noticed the man holding the Commissioner's gun. It wasn't really fun to see him move like a shadow from the bench to the Commissioner. I could actually feel the fear that coursed through the Commissioner's veins. Instant and Bloodcurdling. As he dropped the gun and turned towards the surveillance team, there was a flicker in the footage. I started looking closely and it felt like I was looking at a 3D card that children used to play with. It has two images printed on it but only one can be seen at a certain angle and the other at a different angle.

He was blocking the bullets with his hands and it was over in a couple seconds. I went back a little and slowed down the video. I thought I saw something strange. As I skimmed through the video slowly, I noticed that some shots were aimed at his torso, not covered by his arm but he still managed to block the shot. It seemed like he was holding an invisible shield.

During the rooftop incident, the other guy didn't seem to have a shield of any sorts. If I had known about this before, I would have asked Sharon from W.I.S.A.C. I don't think I'll be welcome there another time. She made clear that their tech is for selling and that they hold no responsibility on how people use it.

"They work for a security agency."

"What was that?" The Commissioner asked me.

"I think they work for a security agency. An international one."

"How do you know? There's a great chance that it was her political enemies or have you forgotten the incident?" The Commissioner was right to question.

"You don't have to remind me, Sundar. I was there, remember?"

"Then how are you so sure that they belong to a security agency? By the way, tell me where were you earlier today morning?"

"I went to W.I.S.A.C."

Two Lives - Origins (Episode XV)

And he just smiled at me.

The blood on my face drained and I was completely terrified. When John told me about the rooftop incident, I didn't believe him. I couldn't believe him. After what I've seen now, I did and I was afraid. I've never been a fan of the superhero genre. I always thought they were spandex clad, adrenaline injected, self-righteous in their own right law breakers. I wish I had believed in them. To witness something impossible racked my brain so hard, I felt difficulty in breathing. Now I know how John felt on the rooftop that day. Helpless. Useless. Unimportant.

He knelt down on one knee and asked me to call for medic. I did as he asked. A couple minutes later, the medical personnel from the fourth floor came down. They both guided the medical crew, even helped them, to get the wounded off the ground. Once they were all taken to the medical wing, he stood at the center of the room and looked around him.

"Alright boys. I know you all feel like punched in the gut, though that's what really happened, but that's the easiest part. Now stop being a wuss, man up and get out of here. That might be a little difficult, I know, but that decides what kind of a man you are. The Commissioner and I need to speak. Privately."

The guards that were put down by the woman started moving slowly. Some of them tried to stand. A couple of them were crawling. It's my fault that these men had to face this. If only I had shot him when I had the chance... But my logical mind warned me, what could I've done, if he had the shield for his body as well. Then I remembered how she dodged my shots. No. There really wasn't anything I could've done.

I tried to stand up slowly. I felt a piercing pain every time I strained my abdomen. She was holding out a glass of water for me when I finally stood up. It took every ounce of my patience to not grab the glass and shove it in her face. I took the glass of water, took a sip. "Thank you".

"See... Now that feels nice. Talking like civilized people, even if you want to rip us apart right here."

I couldn't be sure if he was really genuine or just mocking me. I walked slowly towards the bench. He was behind me. I didn't see the woman when we both sat down. "Where's your friend?" I asked him.

"She's around but don't worry. You'll be alright in a day. She's got a gift for the gut." He smirked at his own remark. Maybe my gut wasn't in the mood, I threw a disgusting look at him.

"So tell me. What have you found?"

His question caught me off guard. I wasn't listening. "What?"

"Regarding her abduction. Do you have any leads?"

I wasn't sure if I should discuss with an outsider regarding an ongoing investigation. But I knew one thing. We weren't equipped for this. They just made it clear. I thought I should wait for John. By the way, where the hell is he? If I knew him, he's off following leads on his own. I made a decision. I'll just play ball. For now.

"Why should I tell you?"

"You really need to ask that question? I thought it was already understood. Come on, look around you. You're not anywhere equipped or qualified to handle this, but we are. Did you check with Catherine? What did she tell you? That there's no way a biometric doorway could be compromised. News flash. It's done."

"Wait. How do you know about the doorway? Have you been spying on us?"

"Spying might be too strong a word. Watching you, on the other hand, would be the right choice. Plus he's got a signature touch."

"When you looked at the cam before..." I prayed inside, 'Please say no'.

"Yes. I was watching you." He admitted.

I felt violated. This nightmare was just getting worse by the minute. My mind went a million miles an hour, incoherent thoughts rushing in and out. I wasn't sure how long he was watching us. If he was watching us all the time, why didn't he come to help us before. Why wait three days? I looked at the door lost in thought.

And John walked through the door.