Thriller The ultimate choice 28

You son of a bitch! Fight me one to one, and see how I make you swallow your own teeth."

Rajan's back was on the wall, and he had no other option but to turn aggressive.

This time Ranjan's eyes popped in astonishment!

"Really? Really Rajan? Really? I can't believe my ears. A person who hadn't even killed a rat in his entire life has so much of courage! Okay, okay! You will get this desire of fighting me one to one fulfilled."

Ranjan looked at his watch, and pressing a button said,

"From the executive power that has been bestowed on me by the Joker, I permit you to fight me one to one. See, I am unarmed,  and I will not seek anyone's help. Your time to beat me black and blue starts now. But, remember you have only five minutes!"

It was true that Rajan had been a non-violent person throughout his entire life. He had never beaten even his children when they did all kinds of naughtiest things in the world. But, living in this hell had made Rajan a completely different man.

"Come on! What are you waiting for? The clock is ticking."

Dancing on his nimble feet, Ranjan said that impatiently. Rajan didn't waste any moment, and punched Ranjan's face with all the might he possessed, and he knew that after working hard here for almost a month he had gained good power. Unfortunately, the blow missed completely to hit the target, because Ranjan was quick enough to sway his head. But, there was an expression of appreciation in his voice, as he said,

"Good blow! So, you can punch!"

Rajan was very angry. Without paying any hiddance, he again pounced on him. This time with two left right jabs.

But, what the heck! Again, Ranjan evaded the jabs with comfortable ease.

"Oh God! Why am I missing?" Ranjan prayed to the God silently.

"Ha ha! You know what? To be selected as an employee for the Joker's company, you have to know a few extra skills other than your academic qualifications. You must know karate or boxing or any one of the martial arts. A good boxer always watches his opponent's every move. The moment you raise your hand, I apprehend what is going to come, and prepare myself according to that. Even a nano-second is good enough for me to evade a blow, and you are no boxer. Do you want to continue or will you give up?"

Ranjan was in no mood of giving up. So, for the third time he attacked, and this time with a little bit of strategy. He said,

"You are good at boxing." So far Ranjan was just defending and not attacking. So, in a friendly move he moved a step closer to Ranjan, as if he was going to shake his hand. Ranjan was slightly off guard. He was a bit confused. He didn't know what to do.

Now, Ranjan was completely within his reach, and seemed to be off guard. Rajan kept talking,

"You must have known boxing even in your college days. But, why did you hide this from all? You could have got respect from your peers."

Ranjan was going to say something in a friendly manner. Rajan knew that was the moment, and with all the power he possessed he punched Ranjan straight in his right eye.

But Rajan's wish of hitting Ranjan was not fulfilled, as again Ranjan evaded the blow at the last moment.  He seemed to be having a back made of spring. But, immediately after evading the blow, Ranjan jabbed at Rajan's right rib with his left hand. Rajan fell on the ground by the impact of the jab. He was writhing in pain. By the acuteness of the pain, it seemed to Rajan that one of his ribs might have been broken.

"Get up! Nothing is broken. You still have one and half minute left. Don't you want to take revenge on me? After one and half minute you will have nothing but pain. So get up and hit me." Ranjan again threw up a challenge.

 Rajan was again back on his feet. He didn't want to miss the one and half minute. This prejudiced, perverted  man had caused a lot of harm to him and his family. Rajan couldn't leave him unscathed. But, Rajan knew that beating Ranjan in boxing would be impossible for him, as Ranjan was indeed a very good boxer, and Rajan had never punched anyone in his entire life. So, he had to employ some other tricks. But, would Ranjan fall for his tricks? But, Rajan had to try. So he said,

"No boss! I don't want to fight you any more. Do you remember what we used to say in the IIT? Janhapana tusi great ho! I just want to tell you that. I want to touch your feet brother. Can I?"

"Hmm! Why do you want to do that?" Clearly there was a sense of satisfaction in Ranjan's voice.

"Well brother, it's true that people like me might have scored better than you in the exams, but you have made me understand what is the real meaning of success. We have been working like a coolie in the US, getting only a fraction of the salaries of our white counterparts, and still thinking that we are so lucky! But, talking to you has opened my eyes, and now I know the real meaning of success. Do whatever you want to do with me, but please allow me to touch your feet."

"Okay, you may. But, no dirty thricks! The punishment you may not be able to bear." There was clearly a sense of complacency in Ranjan's voice.

Rajan was on his knees as if he was going to prostrate before Ranjan. But, suddenly he changed his mind and bang! The pent-up anger was cleary manifested by the right hand stroke with which Rajan hit Ranjan's groin, a low blow, prohibited in any kind of sports.

Ranjan was slightly complacent, and he couldn't avoid this one. Even though he was on the floor folding his knees close to his tummy and with an expression of severe pain on his visage, he didn't make any noice. The door was open. Without wasting a second, Rajan darted off from the room in a flash. This was the first time in his stay that he was not accompanied by anyone. Luckily for him, the lift was standing at this floor. Closing the lift, Rajan pressed the G button.

His heart was pumping hard, and he had to wipe sweat from his forehead, even in this lovely weather, a couple of times. He knew this might be a futile attempt, but he had to take it. So far, he had not got any chance of escaping. He himself had made this opportunity, and he prayed hard to the God to make his escape attempt successful.

Rajan couldn't believe his luck when he came out of the lift. There was no one near him. Rajan came out of the main gate. There was no doorman here, too. He looked back. No one was following him. There were roads in all directions. Rajan paused for a moment to decide which way to go. He remembered the experience of Roger. He had thought about his experience on numerous occasions. Roger was going to the front side. So, he decided to go in the opposite direction.

It was 8-30 PM in early March, and it was very dark outside. Rajan had no torch with him. After running for a while, he found that there was no road. He was running on the ground. Fortunately for him, the crop was just harvested, and the agricultural field was empty. Rajan understood that he was running towards the football field, where he had been running like a donkey for a while. But, he thanked those toiling hours, as he knew he would never have been able to run this fast and for this long time without that endeavour.

Rajan had looked several times to see what lied beyond the football ground. All he could see was another agricultural field. Rajan was sure that that agricultural field would not be large, and there would be the boundary of this fiendish compound. Rajan was apprehensive that someone must have been following him. But so far he hadn't heard any sound of footsteps. He wondered how was that happening! Ranjan should have alerted others, and they should have been after Rajan! But why was that not happening,  Rajan couldn't understand!




To be continued on Wednesday night 

Thriller The ultimate choice 27

 Episode 27

Rajan's face turned pale. He pleaded,

"Why are you doing this to me buddy? I already told you that I am extremely sorry for my mistake. I am ready to compensate you for the damage I might have caused you. I maybe jobless at the moment, but I still have assets worth crores of rupees. What amount of compensation do you want? 50 lakh? Don't hesitate. I am ready to give you Rs 1 crore as compensation. In return, you must release me brother. Will you?"

This time Ranjan guffawed. He was laughing in such a boisterous manner that he had to hold his stomach in pain.

"One crore? Did you say one crore? That's my monthly salary man here in this organisation! Most of the sophisticated instruments that you have seen here have been made by me. I am in charge of their maintenance.  Also, they made me one of the directors of this company. Yet, you think that by greasing my palm you can escape?"

Again, Rajan's jaws dropped. In a drooping shoulder he said,

"What kind of company is this brother?"

"Stop calling me "brother"! I know very well that what a slimy weasel you have been to get your jobs done! But, I must tell you in the strongest term that your dirty, little tricks are not going to work here. Very soon you will be subjected to a treatment, and a test for you also, that you deserved for so many years.

Regarding the company, though I am not authorised to leak much information, I can at least tell you that this might not be enlisted in the NYSE, but my  company makes enough revenue to buy any top lister of your Indian companies."

Rajan knew that his was a hopeless case. He would be subjected to some torturous treatment, as he had been since his arrival. But, he had to quench his curiosity. So, he asked in a rather mocking tone,

"Can I presume that you are the one who abducted me and kept me in this horrid place for so many days, torturing my body and soul everyday? Do you know the punishment that is awaiting you? Do you remember my best friend Suresh Rao? Do you know he has become one of the most influential person in my state? He will get you. Aren't you scared of the long hands of the law?"

At last, the jovial expression on Ranjan's face vanished. But, there was no change in his tone as he said,

"Uh uh! So, you are scaring me! Am I supposed to tremble in fear?"

Then he suddenly changed his tone and fulminated,

"You will never change, will you? Don't be a fool to think that there is that nincompoop Dean here who would fall for your bullshit!"

Rajan was happy that Ranjan was losing his composure. An angry man may reveal a lot of truths and he is prone to make mistakes. So, he kept staring at Ranjan, as Ranjan continued fulminating,

"This is the headquarter of our comapany, which has branches all over the world. This place is so secured that not even a fly can enter or exit from here without our permission."

"You are so obsessed with your so-called power that you are underestimating the capabilities of our forces. Any moment they will enter the place and arrest all of you and your criminal colleagues." Rajan shot back.

That's not possible. Indian police forces do not have the capability to enter here if we don't let them in. Besides, we leave no traces of our activities. So, how are they going to track us? No way! Now, let me tell you about your 3rd test."

"Wait, wait! Before that tell me why did you abduct me? Is this because you wanted to take revenge on me?"

Pausing for a few seconds, Ranjan in a calm voice said,

"Well, if I say that I didn't want to take revenge on you, that would be a gross misstatement! Since my expulsion, which was ultimately converted into 5 years of suspension, I always wanted to get my hands on you. But, you will be surprised to know that I had no hands in selecting you as a contestant for our extremely popular reality show, "Survivor."

Again Rajan's jaws dropped, and he had to gulp. He tried hard to understand what reality show that Ranjan was talking about! He was going to ask something, but before that Ranjan intervened,

"Shh! No more questions! The time for talking is over. You know what? The supreme boss of the company, the Joker, is a man of time. Fortunately, presuming your inquisitiveness I sought extra 10 minutes. But, now we have to start. So listen carefully."

This time Rajan stopped Ranjan,

"You gay scroundel! Don't think that I am that dumb not to understand your next move. You are  going to satisfy your perverted desire on me, which you always dreamed of. Didn't you?"

Ranjan seemed to be a tad disappointed as he said,

"Again you misunderstood me. When you had been my room mate for one year, didn't I tell you on numerous occasions that I would never impose myself on unwilling or minor people? I am not that kind of a btute. I have choice man, and you are not the one of my likings. But, there are few people here who would love to pounce on your candy ass."

"Roger and Chan? I know they are gays!"

"Roger? A hell yes! But not Chan! He is small and he is a passive partner in gay sex. We have another big black man for you whom you have not seen yet. They will satisfy their desires on you as many times as they wish in 60 minutes. The test for you is to withstand the assault without protesting. If you beat them or bite them or try to flee, you will be immediately shot in your head. This the order of the Joker, and by now you know what a man of words he is!

Therefore, if you love your life, if you want to meet your family again, don't even think of protesting. Absorb the pain like a man, and stay alive. I will leave now, and within a couple of minutes those two hunks will enter. Best of luck!"


To be continued on Saturday evening 

Thriller The ultimate choice 26

 Episode 26

At 8 PM he was taken to a room that he had never visited earlier. This room from its mere appearance was different from most of the rooms that he had visited so far. It was pink, the colour that Rajan had never liked. The size of the room, too, seemed a bit smaller than the other rooms. There was no furniture in this room, but for a green thick mattress lying on the floor, and a basket on one corner of the room.

Unfortunately for Rajan, it was not the look that was a matter of concern, but it was the obnoxious smell that was coming from the basket. Rajan thought he knew that smell. Yes, it was the smell of semen coming from used condoms kept in the basket. The intensity of the awful smell indicated that it could not be coming from one man's semen.

Whether it was a coincidence or not was difficult to tell, but the guy who accompanied Rajan was none other than the Bengali guy whom Rajan was absolutely sure was Ranjan. Rajan was taken blindfolded to this room. So, as soon as he noticed the fact, he was going to say something. But, before Rajan could reveal his great investigative work, Ranjan said,

"Congratulations! You have guessed it right! I am indeed your classmate at the IIT, Ranjan, the gay guy. So you remember me! Do you remember what you did to me?"

"Yes Ranjan! I do remember. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have lied to the Dean. At that time I was blinded by my hate towards gays. But, now I realise that what I did was a grave mistake. I ruined your career for no fault of yours. I wholeheartedly seek your mercy for the wrongs I did to you."

Ranjan in a very surprising move, took off his mask, and put it inside his pocket. He hadn't changed much over the years; that gaunt face, that beak-like long nose, the creases on the forehead, nothing changed a bit. Very strangely he had been able to hold his age to a standstill. But, he didn't seem to be impressed by Rajan's answer. Smirking, he said,

"You are lying! You never had any compunctions about your deed. Now that you found yourself   entangled in a snare, you think that seeking pardon from me would disentangle you."

There was a moment of blush on Rajan's cheeks, because he knew what Ranjan had just said was true. But, this was a do or die situation for him. At this critical juncture, he would not hesitate to call even a donkey his father. So, he tried his best to hide his true feelings, and tried to bring some real emotions on his face. The gravity of the situation was such that it required almost no acting skill to bring an expression of deep regret on his face.

"I am really sorry brother! Your appearance might not have changed over the years, but you should be aware that people's perception changes over time. I am indeed sorry for what I did to you. I seek your mercy. Will you pardon me?"

"Indeed! You shouldn't have done that. Yes, you ruined my career. I was suspended by the IIT for 5 years. I could get my engineering degree, after 5 years. But, when I got that, I was 28 years old, and no good company was willing to recruit me even though I was no less eligible than you."

Rajan had to come up with a fake cough to resist the sudden outflow of laughter,  even at this precarious juncture, as he failed to understand how Ranjan, who was just a mediocre student, could compare himself with him, who always ranked among the top ten!

"Oh oh oh! I see you have a big objection for my comparison with you in merit. I can't deny that you always scored at least 5 percent more than me in every subject. But, do you think that the marks are the only criteria for merits? Did you know that by the time I was rusticated, which eventually was changed to 5 years of suspension on my prayer, I had 3 patents in my name?"

Rajan's jaw dropped, "What? 3 patents at that age? You never told us about that."

"Yes! I didn't tell you as I had no intention to become famous. Inventing new machines had been my passion. My father himself had been a scientist. He had lived in Switzerland for most of the time, but he had  built a big laboratory in our house. He worked like a clockwork even during his holidays with us. He always encouraged me to do innovative things. From a very early age, I have fallen in love with machines. They became my passion. I studied electrical engineering with you. But, you maybe surprised to know that I am no less eligible than a mechanical engineer or an instrumentation engineer of any premium institute of our country."

Rajan could not believe what he was listening. There was clearly a sign of disbelief in his face. Ranjan's keen eyes couldn't have missed that. He took out few papers from his pocket, and showed them to Ranjan.

"I knew you will not believe me. You are so obsessed with your mediocre achievements! Please take a look at the papers. These are the patent certificates, and I humbly submit that you could see 15 out of the 22 patents that I have in my name."

Rajan's surprise knew no bound. As he perused the papers, Rajan's eyes simply popped out. Rajan had graduated in electrical engineering, but he chose his career in software development in various MNCs. He was more interested in his own field, but as a successful engineer he had no difficulty in understanding that Ranjan had invented various sophisticated instruments, which he had never heard of.

"Impressive! Very impressive, I must say. But, what are the other 7 patents that you didn't show me?"

"From your facial expression,  I can clearly see that you haven't understood much about my inventions. To help you, I should tell you that all these 15 instruments required application of electrical, mechanical, electronics and software engineering. The other 7 inventions, which I haven't shown you, have been my best inventions, and these have been commercially very successful."

The awful smell of the room was suffocating Rajan. So, he said,

"I never knew that you have such a sharp brain. But, why are we standing in this disgusting room? Can't we have a discussion on your inventions at a better place?"

"Ha ha ha ha!" Ranjan had a hearty laugh! Rajan didn't understand what was so funny in his proposal!

Again looking at Rajan's face Ranjan mocked, "So, you found my laughter very rude? Are you so dumb to fail to understand what is going to happen to you now?"

To be continued on Wednesday night 

Thriller The ultimate choice 25

Episode 25

Archana had to go through her regular exercises and yoga season as usual in the day. The masked yoga instructor today sounded completely different. She sounded distraught. While instructing, she had no concentration whatsoever. Sometimes, she gave completely wrong instructions which by then Archana had no problem in detecting.  Archana was forced to ask,

"What happened to you today, Ma'm? Any mishaps?"

She heaved, "You know what? I will miss you."

Archana couldn't stop a hearty laugh, "Really? But pray tell, why would you miss me? I come here everyday, and spent 5 hours here. Don't I?"

The shortish, plumpish lady, who didn't seem as heartless as the rest of the ill-fated, iron-hearted beasts here paused for a few seconds and looked utterly confused. She seemed to have gulped down a sob.

Watching her dilemma, Archana told her in a comforting voice, "Don't worry! By now, I know well that you are not permitted to tell certain things. If you think it's prohibited as per your code of conduct, you don't have to tell me."

All of a sudden, the masked instructor came forward and hugged Archana tightly. Withing a few seconds, she released her and in a sobbing voice said, "Go back to your room. This is the last time we meet. We shall never meet again. Your stint with this gym ends today. Good luck! I wish you the best."

So much of emotions! Dumbfounded, Archana slowly departed from the gym. So, this was the last day for her in the gym. That meant that the end would come soon. As the Joker said in his ususal nasal voice, Archana understood that the last two tests would be completely different from the previous 3 tests. The Joker had warned Archana that 70% of the contestants failed in the fourth stage. That meant that the fourth test must be the toughest of all the stages.

At 6 PM, the disgusting face of the Joker appered on the monitor. Archana's heart probably missed a beat. She wondered what kind of torturous task the monster was going to tell her to perform!

"Don't be afraid Honey! Don't be afraid when you don't have to. Take every moment as they come to you. Life is the best gift that your God has bestowed you. You shouldn't waste a moment which is meant for enjoyment!"

Archana was shocked so many times in this hell house that she no longer got amazed. But, she had no idea what the Joker was talking about.

Looking at her confounded face, the otherwise morbid face of the Joker seemed to have smirked behind the mask. In a sarcastic tone he said,

"The next few hours are meant for your enjoyment. Tell me what you want in dinner, which will be served at 8 PM. You can order any number of exquisite delicacies from any part of the world. My chefs are the best in the world. I know you are a foodie. This may be your last meal and this is the only time when you are allowed to choose your meal. So, don't hesitate to utilize this opportunity."

Joker's words again sent shivers down Archana's spine. On one hand this lunatic fringe told Archana to enjoy her meal, but on the other hand he had the obnoxiousness to reveal that it could be her last meal. What the freak!

Watching Archana's bewildered face, the Joker said,
 
"You know what? There is only a thin line between pessimism and optimism. An optimist person may not be actually an optimist in real sense, while a seemingly pessimist in reality maybe an optimist. It depends on the situation and time. If you noticed carefully, I used the word may. You are educated enough to know the grammatical connotation of the word may. So, don't be afraid to unleash your taste buds, who I promise will get a field day.

Now, stop the negative feelings, and tell me what you would like to have at dinner. I will give you some choices, even though you are free to choose anything of your liking. You can order Souvlaki, Caprese, Puchero, Tom Yam Goong, Tonkatsu, Borsch. The list is endless Honey. Just tell me what are your choices."

"Pesarattu and Gongura Pachadi! Thanks! Now, can I have some private time please?" Archana curtly replied. The mere presence of the Joker seemed unsettling to her. Besides, she needed some private space to think about the impending danger.

"Of course, Honey! Take your time, as tonight at 10 PM you will face the biggest challenge that you have been facing." As soon as the television monitor went blank, Archana threw herself on the bed hiding her face in the pillow.

                                                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In Rajan's class at the IIT, there was a student who had a sardonic sense of satisfaction in creating panic among his peers. He would invent stories that would cause trepidation among the less prepared students. For example, before the final semester he once said that he had heard that the teacher of electrical machine had told one of his colleagues that he would set the test in a way that would make sure that the 50% of the students would fail. Everyone would ask him a lot of questions like what else he had heard. But, Rajan was one of a very few students who never panicked. He studied hard throughout the year, he had no hesitations in approaching his teachers to not only clear his doubts, but also to check the answers of the mock tests. But, this time, before test, he had no such courage, he had not even an iota of confidence, because the Joker knew his weak points.





                             To be continued on Sunday morning 

Thriller The ultimate choice 24

 Episode 24

Archana was eagerly listening to the rants of the Joker. She had nothing to say. She was worried about her husband Rajan. So, she asked,

"Is my husband safe? His life is more important than mine."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The Joker seemed to have lost his composure, as he smiled like an adolescent boy!

"Really? Really Archu? Really?"

"Of course! Are you doubting me?" Archana's voice raised spontaneously, as she hadn't have an iota of doubt.

"Okay, okay! Don't get angry. I am happy to announce that he had already passed the first two tests, and like everyone else he will pass the third test, too. But well, I don't have no idea whether he will pass the remaining two tests or not!

But, I have a bad news for ya. You know what? The last 2 tests are the toughest. 70% of the participants lose their lives in the 4th stage, and the rest in the fifth. Good luck to you for the remaining tests."

Suddely, the screen went blank leaving Archana's doubts unanswered. She also felt a sensation of chill running down her spine.

"What did the Joker say? 70% of the participants pass out in the 4th stage. That means the next stage will be the toughest of all. Oh God, why are you not helping me? Aren't there anyone who can free us from the clutches of the Joker?"

Archana's thought process flew nonstop for long. She noted that the Joker hadn't mentioned any date about the next test. Archana placed her left hand on her forehead, and tried to sleep.

                                      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

As usual, Rajan woke up at 5 on dot. He was ready to be taken to the field by the Bengali masked man, whom Rajan, now, was pretty sure, was his batchmate at the IIT, Ranjan. But, the door, which opened and closed on its own, didn't open. Rajan was a tad perplexed, as this hadn't happened so far during his stay here.

He was looking here and there thinking what to do. Suddenly, the face of the Joker appered on the television monitor. Watching that freaking face, Rajan's heartbeat stopped for a moment. Generally, the Joker had announced about forthcoming tests well in advance so far. But last night, no one had informed him about any test. Was he going to take the third test right now?

"Relax! You don't have to appear at any test right now. In fact, I want to tell you that you have got a break from running, gardening and all other works today. You can take rest, or do whatever you like. But, if that is a good news, I have got a bad news for you, too. You will have to appear at the third test on 8 PM tonight."

Again, Rajan's heartbeat stopped for a moment. "What test, Sir?" These words came out spontaneously from his mouth.

"You will know." The television monitor went blank.

Rajan stood there standstill for at least 10 minutes. Third test! Would he be able to pass that?
What kind of test that would be? Rajan slowly sat on the bed.

Rajan again thought about the queer dream he had a few hour ago. Was it only because of revelation of Ranjan's identity in his sub-conscious mind or something else, Rajan was thinking about it, and suddenly an incident which happened a few days back flashed through his mind.

Even though, Rajan had to run like a donkey for 2 hours, he was given no reprieve from gardening. At 8 AM, as usual, he got the break for refreshment, when he met Roger and Chan. As the time of the break was very limited, most of the time, they were busy in eating and drinking as much as possible. They had very little a chance to talk.

But, that day, Rajan was determined to know why Roger could not escape despite coming so close to it! Rajan had previously asked the question many times, but Roger had evaded the answer so far. But, that day, observing Rajan's determined face to know the answer, Roger said,


"Okay man! I will tell you what happened next. The moment I touched the fence, I got a huge electric shock, and I fell down on the ground. Within 5 seconds, two masked men with 4 doberman pinschers cannonballed towards me.

I hurt my spine from the fall. Before I could get up, one of them shoot a dart in my leg, and I became senseless. I was tortured very brutally by the Joker's men for two consecutive days. When I was on the brink of death, the Joker's face apperaed on the television screen. He said he followed every movement of every captive every second. He inserted a GPS chip in the flesh below our eyes. We can't go anywhere without his knowledge, and we can't remove the chip without damaging our eyes.

Since then I didn't try anything extravagant."

Rajan was startled by what he heard, but he got extremely disturbed by what he saw next. Before departing back for work, Roger passionately kissed Chan lip-to-lip in front of Rajan. Watching Rajan's bewildered face, he winked and said, "We are gays man! If you don't like gays, I have two words for ya: **** you!"

The workload throughout the day was so heavy that Rajan could not pay too much of thoughts on the words he heard. At night he pondered over it, and came to the conclusion that these two guys had been making fun of him. But, somehow the incident had an impact in his subconscious mind resulting in that queer dream.

To Rajan's utter repugnance, he was shown 5 porn clips throughout the day. Gay porn was the last thing in the world that he would have seen if he were a free man. But here he knew from the experience that disobedience could result into his death. So, he had no option but to watch something which made him puke a couple of times.

By 6 PM the agony was over. Rajan threw himself onto the bed. He was in prostrate position,  tears rolling down his eyes constantly. Homosexuality was the thing that he had hated throughout his life. But in Joker's house he was forced to watch the abominable acts of subhumans whom he thought had no reason to exist.

To be continued on next Wednesday 

Thriller The ultimate choice 23

Episode 23

"Leave me, otherwise I will report to the Dean." Rajan screamed as he was forcibly held from behind by Ranjan, while Ranjan's crotch firmly pressed against Rajan's buttocks. Rajan tried his best to wiggle out of the grip, but his short physique was not strong enough to overpower a taller and muscular guy like Ranjan. Ranjan, hailing from West Bengal, was his batch mate, sharing the same room with Rajan. Ranjan was notorious in the campus for having homosexual tendencies, and even at that time when it was considered as crime, he was proud to boast about his sexuality openly.

Rajan was completely opposite: he considered homosexuals as queer animals who needed to be culled to save the world. However, unlike Ranjan, he never expressed his opinion in public, as he was fearful. Rajan was shaken to the core in the third year, when he got Ranjan as his roommate. He hated homosexuals so much that he immediately went to the Dean to change his partner. But, the Dean laughed off his fears telling him to report to him immediately if Ranjan tried anything wrong.

From the very first day, Rajan warned Ranjan that if he tried anything silly, he would immediately report to the Dean. He also made him aware of his conversations with the Dean. Ranjan simply snapped at Rajan saying,

"Don't be afraid my friend. I may be homosexual, but I am not a rapist. You might think that homosexuality is a disease, and homosexuals are the worst people in the world. But, I am afraid my friend, the reality is not like that. Homosexuals are also created by the God, and homosexuality is as old as our civilization. As long as the two partners are willing, you have no right to tell what is right and what is wrong. But yes, homosexuals have no right to force anybody who is unwilling or who is a minor. That's crime, and I will be the first one to flag that."

Ranjan, indeed, kept his promise, and never disturbed Rajan for his entire stay as his roommate. "But, why is he doing this today?" Rajan could not understand this, and as he tried harder to wiggle, the grip became stronger. Rajan fell short of breath, and he was panting. At that moment, his nightmare was broken, and he woke up hurriedly. Indeed, he was sweating in the comfortable temperature and humidity controlled room. Rajan realized that his hands resting on his heart might have been the immediate cause of his uneasiness, but he could not understand why he saw that queer dream! He could not sleep for the rest of time alotted for sleeping.

Rajan started thinking about his predicament. Rajan had cleared his second test of running 4 km distance without stopping in the next attempt. But, for the reason, which was hard for Rajan to comprehend, he had been taken to the same place in the morning for the next 5 days.   He was ordered to run fast. The length gradually became shorter, and the target time to complete became steeper. In the last 2 days he was asked to run only 100 meters as fast as possible.

Rajan asked several times why he was doing that. The Bengali remained tight-lipped citing the   reason that he was not authorised to speak. During the last run, when Rajan cleared the 16 second barrier for the 100 m run, the guy said, "Congratulations Sweetie! You have got a chance!"

At that moment Rajan was so tired that he could not pay much attention to the cryptic words of the Bengali. But, now when he again thought of the words, suddenly an old incident flashed through his mind. Didn't the Bengali addresses him Sweetie?
 
"Sweetie? Oh my God!" The words spontaneously came out of his mind, as Rajan remembered   vividly that Ranjan used to address him this way during his one year sharing of the room. Did that mean that the ruthless Bengali was Ranjan? Yes, it had to be him. No one else in the entire universe had ever called him like that. Now, everything became clear to Rajan.

Rajan knew very well that Ranjan had every reason to take revenge against him. Though, Ranjan had never touched Rajan, Rajan's hatred towards the homosexuals was so deep that at the end of the third year, he falsely complained against Ranjan. Rajan being the blue-eyed boy in the eyes of the faculty for his merit, the Dean hadn't acted judiciously. As Ranjan had already been infamous for his open boasting in favour of homosexuality, the board of investigation, too, had been biased in its verdict. Ranjan, who, too, was a very good student, was expelled from the IIT because of the false complain of Rajan.

Now, Rajan understood everything. It had to be Ranjan, who was taking revenge against him. Rajan, from the experience of one year of sharing room with Ranjan knew that Ranjan was like a coconut: hard at the exterior, but soft in interior. Rajan got a glimmer of hope. If he admitted his guilt, and prayed for his mercy, he was sure, Ranjan would exonerate him from his sin. Rajan again fell asleep, this time with a hint of relief on his face.

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The skin under the both feet of Archana was so badly burnt that Archana thought that she would never be able to walk on her feet. But, she was amazed to see that she was operated on the same night of that incident. She didn't know what exactly had happened, as she was anesthetized during the operation. But, next morning, she was astonished to the core to note that her feet were absolutely normal. But, the masked doctor told her to take 3 days of rest.

Archana was shocked to the core after 3 days, when she was shifted to her room, to see the disgusting face of Joker appearing on the television monitor in her room. In a condescending voice he said,

"I told you Honey! My doctors are wizards! No less than your God, I vouch! They can revitalise even a dead person. Curing your mildly-burnt skin was a cakewalk for them."

The Joker paused for complete 1 minute. For a brief moment, Archana doubted was it Atal Behari Vajpayee, who used to take a lot of time between his bites! But, Archana knew that the pious soul had left the world long ago. The sense of happiness had vanished from his voice as he continued,

"I am rather sorry to give the information that all the previous participants had passed the first 3 tests. The first 3 tests had been rather easy. These were preparatory tests. You know what? People accuse of me being a very ruthless, cruel man. But, in reality, I am a very kind man. I prepare you, and give you plenty of time to pass all the tests."

To be continued 



                                

Thriller The ultimate choice 22

 

"Injustice? Really? This is the Joker's house: the most powerful man in the universe. He is more powerful than your prime minister, or even the President of the US. The concept of justice and injustice as per your belief system may not be in congruence with his system. What injustice you are whining about? You should be lucky that you are still surviving. Anyway, don't argue with me. Let's go back. See you tomorrow same place same time, and don't fail that time."

"What is my fault? Why has the Joker captivated me?" Rajan was desperate this time.

"Oh, you have many questions for the Joker? I know the answers, but I don't have the authority to answer them. I will inform him about your queries. I am sure the next time you see him, you will clear all the doubts.

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"I have already paid you 20000 dollars, and I will pay whatever it takes to find my buddy. But, please tell me the updates about your investigation."

Suresh Rao had to try extremely hard to suppress the unrest of his mind. Rajan was his best friend in the college days, and without Rajan he would have never made such big leap in his life.

"Sir, we have covered all the known crime syndicates across the world. But, he has been nowhere to be found. The last time I rang you, we had a clue that a middle-aged Indian having similar features of Rajan was taken hostage in Syria by terrorists. We thought that it could be him. But, yesterday the family of Mr Sundaran, an engineer working in the gulf, got a phone call for ransom. They paid the hefty sum, and the terrorists returned him unscathed."

"Why are you telling me this. I want to know about my friend."

Mr Rao heaved a long sigh of frustration. He had heard a lot about the efficiency of this detective organisation "Ravenous Eagles" from his business friends across the world. An ex-CIA top brass, Mr Saunders, had found this organisation, and it had presence in all the nations in the world. As it employed many ex-cops across the world, it could get all the helps from the police and military fraternity.

Bikash Datta, a reired brigadier in the Indian army, had been recruited as the head of the Indian wing of the "Ravenous Eagles". Somnath, who himself was a top cop in West Bengal police, and retired early to join this organisation, was the head of southern zone of this organisation in India.

"Patience, Sir, patience. I am not done yet."

"Okay, I am sorry! Please carry on." Suresh got a faint sense of hope.

"Sir, we have come the conclusion that this must be a new gang, and getting ransom is not the motive behind their kidnapping. Now, the big question is what is their motive? Is this an organ racket, who sells the organs of their victims for a huge profit? The answer is a big no. We have checked almost all such organisations. Is it a human trafficking organisation, who sells innocent victims for slave trade or prostitution? We have checked all of them Sir. No, Rajan or Archana, his wife, who has also been abducted, could not be found."

"What, his wife also has been abducted? What are you saying man! Rajan had told me that he had no relationship with his wife any more, and he was preparing to divorce her." Suresh Rao had enough of patience, and he had to interject at this point.

"That's true Sir! Rajan would have signed the mutual  divorce petition within few days. He was happy to do that. But, strangely, his wife, too, was abducted on the same day from Tirupathi. Since she is related to him, we have to search for her too. That's the professionalism of our agency."

"That's great! But could you make any breakthrough?"

"Not yet Sir! Now, we have zeroed to the ameture crime agencies operating across the world. You must have heard about dark net! These agencies invariably make their presence there. But, as you know, breaking into the dark net is not a child's job. It takes a lot of time. We are doing out best, but I have a suggestion for you to open an alternate way and expedite things."

"Pray tell me. I am willing to do whatever it takes to find my best friend, without whose help I would have been no where."

"Sir, I think you should give advertisements decalring rewards of 50 million dollar to anybody who gives the whereabouts of Rajan in the leading 20 newspapers across the world, whose list I will give you in case you agree."

"50 million dollars!?" Suresh Rao's jaw dropped, as the amount sounded way beyond his imagination.

"Don't worry Sir! You don't have to shell out even a single dollar as reward. This is a ploy to nab  the culprits. The astronomical sum can lure some them to come up with valuable information.   We shall take care of everything. All you have to do is to pay the advertising price."

"Oh sure! Tell me the amount, I will transfer the amount into your account." At last, Suresh smiled.

To be continued 


 

Thriller The ultimate choice 21

Episode 21

In the 2 minutes Archana got, she prayed to the God for saving her. Since the Joker hadn't talked about taking her life, Archana was slightly relaxed. The Joker had told that if she failed, she would be beaten by a whip. Archana didn't want that either.

"I have to pass this test. I have to beat the pain." Archana uttered these sentences 20 times silently. Her jaw stiffened in determination. She knew she had to remain fit in order to escape from this place and save her husband from the clutches of these monsters.

For the last time she folded both her hands in the mould of "namaskaram", and she placed her left foot on the singeing coal. Immediately, she wanted to withdraw her left leg and pull back, as she felt extremely hot under her foot. But, she knew about the consequences, and she moved forward ignoring the pain as fast as possible.

"I can do it. I can do it. Jai Shiva, Jai Shiva! Please give me enough power to withstand the pain."  She was uttering these words, this time in a soft voice. As soon as she crossed 7 feet, almost half the distance she was assigned to cross, the sensation of burning started to increase exponentially.

She could clearly understand that her skin under her both feet had started to singe. The pain became unbearable. Her bravado vanished very quickly in thin air, and she started to scream at full throttle. But, she didn't stop, and moved forward as fast as she could. The Joker had told her not to run, lest she should have to appear at the test afresh.

When she reached around 10 feet, the skin under  her feet started to burn. She could smell the burning of flesh. The pain had crossed the threshold of her limit. She remembered the consequences. But, she could not take the pain any more. So, she spot jumped the remaining distance with her full might.

Archana had never practiced long jump in her entire life. But, she herself was astonished to note that she could jump out of the platform at a single go. Her screams might not have stopped, the tears form her eyes might not have stopped running down her cheeks like a stream, but at last, she felt something good. The frigging burning sensation had lessened.

The rude sound of boos quickly drained away her momentary sense of relief. She craned her neck to see who were laughing and making catcalls. Her jaw dropped to see everyone was laughing but the lady, who was around 5' 6" tall, having a taut body, was jumping up and down like a naughty imp.

"She failed! She failed!" She screamed in shrill voice.

Like a prowling tiger, she jumped from her position to come in front of Archana. Archana's jaw dropped one more time to note that the lady had jumped almost 12 feet at a go. The 8 Ft black leather bull whip in her hand sent shivers down her spine.

"You know what? This is Joker's house. He is a man of words. You should have taken his words seriously. This was not at all a difficult task. You should have done it easily. Anyway, I am very happy, as I will have the pleasure of beating you, and most importantly you will have to do it again with your burnt feet." She chortled.

This lady was also masked. She was wearing the mask of Ursula. But, for a change, Archana was herself surprised to note that her trepidation had vanished. She looked straight into the eyes of the lady in black.

"Tell me how I failed?" Archana shot back with such a voice that clearly showed that she was not lacking in confidence.

"You silly girl! You jumped. You had to cross the distance only by walking." The lady in black shouted.

"No! I was not allowed to run, and I didn't run. The Joker never told me that I could not jump."

The pindrop silence gave Archana enough encouragement to drive home her point further. She looked at the Joker, and said,

"Sir, you are a man of words, as you claimed several times earlier. I also know that you record every thing. Please show me the recordings of the conditions that you uttered a few minutes ago."

There was clearly an environment of disbelief and discontent among the 5 other people. They began to chatter, which the Joker tolerated for 90 seconds, and he imposed his authority by raising his right hand. That move silenced everyone, and everyone turned their attention on him. It appeared to Archana that she was in a court and the Joker was the judge. Archana knew that she had made a solid case. But, this being an unholy place, Archana could not have been sure of the outcome. There was every possibility that the Joker could be biased. Archana's feet were burnt, the pain was unbearable. She did not cry loudly, but there was continuous flow of tears running down her cheeks. If she had to do it again, Archana was not sure, whether she would make it or not.

"My bad! Sorry folks! Archana is right! Indeed, there is no restriction in jumping in the condition. I will incorporate this henceforth. But, well, congratulations Archana! You have passesd the third test, the last one of the easy tests. You can enjoy the rest of the night at your room. But, you will have to appear at two more tests to get freedom from here in the next few days, and those two will be not like these 3. Now, you will be taken to our medical centre. Don't worry about your wounds. We have got the world's bestest medical care unit with the bestest doctors in the universe. I promise you your feet will be healed very quickly.

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The time of 30 second seemed too little to Rajan, but he composed himself and restarted his job despite tremendous pain in his legs and groin. He again prayed to the God for saving him, as he knew his sore body could not take any more kicks. Fortunately for Rajan, this time there was no more hiccups, and he finished the remaining job.

The success made Rajan extremely happy. He would have liked to punch the air in joy, but the presence of the nefarious guy prevented him from doing so. But still, there was a hint of satisfaction in his voice when he said,

"So at last, I passed the test Sir!" There was clearly a tone of confidence in his voice, and it appeared that Rajan wanted to hear some kind of congratulatory messages from the evil Bengali.

"You think so? Really? I am sorry, the condition was that you have to run without stopping. But, you failed miserably man. You are very fortunate that the first 3 tests are very easy, and this second test is the easiest. You will get 2 more chances to pass this test in the next two days."

"What? Oh no! You can't do this injustice to me Sir."

To be continued  

Thriller The ultimate choice 20

 

"What the heck are you doing Srinivas? Will you be the reason for fall of my government?"

Srinivas was the renowned, redoubtable SP of Chittoor district, who had been profusely praised by everyone, starting from the common man to his superiors in the police, for curbing the crime rate of Chittoor significantly since his taking over charge. He was the man who believed in leading from front, he was the man who was said to be incorruptible, he was the man whom even the wily politicians respected. Because of his incorruptible nature, he had been transferred very often. But, in the last few years, the chief minister of the state, who also happened to be home minister, Mr Surya Babu, had seen the positive sides of him, and he had been in the same district for the last couple of years, a record for his own service.

Last night, Srinivas led from the front in liquidating 2 members of the notorious Rambabu  gang with the help of local Gajulamandyam police station staff. He arrived home at 3 AM in the morning. He was sleeping, and his sleep was broken by frantic pushes from his wife at 7 AM in the morning. Srinivas, too, was surprised to see the CM calling him at this odd hour. His surprise knew no bound when he heard the above-mentioned bizarre scolding. The CM had never spoken to him in this rude tone ever. 

"What happened Sir?"

"Why? Haven't you read the morning newspapers?"

"Sorry Sir! What have they published?"

"What kind of officer are you? Are you unaware of the NRI lady kidnapping case in your district? Archana, a USA resident who arrived around a fortnight back in India from the USA was kidnapped on the first day of her arrival."

"Oh, that case in the Tirupathi East Police station! Yes Sir, I am aware of that case. A NRI lady named Archana arrived in her hometown in Tirupati on 18th January alone. On the same day, she was abducted by some unknown assailants from an unknown place."

"Unknown place? What are you talking man? Haven't you read the Andhra Today article? The article doesn't say so. It says she was kidnapped from Tirupati while going to the famous Tirumala Venkateswara Temple for offering puja. It also says the local police has done nothing for the last 17 days. Do you know how much damage it has caused to the reputation of my government? Do you know we have to face elections this year?" The CM fumed.

"Cool down Sir! If that's the news, I have got a good news for you." Srinivas had talked to the temperamental CM a few times. He knew the CM could evolve fire one moment, but the next moment he might cool down and behave in a sober manner.

"What good news? Tell me." The CM was anxious to hear the good news.

"Sir, we have checked all the CCTV footages in the temple region thoroughly. There had not been any case of kidnapping, or for that matter Ms Archana could be seen anywhere." Srinivas  thought this would calm the nerves of the agitated CM.

"Oh Srinivas! You call this a good news? You might be relieved of your obligation, but don't forget she is an NRI hailing from my state. I have to find her to save my reputation. Have you found from where she was kidnapped?"

"This is a very complicated case Sir. For the last 15 years, she visits her hometown with her children. But, the timing is different. She visits India during  late June with her entire family. While her husband Rajan visits his ancestral hometown in Visakhapatnam,  she comes here with her two children, and stays here for a fortnight. But, this visit was completely different. She came alone, and she left home telling that she was going to visit the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. But she never went there, and so far we could not ascertain where she was actually going."

"Hmm! So, you could not determine where and when she was abducted. What about her husband Rajan?"

"That's even more astonishing, Sir! Rajan was abducted from his hometown Visakhapatnam on the same day. He was going to meet his college friend Mr Suresh Rao, a renowned industrialist in our state, I am sure, you must have heard his name."

"Suresh Rao? Yes, I know him very well. He has established a chain of factories in my state that gives employment to thousands of people. What is the relationship between the two?"

"They both studied in the same IIT Sir. As far as I have gathered information,  Rajan had become jobless in the US. He decided to settle in India, and start his career anew. Suresh Sir wanted to employ him as his chief advisor. He was going to meet Mr Reddy, the local SBI manager before meeting Suresh ji in Hyderabad. But, he never reached the bank. I talked to the SP of Visakhapatnam, my colleague,  Khan, about the case. They, too, could not ascertain where Rajan was abducted."

'Oh my! What's happening in my state? Thank God, that case was not reported in the newspaper! Anyways, I order you to put your 100 percent to solve the case as soon as possible. I will also direct Khan to do the same. You can call me any time for any help, and assure you 100% assistance."

"Ok Sir! I will try my best to solve the case as soon as possible hence onwards!"

Srinivas heaved a sigh, as he saw the call was cut from the CM. 

To be continued