"Time heals everything...BUT THE HEART."
Time passed away, but the pain remained. I looked at the sky which was dark like my life and ready to cry at any moment. I slowly walked towards the beach and saw some ladies lying on the beach. After, I left UCID, I moved to Goa where I worked as a part-time tour guide in the day and a municipal worker at night. The days were tough with limited money and resources, but I managed to keep me and my dreams alive for the past four years. I sat on a chair and ordered a martini for myself. The waiter put the glass before me and I sipped a little, when I saw a group of teenagers teasing a foreigner. I wanted to ignore them, but the girl had some uncanny resemblance with Catherine. I walked towards them and said, "You shouldn't disturb people like this. They come to our beautiful country to enjoy its beautiful beaches, waterfalls, mountains and other scenic beauties and for bash guys like you, they return to their homeland with only hate and disgust towards us." One of the teenagers pushed me and said, "Fuck off, uncle before I break your mouth. We will do whatever we want." He tried to push me again, but this time I caught his hand and twisted it. I slapped him and then he said angrily, "KILL THIS BASTARD! HE DOESN'T KNOW WHO HE HAS SLAPPED!" Four goons ran towards me. I dodged one's attack and then kicked him in the face and then punched another in the face. I pulled one on another and then threw the fourth guy on the third guy. One of the goons smashed a bottle on my head and was about to stab me with it, when the sound of a gunshot stopped him. They quickly ran away, leaving me bleeding on the beach sand.
I opened my eyes and saw a man standing near me. I slowly opened my eyes wider and smiled, "Sir Lorenzo." I looked at him and he smiled, "Yes. I had to travel a lot of countries to finally realise that you must be in India. But, when I reached your house, it was empty. So, I had to find you everywhere before I finally reached this place." I smiled, "It was such a long time since we last met." Sir Lorenzo smiled, "It's been quite a while since you left me and Sir Gravenberch alone on the road." I asked, "How is Sir Gravenbench?" Sir Lorenzo smiled, "Good. He often praises your exit." I smiled, "Yes. It was a dramatic exit." Sir Lorenzo smiled, "Now it is time for a great entry too." I asked, "What do you mean?" Sir Lorenzo smiled, "The same shit that you left four years ago is calling you again. The world needs you. The old Harsh Bhardwaj." I sighed, "Well, you are at the wrong address then. That old Harsh Bhardwaj died along with Cathy." Sir Lorenzo patted my shoulder and said, "Cathy would have wanted it too. I know whatever I say or whatever I do will never fill the void, but maybe I can pull you towards a better future." I sighed, "You are pulling me towards the same shit that snatched away everything from me. My family, friends, love and my identity. I am now nothing but just a nameless body now." Sir Lorenzo said grimly, "No, you are not a nameless body. Yes, your deeds are oblivious to many, but I have witnessed your greatness. I come here with lots of hope, Harsh. Please, don't disappoint me." I said grimly, "I have already disappointed a lot of people. One more won't do anything." Sir Lorenzo said grimly, "The world is calling you, Harsh. Not everyone gets the chance to serve their world." I said angrily, "GO AWAY! I WILL NEVER RETURN TO THE WORLD THAT ONLY KNOWS HOW TO TAKE BUT NEVER GIVES ANYTHING IN RETURN!" Sir Lorenzo said grimly, "I am in Goa till tomorrow morning. If you have a change of mind, contact me on this number." He put his card on the table and walked outside.
I took out some photos of my family, Shirley and Cathy. I looked at them and smiled. I have not even for a moment forgotten about my past. I won't say it was all pleasant, but I sometimes miss it. Every woman that came into my life left a heavy impression in my heart. I looked at the card that Sir Lorenzo left on the table and picked it up. It was the address of Palm Hotel in Panaji. I took the card and got on my bike and rode towards the direction of the hotel. I reached the place at about 7 in the evening and knocked on the door of room 817. Sir Lorenzo opened the door and I walked inside. With him, there was a fair lady and a man who looked like Dwayne Johnson. Sir Lorenzo smiled, "This is the lad I was talking about. He's name is Harsh Bhardwaj. He served for UCID in the past and he has been quite a good officer. Even though, he was not officially posted or licensed, that was his own personal choice." The lady rose and extended her hand. I shook her hand and she smiled, "I'm Deputy Chief of Operations, Ms. Maria Gonsalves and the guy sitting there is UCID recruiter, Sir Derek Goodson. He manages the training and development of the newly recruited boys and you will need his support to become an officer of UCID." I said, "But, what if I don't want to join UCID? As, Sir Lorenzo has already mentioned that I left the opportunity voluntarily, I don't think I want to change my mind." Maria smiled, "Your presence here is indicative of your agreement to join UCID. Don't worry, I won't or we won't pressurize you in any way to join UCID. But, one thing I will say is no one forgot Cathy and Captain, but it looks like you have." I looked at them and sighed. I said grimly, "It is impossible to win against you guys." Maria smiled, "Only if the criminals thought that way too, we would have an easy life." I asked, "So, what's next?" Sir Lorenzo said, "We were leaving tonight with you or without you. So, pack your bags. We have a flight to catch." I quickly went to my house and packed my luggage and met them at the Goa airport.
After a tedious journey of nine and a half hours of flight, four hours of sleep and two hours of car travel, I finally reached the headquarters of UCID in London. I looked at the statues of Cathy and Captain and the memories with them flashed before my eyes. Sir Lorenzo smiled, "Come inside. Everyone is waiting for you." I entered the headquarters and everyone welcomed me with confetti and claps. I thanked everyone and entered the room of directors. I sat in a room full of chairs but very few of them were filled. I sat on my assigned seat and looked at the huge screen before me. Sir Lorenzo sat two chairs away from me and Maria was sitting parallel to me. I looked at her and she gave me a smile. Two minutes later, three men in gray suits entered the room and everyone stood up. The man wearing red sunglasses signaled us to sit and then sipped a glass of warm water and sat in his chair.
He said in a baritone voice, "Good morning. I'm Mr. Sir Joseph Albert Henderson. The Director-General of UCID. With me is Mr. Anabin Mitusawa, the Deputy General of UCID and Mr. Morgan Jackson, the Assistant General Secretary of Social Affairs Regarding Terrorist Organisations. I would like to congratulate Mr. Harsh Bhardwaj on his first day of joining and I sincerely hope that he keeps the value of his oath and performs his duty with utmost sincerity and dedication. I would now like to invite Ms. Maria Gonsalves to present today's presentation." Ms. Maria rose from her seat and walked towards the podium and switched off the lights and switched on the projector.
She sipped some coffee and said, "After the sudden and rapid decline of some of the biggest crime families of the Underworld four years ago, a chaotic and violent war waged between the surviving families, both big and small. Everyone wanted to be at the top and become the new God of the Underworld. But, it was not easy. Many people lost their lives and millions and millions worth of property got finished. After four years of barbaric bloodshed, four prominent families or organisations rule the Underworld now. The first is LLF or Libyan Liberation Font. It was formed after the death of the Sultan and his sons. No one liked Sultan and therefore wanted to end his family members and perish his whole existence. A merciless slaughter happened inside the palace of the Sultan and only Tariq Riyaz Afridi and his four-month pregnant wife, Samira Neza managed to escape. They took whatever treasure they could manage to take and reached Libya. There he and his wife took refuge under the greedy and selfish Maqbool Sheikh Farooque who after the birth of Tariq's son killed Tariq and his newborn son and forcefully married Samira. Samira committed suicide a few years later but left behind a son, Masud Sheikh Farooque. Masud is also like his father. The second family is from Osaka, Japan. They are not criminals but assassins. They live as a family and recruit new boys during the festival of Omizutori. They are led by Shinzo and his brother Anbu. They also have a step-brother, Haruto, who often stays in Bangkok and manages his independent drug business. He rarely interacts with Shinzo and Anbu. Shinzo has a daughter, Akiko. They never create any terrorist activities and only work when someone pays them. The third is the most violent one. It consists of various gangs of South America and we call them the "Latina Babes". Amongst them, one family is prominent. The Bolivian family. Rico Martinez is their leader. Violent, sadistic and racist. He is number three on our Red List. He wants full dominance in South America and often engages in fights with rival families, most notably the Mexican and Guatemalan. Now, comes the fourth family or I should say person. Yes, a single person. In fact, this person is the reason behind the success of the first two families. That person is this." A picture of a man in his late thirties with a patchy stubble and a big scar on his chin appeared on the screen. Ms. Maria continued, "Vikram Pratap Singh or VPS. No one knows where he came from or anything about his past. But, one thing is clear that he controls the Underworld in a very powerful way than anyone in the past. He has many connections and loyal people behind him that are far more willing to kill and die for him. He's whereabouts are unknown but many suspect him to be living in the heart of the LLF. He is a good friend of Maqbool and why wouldn't he be. He is the one who made that scum the wealthiest criminal in the Underworld. VPS seldom does anything himself and mostly stays under the radar, but one thing is sure that whatever criminal or terrorist activities are happening in the world, that man has his hand in it directly or indirectly. Our main priority right now is Rico Martinez. He is desperately trying to make money and resources for complete control over South America, but LLF is not letting that happen. So, from our hidden sources we have come to know that he is secretly smuggling drugs and cheap labour from the rural areas of India, particularly from Chennai and Kerala regions. Harsh Bhardwaj and his new partner, Mr. Sumeet Kumar will take over the case." She turned off the projector and walked towards me.
I looked at her and she said, "Meet me in my office tomorrow. I will explain you the further details about your mission. You will also meet your new partner, Sumeet there." I smiled and said, "Okay. Thanks." Sir Joseph and Mr. Mitusawa came towards me. Mitusawa smiled, "It's been quite a time since I saw an Indian in UCID. I once had a good friend, Mr. Baljeet Sahani. He was from Punjab. Fierce and sharp. He and I did a lot of missions together, but then he got married and got busy with his family life. Anyway, it was nice meeting you." I smiled and shaked his hand, "The pleasure is all mine." He patted my shoulder and walked outside. Sir Joseph looked at me and said in sternly, "Don't fuck this up, boy. It is a very important mission and I won't tolerate any shortcomings." He walked outside the room.
Sir Lorenzo walked towards me and smiled, "Don't mind the old man. He's just trying to intimidate you. Anyway, let's go and get some coffee. We can talk about the next steps there." I smiled and we both walked outside the room to get a cup of coffee....