Location: Mumbai Police Headquarters, early morning.
The bustling halls of headquarters were filled with the usual chatter, phone calls, and hurried footsteps of officers rushing from one task to another. But in one particular conference room, the air was thick with tension.
Jai Dixit sat at the long conference table, his sharp eyes scanning the file before him. His mind was still reeling from the events of the previous night - the footage of Kabir, the unanswered questions, and the audacity of the robbery. But now they had another problem on their hands.
Beside him, Ali slumped in his chair, his left hand in a thick cast. He was dressed in his usual casual clothes, but there was a look of discomfort on his face. Every time he tried to move his hand, a grimace appeared.
"I swear, Yaar, the doctors said it would only be for a few weeks, but it feels like I've been in this cast for months!" Ali groaned, fidgeting with the strap that held his arm in place.
"Maybe if you didn't try to fight every criminal you chase, you wouldn't end up like this," Jai muttered, his eyes still glued to the file.
"Hey!" Ali replied. "It wasn't my fault that Tariq decided to go all Bruce Lee on me. And besides, I almost had him, yaar. If it wasn't for that dramatic bike rescue, I would have..."
Before he could finish, the heavy wooden door to the conference room swung open, and in walked their superintendent, Commissioner Verma, flanked by two senior officers. The Commissioner, a no-nonsense man in his fifties, had a serious look on his face as he approached the head of the table.
"Morning, gentlemen," Commissioner Verma said, his voice firm. He didn't bother with pleasantries. "We need to discuss Kabir's case. Urgently."
Jai straightened in his seat, and Ali, despite his discomfort, sat up as well. They knew that this meeting was important.
The commissioner tossed a thick file onto the table, the words "Kabir Heist Case" printed in bold on the cover.
"I've just finished reviewing the footage you sent over from last night's robbery," Verma continued, his gaze shifting between Jai and Ali. "It's Kabir, all right. Alive and well and up to his old tricks."
Jai nodded.
"Yes, sir. It's him. We're still trying to figure out how he survived after what happened in the first case, but..."
Verma cut him off, his expression growing even more stern.
"Figuring it out isn't enough, Dixit. The media is already picking it up. Rumors are flying that Kabir is back, and we're under immense pressure from the higher-ups to solve this case immediately."
Ali, still wincing in pain, leaned forward.
"Sir, with all due respect, Kabir is not just another criminal. He's smart, he's calculated, and he always seems to be one step ahead. We need time to track him down."
Verma's eyes flickered with impatience.
"I don't think you understand, Inspector Ali. Time is the one thing we don't have."
He stood up and paced in front of the table, his hands clasped behind his back.
"The Ministry of the Interior wants results, and they want them soon. If you two don't solve this case soon, I'll be forced to bring in someone else to take over the investigation."
Jai's jaw tightened. He didn't need to be reminded of the stakes.
He had faced Kabir before and understood the danger better than anyone. Bringing in someone else wouldn't help; it would only complicate things.
"Sir," Jai spoke calmly but firmly, "we are closer than anyone else could ever be. Nobody understands Kabir like we do. If you bring someone else in, they'll just be playing catch-up. Give us time and we will find him."
The commissioner paused for a moment, considering Jai's words. His eyes narrowed slightly, showing the pressure he himself was under.
"I can give you two weeks," Verma finally said, his tone clipped. "That's all. If you don't have Kabir in custody by then, I will appoint someone else to take charge of the investigation."
Ali couldn't help but blurt out, "Two weeks?! Sir, with all due respect, that's barely enough time to-"
Verma silenced him with a raised hand. "That's all you're going to get, Inspector. You better make it work."
Jai glanced at Ali, who was clearly about to say something else, but wisely decided to remain silent. Jai turned back to the inspector. "Understood, sir. We'll get it done."
Verma gave them both a long, hard look before nodding curtly. "Good. I hope you do. The reputation of the department is at stake."
With that, he turned on his heel and marched out of the room, leaving the tension thick in the air.
As soon as the door closed, Ali let out a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "Two weeks?
Seriously, Jai? Does he think Kabir is just going to show up with a 'Here I Am' sign?"
Jai closed the file in front of him, his mind already working out the next steps. "We have no choice, Ali. If we don't catch Kabir, someone else will come in and believe me, that will only make things worse."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Ali muttered, looking down at his broken hand. "But look at me! I can barely hold a gun, let alone hunt down criminals."
Jai gave him a small grin. "Don't worry. I'll do the chasing, you just use your mouth to distract them."
Ali chuckled despite himself. "Oh, that's no problem, boss. Talking is my specialty."
Jai stood up, his face serious again. "Let's get back to the crime scene. I need to take another look at the CCTV footage. Kabir isn't just taunting us - he's planning something bigger and we need to find out what it is before he makes his next move."
Ali groaned as he got to his feet, wincing as his arm throbbed again. "Fine, fine. Just make sure the next bad guy I fight has smaller fists, okay?"