INSIGNIA ….

Chapter 14 from team : WORDOHOLICS

To read the previous post , click here .

Jennifer was tired of the cat and mouse game . She had the eerie feeling of being watched ,always . A single cigarette was lying in her pack waiting to be kissed by her lustrous lips. Despite her failed efforts to find Darius ,life had been quite eventful  the past few months. Tara , Roohie and Cyrus  had become the nucleus of her existence ,from total strangers to her most beloved ,the journey did not take long . Her phone rang ,it was Cyrus calling .

“ Cyrus , I am so happy that you called ” , Jennifer said expressing her relief .

“ I am in Mumbai now Jenny , came here for a conference ” , he said in his monotonous voice . There was never a time in her life she felt this safe .

“ Cyrus ,meet me tomorrow , 10.00 A.M sharp at Barista , Colaba  , URGENT ” , she said without pause . “ What happened Jenny ? Are you okay ? ” , Cyrus was caught off guard by the tension evident in her voice .

“ Will explain tomorrow ” , she couldn’t risk it , not now .

In her futile attempts to sleep her thoughts wandered to her lost brother . An accident  had turned her world upside down. She lost her parents and there was no trace of her little brother . She remembered the time when four year old Jennifer had taken her little brother on a cycle ride . The day she had caused a lemon sized scar on his little forehead . She had been silent and in shock the whole day , scared to venture near him . Her thoughts languidly returned to the search for Darius which was getting her into dangerous territories each day .  Lady slumber took her into her arms and gently kissed her tired eyes .

She woke up the next day with a cloud of negative vibes lingering around . For the first time in weeks she felt scared . She rushed to meet Cyrus . His stern face was full of concern .“ He is so tall” ,she thought .

“ Hi  Jenny ” , Cyrus greeted her with a hug . Though she was meeting him for the first time , it never felt that way .

They sat down at a table away from the window .

“ How did that happen ? ” , Jennifer asked pointing at the crescent shaped scar just above his eyebrow .

“ This one ? ” touching the scar he asked . Jennifer nodded her head .

“ I don’t remember Jenny , maybe someone pushed me off a cycle ? ” he said .

“ I am sure she would have meant no harm Cyrus ” , a slightly taken aback Jennifer replied .

“ Relax Jenny , there is no ‘SHE’ , I am a single child ” ,  Cyrus reassured her .

There was something about Cyrus that drew her towards him , “ was it the  way he held his coffee mug or his effortless humour  ?”  she couldn’t decide  . He reminded her of grandpa so much that she started missing him . Was he ? Could he be ? The possibility made him more special .

Few tables away a man typed into his phone and touched the send button ,“ THEY HAVE MET ”, it said .

“ Okay tell me all that you know of insignia  , Jenny ” , Cyrus asked , his face flooded with a sudden gush of seriousness .

“ It all began with my search for Darius . We were married for a month when he left for a business trip and never came back . The only thing I received was his camera and a letter asking me to never go in search of him ” , Jenny said eyes filling up . Cyrus could see the frail and lonely woman hidden behind her mask of confidence and indifference . Jennifer continued ,“ Six months back when I was back home mourning grandpa’s demise I got a call . Darius was in Mumbai the anonymous caller had said .I wanted answers and fortunately that was when I got my interview call . I came to Mumbai . From then on it was this stupid game they have been playing  with me ,Cyrus.”

She held out the rail ticket behind which the word insignia was written . This is the only clue I got after months of toil . “ No number of visits to the library or researches yielded any result . I came  across your blog accidentally ,Cyrus , I had lost all hope by then.With the elections approaching I have a feeling something very bad is about to fall upon us and this city . There are very few people I can trust  ”

“ Now Cyrus you will have to fill me in on insignia . According to a confidential information  I managed to fish out from one of my cop friends, they are planning to strike soon and have a very discreet agenda  ”, Jennifer asked  all her confidence returning .

“ As far as I know , this is an organisation of intelligent minds that gradually grew feeding on the rampant corruption and avarice that prevailed . They have an extremist vision and have already infiltrated  political and defence sectors of India . Their head is believed to be someone very powerful ,highly qualified and whose identity we do not know . He is referred to as ALPHA by other members and could be anyone ,a common face  .They aim to change the system and bend it according to their beliefs . They plan to create chaos and political unrest and use it as a medium to rise to power . Targeting various religious groups and manipulating them based on the differences form the backbone of their strategy .They plan to strike when least expecting and in a way no one can ever comprehend . That is all I know Jenny. ” Cyrus said as he sipped  his coffee .

They needed more information and evidence if they were to do something .  Since the defence and police were being infiltrated trust was an important factor . “ we need someone influential ,powerful ,efficient and above all someone we can trust ” Jennifer  voiced her thoughts . After minutes of pondering she smacked her head and exclaimed , “Tara , of course , why din’t it occur to me before ? ” .  She picked up her phone to dial Tara’s number, “ Where are you  ? … mmm  okay  ,we are coming over to meet you ” , she said and cut the call .

“ Cyrus come lets go ,I know someone who can help us after all  ” , saying this Jennifer got up and strutted towards the door .

please read the next part here .

 

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