Kalpana steps away, and the chopper takes off above their heads. Geetika says:
"Did you see that? Did you see that arrogant lady? Did you see what she's so full of pride about? I'll deal with her."
"Oh come on, what are you saying? She saved you, man! Enough now," (says Anu).
"Yeah, totally," (Suraj agrees).
"Shut up, both of you. I don't know what she fed everyone, but whoever meets her just takes her side!"
Geetika's eyes were red with anger.
Anu extends her hand to help her up.
Geetika brushes her hand away.
"I don't need anyone's hand."
She gets up by herself.
Meanwhile...
As Kalpana steps outside, her feet suddenly stop. It's as if the reflection of what her eyes saw weighed her steps down.
She watches how the injured are being transported from one place to another with the help of others. Although she herself had just carried out far riskier missions, she is now silently capturing this scene with her mind and eyes.
Some people are conscious, others unconscious. Some are aware of their pain; some aren't. Some feel no emotion at all as they are moved. These are the ground realities here.
She takes two steps forward and says:
"Are you here to have tea? Put the phone down! Hurry up! Don't waste time! Don't you have a brain? I'm sure you do—otherwise you wouldn't be in this profession. If you don't feel like working, then why are you even here?"
She was standing in front of a nurse who, instead of checking on the patient on the stretcher, was busy talking on her phone. Kalpana continued:
"If you can't understand the seriousness of your profession, then why waste a deserving person's seat? Why are you here?"
Geetika, Anu, and Suraj walk toward the scene and witness this entire moment from a distance.
Kalpana says again:
"Aren't you ashamed? A person is fighting for breath, fighting for life, crying in pain—and you can't even hear their voice? Why are you staring at me? Stop wasting time and do your job."
(She gestures toward the nurse to check on the patient.)
The trio watches this whole incident silently.
Geetika focuses on Kalpana's lips, her angry expression—which to her seems arrogant. She turns to the others and says:
"See? See your so-called hot Squadron Leader? How arrogant she is? So full of herself. She doesn't even know how to talk to juniors, and yet you two keep praising her."
"How can you say that? Be quiet!" (Anu says)
"Seriously, Anu, can't you see how she was talking to that nurse? You can't see that? Or maybe you don't want to. See the arrogant woman, man!"
"Stop it, seriously, why are you so one-sided?"
While they bicker, Kalpana moves ahead and leaves with her team toward the base.
Abhinav notices Kalpana looking disturbed and says:
"Panda, why are you so upset again? Did you run into someone careless who ignored their duties?"
"Yeah. Someone who thought something else was more important than work. They ruined the seat that a deserving person could've had. Why do such people even exist?"
"You're right, Panda. But what can we do?"
"That's what annoys me the most—'what can we do?' That line! Saying that just lets us escape the problem. It's easy to catch enemies outside the country. But what do we do with the ones inside? If everyone just did their duty honestly, wouldn't this country look different? Termites are eating us from the inside, and all we do is say, 'What can we do?'
When will people understand that patriotism isn't just the army, navy, or air force's duty? It's every citizen's responsibility. The biggest enemies of this country are not just outside—they are within. Why can't people see that?"
She grows quiet in frustration.
"If they truly understood, Panda," Abhinav responds,
"there would be no such disasters, no child would sleep hungry, and no patient would die without medicine. The police wouldn't dance to the tunes of illiterate leaders.
The police were meant to protect the nation from within. If they did that sincerely, would things be like this? But not everyone is like that. In every group of ten, there are four people like you—who put their country and work first. That's why this nation stands strong and always will, because of people like you."
"And like you," Kalpana adds.
"How do you forget yourself?
We may fight enemies in the air, but the threat on the ground is different altogether. That's a bigger danger to our country."
"Don't worry, Panda," Abhinav smiles,
"Papa always says:
'Keep your heart pure through your actions,
Sharpen your mind like a sword with your sight,
You'll win every battle—
Just keep the wisdom of Lord Ram within you.'"
Hearing this, calmness returns to Kalpana's face. She smiles and puts her glasses back on—one of her favorite things—and says:
"Hmm, that's why I've made you my navigator."
Both of them laugh.
"That's why your dad is my close buddy," Kalpana says.
"He was asking about you just this morning," Abhinav replies.
They continue walking toward their base, talking about the country, personal things, and sharing some motivation along the way.
Meanwhile, Geetika reaches the medical relief area. There's a strange tension in the air. She sees some people lying in the camp, receiving treatment. Some of them were the ones she had seen earlier.
Geetika slowly walks toward the last bed, and her pace suddenly freezes.
Her feet stop. Her breath catches. Her eyes stare wide at what lies before her. She feels as if someone has struck her hard in the chest.
Her voice chokes.
Before her lies a woman, unconscious.
The woman is pregnant.
She's wrapped in white hospital sheets, eyes closed, unconscious.
Geetika instantly recognizes her.
She whispers:
"Rekha…"
A painful silence follows.
Geetika drops her camera, and it falls to the ground with a soft thud.
She kneels beside the bed.
Her voice trembling, she calls out:
"Rekha… Rekha… Can you hear me?"
But Rekha doesn't respond.
Geetika softly places her hand on Rekha's belly and begins to cry silently.
Anu and Suraj arrive behind her, but seeing this, they stop. They realize this isn't a moment to interrupt.
Geetika wipes her tears with one hand and holds Rekha's hand with the other.
Her voice is soft now—almost like a lullaby:
"You're so stubborn… Always were… Never listened to anyone. You promised me… Remember? That we'd meet again… That I'd take you home. You promised… Wake up now… I've come for you. I'm here… Look, I'm right here."
But Rekha remains still, breathing faintly.
"This isn't how you return, silly. You were supposed to return smiling. Not like this… Come on, open your eyes."
Her sobs grow louder, but her voice remains gentle.
"Do you know how long I've waited for you? How many people I asked? How many doors I knocked on? I looked for you everywhere…"
"But I didn't give up. I always believed you'd return. That you'd keep your promise… and you did. You kept your promise—but you didn't bring that smile. You always said, 'I'll make you proud, Didi… I'll stand tall.' So why now… why this silence?"
She places her head gently on Rekha's belly and continues to cry—now softly, helplessly, as if cradled in an ocean of pain.
Anu finally walks up and places her hand on Geetika's shoulder.
Geetika wipes her eyes and stands up.
Anu asks softly,
"Who… who is she?"
Geetika replies,
"Rekha… my younger sister."
Anu and Suraj are stunned.
"But… but you never mentioned her before…" Suraj says quietly.
"Some stories don't come out in words," Geetika whispers.
She takes a deep breath.
Top of Form
Kalpana enters the medical relief area and sees Geetika standing there, her head bowed.
She walks up to her, slowly and silently.
Geetika hears her footsteps and straightens up.
Their eyes meet.
There's no anger this time.
No sarcasm.
Just silence… and grief.
Kalpana softly asks:
"Who is she?"
Geetika takes a deep breath and replies,
"Rekha… my younger sister."
There's a moment of stillness. Kalpana doesn't speak—just listens.
Geetika continues:
"She disappeared two years ago. One night, she called me crying. She said someone had betrayed her… she was scared. She said someone would kill her. I asked her to come home, but… she never did."
"I filed complaints… searched everywhere. No one helped. Some officers laughed at me. Some said she'd eloped. Some said she was lying. And after a point, everyone told me to forget about it."
She looks at Rekha, lying unconscious on the bed.
"But how could I? She was my baby sister. How do you forget your own blood?"
Kalpana's expression softens. Her earlier arrogance is nowhere to be seen.
Geetika turns to Kalpana and says:
"You know… when I first saw you… I hated you."
Kalpana raises an eyebrow, silently asking, "Why?"
Geetika answers herself:
"Because you reminded me of myself… the me I used to be. Strong. Confident. Fearless."
"But when Rekha disappeared, something in me broke. I started to hate everything. I began blaming everyone—especially women who looked like they had it all together."
"You became my target. Because you didn't break."
"But today, I saw the other side of you. The real you."
Geetika wipes her tears and adds:
"You care, even when you're angry. You fight for what's right, even if your words are harsh. You remind people of their duties… and you make sure they don't forget their humanity."
Kalpana looks at her and says gently:
"You're strong too, Geetika. Not everyone can keep looking for years… not everyone can keep the fight alive. That's strength."
A long pause follows.
Kalpana then walks to Rekha's bed, checks her pulse and vitals, and says:
"She's stable. She'll wake up."
Geetika whispers,
"Thank you…"
Kalpana smiles,
"Now that's the line I was waiting for."
They both laugh—a soft, genuine laugh. The kind that's full of pain, but also healing.
Anu and Suraj exchange glances and smile.
Kalpana turns to leave. Before stepping out, she stops and says:
"When she wakes up, tell her… she kept her promise. She stood tall."
Geetika nods, tears welling again—this time from a place of hope.
As Kalpana walks out, Geetika looks down at her sister, brushes a strand of hair from her face, and whispers:
"Welcome home, Rekha."