Both of them arrive at the same place on their respective rides—though Geetika gets off a little farther since she's on a rickshaw. Kalpana parks her Speedy Queen in a very good spot. As Kalpana looks at the place and starts walking inside, she immediately dislikes the vibe of the place. Whether it's the smell or the stench—whatever you call it—it doesn't sit well with her at all. She mutters softly:
"What the hell kind of place is this?"(And despite herself, she steps inside.)
She sees a strange darkness lit with colorful lights, and various people doing something in the name of dancing, though it's unclear what exactly. Kalpana wrinkles her nose in disapproval. Among these oddly dressed people, she starts looking for someone and moves ahead. Just as she takes a step forward, Geetika enters right behind her and says:
"Ugh, what kind of place is this? It's utter nonsense. It's filled with devils—and these devils are colorful. Yeah, even international ones."(She puts her neck into scanning mode and starts searching for one particular beast among them.)
While searching, Kalpana reaches the second section of the club—and this is where the fragrance was really bothering her. She pulls a handkerchief from her pocket and ties it over her mouth, covering her nose. Then she says:
"What is all this?"(She notices some small boxes lying there.)
There's alcohol, and some items that are clearly illegal. Since it's the valley, you can guess what sort of illegal things might be here. Fixing her eyes on everything, Kalpana stands still and sees two people trying to plant those things into a box. Kalpana hides herself behind a small wall nearby. After a few minutes, one of them gets a phone call and tells the other:
"I'll be right back."(The other man nods at him with his neck to let him go.)
A little while later, Kalpana takes her phone out of her pocket, silences it, and then opens the file Bhaskar had sent from afar. It contains the photo of the man they're both here to search for. This is a plus point for Kalpana.
She looks at the photo, then tries to match it with the face of the man present in the room. Just then, she makes a slight noise—and the man immediately notices her presence. He starts walking toward her. Standing still, Kalpana mutters quietly:
"Ugh, this is exactly what I didn't want to happen."(The man walks up and stands right in front of her.)
He approaches very quickly and says:
"Who's there? Who are you? And what are you doing here, huh? Speak up or—"
(And he tries to pull something out of his pocket.)
Kalpana replies:
"Or what? Huh? Sorry, man."
(And she nods her head mockingly as she says sorry.)
Saying this, Kalpana strikes the man in a precise spot—right between the neck and the shoulder—so forcefully that he collapses instantly. This is exactly what she didn't want to do, as she had mentioned earlier.
Kalpana then moves toward the spot where the man had been earlier, planting things inside the boxes. She says:
"I get what this is—but what is all this?"
(Kalpana is referring to the very things I told you about just now.)
There are strange items—shaped into odd forms—and being packed into boxes. Who knows where and how they plant them? That's what Kalpana thinks, and as she does, she pulls out her phone and clicks photos of everything. Then she says:
"All this is fine—but where is that man?"
(Just then, she hears the sound of someone approaching.)
She quickly rushes in the opposite direction to get out—but just then, three men enter the room together. Seeing the unconscious man and the few items scattered around, they say:
"What happened to him? And what's all this? Who came in here?"
(And all three seem a bit startled and agitated, realizing someone had been here.)
One of them says:
"Find them! Someone was here—they shouldn't get away!"
Another spots Kalpana's fleeing shadow and says:
"Look! Someone just went that way!"
(All three start following the shadow.)
Kalpana quickens her steps—literally running. While glancing back, she bumps into someone and realizes it's a girl, covering her nose and mouth with a scarf. In her haste, Kalpana grabs the girl's hand and quickly pulls her into a closed, dimly lit room. She pushes the girl in first, then enters herself.
She presses the girl against the wall and stands in front of her. It's none other than Geetika. Before Geetika can say anything, Kalpana—acting quickly—places her palm over Geetika's mouth, silencing her.
Then she says:
"Don't say anything. Quiet."
(And she turns her head slightly to the left to check outside.)
She (Kalpana) looks at those men, while Geetika's gaze falls on her neck—which looks incredibly beautiful. Her collarbone captures Geetika's attention. All of this is happening so fast that Geetika is stunned, wondering what exactly is going on. She keeps looking at her. After all, she too had quietly come here to search for something. Now she can't really protest too much, right? If she does, it'll make noise—and noise will get her caught too. So she doesn't.
Just then, her brain cells send her a message—what her nose is sensing reaches her mind. Her mind responds. She senses a familiar fragrance, and instantly recognizes it. With her left hand, she pulls off the handkerchief covering Kalpana's face—bringing her face into full view—and removes the hand that Kalpana had placed over her lips, and says:
"You?! What are you doing here? Let me go!"(She starts to resist now.)
Kalpana tightens her grip, pulling her even closer, and again places her hand back on Geetika's mouth.
"First, be quiet—completely quiet. And what are you doing here, huh? Don't make a sound. What did you come here for? Huh? Came to party, didn't you? Right?"
Hearing this, Geetika widens her eyes—she wants to say something but can't. Kalpana understands she wants to speak.
"Speak softly," Kalpana says, loosening her grip slightly.
Geetika says in a hushed voice:
"I don't have that kind of time like you to come here and party. Got it? What is this? What kind of behavior is this?"
Kalpana places her hand back over her mouth.
"Quiet. I told you, stay quiet. Absolutely silent. Now come on—pull the handkerchief back up. Quickly. Don't waste time."
Geetika is irritated but what can she do? She pouts in frustration, shakes her head left and right in annoyance—and because of that, her hair falls open again. Kalpana's gaze catches her loose hair and gets momentarily stuck there.
When Geetika turns her eyes toward Kalpana's face, she sees Kalpana already looking at her. And just like that, she too gets lost in Kalpana's gaze. For a few seconds, their eyes lock. Their gazes connect—despite how opposite they are.
A soft breeze flows in from the corner, gently lifting a few strands of Geetika's hair. And just as their eye contact strengthens, those few rebellious strands of hair fly right into Kalpana's eyes—breaking the connection.
Kalpana, annoyed, blurts out:
"Ah! Tie this hair up. It's always coming loose!""Didn't I tell you? Pull my handkerchief back up—quickly. They're bothering my eyes. Tie them!"
Geetika, annoyed, mumbles softly:
"My hair isn't thrilled to fall in front of you, or to open up in your presence either."
Just then, those men walk past them, not noticing. Once Geetika sees they've gone ahead, she says:
"Let me go. Let go of me!"
Kalpana, irritated, turns her head around, scanning the surroundings, and says:
"Okay."(And she lets her go.)
No, no—Geetika doesn't fall to the ground this time, but she does stumble and crash into the wall. She had completely surrendered herself to Kalpana. Kalpana pulls her handkerchief back up over her face, and with her index finger on Geetika's shoulder, she gently moves her aside. Then, taking careful, silent steps, she slips away to search for the man again.
Geetika, grumbling to herself, ties her hair back up, thinking, "There's no one here now." But she is wrong. The three men return—this time walking in from the opposite direction—and stand right in front of her.
One of them says:
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"(The three of them surround her from all sides.)
Geetika panics because these men look like dark, shadowy ghouls. Nervously, she says:
"I—I came here by mistake."
As soon as she says this, another man scoffs:
"Oh, so now you're fooling us? You came here by mistake? That's a pretty good mistake. Catch her. Let's teach her a lesson."
Hearing this, Geetika gets even more frightened. She's already surrounded on three sides—and the fourth side is blocked by herself. But she quickly uses her journalist's instinct. Without pushing them, she darts out toward the only open direction and starts running. The three men chase after her.
Meanwhile, Kalpana spots the man she was looking for and begins tracking him. As the chase continues, they reach the parking area. The man is carrying some bags and heading toward his bike. He mounts the bike, just about to ride off.
Suddenly, Kalpana says from behind:
"What's the rush, mister? At least have a little chat before you go."
The man turns and sees Kalpana—he immediately starts his bike.
Within seconds, Kalpana runs up and grabs the clutch handle of the bike.
"I said, have a quick chat, mister. Just two minutes—that's all."
Standing right in front of him now, he raises his hand to hit Kalpana across the face. She grabs that hand with her other one and says:
"Mister, both my hands have equal power. Understood?"
With that, Kalpana yanks him off the bike and throws him to the ground. Both land on the ground—no, not Kalpana, but the bike and the suspect.
Before she can grab his collar and interrogate him, she hears someone shouting behind her—lots of running footsteps approach quickly. A man screams:
"Catch that girl! Don't let her escape—at any cost!"
Hearing the men's voices and the sound of approaching footsteps, Kalpana turns around and sees the same three terrifying, dark-looking men from earlier—coming straight at her. And behind them, running for her life, is her "brainless woman"—Geetika.
Amid the chaos, the suspect uses the distraction to his advantage, quickly starts his bike, and escapes from there.
One of the three men manages to catch up with Geetika. He grabs her hand and slaps her so hard that she flies forward and collapses directly onto Kalpana's shoulder. The slap was that brutal. Kalpana catches her with both hands.
Now, all three men are standing in front of them. The lighting is dim, and the three bulky, rhino-sized men tower over Kalpana. One of them smirks and says:
"Well, well. One comes with a bonus. Now we've got two to enjoy—double the fun!"
Geetika is still dazed from the slap, barely able to keep herself upright. Kalpana, holding her, responds calmly:
"Oh, so you want double the fun, huh? Fine—we'll give you fun. But to have fun, you'll have to come closer. Come on, step forward."
Underestimating Kalpana's strength, one of them puffs up his chest and walks up to her. He reaches out toward her. Kalpana sets Geetika firmly beside her, then lands a straight punch right on the man's jawline. He crashes to the ground—thud!
Seeing this, the second guy feels the urge to prove his masculinity. He charges forward. Kalpana delivers a swift kick to his stomach followed by a punch to his face. He gets beaten up badly—more than expected.
Now, the third man steps up—trying to preserve his bruised ego. He charges, but he's tougher than the others. Kalpana hits him with two or three punches, but it doesn't affect him much. She quickly switches strategy and lands a powerful kick directly to his lower abdomen. That does it. He collapses like the others.
All three now lie on the ground.
Kalpana knows very well that this place belongs to these men. It is not safe anymore. And if these three were here, more could be coming soon. It's best to get out.
She turns her head toward Geetika, who is still trying to stabilize herself.
Kalpana walks over, grabs her hand, and says:
"Let's go. We need to get out of here immediately. Hurry up—don't waste time."
Geetika simply nods. She can't say anything.
Without wasting a moment, Kalpana brings her to the bike—still holding her hand.
"Come on, sit down. Quickly. Open your eyes. What happened?"
Through half-open eyes, Geetika looks at Kalpana and murmurs:
"Nothing…"(She nods faintly, unable to speak.)
Kalpana notices her lips—slightly bleeding. She exhales softly and mutters:
"So this is how men prove their manhood, huh? Sit down."
She helps Geetika onto the bike. Without delay, Kalpana starts her Speedy Queen. Geetika is silent but somehow manages to sit.
Kalpana speeds away from the scene.
A little later, Kalpana glances into the side mirror and sees Geetika's eyes starting to shut—as if she's about to pass out. Kalpana rides far away from the danger zone.
Darkness has now enveloped the valley. There aren't many lights around. Kalpana stops at a small roadside tea stall and parks the bike to the side, hidden from view—just in case someone was following them.
She gets off, holds Geetika's hand, and helps her to sit at a table.
Geetika says nothing. She seems to be in shock—still affected by that slap. The kind of slap that doesn't just sting the skin but rattles the subconscious mind. The kind that bruises both brain and spirit.
She sits silently.
Kalpana looks at her and gently says:
"Miss Journalist, are you okay?"
Geetika, facing Kalpana, tries hard to keep her eyes open and simply shakes her head—no.Kalpana lets out a deep sigh and stands up. She buys a bottle of water from the same tea stall, pulls out her handkerchief, completely soaks it in the water, and returns to sit in front of Geetika. Holding the wet handkerchief in her right hand, Kalpana gently presses it to Geetika's lips. Very softly—just as delicate as her punches earlier were powerful. She cleans Geetika's lips with utmost tenderness. As Kalpana wipes her lips with the damp cloth, Geetika looks into her eyes. Something stirs within her—something she can't quite name—and her eyes begin to fill with tears. When Kalpana meets her gaze, a strange jolt stabs her heart as well. She quickly looks away, as if denying what she just felt. After cleaning her lips, Kalpana gently wipes Geetika's face with the same handkerchief, softly pressing it over her eyes too. She cleans her entire face thoroughly. Now Geetika is finally able to open her eyes properly. Kalpana stands up once she sees Geetika's eyes open fully. She brings the water bottle in front of her. Geetika lifts her face and looks into Kalpana's eyes—then looks at the bottle. Kalpana signals silently:
"Drink the water, Geetika."
Understanding the gesture, Geetika takes the bottle from Kalpana's hand and raises it to her lips. She starts drinking the water as if she hadn't had any in days. Kalpana watches her quietly, then walks over to the tea stall and speaks to the old vendor there—saying something to him. Then she stands there, once again turning her gaze toward Geetika—watching her silently.