Returning from the balcony into her room, Kalpana lies down on her bed. She closes her eyes—only to see Gaurav's innocent face flash before her. It's the same face from when they met for the first time… when they first bumped into each other. As soon as his face appears in her mind, her eyes snap open. She immediately sits up, takes a deep breath, and starts pacing the room—restless, thinking.
She murmurs to herself,"There has to be something—some way to get to that man again. There has to be a way."As she paces, she begins rubbing her forehead with her index finger, deep in thought.
Kalpana begins scanning through her mental archives—sending a message to her brain to take off like a plane. Suddenly, she opens her eyes, which had been closed for just a second, grabs her phone from the table, and starts reviewing the pictures she had clicked earlier—one by one, carefully.
After examining them all, she jerks her head in frustration and helplessness. None of the photos seem to contain anything that could help her reach the man. Disappointed, she throws the phone onto the bed and turns her face back toward the window.
Kalpana's memory is razor-sharp. She can recall multiple things at once—her job demands it, and her brain works exactly that way. She focuses hard on her brain cells and starts pacing again—something that's her strength.
"Whenever she needs to think, recall, or figure something out—she paces. Whether it's her cabin, the base ground, or her own room—pacing helps her process things."
After about 20 steps, she stops and says,"How could I skip this?"(She runs her left hand up through the front of her hair, then strokes the back of her neck.)
Suddenly, she picks up her phone again and types out a message. Right after sending it, she calls the same person.
The call rings three times before it's answered. Kalpana speaks:
"I just sent you a bike number. I need full details—whose bike it is, what area it's registered in, where it is right now, and where it's parked at this moment."
"Roger that, Panda. Just give me 15 minutes."
"Good."(She cuts the call.)
Placing the phone back on the bed, Kalpana says aloud:
"What did you think, mister? You'd slip past me? No, no, no—watch your fingers."
Saying this, she starts looking for something in her room."Where's my jacket? Ugh, that brainless girl took it!"Then she shrugs,"Anyway, I don't have time for her right now."
She pulls another jacket from her wardrobe and puts it on. Then she quietly heads to the kitchen, careful not to make any unnecessary noise that might wake Amma. She slips her phone into her pocket and makes herself a strong cup of tea.
Just like herself—strong and silent—she sits on the sofa in her favorite position: crossing her right leg over her left. She places her Bullet keys next to the cup. Taking a sip of tea, she sets the cup back down.
Glancing at the watch on her wrist, she notices it's two minutes to 10.
Taking another sip, she tilts her chin up and says:
"You have two minutes left from your 15."
With her eyes closed, Kalpana wants to rest her head on the sofa just for a minute—not even two—but that doesn't happen. Her phone rings. It's from the same contact she had assigned a task to a short while ago.
The voice on the other end says,
"Yes, Panda. I've sent you the full report—in exactly 14 minutes."
"That's why you're on my team," Kalpana replies.
"Now I must leave without wasting any time."
"Okay, Panda. But I don't think going alone is a good idea—especially considering the valley weather."
"I know. But I still have to go. I'll update you."
"Be careful, Panda."
"Yeah, thank you."
With that, she ends the call.
She drinks only as much tea as she can, leaves the rest behind, grabs her keys in one hand, and steps out as quietly as possible—careful not to wake Amma. Lifting her gaze, she notices that the snowfall has slowed down a little, though the cold wind is still whispering in her ears.
But none of it seems to affect Kalpana. Her eyes are focused only on what she wants to see. The snow isn't even registering in her vision anymore. Just to protect her eyes while riding, she puts on her glasses, mounts her Bullet, lifts her chin, shakes out her shoulders slightly, puts on her helmet and gloves.
Before giving her Speedy Queen the command to roll, she pulls out her phone and dials a number. The call is answered even before it finishes ringing.
Kalpana says:
"I'm sending you an address. I need you there. And I need it secure—got it? I'm on my way and will reach in 20 to 25 minutes max. Okay? Hurry up. Don't waste time."
She ends the call, revs up her Speedy Queen, and rides off.
Now, we shift to a dim room. The door opens, and a heavy-built man enters with a wide 32-tooth smile. He turns on the light switch next to the door and locks the door behind him. The darkness is replaced by a bright room.
As he turns around—he freezes. His eyes widen.
Right in front of him sits Kalpana, poised in her signature style on the single-seater sofa placed before a table. Her right leg rests over her left, sunglasses still on, hands placed calmly on the armrests. Her chin held high. Her lips—curved into a confident, victorious smile.
He instinctively wants to back away, but just then Kalpana says:
"Ah-ah… If you even think about turning your steps toward 12 o'clock, trust me, it'll be your 12 o'clock before you know it."
"Besides, that door won't open for you anymore. So it's better you take your seat without wasting time—because you've already wasted plenty of mine. And wasting time is something I don't enjoy. Not even a little."
The man had already assessed Kalpana's strength and personality. Still, he tries to ignore her warning and reaches for the doorknob in an attempt to escape.
He turns it—only to find it locked.
He's stunned. He didn't lock it—so how did it get locked?
He turns toward Kalpana in disbelief.
Kalpana, still smiling, says:
"I told you—might as well accept it."
Just then, the thug says:"Listen, don't get involved in all this. You're a Squadron Leader—so just stay that. Go fly your toy jets, got it?"
Kalpana responds with a calm smile:"Wow, I'm impressed. So you do know the trouble you've brought upon yourself. I like enemies who are self-aware."(She doesn't flinch in the slightest.)
The thug turns around and squares up to Kalpana, standing straight in front of her and says:"Look, we don't have a personal issue with you. This isn't even your job. So why are you wasting your time interfering in this? Mind your own business, save your life, and get out of here. Don't get in the middle."
Kalpana doesn't get angry. Instead, she shakes her head and replies:"By doing what you did, you've made yourself an enemy of my country. And whoever is the enemy of my country is my enemy. So no need for more discussion. And as far as involvement goes—well, the fact that I'm standing right in front of you says clearly that I am involved. Understand that."
Hearing this, the thug quickly pulls out a gun from his jacket and points it straight at Kalpana, growling:"Then go ahead. Become one with your country's soil. Go die a martyr."
But to his surprise, Kalpana remains seated just as she was when he entered—completely unshaken.
She slowly stands up and says:"There's no gun made yet that can shoot me. And even if one exists, it surely won't be in your destiny to hold it.""You parasites who eat away at this country like termites… You wouldn't understand our clock-code. Maybe it's time we spoke to you in your own language."
She rotates her eyes and locks her gaze directly into his."Tilt your neck slightly, sir—it is your house, after all. Why don't you peek out the window and check the weather outside?"
Following her cue, the thug turns his neck and looks out the window. And just as he does, the hand holding the gun begins to lower—slowly, gradually—because standing outside is someone pointing a gun directly at his head.
The thug is rattled.
Standing outside the window is none other than ACP Umraan—the same man Kalpana had called. And this thug knows exactly who he is.When thugs recognize someone instantly, it means they're either another gangster—or police.
So yes, standing there, aiming at his head, is ACP Umraan.
Kalpana, with her gloved hand, grabs the thug's gun, disarms him, and holds it firmly. With a sharp right-leg kick, she hits him on the knee, making him fall backwards onto the nearby sofa.
She then stands before him and uses his own gun to point straight at the center of his forehead.
ACP Umraan enters through the door.
Seeing him, the thug looks from Kalpana to ACP Umraan. Kalpana raises an eyebrow and says:
"Why, sir? You look so shocked. Go on then, open your mouth and talk! Tell us quickly—where have you kept the children? Speak, or else…"
The thug replies:"You'll never find out."
Kalpana now steps closer to him...
She lifts his hand—resting on the sofa's arm—and twists it sharply, saying:
"I told you to talk! Enough of your decency act. Speak up or I'll end it right here, and no one will even find out. I really don't want to do this—not at all."
As she speaks, she slowly keeps bending his fingers back. The pain starts making the thug squirm. He groans in agony. Kalpana presses the gun harder against his forehead and says:
"Speak—or else..."
(She gestures toward the trigger with her finger.)
Seeing this, the thug starts sweating. He knows ACP Umraan is with Kalpana—someone very well-known in the valley for his work. And now, watching Kalpana's boldness and fearlessness—which he's seen before—combined with the pain from his almost-broken finger, he says:
"I'll tell you... I'll tell you! Please just let go of my finger, ma'am!"
Kalpana responds coldly:
"Don't worry, I'm not going to take your finger. It's yours. But talk."
Through clenched teeth and pain, the thug stammers:
"There's... there's a village—Pahalgaon..."
(He gives the location.)
He continues:
"And all the children... (he pauses from pain)...
They're being transferred to Delhi tomorrow… by water transport."
(He says this all in one painful breath.)
Kalpana abruptly lets go of his fingers, and the thug nearly loses consciousness from the relief and shock.
She then lifts his chin with the barrel of the gun and says:
"If the information you gave is false, I swear... you won't live to see tomorrow's sunrise."
(With that, she hits his chin hard with the butt of the gun.)
The blow is so forceful that his chin begins to bleed instantly.
Kalpana is boiling with rage now, imagining how these children must have been kept, and how they're about to be shipped off to Delhi—God knows where after that. If they delay even a little, who knows what might happen?
Her mind races. She says angrily:
"To show your cruelty... it had to be children? Really?"
She moves forward to strike him again—but ACP Umraan gently grabs her arm and says softly:
"Kalpana, stop. Don't. Hurting him any more is of no use now."
Kalpana immediately understands. He's right—there's no time to waste here.
She says:
"Yes, you're right. We need to move quickly."
ACP Umraan calls up a few more officers from his team waiting downstairs. They take the thug into custody. After handing him over, Kalpana, ACP Umraan, and the rest of the team leave the place at once—heading directly to the location the thug had revealed.
Meanwhile, Geetika has also set out with Suraj. She has received the same address—where the children are being kept inside a container. The two of them arrive at the location.
ACP Umraan places his team strategically around the outer perimeter. In this snowy valley, the gang has set up a proper base. Surrounded by trees and falling snow, ACP Umraan gives each officer a specific position and says to Kalpana:
"We'll need to move in very carefully from here."
(As an Air Force officer, Kalpana doesn't need training—she already knows.)
The thug's gun, earlier, had already been handed over to Umraan's team. Kalpana is currently unarmed. So Umraan takes a gun from one of his officers and hands it to her, saying:
"Just keep it—but please, don't use it unless necessary."
Kalpana scoffs:
"What? Then why are you giving it to me? I can fight with my hands. Give it back to your officer. I don't even know if it works!"
(She refuses to take it.)
ACP Umraan offers his own gun instead.
Kalpana refuses again:
"No—you keep it. And you be the one to use it. Let's go."
Now, the two—Kalpana and ACP Umraan—begin moving like commandos, trying to infiltrate the area carefully.
Meanwhile, Geetika and Suraj have also arrived at the location. Both of them cover themselves with scarves to blend in—disguised as if they're part of the same gang.
Suraj tries to stop Geetika from proceeding, but she refuses to back down.
They slowly make their way through the area, cautiously navigating hidden paths and narrow corners—trying to reach the container where the children are kept.
Their goal is to observe first—to confirm the situation before taking any action.
Namaskar 🙏