Beginning the chapter by thanking all my viewers 😊 , voters 🤗 and commenters 😘

Anyways, Onwards!!!

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

Chapter 11 - Revelations

Pragya looked around to find everyone looking intently at the chip that Shabbir was pointing at. 'I wish he would just break the suspense and speak up already. What's the use of such a dramatic pause? Its not like the chip is going to jump up and eat us.'

"So what does it do? Make robots have their own brains or something?" asked a clueless Pragya. 🤔

Shabbir was about to speak, but Purab interrupted.

"I hope not. I don't want a real Skynet!" Purab shivered at the thought.

"Purab its not-" however, Shabbir was interrupted again.

"What's skynet Purab?"

Purab looked at her shocked.

"Haven't you seen the film Terminator, Pragya? How could you have not seen such an awesome film?" He shook his head at her and continued "Anyways, in the film, the artificial intelligence called Skynet comes alive and tries to put an end to human race! Shabbir, why the heck would you keep such a dangerous thing around you!?" 😣

"Its not Sky-"

"He's right! Why would you keep something like that? Are you crazy!" Pragya accused. 😠

"Would you two shut up for a minute so that I can explain!? It isn't Skynet and neither is it any kind of artificial intelligence!" Shabbir shouted in frustration.

"Oh. Then you should have told it first hand. Couldn't you have told it before?" Purab huffed out. 😒

'The heck! I would have if you both gave me a chance to speak!' Shabbir was about to voice his thoughts, when his father, Vivian Mehra, interrupted.

"Shabbir beta, let me explain."

"Ok dad." He wanted to argue but relented.

Mr. Mehra turned to Purab and Pragya. "This chip is not just any other computer chip. It has the capacity to bypass any security system and hack any information from any computer, not matter how high the security is. This chip can also operate from a remote distance. You don't need direct connection with the computer you want to access."

"Wow. Cool. This means that I could hack into the college files an-" Purab stopped abruptly when he saw Mr. Mehra glare at him.

"Don't forget that I'm your Principal."

"Sorry Sir" 😅

Mr. Mehra continued "This chip was invented by me, my best friend Raj and another person named AIok Singhania. We thought that once this chip was done, we would give it to the government. However, me and Raj never thought that Alok would betray us."

On seeing Pragya and Purab's confused looks, he started narrating the past events.

*flashback, 20 years ago*

"We present to you 'Xcaliber', the chip that would change the face of technology." spoke a man from the platform, as he and his two friends revealed the chip for all the audience to see. It was a gathering where famous personalities from different fields of technology were present. All were gathered to see the 'Xcaliber'.

The reporters were the first ones to question them "Mr Vivian Mehra. Now that you three have invented this new technology, what do you plan to do with it?"

"Me, Raj and Alok have decided to hand it over to the government. Such a powerful technology shouldn't be given to just about anyone. It should be used for the betterment of the country."

At once, the audience broke out into applause. Soon various questions regarding the chip were raised, to which the three men answered efficiently. Once the craze settled down, Vivian turned to Raj and Alok. "Congratulations guys. We did it."

"Yes Vivian. We finally did it." answered Raj with a smile and looking towards the audience. "Look there. My sons are waving at you. They are so young, but they have learnt to use tech that even adults find difficult. They're big fans of yours."

Vivian turned to where Raj was pointing. He saw a woman siting with a baby in her lap, while two boys were jumping in there seats, waving towards him. He smiled and waved back. "I wish I could bring my family here too. Too bad they are in Pune. By the way, what were the names of your kids? I keep forgetting their names." 😅

Raj rolled his eyes and was about to reply, when he heard Alok speak.

"We built the chip, but for what? Just to hand it over to the government? What did we get?"

Vivian and Raj turned to look at him shocked. "What are you saying Alok? We are doing something for our country. Besides, we will be famous!"

"That isn't enough for me Raj. I want more. I want that chip."

"Alok, we agreed to this. Such powerful technology should not be possessed by anyone but the authorities." Vivian spoke, grabbing the chip.

"You really think that the government would not misuse it? Do you really think they would only use it if necessary. Such power in anyone's hands is dangerous. So give it to me. I will keep it safe." Alok said with a sinister smile, as he came towards Vivian.

"Alok, stop this. Have you gone crazy? Stop this madness right now!" Raj spoke, coming between Vivian and Alok.

"Madness? You haven't seen my madness. I'll show you what my madness is." saying that, he took out a gun and pointed it at Vivian. "Give me the chip if you want to live."

Seeing this, the entire audience froze in shock. The guards tried to move forward to the platform, but they were stopped by some other men. They were Alok's men.

Seeing this Raj turned to Alok "So you had all this planned from before Alok?"

"What can I say. I'm amazing, aren't I?" Alok removed the safety from the gun and pointed it at Vivian's heart. "Hand over the chip. I'll only count till 3. One........two......th-" however, before he could finish, Raj moved forward and grabbed the gun. The gun fell off of Alok's hand, but not before it went off. At once, chaos broke out among the audience at the sound of the gun shot. Using it as a distraction, the security guards took out their guns and started firing, while Alok's men did the same. Alok tried to reach forward for the gun but Vivian kicked it away. Vivian hit Alok and was getting the upper hand, when Alok managed to break free and escape into the crowd.

Vivian was about to rush after him, but he heard a soft voice call out to him. He looked back to see it was Raj, lying in a pool of his own blood.

"RAJ!" He turned Raj on his back and saw that the bullet had went through his heart. "Raj, don't worry buddy. I'll call the ambulance right away. Don't worry alright. Everything will be fine. Hold on buddy, hold on."

Raj gave a bitter laugh "Q-quit ly-ing Viv-vivian, you a-always were a b-bad liar." He stuttered out, barely able to speak.

"Stop talking idiot! You're making your injury worse!" Vivian spoke, barely holding his tears. His best friend was dying and he felt helpless. He heard the sounds of gunfire between the guards and Alok's men in the background, but he paid it no mind.

Raj placed a hand on Vivian "Vivian, by-y the time a-an ambul-lance gets here, I'll al-already be dead. It...its no use. But...but I want you to sav-ve my wife a-and children. Go Viv. Please save th-em." He gasped for air.

"Alok was right Raj. Even the government shouldn't possess such power. And this chip is nothing but trouble. We should destroy it."

"Are you c-crazy Vivian? We spent h-half of our lives in this project. Do you reme-mber how m-much effort we put i-into it. You and Alok w-were involved in it, but... but it was my l-life. Its like...like half of m-my life went away in-" he gasped for air, but continued speaking "In making this thing. I can't destroy it! I-its my life's purpose!"

"Then what do you want me to do with it Raj?"

"Promise m-me. Promise m-me, you will give it to my boys. I-I could already s-see the genius in t-them. And I-I know they will m-make good use o-of it." Raj said, drawing large gulps of air. "I.. I think my t-time is near."

"Shut up! You won't die, alright!? You still have to irritate me till old age, remember?" Vivian was crying openly.

Raj gave an amused laugh "I guess...I guess my t-time is up. But...but please save my-y family Viv. And give t-the chip to my s-sons. Go! Its...its my dying w-wish." Vivian didn't want to leave his friend but couldn't deny his friend's last wish. He nodded and gave Raj one last hug. He then rushed towards where Raj's family was.

He carefully avoided the gunshots and went to the table from where he had seen the two boys waving at him earlier. When he got there, he found only Raj's wife, with her baby in her arms, hiding under the table among the chaos.

"Where are your boys?"

"I don't know! I don't know. They had been near the buffet with my brother when the gunfire broke out. Please find them." She spoke out in between tears.

"Your brother? I thought only you and your kids were here."

"No, my brother was here too. Please find them!"

"Don't worry Shikha. I'll find them. But for now, come with me please." He took her hand and pulled her through the crowd.

As he reached the entrance, he rushed to his car. "Driver! Take this woman away from here." He turned to her "You can't go home or my house as Alok might go after you there. Do you know any other place you could go?"

"My-my brother! He doesnt live here, but was staying in a hotel in this city for a few days for business matters. I could go there. But...but what about my boys? And where is Raj?"

Vivian looked down in sorrow. He didn't have to speak more as she understood that Raj was dead. "No no no! Oh my goodness. Raj no!" She broke down crying.

"He died saving me. I'm...I'm sorry I couldn't save him. But I promise I'll find your brother and your boys Shikha." saying that he rushed inside again.

*flashback end*

"Did you find them?" asked Pragya with curiosity and worry. Although she didn't know those people in Mr. Mehra's memory, she felt bad for them. 'No family should go through such loss and disaster.'

She saw Shabbir's father grip the seat harder and close his eyes in sorrow. "I couldn't find them. I searched the entire place, but they were no where to be found. However, that isn't what pains me most. What is more tragic is that Raj's wife, Shikha, never got to reach the hotel."

Pragya and Purab gasped, while Mrs Mehra and Shabbir looked on with sad eyes as they had already heard the story from Vivian.

"A few hours after the incidents at the gathering, the driver I had sent with Shikha called me. He was barely able to talk, but he told me that some men had caught them. However, he said that he managed to hold them off and help Shikha escape with her child. That was the last thing he said before he died."

"So you mean they are alive right?" Purab asked hopefully.

"I don't know. I don't even where her brother and her two boys are. The next day after the incident, I went to the hotel where her brother was staying. I didn't know his name, so I asked the manager if he saw any man come there with two little boys. He told me that he did see them, but they had left the hotel that morning. Only thing I found out is it that her brother's name was Shekhar."

Vivian held his head in his hands in despair "Not only did I fail to save his wife and little baby girl, but I also couldn't keep track of his boys and Shekhar. I failed my best friend. I completely failed him!"

"Its not your fault dad. You tried your best to save them. You did everything you could!" Shabbir tried to console him.

"But I guess I didn't try hard enough!" Vivian spoke, reminiscing the past.

"Shabbir is right Mr. Mehra. You did your best." Pragya tried to pacify him. Suddenly a thought struck her "But why didn't you destroy the chip? It was the cause of every trouble!"

"Because Raj's last wish was for it to be given to his sons. And Vivian wants to fulfill that wish." said Mrs Mehra.

"But this chip is so much trouble!" Purab exclaimed.

"Raj saved my life and took a bullet for me Purab. I can't deny his last wish." Purab nodded in understanding.

"But this still doesn't explain why Shabbir is doing all this drama of hating his family." Pragya pointed out.

"Because this chip is nothing but a call of disaster. We didn't even want Shabbir to find out about it, but he accidentally heard us. I still remember how angry he was when he found out I was keeping such a dangerous thing with us."

"And for good reason too father. What if something happened to Abhi or Aliyah because of it? What then, huh?" Shabbir accused, looking at his father "However, he then told me the entire story and his promise to his friend, who sacrificed his life for him. But that didn't mean I would put Abhi and Aliyah's life in danger. That's why I decided to play this drama."

He turned to Pragya and Purab "If Abhi and Aliyah knew about the chip, then they would no doubt want to help protect it, which meant that they would be putting themselves in danger." Shabbir spoke. Pragya could see the fear and worry in his eyes for his siblings. "If we put extreme security in our house for the chip, Abhi and Aliyah would be suspicious and Abhi would use his computer skills to eventually find out the truth. Even if I decided to move out to a new apartment with the chip, they both would keep visiting me, and they would eventually find out. So we needed a way through which we could make Aliyah and Abhi stay away from the chip, as well as keep tight security over the chip. That's why I did this drama. I would rather rip my own heart out than see anything happen to them. It pains me so much to be away from them, to be rude to them. But I would rather have them hate me and be alive, then be with them and put them in danger."

"You said tight security." Pragya spoke in anger "Those men were chasing us. Where was your tight security then, huh?!"

"That's the reason we hurried here." Mrs. Mehra turned to Shabbir "Shabbir we got the information that all the guards had been knocked out and were taken as prisoners. We've already sent our men to find them, but we came to check on you as fast as we could."

"But why didn't you tell me about it Shabbir? I thought I was your best friend." spoke Purab.

"To protect you Purab. If you knew about the chip, then I knew you would try to help me. I didn't want to put your life in danger."

Purab went and punched Shabbir's arm lightly "Listen to me and listen carefully. I'm your best friend-cum-brother. I have the right to help you in every problem. So don't even dare to take that right away from me, understood?"

Shabbir smiled and nodded.

Pragya's eyes softened looking at Shabbir. 'Shabbir Mehra. The arrogant jerk of the college. He acts like he doesn't care about anyone. Yet, he is the one who is sacrificing his own happiness for his siblings and friends. He is trying to protect them so hard, bearing their insults, insulting them even when it pains him, just so that he can keep them safe. How....how could a person be so selfless?'

Purab clapped his hands together. "So basically, the only way to end everything is to find those sons of Raj and then everything would come to an end, right? Shabbir could go back to his family and you would have fulfilled your promise." Mr Mehra nodded.

"Maybe we can help you find Raj's family." Pragya spoke up hopefully. "After hearing the story of that family, I want to help you find them. I want to help you fulfill your promise. Please, let me help."

"I would like to help too. Both in that and also in protecting the chip." spoke Purab.

"Thank you both." Mr. Mehra told them gratefully. "However, it pains me to say that I do not know the names of his sons, neither do I know the name of the little baby girl."

"You must remember something about them. Please try to remember."

Vivian thought hard. Suddenly, something came to his mind "Shikha, Raj's wife, had a tattoo on her wrist. I asked her once and she told me that it was a tattoo that she and her brother, Shekhar, had in common. Maybe her sons have it too. I can draw it for you."

"Great! That's a clue that might help us. We're one step closer to finding them. Don't worry Mr. Mehra. We will find those boys and that little girl." Pragya said with a smile.

Vivian smiled at her gratefully. "Oh and one more thing. You should know the title of Raj. It was Pratap."

#Mount College#

Kriti saw Abhi and Karan head towards a room. She saw them nod at each other then enter the room. "Come on Vivek! Lets go."

She pulled Vivek with her towards the room. However, once inside, she felt someone grab her hand and push her towards the wall. She closed her eyes when her back hit the wall. When she opened them, she saw herself being held by the hand against the wall by Karan, while Vivek was being held by the collar by Abhi.

"Alright. Why have you two been following us? asked Karan.

"We? No way! We were just passing by when we saw you enter here and so we decided to drop by and say hi. Right Vivek?" Kriti lied, looking at Vivek, signalling him to play along.

"Yes yes! She is right!" He nodded vigorously.

Abhi balled his hand into fist and raised his fist to hit Vivek. He wouldn't actually hit Vivek, but Vivek didn't know that.

Vivek's eyes widened and he quickly stuttered out "Alright alright! We were following you because we wanted to know why you wanted to spy on Shabbir. But I swear it wasn't my idea! I swear I swear!"

Kriti looked at him open-mouthed. 'You...you coward! Good-for-nothing moronic, idiotic, fat pig!'

"So Kriti, you heard me and Abhi talking about Shabbir. Were you spying on us? Whom else did you tell about it?" Karan asked glaring at her.

Kriti gulped in fear. She had never seen anger in Karan's eyes, but now, he looked outright scary. "No one! Except Vivek. No one trust me." She didn't mention telling Pragya "And...and its good that I heard you because..because" Kriti tried to think of an excuse "Because I can help you find more information on Shabbir!"

"How exactly?" asked Abhi, looking at her intently.

"W-well, you both have no business in the auditorium. So if you both go there frequently, people might get suspicious. But Bulbul is my best friend and she is participating in the Fest. I can go there without suspicion and help you. Good idea, right?" Kriti spoke in one breath 'Please, please, please be convinced. I don't think I can think of any more excuses in all this stress.'

"You know Karan, its not such a bad idea. I think we should give her a chance."

Karan nodded and left her hand. "Both of you, leave quickly before you piss me off more."

Kriti and Vivek ran away as fast as they could.

Karan looked at them go and turned to Abhi, who was smirking at him. He raised an eyebrow in question "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You left Kriti quite easily. If it was anyone else, you would have shouted so much that they would end up crying."

Karan looked at him, contemplating whether to tell him or not, and then sighed "Hate to admit it, but that girl kind of grew on me. She is almost like a little sibling now. An extremely irritating little sibling." 😑

Abhi laughed at his friend and moved out of the room, followed by Karan.

#Arora House#

Bulbul placed her bag on the couch as she entered her house. She found her mother sitting at the table, sketching something. "Maa, you're drawing?" 😯

"I'm bored. I finished all my chores and there's nothing good on t.v. So I decided to draw. I used to be an A+ artist in school. You see this sketch book? It has been with me since my marriage. I draw only the most memorable things here."

"Really?! Let me see!"

Bulbul snatched the sketch book from her mother and started flipping through the pages. Her mother indeed knew how to draw. Suddenly, she came to a page which had an odd pattern drawn on it. The sketch was a bit smudged, as if it had been done a long time ago "Maa, what's this?"

Sarla looked at the pattern "This?" Sarla looked around to see if anyone was around. Once she was sure no one was there, she whispered to Bulbul. "This was drawn by me twenty years ago. This is the tattoo that was on Pragya's mother's wrist."

"But why did you draw it here?"

"Pragya's mother said her brother would have the same tattoo. I needed to remember it. Without this, we wouldn't have been able to recognize her uncle. And if we didn't recognize him, how would we have known that Pragya's life was in danger?"

"What was his name by the way?" asked Bulbul.

"You mean Pragya's uncle?" when Bulbul nodded, Sarla continued "Shekhar. Her uncle's name was Shekhar."

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To be continued...

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Thanks! ~ 🌹 Mona 🌹