An Investigation
2297 Words
Discontent was brewing in the women though no one was willing to take the first step to express it. Everyone was afraid of the repercussions of dissent. Besides most of the women were still trying to come to terms with the present state of affairs. The one man who had dared to protest against the unjust laws had been exiled to San’am Island which was rumoured to be full of cannibals. He had been a man of honour who had stood by his principles no matter what. There was no hope that he would ever return. No one knew what had happened to his wife and his only daughter who was 16 yrs at that time.
Some enthusiastic women who had formerly been reporters appealed to the Shakteya Trust to help trace the family of Shri AVSSNVRPSL Narayana, the exiled man who had dared to fight for the women when no one else did. The Trust appointed a team of 6 detectives for the task of finding out about the family of Narayana.
The search team of detectives spent several months combing the empire for any trace of the family which surprisingly seemed to vanish without a trace. It also brought the undesirable effect of becoming the targets of the administration and pro-male radical groups. When these detectives started falling to mysterious mortal accidents, the investigation had to be put on hold. Detective Srivastava, the only surviving member of the 6 man investigation team, spent 3yrs underground trying to put his enemies off his trail while trying to build contacts who could be relied upon. This put the investigation on the back burner for 5 years.
In the 6th year, Srivastava had managed to find the first clue of the family that led him to a Red Light Area deep in the middle of one of the most dangerous cities in the empire, San Fransisco Nagar. No one knew why the city was named after a famous city in the former nation of Unites States of America, that had now been rechristened Federation of United Americas, after the countries in North and South Americas had finally put their disputes aside and formed a strong Federation where each country had a voice in the affairs of the continents.
San Fransisco Nagar was a medium metropolitan city with a modest population – neither too much nor too less. It was ruled by the direct descendents of the deposed king Chandala Raya who had disappeared after the revolt against the rule of the deposed king. They had slowly built their reputation, wealth and influence for several centuries waiting for the right time. As soon as the new laws had been passed, they had seized control of the city while openly swearing allegiance to the government. This had given them a free reign over the city.
So our detective Srivastava found himself in a hostile city that frowned and came down brutally on anyone who supported females or known traitors. As he went in to meet his contact deep in the Red Light Area that had laws of its own and was dangerous to anyone who was not a local or a customer. For this area housed some of the most dangerous professional s*x workers in the empire who would happily slice your throat before you recovered from the heaven they took you to. Yet they were the ultimate entertainers if you had wealth and power. Only the most elite clients dared to venture into this area.
Srivastava tried not to let his nervousness show on his face as he exited the cab and approached the door of Swarga Soukhyam Bar And Restaurant. The name Swarga Soukhyam literally meant Heavenly Pleasure which sounded apt for an establishment that was less of a bar and more a brothel house. Everyone in the area knew that it was also the most powerful and the wealthiest in the city. One could simply disappear in the bar and never be found ever again. That was what had brought him to the place – a hunch that something had happened to the ladies – here. It was a common practice to sell the women of traitors into w****s. That was how Narayana was perceived – a traitor.
Srivastava was thoroughly frisked by the gatemen who looked like professional heavyweight boxing champions. He let off the breath that he realised he had been holding as he entered the bar. His senses were immediately assaulted by one of the noisiest bars in the empire that was run by staff who looked like vacationing professional fighters rather than bar staff. He calmly went to the sixth table in the far right corner of the room as he had been instructed and sat down.
“Two Swarga Soukhyam SP Beers!” he ordered. The waiter looked at him for a few seconds as if trying to decide if could afford to pay for the costliest beer in the bar. These beers were kept aside for the elite customers. Srivastava took out the visiting card he had been given and passed it to the waiter.
“Charge it to his account!” he said as offhandedly as possible trying to make it sound as if a citizen who obviously could not afford to spend more than a few gold coins for a single drink could boast of an elite friend who would buy him two of the costliest drinks in the bar was normal everyday occurrence. The waiter looked even more suspicious before moving to get his drink. Or so he thought.
He found himself being lifted off his feet and taken to a dark room. He felt the cold tip of a g*n to his temple.
“Who sent you here?”
“His Most Divine Royal Highness Raja Ugra Vasantha Raya, descendent of the true king His Most Holy Divine Highness Raja Ugra Sourabha Raya.”
“What do you seek here?”
“An audience with the traitor’s slutty wife as well as the w***e of his daughter.”
“Why?”
“I was told they had not broken yet and that my assignment was to break them.”
“The Code?”
“Pourusham purusha lakshanam, daaseethvam sthree lakshanam!(vigor is male trait, servitude a female trait)”
“The sign?”
“Kshetramlo beejam! (seed in the soil)”
“The motto?”
“Bilam lo gunapam! (rod in the hole)”
He felt colour returning to his pale cheeks as he felt the pressure of the hands holding him was released, the g*n removed from his head. He was allowed to sit in a chair that had somehow miraculously appeared in the room. He could also see better as light flooded the room from an LED bulb hanging right above his head. He waited patiently since he had cast the die and there was no saying what would happen next. He might even never get to see his family or his boss again. He could only hope for the best now.
As he waited he could hear the noise of feet, the door being opened and two sacks brought and placed at his feet.
“They are all yours!”
“Thanks! Long Live the True King!”
“Long Live the True King!” they answered as they left the room leaving him alone with the two sacks at his feet. He bent and untied the first sack. He found a n***d body of a 40 year old female – unmoving. He checked her pulse. She was alive but had been either sedated or she was sleeping. He opened the other sack and found a 22 year old female – also n***d but conscious. She looked at the older woman who was obviously her mother and closed her eyes. He took off his coat and placed it on the older woman letting the sack cover the lower part of her body. He went to the young woman.
“Sorry, I can’t allow you to be covered at all or everyone will be in danger. You understand me?” She nodded her head yes. He removed the sack covering her and threw it away. He gazed at the beauty in front of him. She had a perfectly sculpted body – perfect curves and shapes that would make any man go wild with desire. She was the kind of woman a man would love to call his wife – a wife who would be the neighbour’s envy. “Neighbour’s envy, owner’s pride!” he remembered an old television advertisement that brought a smile on his lips. He made her stand with her hands behind her as he continued to stare at her.
“What is your name?”
“Sarvani”
“You look perfect!”
“....”
“Owner’s envy, neighbour’s pride!”
“It’s neighbour’s envy, owner’s pride!”
“Ah! So nicely speaking about yourself.” He smirked bringing a blush in her cheeks as she understood the meaning behind his remark. “How many do you take every day?”
“What?”
“How many men get to taste you every day?”
“.......” her face flushed red with rage she attacked him with all she had punching, kicking trying to hurt him as much as she could.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” she screamed as she twisted in pain flailing like a fish out of water. The implant behind her neck flashed a bright blue as her body shook with the electric shocks she received. She was prone on the floor, her body still shaking though the implant was now invisible.
“Do you realise your position now? Or do you want more – perhaps between your legs?” he could see a faint line of fear in her eyes. “or maybe you will cooperate and talk?” She frantically nodded yes.
“Good. Get up!” she shakily stood up. “Sit cross legged.” She did as instructed giving him a perfect view of everything she wanted to hide making him smile. If looks could kill, he would have been burnt to ashes by her gaze. He cleared his throat.
“What do you want?”
“To go home with my mom.”
“That’s impossible. You realise that, don’t you?”
“....”
“How long have you been like this?” he asked indicating her nudity.
“Two weeks.”
“How did you remain undiscovered for so many years?”
“Family secret.”
“Care to enlighten us?”
“Go to Hell!”
“You are in Hell dear! And I came to Hell to meet you!”
“.....”
“Will you confirm the names of those who helped you?”
“.....”
“They already ratted on you, you realise that right? Or you and that old p***y you call mom wouldn’t be here.”
“.....”
“I will now read a list of names that i have here. You will confirm those names and make it easier for me. Who knows, you might even be allowed to become a s*x worker and earn money!”
“......”
“Ravikrindi Srikanth”
“....”
“Sourya Sanapala”
“....”
“Manjeera Mittapalli”
“....”
“Soukhya Sattupalli” He noticed a sight movement in her jaw. “Thanks for the confirmation.” She winced hanging her head in defeat. “Nice name Soukhya – girl who gives pleasure! She would be a nice fit here, won’t she?”
“Don’t you dare touch her!”
“She is one step away from being declared a PP. You don’t want that to happen, do you?”
“Please leave her alone. I will do whatever you want. Please. She is just a kid.”
“Tell us how you two remained hidden for so many years and the names of those who helped you. And I can make sure she doesn’t become a PP.”
He listened to her as she described how she had discovered the hidden bunker under her house. It had supplies that could feed a family for years. She had shown it to her mom and had spent the years hiding there as soon as her father had been exiled. They had run out of supplies and she had been forced to come out to buy food. She had not noticed the two men who had tailed her to her bunker and then tackled her down as soon as she had opened the door. They had then caught her mother as well and had brought them here. They had been trying to get her to speak but they had failed. They had kept the two of them n***d in a bid to break them. But they had tried to escape twice and so their captors had planted the bugs inside their necks restricting their movement.
“Who is Soukhya?”
“My father’s favourite student and a family friend. Dad told me to protect her if something happened to him. But I failed.”
“You can still protect her if you can show all the secret hideouts of your family.”
“....”
“Fine then. All the best!” he got up and walked to the door.
“You promise that you will leave her alone?”
“She will not be harmed.”
“She won’t be declared PP?”
“No.”
“Alright. I will show whatever you want me to show.” Two men came and took away the women. Srivastava was escorted to the Raja Ugra Sourabha Raya Imperial Domestic Airport for his flight back home.
- Writer
