Grey Clouds (Part Two)

PART TWO: ENERGY

Abduct

Jan 1^st, 1995.

‘Miss Neelima… Are you there?… Ma’am.’

Aai let them in. Two huge hunks marched in, one could x-ray the shredded body through those tight black suits; shiny golden wristwatch complimented their leather shoes.

‘Have a seat,’ Aai cleaned the one chair we had. Of course, they didn’t care; stood there with their emotionless rock faces. They looked so alike: scary. We crouched on the ground, as one pulled out his mobile.

Baba always made one thing very transparent for us- As a slum dweller, we rest, we sit, we eat where they stand. We are tiny and will always be.

‘Good morning, Neelima ma’am and to her two adorable kids.’

Something didn’t seem right; first there two scary body builders dressed as business man, Now this polite voice from his mobile.

‘Ma’am just don’t worry.’

A weird smell. The voice was fainting; I am losing consciousness, where is everyone. Aai! Aai!

‘I will take care of him now.’

Sayonara

Every step; the sound of shoe clicking the floor. It echoed. Lights blinked through the hallway, creaking current echoed the still air. The red EXIT sign glowed in the diminishing light. Limbic muscles contracted, toes pushed the ground, body leaned forward, mind wanted to break through the door.

I stopped. A humming sound. Electricity, all of a sudden, clapped through the corridor. Menacing.

Sparks electrified the air, dazzling through the corridor. On the spur of moment, the superstructure sliced burst; that house burning in flames, melting roof.

‘Top Floor,’ Stop it, Please… I don’t want to remember. Aiyush. Blazing fire. Cold. Burning building. A deep calm sea. A smile I won’t ever forget. One burning corpse, one breathing fire. Oh! I hated him.

The half sliced apart shredded into dust. Indra floating through the space, embedded in electricity. I stepped out. Everything was a mess.

‘Nikhil. Join hands with me Nikhil; there is still time… Join me, don’t be a child. We are the Gods.’ As he slowly steps on the ground; Thunder leaked through his eyes, hands sparked with electricity.

‘SATAN,’ my mind lost the courage.

I closed my eyes. Aai. the darkness was cold yet comforting. Breathe, breathe, breathe… Kill him.

“What are you thinking, Wind God?” Indra let his hands in the air, sparkling his powers; roaring Thunderbolts smote in the sky as he saw the world trembling.

“Are you scared, Vayush?” he asked me with a demonic smirk. It was petrifying, landmasses blasting in the air, destroying everything.

“Breathe… Breathe… Breathe…” I repeated to myself. I can win, just kept breathing, I know I will, or will I?

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. Vayu Talwar, the Breeze blade forms in my hand. I stood there… Still… I couldn’t feel. Everything is so calm… it’s frightening. I’m ready.

A swing. Blast of wind, everything swiping away, shredding apart. I held my stance sternly… smirking at him; he was outraged.

“Aaaaa… I will kill you.” The Thunder God marched towards me in rage. His every step, destroyed whatever existed on his way, his lightning disintegrating everything.

I just wanted to kill him; even though it looked so impossible. Energy overflowing through his skin. How couldI ever Kill him. I don’t even know all my forms.

“Aaaaa…,” My legs paced towards him, hands gripped my blade, mind wished to slash his neck in two.

I just wanted to kill this lump of waste.

Four

My first day. A room, white velvety cushioned every inch, two bunk beds on the right and left to the door. It was different… it was new. They threw me in, I sobbed like an infant. Where am I? What is this strange place? I want to go back. I want to go back to Aai and Rajiv. Three faces sneaked from the bed; scared eyes followed my steps. Unnerving.

The door knocked. ‘Wake up,’ that same rambunctious voice. I felt cold; I wanted to go home. They paraded out the room, I followed, bare toes touched the cold floor. Everything was scary. I wanted to run. Run a thousand miles until I meet Aai. I just wanted run away. Yet I walked. Trekked slowly down the aisle, they stopped. I stopped. I stared. LABORATORY, the letters blinked. We walked, we walked, we walked and we walked. Machines creaked, adults wore those white coats like the doctors’ in Bollywood movies.

‘Morning,’ Bald. The first thing I noticed; He was bald… wore the same coat, black shiny shoes paring his pants, a sky blue shirt peeking through tucked under the belt. Black, leather. He seemed nice.

‘Okay… dear dumplings. Please follow me,’ I ran. I didn’t know where, I just ran. ‘Halt! Halt!’ someone said. I ran, didn’t look back, I just ran.

A brutal blow. I fainted. I remember falling off the ground.

A white coat; my face rubbed against the cloth. The same shiny shoes, that same scent. It must be him. It was him.

‘Wake up, sunshine. It’s a new day,’ I never understood How could he speak so sweet when all he did was hurting us.

Last day of experiments. We go round the long- cold corridors, as usual. Pipes sized our body covered the entire roof. Aluminum. They taught us the other day. We sat on our usual seats. Curly- long hair kept free, a blue round sunglass complimenting beard less white face. The oversized track pant somehow fit him perfect. Kimono… Ah! it was a gorgeous flowery kimono covering him enough to display his ripped body muscles. Oh! I wished I grow up like him.

‘My children,’ he said walking bare feet all over the place, ‘All the excruciating experiments, these men carried on us.’ Us How can he say us. Who is he? ‘It was all because we are extraordinary. In these world where humans struggle to live every day; We are born as the Gods they pray to rule again.’

His face lights up as he says, eyes brighten as if he has reclaimed the world again, His hands lift in air proclaiming victory.

Petrifying.

‘My children, from today you are free from pain. We will train to our powers, claiming every form of our energy to ourselves to be God again.’

Days weren’t pleasant, they never were, yet we were smiling. We were the four Gods of nature, our energy, our strength. Yet I didn’t wish anything, just wanted to go home, to Aai again; I didn’t want to be a god. How can I? How can a murderer be God?

As they would say: Agni, the Fire God, the mightiest of us… Akash knew all of his forms; Aiyush, the Water Lord, my best friend the only person I could share my stories, he kept his name, it was better that way; despite his powers equaling Agni, he never cared that fact. Prithvi, Neel, the Earth, the playful one of us. He was different, never showed his anguish, always had a smile mended in his face. He was kind. Vayush, me, the murderer; they say I have seven forms of wind energy, seventh form the deadliest of all the forms existing in space and time. I never understood, I never tried.

I just hoped to go back to where I was.

Agni

‘Aiyush, Nikhil… Why don’t you understand? Indra is right,’ Agni protecting Indra.

“Everything’s up to you Akash,’ as Indra disappears.

Molten lava dripped down his fire blade, flames incinerate the hall, disintegrating each matter. The evaporating roof softens on to the Neel’s arm, his skin burnt to ashes, fingers left off to its bones, his muscles disappearing in flames. Oh! I could still see his smile. I closed my eyes.

‘What have you done Akash? What made you do?’ Aiyush couldn’t stop but weep.

Breathe… Breathe… Breathe. I said to myself.

I don’t want to live. Enough, I have had enough. I want to die.

‘He was weak,’ Agni smirked

‘What? What did you say?’

‘He was weak.’

Water waves suddenly burst out of Aiyush, the floor tears apart, the flames blow out, everything washed away.

‘Drifiting Waves Energy Form- First,’

‘Hell Fire Energy from- Eleventh,’

Aiyush jumps off in the air, his swords like an ever-flowing clear stream; Akash his talwar blazing up in flames.

It was the end, Oh! I wished. I sat there starring Neel. Oh! Lord, what on earth is occurring? Why is it with always the people I adore? God, if you listen. I wish to die.