Ep-2 Peaceful Morning

The crisp mountain air carried the scent of pine trees as the first rays of Sunday sunlight spread across the valleys of Uttarakhand.

The small wooden house at the edge of the village slowly came to life.

"Beta..."

A gentle knock echoed outside a bedroom door.

"It's already seven."

No response.

Kamal smiled knowingly.

"Don't make me come in."

Still...

Silence.

Shaking his head, he quietly opened the door.

There, buried beneath a thick blanket, only a messy bundle of hairs was visible.

"Ira..."

No movement.

Kamal sighed dramatically.

"I made hot parathas."

The blanket instantly moved.

A sleepy voice emerged.

"...With butter?"

Kamal chuckled.

"Yes."

The blanket flew off.

A twelve-year-old girl sat upright, her messy hair sticking out in every direction.

Her bright brown eyes sparkled with excitement.

"You should've said that first, Dadu!"

She jumped out of bed and rushed toward the washroom.

Watching her disappear, Kamal laughed softly.

"Every single day..."

"... Food first."

A few minutes later...

The dining table was filled with hot aloo parathas, fresh curd, and steaming tea.

Ira happily took a huge bite.

"Mmm!"

"This is amazing!"

Kamal folded his arms proudly.

"Of course it is."

"I made it."

She grinned.

"You make the best food in the whole world."

"I know."

They both burst into laughter.

After breakfast...

The two walked through the lively village market.

Everyone greeted Kamal warmly.

"Namaste, Kamal ji."

"Good morning!"

"And good morning to our little sunshine!"

Ira smiled brightly at everyone.

Along the way...

She secretly bought biscuits from her pocket money.

Not for herself...

For the stray dogs waiting near the temple.

The dogs wagged their tails excitedly the moment they saw her.

"You remembered us again."

Kamal laughed.

"I think those dogs love you more than they love food."

"Impossible."

"They obviously love food more."

They both enjoyed the whole day laughing and doing different activities together like cooking, dancing, singing, gardening and the last one climbing the mountain for sunset view

At the same time...

Thousands of feet above the mountains...

A military jet pierced through the clouds.

Inside...

Arjun Rathore quietly studied the mission file.

One of the officers glanced at the classified mission file before looking at Arjun.

"Sir..."

"Who exactly is Code I-09?"

The cabin grew quiet.

The officer continued hesitantly.

"According to the file... she's only a twelve-year-old girl."

He frowned.

"We've mobilized an elite unit, deployed military aircraft, and are flying across the country..."

"...all to find a little girl."

"What is so special about her?"

For a brief moment, only the steady hum of the aircraft's engines could be heard.

Arjun closed the mission file.

"I asked the Director the same question."

The entire team looked at him.

He didn't answer."

He calmly fastened his tactical gloves before continuing.

"And honestly..."

"...it's not our job to know."

"Our duty is simple."

"Find Code I-09."

"Whatever the reason behind this mission may be..."

"...our responsibility is to complete it."

The officer nodded without another question.

Arjun turned his gaze toward the aircraft window, watching the endless mountain ranges drawing closer.

Deep down...

Even he wondered...

Who exactly was Code I-09?

Kabir Mehra stood near the cabin window, watching the snow-covered peaks below.

His teammate asked,

"What's our first move after landing?"

Kabir answered calmly.

"We observe."

"We don't rush."

If she's really alive after twelve years..."

"...someone has been protecting her."

His eyes narrowed.

"And I want to know who."

Back in the village...

Ira and Kamal stood on a hill, watching the sunset paint the mountains in shades of orange and gold.

Kamal looked at the horizon before speaking softly.

"Beta..."

"Promise me something."

Ira tilted her head.

"What is it, Dadu?"

"No matter what happens..."

"Always come home before sunset."

She smiled without hesitation.

"I promise."

Kamal smiled back.

Neither of them knew...

That fate had already begun breaking that promise.

Far above the clouds...

The landing wheels of two aircraft slowly unfolded.

Destination: Uttarakhand.

The hunt had reached the mountains.

The peaceful days in Uttarakhand continued as if nothing had changed.

Every morning, Kamal Vyaas and Ira followed the same routine.

Walking to school.

Stopping at the tea stall.

Greeting every villager with bright smiles.

For Ira...

Life couldn't be more ordinary.

Yet...

The villagers often whispered about her.

One afternoon...

An old woman smiled as Ira helped her carry a heavy basket uphill.

"My child..."

"You've had such a kind heart ever since you were little."

She gently patted Ira's head.

"And somehow..."

"...whenever you're around..."

"I feel at peace."

Ira simply laughed.

"Maybe because I'm carrying your vegetables, Grandma."

The old woman laughed too.

"If only it were that simple."

Kamal quietly watched the conversation.

His smile remained...

But his eyes carried an emotion only he understood.

As they walked home...

Dark clouds slowly gathered above the mountains.

The wind suddenly became unusually cold.

Ira stopped walking.

"Dadu..."

"Hm?"

"...Do you hear that?"

Kamal looked around.

"Hear what, Beta?"

She frowned.

"It felt like..."

"...someone called my name."

The road was empty.

Only the sound of leaves moving with the wind.

Kamal gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It must've been your imagination."

She nodded.

"...Maybe."

But...

The uneasy feeling didn't disappear.

That evening...

A frightened horse suddenly broke free from its rope in the village market.

People screamed and stepped aside.

The horse charged through the narrow road.

Straight toward a little boy.

Everything happened within seconds.

Before anyone could react...

Ira instinctively ran.

That moment her muscles instinctively got boost up she suddenly became strong

She pulled the boy away just in time

The horse rushed past them.

She Went towards the horse and consoled it by stroking it gently and it calmed down.....

Silence.(Everyone)

The villagers stared.

One man whispered,

"How did she reach him so fast?"

Another shook his head.

Another said how the horse got so calmed down suddenly this is very strange

Someone said :"I blinked..."

"...and she was already there."

Ira looked confused.

"I just ran."

Kamal's heart skipped a beat.

He remembered...

This wasn't the first time.

That night...

After Ira had fallen asleep...

Kamal sat alone outside their wooden cottage.

The stars covered the Himalayan sky.

He looked toward Ira's room.

"...Who are you, Beta?"

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"I don't know what fate has planned for you..."

"...but I'll protect you."

"No matter what."

Meanwhile...

Nearly fifty kilometers away...

Two temporary command centers had been established.

Organization One.{NID}

Organization Two.{SSB}

For two days...

Elite Officer Arjun Rathore... Of NID

and Elite Officer Kabir Mehra... Of SSB

searched every village.

Every school.

Every government record.

Every orphanage.

Nothing.

Not a single clue.

On the other side...

SSB carried out its own investigation.

Kabir's team questioned villagers.

Collected CCTV footage.

Checked transport records.

Even searched abandoned settlements.

Still...

Nothing.

It was as if...

Code I-09 had vanished from existence.

Inside NID's temporary command vehicle...

A technician rubbed his tired eyes.

His fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard.

"Sir..."

"We've completed another satellite scan."

Arjun looked up.

"Anything?"

The technician shook his head.

"No facial match."

Another officer sighed.

"It's been two days..."

"It's impossible for a child to disappear like this."

Arjun remained silent.

He knew...

There had to be something everyone was missing.

Hours later...

Inside SSB's mobile command center...

Kabir stood in front of several large monitors.

Satellite images of Uttarakhand continuously flashed across the screen.

One technician suddenly stood up.

"Sir!"

Kabir immediately turned around.

"What happened?"

"We've enhanced the latest satellite capture using facial recognition."

"It found a possible match."

Kabir walked closer.

The blurry image slowly became clear.

A small mountain village.

A government school nearby.

A girl feeding biscuits to stray dogs after school.

The technician swallowed nervously.

"Facial recognition..."

"99.8% Match."

"Code I-09."

Kabir's eyes narrowed.

"So..."

"We finally found you."

Almost at the same moment...

Inside NID's command vehicle...

Another technician shouted,

"Sir!"

Arjun looked toward the screen.

"Satellite confirmation received."

"The same girl has appeared in today's surveillance."

The image zoomed in.

Brown hair.

Brown eyes.

Blue school uniform.

Walking beside an elderly man.

The technician spoke softly.

"Identity confirmed."

"Code I-09."

Arjun stared silently at the screen.

She didn't look dangerous.

She looked...

Like an ordinary twelve-year-old girl.

He quietly folded his arms.

"Prepare the team."

"We leave immediately."

Far away...

In a quiet mountain village...

Ira happily walked home with Kamal Vyaas.

She laughed while telling him stories about school.

Inside a dark underground room...

Only the faint glow of dozens of computer monitors illuminated the darkness.

A giant digital map of India covered the wall.

Several red markers blinked across the screen.

One of them...

UTTARAKHAND.

A man sat silently in a black chair, his face completely hidden by the darkness.

Only his folded hands were visible.

A subordinate walked in and bowed respectfully.

"Sir..."

"Both elite teams have finally located Code I-09."

Silence filled the room.

The mysterious man slowly let out a faint chuckle.

"Excellent..."

He stood up and walked toward the giant digital map.

The blinking red dot slowly enlarged.

UTTARAKHAND

↓

DEHRADUN

↓

SHAINDHAV VILLAGE

The screen stopped zooming.

The man's lips curved into a cold smile.

"Those two elite officers..."

He paused.

"...have done an excellent job for me."

The subordinate looked confused.

"Sir... should we begin our operation?"

The man gently placed a hand on the glowing map.

His fingers rested exactly over...

Shaindhav Village.

"Not yet."

"Let them continue searching."

"Every move they make..."

"...only brings me closer to my destination."

The room fell silent once again.

The digital map continued blinking.

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