1 November 2049
It was a great evening. Winter just setting in. Jay walked through the snowy landscape. The most influential person on the planet walking from the entrance to the main building is always creepy, even if it is his home.
Jay got into the elevator of the headquarters' ground floor. The elevator doesn't dare to bother him either. He reached his living room and just when he started walking towards his room, he noticed Indrajit sitting in the dining room, across the glass panel. Jay's cold, tired eyes lit up, brighter than his intentionally under-lit living space.
Jay rerouted towards him as Indrajit said, "Hi Jaya! Here" patting the chair next to him. Jay went and hugged Indrajit from behind, placed his head on Indrajit's shoulder and gasped, "It's been quite a while."
Jay sat where Indrajit wanted him to, as he does everytime - even in an app launch. Jay placed his sunglasses on the table. Indrajit swallowed as he said, "Sunglasses on a winter evening. Not a Jaya thing to do."
"It's a GL thing", Jay smiled," I'll have noodles." The noodles bowl found its way to him. It doesn't dare to bother him either.
"So...", Jay started, "how's the mission going?"
"What mission?", asked Indrajit.
"Project D", Jay gave a puzzled look.
Indrajit laughed, "You call convincing a half-crazy yet talented woman to undertake something she'll regret doing, a mission? This is a Jaya thing to do."
Jay reciprocated, "Let me know about her."
Indrajit started, "That dark-complexioned lady, about forty, who arrived at the hospital just before you on that day is Draupadi. She had lost her husband to the Great Death. She has two daughters and lives with Raghav. "
Jay interrupted, "Raghav... I remember. Charming guy. So there's something between him and her."
Indrajit continued, "No, no. They're clean. I thought that too. But, have you seen his wife? He won't need any women in his life after Janu. Also, she's just brilliant. She took him to the hospital on her own in such a dreadful situation ."
Jay answered, "Yeap. Janu was charming too." Jay wanted to stop right there. He emptied his bowl and stood up. "Come with me. You ought to see something."
Jay held Indrajit's wrist and took him to a room next to his. The room had a blood red lighting. Indrajit's mouth was wide open. There was a man hanging upside down with blood dripping from every body part. The room had an arsenal of weapons and a trot-bot monitoring him.
Indrajit could not recognize him. His eyes begged not for mercy, but for death. His body had lost the strength to hold his hands against gravity. He was half-naked with a torn trouser, but his skin was literally masked. He looked like an inverted red-cross.
Jay took a club and struck it hard against his chest. He wailed feebly in agony, that was all he could do.
Indrajit exclaimed, "JAYA! WHY?... who's he?"
Jay replied, "The Lambo owner. You gave me the chance to protect humanity as the GL. But your father gave me the task to protect you as your guardian. I'd happy to be more loyal to your father."
Indrajit had no words. He simply walked out of the room. Jay followed him.
Indrajit shouted, "You've gone mad. This position has driven you mad."
Jay slouched on the couch, disappointedly. Jay looked up tenderly "All this for you. There's a reason I didn't marry."
Indrajit sat near him. "I honestly didn't mean to hurt you." Indrajit hugged Jay and asked, "So don't gaslight me that you didn't have a love life."
Jay laughed, "I never say I didn't have one. I am just a terrible rejection. She's fairly older."
Indrajit grew curious, "Now this is some stuff. Tell me more."
Jay started, "I won't forget that day anytime soon.
1 December 2034.
I convinced her to have a cup of coffee with me. She came an hour late to the Café. "
Indrajit interrupted, "A chic made the all-powerful Jaya wait for an hour?!"
Jay continued, "Shh... Chic isn't appropriate. She's the definition of a lady. Black, enchanting eyes. Lotus-coloured lips.
Imagine blood coursing through sandalwood's veins coated with honey. That's her skin tone.
She was a cosmic beauty who didn't need cosmetics.
She was fit, not lean, not fat, not muscular, not masculine. Just fit."
Indrajit smiled, "You fell really, really hard."
Jay went on, "The most beautiful thing about that celestial lady is that you can't lust on her. You'll invariably love her and do nothing other than that. Her smile is just...
Let's continue the story.
I shook her hands and sat. She said, 'It feels so surreal to sit with you, Jay.'
I didn't wait for coffee. I started, 'You know, I could just pick any girl out there. But I just want to live with you. I can't ask for more, if a girl like you will be with me.'
She replied, 'Jay, I don't think I've led you to this. Notice carefully, you're in obsession with my perfection. I'd always prefer an ordinary person who loves me with all my imperfections to an extraordinary hotshot who likes my appearance.'
That's why I love her. She didn't sugarcoat anything. Just a straightforward answer to a half baked question. I gave up the minute I got that answer."
Indrajit took a couple of seconds to process before asking, "Then?"
Jay replied, "I am not evil enough to force her. And she married Raghav."
Indrajit was shocked. He was being attacked by constant shock pulses. He stammered, "You were talking about Janu the whole time? She literally chose a useless commoner over the ruler of the worlds?"
Jay said, "So tell me Indrajit. What does my name mean?"
Indrajit answered, "Jaya means victory right?"
Jay laughed and continued, "Jaya is the gatekeeper of Vaikuntha, Vishnu's abode. Due to a curse, Jaya took three human forms along with his brother Vijaya and Vishnu incarnated thrice to free them from mortal realm.
Jaya's second form was Ravana - the ruler of the fourteen worlds. He abducted Janaki and was defeated by a commoner named Rama.
But this Jaya is not foolish enough to do that mistake."
Indrajit got another shock pulse. He was buffering with his vocabulary, "So it's Juggernaut and Jagannath."
"One is a loanword. Another is the root. British and their colonial loot...", Jay let out a sigh.
Jay continued, "Janu chooses Raghav - the wielder of SARaNG over the ruler of the world. Poetic as Valmiki."
Indrajit asked, "What is SARaNG?"
Jay replied, "I'll tell you some day. How is your daughter Anu and your wife Divya? Anu's in fifth grade right?"
Indrajit sighed, "Yes. Great, not mentioning her mischief." Indrajit took a moment, "How did Raghav's family survive the Great Death? They're clearly GenZ, right?"
Jay laughed, "I won't let Janu die."
Indrajit screamed, "What did you do?"
Jay replied, "That guy, Raghav, brainlessly thought air-sphere would save them. I went disguised as an old man and gave them tender coconuts."