The Forgotten Gateway

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  Bishwadeep Mukherjee

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  Chapter - 5

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  Next Step

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  Everyone feels strangely familiar yet utterly unfamiliar. Nothing seems recognizable. The room where Maria lies is open on all sides, and a gentle breeze fills the air, soothing her body. Suddenly, she notices a peculiar woman in strange attire standing beside her and asking in a language Maria has never heard before,

  "Vel dorar zynar?"

  An alien tongue. Yet, Maria somehow understands the meaning of those words. She realizes the woman is asking about her physical condition. In a soft voice, Maria responds,

  "Velis nyra thal."

  This phrase, which no person from Earth would comprehend, is instinctively understood by Maria. It translates to "I am feeling fine now."

  Maria attempts to sit up, but an excruciating pain sears through her lower back. She has no recollection of what happened to her. Her head throbs with a sharp, persistent ache, and any attempt to concentrate brings unbearable pain. The woman standing beside her gently places her hand on Maria's shoulder, urging her back onto the bed. Maria notices an open window on her right, through which sunlight pours in. At first, it feels like the warmth of the sun is gradually intensifying, growing larger and larger, as if it seeks to shine directly upon her. Within moments, the room becomes unbearably hot. Maria looks toward the woman for reassurance, but she has vanished. The room seems to be burning under the scorching sun.

  Struggling against an invisible force, Maria tries once again to rise, but she is unable to move. The room becomes a blur, and the heat intensifies. Finally, Maria closes her eyes in surrender. She feels someone continuously shaking her shoulders, calling her name incessantly: "Maria, Maria! What's wrong, Maria? Maria!" Abruptly, her eyes snap open, and she realizes that her entire body is drenched in sweat. Even the bed sheets beneath her are half-soaked in perspiration. Standing beside her, Catherine is shaking her awake.

  "What's going on with you today? It's already 8 AM! You’re usually up by seven," Catherine exclaims.

  "I had that dream again."

  Maria replies hoarsely.

  "It's normal. You haven't seen a doctor in ages. Just the other day, I bumped into Dr. Sanchita Roy on my way back from college. She mentioned that you haven’t been visiting her lately." Catherine says.

  Maria sits up and gazes out the window. Despite the heavy rain last night, the sky is still overcast. "It hasn’t been necessary. The dream hasn’t come in a long time, but in the past week, it has come four times," she explains, drinking water from a bottle on the small table in front of her.

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  "Then don’t waste any more time. Go see the doctor. I’ve made tea for you. Have some, and I’m off to college,"

  Catherine says, donning a scarf to cover her ears, a precaution they take due to their slightly larger-than-usual ears. After Catherine leaves the room, Maria checks the time on her clock. It’s 8:20 AM. She’s late.

  Without further delay, she picks up her phone and calls. After a few rings, a woman's voice answers,

  "Hello?"

  "Good morning, Mam. This is Maria from News X. We spoke last night," Maria says.

  After a brief pause, Ishika responds,

  "What’s the need for a separate interview, Miss Maria? You do know there’s a press conference scheduled at 10:30 AM today at the main building of Stellar Nexus, don’t you? Just come there, and all your questions will be answered."

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  Outside the main building of Stellar Nexus, media vans are lined up, and the fourth-floor press room is crowded with reporters. At the front of the room sits Riyan Sen, the head of Stellar Nexus, with Ishika Banerjee seated next to him and Mr. Sharma on his other side. Riyan Sen holds a paper in his hand and gives it a thorough glance before speaking,

  "What happened yesterday should not have occurred. This is completely unacceptable. Such a significant mission has been postponed indefinitely, which is a huge loss. However, based on our internal investigations, it’s clear that there were no technical faults. We’ve done lunar missions before, and we have the experience. What happened yesterday was internal politics. Yes, I’m forced to admit that there are people in our agency who, for some unknown reason, do not want the agency to succeed. But the real question is, do they oppose the agency, or do they oppose a specific individual? This arises because Miss Ishika Banerjee’s mission was her first as a captain, though she has previously participated in lunar missions. It could be some personal rivalry. The West Bengal Police Crime Branch will carry out the investigation. Please be patient until the culprit is apprehended. We want to know the truth too."

  A reporter asks Riyan,

  "Did you not know about the internal politics before this happened?"

  "If we had known, the incident would not have occurred."

  Riyan responds briefly.

  Maria, seated in the front row, turns to Ishika and asks,

  "I have a question for Miss Ishika Banerjee. Miss Banerjee, you've been working here for a long time. Stellar Nexus employs many people, and surely, there must be someone with whom you share a good relationship. There might even be someone with whom you’ve had disagreements in the past."

  After a brief pause, Ishika responds, "Disagreements are normal when working together, right? But if you’re asking about enmity, then I have no such conflicts with anyone here."

  Another reporter asks Riyan,

  "Mr. Riyan, if internal conflicts exist within such a large organization, leading to yesterday’s fire, where do you see Stellar Nexus heading in the future?"

  Riyan answers,

  "Internal conflict exists everywhere. Does your news channel not have internal conflicts? These things must be set aside, and we must move forward. There’s no doubt that Stellar Nexus has a bright future. Let me repeat, the police investigation has already begun. We must all wait until the results come in."

  After a few more questions, the press conference concludes. Indrajit, who had been standing near the door since the beginning of the conference, quietly exits the room. Outside, he lights a cigarette. Suddenly, someone places a hand on his shoulder, startling him. He turns to find Ishika standing behind him.

  "Why were you standing by the door? Was it forbidden to go inside?" Ishika asks.

  "I had no reason to go in. I don’t care for unnecessary publicity," Indrajit replies, taking a few puffs from his cigarette.

  As journalists file out of the building, Ishika grabs Indrajit's hand and pulls him towards a secluded area, out of sight of the reporters. "We can’t let anyone see us. Reporters can easily spread gossip," she warns.

  "Are you ready for the next step?"

  Indrajit asks, handing her his half-finished cigarette.

  Ishika takes a few puffs, then responds, "Absolutely. Now we just need to get Riyan Sen on board. We have to convince him to come with us."

  "Be careful. Don’t give him any reason to be suspicious," Indrajit advises.

  "I'm not going to give him any reason to doubt, Indrajit."

  "I’m worried about how far the police investigation will go. What if they forbid everyone from leaving until it’s concluded?" Indrajit expresses his concern.

  "Leave it to Mr. Sen. This mission is crucial for him, and he will manage the police situation, don’t worry."

  Ishika assures him.

  To Be Continued...