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"What happened?" Dhatri bent down to see blood streaming out ... Her eyes rolled up... she went into trance.... "You are not well....You are not well....!" her eyes closed, her fingers moved on the wound of the Rector... A stream of warmth entered the body... Suddenly the Rector felt calm.. her pain gone, she laid still on the floor.  Far away in a corner in the darkness... Suman, a seventh Semester girl stood trembling in fright.  Dhatri had gone beyond her senses, her body temperature rising rapidly, her hands and fingers moving on the wound...! The bleeding had stopped... The pain had gone... Dhatri had fallen on the floor burning with temperature... Rector opened her eyes... The security guards came running in....!

"What happened?" the guard helped the Rector get up.  The deep wound was visible and the flesh had come out on her arm... but surprisingly the bleeding had stopped.  She looked down at motionless Dhatri and yelled in panic.  "Call the Doctor...!" the warning siren hooted and the rooms illuminated with lights... the girls came out running...!

"Dhatri..." Ragini bent down to lift her up.  Purva came running...! "What happened?" Others asked.  The Rector looked around and her gaze fixed on Suman standing in the darkness.  "Meet me in my office...!" she ordered clutching her wounded arm.  

"Madam... you need to go to the doctor..!" said the security guard but the Rector paid no attention.  Ragini was trying to lift Dhatri.  "Dhaa has some allergy problem.... Give her cold water bath if you find her burning in fever....!" Dharini had told Ragini and Purva.  "Dhatri is sick.... " yelled Ragini and Purva helped her lift Dhatri. 
"We need to give her cold water bath...!" she shouted to warn others from her way.  They took her to the bathroom....!

"Madam... you need to see a doctor...!" said the security guard looking at the blood stains ...! The Rector looked at her painless wounded arm.  "What was that? That girl did something..." she thought wondering but decided to remain silent.... Something was holding her back from disclosing Dhatri's healing ability.  She sat in the car instructing the security guard to tighten the security.  Suman took a sigh of relief dashing to her room to pack her bags.  She needed to flee before anyone could point fingers at her. 

"No Ms... no one is allowed to move out...!" the security guard had stopped her closing the huge cast iron gates of the ladies hostel compound.  Suman went back to her room dejected.  She knew she would face the inquiry and rustication, expulsion from the college was sure. 

The rector went to the clinic.  The bleeding had stopped completely.  The doctor wondered.  "Surprising...! The blood vessels seemed to have sealed themselves stopping the bleeding...!" He wondered seeing the deep wound with the flesh wobbling out.  In next fifteen minutes he bandaged the arm with nine stitches across her arm.  The Rector came back with fuming rage.  She had to take strict action.  Someone had called the college staff.  The Administrative Head and the Principal was waiting at the corridor.  The news had spread like a forest fire.  Everyone from the girls hostel had gathered.  Suman had locked herself in her room. Her boyfriend had escaped stabbing the Rector...! The Rector had caught them red handed in her room.  The rustication was inevitable.  Soon the news would be spread everywhere.  Suman shudderred with the thought of her orthodox family.  The only option was to end her life....

**************

"Awe....!" Dharini couldn't stop gazing...! The snow flekes floating in air like little white feathers made the heaven, a dreamland.  She gazed unfocused from the broken down truck she was ordered to repair.  The scene she had never witnessed.  Slowly the flakes were gathering on the windshield.  She forget that she had a oil container in her hand which was undulating.  "Beautiful...!" she forgot herself. 

"Damn this snow...!" Maj. Vikram opened the door of the truck hopping himself in and waking her up from the dream.  "This is so beautiful...!" she exclaimed dreamily. 

"Beautiful...?" he asked enraged, struggling to start the blades of the ice breaker and lifting the plaugh attached to the truck.  "Wake up Lt Dharini... we are running out of time... soon these beautiful floating flakes will turn into windy snow storm...!" he shook her and she looked at him shocked.
"When did you come?" she asked bewildered.  "When you were in the snowy dreamland...!" he said taking the container from her hand.  She came back to her duty mind.  "Sorry...!" she said sheepishly turning to the bundle of wires and switches.  Vikram jumped down issuring frantic instructions to the mechanics working under the truck. 

"Look we got to get going in ten minutes... before it starts windy storm....!" he yelled at her and she nodded.  She was posted to her destination... Zoji La Pass base camp of Engineering Brigade...! She found the contrasting environment here.  There was no descrimination at all.  She was the only woman in the lot of 980 soldiers and officers.  There were Nine officers above her and twenty two of her cadre.  They didn't differentiate at all.  She was happy to be one of them.  Major Vikram was incharge of Gun Carriers and Tanks; the T-90 Ajay Tanks deployed on guard.  She was a soldier there, irrespective of her gender.  She was happy...! It was her brigade.... her troop... her platoon... her Army... Her border of her motherland...!

She worked with top speed to trace out the short wiring which blocked the ignation of the huge gun carrier truck.  She again peeped into the laminated pages of the maintenance handbook.  Her brain working with super fast speed... the wiring diagram itched on her brain, she traced the connections. 

"Gotchya...!" she exclaimed raising her cut wire and searched for the insulating tape in her hip pocket.  "Dharini hurry up... I am leaving...!" Maj Vikram yelled opening the door and she nodded.  He sped away on his ice scooter.  The snow flakes had covered the windshield by now.  She ignited and the engine roared alive.  She started the wipers and hurriedly began fixing the wires again into the panel. 

"Madam ji..!" one of the jawan mechanic opened the door and she straightened herself up wiping her hands on her hips.  "The blades...!" he said pointing at the button.  The gritting had to be done to clear off the snow.  The snow layer had grown a foot high by now.  She whimpered looking at the burried tyres.   "Start the blades... " she yelled.  The blades started but the excuvator stuck in mid air.  "Bloody hell...!" she yelled getting under the plough.  The shaft had stuck under the iron rod dangling... She fixed it and the mechanic fixed the nut bolts... The snowfall had grown into a whirling storm blocking the vision.  The white snow walls were closing in from all the sides.  She looked down... the tyres were burried completely.  She had to take charge.   "Get inside...!" she yelled and all six men jumped into the well of the truck.  She ignited and the plough pushed the snow further on the road.  The blades roared into action, gritting the snow, cutting it into pieces.  The Vehicle moved.  The storm had taken the worst turn.  It was impossible to see anything ahead.  "Har Har Mahadeo....!" the jawans roared and her chest puffed.  "Har Har Mahadeo..." she closed her eyes.  The helping mechanic had spread the tarren map becoming the navigator now.  She drove carefully. 

"What is that?" she pointed ahead.  Something was moving.... they both strained their eyes.  The centry took out the binaculars.  "A vehicle..." he started his commentry.  "Vehicle?" She was surprised.  "No... A group..." he rectified.  "Group...!" she stopped the vehicle.  "From down south..." he informed tracing the footmarks in the snow filled valley.  She was puzzled.  Their vehicle was snow capped by now.  She gazed.  "They stopped...!" the centry said getting up in slow motion taking the binaculars away and looking aghst.  "Infiltration?" they both looked at each other shocked.  She opened the door of the vehicle. 
Soon they saw themselves spreading out.  The seven Indian soldiers spread out of have a better look. 
 
The group had finished their work and was moving upwards... They followed.  She was wondering... How come they came from down south? From Himachal Pradesh? The map flashed before her eyes... "No...! Decoy...!" We got to be careful.  There was no means of communication.  They were at the remote place.  The base camp was atleast 12 miles away... down...! She froze...! They were only Seven...! There had to be a direct conventional combat.  She needed to assess the strength of the other side.   "Atleast 20...!" Blurted the fellow soldier...!

"Seven Martyres...!" she blurted, drawing a deep breath.