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“Rini...” Vinit couldn’t stop himself from pulling her into a tight hug.  Ravi looked away, swallowing hard.  His Dhaa was away... somewhere, he didn’t know...! 

“Vinit..!” Rini gently broke away from him and forcing a smile on her face asked... “What is the plan?” without wasting any time...! Vinit came back to his senses.

“Yeah...!” He took her inside.  Earl was waiting for her.  He gauged her physique and his eyes locked on her determined face.  

“Earl Greenburg... Detective, handling Dhaa’s case...!” Vinit introduced when they shook hands.  Earl assumed his seat and so did others.  Ravi and Jim were eager to spring into action whereas Earl was taking it patiently.  Vinit already had a plan.

“Ok..!” Rini listened with rapt attention to every detail.  She knew what to do.  Her commando training of six months in Drass had taught her to strike...! She looked up at Vinit who was towering over the table... 

“My letter?” she asked and he produced the printout from his pocket.

“Weapon?” she asked stretching out her hand.  Earl looked shocked.  

“What do you mean?” he asked aghast.  “We are personal security, to the minister, right?” she asked as a matter of fact.  “We have a diplomatic immunity...” She added further.  Earl looked at Vinit.  He had nothing to say.  Now that Rini had come, he knew she would handle everything.  

“No! You can’t carry guns inside...” Earl pointed out.  Rini looked confused.  “I mean, US Government provided security officers... “ he pointed at the lacuna.  Rini shrugged...1

“Fine... so no weapons inside... Unarmed combat...” She concluded glancing at Vinit.  He gave a nod.  Her lip curled up in a smile... She was better in such operations...! 

Earl spread the map of the building on the table... She raised her hand to stop all of them.  She needed to study the building... Earl fell silent, as her finger moved on the map, noting the exits, entrances and escape routes...! Her mind racing for the possibilities... she thought about Dhatri....!

“If it is for her healing power... she must be in some kind of experimental laboratory... They must have run some tests on her...!” she thought gravely...! 

“Can I talk to a Doctor, before going ahead?” she asked gravely and Earl looked at her in admiration, nodding his head.  

“Yeah, sure...!” he said handing over a card..! Rini glanced at the card and kept it in her pocket.  She needed to talk to the Doctor soon.  

“If she is kept captive for some specific purpose... She must have been isolated from the rest.... No one will know about her...!” she gazed at the map again.

“What about this area?” she pointed at one section of the basement... No walk through of that section was provided...!

“That is cordoned off... quarantined place....!” Earl said leaning forward.  Her eyes fell on the yellow colour blocks on every floor of that 23 storied building.  She gazed at the yellow block on the basement...! She studied the legends of color coding.  “Yellow... is Labs...” she looked up at Earl...!

“Every floor has a Laboratory.... Research Labs?” she asked and Earl took out another paper...

“Not all... some are pathological, some are diagnostic...” Earl produced the list.  She glanced at the list.  Vinit took it from her.  The atmosphere had charged up.  The moment Rini entered, they all knew that it was time for rapid action.  They were closing in... rounding up from all the sides...! Somehow, Earl too accepted Rini’s position as the leader....! Her questions, her inferences, her instincts,  her conclusions gave them the required confidence...!  Vinit went back to sofa and closed his eyes...! Time for some action plan...! 

“When can I talk to the Doctor?” Rini asked impatiently.  Earl dialled the number. 

“In two hours...!” Earl said disconnecting.  Rini turned to look at Vinit.  He was sleeping peacefully, snoring faintly.  She had a smile on her face and turned to continue the discussion. 

********* *********  ********

“Hey...How are you?” Dhatri asked Winfree when she saw him approaching her bed.  She was surprised to see him there.  Only Block II, 29 was evacuated.  The other blocks and floors were up and running.  He grinned.  “I can talk...” he whispered with cracked voice and she smiled...!

“You came here to tell me? How do you know I am here?” she asked looking around in panicky.  He grinned again.  “That nurse told me!” he pointed at the lady standing at the counter.  Dhatri looked at her in surprise.  “Who is she?” she didn’t know.  She didn’t bother either. 

Fatima came in hurriedly.  “The nurse went all berserk....!” she said animatedly... Zishan’s sutures dried in just 24 hours and his wound healed....! The nurse said, it must be a miracle...” She said holding Dhatri’s hand.

“You know, Zishan said, you cured him...!” she whispered and Dhatri looked up at her gravely...!

“I can’t re-grow organs.... They have removed his left kidney...” Dhatri murmured and Fatima held her hand.

“I know... He has to live like that.... but he feels better now... “ She consoled Dhatri.  

“You know? When he was detected cancer... we had lost all hopes... Then the doctors here said, there is a new medicine.... which could cure.... but after six months, they gave up and said, his left kidney must be removed....!” Fatima tried to hide her tears.  Dhatri listened.... “Winfree....he had similar problem in his throat.... then they said his voice box must be removed... new medicine..?” Dhatri didn’t know what was going on.  

The hospital was a huge laboratory for clinical trials on a very large scale for testing new medicines before they are pushed into the market.  Large sums of donations and incentives to Doctors were given for such trials by the Pharmaceutical companies...! These companies needed a testing ground and poor, economically backward, illiterate, illegal migrants were the perfect samples for such tests...! They were experimented under the pretext of free medical aid to underprivileged people...! Dr. Scott Humphrey was running this huge Laboratory Rat hospital....For his research work, which after testing and proving its utility, he would sell the patents to the medicine companies for a large sum ...!

“What did they do to you?” Fatima asked and Dhatri shook her head.  “Nothing .. yet!” she said in realization.  Soon it would be her turn ....! “What are these people going to do with me?” Dhatri tried to assimilate.  

“I must do something....” She looked around hoping for some exit ...! There was none.  She must do something on her own....! She couldn’t let these people do what they were doing...! She got up with a jerk.  Fatima looked up surprised.

“Where are you going?” she asked bewildered.  “No where...!” Dhatri blurted the truth.  She had nowhere to go.  But she was not to rot or be a rat here.  She would fight back... Alone...! She would die fighting...!” Anger shot up... she let out a low growl... A trapped tigress was growling with burning anger....! The next moment... they all heard a siren from nowhere...!