Shekhar was surprised by Atharv’s informal response. He knew from the reports he had been receiving that the boy was ‘sharp’ and excelled in the tasks and exercises given to the recruits, but that he also had a strong streak of independence.

He will be an ace operative one day, if moulded properly to hone his skills and temper his ego, Shekhar thought to himself.

Aloud, he said, ‘Hello, Atharv. I am glad to hear you are doing well. I am here to give you a task. In our line of work, tracking targets and evading trackers is our primary skill. Success or failure in both skills can determine the corresponding outcome of an operation and can secure or endanger our own lives and those of our colleagues. So, let’s do a test, to assess how well you boys can tail a target or can wriggle out of a target’s gaze.

‘You will follow Sawant from Wellesley Mansion to the Chinese Quarter on foot. First, Sawant will leave, and five minutes later you will follow. An unmanned aerial vehicle will be monitoring you. Every time Sawant sees you, he will touch the back of his head. If you are spotted even once, Atharv, you will both return. Your punishment will be to trek up and down Kennedy Hill three times after a five-kilometre jog. You may take the help of the other recruits if you want.’

‘I am good, sir. No help required for now,’ he replied.

By the time Atharv left the mansion, Sawant had already crossed the Albert theatre. Atharv climbed the hill to use the vegetation as cover as he jogged ahead to get Sawant within his sights.

An hour later, Sawant reached the Chinese Quarter and entered a cafeteria. He chose a table on the first floor, from where he could keep an eye on the entrance. Atharv reached the cafeteria twenty minutes later and hesitated before entering. He finally crept into the cafeteria, attempting to make no noise or any noticeable movements. Sawant spotted him with delight. He went down the stairs at the back of the cafeteria and exited, even as Atharv continued to survey the crowd inside. He never saw Sawant.

Outside the cafeteria, Sawant looked up at the sky and patted the back of his head.

Atharv was seated in a corner of the cafeteria when Sawant appeared from behind him, as if from nowhere, with a tray of English biscuits, chips and coffee.

Atharv sat up with a jolt. ‘What the—!’

Sawant laughed and escorted Atharv outside, where a Mahindra jeep was waiting for them.

Back at Wellesley Mansion, Shekhar addressed the recruits again.

‘I have taken accounts of what happened in the exercise from both Atharv and Sawant. This is called debriefing. When I instruct you to do a task, it is called briefing. Atharv tried his best to track Sawant while staying in the shadows but got plucked out by his target. He flunked the test.