UPDATE-23
jabaki vaastav main vo cover bullet proof thaa ।
us par three not three ki goli se lekar toop ke gole tak kaa bhi koi asir nahin hotaa thaa ।
commander Karan Saxena ne vah ‘camouflage kit’ apne upar daal li ।
ab vo bilkul surakshit thaa ।
phir lete-lete kab use nind aa gayi, pataa n chalaa ।
“ham log kaafi aage nikal aaye hain ।” ek guard kah rahaa thaa- “main samajhtaa hun ki commander Karan Saxena ab jungle main yahin kahin honaa chaahiye ।”
“nhin ।” Li Marcos bolaa- “abhi aur aage chalo ।”
“kyaa ham thik jagah par nahin pahunche hai ?”
“nhin, commander abhi yahaan tak nahin pahunchaa hogaa । aakhir Hooper ki hatyaa hua abhi jyaadaa samay nahin gujraa hai ।”
“oke, to main jeep aur aage badataa hun ।”
jeep pahle ki tarah hi jungle main aur aage baad chali ।
vah kayi saari jeepon kaa kaafilaa thaa, jo Burma ke un jungle lo main andar hi andar kachchi chakrod sadak se hokar aage ki taraf badtaa jaa rahaa thaa ।
sabse aage vaali jeep main Li Marcos aur Barbie baithe the ।
iske alaavaa us jeep main tin guard aur the ।
jabaki pichhli tamaam jeepon main do darjnon ki sankhyaa main hathiyaaraband guard bhare hua the ।
sab-ke-sab behad khatarnaak ।
bhinn-bhinn yuddh kalaaon main maharthi ।
Li Marcos bhi us samay apne khatarnaak shastr ‘samuraai talvaar’ ke saath jeep main maujud thaa aur apne chir-parichit samuraai fighteron vaali dress main thaa ।
samuraai fighter hamishaa sir se paanv tak kaale rang ki dress pahante hain, jo unke sharir se chipki hoti hai ।
vaisi hi kaale rang ki chipki hui dress is vakt Li Marcos ne pahni hui thi ।
uski samuraai kamar ke saath bandhi thi ।
samuraai ki myaan lakadi ki thi aur uski muth par laal rang kaa riban bandhaa thaa । samuraai ki ek khaas baat aur hoti hai, uske donon taraf dhaar milegi ।
dhaar bhi behad paini !
jo samuraai kaa ‘grand Master’ hotaa hai, vah apni samuraai se ped ke majbut tane se lekar lohe ke pipe tak ko kaat daaltaa hai ।
aur Li Marcos bhi ‘grand Master’ hi thaa ।
kabhi samuraai fighting main usne pure japan ke andar tahalkaa machaa diyaa thaa ।
usne darjnon ki taadaad main samuraai ke bade-bade mukaable jite ।
uske naam kaa aatank pure samuraai jagat par chhaataa chalaa gayaa । parantu Li Marcos main ek bhayankar kami bhi thi । vah apraadh pravriatti kaa aadmi thaa । daulat kaa bepnaah bhukhaa thaa । jab un mukaablon se haasil hone vaali daulat se bhi uskaa pet nahin bharaa, to vah apraadh ki duniyaa main aa gayaa aur apni samuraai se bhole-bhaale logon par kahar barpaa karne lagaa ।
apraadh kaa vah silasilaa jo ek baar shuru huaa, to phir abhi tak jaari thaa ।
“jraa socho !” Li Marcos ke baraabar main baithi Barbie kah rahi thi- “agar commander is samay ekaaak ham logon ke saamne aa jaaye to kyaa hogaa ।”
“kuchh bhi nahin hogaa ।” Li Marcos phumphkaarakar bolaa- “fauran bijli jaisi advitiy teji ke saath meri samuraai myaan se baahar niklegi aur agle hi kshan uski gardan dhad se katakar alag jaa pedegi ।”
“kyaa sachamuch commander Karan Saxena ko maarnaa itnaa hi aasaan hogaa ?”
“isse bhi kahin jyaadaa aasaan hogaa daarling ।” Li Marcos ghamandpurvak bolaa- “ak baar tum use bas mere saamne aane do, phir meri samuraai kaa jauhar dekhnaa । use chikhne tak kaa maukaa bhi nahin milegaa ।”
Barbie ne kuchh n kahaa ।
parantu vo commander ko itnaa saadhaaran ensaan nahin samajhti thi, jise etni sahajtaa ke saath shikast di jaa sake ।
jeepon kaa kaafilaa pahle ki tarah hi aage baad rahaa thaa ।
“bas !” tabhi ekaaak Li Marcos ne kahaa- “jeep yahin rok do ।”
guard ne fauran jeep ke break apply kiye ।
pahiye chikh uthe ।
vo kaafi dur tak ghisatte chale gaye the aur phir ruk gaye ।
us jeep ke rukte hi pichhe jitni bhi jeepe chali aa rahi thi, vah bhi ek-ek karke rukti chali gayin ।
Li Marcos durbin aankhon par chadhaakar jungle kaa ab achchhi tarah muaaynaa kar rahaa thaa । phir usne durbin gale main daal li ।
“ham bilkul thik jagah hai ।” uske baad vo jeep se baahar nikaltaa huaa bolaa- “hmaaraa dushman ab isse aage jungle main kahi bhi ho saktaa hai, kisi bhi jagah ho saktaa hai ।”
phir ek-ek karke tamaam hathiyaar band guard jeepon se baahar nikalne lage ।
andheraa ab dhire-dhire chaaron taraf failnaa shuru ho gayaa ।
lekin vo andhere se koi bahut jyaadaa ghabraaye hua nahin the । unke paas bahut high power ki torch thi aur vaise bhi vo andhere ke andar jungle main ghumne ke abhyest the ।
“nakshaa kidhar hai ?” Li Marcos bolaa ।
“abhi laataa hun ।”
ek hathiyaar band fauran jeep ki taraf baad gayaa tathaa phir uske andar se nakshaa lekar lautaa ।
vo kaafi badaa nakshaa thaa, jise golaai main fold kiyaa gayaa thaa ।
“lijia Marcos saahab !”
Li Marcos ne nakshaa lekar use jeep ke hud par failaa liyaa ।
tamaam hathiyaaraband guard ab uske erd-gird bhid ke chhatte ke rup main jamaa hone lage the ।
“yah vo jagah hai ।” phir vo yakaayak nakshe par ek jagah ungli tikaataa huaa bolaa- “jhaan is vakt jungle main ham sab log khade hain । main kuchh galat to nahin kah rahaa Barbie ?”
“nhin ।” Barbie, jo khud bhi nakshe par hi gaur se najre gadaaye hua thi, usne fauran svikriati main gardan hillaai- “tumhaaraa idea durust hai । Marcos ! ham sachamuch jungle main isi point par khade hain ।”
“aur yah vo jagah hai ।” Li Marcos ne nakshe par kaafi dur ek any jagah ungli tikaai- “jhaan commander Karan Saxena ko sabse pahle do jungli yuvkon ne apni jhopedi main sharan di thi ।”
jabaki Li Marcos ki paini nigaah ab nakshe par kuchh aur chij talaash rahi thi ।
“filhal hamain nakshe par ek sthaan aur dhundhnaa hai ।” Li Marcos bolaa ।
“kaun saa sthaan ?”
“jis sthaan par Hooper tathaa uske saathi guardon ki jungle main commander Karan Saxena se muthbhad hui aur vah sab maare gaye । usi muthbhad vaale sambhaavit sthaan kaa pataa lagaane ke baad ham is natije par pahunch sakte hain ki commander Karan Saxena is vakt jungle main kis jagah honaa chaahiye ।”
tamaam log ab bahut gaur se nakshe ko dekhne lage ।
sabki nigaahen usi jagah ke aaspaas ghum rahi thi, jahaan do jungli yuvkon ne commander Karan Saxena ko apni jhopedi main sharan di thi ।
“haalaanki muthbhad vaali jagah kaa ekadam sahi tarah se pataa lagaanaa kaafi mushkil kaam hai ।” Barbie nakshe par hi nigaah gadaaye hua boli- “kyonki us jagah ke baare main hamain koi suchnaa upalabdh nahin hai । phir bhi andaaje se ek baat jarur kahi jaa sakti hai ।”
“kyaa ?”
“vo muthbhad vaali jagah usi jhopedi ke aaspaas ek kilomitar ke daayre main kahin honi chaahiye, jahaan do jungli yuvkon ne commander ko sharan di thi ।”
“yaani !” Li Marcos ne nakshe par ek any sthaan par ungli tikaai- “is jagah ?”
“haan ।” Barbie thodaa hichakichaate hua boli- “sambhavatah yahi muthbhad vaali vo jagah honi chaahiye ।”
“meraa bhi yahi vichaar hai ।” Li Marcos, Barbie ki taraf dekhakar behad utsaahpurvak bolaa- “muthbhad vaali jagah yahaan honi chaahiye । aur dosto, agar hamaaraa yah vichaar durust hai, to is vakt ham us muthbhad vaali jagah se koi aath kilomitar dur khade hain । aath kilomitar haalaanki yah duri bahut hai । lekin main samajhtaa hun ki commander ab aath kilomitar ke isi varg kshetraphal main kahin honaa chaahiye । kyonki Hooper ki maut ko jitnaa samay gujraa hai, us samay ko agar paidal chalne vaale vyakti ki chaal se calculate kiyaa jaaye, to yahi result nikalakar saamne aataa hai ki commander ne abhi 8 kilomitar kaa yah varg kshetraphal paar nahin kiyaa hogaa । ab hamain ek dusraa kaam karnaa hai ।”
“kyaa ?”
“hamne jungle ke is pure 8 kilomitar ke kshetr ko chaaron taraf se gherakar aage ki taraf baadnaa hai aur commander Karan Saxena ko dekhte hi goli maarni hai । yaad rahe, vo bahut khatarnaak aadmi hai । vo bachnaa nahin chaahiye ।”
“aisaa hi hogaa ।”
kayi saare guard bhabhke svar main bole ।
“agar us aadmi ko apni jaan bachaane kaa jaraa bhi maukaa haasil huaa ।” Li Marcos bolaa- “to us kshan ke baad tummain se koi nahin bachegaa ।”
“ham use koi maukaa nahin denge Marcos saahab ।”
“good !”
Li Marcos ne jeep ke hud par bichhaa nakshaa uthaa liyaa aur phir vah use fold karne lagaa ।
tabhi kaafi saare jungli jor-jor se ranahunkaar karte hua vahaan aa pahunche ।
vah najdik ke hi ek gaanv main rahte the aur ek hathiyaaraband guard unhen vahaan bulaakar laayaa thaa ।
sab adhanange the ।
unhonne apni guptaangon vaali jagah par maamuli si kapede ki dhajji lapeti hui thi, baaki jaanghon ke chaaron taraf ek dhaage main bandhe hua lambe-lambe patte jhul rahe the ।
sir par bhi patton kaa jhuramut thaa ।
un sab jungleiyon ke haath main bade nukile bhaale the aur vah khub uchhal-uchhalakar burmi bhaashaa main hi ajib-ajib si aavaajen nikaal rahe the ।
kaanon main kundal pede hua ।
sharir par jagah-jagah nile godne ke chinh ।
ek jungli ke gale main chhoti-si dholak bhi pedi thi, jis par vah baar-baar thaap detaa ।
“sab khaamosh ho jaao ।” Li Marcos apne donon haath uthaataa huaa jungleiyon ke saamne khadaa ho gayaa aur burmi bhaashaa main hi chilllaayaa- “sab khaamosh ho jaao ।”
jungli chup ho gaye ।
vahaan sannaataa chhaa gayaa ।
ghor sannaataa ।