UPDATE-26
tatkaal baaki bache jungleiyon ki chikhen bhi vahaan gunj gayin ।
ab sirf chaar jungli jindaa bache the ।
chaar !
parantu apne chaaron taraf etni saari laashen dekhakar unke bhi hosh ud gaye ।
phir unmain se kisi main itnaa hauslaa n huaa, jo vo vahaan rukte aur commander kaa mukaablaa karte ।
magar bhaagakar bhi ab unhonne kahaan jaanaa thaa ।
commander ne adamy saahas kaa parichay dete hua us kaafi unche ped se niche chhalaang lagaa di ।
vah dhamm se niche jaakar giraa aur spring lage khillaune ki bhaanti uchhalakar khadaa ho gayaa ।
vah uski taraf bhaale taante, usse pahle hi commander Karan Saxena ke haath main vahin kambal ke paas pedi AK 47 assault rifel aa chuki thi । agle hi pal usne us assault rifelen kaa blast fire khol diyaa ।
dhad-dhad-dhad karke goliyaan chalti chali gayin aur vah chaaron jungli bhi dahaade marte hua niche gire ।
phir vahaan khaamoshi chhaa gayin ।
gahri khaamoshi !
aaspaas ab laashen hi laashen pedi thi ।
khun main lathapath laashen !
commander ne rifel vaapas kandhe par taang li ।
khatraa vo abhi bhi apne bilkul sir par mandraataa anubhav kar rahaa thaa ।
vo jaantaa thaa, vahin najdik main hi kahin aur bhi dushman maujud hai । jinhen un jungleiyon ne dholak par thaap de dekar uski vahaan upasthiti ke baare main bataa diyaa hai aur jo ab uske lia kisi bhi pal khatarnaak saabit ho sakte the ।
usne apni wristwatch dekhi ।
raat ke do baje the ।
dushman ko dhokhaa dene vaali fauji training aaj uske kaafi kaam aayi thi ।
tabhi ek ghatnaa ghati ।
nayi ghatnaa ।
usne halki blip-blip ki aavaaj suni ।
us aavaaj ko sunte hi commander teji se phirakni ki tarah aavaaj ki deshaa main ghum gayaa ।
commander jaantaa thaa ki vah kisi transmitter set main se nikalne vaali aavaaj thi ।
turant hi uski nigaah ek jungli ke haath par jaakar thahar gayi । usne apni baai kalaai main ek wristwatch baandhi hui thi, jo kaafi kimti wristwatch thi ।
commander ko ek jungli ke haath main etni kimti wristwatch dekhakar badi hairaani hui ।
blip-blip ki vah aavaaj usi wristwatch ke andar se nikal rahi thi ।
jarur vo wristwatch transmitter set bhi thaa ।
commander ne uskaa transmitter switch on kiyaa । fauran hi uske andar se aavaaj nikalne lagi ।
“hello ! hello ! kyaa report hain ?” vah bilkul anjaan aavaaj thi- “tum kuchh bol nahin rahe ho adagar, tum khaamosh kyon ho ?”
“adagar, report do ! tumhaare transmitter se aisi frequency nikalakar yahaan headquater tak kyon pahunch rahi hain, jaise tumhaare aaspaas bam phat rahe hon । goliyaan chal rahi hon ।”
commander ne traansmission switch vaapas off kar diyaa ।
agar usne us yuvak ki ek baar bhi aavaaj suni hoti, to vah bilkul usi ki aavaaj main transmitter par baat kar saktaa thaa ।
phir usne us jungli ke chehre ki taraf dekhaa, jiske haath main vo wristwatch bandhi hui thi ।
adagar !
to us aadmi kaa naam adagar thaa ।
commander ko sandeh huaa, us aadmi ne jarur apne chehre par makeup kiyaa huaa hai । adagar naam kaa koi aadmi Burma kaa jungli yuvak nahin ho saktaa thaa । commander ne uske chehre ko tatolaa, to fauran ek patli si jhillli utarakar commander ke haath main aati chali gayi । jo fish-maask thaa ।
niche se ab yuvak kaa bilkul safed mukhadaa chamakne lagaa ।
vah angrej thaa aur koi amerikan maalum hotaa thaa ।
“oh, to yah chakkar hai ।” commander honthon hi honthon main budAbudaayaa- “Jack Kramer ne Burma ke jungli aadivaasiyon ke bich bhi apne aadmi ghusaa rakhe hain, jo un sidhe-saade jungleiyon ke bich bhi jaasusi kaa kaam karte honge ।”
transmitter main se blip-blip ki aavaaj nirantar nikal rahi thi ।
commander Karan Saxena ne us angrej yuvak ki hart-bit check ki ।
yah dekhakar vo chaunkaa, uski hart-bit chaalu thi ।
haalaanki hand grenad ke dhamaakon ke kaaran uskaa aadhe se jyaadaa sharir kshatigrast ho chukaa thaa । commander ne adagar kaa gaal pakadakar jor-jor se thapathpaayaa aur phir uske sir ke baal pakadakar jor se upar ki taraf khinchen ।
“p...paani !” adagar dhire se kulAbulaayaa, uski behoshi tuti- “p... paani !”
commander ne apne bag main se cane nikaali aur thodaa saa paani uske munh main daalaa ।
“p... paani !” vah phir budAbudaayaa- “paani ।”
commander ne is baar uski aavaaj jyaadaa dhyaanpurvak suni ।
ab uskaa kaam ban gayaa thaa ।
turant usne kungfu lak kaa action dikhaayaa । usne adagar ki gardan me ungli faasaakar jhatke se niche ki taraf khinch di, uski gardan ki ribs tut gayi । ribs tutte hi vah mar gayaa ।
transmitter main se blip-blip ki aavaaj abhi bhi nikal rahi thi ।
commander ne punah traansamission switch on kiyaa, traansmission switch on karte hi aavaaj aane lagi ।
“adagar, tum bol kyon nahin rahe ho ?” dusri taraf se koi lagaataar chilllaa rahaa thaa ।
“yes sir !” commander ke munh se bilkul us angrej yuvak jaisi aavaaj nikli- “adagar speaking ।”
“tum etni der se khaamosh kyon ho adagar ?” dusri taraf se Jack Kramer bol rahaa thaa- “tum transmitter par baat kyon nahin kar rahe ? aisaa kyon lag rahaa hai, jaise tumhaare aaspaas dhamaake ho rahe hon ।”
“yhaan dushman aur hamaare bich jabaradast yuddh hi chal rahaa thaa sir ।” commander Karan Saxena tatpar lahje main bolaa- “isilia main transmitter on nahin kar sakaa । lekin ab aapke lia ek khushakhabri hai, hamne dushman ko maar daalaa । hamaaraa mission saphal rahaa ।”
“kyaa kah rahe ho tum !” Jack Kramer jor se chaunkaa- “kyaa sachamuch commander Karan Saxena maaraa jaa chukaa hai ?”
“yes sir, commander maaraa jaa chukaa hai । uski laash is vakt meri aankhon ke saamne hi pedi hai । hamne uske sharir ko nukile bhaalon se god daalaa hai ।”
“main yakin nahin kar paa rahaa hun ।”
“aap jab khud yahaan aakar uski laash apni aankhon se dekhenge sir ।” commander Karan Saxena bolaa- “tab aapko yakin bhi aa jaayegaa ।”
“tum is vakt kahaan ho ?”
“main jungle main uttri chhor ke koi chaalis degree angel par hun ।”
“oke, main abhi bhi Marcos ko tumhaare paas bhejtaa hun ।”
commander ne traansmission switch off kar diyaa ।
ek mahatvpurn kaam vo kar chukaa thaa ।
Li Marcos ।
vah naam sunte hi commander ki aankhon ke gird us samuraai fighter kaa chehraa kaundh uthaa, jo apne field kaa grand Master thaa ।
yaani ab uski muthbhad Li Marcos se hone vaali thi ।
commander Karan Saxena ne gahri saans li । phir usne dusraa mahatvpurn kaary anjaam diyaa ।
turant hi uske haath main chamachmaate phal vaalaa apnaa spring blade najar aane lagaa thaa । phir uske baad vahaan jitne bhi jungli logon ki laashen pedi thi, usne un sab laashon ke thik dil main spring blade pevasht karnaa shuru kar diyaa ।
agar thodi bahut kisi main saans baaki bhi thi, to vah bhi khatm ho gayi ।
ab vah sab nishchit rup se mar chuke the ।
phir commander ne un sabke bhaale bhi tod daale aur uske baad jungle ki anaam, anjaan raahon par aage baadnaa shuru kiyaa ।
jahaan kadam-kadam par uske lia maut bichhi thi ।
Li Marcos aur Barbie ki hathiyaaraband tukadiyaan ghanghor jungle main nirantar aage ki taraf baad rahi thi ।
ek baat un donon tukadiyon ke bich pahle hi tay ho chuki thi ki jungle main ek khaas point par pahunchakar vah donon tukadiyaan phir ek jagah milengi aur usi point par vahaan tak ghati tamaam ghatnaaon ki suchnaaon kaa unke bich aadaan prdaan hogaa ।
donon tukadiyaan jab bilkul alag-alag deshaaon se chalti hui us ek khaas point par pahunchi, to aadhi raat ho chuki thi aur andheraa ab us pure jungle main is kadar fail chukaa thaa ki haath ko haath sujhaai denaa bhi mushkil thaa ।
us point par pahunchte hi Barbie ne ek chhotaa saa candle stand jalaayaa, jo paaradarshi kaanch ke ek glob se dhakaa huaa thaa ।
uski roshni vahaan aaspaas fail gayi ।
“dushman kaa kuchh pataa chalaa ?” Li Marcos ne Barbie se sabse pahlaa savaal yahi kiyaa ।
“abhi tak to kuchh maalum nahin huaa, kyaa tumhen pataa chalaa ?”
“nhin, mujhe bhi kuchh pataa nahin chalaa hai । jabaki ham log tin kilomitar aage jaa chuke hain ।” Li Marcos bolaa- “ham jis prkaar vyuh rachnaa karte hua yahaan tak aaye hain, usse to yahi saabit hotaa hai ki dushman 3 kilomitar ke us kshetraphal main thaa hi nahin, varnaa vo hamaari najron se chhipaa n rahtaa ।”
“jungli log kahaan hai ?”
“vah shaayad hamse kaafi aage nikal gaye hain ।” Li Marcos bolaa- “unki aavaajen bhi nahin aa rahi hain ।”
“hun ।”
“ab kyaa karnaa hai ?”
Barbie ne candle stand ke najdik jaakar apni wristwatch dekhi ।
12:35 kaa time thaa ।
“main samajhti hun ।” Barbie boli- “filhal raat kaafi ho chuki hai । saadhe baarah baj rahe hain । ab hamain thodi der yahin aaraam karnaa chaahiye, jab kuchh ghante baad thodi roshni ho jaayegi, tab ham phir aage baadenge । kyaa vichaar hai ?”
“vichaar buraa nahin ।” Li Marcos bolaa- “main bhi yahi soch rahaa thaa ki thodi der aaraam kiyaa jaaye । doston !” Li Marcos hathiyaaraband guardon ki taraf ghumaa- “raat gujaarne kaa yahi entjaam karo । jeep se nikalakar kuchhek tambu gaad lo ।”
“thik hai maarko saahab, abhi raat gujaarne kaa bandobast karte hain ।”
turant hi kayi saare guard jeepon ke andar rakhe chhote-chhote tambu nikaalne lage tathaa unhen vahin jungle main gaadne ke kaaryaklaap main jut gaye ।
un tambuon ki sankhyaa koi das thi, jo jungle main ek hi jagah par thode-thode faasle se gaad diye gaye the ।