The Life Of Normal-Taro

After Ponnappan had his little talk with Thankappan and Scarlet, both of them told the entire sequence of events that happened all these days.

"Ha, you guys… are totally stupid! I mean, you already live on the edge with John living with you and you took an unnecessary risk like this? You know what would've happened if John was the one who found the truth first? Well, I don't have to particularly speak about it now, do I? I mean, you know it already, right? It'd mean the end of this base as a whole. So, why? Why take such a big risk, huh?" Ponnappan asked.

"Well, we weren't meaning to take such a risk. It just… happened. I mean, everything was going way too fast that we didn't get a chance to think it through and we made the wrong decision. But at least, we didn't get caught. So, that's a plus." Thankappan smiled a bit, but took the smile when he saw the grim face of the commanding officer.

"See, this kind of behavior. My God, does this kind of behavior pisses the hell out of me! I mean, you escaped barely and it wasn't due to your skill or strength. Instead, it was pure luck and a what if scenario. If that isn't the most ridiculous thing that I've ever heard, I don't know what is." Ponnappan sighed.

"I've seen an almost fifty year old man jumping from a thirty foot structure, so…" Thankappan shrugged.

"Oh, come on! We're not competing about which is the most ridiculous feat. We're talking about your idiocy here." Ponnappan sounded frustrated as he said it.

"Yea, I understand that. I just saw more ridiculous things than it, so I wanted to talk about it." Thankappan replied. "Also, we relied on Scarlet's skill all that time. You know that the Crimson Robber can disappear, right? So, the statement that we didn't have a skill to rely on is just bogus." He spoke.

"Hmm, he does have that skill. However, how did you assess that it would be a hundred percent effective against someone like John. He's a seasoned veteran, you know? I'm sure he noticed at least something, right?" Ponnappan asked.

"That he did." Thankappan nodded his head.

"See? What did I tell ya? I knew it. Too dangerous around that man. That was too huge of a gamble." Ponnappan spoke.

"Then… What are you gonna do now?" Thankappan calmly asked.

"It's not me who should do something now, right? It's you. What do YOU plan to do, huh?" Ponnappan asked back.

"Okay, that's weird. I thought when you badmouthed us, you would have some sort of brilliant plan. It seems like you have none of it." Thankappan shrugged as he gave out a disappointed look.

"Hey! Shut your trap. I… have… plans, okay?" Ponnappan defended himself, but he sure didn't sound convincing as he said those words.

"I see. What are your brilliant plans then?" Thankappan asked.

"You see, they aren't much of a brilliant plan, but I do have some ideas." Ponnappan replied.

"Fine. What's your overly underwhelming ideas?" Thankappan asked, forgetting all about the tense atmosphere he felt moments ago as he started dominating the conversation.

"Well, you see… How about we look after Scarlet in this high spec facility of ours? It'd be great, right?" Ponnappan asked.

"So, you mean to imprison Scarlet in our base, huh?" Thankappan asked.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like—wait a minute! Why not? We could just imprison him! After all, he's got a bounty on him." Ponnappan smiled.

Thankappan sighed. "I don't understand you at all. At one point, it seemed like you wanted to help out Scarlet and now it seems like you wanna give him to the HQ. Which part is the real one?" He asked.

"Ah, you're taking my words in the wrong way. Our base is gonna be the last place they're gonna check for Scarlet. So, he'd be pretty safe in here. I give you my word on that." Ponnappan replied.

"Okay, before I say why that isn't such a good plan, let me ask you one thing. Why?" Thankappan asked.

"Why what?" Ponnappan asked.

"Why are you so keen about going against our HQ? I never knew you were so anti-HQ. Don't tell me, are we some terrorist organization that's working undercover planning to overthrow the structural integrity of this world?" Thankappan asked back with a doubtful look on his face. He knew that wouldn't be the case, however there's no other way to make sure.

"Hmm, what do you mean terrorist?" Ponnappan countered with another question of his own.

"Pardon?"

"Define terrorist for me." The commanding officer commanded.

"Terrorist, huh? According to the internet browser I have searched it on, terrorist is a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Why did you ask?" Thankappan asked.

"Emphasis on the against civilians part. Let me ask you something. Did any of our actions hurt normal civilians?" He posed another question in this constant back and forth of questions.

"Well, there's the time with Taro in the tournament. And then there's another time with Taro where we barely escaped a dangerous turmoil. Dang, most of the civilian endangering moments happened ever since Taro came into the scene, huh?" Thankappan realized the common pattern of this.

"Ha, he's an anomaly trying his hardest to lead a normal life. Leaving him aside, did our base deliberately do something to endanger people?" Ponnappan asked.

"Not that I know of." Thankappan replied.

"Okay, that's great. Then what about MIB as a whole? Have they done something to endanger people?" He asked.

"Hmm, I simply can't look into all the mishaps and scandals caused by the entirety of MIB. I neither have the time to do it nor wanna spend my efforts to find such things." Thankappan bluntly replied.

"Understandable. Then I'll decrease the radius quite a bit. How about our HQ? What do you think about them?" Ponnappan continued with his questions.

"They are pretty much ideal, aren't they? I mean, perfect records, great agents. I mean, I was trying my hardest to get into the HQ, before…" Thankappan quickly shut his mouth once he realized what he was about to say.

"I know that you were touted to get to the HQ, but were sent to us because of some incident and your Keralite lineage. You don't have to hide it or anything. I do have a little bit of an access as the commanding officer. Not much as to get the info on what that incident was, but enough to know about your aspirations, at least. And don't worry. I'm not gonna ask about the incident. But do tell me when you feel comfortable with it. I mean, I like stories." Ponnappan shrugged.

"Someday… Someday…" Thankappan mumbled. "Anyhow, what was your point with asking me about the HQ?" He asked.

"Well, they did put up a nice front before everyone, didn't they?" Ponnappan asked.

"What do you mean?" Thankappan asked.

"You know, you don't have to act like you don't know anything. I mean, the aliens have told you about it, right? I hate to quote the old fart, but Chinnappan was right. The MIB colluded with the world leaders and sold out this planet." The pain in the commanding officer's face was obvious as he said it.

"You finally acknowledged it, huh?" Thankappan mumbled.

"With all the evidences right before me, how couldn't I?" Ponnappan asked.

"So, what's up with saving Scarlet from them? Is it some sort of rebellious statement against them? Or are you trying to gain the trust from the aliens so that you can have them on your side when you fight against the HQ?" Thankappan asked.

"Oh, believe me when I say this, I don't have that big of an aspiration. I just have one thought in my mind." Ponnappan replied.

"And that would be?"

"Hey, Thankappan. You know what MIB stands for, right?" Ponnappan asked out of nowhere.

"Men in Black, right?" Thankappan answered.

"Ah, I wasn't asking for the full form. I meant the ideal. What's the ideal behind our organization?" He rephrased the question.

"Well, we are a secret organization that protects the right of humans and aliens and keep the balance of the world." Thankappan replied.

"That! Protecting the right of aliens. Have we been able to do this?" Ponnappan questioned.

"What do you mean?" Thankappan asked.

"Forcefully confiscating their ships, handing them cheap translators and grabbing hold of theirs, keeping them under high surveillance and not allowing them to leave this planet. If this is how we protect alien rights, then we don't really know the meaning of the word oppression. I mean, it's surprising how calm the aliens are with this treatment. If it was me, I'd have went against the people of this planet." Ponnappan sighed. "So, here's the thing. I may not be able to create waves on a grander stage, but I'd like to protect this planet and every being residing in it—whether that be humans or aliens. And I believe that this one thing would help a lot into this small dream of mine." He answered.

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