Daksh

It was Sunday. Shalini Pathak woke up early in the morning, as per her daily schedule. She took a bath and wore a T-shirt and three-fourth track pants. She was about to leave for the morning walk, but then she realized that her waterproof robotic legs were visible because she was wearing three-fourth track pants. She felt it would look weird when she will jog in the garden with her robotic legs. She changed and wore full track pants and went for the morning walk. Shalini started wearing leggings every day to hide her metallic robotic legs. Slowly, she got used to her two artificial robotic legs. She was able to run at superspeed with the help of her artificial robotic legs, but she had to be careful that her metallic legs were not visible to others. Her parents – Ranjeet Pathak, a well-known businessman, and Prof. Sugandha Pathak, a well-known scientist – wanted Shalini to keep her artificial robotic legs a secret from everyone in their family and friend circle.
      On the other hand, At 12 noon, two masked bikers reached outside The Janta Bank. They armed themselves with guns, iron rods, and knives and entered the bank forcefully. There were two security guards who tried to stop them, but one of the masked men attacked them, hit their heads with his iron rod, and slammed them both on the floor, knocking them unconscious. They fired at the roof and instructed everyone to put their hands up. Everyone in the bank followed as they said. One of the masked men grabbed the bank manager, gave him two sacks, and instructed him to put all the cash in them. The bank manager and other staff members were frightened. They started putting all the cash from different drawers into the sacks. The other masked man grabbed the manager and told him to guide him towards the main vault room of the bank. The manager took him to the main vault room, where there were crores of rupees. The masked man grabbed as much cash as he could and returned with the manager. The masked men had filled their bags with cash, and they were satisfied. Suddenly, Daksh entered the bank. The innocent people inside the bank were surprised. Daksh, without wasting much time, attacked the masked men. The masked man 1 punched him hard in the face, and the masked man 2 attacked his shoulder with an iron rod. Daksh slashed his sword against the iron rod and kicked the masked man 2 in the stomach. Masked man 1 slashed Daksh's back twice with his knife. Daksh moved around and grabbed his back. Masked man 2 hit Daksh's head with his iron rod. Daksh screamed out of pain and fell on his knees. Masked man 1 kept him at gunpoint and said, "It's over, Daksh..." He was about to shoot him, but Daksh punched him hard in the stomach and got up. Masked man 2 angrily grabbed his jacket and slammed him on a computer desk, breaking the monitor and the desk. Daksh got seriously injured. He tried to get up, but masked man 1 grabbed his jacket, dragged him out of the bank, punched him hard in the face, and threw him near a public dustbin at the footpath. They quickly sat on their bikes and escaped with the robbed money. A few pedestrians and bank staff members gathered at the footpath. They made Daksh sit inside the bank and offered him some water. His head was bleeding. One of the pedestrians was a doctor. He ran towards a nearby medical shop and bought the required medicines and bandages. He bandaged all the injuries of Daksh without touching his mask. Daksh thanked all of them. The doctor gave him the medicines and told him to take them regularly for one week. Daksh took the medicines and asked him for his fees. The doctor refused to take any fees from Daksh because he was the most courageous man he had ever met. Daksh didn't want the doctor to bear the expenses of his treatment and medicines. He checked the rates on the medicines and gave him an approximate amount of 2000 rupees as his fees and went out. He ran towards a nearby lane. The pedestrians chased him, but he disappeared, leaving everyone curious and surprised.
Next morning, Ranjeet and Shalini visited RVT Bank to withdraw cash. Ranjeet taught her how to withdraw cash from the bank. Suddenly, two masked men reached there on their bikes. They attacked the bank and started looting and torturing the innocents. They fired at the furniture and the roof, made everyone kneel down, and started looting them. Shalini too followed them like others. They looted Shalini's favourite bracelet, which was gifted by her parents. She was feeling helpless. Ranjeet whispered in her ears, "Calm down, everything will be alright... Just do as they say." Shalini looked at them torturing and looting everyone and stayed quiet.
Unexpectedly, Daksh reached the spot.
Everyone looked at him with hope in their eyes. Masked man 1 said, "You again! Will crush your bones this time."
Masked man 1 approached Daksh and punched him in the face. Daksh kicked his stomach and punched him hard in the face. Masked man 2 was about to attack him, but Daksh swiftly slashed his arm with his sword and kicked his stomach. Masked man 1 was about to hit Daksh with his iron rod, but Daksh swiftly dodged his attack and slashed his back with his sword. Masked man 1 fell on his knees and screamed out of pain. Masked man 2 shot at him, but Daksh shielded himself with his sword and kicked him hard in the stomach. Masked man 1 angrily took a knife out of his pocket and slashed Daksh's arm. Masked man 2 hit his shoulder with his iron rod, and masked man 1 punched him hard in the face. Daksh collided against a table and fell on the floor. He had tried his best but failed terribly against the two. The masked men went out of the bank quickly. Shalini was about to chase them, but Ranjeet stopped her. He told her that he knows she can run faster than the bikes, but he didn't want her to use her artificial legs in such a way, in front of various people. They escaped successfully. Ranjeet told Shalini that people will not consider her normal if she runs at super-speed. Maybe her friends will stop talking to her, and she might feel alienated in society. She finally agreed to her dad. Daksh got up, he too ran out of the bank and escaped from there. ‘Daksh failed against 2 Bank Robbers’, ‘Masked Warrior Defeated’, ‘Robbers Slammed Daksh’—became the headlines of different news channels and newspapers.
Next morning, the security guards of The Town Bank reported for duty. They stood at the main door, chatting.
Security Guard 1: Have you heard about those masked bikers?
Security Guard 2: Yes—the ones who first attacked The Janta Bank and then RVT Bank. I heard they badly beat up the security guards.
Security Guard 1: Not just the security guards… They even defeated that masked swordsman—Daksh.
Security Guard 2: That’s shocking. I had to confirm it twice. It’s hard to believe that someone like Daksh, who once defeated terrorists, failed against two masked robbers.
Security Guard 1: Exactly. He seemed like a trained fighter. How could he lose to just two bikers?
Suddenly, the masked men arrived at The Town Bank on their bikes. The security guards were shocked.
Masked Man 1 fired at Security Guard 1, injuring his arm. He then shot Security Guard 2 in the knee. Masked Man 2 grabbed both guards and banged their foreheads together, knocking them unconscious. They stormed into the bank, firing at the walls to terrify the people inside. Unexpectedly, Daksh entered. He attacked Masked Man 1, snatched his gun, and threw it aside. Masked Man 2 grabbed Daksh from behind, but Daksh kicked Masked Man 1 hard in the chest. Then he hit Masked Man 2's nose with his elbow and grabbed his sword tightly. Daksh slashed Masked Man 1's arm, kicked him in the stomach, turned, and slashed Masked Man 2's back before punching him in the face. Masked Man 1, furious, grabbed a telephone from the table and threw it at Daksh—it struck his head. Masked Man 2 smashed a wooden chair on Daksh’s head, breaking it to pieces. Masked Man 1 then slammed Daksh onto a glass table, shattering it. Daksh screamed in pain. Masked Man 1 found his gun in a corner and pointed it at Daksh.
Masked Man 1 (breathless): You’re strong… very strong. I’ve never fought someone like you. But it’s over. Let’s unmask this swordsman.
Masked Man 2 (to the crowd): Folks… are you ready to know who Daksh really is? The crowd stood silent. Masked Man 1 was about to unmask Daksh when suddenly a masked girl entered the bank and punched him hard in the face. Masked Man 2 fired at her, but she dodged all the bullets with swift movements. Frustrated, he exhausted his bullets. The girl punched Masked Man 1 twice before he could react, then ran to Masked Man 2 and punched him in the stomach. Seeing Daksh lying injured, she ran to him and helped him into a chair.
Daksh: Who are you?
Girl: You can call me Queen Dawn.
Suddenly, the lights went off. Daksh and Queen Dawn were shocked. The masked men escaped the bank and jumped on their bikes.
Masked Man 1: What about the money? My bag’s still inside!
Masked Man 2: Forget it. That Queen Dawn is dangerous!
They sped toward a nearby lane. Queen Dawn dashed out of the bank and chased them swiftly. As they reached the highway, she kicked Masked Man 2’s bike, making him crash in a corner. Then she went after Masked Man 1, grabbed his jacket, and slammed him onto the street. His bike hit a footpath and crashed. Daksh arrived at the scene. Queen Dawn unmasked both robbers. She showed them a photo of a bracelet and asked about it. They identified it—they had robbed it from a girl in the bank. They confessed that the bracelet, along with other stolen items and cash, was kept at their godown on Street 07. Senior Inspector Jai and Inspector Hrishikesh from the Wanbala Police Department arrived. The robbers, Kasim and Mangesh, confessed everything. They had been stealing since childhood—starting as chain-snatchers and recently moving to bank robberies. Both were arrested and put behind bars.
Daksh thanked Queen Dawn for her help, then ran into a nearby lane and vanished. Everyone was surprised and curious—who was this masked swordsman who helped the police? Queen Dawn questioned Kasim and Mangesh about the stolen goods. They gave the address of their godown. Senior Inspector Jai, Inspector Hrishikesh, and Queen Dawn visited it and recovered all the stolen money and valuables. Jai secured the items in a suitcase and assured Queen Dawn that the department would return each item to its rightful owner. Queen Dawn left. Both Daksh and Queen Dawn became mysteries in Wanbala City.
The Next Morning,  A police constable arrived at Shalini Pathak’s home. He returned her favourite bracelet, gifted by her parents, and informed her that Queen Dawn had risked her life to recover the stolen goods. He also told her how bravely Daksh had fought, despite failing multiple times. Shalini thanked both Queen Dawn and Daksh. After the constable left, she entered her room. Queen Dawn’s mask was hanging on the wall. She stood before the Ganesha idol and spoke:
Shalini (softly): “I know, Ganesha... It’s not right to lie, and it’s dangerous to take such risks... but I had no choice. Mom and Dad would never have allowed me to use the power of my artificial legs to catch the robbers.They stole my favourite bracelet—the one Mom and Dad gave me. How could I let them go? You know they wouldn’t have allowed me to fight... So I had to work in disguise. But Ganesha... I won’t stop here. There are criminals out there—stronger than the police, stronger than even CID officers... maybe even stronger than Daksh.When they rise… when there’s darkness everywhere… even if Daksh fails…When no one is left to help, and hope fades...I will rise… as Queen Dawn. I will fight that darkness. With your blessings, Om Ganeshaya Namah.”