people call the Bermuda Triangle.'
That evening Aaditya was in the club, feeling a bit low. First, Kartik seemed to be making a conscious effort to ignore him, and then Tanya had not even met him once since she had left in the morning. He had tried calling her a dozen times on her headset, but she never responded. With nobody else there, he walked over to the bar. He had been here a dozen times, but never paid any attention to the bartender. He had learnt that the bartender was a Gana, one of Shiva's trusted warriors, and this one Shiva had personally trained in the art of mixing drinks. He never seemed to talk much, but grunted sympathetically when Aaditya sat down with a downcast expression. To the Gana's surprise, Aaditya asked for a glass for Soma. He had come to learn that Soma, while not alcoholic, was quite potent.
One evening Shiva had leant conspiratorially towards him and whispered into his ears, 'Our vimanas and technology are nothing. Our most prized secret is the recipe for Soma.'
Later, Narada had told him the more prosaic truth. Soma was indeed a drink with a kick to be reckoned with-a mixture of the Ephedra plant, which was now extinct but had been cloned by the Devas, milk and generous quantity of poppy seeds. The last ingredient made it a drink that could impart a very serious high.
That was when he saw Kartik walk in. Kartik just nodded to him and sat down some distance away, ordering a drink for himself. Perhaps because he was already a bit buzzed from the Soma, and perhaps because his mood was already pretty rotten, Aaditya walked over to Kartik.
'You having a bad day?'
Kartik just looked up and smiled.
'You seem to be avoiding me like the plague. What's up?'
Kartik seemed about to retort angrily, but then his features softened. 'Aadi, sit down and have a drink with me.'
He offered Aaditya another glass and poured himself one.
'I'm not avoiding you. Things have just been so crazy over the last few days that I haven't had time for anything. By the way, I gather Tanya's pissed with you because you forgot her birthday.'
Aaditya sat down next to Kartik, now realizing just why Tanya had been so angry with him. With all the action of the last few days, he had totally forgotten about her birthday.
'What the hell can I do to make it up to her?'
'You'll need to do something truly spectacular to recover from the hole you've dug for yourself, my friend.'
'Any bright ideas?'
Kartik beamed as he answered. 'I do actually. Take her for a spin.'
At first, Aaditya wasn't sure what Kartik had in mind, so he spelt it out. 'Take her for a flight on your vimana. She's never been in one.'
'Can I do that?'
Kartik slapped him playfully on the shoulder. 'You're a full-fledged pilot here now. You have two Asura kills to show for it. Of course you can.'
It was as if a light bulb had just gone on in Aaditya's head. Why had he not thought of it before? 'Thank you, my friend. You're a lifesaver.' Then he ran to get Tanya.
***
'What the hell are you doing?'
Tanya almost screamed in surprise as Aaditya woke her up and bundled her out of bed.
'Trust me for a minute and just play along.' He put a blindfold around her eyes.
'Aadi, what are you doing? Come on, tell me!'
Aaditya laughed as he walked her out the room and towards the hangar. Finally, with a dramatic drum-roll he took off the blindfold, and Tanya gasped as she realized what Aaditya had in mind.
'Happy birthday, sweetheart.'
He kissed her and then helped her into the cockpit.
'Should we really be doing this?'
'Aadi Air Flight 1 is ready for take off. Please make yourselves comfortable and we will serve refreshments soon after take off.'
The hangar doors opened as Aaditya commanded it and the vimana slid out and started a gradual climb. When it settled in level flight at about ten thousand feet, he dug into the area behind his seat and pulled out a cake.
'Black Forest. Your favourite.'
When they had eaten, he took the vimana into a gentle climb, going into the upper stratosphere. They could see the stars gleaming bright with no cloud cover to obscure them, and the full moon above them.
'All for you, my love.'
All of Tanya's worries about whether they should be out in the vimana dissipated as she saw the stars ahead of her. They flew for a few minutes and then started to return to base. Tanya's eyes were moist, and she reached out to touch his arm.
'Thank you, this is the best birthday I've ever had. Not just because of the ride, but because I spent it with you.'
They kissed once more and then Aaditya guided the vimana back into the hangar. It was already close to four in the morning, and they went back to their room and slept.
The next morning, Aaditya was called to meet Brahma. When he walked into the meeting room, he was surprised to see all the Devas assembled there. Kartik was there, but unlike the previous night, he was not smiling at all.
Narada pulled him aside.
'Aadi, what were you thinking?'
'What?'
Brahma stepped forward. All the other Devas looked downcast, as if they wished this were not happening. For the first time, Aaditya saw anger blaze in Brahma's normally grandfatherly eyes.
'Aadi, do you have any idea of what you have done?'
Aaditya was now totally clueless and began wondering if this was some elaborate practical joke. Seeing his reaction, Brahma only got angrier.
'We all love Tanya, and understand your feelings for her, but do you realize the danger in which you placed all of us with your irresponsible action last night?'
It finally dawned on Aaditya what this may be about.
'Look, I just wanted to do something special for her birthday. I didn't realize taking her in my vimana would be a big deal.'
Brahma took a deep breath, as if trying to control his temper.
'Flying alone is a big enough risk. We know you are learning fast, but what if multiple Asuras had ambushed you? And what would have happened to Tanya?'
'But I thought…'
'The problem is that you did not think. If you had told me, or one of us, we could have sent an escort and you could have still taken her out, but going out like that without telling anyone betrays the trust we have placed in you.'
Aaditya searched for Kartik, and began to say that he had spoken to Kartik when he saw the slight sneer form on the young Deva's mouth. He had been set up.
He stood up straight, looking Brahma in the eye.
'I realize what has happened, and I am sorry if you feel let down. But I am also not a child, and will take whatever punishment you choose to give me.'
Brahma said the next words as if he were unloading a great burden. 'You are not to fly till further notice.'
It took a while for the words to sink in, and then Aaditya realized just how devastating a punishment he had been doled out. He started to protest, but seeing Brahma's unforgiving eyes and Kartik's smirk, he stopped himself.
