Chapter Text
Sanjay found himself reading the file in his hand once again. He wouldn’t be surprised if this had been the 100th time he had looked it over. Yanking his eyes from the page, he surveyed Vishkar Academy; it had been years since he had set foot in the school.
The last time he was here—when was it? His graduation? Plausibly. He was uncertain, or rather, unable to accept that it had been approximately 10 years since then; it didn’t feel that long ago. Yet, as his eye caught another building he was completely unfamiliar with, he couldn’t argue against it anymore.
He had only been a child when The Crisis happened. Education ceased during the war. Part of the institution had been reduced to rubble and ash amidst the chaos. Yet, in less than a year after it had ended, it had been rebuilt—though it was never the same after that.
He let out a sigh, pulling himself out of his retrospection, though his shoulders remained tense and his jaw tight. Today wasn’t about his experience at the academy, but rather, his experience at Vishkar itself. That experience would now be passed on to the name printed on the file in his hand.
Satya Vaswani
Age: 19
First Rank: Gold Medalist
First Rank: Gold Medalist. That was what kept his mind racing. A flash of a meeting he had with his superiors struck his head, a negotiation to ensure that he would be the one taking on the company’s biggest prospect. It wasn’t easy to convince them, as this was his first mentee, but he saw an opportunity when Satya’s records stated that she had formally selected to pursue his specific line of work upon graduation.
Not every employee from his wing applied for the mentorship program. Furthermore, not all applications were accepted into the program, including some of his own coworkers. Therefore, he was a subsection of a subsection where he was among the highest performers. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance—A way of exhibiting his competence and becoming a potential investment in the eyes of his higher-ups within the next few years.
Before skimming the rest of the file once again, he was interrupted by a calloused, yet familiar voice from over his shoulder.
“Sanjay, a moment of your time?” the voice inquired.
Sanjay turned to see a man waving him down. It was Arjun, a former classmate and now co-worker, the type of coworker you’d recognize the face and name of, but never spoken to, at least until last week, that is. They had a brief exchange upon being given their assigned students during their assembly. And that single exchange was enough to give Sanjay a perception of what the man was like. Some found him intimidating—Sanjay found him to be stubborn. Despite them being the same age, Arjun was rougher around the edges, larger in size, and arguably more muscular than him. The exterior suited his steadfast nature.
Anticipation led to Sanjay bracing himself. It wasn’t Arjun’s who made him feel uneasy, but that feeling of dread that came from expecting another demand on top of his already growing list of responsibilities.
A slow exhale escaped him. “What can I assist you with?” Sanjay offered, attempting to put on something that resembled a smile.
“Oh, it’s nothing like that, Sanjay.” Arjun shook his head, diverting Sanjay's expectation of what he was here for.
Arjun then pulled out a file from his large coat, which he wore over his uniform. Sanjay noticed it was a personal garment, not a company one. It seemed mildly unprofessional to conceal their company uniform during work hours—thought it wasn’t against the rules.
“I have also received the senior’s file for the integration program. I believe it would be beneficial if we discussed mentorship expectations and questions.” Arjun proposed, closing the distance between him and Sanjay as he flipped through the folder himself.
“I heard that you were mentoring the first-ranked student. That's a significant responsibility.” Arjun noted.
Sanjay’s jaw tensed. Arjun was from a completely different department, yet even he knew about the high expectations placed on him. It also didn’t help how close Arjun was to touching Sanjay’s shoulders while walking with him; He felt as if he didn’t have the option to decline.
“I am aware. Preparations have already been made. ” His reply was clipped, subconsciously increasing his movement speed.
Arjun adjusted his pace to match Sanjay. “I assumed as much.” He acknowledged.
“I was interested in hearing your approach regarding expectations.” Arjun further clarified.
Sanjay let out a heavy exhale. Having to provide guidance to another mentor wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. At least he had already created a multi-step program spanning over a few months that he could instantly recall off the top of his head.
“I plan to provide them with details about the projects my team has been working on and any future ones they can expect to participate in once they graduate. There'll be no room for confusion,” Sanjay explained. He continued with a stride next to Arjun, confident in his tight proof plan.
Arjun stood a little straighter, mirroring Sanjay. “A solid plan, laying the framework for what's to come.” He paused.
“And as for your means of communicating with your mentee when you first meet them?” Arjun now walked shoulder to shoulder with Sanjay, looking down at him as he spoke.
“It’ll be a head start once they graduate and enter the company…” Arjun looked away for a moment before meeting Sanjay’s eyes again, as if he was to bring up something he wasn’t sure how Sanjay would respond.
“But what about now? Do you remember your first meeting with your mentor, Sanjay? Did he bring up all these rules and expectations about the job that quickly?” Arjun questioned with his hand out—an invitation.
He hadn’t expected Arjun would ask that. It wasn’t as if he had forgotten his first meeting with his mentor—if anything, he was constantly replaying his first meeting with him the second he was informed of his promotion. Specifically, it was what he had learned from him that inspired his curriculum for his new mentee.
“My mentor…” Sanjay trailed off, his eyes dipped to the ground before meeting Arjun’s gaze again, his stride slowing down to a more controlled and restrained pace.
Sanjay clasped his hands together in front of him. “He was efficient, gave me everything I needed, even before I needed it. Tasks, rules, regulation and most importantly—structure. My methodology is directly influenced by my own experience with him. That experience reinforced the foundation I needed to build where I am now. ” His explanation ran longer than he intended.
He was grateful for his own mentor—truly, he was. He was much more experienced, far more than Sanjay was now. He wasn’t even his first mentee. In fact, he was probably his tenth student at the time, given that his mentor was around his fifties when he first met him. He was never promoted out of the mentorship position. He never asked why he never strived to progress his career further; it was as if there was never the right time. And once his own training was finished, he was off to train someone else.
Arjun was quiet for a few moments. The two had stopped walking, lingering a few meters from the meeting site where other Vishkar mentors would be meeting their students. They had about a quarter hour before the seniors were free from their classes.
Arjun took a glance at his watch, as if he was reassuring himself that he still had time to speak to Sanjay. His lips tightened before he responded, his eyes looking elsewhere. “My mentor, Kiran, for our first meeting,” He smiled to himself, his rough features softening, “asked me to craft what I wanted most. I remembered feeling as if I was put on the spot, like this was some sort of hidden test, with a correct answer. He lifted his gauntlet hand and flipped between looking at his palm and the back of his hand before curling it into a fist.
Sanjay stared at his arm, subconsciously sliding the thumb of his own prosthetic against his fingers, listening to Arjun recall the memory. He didn’t interrupt, not because he had time, but there was something about the cadence of Arjun’s tone that rooted him.
“I wanted to impress them, so I began crafting something that was lost during the war—bringing back a part of history, thinking that was what would have surpassed their expectations of me,” Arjun looked somewhere over his shoulder, like he was looking at the area where this had happened, “It was the largest thing I had ever created at the time. I got so invested—so caught up with making sure I copied every single detail that I didn't realize what was going on around me until I felt Kiran’s hand on my shoulder.” He turned to look at Sanjay, his eyes lit with a hint of bemusement, the corners of his lips threatening to twitch into a smile.
“Then, they asked most genuinely,’ He paused, unable to hold his smile back any longer, “‘Arjun, do you happen to be reconstructing …..the Great Sphinx of Giza?’” he mused.
A chuckle escaped Sanjay before he could even register it. It was brief—unguarded. Shaking his head, still smiling, he repeated, “The Great Sphinx of Giza? On your first day of mentorship?” He asked incredulously. The thought of making such a large creation in history was absurd—borderline impressive.
Arjun nodded. “Now I'm able to laugh about it—at myself, I mean. I remember being terrified when Kiran told me to stop, like I did something wrong.” He turned to Sanjay, his face more somber now—reflective.
“That moment never came. It was such a change of pace from how the academy taught us. Kiran never gave me tests, expectations, or pressure, just…. opportunities.” Arjun ended his story.
Sanjay didn't respond immediately, chewing on Arjun's words and the gap they revealed about the methods he was taught and respected. His jaw tensed, and his mouth twitched slightly. He had felt as if Arjun used his story to compare his experience to Sanjay’s—an indirect challenge to the foundation Sanjay was so proud of.
Sanjay shook his head, “That method may have been suitable for you, but I wouldn’t consider it to be sustainable on a larger scale.” Arjun blinked, looking back down at Sanjay, his smile faltering.
“Our line of work doesn’t have the luxury of mistakes without consequence. The academy, however, does so, which is exactly why they pushed us to our limits.” Sanjay paused.
“Same thing with our mentees, if they can’t endure the pressure we prepare them for, then they won’t endure it when it matters.” The words came out more personal than intended.
And surviving it is what made me capable.
Arjun seemed taken aback. “No, that's not what I meant. I wasn’t criticizing how you were trained. I'm not saying your mentor—”
“Then let's leave our mentors out of this,” Sanjay interjected with a sharper tone than before.
He caught himself, taking in an inhale before continuing. “It'll be far more productive if we circle back to our earlier discussion.” Sanjay diverted the subject, taking his folder and opening it quickly.
“Earlier, you mentioned first impressions regarding our mentees. How are you planning on introducing yourself to your student?” Sanjay was done discussing mentorship philosophies. He was more interested in who Arjun’s student was, what, and how he would go about handling him.
Sanjay took control of the conversation, despite being the one who asked the question in the first place. “As you already mentioned, I will be mentoring the Gold medalist,” Sanjay flipped to an image of a young adult woman with dark hair and dark eyes, extending the folder to where Arjun could see it. “Satya Vaswani, nineteen, with a GPA of 3.6, with an extremely creative and promising mind.” Sanjay recited Satya’s most promising attributes.
Sanjay’s eyes observed Arjun, unable to resist the urge to glance at his face. He noticed his jaw tightening and his mouth turned downwards before taking a long inhale, and retrieving his folder from his coat once more. Pulling it up close to his chest, he skimmed to the student's profile before relaying it to Sanjay. “Niran Prukasamnee, age twenty,” he stated quietly before closing the folder, indicating he wouldn’t give up any more information about the individual.
Sanjay let out a slow exhale.
If that was the limit of what he was willing to share, then the conversation was over.
“I hope things go well for you—and Satya, that is. She seems like someone with a lot ahead of her. I’d like to hear how she progresses.” Arjun mumbled at the end, as if he didn’t wish for Sanjay to hear him, worried he'd reject him again.
Without another word, he proceeded to enter the building where they would meet their mentees, his footsteps quiet but heavy, echoing as the door closed between them.