Hari crouched behind a sand dune, squinting at the suspicious black SUV parked about a hundred meters away. The desert wind kicked sand into his eyes. His camel companion stood behind him, chewing on something that might have once been a sock.
Hari whispered, "We go quiet. Stealthy. Low to the ground."
The camel sat down loudly and farted.
"…Okay. Or just moral support. That's fine too."
Mission: Mango Possible
[System Notification: Stealth Mode Activated]Bonus Granted: Mango-Scented Footsteps (totally useless, but smells amazing)
Hari tiptoed toward the SUV, flip-flops in full ninja mode.Each step released a faint tropical breeze that made him hungry and mildly distracted.
Halfway there, he dropped to the ground and army-crawled the rest of the way—grumbling, sweating, and questioning all his life decisions.
The SUV didn't move.
No doors opened.No tinted windows rolled down.Just a black, ominous box parked in the middle of nowhere like a villain waiting for dialogue.
The Mango Interrogation Begins
Hari reached the car. Pressed his back to the door. Took a deep breath.Then yanked the handle open.
Nothing happened.
Locked.
He tapped on the glass with a polite knuckle.
"Hello? Suspicious government agent? Mango hater? You left your lights on."
Silence.
Then the passenger window rolled down slowly, revealing—
An older woman in large sunglasses, holding a clipboard and eating a sandwich.
She blinked. "Yes?"
Hari blinked harder. "Uh… hi. I thought you were... uh… surveilling me."
She looked unimpressed. "I'm just birdwatching. There's a rare parrot species out here."
"In the desert?"
She took another bite of her sandwich. "Birds go where they please."
Hari stared.
Then he saw it—tucked in the backseat. A black briefcase. Mango-shaped stickers on the outside. One of them peeling.
Hari pointed. "What's in the case?"
"None of your business, mango man."
[System Alert: Suspicion Level +5]She Knows Things.
Suddenly, Backup
Hari was about to respond when the camel arrived.
But not like a normal camel.
No.
It slid down the dune behind him like it had been practicing for a movie role in Fast & Furry-ous: Desert Drift.Then it stood beside him, nodded solemnly, and stared at the woman through the window.
Hari whispered, "She might be spying on the mango operation."
The camel squinted harder.
The woman looked between them. Then sighed. "Fine. You want the truth?"
Hari leaned in.
Paranoia, Papayas, and a Plan
"I'm not here because of you," she said. "I'm here because there are rumors. Rumors of… unauthorized agricultural enchantments."
Hari's jaw dropped. "That's a real phrase?"
She handed him a flyer.It read:
AGRI-WATCH DUBAIProtecting the Desert from Unnatural Fruits Since 2098.
There was a tiny logo of a cactus judging a watermelon.
Hari groaned. "You're like mango police?"
"Papaya division," she said.
"Oh come on!"
[System Alert: Secret Organizations Discovered – 1/??]You've attracted attention. Wear mango-themed disguises for safety.
Hari looked down at his flip-flops, mango pattern and all.
"Too late."
Mango Exit Strategy
The woman rolled up her window and started the car.The camel, seemingly offended, spat on her tire.
As the SUV drove away, Hari stood in the dust, holding the weird flyer and a slice of existential dread.
He turned to the camel. "We're not just growing mangoes."
The camel nodded.
"We're starting a revolution."