Death and Dishonor

by Abhimanyu Saxena

  I did, and he said, “Zoom at his face.”

  When I did, he put his hands on his mouth and said, “Just after their plant was set up, we had a lot of missing persons on our plate. Suresh was investigating the same and led Aditi here with his suspicions. That person,” he paused to look at me and then back at the screen, “is one of the missing.”

  We looked at the other videos as well just to take a look at the victims’ faces and found that everyone fell into the category of the missing. I said, “Damn! So this was their handiwork as well?”

  “Should we check the Shield folder as well?” questioned Zayed.

  I nodded and opened the folder to see similar research papers and tech details for the armors and the serums.

  “They couldn’t handle one serum, but they have created two to screw with nature” I shouted.

  Then there was an image of various dates jotted down on a piece of paper.

  Testing Plans

  Phase One – 2nd March, 2018

  Phase Two – 20st March, 2018

  Phase Three – 20th April, 2018

  Final Phase – 4th May, 2018

  “Phase one was yesterday. It meant the launch of Project Shield” added Zayed.

  “If this was the first phase then I don’t want to imagine anything about the other phases,” I said grimly.

  I took a deep breath and continued “They had everything planned right to the dates, Zayed. This meant that even if Devraj did, the company didn’t care if people would approve of the idea or not. They would have still continued their vile experiments, I doubt they even needed funding from people. Hopefully, today would have stopped them in their paths.” I closed the folders as I had seen a lot. I didn’t know when I drifted back to sleep.

  ~*~

  The doctor tightened his gloves and stepped ahead. He picked up the file and went straight to the station where the head nurse of the night shift was seated.

  “It’s time to amp the dose for Mr. Rathore. Here are the papers. Please get these arranged inside.”

  “Oh! Sure doctor. I haven’t seen you recently here. What was your name again?”

  The doctor adjusted his glasses and looked at her sternly. “If only you would have given your job even half of the attention then this question wouldn’t have arisen.”

  “Sorry doctor!” she sounded scared. “It’s just that Officer Zayed has asked all the doctors to first check with him before sending anyone.”

  “I won’t stop the procedure because of anyone. You can let him know that he can meet me inside.”

  With this, the doctor strutted inside and went straight to the bed. It was pretty dark inside, but he didn’t want to turn on the lights to draw any unwanted attention. He took out a syringe from inside his pocket. He looked behind him to double check. Everything was going as planned.

  “Bye-Bye, Arjun.”

  However, he had never imagined what was going to happen next. As soon as he slid the sheet off the bed, he realized that he was made. It was not Arjun but someone else who punched him in the throat and shouted out two words emphatically.

  “Surprise motherfucker!”

  Zayed had replaced Arjun’s bed, and he had himself hid in place of the latter. He knew that Devraj would stoop to any level to get his hands on Arjun or the flash drive now, so he couldn’t take any chances. He had sworn that there would be no more setbacks now. He quickly got a hold of the fake doctor and knocked him out with a clean fist right between his eyes.

  ~*~

  The security outside Arjun’s ward was tripled after the last night’s happenings. The security was breached easily, and it was already proven that there were multiple kinks in the armor. Zayed never left the room and had his eyes fixed on Arjun as he knew that there were a ton of enemies who will be eager to find the opportune time to strike. However, there was an unexpected guest at the Hospital which sent Zayed and Arjun in a frenzy. It was none other than Rita, the reporter who was allegedly Devraj’s muse and one of the major factors which had caused a nation-wide hue and cry for Arjun’s arrest.

  “What are you doing here?” Zayed asked getting up from a chair.

  “Is he alright?” she asked in a hushed voice.

  She had worn a floral dress paired with huge sunglasses and brought some fruits to the hospital.

  “No need for fake pleasantries,” Zayed retorted.

  I looked at him and requested him to wait outside and then diverted my attention towards her. “He wasn’t saying anything wrong though,”

  “I know,” she said and sat beside me.

  “You can at least remove the sunglasses inside.”

  She removed them reluctantly, and a fresh shiner was visible on her left eye. The left eye was swollen to ten folds, and she looked to be in much pain.

  “How did this happen?” I asked.

  She opened her mouth but didn’t say anything. “I won’t stay here for much longer. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life and apologize for these past few months.”

  I nodded. “It’s alright.”

  She stood up and kept her hand on my forehead and began walking out of the ward when she heard a few words which made her smile.

  “You can tell me who did it. I will surely help you.”

  She couldn’t believe that Arjun would say such a thing, but it felt nice. She put on her sunglasses again and went outside. It was not even a full minute, and Zayed stormed inside the room.

  “What were you talking about with her?”

  “Nothing, she wanted to see me.”

  He scoffed. “You have a way with the girls.”

  I didn’t reply. I didn’t want to.

  “I have been busting my ass to keep you here. Apparently there has been a ton of pressure from above that since you have recovered now, you should be shifted to the nearest Police Station for the time being. Afterward, they will decide as per the court proceedings.”

  “I don’t have any problem with going to a Police Station. I have my wheelchair with me.”

  “Shut up Arjun. I am not letting you out of my sight.”

  I smiled. “I won’t run away, and I know that I am your only ticket to redemption. You want to pin Devraj, and I am the best hope that you have got.”

  “Wow! Fuck you Arjun for thinking like this. I treat you as my bhaijaan, and you think of me so cheaply.”

  I laughed, but the pain increased at once. “I was just riling you up brother.”

  “Why should I trust you?”

  I looked at him. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

  He took a sigh of relief and looked at his watch. “I am late. Enough talks, take your rest now. I am going for my Namaaz.”

  I wanted all of this to end as soon as possible. I had suffered enough.

  ~*~

  “The court is now in session.”

  I cracked my knuckles with desperation. I had finally reached the first court trial in one piece. I had my fair share of doubts, but I was finally here sitting on my wheelchair with a Government-appointed attorney for my case standing with me.

  The prosecutor was ready and got up from his seat. He scanned the documents in his hand for one last time and was looking very hopeful. His defender, on the other hand, looked like he would never be happy again.

  “I wouldn’t waste the court’s time for even a second, your Honor. The man sitting there is one of the deadliest killers out there in the world,” the prosecutor started, pointing to me. “He killed his best friend then while being on the run, numerous cops and two senior Police officers just to flee the justice.”

  The judge looked on gravely.

  He continued, “Allegedly, he also has his hands full with various criminal activities like woman trafficking, smuggling, extortion rings, sex rackets and many more. He has broken uncountable laws and has been creating a bad image for the capital. Not only that, let’s look at a few months ago. If memory serves to remember the news, he shot an elderly guy Majumdar under the influence of alcohol w
hen he was on Police duty. He had still reported although he had been instructed strict leave by his commanding officer. It is a clear case, and I don’t think that the Court will have to take much time for the decision-”

  “The prosecutor is good,” I whispered.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some old faces which calmed me. John and Tia were seated at one of the benches – both of them looked tense but smiled when they saw me eyeing them. I looked at Tia’s face. She still looked the same – cute and mesmerizing. Then I saw a man sitting with her. I remembered the huge built and those intense eyes. He was Vijay, the doctor who was marrying her. I shook my head and shot down all the mushy feelings that were brewing up in my mind.

  ‘I am happy that Tia has a shot at normal life. I have to be happy. I am a train wreck; I can’t pollute the ones I love,’ I thought to myself.

  I lost track of the court’s proceedings. Apparently, all of the evidence was submitted to the court, and the judge was analyzing them.

  When he was done, he said, “Defense, do you have anything to say?”

  The defender got up just as the prosecutor scoffed and smirked.

  “Moral instincts, your Honor. Why would a serial murderer care about the safety of the people? But as per reports from various witnesses, some of whom I will call shortly, the defendant Arjun had no thought of his life, and he did all he could to save others a few days ago in the massacre at the Shangri-La Hotel,” the attorney started his defense, “You can see from the video footages that we have.”

  He submitted the footages to the clerk, and the CCTV logs were played, but there was a problem. The video quality was so bad that you would have to look at a specific angle to make out their faces. There was some constant interference with the signal as well. “Now talking about the accused murdering Aditi Mehta, please listen to this conversation between Ajeet and Arjun.”

  The conversation tape was played where Ajeet confessed that he killed Aditi. All the people that were present at that time were shocked to hear this bit.

  “Objection! The tape could easily be fabricated-” began the prosecutor.

  “You can check the authenticity and contact the Hotel Manager for the same.”

  The hotel manager was summoned, and he confirmed the same. But the few witnesses that were called upon as the defendant had said earlier were either bought off or too scared to tell the truth.

  “There was a lot of confusion, and we didn’t see much. We were scared.”

  “We were escorted by the police; we didn’t lurk around the mass murderer.”

  “He was just shooting around, not caring about the consequences.”

  The prosecutor again cut in, “Arjun is a master manipulator and has been creating a bad name for our society. I request the court not to show any ounce of mercy to this cold-blooded killer. There is no significance going over these useless grainy videos.”

  Zayed sidestepped his way towards me and patted me on my back.

  “Things are going not so good. The witnesses have been bought off, and the video footages are corrupted which could cause an issue. Should we take this all the way through? Let’s present the flash drive and nab that son of a bitch Devraj too.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t trust anyone except us with the flash drive. Moreover, I know Devraj will buy the judge and prove that the contents were fabricated.”

  “I want to uncover him though-”

  “Me too Zayed, he screwed both of our lives. I have a plan but let’s just wait for the next hearing. Tell the defendant to buy us some time.”

  He nodded and muttered something in my attorney’s ear, who raised his hand and cleared his throat.

  “Your honor, we request this Court of Law to grant us some time to gather more evidence and present here as we are confident that this all has been faulted by someone very strong and connected. We would surely present all the evidence that we have by the next hearing so that the further course of the case can be decided.”

  “Objection, your Honor! There is a ton of evidence already, incriminating the accused. They can’t possibly get something substantial to save him at this point. They are just wasting the court’s valuable time.”

  There was a silence which literally killed me. I was shitting bricks and had no clue what was next.

  The judge said, “Objection overruled!” and said to the defender, “You have three days to get your case together.”

  FREE

  A landline phone was ringing. Someone picked it up, both parties experiencing static for a second.

  “Hello, this is the Chief Minister’s office. How may I help you?” A female voice answered.

  “I need to speak to the CM, please.”

  “I am sorry, but CM sir is very busy at the moment. Did you have an appointment to meet him?” She asked.

  “No, I do not. I have a very important message for him, but I need to share this with him directly.”

  “I really am sorry, but he won’t be able to take any messages right now. He is busy in some important affairs which need attention on priority.”

  The man scoffed lightly, “This is very urgent and not only to me. I am sure he will understand its gravity.”

  “Look, you are not exactly being clear, are you? If it is that important, please let me know, and I will see if that is relevant enough to be passed on urgently.”

  “Listen to me, this is beyond you, okay? This needs to reach him directly. Tell him that I have something that might interest him because trust me, he has been searching it for a while now, and he would be very disappointed if you take that away from him.”

  “So, just tell me what it is, and I will let him know.”

  “I am sure he would be very disappointed as well if you hear about it before him.”

  “This is not getting anywhere. You are wasting my time. I am going to say this one last time now. Kindly give me your name, a contact number to reach and your message describing the article that you wish to give to the honorable CM so that I can assess and pass on this message otherwise I would have to cut this conversation short.”

  “I already told you that it would go in favor of all three of us if your honorable CM hears from me directly.”

  “Then I am sorry, but we are done here,” she retorted and cut the call.

  ‘So much for asking nicely,’ Zayed thought, shaking his head. ‘He must be busy alright, severing his ties from Delta now after the mess they are in. He has to be a victim too, of course, in order to save his position of power and authority.’

  ‘Okay, trying the other way I know of,’ he re-dialed from another burner.

  The same female voice answered, “Hello, this is the Chief Minister’s office. How may I help you?”

  ‘She had to take numerous other important calls, right?’ he let out a silent snicker. ‘Looks like the others didn’t even get the fair timeshare that he did.”

  “Let’s try this again, shall we?” he said.

  She recognized the voice and replied at once, “You again? Please don’t call here anymore if you won’t state the reason for which you called.”

  Zayed added quickly, “Before you cut the call again, let me ask you one thing. If you are looking out for the CM’s interests and your job is to make sure that the important correspondence finds its way to him, you might also be protecting him from harmful things which might hurt him and his reputation in this country. He might even have instructed you to reach him directly for some of those things which might be discreet. Am I right?”

  The girl replied nervously, “Are you reporting something like that? Wha-What is it that you have?”

  “I still won’t talk to you but if you are not going to put him on, I will make sure that whatever it is that I was going to give to him reaches the media directly and you can count on them to reach all the masses. The same masses that our honorable CM reached out to for his campaign.”

  There was silence from the other end. He continued, “Are you prepared to take th
e heat when he will know, and he will know that it all happened because you thought some other calls might be important than this one.”

  Before he could utter any more words, the girl said hurriedly, “I am sorry to keep you waiting. Please hold on for two minutes.”

  Less than even two minutes, Zayed heard the heavy voice of Devraj at the other end, devoid of all the pleasantries, “Who are you?”

  “I don’t think we need to waste any time on that,” Zayed replied. Devraj wouldn’t forget his voice.

  “You bastard! Feeling lucky to be still alive?”

  “Oh, but I was never dead, just took a short break.”

  Devraj laughed and said menacingly, “You could have taken longer. Now, wait till I get my hands on you.”

  “I am giving you a chance at that. I do have that another thing which you wanted to get your hands on but your dead errand boys couldn’t get it for you.”

  “Kya bakwaas hai yeh? What thing?”

  “The thing which has a shit ton of dirt on you, for you to be denying it. You have too much at stake if it all gets out.”

  “How do I know that you have it?” Devraj asked firmly, getting to mean business now.

  “You don’t, and I feel a sense of great relief hearing you so helpless. Meet me at the Sanjeevni Park at midnight tonight; it’s just a few kilometers away from your home. I am sure you will come alone for your own good. Anything otherwise and you won’t like the consequences.”

  “You dare talk to me like that when you are very well aware of what I can do,” Devraj snapped back in a whisper, “I can make you disappear, wipe you off the face of the earth by just snapping my fingers. You won’t even know what hit you, boy!”

  “You were always catchy with your threats,” Zayed chuckled, “well, have it your way but hear me out. If you do anything of such sort, know that my trusted resources will dispatch multiple copies of the flash drive to scores of very hungry news reporters and they will happily release it to every media program there is in this capital. If they didn’t hear it from me every hour, then it’s your ass down the line. You may as well kiss your career goodbye then.”