Operation Chaos: A Gripping Action Thriller

by Himanshu Rasam

  Chapter 67

  Wheeler Island, Bay of Bengal

  Co-ordinates- 20° 45′ 28.94″ N, 87° 5′ 7.92″ E

  Time- 6:32 am

  The terrorists sitting inside the control room at the southern corner of the facility had no idea that a team of twelve personnel had reached the wall on the north side. The surveillance cameras on the outer wall had been placed a certain distance apart, which left some blind spots for Capt. Pratap and his team to slip through. Their next task was to get on the other side of the 20 feet tall wall standing right in front them. The ten commandos and Ranjeet assembled around him as Capt. Pratap as he began drawing a tentative map of Wheeler Island on the sand.

  ''You could use the tablet instead,'' Ranjeet offered.

  Capt. Pratap took the map from Ranjeet and enlarged the satellite image of the island. His team could now clearly see the location where they were standing, the position and the distance of Modules and the control room. The Modules were in the central portion of the facility while the control tower was in the far south. Capt. Pratap turned towards Ranjeet.

  ''The best place where they might have kept the scientists as their hostages would be the Modules on the island. Currently only two Modules are open and operational as per the information by HQ-Module 13 and Module 14. That's where we will be looking for the scientists. What are we going to do about the security camera feed?'' Pratap asked.

  ''I would have tried looping the video, but for that we would need to locate the central cable of all the security cameras which may be half a meter below the ground level. Locating it and digging it up may consume a lot of time. Instead we can try something else. We can take down the power,'' Ranjeet suggested.

  ''How do you intend to do it?'' Pratap asked.

  ''That won't be difficult, believe me. The entire facility runs on solar power and the main grid is located in the northeast corner- that is around 500 meters to our east. Although, taking down the power won't solve our problem completely. The system here has a backup generator located right at the base of the control tower, but we will get four minutes after we have taken down the main power grid until the power gets back on,'' said Ranjeet.

  ''Would four minutes be enough for us to retake the control tower?'' asked Pratap.

  ''No. But after the power is back on, the system will take 8 minutes to reboot itself and feed from the security cameras would be displayed on the screen around 2 minutes later, which gives us a total of 14 minutes to clear out the Modules 13 and 14. Once we are there I can hack into the security camera feed easily. I hope your commandos will make a good use of those 14 minutes,'' said Ranjeet.

  ''I think 14 minutes would be enough time, Ranjeet''. Pratap looked at the map of the island momentarily and figured out a way to get things done. ''So here's what you will do- Divide yourselves into three teams. Two teams with four commandos each and a third team with two commandos. The third team of two commandos will scan around the perimeter of the facility and eliminate the patrolling terrorists while the other two teams will strike both the Modules simultaneously. I will stay with Ranjeet and we will disable the power,'' said Capt. Pratap, laying out his plan.

  Cpl. Swaraj was to lead the team attacking Module 13 while Cpl. Abhinav was the head of the team attacking Module 14. Sgt. Parag and Lance Cpl. Nishant were on the third team. Ranjeet knew the exact spot from where Pratap's team could infiltrate into the facility. Along the northwest corner of the facility, a certain section of the wall had been replaced by a steel fence recently. Pratap ordered his team to move west, avoiding the cameras and breach in through the fence while he and Ranjeet made their way towards the power grid on the east. It didn't take long for Ranjeet to locate the main switch and disable it, leaving the entire Wheeler Island facility drained of power.

  Pratap spoke into his mouthpiece, giving his commandos a go-ahead.

  ''The power is down. We have around 14 minutes, soldiers. It's now or never. We don't want those missiles taking off from here and I want these bastards dead. Take them out.''

  Chapter 68

  1995,

  Karachi, Pakistan.

  The interview had begun ten minutes ago and by now the panel had a fair idea about the qualifications of the applicant. The young aspirant sitting on the chair across them was an extremely well qualified scientist and an apt contender for the job. But the panel had something else in their mind.

  ''So Mr. Ayaaz Farid, tell us more about your family background,'' one of the panel members asked the candidate. Ayaaz closed his eyes and revisited his nightmares yet again. The late night chaos on the streets of Peshawar that night still rang in his ears... And then suddenly a loud screeching of brakes of a vehicle... Lying at the centre of the road, the ten year old Ayaaz could see his ammi covered in blood. The tyre of the bus had run over her wrist and a stream of blood now flowed towards the sidewalk. Ayaaz ran, his feet taking him as fast as the wind, but his mother had already breathed her last. Ayaaz screamed in agony and burst out crying. That day, he had lost his reason to smile.

  Twenty days later Ayaaz's maternal uncle moved Ayaaz to his home. Aktar Sheik was the younger brother of Ayaaz's mother and had been a close friend to Ayaaz since he had lost his father the previous year. Although Aktar slowly began to understand that his orphaned nephew had locked down all the emotions inside him, he never realised an important fact. The fact that Ayaaz believed himself to be the reason for his ammi's death. Ayaaz began punishing himself physically in order to make peace with his own conscience. He started peeling off his skin with a blade, pouring hot candle wax over his bare palms. It was the lowest degree of punishment he could give to himself.

  Returning back to the present, Ayaaz slowly ran his hand over the wounds that blade had left on his wrist. Exhaling a long breath, he was ready to answer the question put forth by the jury.

  ''I belong to Peshawar, and so did my parents. I lost them many years ago.'' Ayaaz's reply was crisp and short. He never lost the eye contact with the person asking him the question.

  ''In your application form here, you have stated that you are an omnist. Why don't you believe in Islam?'' Another panel member tossed a question.

  ''I believe that my religious beliefs have nothing to do with this interview, but if you insist for a clarification, I don't mind giving it to you.'' Ayaaz paused for a moment to gaze at the panel. Taking their silence as an assertion to continue, he said, ''It is not true that I do not believe in Islam. In fact, I believe in all the religions. I feel that every religion has its own interpretation of God or a higher power and I respect all those interpretations. That does not diminish my belief in Islam''. Again a short and direct reply.

  ''So why the military R and D?'' asked the same person.

  ''Working for Pakistan's military Research and Development has been my passion for the last four- five years and I believe that I would serve my country well.'' Ayaaz's confidence was resolute.

  The interview went on for another half an hour and the panel members did their job of learning everything they wanted to know about their candidate. ''Thank you, Ayaaz. You may leave,'' said the head of the panel dressed in a white suit as the interview concluded.

  As soon as Ayaaz was out of the room, the man in the white suit addressed to his team members. ''He is the man we were looking for all these years. I think we now have the perfect asset for our job.'' He paused for a second to examine the looks on the faces of his colleagues. ''Anybody in disagreement with this decision?'', he asked raising his tone. But the only reply he got was a prolonged silence. They all knew that their job was done.

  Half an hour later, the list of selected candidates was put up on a board outside the interview room. Ayaaz's name was nowhere on the list!

  Chapter 69

  Black Cats Headquarters,

  Delhi

  Co-ordinates- Classified

  Time- 6:52 am

  The President had been safely brought to the headquarters where the command was trying to figure out their ne
xt move. A large unit of the Delhi police force was now working on handling the situation at Tughlaq Road. It was not disclosed to the media where the convoy was heading or for whom was it arranged. David was sitting in his office, but his mind kept on reminding him that half of his team was dead now. He stared at an old photograph of his team whom he had recruited personally. A few minutes later, Dr. Ajaysingh walked in the room. David stood up and saluted the President.

  ''I know I shouldn't be disturbing you, David. I understand that it must be a difficult time for you. The officers here informed me that they just got a call from Sameer. They have figured out the final clue and are heading to Sarnath,'' said Ajaysingh, sitting next to David. Both of them sat there observing a mournful silence. Deep in his mind, Ajaysingh was really thankful to David for keeping him and Shonali safe.

  A middle aged officer in a blue suit rushed in holding a tape in his hand. ''You should listen to this, Sir! Another phone call- just like the one we received yesterday evening. We intercepted it couple of minutes ago. It was dialed to that same number- the one in the President's office. I have it taped in this,'' the officer said, passing on the tape to David.

  Ajaysingh looked at the blue suited officer with surprise- Another tape? God knows what trouble this one will bring now.

  David decided to hear the tape. He pressed the play button and kept the tape close to his ear.

  ''I hope these two blasts I caused have not shaken you people so much that you would miss an appointment with me. I expect that by now your dear President would be either burnt down or fighting for his life in some hospital and that's why I won't be addressing to him this time. So whoever is listening, tell your senior officers to get me that piece of artefact I demanded. The time I gave you is up. If I don't get that artefact in the next hour, I think you should worry about arranging medical facilities for the casualties your own hypersonic missile would be causing soon.'' The same voice, the same heavy breathing was audible. The only change was that the speaker didn't speak slowly anymore- the voice was fast and loud.

  ''I know you would have triangulated my position by the time I end this call and that's where you would find me. Let me make my conditions clear - A chopper would be flying in from the northwest boundary of the country. It should not have any problem entering into Indian airspace. Any attempt to attack the chopper while it is in Indian airspace will invite destruction- trust me. I want the artefact to be delivered to me only by one unarmed personnel. If anything happens to me or if I think anything shady is going on, I give a go-ahead to my men at the Wheeler Island. You only have one hour. Don't keep me waiting... ''

  Chapter 70

  Location: Sarnath,

  Uttar Pradesh, India.

  Co-ordinates: 25.3806°N 83.0245°E

  Time: 7.18 am

  ''So the pillar here at Sarnath is not the only pillar with a Lion Capital on it?'' asked Sameer curiously. Shonali and Sameer were in a military truck along with Raghav and the rest of David's team on their way to the Sarnath Archaeological Museum. They had been on a flight from Aurangabad airport to Lal Bahadur Shastri airport at Babatpur. The pilot along with Sgt. Harish had to stop at the airport to refuel the aircraft for their return journey. From there it was a half an hour drive to the city of Sarnath- the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence.

  They were nearing the museum where the Lion Capital, which was once atop the Ashoka pillar, was kept for display. Raghav, on his cell phone, was taking care of the permissions they would need to inspect the Capital from the concerned authorities while Shonali was telling Sameer about another Lion Capital.

  ''During his reign, Emperor Ashoka constructed a series of columns throughout the Indian sub-continent. Many of them were inscribed with edicts by Ashoka. Originally, there must have been many pillars, but today only nineteen of them survive with inscriptions and historians have preserved many of them in a fragmentary state. Out of these nineteen, which have different crowning animals such as a bull or an elephant, two of the pillars- one here at Sarnath and another one at Sanchi had similar Lion Capitals- the four lions as their crowning animals. The Ashokan pillar at Sarnath which was built around 250 B.C. is not present at its original location now, as it was broken during the Turk and Islamic invasions,'' said Shonali.

  ''So we could be totally wrong! The artefact might be hidden at Sanchi,'' interrupted Sameer expressing his fears.

  ''I won't deny that possibility, but the chances that we find that artefact here are high. There was a slight difference between the original Lion Capitals on the pillars at Sarnath and Sanchi. The Lion Capital here at Sarnath is said to have had a Wheel of Dharma or the Ashoka Chakra with 32 spokes which was placed over the four lions. That was said to be the complete Lion Capital. But the Capital at Sanchi was an incomplete one without the Wheel of Dharma above the four lions. So who knows - there is a possibility that the Sanchi pillar was just made as a decoy! You know what- there's another of these Lion Capitals atop an Ashokan Pillar which stands in Thailand. It has a Wheel of Dharma above the four lions,'' Shonali remarked.

  They were at the gates of the museum when they saw a stupa on their left side. Before Sameer could ask about it to Shonali, she was ready with a short answer. ''It's the Dhamek stupa- it is said to mark the spot of the deer park where the Buddha gave his first sermon to his five disciples after attaining enlightenment and revealed his Eightfold Path leading to nirvana.''

  The truck abruptly made a halt at the gates of the museum. Raghav went in with a couple of his commandos to talk to the curator of the museum who had been summoned on the scene early this morning. Moments later, Sameer and Shonali were escorted by the remaining commandos inside the museum where Raghav and the curator of the museum were waiting for them in the hallway.

  ''The archaeological museum of Sarnath is the oldest site museum of Archaeological survey of India,'' said the curator as he led them to that gallery of the museum where the Lion Capital was kept for public display. ''The five galleries and two verandas display antiquities ranging from 3rd century B.C. to 12th century A.D. found at Sarnath. The galleries have been named on the basis of their contents, the north most gallery is Tathagata while next one is Triatna. The main hall is known as Shakyasimha gallery and the adjacent to it on the south is named as Trimurti,'' added the curator as they approached the main hall which was the Shakyasimha gallery.

  The Shakyasimha gallery displayed the most prized collections of the museum. Standing at the centre of the gallery was the 3rd century A.D. monument which they had been searching for the whole time. The majestic lions stood there on a circular abacus above the inverted lotus, and the Ashok chakra could be seen resting right at the centre of the platform. The abacus, adorned with the figures of a lion, an elephant, a bull and a horse each separated by a smaller wheel or Dharmachakra consisting of twenty-four spokes, completed the elegance of the sculpture. The curator stepped back, allowing Shonali and Sameer to step in and observe the Lion Capital. The Capital was more than two metres in height and was placed on a circular table in the centre of the gallery.

  ''This sculpture must have been examined by numerous historians. How could they have missed an inscription or a hidden compartment here? That is a sculpture of national importance. You sure this is where the painting pointed to?'' asked Raghav.

  ''Those historians looked at the Capital just as a sculpture- not as something which King Ashoka designed to hide a possession of Lord Buddha. I can just HOPE that this is where that painting pointed to,'' replied Shonali.

  ''So where do we start looking?'' Sameer put forth another question.

  ''I have a hunch. But for that I will need to bring this Capital to the ground level. It's difficult for me to examine the sculpture,'' said Shonali. The Capital extended up to almost a feet or two above her head.

  Raghav suggested that it was best that they climbed up on some elevated platform to observe the sculpture rather than shifting it to ground l
evel. He sent his team to arrange for some tables.

  ''And what's your hunch?'' Sameer asked Shonali.

  ''Remember what the script on the painting said- destiny resting on a flower and guarded day and night by the faithful guards of the King of Magadha. So we know that whatever it is- it lies above the inverted lotus. Which leaves us with the circular abacus...'' said Shonali, pointing to the side of the abacus where the four carved animals- lion, elephant, bull and horse moved in a clockwise fashion, ''... and the four lions. These four lions are said to be guarding the artefact. So where would you hide something if you have these four lions as guards?''

  ''At the... centre?'' replied Sameer with a hint of apprehension.

  ''Exactly!'' said Shonali with excitement beaming in her eyes.

  ''How can you be so sure?'' asked Raghav, arranging the tables with the help of his teammates.

  ''I did tell you that originally this Lion Capital had a Dharmachakra with 32 spokes resting upon the heads of the lions. Why was it placed there? The one at Sanchi didn't have any Dharmachakra over it! Don't you think it was an attempt to hide something in the centre so that it wouldn't be seen from the top?'' asked Shonali.

  ''Okay. Let us assume that your hypothesis is correct. But where would it be hidden. There is no place in the centre of the lions, and the circular abacus below also doesn't look like it contains any hidden compartment. Also, this Lion Capital is carved out from a single block of sandstone- there are no joints. So where would it be possibly-'' Sameer was interrupted by the curator.

  ''Actually, there IS a void in the centre,'' the curator said softly.

  ''Where?'' asked Shonali, quickly climbing up the table to have a clear view of the space in the centre of the Capital where the four lions were back-to-back.

  ''When this Capital was being examined by experts, they reported that there was a small void somewhere around the centre, but it was just considered as a structural defect. They said it was common for many of the old artefacts and sculptures to develop such minute defects over a period of time,'' the curator answered.