''So that's where we should be focusing. Can I get a flashlight?'' asked Shonali, keenly observing the space at the centre. The backs of the lions merged at one point and it was quite a distance above the circular abacus.
That's a lot of space. The void should be somewhere midway, thought Shonali. Sameer climbed up the table with a flashlight and focused the beam of light at the point where the backs merged. The bottom looked completely plain, without any hole or void. After a few moments of minutely focusing the flashlight on the rock, Shonali observed an abnormality! A tiny piece of stone was bulging out of the base. Even though the sculpture was carved out of a single block of sandstone, a part of the void was shut by another piece of sandstone. They had found the opening!
The next job didn't take much time. Raghav and his team expertly pulled out the tiny piece of sandstone covering the void with some help from the curator.
That's how the artefact remained hidden all these years. Placed in plain sight! Shonali was amazed. She flashed the light at the void and tried to view it from different angles. ''I think I see something in there,'' Shonali said hesitantly.
''Whatever it is, it has been kept hidden from the world for almost 2000 years. I think it's time for the world to know about this missing artefact,'' quoted Sameer. The deepest secret of the cult of monks was about to be revealed!
Chapter 71
Wheeler Island, Bay of Bengal.
Co-ordinates- 20° 45′ 28.94″ N, 87° 5′ 7.92″ E
Time- 7:20 am
At the western end of the wall, the commandos had made a small gate by cutting out a portion of the steel grill. Everyone checked their ammunition, set a 13 minute timer on their wristwatches and split into three teams as decided. Cpl. Swaraj and Cpl. Abhinav took positions with their teams and got ready to pounce on the enemy at Capt. Pratap's orders.
In the control tower, Irfan was monitoring the feed from the security cameras all night. His eyes, heavily stressed from monitoring the activities at the facility, were drooping down. His teammates did a fine job watching over the scientists taken as hostages and taking them to the restroom after certain intervals of time. There had been no sign of any kind of attempts by the Indian army to infiltrate the facility. The sensor readings looked perfectly normal and the cameras showed no unusual activity.
As he was just about to go into a nap, Irfan's eyes caught a little activity on the cameras as if he had seen something move on a camera positioned at the north-west part of the facility. Shaking his head vigorously in an attempt to shake off the drowsiness, he leaned forward towards the screen to observe more closely. That very instant, there was a minute disturbance in the reception from the cameras and screens turned blank. Even the lights in the control room went out. The power to the entire facility had been turned off.
''We have about 14 minutes, soldiers. It is now or never- we don't want those missiles taking off from here. I want these bastards dead. Take them all out.'' Capt. Pratap's words rang on the radio of every commando.
The three teams, with their silenced rifles, moved cover to cover through the woods towards their destination- Modules 13 and 14. The northern part of the facility was a typical forested area which made Cpl. Swaraj's and Cpl. Abhinav's teams easy to push ahead in the ample cover of trees and rocks. Sgt. Parag and Lance Cpl. Nishant split their ways and decided to circle the perimeter on the cemented road running on the boundary of the facility. They had encountered a terrorist stationed at the northern watch tower. Before the terrorist could even sense Indian commandos running into the woods behind him, Sgt. Parag had finished him with two shots from his silenced rifle. There may be terrorists stationed at the eastern watch tower too, Parag predicted. There was no watch tower at the western end; that section of the island being on an uneven terrain was left out from the core facility area. Parag decided to check out the eastern watch tower, while Nishant proceeded towards the southern part of the island along the boundary of the facility. He made a swift three sixty degree sweep of his horizon, but there was nothing to be seen, nobody to be seen. It never appeared to them as if the island was captured by terrorists. The entire woods were clear, the cemented roads showed no signs of terrorist activities and even the missile building workshops were filled with an eerie silence. Abhinav and Swaraj's teams, on reaching the central sector of the facility, were surprised to find that they hadn't seen encountered a single terrorist until then. Yet Cpl Abhinav and Cpl Swaraj decided to play it safe. One team moved towards the southern part of the facility maintaining a low profile while the other got in position to provide a covering fire in case of a surprise ambush. Their wristwatches displayed they had 9 minutes 47 seconds left...
The technical expert of the terrorists, Razak, sat perplexed figuring out the reason why the power had gone unexpectedly. He checked with Irfan and asked if any strange activities had been detected on the cameras. Irfan shook his head to indicate a negation although there were slight suspicions disturbing his mind. Azar, Hasib and Razak had arrived at the facility after completing their job with Muhammed at Dehli. Abbaz had been leading the operation on the island for the initial phase, but after Razak arrived, he took over the control from Abbaz. There were 30 seconds left for the power to come back when Razak thought of contacting his contemporaries at the watch towers. He hurriedly grabbed the mouthpiece and spoke into it.
''Sohail? Everything alright there at the northern end?''
There was no reply. ''Sohail? Come in. Pick up the goddamn walkie-talkie.'' Razak kept on trying.
''He must have dozed off. Try the eastern watch tower,'' suggested Irfan.
''Parvez. Come in,'' Razak tried out Irfan's suggestion.
''Haan Janab,'' was the prompt reply on the radio.
''Everything alright there?'' asked Razak.
''Yes. Everything is fine,'' replied Parvez.
''Keep an eye out. I suspect something is not right,'' Razak said, putting down the radio in a hurry as the computer screens in front of him came to life. The back-up generator was functioning and the missile systems started rebooting.
As soon as Parvez put down the radio and reached for his gun, a bullet from Sgt Parag's rifle tore right through his head. Parag had been waiting for his window of opportunity and as soon as the radio was off, he knew the coast was clear.
Cpl. Swaraj's team had checked the Module 13 and had come up with nothing. Now they knew one thing for certain - their hostages were in Module 14. Cpl. Abhinav advanced ahead with his team to the east side entrance of the Module 14 while Cpl. Swaraj and his team planned to breach in the Module through the western entrance. Meanwhile, Capt. Pratap and Ranjeet had doubled back to the western side of the facility where they found the hole cut out in the steel grill. They entered the facility and sprinted towards the Module 14 with just seven minutes left for the systems to boot up.
Abbaz and Hasib were keeping a watch over the hostages kept in two separate rooms on the second floor of Module 14 while Azar patrolled down the corridor on the first floor. Cpl. Swaraj found a window beside the western door and quietly cut out a portion of glass, unlatched the window and managed to get inside the Module. The module faintly resembled a shed with two floors where the scientists had their offices and research labs. Swaraj checked the ground floor for any signs of activity and then unlatched the door, letting his team inside the Module. The ground floor lobby had two reception desks and models of missiles kept at the centre. There were maps and plans scattered on a sofa at the other end of the Module. The teams scattered and searched the ground floor inch by inch. 5 minutes 14 seconds remaining. Swaraj slowly moved to the first floor, taking the staircase when he heard some footsteps approaching near him. By the sound of the approaching footsteps, Swaraj guessed there was just one man. Swaraj quickly crouched down and took cover behind the wall as he heard the footsteps come nearer. All of a sudden he sprung up from his cover and fired rounds at his target. Even before Azar could reach for his pistol, six bullets silently tore through him. His lifeless
body made a soft impact on the ground. Swaraj signalled his team to move to the first floor and investigate the offices.
4 minutes 43 seconds remaining. Ranjeet and Capt. Pratap had now reached Module 14. Ranjeet's next move was to get into the central cable of the security cameras and loop the feed.
Abhinav and his team moved to the second floor. They could sense some murmur and footsteps coming from the adjoining rooms. After scanning the rooms with their thermal imaging cameras, Abhinav and Swaraj located the rooms where the hostages were being held.
''We have the locations of the hostages. Moving in to secure them now!'' Abhinav reported to Pratap on radio.
''Cpl Abhinav, this is Ranjeet. I need you to stand down for about half a minute. Need some footage of the terrorists watching over the hostages to loop the video,'' Ranjeet spoke into the radio.
After exactly thirty seconds, both the teams simultaneously busted into the rooms, taking the terrorists completely by surprise. Swaraj's team fired at Abbaz. They were quick and efficient. But before Abhinav could pull a trigger on his rifle, Hasib pulled a scientist and leveled his gun on him. They now had a hostage situation. Every team member of Abhinav's team had his aim on Hasib but no one was sure if they had a clear shot. Capt. Pratap came in the room, aiming his pistol at Hasib. He saw Hasib taking small steps towards the walkie talkie. If he alerts the control tower, then we are done! The missiles will be launched! Pratap decided to take the risk. He took the aim and fired four rounds from his pistol. Two bullets went passing by Hasib's left ear, but the third one found its mark. The fourth one tore through the neck, leaving Hasib disoriented. Taking the cue from Capt. Pratap, Abhinav jumped and tackled the scientist on the floor, making Hasib an easy target for his soldiers. The soldiers rained bullets into Hasib's chest, thighs and head. There was a minute left before the security cameras were going to be back on.
Ranjeet had looped the video feed from the first and second floor security cameras. The looped video was being uploaded to the system memory and that was taking more time than Ranjeet had expected.
''Sir, I don't think this is going to work. This video is taking too long to upload. Take your team and breach in the control tower. Now!'' Ranjeet suggested Capt. Pratap.
''But they will be able to see the camera feed any moment now. If you don't loop those video feeds, how the hell are we going to reach the control tower undetected? Moreover, when they see that their teammates have been shot down and the hostages have been secured by us, those missiles are going to leave the island immediately.'' Pratap was annoyed with Ranjeet's failure.
''Trust me, sir. Those missiles won't be going anywhere for another seven minutes,'' Ranjeet said, remembering what Vishal had told him about the default countdown program.
Razak and Irfan intently held their breaths as they waited for the camera feeds to turn back on. Within seconds all the screens started coming back to life. For a moment, everything seemed to be alright, but then Razak suddenly realized that something had gone completely wrong. On the feed, he could make out the bodies of his colleagues lying on the floor with bullet holes on every inch of their body. The Indian army had made its move and was at their doorstep.
''Prepare the missile for launch. Let us show these bastards the price of breaking our rules,'' Razak said with a fire in his eyes. His fury was uncontrollable.
Irfan went ahead and booted up the Hypersonic missile launch program. ''Sir, the program has started a seven minute default countdown before the launch. I am unable to override it,'' said Irfan. His hands were shaking.
Razak tried to override the program using his skills, but the algorithm was locked! A shrill countdown alarm rang throughout the facility. The quiet research facility had suddenly turned into a chaotic carnival of sirens. ''This missile is going to take off in seven minutes, Irfan. And we are going to hold this tower for the next seven minutes!'' said Razak, picking up the AK-74 next to him.
Chapter 72
Black Cats Headquarters,
Delhi
Co-ordinates- Classified
Time- 7:20 am
The call had terminated and the familiar hang-up beeps could be heard.
It is just one guy, with his handful of men, causing havoc throughout the nation. This operation must have been planned and perfected by him for years, thought David. Never in his career in the military had David faced such an ingenious monster. He knew that this man would be free as a bird six hours from now when the enemy chopper would take him safely across the border and then Indian Intelligence would again be a laughing stock for the rest of the world. There was blood boiling inside David, but he knew there was no other option. All he could hope was that Capt. Pratap and Ranjeet changed the game at Wheeler Island.
''Do we have the location from where the call was made?'' David asked his subordinate.
''It must have been triangulated by now. I will get you the exact co-ordinates and the details in a minute,'' said the officer and left the room hastily.
After a few moments of complete silence, Ajaysingh finally took a decision.
''I am going there,'' he said firmly.
David, totally taken aback by the President's response, resisted. ''No, Sir! You cannot do that. He thinks you are dead. Let it be so. Moreover, we don't have that artefact yet. There's no point in you going.'' David tried to explain Ajaysingh.
But Ajaysingh had made up his mind. ''David, since how long do you know this madman? Last 12 hours, right? This guy had messed with my life 15 years ago and now he has come back again. That time he almost tried to kill me, tried to sabotage our project. Now he blasted a bomb inside my residence, killed the soldiers protecting me and you think I will let him get away with this? I should be the one putting a bullet in his head. He has made me lose a lot and this time- I am not backing out,'' said Ajaysingh looking in David's eyes. For the first time in the night, David saw a fire sparking up in the eyes of a seventy two year old man.
''But Sir, we don't even have the artefact to deliver,'' stated David.
''And that is exactly why I need to stall for some time! I can engage him in a conversation and distract him which will give Ranjeet and your team some time. In case Ranjeet is not successful, it will also give Shonali some more time to find the artefact. We have to extend his one hour barrier in any case,'' said Ajaysingh, making his way towards the door.
''But there is danger out there and you would be risking your life!'' David followed the President to the lift.
''I am aware of that. What is the point in being the President if I don't step forward during such kind of Exigency? We will also get an element of surprise when he realizes that I am not dead yet,'' said Ajaysingh.
In his mind, David felt it was a deja-vu. Around 12 hours earlier when his team had raided the bunkers in the Thar desert, he had said the same thing - We will have the element of surprise. But instead, the entire night had turned out totally surprising for him. So David was not sure how this 'element of surprise' would help them.
''Okay. We can try out your idea, but we need a plan to face that mastermind and also a back-up plan in case something goes wrong this time,'' said David, pressing the button of the lift. They were heading to the main command centre located in basement level 2.
''That's your department, David. I am the person who would be meeting the crazy guy. Get your soldiers ready. We will leave as soon as I get his location and make a call to Shonali. Got it?'' Ajaysingh entered the command centre receiving instant salutes of all the military and intelligence officers present in the room.
''What is the location to which you triangulated the call?'' asked Ajaysingh, coming straight to the point.
''It is a private airstrip in the outskirts of the city usually used by the planes carrying heavy cargo. Our troops are on their way. We are waiting for instructions to go in and get this man,'' an official responded.
''Your instructions are to stand down, officer! I am going there myself,'' retorted Ajaysingh. He asked David to explain the pl
an of action to his team.
About twenty minutes later, a chopper dropped Ajaysingh on the deserted airfield and took off. The sun now dazzled brightly and drops of sweat trickled down Ajaysingh's neck. David and some Black Cat commandos had taken positions with sniper rifles quite a distance away, providing cover to President Ajaysingh from every possible direction. Ajaysingh felt heavy as he walked wearing a bulletproof jacket towards a figure sitting in a wheel chair right at the centre of the airfield. Ajaysingh had been given a small pistol for self protection and a concealable Bluetooth earpiece to be in constant contact with David.
The mastermind saw a figure approaching him. He couldn't make out the face at first, but as the figure neared him, the mastermind dropped his jaw open. Standing before him was Dr. Ajaysingh Chauhan, the President of India, without a scratch on his body. Half of his meticulously planned operation had been ruined. The mastermind looked with stone cold eyes towards Dr. Ajaysingh.
Ajaysingh had guessed it right. It was his old friend who was behind everything that had happened in the last fourteen hours!
''And after sixteen years- we meet again, Shashank,'' said Dr. Ajaysingh, returning the icy stare to the man in the wheelchair.
Chapter 73
Using a pair of tongs, Sameer carefully extracted what looked like an ancient cylindrical stone tube. The tube was carved out of the same sandstone as the Capital and had remained camouflaged inside the small cavity at the centre. ''No wonder even the experts couldn't find it. They never looked for it! Who would expect something to be preserved inside an ancient sculpture!'' exclaimed Shonali excitedly. The tube was around fifteen centimetres in length with less than a two centimetre diameter.
Operation Chaos: A Gripping Action Thriller Page 20