Cold Love

by Amieya Prabhaker

  “Or deletes all records about you… that you even worked for RAW,” Krish adds grimly, “You know how it works, Arjun.”

  “Krish!” Riya exclaims, visibly annoyed at this scenario.

  “Unfortunately, yes. Riya, I do not condone it either, but that’s how it has always been. Agents in covert operations take grave risks for tasks all around the globe. And sometimes when things go wrong, agents are alienated by the department in the country’s strategic interest. I have seen so many of my colleagues sacrificed in operations. Some of them are relocated and given a new name, a new life… others just vanish into thin air.”

  Riya stares at Krish with a distressed rebellious look, obviously not impressed by this scenario, and also as if to say, “You never told me that before.”

  “Arjun, we are all trying to achieve the same result,” Krish continues, “The end justifies the means. ISI openly smuggle drugs, arms, narcotics… carry out every rotten business in India. Shouldn’t defeating them be our core strategy? Our government and politicians just stand as spectators doing nothing. Isn’t it our responsibility to take action? There’s no turning back now, Arjun. What we wanted to achieve through this case has already taken place. The international environment is very conducive. We are very close to our goal. Arjun; we won’t get a better chance than this. One last move and the enemy will be on its knees. You have the codes for the neutron missiles; I have the exact geo-location of all nuclear targets in Pakistan. My agents have been tracking their nuclear sites over the last year. Together we can wipe out their entire arsenal right now from this room in just thirty seconds!” Krish snaps his fingers, “And the best thing is, not a single civilian will be killed. Arjun, you need to make that call. Take out nuclear weapons from the equation and decades of cold war can be won right now. And because of the current political environment, the US, UK, France…everyone will applaud us for safeguarding and securing a safer world.”

  Arjun taps his fingers on the desk, “And what if even a single nuclear weapon gets left out Krish? Have you thought what will happen if their Army… or even a terrorist group got hold of a missing missile … or just consider the prospect that China smuggles a nuclear weapon overnight across to Islamabad. What happens then? The entire city of Delhi or Mumbai will be wiped out in a moment…” He makes a sign with his hands to visualize the holocaust, “But why am I talking this anyway? Krish, you know the protocol… these neutron missiles can only be used in a war situation and operated upon direct order.”

  Krish smiles, “Hmmm… Arjun, if we are not in a war why don’t you go to the border and ask them to stop the shelling that happens every day? They send terrorists across the border to kill our innocent people. Ask those mothers whose sons have died in Kargil, or those dying every day at the Line of Control…in their hearts, there’s a real war raging on right now, Arjun! You know, we are in a worse cold war situation than the US and USSR! At least the US and USSR had sensible strong governments to control their arsenals… Just imagine what our next war or even a standoff situation will be like?”

  Arjun isn’t convinced but listens patiently.

  “Let me tell you Arjun… our next standoff will be like the Cuban crisis … our next Kargil war will have nuclear weapons locked in against each other. A worse scenario could be that the person targeting that weapon at us could be a terrorist instead of a Pakistani general!”

  Suddenly Arjun’s phone rings. He ends the call without picking it up, but it starts ringing immediately again. It’s Puja and Arjun excuses himself and goes to a corner to listen to her.

  “Bhaiyya, the doctors are not saying anything. Papa is still on the ventilator. And mama is still not speaking, even after yesterday’s therapy. Bhaiyya, please come here! I am very scared, bhaiyya!”

  “Puja, don’t worry; everything will be fine.” He turns around to see Riya standing behind him.

  “Arjun, is it Puja’s call? Please let me talk to her once. I beg you, Arjun, please.” Tears roll down her cheeks, “Just once Arjun… I know I have wronged you but I will do anything you say…anything!” she gets down on her knees. “Arjun please, I promise.”

  There’s an awkward pause and suddenly Arjun puts the phone on speaker. “Puja, Riya wants to speak to you.”

  “Puja, how are you? How are uncle and aunty?” Riya asks immediately, grabbing the phone in her hands.

  “Nothing is right, Riya. Papa is still on the ventilator. I don’t know what will happen. I want to meet you, uncle and aunty but I can’t!” Puja’s sobbing can be heard distinctly on the phone, “And do you know Riya, Rakesh has broken up with me. He broke up with me Riya.” She starts sobbing loudly on the phone.

  “What?” Riya is stunned and stares at Arjun.

  Puja continues on the phone, “Riya, there’s no one for us now, isn’t it? Friends, family, love … everything is ruined, Riya. Everything! Riya, you will leave Arjun as well, isn’t it? And we will never meet again Riya…Never!”

  “No Puja, please don’t say that. You are my only friend! You are a sister to me. I will never leave you… never!” She breaks down on the floor by the wall, crying, holding her head in her hands. At that point, Arjun picks up the phone, and turns off the speaker.

  “Puja! We have talked about this before!”

  “Bhaiyya I am sorry. Bhaiyya when will you come? I am very scared for Papa. Please bhaiyya, come back to me.”

  Arjun walks to the side, “Don’t worry Puja, everything will be fine. You need to be strong. You have to take care of Ma. I’ll call you. Ok…”

  “Ok Bhaiyya. I am sorry.” Arjun finally disconnects the phone.

  Riya is still on the floor, crying in pain.

  “Arjun, why are you doing this? Why? Why did Rakesh break up with Puja…she loves him! Goddammit!” she shouts in anguish, “Krish please tell Arjun I want to meet Puja. Please Arjun! Please!”

  Krish had been listening to everything as a spectator, “Huh… what can I say!?”

  “You have been through this before as well Krish, isn’t that so?” Arjun asks him calmly, “You did the same thing, right?”

  Riya lifts her face from her hands to listen. Krish doesn’t respond.

  “Krish?” Riya asks curiously, “Tell me Krish!”

  “Yes. I tried the same as you did, Arjun. It’s easier in hindsight, but I’ll say this; life and death is beyond our control… perhaps the one above scripts everything for us. In hindsight, for me, even a few of moments of love are worth more than an entire lifetime!”

  There’s a marked pause. Krish walks over and offers his hand to lift Riya up from the floor. He then walks over to Arjun.

  “Best of luck Arjun!” Krish continues, “I salute you, you are a hero! Now the decision is in your hands.” He places a memory card from his inner pocket on the table, “Here are the geo-location codes of all Pakistan’s arsenals. Trust me on this.” He taps the desk next to the memory stick. “The file is encrypted but I know only you are capable to decrypt it. Whatever you decide, Arjun, just make sure that truth and righteousness do not end up on the losing side.” He puts his hand on Arjun’s shoulder, “If you need anything, this life is dedicated to my country and to my friends. I’ll take your leave buddy.” He goes to the door.

  Just as he is about to open the door, Arjun calls him back, “Krish!”

  Krish turns back. Arjun raises his hand. Krish walks back to clasp it and hug him.

  “All the best Arjun. Riya, I am really sorry I got you involved in this. I didn’t know that you loved Arjun. I have wronged you; if possible please forgive me.” Krish walks away as Arjun enters the code into the security system to let him through.

  “Arjun, what happened with Krish?” Arjun doesn’t respond. “Please tell me Arjun, what is Krish’s story?”

  “Krish was the guy who broke the narcotics ring called the golden triangle that operated between Kabul, Karachi and Mumbai. Dawood Ibrahim and ISI worked very closely at that time. But he had to pay a very heavy price.” Riya lis
tens intently, feeling nervous about what Arjun has to say, “He had a beautiful wife. I have seen her pictures from the files. She looked… just like you!”

  “Me?”

  “Yes… They were at a restaurant, to celebrate the news that she was pregnant with their first child... They had a lovely dinner but when they came out, the bullets that Dawood’s men had planned for Krish ripped into his wife instead. She died on the spot.” Riya gasps, holds her hand on her head, very distressed. “After that incident, Krish turned into RAW’s covert operations specialist… a killing machine! He worked everywhere in the world that the department asked him to. He is the sharpest shooter in the department, and you know as well… the most intelligent strategist in our department!”

  Riya gently nods affirmatively, agreeing with him.

  “Arjun, remember you had promised me on the night of Puja’s engagement. Can I ask you for something?” Arjun remains expressionless as he listens intently “Fulfill your promise for our country, Arjun!” She picks up the memory stick lying on the desk and raises it up for him. “For God’s sake, eliminate those evil nuclear weapons! End this cold war forever!”

  Arjun takes the memory stick from her hand. He also picks the guns lying on the desk and pockets the guns and the memory stick.

  “Riya, it’s the evil mindset that we need to eliminate first.” He shakes his head and continues in a stern tone. “I cannot fulfill the promise I made. Because you are not the same Riya I made that promise to.”

  Tear droplets roll down Riya’s eyes upon hearing these harsh words.

  “It’s best that we never meet again, Riya.” Arjun continues, “Just forget everything! Perhaps we were meant to go this far only. Tell uncle aunty that we were discussing Rakesh’s incident. I’m sure they must be concerned by now. Take care of them Riya.”

  Arjun gives her a hug as Riya wraps her arms around his neck. She cannot think what to say or do next. Arjun walks to the door and stops there to look back at her.

  “Bye Riya!... Goodbye.”

  Arjun walks out of the house, leaving Riya on her own. She stands there for a while and then slowly starts walking back home.

  The Gateway- Stealing Away

  The Gateway of India is a popular tourist spot and tourist helicopter rides have become a popular attraction in recent times amongst those wishing to get an aerial view of the beautiful city. A couple of days later, at the Gateway of India, a large well-built man and a smaller man are waiting in the queue amidst the other tourists for this ride. The big man is constantly looking around in all directions.

  “How many tickets?”, the clerk asks them.

  “Two… No…Uhh… six. We want the whole helicopter to ourselves.”

  They make the payment and move forward in the queue. A security person scans the tourists for metal items. “What is this?” he asks the small guy.

  “Oh! Just a Swiss knife, for cutting fruit.” He smiles.

  “You cannot take it. I’ll keep it here at the counter,” he hands the small guy a coupon to collect it after the helicopter ride. The clerk then scans the big guy. The machine beeps loudly because of the large watch that he is wearing. The man takes off the watch, and the scan works fine. The clerk gives the watch back to him and they get into the helicopter. Soon the helicopter takes off and swirls over the Gateway of India.

  After a while, the big guy in the helicopter fumbles with his watch, swiftly taking out a long metal wire from its edge. He throttles the pilot in one clean move. He then unclasps his big watch and turns it inside out to form a long metal dagger. The short guy, meanwhile, has taken over the controls of the helicopter and they swoop down to the edge of the water, flying very low over the sea, back towards the Gateway of India and into the city.

  An hour later, Arjun’s mobile rings in his new home outside the city. It’s Rakesh. He starts speaking as soon as Arjun picks up the phone.

  “Arjun, I need to apologize to you. I have thought it through and I’ve decided there’s no way I can live without Puja. I want to speak to her.”

  “That’s great Rakesh, and thanks for that!” Arjun is overjoyed, “I’ll arrange for Puja to call you. Listen, I will have to speak to you later as I’ve an important call coming through.” Arjun picks up the other call and speaks.

  “Hi Krish.”

  “We got the news about the hitman, Arjun! It is Azhar!”

  “Azhar?”

  “Yes. He is the one who shot your dad. He is now in Mumbai for you.”

  “Thanks for letting me know Krish. I’m waiting for this moment as well!” Arjun puts the phone down.

  A moment later it rings again. It’s the number from the security man at Riya’s house. He blurts out nervously, “Sir, a terrible thing happened just now. A tourist helicopter entered our compound. At that very moment Riya madam had returned from a trip outside. There was a big guy holding a knife to madam’s neck and before we could do anything, the helicopter flew away with her.”

  “What! What are you saying?” Arjun ends the call and immediately calls another number. At the same time, he logs into his laptop and turns the video conference unit on. Lt Gen Khanna is already there.

  “Arjun, I was about to call you. Azhar has kidnapped Riya in a Virgin V52 tourist helicopter and was last reported flying north west from your home. We are tracking every radar unit. However, they are flying very low and are difficult to trace. I suspect he may try to fly to the border. I’ve requested the Air Force for two MIGs to be deployed immediately. The codename is Eagle. They should be authorized in the next couple of minutes. Arjun, I’ve sent a Cheetah helicopter for you as well. Krish will fly in with you.”

  “Thank you Sir. I really appreciate it.”

  “Don’t worry Arjun. Go get him!”

  Arjun walks nervously about the room. He clenches his hands. A visual on the workstation glows and there’s a dial tone sound. Arjun switches on the radio.

  “Eagle reporting Sir.”

  “Arjun here. Go on Eagle.”

  “No sightings yet, Sir. Eagle 1 flew north west of Mumbai but seems like they are not on this route. Same report from Eagle 2 off the Bombay high.”

  Krish enters at that very moment and asks curiously, “Hi Arjun. Any update?”

  “No. If they fly low then they won’t be seen on the radar and with each passing minute,” he draws concentric circles around Mumbai with larger diameters and an arrow pointing out towards the sea, “Our chances are getting slimmer.”

  “Yes Arjun. We need to act fast.”

  “There’s one option!” Arjun suddenly beams. “Satellite!” He

  sits down at his workstation and immediately starts typing frantically on the keyboard. The screen shows a message- “Entering US Geostationary Satellite System”.

  “Isn’t that the US Star Wars Satellite program? The one that President Regan had started, but was canned after the end of the Cold War?”

  Arjun nods, “Only officially canned! The US spy satellite system!” he continues to type vehemently. An hourglass figure dial is revolving on the screen and the next moment a message reads “Login Authenticated”.

  “Yes!” Arjun clicks on the earth icon, and then on the button that reads, “Enter search area”. He quickly zooms on an area covering Mumbai and the sea around it.

  “So, can this spy down to the local level?”

  “Yes. As they say, Regan was building it to be able to spy down to even read a car’s number plate if visible. The challenge, though, is speed. If the search area is too big, naturally the search takes a while to get down to.”

  “Interesting.”

  Arjun continues to type vehemently.

  “Ok. I have now logged on to the geostationary satellite just above Mumbai.”

  The next message reads “Enter search object”.

  Arjun types in, “Virgin V52 Tourist helicopter” and drags the icon of the image that appears to drop it onto the search area- from Mumbai and the Arabian Sea till the edge of Gujarat. The s
ystem shows a refresh icon for a few seconds, and then shows a live satellite video of a helicopter flying on the shores of the city towards Gujarat few miles south of the Rann of Kutch. Arjun immediately switches on the radio.

  “Arjun calling Eagle and Cheetah. Note location 21N 75E, all units intercept! Now! Use threat but do not shoot down. Repeat, do not shoot as we have a hostage situation. Go get them Eagles! Over and out!”

  Both dash out immediately to board the Cheetah helicopter and immediately fly off as well, eager to intercept the enemy. In a few minutes the radio beams again. Arjun turns it on.

  “Eagle calling Cheetah. Target in my view Sir. 24N 70E. We saw two parachutes bail out when challenged by Eagle2. The helicopter has just crashed. But they are in the neutral no fly zone, the Rann of Kutch. We had a message from the Air Chief Staff saying that Pakistan Air Force has requested Indian headquarters for an immediate de-escalation. They have threatened engaging their F32 jets. Awaiting orders, Sir.”

  “Ok. Wait for instructions. Keep within our borders. Over and out.”

  Arjun suddenly gets a message on his mobile. “Arjun, Call me on radio- Frequency 1458. Azhar.”

  Arjun picks up the radio and adjusts its knob.

  “Arjun Sahib. You are coming aren’t you? I’m on the ground and you are sending MIGs after me? Take your MIGs back because our F32 jets are getting ready as well.”

  “What do you want?”

  “You. Alone. Note the drop-in location- 24 degrees 30minutes N, 70 degrees E. Take your MIGs back. And yes, don’t try to bring any weapons or knives else your friend here… will be slashed in a minute. One wrong move and she’s dead! From now on until we meet keep the radio always on and order your MIGs to go back now.”

  Arjun switches knobs on the panel of the helicopter, “Cheetah calling Eagle! Disengage and standby. Repeat disengage immediately, return to the border and do not cross border. Standby for further instructions. Over and out.”