by Unknown
Virat had found a ration card kept inside a small plastic bag. The old black and white picture in the card showed a man with a large flat nose and thick, bushy eyebrows staring sullenly at the camera.
“This looks recent enough to be useful.” Virat said, passing the card to Aditya.
“Excellent.” Aditya said, examining the photo closely. “This should be enough to go on at the moment. We need to get in touch with the team in charge of the Rohtak murder.”
“How about one of us goes to the station and the other one stays back to keep an eye out for Soura's return?” Virat suggested. “Make sure he doesn't slip away.”
Aditya agreed. The two emerged from the tent and saw the old woman hovering around the entrance curiously.
“We'll be back to see Soura.” Aditya said with an ingratiating smile. “Could you give us a call if you see him?”
“He was here just now.” The woman said.
“What do you mean?” Virat said sharply.
“He came, he saw you two, and he went away.” The woman pointed up the road they had come down. “Does he owe you money or something?” Without answering, the two raced up the road. They found themselves at an intersection whose each road was blocked by a seething mass of people.
“We'll never find him at this rate.” Virat said, whirling on the spot as he scanned the crowd. “This whole place is like a maze.”
“Keep your phone out and wait for my call.” Aditya said, taking off his glasses and placing them in his pocket. He began to move towards a wall of a nearby house with slow, measured steps.
“Where are you going?” Virat shouted after him.
“We need a higher vantage point.” Aditya called back. Suddenly he broke into a run, and bounded up the side of the wall, catching onto the top and hoisting himself up.
Virat kept one eye on the crowd while he followed Aditya's progress as he leapt expertly from one roof to another, steadily gaining higher ground as the curving streets of the basti unfolded beneath him like a map.
Finally, he reached the roof of the highest building and stopped. He took out his mobile and dialled Virat's number.
“Hey!” An angry voice came from behind Aditya. “What are you doing on my roof?”
“Just a minute, uncleji.” Aditya said without turning around. “Virat? I need you to call Soura's number. Keep him talking as long as possible.”
“Get off my house or I'll call the police!”
“You might have to do that anyway.” Aditya placed the mobile in his pocket and began to scan the crowd. He was here somewhere...
“Papa, who is that man?” The residents of the house and interested neighbours had begun to gather around the spluttering owner of the house.
“What's he looking at?” Another voice inquired.
“Did he come in through the verandah?” A child's voice chimed in.
“Throw him off the roof.” A fourth voice advised censoriously.
Aditya ignored the crowd and continued scanning the streets. An elderly man carrying groceries. A skeletal man hauling a bag of rice on his back. A portly man dragging his cycle alongside him. A huge, hulking man limping along the road, before he stopped to open his mobile.
Aditya narrowed in on the man. Large flat nose. Bushy eyebrows. It was Soura. He was examining the number on the mobile screen before turning it off. He took a few steps forward before his mobile started ringing again. This time he stared hard at the number. As he looked up from his mobile, his eyes met Aditya's, standing motionless on top of the roof. For a moment the two stared at each other. Then the man turned and broke into a loping run, moving away as fast as his lame leg would allow him.
Aditya was already dialling Virat's number.
“He's on the intersection to your left, moving towards the east.”
Aditya turned to the crowd that had gathered behind him and raised his hands. “Thank you for your cooperation. And now I will honor your wish and leave. Oh, and call the police.” With that, he took a running jump and bounded off. There were gasps and screams as he landed on the neighbours roof ten feet away.
* * *
Virat ran down the road Aditya had directed him towards. The crowd around him seemed to have become thicker. He turned a corner and saw a huge man in the distance moving rapidly away.
“Move! Move!” He shouted to the people in his path as he raced after the man. He was in a common food market. Hawkers stood next to their stands, haggling with buyers and proclaiming their wares to the public. He navigated the crowd with dificulty amidst complaints and threats from the people he pushed aside. Finally he was able to find a clear path and raced again towards his target.
The killer's leg seemed to be giving him trouble. His speed was decreasing with each step until he staggered to a stop, panting as he clutched his leg, teeth gritted in pain. He turned to see Virat coming towards him, and his expression changed. A dangerous light glinted in his eyes as he suddenly reversed direction.
Virat did not have time to draw his gun when Soura suddenly launched himself at him. He was a huge man, and fought with the feral desperation of a cornered animal. Virat's hands found his gun, but it was knocked aside. Two huge hands closed around his neck and began to strangle him. People standing by looked on with fascinated horror, yet no one moved to interfere.
Suddenly Virat felt the grip around his neck loosen. Soura was pulled off him and thrown aside. In his place stood Aditya. “Are you all right?”
Virat nodded, unable to speak as he coughed violently. He gestured urgently towards Soura. The killer had gotten to his feet, and now Aditya turned to face him. Again Soura threw himself forward, the pain in his leg seeming to feed his fury.
Aditya took two steps forwards and stepped sharply to the side, catching Soura's outstreched hand and throwing him off balance. He smashed his face into the killer's jaw. Soura grunted in pain as one of his hands was twisted behind his head at a painful angle. A knee smashed into his gut. Once. Twice. Three times. The knee rose one more time, but stopped midway. Aditya lowered his leg and loosened his grip on Soura's wrist. The killer collapsed to the ground and lay ther in a crumpled heap, panting and whimpering in pain.
Virat had gotten to his feet and retrieved his gun. He joined Aditya in front of the huddled figure lying on the ground.
“Now we can go to the police station.” Aditya said, and Virat nodded as the two gazed down at their captured prey.
* * *
“Who exactly gave you permission to undertake this investigation?” Commissioner Khurana asked grimly.
Virat looked suitably abashed as he stood at attention in the Police Commissioner's office. They had brought Soura to the station less than an hour ago. Once the preliminary report had been filed, they had been directed straight to Commissioner Khurana's office.
“I convinced him to do it, sir.” Aditya stepped forward. “It was my idea to go to Bhandipur. I felt we had a perspective on the case that the team in charge of the investigation lacked.”
“Then you should have called the station.” The Commissioner said, his expression not relaxing in the slightest as he turned to Aditya. “You should have communicated your opinion of the case to me so I could direct the intelligence to the appropriate authorities.”
“I didn't feel we had time, sir.” Virat spoke up, his gaze steady as he faced the chief officer. “It's not Aditya's fault. I made the decision on my own. I'm sorry I went against your orders, but I didn't feel we had time to spare.”
The Commissioner looked at the two for a long moment. “In the present case, seeing as this is Aditya's first time, and you two did catch the man, just this once I'm willing to overlook your insubordination. But this will be the last time you take matters into your own hands. We're police officers, not vigilantes.”
“Yes, sir.” Virat said at once, feeling relieved.
“Now I'd like a word in private with Officer Matthews.” The Commissioner nodded towards the door. Virat saluted in silence and left the
room.
The chief settled in his seat and stared at Aditya appraisingly.
“You're very young.” He said at last.
Aditya could think of nothing to say to that.
“And you don't seem to have any regard for the proper protocol.” Commissioner Khurana continued. “Am I to understand this is how you will conduct yourself at this station in the future as well?”
“My orders are to keep a low profile.” Aditya said evenly. “I'll follow orders as far as possible, sir. I have no desire to flout your authority. But I'm sure you understand my mission entails conducting some personal investigations as well from time to time.”
“How many people know why you're really here?”
“Only Mr. Singhania.” Aditya said. “He was worried that people within the police force might have been compromised, and advised me to keep the matter quiet for the time being. As the case becomes clearer, I'll share my findings with the rest of the force.” The police commissioner did not seem pleased with the answer. He continued to study Aditya in silence.
“I will have to trust you know what you're doing, since your case is technically outside my jurisdiction.” Commissioner Khurana leaned back in his chair. “Do you have a place to stay?”
“I'll sort that out soon. Inspector Virat very kindly offered to help me arrange my living quarters. I can start work at the station in a few days.”
“Very well, then.” The Police Commissioner studied the table for a moment before looking up at Aditya. “All I can say for the time being is, welcome to the station, and I hope you are met with success in your mission.”
“Thank you, sir.”
* * *
"This is a pretty nice place." Aditya remarked as he dragged in his suitcase behind him. "Thanks for letting me stay here. It'll be easier to keep my stuff with you till I find a place of my own."
Virat had taken Aditya to his apartment in Hakikat Nagar. It contained two small rooms and a tiny kitchen that doubled as a living room. Through the living room window was a view of the bustling main road near the colony
"No problem." Virat said. "You can use the extra room while you look for an apartment. I'll take you to some places tomorrow where you can rent rooms cheap. Besides, it helps to have a roommate who knows what to do if there's a serial killer looking to strangle you."
Aditya laughed. “I get that all the time.” He took off his shirt and went into the bathroom to rinse his arms and face.
“You must be pretty tired. First day in Delhi and you're welcomed by a giant murderer.” Virat commented.
"Nothing that a little sleep won't take care of." Aditya said as he came out of the bathroom. His broad shoulders and muscular chest and arms were at odds with the childlike face and scholarly air the glasses lent him. All day long Virat had been baffled by his strange new friend, and he could not contain himself any longer.
"So, you mind telling me who you really are?" He asked bluntly as Aditya searched in his bag for a new shirt. "The Police Commissioner said you're a criminal psychologist. But you're clearly more than that. I've never seen anyone fight the way you did, and I was trained by the police. And then you suddenly turn into a ninja and start jumping off of buildings.”
Aditya had put on a striped green T shirt and was gazing thoughtfully at Virat. It was difficult to believe him to be anything other than a young student at the moment. His muscular physique was suddenly not as noticeable. All that Virat was conscious of were the dark, piercing eyes sizing him up, seemingly able to look into his very soul.
Aditya had deliberated over how much to tell Virat, and had finally decided to trust him with the truth. The police force might have been compromised, but Aditya knew he would need allies. Virat had proved today that he was willing to put his life and career on the line to do his duty.
"I was recruited by the research and analysis wing of the indian defence service." Aditya said at last, settling down on a beanbag chair lying near the table.
“You're with RAW?” Virat stared at him in surprise. “What do they want with the Delhi police?”
“Did you hear about the police car that blew up on it's way to the high court last month?” Aditya asked.
“Sure.” Virat nodded. “They were carrying a drug smuggler to court when the van exploded. Faulty gas tank.”
"What if I told you it wasn't an accident?" Aditya's tone had changed. The hint of playfullness was gone as his smile disappeared. Suddenly Virat was conscious of a powerful mind, far more dangerous than all the physical feats of strength he had seen that day.
"There is a man in this city." Aditya said, leaning back in his chair. "A man who makes things happen. Accident occur. People disappear. Money finds it's way into the pockets of criminal defence lawyers. Mob bosses have access to classified information. A chain of command connects the most powerful criminals and the most inexplicable crimes in this city."
"And at the center of it all there is the man. That same man whom we can never find. Whose name we don't know. Or his address. Or his face. The only clue to his presence is his work. The work that is evident throughout the city and beyond. This man is known only by the designation assigned to him. X. He is the one I'm after. We may have wrapped up the incident at Bhandipur, but this is where my real investigation begins."
A silence followed Aditya's pronouncement as he rose from his chair. He strolled over to the window and stood gazing out of it.
"Ours." Virat spoke up. "I'm in this, too. We'll catch him together."
"Then it shouldn't take too long." Aditya said lightly, the smile back on his face as he glanced back at Virat. But his expression turned grave again as he turned to gaze out at the city, and absent mindedly drew an X on the windowpane.
Chapter 2: Only Friend
One early morning a few days after moving in with Virat, he and Aditya sat in the kitchen eating a hastily assembled breakfast of eggs and toast. Today was the day Aditya would make his first visit to the police station in an official capacity.
“So you want me to show you around the station when we get there?” Virat asked, reaching for an apple from the bowl in the centre of the kitchen table and taking a large bite.
“Thanks, but I've got some other plans.” Aditya said, buttering his toast. “I'd requested Commissioner Khurana to arrange a meeting with the officer in charge of the district.”
“That'll be Inspector Shahid Khan.” Virat managed to speak through his mouthful of apple. He swallowed and continued in a normal voice. “He's a decent guy. Doesn't say much, but he knows his job.”
“Right, well, I need to talk to him about some of the past cases. Any information he has about the current major players in the Delhi underworld scene would be helpful.” Aditya swallowed a forkful of scrambled egg before continuing. “I need to get an idea of the layout of the criminal elements of the city to decide where to start looking for X.”
“Let me know if you need my help.” Virat said, and Aditya nodded. Just then there was a knock on the door, and Payal Rastogi entered the kitchen. Payal was a girl who lived in the apartment above theirs. She had gone to school with Virat, and had been one of the first people to welcome Aditya to Delhi.
“I'd hoped you two hadn't left yet.” She said with a smile. She had a round, dimpled face, and her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail. “I wanted to wish Aditya luck on his first day. I hope you get to solve a juicy murder and foil an assaniation attempt on the prime minister.”
“Thanks.” Aditya grinned. “That's how I always hope my day goes. What'll you be up to today?”