Weapon of Vengeance

by Mukul Deva

  There was a knock. He looked up at the monitor scanning the corridor. Mohite was outside. He let him in reluctantly, hoping there was no other problem he had created.

  “I want your permission to have the city hotels checked again tonight, sir. Maybe we can now get hold of the South African mercenaries.”

  “Won’t it take away too much manpower … we need every man we have to secure the games villages, the stadiums, and this hotel?”

  “I think it is worth making the attempt.”

  “Let me check how Ashish feels?”

  “He is okay if you say it is. I already checked with him.”

  “I will appreciate if you go through me in future.” Ravinder did not hide his displeasure.

  Mohite did not reply, merely nodded. “I wouldn’t have done it, but Thakur sahib agreed that we need to keep looking for the terrorists.”

  “You discussed this with him?” Ravinder confronted him. “How many times have I told you to—?”

  “I didn’t, sir. We were just talking and he asked me, so I gave him my opinion.”

  Realizing it was futile, Ravinder ignored him and considered. “Okay, go ahead, but use only personnel on noncritical duties.”

  Ravinder went back to watching the monitors. He could see the delegates moving around on the eighth floor. Several of their PSOs were also mingling on the seventh floor. The guards on the stairwells and elevators were alert and in position. Everything seemed normal.

  But will it last? His instinct was somehow warning him that a storm was about to break.

  Unable to sleep, and despite the pain and grogginess, he went down to check the guards at the lobby and the hotel gates. Everyone was alert and in position. Then he walked down the street to the roadblock five hundred meters away. To his surprise, he met Mohite and one of the control room officers walking back.

  “What are you two doing here?”

  “Checking the guards, sir.” Mohite gave his hard-at-work look.

  “And him? What’s he doing here? I made it clear that no one is to leave his post.”

  “He is just keeping me company sir.” Mohite’s expression was sheepish, but it had a defiant edge.

  “Get back to your post.” Ravinder waved the control room officer away, then waited till he was out of earshot. “You have to stop doing this, Mohite. No one—I repeat, no one—is to leave his post even for a second. I shouldn’t be having to tell you that.”

  They walked back, a sulky silence between them. They were parting at the elevator when Ravinder realized that now only one man was guarding it instead of two.

  “Where is the second man?” he asked the guard.

  Before he could reply, Mohite jumped in. “I have reduced all nonessential posts by one man each and am using them to beef up the hunt for the two terrorists. I spoke to you about it, sir.”

  Ravinder could not believe his ears.

  “Only from the nonessential ones, sir,” Mohite continued, almost smugly.

  “You consider the main access points nonessential?” Ravinder was seized by an urge to hit him. “How long will it take you to call them back?”

  “Call them back, why?”

  “Mohite, which part of my question didn’t you understand?” Ravinder was on the edge now, on the verge of losing it. If he did not rein himself in, Mohite would be missing a few teeth. He forced himself to calm down. “Call them back. Now! I want every damn post in the hotel at full strength. Clear?”

  “Right, sir.” Taken aback, Mohite recoiled. “I will have them back in one hour.” He scooted toward the control room.

  One bloody hour! Pulling himself together, Ravinder called Chance and without giving him the reason asked him to keep an eye on the eighth floor. He himself began to patrol the seventh. Hand never too far from his weapon.

  When the security posts had been restored he retired to his room and, taking another pill, lay down. He finally dozed off, but the unease stayed with him, and he did not sleep much that night.

  DAY TEN

  The morning light of summit day was but a pale streak on the horizon when Ruby exited the Gill gate. She was dressed in her dark maroon jogging suit with NIKE emblazoned across it, her hair tucked inside a matching maroon baseball cap; a bouncy ponytail jutted out as she began to run.

  The events of the last thirty-six hours had faded. Having stayed cooped up since the attack, Ruby was raring to go. No trace of the stunned zombie of yesterday. And her mind was at rest, allowing only operational matters to be dwelled upon.

  Her pace increased slowly as strong, muscled legs began to chew up the distance. Eager for exercise, her lungs sucked in the slightly chilly, early-morning air. Soon she got her second wind and settled into a steady, loping run.

  Her mind was clear. It ticked through the list of actions that she needed to take.

  * * *

  The shrill ring of his mobile startled Ravinder awake.

  “She is doing what? Jogging?”

  “Yes, sir,” the surveillance commander replied. “Just like before. Following the same route.”

  “Stay with her.” Ravinder pushed sleep away. “And keep me informed.” In a way, he was glad Ruby had emerged from her room. Perhaps she was getting over the shock.

  He headed for the bathroom. It took several splashes of cold water before he was fully awake.

  Today is the first day of the summit … the thirteenth.… Damn that fucking number.…

  Throwing off his stupor, he quickly got ready and headed out. There were again a million things to check. To secure. Whatever was coming at them, it had to be stopped.

  * * *

  The surveillance team was crawling along in fits and starts—to ensure Ruby did not stray from their sight, yet not get close enough to be spotted.

  Not once did Ruby turn to look over her shoulder. She had heard the car start and knew she was being followed. Slowly, imperceptibly, she began to pick up her pace, but staying on the road, where it would be easy for them to keep an eye on her. The car speeded up commensurately, as though tied to her with an umbilical cord.

  Barring the occasional vehicle and a handful of other walkers and joggers, the four-laned road, with a green, waist-high, metallic barrier in the middle, was almost empty. Ruby swerved around an elderly couple, chancing a quick glance over her shoulder; sure enough, the cop car was there. She stayed the course for another two hundred meters. Now no break in the metallic divider for maybe a mile on either side. She slowed her pace and began to bide her time. A minute later, the opportunity presented itself.

  She could see that the auto rickshaw coming on the other side was empty. She waited till it was closer and confirmed that. Timing it till the rickshaw was almost abreast, she put on a burst of speed and headed straight for the barrier. By the time she hit it, she was sprinting. Her left hand reached out, landed on the top rail, and leveraged her body across in a neat vault. Ruby landed almost in front of the rickshaw. She grabbed a five-hundred-rupee note from her pocket and thrust it in the startled driver’s hand.

  “Hyatt Regency. Fast. Very fast.”

  The money did wonders for the rickshaw driver’s driving skills. Like Schumacher hitting the home stretch, the vehicle shot away, as fast as its rickety engine would allow. By the time the surveillance car accelerated and made a U-turn at the next traffic island, her auto was no longer in sight.

  The surveillance team took two swift passes on both sides of the Ring Road, even stopped several auto rickshaws, but every time drew a blank.

  Ruby had vanished.

  At the hotel, she jogged in and headed for the sky blue Maruti van left by Mark in the basement parking lot. Three minutes later, she drove out. This was a part of Delhi she had familiarized herself with and knew that to get to Ashoka Hotel, she had to take a U-turn, go down the road till the next traffic signal, and then turn left. At this time of the morning, it would be ten or fifteen minutes at best. In no hurry, handling the manual gearshift a trifle gingerly, she drove at a sedat
e pace, ensuring she drew no attention.

  The 84mm Carl Gustav rocket launcher and ammunition box kept under a tarp in the luggage section made dull, thudding sounds as the van crossed the rough patch just short of the Chanakya Complex.

  Ashoka Hotel now lay dead ahead.

  * * *

  “What do you mean, you lost her? How the hell can you lose a person jogging on the road at this time of the morning?” Ravinder struggled to regain his composure. “Do everything you can to find her and call me back.” Then he dialed Chance’s room. “Ruby is on the loose. They lost her.” He could sense the man’s muttered curses more than hear them.

  “I’ll ensure the top floor is secure with Ido.” Chance was now fully alert. “I‘ll tell Jennifer to man the seventh.”

  “Good idea,” Ravinder replied. “I’ll join her in a minute. No, let me go down and ensure the lobby and gates are secure.” He stopped at the control room to order a Code Red alert. “No, just a drill,” he replied when the duty officer asked him why. “I want to check things before the PM gets here. Move it!”

  Not that there was any real need. The security detail was still fresh.

  Satisfied that nothing could get past the gatekeepers, Ravinder raced down. He had an urge to call Ruby and ask where she was. Not unusual for a father to do.

  At this hour of the morning? Why not?

  Then deciding to give it a little more time, he headed for the security posts at the gates. Both were alert.

  Everything seemed normal. So far.

  The next hour passed slowly. Code Red was on. Guns were at the ready. Fingers close to triggers.

  * * *

  From across the road, driving slowly in front of the hotel, Ruby caught a glimpse of Ravinder as he paced between the two gates. The security men at both gates were buzzing around, weapons at the ready. They had adopted an all-round defense, ensuring anything coming in could be covered and, if required, cut down immediately. A couple of handlers with sniffer dogs prowled in front of the porch.

  So they are all alert. She had expected no less.

  She watched Ravinder with mixed feelings till her van had moved past. Before any more ambivalence could set in, she pushed away all thought and focused.

  Rehana has to be avenged. And Uncle Yusuf … and those thousands of others. I will not let these bastards sell us down the road.

  Her hardness returned, bringing with it the clarity she needed.

  How long will these buggers stay alert?

  She was veteran enough to know that nothing could be guarded in totality.

  Especially not if the attacker no longer cares for her own life.

  The last thought caught her by surprise. She let it turn in her head as the van headed back the way it had come, with Nehru Park on her right. By the time she had taken a U-turn and brought it to a halt in the parking lot near the park gates, that thought had crystallized. She was not afraid to die. If that were the price to be paid for the conference to be ruined, she would pay it.

  I will make Rehana proud.

  After locking the van, she made her way back on foot toward the hotel, stopping when the main gate came into view. Confirming that none of the security cameras on the hotel’s walls were pointed at her, she settled down against a tree. To wait. And to watch.

  Now that her mind was not acting up, she could have sat there the whole day.

  Soon she saw things at the hotel gates begin to settle down and return to normal. Body postures became less aggressive. Rifles were slung back on shoulders. Even the dogs stopped patrolling.

  Code Reds cannot last forever.

  Ruby knew that. She had planned on it.

  * * *

  Ravinder was pacing between the gates when Mohite came out, looking sharp in a new, perfectly fitted and ironed uniform.

  “You called a Code Red, sir? What is the problem?”

  “That was almost thirty minutes ago, Govind.”

  “I know, sir. The control room officer called me, but he said it was only a drill.” There was no hint of contriteness on his face. “I was getting ready to receive the minister, sir.”

  “Just a drill, Govind?” Ravinder gave a soft sigh. Does he need to be reminded that a drill means everyone responds? Especially at his level? Oh, fuck it! “Yeah. Just a drill,” Ravinder repeated.

  “Oh!” Mohite gave a pout, then a shrug. “Would you like me to call it off now?”

  “No. The PM is due in shortly.” He checked his watch; it was almost eight.

  “That is a good idea, actually. Thakur sahib is about to arrive.… I just spoke to his aide. It is good if he sees everything at high alert.”

  Ravinder was about to unleash a scathing retort, when Thakur’s mini-cavalcade drove up, a security vehicle in front and two behind Thakur’s cream Toyota Camry. Ravinder could not see anyone but the driver in the last vehicle, but this did not surprise him. He had learned early on that the Home Minister was superstitious; he did not consider the number three auspicious, hence the fourth car.

  People and their eccentricities. Ravinder’s smile faded as he remembered his own phobia for thirteen. He went forward to meet the minister.

  Mohite was already four steps ahead.

  Ravinder’s smile had faded well before the minister entered the elevator to the eighth floor. Ruby’s absence worried him. He bit back on his disinclination and dialed her mobile. It rang and rang but no one picked up. He tried again a minute later. The result was the same. Wherever she was, Ruby was not answering.

  * * *

  Sitting in the park, camouflaged by the tree she was backed up against, Ruby watched the Home Minister’s convoy zoom down and enter the hotel. It was just a few minutes past eight.

  A bit later, she felt the phone vibrate in her pocket. She gave a quick glance at the calling number and returned it to her pocket. The next time it rang, she ignored it.

  Maintaining watch, she was observing the patterns of movement at and between the gate security posts, and the roadblocks on either side.

  Sirens rent the air again. A longer cavalcade swept in, led by two motorcycle outriders. A dozen-odd cars swept past the gates and came to a sharp stop in the porch. Security men leaped out. Hard, alert eyes raked the area. When it became certain there was no threat, one of them opened the rear door of the Mercedes 500 SEL in the center of the convoy, and the Indian PM emerged, a bespectacled, slightly built, white-clad Sikh with a light blue turban. Ruby caught a brief glimpse of him before a ring of Kevlar-clad bodies closed in around him. They vanished into the hotel.

  Both the gate security posts, now reinforced by the PM’s men, looked alert and keyed up, their stance aggressive and weapons ready. Any move toward them now would be met with a firm, fiery response.

  But she was in no hurry. Rocking back on her heels, she settled down to wait. Her yoga-hard body ensuring she was at rest. Her eyes stayed riveted on her target.

  An hour later, the PM emerged, once again surrounded by armed men. He vanished inside his Mercedes, and the cavalcade disappeared. Within minutes, she noted a change in the security men at the gates. They did not all sit down, but a softening was apparent. Here and there, a cup of tea emerged. Even the occasional cigarette.

  Ruby smiled; it was the same the world over.

  An hour later, she took out her mobile phone and—using a spare, till-now-unused SIM card—called the police control room. Her whispered bomb threat provoked an instant response. The change in stance of the security details was instananeous. A beehive of activity erupted. Teams of security men armed with metal detectors and sniffer dogs began to sweep the hotel.

  Ruby knew it would be a while before the alert was called off. They would have to scan and clear the hotel. She was doing what she could to tire them out. To make the red alerts common. So they’d get used to them. That was when lapses would occur.

  Satisfied, she returned to the van, dropped it off in the Hyatt’s parking lot, walked across to the crowded passport office, and caught a ca
b back to the house.

  * * *

  “She is back? When?” Ravinder heard the man out. “How did she get back? Did you speak to the cabdriver, then? Where did he pick her up? I see.” With the bomb threat having proved to be a hoax, the delegates safely tucked into the conference room, and the summit now under way, Ravinder had been returning to the control room when the surveillance leader called. Having given up trying to find her, the team had fallen back to the house to wait for her to resurface.

  He mulled this for a minute and decided it was time to change tactics. He again dialed Ruby’s mobile. Where in hell has she gone and what has she been up to?

  * * *

  A grim smile crossed Ruby’s face as her mobile rang; she had been expecting the call.

  “Where did you go, Ruby? I have been so worried. I have been trying to call you for some hours now.”

  “I went out for a run, Father. Sorry, I had left my phone behind. I just got back.”

  “Why did you ditch the security car? We were so worried about you.”

  “I didn’t realize there was one with me.”

  “Come on, Ruby.… After the night’s fiasco … do I need to spell it out? No more risk … we never know who else is out there.”

  “I am sorry, Father. It will not happen again.”

  “But where did you run off like that?”

  “Well, I got tired of jogging and did not want to return … too much on my mind, I guess … Then I remembered Jasmine telling me that the Red Fort is worth a visit early in the morning, so I caught an auto rickshaw and went off to see it.”

  “But—” Ravinder broke off, realizing he could not let her know that the driver of her cab had told them that she had hailed him from near the passport office in Bhikaji Cama Place—nowhere near the Red Fort. “Anyway, I am glad you’re safe. From now on, whenever you wish to go anywhere, just tell the team and travel with them, in their car. That will make it easy for everyone.”