by Deva,Mukul
The RIP had already displayed its prowess with sniper rifles.
Krishna was carrying a bag big enough to hold one.
Sniper rifles need a firing position with clear fields of fire.
What better than the roof?
For both the math was clear.
*
‘Crossing the toll barrier.’ Karan’s voice came through as Krishna exited the elevator at the top floor. ‘I’m peeling off now and heading for Hunter Two.’
‘Go ahead,’ Krishna responded as he came out of the elevator.
There were several people hanging around in the elevator lobby, waiting to go down, but they were busy trying to get into the recently arrived elevator and no one noticed Krishna as he crossed the lobby and quickly slipped through the fire exit leading up to the roof. ‘Kevin, stay with Mark till he turns for the office, and then split. Call me if there is any change.’
‘Will do boss.’ Kevin.
Krishna was already unzipping the bag as he strode up to the previously reconnoitered firing position at the end of the roof. Hunkering down behind the satellite dish mounted to the side of the roof, Krishna rapidly assembled the rifle. Honed by years of practice his fingers moved with instinctive precision.
Snick!
Click!
The pieces slid into place smoothly and the weapon reappeared.
Karan was by far the best shot in K-Team, but for this takedown Krishna would allow no one else to take the risk. As their leader he felt it only right he do so.
By now the sirens of the approaching cavalcade were louder. Krishna did not need to look down at the road to know it would be coming around the bend any time now.
His hands finished assembling the rifle.
*
The SPG duty officer at 10 Janpath had completed yet another round of the periphery and entered the main guardroom when he caught the NDTV broadcast. The choice of words used in the threat struck him immediately.
Her pain will be personal.
Deciding he would personally stick by Madam and ensure she was safe he ran towards the house. He was halfway across when he remembered Ranvijay.
Pulling out the radio clipped to his belt he checked on him.
‘What? When did he leave? Oh shit!’ Unable to come to terms with the slip up, he pulled out his mobile to alert Ranvijay’s security detail, knowing they be out of range of the radio set in his hand. Hell! The mobile was out of charge. Not surprising since he had been on it constantly since Vinod’s call.
Cursing his luck he ran for the house. Racing. As fast as he could go. He needed a phone. Desperately.
*
Two elevators arrived almost simultaneously and both Raghav and Vinod dived in, both willing them to fill up fast and start moving.
From the opposite end of the elevator bank, Vinod saw the one with Raghav in it fill up and began to rise. Seconds later his also filled up and started ascending.
Raghav was almost screaming with frustration as his elevator stopped at floor after floor. He sensed that Krishna would be headed for the top floor.
That’s what I’d do if I were the shooter.
And that is where he wanted to be. Yesterday. Raghav’s nerves were tingling in anticipation.
*
Raghav was still one floor short when Vinod’s elevator, which surprisingly had bypassed a couple of floors, hit the top floor.
Exiting fast Vinod immediately looked for Raghav. Barring a couple of guys waiting to go down, nothing. Then he spotted a fire exit to the left of the lobby. He knew it would lead to the roof. That’s where his instincts were beckoning him.
The roof. That’s where the RIP sniper had been when they’d taken out the judge.
Vinod ran for the fire exit, drawing his weapon as he went. By the time he went through the door the Beretta was in his hand and the safety was off.
*
Coming out of the elevator a moment later Raghav did not see Vinod go through the fire exit. Instead the second fire exit door, on the other side, closer to him, caught his eye. Turning right he ran for it, the now much louder, ululating scream of security sirens goading him on. He did not know who it was in that convoy, but he did know it was someone important.
Someone who is going to die very soon.
A cold smile lit his eyes.
Unless . . .
The Browning was in Raghav’s hand by the time he stepped out on the roof. He ached to see Krishna in front of it.
*
Swiftly, but unhurriedly Krishna mounted the sniper scope and then sliding back the bolt inserted a round into the breech. Fully aware of the speed with which the SPG would respond Krishna knew he would not be able to fire more than once. But he was confident he would not need a second shot.
As Ranvijay’s convoy slid to a halt in front of the local party office Krishna raised the rifle to his shoulder and settled down into firing position, ensuring the barrel was not protruding out and he was not visible, not even to someone on the adjacent roofs.
The second car in the convoy leaped vividly into view through the sniper scope. Krishna could even see the tiny scratches in the paintwork.
His breathing began to even out as he waited for the Mark to emerge.
Just a few seconds more. And it would all be over.
The rifle fused with his body; man and machine becoming one.
*
The SPG duty officer at 10 Janpath raced up to the phone in the porch. Though in prime physical fitness his chest was heaving, more from the tension and anxiety than the exertion. He punched out the numbers. Frantically urging the phone to ring.
*
Vinod reached the roof of Hunter One a shade ahead of Raghav, but, having taken the fire exit on the left, at the opposite end.
Now completely focused on the target Krishna did not hear either of them hit the roof. That was supposed to be Kulwant’s job; the lookout man to watch the shooter’s back.
Not once on the way up had Krishna looked out for Kulwant, simply assuming he would be there to back him up. Only now did he realize he had still not seen him and wondered what had happened.
Doesn’t matter now.
Shutting out all thought Krishna began to concentrate on the target.
Everything else faded away. Even the cold of the metallic barrel nestled in his hands. The chill within overrode it.
Down below, the four SPG men comprising the inner cordon were out of their cars. They surveyed the area around and discerned no visible threat. One of them, the security detail commander, reached out to open the door for Ranvijay.
*
Coming up to the centre of the roof, Vinod spotted Krishna kneeling against the wall in the lee of the satellite dish mounted near the side of the building.
Got you, dipshit!
Vinod was unable to mask his triumph. It had been an almost impossible task, but he had cracked it. In his excitement he completely forgot about Raghav.
Levelling his Beretta, Vinod began to approach Krishna, wanting to be in comfortable range before accosting him.
*
The SPG security detail commander’s hand landed on the car door and seized the handle. He paused for one final look around and then opening the door, gestured all clear to his impatient protectee.
Ranvijay, the son of India’s ruling party president and heir apparent, being groomed to man the PM’s chair one day soon, put his foot out and began to alight.
The security detail commander’s mobile began to ring. He decided to let Ranvijay alight before answering it.
*
Krishna took up the slack on the trigger as he waited for Ranvijay’s head to emerge from the car.
That would be the moment to strike, just as he alighted, before the four men closed the cordon around him and made even an aerial shot difficult, since all four SPG men were a clear foot taller than Ranvijay. By design, not coincidence.
*
Raghav spotted Vinod moving across the roof. He saw his attention wa
s rivetted on something in the corner.
Raghav of course did not recognize him, or realize that he was confronting a CBI officer. Or that both were Karunakaran’s puppets. He assumed Vinod was Krishna’s backup. Moving swiftly but silently he raced towards Vinod, his Browning out and ready to engage.
Raghav had taken a dozen steps towards Vinod when he too spotted Krishna with the sniper rifle near the satellite dish. His attention now divided, but his instincts were working overtime. He noted that Krishna had his back towards him and was toting a rifle; an unwieldy weapon, not much good for close quarter use. Whereas Vinod had a pistol. And it was already drawn.
Wanting to neutralize the more immediate threat first, and now in comfortable pistol range, he aimed at Vinod and began to pull the trigger.
*
Either Raghav had made a sound or Vinod noticed the blur of movement. He swivelled sharply and the two men confronted each other. Vinod of course knew who Raghav was, but like him was unaware they were serving the same master.
Vinod also took immediate note of the pistol in Raghav’s hand; it was pointed straight at him. Cursing himself for not being more careful Vinod rapidly re-aligned his weapon and fired.
*
Ranvijay hunched slightly to prevent his head hitting the car roof as he came out. Then he began to straighten. For that one tiny sliver of a second he was a clear target. Just for a fleeting fraction, but that was enough.
Krishna completed the trigger squeeze as Ranvijay’s head hove into the crosshairs. The high velocity bullet hammered out. Knifed through the air. Arrived at the target as Ranvijay finished straightening up. Krishna saw Ranvijay’s head explode like a party balloon, spraying the area around with gory graffiti.
Ranvijay was propelled forward by the impact; almost running forward, a few stumbling steps, like a headless chicken, before he fell flat on his face in the dirt and the dust.
*
All three shots rang out almost simultaneously. From a distance it sounded like one long, sharp crack. Almost like a firecracker.
Kulwant, still stuck in the parking lot arguing with the errant driver and the cops, heard it. Even though he had been expecting it, his body tensed. He noted that more than one shot had been fired, and sensed the colonel was in trouble. His heart slumped; it had been his task to watch Krishna’s back. The urge to shoot his way out and run to Krishna’s aid almost overwhelmed him. He checked it, knowing it would only make things worse.
The others had not been expecting any such thing. They looked around perplexed. Unsure.
Was that a gunshot? Or a car backfiring?
The SPG men had no such doubts. They spun into action instantly. Weapons erupted into their hands and they fanned out, scrutinizing the rooftops around. The security detail commander, closest to Ranvijay, dropped on him and dragged him back into the lee of the vehicle.
But he had seen enough dead men and knew it was too late.
Shit! Will I still get my pension?
He had no doubts that they would all be put out to pasture before the sun went down. Reaching for his mobile he called it in. Dreading the call yet aware it had to be made.
*
Shocked by the sudden volley of shots behind him Krishna spun around to face the new threat.
He saw Vinod Bedi first. Bhagat may not have been a better man, but he was an excellent shot.
A startled expression was frozen on Vinod’s face. But that was it. Other than the blood slowly dribbling out from a tiny, black hole between his eyes. He slowly slumped to the ground. Like a deflating balloon.
Krishna did not need a doctor to tell him the man was dead.
Then he saw Raghav. The pistol in Raghav’s hand was pointing straight at Krishna. The hate in his eyes was palpable.
Krishna knew it was too late to even think of reloading the rifle. Raghav could blow him away a dozen times before he even got the breech open. His body tensed, getting ready for the bullet he knew would be coming his way. Make it quick, he wanted to say. Instead he asked. ‘What are you doing here, Raghav? Who sent you?’
Raghav gave an unpleasant, knowing smile. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ Suddenly he coughed. Droplets of blood sprayed out. Raghav looked down at them with surprise. The pistol in his hand suddenly wavered. Fell. Hitting the floor with a sharp thud. And then, with a long sigh, like air escaping from a punctured football, Raghav crumpled to the floor.
That is when Krishna noticed blood oozing out from the hole in his chest. The blood began to spread now, a bright, rapidly growing stain on Raghav’s sky blue shirt.
Vinod’s bullet had clipped his heart. It had not killed Raghav instantly. But it would. Very soon. That was certain from the blood copiously gushing out from the relatively tiny hole.
Raghav looked shell-shocked. He touched the bullet hole with tentative fingers. Looking in disbelief at the sticky blood that stained his fingers. Then pain hit him, as the numbing effect of the high velocity impact faded. A look of resignation swept over him. Raghav did not like to lose, but this time he knew he had. And no more retries.
‘Who?’ Krishna pushed again, seeing time was short.
‘Karunakaran. The home minister.’ Raghav’s tone communicated he was beyond caring. Or spite. Perhaps death’s embrace tightening around him had shifted his perspective. ‘Sharad Kamble and Lalit Yadav.’
‘But why?’ Krishna was genuinely perplexed.
‘They didn’t want you taken alive.’ Surprisingly Raghav grinned. A weak, fleeting shaky grin, however a grin nonetheless. ‘But you’re a hard fucker to kill.’ With an equally shaky hand Raghav reached into his pocket and pulling out his mobile pushed it towards Krishna.
Not sure why, but Krishna bent down and picked it up.
‘You remember you’d asked me about Virgin?’ By now Raghav’s voice was a rattling, pain-laden whisper.
Krishna could see Raghav was having trouble breathing. He simply nodded.
‘When he came to us from 19th to take over command he’d often tell us the 19th was better that the 11th.’ Raghav’s whisper was weaker now. Barely audible. But he smiled. His trademark smile. ‘Perhaps the cunt was right.’
And finally, just as he had always dared it to, Lady Life wiped the Raghav-Bhagat smile off his face.
*
Krishna’s heart was devoid of emotions as he rapidly took stock of the situation.
The whoop of approaching sirens was growing louder. There were many of them, coming from all sides. They jolted Krishna into action. He knew he had to get clear fast. But the opportunity presented by the death of Raghav and the unknown man . . . a cop by the looks of it . . . was too good to ignore.
Krishna sensed he could use their deaths to close the loop on the RIP, especially now that he knew who had sent Raghav after them. Suddenly he sensed the reason why Raghav had given him his mobile. A quick look at the address book confirmed his suspicion—the mobile numbers of Karunakaran, Kamble and Yadav were stored in it.
Krishna now knew what he would do the moment he got clear. A call from their hit man’s phone to either of the three would do the trick and get them off their backs. Especially now that it was obvious what the RIP was capable of. Krishna did not think these three would mess with the RIP any longer.
And that was vital for him. Closing the loop on RIP was important, else the manhunt would continue and no one could tell when the cops could get lucky . . . or whoever else those bastard politicians sent out . . . K-Team would be looking over their shoulders for years . . . if not forever.
Krishna was aware that he had very little time before the cops started swarming up to the roof. The SPG men were no fools; by now they would have worked out where the shot had come from.
Running to Vinod’s body he pulled out his wallet. The CBI identity card in it confirmed Krishna’s guess.
So this one was a cop.
Krishna heard vehicles come to a screeching halt down below. Sirens stopped ululating. The sudden silence eerie. Galvanized he re
placed the wallet in the dead cop’s pocket. Then quickly hoisting Raghav’s body by the armpits he carried him to the firing position he had used and placed the sniper rifle in his hands, ensuring Raghav’s prints were in the right places. Forensics would establish this was the weapon RIP had used on the judge also. He placed Raghav’s Browning next to him; it already had his prints.
Rapidly re-checking that the stage had been set, as much as was possible, Krishna ran for the fire exit.
The gloves he had used came off as he descended the stairs. Krishna was aware that they would have gunpowder residue on them and he had to get rid off them at the earliest opportunity.
But not here.
Forensics was too good these days. Just one tiny hair and the DNA match would be enough. Krishna knew if the cops found the gloves they would reach him, sooner than later.
Thrusting them into his pocket he cracked open the fire exit door, peered out, spotted the right moment when no one was looking his way, and slipped into the elevator lobby. Soon he had joined a crowd of people waiting to go down.
In the air-conditioned confines of the office complex no one had heard the gunshots, so it was all business as usual. So far.
Krishna knew it would not last.
Three minutes later, he exited the office complex and walked up to Kulwant. Distracted by the shots and cops now milling around, the crowd around Kulwant and his accident mate had finally dissipated. Kulwant’s relief at seeing him was palpable. He accompanied Krishna to the van.
Krishna and Kulwant were getting into the van when the first team of cops raced into Hunter One.
Krishna dialled as Kulwant drove away. ‘Back to base,’ he said when K-Team answered his call. He clicked off the mobile as soon as everyone had acknowledged. Then he relaxed.
Somehow Krishna knew their mission was complete.
The only ones who would know the RIP had still not been eliminated would be the ones who had sent Raghav Bhagat after them.
And they, Krishna smiled grimly, would certainly not be talking about it. Pulling out Raghav’s phone he dialled Karunakaran’s number to ensure that.
The call was brief. Barring Karunakaran’s opening sentence it was only Krishna who spoke. When he cut the call there was grim satisfaction on his face.