by Mainak Dhar
'Terrible business this. First the quake and then I heard about the Asuras you tracked. By the way, don't worry about Kartik, he'll be fine.'
'What's with him?'
Narada smiled.
'He's a fine pilot but a poor loser. We all were watching on our displays how you flew circles around him today. I guess this is what happens when the teacher realizes for the first time that the student has caught up.'
Aaditya found Ganesha as usual propped up in front of his screens, eating something. Lakshmi was sitting next to him, staring at some data. She nudged Ganesha and spoke in hushed tones, 'He never loses a chance to make a buck, does he?'
When they saw Aaditya enter, she explained, 'I keep tracking which shell companies Kalki may be using to fund his activities and also pay his human cronies. Guess what? Just before this quake, one of his firms had invested heavily in shares of firms that supply water purifiers, emergency rescue equipment and also some housing firms in Japan that have traditionally got reconstruction contracts. As you can imagine, their stocks will climb sky high now, and he'll make a killing.'
Aaditya sat down, fascinated at the various levels at which this battle was waged, but he had other, more immediate concerns on his mind.
'Ganesha, everyone here seems to think Kalki has something to do with this quake, and Kartik said that some godforsaken place called Hong Island would give me clues. What's that about?'
Ganesha laughed, struggling to keep himself from spitting out the food that was in his mouth.
'Kartik will always be up to his tricks. I tell you, that brother of mine can never give a straight answer when he can have some fun making you work to get it. I need you to Google something.'
Aaditya inserted one of the control plugs in his ear and brought up a holographic display in front of him with a web browser open.
'Now Google "Hong Island UFO" and tell me what you see.'
Aaditya did as he was told and read through the first couple of search results. Then he turned to Ganesha, half smiling. 'Is this a joke? I got some trashy tabloid articles about how a UFO washed up on Hong Island after the 2004 Tsunami. But it's garbage. The articles claim there were two dead aliens inside.'
Ganesha raised an eyebrow in mock anger. 'And what's garbage about so-called aliens? After all, your alien could be my cousin.'
'Ganesha, come on, you must have seen this crap. Along with those alien bodies, they supposedly found a naked American woman whom they had been performing sexual experiments on, a McDonald's Happy Meal and some porn. Who would believe this stuff?'
'Nobody would. That was the whole idea, and these tabloids printed exactly what we fed them.'
'What?'
Ganesha turned towards Aaditya, offering him a sweet.
'You see, that evening, a craft did wash up on the beach at Hong Island. A few local fishermen saw it, and called some clueless local cops. But before any other authorities could get there, we had taken a look at it and destroyed it. But since word had gotten out, Narada and Tanya did their usual masterly PR and fed the tabloids such junk that nobody would believe it.'
'What craft was it?'
'The usual Asura vimana, with a dead Asura inside. It must have been caught up in the tsunami somehow. But the point is what the hell was it doing so close to the water in the first place?'
Aaditya thought back to the Asura vimanas he had encountered earlier in the day and wondered the same thing as Ganesha continued, 'The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake measured 9.3 on the Richter scale, and you well know the catastrophic damage the resulting tsunami caused. In early 2010, there were two more major quakes-near Chile and Haiti, the latter resulting in almost as many deaths as in 2004. In 2011, we had the 8.9 quake off Japan, and now you have yesterday's Japan tsunami. The Japanese are well prepared and have much better infrastructure, but still several thousand souls have perished. What's common to all these events?'
Aaditya thought about it and answered that the obvious linkage was that they were all underwater quakes resulting in tsunamis. Ganesha nodded. 'That's not all. Every one of these events was accompanied by a huge spike in UFO sightings, and as we know from Hong Island and your mission today, the Asuras were indeed up and about in the same place and same time as these events.'
It suddenly struck Aaditya.
'Do you think Kalki is behind these quakes?'
'Of that we have no doubt now. The big question is what the hell his plan is.'
***
Aaditya was soon to realize what many men before him have-that hell indeed has no fury like a woman scorned. He had left in the morning when Tanya had been asleep and by the time he got back, it was already close to midnight and she was again asleep in her room. Normally, they went in and out of each other's rooms freely, but when he knocked there was no answer, and when he commanded the door to open, it stayed shut. When he woke up in the morning and sought Tanya out, he found her in a sullen mood. She would answer him with no more than monosyllabic responses and would not even look at him.
'Tanya, what's wrong?'
'Nothing.'
Aaditya sat down next to her on her bed and reached out to touch her arm, but she pulled it away.
'Sweetheart, are you mad about something?'
She turned briefly to look at him, and though she didn't say anything, her eyes told him just how angry she was.
'Hey, if I've done or said something, I really am sorry. Look, I screw up all the time, but the last thing I'd do is to hurt you on purpose. At least tell me what's wrong.'
'I have work to do as well. See you later.'
With those words, she disappeared, leaving Aaditya feeling really puzzled. He never got much of a chance to think about it during the day. All morning was spent sitting with the senior Devas who were poring over both the aftermath of the quakes and also the action in the Middle East. Thanks to Aaditya and Kartik, a major war in the Middle East had been averted, but what was bothering most of the Devas was why Kalki had suddenly stepped up his operations to such an extent.
Seeing Kartik nowhere around, Aaditya asked Indra who was sitting next to him where he was.
'He's flying over Japan again, trying to see if he can get a glimpse of the Asuras.'
Aaditya wondered why he had not taken him along.
'Why don't we just attack Kalki's home base, or don't we know where that is?'
Vishnu brought up a holographic map, and highlighted an area in the North Atlantic Ocean.
'Aadi, it's time for a history refresher. In March 1918, the US Navy suffered its worst peacetime loss ever when the submarine USS Cyclops sank under unknown circumstances with 302 sailors on board. There were no survivors, and to this date, nobody knows what happened.'
A red dot appeared in the highlighted area.
'December 1945, Flight 19, a group of five US bombers disappeared in the same area. Again, no wreckage found, no survivors and no explanation for what happened. Over the years, dozens of ships and planes have gone missing in this area.'
As Vishnu spoke, more and more red dots appeared. Vishnu motioned with his hand and a rough triangle was drawn on the map, enclosing all the red dots.
'This is where Kalki lives. Under the water, in his base.'
'Why don't you go get him?'
'We tried once. We lost fifty Ganas and twenty of our remotely controlled vimanas. He's got some force field up that we just cannot penetrate. And as you've seen, he protects his turf quite aggressively. Any ship or plane approaching it goes missing.'
'If all those planes and ships have disappeared, surely someone's noticed by now.'
Shiva spoke up. 'Of course they've noticed. Everyone knows about it.'
When Aaditya asked him what he meant, Shiva smiled. 'I'm sure you have heard of this area. This is what people call the Bermuda Triangle.'
That evening Aaditya was in the club, feeling a bit low. First, Kartik seemed to be making a conscious effort to ignore him, and then Tanya had not even met him once since she had left in the
morning. He had tried calling her a dozen times on her headset, but she never responded. With nobody else there, he walked over to the bar. He had been here a dozen times, but never paid any attention to the bartender. He had learnt that the bartender was a Gana, one of Shiva's trusted warriors, and this one Shiva had personally trained in the art of mixing drinks. He never seemed to talk much, but grunted sympathetically when Aaditya sat down with a downcast expression. To the Gana's surprise, Aaditya asked for a glass for Soma. He had come to learn that Soma, while not alcoholic, was quite potent.
One evening Shiva had leant conspiratorially towards him and whispered into his ears, 'Our vimanas and technology are nothing. Our most prized secret is the recipe for Soma.'
Later, Narada had told him the more prosaic truth. Soma was indeed a drink with a kick to be reckoned with-a mixture of the Ephedra plant, which was now extinct but had been cloned by the Devas, milk and generous quantity of poppy seeds. The last ingredient made it a drink that could impart a very serious high.
That was when he saw Kartik walk in. Kartik just nodded to him and sat down some distance away, ordering a drink for himself. Perhaps because he was already a bit buzzed from the Soma, and perhaps because his mood was already pretty rotten, Aaditya walked over to Kartik.
'You having a bad day?'
Kartik just looked up and smiled.
'You seem to be avoiding me like the plague. What's up?'
Kartik seemed about to retort angrily, but then his features softened. 'Aadi, sit down and have a drink with me.'
He offered Aaditya another glass and poured himself one.
'I'm not avoiding you. Things have just been so crazy over the last few days that I haven't had time for anything. By the way, I gather Tanya's pissed with you because you forgot her birthday.'
Aaditya sat down next to Kartik, now realizing just why Tanya had been so angry with him. With all the action of the last few days, he had totally forgotten about her birthday.
'What the hell can I do to make it up to her?'
'You'll need to do something truly spectacular to recover from the hole you've dug for yourself, my friend.'
'Any bright ideas?'
Kartik beamed as he answered. 'I do actually. Take her for a spin.'
At first, Aaditya wasn't sure what Kartik had in mind, so he spelt it out. 'Take her for a flight on your vimana. She's never been in one.'
'Can I do that?'
Kartik slapped him playfully on the shoulder. 'You're a full-fledged pilot here now. You have two Asura kills to show for it. Of course you can.'
It was as if a light bulb had just gone on in Aaditya's head. Why had he not thought of it before? 'Thank you, my friend. You're a lifesaver.' Then he ran to get Tanya.
***
'What the hell are you doing?'
Tanya almost screamed in surprise as Aaditya woke her up and bundled her out of bed.
'Trust me for a minute and just play along.' He put a blindfold around her eyes.
'Aadi, what are you doing? Come on, tell me!'
Aaditya laughed as he walked her out the room and towards the hangar. Finally, with a dramatic drum-roll he took off the blindfold, and Tanya gasped as she realized what Aaditya had in mind.
'Happy birthday, sweetheart.'
He kissed her and then helped her into the cockpit.
'Should we really be doing this?'
'Aadi Air Flight 1 is ready for take off. Please make yourselves comfortable and we will serve refreshments soon after take off.'
The hangar doors opened as Aaditya commanded it and the vimana slid out and started a gradual climb. When it settled in level flight at about ten thousand feet, he dug into the area behind his seat and pulled out a cake.
'Black Forest. Your favourite.'
When they had eaten, he took the vimana into a gentle climb, going into the upper stratosphere. They could see the stars gleaming bright with no cloud cover to obscure them, and the full moon above them.
'All for you, my love.'
All of Tanya's worries about whether they should be out in the vimana dissipated as she saw the stars ahead of her. They flew for a few minutes and then started to return to base. Tanya's eyes were moist, and she reached out to touch his arm.
'Thank you, this is the best birthday I've ever had. Not just because of the ride, but because I spent it with you.'
They kissed once more and then Aaditya guided the vimana back into the hangar. It was already close to four in the morning, and they went back to their room and slept.
The next morning, Aaditya was called to meet Brahma. When he walked into the meeting room, he was surprised to see all the Devas assembled there. Kartik was there, but unlike the previous night, he was not smiling at all.
Narada pulled him aside.
'Aadi, what were you thinking?'
'What?'
Brahma stepped forward. All the other Devas looked downcast, as if they wished this were not happening. For the first time, Aaditya saw anger blaze in Brahma's normally grandfatherly eyes.
'Aadi, do you have any idea of what you have done?'
Aaditya was now totally clueless and began wondering if this was some elaborate practical joke. Seeing his reaction, Brahma only got angrier.
'We all love Tanya, and understand your feelings for her, but do you realize the danger in which you placed all of us with your irresponsible action last night?'
It finally dawned on Aaditya what this may be about.
'Look, I just wanted to do something special for her birthday. I didn't realize taking her in my vimana would be a big deal.'
Brahma took a deep breath, as if trying to control his temper.
'Flying alone is a big enough risk. We know you are learning fast, but what if multiple Asuras had ambushed you? And what would have happened to Tanya?'
'But I thought…'
'The problem is that you did not think. If you had told me, or one of us, we could have sent an escort and you could have still taken her out, but going out like that without telling anyone betrays the trust we have placed in you.'
Aaditya searched for Kartik, and began to say that he had spoken to Kartik when he saw the slight sneer form on the young Deva's mouth. He had been set up.
He stood up straight, looking Brahma in the eye.
'I realize what has happened, and I am sorry if you feel let down. But I am also not a child, and will take whatever punishment you choose to give me.'
Brahma said the next words as if he were unloading a great burden. 'You are not to fly till further notice.'
It took a while for the words to sink in, and then Aaditya realized just how devastating a punishment he had been doled out. He started to protest, but seeing Brahma's unforgiving eyes and Kartik's smirk, he stopped himself. He had been wronged, but he would not debase himself by begging.
By the time he got to his room, word had reached Tanya and she just hugged him tight, not saying anything, knowing both how hard Aaditya would have taken it, and also realizing that she had something to do with it.
Aaditya sat down, not saying anything, just looking blankly at the floor. After a few minutes, Tanya tried to get him to open up.
'Aadi, it wasn't your fault. I'm sure they will let you fly in a day or two when everyone has cooled down.'
Aaditya turned on her angrily. 'Of course, your precious Devas can do no wrong! I just have to sit and wait for their mercy.'
When Tanya recoiled back, Aaditya instantly regretted his words and reached out to hold her hand. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. But do you know what really happened?' And he told her everything. When Tanya heard about Kartik's scheming, she was shocked. 'You should have told Brahma.'
'Come on, why would he believe me over Kartik? Who am I after all to them?'
'Maybe I should talk to them.'
'No, please Tanya, don't. I don't want you to get into any more trouble. It was my fault to start with, and even if I can't fly, I have you, and I hope I made your birthday special.
That counts for more than flying a stupid vimana.'
Tanya smiled, and the two of them sat together, wondering what the new day would bring.
Aaditya had already resolved not to make things any worse, especially after Narada came calling and told him that Brahma was a softy at heart and would very soon realize he had been too harsh. He had also decided not to seek out any confrontation with Kartik. He realized till he was in trouble, bringing any more attention to himself would not help his cause.
For the first time in weeks, perhaps months, without the constant thrill of flying, Aaditya got a chance to reflect on what exactly he was doing. He loved flying, and he loved Tanya, but beyond that, he had no idea of where his life was headed. What was the end point of all this? He realized that even in what he had considered his 'regular' life, he had gone through his daily routine not because he was certain of, or even aspiring to, some defined destination. It was just something he had accepted as a matter of routine. Now life was far more ill defined, but at least every day was a chance to do something he loved and was passionate about. And if he did get a chance to uncover the truth about his father, or to avenge his death, that was certainly something worth hanging in there for.
So he stayed out of trouble, and put on his best behaviour. Two days after Tanya's birthday, he was in the club, when he saw Kartik walk in. But Kartik did not come near him, choosing instead to sit in a corner of the room, avoiding eye contact with Aaditya.
That suited Aaditya just fine, because he was afraid he'd get into a fight if Kartik said anything. He got up, and was about to leave the room, when Kartik whispered to him as he passed him, 'I'm sorry.'
Aaditya stopped. 'All you have to say is that you're sorry? You screwed me after I trusted you. What the hell do you want now?'
'For you to forgive me and to have a drink with me.'
Aaditya was about to leave when Kartik got up and stood in his way. For a moment, Aaditya thought he wanted a confrontation, but Kartik seemed somehow shrunken, almost a shadow of the cocky self he had been.