by David Singh
The kitchen had two CCTV cameras installed but they were of no use right now as kitchen was in dark. There seemed to be no need of locking the door that lead the stairs going down to the freezer. But there was an additional iron bar door on the stairs going down to basement which remained locked.
E Five Five was fiddling with that lock right now.
After 5 pm, when the work was stopped till the next day no one had bothered as to how many labourers had left the construction site and no one was particularly interested in a new worker. E Five Five remained inside the shed behind the huge stacks of cement. After 5 pm, the guards on duty were no more present there. Their place was taken by the routine pair of guards deployed permanently on the entrance of the construction site.
E Five Five had no problem in coming out of the shed and scaling the wall to reach the roof top. Following his already rehearsed flood lights' time map, he easily ducked and ditched the light beams to reach the other side of the kitchen. That side, the wall of the kitchen was lined with windows and ventilators. Opening a ventilator and slithering down into the kitchen was like taking a walk in the community garden for him. After crossing the unlocked door to the freezer and basement he encountered the locked iron bar door to the basement.
He removed the back pack from his back and retrieved a compact lock pick tool set. With three of the seven Tension tools and one Extractor, it took him twenty seconds to open the lock. Within next minute he had already traversed the central part of the basement. Entire place was lit by low wattage bulbs but as he knew and had expected, there were no cams. Parallel to the right hand side wall, four huge main outlets of concrete drain pipes were situated above each other. Across the length and height of the left hand side wall, a small jungle of electrical wiring along with main feed line was situated. The clutter of wires was so dense that the wall was hardly visible behind it.
He brought out six ANFO – Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil - explosives and stuffed them among the electric wires. He set the timer attached with each explosive for 12 AM. However, all the six packets were equipped with remotely detonable fuse too. On explosion, major part of the jail, except Prison block and Resident block, besides collapsing, would also go dark, giving him enough time to maneuver freely, quickly and safely.
He returned back to the kitchen.
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11:05 PM.
Vishnu Bidha nodded to the greetings of the two guards deputed as routine outside his quarter. He unlocked the main door and entered his quarter. He was the Correctional Officer and Jailer In charge of Central Jail for past four years. He was a bachelor and stayed alone. During his tenure, so far, no jail break or any such untoward incident had taken place. But he had no idea that today's incident would break that record.
He flicked the lights on, bolted the door and turned back when he saw the stranger sitting in the chair next to the far opposite wall near the kitchen with the hand gun trained straight at him.
Sudden shock robbed Bidha of his voice and power of thinking. With difficulty he blurted a choked 'Who-are-you?'
'Mr. Bidha, if you listen to me then you will serve this jail for several more years to come otherwise tomorrow someone else will take over. Dead people have cremation grounds you know?' E Five Five stood up and walked up to Bidha.
It had taken E Five Five about 15 minutes to come out of the kitchen to climb the roof top again, skip the flood lights and reach Residents block to steal into Bidha's quarter.
'Who are you?' Bidha stammered, 'how did you come in?'
'Mr. Bidha.' E Five Five had no time to waste, 'you have two guards outside your quarter right now. When will they be replaced by the next pair of guard?'
'At 12 AM. Why? Who…..'
E Five Five rushed forward and dispatched a heavy slap on Bidha's face. The force and sudden shock made Bidha lose his balance to fall down. E Five Five spoke in dead cold tone, 'Mr. Bidha, you will not talk. You will answer. And comply. Or you will die. Is that clear?'
Silence.
'Is that clear Mr. Bidha?' E Five Five knocked the gun's barrel on his head and hissed.
'Yes. Yes. Yes.' Bidha almost cried out of terror.
'Get up and call the guards in.'
Bidha did. He switched on the lights. As the guards entered his bedroom they saw Bidha on gun point by a stranger.
'Put your guns down and remove your clothes to stay alive.' The stranger said.
Guards hesitated for a while. Next instant the machine carbine left taller guard's hand and clattered onto the floor. The taller guard grabbed his wounded hand and began writhing and howling with pain.
'Bullet has just touched your hand. Stop the drama and get naked now.'
After a while the guards were lying gagged and bound in the attached bathroom.
'You cannot escape from here.' Bidha mustered all his courage and blurted out.
'Think about it. Will you stay alive to see that?' Came the reply.
E Five Five brought out a small flat square metal box with a button protuberance. He pressed the button. With a long beep sound the red LED in the corner of the device lit up.
'Now this is armed.' He said while retrieving a duct tape ring from his back pack.
'Wh….wha…what are you up to?' Bidha was on the verge of losing his senses.
'Pull up your shirt and tape this on you.'
'What is this?'
'Cyclo-tri-methylene-tri-nitramine. In layman's language, Research Department Explosive, RDX in short. This box has mixture of RDX, TNT, aluminum powder….'
'No! No! Please don't do that. I am doing as you say.' Bidha begged almost in tears.
'Let me finish, this military grade H-6 mixture, once detonated, will leave your remnants sticking to the debris and can only be taken out by forensic forceps.'
It was a miracle that Bidha had not passed out yet.
'Relax. I do not detonate bombs just like that unless necessary. As long as you don't give me a reason to do that, you will breathe. Now, listen carefully to what you are supposed to do. Any deviation and you plus several people around would be dead and, believe me, I wouldn't like that. Now put this on.'
?
11:20 PM.
Subba, one of the local agents on Anwar's team, dialed a number on his cell phone and enquired when the call connected. 'Status?'
'The call has come. Doctor is getting ready. He and one junior intern will go.' The other agent deputed to watch the Civil Hospital, informed.
'Okay.' He said and turned to his small team, 'get ready, the ambulance can arrive at any time. It will be carrying two docs and driver. Easy job but no haste. Be careful.'
Subba's men, all in police uniform, shook their heads in assurance and agreement. After fifteen minutes the ambulance materialized on the turn at the end of the road. Fake policemen blocked the road to make the ambulance halt.
Before driver could even enquire, Subba stuffed gun's barrel into his mouth and barked, 'move aside. I am driving.'
Subba's men had already boarded in the back of the ambulance to take care of the two doctors.
Ambulance, with a jerk, moved on to an abandoned road ahead. ?
11:29 PM
Bidha reached at the entrance of the long corridor in the fourth sub block of the Prison Block whose next end opened into Nissar's cell. There were four soldiers of 18th Brigade, Eastern Division. Two were standing on the entrance and the other two were at the end of the corridor exactly in front of the iron bar grill of the cell. They all were equipped with semi automatic rifles and back packs with other accessories.
The lead soldier looked at him enquiringly.
'Open the cell.' Bidha said in a hoarse voice out of dried mouth.
'Anything of importance Mr. Bidha?' Soldier asked while taking out the keys.
Bidha replied impassively, 'I have a bomb tied on my abdomen.'
'What!?' Both the soldiers, panic stricken, stepped backwards.
Bidha opened his shirt's front and showed them the device with blink
ing LED. 'He is in my quarter. This bomb has microphone attached. Right now he is listening to us with detonator in his hand. This is 11:30. We have just five minutes. At 11:38 he wants us to take Nissar to the dispensary. So, don't argue and do as I say.'
?
11:30 PM
'Gentlemen, you wouldn't die if you stay still where you are!' E Five Five said as soon as he entered the Control Room through its attached toilet.
As soon as he had sent Bidha on his way to Nissar's cell he had taken the path via roof top again to reach the Control Room. Breaking into the toilet through its window was no big deal. This way he had avoided the CCTV cams installed right outside the main entrance of the Control Room.
They could never imagine anyone entering unseen into the Control Room from outside through toilet. There were no guards inside since they had all the eyes on entire jail.
There were five personnel – four operators and their group leader
– sitting over electrical and electronic terminals topped with several monochrome monitors reflecting blurry, dynamic and real time updated pictures of various parts of the jail fed by several CCTV cams. In one of the monitors he saw Bidha talking to two soldiers.
He smiled at the five terrified men, 'Please sit in that far corner and enjoy. I love killing people but only if they misbehave.'
They all did as he had asked.
E Five Five picked up the master microphone and spoke into it, 'hi Mr. Bidha! Smile!. You are on camera. I can clearly see you now. A little change in plan. Come to the Control Room. No soldiers are invited to the party. Ask them to stay back for their own sake.'
He saw all of them instantly looking into the camera.
After a while he saw Bidha moving into the corridor accompanied by a tall, bearded man, clad in Pathhan Suite – no prison attire – and a shawl around him. From overhead camera angle he could only see the top of his head.
Nissar Malik!
'Good job Mr. Bidha, but any smartness and five dead bodies fell here. If I see any fourth man entering the control room, this jail will come down.'
Then he stood on guard and waited. His eyes kept swapping between monitors, watching Bhida's movements, and five techies sitting on the ground in the corner. He could see Bidha, Nissar in tow, moving across corridors, answering the salutes of jail guards, ignoring their surprised looks and approaching the Control Room. Bidha and Nissar Malik entered together. Bidha closed the door behind him. The shade of his face was quite normal now. Malik's eyes met E Five Five's. Those were not the emerald green pair. The man smiling at him was not Nissar Malik.
?
11:40 PM.
'Brilliant!' Man with beard beamed at E Five Five. 'Just brilliant! I couldn't believe when Jheengur turned up with the fortified cigarettes provided by you. So, ambulance and doctor on call was a diversion? RAW is surely fascinated by Hollywood overdose eh? Rambo, President's Man, Die Hard, Delta Force……would you mind dropping your gun, please?' As the bearded man removed his shawl to reveal his armed hand, four guards entered the room with rifles trained at him. Three assumed the position in each of the corners. E Five Five dropped Glock. One guard picked it up and handed it over to the bearded man. The search retrieved a hunter knife and a garrote. Back pack was taken away and emptied on the floor. Two detonators, four magazines, a few handmade grenades and other equipment spread out on the floor. The fourth guard took the position in the fourth corner behind E Five Five.
Bearded man shoved his machine pistol back in his belt, gripped Glock, removed its safety catch and picked up the detonators.
'Your detonators are as good as toys,' he said and pressed their detonation buttons. Nothing happened.
'We have jammed the radio signals here.' He said with the persistent smile.
'Siddiqui sahib!!' Bidha sighed with respite. Evidently even he was not aware of ISI's arrangements in his own jail.
The bearded man – Siddiqui – stepped forward and shoved the muzzle in E Five Five's cheek, turning his face towards one of the monitors. 'That's your man. I am sorry to say that you will never see him again in person in your life, if by any miracle, you stay alive today, I mean.'
E Five Five looked at the monitor fed by video update from the cams at the main entrance-exit of the jail. They were taking the real Nissar Malik safely out of the jail. While exiting the gate Nissar Malik turned back and waved teasingly at the camera.
E Five Five looked at Bidha and spoke coolly, 'Mr. Bidha, radio jammers can't bully time bombs. In next few minutes, major part of your jail will cave into the ground and this block will…….'
For a fraction of a second Siddiqui's attention drifted towards Bidha. E Five Five grabbed Glock's barrel in Siddiqui's hand, fingers wrapped around the top firing mechanism and thumb inside the trigger guard. Simultaneously, the line of fire was redirected away and down from his chest somewhere towards right hand side. Glock boomed once and bullet ricocheted off the floor. The strong grip blocked the top slid from firing anymore. He moved in towards his shocked prey, closing the distance. With one foot planted ahead, E Five Five pressed the grip further below. An agonized cry bellowed from Siddiqui's throat. With a strong blow of elbow over the bunch of nerves on the side of the neck, E Five Five snatched the gun. He gave Siddqui's wrist a firm twist. Crying like a crushed cat Siddiqui came to his knees. The radius bone in his forearm disconnected Humeral Trachea – the joint between upper and lower arm – with a distinct crack. The Carpus – that joins the wrist with arm - twisted a few degrees too much. At the same time E Five Five let himself fall backwards on the floor pulling the trigger. The bullet entered the stomach of the guard on left hand side at the back. Before the guard could leave his rifle to grab his bleeding stomach, E Five Five straightened up, heaving whimpering Siddiqui as his cover, plunged Glock's barrel in his cheek and dragged him away towards the wall.
The guards were too shocked to respond to this sudden and rapid violence. What spectators experienced were the booms of two shots, gun changing hands, ISI agent in E Five Five's control and one guard down, disabled.
'Mr. Bidha,' E Five Five warned in a calm voice while yanking Siddiqui's machine pistol off his belt, 'send someone to the basement. There are six bombs among the wiring over the wall to explode in a few minutes. Snap the green wires off. Send someone now!'
Bidha looked at the guards. Two rushed outside. One guard began nursing his wounded team mate.
'Mr. Bidha, this all has nothing to do with you. Cooperate. Hold back your guards otherwise a lot of innocent blood will flow. And you know now, I wouldn't like that.……'
A deafening blast outside blew away the outer wall of the kitchen. When the rumbling noise ceased, E Five Five continued, 'I take this joker with me. You report jail break by Nissar Malik as planned by your government and we never meet again.'
Even before he could finish, Bidha's head was shaking swiftly in agreement. He spoke in a hoarse, near hysterical voice, 'I agree. I agree. No one will stop you. Get the hell out of here. Now!'
Grabbing his captive, E Five Five rushed out.
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New Delhi, India
Vir Bhadra Singh picked up the intercom by his side as it rang once and enquired, 'hmm?'
'Sir. Pakistan Desk.'
'Give me.'
After a faint click, he heard a concerned voice. 'VB!'
'Sir.'
'Your Retriever has lost Nissar. Nissar has escaped Central Jail.' 'Siddiqui is in Bandicoot's control now.'
'You know?'
'The Retriever has been reporting me duly about all his progress.' 'Progress? You call the debacle a progress?'
'Sir,' Vir Bhadra Singh tried to condense the fumes, 'the Retriever has promised to deliver Nissar on coming Thursday. He is already ahead of schedule. Leave it on him. Nissar is not out of reach. He is working on it.'
The long pause on the other side told Vir Bhadra Singh that his words were not convincing enough. Finally a calm voice heard. 'VB. I have told Bandicoot, if your…Retr
iever doesn't show up till Lhasa then kill Nissar Malik. If we don't get him, he better die. Our people are also bringing Siddiqui to India.'
'Nissar Malik will never reach Lhasa, sir.'
'Let's see, your Retriever brings him in alive or Bandicoot shoots him. I wish your Retrievergood luck.'
Your retriever.
'Let's see.'
The line disconnected. Vir Bhadra Singh replaced the receiver and whispered. 'Samar. VB has all the trust in you. Do well my boy.'
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Saturday December 14, 2013
Kathmandu, Nepal to Tibet
Nissar Malik looked like a fresh undergraduate - beard gone, hair
clipped, plain glass spectacles resting over the bridge of his nose, red striped T-shirt and blue denim jeans and a digicam dangling with his neck.
Given to his habit of introducing last minute twists, their group leader Ashfaq told the Himalayan Pride Tours & Travels driver that they all will move in another vehicle - white spotless Chevrolet Tahoe Full Size Special Service 4 Wheel Drive SUV and that he had already informed his employers regarding this change. What he didn't tell him that their hand guns were hidden inside the false ceiling, specially designed by foam and rubber, right over their heads. Driver opened Tahoe's bonnet, checked the oil, closed it and got ready behind the driving wheel.
'This is 5:30 AM.' Ashfaq informed others, 'we'll reach border town Nyalam in Tibet in exactly 6 hours. Latest by 12 PM we will be crossing Nyalam. From Nyalam, Shigatse town is 9 hours. We'll be in Shigatse at 9 PM. Night stay will be at Hotel Zong Shan in Shigatse. Tomorrow at 6 AM we'll leave for Lhasa. By noon we'll reach Lhasa. Once we are there, our headache is over. Nepal and our Embassies will arrange for a special aircraft that will take us to Kashgar in China. At Kashgar another special chartered plane will be waiting to take us to Islamabad. We need not to worry once we reach Lhasa, but before that I suspect the commando who as captured Siddiqui will come after us. If I were him I would definitely strike somewhere before Lhasa. We have to keep an eye on the road backward and forward for any threat and also during our night stay at Shigatse.'