by Kumar L
First Mumbai, find Karam and then Panvel. This would be a piece of cake.
T minus 48 hours - NIA station, Mumbai
T ejinder Kaur, or Tej as she was better known as, had been appointed Director General of the NIA two years back, holding a three-star rank. Her name meant ‘ray of the sun'. It suited her as she was the first daughter born to a family with three sons. She had completed her training in 2084 at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad. Originally from the cadre for the northern state of Punjab, she had served in multiple positions in the Indian Police Service before being seconded to the NIA. Her upbringing in a Sikh home, being raised by a father who had been a colonel in the Indian army, and a devout mother, had instilled a sense of fearlessness in her, only somewhat tempered with calmness born of spirituality.
Today, she'd left the PMO chewing over the problem facing her. This was bigger than anything she'd ever worked on before, and she was aware of the fact that her swagger had not fooled the PM. While convinced she could bring this case to a swift conclusion, she was aware that time was her enemy. She had no idea of the schedule these aliens were operating on - it could be days, weeks or even hours. And every minute wasted on trying to locate them brought Mumbai closer to being annihilated.
She hurried out to find her police escort waiting for her. Despite misgivings, she'd already sent word for Anara, Ryan, and Rawat to join her at the HyLoop station. She couldn't cross the PM so early in the mission. Besides, she needed to know everything about the KifrWyss if she was to have any assurance of success. She’s already read all the briefing documents from the space mission but she grudgingly decided she would need more first hand knowledge from the crew.
A couple of minutes later her pod pulled into the city interchange at New Delhi. She saw the crew of Antariksh standing by on the HyLoop platform. Without a word, the four of them took their seats and strapped themselves in. The pod sealed shut and having being given priority, it bypassed all waiting pods, and entered the hyperloop tunnel. It swiftly accelerated to its top speed of over two thousand kilometers per hour. The journey to Mumbai covering a little over fourteen hundred kilometers would take forty-five minutes, giving her enough time to debrief the Antariksh team.
HyLoop or hyperloop travel had become widespread in the second quarter of the 21st century. Loop lines now crisscrossed the country connecting major centers providing superfast travel. The pods, designed to hold passengers or cargo, would be hurtled down closed loops devoid of air and raised on pillars. The earlier technology of propulsion using compressed air had been abandoned in favour of maglev, or magnetic levitation. Super-magnets embedded in the loop were energised in sequence, pushing the pods forward at incredible speeds. Since the perception of motion would directly affect the passengers, the entire pod was opaque to limit outside view. Instead, various screens provided an interactive environment for the passengers while the gravity management system took care of the intense g-forces acting on the people inside.
“Captain,” Tej started off without preamble as the pod reached cruising speed, “we have very little time. I need you to tell me everything about these…these TrueKif.”
Anara nodded and looked briefly at Ryan sitting opposite her, silently asking him to add to her narrative. “Let me start from the beginning….” she said and did not stop till the end of their journey, sharing the details of the first mission from Earth to the Centauri star system, leaving nothing out. Ryan interjected with his part on handling the attacks in HuZryss space and the strategy he'd used in threatening them using nuclear weapons placed on the ships near the human settlement. He explained that the KifrWyss did not seem to have thermonuclear weapons and that tactic had turned the situation around.
Anara suddenly gave a start. “Uh. There might be one thing we should consider.” Tej looked at her quizzically. “Do you think they somehow stole the idea of building thermonuclear bombs from us? Do you think that is what they've brought to Earth?”
Tej mulled this thought over. “That sounds plausible, but without actually getting our hands on them, it would be impossible for us to know for sure. Would they be able to reverse engineer your bomb designs in the short time available?” I'm stuck with rank amateurs, she thought, mentally rolling her eyes. First, they take a bomb into enemy territory, and now they're wondering if the enemy has copied a nuclear weapon within a few days.
But this tied up well with her scheme. “Nuclear weapons give off radiation, right? We can search for radiation. I've already asked the Nuclear Command Authority to get their teams activated. They'll be working out of the command centre in Mumbai. That may help us track down the aliens.”
“That should help,” pitched in Ryan, “except the KifrWyss don't use the same radioactive material like us. They use a couple of other elements to power their ships. So you may want to scan for additional or unknown radiation or particles.”
“Okay. Just let me get the word out to the technical team to get on it. I don't know if they'll be able to do enough, but it's a start.”
“I can, of course, get Madhavan to join your team. He probably knows more about their technology than anyone else on Earth.”
“I think he's still out at VSSC. Let me send a team to pick him up and bring him over to Mumbai.” Tej rapidly entered commands on her communicator and spoke at length with her deputy in Mumbai setting up the scan for radiation and arranging to get the chief engineer on board. “Anything else you guys can think of?” she asked, pausing her conversation with Mumbai.
Both Rawat and Ryan shrugged at Anara. She shook her head and spoke to Tej. “Just one other thing. If it's okay with you, we'd like to meet Lucy for a few minutes and see how she's doing.”
Becoming sentimental, that too during a counter-terror operation. Anara was behaving like a weepy… “Sure, I'll arrange a visit, but first we need to get to HQ and start the operation.”
The HyLoop pod decelerated as it neared its destination and finally dropped them at Mumbai Central. A waiting escort took them straight to the NIA zonal HQ at Cumballa Hill on Peddar Road. The old telephone exchange where NIA had started working in Mumbai, a hundred years ago, had been demolished to make way for another glass and steel structure skyscraper. NIA occupied the whole building now, and all investigations for West India were run out of this office. The roof was covered with antennae and transmitting/receiving equipment that could send communication signals to every corner of Earth.
They entered through the spacious lobby while being automatically scanned for threats. Temporary ID patches for the Antariksh crew were handed out, and they were escorted straight to the top floor where the central command area was located. Having worked at ISC and having seen the massive auxiliary control room in Delhi, the three of them were not quite intimidated this time, but the control area was huge by any standards, with scores of techs handling monitoring and tracking screens.
Tej guided them to the her office and waved them into comfortable seats across the table. Her senior staff was already assembled, and they immediately launched into tactical analysis and the deployment of forces. Major Rawat and Ryan reveled in the activity, which appealed to them as military commanders and admired the clarity of purpose displayed by the NIA sleuths. Anara, on the other hand, soon lost interest in the conversation around her and sat looking out of the wide windows at the Arabian sea. She was ruminating how life on Earth was going to change once news of the aliens got out. She wasn't sure how much longer this covert operation could be kept under wraps from the general public. It would take just one careless mistake for the entire plan to unravel.
She also desperately wanted to find out how Lucy was doing. The baby was due any day now. She surreptitiously touched her left wrist and sent a couple of text messages to Dr. Khan. He replied almost immediately, informing her that Lucy was doing well and that the baby would, hopefully, be delivered the very same day. She looked up to find Tej staring at her intensely and hastily turned off her communicator. She
felt like a school child in the presence of the DG even though they were pretty close to each other in age, experience, and rank.
Tej had formed four groups of personnel. One, along with the IAF, would concentrate on searching an area within a hundred kilometer radius of the last known position of the TrueKif ship. The second would scan for suspicious activity within the city. This was not an easy task under normal conditions and was now even trickier with the annual festival that would culminate in two days. There would be large movement of local citizens in and out of the city. The third team would be working on surveillance of communication signals. The last team would be working with the country's Nuclear Command Authority or NCA for short, which was in charge of all nuclear weapons and responsible for command and control of India's arsenal. They would concentrate on searching for unusual radiation, chemical or biological hazards.
While privacy laws prohibited NIA from listening in to private conversations, for the moment she'd been given carte-blanche to eavesdrop on any signals her team deemed necessary. The legal implications would be sorted out later. Protocols could and were frequently bypassed by investigators once a specific ability to counter criminals had been developed. Even if the evidence did not stand up in court, no government or police force would allow privacy laws to interfere with investigations. Prevention was primary. Evidence and convictions would follow later. She knew this well, having spent decades in the police force. She firmly believed that privacy had always been and would always remain a myth. The only downside, of course, was getting caught. Then there'd be hell to pay.
Having divided the activities among the team, they grabbed cups of tea or coffee and settled down to wait for the break that every investigator anticipates - the one lead that would set them on track of the perpetrators.
T minus 48 hours - Stage 1
J ur and Biw had finally managed to make it to the abandoned railway station at Panvel. While the township of Panvel was now sandwiched between the twin cities of Mumbai and Pune, the station itself, once a grand edifice, had fallen into obscurity. This suited Jur and Biw very well for they could remain hidden till the agent was able to reach and meet them. At least their contact had responded positively. They were not alone on Earth.
With the advent of hyperloop and high-speed pod travel, trains running on physical tracks had rapidly gone out of fashion. From the year 2065 onwards they'd been completely abandoned as a mode of transport. The existing infrastructure had been left in place and had been swiftly reclaimed by nature. A few heritage lines were still operational, but they served more as joyrides and had no transportation potential. This had led to Panvel station being abandoned.
The two of them stepped over the railway lines and went to the back of the large building. It was neglected but seemed to be structurally sound and more importantly it was unprotected. Discarding the ground floor in favour of the top levels, they opened the sliding gates and climbed the stairs. Once on the second floor, they settled their loads in one of the empty rooms and carefully secured the door behind them.
Surprisingly, for Jur the long walk had been exhausting. It must be something to do with higher gravity or the confines of his EVA suit which was making it difficult to breathe, Jur decided. They probably just needed to rest for some time while they waited. The next few days were going to be tough, and they needed to exploit every chance to recuperate. Breaking out some rations, they sat quietly chewing on energy bars while occasionally sipping some water.
Over the last few hours they had noticed an increase in air traffic in their vicinity, but fortunately, most of the drones and transports were heading east - away from them. They knew that the Earth security forces would be hard at work searching for the downed ship and they'd be very vulnerable if they were located. Not knowing what equipment would be used for tracking; both of them have therefore switched on their individual infrared suppressors that they wore on their arms. This would make them effectively invisible to heat sensors and infrared scanners. They'd also taken care to stay below the trees and use the natural cover to avoid being seen from the air, frequently ducking behind trees whenever they heard vehicles coming near them. They were confident that they were secure. For now.
********
The trip into Mumbai on the HyLoop had been uneventful. As he got down at CST Loop terminus, he'd formulated a clear plan of action. He turned on the privacy mode on his communicator. This would ensure he could not be tracked further from that position onwards. Of course, this was valid provided he did not use his ADID account or use any other electronic services. He did have some cash, and that'd have to do till he managed to arrange for single use cards. He checked the local travel boards and stepped on the travelator that would take him to Fort, a short distance away. There in the back alleys behind Flora Fountain, he would locate Karam in his dingy electronics repair shop. He'd kept in touch with Karam since his college days and occasionally used him whenever he needed hard cash.
Karam was a small time dealer in the black market who had his hands in numerous underhanded deals. Karam ostensibly ran a legitimate electronics repair business and had so far managed to avoid any significant run-ins with the law.
He'd not informed Karam that he'd be dropping in and hoped the dealer would be available. Fortunately because of his privacy mode, he was not assailed by holographic advertisements and information at every step. It was amazing how intrusive marketing had become. This was one of the few times that he was actually able to look at the real world without having to wade through virtual reality.
He was able to locate the shop with relative ease and pleased to see the shutter open and the lights on inside. The location in a side street with numerous other nondescript stores afforded ample privacy for what he wanted to achieve. Providentially, there were very few people out on the streets that night. Most of them must be at home enjoying the long holiday with their families, he thought. The monsoon would probably keep other stragglers at bay. He saw that the weather control system had not been deployed in the area today. That worked in his favour as the drizzle provided another layer of security.
He stepped up to the door and knocked softly. Karam looked up from behind the counter and recognising him, pressed the button to open the door.
Stepping into the shop was like taking a step back in history. The walls were lined with shelves filled with broken down electronics of unknown vintage, and he strongly suspected they could never be made to work again. The proprietor himself resembled his stock of goods - unkempt hair and a worn set of clothes, an unshaven face and shifty eyes. The state of the art security recording camera hidden above a tottering pile of junk video players was the only modern contraption present in the shop.
“Hey man,” he greeted Karam with a forced smile to hide his nervousness. He hoped Karam would buy his story facing disciplinary action in the force and needing to disappear for some time. He resisted the urge to wipe perspiration from his face. Fortunately, Karam looked disinterested or feigned ignorance of the circumstances which had brought him to the shop to seek his services.
“Look, it's not so easy or cheap setting up untraceable transactions, and most places will not accept hard cash anyway. What you should be looking for are prepaid cash cards - use and throw. Virtually incapable of being tracked down.”
“Just tell me you can help me out, Karam. I don't have much time.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Who does nowadays, even for old friends like me?” Karam grinned showing a row of yellowing teeth. “You do realise that I don't keep any cards in my shop? It’s not safe. I'll have to talk to some people and arrange to get them for you. It's too late now. Tell me how much you need and come back in the morning.”
“No, no, no…. I can't wait that long. I need two hundred thousand, and I need it now. I'll... I'll double your commission.”
Karam peered at him through his glasses across the counter. Something smelled fishy. And where things were suspicious there was money to be made. What happened subsequently was
none of his business. “Triple and you have a deal. I can do it now, but the risk is much, much higher. Think of my children if I get caught dealing in black money.”
“You don't have any children, Karam. Don't try that trick on me.” This was going to cost him an arm and a leg. The aliens had better make good on their promise or else he'd be completely broke very soon. “Okay. Triple. But only if you get me the money within the next fifteen minutes.”
“You're in a big hurry, aren't you? Okay. Give me your hand. The guys I deal with need to be paid in advance.”
He extended his thumb and Karam pointed it towards his communicator simultaneously entering the amount. The transfer was completed instantaneously, and Karam left him in the shop closing the shutter behind him.
The next fifteen minutes passed in complete silence while he sweated over the fact that if this did not work, he might as well go home, all thoughts of the fortune forgotten. He couldn't move another step without the money.
To his relief, exactly fifteen minutes later, Karam opened the shutter and entered. He was smiling broadly. He extended the three prepaid cards and watched his old ‘friend' grab them and exit his shop without so much a thank you. That did not bother Karam; he had plenty of friends like this. He'd already been paid, and that's all that mattered. He glanced up to check if the video machine was still recording and was pleased to see it still working. All well-run businesses needed insurance and the video was his backup plan.
T minus 48 hours - INHS Asvini
D r. Khan looked down upon Lucy where she was resting on the bed and being attended to by surgeons and nurses. So far everything seemed to be in control, and he expected the delivery to be completely normal. The last few days had passed in a blur, even for him and he suspected that stress was the cause of the baby coming a few days earlier than expected.