Earth To Centauri_Alien Hunt

by Kumar L

  “Narada will be able to draw that out. Give me a minute.” Anara was already on the system talking to Narada. She relayed the information to the control centre as fast as Narada called it out.

  “I've got him!” They all heard the exultant voice of the tech in the control centre. “He is somewhere near Babulnath Road, Girgaum, South Mumbai.”

  “You do know what this means, don't you, Abhiram?”

  “Yes, Ma’am. It means that Nish is asking for our help and leading us to the aliens. But since he removed the patch instead of just turning off the privacy function, it also means that he does not want to be captured himself. Mr. Nish is playing a dangerous double game.”

  ********

  The crowds grew progressively more abundant as the truck crossed the two refurbished sea links connecting the north of Mumbai to the south. Nish had managed to get them to Chowpatty without being detected. He slowly eased the truck into the designated parking lot near the immersion point on the beach. Massive crowd-control towers floated in the air while multiple human volunteers and official robots directed the crowds down predetermined paths to the immersion points. The roads and sidewalks had been cleared and temporary cordons set up. Climate control had been turned off in the area and nature was being allowed to take its course. What was immersion without rain? And this rain suited his plans perfectly.

  The backdrop of the skyscrapers, rising hundreds of meters in the sky, behind them provided a perfect setting for the loud cries of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya' - Glory to Lord Ganpati - intermingled with the sounds of cymbals and drums. The drums were particularly noteworthy - every group seemed to have their own drummer, but the overall effect was one of harmony instead of a cacophony.

  Nish wandered off to arrange a anti-gravity sled. Once he came back, they carefully lifted down the idol and the much more burdensome demons/aliens and arranged them nicely. It was tough for the aliens to remain still and not be discovered but with much pushing, pulling and grunting they managed to succeed.

  Their little procession, one among many, moved off slowly, meandering down the road. Many in the crowd marveled at the life-like display - a god defeating demon-like aliens.

  Nish soon stopped worrying about getting rid of his boy gang. Like most youngsters caught up in the exuberance of the moment, they'd melted away into the crowds, dancing away to the rhythmic beating of the drums. Thankfully, this time he would not have to prevent Jur from murdering another four innocent people. That was getting tiresome and a little scary - Jur had no morals or compulsions about taking any lives.

  All alone now, he raised the anti-gravity sled a little more and kept on moving with the crowd. In typical Mumbai fashion, forged over many, many decades, once you became part of a line you did not need to make any further efforts - the crowd took care of you. You became one in a microcosm.

  A couple of hundred yards later he was at the edge of the water. Two rigger robots helped slide the statue and accessories onto the floating platform, which would take it further out into the sea. They scanned the material and flagged the two aliens as organic and allowed them forward for immersion. One rigger reminded him to collect all plastic and metal that was not allowed to be cast into the sea. He acknowledged the instructions.

  The rain was pelting down now, and visibility was nearly down to zero. Nish climbed onto the platform and pushed it off, guiding the two small outboard motors, till they reached twenty meters inside the sea. From there, it was a short matter to push the idol into the water where it would dissolve in a few minutes. The two TrueKifs slid off on their own and stayed underwater. Nish gave a last look around to ensure that no one was watching them; and then he too climbed down into the water.

  T minus 3 hours – the search

  T he quadcopters, full of NIA personnel and ATS commandos, lifted off one by one and headed straight to the heart of the city. High priority flying lanes had been cleared for their travel to Chowpatty beach.

  Within the lead chopper, Tej and Abhiram were on separate systems rapidly issuing multiple orders to their teams on the ground. Every available asset was being rushed to the area, but her call with the Commissioner of Police was not going well.

  “I’m telling you, Commissioner, these guys are armed and extremely dangerous. I need every available person to search for them.” She was senior to that man, but this was not the time to pull ranks.

  “And I am telling you, Madam, today is visarjan day. Millions of people have congregated in the area you are mentioning. I've already handed over the ATS and QRTs to you. I don't have anyone left to spare…”

  “What about your drones and the security robots?”

  “All the available drones are engaged in crowd monitoring and control. Not to forget, I am supposed to be working on the evacuation as well. Look here, I know what you're trying to do and you have my complete support. I'm not trying to stonewall you but my cupboard is empty.”

  “Just give me access to the data from your drones. I'll search on my own.”

  “That won't work. You'd be looking for facial recognition or close-ups while we need high-level views to manage bottlenecks and ensure the crowds keep moving. Do you even understand the logistical nightmare I'm dealing with here?”

  “I don't care about your damned traffic, Commissioner!” Tej finally lost her cool. “All of this will be in vain if those three get away from me now. I'm telling you for the last time - if they escape, it'll be on your head alone. I can get the chief minister online to give direct instructions if you want.”

  There was silence on the line, and she could visualise the uniformed officer sitting in his own control centre fighting his anger. But she was right and he would know that.

  “I'll see what I can do,” he finally replied stiffly and signed off.

  “We have access,” announced Abhiram a couple of minutes later. “The commissioner has also released additional police units to our command.”

  “Remind me to thank him later. He has taken a gamble for us. For now, get every drone on face scanning mode. Recall others in the general area to Marine Drive. Find them.”

  ********

  With time to go before his team made its move, Keith lounged in the shadow of a pillar in front of the cafe. His vigil over the last few hours had not revealed any threats to his plan. He as itching to go ahead now.

  A few low-flying drones were keeping a close eye on the festivities and probably transmitting to the central control room. Armed policemen, accompanied by robot crowd controllers, stood around on the sidewalk. They seemed bored. The crowd was by and large peaceful if a little boisterous, and the police did not have much to do.

  Suddenly, there was a commotion, and to Keith's surprise, he saw the drones abruptly rise and disappear to the north. At the same time, the policemen on the sidewalk became alert. Most of them seemed to be listening to orders coming in through their earpieces. Their sub-inspector seemed to acknowledge his orders, for he turned around and barked at his squad. A ground vehicle pulled up next to them, and they climbed aboard. The vehicle turned north, blaring sirens and scattering people in the path. It shortly disappeared around the corner. Just two officers were left behind.

  Across the area, he could hear more sirens. Many people seemed to be looking around trying to see where this sudden commotion was coming from. But as the sirens faded in the distance, the crowd went back to its business. The uproar was forgotten.

  But for Keith, this was an incredible stroke of luck. He had just gained a few extra minutes. Just what I needed. Even the Gods are with me! Keith called up his team leaders and told them to start moving.

  Slowly, trying not to draw attention, his crowd started off down the road - determined and convinced of the sanctity of their task.

  ******

  “The drones have not returned any positive IDs, Ma’am.”

  “What about the location tracking? Are they still moving?” Tej asked as she looked at her own screen following the path of the blip.

 
; "We're a little hampered. The accuracy is not great. I had them moving towards the sea some time back. Let me try another active ping," replied the tech. The signal was sent, but there was no response. He tried again. No result. “I'm sorry Ma’am, I've lost them.”

  “What do you mean you've lost them?” Tej thundered.

  The technician visibly quailed at this outburst.

  “There is no response,” he stammered out. “The signal is gone.”

  “Ping again.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” The technician tried again. “Still no response. The chip will most probably have burnt out or maybe they have gone underwater?" he suggested.

  “There is a call from the control room. They have successfully located the radiation signals. Madhavan is sending the data now.” Abhiram expanded the screen and projected it. “They've found radiation traces at three positions. Here, here and here,” he said, pointing to the map.

  “The first one was at Panvel, right where they found the body. The second - Chowpatty and the third in the Arabian Sea. Extrapolate with the Prana locations, Abhiram.”

  New location symbols were interlaid on the radiation markers, and the two women nodded to each other. They were close to the aliens but where exactly were the mercenaries now?

  T minus 2 hours – the underwater city

  A s Nish entered the water, his action drew the attention of an EMRAR, which interpreted this behaviour as an accident. It flew over their position and dropped a signal buoy in the water. Nish saw this and realised that rescue teams would reach there in minutes. He pulled out his breathing appliance and put it in his mouth. It closed over his nose, and the breathing tube would allow him to swim unhindered for a few hundred meters. He slipped off his shoes and dunked his head into the water, shivering now from the continuous exposure to rain and cold sea water. This'll be over in a few minutes. I need to hang on for a little bit more.

  The TrueKifs who had also taken off and stored their suits were comfortable swimming without any aids, coming up for air only at very long intervals. Biw took point, swimming a couple of feet below the surface in the direction of the underwater city.

  Behind them some automated search and rescue SAR teams converged near the platform and started a systematic pre-determined grid-based search. Radar and sonar continuously pinged the sea to locate their bodies while a SAR coast guard cutter stood a hundred meters off to assist if called for. The surface of the sea rolled incessantly, and the rain hampered the effectiveness of the robots. A couple of minutes’ head start of the alien’s team had given them sufficient opportunity to escape from the immediate search area.

  The three of them kept swimming carefully, conserving energy, until they reached the breakwater, about fifty yards from the edge of the city. As they entered the sheltered cove beyond the breakwater they saw the lights of the city for the first time, glowing eerily in the darkness of the water surrounding it.

  The city had been built after dredging out parts of the continental shelf and covered an area of roughly five square kilometers with a maximum depth of thirty meters. It would remain submerged during high tide, while at low tide, the top of the dome could be seen rising above the water. The vast dome was made of transparent metal, supported by struts made of carbon nanotubes. It could withstand super cyclonic storms or category 7 hurricanes, becoming flexible during a storm or made to remain rigid when the sea was calm. While flexible, it would move with the waves, providing an ethereal effect when viewed from inside. The city was self-sufficient in all respects - from fresh air pumped in by massive ventilators to power from tidal generators and clean water from reclamation systems.

  The three of them finally reached the edge of the city and rested against the bottom of the struts supporting the dome under the sea. All that remained now was to find an entry inside. Nish gestured to the other two, and they slowly circled the dome, looking for an ingress point. It was surprisingly easy enough to find one, clearly marked as the emergency exit. It would most likely be connected to an alarm system, with an airlock. It could not be opened from outside except with brute force.

  Jur moved ahead and unslung the rifle from its back. The other two stepped aside to give a wide berth as it pointed the gun at the edge of the door and pressed the trigger. A thin red beam of a high-powered laser hit the door and cut clean through it. The door slowly swung open, the lock sheared clean from the frame. A rotating red warning light, indicating a breach, came on. Biw nodded to Jur and moved ahead to enter the airlock and Nish made to follow him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head slowly in exasperation - probably Jur wanting to enter the city before him.

  The look of surprise in his eyes was masked by the murky water when Jur held both of Nish’s hands in its own and used a third to yank out the breathing apparatus. Nish struggled frantically against the strong arms holding him, while his legs banged ineffectually against the seabed raising clouds of sand. Jur did not slacken the grip till a cloud of bubbles burst forth from Nish's mouth, and his body went limp.

  Jur continued the hold for another minute while retrieving the pouch with the diamonds. Nish’s body went completely limp, and Jur slowly released it, allowing it to float away free. Death for Nish had come abruptly, and no one would ever know what he'd done or why.

  Jur entered the airlock behind Biw and slammed the door shut then sealed it with a burst from the rifle. It nodded to Biw, who pressed the release button allowing the water to be pumped out. As compressed air flooded the compartment, Biw trembled involuntarily. Jur had killed two people in one day without a hint of remorse, and now the bloodlust in the eyes was unmistakable.

  The two of them entered an empty maintenance corridor and found another door marked ‘Exit' right in front of them. The letters glowed yellow on green. The passage itself was lit dimly with the diffused glow from ceiling lights set across the length. It seemed to curve around the entire city.

  The second door brought them out into the main thoroughfare. This road circled the city. Across the street, they could see the lights of the city itself stretching out as far as the eyes could see. The vaulted ceiling rising many meters above the ground provided a sinister backdrop to what they were about to perpetrate. They nearly smiled at the setting for the calamity that would ensue soon.

  There was, however, something that bothered Biw. It was too quiet. There were no people, no vehicles, and absolutely no sound. The city was deserted.

  They stumbled across the road confused.

  “Where is everybody, Biw? Nish said there would be thousands of people here.” Jur felt betrayed. They had not travelled billions of miles for this.

  “I don't know! I don't know!” Biw screamed back, equally frustrated as he kicked a dustbin standing by the side of the road. The glass windows of the row of shops lining the side of the road were all dark. The doors were locked and shuttered. “Do you think they have located us and evacuated the place?”

  For once it was right on the mark - the city had been the first place to be evacuated. It had taken just two hours to get everyone out and enforce a complete lockdown. Had they been topside a little earlier, they'd have seen the unending stream of cars and ships fleeing the city as the military took control.

  “What the hell do we do now?”

  ********

  “Ma’am, I was scanning the alerts from the beach. There's a report of a man who drowned in the sea a short while ago. It seems he left his vehicle behind. The police are there now, and they seem to have found some leads.”

  “Do you have visuals?”

  “Coming right up,” said the tech as the screen filled with visuals from the first responder EMRAR. A face was clearly visible for a moment before it vanished below the waves.

  “That's Nish,” confirmed Rawat. “Can we tap into visuals from security cams in the area a few minutes before this happened?”

  The tech nodded and manipulated the controls. The visuals changed and flowed back in time as they followed the agent’s progress
in reverse.

  “Stop right there! Those shapes - zoom in,” ordered Tej. The view resolved into a clear shot of the idol and the two statues under it. “Well, it's clear now how they entered Mumbai.”

  ********

  “I don't know what we should do now. Maybe if you had not killed Nish, we would have had an alternate plan!” Biw faced off with Jur.

  “Don't take that tone with me,” warned Jur. “He's better off dead. They will find his body and assume we all drowned in the sea. We need to finish our mission. I will not be denied again.”

  “Oh, yeah? You think the Earthpeople are so stupid to believe that we all drowned together?” The reply dripped with sarcasm. “You are a bloody brute, and you have completed messed up our mission. No wonder the Chairman wanted you out of the way. First HuZryss and now this. You are pathetic!”

  “I am warning you, Biw! You're going too far. Shut up or …”

  “Or what, Jur? Will you kill me too just like you killed the other two? Who will set up your bomb then, huh? You don't know anything about that. I can't believe the Chairman chose you for this mission.” Biw was deliberately pushing Jur over the edge. A little bit more and Jur would turn over to the new option.

  ********

  “There's something else, Ma’am. The SAR teams have located a body near the underwater city. It's the same person we were looking for, Mr. Nish.”

  “Nish? Dead?” Tej was incredulous. “How did that happen?”

  “Looks like he drowned but they need time to be sure.”

  “What about his accomplices?”

  “There are no reports on the aliens accompanying him or any other bodies. Sorry.”

  “Do you think they've entered the underwater city?” asked Abhiram.

  “It might've been their primary target. How many people inside, Abhiram? Can we get them all out?”

  “Let me check.” He called up the latest stats on the city. “Er…. That may not be necessary. We received a message some time back. I seemed to have missed it. The city was evacuated an hour ago. It's empty, Ma’am. There's no one there.”