Through the damp, almost translucent glass of the window, he could still see the smoke hovering over Rashtrapati Bhawan. Sitting in a wheelchair, his right hand tightly grasped the copy of one of the oldest manuscripts human eye had ever seen. He knew that the manuscript was the key to all the missing questions even before he had read and decoded the true meaning hidden in it. He had studied it and solved every puzzle, every code which was just another poem or a shloka to the normal eye. And yet he had these questions. And yet his map was incomplete. There were many dark corners in his path, and today he was going to find all his answers. The wound on his right thigh reminded him of the pain he had gone through, the ways he had suffered. Today it was his turn to make someone suffer. The smoke cleared up in the sky as thoughts began to cloud his mind.
Hidden in these books is the key to acquire the artefact. I spent years of my life searching for this opportunity and yet I couldn't lay my hands on it. But today I get two things. I settle my old score and I get my artefact. 'Operation Chaos' will be something that these bastards will remember for years to come.
I will make them pay and disgrace them.
Let's see how much pain he can take tonight.
He had no command centre or control room. All the setup he needed was ready on his table- the 3 LCD screens in front of him gave access to all the locations his cameras covered. The state of the art technology had made it easy for him to monitor every move his enemies made. His table was filled with ancient scriptures and the rarest of maps- his study of years. No wonder he had designed it as a game. A game that was going to change everything for the Indian Intelligence. His two major enemies, his age and his inability had always slowed him down in his work, had not let him find the object he was seeking. But today he had a trick up his sleeve. He had his N.U.M.
Chapter 14
The Flashback.
About 2 hours ago.
A man in a black leather jacket, climbed on the terrace of the fifteen floored 'Timber Heights' on Motilal Nehru Marg, Delhi. He had a clear view of the crossroads lying to the west of the building. He wasted no time in assembling his M24 sniper rifle from his briefcase and mounting it on the tripod. He talked into his microphone as he adjusted his scope to zoom in on the roads.
'' Azar, I have a direct view of the street. Hasib is going to cross that road and you would just have a 10 second time frame to place the explosive. The first vehicle would be our target. I can see the sewer entrance on the road. Have you reached it?"
''Affirmative, Muhammed. I am just below it. I have activated the explosives and the timer has been set to ten minutes. Alert me when Hasib makes his move.''
Muhammed then called up Razak, who was their tech-expert.
''Razak! Where are we with the call?''
''The tape just finished. I have activated the jammers so that their tracing algorithm can just locate that it was made from Rashtrapati Bhawan but not the exact location. I suppose Chief Prakash would be handling this and we know his modus operandi. I have set up a surveillance camera right outside the IB sub-station. Will let you know as soon as he leaves with his team.''
10 minutes later.
''Azar, this is Muhammed. I can see five SUVs coming up your way in my scope. Hasib, you know what to do. We have only one chance, Azar. Do it and do it right.'' Their entire operation rested on this split second co-ordination.
Just as the SUV was going to take a sharp left, Hasib got in the way, forcing the driver to immediately apply the brakes. The SUV skidded to a halt right above the manhole. Azar's hand moved swift and smooth like a machine on a lubricant. The lid was removed, the explosive was placed and the lid was closed again. All in a jiffy.
''Everything is set, Muhammed. Now the other team has to get the work done at Wheeler Island.''
***************
Wheeler Island, Bay of Bengal.
Co-ordinates: 20° 45′ 28.94″ N, 87° 5′ 7.92″ E
Time: 17:54 hrs
A task force of 25 soldiers guarded MODULE 14- one of the abandoned missile launch centres of India. Although announced as 'abandoned' to the rest of the world, it was a prime centre for development of the hypersonic technology for the new BRAHMOS project. MODULE -14 was officially closed down for the world in 2008 as a measure to remain 'off the grid' for the ever hovering spy satellites. Increase in armour and military enforcements were easily traceable on CIA satellites and those areas were immediately marked as 'hot zones' on satellite mappings. The hypersonic missile was scheduled for its first test three days later and the head of the project Dr. Kapoor was supposed to announce the success of this project at a press conference in the capital about an hour later.
Cpl. Gurmeet Singh was one of the security officials guarding the South East check post of the facility. Activity on the island had begun to cease in the past couple of months as the project was almost complete. Only two groups of scientists worked for the final tests of the scramjet engines at the lab. In the control room, Suhas was responsible to manage and keep a track of everything that was happening at this R&D facility.
A few miles away, four men in black leather jackets had taken over a coast guard launch. Armed with the best training skills and tactical weapons, they were now ready to execute the phase two of their mission.
Just in a few minutes, four 'soldiers' got down from the coast guard launch on the south east entry of the R&D facility of Wheeler Island. The badges on their shoulders invited an instant salute from Cpl Gurmeet at the check post. As he made an entry in the register, he curiously asked his supposedly senior officers about the purpose of their visit. Of course, he had no record of any prior information been sent about their visit. Abbaz cleared his throat and spoke with an air of authority, ''This is an unofficial visit so no need to check in with the Central Command. With 3 days remaining for the trial launch of the missile, we suspect a potential threat from a group of terrorists. It is a direct order to re-plan the security here and to send in more reinforcements. I want to discuss some security measures, and I want each and every soldier present here to assemble at the MODULE-14 central hall in fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, we would require the maps of the island to study the current security arrangements.''
Trusting the ingeniously forged ID's of the fake officers, Cpl. Gurmeet handed the imposters some maps of the island which were enough for them to understand the security threats and sentry posts. The disguised terrorists split up in different directions and took care of the tower sentries and radio communication systems. After fifteen minutes, the only threats to the terrorists on the island were the soldiers who had now assembled in the central hall of MODULE-14.
***************
Muhammed slowly adjusted his scope towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The evening Delhi skyline restricted his view of the target building. But he only had to see the smoke rising up in the sky to confirm the success of their mission.
He was waiting. The timer had been set for ten minutes and every passing minute was a test of his patience. It seemed like ages had passed by the time Muhammed heard a subdued blast at a distance.
''The bomb must have gone off. I can see the smoke. Proceed to plant the things in the Durbaar hall,'' he said. Hasib and Azar, disguised as the fire brigade crew, had got into a stolen water tanker and rushed on the streets of Delhi towards Rashtrapati Bhawan. They had a package wrapped in a brown paper to be placed in the Durbaar Hall. It was now time to hook the bait for the fish.
***************
Wheeler Island had quite a few buildings on its southern side. Most of the northeastern area was unoccupied and was referred to as the 'woods'. Nearly all the houses were of the wooden chalet type, with great sweeping eaves and balconies running the full width of the front of the houses. These had served as the living quarters for the scientists that had worked on the earlier projects. A few were comparatively modern construction, with shingled walls, small double glazed windows and incomplete wrought iron grille-work, but most were very old and low, planked with r
ough adze-cut wood, and having the interlocking wall-beams projecting at the corners. The lab was centrally located in the southern building complex while MODULES 13 and 14 stretched across the southwestern part of the complex. The control tower was housed inside an old light house near the southeastern shore. This entire facility was surrounded by a 20 feet wall on the southern side and by an electrified fence on the north.
MODULE 14's central hall was now occupied by soldiers who were the only remaining security of this island. With Abbaz making up some stories of a terrorist threat, the remaining three terrorists took positions behind the soldiers. Abbaz was so realistic while telling the new security arrangements that the engrossed soldiers never realised suppressed weapons being targeted on them. On Abbaz's signal, the bullets burst out of the barrels, tore through bodies and bones and skulls- a ruthless massacre happened. The three terrorists firing from behind had no expression of rage or ruthlessness on their faces. Their faces were stone cold and their hands steady as they handled their weapons with extreme proficiency. Before anyone could realise what was happening, Abbaz opened fire from the front. Sandwiched between the rain of bullets Cpl Gurmeet and his mates didn't have a chance to survive. Walking in the pool of blood, Abbaz relished their small victory for a few seconds. But he knew that this was nothing compared to the victory they were going to achieve tonight.
''We have to secure the control tower now. As soon as we do that, get me Mr. Kapoor on the phone.''
Chapter 15
Location- The Rashtrapati Bhawan
Time - 20:32 hrs
By the time David and his team reached Rashtrapati Bhawan, the translucent screen of smoke had cleared out, returning the visibility to normal. The medics still crowded the grounds treating the injured and picking up the dead. David glanced around, spent a few seconds to register in his mind the impact of the attack and signalled a few from his task force to help the medics take care of the wounded. He then made his way straight to the man in charge, Raghav, hoping to learn more about the situation. ''Any clue as to who was behind the blast?'' David asked after Raghav had saluted him.
''Absolutely nothing, Sir. They left nothing behind. We have secured a perimeter of 1 km radius and check posts are being put up as we speak. After we got the information from the IB, we made our move to search...''
David gestured Raghav to stop momentarily at this point. ''Wait! You said you got the information from the Intelligence Bureau. How did they get involved in this?''
''Actually, they had traced a threat call. That call was made was from this location and that is why Chief Prakash came over to investigate. He informed us as soon as he got the information.''
''So the call was made from here. But who was on the receiving end of the call?'' David was now getting a grip on the preceded happenings.
''IB keeps tabs on every important and powerful person in the country. It must be someone really important that the IB made such a rush to locate the caller. Do you want me to find out?'' asked Raghav with a promptness.
''Yes, of course. That would help the investigation. Right now I am heading to the Durbaar Hall to have a look at that tape. Is it still there?''
''How did you know about that?'' Raghav was surprised.
''Word spreads faster than fire around here, mister! HQ had filled me in about your findings in the Durbaar hall.''
''We haven't checked out what's on the tape yet. Mr. President returned from his tour as soon as he heard about the blast. He is heading there too.''
''So President Ajaysingh Chauhan is already here. I didn't get THIS news. Need to keep a strict check on his security,'' said David, making a mental note.
The commandos swiftly made their way to the Durbaar hall. On a couple of earlier occasions, David had interacted with the President during certain ceremonies. President Ajaysingh Chauhan was a very popular and a highly respected personality. The country had seen him earlier as a nuclear scientist and an inspirational writer. He had been a prime architect of the country's nuclear arsenal and now he was serving his nation by accepting the responsibility of being the first citizen of the country. He was one of those few who even after being called the nominal-head of the country, put in a lot of effort to serve his nation. Being in his seventies, he tried to be as brisk as he was back in his nuclear research days; although his age had slowed him down a lot. As David entered the Durbaar hall, he noticed three things almost instantaneously-
One: The beautiful chandelier hanging up on the ceiling.
Two: The majestic idol of Lord Buddha.
Three: A man with grey hair, wearing a light blue formal shirt with sleeves folded up to his elbow standing near the statue of Buddha inspecting a brown packet kept on the throne. There was glimpse of anger and despair on the President's face.
David asked his team to wait there and proceeded to salute the President. After an official salute, the President shook hands with David. ''So Commander David D'costa, any idea how this happened?'' asked the President wiping off the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief. Keeping his attire simple yet elegant, Ajaysingh still carried a charismatic aura with him: that of a man serious about his work- very serious. He had a freckled face, retro spectacles which looked a little broad on his slender build and narrow shoulders.
''No, Sir. I just returned from an operation near the border. An old colleague of mine, Ashraf, was in-charge of the security here. He recommended me to take over.''
''He was a good soldier,'' there was a gloom in Ajaysingh's voice. ''He used to handle all the security arrangements perfectly. I heard he couldn't make it. We also lost Chief Prakash Mehta. How is this suddenly happening? Why didn’t our agencies see this coming? This is a VERY precisely planned terrorist attack.''
''I think so too, Sir. Can't tell for sure until we get to know the details about the person to whom that threat call was addressed. My officer is working on it. Looking at the course of events, I sense something more is in the offing!'' David replied with a rising concern.
''This is the first time a blast has occurred at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. It brings up many questions regarding our security systems. Media is going to set things on fire now. We need to prevent any further attacks.''
''We also need to increase your security, Sir,'' David reminded.
But Ajaysingh thought differently. ''I was hundreds of miles away when this happened. I don't think this attack was meant for me. I suppose they plan to blow up some other important buildings too. There is nothing to worry about me. Find out whom was that threat call meant for. He is the one who needs more security.''
''And that again would be you, Sir!'' Capt. Raghav remarked as he entered the hall.
Chapter 16
''We tracked the number to which that call was dialled. Turned out to be your office phone number. We also checked out the answering machine in your office. It played the same message. No doubt the phone call was meant for you, Sir!'' Raghav reported.
''In that case we should arrange a tier 5 security for you. This is really strange. Someone made a threat call from here itself on another phone here- addressed to you,'' David remarked.
As hard as things were for the President to digest, his acquaintance with such threats was not new. He had received threats before: since the time he started working for certain defence projects. Some from the intelligence agencies beyond the borders, and some from the active terrorist organizations around the country. But this issue seemed suspicious and way too dangerous.
''Maybe that package there would give us some clue to what's going on.'' The package was brought under the spotlight by one of the President's personal bodyguards. All the eyes in the room rolled to the package wrapped in a brown paper placed on the throne and then to the other inventory lying at the feet of the statue of Buddha.
''That package was there in the room when I first reached here and so were these cylindrical device and cassette player. I had them X-rayed as soon as I found them. They do not contain any explosives. The X-ray displaye
d that the box holds an audio cassette. I replaced the package and the other items back to their original places after X-raying in case their locations in this hall would give us some clues,'' said Raghav. David unwrapped the brown paper around the package and emptied its contents on his palm. The small audio cassette had no markings, no text written on it. He walked over to the statue of Buddha, picked up the cassette player and inspected it carefully. He then glanced at the piece of paper lying beside. It was a plain piece of paper with some random sets of numbers written on it.
Is it some kind of password? A combination?
David decided to check it out later.
''The cassette player is clean. Let's see what this cassette has to say. And send this device to the lab for inspection,'' he said, pointing to the electronic device. The device was a cylinder of almost thirty centimetres in diameter. It was heavy enough and took two commandos to lift it. After inspecting it for signs of explosives, the device was sent to the lab.
David did not like the idea of tampering with any evidence and he knew that the proper protocol would be to let the experts take the cassette and the paper to the lab and examine them. But some questions needed urgent answers. Taking a deep breath, David put the cassette in the player and hit the play button.
That very second something happened and it went completely unnoticed. In the anxiety to listen to what was on the tape, nobody saw a tiny green light on an explosive planted on the support joint of the chandelier above them change to red.
A computer screen on someone's table displayed- Explosives Armed.
Operation Chaos: A Gripping Action Thriller Page 4
