''Well, we do have a lead, but it goes nowhere. Just complicates the case. We had a suspect who might be connected to tonight's events. We had his location in Paharganj but our officers lost him somewhere on the metro. The guy running this operation is one hell of a mastermind and he has chosen his men well. There are absolutely no loose threads. We just got one rough lead. It was found in the dustbin at the suspect's hotel room. It was burnt from one side and the only legible text was - ASSIGNMENT 6.00. Our cyber cell and intelligence are working on it right now. We will notify you in case of any updates. Right now our job is to keep the President safe and yours is to follow the trail. Will update you about the situation at Wheeler Island soon,'' the operator at the Headquarters instructed.
''Roger that.''
''HQ out.''
David instantly turned towards Ranjeet whose fingers were moving swiftly on the keypad of his laptop. He had to take down the security firewalls one at a time. Fortunately, the guys at the Wheeler Island were not veteran computer experts and they had left some glitches. Ranjeet had been trying to find some significant glitch for the last half hour and now he had found his window. He started to make his way past the firewalls.
''How are we doing? Any close to shutting off their security systems? Our NSG commandos are waiting on the coast guard boats. You take down the firewalls and they move in. They are trained for such hostage rescue scenarios,'' said David, taking a peek at Ranjeet's laptop screen. All David could see were meaningless sentences, illogical words, hyphens, slants and colons typed in by Ranjeet.
''It's not easy to break down the system. It is like a virtual safe with many layers of metals and I have to drill through it bit by bit. I am through the primary firewalls, but I have access to only 13% of their passkeys and data. I need the complete set of passkeys to override their system. I am working on the next bit. Will keep you posted,'' replied Ranjeet, without taking his eyes off the screen.
A minute later, David got another incoming message from the HQ.
''HQ to David. Do you copy?''
''Loud and Clear.''
''David, this is Colonel Rana from HQ. We just got an update from the personal assistant of the President that he has a press conference to attend tomorrow morning. He was supposed to fly directly from Assam to Delhi for the press conference''
David looked up at Raghav who nodded in agreement. Raghav and Ashraf had been there when Ajaysingh had scheduled that press conference about a month ago.
''I think we should cancel it, Sir. Tell the media that the President can't make a public appearance currently,'' David answered.
''David! Try to understand. We have our orders. The President has to make it to the conference in the morning. There are rumours going around already that the President was also killed in the blast. The media is spreading it like a wild fire. Unless Mr. Ajaysingh makes a public appearance and gives his statement, these rumours won't stop. Moreover the ruling party is requesting a statement from the President stating that the Government is doing its best to investigate and control the situation and that everyone involved would be apprehended by the law.''
''But why don't they get it that if we do so and bring the President for a press conference, whoever is planning all this gets a pinpoint location of the President. The only reason why the President is safe is because currently nobody except us and the IB knows where the President is. When he goes public, we lose that advantage, Sir. I was promised by the Home Minister that he will let me carry out things as I wanted. He said there would be no interferences.''
''David, I know that and I am aware that we are endangering President's life by doing this. But it's a protocol and needs to be done. I have my orders. Mr. Ajaysingh is currently being transported to the second bunker in Haryana. It is your responsibility to bring him back from that bunker by tomorrow dawn to the capital. Our special task force will take over from there. Is that clear?''
David knew something was not right. He figured that it was a play by the government to pacify the public and maintain the dignity of the ruling party. But he also knew that it was important for the President to go public considering the chaos that would be created if the President didn't show up.
''All right, Sir. I understand. When is the press conference?'' David replied after a brief pause.
''Morning 6.00 am,'' replied Colonel Rana.
That instant everything blanked out before David.
6.00 am
He closed his eyes.
Six point zero zero a.m.
He was shuffling through his memory boxes trying to reconstruct what he had heard earlier.
And then he had it before his eyes-
one rough lead.... in the dustbin at the suspect's hotel room.... only legible text was- ASSIGNMENT 6.00.
Chapter 42
''But why do I have to be at a conference? I know it was scheduled a long time ago, but now the situation is different. We need to find that artefact. Returning back to Delhi would just be a waste of your time!'' President Ajaysingh was not happy to hear the proposal of being at the conference. He had received persistent phone calls from the ministry pressurising him to be at the morning press conference. They had assured him total security.
In the last hour, the President had been shifted from his initial bunker to another. David's commandos were well trained and had carried out the task smoothly.
''Sir, they do have a point. You need to appear before the press. They are loaded with questions and if they are not answered, they will turn their rumours into news. And the result of all this will be more chaos and panic which we do not want. Don't worry about the security. I would be personally escorting you,'' David replied.
''It is not about security. We have a deadline to keep. That artefact has to reach him before 9.00 am tomorrow morning. Can't we postpone the press conference until then?'' Ajaysingh suggested.
''Sir, I have a hunch that during the press conference, our secret caller is going to make a move. Earlier tonight I got a report from the HQ about something called Assignment 6.00. I think it has something to do with the conference,'' David explained.
The President pondered for a second and then spoke, ''You have a plan or something?''
''I am working on it. But it is a bit risky. I was planning on using you as bait for the fish.''
''I am not worried about the risk, David. Whatever you plan, I would help you in executing. I will go to the conference with you in the morning, but your team will keep looking for that artefact for now.''
''Okay, Sir!'' David agreed.
Chapter 43
Far away, the mastermind was thinking of unravelling his next move. The phase two of his 'Operation Chaos'.
He knew that there would be a hell lot of security at the conference hall as well as the airport where the President would land. He had predicted that Commander David D'costa would be accompanying the President. The only window he had to launch an attack on the President was the travel route between the airport and the conference hall.
Dr. Ajaysingh Chauhan, this is it. My final act - Assignment 6.00. Tomorrow you will see the sun rise. Maybe your last sunrise. I won't kill you fast. Nah - you are too precious for me. I WILL kill you. Slowly. I will make you feel the pain. Just like you made me feel 14 years ago. That night.
He called Muhammed on his satellite phone.
''Muhammed, are you ready to do what it takes to achieve your purpose?'' The voice was soft and tender.
''I would be very pleased, Sir. I have made the necessary preparations,'' came a determined reply.
''Good. They would be expecting us. So when you attack, do it right. We won't get a second chance. Allah Hafis.''
''Allah Hafis.''
The mastermind rested on his wheelchair and chuckled.
Ajaysingh, breathe in your last pints of oxygen. At 6.00 am - you won't know what hit you.
Chapter 44
In his new bunker, President Ajaysingh grew restless every passing moment. He tried to keep avo
iding his memories, focus his mind on something else but they just kept coming. He remembered the night when he had experienced the fear of death. The night he had narrowly missed death.
Operation Shakti
14th March, 1998
Time - 11.24 pm
Indian Army - PTS (Project Testing Site), Pokharan
The pressure from the bureaucrats in Delhi and the constant arousing suspicion from the CIA had speeded up the activities at Pokharan. The shifts stretched up to twelve hours and Ajay ended up working all night long every two or three days. But the only thing left on his checklist today was submitting his work report to the co-ordinator. He dashed to A.K. Das's cabin with his overcoat in the left hand and the report tightly clenched in the right.
A rush of freezing wind greeted him as he jerked the door wide open and stepped outside his lab. A miniature blizzard howled into the belly of the room. He locked the door, put on his overcoat and scarf, making himself ready for the chills of the desert. The night was quiet and so was the road. A group of army trucks had just come in and most of the guards were busy shifting the delivered consignments to the safe house. The regular night patrol was nowhere to be seen.
I hope A.K. Das has not left for his bunker, a little worry was gnawing at Ajay.
His stream of thought was broken when he saw there were no lights in the cabin of the assistant co-ordinator. The front door was locked. Surprisingly, Ajay could still see from a small light glowing in the darkness inside through the translucent window.
He must have left his desktop on by mistake.
Ajay was about to leave when he saw something move inside the cabin. As if a person had passed by the desktop screen. The window was translucent, making it impossible to predict anything going on inside the cabin. Ajay stood still for a moment. He knew he was tired and that he needed his sleep.
But his mind stirred some doubts. Doubts which needed clarification.
Maybe there is something fishy going on in here. Maybe someone else is operating the co-ordinator's computer. I must check out what is going on here.
But Ajay knew going inside alone involved a great risk. He ran to the nearest watchtower and waved his hands to the military men above. A couple of soldiers came down to investigate the situation. After he was done explaining what he had seen to the Indian army soldiers, Ajay led them to the co-ordinator's cabin.
The cabin was a L - shaped structure attached to the data room where all the recorded data saved on disks and floppies was stored. It had two exits - one was the cabin's front door and the other was the back door from the data room. One of the soldiers circled to the back door while Ajay and the other soldier knocked at the main door.
''Mr. Das, are you there inside?''
There was a sound of some quick movements, crashing of a chair and then suddenly there was silence. The soldiers signalled each other and decided to move in.
''I think something is wrong. You better stay close behind me, Mr. Ajay. If there is an intruder inside, we'll get him,'' the soldier ensured.
The other soldier at the back door was ready to tackle anyone coming out of that door. He gave a thumbs up to his partner at the front door who checked his pistol, clicked the safety off and kicked the front door. The door went down with a loud bang.
Ajay crouched and followed the soldier who was desperately trying to find the light switch in the dark of the cabin. Failing to find the switch, the soldier took out his cigar lighter and held it high to cover the maximum area. Clenching the pistol firmly in his other hand, he moved across the room towards the desktop which was now shut down. The chair in front of the desktop was lying down on the floor and somebody had left a notepad beside the keyboard. When the soldier was busy checking the notepad near the desktop, Ajay saw something move at the corner of the L-shaped cabin. He was about to alert the soldier when a small vase came flying and hit that soldier. Before the soldier could recover, two bullets hit him right on his chest and stomach. The man went down instantly.
Ajay did not hear the sound of bullets, but he saw the body of the soldier crashing on the floor. The lighter fell on the floor a few metres ahead enlightening a small portion of the cabin. Ajay now knew that there was an intruder in the room and that he was dangerous.
Is he using a silenced weapon? Ajay slowly began crawling. Does he know I am here? Of course, his eyes must be better adjusted to the darkness. But I had maintained a low profile. There is no way he could have seen me.
He tried to figure out his next move. Should I shout out to the soldier at the back door for help? He is my last chance. But shouting would expose my existence in the room and my position as well. If the soldier doesn't hear my cry, I would be a dead chicken.
The lighter had now gone off. The room was completely dark. Ajay decided to play it silent. He knew that the intruder was somewhere near the opposite corner of the cabin. It was a safe move to escape out of the front door lying down on the stomach. Ajay retraced his steps back towards the front door slowly and trying to remain as silent as possible. But then suddenly he heard footsteps. The footsteps were coming towards him and the sound of the each footstep made his heart skip a beat. Ajay was sweating profusely, but he also had to think of something. He saw a desk exactly opposite to the A.K. Das's computer under which he could fit, so he quickly rolled over under the desk and waited for the inevitable to happen.
The footsteps kept coming closer. For a second, Ajay thought that he could jump the intruder and take him by surprise as he passed by. But then he ruled out the idea by logic.
He killed an army soldier. Intruder one. Me zero.
He might be physically stronger than me. Intruder two. Me zero.
He has a silenced weapon. Intruder ten. Me zero.
I should probably wait here until he leaves, thought Ajay.
The footsteps went towards the door and he could hear a distinct creaking as the intruder closed the broken door. Ajay was aware of a fear, a fear bordering on a reason-abdicating panic, such as he had never previously experienced.
After a couple of seconds the footsteps seemed to come closer again. Then Ajay saw the intruder move towards the desktop. He was wearing a dark dress and had wrapped cloth over his face to conceal his identity.
What is he trying to do now? Steal more secrets? And what is the guard at back door still doing? He should be suspicious by now and should have come in to check.
The mysterious figure picked up the chair, booted the computer, kept his silenced pistol on the table next to the mouse and started to jot down something on the notepad. The intruder had no idea that Ajay was watching him from behind. The bright light coming from the screen of the monitor made it impossible for Ajay to recognise the intruder from behind. Ajay caught a glimpse of his hand and noticed that the intruder was using a pair of hand gloves to avoid leaving any fingerprints. In the light coming from the screen, Ajay could faintly make out the red colour of his hand gloves.
He has no idea there is another soldier waiting outside. That soldier might come in any time now. Patience, Ajay, Patience. Maintain your calm.
Ajay had too many things going on in his mind. He was breathing faster every second. Minutes seemed like hours.
Where is that damn guard, Ajay was now panic-stricken and restless. He decided to brave the inevitable and sneak out silently. Maintaining a low profile, he crawled out of the desk soundlessly.
Front door or the back door? Ajay had a choice to make. That guy has a direct shot at the front door. One mistake and he would be putting bullets through me. Better take the back door.
Ajay crawled at a snail's pace ducking between tables and cupboard. He was almost midway near the corner of the cabin when his path was blocked by a long wooden partition. The only way past it was a wooden door which was the entrance to the data room.
Okay. Almost there. I just have to swiftly open the door and make a dash for the back door.
Ajay took a deep breath. He was two metres away from the door. Checking on the int
ruder who was busy copying data, Ajay slowly started to rise up. He took a small step towards the door when his right foot accidently stepped on a paper weight lying on the floor.
The sound was sharp and the intruder didn't waste a second in picking up his gun. The only problem the intruder now faced was that his eyes had been focused on the bright screen for too long. As he turned towards the source of the sound, he couldn't clearly comprehend the outline of Ajay dashing for the door at the partition. Without wasting any time, the intruder fired four rounds randomly towards the wooden partition. Ajay had jumped towards the door knob and he was in mid air when the bullets went whizzing past him. One nearly missed the back of his head and Ajay could sense it going past his hair. The other two were fired quite a distance above him, but the last bullet tore through the fabric of his overcoat, sliced his skin and brushed past his right shoulder. Ajay, landing on the door, was about to open the doorknob when the other soldier rushed in through the front door. The mysterious intruder had now adjusted his eyes to the darkness. Before the second soldier could get his pistol out of the holster, three bullets went right through his chest. Ajay watched his last ray of hope fall down dead as he closed the partition door behind him.
The data room was more like a server room with nine long cabinets arranged three by three in a very symmetrical distribution. All the data hard disks were classified and kept for records. The room was small and the cabinets stood like pillars in some Greek architecture. Ajay dodged the cabinets and made way through the piles of floppies and finally reached the back door. He was one step away from freedom.
He unbolted the door and pushed it outwards. The door wouldn't budge. Ajay gave it a hard push with his shoulder again and yet the door stood still. It was bolted from outside.
The door of the wooden partition opened and a figure armed with a gun stepped into the data room!
Operation Chaos: A Gripping Action Thriller Page 11
