Operation Chaos: A Gripping Action Thriller

by Himanshu Rasam

  ''Are you sure about your... prediction? It could just be any other pillar,'' Raghav said with a doubtful look on his face.

  ''I think this is our best shot and it completely fits the description. There's no harm in checking it,'' Sameer responded.

  ''Right. Where do we have to go?'' Raghav asked.

  ''The Lion Capital was originally placed atop the Ashoka pillar at Sarnath. Now, the pillar which is generally referred to as the Ashoka column is still at its original location, but the Lion Capital has been moved to the Sarnath Archaeological Museum. So that's where we should be heading,'' said Shonali.

  ''Give me some time to arrange for transport and to get my men ready. Both of you should have something to eat until then. We would be leaving in five minutes,'' said Raghav with a new enthusiasm in his voice. The hunt was on.

  He went to the remaining Black Cat commandos and explained the further plan of action to them. The soldiers had a quick snack and geared up for the upcoming journey.

  Shonali and Sameer sipped at their tea as they watched the sun come up and lighten up the caves. All the darkness in the cave was slowly washed away as they stepped into the morning sunlight. Beyond the darkness lies the light of wisdom. Continue your journey and you may find the answers you seek.

  Sarnath was where their journey was going to end and they were about to find out some truths. The only problem was- They had very little time left!

  Chapter 64

  Things were moving a lot quicker than Ranjeet had expected. He was on a raft along with ten NSG commandos which Capt. Pratap had handpicked to breach into the Wheeler Island facility. As soon as Ranjeet was transported to Dhamara base from Biju Pattnaik airport at Bhubaneswar, Capt. Pratap had not wasted a single minute to plan out their infiltration strategy. He had asked Ranjeet about the point of their entry.

  ''As far as I know- The red zone where the enemy has sensors is the 2 kilometre radius around the island. Upto that point, we are safe and sound. As soon as we get close to the red zone, I can hack and disable the nearby sensors for a period of time. We need to get to the island's command centre after that. The missiles can be taken back in our control from the command centre,'' Ranjeet had answered.

  ''So you disable the sensors in the radius and then we are done? Then the only job is to get control of the command centre?'' Capt. Pratap had asked.

  ''Not exactly. Disabling the sensors would only get you till the shores of the island. From there, it's a whole new story. As per the data I got from your HQ, there are several monitoring cameras on the outer compound as well as inside the facility, various locked exit points to buildings and password protected doors inside the facility. We would have to be very careful once we get in there''

  Ranjeet assured Capt. Pratap that he had gathered all the information- the codes, the maps, decryption keys from his new friend, Vishal, at the Intelligence Bureau HQ while he was on the flight to Bhubaneswar.

  Capt. Pratap had been appointed by David to take care of the activities going around the Dhamara base and to plan an all out assault in case Ranjeet would have failed to breach into the systems. Although Pratap was a newcomer in David's squad, his swift moves, intellect and decision making abilities had managed to impress David and gain his trust.

  ''We will approach the island from the northwest side. We then move along the coast of Kanika Island and cover most of the route so that we would be shielded against any snipers they may have out there. A coast guard launch would take us to our infiltration point 2 kilometres away from the island. After you disable the sensors, we proceed in two rafts with ten of my best men. The last one mile we may have to go underwater. They might spot our raft and I can't risk that. We'll spread out and swim- try to remain below the water as much as you can. Our intelligence reports suggest that there may be around 10-15 terrorists out there. We move in with ten men, but I will ensure that we have more troops on the coast guard launch as our backup. The coast guard will keep cruising around the 2 kilometre radius and the troops would move in as soon as we take over the command centre,'' Pratap had explained to Ranjeet on a map of the Wheeler Island and the nearby territory.

  And there he was - working on his laptop beside Capt. Pratap with his team of ten NSG commandos on a military raft. His body felt numb wearing a full body diving gear with a special waterproof backpack for his laptop and apparatus. Never in his life had he been so tense. It was not the gear which was making him uncomfortable - it was the realization of the responsibility which burdened his shoulders. He did not feel like he was up for the job- he was terrified. The only reassurance he got was a tap on his shoulder from Capt. Pratap. Pratap knew what it was like to go on a mission for the first time and he had seen Ranjeet's fingers trembling on the keyboard.

  ''I know things would be a little tough for you. The firing and killing might get to your nerves. But I need you to stay focused. I need you to be swift and alert even if we are under fire. We will deal with all the messy part, but you need to get us to that damn command centre. Understood?'' said Pratap, giving Ranjeet an assuring look.

  Ranjeet was still shivering. He had no choice but to trust Capt. Pratap's words.

  ''But what about the diving?'' Ranjeet asked. He had never dived underwater before.

  ''Don't worry about that. It's much like swimming. My team will help you out there. You just need to take long breaths from the oxygen mask and make your way ahead.''

  They were now approaching the red zone. Ranjeet was done with hacking into the router of the nearby sensors and disabling the output signals. On his go, the commandos rowed the raft into the red zone. Ranjeet crossed his fingers and prayed that everything had gone right. So far things looked good. There was no sudden activity detected on the island, no alarms went off and they were not fired upon. As they moved towards the island, they could see the sun coming up the ocean and rays of early sunlight hit them. They had lost the advantage of the darkness and now were easy targets to spot. They still had one mile to go, but going any further in the raft was risky. The NSGs got all their gear and weapons along with Ranjeet's equipment in a waterproof sacks. Ten seconds later- twelve men dived underwater to cover the last mile to their destination.

  Chapter 65

  Tughlaq Road, Delhi

  Time- 6:18 hrs

  The two helicopters providing air support had a tough time getting immediate help for the burning vehicles below them. The pilot of the chopper on the left radioed his partner.

  ''Hawk one to Hawk two. Do you copy?''

  ''Affirmative Hawk one!'' the pilot of the second chopper replied. He could still feel the heat from the dying fire on the ground.

  ''I think help will be arriving soon. I leave you in-charge of the situation. Check for any survivors and provide immediate medical assistance. Copy?'' commanded the pilot of Hawk one.

  ''Roger that. But where are you going? We both need to stay on the site until we get our further set of instructions.''

  ''That's a negative, Hawk two! I have orders to take the precious cargo to a secure location. Out.'' Saying so, the pilot of Hawk one set the course of the chopper to an undisclosed location.

  The other pilot needed no further explanation. Codename 'precious cargo' was used by the air force for a VIP aboard the chopper and today their 'precious cargo' was Dr. Ajaysingh Chauhan.

  **********

  15 mins ago...

  David knew something was not okay. Assignment 6.00 kept turning up in his mind. The driver turned on the ignition and Colonel Rana gave orders for the convoy to proceed. The vehicle slowly began to make its way towards the main gate. But then, David decided to make his move.

  ''I still feel we should be more careful this time, Colonel. I mean no disrespect, but I am going to ask HQ the permission to make some alterations to your security arrangements- If you don't mind Dr. Ajaysingh?'' asked David as he reached for the radio.

  Ajaysingh gave his consent and soon enough, David was in a conversation with the HQ. Colonel Rana could not f
ight David in front of the President. He only maintained his jolly smile.

  After a minute of conversation with the HQ, David asked Ajaysingh to get off the vehicle and make a dash for the chopper, which was supposedly tasked to provide a watch from above.

  ''Travelling by air would be much safer, I think,'' said David as he gave Colonel Rana a reassuring glance and ran along with the President towards the chopper codenamed Hawk one.

  Six minutes later, through a camera he had positioned on the Tughlaq road, Muhammed could see two police vehicles and five armoured military vehicles racing towards him. A couple of choppers provided watch from the above.

  **********

  ''Those men down there... They didn't deserve to die like that.'' Ajaysingh was losing his nerve. His hands were trembling; his mind kept repeating the flashes of fire and smoke rising high up in the air as he watched from the chopper window the massacre that had happened. At his age, he couldn't bear the burden of being responsible for so many deaths.

  David, on the other hand, had a lot of things to handle. He had managed to save the President, but he had lost some of his Black Cat commandos down there. They were not just his team- they were his brothers. He had handpicked them, trained them, fought beside them and had promised to protect them. But today he couldn't keep that promise. With a heavy heart, he called on the HQ and conveyed the news of the President being safe.

  ''This is David D'costa. There was an incident on Tughlaq road and I lost many members of my team, Colonel Rana and some NSG commandos there. But the President is safe and secure. I am currently with him and we are heading for the Black Cats HQ. I need some answers right NOW!''

  ''HQ copies all, David.''

  ''And whatever happens, I don't want the news that the President is safe being leaked to the media. To cover up the incident is up to you. Keep me posted. Out.''

  David put down his mike and glanced at the man sitting beside him. That man was not the President he had seen earlier this evening. This man had fear in his eyes. He was shivering and mumbling. Ajaysingh stared through the reinforced glass window of the chopper at the parting clouds in the clear morning sky, his eyes bleak and remote as if he was playing a scene in front of his eyes.

  Chapter 66

  Project Testing Site, Pokharan

  Operation Shakti

  10 May, 1998

  Time- 10:00am

  29 hrs 43 minutes left for the tests.....

  It was one of the hottest summers of Rajastan. The mercury levels were rising fast, even at 10.00 am in the morning. Sweat trickled down Jacob's neck. The increasing heat brought him back to consciousness. Almost three hours had passed since he had given up answering the questions fired at him by the military officials. Blood that had been dripping down from his forehead four hours ago had now dried up. His wrists had been bound for the last six hours and he had survived some severe punches in the stomach. Eyelids were heavy, but he put in effort to lift up his head and look around. He was in the same interrogation room- the room which was now empty and dark, but had been the centre of activity the night before and had also been visited by a few high ranked military officials. The interrogation room was at the far corner of the facility away from all the activities of the atomic program. Jacob closed his eyes shut and re-winded his memory to the day from where everything had gone wrong.

  Things had moved fast at Pokharan base ever since Ajaysingh had discovered a solid proof against Jacob. That day Ajay did not stop at the door after Jacob had seen him with the note in his hand. He had dashed to the security office and reported his suspicions to the military authorities. Shashank joined Ajay and both of them narrated to the officer in charge every single detail they knew about Jacob's behaviour, his activities and odd work shifts.

  ''... and today I found this note on his desk. It was cleverly hidden in Jacob's table drawer,'' said Ajay, handing over the 'BE READY TO STRIKE ON 10th' note to Major Sinha- the officer incharge.

  Sinha seemed quite convinced after Ajay described to him the red gloves incident and showed him the note. ''It was a lucky thing that you reported your suspicions Dr. Ajaysingh and Dr. Shashank. This man could be a serious threat and may be here to sabotage the entire operation. We are going to take him in our custody right now,'' responded Major Sinha.

  Jacob was dragged into the interrogation room by four officers and was made to sit right in front of Major Sinha. Sinha was a man like Jacob himself- used to talk very little. But he had a habit of expressing himself with his fists. Jacob got a little lucky because Sinha had to wait until he reported the full incident to his higher authorities in Delhi. Sinha needed the clearance to interrogate a scientist who was involved in a high priority national project.

  ''Keep this man in the room until I come back. Don't be mean to him. Don't ask any questions. I want him all for me tonight during the investigation,'' said Sinha to his soldiers and walked out without even looking at Jacob. The four soldiers tied Jacob to a chair and waited outside the room awaiting further orders from Sinha. Ajay and Shashank had given their statements in writing and were off to complete their work.

  An investigation team from Delhi arrived late at night. Sinha wanted Ajay to be present during the interrogation and had convinced the officers that Ajay would be of use during the interrogation.

  ''And what am I to do there?'' Ajay asked. He was not comfortable interrogating an enemy spy. Asking questions was never the part of his job profile, but it felt right. He needed to get some answers from Jacob.

  ''You have been living with this guy for a long time. You will go in and talk to him. Make him comfortable, gain his trust and ask him why he did it. He may not speak initially, but you need to keep trying calmly. Ask him questions about the note, the red gloves and the map. My colleagues will take care of the rest,'' the officer said reassuringly.

  Six minutes later, Ajay found himself facing the most mysterious guy he had ever met in his life. There was some unquantifiable tension mounting between the two scientists in the room as they sat staring at each other. Major Sinha was sitting in another room watching the feed from the CCTV in the interrogation catching Jacob's every expression. A military officer banged the weight of some files they had brought with them on the desk right in front of Jacob's face as he pulled back the chair and sat down shuffling through some papers in the files. He slowly pulled out his spectacles from the case in his coat pocket and wore them taking his own time. As the interrogation progressed, Jacob began to reject any charges the officers would press on him. After half an hour, the investigation by the military officials seemed a waste of time. Major Sinha asked Ajay to intervene.

  Ajay, furious after the Jacob's denial of all the accusations, went for an all out assault.

  ''So let us say- you are not the one whom we accuse you to be. Then how come you were out late that night wearing red gloves?'' asked Ajay.

  ''I just thought of taking a stroll around the facility, but I couldn't find my regular gloves. So I wore my spare pair of gloves and walked out of the room. The next thing I knew was you coming running to me.''

  Ajay was shocked to see the way Jacob gave his alibi so calmly. He forwarded the next question.

  ''What about the map we found in your cupboard?'' Ajay thought he had trapped the rat now.

  ''What map? I had no map in my cupboard. Someone must have planted it there,'' replied Jacob.

  Major Sinha was losing his temper every passing second. He got up, picked up his overcoat and began making his way towards the interrogation room.

  Ajay knew there was something fishy about the story which Jacob had told him and so he decided to play his best card. He pulled out a small steel box from his pocket.

  ''Remember this box, Jacob? The soldiers found it while going through your room. You want to tell us about the contents of this box?'' asked Ajay.

  Jacob stayed calm and denied the accusation yet again. It was as if he had been thoroughly trained for such interrogations. The voice remained cold and the gaze
was steady. No blinks of eyelids. ''That does not belong to me. I don't know how it got into my room and...'' Before Jacob could finish his statement, Sinha came marching in with the other four officials.

  ''I want the room all for myself,'' Sinha announced.

  All the officers started clearing out the room. ''Lies after lies! I am pretty sure you are a trained spy Mr. Jacob. You just don't give up. Want to know what's inside the steel box?'' Sinha asked, opening the latch on the steel box. The soldiers had already broken a small lock which had held the box shut earlier when Ajay had seen it for the first time.

  Jacob watched Major Sinha pulling out a revolver from the box and placing it in front of him.

  ''This,'' said Sinha, pointing to the revolver, ''was in the box and I need to know why.''

  The session of questions and answers went on throughout the night with Jacob defying every charge put on him. Sinha tried using his fists, but the answers didn't change.

  Around 8.00 in the morning, Jacob passed out and Sinha gave up asking questions. He posted four guards outside the bunker and went on to carry out his daily tasks.

  In the afternoon, Sinha decided to give Jacob another dose of his fists. He walked up to the far corner of the facility towards the interrogation room. He did not have any company, as most of the troops were busy working at the shafts for the final tests, now that only 25 hours were remaining. When he reached the room, he couldn't see any soldiers. They must have gone for lunch. But at least one of them must be guarding.

  He froze in his tracks when he saw a pool of blood near the door. He realized that the lock on the door was tampered with and the door no longer remained shut. Taking a deep breath, he swung the door inside and levelled his pistol.

  Lying at his feet were the dead bodies of four soldiers covered with blood and the man he had come to interrogate was nowhere to be seen. Jacob- the biggest threat to Operation Shakti was on the loose. Again.