''Me?'' Ajay asked.
''DO NOT TRY TO DENY IT.'' There was an inexorable rage in Ayaaz's eyes. ''You took away from me my job, my passion- the thing that kept me ticking. The people who employed me did not take my failure as a good note. I was a failed, crippled spy who spent a year trying to get off a hospital bed. How would they expect someone crippled to work again as a spy for them? All I did for the next two years was some boring office job. You took away the PURPOSE from my life. They took away my identity and you were the reason for it...''
David was too busy listening to the man in the wheelchair that he did not feel his cellphone vibrating in his pocket. It was the fourth vibration that got his attention. He dived his hand into his pocket and hurriedly pressed the receive button.
It was Captain Pratap.
''I tried to reach you over the radio, but you didn't respond. We are done at Wheeler Island. The missile is no longer a threat. We blasted the power supply station of the control tower,'' said Pratap.
''Blasted what?'' David asked in alarmed state.
''Just the basement of the control tower. It was necessary to kill the power of the missile launch systems. Nothing to be worried about. They were going to launch the missile towards Mumbai, but now it is not going anywhere.''
''Well done, Pratap! Excellent job. I think we can go ahead and just kill this bastard. He has got no leverage on us now,'' said David, loading his sniper rifle.
''... I was lost. I was purposeless, defeated and that is when I found the true purpose of my life. Did you know how much trouble I had to go through to acquire the four out of those nine books hidden by the Nine Unknown Men? And then how much midnight oil I had to burn to find the clues to the path leading towards the artefact in those books? But it was all worth the trouble because I was finally doing the thing I was destined for. Alas! My disability restricted me to find the other five books and discover the complete path and I had to bother you to help me. You know what... I just wanted that zing back in my life- feel that rush of adrenaline through my veins again. So I arranged this little game for us. You can't imagine the preparation and planning it took to place every single piece of puzzle exactly where it should be. Although, I had explored the path upto the stupa at Nalanda, I didn't want it to be made too obvious. So I misguided you to Qutb Minar where you found the clue I had placed. I MADE you go towards the artefact that I needed. And believe me, I enjoyed every bit of it.'' Ayaaz was savouring his victory- his success to make the President, the Intelligence, the army of an entire nation give in to his demands.
''But why did you make US go for the artefact? You had the information leading towards the artefact and you clearly had the monetary resources. Why not go after it by yourself and keep it silent? You could have made me suffer or get me killed any other time,'' said Ajaysingh. It was a question he asked not for stalling time, but to quench his queries. There were some answers which were still in the dark.
''Don't you still get it? Are you really that naive?'' Ayaaz flashed a sinister smile. ''It was your resources which led me to the artefact. The information I had gathered only indicated me that the journey towards the artefact begins from Nalanda. From there, it was your team which made all of it happen. You people discovered the rest of the path for me. I USED YOU, you RETARDS! I had the information, but didn't have the expertise. I had the money, but not the manpower. I couldn't have gotten all those permissions, those clearances to search the areas. Moreover, my injury restricts me from carrying out heavy physical activity- so I decided to entrust the job to your people. You gave me the best of your commandos, your best crypto analyst- all of them were indirectly working for me. And now speaking of the job, tell me- Where is my artefact?'' asked Ayaaz, looking at his watch. It was ten minutes past eight and the morning sun now shined brightly over the airstrip.
Ajay knew that his act for stalling time was over. He carefully chose his words attempted to stall for more time, ''My team is working on that. But why are YOU so interested in that particular artefact?''
''Don't you think I understand what you are trying to do? Enough of games and stalling for time. I need my artefact RIGHT NOW,'' Ayaaz screamed, banging his palm on the wheelchair.
David had double-checked with Ranjeet and his HQ that the missile situation was now completely under control. He was going for an all out assault and needed to confirm that all the threats had been neutralized.
''That bastard deserves a spiteful death, Commander. Make sure he gets one,'' Capt. Pratap added as he disconnected the call. Just as he ran out of words to keep the psychopath in front of him occupied, Ajaysingh heard Commander David's voice on his earpiece.
''Sir! We have secured the Wheeler Island facility. The missile is no longer a threat now.''
''Are you sure? Have you checked...'' asked Ajay doubtfully. He had hardly expected the tables to turn.
''Yes, Sir. Double checked it. We are going to take down that bastard,'' said David determinedly.
''NO,'' said Ajay, loud enough for Ayaaz to hear it. ''You stand down. This was something I should have done years ago,'' he said it slowly- taking his time to withdraw the concealed weapon.
''But I am going to finish that job today,'' Ajaysingh said as he levelled his pistol at Ayaaz.
The sly grin on Ayaaz's face had disappeared. ''What... What is the meaning of this, Ajay?'' Ayaaz stammered as he spoke. There was a fear on his face.
''The game is up, you bastard,'' Ajay replied, looking in the eyes of his enemy.
''What? No! What are you talking about? You kill me and the missile gets launched,'' Ayaaz replied. His hands were trembling.
''The Black Cats have taken care of it. Wheeler Island facility has been secured-'' Ajay did not complete his sentence. He stopped midway when he observed a sudden change in Ayaaz's expression. The expression of fear and dread had drained off. The big sinister smile was back again.
''You don't think I already know that,'' Ayaaz said, pointing his finger towards the tablet he had concealed beside his thighs. ''You really think that someone like me wouldn't come prepared if something goes wrong? I told you it took months to plan this game and I took every measure to ensure that I won't lose,'' he said with an acute confidence in his voice. All the stammering had just evaporated into thin air.
David pressed his earpiece against his ears tightly. He tried to hear the conversation with utmost attention.
''I still have a card left to play Mr.Ajaysingh. Believe me- if you pull that trigger and shoot me here, another trigger would be pulled somewhere at your lovely daughter.'' Ayaaz completed his statement with a chuckle.
The words sent a chill down Ajay's spine. The mention of his daughter, Shonali, made him shiver. David knew it was not the time to hold back now. He signalled his three commandos to advance towards the airstrip along with him from all the directions. Ayaaz whistled calmly as he watched himself being surrounded by Black Cat commandos.
''Greetings, Commander David. Pleasure meeting you,'' he said to David, smugly.
''Shut up, you maniac. You are bluffing. Miss Shonali is perfectly fine and safe in the company of my team. I had a chat with our man, Sameer, just a few minutes ago,'' said David, keeping his rifle levelled at the psychopath.
''Did you? Try contacting him again. Chances are your men would be dead by now!''
''Sir, He has to be bluffing. My team has eliminated all of the terrorist threats. I don't think that your daughter is under any kind of threat, especially when my team is with her.'' David tried to assure Ajaysingh.
''Yeah. You are not wrong. Your team has indeed eliminated all the terrorists. But you forgot one important person. I had my nine soldiers- The Nine Unknown. Let us do a headcount of my soldiers whom your team eliminated. Azar, Hasib, Razak, Abbaz, Irfan, Sohail, Parvez and my favourite - Muhammed. That makes eight of them. The ninth unknown was my most powerful weapon. The one who has been making you dance on his fingers all along...''
Meanwhile, at Sarnath....
Sho
nali was being dragged amongst the fallen dead bodies of the Black Cat commandos with a gun pointed at her head. She tried to resist hard, but could not outmatch the strength of the assailant. She could feel the pool of blood under her feet as she was being dragged towards the entrance of the museum. An injured Black Cat commando, lying on the ground, tried to get hold of the assailant's legs as he passed by. Raghav kicked him away and shot two bullets right in his head.
Chapter 81
March 2006,
Dharmarajika Stupa,
Taxila, Pakistan.
''Are you sure you want to pursue the search for the object?'' asked the same monk who had inspired Ayaaz on the first day.
''Yes, I do. Didn't I tell you that I figured out the pattern in those manuscripts? They were buried here for a reason. Now that I know that this path leads to that artefact, I just can't stop myself from exploring further,'' answered Ayaaz, beaming with excitement. The monks had never seen him so excited ever since the time he had taken refuge in the monastery. He had been offered a desk job by his I.S.I contemporaries, but Ayaaz had respectfully denied it. After getting over his dejection and accepting the fact that he was permanently disabled for life, he had slowly developed a unique interest in the Buddhist scriptures. In the coming years, he had mastered Pali and Sanskrit, and had studied almost every important Buddhist scripture.
By the time he had spent three years in the monastery, he was reading for 14 hours straight. The more he explored, the more knowledge he obtained. He realised the versions of the truth and the different paths one can take to achieve the state of 'nirvana'. His respect for the enlightened one grew with every scripture he read.
''There is no pattern, son. It's just in your head. These stories, these writings were meant to enlighten people - to make them aware of the truth. They were written in a simple way so that everyone could follow the teachings of Buddhism. How could there be anything hidden in these scriptures?'' the monk said.
''It was made simple so that no one would suspect anything hidden in it. They have hidden it in plain sight for all these years. I am not saying that it is true. But there is a slight possibility and I am not going to ignore it. I need to find those nine books.'' Ayaaz was determined. It was a reincarnated passion burning within him. After so many years, the push to go after something was reborn. He was welcoming the old Ayaaz back. It was a new dream he had seen all these years and now he was going to follow it.
''The nine books?'' the monk asked, baffled by Ayaaz's sudden change in attitude.
''Very little information on these nine books hidden by King Ashoka is available today. But there are a few manuscripts which narrate some episodes from Ashokan times suggesting the existence of these books.''
''And why is it so important for you to find them, Ayaaz?'' The monk replied back with a questioning look on his face.
''I have to achieve what they had achieved. I need the respect which they had earned. I want to live as long as they did. After all these years, I finally found a purpose to my life. I found a goal to achieve and no one will take it away from me now,'' said Ayaaz with a tinge of insanity sparkling in his eyes. The monk knew nothing of the people Ayaaz was referring to. But he knew this- there was no stopping this man.
Chapter 82
For four continuous years, Ayaaz gathered all the manuscripts he could under one roof. Studying them and connecting the dots had become his obsession. He had taken up the job offered to him by I.S.I to finance his expeditions to find the books. He established contacts with other intelligence agencies and some operational terrorist organisations in India in the meantime. Using the available manpower and the money coming in from the research and the I.S.I, he had managed to secure four of the nine books from various parts of South East Asia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal.
''So did you figure out the pattern in the books?'' The monk casually asked Ayaaz after he had returned from his routine trip to Peshawar one day. His trips to Peshawar had been more frequent in the recent days owing to his involvement in the nuclear research.
''The more I dig into it, the deeper it draws me into the abyss. There are supposed to be nine of these books which hide a passage leading towards something buried away all these years. I don't know what that artefact exactly is, but I am going to find it.'' The same ruthless determination sparkled in Ayaaz's eyes that moment.
''This is madness, Ayaaz. You are going after something which may not be of any significance. All of this has to stop. Now!'' the monk replied in a stern voice. Ayaaz had never heard any monk talk to someone in that tone.
''How can it not be significant? They were deemed learned and were highly respected. They live in our memories even today - all because they obtained that artefact!''
''And who are these people you keep talking about? These learned, respected people?'' The monk finally asked the question he had been meaning to ask for a long time.
''The people who discovered the secret hidden in that artefact! Lord Buddha's disciples, Sariputra, Samraat Ashoka and many more. These are the men history remembers and I am going to be one of them. I want to know what set these people apart from the others, what made them great! There are traces about the artefact all over the manuscripts. I have also found out where the path originates. It may be madness, but I am not going to stop it and neither are you.'' Ayaaz calmly challenged the monk's statement. That day, Ayaaz left the monastery with all his belongings and was never seen again.
Chapter 83
David was in a state of absolute shock. That name which Ayaaz had spat out, shook him to the very core- Raghav. How could he have missed it? He was the only NSG commando not in his team who had been following them everywhere all night. The perfect traitor to plant the calling device at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, to plant the bombs on the chandelier, to place the tape in the Ashoka Hall and to monitor their activities all along. He must have got enough help from the nine terrorists to arrange for all those mishaps. David needed to check with his team. He needed to warn them.
''Sameer, come in. This is David...'' David anxiously spoke on his radio.
There was nothing but a static coming from the other end.
''Sameer? Shonali?'' David burst out in anxiety. Every passing second he prayed that Ayaaz was wrong. He tried radioing each and every member of his team. But there was no reply. David had almost given up trying when he heard the radio crackle.
It was Raghav's voice.
''Stop calling out the dead, David. They aren't going to answer. They are all lying right at my feet like a heap of crap,'' Raghav spoke bluntly.
''You bastard,'' screamed David with inexorable wrath. David's hands were trembling in anger. His finger itched to pull the trigger on the fanatic lying in a wheelchair in front of him.
''You can save all the swearing for later, but I have to speak some important business with your honourable President. So just pass him the goddamn radio,'' said Raghav with a chuckle.
The confidence in Raghav's voice stunned David completely. He silently passed on the radio to Ajaysingh. Taking the radio, the President took a moment to pull himself together before speaking into the microphone.
''Ajaysingh Chauhan here,'' he said, trying to keep his voice audible.
''You sound tired, Mr. President. Let me put an end to your suffering. Until now you were running around to save the lives of people of your nation. But now- it just became personal. You have our leader and I have your daughter. I suppose you want your daughter alive, so don't try to pull any tricks here. I will contact you again with the details of the location for exchange. But remember this, if anything happens to my man in wheelchair- I won't kill your daughter. I will put her through so much pain that you will beg me to kill her.'' Raghav's ghostly voice went off the radio.
David watched Ajaysingh going down on his knees. David put his gun aside and dashed to hold the President from falling on the ground.
''Just get me a glass of water.'' Ajaysingh spoke in an almost inaudible tone. David signalled h
is subordinate to immediately get some water. Ayaaz smiled as he watched Ajaysingh get back up on his feet.
''You asked me why that artefact was so important to me. I'll tell you an account I read in one of those nine books. After the battle of Kalinga, Samraat Ashoka also went down on his knees observing the massacre around him, just as you did a while ago. But do you think he was looking at the pile of dead bodies for the first time? Didn't he wage wars before? Didn't he see people die earlier? Then what melted his heart so much that he gave up his dear endeavour of capturing other kingdoms and embraced Buddhism? The truth is, it was during this period that he acquired an artefact. That artefact inspired such a change in him that he became the great emperor we know him as today. That was the power of this artefact. I have to achieve what he had achieved. I need to learn what he had learned. And your lovely daughter did a wonderful job of locating that artefact for me. So what will it be, Ajay? Do you hate me more than you love your daughter? You should have never involved her in this. It is your fault that she has to face all this brutality... your fault Ajay,'' Ayaaz spat out.
''Get this bastard out of my sight right. NOW.'' David signalled to his commandos. But those words had hit Ajay's conscience like a spear and a cloud of guilt slowly started to engulf Ajay.
Yes, it was my decision to get Shonali involved and now she is just facing the consequences of my actions. I must get her out of the danger.
But the other side of his brain simply refused to accept the decision. Sitting right in front of him was a dangerous terrorist who had almost succeeded in capturing a weapon of mass destruction.
He is responsible for the deaths of so many of my people in the last 24 hours. He needs to pay for what he has done. I can't let this bastard go. Again.
Ajay was battling against his own thoughts when a commando came rushing towards David.
Operation Chaos: A Gripping Action Thriller Page 23
