‘Then enter you the portal to
The valleys parting east and west
Choose wisely here, remember where
You march and where Surya lies.’
‘Okay,’ Vijay held up his hands. ‘Granted it isn’t that obvious. It isn’t supposed to be. This was a secret quest, right? Protected by cryptic verses. Unless you know what you are looking for, you wouldn’t be able to interpret any of the verses. That’s how these puzzles work, right?’
Colin and Shukla remembered the puzzle that led to the Mahabharata Secret the previous year. They had only been able to crack the code and decipher the verses once they knew what they were looking for.
‘So we’re looking for something that Alexander knew about,’ Colin decided to give it a shot. ‘If the parchment with these six verses was supposed to guide Alexander to the secret, then each of the verses should describe either one or more landmarks or locations.’
‘Right,’ Vijay beamed. ‘I’ve had all night to think about this. It took me hours of thinking and research before it dawned on me.’
Colin snorted. ‘Dawned on you, my ass! You were sleeping when I came up in the morning.’
Alice was studying the map closely. If what Vijay was saying was right, then there should be something on the map that fitted the description in the verse. Something that was a portal to two valleys.
It hit her like a ton of bricks. ‘Jalalabad!’ She looked
at Vijay.
‘Good work,’ Vijay gave her a thumbs up sign. ‘You can see on the map that Jalalabad is located at the entrance to two river valleys. One goes eastwards – that’s the Kunar valley. The other goes westwards – that’s the Laghman valley. Remember when we first heard the verses we all thought they seemed to be some sort of instructions or guide but we didn’t know what they led to? Now we have the answer. The “portal” in the verse is Jalalabad. The verse is exhorting the reader to choose the valley in the east – where Surya or the sun lies. Radha was right.’ Vijay fell silent as he mentioned Radha’s name.
‘And the valley to the east is the Kunar valley.’ Colin nodded. ‘It certainly fits together very well.’
‘But what do the other verses mean?’ Alice asked. ‘They should also refer to locations on Alexander’s route. But I can’t think of any locations that match with any of the other verses.’
‘Well one of them mentioned a rock which could be the Sogdian rock,’ Vijay reminded her. ‘If we all think hard enough and, perhaps, do a bit of research, I’m sure we can figure out the other locations. But the important thing is that the secret itself seems to lie in the Kunar valley.’
‘I hate to be a wet blanket, but that is an assumption we are making.’ Alice didn’t look happy. ‘We could be right but just because Alexander made a mysterious trip to the Kunar valley doesn’t mean that he went looking for the secret there. It could have merely been one of the stops on the way and not the final destination. Without the metal plate, there is no way of saying in which order the verses should be read. And unless we know the order of the verses we really cannot say with certainty that this verse shows us the location of the secret.’
‘That’s where I thought you guys could lend a hand,’ Vijay replied. ‘I’ve printed out a whole lot of information based on my research. Maps, descriptions, Google Earth views – the works. If we agree that my logic makes sense until now, then perhaps if we all put our heads together we may come up with something.’
‘How is this going to help Radha?’ Shukla finally spoke up. While he had faith in Vijay and his judgment, he couldn’t sit by quietly any more. His daughter was in deep trouble and here they were, researching an ancient puzzle. He had to reassure himself that their priorities were in order.
Vijay hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he should explain. He didn’t want to tell them about the call. How could he? But he realised he would have to. He owed them an explanation.
‘I thought I could use this as a bargaining chip,’ he said finally. ‘Cooper called me last night. He wants the cube because it leads to the secret. If we can solve the riddle of the verses then I can exchange the information for Radha’s safety. I hate to admit it but that’s really our only hope to save Radha. If the IB hasn’t been able to get a trace on her location yet, I don’t know how we’re going to be able to find her. Our only option is to get them to release her and this is the best way to do it.’
Shukla pondered this for a while. ‘I guess you’re right,’ he conceded. ‘Let’s see if we can make any headway with this.’
They bent their thoughts to focus on the reams of information that Vijay had collated through the night. Would they be successful in finding the clues that would help them discover the information Cooper was seeking?
45
A counter offer
Cooper looked at his watch. 12 noon. Time to call Vijay Singh. He dialled Vijay’s number and listened as the phone rang without being picked up. He frowned. It didn’t make sense. The man’s fiancée was his prisoner. He had expected the call to be picked up with greater alacrity.
He disconnected and tried again. This time the call was picked up promptly.
‘Cooper?’ There was a strained edge to Vijay’s voice which pleased Cooper.
‘Well?’ Cooper came straight to the point. ‘What have you decided? Your fiancée or your ex-girlfriend. Which one will it be?’
‘I have a counter offer.’ Vijay’s voice was stronger now, though the undercurrent of tension still percolated through.
Cooper raised his eyebrows. This was interesting. He had not anticipated this. He decided to see where this was going.
‘Go on,’ he commanded.
‘Your primary interest is not Alice or Radha,’ Vijay began. ‘You want the location of the secret that Alexander the Great went searching for in the land of the Indus.’ Vijay paused. ‘And I can help you find that location.’
Cooper was taken aback. He recalled what Van Klueck had told him about this man and his friends. His respect for Vijay went up a couple of notches. But it also told him one thing — the man desperately wanted his fiancée back but he was also trying to protect his former girlfriend. If he had taken the trouble to invest time and effort and analyse the few clues available to him to come up with the right answer it was clear that Vijay Singh took his relationships very seriously.
It also meant, Cooper reflected, that Saxena would need to find out if Radha and her IB colleagues knew about the objective of the mission. Had Vijay Singh worked this out after she was kidnapped? Or had they known this all along? He knew it was impossible for anyone to have suspected the true nature of the secret that they were trying to unearth. That was something that only the Order would know. But this was a project that had been kept secret for decades. He could not allow the mission to be compromised any more than it already was, especially now that they were so close to fruition.
Cooper realised he had already taken too long to respond. Vijay was smart enough to have understood that he had touched the right nerve. But there was a way to turn this to his advantage. He still held a trump card.
‘And just how can you help us find the location?’ There was no point in denying or pretending not to understand what Vijay had just said.
There was a distinct note of triumph in Vijay’s voice as he answered. ‘We’ve deciphered one of the verses on the cube. You couldn’t have done it by yourself anyway. We can decipher all five verses and tell you exactly where the secret is located.’
‘That’s where you are wrong,’ Cooper shot back. ‘We have the metal plate that Alexander buried near the Beas. With the cube and the metal plate together, it will be child’s play to decipher the verses. Why do we need you?’
‘Think about it. We’ve managed to decipher the verse without using Alexander’s metal plaque. We have resources that you don’t — Alice, for one and Dr Shukla for another. We can give you the answers faster than you’d get them yourself.’
Cooper considered this. There was s
ome merit in Vijay’s assertion. He had no doubt that his team would crack the verses, using the vast resources of the Order. But if he could get this done faster using Vijay’s team it wouldn’t hurt. And if they tried to pass on information to the IB, he would have them all eliminated. Van Klueck had anyway handed him a blank cheque on this matter.
‘How do I know you are not bluffing?’
He listened intently as Vijay explained the meaning of the verse and how they had arrived at their conclusion.
Cooper made up his mind. ‘Your terms?’ He knew what they were but he didn’t want to sound like he was caving in too easily.
‘You will stop pursuing Alice and you will release Radha.’
Cooper grinned. He had been right about Vijay. He had to give it to the man. Full marks for perseverance and determination even in the face of insurmountable odds. ‘Accepted but with two conditions. First, you and your team will meet me at the international airport this evening at 4 pm sharp. We will all travel together to Jalalabad tonight. We will journey to the Kunar valley tomorrow. Second, Radha stays in my custody until I have verified your claims. If you play dirty, she will be injected with the same cocktail that you know was found in the blood of the patients at the medical facility.’
There was a moment’s silence as Vijay tried to control his anger at the blatant threat. ‘I don’t have a choice. But only I will come with you. The others will stay back here. And how do I know that you’ll keep your end of the deal?’
Cooper considered this. If they were right about the location, he didn’t want everyone in on the secret. He didn’t really need all of them to go all the way to the Kunar valley. He had suggested that only because it gave him the opportunity to eliminate the lot of them in one fell swoop, out of their country, where no one would be the wiser. The plan would work just as well if Vijay accompanied him and the others stayed back. They could stay in touch using the satellite phones that they would anyway need in Afghanistan. Vijay would do. In any case, he believed that Vijay and his friends were harmless. It was Radha who was connected with the IB, not them. He would make certain that the others would be watched to ensure that they didn’t go anywhere. He would arrange for that right after this call.
His response was curt. ‘You don’t. But, as you’ve just said, you don’t have a choice. I’ll see you at 4 pm sharp. Don’t be late.’
46
The gamble
Vijay disconnected the call and slowly made his way back to the study. He had excused himself and rushed out to take Cooper’s call in the sitting room below. He had not wanted the others, especially Alice, to hear the conversation. Vijay mulled over how he would break the news to the others. And he also wondered if, in his desperation to save Radha, he had only succeeded in getting them deeper into the clutches of Cooper and company. The only saving grace was that he would go by himself with Cooper. The others would be safe, here, in Jaungarh.
As he entered the study, he saw curiosity on the faces of the others. He knew they were wondering why he had dashed out of the study to take the call.
‘It was Cooper,’ Vijay was thinking every word through as he spoke. ‘He had said he would call at 12 noon. We’ve struck a deal.’ He explained his offer to Cooper, leaving out the part about Cooper’s follow up on Vijay’s decision regarding Alice and Radha.
There was consternation on their faces when he finished. Colin was the first to speak, almost before Vijay finished. ‘Are you nuts? Going by yourself with this bunch of…of…I don’t know who they are but they are dangerous! Haven’t we seen enough to know that by now?’
Alice nodded. ‘I don’t know what you were thinking, Vijay. After what they did in Greece and their attack on us at the museum, how could you?’
Vijay was silent. How could he tell them that this was the only way out of his dilemma? How could he disclose the agonising decision he had faced, trying to balance the fates of Radha and Alice?‘This was the only way to save Radha,’ he said instead. ‘You guys will stay out of this. Especially you, Alice. I want you all to keep working on the verses while I am with them. Any breakthroughs, let me know immediately. The faster we can solve this riddle the faster we can get Radha back.’
‘You’re not going alone,’ Colin stood up and walked to Vijay, looking him in the eye. ‘We’re buddies. We do stuff together. Remember last year? I’m coming with you.’
Vijay knew better than to argue. And, if he was honest with himself, he knew he would be glad for Colin’s company. But he had made up his mind about this. He didn’t want a repeat of what had happened last year. He sighed. ‘I’m sorry buddy,’ he said. ‘Not this time. I remember last year. Which is why you’re going to sit out this game with the others. And I’m not open to discussion.’
Colin opened his mouth to reply but Vijay’s phone rang again. It was Vaid.
‘I’m sorry but we have no fresh leads on Radha,’ Vaid updated him. ‘We’re still looking. These guys seem to be professionals. They’ve been operating under our radar all this time and they are experts at covering their tracks. But we’ll pick up their scent sooner or later.’
‘I hope so,’ Vijay replied. ‘I have some news for you.’ He told Vaid about his deal with Cooper.
There was a guarded pause before Vaid responded. ‘You’re taking a big risk,’ he told Vijay. ‘A very big risk. You know that they won’t release Radha that easily. And you are all at risk anyway. They know that all of you, including Radha, are linked to the IB. If, as we suspect, there is a bioterrorism angle to this then you pose a threat to them.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Vijay replied. ‘I think they believe that only Radha is connected to the IB. They probably attribute Imran’s presence at the fort to the fact that he’s connected to her and that she is my fiancée. Otherwise they would surely have made us targets as well. Even at the museum, Alice was their real target. If we hadn’t been there with her, they would have left us alone.’
‘I think you had better come to the office,’ Vaid replied. ‘We should brief Patterson. He’s the head of the task force. He needs to know what’s happening. And I don’t think he’s going to be happy that you’ve taken this decision without consulting him first.’
‘I’ll come over right away,’ Vijay promised. ‘I can go to the airport from there.’
‘You may wish to detour to the hospital before that.’ There was a note of cheer in Vaid’s voice. ‘Imran’s out of danger. He’s conscious and wants to meet you.’
Vijay put his phone away and looked at Colin, whose annoyance was writ large on his face. ‘Cheer up, son,’ he said. ‘You’re needed here.’ He grinned, trying to lighten the situation. ‘You claim to have more brains than I do. Well prove it, then. Help Alice and Dr Shukla work out this riddle. That’s the best way you can support me.’
Colin didn’t respond immediately. He was trying to come to terms with Vijay’s decision. He knew his friend. Having made up his mind, there was no force on earth that could shake him. He knew he had to accept Vijay’s departure without him. Finally, he nodded. ‘I can’t say I’m happy about this. But if this is what you want…’ He paused and then embraced his friend. ‘Watch your back, buddy. I won’t be there to do it for you.’
Vijay nodded to the others and left the study. He knew this was a gamble. Would it pay off?
Intelligence Bureau Headquarters, New Delhi
Vijay and Vaid gazed at the image of Patterson on the monitor in the conference room. The African American’s usually grim countenance was even more deeply lined today with traces of annoyance at having been woken up in the middle of the night.
‘This had better be important,’ he warned the two men sitting in the conference room. ‘I have a meeting with the President tomorrow and I don’t have too many hours of sleep left. I had just hit the sack when you guys called.’
Vaid swiftly outlined the events of the day as told to him by Vijay. As he spoke, Patterson’s visage grew darker and his eyes glinted with anger. He was a man given to h
ard discipline as a Navy Seal and despised people who did not follow rules.
Patterson glowered at Vijay as Vaid concluded his report but didn’t speak immediately. He seemed to be contemplating the information he had just been offered.
‘First things first,’ Patterson said after a few moments. ‘I owe Kidwai an apology. He was right. There is a connection of some sort between Titan Pharmaceuticals and the events in Greece. We need to dig deeper and I’ll get cracking on that in the morning. But we need to be discreet. Either Wallace himself is involved. And if he is not involved we need to be careful whom we speak to and what we disclose. This is a sensitive matter. Wallace is close to Congressmen, Senators and even the President. We can’t go assuming anything.’
Vijay and Vaid nodded. They waited for Patterson to continue.
‘Next,’ Patterson fixed Vijay with a piercing gaze. ‘Much as I admire your ability to solve riddles and puzzles, you don’t have the authority to go negotiating with terrorists. Or the experience. You seem to have forgotten that you are a member of the task force. And I decide who does what in this task force. Not you. You can’t go running around taking decisions like this on your own.’
He paused, as if weighing his next words. ‘But now that you have,’ he continued, ‘we don’t have much choice in the matter. But I want you to understand this. If you’ve done this for your woman, then you’re a fool. A hopeless, optimistic fool. Your woman’s dead. Sure, she may be alive now, but if you think they are going to release her once you hand over this secret to them on a silver platter, then you need to think again. You’re dead and she’s dead. Both of you. So, if you’re doing this, it isn’t for her. It is for the task force. You’re doing this to ensure that whatever lies in the cavern in Afghanistan or wherever it is located, doesn’t pose a threat to the world. That’s what this task force was set up for. And that is your responsibility. Is that clear?’
THE MAHABHARATA QUEST:THE ALEXANDER SECRET Page 18
