He carefully jumped over the broken pieces and ignoring the horrified woman, who was shrieking as if she had seen a ghost, he bolted toward his car. He rounded a corner and his car came into view. But there were two new cops standing around it. Karthik was not able to stop his feet, and the cops saw him. He skewed left and started crossing the road. They ran behind him, shouting him to stop.
And a bike zoomed from nowhere and almost ran into Karthik. Karthik stopped in time, and lost his balance, and toppled in the middle of the road.
He saw cops pulling out their guns and walking toward him. He tried to get to his feet but one of them aimed the weapon at him and barked, “No! Don’t do it!”
And Karthik realized that he had no option left but to listen to the cop. He remained on the ground. They ordered him to move his hands behind his back and when he did it, one of them pulled out handcuffs and cuffed him.
People in the street watched with their keen eyes as the cops pushed Karthik inside the passenger seat of their car.
I should have stayed home, Karthik thought, as the cop sat next to him.
44
“It's worse than I had thought..." Piper repeated.
Jack moved toward the door on the opposite wall. He raised his gun and opened the door. The room before him was small and brightly lit.
A Desk that stood in the corner was cluttered with notes and maps. Jack went over to the desk and gazed at the heaps of paper. He ran his fingers over the papers. He stopped on a black file. He hoisted it up and opened it.
The file title read: Project Border of the sun. Jack wrinkled his brow. Border of the sun? What does that mean?
"Guys," Piper called. She was standing before a map pinned on the wall. It was the map of Europe. She pointed to the red circle on the map. A read arrow was pointing at it with the words: Project Border of the sun.
"What is it?" Lilly asked peering over her shoulder.
"They have circled France," Piper said, "I think it-it's their target."
"You're right," Jack said closing the file, "France is their target. Precisely speaking they are planning to attack Paris. This file clearly explains it. But they haven't written any date on it."
"So, we know that they are going to attack Paris with that biological weapons. But we don't know when?"
"Yes, That's—"
The door behind them slowly open. A man entered the room carrying a champagne bottle. He gazed at them, dropped the champagne bottle, clicked the radio on his shoulder and roared. "Trespasser in the facility. Trespass—" Jack dashed at him and fired at his head. The man dropped on the floor.
"Tang? What's going on?" A voice from the radio said.
Jack leaned over the radio and said, "Yes, everything is under control. I've been hallucinating."
"What happened to your voice?"
"It's fine. How's your wife?" Jack said.
"I killed her two years ago. How is this?"
"Then marry mine," Jack said.
"General we have been breached!"
Jack got up and fired at the radio. The alarm rang.
"Let's get out from here," Jack said picking up the file from the desk. He ran for the door. Piper peeled the map from the wall and ran behind him.
They burst into the room washed in the red light.
"Where did we came from?" Jack asked and looked around.
"There," Lilly said pointing at the door which lead to the dark corridor. They ran toward it, and the door on the opposite side burst open. Five men came out, firing at them. But not even a single bullet hit Jack, Lilly or Piper. Thanks to the glass cubicle in the center of the room that acted as a barrier.
They bolted through the dark corridor. It twisted and turned. Bullets flew behind them. A moment later, they saw a bright spot at the far end of the passage.
Soon they were outside. The sky was still gray, but the snow flurry had receded. Huge mountains lined the horizon.
They ran toward the Jeep and quickly got into it. Jack slammed the door shut and inserted the key into the ignition and twisted. The jeep coughed but did not start.
The men rushed out from the door and fired at the jeep. Jack, Lilly, and Piper bowed down, protecting themselves from the bullets.
Dong-sun stood behind the men, ordering them.
Jack twisted the key. Again a raspy cough. The men started advancing.
Jack again tried and the jeep roared into life. "yes!" he cried and punched the dashboard. The side mirror exploded. He bent down and kicked the accelerator.
He pulled the jeep away from the dome and onto the road.
"Get in the truck. They should not get away!" Dong-sun ordered his men.
Soon they were chasing the jeep on the narrow, twisting road. "Get them!" Dong-sun spat. He was sitting next to the driver.
"They are closing in," Piper cried.
"The Damn thing can't go faster than this!" Jack said.
They sped by the red sign board. The men kept firing at them.
"Yes, we are losing them behind!" Piper cried happily, "Hey what's that guy doing on the top of the truck?"
Lilly turned and peered through the binoculars, "Oh, no—bazooka incoming!"
"What!" Jack cried.
"What's bazooka?" Piper asked.
"Rocket launcher," Lilly said frantically.
Piper looked back at the truck and realized the man was holding a long rod on his shoulder. He fired.
A ball of fire rushed toward them. Jack twisted the steering wheel, the jeep tilted and the rocket went past them and hit the snow. There was a huge blast, and the snow on the mountain started sliding on the road.
"Oh-no," Dong-sun muttered. He stared in horror at the huge wall of snow sliding down the mountain.
"Avalanche!" Lilly cried.
Jack gazed in front of him and spotted a bridge over a creek. If I could reach there before the snow hit the road then we can make it.
The snow wall was roaring and sliding down the mountain. The wall hit the yellow truck and pushed it and the men inside it into the valley. Dong-sun and the men cried at the top of their voice before falling into the valley.
Now it was their turn.
"Jack!" Lilly and Piper cried.
"Relax! I'm on it!"
The snow wall was now very close to them. It hit the jeep. But the jeep didn't fell into the valley, instead, the snow pushed them onto the bridge. The snow dragged the Jeep at the edge of the bridge.
“Jack! We’ll fall down!” Piper cried, as the jeep moved toward the edge, and then it tilted forward. The avalanche died. Their Jeep was now half on the road and was half hanging in the air. It slowly seesawed on the edge.
Piper, Lilly and Jack sat frozen in their seats. Piper realized she and Lilly could easily get out of the car but Jack can’t. If they get out, the car will lose its balance and will fall down with Jack inside it.
“W-what are we g-going to do now?” She asked.
“Jack,” Lilly said, “You’ll have to come behind. If we get out first...and the car loses its balance then...” She didn’t dare to finish it. Jack nodded and unfastened his seat belt. He squirmed on the seat so that he could climb on the passenger side of the car. But as he moved the car cocked forward. He stopped moving. The hair on his nape stood up. “You guys will have to leave me behind,” he said.
“No, we are not leaving you behind!” Piper cried.
“Yes!” Lilly bade her affirmation. “We are not leaving you behind. Think of something else.”
Jack glanced out his window. The fall was very steep. The stream below him was shallow. There was no chance that he could survive the fall. “Jack!” Lilly cried.
“I’m thinking! I’m thinking!” He raked his mind for an idea. “I have an idea. But I don’t know whether it will work or not.”
“What’s is it?” Piper asked him.
“You guys open the door... stay ready to jump out of the car... In case, it falls down. I’ll quickly climb behind. If the cars start falling then jump
out. If it doesn’t then all is well.”
“This is your great idea?” Piper asked him. “You’ll die, Jack!”
“Do you have better ide—” The car again tilted forwards. “Guys we don’t have time. This thing is going to fall for sure. Quickly open the doors.”
Piper and Lilly exchanged looks, but reluctantly opened the doors. “I’m having bad feeling about this,” Lilly said.
Jack said nothing. He slowly turned on his seat. “On the count of three,” he said, “First I’ll dive on the passenger seat. If car starts falling then you people jump out. Okay?”
They said nothing.
“Okay?” He said firmly. They nodded.
“Great. One... Two... Three...” And he started climbing on the passenger seat. The car tilted and started falling. Piper and Lilly dived out of the car, and it slowly slid down the bridge. Jack was now in the passenger seat. He tried to get out. But the car was already out of their sight. They heard a loud splash and a thunderous blast.
Piper and Lilly gazed at each other. Tears were forming in their eyes. They heard someone shouting. “Help me, guys!”
They quickly got up and peered down the bridge. Jack was hanging on the bridge.
“Jack you’re alive!” Lilly cried.
“Pull me up!” He said. “Quick.”
45
In his eight years as a lawyer, Karthik had seen many people going in and coming out from the jail. But he had never imagined himself going behind the bar. Never.
And now here he was, standing behind the bars and shouting his head off. "I didn't do it! I didn't break into her house!"
"Can you shut up?" The police officer, who was sitting at the front desk, snapped.
"I didn't do it," Karthik said pressing his head in between the rods. “Please!”
"We have your fingerprints on the laptop and also on the rope," the police officer said, "So shut up!"
Karthik swore in his mind. Then sat on the bench in the corner of the cell.
Where are you guys? He thought angrily. He knew that he was now in serious business. If everything went against him, he could end up in jail that too for two years or even five in case the god of bad luck develops a special love for him.
The thought made his head slump over his neck.
He heard footsteps. He raised his head and saw a man with the thick beard and long hair entering the room.
The man extended his hand. The police officer stood up and shook it. They talked for few minutes. The man kept gesturing at Karthik and then at a white paper he was holding in his hand. The police officer kept nodding. They again shook hand and approached Karthik's prison.
The police officer opened the gate.
"What's going on?" Karthik asked, confused.
"I'm from Interpol," The man said, "Officer Hugo Bonnet."
"What do you want from me?" Karthik asked angrily. Because of his past experience, Karthik had developed a deep hatred for the Interpol.
Hugo smiled. "All your charges has been lifted—"
"Why?" Karthik asked.
"Does it matter?" Hugo asked.
Karthik ducked through the door. "Of course, it matters."
"I'll tell you. But you'll have to come with me to Paris." Hugo grabbed Karthik sleeves.
Interpol. Paris. Karthik soon realized that Carl Hancock was behind this. "What if I refuse?" He said.
“You can’t,” The man said and glance at the police officer, who was constantly staring at him.
“Nice to meet you, officer,” Hugo said and tugged Karthik. “Let’s go.”
“No,” Karthik said, trying to pull his hand out of Hugo’s grasp. “I’ll stay here.”
“No, You’re coming with me.” Hugo glared and pulled Karthik out of the police station.
Outside. In front of the police station, a black Mercedes was waiting for them. Hugo led Karthik in the car.
“Get in,” Hugo said.
“Tell me. What do you people want from me?” Karthik said.
Hugo glanced around. They were surrounded by the police officers. “Not here.”
Karthik climbed in the Car, and Hugo sat in the driver’s seat. He revved the engine and pulled the car away from the curb. The car started moving away from the police station.
“I’m going to explain you everything,” Hugo said, driving very slowly. “Oka—Hey what are you doing?”
Karthik had opened the door next to him, and he jumped out of the moving car. He rolled on the rolled on the road and then quickly got up, ignoring the bruises on his arms and legs. He stared for few seconds as the black Mercedes stopped and Hugo jumped out of it.
Karthik started running. Hugo ran behind him, shouting something. Karthik rounded a corner, and crossed the road.
He was now running through a deserted alley. Hugo was still shouting something from behind. He rounded another corner and came to a dead end. He spun and looked around. No way out.
Hugo had now stopped running and was now regaining his breath. After he regained his breath he started slowly walking toward Karthik.
Karthik wondered whether he can fight this man. Hugo was much sturdier than Karthik. He realized he had no option left but to fight. He raised his fist and was now standing in a southpaw stance. He said “If you don’t want me to beat you up...” He dropped his fist.
Hugo pulled out a gun and aimed a Karthik. “Listen,” He said and coughed. “I’m not your enemy.”
“I know this trick. But It’s not going to work on me.” Karthik roared and looked around. He realized he had no option but to climb the wall, which was beyond his reach.
“Lilly and Jack send me,” Hugo said.
Karthik stopped dead and turned toward him. “How do you know about them?”
“I work with them!” Hugo said, exasperated
“I don’t believe you.”
Hugo threw his gun at Karthik's feet. “Now do you believe me?”
Maybe he's not lying. "You are not from Interpol?" Karthik said.
"Actually, I'm from Interpol," Hugo said, "I work in Interpol for the United Knights."
"What does that mean?" Karthik asked.
"I spy on Interpol."
"How did you got me out?"
"We are a top organization. That was a piece of cake for us. And also we are no longer a secret organization."
"Why?" Karthik asked. “And where are you taking me?”
"France."
"France? What's in France? What's going on? Where is Lilly, Jack, and Piper?"
"I don't know what's going on. All I know is that code 666 has been enforced. And the last time it was enforced, was during the cold war."
"What does code 666 means?" Karthik asked frowning a bit.
46
Boeing 747 taxied to Orly airport.
Karthik followed Hugo out of the airport and toward the exit. Karthik was wearing an open polo shirt and khaki pants. The day in Paris was humid and it was visible on his face.
“Are we going to catch a Taxi?” Karthik asked Hugo as they pushed their way through the crowd.
“No, we are going in that thing,” Hugo said pointing at the Black sedan waiting by the curb. The glass on the driver’s side rolled down and a beautiful woman smiled and said something in rapid fire french. Hugo waved at her and replied in even faster french. Karthik blankly stared at them as he had no idea what they were talking about.
They got in the black sedan. The woman driver greeted Karthik. "How are the things going, monsieur Karthik?" she said.
The way she spelled the word "monsieur," made Karthik blush, although he had no idea what that word meant.
"I-it's great," Karthik stammered.
“Comment allez-vous?” she turned to Hugo .
“Ca va bien.” Hugo said, smiling.
She nodded. "Let's go then, Shall we?"
She had said that the drive would only take twenty minutes. But thanks to the Paris traffic it took them more than half an hour to reach their destination, whic
h was a hotel with a really beautiful facade.
She stopped the car in front of the entrance gate. A man wearing double breasted jacket ran toward them. She lowered the glass and said, “It’s me.”
The guard nodded and then peered at the back seat. “And that man?”
“He is the package,” She said. The man again nodded and then spun, now facing the gate security, he shouted, “Open the gates!” The gates swung open and an imposing building came into view. The car passed through the huge fountain and then stopped in front of the other entrance gate.
“It’s going to be our headquarters for the mission,” The woman said.
“What’s the mission about?” Karthik asked her.
“We’ll soon know it,” Hugo said getting out of the car.
Hugo led Karthik through the hotel reception, which was crowded with more people in black double breasted jackets. The atmosphere around them was frantic. As they walked, Karthik gazed around and awed at the high dome ceiling and the brilliant parquet flooring.
“You like it?” Hugo asked Karthik, smiling.
“There is nothing here to hate,” Karthik said staring at the renaissance painting. Hugo again smiled and led him to a lift.
"I can't believe you guys are planning to make this your operation headquarters. It's so crowded." Karthik muttered.
"They all are our men," Hugo said, entering in the lift. "We booked the complete hotel."
Karthik stared at him in amazement. From what he had seen in the last one months had completely changed his belief. Now he even believed in the tooth fairy.
The lift door opened with a ding. They walked out of the lift.
"Here," Hugo said, stopping in front of a door. He knocked on the door. Karthik heard shuffling of footsteps and the door creaked open. Piper poked her head out and first gazed at Hugo and then shifted her eyes to Karthik.
"Karthik!" She said gleefully and dashed at him. They both embraced each other for few seconds. Karthik was the first to let it go.
"Come in," she said, pulling him in the room. Hugo followed them.
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