Border of the sun

by Aditya Mewati

  "Karthik!" Lilly cried. She flung her arm around him.

  “Hey, Lilly,” Karthik said, smiling.

  "We were missing you, buddy," Jack said casually.

  "I missed you guys," Karthik said pulling him into a hug.

  "I hope you enjoyed his company," Lilly said gesturing at Hugo.

  "Yes, I did, "Karthik said and glanced at Hugo. He met Karthik’s eyes and snickered. Karthik suppressed the giggle and sat on the bed.

  "So, what happened, Karthik? How did you end up in Jail?" Piper asked him.

  Karthik told them everything.

  "You did that all alone?" Piper asked skeptically.

  "Yes," Karthik shrugged. He felt awkward.

  "You have changed a lot," Piper said.

  Karthik smiled and nodded. "Tell me your story. Why are you here? What happened in Kashmir?"

  “We discovered their lab,” Lilly said. “And we now know what they are planning,” She told him everything. “.... Name of their mission is Border of the sun, and their target is Paris.”

  "Border of the sun?" Karthik frowned, "What can that mean?"

  "Actually," Jack said opening a laptop, "It's a name of the poem by a famous Serbian-Australian scientist and a visionary." Jack showed him the monitor screen.

  It's a boundary; it's a border,

  separating two worlds.

  It helps in maintaining the order,

  Without it, everything will be in chaos, everything will be blurred.

  It's a boundary; it's a border

  separating us from the gods.

  It's actually like a warder,

  That protects us from our furious lords.

  But that day is not far away,

  when the giver of life will grow with rage.

  And We will be the ones to pay,

  As we will be helplessly stuck in our cage.

  And if you don't want the world to burn.

  All you have to do is ... just cross the border of the sun.

  :- By Danilo Tesla.

  "Tesla?" Karthik said frowning.

  "Yes, Tesla," Jack said. He scrolled down the page. A black and white photograph slid into view. The photograph showed an old guy in his early fifties, wearing a lab coat and thick framed glasses. Two teenage boys were standing beside him.

  "I don't get it," Karthik said.

  "That boy." Jack pointed at the little boy. "He is Luke Tesla. Danilo Tesla is his father. And that Asian boy was his adopted son. We don't know anything about him. Danilo Tesla never introduced him to the outside world. Neither did Luke talk about him. He kept saying to the media that his brother ran away when their father died of heart-attack."

  "So, Danilo Tesla was Luke's dad. You mean to say that Luke can be behind this?"

  "Yes, we have assumed so," Jack said. “We checked his company records and found that his company as been donating their money to a mysterious organization.”

  “You me S.A.L.F.?”

  “Can be.”

  "So why don't you guys get him?"

  "That's the main problem," Lilly said, "We have no idea where he is."

  47

  Karthik sat alone in the room starting out the window at the city. The sky was now dark with a tinge of purple in it. He felt peaceful. The city was peaceful. He sighed and slumped on the bed. He closed his eyes and was about to doze off when he heard a creaking sound of the door. He opened his eyes and saw Jack entering in the room. Jack moved across the room and grabbed his Jacket and pulled it over his shoulders.

  “Jack, What’s going?” Karthik asked him.

  “Oh, you’re awake. I thought you were asleep,” Jack said.

  “No, I’m not sleeping. Where are you going you? Where are Lilly and Piper?” Karthik raised his head and propped his elbow on the bed.

  “They have a called an urgent meeting,” Jack said, “Piper, Lily are already in the orientation hall.”

  “You are also going to the meeting?” Karthik asked him.

  “Yes,” Jack said, moving toward the door.

  “Can I come too?” Karthik asked getting out of the bed.

  Jack, who had moved his hand toward the doorknob, stopped. He spun and said, “I guess...” He wrinkled his forehead. “I guess, you can come with us.”

  “Really?” Karthik said with enthusiasm . Jack nodded.

  Karthik was sitting in the auditorium, on the fourth row, between Jack and Piper. Lilly sat next to Piper. All the seats were occupied. He could easily feel the tension in the room. Everyone was talking loudly with each other.

  A small woman with very short blond hair was standing on the stage. Lilly had already told him that she was the present head of United Knights. Her name was... Gari Simon. The Police commissioner of Paris and the Marshal of France were standing beside her.

  The woman walked toward the mic. She grabbed the mic and cleared her throat. The silence fell over the auditorium. Everyone was now intently staring at her.

  “My fellow agents,” she said, “The stakes are very high. We are now hundred percent sure that Paris is the target of a Biological attack." .

  The screen behind her flared up and showed the map of Paris.

  "But we still precisely don't know where and when the attack is going to happen.

  "We have decoded their file and are now very sure that the Paris is the target. But we don't know when they are planning to use their weapon. So, all we can do is tightened security around the city. Most of the Paris police force are going to patrol the city...in civilian dresses. So, your job will be to provide as much support as you can. French military will also be supporting us, but only if the situation goes out of our hand. The reason the military will be staying out of this is because we don't want them to know that we know their plans—Any questions?"

  Jack raised his hand.

  "Yes, Jack?" she said.

  He stood up. "What about the poem? Haven't we decoded it yet?"

  "Actually, we have. The Intel thinks that the poem can give us the clue about when the attack is going to happen. So, they have decoded it. But they didn't find anything about time. Show me the poem."

  The map in the background changed and the poem of Danilo Tesla came into view.

  It's a boundary; it's a border,

  separating two worlds.

  It helps in maintaining the order,

  Without it, everything will be in chaos, everything will be blurred.

  It's a boundary; it's a border

  separating us from the gods.

  It's actually like a warder,

  That protects us from our furious lords.

  "According to the Intel, these both paragraphs means the same thing. They are talking about a thing that makes us different from the gods," She said.

  But that day is not far away,

  when the giver of life will grow with rage.

  And We will be the ones to pay,

  As we will be helplessly stuck in our cage.

  "And this paragraph describes that we, humans are going to be killed by the sun (the giver life, who is also the god) as it will blow up after completely using its fuel. The cage here is Earth. When the sun will blow, we will be stuck on Earth."

  And if you don't want the world to burn.

  All you have to do is ... just cross the border of the sun.

  "And this paragraph tells us that if we don't want to die on earth, we will need to cross that boundary between us and the gods

  “It means that we should ourselves become the gods. So it doesn't tell anything about time. So, We’ll have to wait until our Intel breaks the code in the poem or in that file and find out when the attack is going to happen.”

  “You mean to say we’ll have to just wait for something to happen.”

  “Yes,” She said, firmly, “This meeting is adjourned. Everyone return to their work.”

  The auditorium broke into murmurs as the agents got up and slid through the aisles.

  “This is sick,” Jack said as they trooped
out of the auditorium. “Really sick.”

  “Yes. We are now completely helpless,” Lilly said.

  “Karthik and Piper, you both go back to the room. I and Lilly will join you later after finishing our work.”

  Karthik and Piper started for the stairs. “Hey, guys wait a second,” Jack said. He pulled out a pair of rings and handed them to Piper and Karthik.

  “What is it for?” Karthik asked.

  “It’s for luck,” Jack said, “Don’t ask question guys. Just wear it.”

  Piper and Karthik returned in their room. The sky was now completely dark and the city was wrapped in the artificial light.

  “I wanted to help them,” Piper said.

  “Me, too,” Karthik admitted. He suddenly felt angry. Now, he knew who was really behind Mr. Ford’s death. Luke Tesla. Karthik now realized why Luke was angry with him that day in the funeral. Luke was the man, who had sent that guy to Kill him. Karthik balled his fist. I’m going to stop you, Luke, He thought.

  “Thousands of people's lives are in danger,” Piper said.

  “We’ll fix everything,” Karthik said, “We’ll stop this border of the sun thing from happening.” And suddenly something hit him. Border of the sun means the boundary of the sun? But border also means the outline? Outline of the sun? He remembered something. The news that he had seen before that guy had attacked him. The News about a full solar eclipse visible from France.

  "I know when the attack is going to happen," he said suddenly, "It's going to happen on 16th August, tomorrow."

  Piper stared at him. "How can you be so sure?" she asked.

  "It's easy," Karthik said, "The clue is not in the poem. It's in the title of the project itself. The boundary here means the outline. Outline of the sun. And the outline of the sun is only visible during the solar eclipse."

  They were now hurrying through the corridor, searching for Jack or Lilly.

  “Karthik. Piper. What are you people doing here?” Jack asked. Karthik explained him everything. Jack thought for a while and finally said, “Can you explain this to Gari Simon?”

  “Of course,” Karthik said.

  “Okay, come with me,” Jack said. He led them to the elevator. “She is on the seventh floor,” He said pushing the button on the console. The lift hummed and buzzed and came to halt on the seventh floor. The door slid open with a ding.

  The corridor outside was completely deserted. “Come on,” Jack said, walking out of the elevator. Karthik and Piper followed him.

  They stopped in front of the huge door. Jack knocked on the door.

  “Come in.”

  Jack opened the door and walked in the room, Karthik and Piper were behind him. Gari Simon was sitting behind a desk. The room was murky and the only light source was the headlamp on the desk.

  When they entered, Gari didn’t look up. She kept staring at the map of Paris. “What brought you here, Jack?” Gari said in a tired voice.

  “I have an information about the Project Border of the sun,” Jack said.

  She looked up. “What kind of information?”

  Jack pointed at Karthik. “He knows when the attack is going to happen.”

  She gazed at Karthik and said, “Who are you, and how do you know about the attack?”

  Karthik walked forward. “Uh, my name is Karthik Peri. I was the attorney of Mr. Ford. I know about the attack because I heard about it in the news.”

  She laughed. “We haven’t revealed this to any media.”

  “But the media already knows when the attack will happen.” Karthik said. “I’ll explain,” He explained her everything. “... during the solar Eclipse.”

  She went silent, pondering on what Karthik had just said. Finally, she looked up and said, “Jack.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Jack said walking forward.

  “Tell everyone that I have called another meeting.”

  48

  Everyone in hotel Belle Terre was now very sure that the attack was going to take place on the morning of 16th August 2015, 8:36 a.m. The news had thrown everyone in the Police, military, and the United Knights into a great commotion. The police commissioner of Paris called the D.G.S.I. (General Directorate for Internal Security) and requested the best police dogs and the bomb squad from all over the country. By 4 o'clock in the morning, all the teams were dispatched around the city.

  Karthik, Lilly, Piper and Jack walked toward the black van.

  “You’re not coming with us?” Lilly said climbing into the van.

  “I’ve been stationed at a different place,” Jack said.

  “Are we ready to go?” The driver asked them. Jack nodded and moved away from the van.

  “Take care,” Lilly said.

  The van moved away from the hotel and into the traffic.

  “Where are we going?” Karthik asked Lilly.

  “Palais... Something.” Lilly said.

  “Palais de Chaillot,” The driver said, “It’s a famous square with a beautiful fountain in the center.”

  And indeed, it turned out to be a famous square with a beautiful fountain in the center. The plaza was filled with people. Everyone was eagerly waiting for the full solar eclipse to occur, which was just four hours away.

  “Damn!” Karthik said, gazing at the crowd on the plaza. “These people are very excited about the solar eclipse.”

  “Let’s get to work,” Lilly said. They started roaming around the Plaza.

  People were now realizing that something was going on in the square as they were able to hear the police sirens after every few minutes.

  One hour passed, and Karthik didn't find anything suspicious in Palais de Chaillot. He started feeling sleepy. And Piper abruptly nudged him.

  "Why did you do that?" Karthik asked her, rubbing his side.

  She pointed at the bald guy walking on the road.

  “What?”

  “Look at him!”

  Karthik squinted and realized that the bald guy was Carl Hancock.

  "What's he doing here?" Piper muttered.

  "He told me that he was about to retire and leave for France in five days," Karthik said, "He must be here with his family."

  "I don't see anyone with him,' Piper said.

  “I hate that guy,” Karthik said.

  Carl pulled out a camera from his breast pocket and started taking photographs of the plaza.

  “What is he doing?” Piper muttered, crossing arms in front of her chest.

  Carl took photographs for a few more seconds and slipped the camera back into his breast pocket. He glanced around and started walking toward the curb and sat in the Chevy and drove away.

  "Come," Piper said and tugged Karthik’s arm.

  "Where are you going?" Karthik asked, pulling his arm out of her grasp.

  "I think we should follow him," Piper said, still staring at his car.

  "Why?" Karthik asked.

  "Come on, Karthik. We'll lose him." Saying this, she ran toward the black van. Karthik did not have any option left. He reluctantly followed her. Lilly, who was standing few feet away from them saw them moving toward the black van.

  "We can't drive the car," Karthik told her, "We don't have a license. We'll need Lilly to drive it."

  "Did someone call me?" Lilly called moving toward them.

  "Where the hell did you fall from?" Karthik asked, scowling.

  "Lilly can you follow that blue car," Piper told her, pointing at the small departing car.

  "Why you want—" Lilly said.

  "Just do it," Piper said firmly. “I’ll explain everything—We don’t have time.”

  And they quickly hurled themselves into the car. Lilly started the engine and pulled the car away from the curb.

  "I still don't get it? Why are we doing it?" Lilly asked maneuvering the black van.

  "I saw him wearing a mask and a glove," Piper said.

  “You did?” Karthik asked, shocked. “But I didn’t see him wearing gloves or masks?”

  “Uh-huh,” Piper
said. “He removed it before I nudged you.”

  "So?" Lilly asked. “Because of this, you made me trail him.”

  "He was the only guy in the whole square who was wearing mask and gloves and was taking photographs of the people," Piper said.

  "I still don't get it?" Karthik muttered.

  "Karthik, you told us that Carl wanted to know the real identity of Lilly and Jack. Why didn't other officers question you about them? Why only him?" Piper said fervently.

  "Yes, you are right,” Karthik said, “But... Wait a minute—Mr. Walker went missing and he was the only guy, who questioned me about him."

  "Because he was the only guy, who knew that Mr. Walker is dead,” Piper said, “Because he worked for Luke. Hence, he was so much eager to find out the real identity of her and Jack.”

  "You are right! How did I miss it!" Karthik cried. "Hey? Why are we stopping?"

  Lilly turned her head and said, "Because he stopped." She pointed at the Chevy.

  Carl climbed out of the car and made his way toward an entryway of an old building.

  "What is this building?" Karthik asked, craning his head.

  "It looks like a factory to me," Lilly said, peering out of the windshield.

  "Where are we now?" Karthik asked and looked around.

  "Look at the sky. You'll get your answer," Piper said.

  Karthik squinted at the sky and saw the top of Eiffel tower poking in the sky. "Oh," He muttered.

  49

  Carl soon disappeared inside the building. Karthik, Lilly and Piper scooted close to him, hiding behind the cars.

  “We should inform the headquarters,” Piper said.

  “No, we shouldn’t,” Lilly said.

  "Why shouldn't we inform the headquarters?" Piper whispered in Lilly's ear.

  "Because I can't risk a false alarm now," Lilly said, "It would be a big mistake. So, let's wait until we gather enough proof to support your theory."

  Piper snorted. "You guys don't believe me, do you?"

  "I do," Karthik said, raising his hand. “My vote is with you.”

  "I do, too. But—" Lilly said.

  "It's okay," Piper said, "Let's gather some proof." They went to the door. Karthik peered inside the building. Everything was dark except for a light, which seemed to be coming from the far end of the entryway.