RIP

by Deva,Mukul

  ‘Take a u-turn and follow that car.’ Vinod pointed urgently at Raghav’s car, which was fast fading into the traffic ahead.

  Then he sat back, fretting as the driver tried to exit the traffic snarl they were meshed in. By the time he managed to do so Vinod was unable to see either of the cars. Not sure where they were headed, but knowing he could not afford to lose them, he ordered the driver to speed up. Luckily the road ahead was straight all the way up to the flyover at AIIMS crossing.

  ‘Go faster,’ he urged his driver, frantically scanning the traffic ahead. Then he caught a flash of Raghav’s car. A hiss of relief. ‘There! That one.’ He nudged his driver, leaning forward and pointing. ‘Go on. Go faster!’

  Just then Vinod’s phone began to ring. Irritated at having his attention diverted at this critical juncture, but seeing Karunakaran’s number displayed on the screen he took the call. He was doing that when he heard a long, sharp siren blast from behind.

  ‘Good morning, sir.’

  Vinod vaguely noticed his driver pull into the centre lane, giving way to the six-car convoy, which sped past at a rapid clip. VIP movements were such a common occurrence on Delhi roads that it failed to register on him.

  ‘There’s nothing good about the bloody morning, Bedi.’ Vinod winced as Karunakaran’s voice exploded into his ear. ‘What the hell is going on? Where are you? What’s this I hear about a threat to Madam’s house?’ He seemed really agitated.

  Vinod had trouble trying to get a word in edgewise and explain what was happening. He finally managed to give the minister a quick snapshot, but it was obviously not enough. And Karunakaran seemed to be in no mood to listen.

  ‘I think that’s nonsense Bedi. You get back to Madam’s house and make sure nothing happens to her.’ Karunakaran overrode him.

  ‘But what use will I be there, sir? The SPG is handling it and you know they don’t like anyone else butting in on their turf. And I know these two guys are up to no good. I must follow them.’ Vinod felt like screaming in frustration.

  Perhaps that got across to the minister. ‘If you’re wrong and screw up I will have your head,’ Karunakaran grunted before slamming down the phone.

  Glad to be rid of him, yet even more apprehensive after the minister’s threat, Vinod peered ahead. Raghav’s car was barely visible. ‘What the hell are you doing? I told you to keep up with that car.’

  ‘I had to slow down to allow that VIP convoy through, sir,’ his driver explained.

  ‘Get onto the outer lane and hit the gas. Use the siren if you have to.’

  Completely focused on getting Raghav and Krishna back in eyeshot the convoy that had swept past again did not register. Also nagging at him was the worry that he had still not spotted the men who had been backing up Krishna earlier.

  In all that worry and confusion Vinod forgot that he had not called up Nanda or his surveillance teams yet.

  Like Raghav, he too was going it alone.

  *

  ‘We are turning left at AIIMS now.’ Karan’s voice rang out in Krishna’s headset. ‘Seems Mark is heading for the party office again.’

  ‘Any changes in the security deployment?’ Krishna, hit by a sudden foreboding, felt compelled to re-check.

  ‘Nothing at all. Everything seems the same . . . on track.’ A bit later. ‘Crossing South Extension now.’

  ‘Any additional security?’

  ‘Nada.’

  ‘Right then.’ Krishna pushed away all shadows of doubt, aware that it was time for action now. ‘We’re heading for Hunter One now.’

  Kulwant hit the accelerator.

  *

  Raghav saw Krishna’s van pull away. He speeded up too, ensuring he remained about fifty metres behind. The cars between them provided adequate cover and Raghav knew that the chances of them spotting a tail were negligible in this traffic, but hunching down he stayed low behind the wheel.

  By now the feeling that Krishna was up to no good was so strong he could almost reach out and touch it. The adrenaline in him was pounding now. Some atavistic instinct made his blood sing to its strange music.

  *

  Vinod heaved a sigh of relief as his driver used the outer lane, and they swept past the security convoy and closed the gap to Raghav’s car.

  ‘Don’t use the siren,’ he warned the driver, aware that he did not want to alert either Raghav or Krishna. ‘And stay with that car no matter what happens.’

  By now they had crossed the Ashram flyover and were approaching the DND Expressway. Raghav’s car was clearly visible to Vinod. As was Krishna’s about fifty metres ahead.

  Vinod was so caught up in the chase that he again forgot to call up either Nanda or the surveillance teams. The VIP convoy, now a kilometre behind him also failed to register on his mind.

  *

  Krishna and Kulwant were already prepared for the toll barrier. They had the pre-paid toll tax tag displayed on the windscreen. Kulwant slowed down a bit as they hit the automatic passage lane; enough to allow the reader to scan the tag.

  ‘Crossing the DND toll barrier,’ Krishna alerted K-Team.

  ‘We are almost past South Ex now,’ Karan reported back.

  The barrier lifted as electronic sensors detected and deducted the required toll from the tag.

  Kulwant noticed that the light of the traffic signal ahead, at the end of the expressway, was green. He rammed the accelerator, hoping to make it past, but they were still thirty metres short when it flickered to orange and then turned red.

  Exasperated Kulwant hit the brakes and joined the motley mess of cars, two-wheelers, rickshaws and cyclists bunched up at the stop line.

  *

  Caught unprepared by the toll barrier Raghav had to queue up and pay the toll manually. He cursed as he saw Krishna’s van go through the automatic lane and pull ahead. Luckily he was the second one in queue and managed to clear the toll barrier pretty fast. Even so he would have lost them if it had not been for the traffic signal. Seeing they had halted he slowed down; it would not do for Krishna to see him.

  *

  Vinod’s official car was equipped with electronic tags for all toll barriers in the NCR (National Capital Region). He also swept past the barrier in the automatic lane. Now he was almost abreast with Raghav’s car.

  Vinod could see Raghav staring intently ahead. Following his gaze, he saw Krishna’s van halted at the traffic lights.

  Satisfied that both his quarries were in sight Vinod allowed himself to relax a little. But his mind was still in turmoil, busily trying to figure out what the two were up to.

  He sensed something was about to go down, but was unable to figure out what.

  Yet again, mired in thought, he missed the opportunity to call in his people.

  *

  As though from far away Krishna saw the traffic light turn green and Kulwant got the van moving again. They turned left.

  By now Krishna had moved into battle mode. His breathing was smooth and even. And his senses were exquisitively alive, noticing and absorbing everything. The aroma of the car freshener. The multicoloured pompom on the wheel of the cycle stopped beside them. The teddy bear hanging from the rear view mirror of the car halted on the other side. The black laptop bag slung on the shoulder of the motorcyclist up ahead. His eyes registered everything. His mind noticed every detail and then ruled out all that was irrelevant; and right now only the target mattered.

  In his mind’s eye Krishna could see the target slide into his gun sight. He could feel his trigger finger begin to tighten . . .

  ‘I’ll park and join you,’ Kulwant said as he pulled to a stop in front of Logix Park, the huge, glass-encased office complex to one side of the NDC party office.

  Alighting wordlessly, Krishna picked up his black tennis bag and began to move towards the taller building further ahead of Logix Park.

  Hunter One!

  *

  Raghav saw the traffic signal turn green and tried to speed up, but was blocked by the car ahead. By the
time he got past it and hit the traffic light it was about to turn red again. Luckily he was in the outermost lane and managed to bulldoze his way past the two-wheelers cluttering the road.

  Even so the distance between him and Krishna’s van had widened considerably. He could no longer see it. Frantically he began to scan the cars around as he slowly cruised down the road on which he had seen them turn. There were several minor roads radiating out from it, on either side. They could have gone down any one of them.

  Raghav cursed. His head swivelling rapidly, trying to ferret out the Maruti van.

  *

  Still almost abreast, but in the centre lane, Vinod’s car also just managed to beat the traffic light. He had stayed right on Raghav’s tail. Now there was no other car between them. Vinod noticed Raghav keenly scanning the area ahead of him. He assumed that Raghav was checking to see if the colonel was carrying a tail.

  Unwilling to take the chance of being spotted he instructed his driver to slow down.

  He was turning back towards Raghav after speaking to the driver when he spotted Krishna cross the lane to the right and head into a tall office building. At least eighteen floors he noted automatically.

  The tallest building in the area. His trained mind absorbed that immediately. Vinod instinctively knew this fact was relevant. What are they up to?

  Krishna had a black tennis racquet bag on his shoulder and was moving purposefully.

  Bag is big enough to conceal a weapon.

  Vinod felt a tug of excitement. Instinct told him this was it. Something was going down here. Vinod sensed that he now needed to focus on Krishna, more than Raghav.

  Without thinking his fingers checked his pistol . . . sliding out the magazine, checking the load, sliding it back in till it clicked firmly. He chambered a round, but left the safety on.

  *

  ‘We’ve crossed South Extension. Hitting Ashram soon,’ Karan again.

  Krishna could now sense the tension in Karan’s tone as he went up the wide granite staircase, towards the massive swinging glass doors of the office complex. He was outwardly calm and moving sedately so as to draw no attention to himself, but Krishna could not deny the tight knot in the pit of his stomach. It grew tauter.

  ‘Roger that,’ Krishna murmured as he headed for the bank of elevators across the lobby, mentally running through the most likely sequence of events. He knew it was decision time now. He took the decision. Despite the foreboding still clutching him.

  ‘Send the message now.’ Aware there were people around his tone was firm, but low.

  *

  Karan acknowledged the colonel’s command, and then, using a second mobile shot off a pre-stored text.

  Like the previous RIP email warnings this one too was marked to multiple addressees. As soon as the message confirmations were received he removed the SIM and dismantled the phone. These would soon discreetly find their way out of the window at irregular intervals.

  That done he again turned his attention to the Mark’s convoy, which was just ahead, slicing through the traffic as sirens blasted open a path for it.

  Like some smart alecks that always do this, Karan also clung to the wake of the convoy, racing down the fleetingly open corridor.

  *

  Expertly scanning the sea of cars around Raghav suddenly hit pay dirt. He saw Kulwant reverse the Maruti van into an empty slot in the parking area on the right.

  It was a wide, dusty road with tall office buildings on either side. The centre of the road and both sides had been converted into an ad hoc parking lot. Half a dozen private security guards were milling around, lackadaisically trying to keep the lanes on either side clear and the traffic flowing.

  Raghav noted that Krishna was no longer in the van. He immediately began to scan the area around. Instinct drove him towards the tallest building first; knowing it would offer the best vantage point for any action.

  Even so he barely caught a glimpse of Krishna as he went in through the huge, glass doors. However Raghav could make out the tennis bag slung on his shoulder; he knew it was a weapon.

  Quickly pulling into a parking slot that luckily opened up he checked the weapon tucked into his belt and followed Krishna.

  *

  Reena had just entered the NDTV office when she saw Vikram frantically waving out to her.

  ‘We’ve just received another warning from RIP.’ Running up to her he hissed urgently. ‘This is big. Very big. Get to the studio now. We go live ASAP.’ His excitement galvanized her.

  Both ran for the studio.

  *

  Kulwant finished parking and was opening the car door to get out when, there was a bang and it slammed shut. Hard. Right on his hand.

  The guy reversing into the adjacent slot had hit his car door.

  Boiling with pain and anger Kulwant waited till the other driver had shifted the car forward again so that his door could open. He had a mind to punch him, but aware that the ops clock was ticking down fast he tried to keep calm and walk away. That unfortunately had the opposite effect.

  The errant driver noticed Kulwant’s hurry to get away and decided it was because he must have been at fault, so jumped out to confront Kulwant.

  ‘Where are you running off? Who is going to pay for the damage to my car?’

  ‘Damage to your car?’ Kulwant again checked the urge to hit him. ‘You hit my car you idiot.’

  ‘Is that so?’ The argument escalated.

  Within minutes an interested crowd of security guards and other drivers lounging around near their cars had hemmed them in. Like all good, helpful Indians, everyone had an opinion to offer.

  To add to the complication a couple of passing cops decided to join the fray.

  *

  Vinod was not hampered by the need to find a parking slot. Telling the driver to wait for him he jumped out and strode behind Krishna. The 9 mm Beretta in his shoulder holster felt solid and comforting. He was almost at the glass door when he remembered he had still not called up his men. That is when he realized he had forgotten his mobile in the car.

  He was going through the door when the sirens of the security cavalcade hit his ears again. He suddenly realized a convoy had also crossed him just when they had driven away from Race Course Road.

  But the SPG man had said Mrs Kaul wasn’t stepping out of the house today!

  Momentarily nonplussed, Vinod suddenly remembered that she was not the only one who stayed at 10 Janpath. So did her son Ranvijay. He also remembered reading in the papers about Ranvijay heading up some agitation being led by farmers against the UP government.

  Now sure whom the RIP was going to target, Vinod almost turned around to retrieve his mobile from the car. Then across the lobby he saw Krishna disappear into an elevator and pushing aside further thought went after him. Knowing that he had to stop him . . . them . . .

  Whatever they are planning must end today.

  Vinod reached into his coat and touched his pistol again. It reassured him, though he wished he could have called for backup.

  Damn!

  But Vinod knew he had run out of time and had to face this alone now.

  *

  ‘Our studio has just received another warning from the RIP,’ Reena’s slightly dishevelled appearance, since there had been no time even for touching up, went well with the excitement pulsing through her, as she went live with the special broadcast.

  The text received from RIP began to scroll across the screen as she read it out.

  The PM cannot say he was not warned. By refusing to act he has shown he is as guilty as those he is shielding. We know who the real power behind the throne is. She will pay the price for shielding the guilty. Her pain will be personal. Be aware that no one is safe. You had been warned. RIP.

  *

  The doors of an elevator opened almost as soon as Krishna reached the bank of elevators; there were four of them on either side of the lift lobby. He waited till it emptied and then joined a group of people waiting to go up.
Battle nerves were egging him on, urging him to move fast. Caution helped him keep them in check.

  *

  Karunakaran almost dropped the glass of water he had been sipping when he heard Reena’s broadcast. Running for the phone he first dialled the SPG duty officer. ‘Is everything okay?’

  ‘Yes, sir. We have the house secured.’

  ‘Sure?’

  ‘Positive, sir. Nothing is going to come in or out. Not till . . .’

  Satisfied that everything was okay at Madam’s house, he then dialled Vinod’s number. Fretting till the phone began to ring.

  On the rear seat of Vinod’s car his mobile continued to ring till the network-activated message took over, and sent the call to voice mail.

  ‘Where the hell are you Bedi?’ Karunakaran growled as he cut the call and re-dialled. ‘Pick up the bloody phone.’

  Vinod’s driver heard the mobile ring. He dutifully ignored it. Answering the boss’ phone was not in his charter of duties.

  *

  Vinod was hurrying after Krishna when he saw Raghav push past the glass doors. He kept walking towards the elevators, careful not to look at Raghav. By now he was convinced that either Raghav was backing up Krishna or they were going into action in tandem. He briefly contemplated on which man to follow. Then decided to go after Krishna.

  That big bag with Athawale . . . has to be a weapon.

  Raghav appeared unarmed.

  At best a handgun.

  *

  Both Vinod and Raghav saw Krishna enter the elevator at the far end. They were still halfway across the lobby when the elevator doors slid shut and it began to rise. When they reached the elevator bank they noted that all the elevators were headed up. Fighting their exasperation both began to wait, Raghav at the first one and Vinod staying clear of him at the other end.

  Both saw the elevator Krishna was in stop at every floor as it rose, all the way up to the top. They had no way of knowing which floor he would get off at.

  However neither felt the need for guesswork. Instinct and logic warned them that Krishna would be headed for the roof.