Demons of Time

by Varun Sayal

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Get Shafi and Rujeeth on a telephone line right away.”

  Within two hours, by around 4 PM, Shafi, Rujeeth, and seven other top members of their gang had reached Ravi’s bungalow. They sat in a huge conference room for the next few hours, strategizing their next steps. The target was Samarth Bhasin, and he was to be dealt with on the highest priority. All this while Kevin’s team supplied them with incoming intel on regular basis. During this time Rujeeth was also coordinating their weapon and manpower arrangements.

  At around 11 PM they finally had complete details about the island. Macci-Pulau was the island near Indonesian waters where Samarth Bhasin had holed himself up. He was reportedly hiding in an old castle named Taiyō-jō, Japanese for Sun-Castle.

  Rujeeth also provided an update—he had assembled a small army along with several choppers and heavy artillery. In fact, as he spoke, the war machinery and men were being moved to another abandoned island called Mehu-dweep. This island was two hundred and twenty-five kilometers away from Macci-Pulau and would be used as the base of operations to launch an offensive.

  Tej had been only listening to these conversations and plans for past few hours, rarely interjecting. As a result, he was bathed in an information overdose.

  Everyone in the room had been munching snacks and cold drinks being served by the bungalow’s catering staff. But the discussions had been heavy for them. Planning an offensive such as this, in a matter of hours, was no mean task.

  As Rujeeth got off his last phone-call for the day, he threw his phone on the table. He poured an expensive eighteen-year old scotch in his glass and raised it to make a toast. “To operation North Eagle! Let’s catch this son-of-a-bitch, Samarth Bhasin!”

  Tej gave a fake smile and raised a glass of water. “To operation North Eagle!”

  “What boss? Only water, no drinks? This is not a time to go sober. We got our guy, and we will nail his ass. This is the time to celebrate.” Rujeeth chuckled.

  “We haven’t got him yet. I will only celebrate when I strangle that bastard with my own hands.”

  “Okay, boss, suit yourself.” Rujeeth took a deep sip.

  “Have a drink or two if you want, but no one is getting drunk tonight,” Tej declared, addressing them. All the associates in the room, who were getting ready to relax after a few hours of intense meetings, stiffened in their seats. “I want you guys to take a brief rest, after which we should be ready to leave. Any of you has questions?” Tej declared.

  “No questions, boss, we are good to go.” Shafi who had just poured himself a glass of expensive wine set the glass back on the table.

  “Rujeeth, what is the earliest we can leave?”

  “The chopper is ready, boss; we can leave as we wish. It will take us to the airport, and from there on we have our private jet ready to take us to our destination.” Rujeeth set his half-emptied glass on the side.

  “And refresh my memory—where exactly are we going again?”

  “Mehu-dweep, an island in the Indian ocean. We have used it a few times, and believe me, it’s a perfect spot. It will be our base of operations.”

  “All right, friends, we will be wheels-up in two hours. Eat, drink, shave, shower, relax. Do whatever you want in these two hours. I want everyone at the helipad at exactly 01:00 AM.”

  Day 6 of 7

  15.

  Operation North Eagle, Target Yellow Prince

  Ravi, Rujeeth, Shafi and seven of their associates arrived at the Mehu-dweep airbase at around two in the afternoon. Their aim was to conduct a detailed assessment of soldier preparedness, discuss the strategy of the offensive with military experts, and decide upon execution timelines. The target was Samarth Bhasin, now code-named “Yellow Prince.”

  As they alighted from the choppers, they were received by an officer named Raatu Kaniago. Kaniago was a forty-year-old ex-Indonesian Navy Commodore who would be the senior team leader, the captain, for Operation North Eagle. Kaniago and his men had readied a huge aircraft hangar, where they’d meet the military team leaders and discuss the nuances.

  After a brief initial report by Captain Kaniago, Ravi and team started their inspection. Two hundred mercenaries stood at the hangar, waiting for orders. All of them were in their khaki uniforms, ready to wage a mini-war, and equipped with a full military kit. They had state-of-the-art guns, knives, magazines, bar-mines, and ballistic eye protection. Each of them wore an Mk 6 Helmet fitted with mounted night vision systems.

  Five Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks and ten CH-47D Chinook helicopters were also fueled and ready to take off with trained pilots. While Black Hawks were well-known for their stealth tech, the Chinooks had been brought in for heavy-duty combat. Seven of the Chinooks were fitted with heavy armaments, such as M60D 7.62×51mm machine guns. The other three had XM159C 19-tube 2.75”-rocket launchers mounted on them.

  Seeing the military accouterments in front of his own eyes was revolting for Tej. But he now understood the actual reason behind Rigu choosing Ravi as a host for him. His gang was not only involved in selling munitions but for an ancillary payment, they also arranged for small armies on a lease. These armies could quell major uprisings and subdue small governments. At the helm of this gang, weapons, hired-men, military strategists—in fact, everything “war”—was at Tej’s finger-tips.

  The junior leads under Captain Kaniago started presenting the weapons and their destructive power. During one such presentation, one of the leads showcased a series of deadly bullets they had recently received. These fragmenting 5.56×45mm bullets not only pierced the skin but broke into shreds at impact. If shot in the head, the bullet would perforate the target’s brain in multiple places, leaving no chances of medical recovery.

  Tej was appalled, witnessing the enablers of death on a naked display. At what point of time in history did humankind start traversing a path of self-annihilation? Instead of doing good for the world, humans designed weapons which could decimate populations within minutes.

  In his efforts to capture Kumbh, Tej was not sure how many lives they would lose, but a gory war was a cost of the bloodless peace that followed. Tej decided that this was not a time for him to get into a cycle of guilt and self-mistrust. He brutally suppressed the moral conflict within him. He was on a path he knew was righteous, and his only way out of it was to move forward.

  Their plan was to leave Mehu-dweep at 02:30 AM the next day, in the dead of the night. That way, they would stay under the radar of coast-guard agencies of most neighboring countries. Once they got in the vicinity of the target island, they would send the first wave of attacks around 03:30 AM. They code-named themselves as “The Green Army.”

  They had received intel that Macci-Pulau had some strong defensive measures in place. Their eventual target, Samarth Bhasin, the “Yellow Prince,” was holed up somewhere in the castle, Taiyō-jō. The castle was not only fortified for an effective defense, but there was also a significant military presence detected around it. Satellite imagery showed at least five anti-aircraft guns and several sniper points. The possibility of hidden landmines could also not be ruled out.

  From old schematic maps of the area available, the Taiyō-jō was also known to be a WW II military base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Indian Ocean. It was possible that inside the castle there existed an inner sanctum. This sanctum would essentially be a military bunk which would be robust enough to withstand heavy artillery fire. The sanctum might remain unaffected, even if the outer walls of the castle were damaged or demolished. The whole place was ready to withstand a major assault. It was clear that Yellow Prince had left no stone unturned to make sure he stayed unequivocally protected.

  After listening to the whole plan, Tej got restless. The simple reason was that the military strategists planned the operation at 03:30 AM the next day. They were inching closer to the sun-set of the seventh day. Tej had wanted the Gre
en Army to attack much earlier than that, but the strategists strongly advised against any rash action. Tej finally had to agree to their timelines. The success of the operation was important, and they were the experts at conducting such offensives.

  Tej also laid out some ground rules of his own. He told Captain Kaniago and the strategists that he did not want the castle to be destroyed. He wanted to kill Samarth Bhasin with his own hands. They advised against it, but this was the point Tej was not ready to concede.

  Since he was the big boss, the strategists had to change their approach. Now the main aim was not to demolish the castle from a distance. Strategists devised a two-pronged plan.

  The first part of the plan was to gain control of the area around the castle. After the soldiers secured the area around the castle, the helicopters were to airdrop the Green Army soldiers on the island and leave.

  The second part was infiltration into the castle. This plan was also laid out in detail. The first segment of this plan was to have a team of fifty soldiers called “Team Alpha” gain entry into the castle. Captain Kaniago would himself lead this team. Team Bravo and Charlie, with thirty soldiers each, would remain on standby.

  The first entry was to be done in a manner which would avoid any structural damage to the castle. Team Alpha was to gain entry, search the castle, and neutralize any threats inside. If they could avoid major losses to themselves, they were to find the innermost bunker. Their orders were to only locate the Yellow Prince and then inform teams Bravo and Charlie. After that, Team Bravo, led by Rujeeth, was to enter the castle, followed by Team Charlie, led by Ravi.

  The preponderant rule was that the Yellow Prince would only be killed either by Ravi or in his direct presence. Otherwise, he was not to be touched. Forces could only arrest him.

  After they were done with the Yellow Prince, they were to escape out of the castle and travel on foot to a rendezvous point. This point was fixed as a small clearing in a jungle on Macci-Pulau. This jungle was eight kilometers north of the castle and was a perfect hiding spot. There they were to stay hidden in the dense woods till 10 PM when they were to be extracted.

  Tej was not worried about the extraction plan. He knew that once he ran the demon invocation spell on Samarth Bhasin, he would be able to pull Kumbh’s consciousness out and take it back to 3057 BC.

  Weapons were checked, choppers were inspected, and strategies were finalized. At around 08:00 PM, Ravi and his associates came over to their comfortable camping tents. They planned to relax for a few hours. Tej caught a much needed few hours’ sleep, as he wanted his body ready and focused for the planned offensive.

  Tej’s wrist-watch alarm broke his sleep at 02:00 AM, and he started to get ready for the battle. He wore a bulletproof vest and packed a Glock-19 9mm Semi-Automatic. He also kept one Beretta 92FS, along with several magazines.

  Ravi hadn’t been a part of the Armed Forces, but he had undergone extensive weapons training, several times, throughout his life. He had also been a part of a few combat missions early in his career. Tej knew this training and experience of his vessel would come handy in this operation.

  For Rudrakshini’s blood ritual he needed only two things, a knife, and the sacred green bhasm. The knife would also be helpful in one-on-one combat. So he packed Fairbairne-Sykes in a secure sheath in his harness. In his right front pocket, he kept the green bhasm. He had transferred it out of the wooden box to a small easy-to-carry plastic pouch. After careful checks, he took a deep breath and started quietly praying. His lips showed little movement as he chanted the Maha-mrityunjaya mantra.

  At around 02:15 AM IST Rujeeth came to his tent and said. “Boss, we’re ready to roll.”

  Tej came to the old aircraft hangar where two hundred soldiers had assembled and were ready for orders. They’d donned their full military attire. Ravi, Rujeeth, Shafi, Captain Kaniago and several others took the stage. Tej knew he was expected to make a speech, so he took the microphone in his hands. He himself had rarely given any speeches, but he felt no stage-fright. He had Ravi’s brain at his aid. Ravi had been giving motivational, light, and harsh speeches to his staff and his men throughout his life.

  Tej eyed the horde of soldiers in front of him, gave a graceful smile, and addressed them. “If some of you are expecting a speech like the one in that movie ‘Independence Day’, no, I will not do that. We are not going to fight aliens here.” The whole crowd laughed. Some of them even whistled and clapped.

  “Neither am I going to say any motivational words here. You all are being paid in Krugerrands, so I know your motivations are aligned.” The crowd applauded again.

  “Nor am I going to bore you with technical terms such as ‘we will go in hot’, ‘high altitude, low open’ etcetera. I am sure Captain Kaniago would have briefed you with those terms.” The crowd again jeered. Kaniago gave a strange wide-toothed smile.

  Tej continued. “But since I am the one paying you sharp mercenaries for this mission, there is one thing I want to make crystal clear. You fight, you shoot, you decimate the targets. But this guy, Samarth Bhasin, he is off limits for you. Each of you has his picture. You know how he looks. Get that picture in your head. You see him running, hiding, doing anything. You will not shoot at him or hurt him. You will do nothing other than arresting him. He is mine. I want him alive! At any cost. Is that clear?” Many in the crowd nodded their heads. They were listening intently.

  “Is that clear?” Tej shouted.

  “Yes, sir!” A coordinated sound resonated throughout the crowd. They were men of the military, after all; following orders ran deep in their blood. Tej looked at Captain Kaniago and nodded. Kaniago started assigning men to their choppers. The crowd dispersed.

  Day 7 of 7

  16.

  Entering the Jaws Of The Demon

  Castle Taiyō-jō itself was an antediluvian structure, but some parts of it had been fortified using huge iron rods and mortar plastering. Four anti-aircraft guns stood on the four corners of the castle. Thirty armed men guarded each of the guns.

  A tight watch-guard parameter with a five-hundred-meter radius had been established around the castle. Seventeen watch-towers along the periphery of this zone monitored possible hostile activity. Each watchtower had two soldiers on the top with short-range monitoring telescopes and two trained snipers in an alert stance. Each watchtower was guarded by small teams of five soldiers at its base. One radar station was also established within the parameter to intercept early signals of any air attack.

  At exactly 03:34 AM IST the combat began. Two Black Hawks from the Green Army came in undetected, and with an element of surprise, took out two of the four anti-aircraft guns. They also destroyed five of the watchtowers and went away, flying outside the range of rest of the two guns. The on-ground forces reeled from this sudden assault and destruction.

  Within a minute, the second major wave hit the castle. Five of the Chinook helicopters came in with heavy artillery fire, annihilating several targets on the ground. They also destroyed eleven more watchtowers and took down one more anti-aircraft gun. But the retaliatory attack this time cost the attacking forces, too. One of the Chinooks was destroyed mid-air, and another took a shot to its rotor, because of which it crashed a few kilometers away.

  After several such waves of attacks, the on-ground enemy-targets suffered major casualties. The survivors had no choice but to raise the white flag and surrender. Around one hundred and fifty Green Army soldiers along with Tej and his associates were dropped around the castle. Within one hour, they established their own defense parameter around it.

  Forty-seven enemy soldiers, who had survived, were arrested and kept under tight watch. As expected they were all hired guns with no clear idea on whom they were defending. The first part of the plan was complete, although the number of casualties for the Green Army was more than they expected.

  Now the second part of the plan, the infiltration, was
to be executed. Cutting through the heavy stone brick walls of the castle was a wasteful exercise. The giant metal door, although heavy, was the most vulnerable point of the castle.

  The team started to set-up a series of C4 explosives around the main castle door, but they took extreme precautions. Even one misdirected explosion could have brought down the whole castle structure. That went against Ravi’s explicit orders.

  At around 07:30 AM, the ballistic experts finally okayed the set-up. There was no further activity from inside the castle till that time. Ravi was called to press the “red button,” a switch which started the chain of controlled demolitions around the door. The detonation was successful. The entry to the castle was wide open. Tej’s hopes were going up. They were ahead of time. But in a battle, when has anything ever gone according to plans?

  At 07:50 AM, Captain Kaniago and his Team Alpha of fifty soldiers entered the castle and progressed into the inner gallery ways. They went radio silent, as they had no idea what awaited them inside, and had to tread with care.

  Two crucial hours passed by. The clock read 9:50 AM IST. There was no news from Team Alpha. Tej was very agitated. Sunset was predicted at exactly 06:07 PM Indian Standard Time that day. He was about to ask Rujeeth to take Team Bravo inside when they heard a muffled explosion from inside the castle after which they heard sounds of heavy artillery fire. Armed combat had erupted somewhere within the castle. The radio silence was finally broken. Kaniago’s crackled voice was heard on the radio.

  “We faced a landmine explosion, after which a few enemy soldiers fired at us….We lost many of our men but could neutralize…neutralize the combatants.”