The LeT men quickly overcame their initial shock at Vijay’s onslaught and rushed to Farooq’s aid. They swarmed around Vijay and Farooq and hauled Vijay off their leader. Vijay disappeared under a group of men, as they used the butts of their rifles to bludgeon him.
Colin tensed but before he could even think of a possible course of action, he heard Murphy’s voice in his ear. ‘Don’t even think about it.’
Farooq stood up, helped by two of his men, his nose and mouth bleeding, his shirt torn. He spat a mouthful of blood and wiped his face with a sleeve.
‘Wait!’ he shouted to the men who were attacking Vijay. ‘I don’t want him dead. Not yet.’
Colin rushed forward to help his friend, who had blood streaming down his head and face. His shirt had patches of blood from cuts on his body and he winced in pain as Colin helped him up.
Farooq hobbled over to Vijay and jabbed a finger at him. ‘You will pay for this,’ he rasped. ‘Before I kill you, I will put your friends through a slow, painful death. And you will watch them die. You will hear them scream for mercy and beg for a quick death. I will show you what it means to mess with me.’
He turned to a group of his men. ‘Take them into the entry tunnel,’ he instructed, ‘and keep them there. The rest of you, get back to work!’
The LeT fighters prodded Vijay and Colin before them into the passage they had travelled through not so long ago. A soft light still suffused the tunnel but instead of the rock wall at the far end, they could see the newly blasted opening in the hillside, through which a soft breeze now blew into the passage.
Inside the cavern, Farooq suppressed his anger over Vijay’s audacious attack and focused instead on his success. LeT would finally rule the world.
47
Day 11
The entrance to the heart of Sitagarha Hill
The commandos stood at the foot of the rocky staircase, which would take them to their final destination.
While making their way up the passage they had suddenly heard a muffled explosion accompanied by a sound they couldn’t explain. The ground underfoot trembled and a portion of the rock wall behind them collapsed with the vibrations. They stopped and waited, wondering what it was. What were the terrorists doing? Surely they weren’t blowing up the hill?
When the rocks stopped falling, Verma signalled to one of the commandos who ran up the stairway, noiselessly. He returned in a few moments and gave an all-clear signal, following which the other commandos made their way up the staircase.
In the tunnel outside the main cavern Colin shifted uncomfortably. They were sitting on the rock floor of the passage. Vijay was feeling stupid for having let himself be driven by his anger and frustration. He had just made things worse for them. Instead of a quick death, they were all now doomed to a painful, long-drawn-out one. He knew that Farooq would be as good as his word.
‘I’m sorry,’ he had mumbled to Colin as the LeT men had shoved them along the tunnel. ‘I don’t know what came over me back there. I’m really sorry.’
Colin knew Vijay well enough to understand that it was only human of him to break down in the face of the deaths of two people close to him and the hopelessness of their own circumstances. He, too, was afraid.
Colin stood up. He was tired of sitting cross-legged on the floor and began to walk towards the entrance of the passage that led to the forest outside.
One of the LeT men turned sharply to look at him and raised his weapon slightly. Colin held up his hands. ‘Hey, I’m just stretching my legs.’
Satisfied that the American wasn’t attempting to escape, the fighter turned back to his mates, their conversation punctuated by low laughter.
Colin walked slowly to the opening in the ground through which he and Vijay had entered the passage. And stopped short.
A face smeared with black colour was looking into the passage. The man was dressed all in black.
Colin staggered back in shock.
Before he knew it, the man had silently bounded out of the opening and was by his side, clamping a hand over his mouth and holding his arms in a vice-like grip. Swiftly, silently, more men poured into the passage.
‘Indian commandos,’ the man holding Colin hissed in his ear.
Colin relaxed but was confused. He couldn’t help wondering how Indian commandos had reached Sitagarha.
But his hopes lifted. Perhaps all wasn’t lost yet.
He turned around and saw that Vijay had been similarly silenced while a few commandos set about taking out the LeT men. It was all over in seconds; the terrorists guarding the duo, caught unawares, were quickly and silently overpowered.
Colin’s captor released his grip and the commandos herded him and Vijay towards the entrance to the passage. Colin caught a glimpse of the men; black clad figures armed with automatic weapons, and, good heavens, was that a grenade launcher?
A thrill ran down his spine as the reality of the commando operation sank in and they hurried out of the tunnel and breathed in the fresh night air of the forest. It was refreshing after their long sojourn underground.
Vijay too welcomed the arrival of the commandos. He had given up all hope in the cavern. ‘What about Dr. Shukla?’ He suddenly remembered.
Wait and Watch
Verma lay on his stomach and watched the scene before him. The LeT men milled around the cavern, busy as ants, gathering metal plates and stacking them in piles, as if hoarding food for the winter. They were not expecting company.
But he was worried. This was very different from the brief he had been given at HQ. His mission was to take out the terrorists. No one had said anything about the fleet of vimanas. He studied the machines through a pair of binoculars and came to a decision.
He crawled back to join the rest of his men, who were a short way down the tunnel.
He signalled to the men to explain the strategic points where the LeT fighters were; they would need to take out these points first. His men nodded and, dividing into three groups, took up their positions. The two smaller groups flanked the opening and one large group stood ready in the centre.
Each group would open fire at one of the strategic points indicated by Verma, while the larger group would take advantage of the element of surprise and the cover provided by the other two groups. With the disarray they hoped to cause in the process, they would charge into the cavern to immobilise the rest of the terrorists.
There was one thing they had to avoid. Firing at the metal cylinders!
Verma had his sights set on Murphy. But first, he had a final task to complete.
A Happy Reunion
‘Dr. Shukla is safe with two of my men,’ Verma joined Colin and Vijay after briefing his men. ‘We need to hurry. All of you have to get out of here. Fast.’
Colin supported Vijay as they hurried after Verma, trying to keep up with him.
They saw a group of people standing near the stupa, but in the near darkness they could only make out the silhouettes. Verma had reached the group and was addressing one person in particular.
‘...we can’t risk it. We could be sitting on a gunpowder keg here.’ He turned to his men, waiting alongside the group, ‘Come with me. I’m going to need you.’
The three commandos raced back towards the hill.
Colin and Vijay came up to the group and stood there, gaping. Before them stood Imran and Radha. Colin ran towards them with a cry of delight. Vijay stood rooted to the spot, looking like he had seen an apparition.
‘I can’t believe it,’ Colin kept repeating as he hugged Imran and Radha in turn. He looked back at Vijay.
Like someone waking from a trance, Vijay, now beaming, finally began walking slowly towards them. The tension and the anxiety weighing upon his mind, had suddenly disappeared. The sight of Radha, safe and sound, was like a sunbeam that had dissipated the fog of worries that had clouded his mind.
Vijay recognised Imran as the police officer who had visited the fort just a few days ago. He didn’t know what Imran was doing he
re and how or why Radha was with him, but it was clear that Radha’s escape and Imran’s presence were somehow linked.
He turned to face Radha, looking at her intently. She returned his gaze, uneasy, unable to interpret his expression.
He stood for a few moments then hesitatingly raised his hand to stroke her hair gently. There were tears in his eyes. To Radha’s great surprise he put his arms around her and folded her in a warm embrace.
Radha blinked back her own tears. She now knew for certain he loved her. She returned his embrace.
‘I’m sorry to break up the reunion, but we have to get out of here now,’ Imran broke in. ‘You two see what’s in the cavern?’
Vijay and Colin nodded.
‘Come on, then. You can tell us what you saw once we’re in the car.’ He looked at Vijay. ‘I’ll help Dr. Shukla. Can you make it with Colin?’
Vijay nodded.
‘Let’s go then. We don’t have too much time if what Verma said is true.’
Ambush!
Inside the cavern, the LeT men were hard at work, stacking the plaques and creating a list. The plaques were surprisingly light, considering they were made of metal, and the men were able to work swiftly.
Farooq had come across a four-foot-long strip of metal which, seemed to disappear when he turned it over. Even though he could feel it, hard and cold in his hand, he couldn’t see it. He excitedly realised that this was what they had been looking for all along. A sample of the sheath engineered centuries ago by ancient scientists.
This meant that they now possessed the design as well as a physical sample of the invisibility shield. Finally, they would be able to replicate and manufacture the sheath on a large scale. His mind raced as he thought of the possibilities that would open up for LeT.
His thoughts were rudely interrupted as a volley of shots rang out through the cavern. He looked up angrily, ready to curse. This was no time for his men to indulge in irresponsible firing. They had a job to do.
He was stunned to see some of his fighters drop to the ground. And then, another round of shots raked the cavern.
Verma and the commandos had opened fire, felling several LeT men. The effect was immediate and as they had expected. The terrorists scattered, unable to comprehend that an armed force had come upon them. Men ran helter skelter, looking for shelter from the attack, as they fumbled with their weapons.
Murphy immediately took cover behind one of the cigar-shaped vimanas.
At a signal from Verma, a group of commandos rushed into the cavern, their guns blazing.
48
Day 11
The forests near Sitagarha Hill
Imran, Vijay and the others, in the meanwhile, were driving away from Sitagarha Hill. No one had spoken a word since they had left the stupa and begun the trek towards the SUV. Imran broke the silence now, as the X Trail charged through the forest, bumping and jerking its way through the trees.
He introduced himself and explained quickly how he had found Radha after Bheem Singh’s accidental death. ‘So what did you guys see in there?’
Colin told him.
Imran nodded, ‘Verma said that the cavern contained what looked like missiles and they may be loaded with explosives. If that’s true, then there’s no knowing how unstable the chemicals may be if those things really are thousands of years old. Anything could set them off. That’s why Verma asked us to leave immediately.’
There was silence as the implication of this announcement sank in. What would happen to the commandos if there were explosive warheads in the vimanas and if they did, somehow, go off?
‘Couldn’t they nail the terrorists without going into the cavern?’ Colin asked. ‘I mean, if those doodahs have explosives in them, all they have to do is fire at them and bring the roof down on the LeT.’
‘Exactly what I asked him,’ Imran shook his head regretfully at the choice the commandos had had to make. ‘They can’t be sure that the vimanas are loaded with explosives. They’re up against men who are willing to die. The commandos have just one shot at getting it right. The only way they can do their job is to go in there and kill every single terrorist. And hope that nothing else happens.’
Imran looked at Radha and passed her his mobile phone. ‘Check if there’s a signal yet. I didn’t get one in the forest.’
They had reached the side road that led from the forest to the highway.
Radha nodded. ‘There’s a signal.’
‘Good. Dial the last number called—Vishnu Prasad.’
‘The DC?’ Radha dialled Prasad’s number.
Imran nodded. ‘There are two dams around Hazaribagh; Tilaiya and Konar. Both are roughly the same distance from Hazaribagh, around 50 kilometres away. Tilaiya is to the north, so that puts it at around 70 or 75 kilometres from Sitagarha hill. Konar is to the east, beyond Sitagarha. That makes it around 30 kilometres from the hill. If something happens in that cavern, we need to make sure that villages around these dams, and along the rivers they are built on, are evacuated.’
Radha, in the meantime, had got through to Vishnu Prasad and put him on the speaker phone.
Imran quickly explained the situation to the District Collector, who was shocked to hear the news.
‘There are several villages around there,’ Prasad said. ‘But, they are small villages so it won’t take long to evacuate them. But we can’t get to them in time. We’ll try calling the village headmen and they’ll have to mobilise the evacuation. Thanks for the warning.’
Firefight!
Verma glanced quickly around the cavern and became aware that the LeT men had recovered from their initial paralysis and were now putting up a fierce resistance.
They had quickly found secure positions for themselves behind the stone blocks that were lined up near the wall, towards the vacant part of the cavern. This gave them an advantage over the commandos who were now without any protective cover, except for the covering gunfire from their comrades within the tunnel.
As Verma looked on, he saw his men put the second phase of their plan into operation. A lone commando, hefting a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, appeared in the opening of the cave.
He aimed for a particularly troublesome corner of the cavern where a bunch of LeT militants was holed up behind massive stone blocks. The RPG found its mark, blowing up several of the terrorists.
The LeT guns fell silent, and Farooq cursed. Right now, his men were at a disadvantage and he shouted out for them to dig in and defend, rather than go on the offensive.
Emboldened by the success of their plan, which appeared to have momentarily given them the upper hand, the commandos advanced, taking up positions behind some of the stone columns. The commando with the RPG launcher also advanced into the cavern and took up a position that gave him a clear line of sight to another group of LeT fighters, who were ensconced behind a stone block deeper in the vacant section of the cavern.
Suddenly, two LeT men darted out from the cover of a block that was adjacent to the tunnel opening, right behind the commando with the RPG launcher. The commandos had been oblivious to their position.
Now, as the commando readied to fire the RPG launcher a second time, these LeT men dived at him. He was taken by surprise and fell to the ground, the launcher flying out of his hands with the momentum of the assault.
The two LeT fighters were quickly despatched by the other commandos but the damage was done. The grenade had been launched at the moment of impact, but it was no longer bound for the target it had been meant for.
Instead, it sailed over the heads of the LeT fighters and into a far corner of the cavern which was unoccupied.
Time seemed to slow down as the grenade arched downwards, missing the LeT men. This was the opening they needed. Exulting at their luck, they roared with one voice and rushed forward for a counter-attack, shooting wildly as they advanced. With the RPG launcher down, the momentum of the attack had turned.
The grenade exploded as Murphy and Verma looked on. Nothing could
have prepared them for what happened next.
This futile explosion was succeeded almost immediately by a huge blast, as if a stockpile of ammunition had gone up in flames.
49
Day 11
The Ranchi-Hazaribagh highway
Imran and the others were speeding towards Hazaribagh. They hoped that they had put enough distance between them and Sitagarha Hill. Imran was hoping that the whole operation would go as planned and nothing untoward would happen.
But he knew that was wishful thinking.
The sky had begun to lighten as the first fingers of dawn began to creep across the sky.
Abruptly, the SUV bucked as if the road had taken on a life of its own, and shivered violently. Imran had to wrestle with the steering wheel to stop the car from skidding off the highway.
‘What...?’ Radha began, then broke off as the road before them, illuminated by the SUV’s headlights and the growing light of dawn, began to disintegrate before her eyes. Large cracks opened up and Imran grappled with the steering wheel wildly to avoid them.
Vijay and Colin peered through the rear windscreen to see what was happening. The road behind them had been torn apart, as if a pair of giant hands had taken each end of the highway and pulled them in opposite directions.
‘What was that? An earthquake?’ Colin’s voice trembled.
Imran shook his head. ‘Seismic shockwave. Something has happened at Sitagarha; something big enough for a seismic shock of this intensity to be generated.’
He now knew that Verma had been right about the vimanas. The encounter between the terrorists and the commandos must have set off the unstable explosives in the vimanas.
He pressed the accelerator to the floor and the SUV leaped forward with a roar. ‘It isn’t over yet. The airblast shockwave is yet to come. If the seismic shock was any indication, that isn’t going to be a breeze. Pun not intended.’
The Mahabharata Secret Page 29
