Meghana adds, ‘Exactly, but there are many crowded places in Mumbai and also many celebrities. How can we ever figure that out?’
I’ve been thinking about this since morning, ‘Also, such attacks are planned on special occasions, right?’
All three of them staring at me now.
‘15th August, Independence Day.’ Meghana said.
‘Tomorrow.’ Rahim continued.
Ashok and Meghana panicked, ‘What do we do now? We don’t know anything, What if?’
That pause in her words is disturbing me. All of a sudden, room went quiet like in a movie theatre. All of us running our minds all over places to figure out about the location.
‘We messed up; we should’ve informed the police. They have at least found something by now.’
Ashok interrupted her, ‘You can’t be sure of it. No one has any clue regarding it.’
Meghana turning pages back and forth reading to find if she could find any clue. Rahim walked closer to her ‘I have read the complete diary; I didn’t find anything except the bomb design and its execution plan. He didn’t mention the location anywhere in the diary’ Putting his glass down.
Talking about the diary, I remember something I read in the morning ‘Rahim, could you show me the journal entry, you showed me earlier in the morning.’
Meghana immediately handed it to him, ‘Rahim, could you read the last two lines from that entry’ Everyone looks curious while Rahim reading it aloud ‘This mission is close to my personal vendetta. Mumbai is Aditi’s birthplace and I’m going to destroy everything once belonged to her in the same way she destroyed mine.’
I rephrased the last line ‘Destroy everything that once belonged to me, she is talking about something very close to me. It could be something dear to me. But what it could be?’
Meghana got up from her place and rushed to me ‘Aditi, anyone closer to you. Any place closer to you. Maybe near your home? Your family?’
Ashok said, ‘How can he target a single person? It is a bomb blast.’
‘As I remember from another journal entry’ he furled through pages and again read it aloud ‘I will destroy their proud history’
‘So, it is a place with a celebrated history. It could be Temples?’ Meghana said.
Ashok dropped few more options ‘Or it could be hotels with rich heritage and history like Taj Hotel. They even previously targeted it.’
I’m trying to recollect the places closest to me; places that mean value to me. I value art more than anything. Something related to art, history and me. ‘My workplace’ I screamed out my thoughts.
‘Bhau Daji Lad Museum’ Rahim revealed, ‘Also, you said there is an exhibition tomorrow.’
Meghana added ‘So, that makes it a crowded place and a signature of Indian history.’
‘We should inform police and the schools, there is a painting competition for small children.’ I panicked.
Ashok affirmed, ‘That makes the location even more perfect, as it is sensitive because of school kids.’
‘This is not solid evidence; we cannot inform schools and also police department because they will arrest Rahim first.’
‘Don’t worry about me? Inform the police. We need to stop this.’ Rahim said.
With those words, one thing is sure. He cannot be the mastermind behind it.
‘What do we do then?’ Ashok confused.
‘We can inform Siraj, he could help us. We should tell him to keep the information low profile. We will not let him meet Rahim, until its required.’
I totally agree, we cannot pull this on our own. All of us agreed. ‘But what if he asks...’
‘I know, what you are asking, I’ll tell him I have an insider information and it could also be a wrong tip, so only informing him and not my editor.’
‘That sounds like a plan.’ Rahim affirmed.
All of us, took a deep breath after we heard about Meghana’s idea. Siraj would be a great help. We decided to leave from Ashok’s flat tomorrow. I called up some trustworthy colleagues at the museum. Never know, they can be handy.
‘Aditi, can you get an architectural blueprint of the museum?’ Meghana checked.
‘We usually have a museum guide, which demonstrations the path and also about the art rooms and their descriptions.’
‘That could be really useful’ Ashok added.
‘Do you have one? Now?’ Rahim checked.
I reached to my handbag ‘Yes, here’ passing the sheet to Meghana, ‘Each of the member, definitely keeps a copy of it with them.’
‘Great! We need to figure out, where the bomb is planted’ Meghana said.
‘I can help you with that information, his diary contains all the data we need. Starting with his techniques of planting a bomb till executing them. I’ve read the diary thoroughly.’ Rahim informed.
Ashok cheered ‘That’s perfect, you can guide us to locate the bomb.’
‘Yes.’ I added with eagerness in my nerves and a big smile on my face.
Ashok raised his glass, ‘Come on, sit down all of you, let’s have a drink and forget everything for a minute.’
I totally agree with Ashok and reached out for Meghana’s hand; strolled her along to the balcony for some fresh air. ‘Oxygen!’ I inhaled.
Meghana, with her glass full, smiled. Looking at me. ‘Thank you.’ I said ‘I’m happy after a long time. I got a new friend. No matter in what way we met. I became very close to you.’
Meghana keeps her glass on the short wall and gives me a tight hug ‘Aww…’ she whispers; I embrace her warm hug and wrap my arms around her. I saw Rahim saying no to drinks, which was strange. But Ashok somehow convinced him to drink one peg; and obviously that didn’t stop there. They became best friends in no time. I always wonder, how men become so close, once they start drinking together.
*****
Meghana and I were tired, Ashok with a click of switch has changed the ambience and lights in the room and left to his room calling Rahim to join. Meghana left a long back to sleep. Rahim was mumbling sitting over the sofa. His shirts smell raw as if he is drowned into alcohol; I placed his arms around my shoulder, lifting him up slowly dangling and walking with wobbling footsteps nearing the room.
He abruptly caught hold of hand, unconsciously murmuring in giddiness ‘Love you Aditi, I promise to stay with you. I cannot be without you.’ he is reminiscing Aditi of the other universe who left him. People often don’t stay with their partner who cares and loves them. Rahim, never understood me, and Aditi never understood this Rahim’s feelings.
We both are losers in our lives. ‘Sorry, Aditi.’ still faltering with words. I could feel the depth of his affection through the warmth of his hold.
We almost reached the room. He started coughing severely. I arched myself immediately, thumping his back and swaying around his neck and it didn’t help. He was trying to say something, but was unable to speak. Gesturing his hands seeking for water. I rushed him to the kitchen which was huge and designed modular. A fridge in the size of an almirah. I poured water into a glass and held it for him to drink. He stopped coughing; cleared his throat. I placed the glass back into its place and turned back and he stood only centimetres away from me, leaving his breath onto my face. Surprisingly I wasn’t scared. He slowly leaned onto me, as I walked backwards until I hit my back with the kitchen slab. He placed both his hand around me nearing my waist, resting onto the slab. His face much closer to mine now, stink of alcohol didn’t bother me anymore. A breath of fresh air passed between us. Silence that I cannot nurture, my lips trembling and palms sweat up instantly.
He finally broke the silence ‘Come back to me Aditi, I love you more than anything baby.’ he said stammering the words, tears rolling down his cheek dripping till the chin.
I hesitantly wiped the tears, ‘You are not my Rahim, right?’ he didn’t care to answer, was just staring firmly into my eyes. ‘Rahim, is it you?’ He closed an inch more, rubb
ing his body against mine. His lips almost touching mine. I released a heavy breath while struggling to convey something but helplessly letting it die inside the throat itself.
He didn’t seem to move away. I want him to kiss me and he is stoned gaping my lips. My heartbeat pulses into my throat. I had to close my eyes to keep calm. I tilted my head a bit ‘Rahim, Hope this isn’t you.’ I parted my lips and started kissing incessantly, his tongue sliding against mine, with a familiar taste. He proceeded to kiss deep, his arms holding me tight, while mine resting around his shoulder; as my fingers busy rustling his hair. He slowly lifts me and placed me on the slab and cleared the utensils with a sway of his hand. Slowly, unbolting his belt while lips were still busy kissing; I helped him further to unbutton himself, while he runs his fingers from the neck till navel, blood rushing in my body, faster than anything. I could feel scars on his chest as my hands roll on his skin. He steadily, lifted my long white floral frock with imprints of dark red rose flowers, flashing my naked legs to the open empty kitchen, pulls my undie down. Everything was happening in blinks and beyond my control, though I wasn’t stopping it. I didn’t want to. I don’t know. I just don’t want to stop. Hope someone find a theory behind this obsession of love for particular person. When your heart cheats your mind to do things against its will.
I blink hard. Too hard. All my thoughts passed into thin air, as he entered me. I held my breath for a second and left a big exhale with a loud moan. He didn’t cease to kiss though, which also in turn preventing me from making any sound from pain of pleasure. I’m moaning in silence. Opened my eyes slowly, gradually everything around felt shaking, as my legs shivering in vigour. I’m holding his back with my right hand, helping him to thrust and also to balance our position. I still don’t know, why am I doing this? I have messed up. But I have done it. So, be it. He didn’t stop licking my tongue, which didn’t let me dilute my thoughts about him. I didn’t want to think, so its fine. I fell into the moment too. Everything around turns blur making us partially blind. We didn’t care about anything.
‘Harder,’ I hiss. The venom in my words surprised me. I’ve only heard this poison in Rahim’s voice before. But it does the trick. I don’t bother about anything else at this moment. ‘We’re close.’
We heard a sound of a glass breaking, out of nowhere, spilled on the floor into tiny pieces. Both of us stopped, abruptly and awkwardly. We glanced sideways. Meghana; staring at us in surprise with her mouth wide open and jaw dropped. She broke the glass in shock. We got separated immediately, I was pulling my frock down and Rahim pulled his trouser and quickly buttoning himself.
‘Sorry! Sorry! Guys. I didn’t mean to.’ Meghana left the place covering her eyes.
Chapter X
15th August, 2011.
A breeze flutters from the open windows, stirring the locks of my hair that have fallen underneath the flowing curtains, daylight flaps to drain away and sky is barely visible in the fading light. The drizzle drops sliding through the window rims, birds hiding in their nests protecting their kids. Meghana entered the room with a warm cup of coffee.
‘Good morning, Aditi’ I awkwardly received the coffee from her, still embarrassed about the last night. I didn’t want her to think otherwise and wanted to clarify that there is nothing between me and Rahim.
‘Meghana, Yesterday…’
She placed her hand over my lips ‘Don’t. I understand,’ gets up and reaches the window, playing with the droplets ‘Don’t ruin your experience, by explaining me the reasons behind it. I know you weren’t with your Rahim. It was some other person.’
Our own mind mess with us sometimes. It traps us in the situation which we never ask for. Last night, was a mistake taken in haste, but a beautiful one. I was thirsty for love. I don’t want to give reasons to myself, but still cannot stop thinking about it in two ways. Enjoying the warmth of a cup of tea around her presence. My life has changed after Rahim got swapped with the other one. I got a friend. I spent the night I was craving for years. When I made love to Rahim, I used to feel like lying on a deathbed waiting for my soul to just fly away.
Meghana was talking to Siraj on the mobile, informing him about the details from last night. Hope with Rahim’s help we diffuse the bomb today. Many lives will be saved. Police will not arrest him, when they realise, he is the insider info of Meghana and later can be summed up by the Parallelism theory. I have faith, everyone will recognize his efforts.
*****
Ashok sticked the blueprints to a whiteboard in his drawing room, Rahim had circled five places in the museum and connected all the them to the centre of the museum.
‘Why are those circles connected towards the centre?’
Rahim raised his marker to speak, but Ashok placed his hands-on Rahim’s shoulder ‘let me explain, you observe, if I understood’ smiled at Rahim and continued.
‘According to the diary, Rahim concludes that Rahim of our universe is following the same pattern of bomb execution which he followed in a hospital in Syria.’
The eyes dimmed. ‘Ok?’ I didn’t completely get that, but still trying to get through the plan.
‘There will be five bombs hidden in the outer perimeters of the museum. All of them are somehow gets connected to the heart of the museum. He turned to Rahim ‘Am I right? Rahim?’
‘Exactly’ continues to speak ‘So, once we figure the locations of all the five bombs, we need to disconnect all of them at once. It will disintegrate the power of the core bomb, if not all diffused at once, it may auto-execute and blast.’
‘This is crazy!’ Meghana interrupting the conversation.
Rahim sighs back ‘Hear me, out. There is also another way. If we find the location of the core bomb, we may eject all others at once.’
‘Then, let’s find the core bomb itself?’
Rahim cuts me out ‘There is a catch in that, core bomb is not so easy to find. Rahim planned this out very cleverly, even if someone tries to detonate any bomb in the web, it could switch on the other one.’
Meghna stared in disbelief. ‘How do you know? All of this?’
‘He did the same for Syria Bombing’ confidently, ‘Here, you can read in this journal entry. The bomb took off, when the bomb squad tried to diffuse one of the bombs, they found.’
Ashok checked, ‘What made you think, he would the same here?’
‘He nicknames his bomb executions, he named Syria Bombing as “Centrifugal” and mentioned in another journal, that he has setup everything according to Centrifugal.’
I totally understand it now, ‘You are right, Rahim. I believe you’ I don’t know, why I said that. Do, I really believe him?
Meghana informs ‘Siraj, already started, ill message him the details you shared.’
‘Let’s get going, guys, we have a bomb to diffuse.’
*****
I and Rahim are hardly maintaining eye contact on our way to the Museum. We both were quiet half the way. After the night, we didn’t speak to each other. We didn’t have to. He looked at me twice, hesitant to converse with me ‘I’m sorry, Aditi. I was drunk last night and not in my senses’ he broke the silence.
‘It’s okay, you were the only one drunk. Not me.’ I replied.
‘If I misbehaved with you?’
‘I don’t want to talk about it. Please’ I said, cracking my knuckles gazing at moving buildings ‘Can we just let the night be, the way it was.’ I don’t want to name that memory as a mistake. He didn’t utter a word after. Ashok and Meghana, are smiling secretly, to break the inconvenient bond, Ashok diverts the conversation ‘Rahim, I just have one more question, regarding the Centrifugal execution.’
Meghana and I also waiting for the question, I myself have hundreds of them. ‘What if no none of us could diffuse any bomb, could the blast still happen?’
‘As per the diary,’ he affirms to each one of us ‘He himself, made the call to authorities about the bombing, then the squad arrived and unknowingly
turned it on. What if that happens again, what if someone from his group does that, as Rahim is not doing it.’
‘Siraj said, he would deploy his team to search for the all the bombs outside the perimeter and will wait for the confirmation to diffuse them.’ Meghna informed.
‘Great, I will get you people organizing committee passes, you will be allowed to delicate places in the museum. It will be easier to find the core bomb.’ I added.
‘I have already called some colleagues, yesterday. Many of the hospital staff will be available at the location, in case if we opt for evacuation or any medical emergencies help, we’ll be ready to help.’ Ashok confirmed.
Rahim said, ‘I’ll find the core and will keep you guys informed. While Meghana will act as communication bridge among us.’
‘That reminds of something,’ Meghana gave a Bluetooth device to all of us. ‘We all can talk to each other on this device, no matter where we are.’
‘What else can I help with?’ I checked.
Rahim turned, ‘You make sure, all kids are at one place and nearer to the emergency exits.’
I’ll bring all the organizing committee into awareness of the kids’ safety being the first priority. We reached the place. School buses have already arrived. Painting competition has begun already. I’m both nervous and confident. Many lives can be saved, if we do everything the right way.
*****
Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum.
August 15th, 2011. 11:40 AM.
I felt light headed as I trudged towards the end of the entrance. I see the kids standing in lines as per their classes. I entered the washroom as soon as I got in. Walking to the sink, splashed cold water on my face and tried to be in the moment. Harsh fluorescent lights glared off the stark tile, and the museum was decorated in vibrant theme. I could see, lights flashing from every end.
Rita Vaish, my colleague from the museum ‘Thank God you came. Where were you?’ She gives me list with names on it ‘We don’t have much time. Quickly gather the kids near the park. Second Round is going to begin.’
The Legend from Runisia Page 7
