Epilogue

18 months later

Maanav and Nitya walked hand in hand and stood still in Shadow’s office. The place had undergone a lot of changes and was more appealing to the eye. Maanav knew this was Padma’s handiwork. Shadow waved to them while on call. While Nitya rushed to pull out of her hand from Maanav’s grasp, he held on. Her dark green bangles jingled and she looked at her henna adorned hands. She smiled remembering their wedding a week ago.

The slight commotion also stopped the furious typing that was going on in a dark corner.

“Didi… Naman miss didi… Naman miss Maanav… Naman good…” Naman scurried out of his dark corner and rushed to the newly wed couple just back from their brief honeymoon. He hugged Nitya and Maanav.

Nitya blinked back tears as she watched her brother happier than ever before. Maanav finally let go of her hand as Naman dragged him towards his console. She saw that Shadow had arranged it all to suit Naman’s sensory requirements. The corner was dark just like he liked it and there were a set of headphones.

She remembered the period 18 months ago when the final showdown took place on the ship.

Jameel had passed and the MARCOS had taken over the ops from then on. The media carried reports of a Naval operation and there was no mention of SPS or Nitya, Naman or Kamble kaka. They however acquired a lot of evidence from Ashfaq’s father who had escaped a little earlier with them. It was more than enough to clear her Appa’s name and he was posthumously awarded an honorarium for his sacrifice and the PMO issued a public apology on behalf of all the office bearers to date.

Ashfaq’s father lamented over the loss of his only son yet he delivered her father’s savings to her as promised. Nitya invested all of it in Naman’s name. The amount was substantial along with the ex-gratia amounts they received as arrears for their Appa’s service in India. Shadow helped her with investment advice. Speaking of which, the gentle giant was God sent for Naman and the young guy adored him. Shadow had immediately offered a job to Naman and Naman had been elated. They didn’t reveal anything about Naman… or his extraordinary skills to the media. Soon the frenzy died and Nitya and Naman moved in with Maanav. After a few months, Maanav proposed to her and she accepted… life had been a bliss ever since.

Kamble kaka had lost a lot of blood but recovered well. He revealed all about his role as a RAW agent. He had retired from active field duty but Capt. Rawat on Maanav’s father’s insistence those years back had gotten Kamble kaka back on board to keep an eye on DR. Manohar’s family. That he already knew DR. Manohar was a bonus.

Nitya’s Maternal relatives who had severed ties slowly made an effort to get in touch with them. While she was bitter about the past she understood their decisions. She was trying gradually for Naman’s sake. The boy was blooming and trying his best to socialise.

Life had come a full circle indeed….

Maanav and Avinash had joined SPS full on and had even completed a couple of missions. Anandi had taken off on a long break and was all set to join SPS. Nitya was glad Maanav had such amazing friends.

“Nitya, take a look here…” Maanav called out shaking her out of her reverie. She walked towards Naman’s console where Shadow stood deep in thought.

“Naman has created a folder in memory of your father where he has stored all the codes and other details that he unravelled…” Maanav explained. “…You should take a look at this…” Maanav pointed and Naman made a few clicks.

The song from that instrument played again. The instrument was now placed in a locker because it was very fragile. It was no longer of any use but they wanted to keep it in Dr. Manohar’s memory. It was the only connection for the siblings with their father.

This time the music played from one of the files on Naman’s console.

“In our frenzy to complete that mission we had never bothered to find out what was the code to mobilise the torpedoes…” Shadow explained to Nitya.

The torpedoes were embedded in a jutting rock in the seabed. They were carefully dismantled. 15 years of strong sea currents hadn’t damaged them much so everyone understood why the perps wanted it so badly. The investment was tremendous… the outer shell remained but the rocks would require blasting so it was decided to let it remain there.

“…So here is the password… rather, Passwords. No one would have guessed them…” Shadow spoke smiling.

“So, what were the passwords?” Nitya asked intrigued at the turn of events.

Shadow turned the monitor towards Nitya and she read it wide-eyed….

“THE SECRET RIPPLES”

******************** The end ***********************

Chapter 25

Maanav stood still for a moment trying to quickly analyse the situation. Shadow was leading the mission but Maanav and Anandi had the liberty to make decisions for Nitya and Naman’s sake. Just then Aanadi gestured that she was going inside through a window at the far corner. He wondered how she could make that out in the darkness that had enveloped them.

Amidst the acrid sea breeze blowing the loose tendrils of her unruly curls besides the obvious contours, nothing gave away that she was a woman. Maanav was in awe of her skills and all three of them hugely respected her for that. He nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. She disappeared into the dark cavern and Maanav tried to figure out if he could make out anything from the din of noises coming in. The intensity of the song had reduced but it still played and Capt. Rawat signalled that Naman was close to indicating the location of the torpedoes. He had to continue playing the song, which meant he had to unscramble the codes, which meant he had to keep typing on that instrument. Did the people inside know what he was doing?

They probably had to know because Kamble uncle was there, wasn’t he? He knew what that song meant.

He had to get inside… without making a noise because by now everyone would have been alerted. Suddenly there was a commotion and the glass in front of him creaked. He bent down in time to dodge a bullet. He slithered into the dark crevices. The bastards were shooting at his silhouette and Nitya or Naman could get hurt. He moved towards the back side of the ship. He knew there had to be an entry as per the blueprint Capt. Rawat had obtained. It wasn’t perfect, but gave them some idea about the ship’s layout. Usually those sides were heavily guarded but now that there was confrontation there was a possibility that the guards would be less since everyone had to take control over the deck, which now lay in darkness, thanks to Shadow’s handiwork.

Maanav slipped on his dark goggles and moved towards his target, silently and quickly, true to his name… He was right. Not just fewer guards, there was no guard at the back end. How could these people be so careless? Did they underestimate the Indian Navy? They probably also knew about the SPS courtesy Kamble uncle. So, this didn’t make sense, unless there was a …. Trap.

Right then Capt. Rawat’s voice made its staccato entry into his earpiece. “Avoid the tail… grenade trap…. Naman… conveyed… AVOID THE TAIL…”

But it was a tad too late… His leg hit a wire or something like that. It was too dark and despite the night vision goggles, he didn’t see the booby trap. But he reacted quickly and sprang to safety as 3 grenades exploded one after the other.

The explosion shattered the prevailing lull before the storm on board as chaos ensured. Flames licked the skies and debris rained down… charred wood, paper, cloth and stones too… Maanav barely escaped with a few scratches due to his quick reflexes but he worried about Nitya and Naman. Had Anandi made her way inside? Did he compromise her as well? Thick smoke filled the air around him and he had covered his face earlier in anticipation. The breeze helped for a change but there was a danger of the entire ship going up in flames a few containers that lay on the deck…. Did they contain inflammable articles? It would be catastrophic.

“Location determined…” Capt. Rawat declared. His voice drained in the ongoing commotion. “… Navy on the way to neutralize…”

Thank goodness the Navy had taken over that aspect. Their work was now cut out… They had to free Naman and Nitya and get out of there.

But that was easier said than done. They still didn’t have intel on the number of men on board from the enemy camp. And then he heard footsteps… of course, the explosion had given him away. He saw a huge anchor with its rope coiled up together for later use and made a quick move to hide behind. He had to remain uncaught.

“Bullet… come in…” Shadow buzzed into his earpiece. “…I have a visual on you. 3 men at 11 o’clock…” he now knew the positions of those coming in. “… they had AK 47s and grenades strapped to their bodies…”

Oh hell… he could take them out of their AKs in an instant but the morons were suicidal… indoctrinated. They would just explode themselves and kill all of them in the process.

“Bullet… just stay low. I shall join in…” Shadow spoke. He heard some clicks and thuds amidst a commotion on the deck. There was firing going on for sure… just how many were there?

“20 + men on the deck… a lot more inside ready with explosives… hold back boys… we need to be strategic…” Captain Rawat screeched into his ears.

Maanav hated to just wait, but he had been on dangerous missions and knew how crucial it was to wait along with presence of mind. Capt Rawat now had better visuals and all he wanted was to get into that room.

Right then he heard thuds and looked a bit outside his hiding place and saw the 3 men lying lifeless on the dusty deck floor… guns and grenades in tow. Laser stood behind them and nodded before disappearing from where he had emerged.

Wasting no more time, he rushed towards the room where the door stood on its hinges, hanging fragile in the wake of the blast. The sharp smell of burning metal was clogging his throat. It brought back the nightmares from his innumerable missions where he had conducted rescue operations, but nowhere before had his heart thudded the way it did now. He had known to remain neutral during missions, but this was proving difficult… with Nitya in there.

He stealthily moved close to the door and tried to peep inside, hoping to get some visuals. There was noise and music, along with some murmur. He was in a small part right outside the main room… he moved closer to a shaft-like structure that stood like a wall between him and the occupants of the room. He made an effort to hear what was going on…

They were talking… what?

Yes, talking… in loud voices. There was an argument of sorts going on, and Nitya was arguing with someone with a deep baritone.

Either Nitya was walking straight into the lion’s den or he was hallucinating. Where was Anandi. As if hearing him, he heard a tiny whistle. That was a call between the 4 friends… when they wanted to call each other without others in the Gurukul knowing about it. He looked up and Anandi was perched on a platform. If he didn’t know her, he would have thought it was a part of the wood. That was how good she was at camouflage. She gestured that she had heard everything there and that he had to wait for her to blast the shaft. Else their hostages would be hurt.

He nodded… this was getting on his nerves. He was used to missions where he just walked in all prepared, completed the job and left with the hostages or the packages that they referred to as their targets. This was getting way too difficult because his heart was involved… the explosion outside was a throwback to those jungles years ago in the camp where Nitya and he were separated. But this time he vowed… come what may, he wasn’t leaving without her.

There was noise coming in from outside… he wondered what was happening… did they neutralise the threat on the deck?

He struggled to hear the rising voices coming in from the other side.

“You are stubborn… very stubborn… like father like daughter…” the deep voice roared.

“Don’t you dare talk about my father… you don’t deserve to take his name after what you did to him” Nitya spoke back.

“We give him money… lot of money. And he…? he betray us. Because of him we couldn’t finish our mission. But now… Inshallah… we will.”

The music continued and so did the typing. Naman was holding himself well despite the chaos.

“Now tell the boy to explain this or you explain this nonsense music…” he roared again.

Maanav wanted nothing more than to kick the shaft and kill the man with his bare hands, but now he would endanger everyone. It was a faint scratch… he realised that faint noise was coming in for a while now. He squinted up to see Anandi had chipped of a tiny piece of wood and was now peeping through it. She gestured that there were 8 armed men inside and a few people tied up too besides Nitya, Naman and Kamble uncle. Nitya’s hands were cuffed. Maanav’s anger rose but Anandi gestured to him to keep calm. This wasn’t the time.

Their earpieces cracked again. “Deck neutralised completely. 3 arrested. We are all safe. Navy closing in 10 nautical miles…” Shadow informed them.

Anandi conveyed the inside situation to Shadow through her tiny tab.

“I just got a visual. I can see shadows and silhouettes inside. We aren’t opening fire now…” Shadow assured him.

They continued to hear the conversation.

“I don’t understand what he is doing… my brother just loves that instrument for its music…” Nitya reasoned.

“I am not idiot, girl. I know this means something. Your father… genius… He made something for those… activation keys. Tell me or I will kill you.” There was click and Maanav’s blood boiled.

He was about to kick the shaft when Kamble uncle spoke.

“Wait Janab… wait.. if you kill her the boy will be useless… he only listens to her and she is the only one who can understand the boy… otherwise this would not have taken so many years…”

“BAS KARO… I had enough nonsense… you old man… you are useless… what is the use of all my money…? You promise results… what is this? Why are… armed people on my ship? Who told them? Is something going on that I don’t know? My boys are dying…” the man was angry.

The music became louder.

“Naman’s messages have stopped. He is upto something. The Navy is a little over 5 Nautical miles away… from the torpedoes. It won’t take long…” Capt Rawat spoke up.

“We are spread across here… just get them out on the deck…” Shadow spoke immediately.

There was tiny vibration and Maanav knew it was the pick-up helicopter they had arranged just in case any of them were injured. It was on standby now. The music continued, and the ripples kept playing loudly.

“STOP THAT…” the man screamed. “…OR I WILL SHOOT YOUR SISTER… YOU RETARD….”

“Janab… please… let me try once…” Someone else spoke, and Anandi indicated it was Ashfaq.

“YOU…? YOU…? YOU ARE THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL THIS… YOU AND YOUR FAMILY… IF YOUR GRANDFATHER HAD NOT DELIVERED THIS PACKAGE OR HELPED HER FATHER… THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED… our mission would have taken place long ago and we would have received funding for a lot more missions… instead for 15 years I have been stuck with this because we spent so much on those torpedoes… they can’t be activated… Tomorrow is that Mumbai festival… lots of people gathering… best time to take them all… government will come to its senses…” The man chuckled.

Was he insane…? Mumbai festival…? Oh goodness, it was Ganpati Visarjan tomorrow. Maanav decided it was about time.

He gestured to Anandi to tell him where each person was.

“Nitya… please talk to Naman and get the activation codes. Our men have tried here but its scrambled… Naman knows it. I am sure…” Ashfaq spoke again.

“No Sajid… I mean, Ashfaq. My father gave up his life for the country… I would do the same but you know how much I love Naman… Unfortunately, he is uncommunicando… can’t you see he is distressed?”

“Its always him over everything… isn’t he?” Ashfaq sounded frustrated. “…He was the bone of contention between us as well… if not for him we would have had a future…”

Right then there was a gunshot and a thud. Maanav’s heart was in his throat but he heard Nitya scream. “ASHFAAAAQ… OH MY GOD… are you insane? Why did you shoot him?”

“I will not hesitate to shoot anyone else now. Enough is enough… tell that mad boy to deliver the codes…” the man spoke coldly.

Maanav looked up at Anandi who nodded. She typed into her tab, probably alerting Shadow. Maanav gestured the count of three and kicked the Shaft… he had to do it twice immediately when it gave away and he immediately took cover beneath the thick plank. There was firing around him and he heard a few clicks. No one would have anticipated Anandi to be there. She took out a few men before hurling a smoke bomb inside.

“Maaaanav…?” Nitya called out to him and he heard her scream. Just then, the music stopped.

The firing also had stopped for a moment.

“Naman genius… papa genius… Naman genius… didi… torpedo gone… torpedo dead….” Naman scampered around.

Just then, the huge man with a limp caught hold of Naman and held a gun to his temple.

“You made big mistake and now this brat will die…”

“NO… PLEASE NO… NAMAN… He will give the codes. I promise…” Nitya was frantic.

Maanav and Anandi had trained their rifles on the huge man and 4 of his men who now got their bearings together and held up their pistols.

“you fooled me enough… you and that old man… Kamble. No more. You can’t catch us.” The man limped behind backwards, while one of his men opened the door. Maanav instructed everyone that they were not to fire.

“NAMAN …. no please…” Nitya was crying and right then Kamble kaka rushed towards the limping man. He held the man’s hand holding the gun and tried to pull. One of the men kicked him and he fell.

“Shoot him…” The limping man commanded and one of his men shot Kamble kaka. The man moved away, but not quickly enough. He was shot on the thigh and instantly there was a pool of blood beneath him.

“Oh God … NO…. no… Kaka…” Nitya rushed towards him even as the limping man shuffled outside with an awkwardly struggling Naman in tow. As they began their exit one of the men pointed his pistol towards Nitya who was trying to stop Kaka’s bleeding.

In a swift motion, Maanav dragged Nitya, and they rolled towards a corner of the room and she missed being hit. Anandi made quick work of the man as he fell lifeless on the floor. Maanav shot at her handcuff’s and released them.

Nitya grabbed Maanav’s hand. “Maa… Maanav… Naman… please…” she whispered amidst tears.  “…Kaka was innocent… he…”

“I know Nitya… calm down. Nothing’s going to happen to Naman…” Maanav held her shoulders as he continued. “… that’s a promise. We are leaving together this time…” An unspoken understanding passed between them.

Nitya furiously nodded even as Anandi spoke to someone about Kaka as she tied a tourniquet around his bullet wound to stop the bleeding. They had to take kaka to the helicopter as soon as possible else he would bleed to death.

“Stay with him, Nitya…” Maanav instructed her and nodded towards Anandi and kaka.

He saw Nitya help Anandi as they tried to control the heavy bleeding, and kaka was losing consciousness. He glanced a bit outside to check. The deck lights were on …

Right then, Shadow’s voice came in. “Visuals on the target… Naman is in danger still. The man limping is the brother of the actual mastermind behind the 26/11 terror attack… the mission was named ‘BUTT mission’ in the bastard’s honour. He is wanted by Interpol for the blasts in London and the tourist bus attack in France. The Navy warriors are detaching the torpedos. Its 3 Nautical miles away from here. The bastards have rigged this ship, so we have to escape carefully… the trigger must be somewhere with the limping man.”

“Alert everyone…” Capt Rawat spoke up. “… Our brave and intelligent Naman had overheard the perps talking about the layout of the bombs and the detonator details are with me. It’s wired to a mobile with that man in the centre. Name’s Jameel Sayeed. My man has hacked into the software. Keep him occupied for a tad longer…”

Jameel limped cautiously forward. Right then, a smoke bomb landed close by, plunging the deck into a smoke zone. Everyone around began to cough and two of the men were taken down instantly. The two others sat limp on the deck, dropping their rifles. However, Jameel dragged Naman toward the ship’s edge, hoping to use him as leverage in a final standoff.

From the tail end, a couple of paramedics precariously trapezed down a rope from the helicopter and got into the room. Maanav heaved a sigh of relief now that kaka would be safe. Nitya rushed towards him. Before he could react, she screamed.

“NAMAN…  You, please LET MY BROTHER GO…”  Her voice had become hoarse by then. And Maanav’s heart broke watching her weep.

Jameel laughed hysterically. “You guys ruined it all. The sponsors are going to have my hide… No… I won’t go down alone. This kid… he is the root cause of trouble… everything would have gone as planned if he wasn’t in the picture… He will go down with me…”

“DROP THE GUN, JAMEEL. IT’S GAME OVER…” Shadow’s voice boomed over the ship’s loudspeaker.

“NO… NOT OVER… NOT AT ALL… MY MAN WILL BE HERE ANY MOMENT… I will leave here with this boy. You all will become ashes… just wait.” He smirked. Maanav saw the flustered look on his face.

“The explosives are disarmed. Jameel can’t do anything…. go ahead, my boys, finish the mission.” Capt. Rawat’s voice came into their earpieces.

Within a moment, shots were fired at Jameel’s shoulder and he wobbled a bit. Maanav rushed and in an instant pulled Naman away. Jameel raised his arm with the gun, pointing it towards Naman but a shot soon made its way to his forehead and the curtains finally fell.

Within a few moments, MARCOS on standby rushed and took control of the entire ship and the helicopter made a breezy landing to take the SPS team with Nitya and Naman along with the injured kaka… As told earlier, this mission was a secret and the details were not to be revealed.

Nitya rushed towards Naman who, in turn, smiled awkwardly.

“Naman Genius… Naman brave… Shadow…?” Naman looked around even as Nitya hugged the boy.

Shadow came towards Naman and hoisted him up. “You are the true hero of this mission, Naman… do you know you just saved our country?”

Everyone clapped for Naman.

“Naman genius… Naman saved country…” The young boy erupted in joy. As Shadow placed him down, supporting him on he wobbly ship, he looked up in reverence at the gentle giant. “… Sh…Sh… Shadow…?”

“Yes Naman…?”

“…Naman Brave…? Naman good…?”

“Yes…” Shadow reiterated. “…Naman is a brave genius… Naman is the best…”

©priyanayakgole

(Disclaimer: This is a piece of fiction using the backdrop of the attack that happened and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. This doesn’t attempt to change history or facts.)

Chapter 23

Nitya walked through the maze of tunnels. It was lit up with tiny halogen bulbs at regular intervals so it wasn’t difficult for her. The weight of the instrument however was impeding her speed. Her fitness levels these days weren’t all that great given the breaks she had with her workouts. She wondered how Naman lifted this stuff…

Thinking of her brother brought in the tears and she had to struggle to keep them away. Naman dear… please hang on. Didi will be there soon and will get you out safely….

She halted but right then the text she had received some time ago came to the fore. It was from a private number and she had to visit a location from where they would pick her up. It came with a stern one liner: ‘Come alone. We have eyes on you the moment you step out of your cavern’

She shuddered at being exposed without knowing where the eyes were. She had wondered how they knew so much, but then it had to be the Judas… Kamble kaka. As she walked through the cul-de-sac of the route, she began to think about the past. The good times. Kamble kaka featured in all of them. As far as she remembered, he had never spoken about his family. He was a regular when Appa was alive and was the only one who had supported them through their crises after hell had broken loose years ago.

Even after a gap when she had met him again, he had helped her. Right from finding a house with low rent to at times accompanying her when she had to take amma or Naman to the hospital or when she needed someone to wait with Naman at home. She relied upon and trusted kaka more than anyone else. There were times when she got late from work and she found him waiting for her at the entrance of the housing society with worry. She would be touched by the gesture. No one waited for her where they cared for her. No one worried about her.

She wondered why he did all that if it was just to betray them or if it was just to convey information about them to the enemy. He had gone the extra mile, so it was difficult for her to fathom his betrayal. Somehow, she couldn’t believe he was the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Maanav knew him too… how could he, with all the backing he had not known about kaka? Kaka wasn’t good with technology. She knew how many times she had to help him with net banking because he couldn’t figure out simple elements like the ‘CAPTCHA’

Who was kaka exactly? Would Captain Rawat have found out by now?

Her thoughts went back to Maanav. He had been the pillar she always wanted to lean on. She knew he wanted to be with her at this moment but he had a mission to take care of. She was in awe of the team and the bonding between the friends, Shiv, Maanav, Avinash and Anandi, whom she was yet to meet. She was glad that despite the rough life Maanav had amazing friends he could rely on and now they were her friends too. She wanted to meet Padma, Shiv’s wife. She had seen her pictures when Shadow had shown them to her once and Padma was a stunner. She was the softness to Shadow’s rough edges. She had seen the reverence in Shadow’s otherwise stern eyes. He was madly in love with his wife. But still he was all set to go with Maanav on this mission. They had a team to get this done but they were doing it themselves because of her… she knew that in her gut. She felt guilty as well…

Within a minute she saw the light and at the final bend of the tunnel, she saw a rough graveled path. In a minute, she was out of a wooden grove. For anyone looking from out, it would look like a grove filled with a variety of trees. The camouflage was astounding. She came to a location and waited near the mark she was told about. She nervously gripped her phone, hoping to receive a call or a text, but nothing happened. With every second, her anxiety increased, and all she wanted to do was to call Maanav.

But she waited.

After about half an hour as fatigue began to act its way on her mind, a vehicle came close. She had seen the vehicle; an unregistered Omni pass the way a few times but now it came to a halt. The passenger door slid open, and she saw a couple of armed men in black overalls with their faces covered. One of them jumped out even before the door opened completely and moved close to her. Dragging her by the hand, he pushed her on the seat. She held the instrument closely… Her and Naman’s lives depended on taking it safely to the perps. Didn’t these morons know?

There was no time to ponder and her leg that was hurt from years ago hit the seat and she winced in pain. The man steadied her as she sat on the seat. some kindness that was! The other man removed a black detector and ran it over her to check for any kind of tracking device. He then put a blindfold over her… “This is only so for the secrecy of our location. Stay still and you won’t get hurt…” the gruff voice told her. He smelled of nicotine and she wanted to gag. But she wished to see this through… Mainly for her brother. Naman was fighting his battles… all alone. This was the least she could do.

As the vehicle cruised along a rough terrain, she winced at the jerks and hits she got. But strangely, she realized her strength had increased by aeons this time. She knew it was because of the two most important people in her life. Naman and Maanav. Each of them had a permanent spot in her heart. Naman, for his struggle with his condition all his life and Maanav who had been a permanent fixture in her life even though he wasn’t present physically for a long time.

Her back ached along with her glutes and her leg throbbed. Her feet were dead to the world, and she wondered how long it was since they were travelling. It was a long time and she had lost count of the time being lost in her thoughts. She only hoped what she had planned would be successful and all of them would be safe… she hoped whatever her Appa had started would finally get the closure and his name be officially cleared. Of course, Shadow had promised her that, but she knew better… without concrete evidence, it would be a Herculean task to achieve.

Suddenly, the vehicle came to a halt. They removed her blindfold, and she had to blink a few times to adjust to her surroundings. The fresh soothing sounds of waves greeted her and for a moment as the breeze patted her cheeks, she forgot where she was. But immediately, reality struck.

The door opened, and she was jarred back to the present. “You may come out quickly…” The man who had blindfolded her spoke. She was surprised at his tone. He was faking the voice that she was sure of, and now that she saw him standing before her just before the vehicle headlights for illumination, she felt something familiar about him. He was tall and those eyes… The way he touched his right hand to the back of his head… Good gracious.

“Sajid… is that you?” She exclaimed.

The man froze and his eyes were filled with what she fathomed as fear. Did she speak too much? She knew Sajid alias Ashfaq was forced to do what he did, but that didn’t absolve him of the crime. However, at that moment, he seemed scared as well, so she kept quiet. There was a roar coming from a distance that only increased with every passing moment.

She looked around her, but except for the vast expanse of the night seashore, she couldn’t see anything. She was in Mumbai, she thought… where else could they reach in that time? Also, she could smell the acrid air that the night sea often unravelled in Mumbai. But did Mumbai have such a clean and empty beach place? She doubted. Then where was she? Could she get to talk to Sajid alone? There was a lot he had to answer, and she knew he would. He didn’t seem like a thug… But then she didn’t know who she could trust now. She had to keep her nerves intact.

The roar increased, and she saw a helicopter descend sending strong waves of dusty wind around her before she could think of protecting herself with the cramped hands that still held the instrument, Sajid came close and stood before her, trying to take the maximum impact. Soon she was escorted to the heli and strapped to the seat. While Sajid sat in front of her. The other guy sat with the pilot and the two others in the vehicle drove away.

The helicopter ascended in its glory and she couldn’t help but be fascinated by the night landscape before her. It was Mumbai for sure and suddenly from the high altitude the city that never slept felt so miniscule. The twinkling lights felt like sequins on a black cloth that beckoned her despite the hardships. She blinked back tears and wondered if there was any imminent danger to her beloved city…

She looked inside and felt Sajid staring at her. They were alone for the first time. He had removed his mask. Probably because she had recognized him.

“Want to say something…?” She prodded.

He looked away outside, and she could see the distress on his face. The mark on his forehead where he had been hit was still healing.

“Sajid…? Or should I say, Ashfaq…?” She continued softly. Now that got him to stare right back again.

“So, you were there that evening…I knew it. I thought I saw you. And was sure when Janaab described you… What were you thinking, Nitya? Coming there all the way…? How did you even know about it? You almost got me killed.”

“I got you killed? Is that supposed to be a joke? After what you tried to pull through?” Her annoyance was palpable.

“Whatever I did, I never intended to harm you or Naman. I have tried my best to protect you, Nitya. Or else you would have been long dead. Why do you think you escaped that place unharmed? Did you think we didn’t see you escape? No… It was I who took the responsibility for your secrecy. I convinced Janaab that you were more important alive than dead… you are so selfish, Nitya.”

“JUST CUT THE CRAP, Saji… I mean Ashfaq. All that you have done is only cause me distress, especially to Naman.” She looked away, trying to let nature calm down her senses.

“You don’t know anything, Nitya. I wish you did. I have only wanted to save you. I really liked you…” He spoke with conviction.

“…Just Stop it…” She cut his talk. “… everything sounds so hollow… so superfluous. I fell for your tricks, I agree…”

“…But Nitya, you were never in love with me. You agreed to date me just for the sake of your family… so you were not in the right either.” He stared at her and continued. “… But Nitya, believe it or not, I always liked you. I knew we didn’t have a future together, especially after this was done. But I… I liked you. I would have done anything to get you if you had reciprocated. But I knew from the go, you weren’t in this relationship at all…” He looked away.

They were both silent for a while.

“So now, what’s next, Ashfaq?”

“We will be ending this all… your father, who decided not to betray his country, started this. And my moronic grandfather helped him and started this curse on our family… I am still paying for their actions….” He rubbed his face and continued. “…we will be descending soon and if all goes as per plan, then you and Naman will be free by tomorrow evening.”

“You mean, you will be killing us, won’t you?”

He gave her a look she had never seen before. He was angry… very angry.

“You still think I am a monster, don’t you, Nitya?”

“Honestly, Ashfaq, you haven’t given me a reason to think otherwise…. You should have left Naman alone.”

“You were there that evening… you saw what happened to me. If my father hadn’t begged Janaab then I would be dead… all because of your stubborn brother. Anyways, I have arranged for our safe passage to Dubai. You don’t have to do anything for me… your father has left you a fortune… My father took care of it. It’s all Dr. Manohar’s severance pay and the moolah for making this…” He pointed to the instrument in her hand. “… You can start afresh and live there with Naman and that boyfriend of yours…He isn’t employed anyway.” Ashfaq smirked.

So he knew everything about her… of course he did.

“Wait, what fortune are you talking about?” She didn’t need dirty money.

“I know what you are thinking, but it’s legitimate money. Your father didn’t spend a dime of his salary in two years. And he saved my grandfather’s and father’s life a day before he succumbed. My grandfather always spoke good about your father saying how such a great scientist helped him a mere sweeper, in financial crises for medicines for my ailing grandmother… He even funded my school education because my father was all set to make me drop out… I could study and become an accountant…” She saw moisture in his eyes.

She realized she was crying too… Oh Appa, you were too humane for your own good.

“Then why… why all this, Ashfaq…?” She couldn’t help but ask.

“Janaab found us out one day. After all hell broke loose 15 years ago, we lived in obscurity in a corner of Islamabad when Janaab got to us… he threatened to kill us all for my grandfather’s betrayal and so my father agreed to join them in their cause. They let me complete my education and 5 years ago I had to join them in India. My father planned this façade…, of meeting you and having an affair with you so I could reach the package…but I realized it was not you but Naman who held the strings for the ‘package’… my father also mentioned a secret account where your father had kept away his savings and entrusted my father to give it to your mother someday after everything died down. But the events turned out in such a way, he couldn’t.”

Nitya wiped her tears away…

The helicopter began its descent, and she saw the shimmering lights on what looked like a cargo ship. Was Naman somewhere there? She hoped he was.

“Nitya…?” Ashfaq called out.

She looked up at his moisture-laden eyes. He never looked more vulnerable.

“I am sorry… for what it’s worth. I never intended to harm you… just keep that in mind and, if possible, please forgive me.”

She didn’t say anything, still reeling from the information overload as they touched base.

Meanwhile in Pune in Shadow’s office…

Maanav continued to pace like a caged animal, his eyes constantly on the monitor that showed a green dot move.

“Bullet, you should calm down now…” Shadow spoke. “… You need to keep your spirits intact.”

Captain Rawat called in right at that moment.

“So we have the intel coming in. There was a request for a private landing for a heli belonging to an industrialist. It was meant for airlifting his pregnant daughter to England. However, the heli disappeared out of the radar within a few minutes of ascent. Any guesses? However, the industrialist is being questioned by the authorities and he claims ignorance, saying some staff must have done it… All that apart, Maanav, your serum is working well. We now have the exact coordinates of where the brother-sister duo are…. Shadow and Maanav, I have the required clearances from the Indian Navy. It’s show time, boys….”

The next few moments were spent in mobilizing their small team and receiving faxes from Captain Rawat about all the necessary paperwork and permissions to breach the foreign seas. They were to go secretly, but if caught, they could be helped.

Maanav hoped they wouldn’t get caught… after all, two precious lives depended on them. Along with crores of people residing in Mumbai… if the missiles were to be activated.

But then, he trusted young Naman. He did! He knew Naman well by now… the guy was a genius and his gut feeling told him Naman would pull this off… whatever this was.

©priyanayakgole

(Disclaimer: This is a piece of fiction using the backdrop of the attack that happened and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. This doesn’t attempt to change history or facts.)