Chapter 20
The cacophony of the instruments buzzing around in the office acted like a balm to Nitya’s disturbed soul. She wanted to do something… anything to take her mind off the horrendous thoughts of what may be happening to Naman. His signals were coming in if Captain Rawat was to be believed. The man still wasn’t showing his face but was constantly in touch with them giving them updates about Naman. Apparently, the boy was on the move still which meant the location was till not final.
Captain Rawat had been firm not to interfere right now though they had all the capacity to free Naman. Nitya was aghast initially but knowing that Naman was safe and given the involvement of her father indirectly, she felt it in her veins to trust her brother. She was proud of the fact too. However, the sister in her wasn’t… she was anxious.
Maanav was working in tandem with Shadow’s technical staff to decipher the letter and she looking in awe at the man who faced something similar from the same enemy. His father had died in the line of duty in the same tragedy that had struck her…. He had bounced back and while she was yet to learn the details about his life; she was proud of him for the man he had become. She saw him as being the epitome of concentration… he was like that. Whether it was for the country or whether it was in bed….
Nitya shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to think about her personal affairs with Maanav. She felt eyes on her and looked up to see Maanav staring back at her… He smiled and an unsaid message passed between them. Something told her he thought about the same situation that she did as well… She blushed despite everything and looked away. She thanked God for Maanav and Shadow and of course Captain Rawat… she was grateful that irrespective of what happened in her life in the last 15 years, these people had her back. She wouldn’t have known what to do. No wonder her father had asked her to take help and he had been specific, too. Maanav. Maanav’s father, too had been specific. And that was because her father wanted it that way…
Could it be that their fathers were blessing them from wherever they were?
She blinked back tears. Her father was stuck in something sinister and yet he thought about her well-being… She deeply wished to clear his name. And the process had begun. The letter had to be decoded.
A shriek filled the air as she startled and she saw Maanav thumping his fist in the air. Shadow patted him and she knew he had decoded the letter. Captain Rawat was back on the screen again.
The translation of the letter was put up on the large screen along with the original letter lines.
The translation read:
Qui totum vult totum perdit
He who wants everything loses everything.
De omnibus dubitandum
Be suspicious of everything.
Factum fieri infectum non potes
It is impossible for a deed to be undone.
Pisces lethale in aquis profundis
The lethal fish in deep waters
dona felis summis
The gifts are trigger alerts
missio non perficitur
Mission to not be accomplished
circulorum ut nec in aquis usque
Ripples shouldn’t be found in still waters
“So, here’s all open before you…” Maanav declared as he read the translated letter aloud.
There was a pin drop silence as everyone began to decipher the messages hidden in between the lines… with the buzz of the instrumentation for company.
“Nitya, child…” Captain Rawat’s soft voice came across from the speakers and Nitya was touched at his changed tone. “… You knew your father at a personal level… I know you were just a child at the time but I have seen first-hand at how perceptive you were even then. Your father was always proud of you. So think about the depth in these words and help us out. Maanav this applies to you as well.”
Maanav walked closer to Nitya and they stared at the words.
“Appa… he wanted us to ‘save all’….” Nitya spoke softly and she felt Naman’s strong presence and aura urging her. At that moment it felt her father had also played a role in getting them together from wherever he was. “… so, we now know that he was warning us about the next attack” Nitya looked at Maanav and he nodded in affirmation.
“When he mentioned ‘take help’ it meant me, and you all by association…” Maanav added.
Shadow moved closer to the screen. “Let’s take one line at a time… Nitya can you make out the first line? He who wants everything… what do you think it meant?” he asked her.
“I think… he was speaking about himself… he wanted it all…” Nitya added, choking on her voice. “…and then he lost it all.” She broke down. Maanav held her close and she was grateful he was there. He was her pillar of strength, especially at that moment. Shadow got her water and she had a couple of sips trying to stabilise herself. None of them tried to rush her and she knew how imperative it was that they finish on time.
Sniffing on her tissue she read the next line and pondered. “My appa was suspicious of everyone… I think he meant Kamble kaka… the Judas. He must have found something about his involvement at that time…”
No one interrupted her and she was relieved. Maanav didn’t let go of her shoulder and she was grateful for the physical contact.
The third line was confusing everyone… what deed was her father talking about that couldn’t be undone.
“I think I have figured this…” Maanav answered her thoughts. “… I think if you consider the Morse code messages and the series of events at the time… Your father meant he couldn’t stop 26/11….” She felt a shudder run through his body and knew instantly there was some connection.
Maanav hugged her closer with one hand and supported himself on a nearby table with the other. He turned towards her. “I lost dad… on that horrific day… in the line of duty… Details aren’t known to date… just him… rest all of them we got their videos or something… No information about his death though…” he looked down again as emotions got the better of him. This time it was her turn as she turned and hugged him. he hugged her back and placed his face in the crook of her neck. She felt him breathe heavily trying to contain his emotions as unanswered questions kept popping up… She didn’t care about the audience and no one interrupted them.
What on earth had happened to their fathers? Everything was so messed up. She rubbed his back and eventually, he sighed as he moved away. He held her hand as they both looked back at the screen.
The next line ‘lethal fish in deep waters’ didn’t make much sense… so after pondering for about 15 minutes, they decided to move on to the next one.
“By gifts did he mean the package that he sent… this instrument that Naman used all this while?” Nitya questioned everyone.
“Yes indeed. It is… it also includes Maanav’s gift from his father…” Captain Rawat spoke after a long time. “… that last line in the letter about completing the gift circle probably means that both had to be combined. It did work… the musical note was completed at Maanav’s house that morning…”
“Yes… the next line probably means that the mission shouldn’t be allowed to accomplish i.e… it should be prevented at all costs….” This was Shadow. “…We know by now that Nitya’s father had tried to prevent the next attack and, in the process, sent the packages to his family and Maanav’s father…”
Two lines still remained to be deduced…
The lethal fish in deep waters
And
Ripples shouldn’t be found in still waters
Everyone stared at the two lines put out separately… It meant the attack has something to do with the ‘water’. Was the enemy planning an attack from the water route just like 26/11? But they would know that the security would be tight.
Captain Rawat continued to speak. “They wouldn’t have tried something similar… it would be something ingenious through the water mode itself… the shock element is in place. It would be something that would still catch us unawares…What could it be?”
“That mission had to be aborted because Nitya’s father prevented it… but the fact that they are in the country for a while and have been after the instrument meant its still in the pipeline…” Shadow filled in.
“Yes…” Maanav ascertained. “… And from what Nitya heard that evening in Virar, it meant, they have planned it this December on the 6th… We are a few months away and they barely have time to prepare it… it must be something extensive that takes this much time to get ready… what is it?”
The excitement and the adrenaline rush were palpable in the room as they collectively approached the resolution of the clues left behind by Nitya’s father.
“What creates ripples in the water?” Nitya suddenly popped up a question.
There was a sudden hush and immediately Maanav spoke… “that song ‘ripples’ played after the gifts were combined. Just check out the lyrics…”
Shadow immediately got to work and soon there was a page on the large screen.
For an hour a man may change
For an hour her face looks strange
Looks strange, looks strange
Marching to the promised land
Where the honey flows
And takes you by the hand
Pulls you down on your knees
While you’re down a pool appears
The face in the water looks up
And she shakes her head as if to say
That it’s the last time you’ll look like today
Sail away, away
Ripples never come back
Gone to the other side
Sail away, away
The face that launched
A thousand ships
Is sinking fast, that happens you know
The water gets below
Seems not very long ago
Lovelier she was
Than any that I know
Angels never know it’s time
To close the book
And gracefully decline
The song has found a tale
My, what a jealous pool is she
Sail away, away
Ripples never come back
They’ve gone to the other side
Look into the pool
Ripples never come back
Dive to the bottom and go to the top
To see where they have gone
They’ve gone to the other side
Maanav rushed to the screen that showed up when the music played. Shadow helped by putting in some codes, probably the ones Naman had used. If there was anyone who could learn from Naman it was Shadow. Nitya watched in awe as the song began to play and the Morse codes sprag up… the Initial lies were decoded.
“Just notice these fresh codes…” Maanav pointed out. “… they weren’t there earlier because we ended the music after the initial lines…” he looked around at them in excitement. “…but there were fresh codes and they came in when the music changed in a strange way…not present in the original…”
“Yes… I agree…” Nitya piqued in. “…I remember this music appa used to play often… but these lines sound different…”
Maanav played it over again and again. They even played the original to compare… this went on for half an hour and then Maanav rushed to the where the lyrics were put up and marked five lines. “Here…” he declared. “… these are the lines where the lyrics change…”
Everyone came closer and Shadow got the lyrics together.
The face that launched a thousand ships
Is sinking fast, that happens you know
Dive to the bottom and go to the top To see where they have gone
They’ve gone to the other side
Maanav turned towards them and put up a question. “So what do you all think? What can be the ‘face’ that launches…? that causes ships to sink? Something that dives to the bottom initially but strikes upward…? And comes in from the other side… obviously to hit us…?”
He looked at everyone even as Nitya stared wide-eyed.
Shadow straightened to his complete height anger shimmering on his rugged face and Nitya realised the man was very tall… he was a giant.
Captain Rawat who had been silently observing the proceedings so far suddenly spoke. “There can only be one answer to all of this… Given the technological advancement available at the time only one thing sounds logical… getting all the above points together especially the ripples on the surface….”
“And that is…?” Nitya moved closer to Maanav fear creeping up her spine in anticipation of what would come.
“Torpedoes…” Maanav declared his voice laced with anger and gripping Nitya’s hand tighter.
“BLOODY HELL…” Shadow roared. “…the F&%$#@s are planning the attack using Sailing torpedoes…”
©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.)
