Chapter 24
Maanav stood in attention along with Shadow and Razor. The 3 of them were to move in to complete the unsanctioned mission. They tentatively titled it ‘mission sea-blaze’. Beneath the darkening skies, in front of them on the deck of the aircraft carrier platform, stood the Indian Navy men in combat uniforms ready to strike when required. It was decided that they would provide the silent support needed and if they found incriminating evidence, then they would officially wrap it up. SPS though on board with three other team members wasn’t a sanctioned body for these missions and it was allowed permissions only because of Captain Rawat’s strong influence.
For Maanav this was personal too… he knew it would be tough to separate the two but he had to focus to stay in the game. To save the love of his life and the young man who had cemented a place in his heart. Next to his Shadow was the epitome of multitasking as he discussed strategies in depth with the Navy captain-in-charge. Shadow had been his strongest pillar of support. He knew it was not just because they were friends but also because Shadow had been through something similar for his wife Padma. His friend’s love story spanned years quite similar to his but Shadow remained unwavering in his feelings even ready to give her up when her father had requested it from him. He had seen it firsthand how Shadow was heartbroken and got back to work like a man possessed before giving it all up to start SPS and fight for Padma. The woman was tenacious too just like his Nitya. Padma never gave up despite Shadow leaving her and she chose to keep their child despite facing pressure from her royal family. Their love stood the test of time and Maanav’s respect for them had risen notches higher.
Today he was in a similar situation… and he was confident of pulling this through. Because Shadow and Razor were with him. Right then there was a commotion, and he turned around and he didn’t need to see because she announced her arrival in a unique manner. Anandi ‘Lolita’ made her appearance complete in combat attire and while the 3 of them rolled their eyes not surprised that she was here, the Navy guys were looking with their eyes wide open… little did they know that beneath the sexy veneer lay a hardcore killer. Her otherwise blemish less face had a dark scar that went upwards from her right ear and disappeared into her hair. Anandi had never bothered to cover it with makeup or plastic surgery. She said it reminded her of cause… the reason she had chosen to be a warrior in the first place. Maanav didn’t know about her dark childhood in detail… But she was a strong woman and he couldn’t wait to introduce her to Nitya.
“So, you 3 think you don’t need me? But tell you what, I swim better than all of you…” She pointed a perfect finger at the three of them in turns. The Navy guys chuckled. She ignored them all and continued. “… don’t you think a woman ought to be there?”
Maanav tried to control his laughter. She loved playing the woman card at times like this but she was someone who believed she was equal to guys! And they treated her like that as well.
“I knew you would swarm in like that…” Shadow said. “…Welcome to the mission, Lolita and you will be accompanying Maanav as we start…”
The helicopter stood ready to drop them on a passenger cruise ship a few miles away from where they had to go, to the cargo ship where Nitya and Naman were presumed to be held hostage. It was based on the presumptions from the signal Nitya’s body was transmitting. It would soon be metabolized and the effect would not last. It lasted for so many hours meant Nitya hadn’t had a sip of any liquid or a morsel of food.
It was also not known if there were more explosives. One couldn’t trust these morons to go overboard in their misplaced idea of vengeance or some cause that they didn’t even know at all. They only followed indoctrinated ideas.
But Maanav, Shadow and all the others knew they had to be extra careful. The cruise ship was also planted and the ‘passengers’ on board were Indian Navy men and women ready to fight this if needed.
Maanav was extremely athletic underwater amongst all of them and could hold his breath longer as well. However, Anandi was exceptional underwater. She could twirl and create ripples in a strange way. No one would know what hit them and there was no match to her underwater. Maanav was not privy to a lot of personal information on Anandi before she joined them in the Gurukul but he respected the hell out of her. She was who he needed in this mission more than anyone else. He was glad his friends had his back. They were a formidable team when all 4 were together. He had seen that when they rescued Padma… It seemed like another lifetime but it was barely 2 years ago.
The helicopter rose and moved towards the cruise ship. It didn’t want to come under the direct radar of the cargo ship so it was decided they would all drop down a few nautical miles away and swim towards the cruise ship. On a regular day, it was fine. They were used to longer drills. But the tides were high and the Met department was sending them dynamic updates. They checked their earpieces for inputs from Captain Rawat. He was coordinating with the eyes on the cargo ship… They had satellite images, but because of the strong winds, it was not strong enough. Efforts were on to connect with the US defence counterparts to help release live films of the satellite recordings that could be of use.
Their specialized equipment was in the cruise ship and Maanav couldn’t wait to get into them and use them… However he knew well, they would be exhausted by the time they battled the tides to reach the cruise ship and they had to replenish their energy. It would take time… but they had planned to hit it that night itself. Every moment extra would put Nitya and Naman in jeopardy.
However, they were in for a surprise. The Indian Coast Guard had arranged for special motorized floaters so dark that they blended in the dark shining waters of the Arabian sea… The tides were high but so were their spirits as the group made their way to the cruise ship four warriors in each floater.
“We’ll get them Bullet…” Shadow’s gruff voice sounded like a staccato in the cacophony of the aggressive sea breeze.
Mannav turned to look at his friends, Shadow, Lazer and Lolita… they stood tall in his support and right then he was sure they would win this… battle or whatever it was.
Within 15 minutes they reached aboard the cruise ship. A team of Marine commandos (MARCOS) renowned for their underwater infiltration and combat prowess was ready to help them unofficially. Maanav couldn’t thank Captain Rawat enough for this support. It would have been impossible for the SPS alone to navigate through the blue tape to get this help.
The mission was clear: avoid detection, neutralize the terrorists, and secure the hostages without triggering the explosives in or around the ship. But the only problem at the moment was they were yet to get live satellite visuals of the cargo ship. Meanwhile, Maanav’s phone screen indicated the fading dot from the concoction in Nitya’s body. They had to move quickly or the woman would dehydrate herself to death. A shudder ran through his body and he realised at that moment, Nitya was like his next breath. He now understood Shadow’s pensive expressions outside the ICU when Padma was in there fighting for her life. He had never seen Shadow like that for all the years that he had known him.
He blinked away tears. He had to get his emotions under control. He decided to let the feelings make him stronger to face the upcoming roadblocks. It was just a matter of time…
As the night fell deeper and darker, all four of them along with the commando team of 4, dressed in black wetsuits and armed with tiny but lethal rifles, slipped into the cold waters. Captain Rawat had just received the visuals and he was transmitting it to all of them through their earpieces. It was tough to focus in the water amidst the dark gushing currents. The four friends in addition to the rifles had grenades and Maanav had a tab for receiving the visuals. Shadow signalled them to halt and as they bobbed on the huge waves, he signed them the directions to take.
As planned Maanav and Anandi swam towards the main hull while Shadow and Lazer took the tail. The four MARCOS surrounded the ship at strategic locations and in the next minute all of them were hanging on their ropes anchored to the top edge of the ship. The moulded edges of the anchors made bare minimum noise which was engulfed by the loud thunder and the wailing sea.
They had received intel that there were 6 men guarding the ship outside on the deck and everyone else was inside. Maanav and Anandi were the first to loft themselves and the dim lights helped their cause. They blended into the Shadows and waited trying to get a hand of the deck and also get a breather. They were useless if they were too exhausted to put up a fight. Within a few seconds, Shadow and Lazer came aboard.
Shadow true to his alias, melted into the darkness of the deck and if Maanav didn’t know him, he wouldn’t have known that Shadow was on board. As planned, Shadow slithered stealthily towards the engine room at the far end of the deck while Laser kept his watchful eyes trained on the bunch of idiots roaming carelessly on the deck with high-end automatic weapons.
Maanav heard a slight muffle and a thud from the engine room, indicating Shadow had taken down whoever was in the room. It was important to take control of the engine room that housed the major power switches. Maanav heard a few click sounds and knew Shadow had laid out his ideas and most probably the entire control of the ship was in his hands.
There was a major hurdle. The location of the torpedoes somewhere beneath this ship was still a mystery and they had to play the song on that instrument, now in the custody of the perps. They had to make the moves carefully. Though Naman had been calm so far Maanav wasn’t sure, how long he would be so without medication and food or if he saw Nitya was in danger. He hoped the boy wouldn’t do something dangerous for himself… the only solace was Nitya was with the boy and these people would have planned it just to use her help with Naman.
Right then one of the MARCOS who had come on board stood on a loose plank that caused a creaking sound and alerted the guarding men. The other MARCOS slipped back beneath the edges while 2 of those men approached this man while the rest of them began looking around for more intruders. The MARCO’s leg was caught in the rotting wood and no matter how much he tried he couldn’t move. Maanav wanted to rush to his aid, but everything they did then would call for attention. He knew what would happen at the back of his hand.
Suddenly the two men fell down and each of them had a clean entry and exit bullet wounds in their heads. They probably didn’t know what hit them… Maanav smirked while Anandi nodded slightly at her brother’s handiwork.
The remaining 4 men were running haphazardly like headless chickens while one of them alerted the higher-ups through the walkie talkie. Using this chaos, the other MARCOS came on board swiftly and freed their man, while Anandi and Maanav made their way to the inner sanctum of the attached room. There was a huge problem… they didn’t know at that moment how many men would be in the cul-de-sac of the room.
Maanav and Anandi hit in the corner, turning towards the room, and his mobile indicated a faint red instead of green, which meant he was closer to Nitya. Less than 500 metres.
A few men in black overalls rushed from the other side of the room with Automatics. He knew it would be a cakewalk for Lazer to take them all but they had to be careful because Nitya and Naman were still inside.
And right then… from inside the room, the music began to play. The Ripples genesis….
There was a creaking sound in their earpieces amidst the confusion.
“It’s the signal…” Captain Rawat exclaimed, “…Naman has begun to transmit again… even through the video game…”
What was going on?
©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.)
