Authors: Amieya Prabhaker
Cold Love (9 page)
Riya has a restless sleep
that night. She tosses and turns on her bed and soon meanders into a dream. She
sees herself standing amidst lofty mountains in a picturesque but sheer dry
white desert. Her beautiful hair is fluttering in the strong wind. She can see
for miles. The distant hills adore an otherwise barren and white desert
landscape.
There’s a man standing with
his back towards her. He slowly turns around, but Riya cannot see his face. He
is holding a child in one hand. Oh! What a cute little baby…probably eight
months old? Riya is watching closely, smiling gently and admiring the innocence
of the child gurgling and kicking in the man’s hands.
Suddenly, the man holding the
child moves his other hand, which had been hidden, from behind his back. When
it comes into full view, Riya notices that he holds a gun in his hand.
“Hold on, what’s going on?!”
Riya asks herself, feeling confused and raises her hand as if questioning the
mysterious man.
The very next moment, she
wakes up on her bed, breathing heavily. She is sweating profusely. She gets up,
walks to the bathroom, and washes her face. Her face in the mirror is that of a
scared, perturbed, helpless girl. She recollects her dream but immediately
wants to erase it permanently from her memory. She goes back to her room, and
stands by the window as she stares at the distant moon outside. She can see
Arjun’s room through her window; the light in his room is on. Obviously, he is
also sleepless, probably suffering the same pain that she is going through.
Early the next morning, Riya
walks across the garden to speak to Arjun as she had planned to do. Arjun is
busy, as usual, on his laptop. He shuts it off immediately as he sees Riya at
the door.
“Hi! Please come in Riya.”
“Hi,” Riya responds meekly,
“How are you?” Arjun just chuckles, without a word, as he is somewhat surprised
to see Riya.
“Arjun, I wanted to say
something to you…,” Riya clears her throat and keeps it short, “Can we be… just
as we were before?”
Arjun is confused, and
repeats her phrase, “As before?”
“Yes, as we used to be.” Riya
nods.
“Sure, I would love that!”
Arjun responds with a faint smile.
“Me too!” Riya smiles back,
“OK!”
“OK!” Arjun now has a broader
smile on his face; he can read her body language and understands that she wants
to forgive him. Riya stands there for a seemingly eternal moment, wishing to
say so much more, but instead just smiles. Eventually she turns around, to walk
back home, when Arjun calls her.
“Riya! I wanted to say
something to you as well. I am really sorry for …”
Riya interrupts him before he
can finish.
“Arjun! Did I say sorry to
you about anything? Even though I know I spoke to you so rudely and treated you
in such a bad way… I shouted at you in front of everyone at the school! Did I
say sorry? Nor have I ever said thank you for so many wonderful things you have
done for me… As I told you before, in friendship, there’s no sorry, no thank
you! Right?” She ends her words with a big reassuring smile on her face.
Arjun reciprocates her smile,
“Cool! I will definitely remember it this time!”
“Good for you! You better not
forget it ever again then!... Friends? Just like old times?” She offers her
hand.
“The pleasure is all mine!”
Arjun grabs her hand and shakes it enthusiastically.
“Thank you Arjun! Oops… Sorry
I mean… Oops again… No sorry, no thank you! Right!” Both of them laugh at
Riya’s words.
What transpired as a tense
few days leading onto and after the court day has left the two friends
stronger, believing in each other and in their friendship. Moreover, they have
realized that their special friendship of several years is too precious to be
shaken off easily by a trivial incident.
Arjun and Riya’s friendship
has stood through the storm …and emerged stronger after it.
On a lazy Sunday afternoon at
Arjun’s house, Riya and Puja are playing table tennis in the sports room in the
ground floor. Arjun walks in, watches their game for a while, but is
immediately bored by their slow pace. As the girls stop between one of their points,
Arjun starts moving in slow motion like a robot, obviously making fun of their
slow game.
“Very funny, Arjun!”, Puja
speaks out.
“You girls used to play
better! I know both of you can smash better but why aren’t you going for the
kill when you have the opportunity? That’s what a good player should do. You
are playing as if showing love and respect towards each other; as if you want
this game to continue forever. In any game… you cannot leave opportunities for
your opponent. You have to kill the shot to end the game.”
“C’mon bhaiyya, you are
speaking as if it’s a war, not a game! And anyway stop lecturing like a coach!”
Puja responds in a spiteful tone.
“Oh listen! Forget all this!”
Riya puts her racquet on the table, and walks across to Arjun, “I have an
important thing to say.”
“Yeah go on Riya! What is
it?”
“I wanted to invite you this
weekend to my party. I mean… invite all of you. Everyone!”
“Oh, yes, your birthday is
next Saturday right?”
“And listen, you definitely
have to come.”
“And what about me?” Puja
deliberately teases her friend.
“Puja! You don’t need an
invitation silly!”
“Next weekend?”Arjun says,
“Next weekend will difficult for me. I have a business trip. I am flying off
later in the week to Delhi for four or five days.”
“I don’t know anything about
it,” Riya responds firmly. “Just cancel your trip. You have to come and that’s
it. Pinky promise if you don’t come!” She clips her little finger on to Arjun’s
quickly. Both the girls giggle. “I won’t cut the cake before midnight if you
don’t come!”
“Hey c’mon! You and your
pinky promises!” Arjun chuckles.
“Then you know … if the
promise is not fulfilled…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know… I know!”
“And I also know that you
love cakes. There will be a nice chocolate brownie cake.” Riya tempts Arjun,
with a big smile on her face.
“Riya, I really wish I could
come, but this trip is really important. Sorry! I won’t be able to make it.”
Riya didn’t expect that response and is suddenly taken aback. She was jocundly
playing around and immediately feels very awkward having been so adamant with
Arjun. Puja senses the sudden change in her best friend’s mood.
“Bhaiyya, what is this? You
have to come,” Puja steps in to support her friend.
“Try to understand Puja; I
cannot cancel the trip. I need to be in Delhi over the weekend for this important
conference. I wish I could but…”
Riya’s face expresses her
disappointment, which she desperately tries to hide. “That’s alright Arjun…
It’s OK! Work is more important.”
An awkward silence replaces
the fun and frolic of a minute ago, as the three of them look at each other,
avoiding mutual eye contact, unsure of what to say next.
“I should go now,” Riya
abruptly begins walking away, feeling silly for being so persistent with Arjun.
“Riya!” Puja calls as Riya
opens the door. “Bhaiyya, you are impossible…,” she scolds her brother in a
lowered tone of voice. “Is this how you talk to someone?”
Arjun responds in a low voice
too “What did I do?”
“What did you do? Don’t you
understand anything? She really wants you to come to her birthday. Can’t you
see?... She likes you!”
“Now, c’mon, Puja don’t be
silly!”
“You are… Uff! All boys are
just so stupid!” She walks on briskly to catch up with Riya at the door;
inaudible discussions between the girls continue as they walk out.
Puja turns around to look at
Arjun. She shakes a fist at him, to express her anger and disappointment at her
brother’s insensitivity. Arjun realizes that he may have disappointed Riya, as
she was expecting him to make any adjustments feasible to accommodate her
request. But he knows better. The work at hand is more important anything he
could care about… including his family and friends. Although he had mentioned
Delhi as his destination to everyone in the family, citing the context of an
Internet security conference that he is attending, he is actually planning to
travel to Jammu.
A few days ago, Indian
intelligence intercepted a message regarding a planning session to be held near
the Jammu border between a major terrorist outfit and Pakistan’s ISI agency.
Intelligence reports suggest that the agenda of the meeting is to discuss an
arms deal to support the terrorist faction. This would threaten the security of
the country on a massive scale; unconfirmed reports from various sources claim
terrorist plans to undertake coordinated strikes across the country at the same
time.
However, Arjun is optimistic
that RAW can thwart the threats posed by the ISI and the terrorists. In fact,
he sees it as a golden opportunity to capture the terrorist outfits and ISI
red-handed and to bring them to justice. He cannot forgo his trip to Jammu;
everything else has to wait!
The next weekend, instead of
flying to Delhi, Arjun flies secretly to Jammu. He walks in at the army post
near the Jammu and Kashmir Line of Control. A signpost by the road reads: POK
border, 20km. The clear blue skies and beautiful hills remind every new comer
in this part of the world, “If there’s a heaven on earth, it is here… here…
here!”
But the beautiful valley has
been in an extremely grim state over the last two decades. Every year,
insurgents from across the border have sneaked in, as this Muslim-majority
state has served as the focal point of Pakistan’s sustained cold war strategy
against India. A picturesque valley that should have been blooming with
tourists, honey-mooners, lively markets and shoppers, is instead distraught
with terrorism lurking invisibly at every nook and corner.
A soldier comes marching in
and salutes Arjun. “Sir!” He hands him a sealed document.
“Is the news confirmed?”
“Yes Sir. Our boys are ready,
Sir!”
“Get them in.”
The soldier talks inaudibly
on his walkie talkie. An armored vehicle moves in from a distance and stops
across the dusty road. Soldiers wearing black commando suits come out and march
down quickly, forming a queue. Arjun moves in swiftly, shaking hands with each
of them. At one point, he stops and goes back to look at the last soldier he
shook hands with.
“Krish?”
“Hi, Arjun.”
“Hey, how are you buddy? So
nice to see you after such a long time!” Arjun shakes his hand again, and pats
Krish on the shoulder.
“Nice to see you too, Arjun!”
Krish responds promptly.
“Gentlemen, it’s nice to see
amongst us a long lost friend I knew from my training days. The best shot in
the world as I know today!” he chuckles looking at Krish. “Right, you have all
been briefed already but let me repeat what we have gathered here for!” He
opens a large map of a building. “Our aim is to capture the ISI commander alive
and we also want to record the proceedings inside the mansion. We will need to
reach the chamber here.” He taps his finger on the drawing, “This is where the
meeting is going to be held. If we reach there stealthily, we will be able to
surround them both from inside and outside. Capturing our target won’t be
difficult then. But before we reach that chamber, we do not engage with any of
their soldiers. I repeat, we need the ISI commander alive! So we do not engage
in any firing until we have reached the central chamber and we fire upon my
order! Is that clear?”
All the commandoes reply back
firmly, “Yes, Sir!”
They board the vehicle as it
drives out into the valley. The combat vehicle meanders through the beautiful
hills and after about ten minutes’ drive they stop some distance away from a
large old mansion. The huge mansion is guarded by armed militants, holding
AK-47s and automatic weapons. Arjun and Krish lead the units from two separate
directions. The Indian commandoes seek their way through, stealthily
neutralizing the guards using their daggers; then they sneak past the barriers,
through the long stretches of garden, and finally into the mansion.
A few stealth killings take
place as the Indian forces get rid of sentinels along the way. They eventually
reach inside the mansion without raising any alarms. Arjun signals for
commandoes to take positions across the building. Krish, Arjun and three
commandoes approach the main chamber through an overhead duct, while the other
soldiers surround the main chamber, covering all the exit points. Arjun and
Krish record the proceedings in their camcorders, as it seems a multi-outfit
terrorist meeting is going on with the ISI commander. Krish can identify the
leaders of five major terrorist outfits sitting there across the table with the
ISI commander. This is bigger than everyone thought! Krish and Arjun carefully
record the ongoing discussions on their camcorder as some key operations, to be
undertaken by these outfits in the coming year, are being discussed.
Over the years, Pakistan has
been promoting cross-border terrorism, but in recent times, it has also started
providing these terrorists with strategic planning expertise to orchestrate
such complex activities. So, such secret meetings between the ISI and terrorist
outfits had become common recently. A large selection of arms and ammunition
lies on the large central table, with a huge carton of boxes full of more
ammunition by the side. The supply from the ISI for both arms and resources
usually comes just before the winter months, in time for the materials and
resources to be sneaked across the Jammu & Kashmir border, before snow
shuts off the mountain passes for a good four or five months.
Suddenly a loud bang,
followed by a burst of gun-fire is heard outside. Krish and Arjun stop the
video recording and stow their cameras safely in their rucksacks.
“All units, engage and fire!”
Arjun shouts on his walkie-talkie; they dive down using carabineers attached to
the ropes, with their semi-automatics bursting into action at the same time.
Meanwhile, a massive
explosion is heard outside the mansion as the battle between the Indian forces
and terrorists gathers force. Bullets and automatic weapons are flying around.
Commandoes have captured a few terrorist leaders already as they are surrounded
from all points of the compass. Arjun and Krish approach the ISI commander, who
is now shielded by a few Pakistani commandoes and ISI agents.
Krish has been exemplary in
the field, marshalling the troops with extreme precision to counter the
terrorists, as they are falling like flies. His strategic mind has been
critical in this form of combat, as Arjun and Krish are closing in towards the
ISI commander. However, the Pakistani commandoes resist capture with an onslaught
of firing from automatic weapons, guns and grenades. Krish aims at the ISI
commander, careful to shoot only at his leg. Blood spurts out as the bullet
hits his left shin. With further precise shots, Krish takes down the remaining
terrorists, as the last few ISI agents desperately try to get their commander
out from the scene.
The news of the attack has
already reached across the border by now, as the regular sound of bullets and
grenades from outside is suddenly overshadowed by a mortar shell falling into
the mansion’s compound. More mortars start pouring in, obviously from guns and
tanks stationed a long distance across the border inside Pakistan. A few shells
coincidentally land within the perimeter of the mansion, creating a big
diversion along one of the walls. The ISI agents, shielding their Commander,
sneak out of the mansion and get on board a jeep to crash through the fence.
Indian commandoes in turn board their vehicles and chase the jeep in hot
pursuit. Within minutes, an Indian helicopter from overhead is seen hovering
over the mansion, supporting the operation.
A hot pursuit follows with
the helicopter above providing aerial support. The jeep drives in through the
thick hillside forests, rendering the aerial support ineffective. Eventually
it’s all down to the Border Security Forces (BSF) to try and intercept the
fleeing commander. Shells from Pakistan tanks are now falling with dangerous
precision close to the mansion. Arjun decides that it’s time to get his team
off the site, and he decides to retreat. to leave the rest of action to the
army and the BSF.
“All units, retreat with your
prisoners back to headquarters! I repeat, retreat immediately!” Arjun loudly
issues the order on his walkie talkie.
“Arjun, I’ll take my team to
follow the ISI Commander.” Krish responds.
“OK Krish, you follow them.
I’ll speak to BSF for further support!” He picks up the radio, “Come in Head
Quarters. Request BSF support to seal border with POK on highway 32 and
neighboring areas. Target is ISI commander, last seen driving west with five
ISI agents in black Mahindra Jeep. All units on red alert. We want the ISI
commander alive! I repeat, we want the ISI commander alive at all costs! So
please do not use heavy mortar to intercept the target! Over and out!”
Krish and three of his
commandoes board another jeep and continue the chase. Meanwhile Arjun and the
rest of the team race past with the aerial helicopter giving them support as
the core team returns to their headquarters with the captured terrorists. The
operation continues for a few hours more, although Krish retreats to join Arjun
at the base after an hour.
“Arjun, we gave it our best
shot, but lost the bastard! The BSF boys are still hot on the trail, but it
seems as if Pakistani commandoes crossed the border to provide support. There’s
heavy firing going on in the forests, and I think they must have already
sneaked their commander across the border.”
“Don’t worry, Krish; we have
captured alive the leaders of five major terrorist outfits! Krish, you were
amazing, buddy! You injured the ISI commander. It’s a pity he escaped else we
could have shown him caught red-handed at this large terrorist outfit meeting.”
Krish and Arjun anxiously
continue listening on the radio for any further news about the operations. Special
units in pursuit continue to exchange fire, as it seems the jeep has already
crossed the border, backed by heavy shelling from the Pakistani forces. The TV
news channels based in Jammu are already broadcasting the increased shelling
from the border. Phones have already started ringing in the high commissions of
both countries and the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) has already called in the
director of RAW and the commander in chief of the armed services to take stock
of the situation.
Meanwhile at the Jammu
headquarters, Arjun and Krish catch up on old times. Arjun tries to break the
ice with his friend.
“I came to know about your
family Krish… I was sorry to hear about it… After our training you always
worked in covert operations… and I never got an opportunity to meet you in
person to say this.”
“Don’t worry about it buddy!
It’s been a long time now… I have already forgotten everything.”
Krish and Arjun completed
their training together, though they took separate paths afterwards. Krish
worked in covert operations and immediately went undercover in Pakistan and
Afghanistan. He was instrumental in cracking the narcotics triangle that
operated from Kabul to Karachi and onwards to Mumbai. Daewood Ibrahim was the
mastermind of this drugs cartel and worked closely with the ISI at the time.
However, Krish had to pay a heavy price for the success of his operation. His
pregnant wife took the bullets shot by a mafia hitman and intended for Krish.
After that incident, Krish was transformed into a killing machine; he became a
sharp-shooter for numerous RAW operations across India and abroad.
“Forget my story Arjun; tell
me about yourself,” Krish avoids the painful memories and changes the topic
instantly. “We had such fun times during out academy training. We never communicated
but I always knew your whereabouts. I heard you set up a software company
abroad after the training?”
“Yes, my friend. I started an
information security company. I patented this software that I created in my
final year of study. It creates an unhackable protocol layer to shield critical
applications, as in banking, or for use in organisations like NASA, intelligence
agencies and so on. But you know my company was created to gather intelligence
for RAW’s newly formed strategic intelligence wing. I will show you someday
buddy. How important information and surveillance is in today’s world! It’s
amazing how you can combat terrorism through technology and information
intelligence.”
“Yeah, you’re right. So much
is dependent on timely information. Your new role as head of this strategic
intelligence wing is absolutely critical. I feel proud that you are my friend and
that we trained together.”
“But where have you been
buddy? I understand all around the globe right? Undercover operations directly
reporting only to Lt General Khanna?”
“Yes, I have been a ground
soldier buddy. I remained in covert operations throughout. I have been in Iraq,
Afghanistan, USA, Europe, … Pakistan … Hmmm I have travelled a lot, saw a lot!
Also witnessed daredevil friends getting sacrificed for the sake of our
motherland; agents whose names will never appear on any government account book...
those that the Indian government perhaps doesn’t even recognize existed!”
Arjun nods, places a hand on
Krish’s shoulders. Suddenly, the radio crackles loudly.
“BSF Search team Alpha4
calling headquarters!”
“Headquarters here. Go on
Alpha 4.” Arjun responds immediately.
“Sir, we intercepted the
enemy in combat. We continued firing and the ISI commander has been badly hurt.
But a big Pakistani battalion was around to provide safe passage, supported by
the heavy shelling from their side. We have captured some of the operations on
video and also captured two of their commandoes alive. But the ISI commander
and the other three ISI agents in the jeep have managed to escape.”
“Ok Alpha 4. Stay alert, as
the retaliatory fire may continue a while. Keep safe! Over and out.” Arjun puts
down the radio speaker. “Damn. Got away, the bastard!”
“Don’t worry buddy! We will
grab him another day. We have a big catch already today! Arjun, I have just
received a message from Lt Gen Khanna. He wants the video evidence to be sent
to him directly to Mumbai before midnight. I have asked for Air Force support
because the Prime Minister is visiting Mumbai, and has asked RAW for an update
on the operation first thing in the morning. Obviously, the firing on both
sides of the border has caught the attention of the PMO. We need to place this
video evidence in his custody before his meeting with the PM in the morning.”
