Turbulence (19 page)

“Go on.”

“It’s outside.” Vir struggles to his feet, and they follow him as he walks to the door. He opens it.

Outside stand four men and a little girl. One of the men steps forward.

“Hi,” Jai says.

“This doesn’t have to be unpleasant,” Jai says, walking in.

Aman has never felt as crushingly powerless as he does now. Behind him, Uzma whimpers, and Namrata is speechless. Only Tia reacts: she dives back towards a sofa, whips out a gun from her bag, and two seconds later ten Tias stand in a row, guns pointed at the newcomers. They observe her with varying degrees of interest.

“Very pretty,” Jai says. “Have a seat.”

Jai’s followers line up beside him: the tiny Anima, her eyes dilating, sparkling, spreading across her pointed face; the hulking Sher, his tiger-stripes thickening, arcing lazily across his bald head. Mukesh smirks a greeting, his head tilted to one side, his forked tongue flicking obscenely at Tia through his cracking, widening lips.

At a signal from Jai, the avuncular poet Jerry shambles forward, looks yearningly at Uzma, and claps his hands. A
flash of blue light illuminates the room.

Aman’s head spins as he’s disconnected. He staggers and almost falls.

“Vir. I can’t believe you did this,” a Tia says.

“Vir is no longer with us, alas,” Jai says. “This gentleman is called Vivek. May I also introduce Jerry, Sher, Anima and Mukesh. Oh, you’ve met Mukesh already, haven’t you?”

“And he’s met this,” another Tia says, waving her gun as threateningly as she can. Mukesh hisses at her, and takes a step forward.

“I asked you — nicely — to sit,” Jai says to Tia, stalling Mukesh with a bone-crushing hand on his shoulder. “Could you get me some water? It’s been a long day.”

“You’re not all bulletproof,” Tia snarls.

“This is boring,” Jai says. He stares calmly at Tia. Nobody moves, or breathes. When Jai runs a weary hand across his forehead, everyone in the room flinches.

“See, we can do this,” Jai says. “We can fight, and see who’s stronger, and then if any of you survive I can take you back to my new base and torture you. But I’m trying to be nice here. So… are you going to be adults about this, or do I have to start counting to three?”

Aman walks slowly back to a sofa. Uzma follows, keeping her eyes to the ground. Namrata is rooted to the spot, gaping at Jai, her large eyes tear-filled. Jai deliberately turns his back on the Tias and waves at Namrata.

“You should have told me about your friends,” he says.

“Jai, I swear, I just met them,” Namrata blurts.

“I know. Good work — it took you just a few minutes to locate and infiltrate. There should be more journalists like you. Hell, there should be more soldiers like you.”

Behind Jai, Uzma and Aman sit. The Tias drop their guns.

“Smart,” Jai says. “Now, water, please.”

Flushed with rage, a Tia heads towards the kitchen.

Jai turns to Uzma with a beaming smile.

“So what do you do, madam?” he asks. “We haven’t been formally introduced.”

“They’re good people, Jai,” Namrata says. “Please don’t hurt them. They’re just trying to survive. Please, just talk things through.”

“Talk things through? What does it look like I’m doing?” Jai asks, his expression bewildered and hurt. “Namrata, since you’re good at these things, could you perform introductions?”

Namrata nods. “Aman, Tia, Uzma, meet Jai Mathur,” she says.

Jai turns to the sofa and gazes earnestly down at them.

“Which one’s the internet operator?” he asks.

“That would be Aman,” Namrata says.

Jai sticks out a hand and Aman shakes it gingerly, half expecting Jai to rip off his arm.

“Impressive work,” Jai says. “You couldn’t have found a better way to get my attention. Your skills are just what I need to really round off my core team — though a few friends of mine want their money back. And that would make Uzma here our crowd manipulator?”

“No, she’s not,” Namrata says. “Whoever that is, he’s not here.”

“No? That’s good to know. What is your power, then, my dear?”

“I don’t know,” Uzma replies.

“Is attractiveness a superpower?” Jai enquires. “What do you think, Namrata?”

“I don’t know,” Namrata says. “And the other lady is Tia. Jai… may I go now, please? I’ve done what you asked.”

Jai studies her for a few seconds.

“Yes, go,” he says finally. “And, Namrata, I have a new assignment for you. Find this mob controller for me, will you?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Given what you’ve done for me this evening, your best should be good enough. Take care of yourself.”

Namrata doesn’t meet anyone’s eyes as she hurries out of the house. Jai turns to the others and rubs his palms together briskly.

“Can’t really open up in front of the media,” he says. “Now, let’s talk business.”

“What do you want from us?” Aman asks.

“I want you to forget the past, and look ahead to a glorious future. I’m putting together a team,” Jai says. “And I want all of you to join me.”

“Except this Tia,” Mukesh says. “We don’t want her. She ruined the base.”

“This is true,” Jai says. “Jerry, Vivek — could you get behind Sher, please?”

Jerry and Vivek dart behind the massive Sher.

“Thank you,” Jai says. “Anima? Kill Tia, please.”

Anima screeches and rises into the air, a green glow enveloping her.

Some of the Tias raise their guns and fire indiscriminately, but the few shots that hit their target produce no discernible effect. Before Tia has time to fire a second round, a stream
of glowing arrows blazes across the room. Chunks of plaster spurt from the walls, sparks sizzle across the floor, and all the Tias crumble into dust.

Uzma screams, falls to the floor and covers her face. Aman kneels beside her, holding her instinctively, though he knows he can offer her no protection whatsoever. All he can do is glare impotently at Jai.

Anima squeals, high-pitched, gleeful, and the TV screen shatters. Her face has transformed completely into a cartoon: her mouth is round, pink and toothless, empty except for a cute red tongue.

“I hope you have backup copies of that woman,” Jai says. “If we don’t manage to get her to see the light, she’ll make the world’s best target practice. Now, don’t move for a bit. You wouldn’t want to draw Anima’s attention.”

Aman stays down, bullets and screams still echoing in his ears. The room is full of smoke, and it’s suddenly very hot. There’s a thudding sound. Aman knows what it is: footsteps on the stairs. He doesn’t dare to shout out a warning, Tia’s look of pain as Anima’s weapons burned through her is fresh in his memory, but he hopes whoever it is will not be stupid enough to run at the sound of gunfire, and that none of Jai’s crew has heard the footsteps…

Bob races into the living room.

Anima giggles and hurls a spear of light at him.

“No!” Aman and Sher yell simultaneously. Sher hurls himself at Anima, dragging her to the ground, growling in pain as green sparks sizzle through his tiger fur. But it’s too late; the spear flies true and lands in Bob’s chest. Bob goes down.

Aman and Uzma, all danger forgotten, race to him. But
there’s nothing they can do. Bob is gone. Uzma shuts his wide, staring eyes.

Aman hurls himself at Jai. It’s the first time he’s ever attacked anyone, and he couldn’t have chosen a worse target. Jai lets Aman land a few knuckle-tearing punches, and then tosses him contemptuously into a sofa. Aman falls heavily, and then struggles to his feet, ashen-faced.

Kneeling by Bob’s body, Uzma heaves with silent sobs.

“You fool. He could control the weather,” Aman says. “He could have done so much good. He could have done so much.”

“Hmm. That is sad,” Jai says. “Is there anyone else? They should come down quietly.”

“They have,” Sundar says. He advances into the room, his ray-gun in his hands. He fires.

A beam of bright light emerges from the gun. Everyone dives for cover but Jerry. The light envelops him. There’s a sizzle, the smell of ozone, and Jerry vanishes.

“Sundar! Get away!” Aman roars.

Sundar fires wildly around the room, but Jai and his cohorts are too fast for him. Scientifically analyzing his chances against a super-soldier, a tiger-headed man and a cartoon schoolgirl, Sundar realises they are minimal, backs away, firing, and then turns and runs for the stairs.

“Take him out,” Jai snaps, rising. He turns to Anima and finds she’s human again, staring open-mouthed at Bob’s body.

“I’ve been bad again,” she says.

“It doesn’t matter. Sher, Mukesh, you’re not moving. Why?”

“We could use these two as shields,” Mukesh mutters.

“Can’t risk them. Go.”

“Okay, so we need him,” Mukesh indicates Aman, “but
what about her? He won’t fire at her.”

“Don’t make me ask again.”

Mukesh shoots a frightened glance at Jai and heads off with Sher.

A door slams upstairs.

Aman picks up his bruised body and runs to Uzma. He tries to think of comforting words, but his brain appears to have shut down. Since Jerry’s disappearance, he’s been feeling the digital world on the edges of his mind again, but he doesn’t really think Google can help him out of his current situation.

Jai comes up to them, looks at Bob’s body and sighs.

“I hope you learned a lesson today, Aman.”

Aman forces himself not to look at Jai, to say nothing.

“This is what happens when people with no experience take on missions too big for them. I hope you realise his death was your fault,” Jai says. “If you’d only helped me from the start instead of making your own bid for power, this innocent boy would still be alive. What made you think you had any chance of achieving anything, Aman? You just don’t have the right training for this.”

It’s Uzma who turns sharply, her tear-streaked face incredulous.

“And you — you do?” she gasps.

“Maybe not,” Jai says with a shrug, “but who’s going to stop me?”

Mukesh comes skidding in. “Man — sir, there’s a problem.”

Jai sighs deeply. “Of course there is. What?”

“He’s locked himself in. Sher can’t do anything. I’m much stronger than he is, but even I —”

“Really, Mukesh? Your moment of glory is ruined by — a
door? Watch these two.” Jai strides away, his impenetrable skin more than enough protection against Mukesh’s enraged glare.

Mukesh waits until he’s gone, and then springs towards Aman and Uzma. He punches Aman, knocking him to the floor, and grabs Uzma. He licks her face roughly with his forked tongue, choking off her outraged yell with a scaly hand.

“Leave her alone,” a shrill voice says. It’s Anima. She hovers above them, a large light-mace in her hands.

“Buzz off, kid,” Mukesh snarls. “Adult stuff happening.”

“You made me do bad things,” Anima whispers. “Don’t hurt her. I like her.”

Aman hauls himself up, his head ringing, as Mukesh hisses angrily at Anima, but lets Uzma go.

“It’s Anima, right? I’m Uzma,” Uzma says. “This man is very evil. Could you hit him, please?”

Anima nods, smiles shyly and throws her mace at Mukesh. It hits him in the face, and knocks him out.

“Now him,” Uzma says, pointing at Vivek.

“Hey, people, there’s no need for this,” Vivek says, rising from the sofa hurriedly. “I’m a peaceful man. I’m just an actor.”

“Wait,” Aman says. Anima looks questioningly at Uzma, who nods.

Aman charges at Vivek and releases all his anger, all his guilt, in one unstoppable punch that knocks the shapeshifter out. Aman turns to Uzma, rubbing his fist.

“Kind of wanted to do that since I first met Vir,” he says. “Now we save Sundar.”

“I think we should get out of here,” Uzma says. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to die today.”

“Really? Just leave him? No.”

Uzma comes up to Aman and puts her hands on his shoulders.

“Aman, listen to me,” she says. “Sundar’s gone. Bob’s gone. We can’t fix that. We need to go. They’ll be back any second.”

Aman steps away from her.

“No. Can’t,” he says. “Anima, can you beat Jai and Sher?”

“Jai Uncle and I had one fight but he beat me,” Anima says. “Sher is my best friend but I once beat him.”

Aman hangs his head. Loud crashing sounds echo dully from upstairs.

“You’re right, you should go,” he tells Uzma. “I’m really sorry I got you into this. Last thing I wanted.”

“You’re coming with me,” Uzma says. “We can start over. Find other Tias. Save more people like us. Come on.” She starts towards the door, but Aman doesn’t follow.

“Jai was right, don’t you see. This is my fault. No one asked me to do this. I put you all in danger. I got Bob killed. Almost got you killed. I can’t leave Sundar now,” he says.

“Aman,” Uzma says, “you’re being an idiot. We don’t have time, so I can’t argue about this now. Just listen to me, okay? Let’s go.”

She grabs his hand. As if in a daze, Aman allows himself to be led away, but stops at the doorway, shaking his head.

“Should we take the kid?” he asks. Anima hovers inside the room, watching Bob’s body with her cartoon eyes. Shiny, perfectly teardrop-shaped tears fall from her face and land with perfect sound effects on the burnt floor.

“She killed Bob,” Uzma says.

“She’s just a kid.”

“She freaks me out.”

“And she’s powerful as hell.”

“Anima, you want to come with us?” Uzma calls.

Anima giggles, and a big white smile curves across her face. She drops to the floor, turns human and runs to Uzma.

“We can’t just leave Bob here,” Aman says.

“Aman, I’m sorry, I really am, but we’re trying to escape here. We’re this close to getting killed. We can’t take Bob. We can’t pack our toothbrushes. Come.”

Aman nods. Mukesh groans and rubs his head. The crashing sounds upstairs stop.

“Okay, we need to move,” Aman says.

They step outside, feel cold tingling points on their skin, and look up at the sky, at the dark cloud that hovers above the house, thick and black against the city-lit night, and the little white drops that glow like fireflies drifting against the streetlights as they descend, flickering and disappearing before they reach the ground. Bob is cold and dead, and it’s snowing in Mumbai. But even as they stare, too amazed to keep running, a gust of wind comes from the sea and the cloud swirls and melts away. And they remember where they are and why.