Operation Chaos: A Gripping Action Thriller (33 page)

''And why is it so important for you to find them, Ayaaz?'' The monk replied back with a questioning look on his face.

''I have to achieve what they had achieved. I need the respect which they had earned. I want to live as long as they did.  After all these years, I finally found a purpose to my life. I found a goal to achieve and no one will take it away from me now,'' said Ayaaz with a tinge of insanity sparkling in his eyes. The monk knew nothing of the people Ayaaz was referring to. But he knew this- there was no stopping this man.

Chapter 82

For four continuous years, Ayaaz gathered all the manuscripts he could under one roof. Studying them and connecting the dots had become his obsession. He had taken up the job offered to him by I.S.I to finance his expeditions to find the books. He established contacts with other intelligence agencies and some operational terrorist organisations in India in the meantime. Using the available manpower and the money coming in from the research and the I.S.I, he had managed to secure four of the nine books from various parts of South East Asia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal.

''So did you figure out the pattern in the books?'' The monk casually asked Ayaaz after he had returned from his routine trip to Peshawar one day. His trips to Peshawar had been more frequent in the recent days owing to his involvement in the nuclear research.

''The more I dig into it, the deeper it draws me into the abyss. There are supposed to be nine of these books which hide a passage leading towards something buried away all these years. I don't know what that artefact exactly is, but I am going to find it.'' The same ruthless determination sparkled in Ayaaz's eyes that moment.

''This is madness, Ayaaz. You are going after something which may not be of any significance. All of this has to stop. Now!'' the monk replied in a stern voice. Ayaaz had never heard any monk talk to someone in that tone.

''How can it not be significant? They were deemed learned and were highly respected. They live in our memories even today - all
because they obtained that artefact!
''

''And who are these people you keep talking about? These learned, respected people?'' The monk finally asked the question he had been meaning to ask for a long time.

''The people who discovered the secret hidden in that artefact! Lord Buddha's disciples, Sariputra, Samraat Ashoka and many more. These are the men history remembers and I am going to be one of them. I want to know what set these people apart from the others, what made them great! There are traces about the artefact all over the manuscripts. I have also found out where the path originates. It may be madness, but I am not going to stop it and neither are you.'' Ayaaz calmly challenged the monk's statement. That day, Ayaaz left the monastery with all his belongings and was never seen again.

Chapter 83

David was in a state of absolute shock. That name which Ayaaz had spat out, shook him to the very core- Raghav. How could he have missed it? He was the only NSG commando not in his team who had been following them everywhere all night. The perfect traitor to plant the calling device at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, to plant the bombs on the chandelier, to place the tape in the Ashoka Hall and to monitor their activities all along. He must have got enough help from the nine terrorists to arrange for all those mishaps. David needed to check with his team. He needed to warn them.

''Sameer, come in. This is David...'' David anxiously spoke on his radio.

There was nothing but a static coming from the other end.

''Sameer? Shonali?'' David burst out in anxiety. Every passing second he prayed that Ayaaz was wrong. He tried radioing each and every member of his team. But there was no reply. David had almost given up trying when he heard the radio crackle.

It was Raghav's voice.

''Stop calling out the dead, David. They aren't going to answer. They are all lying right at my feet like a heap of crap,'' Raghav spoke bluntly.

''You bastard,'' screamed David with inexorable wrath. David's hands were trembling in anger. His finger itched to pull the trigger on the fanatic lying in a wheelchair in front of him.

''You can save all the swearing for later, but I have to speak some important business with your honourable President. So just pass him the goddamn radio,'' said Raghav with a chuckle.

The confidence in Raghav's voice stunned David completely. He silently passed on the radio to Ajaysingh. Taking the radio, the President took a moment to pull himself together before speaking into the microphone.

''Ajaysingh Chauhan here,'' he said, trying to keep his voice audible.

''You sound tired, Mr. President. Let me put an end to your suffering. Until now you were running around to save the lives of people of your nation. But now- it just became personal. You have our leader and I have your daughter. I suppose you want your daughter alive, so don't try to pull any tricks here. I will contact you again with the details of the location for exchange. But remember this, if anything happens to my man in wheelchair- I won't kill your daughter. I will put her through so much pain that you will beg me to kill her.'' Raghav's ghostly voice went off the radio.

David watched Ajaysingh going down on his knees. David put his gun aside and dashed to hold the President from falling on the ground.

''Just get me a glass of water.'' Ajaysingh spoke in an almost inaudible tone. David signalled his subordinate to immediately get some water. Ayaaz smiled as he watched Ajaysingh get back up on his feet.

''You asked me why that artefact was so important to me. I'll tell you an account I read in one of those nine books. After the battle of Kalinga, Samraat Ashoka also went down on his knees o
bserving the massacre around him
, just as you did a while ago. But do you think he was looking at the pile of dead bodies for the first time? Didn't he wage wars before? Didn't he see people die earlier? Then what melted his heart so much that he gave up his dear endeavour of capturing other kingdoms and embraced Buddhism? The truth is, it was during this period that he acquired an artefact. That artefact inspired such a change in him that he became the great emperor we know him as today. That was the power of this artefact.
I have to achieve what he had achieved. I need to learn what he had learned. And your lovely daughter did a wonderful job of locating that artefact for me.
So what will it be, Ajay?  Do you hate me more than you love your daughter?
You should have never involved her in this. It is your fault that she has to face all this brutality... your fault Ajay,'' Ayaaz spat out.

''Get this bastard out of my sight right. NOW.''
David signalled to his commandos.  But
those words had hit Ajay's conscience like a spear and a cloud of guilt slowly started to engulf Ajay.

Yes, it was my decision to get Shonali involved and now she is just facing the consequences of my actions. I must get her out of the danger.

But the other side of his brain simply refused to accept the decision. Sitting right in front of him was a dangerous terrorist who had almost succeeded in capturing a weapon of mass destruction.

He is responsible for the deaths of so many of my people in the last 24 hours. He needs to pay for what he has done. I can't let this bastard go. Again.

Ajay was battling against his own thoughts when a commando came rushing towards David.

''Sir, we have someone on the alternate emergency frequency who says that he needs to talk to you. I told him you were busy, but he said it was of utmost importance and that he would only be talking to you,'' whispered the commando in a haste.

David tuned to the alternate emergency frequency on his radio.

''David here.''

''This is XM-0101 sir.'' The reply was absurd for the rest of the soldiers, but it was different for David. He could not believe his ears.

''Repeat again. Who is it?'' David asked to confirm.

''This is XM-0101, Sir. I just heard what happened at Sarnath on the radio. I decided not to trust anyone else but you. XM-0203 is here with me. Awaiting further orders, Sir,'' the reply was confident.

''Hold on,'' said David. His face lit up knowing that two members of his team were still alive.

David hurriedly walked to Ajaysingh and told him the news.

''Sir, I was just contacted by one of my team members from Sarnath-''

''But they were all dead,'' Ajay interrupted.

''No, Sir. The pilot of the airplane that took my team and Shonali from Aurangabad to Sarnath is still alive. He is with Sgt. Harish and contacted me under his code name on an alternate emergency frequency. He is at
Lal Bahadur Shastri airbase at Babatpur
and if I had to guess- that's where Raghav would be heading right now.''

''So what do you mean to say? Your soldiers can still get Shonali out of danger?'' asked Ajay with a revived hope in his tone.

''Technically speaking- We only have one soldier. The other one is just a pilot. But I think we still stand a chance. Sgt. Harish is a phantom commando and my best sniper. They can get some help from the airport security,'' David replied.

''Get your soldier on the radio for me, please. I need to talk to him.'' Ajaysingh's voice had taken a sharp tone. He no longer looked weak. Something very different was going on in his mind.

David turned on his radio and handed it to the President.

''Sgt. Harish? This is Ajaysingh Chauhan.''

''Sir.''

''I need to know for sure if you can stop that traitor and bring me back my daughter safely.''

''I suppose we can, Sir.''

''My daughter's life hangs in a balance there. I don't need what you 'suppose'. I need your assurance.''

''Sir, we will try our best,'' replied Harish.

''Alright. Go ahead,'' said Ajaysingh, exhaling a deep breath.

Ajaysingh Chauhan passed back the radio to David as he walked towards Ayaaz who had been escorted to a far corner of the airstrip. David accompanied him suggesting the plan of action.

''We can only hope that Harish does his job. But if the things go wrong, we can still have that exchange. I think it's best for us to wait until-'' But David's words were falling on deaf ears.

Ajaysing was no longer listening to anyone. His feet took him faster and faster. His mind projected him memories- his daughter: Shonali, the Pokharan project, his friend Jacob, the dead bodies of all the soldiers killed in the blasts. His fears tried to hold him back, but his mind was set. The soldiers around him had no idea what he was going to do next.

He stopped in front of Ayaaz. There was a light smile on Ayaaz's face and a stern determination on Ajay's. Ajay looked in the eyes of his enemy for a moment. David was still narrating Ajaysingh the plan of action when he saw the President slowly pull out the firearm he had been given for safety. Ajay withdrew the weapon and aimed it at Ayaaz. There was a moment of hesitation as memories of Shonali flashed in his mind again- his mind telling him to stand down, telling him to withdraw. But a split second later, the fire was back in his eyes. Before anyone could react, Ajay emptied the entire magazine of the pistol on Ayaaz's face.

''I have done what was needed to be done. I hope Sgt. Harish does too,'' said Ajay as he handed over the pistol to David and walked away with tears in his eyes.

Chapter 84

Lal Bahadur Shastri airport,

Babatpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Co-ordinates:
 25°27′08″N 082°51′34″E

Time - 9:00 am

''I need a chopper from the nearest airport to the airstrip in Delhi, where our leader is being held. I hope that he is in a good condition or else nothing will stop me from putting a bullet in your daughter's head. I will give the further instructions there.'' Sgt Harish was listening to Raghav barking orders at David on his radio.

''We will have your helicopter arranged at Babatpur airport. Please bring no harm to Shonali,'' David replied in a helpless tone.

Give the enemy a feeling that he has the upper hand, let him slacken his defences and then strike when he is off his guard. Good going commander,
Harish thought as he switched off his radio and turned towards his 'team'.

His team consisted of six airport security officers, the pilot and an airport maintenance guy. Harish had explained them everything and he hoped that they would play their parts well. He just had one shot to get Raghav.

About ten minutes later, a silver SUV came in sight of Harish's scope. In the rising dust, he could faintly see Raghav driving and Shonali gagged and tied to the seat next to him. He put his finger on the trigger and waited as the car slowly approached the airport gates. Raghav was very careful to check for any ambushes or surprise attempts to kill him. The airport security guards did just as they were instructed by Harish. As soon as they saw the vehicle approaching, they raised their weapons high up for Raghav  to see and instantly put them on the ground.

Give the enemy a feeling that he has the upper hand. Check.

After Raghav entered into the airport premises, he did not stop until he was on the airstrip. He took his time to survey the area and then got out of the car with Shonali at his gunpoint. The pilot approached Raghav slowly with both his hands in the air. Raghav, not wasting a single moment, immediately signalled the pilot to get on the wheel while he himself got in the rear seat of the vehicle along with Shonali.