Chapter 1 (c) - Unwelcome gift Continued(rewritte)

Chapter 1 (c) - Unwelcome gift Continued
(*Note: chapter 1b has been discarded)

I look at my dinner. It’s my daily menu daal fry, mix veg, jira rice and tandoori. I am fed up of this food. I should have home cooked food tomorrow. For last one year I am away from my home. Out of this, I did training for eight months. And after that I was deployed on this case. For last two months I am serving in this case as a trainee.

Do I have any chance to catch the bus to my town tonight? I again look at the gun, chances seems faint! Agency can’t be serious. May be AP playing a practical joke on me or AP’s last desperate try to cancel my leaves.

Mobile rings. It can’t be anybody else then AP. I haven’t talked to AP since last week. It’s always good to chat with him. He is so kool. I picked the mobile.

“Hello”

Caller said, “Agent Arjun, have you received fifteen articles”. The voice was cold and dry. Arjun is my code id for this case. He knows my code but people in agency usually don’t address a trainee as agent. Am I just been promoted? Just joking.

He could be a fluke. I need to be careful. Any mistake from my end could compromise AP and my life. There could be other agents also on this case but I am not being exposed to them.

“Sorry, wrong number”, I didn’t disconnect but wait.

Caller said, “This is Green paper”

The response was after a pause. The Green paper is code for my case and only those who are related to this case could possibly know this. But even if he is one of us, he can only exposed himself on a call if and only if he is sure he is talking to me. How can he be so sure? There is only one answer for this. Lalit is one of us. I couldn’t stop but to think about the good luck of Lalit that he gets that disguise. Spontaneously the face of the girl whom I saw with him tonight comes in my vision. After a pause I recall it’s my turn to answer.

“One is missing” I crossed my finger and said in one go. I need to take my chance.

Caller said, “Agent Arjun, Agent Jai need you asap, be prepare for anything”

I wait for more. Few moments pass. I release the phone has been disconnected.

Agent Jai needs me. This is the fifteenth article. But then there must be a sixteenth article also, where Agent Jai is waiting for me.

Agent Jai is AP.

Chapter 1 (b) - Unwelcome gift Continued

Chapter 1 (b) - Unwelcome gift Continued

(*Note: This chapter has been replaced by chapter 1 (c))

I don’t feel hungry now. Is anything else in the box? I search the box for any clue of sender. There was nothing in the box. Should I contact my boss and update him. But he has told me not to contact him before midnight. What’s in the mobile? Why it’s off? Let’s start it. May be somebody is waiting to call me. There is no contact in the address book. No message in the message box. There is nothing in the mobile. Headache has already started. This night is going to be long. Should have dinner even if I don’t feel like having it. At least it will give me energy.

Done with dinner. Now felling more calm. Need to think rational. Mobile and gun, as a gift. Must be a friend. Gun is powerful but outdated. Agency used such guns in 1980s. Is this a sign? My today’s work needs a mobile, night vision binocular and nothing more than that. Even agency has not issues me a gun. But if agency wants me to have it, they can do it more openly. One thing is clear; today’s mission has been compromised. Agency thinks they have a rat. So can’t take a chance to give openly. And this almost antique status revolver is a signature.

Rat….

But wait, nobody has told be to abort, mission is still on. Even after mission compromised? What is agency trying to do here?

WTF! They are using us like bait. Agency is pretending that it don’t know anything. Or they want me to find the Rat?

I must inform AP. Must leave now. But should I wait here? May be there is any other message coming by?

Its 10.35Pm. To early to leave. I wear bulletproof waist. I will be going straight inside the den. I will be too close to need nightvision, don’t need it. And how to hide this gun. Should put kurta on jeans.

I lock the room and come down. Leave the hotel. For last two months I am here to vigilance one suspected group who is involved in fake currency.

I am on street. The air is not hot anymore. I need to make sure that I am not being followed. Need a cigarette puff. I buy a cigarette. Take a deep puff.  I scan my surrounding. It seems to me that everyone is looking at me. What happening to me. Am I too excited for the action to come or too scared. I think it’s something in between. I have to overcome this in between feeling. I took another deeper puff. I Look up in the dark sky. There was an airplane going by. Sky was clear but can’t see a star in the Mumbai sky. I slowly puffed out the smoke, out of lungs into the sky. The sky is full of smoke. I need to take a call now. If I go in now there is no coming back. Low expectancy of life.

Smoke is clearing from the sky. I can see one star there. Few others there. After all there are stars in Mumbai sky. It seems to me I find myself.

I throw the cigarette down and crush it. Scan the view. 

Road full of traffic. Bus, Cars, auto, pedestrians. A group of people crossing the road together, not a threat. Bus full of passengers. Overall three separate groups, two men, couples, three men respectively could be separated from the mob due to their unique characteristic.

Two men: Both have bags, some identity card. Thin. Formal dress. May be they are in marking or banking. No hurry to go home. May be talking to job change, I don’t care. Not a threat.

Couples: In love, work together. No hurry to go home. May be lives in PG. No threat.

Three men: Standing the other side of road. One man speaking two listening. Lip movement doesn’t make sense. They are standing in a way that I am the fourth person in the conversion. All of a sudden all three look at me. Boys, I am looking at you. Haha! rookie. I feel pity for them. I turn; walk where I gave to go.

I couldn’t have opted for the ‘too scared’ option. Never. I am waiting for this for years. Finally they have decided to give me a gun.

At 6ft 75kg, all muscle, broad shoulder it’s sometime hard to hide self in crowd.

Five out of one million notes in India are fake! It’s all about this.

Never seen these goons before. For how long they are on my trail? They are too fool to trail me for long. They are doing this job for somebody else. Question is for whom? Another question is there somebody else tracking me right now?

I can’t go straight to AP while 3 goons on my trail. I slip in an alley. It’s dark in here. There are few large garbage containers here and other scrap everywhere. Alley must be a dead end, no light at the other end. Eye adjust itself for darkness. Five people drinking down there. They must be thinking I am here for a pee. They could not think of robbing me, why?

I need to bring goons here in dark. I go to a wall and pretend to pee. Just above me, a split ac is blowing hot air in the alley. There are too many of them these days. Two completely different worlds living side by side separated wall with AC. A cold drop of water dropped on me. AC pees on me. WTF

I put my face towards the dark size of the alley.  Allow the goons to come in. Their shadows narrowing on me. One would be around 6ft, one 5.5ft and third one would stand at 5.9ft.

Hold on, why five drunk are making a move. Are they planning to rob me? Have they out of their mind. Alcohol!  Five drunk are no theat.

Goons should have come prepared. I have not made any mistakes in last two months. Then how they are able to track me? Naturally, Rat? Situation is grim, I can’t trust anybody other them my circle. Does they also know about AP. Has AP already down, and I have been given the job what AP was supposed to do? Or Agency wants me to rescue AP?

Goons would have weapons. Best guess no firearms. They must have profiled me for last two months. Based on my activities, they would have profiled me as a lollipop. Doing the cheapest job in my domain, Surveillance! They must have concluded that fire arm not required to take me down. Must have outsourced the job to these goons. And if I am wrong and they have firearms [pause] fuck me. In any case goons should not manage to escape.

Goons enter the dark area. This make the five drunk startled and buy me some time.

Three surrounded me. Three directions are blocked by them and the fourth one by wall. They think I am trapped. I think they are trapped.

Take a last peek at the five drunk. They are in evaluation mode. That’s ok.

Goons are too rookie. They might be confused what to do now. Lack of training or they may be working together for first time. Lack of synchronization. This is an opportunity window max open of next two seconds. Action time.

I will take the one who is standing in the direction of escape. I will take his position so none of them escape.

I turned around as fast as I can. Collect all my power and punch my target. He was not ready and absorbed all of it in his face. He dropped like an apple.

By now taller one has grabbed my neck with one hand and will use his other hand to punch me. The shortest one takes out a knife. He needs to be brought down on high priority. I can’t reach him. Taller one has blocked my way. I need to use taller one as shield.

With all my force I bring taller one in between. Meanwhile, I also block the punch of taller one. Now, it’s my turn. I just need something through which I can get rid of taller one for a moment. Moment will be enough for me to control shorter one. Taller one is too close to me. I bumped my head on his face. Ouch! He loses his grip and get back. Giving me enough room to give a kick to the shorter one. Kick can’t be more perfect, straight to head and in continuity a reverse kick to the taller one. Job is done. Pueh!

I checked the drunk five. They get back to the dead end as much as possible. Good choice.

I need to check all the three for any clues. But before that I need some help out here. Shorter one was still conscious. Straight punch, and he sleeps for next half hour.

Only one person can help here. I call Chetan. Another field agent. He was the third back up.

“You need to come here in 3rd alley of Thera gali. Don’t care for dinner, I have ordered three burgers and they are hot”

By now he knows I have three live hostage.

I start with the shorter one. I checked him thoroughly. Has wallet and phone. I take a look into the wallet. Found Driving licence and Guess what? Fake notes. Name on driving licence is Bhajan and address of Bhainder. Taller one has a ring which seems familiar, can see AP embedded on it. Its belongs to AP. His wallet again has mix of fake and real notes. His driving licence says he is Mathan from Puna. Also contains reservation tickets from central to Udaipur 1:30 pm tonight. The dropped apple has his driving license in his wallet and again mix of fake and real note. Driving license has name Rajan. Address some place in Bhainder.

A white Ford Ikon stops in the front of the dark alley. It reminds me the Ikon which burn its tires in front of my hotel in the evening. In no time we put all the three in back seat and handcuff them.

Chetan said, “what about them, they have seen too much?” Five drunk can’t hide from his eyes.

I said, “It’s your headache.”

He goes in the dark. Ten paired of eyes were asking for mercy. He starts punching all of them together. He stops and asks me “Will they come here again”

“I don’t know”

He does punching again. Asks me and I replies same.

Again.. and Again…

This is the start of fourth time, somebody in the five has figured out, it’s actually they how need to reply.

A breaking voice from dark “We won’t tell anybody, we won’t come here again, please let us go”

He has his own unique style of doing things.

We sit in the car. Road was almost empty and Chetan accelerate Ikon to 140km/hr in no time.

He ask, “whats now?”

Chapter 1 (a) - Unwelcome gift

Chapter 1 (a) - Unwelcome gift
This is a strange evening. It is the evening for which I was preparing for last 2 months. Air is hot and dry. There is a knock on the door. Who could be this? This is strange for me, that I am startled by the knock on my door in these normal evening hours. Its 7pm. Must be my tea.
I opened the door. There is the same smiling face. He is the teenage boy how give room service here. I am not in a mood of starting any type of conversation so I hide my strangled mood and put my usual smile on my face. Extra effort for something which is usual to me.
Gave him just enough tip so that he may not get excited and start any conversation, nor disappoint him. I could use him if condition arose.
He is gone and I haven’t spoke a word. I prepare the tea. The aroma is as good as usual. Smile come to my face, I am still composed enough for such details. I hear burning of car tires. Some car driver has put hard breaks. I went to the window. Yes there was a white ford there. I see around. There was usual crowd on the road. Five fast food stalls on the road. Two my side of the footpath and three opposite side. Particularly one stall on my side was quite interesting. It is just below my window. My room is on first floor. He sells gool-gappe. Mostly female customers. What interests me is the angel I got from here. Any ways I was not interested today, also there was just two middle aged women customers. I give a quick look around and come back to my bedside. I sip my tea.
This is it. After midnight tonight I may be on bus to my town. Will see family tomarrow. Go to office every day. Will need a bike, buy one. I hope Isa would be still single. Anyways I would ask her only one more time. Last time she refused with a smile unlike the second last attempt when her two brothers gave me a visit. Naturally, this time she would be aware that I got gov. job. She can’t refuse this time. Everything is so perfect this time.
Knock on the door bring me back from my town. I check my watch, it is 9.30PM. WTF. But why the boy 30 mins early? I have told him twice not to bring my dinner before 10PM. It is so hard to standup if you travel 1300km in just a fraction of second. I was feeling so good.
I opened the door. Nobody is here. Strange. There is a package at my door step. I check the looby. There is no body visible in the lobby. Lobby is 30ft long and 3ft wide. At one end there are stares and lift. And other end is dead end. Six room on this floor. I have the center room. I haven’t order anything. Is this is a mistake? I closed the door loudly. Let’s pretend that I have not seen the package. Let’s see the desperation of the gift man. I bend down and look through the gap between the door and floor. No change in the amount of light outside. No movement. Whats the time. Its 9.45pm. Nothing. I know the package is for me. But from whom? I don’t want the boy to see at the box. What a deadly inactivity. At last some movement. Door of next room opens. By the direction of sound, it should be a room from lobby’s dead end side. Lalit, WTF. KNOCK KNOCK… Bhanu.
I open the door. I was correct. Lalit stands in front of me with a lady. Lady is gorgeous. But not the one who was with him yesterday. Must be a whore but seriously dosn’t look like one. Lucky bastard.
“Bhanu, you got a gift”. He is reaching for the parcel. I have to pick it before him.
Parcel is heavy.
“I got it, thanks”. I keep watching them going for a while and close the door. KNOCK KNOCK… How’s now? This time my dinner.
I have to check the parcel. I open it carefully. There is a mobile and another packet. I open the packet.
My heart misses a beat. My hand is shaking. I drop the mobile. Tries to catch falling mobile, drop the opened packet. Both the things felt down. Cartridges, scatter all around the room.
I collect myself, mobile, twelve cartridges and revolver. This is not the first time I have handled a revolver. But this was the last thing I was expecting tonight…..