Chapter 36

 

EPISODE – 49

 

Rajveer and Neetika entered the basement with 4 other soldiers. They quietly sneaked into the desolated Cafeteria. As expected, not even a single soul was there. The unguarded place made it sure that the terrorists were absolutely clueless about the other entrance. The place was very familiar to Rajveer. He has once come to Radio Station to see Naina and she had shown him around.

 

They quietly tip toed up the staircase which led to the reception. Rajveer peeped from the key hole of the connecting door and found the terrorist he had seen earlier when he came to Radio Station this morning. He was all alone. But still it was not easy to target him since he was standing away from the door. Even a single second of delay can be more than enough for him to signal the other members of their group about the 'intruders'.

 

Rajveer and Neetika inserted a silencer in the gun. He slowly opened the door without making any kind of sound and stepped out cautiously. He stood there with gun pointed at him while he had his back towards Rajveer. The moment the terrorist turned he saw Rajveer standing in front of him with a gun. Without wasting even a single second of the very precious time, he shot him right between his eyes. He dropped dead instantly. Meanwhile Neetika went to the gate and signaled Navin and Maya to come inside. Both of them rushed inside from the same back gate with another 4 soldiers. Their guns also had a silencer while the eight soldiers didn't have that. So they were not expected to use their guns except as the last resort. That increased the burden of responsibility over four of them since even a minor mistake could be futile for those trapped inside.

 

Four of them along with others quietly went upstairs towards the first floor leaving one soldier on the connecting gate and the other inside the cafeteria. They had climbed only half the staircase when they saw another terrorist at guard. Navin shot him right through his corrupt brain while Rajveer rushed to stop his body from rolling downstairs to avoid the noise it could possible make. He kept his body in a corner and proceeded.

 

The staircase ended in the middle of the corridor. Rajveer and Navin hid themselves behind the wall at the end of the staircase and checked for more terrorists on both the sides. They found two more outside a room that was in remote corner on the left. Quite obviously that was the room where the hostages were held. They have got their first target right in front of them and if they were not wrong there was just one more such room on the second floor where Naina was also there. Rajveer shifted his full focus on this target away from Naina because he had to successfully finish it off as soon as he could to reach Naina. They both returned to Maya and Neetika who were still waiting for them on staircase with the others.

 

"Kya hua?" Neetika asked.

"Two men outside the last room." Navin answered.

"Unko target kaise karenge?" Maya questioned this time.

"Kuch sochte hain."

"We have just 30 minutes Navin." Rajveer reminded them of the situation.

 

They pondered over it for a while and thereafter Rajveer came up with a solution.

 

He returned behind the wall from where those terrorists could be seen. He hit the wall with the back of his gun making sure to make a sound which isn't too loud and clearly audible at the distant end. None of them moved. Apparently they missed this sound. He repeated it. He wanted atleast one of them to take notice of that and one of them did.

 

"Tune kuch suna?" He asked the other man.

"Nahin to." He answered the first one.

"Maine shayad kuch awaaz suni wahan pe."

"To jaa ke dekh aa na." He said callously.

 

He left to check on the source of the sound. As he reached closer, Rajveer pulled him behind that wall covering his mouth and Navin hit him with the back of his gun at his temple and he collapsed. He positioned him next to the one they have shot before him.

 

"Okay now... Within a couple of minutes jab yeh nahin lautega to the other one will come to check."

"Main aur Maya usko dekh lenge. Usko thikane laga ke pehle hum upar jaa ke check kar lenge. Agar wahan stair case ke paas koi guard kar raha hoga to hum usko thikane lagayege aur baaki terrorists ki position check karenge. Tab tak tu aur Niti jaa ke yahan ke saare logon ko chudaoge." Navin continued.

"Perfect." Rajveer answered. He turned to the rest of the 6 soldiers and continued.

"Tum mein se do upar in dono ke saath jaoge, do hamare saath aaoge aur baaki ke do yahin khade ho ke ander se logon ke nikalne ka intezaar karoge aur unki neeche cafeteria tak jaane mein help karoge. Am I Clear?"

 

Before they could get the answer they all heard the footsteps. Plan was ready and it was time for some action now. The terrorist who had come to see the one who has gone missing came face-to-face with Rajveer and Neetika who were waiting for him with their guns, as he turned towards the staircase. Even before his senses could alert him he was shot by Neetika.

 

As per the plan Rajveer, Neetika and 2 more soldiers turned left. Navin and Maya went upstairs with two more and the remaining two were left behind to co-ordinate. Rajveer peeped inside the room from the window where the hostages were held up and found three armed men inside. Rajveer stood at the end of the opening of the door and pulled Neetika behind himself signaling the other two soldiers to stay behind as well. He then knocked the door which was opened by one of them.

Rajveer pulled him and knocked him out with one blow on his head. There was a certain confusion that was created amongst the other two as they saw the third one being pulled by someone they could not see.

 

They rushed towards the door but before they could reach there Rajveer kicked hard on the door and it opened. He along with Neetika entered the room and shot the two terrorists. Rajveer's target hit first one in his heart and Neetika's target was on other guy's forehead. All the hostages gasped with horror. They could not figure out what has happened. There was an atmosphere of confusion and panic. Rajveer asked them all to calm down.

"Dekhiye please calm down. You all are safe. Aap log please bina koi awaaaz kiye yahan se bahar nikaliye. Yeh log aapko bahar le kar jaayenge." He said signaling towards the two soldiers.

 

"But please koi awaaz nahin honi chahiye. Abhi situation poori tarah se under control nahin hai and there are still a few hostages under threat. Please cooperate."

He was about to leave the room with them but his cell vibrated in his pocket.

"Neeti tu dekh yaar. I'll take the call."

"Okay."

Neetika escorted them outside while Rajveer took the call in middle of all this. In a couple of minutes as she saw him hang up she returned to Rajveer.

"Raj what the hell do you think you are doing? Yeh koi time hai calls answer karne ka."

"Yehi to time hai..."

"What?" She gave a bewildered expression.

"Batata hoon. Come."

 

He took her hand and rushed upstairs. Navin and Maya had already shot down two more terrorists. There was just one more man guarding the room from outside.

"Your trick worked again." Navin said to Rajveer as they joined them.

"Ek good news hai aur ek bad news." Rajveer said.

"Good news is ki neeche ke floor pe sabhi sahi salaamat nikal gaye... I know that but bad news kya hai." Navin asked him.

"Nahin that's not the good news I have for you."

"Then?"

"Hamare mission ka part-1 accomplished. Last bomb Lotus Temple mein mil gaya hai."

"Great news man! What's the bad news?"

"Hamare paas sirf 5 minute bache hain. So basically we don't have time and we need to get going."

"Matlab let's not wait for this one."

"Yes."

 

All four of them appeared from behind the wall and as the man noticed them he was shot. Navin dragged his body to the corner while Maya peeped from the window. There were just two men here.

 

"Only two!" She reported to rest of them.

"Great! Tum dono in dono ko sambhalo aur main aur Navin upar check kar ke aate hain." Rajveer instructed Maya and Neetika and they ran upstairs to check the Radio Consoles.

 

Neetika and Maya checked the position of the terrorists before they opened the door and pointed their gun at them and fired. One of them managed to pick up his heavy rifle somehow but fired with his shaky hands after being shot and the bullet missed its target and passed at a little distance from Neetika's arm.

 

Maya asked all of the hostages to go out immediately with the two men and Neetika was helping them out. Maya suddenly noticed a lonely figure at the other corner sitting still with face hidden behind her arms lying on knees. She went closer and was horrified when she saw the face.

"Neetika!" She called her out yelling loudly!