FF: Fire and Water (Ch. 26-A Updated on Pg.145!) - Page 35

CHAPTER 11

(About fifty minutes back..)

The banquet hall

11:30PM

"Rawte, careful. Ek aur baat, she's dead," Rathore said. Arjun remained silent. Rathore cut the phone first.

It had been half an hour since Arjun had given him the lead about her. Now the work was completed. Only if they could get any information from her, before she killed herself. Rathore returned to the banquet hall, to find Abhay standing in the middle of the hall with the guns. He scanned the hall. The guests were some of the most important people in the country. The commissioner was busy negotiating the release of Sultan. He would be brought there in another half an hour! He couldn't let that happen. The entire team risked their lives to catch him and now they can't let him go because a criminal mastermind had managed to outsmart them. Damn! They were helpless. All his hopes were now on Arjun. But there was still a glitch; he wouldn't be able to contact Arjun or Riya. He was worried for the both of them. Not because he was the ETF chief and their security was his responsibility, but because it was more than just a team. Though Arjun had constantly denied being a part of the team or getting emotionally attached to it, Rathore very well knew that Arjun was very much a part of it and cared for it!

He settled down on the floor beside Shree who was now busy trying to trace the call, but in vain.

Rathore called Chotu, "Chotu, tum Sameera aur Alex ko lekar niche aa jao, immediately!"

"Sir, call trace nahin ho raha hain," Shree said sounding helpless.

"Uss call ko bhul jao Shree. Rawte aur Riya paani ke andar jaa rahe hain. Rawte ko lagta hain uss cave ke andar kuch hain," Rathore said and before he could continue he was interrupted by Shree, "Sir, lekin unke phones paani ke andar kaise kaam krenge? Main unhe trace kaise kar paunga?"

"Meri puri baat suno Shree. Woh tumhare sensors legaye hain apne saath, unhe trace karo immediately," Rathore explained. By then Chotu arrived at the place with Sameera and Alex. Sameera was crying now. "What is the situation?" Alex asked Rathore.

Rathore immediately got up, "Don't worry Alex. Everything will be fine. We promise. Mr. Trivedi is going to be safe."

"He better be," Alex said and took Sameera to a side. Chotu looked at Rathore. Rathore simply nodded and told Chotu to be ready for anything.

He then returned to his place beside Shree.

"Woh asst. manager missing hain, aur Security department ka head kal se chutti pe hain. Iss island ke owners mein se do log lapata hain. Itni sari coincidences nahin ho sakti hain! Sab isme miley huye hain Shree! Sab! Tumne unki security database hack kiya?"

"Yes sir," Shree opened a window that showed a map of the resort with some red dots on it, "Sir, ye sab yahaan ke security control and survelliance units hain."

Rathore's eyes fell upon a particular red dot!

"Ek control unit uss shore pe bhi hain?" he was shocked.

He immediately sent for the second in command of the Security department, Rajesh.

"Haan, sir. Ek control unit hain. Uss shore ke paas hain," he said.

"Cave ke andar?" Rathore asked.

"Nahin sir. Cave ke andar tho jagah bhi nahin hain. Uss cave ekdum piche hain, aapne building dekhi bhi hogi," the personnel explained.

"Kya ab khula hain?"

"Nahin sir. Darasal hamare head usse handle karte hain. Hum nahin. Woh chutti pe hain isliye, right now it is closed. Lekin wahan se transmission hamesha on hi rehta hain sir; in case of any emergency, it'll be helpful."

Yes, they had seen the building. It was on an elevation right behind the cave.

Rathore tuned to Shree.

"Rawte aur Riya trace huye?"

"Yes, sir," saying so, he opened another window, "Sir! Ye dono tho uss control unit ke paas jaa rahe hain!"

"What! Lekin woh dono tho under water hain!" Rathore checked it out. Yes, Arjun and Riya were fast approaching the control unit. "Shree tum uss control units ke coordinates check karo immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

Rathore went to the man, "Rajesh sach batao mujhe. Woh control unit kahan hain?"

"Sir, sach keh raha hoon. Uss building me hi hain! Hum 24/7 uspe nazar rakhte hain. The same position!" Rajesh pleaded.

"Woh sach keh raha hain sir, aur jhoot bhi. Control unit ussi location mein hain, lekin building ke andar nahin, building ke neeche. That means below the ground level! And Arjun sir aur Riya pahunch gaye hain waha..," Shree said.

Rathore held Rajesh's collar.

"Nahin sir ye kaise ho sakta hain? Maine khud kahin baar dekha hain sir uss unit ko. Ye nahin ho sakta!" Rajesh was shocked too.

Just then the Commissioner intervened. "Rathore, Sultan 15 minutes mein yahaan aane wala hain. Koi aur lead mili?"

"Haan sir. Ek hard disk. Aur mujhe lagta hain Rawte aur Riya unke main base ke pass hi hain," Rathore said.

"Tho sirf Riya gayi hain Arjun ke saath? Are you sure woh handle karpaayegi?" the Commissioner asked a little apprehensive.

"Yes sir! Mujhe uske capability par pura bharosa hain! Rawte bhi hain wahaan," Rathore said firmly.

The Commissioner always had his eyes on ETF, since he had bigger plans for them. For him Riya was the weakest link of the team.

"Main jaanta hoon Rathore, that she is capable. Lekin situation hi kuch aisa hain. Tumhe Sultan ko handle karna hoga. Uske aate hi main tumhe batadoonga," saying so the commissioner left.

"Shree hamare paas zyada waqt nahin hain, fast. Uss control unit ko hack karne ki koshish karo," Rathore ordered Shree.

"Time lagega sir. Bahut hi secure code hain," Shree said as he started off with his hacking. Rathore hoped they wouldn't be too late! It was 11:50PM

The main base

12:20AM

"Welcome ACP Arjun Suryakanth Rawte! Finally the 'infamous cop' se milne ka mauka aa hi gaya," they heard the same voice on the phone speak in front of them now.

Riya and Arjun tightened their grip on their guns.

"Baahar nahin aaoge? Acha, tho dar rahe ho?" the man said, "Theek hain mere aadmi hi wahaan aate hain. Haan apni goliya mat waste karo kyunki, woh kya hain mera human bomb kabhi bhi phat sakta hain."

Arjun clenched his jaw. Riya was scared, but on the outside she maintained a calm face.

Four men approached them. Riya moved back, closer to Arjun. The men smirked as they realized that Arjun was hurt. Arjun remained calm; didn't say a word. One of the four men approached Riya and snatched the gun from her hand. He then grabbed her by her hair and dragged her out.

"Aah! Chodo mujhe!" she winced. The other three men cornered Arjun. However Arjun did not protest. He slowly got up from his place. One of the guards grabbed him by his collar, while the other snatched his gun. He was dragged out along with Riya.

They came out from their hide out, to see a man in his late forties, well built and was dressed in a suit. He had a French beard and was nicely groomed. He looked like a perfect gentleman.

The man was indeed Rafeeq. Arjun recognized him immediately.

Rafeeq's eyes first fell on Riya, "Arey chodo uss ladki ko. Aise behave karta hain kya koi?" he said faking decency. The guard let go off Riya's hair. Arjun was fuming right now. But he had to control his anger. It wasn't just his life but several other lives at stake.

Without another word, surprisingly, they were taken into another room, which had a single computer control unit with several monitors, displaying several maps and survelliance videos. They were under constant watch! They could also see a door which lead to another room.

The people Arjun and Riya saw in the room blew their minds off! Arjun could now see the complete picture.

Riya and Arjun were pushed to the wall opposite to the control unit and they settled down on the floor. The guards had their guns pointed at them.

"Hello Riya. How are you? Or should I call you Mrs. Desai?" Rishab said mocking Riya. Riya could do nothing but glare at him in disgust.

Rishab burst out laughing, "Kitni asani se inhe bewakuf banaya hain tumne Rafeeq. Kya socha tha? Sultan ko andar karoge tho hum sab chup rahenge? Tumhare aakhon ke saamne hum Sultan ko le jaayenge, aur tum kuch bhi nahin kar paaoge. Dekhna! Kuch bhi nahin!"

"Rishab zyada energy waste mat kar inpe," the ex-manager of the resort Sailesh said, "Dekho Rafeeq bhai, mujhe in sab se koi matlab nahin. Mujhe sirf mere paison se matlab hain. Koi problem nahin honi chahaiye."

"Kyun darte ho? Kuch nahin hoga tere paison ko. Tujhe tere paise mil jaayenge," the head of the security department of the resort, Vanraj Tripati said.

Riya turned towards Arjun, shocked. She could see Arjun lost in thought.

Arjun was connecting the dots as fast as he could. The Security head was in this, the Asst. Manager and this guy Rishab, they were in this too. Sultan was arrested four months back. Rafeeq must have started planning right away. All this just for Sultan, no there must be something else.

Just then, Rafeeq turned towards the screen and said something into the microphone. His hands were circling around a red button fixed to the control unit's huge keyboard. That must be for the bomb, Arjun realized. That means the entire thing was controlled by this control unit. The presence of Vanraj here; they being able to view the survelliance footage; all pointed to only one thing. This unit was connected to the main security database. The building above this was just a coverup, so that no one would suspect a control unit underground. He remembered that Shree had hacked the security database before he and Riya left the hall. That means he could locate this control unit. They had sensors on them; Shree would know their location too. Now all he needed was Rathore and Shree realizing that something was wrong with this unit and hack it. Shree would definitely be able to disable the detonator. He tried to get up to see how serious these people were and what were their plans for him and Riya. No sooner did he make the move than they loaded their guns.

"Don't even try ACP Rawte," Rafeeq said, "Sultan aa gaya hain aur tumhare chief ACP Sameer Rathore khud usse hamare haatho mein pahuchane waale hain." Rafeeq then turned back towards the screen and started speaking.

Arjun was still wondering about one particular thing, how were they planning to escape?

The banquet hall:

12:35AM

"Bahut badiya commissioner saab. Aapke ACP, Sultan ko lekar resort ke entrance tak pahunchgaye. Hamaare aadmi vahaan aayenge. Aate waqt unhe kuch nahin hona chahiye. Vahaan aapko hamein clearence dena hoga ship ko port lejaane ke liye. Sirf vahaan nahin, Goa ke saare ports mein bhi clearence deni hogi. Vahaan agar hamein ya hamare ships ko koi rokta hain tho dhamaka yahaan hoga. Yahaan! Ab aap iss kaam me lag jaayiye," Rafeeq said.

Enemy base:

12:37AM

Rafeeq then turned towards Rishab, "Rishab, Sailesh tum dono jaaoge. Wahan uss ACP ke saath kuch commandos bhi hain. Zyada hoshiyaari dikhayi tho maar dalo unhe. Sultan aur goods ki uss ship ko lekar Goa pahuncho. Wahaan tumhe Anurag milega," Rafeeq said. "Pata hain, itni baar kehne ki zaroorat nahin hain," Rishab said and left the place with Sailesh and some more guards.

Riya was still confident. She turned towards Arjun, looking worried. He held onto her hand, assuring her that everything would be alright, "Main uske baare mein sahi tha, woh bhi inhi ke saath mili huyi thi," he whispered to her.

The docks:

12:37AM

The loading of the ship at the docks had started and all Rathore and Chotu could do was stare at them helplessly. Sultan still had his handcuffs and chains. After the goods would be loaded, Sultan would be taken into the ship.

The banquet hall:

12:37AM

At the banquet hall Shree was trying his best to hack the code. "Almost there..almost there..almost there.."

The enenmy base:

12:40AM

"Sir, ship ka loading ho gaya hain. Sultam ko andar le jaaya ja...Sir!!! System crash ho gaya hain!" the guard controlling the unit yelled.

Arjun smirked, "Good job, Shree."

Riya realized the reason he was quiet. He was waiting for Shree to hack the system.

"Kya???" Rafeeq yelled and pressed the red button. Nothing happened.

Arjun took the opportunity and attacked the guards. They were taken by surprise. Vanraj panicked and tried to shoot Arjun, but Riya shot Vanraj, but only managed injure him. The firirng started. Arjun's pain was too much to bear, but he didn't care. There were things that were more important. Rafeeq, however wasn't panicking. Arjun aimed his gun right at Rafeeq bringing all the firing to a stop.

Riya had her gun aimed at Vanraj.

Rafeeq was still smiling and Arjun knew why.

"Tumhe kya lagta hain Rawte? Ye unit crash hogaya tho hamara kaam khatam? Hum yahaan se bhaagne waale hai," Rafeeq said with a wicked smile on his face.

He took his phone and called her.

"The number you're trying to reach is currently switched off. Please try again later," he heard the operator's words. He dialed again; the same message was repeated. His face became pale as colour drained away from his face.

A smirk appeared on Arjun and Riya's faces. The ball was in their court now!

11:00PM

Outside the hotel:

"Chale sir?" Riya asked.

Arjun nodded. They went to their SUV and quickly put on their ETF protection gear. They got in and before he started he checked the time. It was close to

11 o'clock. It is going to be a long night indeed, he thought.

He then called Rathore immediately, "Rathore, meri baat dhyaan se suno. Suman ko interrogate karo abhi! Woh apne kamre mein hi hogi. Tum kuch mat kaho, only listen. Main jaanta hoon ki usne Rishab ke missing hone par complaint darj ki hain party ke baad. Lekin itna bhi kya dushmani apne pati se ki woh ab tak uske baare mein hamse poocha bhi nahin. Usne Sameera ki tarah apne kamre mein bhi security ki maang kyun nahin ki? Main jaanta hoon uske floor pe bhi police officers hain, lekin kamre main nahin hain. Ek normal aurat, jo woh banne ki koshish kar rahin hain, definitely itni befikar nahin rahegi, considering whatever is happening right now. Isiliye corner her immediately. Seedhe point blank pe gun rakho aur bolo usse ki hamare paas uske khilaf proofs hain. Hum uske saare belongings ko svaadheen kar rahe hain. Okay? Zaroor woh aur uske pati dono isme mile huye hain. Main tumhe phirse phone karta hoon."

Rathore immediately went inside the hotel, took some officers with him and went to Suman's room. They knocked the door.

"Kaun hain?" they heard a voice. They broke open the door. They saw Suman sitting in front of a laptop, wearing headphones. A female officer rushed to suman with a gun in her hand and pointed it at her fore head. "Sach batao Suman," Rathore said as he approached her, "Hamare paas tumhare khilaaf proofs hain. Khel khatam ho chukka hain. Sach ke siva kuch nahin kahogi, varna hamein sach ugalvana aata hain."

Suman looked around to realize that the emergency alarm was on the couch. Rathore's eyes followed her gaze. He grabbed the alarm before she could. Arjun was right yet again.

The female officer now pushed the gun closer to Suman. But what happened next wasn't expected.Suman inserted her finger into the ring near the trigger of the gun the female officer held and pulled it on herself. She was dead. The laptop was seized and sent for analysis. Her room was searched thoroughly. They found an external hard disk! There was another technical expert with them apart from Shree. The guy started hacking the hard disk.

"Sir, give me twenty minutes," he said.

Rathore checked his watch, it was 11:30PM. He then received a call from Arjun. Arjun told him about their plan to go under water. At the end of the call, "Rawte, careful. Ek aur baat, she's dead," Rathore said. Arjun remained silent. Rathore cut the phone first.

He then went to the banquet hall and joined Shree. Twenty minutes later, at 11:50PM the other technical expert joined Rathore and Shree, "Sir, time lagega. It's a very tough code to crack,"he announced.

"Theek tum aur Shree yahin rehke kaam complete karo," Rathore ordered them and left the place.

At 12:40AM Shree managed to crash the control unit!

Fortunately, two minutes later the other technical expert managed to disable the detonator installed in the laptop. If he had done it even a few minutes before Shree crashed the system, an alarm would have gone off at the control unit, putting everybody in danger!!! They couldn't find any other information in the laptop except for the bomb detonator, but some other details which confirmed that Suman was their only back up.

Shree immediately called Rathore and informed him of their completion of task!

12:43AM

The docks:

"Good job Shree!" Rathore said and cut the phone. He signaled Chotu and he shot Sultan on his legs. Sultan cried out in pain and fell down

Rathore ordered the commandos to open fire on the guards immediately. Rishab and Sailesh were shocked because of the sudden turn of tables, tried to escape but Rathore and Chotu caught them.

Rathore called the Commissioner immediately, "Sir, mission accomplished. Sultan ko custody mein le liya gaya hain. Rawte ke liye back up bhej dijiye immediately!"

"It has been sent Rathore and Abhay is safe!" the Commissioner said and returned to other important matters.

The Enemy base:

12:45AM

"Kya hua, Suman se baat nahin ho paarahi hain?" Arjun asked.

Rafeeq knew his game was up. All doors were closed for him, when suddenly the door to the other room opened. A man came out of the room with a gun pointed at Abhay's wife, who was kept hidden until then. Rafeeq let out a laugh and moved away from Arjun. Vanraj followed Rafeeq. The three men were using the woman as bait to escape and the two ETF officers now had several guns pointed at them by the left over guards (there were about fifteen of them). Arjun and Riya were shocked when they recognized the man who was holding the gun. It was none other than the famous business Tycoon, Mr. Trivedi!

"Rafeeq! Yahan se nikalte hain chalo!" Tivedi said as the three of them started walking away, leaving Arjun and Riya helpless.

PRECAP: Arjun and Riya find that the oxygen tanks are empty. They had used up all the oxygen. An explosion is heard and the entry through the cave is closed. Is there another exit route for the cave? Can Arjun and Riya find it?

Tirvedi and the other three trying to board the ship along with Sultan, using the woman as bait. Can Arjun stop them?

*Reserved 😛