When it all happened – Chase begins

The time was 7 PM when my mobile beeped of a text message. Within seconds I opened it but it in no way was related to my present situation. Ignoring it I stood up from the small bench placed in front of the mall.

It was time for action, I decided. I had to start somewhere. With every passing minute there was a life of loved one at stake and some critical data at risk of getting into the wrong hands. I walked straight up to the CCD in the mall and ordered for an Espresso shot. Within a gulp I finished it off. Though it did not help the situation it did help stabilizing my nerves.

The first thing I did was to make peace with my heart and give it a rest. The next thing was to bring my brain in action. It was a good decision when my brain said, “The more you sit here staring at the empty glass, lesser is the chance of getting your girl back”

I dialed the number again.

“Why the hell are you calling me from a public number? Why don’t you understand the situation?”

“I am sorry. But this cannot be avoided. A life is at stake and you know that. I am not letting any stone unturned on this. Those suckers should know how they spoiled their weekend.”

“I asked you to meet me at our emergency point”

“There is no time for that. This is time for some serious action”

“You are not doing anything until you have the right information and the required backup team. We need to figure all that”

“Sir. If they have reached this close, don’t you think that they won’t be having any clue of the location of that USB Drive? Are you damn sure they are that idiots? I am not letting myself wait for any backup.”

“I understand your position. But you are taking it too personally”

“Yes, I am. And I will. The only thing she ever did was to love me and I am not letting her sit down thinking that to be her biggest mistake.”

“Sam. Stop it! I just want you to stay out of this. Get this code straight into your mind, Sunny Days getting hotter”

“Got it but I promise you that I won’t stop until I see her again and safe and with a smile on her face. I know my phone is being tapped right now and that bugger is hearing me with a grin on his face. I do not know his name for now, but I am sure I will enjoy wiping off that grin off his ass”

Disconnecting the call, I threw the mobile in a dust bin designed as a big penguin with a wide grin on its face placed at one of the corner of mall in ground floor. I knew my bike would be bugged by now and I would be having a set of eyes ready to follow me till the end of the world.

Walking out of the mall, I went straight up to the first auto standing in queue and asked him for a ride. He agreed quickly but looked up at me in shock when I said him I need another auto to follow us.

“Brother, I will give you both double the amount. I just want you to do as I say. Will you?”

The sound of double amount did ring bell in his ears and he quickly agreed putting the tobacco he had spread out in his right palm into his mouth.

He started the auto and asked me, “What should I do?”

“Do you have any friend who is in Marathahalli now with his auto ready to follow us?”

“Yes. But I also have another friend here. He can follow us from here”

“Just do as I say. Start driving towards Marathahalli in slow speed. Get into as many Traffic Jams as you can. Stop at every signal. Start now.”

“What about my friend?”

“Buddy, you will be losing money as you talk. Questions are good only if the answers for them are coming free”

“Okay Sir. As you say. What we have to do with the entire world. We have our own small world. Need to run our family. Need to collect as much money as possible. It’s very costly Sir. No one even listens to us”

“I will sit with you and listen to your story once I am out of my own story. The drink will be on me. Now just drive. I will give pay the bill for this”

“For what Sir?” he asked turning back.”

“Don’t turn back. I said I will pay you everything. I am just making a hole at the back”

“Whatttttt??? Sir just tell me what you are upto. I am feeling scared now. Are you running from someone? Who are you? I am a poor man. I have a family. Don’t get me mixed into anything”

“Just shut up. Look in the mirror quietly and don’t change your expression.”

He looked in his rear view mirror and stopped chewing the tobacco for a second and was about to start talking something but I interrupted, “Yes I am from some department related to the Police. You are on the right side of the chase and your help to our department will be recognized. Just keep doing as you say and some day…” I looked down at the Driver details printed in front of me and continued, “Ramanna will be known for his bravery”

He had a smile on his face which was still confused if it needed to stand out or sleep in. But those words did work on him and he stopped talking. The first signal where the auto stopped was the Kundalahalli signal. The day being Sunday, traffic was lot lesser and the roads were clear. The silver colored Qualis that had been following the auto had not lost its sight on our auto.

It was neither too far nor too near to give me any idea of missing it nor to notice the number of persons following me. It clearly showed they were professionals.

As the signal turned green, I asked the driver, “Call your friend in Marathahalli and talk normally. He shouldn’t know what is happening. Then just tell him that he has a pickup in Outer ring road. Tell him to keep an eye on your auto and then he should be noticing a silver Qualis with dark windows right behind us.”

He suddenly turned into the right mirror to look back at the vehicle.

“Stop looking in the mirror. Don’t make them turn suspicious”

Obediently turning back, he said, “Sorry Sir”

“Tell him that he has to keep following that Qualis because the customer is travelling in it and he will be getting down somewhere in the Ring Road and he needs to pick him up. And one more thing, don’t call me Sir again”

He dialed the number and started speaking when I interrupted, “Please don’t look tensed and don’t stop chewing that tobacco”

The rest of the drive until we crossed the Marathahalli Bridge, taking a left turn towards the Silk Board, was silent with most of time keeping an eye on the Qualis. I guessed another vehicle to be behind us but in no way I could be sure of that.

The team back at the Bureau must, by now, would have collected more information on this. Every bit of that was a life saver. I was getting impatient to get my hands on that. If they were professionals, there would be no chance in getting any CCTV images from the mall. But still it was not to be left untouched.

As the driver took left and started driving down towards the ring road, I noticed the Qualis stuck in the signal. It was the right time as the glass of front left window came down and the man, a clean shaved man with small hairs, started staring at us not to miss us. I saw another auto right behind it.

“Is your friend wearing his khaki jacket on top of his red long sleeved shirt?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now drive past the bus stop and make a halt exactly where I say”

He slowed down the speed and started driving cautiously to be in the fast moving traffic and stopped right after the bust stop when I asked him. Quickly jumping out of the auto I ran to the coin phone and called my director again.

“Any inputs from the CCTV cam?”

“You are not stopping right?”

“Quick. Don’t have time.”

“They are damn professionals but we got clues. Most of the tapes were erased. The security in the office was attacked.”

“Thanks. I will be at the emergency point by mid night. Bugged, need to take bath. Captain has chosen to bat first”

“Hmmm. Batting order ready for match?”

“Lined up for Twenty-Twenty match”

I saw the Qualis coming down the way and keeping the call quickly walking into the auto, as though in no way being concerned of anything in the world, asked him to drive as fast as he could.

The Sun had started setting and the darkest dusk of my life was setting its foot in Bangalore. A goose chase had begun and a long battle awaited me. The plan chalked out for the night had just started taking its form. This was just a tip of the iceberg and I knew the water as colder and deeper as the iceberg was stronger and deadlier.

The chase continues next Sunday…

Comments Welcome…

Vishal…

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When it all happened – Part 2

The ride was a not long, covering only a few kilometers, from her PG to the Forum Value Mall and even the reduced number of vehicles on that stretch on a Sunday noon made it easier to be at the parking lot of the mall in time. The entire ride, she had been hugging me putting her arms right around my stomach and locking them tight. We hadn’t spoken a word the whole ride but our hearts had been communicating to each other at a frequency no scientists can reach and decrypt the messages.

As I locked the helmet to the bike and turned back, I saw her combing her hair with her little thin fair fingers. She had neatly held the hair in between her both hands and rolled them all behind her back, advising them not to open up free again. The second time she did that again, it was a request more than advise but the naughty hairs had already started having their discussion on flying free along with the wind. Listening to that discussion, she quickly took out a black colored hairband and guided all those naughty hairs in it and tied them up neatly. A little disappointed, they fell back behind her. But there were few hairs, the luckier and the shorter ones on the right side which escaped the hairband and fell right in front of her cheeks covering most part of it. She smiled at me, without caring about those hairs, when she saw me watching amused at her.

“Where do you want to have your lunch?” I asked trying to move my eyes off her cute face.

“Anywhere” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

“I haven’t heard of any hotel with that name” I said sarcastically.

“He he. Nice PJ” she said, grinning widely.

“Then tell me where do you want to have your lunch?”

“I said na, anywhere is fine”

“I dint ask you to give me that reply. I asked you to know what you want to eat today” I said pressing the number button numbered 4 in the lift.

“I can’t decide. You decide” she said with a little disappointed frown on her face.

“Ok ok I will decide. Now please don’t wipe off that cute smile from your face. How about lunch in MTR?” I said waiting for her smile to return.

Her smile did return when she suddenly turned at me and said, smiling widely, “Wow. I just wanted to say that”

“Then why dint you say idiot?” I exclaimed walking out of the lift behind her.

As we walked into the MTR main door, my eyes searched for loneliest empty table but before I could notice one, she headed straight to the one which was right beside window and a nice view. Though the table was not lonely, it did have had a nice view. And upon that, my girl was happy with that and that in turn made me happier.

A decent looking middle aged man came walking to us and handed us the menu. Opening it and glancing through nothing, I raised my head up and looked at her. She was still busy enjoying the view like a small kid.

“Hey Sona! Check the menu” I said

“You decide whatever you want. Just order one coke with whatever you decide” she said not even turning at me.

“I can order anything I want? Are you sure?”

“Yesssssss” she said turning at me and frowning. Though I liked her face when she smiled but the frown was her cutest act. The small naughty nose of hers would push up shrinking more and the lips would purse in leaving the chubby cheeks shining and the little eyes twinkling in anger.

“Okkkkkkkk” I said mimicking her frown.

“Shut up and order food” she said with her smile replacing that cute frown within a moment.

It was a long wait for the food to arrive on the table but I made sure to spend the whole time in staring at her face, which at times irritated her when she had to blush noticing me stare at her, but I was enjoying every moment of it. Only twice did my eyes move out from her to check the mails and messages in my mobile.

It was almost the time for the film when we had finished up our lunch. My stomach had filled up completely and I needed a sound sleep more than that film but she was still as excited as she was two days before when we had booked the tickets online. 

Sipping the last drop of coke from the bottle, she smiled at me saying, “Yummmmy lunch”

“And a heavy one too. I guess I will end up sleeping in my seat” I said smiling widely at her.

“I will kill you if you sleep”

“Go ahead”

“Shut up” and back was her angry cute frown on her face which I enjoyed the most and within a moment it again vaporized into air with the smile getting back in its place.

We walked quickly towards the INOX Cinemas and walked in to the Screen 2 and comfortably sat on the hard cushioned seats. It was well after the previews and the names rolled out and the real movie started when she touched my hand and our fingers parted to hold each others’ fingers. The movie being a real interesting one we seldom got a chance to talk and the two hours just went without a signal.

It was 4:15 PM when I checked my watch stepping out the dark theatre into mall. Sighting a restroom right in front of my eyes was a dream come true and signaling her to wait for few minutes I literally ran into the restroom.

Sometimes it feels best when we are inside the places which we hate even to give a look at when we are on the outside of them and that moment proved my little assumption.

I walked back out of the restroom but could not find Sonali anywhere where my eyesight could reach. I checked again but no luck. I quickly walked to main entrance of the INOX but did not see the blue colored T-Shirt anywhere. Being a shopaholic, I thought, she must be wandering around some shops, but she has never done any sort of that in all those years I have known her. It looked strange and hard to believe and already my heart started sensing something dangerous.

Still keeping the heart beat normal, I walked quickly all around the 4^th floor of the mall and quickly stepped down to the 3^rd floor. With every floor and every shop, my heart beat started rising higher and my forehead started sweating faster.

Something smelled a lot fishy and something scared the hell out of me. That something was pouncing on me hard to rip me apart into pieces. It turned really weird and scary when the call to her mobile signaled her mobile being switched off. I was having one of the hardest time of my life believing myself to letting her go out of my sight and at the same time, fighting my heart to avoid breaking up and forcing it to stay calmer.

Two rounds in each of the floor, a good long peek in every shop present in the mall, a full round in the parking lot, a detailed check on the open area in the mall and the worst luck ever. No sight of Sonali.

Feeling helpless, I decided what was against the rule book in my line of work. I dialed the emergency number, the immediate contact in my secret life, the life I had been hiding with everyone I knew; my officer at the Intelligence Bureau.

“Hello. Why did you call me from a public number?” I heard the voice of my officer.

“I need your help. This is serious” I said, my voice sounded a little less confident.

“Your girlfriend has been kidnapped. We already got the call. You will be contacted soon.”

“But why her?”

“Don’t you know what you have landed yourself into? You have the most sensible data which can tear apart their whole organization in your hands”

“But no one knew of this”

“No time to talk on phone. Meet me ASAP. Works to do.”

“But I have to find Sonali first. She is in danger and she needs me”

“Even the country needs you and the data comes first. You know that very well. Be brave. I know you will handle this situation”

Tooooon……… Tooooooon…..

And along with the silence of the phone, I saw the darkest picture in front of my eyes. The only tear that was dying hard to fall off the corner of my left eye dint help much nor the pounding heart nor just any damn thing in the world.

She dint knew a thing about this and most of all she was the most innocent person to be pulled in all this, only because she loved me? Was she atleast safe? Who the hell was behind this all? How the information leak? Who had tracked me down to Bangalore? Where was the end of this all? Moreover where was the starting?

The questions that never could be answered started piling up. The darkness had just begun and a long dark night awaited me…

Comments welcome... 
To be continued…

Vishal…

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When it all happened – Part 1

It was a very clear day. The clouds seemed out of town and the Sun was smiling brightly on the eastern horizons of the bright blue sky. A look at the sky proved it wasn’t going to rain for months, but a look down on the road showed how it had rained just a night before.

I remembered, as I stood at the window of my room holding the brush lazily, that I had to meet Sonali – the love of my life. But it could wait till noon and I had lots of time left to be just lazier. As I went for a hot shower, brushing my teeth, it felt wonderful. Ofcourse the bath freshened me up but I was still sleepy. Upon that, I had a bunch of tasks in my queue to be completed before I could leave for the day. I hated my job every day except the salary day, just like any other software engineer.

Knowing I would never be able to concentrate on the job, I walked into the kitchen and got a cup of coffee for myself. The next few hours were spent in front of the laptop hurrying up on the work until my mobile beeped alerting me of a message. I knew it was her and yes it was her.

R u ready dr?

Quickly I replied back,

Yep…u?

Yessss.. m ready.. I will be ready in 15 mins.. cme fast.. stop working now..

It was no doubt she knew I was working as it was normal and we had been together since years.

Wokay boss.. as u say.. m leaving now..

I replied shutting down my laptop. Quickly wearing a black shirt with small white squares on it over blue jeans and tucking it in without much care, I took the deo in my hands and sprayed all over my body more than what the shower nozzle had sprayed few hours back. Within seconds I was out of my room kicking my bike and rising up the speed of it.

Taking a stop at the bakery in the corner of our road, I bought a chocolate for her. She had always been a small baby when it came to chocolates, being crazy over chocolates. And I knew how much she would be happy seeing that and I always loved watching her happily smiling and talking about just anything in the world. I lost in my memories as I started riding again towards her PG when I remembered saying to her, “It doesn’t matter what you talk, but please don’t stop talking. Its your voice that I am mad about, not your topics.” Though she had felt a little bad on me for not being interested in her topics she felt great and much relieved when she knew that she could talk to her heart’s content without me bothering her.

By the time I was done with a small recap of our memories, I was sitting on my bike, in front of her PG, holding the helmet in my left hand and clearing the dust on the mirror from my right hand. Feeling restless, I sent her another message to come out of the PG fast but before I could get a reply, she was stepping out of the stairs of the PG.

Wearing a plain dark blue half sleeved T-Shirt with a light green hem, on top of light blue jeans, she looked simple yet gorgeous. It had been years watching her almost daily, yet she looked cuter than ever and sweeter than ever. She smiled and her pink lips curved neatly with the end of her lips pushing back her chubby cheeks to make them look chubbier. As I kept staring at her, she blushed and the cheeks that were shining bright turned light red and she raised her eyebrows twice. Her cute black eyes tried hiding her blush but could stop enjoying my stare. She looked more beautiful, her fair chubby cheeks that shone brightly just below the two little black eyes under the bow shaped eyebrows that twinkled everytime I looked into them, her cute curved pink lips and a small straight nose that sat silently on top the lips until she got angry when the same silent nose would burst out red.

She wanted me to stare more but was unable to hold onto her blush longer and finally said, “What?” when she stood in front of me.

I nodded my head closing my eyes, signaling a wide “nothing”

“Why were you staring at me?” she asked again, in her cutest voice.

“You look beautiful”

She blushed again and her cheeks again turned light red and the chubbiest part of her cheeks on both sides shined brightly under the sunlight.

“Stop staring and start the bike. We are getting late for the show” she said.

“Hmmm Ok” I said, looking bit disappointed, wearing my helmet.

As soon as she sat behind me, I pulled out the Bar-One I had got for her and held it in my right hands above my right shoulder. She pulled it right away from my hands and I heard a soft “Wooow” from her mouth.

“Don’t eat it alone” I said

“From when did you start liking chocolates?” she asked.

“I never said I dint like chocolates. I never tried to take half of the chocolate from you but today I won't leave you to eat it fully. I will have half of that today.”

“That’s so bad! But I will share. Only for my mad mad boy” she said in her cute voice that sounded like a small kid.

I started my bike and as the speed of the bike increased, she hugged me lightly from behind.

To be continued…

Vishal…

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Expecting Goodness!

Expecting Goodness is like waiting for the right train on the wrong platform! The train is right and it’s there right in front of you and moreover you have the ticket, but still you would miss it!

Let me tell this as a story…

Once upon a time when the world was still green and the tallest buildings were the ones with single roofs and the villages had more cattle than men; there was a small village which had the backyard of its last house as the densest forest.

If you can take a moment and try to imagine the village, it would be a real treat to your imagination. A peaceful small village having few huts, with adjoining barns bigger than the huts, scattered. To add the beauty it had a cute little garden in front of a small temple at the center of the village. The water from the wells of that village was sweeter than the modern sugar these days. There are many other beautiful things about that village but I leave all that to your imagination this Sunday.

Adjoining the village was a large pasture separating it from the forest. All the cattle from the village used to go there and graze till they got bored of grazing. Now strange but true, the grass on that pasture could talk among themselves and every morning they would wake up praying the Almighty to spare them alive from the cattle. They sat there the whole day expecting goodness from the cattle. Can you imagine the cattle, known for being the most peaceful animals, had scared the grass to their death and even kept killing them.

One day, suddenly from nowhere, came running a huge tiger and killed a cow and pulled it off into the forest where, well you know, it had a feast. The cattle, those which were still alive, were so scared seeing all that fierce attack and blood flow and all that they even stopped getting out of their barns. They just refused moving out of that protection.

The grass waited for few days and then celebrated that finally the goodness was blessed on them (via tiger). While on the other side the cattle, which also could talk among themselves, strange but true, were by now growing hungry and started praying to the Almighty for some goodness from the tiger that had scared them to death.

One day, as the summer came in, the only pond in the forest dried with only few drops of water left in it and the tiger decided to leave that forest and it moved on to a different forest. The cattle were back on the pasture and happy thinking that their prayers were answered with lots of goodness (via draught). While on the other side, the villagers started getting worried as the water levels in their wells kept going down. Let us leave the villagers to do something about that and move on with the article.

The only thing that I wanted to tell was…

It’s not like there is no goodness in the world. There is lot of goodness, kindness, sweetness floating around us. The problem is, we concentrate so much on that and we keep on expecting goodness from one source that we end up missing enjoy the real goodness when we are blessed with it.

It is exactly like keeping only one window of the house open and expecting all the air to flow in from that. You have to keep all the windows open and the fresh air can blow in from any window at any moment. Goodness is also same, it can flow in and kiss you any moment, any place, and just from anywhere.

So the best thing to do is, just keep doing goodness and spreading kindness and one fine day you will get it back, the time when you need it, not at the time when you want it!

Keep spreading goodness… This world needs more of it…

Vishal...

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A Very Happy Diwali!!!

And once again the festival of lights has come and along with it has brought smiles on every face!

There is nothing much to tell you all about the festival; you all know its background, its rituals and etc etc better than me. So this is no article with any explanation… This is just my hearty Diwali wishes to my dearest Sunday Readers!

The only thing is Diwali is more of a celebration than a festival. It is that time of the year when you truly overcome your sorrows, worries and bury them beneath happiness. Moreover, your conscience comes alive in not only burying those feelings but burning them out and spreading the happiness just like the light spread by the Diya lit in front of every home. You come out of your houses, come out of your much occupied work, ease out of your daily routine and spend these days with family and friends, enjoying the decorations, lights, crackers, talks, sweets and celebrations!

There is a scent of happiness and liveliness in the air of life. Every person comes out with a new enthusiasm for life, a new light to focus on the coming years, a new ray of the new happy beginning and lots of sweets to savor all the happiness filled in life. And why not? This should happen and keep continuing for the rest of the year.

Let all your life be filled with the vibrant colors of success, loud cracking noises of victories, brightest Diya to light your path, sweets at your every pit stop, joyous celebrations all along the way and happiness in every moment of your life!

I wish this Diwali brings in the same bright colors with which you all have started celebrating it, it keeps cracking the victory crackers for you, it keeps sweetening life more the sweets of successes, it brightens the Diya every next day and it keeps happiness glued to your life making it just more happier and more prosperous every passing moment!!

Wishing All My Dearest Sunday Readers A Very Happy and Prosperous Diwali…!!!

Vishal…

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