Remote Out of Control

#Thriller #Crime # fiction #Comedy

Chapter 1 - A Pauper meets a Prince-turned-Pauper ........

Chapter 1 - A Pauper meets a Prince-turned-Pauper

 

The sun was on the verge of setting, a young man sat on the beach looking at the waves crashing on to the shore. He looked around to see many happy couples and families, some were walking around, some were siting and enjoying the sight of the waves, there were those who were having their fill at the stalls.

“So much happiness around, yet, look at me, either I am used to being sad or I don’t deserve to be happy. Whatever it is, I lose both ways.” said the man.

A newspaper and a file containing resumes lay beside him, the name of the young man was written in bold letters - ROHAN SHARMA - and the job opportunities page was opened up and some of the sections marked. Another young man walked towards him and stood beside him. Rohan looked at him. At first, he was disinterested, however, he couldn’t help notice the neatly polished shoes. He then looked at the man, and then looked at his attire from top to bottom.

The man was wearing a costly attire - black suit, black trousers, white shirt with a red tie, even the trouser belt and his wrist watch were branded. A beggar came close to the man and asked for alms. The man did not shoo him away, instead he took out his wallet from his pocket, took out all the money he had and put it in his bowl. He then took out all his debit and credit cards, kept them in his pocket and put the wallet in his bowl and finally, he took out his wrist watch, checked it, smiled at it and then put the watch too. The beggar was confused at the man’s antics, he was about to walk away when the man again stopped him.

“Your slippers are torn. Take them out.” saying, the man then took out his shoes and his socks and gave it to the beggar. While the beggar took them and walked away, the man wore those torn slippers and then continued staring at the waves.

“This guy is either insane or he is filthy rich… rich enough to give away everything.” Rohan thought.

The man then looked at Rohan. He walked up and sat down next to him. He looked at the newspaper and took it, saying, “If you don’t mind.”

Rohan responded in a low tone, “No, of course not.”

As the man looked through the pages, Rohan’s interest in him was increasing. He decided to strike a conversation.

“I saw what you did right now. Is there a reason behind it?” Rohan asked.

The man looked at Rohan, he kept the newspaper down, sighed deeply and spoke about his situation, “My name is ARJUN KUMAR, son of the millionaire, Late Mr. GAURAV KUMAR. I was holidaying in Hawaii when I got the news 10 days ago that my father passed away due to a heart attack. I had to come back to perform the last rites and take over the business. I was in for a shock when I realized that the business was going in losses and my father had taken a lot of debts from the banks.

The last thing I know, everything… the office, my house, cars, bikes… everything had to be sold off to repay the debts. Lucky for me, I was left with some amount of money to at least move in to a rented flat and start something new.”

Rohan was surprised listening to Arjun’s plight and felt really bad for him. He looked away from the latter and then stared at the waves again.

“And what about you? I can make out that you are looking for a job or have you found one?” asked Arjun.

Rohan grinned and responded, “I… lost my job today and now, looking for another one.”

“Great! Nice one! What happened?” Arjun asked.

“I was working as a security guard in an MNC. I was tasked with the visitor’s register and of course, checking the ids of the employees. It just happened that some big manager or something had brought his son to see the company… yeah, like it was an amusement park to show your family around.

I was doing my duty and I insisted on the manager’s son to wear the guest ID card and write his name in the register. Where was my fault in this? That manager got angry and started abusing me; he then called my supervisor and started complaining.

My supervisor knew that I was just doing my duty and therefore, tried to calm the manager down. The manager might have been a big shot who was not used to being asked for his identity, he asked me to apologize for it. I was already angry with the way he was abusing me and now, for no fault of mine, he was asking me to apologize.

I don’t know…I don’t know whether I should have controlled my anger but I couldn’t stand the hypocrisy. I took out my id and threw it at my supervisor, changed my clothes and walked out of the company.”

Arjun stared at Rohan; a smile sprouted which meant he was impressed with the man’s bravery.

“Are you regretting it now?” asked Arjun.

“Oh yes, I should have taken my salary and then thrown that stupid id of mine at my supervisor, that is what I am regretting.” Said Rohan.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. It is an MNC; they pay you even if you are average at work. Call it a bane but that is the biggest advantage of working in an MNC.” commented Arjun.

“Really!! Well, that is satisfying. No more regrets then.” said Rohan, laughing.

The sun had set by then, Arjun got up from his place and yawned.

“I don’t know whether I have the right to ask, but what are you going to do now?” Rohan asked, looking concerned.

“I don’t know, I have no idea, the good thing is that I took my education a bit seriously and completed my graduation, so I should get something for 3 hots and a cot.” Arjun responded.

“Yeah, sure, no wonder my father used to scold me like hell to study well. Things would have been different for me.” commented Rohan.

“Now that you are saying… what are you going to do? I saw your resume, you do seem well educated, yet, you were working as a security guard. What kind of job are you really looking for?” Arjun asked.

“The kind that can help me fulfil mine and my mother’s dreams. I am from a village, my ambitions are… not that high as you people. I just want a stable job.” Rohan replied.

“I see. Well, I couldn’t help but go through your resume. I took down your number, so if I do have something for you, I will contact you.” said Arjun.

Rohan was surprised and stared at Arjun, the latter smiled at him and then walked away.

“That is one weird guy. Well, if he does find something good for me, I should not be complaining.” Rohan commented.

He then got up from his place, dusted the sands from his shirt and trouser and then walked away from the beach. As he got on to a bus to go home, he thought, “Tomorrow is a new day. Let me stay positive. I should definitely get something.”

He reached his destination and started to walk towards his room. As he neared his room, a black van suddenly stopped next to him. Before he could react, 4 guys came out, wrapped him in a rough blanket and threw him inside. He tried to fight them and struggled to get out of the blanket, however, one man hit him hard on his head with a log, and Rohan was out cold. The driver of the car stepped on the gas and escaped from the place.

 

Chapter 2 - An Offer... at Gun Point

 

Few hours later, Rohan woke up to find himself in a small room filled with machinery parts and tools. He could feel a sharp pain on his head. He looked around confused, “Where the hell am I? What happened and what have I done to deserve this?”

He then noticed another man lying on the floor in the room, he was still tied up and his face was covered with a rough mask. He slowly moved towards the man and removed the mask. He was shocked to see that it was Arjun. He immediately untied him and made him sit up. Slowly, Arjun woke up and looked around dazed, “Where am I? What the hell happened? Rohan, you still haven’t left the place? Are we dead or what?”

“Come on, brother. Wake up… WAKE UP.” Rohan yelled at Arjun, the latter now came to his senses and stared at Rohan. He then looked around.

“Where am I? And… what are you doing over here?” asked Arjun, he clutched his head while he spoke indicating that he was also hit on the head.

“We have been kidnapped, but, why us! What can we or our families possibly give them?” Rohan commented.

“Indeed, I can understand someone like me being kidnapped, however, they would be in for a shock if they realized that I have lost everything, yet, considering they have kidnapped you… this is about something else then. Man, I got a bad feeling about this.” said Arjun.

Suddenly, the door opened and a burly man came in followed by 4 goons.

“I am sorry for the inconvenience caused to both of you; however, we have a requirement for a job that needs to be completed at the earliest... and you are the right people to do it.” said the burly man.

Arjun and Rohan looked at the group and then looked at each other. They did not speak; however, they had the same thought. They couldn’t fight them all... not at this juncture.

“My name is Bala. Follow me, and yes... no wrong moves. We are courteous but we aren’t decent.” Said Bala, revealing his pistol.

The duo realized that they were brought here to do something illegal, yet they decided to yield to the demands of the burly man for the moment. They followed Bala and his goons to a bigger room where there were more goons standing. In the middle of the room, was a table and a man wearing a costly attire was seated on a cushioned chair, smoking a cigar. Arjun and Rohan noticed a briefcase on the table.

“Salim sir, I brought them here.” Bala addressed the seated man.

Salim got up from his seat and looked at the duo with full scrutiny. He then smiled at them and sat on the table.

“You both must be wondering why we have brought you here. We are in need of your service. We know everything about you. Our job demands that we get to know the people that can be helpful for us and also, helpful for our business.” Said Salim.

“What do you want from us? And what makes you think we are suitable for your business?” asked Rohan, giving an indication that he may have understood what was going on.

“The work that I am going to assign to you is dangerous, yet, you will be paid well. Tell you what... I will make you both rich in a matter of minutes so that you can live your life the way you want.” Said Salim.

Arjun and Rohan stared at Salim and then at each other, a man stood before them offering them riches, however, it still made no sense as to why them and what was the job that was so dangerous.

“What do you want us to do? What kind of job? And how dangerous is it?” Arjun asked.

Salim touched the briefcase and said, “You have to take this briefcase and place it in one of the busiest railway stations of this city. Nothing else... just take it inside; place it in an area which doesn’t seem suspicious and walk out without anyone noticing you. A simple job and I assure you; you will be paid well for it.”

The duo was still confused, what was in that briefcase... drugs, illegal products... or something worse than that.

“What is in that briefcase?” Rohan asked.

“That is none of your business. The contents of this briefcase are confidential and you are only required to do what I ask you to do.” Said Salim, his smile vanishing in an instant.

“You expect us to pull a job for you with an expectation that you can trust us and we can believe in you, yet you hold secrets. We can understand that we are at gun point; we realize that if we refuse, you will kill us. If that is the case, then you better kill us for we are not doing this.” Said Arjun, with a firm tone.

Salim walked towards the duo; his smile was back.

“On the contrary, you will do this job. If not you, then your new friend, Rohan will definitely.” Said Salim.

Rohan stared at Salim again; the latter took out a photo and showed it him.

“This is your mother, isn’t it? What will happen when she gets to know that you are working for me? How will she react when someone walks up to her and says that you have turned to crime to fill their empty stomach? Can she bear this?” Salim asked with a chuckle.

Rohan was furious, he couldn’t handle this anymore. He pounced on Salim and started punching him. Arjun watched in horror as the goons caught hold of Rohan and started thrashing him. Angered, he stepped in to help. He was able to bring down 3 of them, however, there were too many of them and it was his turn now to receive a thrashing.

“Enough!” Salim said raising his right hand, and the goons stopped. The former continued, “Unfortunate as it may sound, we still need them.”

Salim then walked towards Rohan who was groaning in pain. The former grabbed his collar and pulled him close.

“Alright, you wanted to know the contents of this briefcase, well then, listen clearly... the briefcase is actually a bomb.” The duo stared at Salim, shocked.

“We need this bomb to be delivered at the said railway station. What’s more, it is a station that has less security and therefore, it will be easier for people like you to get in and do the job.

I don’t think I need to explain anything further, do I? Now listen to me like a good boy, Rohan. I give you an hour to decide your next move. If you still think you can resist, well, god bless you for I have a good mind to kill you and your family.” Salim threatened, while Rohan could just look at him in anger.

Salim then ordered his goons to throw the duo back into the room again and the goons did the same. After they left and locked the door, Arjun, who was also in pain moved towards Rohan to check on him. Rohan was in tears, yet, he was still angered.

“What have we got ourselves into? What do we do now? I am willing to my end my life than to do this heinous crime... but, I am not alone. You are trapped with me... and they will kill my family too. There is no escape from here.” Said Rohan, clutching his head in despair.

Arjun knew Rohan was right, and said, “Indeed, even I am fine with dying. Besides, I have nothing to lose, yet, the same cannot be said about you and the world. From what I could see, these people are true to their words. They will go to any length to cover their tracks.”

“So what do we do now? Don’t tell me we have to deliver the bomb! A lot of people will die because of us.” Rohan reacted.

Arjun was silent; he did not have an answer for that. He thought hard but he could not find a solution.

“Let us flow with the river for now. Let us do what they have asked us to do.” Said Arjun.

Rohan stared at Arjun, he nodded his head in disagreement and said, “You are crazy. We cannot do this. I don’t think I can muster that courage to plant a bomb and see innocent lives being taken just like that.”

“We have no other choice. They will kill us and find someone else to do it. If they disagree, they will again find somebody else. I don’t know whether we have a chance at escaping from their clutches, but know this, if we get an opportunity, we will take it.” Said Arjun.

Rohan couldn’t understand what Arjun was saying. Was Arjun planning something? If he was, then what was it? Only time would tell.

Chapter 3 - Blessing... in Disguise?

 

The next day, Bala and 4 of his goons ‘escorted’ Arjun and Rohan to the railway station that needed to be bombed. The van stopped near the main gate.

“Here we are. Now listen both of you. No tricks, we have our eyes on you. We will be following your movements. You should place the bomb on a compartment that has a lot of people in it. A lot of local trains pass here, so, you just need to get into one of them. Place it in an area where no one would even think about looking at it or searching for it. Once you are done, you will come back straight to this van. You even think about trying to escape, we will shoot you. I hope I am clear.” Bala instructed.

Arjun and Rohan looked at each other and then back at Bala, they nodded their heads in agreement and got off the van. They walked towards the station closely followed by 2 goons. Once inside, they tried to locate a busy compartment and found one.

“If you have a plan, please tell me. No way, we are doing this. We will be in a heap of trouble if we do this.” Rohan whispered to Arjun.

“Yeah, we will. Let us see what we can do.” Said Arjun.

A train had stopped at the station and passengers had lined up to board the train. Arjun and Rohan stood in one of the lines and was about to board the train when something unexpected happened. A thief came out of nowhere, snatched the briefcase from Arjun and ran as fast as possible.

Arjun and Rohan were totally confused; they didn’t understand what to do except to give chase. The 4 goons followed the duo. One of the goons called up Bala to give him the bad news, “Boss, the plan has failed. A thief came and stole the briefcase from Arjun. What do we do now?”

“WHAT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” Bala yelled.

He kept his mobile down and thought hard.

“Well, the plan is simple. To detonate the bomb in a busy area, I just have to press the remote and... BOOM! Mission accomplished.” Saying, Bala took out the remote from his pocket and pressed the button. He was in for a shock as there was no explosion. Desperate, he kept clicking the button without any result.

“No, no, no... This can’t be happening.” Bala reacted, punching the roof of the van. He then looked at the driver and shouted, “What are you waiting for, you miserable oaf? Step on the gas, we need to get out of here and find the briefcase.”

As the driver started the engine, Bala called up Salim to give him the news.

“Sir, the bomb did not explode.” Said Bala.

“What do you mean the bomb did not explode?” asked an irritated Salim, he had his TV switched on waiting for the news of the explosion.

“The remote, sir... the remote is not working. I am clicking the button while speaking to you but there is no explosion.” Said Bala.

“You don’t say! Unbelievable! Alright, bring the briefcase to the hideout. We will check it.” Said Salim.

Bala was hesitant to reveal the truth; however, he had to say it. Mustering courage, he blurted out, “Sir, well... that is where the problem starts. Arjun was about to enter a compartment to place the briefcase, however, a thief came from nowhere and stole it. Arjun, Rohan and the goons have run behind the thief to catch them.”

Salim let out a barrage of abuses which were so dirty to hear that Bala had to keep his mobile away from his ear for a minute or so.

“If that briefcase falls into the hands of the police, we are all done for. Retrieve that briefcase at any cost, or I will kill you. I will kill all of you, you good-for-nothing wretches.” Saying, Salim hung up the phone and sat on his chair. He wiped his forehead; he couldn’t understand what to do next. His mobile rang and he looked at the screen. It was Arbaaz, the leader of a terrorist organization that assigned the job to Salim.

“What is going on? Why hasn’t the bomb exploded?” Arbaaz asked in an irritated tone.

Salim couldn’t understand what to say, he began to shiver in fear and stammered. Arbaaz was getting even more irritated and yelled at Salim, “What is wrong? I asked you a question, isn’t it? Why hasn’t the bomb exploded?”

Salim blurted out his answer, “The bomb will not explode. Bala clicked the button on the remote but the bomb did not explode. We don’t know what happened... I thought the bomb was programmed properly, yet it did not explode.”

“That is impossible. Nothing like that can happen... unless and until, someone tampered with the briefcase.” Said Arbaaz, he then questioned Salim again, “Did you or anybody else try to open the briefcase without our permission?”

Salim went round-eyed at that question and retorted, “No one opened the briefcase. The briefcase was always with me and heavily guarded by my men.”

There was no answer for some time, Arbaaz took a deep breath and said, “Hmmm... only one way to find out. I am coming to your hideout to check the briefcase. You, on the other hand, try to find out who tampered with the circuits of the bomb.”

Salim’s heart skipped a beat; he couldn’t believe what he just heard. The briefcase was not with them, it was stolen and Salim had to reveal that truth. Still shivering with fear, he spoke out, “The briefcase has been stolen from the railway station.”

“What do you mean by ‘stolen’? What kind of people have you hired to place the bomb? I have paid you a million dollars for this work because your boss asked me to trust you and this is the result you have shown. I should have done this job myself than to lay faith on a bunch of incompetent idiots. You better retrieve that briefcase before it falls into the wrong hands or you people are dead.” Said Arbaaz.

Salim kept the phone down; he looked at the roof and sighed.

“What have I got myself into? What do I do now? I hope Bala is able to retrieve the briefcase or we are all done for.” Salim thought.

 

 

Chapter 4 - Hunter's Meet

 

The thief had reached his hideout which was an abandoned car shed. A fat man sat on a rickety chair and was talking with his goons when the thief rushed towards the table and placed the briefcase on it.

“Boss, look what I got. Something of our interest should definitely come out of this.” Said the thief, feeling excited.

The fat man was not excited though. As he got up from his seat, the other goons sneered at him. The fat man tapped the briefcase twice and looked blankly at the thief.

“Kalu, you have been with us for a year yet you have been the unluckiest and disappointing with regards to your ‘profession’. Every time you brought something; it has always been unprofitable for us.” Said the fat man.

The other goons nodded their heads in agreement with one goon commenting, “He is nothing but a loose end of a pyjama for us.”

Kalu tried to defend himself, saying, “Come on, boss, I have always tried my best. How can I be sure of the contents of every bag or purse? How can I determine which one to steal?”

“What do you think I am running here, a school? Do you think I have all the time in the world to teach wretches like you how to steal? I am running a business here, not social service to feed useless people like you. If I am not getting any benefits from wretches like you, I will definitely have a good mind to throw you out without showing mercy.” Said the fat man.

“If what is there in that briefcase in not worth it, then, I assure... I won’t show my face again to you.” Said Kalu.

“You hear that, fellows? He is challenging me.” The fat man exclaimed looking at the other goons, the latter started clapping and cheering looking at Kalu’s guts.

The fat man looked at Kalu again and said, “Tell you what, Kalu, if there is nothing good in there, you are going to keep your word for I am tired of feeding people who are not productive for me... but if there is something profitable, hell if it is, you are staying here.”

The fat man then touched the briefcase while Kalu and the others watched with baited breath to see what was inside. That very moment, Arjun and Rohan found the hideout, they watched in horror as the fat man was about to open the briefcase.

“Stop, don’t open it.” Arjun yelled.

Alarmed, the fat man and his goons turned around. The fat man was furious and glared at Kalu.

“There you go. Now you see why you are incompetent. You led these idiots over here. We are thieves and we are supposed to cover our tracks yet you... you are a burden to us. You should be thrown out of this group. That will be taken care of once I take care of these buffoons.” Said the fat man.

Arjun and Rohan looked at the gang; they looked more ‘unprofessional’ than the gang they were dealing with right now. The fat man and his goons took their weapons, not guns but rusted machetes and knifes.

“You two have made a big mistake by coming here and you will pay for it.” said the fat man.

“Look, we do not want any trouble. All we want is the briefcase. You people have no idea what is inside.” Rohan tried to warn the gang.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. We will soon find out what is inside. The fact that you people are ready to come here and die for this briefcase indicates something really precious inside.” The fat man responded with a sly smile, he and his goons started to walk forward while the duo backtracked.

“You people are making a big mistake. There is nothing precious inside it. There is... there is... a bomb inside the briefcase and it can blow up anytime.” Arjun explained.

The fat man and the goons stopped in their path. At first, they were horrified but then they started to laugh heartily.

“You think you can trick us. You need to do better than that.” the fat man commented while the goons continued to laugh.

Suddenly, one of the goons was shot on his head. He fell down dead as the others were jolted by the gun shot. It was Bala and 3 of his men who had reached the place.

“Look here, dimwit. I hate to say this but this man over here is right. We are running a business here that is bigger than what you nincompoops can only imagine. Now before I blow the brains out of all of you... hand over the briefcase to them.” Said Bala, aiming his pistol.

The fat man and his goons looked at each other. Bala and his 3 men had their pistols pointed at them. The fat man looked at Kalu again; the latter was shivering in fear now. It was obvious he never thought he would put his gang’s life in jeopardy but something clicked in his mind.

“There is a bomb inside this briefcase. These people must be terrorists, I am a robber yet, that doesn’t mean I can watch countless people die because of them. I have to take this briefcase away from here. I will have to take a chance, make it to the police station and tell them everything.” Kalu thought in his mind.

He looked at the briefcase and then at everybody else. He then grabbed the briefcase and ran from the place. Arjun and Rohan couldn’t believe what Kalu just did and ran behind him, the fat man and his goons were taken aback by the turn of events and in the confusion charged behind the duo only to be gunned down by Bala and his men.

“Quick, behind them... we need to retrieve the briefcase.” Said Bala, as he ran behind the duo closely followed by his men.

Kalu did not look back as he ran as fast as he could; he reached the main road and could make out the police station right in front of him. He had to cross the road, but before that he looked back to see Arjun and Rohan, they had stopped in their paths when they realized what the former intended to do.

“Well, he does have a conscience. Why else would he risk taking the briefcase to the police station?” Rohan commented.

“You are missing the whole bloody point, Rohan. If he takes the briefcase to the police station, he would go scot free... but what about us? In his eyes, we are with this gang but I don’t think there is anyone out there who will listen to us. We will go to jail along with these goons and we will never be able to prove our innocence.” Arjun explained.

Rohan understood what Arjun was trying to say and looked at Kalu. The latter then saw Bala and his men coming, they started to fire at him much to the horror of the duo.

“No, don’t shoot. You will get us all killed. Look where he is headed.” Said Rohan.

Bala was shocked seeing the police station right in front and then looked at Kalu with the briefcase in his hand. A few constables who were outside were alarmed by the gun shots, one of the constables ran inside to call for back up. Kalu looked back and realizing that he had considerable support now decided to cross the road and head inside the station, however, while crossing and in his excitement, he did not see a car speeding towards him.

The driver pressed the brakes hard, but it was of no good as the car hit Kalu, the latter was thrown sideways and he fell with a thud, bleeding and writhing in pain. The briefcase that was in his hand flew out and fell on to a pickup truck. That very moment, the driver of the pickup truck started the engines and drove off much to the horror of Arjun and Rohan.

“Run!! Run behind the truck, we cannot lose that briefcase.” Exclaimed Arjun.

As the duo ran behind the truck, a few armed policemen came out and their eyes fell on Bala and his goons. Bala, fearing the worst, was the first to run followed by his goons, the armed policemen followed suit firing at the gang and ordering them to stop running.

Meanwhile, the pickup truck was going out of sight and the duo had to do something. Arjun saw an auto rickshaw, the driver had parked his vehicle and was a taking a leak at the public toilet, the former noticed that the driver had left his key on the vehicle and did not think twice. He got on to the vehicle and started the engine. Rohan was shocked at Arjun’s antics and exclaimed, “What the hell! You are stealing someone’s vehicle now!”

“Don’t you want your life back? That briefcase cannot fall into wrong hands and it is our duty to see to it that the same doesn’t happen. Ironic as it may seem, that briefcase is also the ticket to freedom for us. We have to get it back.” Arjun explained.

Rohan got on the back of the auto rickshaw while Arjun stepped on the gas, the driver came out and seeing his vehicle stolen started shouting for help.

Rohan looked back and then back at Arjun and said, “I don’t see how we are going to be free from this considering we have made a lot of people angry back there. They are like wolves now and they are all set to hunt in packs.”

“We are on a one-way trip, brother. Let us hope we can get out of this mess as fast as possible.” Said Arjun, shifting gears and speeding up the vehicle.

On the other side, Bala and his goons were behind a wall hiding as the policemen were searching for them. One of them got onto his radio and informed the headquarters about a gang who had fired at the police station.

“Oh no, this news is going to spread like wildfire. We are done for. It was a simple job we took and we have messed it up really bad.” Bala commented.

Suddenly, his mobile started to ring; Bala took it out and saw the screen. It was Salim.

“Whose mobile is ringing?” a policeman asked.

Bala and his goons looked at each other in horror. They were compromised and had to escape from there.

“RUN.” Bala yelled, as he and his goons scurried from the place.

The policemen started to fire at them and the goons returned fire. One of the goons was shot dead while another one injured. Seeing the condition of the goons, Bala’s last goon deserted him and ran out of sight. Bala hid himself again from the incoming fire while the injured goon called out to him for help, however, the former did not heed him. 2 policemen caught hold of the injured goon and took him into custody.

The other policemen slowly came forward to nab Bala but the latter was in no mood to get arrested. He came out of his hiding and started firing, a policeman was hit on the shoulder, he yelled in pain and fell to the ground. The other policemen returned fire and Bala was hit multiple times on his chest and stomach, he fell to the ground dead. The latter’s mobile phone came out of his pocket and fell to the ground; it was ringing again with the screen showing Salim’s name.

 

Chapter 5 - FUBAR Moment

 

Salim was repeatedly dialling Bala’s number, the phone kept ringing but there was no answer. The former was getting agitated and impatient.

“Why the hell is he not picking up the phone? What is going on? Has he failed to retrieve the bag?” Salim asked looking at his phone.

He dialled the number again and this time someone picked up the phone.

“Bala, what is going on? Why are you not picking up the phone? Have you retrieved the briefcase?” Salim asked.

It was Inspector Shergill who had picked up the call. Salim’s contact number was given to his Sub-Inspector Kaushik who then contacted the surveillance department to track the location the call was being made from. He had to give appropriate responses to get a proper fix on the location.

“Hello! Hello! Answer me, godammit! Have you retrieved the briefcase?” Salim shouted in desperation.

Inspector Shergill responded, “Boss, Bala is dead. He was shot in a police encounter. I, somehow, escaped from this place with the briefcase. I need to know where I should come. Should I come to the hideout or is there any other place we should escape to?”

Salim was shocked by this news. He was even more alarmed when he heard about a police encounter.

“Police? How did the police get involved? Have they got to know what we planned to do? I can’t believe this is happening. It was so simple, we place the briefcase in a train compartment and then detonate the bomb, 2 nincompoops kidnapped to do the job so that we don’t get caught but those people turned out to be good for nothing. Wait, those people we kidnapped – Arjun and Rohan – where are they?” Salim asked, he was not in his senses; his hands were shivering as he was speaking, and he was once again sweating profusely.

It was, however, Inspector Shergill’s turn to be alarmed at this development. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, however, he had to answer.

“Sir, I... I have no idea. They might have run away once the police started chasing us. I really have no idea where they could go, boss. I need to get out of here. I am carrying a briefcase with a bomb in it. Please help me.” The inspector responded.

The sub-inspector signalled that they had got a fix on the location of the hideout, and Inspector Shergill acknowledged.

“Come back with the briefcase to our hideout. Be careful with it. Our client wants it in one piece. We need to know why the bomb did not explode.” Saying, Salim disconnected the call.

“Go immediately to the hideout and nab him. I will try to find out about the people who were kidnapped and forced to do this job.” said Inspector Shergill to the sub-inspector, the latter left the place with a team.

A constable came forward and informed Inspector Shergill about the duo, “I think I know who you are referring to, Sir. That boy was carrying a briefcase in his hand, and that is when those 2 men came and tried to stop him. When the boy got hit, the briefcase flew and fell on a truck and the 2 men went running behind it. Everything happened in a spur of a moment, and therefore, I was unable to take down the truck number.”

“Don’t worry about that. I have already checked the video feed before coming here. I know where that truck is headed.” Said Inspector Shergill.

Arjun and Rohan continued their pursuit of the truck.

“You don’t seem serious about stopping that vehicle. How do you expect to stop it if you go so slowly?” asked Rohan.

“I am going at 60 kms/hr, and you say that is slow? I have been blowing the horn for so long but the damn truck driver doesn’t seem to acknowledge it. We are in a busy road and there is no way I can ‘fly’ this vehicle after what we are on to.” Arjun explained.

“I am amazed, Arjun, you seem to keep your head cool even after everything that has happened with us.” Said Rohan.

Arjun did not comment on that, he looked at Rohan and then back at the road ahead. Rohan saw the truck going right and said, “Right, right, take the right.”

A perplexed Arjun saw Rohan through the rear mirror on top and then shook his head. Rohan was pointing to the left and then indicating right.

“I can understand the situation we are in which is the reason I have to keep my head cool. You, on the other hand, are so psychological affected that you don’t even know what you are saying and what you are doing.” Arjun commented.

Rohan didn’t understand at first but after looking at his hand, he realized his mistake. Embarrassed, he started scratching his head. Arjun looked at the road and understood where he was, the road lead to the airport and the former must have visited this place umpteen number of times – be it business meetings or a secret vacation.

“I am not sure what our future holds, but something tells me I may never visit this place again... maybe, not always.” Said Arjun.

Rohan was confused and looked at the place. A passenger plane flew over them; Rohan realized where they were and understood what Arjun was thinking. He wanted to say something but decided to stay silent. He was not born with a silver spoon, he never flew on a plane but he always dreamt of travelling the world, a dream that didn’t seemed like it would be fulfilled considering the position they were in.

“Oh no, you got to be kidding me! I should have known this when the truck turned right.” Arjun exclaimed.

“Why? What happened?” Rohan asked.

The duo watched in horror as the truck turned left towards the airport gate and stopped for security check. Arjun stopped the auto rickshaw a bit further from the gate and the duo looked at what was happening. The back of the truck was empty when the driver had parked it near the police station, the driver was now confused as to where the briefcase came from and the security guards were questioning about it.

“The secrets of that briefcase will be revealed some way or the other. I don’t think we can keep that secret for too long. Brace yourself, Rohan, we are on a one-way trip to an unknown destination.” Said Arjun.

Saying Arjun walked towards the group while Rohan tagged along cautiously.

“I don’t know about this briefcase. I have never seen it before. Someone must have thrown it at the back by mistake. I am really not sure what is inside.” Said the driver.

The 1^st security guard tried to open the briefcase but stopped the moment a police jeep stopped near them; it was Inspector Shergill along with 3 officers.

“Stop, don’t open it. It is a bomb. You will blow this place up.” Said Inspector Shergill.

The security guards and the driver started to shudder at that information as Inspector Shergill took the briefcase from the 1^st security guard. Arjun and Rohan stared at each other; they couldn’t understand how to react to this sudden development.

“We are either done for or we are saved.” Said Rohan.

The inspector then saw the duo and walked towards them. While Arjun was trying to keep calm, Rohan was trembling with fear as the inspector scrutinized them.

“Arjun and Rohan, I got to know both of you while trying to track the people behind this planned terrorist attack. I know you both were kidnapped and made to do this job. However, I need more details about this heinous crime and how did you both get embroiled in this.” Said Inspector Shergill.

Arjun and Rohan felt relieved and nodded their heads in agreement.

 

 

Chapter 6 - The Hidden Puppeteer

 

Salim was waiting for his goon to bring the briefcase. That very moment, Arbaaz and 3 of his men came in.

“You piece of shit! I should have done this job myself than to believe you. I have paid you to do this job and you have ruined everything.” Said Arbaaz.

“Please, sir, I can explain. Let me get that briefcase back first. I got a call from one of my men, he is bringing it. We will then see why the bomb failed to explode.” Said Salim, shuddering in fear.

“You better be right about that or I have a good mind to shoot you.” Arbaaz reacted.

Suddenly, gun shots were heard outside and one of Salim’s goons barged into the room and alerted everyone, “Boss, the police are here, an entire force and they are firing at us.”

Arbaaz was alarmed at this news and reacted, “What the hell! How did the police get here?”

Arbaaz then realized and then looked at Salim, the latter knew that they were done for and now, there was no escape. The sub-inspector made an announcement, “You are all surrounded. There is no escape. Come out with your hands on your head or we would be forced to fire at you.”

Arbaaz was angered; he took out his gun and aimed at Salim. The latter begged for mercy but Arbaaz was in no mood to listen.

“The blunder that you and your men committed has put us in danger too. We have made a big mistake by trusting you and you will pay for this.” Saying, Arbaaz fired all the bullets of his gun brutally killing Salim.

The sub-inspector and his men heard the gunshots, the former then ordered his men to move into the building from all sides and kill or capture the goons. The policemen did the same and a heavy gun battle began alarming the neighbourhood. Salim’s goons were unable to escape, some of them surrendered while the others who tried to escape, resist or fire at the policemen were killed. Arbaaz and his men were unable to find a way to escape; however, they had no intention to surrender.

With all the goons either killed or captured, the policemen along with the sub-inspector turned their attention to the terrorists. A fierce gun battle continued with the police force downstairs and Arbaaz and his men firing from Salim’s office upstairs. Soon, Arbaaz and his men found their ammunitions depleted. One of the men, out of desperation, uncorked a grenade and tried to throw it at the policemen but was shot on his chest. As the man fell, the grenade dropped from his hand. There was no escape for Arbaaz and his men as Salim’s office exploded in a ball of smoke and fire killing the terrorists.

Meanwhile, at the police station, Arjun and Rohan explained their situation to Inspector Shergill. The inspector listened to them, asking questions whenever it was necessary while another officer was making notes of the duo’s statements. After the duo completed their story, the inspector sighed deeply and got up from his seat.

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the situation. 2 people from different walks of life caught in a situation so complex, I am a movie buff myself even though I find a lot of impractical things happening on screen, however, never did I expect to see a case such as this in my office.” Inspector Shergill commented.

“We need your help, sir. You need to believe us that we did it at gun point. I was threatened, they said they will kill my family and I had no other choice.” Said Rohan.

“I have nobody waiting for me, sir, even then I still feel I have a life of mine which I cannot spoil.” Said Arjun.

“It is ok, people. I do believe you. Anyone in your place would have done the same. Whatever has happened to both of you is a result of circumstances but now that we know the truth, it is time that the real culprits are brought to justice.” Said the inspector.

The inspector then received a call from the sub-inspector on his mobile, the latter explained the situation, “Sir, we were successful in reaching the location, however, even after repeated warnings they started firing at us. We had to fire back. Some of the goons have been captured; however, the main culprits have most probably been killed. I have sent the bodies for post mortem and also, assigned some officers to find the identity of the people dead.”

“This is bad, Kaushik. We needed to know who these people were who planned this terrorist attack.. Anyway, I need a report of this and do bring the others to the station. We will try to wring out the truth from them.” Said Inspector Shergill, Kumar acknowledged and hung up the call.

Inspector Shergill looked at the duo and passed on the news to them. The duo couldn’t believe it and stared at each other.

“Well, they were digging their own grave. I guess their time had come. We are safe now, Rohan. I don’t think we need to be worried about anything now.” Said Arjun with a smile, and Rohan smiled back.

Suddenly, Bala’s mobile that was kept on Inspector Shergill’s table started to ring. The people in the office stared at the mobile confused. Inspector Shergill looked at the screen which flashed the name BOSS.

“Well, call it a stroke of luck, looks like the hunter is all set to be hunted.” Inspector Shergill commented with a smile and then, answered the phone on speaker mode.

The people in the inspector’s office were in for a shock as a man spoke in a confident tone.

“I believe this phone is in the police station and those miserable oafs, Arjun and Rohan are over there feeling safe, I suppose. Well, why shouldn’t you be? Both of you will be brandished as heroes for helping in the successful elimination of my right-hand man, Salim.

I must accept though that slowly and steadily he was becoming a pain in my ass and was working towards taking over my ‘throne’, however, you people have actually helped in killing my competition and I am really thankful for that. I wish to thank both of you in person, so I would request you to come to my place along with the briefcase and the remote.

If you fail to comply, then I will have to take a drastic step. I have Rohan’s family with me – his mother and his sister. I believe Rohan would want them alive.”

Rohan was shocked and looked at everyone in the office. He then heard his mother and sister screaming on the phone to help them. Rohan was in tears now; he stood up, walked towards the phone and begged for their lives, “Don’t do anything to them. You hear me, don’t you dare do anything to them. Your enmity is with me and not with my family.”

Arjun got up from his seat and dragged Rohan away from the phone trying to subdue him and make him control his emotions.

“Well, Rohan, you are right. However, I have a bad habit of taking things a bit too personally and therefore, work a bit harder to satisfy my anger by taking out my competition. I cannot accept an unemployed security guard and a millionaire turned pauper to become heroes without any reason. I guess I don’t have to say anything further. Bring the briefcase and the remote to me, and I assure you... no harm will come to your family. My mind can change if necessary... yet, I assure you. Come to the open fields close to the sector 18 bus stand and my men will come and pick you up.”

The man disconnected the call immediately, the police officials were in touch with the surveillance to track the location, however they failed.

“They were unable to track the number. They were calling from an international number that was untraceable.” Said the official from the surveillance.

“We are dealing with an underworld don then. How else would someone have the courage to threaten someone even when the mobile has been confiscated by us?” Inspector Shergill asked himself.

“They have my family, Arjun. They weren’t lying about it. It looks like they had planned everything from the start. They either knew about us or were stalking us to be a bait for their terrorist attempt.” Said Rohan.

“Indeed, we could have ignored this if it involved only us but they have taken your family. We cannot risk their lives. We have to do what he has asked us to do. We have to leave now before something bad happens.” Said Arjun.

“It is obvious that they don’t want the police to follow you. He may have not said it, but I know too well. That doesn’t mean I will send you both without trying to protect you people and then take the fight to the enemies. Take a seat both of you and let us plan.” Said Inspector Shergill.

 

Chapter 7 - Revielle

 

After an hour, Arjun and Rohan were dropped at the open fields as ordered by the boss. When the police jeep left, the duo waited for 10 minutes before an SUV came and stopped near them. 4 men came out, put a cloth mask on the duo and pushed them into the SUV. The duo had no idea where they were going, however, it was a 30 minutes drive to the destination they were taken to. The SUV stopped on a barren land, the 4 men brought out the duo and then walked a bit further. One of the men then cleared the ground to reveal a door to an underground bunker. The man opened the door and climbed down closely followed by the others.

Once deep inside the bunker, the men removed the cloth masks. The duo took some time to grasp where they were, they saw a man in a costly attire along with his goons. They also saw 4 more men; their attire and their looks were enough to indicate that they were terrorists. There was a man gagged and tied, and made to sit on a chair. The briefcase was placed on the table in front of the man indicating that he was the one who created the bomb. The man in the costly attire signalled a goon, the latter acknowledged and walked away from the place. One of the terrorists untied the man, then pointing his gun at the latter, ordered him to check the bomb.

“I am Roshan, the leader of this pack. Salim was my right-hand man who was doing his job well but then... I guess we are all humans and sometimes, we do make a mistake. The problem is that in our line of business, mistakes like the one Salim committed can be costly for all us and we have no other choice but to mend it either by removing all loose ends or by being removed as a loose end.

Salim’s move was right to kidnap 2 unknown people who would do our bidding the way we want them to, however, you guys have proved costly for us all. Salim is dead, some of my men at that hideout are dead. The police are on to us and are definitely searching for us, though it will be hard for them for we will be out of here before they know it.” Said Roshan.

Rohan then saw the goon who walked away from the place bringing his mother and sister with him. They looked at Rohan and started to cry, the former got up and was about to walk towards them but Roshan stopped him.

“Stay where you are, you will get your chance to meet your family but I have not finished talking.” Roshan commanded, and Rohan had no other choice but to listen.

The programmer spoke up in a shivering voice, “This is a programming issue, the codes were incorrect because of which the remote failed to connect. The remote has the ability to activate the bomb regardless of the range, however, due to an error in the code, the remote failed.”

“It is obvious that we brought in an idiot to create a bomb for us. However, it is also natural for the best programmer in town to fear for his and his family’s life, so, mistakes are bound to happen. However, as rightly said by Roshan, mistakes can be too costly for us but we have to stick to our mission. So... I am giving you another chance. Reprogram the bomb and I assure you we will let you go... as promised.” Said Kasim, signalling his comrade to remove the gun from the programmer’s head and back off.

The programmer wiped his forehead and got to work. Meanwhile, Inspector Shergill and his men had tracked the duos last known location and reached the place, however, they were not able to find any building or base.

“Are you sure this is the place?” asked Inspector Shergill.

“Cent percent, sir, the tracker we fit on Arjun’s shirt is showing this place. What is even more interesting is that the signal from the tracker is coming from the same place we are standing. Even if they would have removed the tracking device, we should have found it lying over here.” said the sub-inspector.

Inspector Shergill thought hard, something clicked though he was unsure about it.

“Are you telling me that there is a base just below where we are standing? A secret hideout below this ground?” Inspector Shergill asked looking at the sub-inspector.

“Your guess is good as mine, sir. There is no other conclusion to it.” The sub-inspector seconded Inspector Shergill’s view.

“Indeed, that is about the size of it. We need to find the door of that secret hideout. Get to work, people. We are running out of time.” Said Inspector Shergill.

Back at the hideout, the programmer finished his work and then looked at Kasim.

“I have corrected it. I need the remote now to check the connection.” Said the programmer.

“Arjun and Rohan, hand me the remote.” Kasim commanded.

The duo looked at each other, they realized that they did not have the remote. It was with Bala.

“Bala had it and he never gave it to us. He is dead and so are his goons. We don’t have the remote with us.” Said Arjun.

Roshan, Kasim and all the others were alarmed at this information. Roshan then punched Arjun on his stomach in anger, the latter winced in pain and knelt on the ground. While Rohan helped Arjun back on his feet, Roshan said, “In all my years in this business, I have never ever come across a situation like this. Every minute... every second of my life is getting irritating.”

“I need my bag. I will program another remote. You people have to give me time.” Said the programmer.

“Well, time is what we don’t have, yet we have no other choice but to wait. Give him his bag and let him do his job.” Said Kasim.

On the other side, the goon who had the remote with him was hiding in his friend’s house. He took out his mobile, took out the sim from it and broke it. Keeping the mobile on the table, he then checked his pockets and took out the remote. He kept the remote on the table and walked away from the place. A little boy who lived in that house was attracted to the remote, he walked towards it, took it and then walked into his room.

At the same time, the programmer had programmed another remote for use. Once he was satisfied that the remote was connected to the bomb, he handed over the remote to Kasim.

“Splendid! Now we can go on with the mission. We have had a rough time with these people which we did not expect but I guess we need to do this job ourselves.” Said Kasim.

“Yes, indeed, real rough time. You people have done or tried to do a great service for us, but things don’t always work out the way we want to. Loose ends are still loose ends and we need to cut them out. Take these people to the surface and... finish them. There should be no trace of them.” Said Roshan.

The Programmer, Arjun, Rohan and his family were shocked to hear that. The goons grabbed them and whisked them away. The programmer was screaming for mercy and to be released but no one was listening.

On the surface, Inspector Shergill and his team was still looking for the door but couldn’t find it.

“We cannot find it this way, sir. I am not saying we should give up but I guess we need to use something advanced to find the door.” Said the sub-inspector.

“Contact the command centre and tell them. Call for back up too. We don’t know how many men we are up against.” Said Inspector Shergill.

Suddenly, the people saw a door open upwards about 20 feet away from them. Surprised, they got down on the ground and watched silently. The goons had brought out all the people with them. Inspector Shergill and the sub-inspector recognized Arjun and Rohan. The goons made the captured people stand in a line and then aimed their guns at them.

“This is not good. Stop them, officers, fire at will.” Inspector Shergill ordered.

The team fired at the goons killing them all while the captured people heaved a sigh of relief.

“Arjun, Rohan, are you people alright?” Inspector Shergill asked.

“Never been better, Sir. You came right on time and it is a stroke of luck that these goons brought us up here to finish us.” Arjun replied.

The inspector looked at the programmer and asked, “Who is he?”

“He is the man who created the bomb. He was kidnapped by the terrorists and made to design the bomb.” Arjun replied again.

The programmer explained his situation, “I am a bomb expert working for the military. I could have given my life instead of listening to them but they had also kidnapped by family, they threatened to kill them if I didn’t do what they demanded. I became weak and for the sake of my family, I had to listen to them.”

Meanwhile, the little boy still had the remote in his hands. He was exploring the device till his eyes fell on the red button. He clicked it. Back at the secret hideout, Roshan, Kasim and the others were planning to move immediately through a back door when suddenly they heard the bomb in the briefcase beeping. Before they could understand what it was, the briefcase exploded, the bomb was a strong one as the ground shook and then caved in downwards.

Inspector Shergill was quick to realize and ordered everyone to run from the place. They ran as fast as they could as the ground continued to cave in. Soon, the caving in stopped, the people reached a safe distance and then looked back. There was a huge hole in the same area that they had stood before and they could only look at the hole with shock and awe.

“They made me create this. This devil of a bomb... I was forced to create it as they threatened to kill my family. I am a sinner.” Said the programmer with remorse.

Inspector Shergill comforted him, “Any person in your position would have done this to protect their family. Look at the bright side though, the bomb that they wanted you to create resulted in their death. You are no sinner, just a person caught by a circumstance.”

Arjun and Rohan were still looking at the hole confused. They did not have the remote with them and therefore, were unable to understand how the bomb exploded. Arjun then remembered what the programmer had said before, the remote was designed and programmed to detonate the bomb regardless of range.

“One of the goons still had the remote with him. It is possible he would have accidently clicked it. Neither the goon nor us would have ever thought about the bomb being reprogrammed again.” Said Arjun.

“The bomb did not explode when we took it to the railway station, yet, it exploded here. What will you call this? Stroke of luck. It would have exploded anywhere yet, it exploded here.” Exclaimed Rohan.

“Crime never pays, the most common yet glaring reality about our life.” Inspector Shergill said, he then turned to the sub-inspector and said, “We need to find out if anyone survived this. Get in touch with the command centre, we need all the support to search and clear this mess.”

The sub-inspector acknowledged and radioed in immediately.

Arjun and Rohan were acquitted from the case and were posthumously rewarded for their bravery and assistance in avoiding the terrorist attack. The explosion from the bomb was so strong that it was said that a lot of bodies were not found, and it was imperative that no one survived it. The programmer that they encountered in the secret hideout was also acquitted and was re-united with his family.

A month after the incident, Arjun and Rohan were at the same beach where they first met.

“That was one hell of a day. I still don’t believe it happened to us. Thank God we all survived otherwise, anything would have happened that day.” Arjun commented.

“You said it. We are fortunate enough to have survived that.” Said Rohan.

They sat silent for sometime enjoying the waves crash on to the shore and a cool breeze blowing. They were sad no more; they did not seem worried about their future anymore. They were survivors of a situation so bitter that another person’s bitter worries would seem nothing to them.

“I heard you have been given a job, a government job, I guess?” asked Arjun.

“Yes, I will be joining next week. My family was so happy. Now I can fulfil my dreams and my family’s dreams.” said Rohan.

“You bet. Congratulations, your future is secured from what I can see.” Said Arjun.

“What about you? What are your plans now?” Rohan asked.

Arjun sighed deeply and started, “I have a friend of mine in Dubai, I had helped him set up a business there a couple of years ago and he is doing well. He heard about what happened to me here. He contacted me and told me to join him in his business. He said he is indebted to me and that I should be part of his venture now. I am thinking about it, yet... I am not so sure.”

“You are a gem of a person. I used to think that rich people, especially people of your age are spoilt brats but you have made me realize that not all of them are like that. We deserve everything in life and therefore, it is not the fault of anyone to not crave for it. I think you should go. Besides, your father was a good man, I don’t think he would rest in peace if he looks at his son facing problems because of the mistakes he committed. This is life, and when you are getting a chance, you must take it.” Said Rohan.

Arjun looked at Rohan and smiled.

As the sun slowly set, Arjun and Rohan realized that it was time to leave. They got up from their place and then shook hands.

“Never in my life did I imagine that I would make a friend in the weirdest situation ever. Keep in touch, buddy and know this, you need anything, all you have to do is call me.” Said Arjun.

Rohan smiled, the duo hugged each other and then started to walk away from the place.

THE END