Chapter 1

February 2005,


Mumbai,


Late evening,


It had been four says since Krishna had gone for the school trip. Arjun stood in front of a shelf in his house, thinking aloud, “Aai! We need a larger shelf to keep our shields, medals and trophies.”



“Why dear?” Durga asked from kitchen, she was busy preparing the dinner.



“This shelf is too small, as now there will be loads of trophies coming in our house!” Arjun said coming in the kitchen, with an envelope.



“Stop making riddles and state clearly, what’s the news?”



“Well, our Krish is selected to play for the state, she’s been selected in the 25 meters air-pistol shooting team! That means, she’ll play for the state, then the nationals and then go for the internationals!” Arjun’s voice beamed with pride.



“One more day and my headache will be back!” Durga said dreamily.



“Aai? When is Baba returning from his trip?”



“In one or two days. Why?”



“We have to order a larger shelf, so.”



“Oh Arjun! Let her go to play first, then win, then we’ll bring in the ‘large shelf’!” Durga said taking the dinner and placing it on the table. “Come, sit for the dinner.”



“The house seems so silent without my Kishu!” Arjun said sadly, picking the plate, but he had no appetite for the delicacies served.



“It is the silence before the storm, Kishu will be back soon.” Durga said, placing rotis in Arjun’s plate.



“Aai, just one roti please, I’m not hungry.”



“I know, Kishu isn’t here so you can’t put in your half extra roti in her plate, and that’s why you’re ‘not hungry’, come on now, eat this up.”



They’d just finished the dinner when the doorbell rang. And a constant knocking was heard.



“I’ll open.” Arjun said and almost ran to open the door. “Baba?” He said as he opened the door, to find an elderly man, in his fifties, standing at the door, deeply worried. Both of them came in. Durga brought a glass of water.



“Durga, pack up some clothes and few essentials in a bag, quick. Arjun, you and Krishna too. Be quick, we don’t have time to waste.” Shiva said as he walked towards his room, while Arjun and Durga stood shocked.



Durga asked, “Shiva? What is the matter? And where are we going?”



Shiva said in a tensed voice, “Leave it to me, just do as I say, and where’s Kishu?”



“You’ve been too forgetful lately Shiva! Kishu has gone for her school trip to Mahabaleshwar.”



“Why did you let her go? You should’ve at least asked me before sending her!” Shiva blasted at Durga.



Durga was shocked at the sudden outburst, “Shiva! What happened? Why are you so tensed, please tell me.”



“Pack your things, quick!” Shiva said and picked his phone.



Within a few minutes, Durga and Arjun had packed some essentials and clothes and came with their bags. Shiva had finished the call by now but seemed far more disturbed than before. He turned to Durga, gently kissed her forehead. “Take care of yourself and don’t worry.”



Durga had tears in her eyes; she knew something was terribly wrong. “Shiva? Please tell me what...” Shiva placed his finger on her lips, “Leave it to me. Trust me, everything will be fine.” Though he himself wasn’t sure of it but he reassured Durga.



“Arjun, you’re a grown up boy now. Take good care of your mother and always do what you feel is right. I know that my son would never do anything wrong.” Shiva ruffled Arjun hair and pecked his forehead lovingly. “I’m going to bring Krishna back. Take care.” He turned and left his house.



Before Durga and Arjun could understand what was really happening, some security guards come to their house and escorted them to a safe-house.

~

Shiva tried hard to contact Krishna but her cell was unreachable every time. After a few minutes, he gets a call. He picks up at the first ring and breathes deeply hearing, “Baba!” Krishna spoke from the other end, her voice was shaky.



“Krishna? Beta how are you? I’ve been calling you since long, where are you?” Shiva rained all the questions in one breathe.



“Baba, I was at the school camp in Mahabaleshwar...” and the line went off.



Shiva called the same number again but it was switched off. He was on his way to Mahabaleshwar. After five and half hours he reached the camp area. He had got its details from the school authorities.



The camp was already awake, they were preparing for the day’s adventure when they had realized that Krishna was missing. They were just going to search for her when Shiva arrived there.



“It’s good that you’re here, Mr. Rawte.” said one of the teachers. “Krishna has been missing and we were going to start searching her.”



“When and where did you see her at last?” questioned Shiva.



“At night after the dinner we went to our tents to sleep, and in the morning, she wasn’t there in the tent.” said one of her friend.



Shiva’s cell rang; he heard a rough, manly voice over the cell, “Shiva! Your daughter is with us! Want to see her safe? Then do as I say or else...” There was a thundering laughter and the line went off. Shiva’s fears had come true. “They‘ve kidnapped her.” He almost whispered.



Soon he received another call, “Shiva, you have two options, either see your daughter safe or dead. Come on the highway. There’s a black van, get in it.” Shiva did as he was asked to. He got in the black van, one man blindfolded him and other tied his hands and the van zoomed off.



After a few minutes, which seemed life ages, the van stopped. One man dialed a number and Shiva heard the same voice again, “Shiva, give us the sensitive information, and see your daughter alive.”



“NO! You won’t get that information ever!” Shiva almost yelled.



“We’ll kill your daughter then.”



“NO!” Shiva’s voice trembled.



The van started and stopped again after about half an hour. He was dragged out of the van and taken somewhere. He was dropped on ground. He felt being pulled up by someone, holding his hair. That person pulled off the cloth from his eyes.



“Hello Shiva!” It was the same voice. The man looked a perfect villain, long grown beard, messy hair, cold, menacing eyes would send a chill down any normal person’s spine, but not Shiva Rawte, he looked straight into his eyes, fearlessly.



“Shiva, tell us about the nuclear missiles, Maithili. I know that you have all the information regarding it. Share it with us.” That man said in a cold voice.



“I won’t tell you.” Shiva stated in a crystal clear way. He saw Krishna, lying unconscious in one corner. “Krishna!” He called her.



“She’s unconscious, but if you don’t give us what we want, she’ll be dead.” That man threatened Shiva.



“No!” Shiva said again. That man punched Shiva hard in his stomach and caught him by hair again. “Won’t tell us?” He slapped him and blood spurted out from Shiva’s mouth.



A gun shot was heard and everyone’s eyes turned in that direction, one man fell down, dead before they could understand who killed him, there were five other men, dead. All of them were shot right in the middle of their head.

~ 

Krishna had gained consciousness when Shiva was brought in the warehouse, but she posed being unconscious. She saw her father being tortured and she felt broken. She saw a gun lying beside her. Taking the chance, she held it and shot the man who was nearest to her. Then she hid behind few boxes and started shooting the men, right in their heads. She had killed six of them, when she realized that her pistol was empty now.



Shiva was shocked to see his daughter holding a gun and shooting. She had learnt pistol shooting in her school as a game, but shooting dartboards and real targets has a lot of difference. He knew that soon enough these men would drain her with bullets. He got up and ran to save her life. He shielded her and took all bullets on his body.



“BABA!!” Krishna let out a heart wrenching cry for the last time.

~

Few hours later, the Mahabaleshwar police found two dead bodies, a middle-aged man and a young girl. The man’s body was ridden with bullets; almost fifteen bullets had pierced various parts of his body, killing him instantly. The girl’s body was badly burnt and also had some bullets in her body.



The bodies were identified as that of Shiva Rawte and his daughter Krishna Rawte. The hell broke loose when Durga and Arjun got this news. The bodies were brought to Mumbai and cremated.



Durga was distraught after seeing the dead bodies of her husband and daughter. Her happy little family was broken, her little world, her family was shattered into pieces. She cried out loudly, her tears were unstoppable.



Arjun tried hard to console his mother, but he knew he couldn’t do it. He let his mother cry on his shoulder for long, till her tears had almost dried and she felt too tired. He somehow made her fall asleep and went to his room.



He took one of the pictures of Krishna and held it tight. He had been posing strong in front of his mother, but he couldn’t do it any more.



He gently moved his fingers across the frame, “Krishna, from when did you start taking my talks seriously?” He talked to the frame, as if it was really Krishna, “I never really meant that you should not come back, I was just joking dear, why you took it so seriously?” He asked her and tears made their way down his eyes, “I haven’t been happy, not even for a single minute since I dropped you at the school for the trip, not happy to play the games alone, not satisfied to have food without sharing half a roti with you, I’m not happy to see the room all neat and tidy, it always looks good when you mess it.” He smiled lightly as he remembered the messed room, “Come back to mess my room again, come back to play our game, come back to take up your share of roti room my plate, come back to play all the mischief’s, come back to hear the scolding, come back, your Dau is calling you!” He yelled amidst his tears, “Come back for your Dau, come for your Aai, please come back Kishu, please!” Arjun broke down, crying his heart out, “Krish… please...you can’t leave us...no...” He kept mumbling and wailing, holding the frame tight in his hands.

~ ~ ~

Chapter 2

Arjun and Durga were escorted by a security guard in a white ambassador car and taken into an old looking, huge governmental building. The insides of the building were totally different from that it seemed from outside. The British era’s building looked like a castle from outside, but it was a modern day busy office inside.




A lot of uniformed and casual dressed people were working inside; all were as busy as bee. Some working on computers and phones, others rushing in and out of cubicles with files. The guard led them towards the lift and they stopped at the third floor.




They reached at the end of the corridor, Arjun read the nameplate and wondered why they were called here. They entered the huge cabin. At the rear end, an important looking man in his fifties sat behind the table, on a leather chair. He had jet black hair, and his eyes held strange calmness.




There was a glass table and three chairs were placed across it, a small flag of India and another flag had the symbol of R.A.W. There were pictures of national leaders, revolutionaries and presidents hung on the walls. A shelf in right corner had some shields and trophies and certificates too.




The guard saluted the important looking man and left.






The man stood up, “I am Colonel Dustin Coelho. Please take a seat Mrs. Rawte.” Arjun, Durga and Coelho took their respective seats.






“We got to know about Shiva’s death.” He paused for a moment, “He was one of our best, and the most trusted agents. He sacrificed his life to save the lives of millions of Indians, we are very proud of him.”




Durga couldn’t understand what he was talking about. ‘Trusted agent’, ‘Sacrificed his life’ What exactly was going on? What did Shiva really do? Were the talking about her Shiva, or was there some sort of misunderstanding? Durga was utterly confused.




Coelho read her thoughts and answered them directly, “Shiva was a R.A.W. agent, who was also known as ‘Hawk’.” He revealed the secret and waited for them to digest it.




“What are you saying? I mean that's not possible! He was a government clerk not an agent!” Durga exclaimed in confusion.




“No, Shiva was a R.A.W. agent in disguise as a clerk. Now I need a few answers from you.” Coelho forwarded a picture, “Do you know him?”




Durga recognized the person immediately, “Sikander, Shiva’s cousin.”




Coelho interjected, “Not really. They were as close as brothers but only related by the profession. He was the buddy partner for Shiva. Every disk, every bit of information was shared by them." 

He revealed more truths but cautiously.  "They worked as a duo, a constant backup to each other. Sikander was also known as ‘Eagle’ and the duo were called ‘The Watchers’. They both were best together, solving the most complicated and difficult bits of cases. They were brilliant and everything was fine until someone bought Sikander off...” He stopped as another voice cut him short. 

“Or has been using the mask of Sikander and the actual Sikander is long dead.” Arjun said quietly.




Coelho was a bit surprised at his statement, “And what makes you think so?”




“There were quite a few things that I felt weird when Sikander kaka visited us last time.” Arjun stated.




“Please elaborate.” Coelho looked intrigued.




“Firstly, he always referred Aai as Vahini and not Bhabhi.” Arjun stated in as a matter of fact manner. “Kaka had an accident few months ago, so he walked with a slight limp in his left leg, but this time he didn’t. When I asked how his leg was, he showed me his right leg and said that it was fine.”

 

He paused to remember, “Yet another thing was that Kaka always wore two rings in his left hand, in third and fourth finger, but last time there was only one ring which was different than the previous one. He always sat with his left leg crossed on his right one, but this time he didn’t sit like that. Kaka’s ears were pierced, while his weren’t. There was a strange difference in the way he talked, he seemed highly uncomfortable and not ‘at home’.” Arjun concluded.




Coelho looked admiringly at the prodigy teenager in front of him, "Gifted, truly gifted child!” He exclaimed, “You’re a keen observer. I’m impressed at the way you noticed the tiny details that others usually overlook. I really appreciate your work. You’ve got a bright future ahead.” Coelho applauded. 

Durga was half shocked and half broken, “This is impossible.” She cried, “I have known Shiva and Sikander for over twenty years. They were government clerks and not some agents.” She stated, “There is some misunderstanding. You have got some wrong information or you are talking about some other Shiva.”




She paused for some time to take in the information, “And if all this is true then when did all this start? And why didn’t Shiva tell me anything?” She tried to deny the truth, “My Shiva wouldn’t hide anything from me, no.” She cried. Arjun made vain efforts to calm her.




Coelho sympathized her, “Mrs. Rawte, there are some things which are highly confidential. Not knowing the real identity and work of Shiva saved you and your family millions of times. Not everyone around you is your well wisher Mrs. Rawte. They may be informers, or even enemies in disguise as friends.” He stopped as Durga became silent and drifted down the memory lane.

~*~

Early morning when the milkman came, Shiva offered to bring milk and he came back after almost 15 minutes.




“Shiva, what were you talking about with the milkman?” Durga asked as she kept the milk vessel to boil.




“What did you hear?” Shiva asked suspiciously.




“Nothing, that’s why I am asking you.” She replied.




He was relieved, “General chat, we talked about the recent price hikes and he was talking about increasing the milk charges.”




“Again? He just increased the price a month ago!” Durga exclaimed.




“What can I do? Raising prices are not in my hands, if I were the finance minister then something could be done!” He joked.




Next day when Durga asked the milkman he told her that he didn’t come the other day to her house, there was another man who offered to do the job and paid him hundred rupees so he agreed. She asked Shiva about this but he didn't give a satisfying reply.

~*~

Durga remembered how many times the regular vegetable vendors, washer-man, milkman changed occasionally, giving health or some other reasons for their replacements. She never took it seriously but noted the fact that all of them would definitely meet Shiva before leaving under one or other pretext. 

Shiva would usually go for a long walk with Sikander, and never return before an hour. They would have talks which seemed normal but she barely understood its meaning. Shiva’s disappearance for weeks, the official tours would always be all of a sudden and he would hardly return on the day he told her, it would always be two days early, or a week late. 

But she never doubted him because she loved him and trusted him more than herself. Now she felt that he misused her trust and cheated her entire life. She cursed the day she agreed to marry him.

~*~

Twenty years ago,




College Sports Room,




“Durga,” Shiva said lovingly, “There is something that I need to tell you since I saw you for the first time.” 

Durga felt very awkward under his intense gaze, “Durga, you’re the most beautiful girl in this world. I want you to make my life as beautiful as you are.” 

He cupped her face, “Your face should be the last thing that I see every night and first thing I see every morning. I want you to wake me with the music of your bangles, and a steaming hot cup of tea made by you would make my day worth. I want you to complete me and stay with me till my last breathe, and I wish to die in your arms.” 

He took a dart and threw it at the dartboard, still looking into her eyes, “You are my life,” He threw another dart, “Will you be my wife?” He threw the third dart.




She stood flabbergasted as she looked that all the three darts hit the exact enter, he asked her again, “Will you marry me Durga?” She nodded her head slightly.

 

“I promise you that the next girl I’ll ever fall in love with will be the one to call you ‘Aai’.” He said earnestly.

~*~

Durga cried out as she realized that Shiva had been lying to her since the first time they met. He always told her that he was working in a government office as a clerk, but now the reality dawned up to her that he was not an ordinary clerk but a special R.A.W. agent. She felt deceived. Arjun tried to calm his mother.




Coelho asked Arjun, “What is your age?”




“Eighteen.” Arjun answered.




“When did all this start?” Durga asked.




Coelho said, “When Shiva was eighteen.” He turned to Arjun and asked, “What do you plan to become? What are your goals for your career?”




“I want to become a hockey player. I’ve been the captain of the state team and I have been selected for the nationals. In a year or two you might see me playing for Indian Hockey Team.” Arjun replied confidently. “But why are you asking that?”




Durga suddenly realised, “You want him in the department?” She yelled, “Why?? Killing my Shiva wasn’t enough that now you want my son? How could you even think of it?” She got hysterical, “No, I won’t allow you to take my son in the department! I won’t send him to die. You have already killed my Shiva and my Krishna, but not my Arjun, he is the only one I have, please I can’t loose my son.”




Coelho said calming her, “Mrs. Rawte, I understand your feelings and I am sorry for your loss but please try and understand that your son is gifted with a rare talent, don’t waste it. He could easily spot out fake Sikander, he has got all the characteristics of being a good agent, and if trained, he will outdo his father.” 

He turned to Arjun, “And don’t you want to avenge your father and sister’s death Arjun?”




Arjun looked at his mother, who was nodding her head in no, he could see fear in her eyes, “I will avenge my father and sister, sir. I am ready to join the department.” He said with extreme confidence.




“No, Arjun, I can’t let you die, please my son listen to me.” Durga pleaded.




“Aai, I can’t let those murderers roam around freely, I know what I am doing, please don’t stop me.” Arjun explained his mother.




“Arjun, we will start your training next week, you okay with it?” Coelho asked.




“I’m fine with it, sir.” Arjun agreed.




It was a new beginning.

~*^*~

Prologue

February 2005,

Mumbai


A cozy little house where once lived a happy little family of Durga and Shiva Rawte, with their two children, their son Arjun and their younger daughter, Krishna.

It was late evening and the house seemed to be on fire, well Krishna was the reason.

"Aai!!" Krishna yelled from her room, "where's my pocket knife?" Fifteen year old Krishna, like her name, had a slightly dark complexion, large doe-shaped eyes, her curly hair neatly oiled and tied in two braids, and a sweet charming smile.

"Oh God this girl! What should I do?" Durga sighed as she reached Krishna's room to find it ransacked. This lady in her forties, fair-skinned, lovely-looking, was a perfect housewife and a caring mother. Her family was her life, she loved them more than her own life.

"I can't find a single thing here Aai!" Krishna almost cried.

"In this dustbin, not even the RAW agents will find the things you're looking for!" Durga displayed her sense of humor.

"But nothing's actually lost until Aai can't find it!" Arjun said from behind the bed. Eighteen year old Arjun, was a perfect amalgamation of his father's manly strength and his mother's charming grace. He had inherited fair skin from his mother. He was a mischievous yet obedient son.

"Arjun, come on, get on mission, you have to clear all the mess that your sister has created!" Durga ordered him.

"Come on quick, I have to finish the packing today itself, tomorrow morning, I'll be leaving at 5! Make it fast!" Krishna whined.

"O Maharani! We are not servants at your father's house, it's your work. Do it yourself!" Durga stated.

"Baba!! Let Baba come, I'll tell him everything!" Krishna said in a childlike tone.

"Listen, both of you are clearing this mess, or else no dinner for you!" Durga said and went back to kitchen.

"Dau! Where are you going?" Krishna asked as she saw Arjun going out.

"To meet my girlfriend, don't waste time, clean up this mess!" Arjun ordered her.

"We were doing it together!" Krishna exclaimed.

"You have created it, and you will clean it!" Arjun said emphasizing on you'.

"I'm going tomorrow, and if you behave like this I will not come back! I'll stay in the forest itself!" Krishna blackmailed him.

"Okay, stay there, not for five days, for your whole life! At least I won't have to share my things with you or clean the mess that you create or hear scolding for your mischief! I'll be the happiest one if you don't return from the forest camp!" Arjun said knowing the usual drama of blackmailing and getting the work done.

~~

Five days later,

A dead body of a man and a young girl was found, the girl's body was badly burnt, but the bodies were identified as that of Shiva Rawte and his daughter Krishna Rawte.

~~~