Nine: Vengeance of the Warrior (16 page)

‘That’s true, we will be the first ones the Kalingan will come after,’ Tara deduced. ‘He knows us and can recognize us.’

‘Oh no!’ Akash exclaimed. ‘And how do we protect ourselves? We clearly made the Kalingan damn mad the last time.’

‘At least the Chintamani is safe,’ Raakin said, trying to bring in an optimistic note.

‘So what do you want from us?’ Zubin asked.

Raakin paused for a moment as if choosing his words. ‘As much as you all dislike me, I do care about you. I want to make sure you are safe. The Senior Six have decided that you three worked well together as a team. You have been successful before and you are deserving of additional powers. They would like you to go to the Barabar Hills to assimilate the new powers.’

‘So, in essence we have to go back and fight the Kalingan again,’ Zubin said. He stood up, pacing restlessly.

‘Damn right,’ Akash said, sounding excited.

‘I live in Mumbai and can help find this person,’ Tara offered. ‘Send me more details as they come in.’

Zubin returned to his seat. ‘We must connect with the Senior Six. They are wiser and more in tune with the workings of the Nine than we are.’

Raakin nodded. ‘I agree but only after you have assimilated your new powers.’

‘So what you’re saying is that we get additional powers and then the three of us must fight, while the Senior Six will guide us?’ Tara asked.

‘That’s great!’ Akash retorted, scrabbling out of bed. ‘Now I understand what heroes are all about.’

‘It’s not to be taken lightly,’ Raakin said, raising his hand. ‘The Senior Six are impressed with your courage and feel that you are perfectly balanced to face this evil threat. You are also more in tune with the modern world and will be able to handle the negativity. They will be there as your guardians—watching over you.’

Zubin didn’t look happy knowing that his life was about to be disrupted again. ‘So what’s the next step?’

‘The Kalingan will mobilize his team of Kala Yogis. He will send out his people to find you and then plan his attack. He will want to get to the Chintamani. I don’t know how far he can go to find it, but other than the Nine—and myself—no one is aware of the location. Let’s hope we have to deal with facing only him and destroying this entity.’

In his previous avatar, the Kalingan had almost got hold of the Chintamani fragments. That would have been the end of the era of the Nine. Raakin shuddered at the thought. The Three—Tara, Akash and Zubin—had stopped him in the nick of time. The Three were special. They were like the Holy Trinity—complete in essence and, therefore, powerful.

‘I understand we will have to find the woman and lead her to a place where the spirit can be released and trapped,’ Tara said, thinking aloud. ‘But I don’t want to deal with that warrior spirit again …’

Raakin did not pay attention to her misgivings. He knew that would be treading dangerous territory. He said, ‘I will keep you all posted. In the meantime, you have to prepare yourselves. The sooner you get to the Barabar Hills the better.’

‘I look forward to teaming up with you guys!’ Akash said with enthusiasm. ‘We were victorious the last time, facing up to the Kalingan, subduing him and keeping the Chintamani safe. Bloody hell, we deserve medals! King Ashoka would be proud of us if he were alive today!’

Everyone laughed and lightened up. This was Akash, after all!

Raakin, however, was serious. ‘Yes, you deserve accolades and they are the additional powers you will be given in order to enhance and complement your current abilities. The Seniors are very confident about you guys and have, therefore, placed this huge responsibility on you. So, please head to the Barabar Hills as soon as you can. It is a matter of great urgency.’

Zubin softened his stance. ‘Okay,’ he sighed, ‘I’ll let you know when I can leave.’

‘As soon as you decide, let me know,’ Tara said.

‘I can leave next week,’ Akash replied.

Raakin looked a little less troubled. ‘I know I can rely on my team of superheroes. Thank you!’ he said, trying to pump some zest into them.

‘Thank us later,’ Zubin said grimly.

The three instinctively touched their implants. The Senior Six had sent them a message to meet.

17

Tejaswi

The Kalingan, renewed and invigorated, felt the surge of feminine power. He intended to completely intertwine with Tejaswi’s spirit. Tejaswi was so consumed by her need to destroy Karl that she plotted for days. Her personality was overwhelmingly strong. And she was the perfect match for him. Soon she would help him achieve his goal. The Kalingan had all the time in the world to destroy the Nine.

She experienced periodic blackouts and those were the times when he could formulate his plan: the Kalingan was in total control when she was not. He was slowly melding with her and the balance of feminine and masculine energies was the ultimate power, the shakti of humankind. And when a man is able to tap into his emotional, feminine and nurturing side, he will be in tune with the spirit of Mother Earth, powerful enough to turn any thought to reality. Powerful enough to annihilate the enemy. He felt the tightening in her throat, it was the emotion of achievement, of being able to live again, to power up. The emotion spilled out of her eyes. The Kalingan felt the beauty of this sensitivity, a feeling of gratitude empowered his core too.

The Kalingan worked on his plans while Tejaswi’s consciousness was in a blank space. He was going to find the Three who had fought him. He knew their identities. All he needed was to find their location. He would rally together his troupe of Kala Yogis and then, with her strength, he would kill each one of those hypocritical do-gooders. But his first priority was to get the Chintamani. He had failed the last time. This time, he would make sure that the Chintamani fragments were in his possession before destroying the trio.

There was so much more to Tejaswi: she was going to be his intellectual force, he would be her emotional strength. This rush of anger was invigorating. He would accomplish much by inhabiting her body. Tejaswi was true to her name, she was
tej
—fire. He would take full advantage of her fiery spirit. Kill two birds with one stone—her vengeance and his.

Tejaswi called Anita five days after she had settled into her home. Anita’s phone went into voicemail. She left a message.

Tejaswi had slowly regained the strength to face her fears. She studied the papers that would hand over the lease of her property to Karl’s company. Karl ran a shoe shop next door, one of many in the city. He wanted her store to expand his business in the local area. The notarized documents needed her signature to finalize the deal.

‘I am still afraid,’ she said to herself.

Don’t be … The man will suffer for what he has done to you, I promise …
The Kalingan within her responded.

‘I don’t want to confront him.’

You have to fulfil your mission …

‘But …’

Try it … It’s just a phone call … Tell him you won’t sell … Simple …

Tejaswi’s hand trembled when she dialled his number. His voice was a short, sharp hello. Tejaswi squeezed her eyes shut, the memories flashed back, the love, the betrayal, then the humiliation; it drained her of strength. His hellos were impatient, angry. ‘I know this number,’ Karl snarled. Then suddenly, his voice was all husky. ‘My beautiful one-eyed Tej, do you want to get together? I would love to stab your other eye out!’

Tejaswi doubled over, hurled the phone against the wall. It cracked and fell to the floor in pieces.

Coward!
the Kalingan roared.
You are a fiery spirit … I know you have the power to face your enemy. You cannot let fear get to you or you will be a good-for-nothing … Show some courage, woman! Face the fear!
Tejaswi was a mass of trembling flesh, curled up, crying like a baby.

I have to do something about this …
the Kalingan spat angrily.
You insult me and my warrior code … I thought you were tougher …

Tejaswi was lost in her grief.

Then his voice was soft and gentle.
You have not killed before, have you?

‘Leave me alone!’

18

Anita

‘Grandma, I’m going to London,’ Anita said. They were sitting in the small veranda of their home. It offered a partial sea view, obscured by the concrete skeletons of buildings that had erupted over the years. The construction was still incomplete.

Despite the unsightly buildings, noise and air pollution, Anita’s grandmother enjoyed sitting in her well-worn armchair. She looked serene while she sipped on green tea.

‘With your boyfriend?’

Anita shook her head. ‘Grandma, it’s about Grandpa’s Ashoka journals. I’m doing my own research. His notes seem incomplete. There are no details of the secret society of the Nine, he just wrote a short brief on it. I am this close to finding proof and I’m sure Grandpa would be proud of me.’

Grandma leaned forward and clasped Anita’s hands. ‘I beg of you, stop your research. It’s dangerous. Besides, what will you gain from it? Why do you want to know about the Nine? What is it to you, anyway?’

‘Why? Grandma, why do you stop me?’ Anita pulled away. ‘What are you hiding from me? I don’t understand … Tell me, Grandma, it’s time you told me.’

Her grandmother shifted uncomfortably, staring at the unsightly building. ‘I suppose you are right,’ she finally said, letting out a sigh. ‘You should know what you’re getting yourself into. Maybe then you will stop this stupid chase.’

Anita waited for her to speak.

Grandma seemed a hundred miles away, her face a mask of fear. ‘Your grandfather worked for the defence research department. I don’t know the details but he was involved in particular with weapons development. He was part of a team; they were working on developing laser technology—something about guns and beams. Your Grandpa was very excited about the project. There were some glitches in the process of developing this technology, some areas where they couldn’t figure out how to control the capacity of the power. I’m not sure about the rest. Your grandfather spent months poring over the data, and working and reworking his experiments. But he couldn’t solve the problem.’ She stopped.

‘And then what happened?’ Anita asked breathlessly.

‘You know Grandpa was an obsessive man. If something bothered him, he would dwell on it for hours until he solved it. I see that trait in you.’

Anita smiled and patted her grandmother’s hand.

‘One day, after months of search, he came home happy and enthusiastic. He laughed and joked and said it was the best day of his life because the problem had been solved.’

‘How?’

Grandma stared at her. ‘I asked him the same thing and he said he got the answer anonymously.’

‘Anonymously?’

‘Yes … he found a sheet of paper on his desk with data that would solve the problem. It was placed on top of the project file, where one couldn’t possibly miss it.’

‘And what’s odd about that? One of the other scientists from his team must have left it there for him.’

‘No. This was different. He said the solution was ingenious and unusual, in the sense that no one could have reached that conclusion without years of research and tests.’

‘So did he try it out and did it work?’

‘Yes, it worked, and that’s why he was totally intrigued. It was a mystery and he wanted to meet the person who had given him the answer.’

‘He must have asked around?’ Anita retorted. ‘Surely, he must have said that someone had given him the answer.’

‘His peers thought he was being modest. His seniors were impressed. He received honours for completing the project successfully. The department owes a lot to your Grandpa for the success of their laser technology.’

‘That’s wonderful. I am sure Grandpa was thrilled.’

‘He was thrilled, but didn’t want to take credit for the advancement of the project. He was the head of the project and had worked with passion and dedication for years. Based on his research, he was convinced that the solution could only be the work of someone from the future or with superhuman capabilities. Your grandfather just didn’t let the matter go. He tried to put together a list of scientists and researchers who had worked in the department. Access to scientist data files was restricted; it was a matter of national security. It was difficult for him to find the person who had given him the answer, but he pressed on. He narrowed it down to a few scientists who were experts in his field and with whom he had interacted during his time there.’