Vimana (20 page)

'Brahma, I'm not sure he will believe me, but you yourself said that his biggest weapon is temptation. He knows the one human weakness he can count on to exploit- our greed for money, for power. He has been doing that for years now. I could pretend that I have been seduced by an offer of money or power?'

By now, Indra, Vishnu, Shiva and Narada had come into the room. They had overheard much of the exchange and Vishnu spoke next.

'Aadi, it is brave of you to make such an offer, but there are too many unknowns. He may never believe you, the Asuras may just kill you outright the moment they see you, even if you do make it inside, and there is no way we can guarantee we can get you out.'

'And, my boy, there is also the risk that if he does want to extract information from you, you end up revealing too much of what you really know. After all, being the one human to have got so involved in our struggle, what you have in your head is what would make you most invaluable to Kalki.'

Aaditya started to protest at Indra's suggestion, but the Deva stopped him.

'Aadi, I know you are brave and you will say that you won't do anything like that, but even the strongest and bravest man will break under torture, especially the kind of torture Maya and his underlings are capable of dreaming up.'

With all the Devas against his plan, Aaditya began to lose hope. Suddenly, Ganesha burst into the room.

'Turn on the display. There's a message from Kalki.'

Kalki's voice boomed across the room once more. This time, his message was as short as it was menacing.

'Bye bye Bali.'

Aaditya watched as the Devas quickly brought up various news channels on their display. They all had the same leading news. An earthquake measuring over 8 on the Richter scale had struck the sea just off Bali. A monster tsunami wave was reported to be forming in the water.

Aaditya felt his pulse quicken, and his eyes sting from the tears that were beginning to form. How many thousands more were going to be sacrificed in this hellish game that Kalki seemed to be intent on playing? By now, the quakes and their devastating aftermath had become only too predictable, and as the Devas watched their satellite display, ten red dots appeared over Indonesian airspace.

'The bastard!'

Brahma spoke with a heavy sigh, ignoring Shiva's outburst. 'Turn it off. I don't want to watch more innocents be slaughtered without us being able to do anything about it.'

Narada had now come up behind Aaditya, and he felt Narada's hands on his shoulder, as if offering support. 'Brahma, perhaps the boy's plan, as crazy and hopeless as it sounds, is the only chance we have.'

All eyes in the room turned towards Brahma, knowing that the decision was his to make. Aaditya watched with bated breath as the Deva seemed to be weighing the decision before him. Finally he said just two words and walked out of the room.

'Do it.'

***

ELEVEN

'One room for the both of you, sir?'

The question seemed an innocuous one, but the tone in which the receptionist asked it was pointed enough.

'Yes, please,' Narada replied nonchalantly.

As the receptionist got around to processing the paperwork, Aaditya pulled Narada aside. 'Is it really necessary for the two of us to share a room? I mean, she thinks we're a couple.'

Narada kept looking in the distance, scanning for any sign of trouble.

'Aadi, I don't care if she thinks we're going to have a bloody orgy in there. I cannot let you out of my sight before the Asuras make contact.'

Aaditya sighed as Narada fished out his credit card to complete the formalities. That was one of the elements of the plan Narada had hatched. He was sure that the Asuras monitored calls and financial transactions just as the Devas did, and Aaditya was most certainly on their watch list after his role in the battles. A hotel reservation made in his name was sure to attract the attention of the Asuras.

Aaditya and Narada took the elevator up to their suite in the ITC Maratha Hotel in Mumbai.

'I like the buffet breakfast here,' had been Narada's reply when Aaditya had asked him why he had chosen this particular hotel.

As they entered the room, Aaditya took stock of the accommodations and then told Narada that he was going to take the couch in the living area.

'No offence, but I really don't fancy us cuddling together at night.'

'I am heartbroken,' Narada replied in mock despair.

The rest of the morning was spent rehearsing their plan, and by lunch, they were ready to give it a go. Narada left first, booking a hotel car to take him for a supposed business meeting. Aaditya left ten minutes later, taking a car to the In Orbit Mall, which he'd read was the largest mall in Southeast Asia. Narada could not be sure, but he had bet on the fact that if the Asuras had been alerted, they would prefer to tail Aaditya, thinking him a softer target. He was the first human the Devas had let  so deep in their ranks, and for him to be out and about so openly would mean that he had the Devas' full confidence.

The driver must have thought Aaditya was a tourist who had come to Mumbai for the first time in his life, the way he gawked at the crowds and traffic around him. Being around so many people after almost a year made him feel like an alien. He was sure things could not have changed so much in a year for them to seem so strange to him- or had he himself changed so much?

Fifteen minutes into the ride, Aaditya's earpiece buzzed with Narada's voice. 'They are right behind you. Two ugly daityas in black suits and sunglasses riding a silver Honda City.'

Aaditya looked behind cautiously, and sure enough, they were there.

'Narada, where the hell are you?'

Aaditya could hear the Deva chuckle.

'In a taxi right behind them
.'

As Aaditya's car came to a stop at the entrance to the mall, he felt his first real stab of fear. What had he got himself into? Now it was too late to back out. He would just have to carry through with the plan. The Honda was standing nearby, its engine idling. A security guard came over to tell the driver that he could not park there, but a glare from the giants inside the car sent the guard scurrying back. Aaditya just stood there, watching the daityas inside the car. It was a farce- they knew he was on to them, and obviously he knew who they were.

'Narada, what now?'

'If you go into the mall, they won't follow you in. In broad daylight, those freaks would attract way too much attention. So make your move here, and don't worry, we have your back.'

Narada was nowhere to be seen, but Aaditya didn't doubt that he was close. For that matter, for all his requests to go alone, he did not doubt that Shiva and the others were also near, ready to step in if things got ugly. Reassured by that thought, he walked over to the Honda. The two daityas looked at each other, and Aaditya thought he could hear them talking frantically. He smiled to himself. They would never have expected him to make the first move. He casually walked up to the driver's side and tapped on the window.

The daitya rolled down the window as Aaditya leaned against the door.

'I assume you are not following me because you want my autograph. Look, I don't have time to play games. Narada is expecting to meet me for lunch, and he'll be here in an hour or so. If that snake-eyed bastard is nearby, call him. I need to talk to him.'

The slightly stunned daitya whispered something into an earpiece and then asked Aaditya to get into the back seat.

'What kind of an idiot do you think I am? Get him to come here. We do this my way.'

The daitya took off his sunglasses, his red eyes blazing in anger, but he soon composed himself and asked Aaditya to wait.

'Someone is pushing their luck today. For a slave of the Devas, you seem to have a big mouth.'

Now it was Aaditya's turn to be surprised. He turned around to see Maya standing just a couple of feet behind him. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes and he wore a black suit like the daityas.

'Come with me. Let's take a little walk together.'

Aaditya and Maya walked inside the mall and sat at a coffee shop. As the two sat facing each other, going through the motions of sipping the lattes in front of them, Aaditya was torn by conflicting emotions. Here he was with the creature who had killed Kartik in front of his eyes, and who was responsible for the abduction, if not the death, of his father. Every bone in his body told him to lash out now and kill Maya, but he held himself back. Even if he did manage to kill Maya, it would mean that both the larger purposes of his mission would amount to nothing- stopping Kalki for the Devas and finding out the truth about his father.

'So, my crippled friend, what assistance may I provide you?'

Aaditya bristled at Maya's insult, but reminded himself why he was here.

'I have a business proposal for your master.'

'Tell me what you want and why I should not kill you here and now. You've caused enough trouble for us.'

Aaditya leaned forward, murder in his eyes. 'Because, you ugly son of a bitch, if you insult me once more, I'll vaporize you where you sit.'

He nudged Maya under the table on his thigh with the hand-held vajra he was carrying. He felt Maya tense up, as if he had never expected Aaditya to be such a hard nut. That glimpse of vulnerability made Aaditya push his luck even more.

'And I will only talk to Kalki. I don't discuss business with servants.'

Maya took off his sunglasses to glare at Aaditya with his snake eyes, as if warning him, and then put them back on.

'Very well, here he is.'

Aaditya inserted the earpiece that Maya had handed him, and found himself talking to the one person who he both loathed and desperately wanted to meet.

Kalki.

***

Aaditya was now standing outside a bookshop. Kalki had proved to be as suspicious as all the Devas had predicted he would be. His very first question was why he should trust Aaditya.

'Because you don't have a choice.'

Aaditya heard a deep, throaty chuckle at the other end.

'That's priceless. Here is a puny mortal telling me I have no choice but to listen to his whims and commands. So, tell me, Aaditya, what makes you so invaluable to me that I should even waste a moment entertaining your proposals?'

Aaditya held his breath, with what he said next, the dice would well and truly be rolled.

'Because you may be plotting something, causing earthquakes by the dozen, but as long as you cannot wipe out the Devas, you cannot really achieve anything.'

'I can smash the Devas to bits.'

'Oh yes, I heard how your previous plans for attacking their base went.'

Aaditya could feel the anger in Kalki's voice as he spat out his reply. 'Enough! I had made contact hoping you could be of use to me like your father before you, but if all you want to do is to mock me, then don't waste my time.'

In one instant, Aaditya was reminded that it was not just he who held all the cards. Kalki must have sensed his hesitation and mercilessly pressed his advantage home.

'Oh yes, for all your bluster, I know who you really are. A lost boy, in search of answers, in search of the life and dreams he once had. I can give you all the answers you seek.'

'And I can tell you the secrets of how to defeat the Devas.'

Kalki laughed softly.

'After all they have done for you, you will betray them so easily?'

'The Devas have their agenda, and I have mine. I want the truth about what happened to my father, but that is not all. Soon you and the Devas will end your war one way or the other, but I will need to get on with my life.'

'Ah, yes. I had forgotten how much you humans covet the good things in life. What do you want? Money? A house?'

'Five million US dollars. I'll give the account details to Maya. I want the cash there tomorrow, then we can talk.'

'You do put a high price on your information. The money is nothing, but what guarantee do I have that you won't bolt?'

'I'll meet Maya here at the same time tomorrow. Narada will be coming soon, and I can't be seen with Maya. If I do go back with the Devas to their base, the money is of no use to me, and you know as well as I do that I cannot live long in the human world if I betray both you and the Devas. If anything, after all this over, I will depend on you honouring your side of the commitment more than you will need me.'

When he met Narada a few minutes later, and they sat down at a bar, Aaditya noticed that his hands were shaking. He tried to lay them flat on the table to still them, but they seemed to be moving of their own volition.

'Relax. You did great, from what you told me. Now just try and relax and unwind.'

Over the next few minutes, after Narada had made sure that there were no Asuras or daityas around, and got confirmation from Ganesha that their communications were secure, Aaditya was in a conference call with the Devas back at base. The first voice he heard back from the Deva base was Tanya's.

'Aadi, are you okay? God, I couldn't sleep all night wondering what you were getting yourself into.'

Aaditya reassured her that he was fine and then debriefed the Devas on what had happened. It was agreed that he would meet Maya the next day and see if indeed Kalki had taken the bait. He heard Shiva murmur, 'Aadi, either he'll take the bait or he'll decide the risk is not worth taking, in which case he'll probably just kill you out of spite. I will be there in my vimana like this morning, just overhead, watching for trouble and also will come by any time you need me.'

That night, alone in his hotel room, Aaditya found it impossible to sleep. More than anything else, there was the sheer nervous energy and anticipation about what was likely to happen the next day. The best case was that he would be taken to Kalki's base as a virtual prisoner. The worst case, well, didn't need much thinking about. Hearing Tanya's voice had also given him much to think about. Whatever the endgame was in the struggle between the Devas and Kalki, Aaditya now knew that he could no longer just think about himself. In all the uncertainty and chaos that lay ahead, Tanya was the only bright ray of clarity. He was in love with Tanya. That clarity was the only thing that gave him hope. No matter what lay ahead, he would do his best to get back to her.