Qubit, page 30
My lovely Li Shan.
31
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Outskirts of Bihar Sharif (Bihar, India)
Saturday, May 12th
1:30 p.m. IST (India Standard Time)
“Yes, we’re about two miles out,” said Dinsha. He wore headphones with a mike in the cord. He and Rao sat in the little blue Tata on the side of a dirt road, flanked on either side by trees and scrub, beyond which lay rice and lentil fields.
“Well, here’s the problem,” replied Salman. Dinsha imagined him in his robe at his breakfast table back in New Delhi. He knew Salman’s home well, having visited it many times over the years. “I never got a case number assigned.”
Dinsha closed his eyes and frowned slightly. “I understand. The only trouble is, I worry her life is in danger. They have her on an IV.”
“Is she sick?”
“Or starving herself.”
“What makes you say that?”
“It’s just a theory, that’s all.”
Salman paused. Dinsha imagined him scratching his beard. “I can use the weekend as an excuse…”
“Yes. Explain Monday that you had to move quickly.”
“But I don’t know about getting a team out there. They’re going to direct me to the locals.”
“Ah, of course. I was thinking of Varma’s team. But Varma—”
“Won’t commit his team without Pawar’s go ahead,” Salman finished.
“Do we know anyone local we can rely on?”
“Perhaps. But will they be willing to help with something like this, that’s the question.” There was a pause. “How many?” asked Salman.
“Eight, I think. But I don’t know how many might have already been there…or joined them since. So figure eight minimum.”
“And you with Rao. I don’t think it’s very likely we can pull together a force like that. No, I think you’d better come back in. On Monday, I’ll tell Pawar what I’ve found. It’s up to them from there. You’ve done all I asked you to, my friend.”
“What if she’s dead by Monday?”
“Pawar will just say we weren’t able to find her.”
“Can you live with that?”
“I’m not the one saying it.”
“I don’t like this,” said Dinsha. “Cash in a favor with Varma. We’ll go and get the girl. Pawar will look like a hero.”
“Ah, Dinsha. I’m not sure you understand. The entire thing is a bit of an embarrassment.”
“Well, never mind Pawar, then. He’s a rat anyway. Talk to Varma. Work something out. We can’t just leave this girl.”
He heard Salman sigh deeply on the other end. “I don’t have so many favors with Varma, you know. There are many crimes in this world.”
“Yes, I know, Salman. But this is the one you assigned to me.”
“All right. But don’t get your hopes up, Dinsha.”
“And don’t forget to tell him to keep the locals out of it.”
“I’ll do what I can. Any other demands, Constable?”
“That’s all for now, Inspector.”
Singapore Financial District • The (New) Lab
Saturday, May 12th
2:00 p.m. SGT (Singapore Time)
On the big monitor on the wall, Don Corleone was explaining his plan to Tom Hagen. “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Simultaneously, windows appeared on Lock’s laptop, disappeared, and then reappeared, filled with arcane rivers of text, and accompanied by the soft clatter of keystrokes, as Lock’s fingers danced across the keyboard.
“Whatchya doin’?” asked Raj in whisper as he rolled his chair up next to Lock.
“Uh…watch the movie,” Lock whispered back, realizing he’d become so absorbed in what he was doing, he’d forgotten to keep an eye on Raj and Sanjay.
“I’m not really in the mood for gangster movies,” said Raj.
“I’m just doing some code clean up, that’s all,” explained Lock.
“What was in all those windows?”
“What windows?”
“The ones you just minimized so that I wouldn’t see them.”
Lock began editing a screen full of code—adding comments and splitting one-line code into two to make it easier to read. “Nothing.”
“Hey, you guys,” whispered Sanjay, rolling his chair over as well. “What’s going on?”
“Lock’s up to something,” whispered Raj.
“I’m not up to anything.”
“Why are we whispering?” whispered Sanjay.
“We didn’t want to bother you,” whispered Raj. “But also, the room is probably bugged.”
“Oh,” said Sanjay thoughtfully.
Raj turned back to Lock. “Seriously, though. What are you up to?”
“Nothing. Just some clean up.”
“Are you fixing the markets again? A little action on the side?”
“No.”
“C’mon, Lock. Let us in on it, too.”
Lock slid his chair back and glared at the two eager faces staring at him expectantly in the darkness. Behind him, Don Corleone was telling Tom Hagen to go to California. He pursed his lips and took a deep breath. He considered the fact that he needed Sanjay not to tell Anand that he’d spent the night with Katya. He considered the fact that he needed Raj not to tell Anand that he suspected Lock of making the markets for his own gain.
“We’re all friends, right?”
“Right,” said Raj.
“Of course,” said Sanjay.
“You guys aren’t going to say anything to Anand?”
“Never,” said Raj, and Sanjay echoed him.
When Lock hesitated further, Raj continued: “Why do you think we would ever say anything to Anand? We aren’t loyal to him. We are like you, Lock. We are hostages.”
Lock realized he’d made the same argument to Sanjay just the night before. He made a decision. “All right, then. What I’m doing is not fixing the markets. It’s much, much worse. And the less you know about it, the better it is for you.”
“Nonsense,” said Raj. “They will assume we knew all along. Whatever risks you take, you bring us along with you. Believe me.”
Lock realized Raj was right. He’d made the same mistake with his daughter. He’d assumed when he defied Kirin, he was acting on his own behalf. And then they’d taken Sophie.
“That’s true, Raj. So I guess…the truth is, I’m looking out for myself. The less you know, the better it is for me. Because they can’t get it out of you, no matter what they do to you or your family if you don’t know what’s going on. But it isn’t because I don’t trust you. I know that if you were up to something and it was between you and Sophie, I’d talk. Just like you’d talk if it was—” Lock turned to Sanjay. “What are your brothers and sisters’ names?”
“All of them?”
Lock blinked. “Well, any one of them.”
“Swati. She’s my favorite.”
“Okay. Suppose it came down to turning me in or protecting Swati?”
“I would turn you in,” said Sanjay, apologetically.
Lock turned to Raj. “And your wife’s name?”
“Amrita.”
“If it came down to turning me in or protecting Amrita?”
“I’d choose Amrita.”
“Exactly. And I don’t blame you. But Raj, you’re also right to say I’m involving you guys, whether you like it or not. So here’s what I’m going to say. I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I can’t. Not so long as they have my daughter. But I don’t want to get caught any more than you guys do. Because God knows what they’ll do to Sophie if I do.”
The three men sat in silence. Behind them, a film producer awakened to find the severed head of his prized race horse in his bed with him and began to scream.
“Well, good luck then, Lock,” said Raj, when the scene was over. Sanjay nodded in agreement.
Lock placed his hand on Raj’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
Raj wheeled his chair away and raised his gaze above Lock to the big monitor behind him. “Sanjay, maybe we should watch a different movie,” he said.
Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore
Saturday, May 12th
6:00 p.m. SGT (Singapore Time)
“Mind if I steal him away from you?” asked Katya. She was facing Sanjay but batting her eyes in Lock’s direction. He’d been nursing the same club soda for thirty minutes, waiting for her.
Sanjay smiled. “I’ll live.” Pausing expectantly, as though allowing time for a laugh track, he elbowed Lock. “You lucky dog.”
Lock put out his hands in his best what-can-I-say gesture. “See ya on the flip side.”
“The two of you are a pair of walking clichés,” remarked Katya as they removed themselves, arm-in-arm, to the far end of the bar.
Lock could almost feel a slight current passing between them where they touched. “He sort of wears off on you,” Lock explained.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” said Katya. “To sell this a little bit.”
“Okay—mmph!” Katya’s lips felt warm and soft against his own, tasting faintly of mint and lime. He felt himself falling into her just as she broke off the kiss, pushing him discretely away. He began to pull back but felt her arms hold him in place. He looked into her eyes, which were locked on his.
“Get a room!” he heard Sanjay call out from the other end of the bar. He exhaled.
Katya released him and sat down on a bar stool. “I’ll have whatever he’s having,” she said to the bartender. “And make sure you put it on his tab.”
“I’m just drinking a club soda.”
She glanced down at Lock’s drink, which he held loosely in his hand. “Oh. Right.” She looked back up at him and smiled. “Never mind,” she said softly.
Lock reminded himself again that Katya was only using him to get to Vipul. They had a common enemy, that was all. He sat, peering down the bar. Sanjay was signing his check. Locked leaned over and whispered, “So, while we watched the entire Aliens trilogy, I did a little checking on things from the lab.”
“And?”
“I got access to Vipul’s email.”
“Oh!”
“But…”
“Oh.”
“It’s all encrypted. Or at least, none of the emails that aren’t encrypted are very interesting. In fact, they’re mostly spam. Everything else, which is almost all of it, is encrypted.”
“Okay. But…wait. I’m confused. Can’t you break the encryption? That’s how you got into his email in the first place, right?”
“No. Well, yes. I can break some encryption. Not all encryption. Not this encryption.” Lock paused. He felt flushed and shifted slightly on his bar stool. “You know, that was a helluva kiss.”
“You’re welcome. About the encryption…”
“Sure, I’m just saying.” He paused again, rocking his head back for a moment to stretch out his neck muscles. “So the email is basically a dead end.”
“Maybe our InfoSec people can crack the encryption.”
“I doubt it. If I can’t crack it…”
Katya frowned disapprovingly. “Don’t be cocky.”
“I’m not really being cocky.”
“Why do you—ah, right. Because you stole the state-of-the-art technology for cracking encryption.”
“I stole the plans. I still had to build the damn computer. Anyway, I need to come over again tonight.”
“Oh?”
“I figure I can go back through the day’s traffic and see if there’s anything I missed. Maybe he backed up his key-pair on Dropbox or something stupid.”
Katya stood up to leave. “And here I thought it was the kiss.”
Outskirts of Bihar Sharif (Bihar, India) • Rathod Farmhouse
Saturday, May 12th
7:00 p.m. IST (India Standard Time)
Constable Dinsha Kumar took a good look at the man sitting across from him in the crowded van. His name was Ankur Lakhani and he was Deputy Constable in the Patna Zone Special Crimes combat unit that had been assigned to rescue the American girl. He stood a full two meters in height with his boots and combat helmet, and in combination with his other gear, including a bulletproof vest and body armor, he was formidable. He spoke in a deep rumbling voice with the assurance of a man accustomed to command as he outlined the tactical plan for storming the old farmhouse where Dinsha believed the girl was being held.
Dinsha was pleased. He’d been worried that Varma was going to send him a second-rate unit. Maybe some recent grads from Ghaziabad. Looking at the no-nonsense DC in front of him, he wondered how big a favor Salman had cashed in.
The team left the van, emerging into a warm, inky darkness. Dinsha looked up—the sky was still blanketed with clouds. That was good. It would allow them to get very close to the farmhouse without being seen. He pulled Lakhani aside as the men checked their weapons, body armor, and radios.
“Deputy Constable, I want to be reassured on a point that I didn’t want to mention in front of your men.”
Lakhani stared down at him.
Dinsha decided this was the man’s way of prompting him to continue. “When I made the request for combat troops, I made it clear to Inspector Wazir, my immediate supervisor, that we could under no circumstances notify the state or metropolitan police, even though that would be the normal procedure.”
Lakhani nodded. “Those were precisely my orders, sir.”
“Good. So we have not notified anyone of this operation, outside the CBI itself? Because if we have, there’s a very good chance that we’re walking into an ambush—”
“I can assure you, Constable, no one has been given advance notice of this operation. When we’re through, my superior, Inspector Bhagat, will contact the metropolitan police. We have operated this way before. They don’t like it…but they don’t have much choice.”
“One more thing, Deputy Constable. I’m sure you’re aware of what we’re walking into here. I was impressed by your command, and I think the plan you outlined was excellent. However—” Dinsha paused, gathering his thoughts, “—I must ask if you are completely confident in your men.”
Lakhani gave him a slight grin and patted him on the shoulder. “This is as good a team as you can ask for, Constable.” He then turned and motioned his men forward.
Dinsha stood and watched as the unit disappeared into the darkness. Lakhani hadn’t actually answered his question. He took a deep breath, checked the fittings of his vest, put on his headset, and broke into a trot to catch up.
ψ
Sophie was sucked back into her nightmare—why did it keep coming back?—by a violent crackling sound. She raised her head and sensed immediately she was in an unfamiliar environment. It was darker and the air was warmer. There was a musty smell of leather and rotting wood. The crackling was relentless. She could hear men shouting to be heard above the din. While she was trying to make sense of that, she felt a rush of cooler air, and the smell of urine and sweat invaded her nostrils. Her body tensed involuntarily. Someone was nearby.
She heard something that sounded like a car door closing and then the sound of keys jangling. Another car door closing. Her eyes grew wide with alarm. She was in the vehicle. She tried to ease herself up to get a better look around, but the engine started and her body jerked backward.
The terrain they were driving over was apparently very bumpy. Sophie put out her arms for stability. After a moment, she managed to get up on one elbow again. She could see two silhouettes in the seat in front of her. Behind her, out the rear window of the vehicle, she could see…a large house, framed by bursts of light coming from within.
ψ
Dinsha crouched behind Lakhani and tried to assess the tactical situation. They’d breached both the front and back entrances. After a brief firefight, they’d taken control of the first floor, with Abhishek’s men retreating upstairs. After ensuring that the floor was secure, Lakhani’s team had regrouped in the main entryway at the foot of the stairs. So far, they had not been able to find an angle for suppressing fire that would allow an approach to the stairs. They’d tried three times, and all three times they’d been driven back, with one casualty.
Dinsha heard a crackling on his headset. “A vehicle, black SUV—make, model, and license uncertain—just exited the barn, heading west-by-south.” Lakhani had dispatched two of his team to secure the barn, which was about a quarter-mile north of the farmhouse. He could hear Lakhani reply, “Proceed to barn as planned. Rover, prepare to intercept vehicle.”
“Rao, that’s you,” prompted Dinsha, who’d assigned Rao to watch and pursue unfamiliar vehicles coming back down the road from the farmhouse. Rao had predictably complained that it was an unreasonable request because the only pursuit vehicle available was the tiny Tata rental. Dinsha had figured on pursuit being an unlikely possibility, or he would have asked Lakhani to put someone else on it. “Rao?”
“I see them coming.”
“Will you pursue?” He could something in his headset that sounded like someone was rubbing sandpaper against their mic. “Rao, will you pursue?”
“I’m almost to the car.”
Dinsha rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth. “Why weren’t you—?”
“They just went past.”
Dinsha heard the car door shut and the engine turn. In front of him, a fourth attempt to secure the base of the stairs failed. Abhishek’s defensive plan was excellent.
“I lost them,” he heard Rao saying. “Wait, no. There they are. They just turned on their lights. I’m on it.”
The sandpaper noise continued. “AC Rao, please turn off your mike,” Dinsha said.
“Oh. Right. Okay. Lemmee see—” Rao’s mike went silent.
There was a sudden, acrid, smoke-filled silence as Lakhani and his team regrouped. Lakhani leaned over to Dinsha, speaking off the mike in a low voice. “I think we’re going to need to come in from above. What do you think?”
“I think somehow they knew we were coming. I think the girl is in the SUV.”
