with his thick black beard, but his eyes were full of compassion. Then there was Narada, Kartik's father, the woman he had encountered during the fight at the Old Fort, and a number of other people he did not know, and then there was Tanya. As soon as the canopy opened, Kartik's father rushed in and pulled out his inert body. A small tracked vehicle came up and Kartik's body was laid down upon it, and the vehicle sped away.
'Do we still have time, Narada?'
Though he looked like a monster and killed like an assassin, Aaditya realized that Kartik's father was after all a father, and the anguish was apparent in his voice. Narada ran after the tracked vehicle, saying, 'I hope so.'
In all the chaos, everyone seemed to have forgotten Aaditya. He stepped down, wondering what he should do. Tanya walked up to him.
Whenever he had met her previously, her hair had been neatly tied in a ponytail behind her head, and her face had never betrayed any emotion. But now, her hair hung loosely around her, and her face was distraught. Aaditya could not be sure, but from her expression, it looked as if she had been crying.
She rushed towards him, and for a minute there was an awkward moment when he wondered whether he should hug her or not. To his relief, she stopped and then, as if through force of will, her professional facade was back.
'I'm glad you're okay.'
The adrenaline high of the battle behind him, Aaditya felt giddy and slumped against the craft.
'Aadi, are you okay?'
Aaditya exhaled audibly as he replied, 'I never thought I'd be happy to see myself be a prisoner of these freaks again, but I was going to be totally screwed out there.'
That broke the ice. Tanya burst out laughing, and soon Aaditya found himself joining in, roaring in laughter, though there was nothing funny about what he had said.
Tanya touched him lightly on his arm, and Aaditya realized that in spite of himself, he was staring. Why the hell had he never noticed how attractive she was? Perhaps being held captive by some top-secret organization did that to you.
'Come on, I'll take you to your room.'
She walked him through a sliding door and into to a room which was as different from his earlier cell as possible. There was a comfortable looking bed in a corner, a leather sofa, an attached bathroom and to Aaditya's delight, a TV and a mini-bar.
'Now, this is five star treatment.'
Tanya smiled.
'I told them you would like this better than the sterile room you had been given earlier. Get some rest, I'll come back later.'
Aaditya sat down on the bed. He was tempted to turn on the TV and find out what was happening in the world, but fatigue got the better of him, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
He was awakened by a light knock on his door. 'Come in,' he called, expecting to see Tanya there. Instead, Kartik's father walked in. Aaditya involuntarily stepped back, in part because the last time he had met this gentleman, he had been knocked out in a single punch, and in part due to his guest's fearsome appearance. His hair was still matted, though now tied in a top-knot on his head. His face was still smeared in ash, and he was naked to the waist down, wearing only tiger striped fitting pants. If anything, this made him look even more fearsome as it brought into focus his rippling muscles and the many scars crisscrossing his torso. As if sensing Aaditya's fears, he held up both hands, palms facing Aaditya, indicating that he posed no threat.
'They told me that you would be summoned soon enough, but I just came to say thank you.'
'Thank me for what?'
The man smiled. 'For saving Kartik's life. We all know you could have flown to Delhi if you wanted to.'
'What would you have done if I had decided to escape?'
The man smiled, though his eyes hardened. 'You would never have made it. Indra would have destroyed your vimana. But still, you made a brave choice.'
Aaditya flinched at the sobering thought that he had escaped death by a whisker. His guest now came closer, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
'Forget all that for now, because I come to you as a father who owes you his son's life.'
Aaditya took the outstretched hand and shook it.
'What is your name?'
The man sat down on the sofa. 'My name is Shiva. Now, let's have a celebratory drink.'
Aaditya opened the mini-bar and found it stocked with bottles of Blue Label, Smirnoff and Bacardi Gold. 'Someone has expensive tastes in drink', he said.
Shiva produced a small hip flask from his pocket.
'Help yourself, I have my own drink.'
Aaditya picked up a Coke saying he didn't drink alcohol. Shiva took a sip of his drink and laughed.
`What's so funny?'
'I had gathered you used to steal drinks from your father's cabinet, and now you claim not to drink. Come on, today you can indulge a little. I have a lot to celebrate-join me! Take a sip of my drink. It has no alcohol in it but packs a punch.'
Once again, Aaditya had no idea how these people knew so much about him, but he did need something stiffer than Coke to settle his nerves. He allowed Shiva to pour him a drink. Two drinks down, he had loosened up enough to ask what was on his mind. 'Who the hell are you guys? CIA? Your names sound Indian and you have all this weird technology and this base in the Himalayas.'
Shiva smiled. 'No, we're not the CIA. That much I can assure you.'
'So who are you? And who is that snake-eyed bastard I seem to keep running into?'
Shiva's eyes hardened again with a brief flash of anger, then he smiled again.
'Aadi, do you want to go back home to your life?'
Aaditya was a bit taken aback by the question.
'Of course, why do you ask?'
'Because then the less you know the better it is for you. Now, let's just see if you drink as well as they say you fly.'
As Aaditya rapidly discovered, punching him was not the only way Shiva could knock him out. Several drinks down, Shiva still seemed to be sober while he was feeling distinctly happy. He didn't quite remember when, but he passed out in a dreamless slumber, and was awakened by a light touch on his shoulder.
Still groggy, he opened his eyes and found Tanya leaning over him, a broad smile on her face. 'I should have warned you. Never try and outdrink Shiva. Now get up and come with me.'
Aaditya sat up, his head feeling like it would split. He had no idea what drink Shiva had given him, but it sure was potent.
'Where are we going?'
'To meet the folks who run the show here.'
***
Tanya led Aaditya down a long corridor. When she reached its end, she spoke aloud, 'He is here.'
A wall slid open, and Aaditya was about to enter when he hesitated.
'Tanya, won't you come with me?'
She smiled, seeing the worry on his face.
'There's nothing to worry about. You showed great courage and did the right thing in bringing Kartik back. That counts for a lot with them. Now go in there, you'll be just fine.'
To Aaditya's surprise, she leaned over and hugged him. 'For luck, and in case we don't meet again,' she whispered in his ears. Wondering what she meant, he was about to go in when she stopped him. 'Aadi, when you meet them, just keep an open mind. Some people find it difficult to understand who they may be.'
Aaditya entered the room, which was large and circular, and ringed with chairs, much like a conference or meeting room. There seemed to be no lights on, and with the only light coming from the open door behind him, he could not make out the details of those seated in the room. It seemed to be a conference room, but there was no
