Desperate Measures
“My company has been known… and without a doubt, prides for its assembly line. Be it weapons, armors, and other techs for the armed forces, we have the ability to set up a tech in minutes and that is the reason why our company not only boosts for high production rate but also guarantees the availability of advanced tech in record time. That being said, I can design and assemble the required armor and weaponry. The question is, what is your requirement? How much do you need now?” Ankit begins his presentation. With the help of the armed forces, Ankit and Ratan had assembled a team of research techs and scientists and in a week, learnt everything about the armor and weaponry of the Asuras. They now have a detailed report that is not only enough to design new techs that employed the same technology as the Asuras but also, add a few more details according to the requirements. Ankit is presenting the details and facts of the report to the Colonel and other concerned people of the armed forces who are listening intently. “Most of the assembly lines were built and operated in locations only the army, air force and the navy have access to which made availability of the techs easier. It goes without saying that there are no addresses for those assembly lines… only coordinates. If I am not wrong, some of them have been built within these bunkers and therefore, we only need to tune them up to create the techs based on the detailed report. It will take 48 hours to tune them up and we will be good to go.” The Colonel is impressed. He, however, wanted to know something else and turned to Major Robert. “What is the condition outside? The will of the soldiers? Will they continue the fight?” The Colonel asks. “The casualty report has red all over it, Sir. The soldiers, however, have not lost the will to fight on. Besides, NARAYAN’s information on the weak points of the Asuras have helped us fight back. I have received reports from a few soldiers who stated that the surprise attacks of the Asuras have come down. Though I believe it is not a time to rejoice as they might be planning something bigger to destroy our will and might. We will definitely gain the upper hand in this battle once Mr. Roy provides the armor and weaponry, which in turn will also prepare us for anything big that our enemy might be planning.” Major Robert answered. “Ah yes, NARAYAN. Our secret yet beloved mercenary. Odd, however, that he is not staying by our side and fighting. He can invariably boost the morale of the soldiers just by his presence among us.” says the Colonel. Ratan notices Ankit looking down and shrugging his shoulders when the Colonel said that. He nods in disagreement and disappointment, and goes back to listening to the conversation. “With due respect, Sir… I beg to differ. He is a, what a veteran soldier would call, a lone wolf. He prefers to work alone. I did request him but he denied. Of course, he did ask for something else.” Says the Major. “And what is that?” the Colonel asks. “Monthly supply of rations as long as the battle continues. He has not given his location. All he said was to keep the rations anywhere in the open and he will find it. How is he going to find it? I am not sure but this was his request.” The Major explains. The people in that room are surprised. The Colonel is amused at that request. “I give permission for that. I wouldn’t have permitted that if it was some stupid kid trying to be a hero. He is not trying to be hero. He is a hero… and I believe, we can do at least this much to show our gratitude.” The Colonel says. He then looks at Ankit and asks, “How long will it take for one armor to be created?” “Building the accessories for the armor would take an hour and assembling it will take 10 minutes. We do not have to worry about coloring, painting or branding… not at this juncture. By that calculation, we can create about 15-20 armors a day.” Says Ankit. “140 by the end of the week if that calculation is right. Impressive, Mr. Roy. We do not need to waste more time. Remember, no tech is complete without proper testing and… disturbing as it may sound, we need to utilize the ‘real world’ battlefield to test them.” Says the Colonel, and everyone agrees to it. After the presentation, Ankit walks up to the Colonel and asks, “Sir, can I talk to you in private?” The Colonel frowns, a bit confused but then gives a cut nod and an indication to follow him to his designated room. He informs his deputy to not disturb them unless something dire crops up. The Colonel closes the door and looking at Ankit, asks, “A drink, maybe?” Ankit smiles and says, “With due respect, let us pretend we are on duty.” The Colonel laughs heartily, he takes out 2 cups and pours hot coffee into it. Ankit stares at the cups and back at the Colonel, he smiles and nods his head in embarrassment. “Tell me, son. Any problem?” The Colonel asks, handing a cup of coffee to Ankit. Ankit takes a sip, he then takes a deep breath and starts, “Sir, I need permission. I want to bring NARAYAN in.” There is no reaction from the Colonel. Not that he wasn’t surprised but years of experience and the collection of badges have thought him to be calm and always prepared for the unforeseen. This is no different. “Ankit, we have talked about this yet you insist. May I know the reason why? Is it because of the armor… or is it because of the one controlling it?” asks the Colonel. Ankit shrugs, he tries to hide his jealousy and anger, emotions which is unheard of for a man of his caliber. For someone who has achieved so much in such a short time, even the Colonel could make out that this is not what he would expect from a son of a great man. “Sir, it is indeed the armor. It is different. Not unlike the ones the other Asuras wear wearing. It has qualities that is even more powerful than the ones I am creating. We can learn a lot from that armor. I could have designed the required tech that could change the tide of war but here we are… depending upon techs which were nothing in front of the armor NARAYAN is wearing.” Ankit tries to explain. The Colonel takes a sip again. He is listening but is not satisfied. Ankit can understand that this is going nowhere and he has to say something that can make the Colonel interested. “Are you under the impression that the one controlling that armor is a novice? Or to be precise, not a soldier? A civilian who has no right to control that armor?” asks the Colonel. Ankit is trying his best to maintain his demeanor. He was good at it a few days... maybe weeks back but now, he is having a hard time. He is frustrated, and the worst part, it is showing up on his face and his body language. “Whoever is controlling it should have been fighting by our side. He should have volunteered in helping us know about how the armor works. He should have been with us to run tests and diagnostics to help us understand what that armor has and what the Asuras don’t have. But no, he is hiding… he is hiding from us. That is unacceptable.” Says Ankit. The Colonel had finished his cup of coffee. He places the cup on the table, looks at Ankit and says, “Ankit, you know the reason why military bases, armaments or other techs are kept secret? Why they are not revealed to the public?” Ankit frowns, not able to understand the connection of that question to what he is speaking about. “It is obvious. So that the enemy doesn’t know anything about it. Secrets like that… if revealed… can be fatal for a country and therefore, they are kept secret.” Ankit answers. The Colonel smiles. Ankit continues to frown but slowly it starts to fade away. He thinks, “NARAYAN is not just fighting for us. He is also guarding the armor so that it doesn’t fall under enemy hands. I am not the only one who wants to analyze the power of it. Only a few have seen the enemy up close but the only intention that we know about them is Domination. Even then, can we believe NARAYAN to actually safeguard it? Am I the only one thinking that he must be a civilian? Or maybe, he is a soldier or a mercenary? Did the army hire him and they must be hiding some secrets?” The Colonel is smiling, he knows what Ankit is thinking. “Lots of questions, Ankit. I know… you have a lot of questions but there is a right time to find those answers. You are being desperate about something that doesn’t deserve that amount of desperation at this time. The only desperate thing out there – THE WORLD IS IN THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION, and we need every man, woman and child to help us survive that or accept that. You have a task at hand, Ankit. Major Robert was right when he gave you a ‘session’ about being a hero.” The Colonel says. “Wait, what! The Colonel knows about it.” Ankit thinks. He then speaks up, “I may have crossed my limits but my argument wasn’t entirely wrong.” “Ankit, it was never about the argument. You are a hero in your own right… just like your father. NARAYAN was never in the picture until now. You were always the go-to-person for this situation. It is becoming a cliché, I know… but we cannot escape from that cliché-d reality that we were not prepared for this war. Yet when it happened, you were… and are the first person we thought who could help us in this situation. Here you are, a person who was always steadfast and determined to find ways around a problem but I see a changed person. A man who is desperate to gain attention, a man who wants to be a hero when in reality, he is and has always been. If experience counts, this war does have an end. If the enemy wins, there is nothing to talk about but if we win, I know… that you and NARAYAN will be the deciding factor for this war. You both will be remembered.” Says the Colonel. Ankit does not say anything. His soul is in turmoil, in dilemma as to whether he should use his position for the greater good of humanity or allow his emotions to consume him… make him a monster. He walks out of the room pondering on whatever the Colonel said. There are people who are watching him but he is in his own thoughts. As he proceeds towards his designated room, he overhears a conversation. “If Mr. Roy really succeeds in building the perfect armor, can you imagine? We will not have just one NARAYAN. We will have an army of NARAYANs.” Says the first soldier. “Yes, the NARAYANI SENA, the famed and mythical army lead by Lord Krishna.” Says the 2nd soldier. “Mr. Roy is definitely the Lord Krishna for now. I am confident that he will build the perfect tech. I am already signing up for the testing program. Our weaponry is also designed by his company and they have never failed us.” the first soldier says. “God bless him and his company. We know we can count on him. I heard Mr. Roy is just like his father. I am not surprised. I tell you, friend… he is going to be the reason for our victory. One week… I can’t wait for this week to end.” The second soldier says. Ankit could feel his heart wrench. He couldn’t believe what he is hearing. As he walks into his room, he sees Ratan watching the news on his tab. Due to the war outside, a government approved channel is airing the regular bulletin from a secret bunker. Ratan sees Ankit still standing at the door, the former could make out that Ankit is not feeling good. He puts his tab down and walks up to him. “Ankit, what is wrong?” Ratan asks. Ankit has his head down; he is not looking at Ratan. Ratan places his hand on Ankit’s shoulder and says, “I am all ears, Ankit. I have always been. I must say I have never seen you like this. You can speak, Ankit. Does not matter if it sounds stupid, just let it come out.” Ankit raises his head slowly and that is when Ratan sees tears in his eyes. Not the first time definitely but since the day Ankit had took over the business post his father’s death, the former has always been strong willed, dedicated and determined to maintain the legacy. It is a different time now but Ratan expects Ankit to still maintain the will that he always did. “What should I do? What am I supposed to do?” Ankit asks. Ratan smiles and answers, “Become a HERO.” “There is already a hero out there. He is doing his job well. Me… I am only… I am only spoiling my name. Allowing my anger and frustration to take control of me. I am… I am feeling insecure. I have never felt like this before.” Says Ankit, his voice choking. Ratan pats Ankit on his back, and makes him sit on a chair. He gives him a glass of water and says, “No one gives birth to a hero. They are made and that is an age old saying. You ask me, heroes are of 2 types – ONE WHO IS GIVEN A RESPONSIBILITY AND ONE WHO TAKES RESPONSIBILTY. Someone out there has already taken the responsibility and that ‘someone’ is waiting for another hero to fulfil his responsibility. The question is – what is taking that HERO so long?” Ankit did not answer, he did not have to. He drank the glass of water and got up from his seat. “Get some sleep, Ankit. We have work to do.” Ratan says. “I have been sleeping, Uncle but I have woken up now. It is time we got to work.” Saying, Ankit walks out of the room. Ratan is surprised but not until a smile sprouts, he says, “Now I have to agree, Ashok. Your son has grown up. Now see what he does.” Ankit walks towards what looks like a hangar bay within the bunker. He is greeted by the lead scientist, Dr. Basheer, “Welcome, Mr. Roy, when do we start?” “Right now, assemble your team. Send word to also bring in the workers here. We have no time to waste.” Says Ankit. “They are already here and are waiting for your orders, Mr. Roy.” Says Vikram, the designated manager to the workers. “I have promised to build the armor and the other techs to be ready within a week. I intend to complete it as fast as possible and get the techs ready for testing.” Says Ankit. “Safe to say that Mr. Roy is going to ruin our sleeping schedule for good.” Says Dr. Basheer and the others laugh at that comment. Ankit smiles and says, “We are the angels of life and death here. The hopes of winning this war are pinned on us. It is time we prove them right. Give them the power to win this war and show our enemies that we are not going down so easily. Time for a pay back.” Major Robert and his squad are also standing there. They could hear Ankit speak and are surprised by his sudden change. “Am I seeing a ghost?” asks Prateek. “No, it is him alright. Something has happened… and whatever is it, it is for good.” Saying, the Major walks forward to join the scientists and the manager, closely followed by his squad. Ankit walks towards a skeletal design of an armor that was placed in the center of the bay. He looks at it from top to bottom. Amrish speaks up, “Mr. Roy, just saying… don’t you think it would be nice to have a name for this army? It is not every day that we get to wear an armor system like this.” Everyone stares at Amrish. Ankit frowns and looks at him, the latter is embarrassed and keeps quiet. The people then see Ankit flashing a smile giving an indication that he had the same idea. He looks at the armor again and says, “THE NARAYANI SENA.”