No one speaks to me like that and gets away with it!

Abhi was seething with anger. People who knew him could speak volumes about Abhi’s legendary anger. It was a folklore of sorts over the last 15 years in the underworld. Even his gang feared his anger and didn’t cross him or talk back to him unless necessary. But they were extremely loyal to him, in fact, loyal to a fault. That was because Abhi’s heart was gold. While he was ruthless to his enemies and a cut-throat businessperson and negotiator, to his loyal ones, he was a great master. Someone who took care of them. He wouldn’t send his team if he knew a situation was sure death. He had a policy that he would never sacrifice his people. He wanted people around him to be courageous to fight and get out of situations. But he wouldn’t let them get into a situation where he must sacrifice them.

He was an enigma. Even his closest associates didn’t understand him. Whether it was his good mood or his ruthless mood, it came in flashes and sometimes it felt like he wasn’t in control of himself. But they dared not to speak against him. He was their master and one of the best in the business.

Not many knew his antecedents. He had burst into the scene 15 years ago in Deva sir’s gang. He had quickly risen the ranks, thanks to the special place he enjoyed with Deva sir. He had a sharp acumen for planning sketches for the assignments, he was excellent at handline hand-held ammunitions, and great at hand-to-hand combat. Everyone was taken by surprise when he had done his first few assignments. The gang wondered how Deva sir had even found him and where had he trained him to be so amazing.

Deva Sir, as he was lovingly referred to by everyone, was the ruling underworld don. He had a great cover of multiple businesses that acted as a front for his nefarious activities. He had the support of politicians, the unclean money from the top businesspeople, the corrupt police officers, and the greased hands of the fourth estate in his pocket. Doors that were shut, opened for him as they knew it would be torn down otherwise. Deva sir was a name no one wanted on their enemy list because if they did, they would go on his to-do list.

If there was one person who could go in and out of Deva sir’s room at any time of the day, it was only Abhi. Members of the gang who had been with Deva sir longer than Abhi didn’t like it. But they knew what Abhi brought to the table and how he had earned his place. They were happy to play second fiddle as Deva sir almost looked at Abhi as his could-have-been son. There were talks that Abhi would be the heir to Deva sir’s kingdom.

**

“Arjun here,” said the Assistant Commissioner of Chennai city as he picked up his mobile phone. He was in his official jeep headed to meet the CM. When the phone rang, Arjun was lost in thoughts in the passenger seat of his car as his driver sped along Dr Radhakrishnan Salai towards the Secretariat.

“Dei, it’s Amma da,” said the voice from the other end.

“Suchiiiii, hi! Sorry, I was a little preoccupied. I am on the way to meet the CM. Is this urgent?” he asked her. He had always addressed his mom by her name.

“Yes, it is urgent. Your mom is missing her son from thousands of miles away and wants to see his face right away!” said Suchi so loudly that his driver could hear it and smiled softly.

“Suchiii..” said Arjun unable to hide a smile. “I am the ACP of Chennai. Stop treating me like a kid,” said Arjun.

“Ohhhh,” said Suchi feigning a hurt voice. Once a drama queen always a drama queen.

“Suchi, I don’t have time for your theatrics now. Why don’t you bug your husband for a change?” teased Arjun.

“I left you alone in the play area sometimes when you were young, you have now taken revenge by leaving me alone in the bay area with your dad. Earlier he was funny, then crazy, then scary, and now dreadful. Come and save me, Arjun. I dialed 911 to save me and somehow it connected to you.” said Suchi.

Arjun now burst out laughing. “Suchi, Sridhar Appa is the sweetest person on the planet and the only one who can manage you. So run along before he hears you call him scary and dreadful,” said Arjun.

“Okok! Let me go and bug your dad in the garden where he is looking for bugs!” laughed Suchi and hung up.

Impossible, thought Arjun with a shake of his head. His family was quite unique. Normally kids, when they grow up, would leave their parents in India and head abroad for studies or a career. In their case, it was the reverse. Suchi had married Sri and moved from India to the California Bay area. Arjun was born there and lived his first fourteen years in the US with only the yearly visits to India to meet his grandparents. When he turned fifteen, he expressed his desire to move to India to complete his schooling and higher studies. He was proud of his Indian citizenship and had always wanted to be in the police force in India. His family had agreed and here he was 20 years later as the proud ACP of Chennai city.

The wail of an ambulance brought Arjun back to reality from his thoughts.

**

“Give the ambulance its way, but to no one else,” said Abhi to the driver. His driver moved aside, and the ambulance crossed them.

“Abhi sir, there is a police vehicle which is flashing the pass light. What should I do?” asked the driver.

Abhi turned back and looked through the rear window. There was a police jeep bearing down upon them with its lights flashing.

His driver was thinking, Already Abhi sir is in a bad mood and now a police vehicle is wanting to overtake him. It is going to be a mess! But to his surprise, Abhi said, “Allow them to pass through. They might be headed someplace important.”

As the jeep overtook the car, Arjun turned his head towards the car and raised his hand slightly as a sign of thanks. Abhi leaned forward a bit from his passenger seat, looked at Arjun through the windscreen, and raised his hand in acknowledgment. Just as this happened, there was a bright flash of lightning in the sky followed by heavy thunder. Maybe as a sign of the fireworks to come.

**

Arjun got dropped at the entrance to the CM’s office at the Secretariat. He headed straight to the CM's chambers and was promptly ushered in. The CM of Tamil Nadu motioned him to sit as she was looking at a file that needed to be signed. He sat upright in his seat in respect for the Wonder Woman in front of him. Suhasini R. MABL, Chief Minister read the board in the table. What a powerful woman, what a charismatic leader, he thought. He was so proud to serve under her leadership.

The CM closed the file and removed her reading glasses. “Would you like some tea, Arjun?” she asked kindly.

“Thank you, ma’am. I am good, ma’am,” replied Arjun formally.

She smiled. “Arjun, I am a kind person though people may not believe it because of my external personality that I need to radiate to continue breaking glass ceilings. I want you to relax. There is something that I need to discuss with you which is done better over a cup of tea. So I am going to order for the both of us.”

“As you say so, ma’am,” said Arjun relaxing a bit.

As soon as the tea arrived and they started sipping it, the CM began. “The law-and-order situation is getting out of hand, Arjun. I am sure you are seeing the intelligence reports as well. Every crime rate is skewed and getting worse by the day. This is not acceptable.”

“Ma’am, I wouldn’t brush it aside by just saying we are doing our best, ma’am. Yes, it is causing concern within the department too. We are working hard. As we speak, we are working on strategies to bring things under control. But with the current ratio of police officers to the public, we are still grossly understaffed. But it is no excuse. I am just stating the reality.”

“I know you aren’t someone to brush things under the carpet. You call a spade a spade and an axe an axe. That’s why I specially requested for you to head the special task force that would be under my direct supervision. The task force would report directly to me and the DGP. That’s the only chain of command.”

Arjun perked up at this opportunity. This is what he had been waiting for. A task force like this was a fantastic opportunity. More power, less bureaucracy. Just the way he liked it.

“I can see you smiling already” continued CM Suhasini. “So I have no doubt you would accept this assignment.” She handed him a folder with the name Arjun printed on it.

“It would be my honour ma’am,” said Arjun thinking about how she had been so sure he would take this up. He didn’t want to let her down and wanted to make her proud. Arjun opened the folder and just two names were there on the first page in bold.

Deva

Abhi

He knew the CM had risen through the ranks by her sheer intellect and her knack for strategic and tactful approaches. This sheet was proof of that. She just had two names written but like the Pareto principle, she had written the top two names that were responsible for most of the crimes and illegal activities in Chennai. The vital few from the trivial many! The other pages in the folder had their names redacted for confidentiality.

For the next sixty minutes, they both discussed the actions and outcomes in detail. When they finally closed the meeting, Arjun removed the first sheet which had the names, and put it through the shredder in the corner of the CM's office. He couldn’t help but wonder about the many significant official secrets the shredder would have consumed over the year with a promise to never repeat it.

He exited the CM's office and walked to his jeep with a spring in his step. His long-awaited goal was here, and he was in business.

**

Abhi barged into Deva sir’s room and plonked himself on the couch. He was seething with anger and cracked his knuckles which was the tell-tale sign that Abhi was in a don’t-mess-with-me mood.

“What’s the matter?” Deva sir got straight to the point.

“@#$^^$$$,” Abhi let out a string of expletives and continued. “What does K think of himself? He thinks he is number one. His time is over. He is past. We are the rulers now. Who he thinks he is? I just heard he ran off his mouth against you. I wanted to go there and put a bullet in his mouth.”

“Why didn’t you do it?”

“You didn’t order me to. I won’t do it unless it is what you would want done. You know me, sir. You are my everything. No one can speak bad about you, but at the same time, I can’t do anything without knowing what you wish to be done.”

“Even my own son won’t have been as loyal as you are, Abhi”

“Thank you, Deva, sir”

“We need to nip these thoughts and words in the bud, Abhi. Not just K but the entire police force is against us. We must up the game. Police officers salute me at events, but behind me, they conspire to finish me off.”

“Am I missing something here?” asked Abhi curiously.

“Yes, Abhi. There is something you need to know. We are on the hit list. Our CM has formed a special task force, and their priority is to take out you and me. We are the only two names on the list right now. The audacity of that lady to form a task force to finish me. She doesn’t know who she is messing with. And the police think they can get me, now that they have the CMs backing.” roared Deva sir.

“We aren’t new to such threats, Deva sir. This is Deva sir and Abhi they are messing with. The Supreme King and his loyal Knight. No one can touch you as long as I am alive and there is no one yet who can come near me. I am the best at what I do as you always say, Deva sir.” Said Abhi.

“I know, Abhi. You are the best at what you do. But such task forces don’t have the rules like the regular law and order. These are the shoot-first and speak-later ones. Any human rights or legal issues would be managed by the CM’s office itself. So the task force would be super trigger-happy now. Specially ACP Arjun who is heading the task force.” said Deva sir, deep in thought.

Abhi thought back to how the ACP jeep had just passed him an hour ago. Thankfully, the ACP hadn’t recognised him. “Hmm, what should we do?” asked Abhi.

“Let’s go on the offensive. Let’s start at the top. A task force is nothing without its chief.” Deva sir said closing his eyes and going into deep thinking.

“I shall come back with the sketch,” said Abhi and exited the room. He belted out instructions to the crew. Everything was to continue as is. He asked them to continue as normal as possible. He knew the police wouldn’t suspect anything if things continued normally and that’s the best time to get them.

**

Abhi tossed and turned in his bed at night. He wasn’t an insomniac but close enough. He had had this sleep trouble for as long as he could remember. The troubles were a result of the terrible near-fatal accident he had been in, from which Deva sir had rescued him as a 30-year-old. Now at 45 years old, he didn’t remember much of his past before the accident. Deva sir was his god who had given him a second life.

He got up and turned on the light. Being a teetotaller gangster was a bit of an oxymoron. But he had always been that way. He hated tobacco and alcohol. He got to his laptop and searched for ACP Arjun. Arjun's pics, biodata, and other publicly available details of various operations came up. He had no family in Chennai and his parents were rumoured to be in the US though no details were available. His family was told to be very well-to-do, as Arjun’s address was in a posh area and his house was told to be lavish.

Rich police officer. That was as oxymoronic as teetotaller-gangster. A cosmic connection thought Abhi as he committed Arjun's address to memory and got dressed. Time to meet the nemesis.

**

Arjun couldn’t sleep much that night. The conversation with the CM had occupied his mind entirely. He could think of little else. He knew this was his big opportunity. He wasn’t going to let go of the chance. He absentmindedly walked to the balcony of his house and stretched his body. The air was still sultry, but the moon shone bright.

As he was taking in the wonderful sight of the moon, a light reflection from the nearby road caught his attention. It was a car moving slowly. His police officer’s instincts perked up. This didn’t look like an ordinary drive-through. This was a recce. Someone was driving slowly and was watching him. Arjun wasn’t one to back off from a stare-down. He was waiting to see if the windows of the car rolled down. But the car’s windows stayed up and the car continued on its way.

Who could it be? thought Arjun wondering and he stood on his balcony.

We shall soon meet Mr. ACP, head of task force, thought Abhi as he exited the road and drove to the main road.

Just as this happened, there was an extremely bright flash of lightning in the sky followed by deafening thunder. Maybe the fireworks were getting closer.

**

Arjun was dressed in casuals, with a pair of sunglasses to cover his eyes and a cap drawn down to hide part of his face. Parking his car in the parking lot, he walked with purpose into the lobby of the Savera hotel and rode up the elevator. He reached the designated floor and walked across the carpeted hallway. He knew the room number and wasted no time in reaching it.

Tap tap…two seconds…tap tap tap…two seconds…tap tap…two seconds…tap tap tap. He knocked the code on the door, and it opened. He entered the room and followed the only other occupant of the room, the initiator of this meeting.

Deva sir sat on the comfortable single seater in the plush room. He motioned Arjun to be seated on the bed. Arjun shook his head and instead sat on the only other chair in the room.

“So we finally meet,” said Arjun.

“I wish we didn’t, but there was no option for me than to initiate this meeting after the coded message you got through to me,” replied Deva sir.

Arjun shrugged his shoulders and said “I have reached where I am after significant effort. I have ensured I have a great record at the force, and I am trusted. These don’t come easy. It took unconditional giving and sacrifice.”

“Cut out the BS! You can save your righteous talk to the new joiners on the police force on their first day. They would lap it up. I agree you had me fooled over the last few years. I thought you were as good as they come. I should have done my due diligence better. I don’t know if I should rue myself or be glad that you are a rotten one too.”

“It’s a Potato, Potahto situation, Mr. Deva. I live my life and I shall be the judge of who I am. I don’t need anyone, especially someone on the top of the pyramid of scum, to be judging me.”

Arjun could see that remark of his stung Deva sir. But he had the upper hand and the right set of cards; otherwise, he wouldn’t meet someone like Deva sir alone in a room and speak in such a manner. The Power of Blackmail thought Arjun.

“Alright lay it out. Let it out. I don’t have the time.”

“Hahaha! Mr. Deva. You make me laugh. I have you right where I want, and I shall have you here for as long as I need. The meeting would be over only when I say it is over.”

“Can we get to it, damn in?” Deva sir was getting irritated and impatient.

“Alright! I know about your special project from years ago. The project that you executed just once, but to perfection. The one project that got you to the top. The one project that has protected you for a long time. Your pet project that got you a loyal pet!” said Arjun and looked closely for a reaction from Deva sir.

What words don't show, reactions do. While Deva sir was silent, his facial muscles twitched involuntarily, and he started perspiring in the cold room. A full minute of silence followed.

“What do you mean? You are on a fishing expedition. What project?” roared Deva sir trying to hide his fear.

“Alright if you want to play it that way and try to mask your emotions, I shall say the two words that would suck the air out of you. Project Karna!” said Arjun emotionlessly for added effect.

Deva sank back in his chair a defeated man.

“You can tell me your version of it, or I can tell you what I know. But am sure by now you realise I have all the details. Else I won’t confront you, Mr. Deva,” said Arjun.

“Alright! I know your calibre and am sure you got to the bottom of it. Let me confide. It was 20 years ago when I had funded a project to recruit a top man to be my right-hand and second-in-command, an almost heir-like position. After searching for a while, I got tired. I just didn’t find the right guy for the job.”

“That’s when my friend and partner-in-crime, Dr Ramana suggested an idea. He had suggested to recruit a well-trained top police officer for the job. I had laughed heartily at this suggestion but had to cut myself short when I saw the deadpan serious expression on Dr Ramana’s face. Ramana should have been out of his mind. Get a top police officer to deflect and do the one job that the entire police department is against. Amazing. I thought he must be turning.”

“But then Ramana patiently explained his plan. It was to abduct a top police officer, wipe out his memory, change his face through plastic surgery, hypnotise him in such a manner that it is almost impossible to reverse it and give him the job. Ramana said the guy would be super loyal due to the power of our hypnosis, and we get a ready-made combat trained, strategic expert, excellent shooter, and one who would have a police officer’s instinct to predict what the department would do.”

Deva sir continued, “This was ridiculous and preposterous. But I knew Dr Ramana was serious. He wouldn’t propose something if it weren’t workable. Over the next couple of hours, I asked multiple questions, cross-questions, and clarifications and for each of them, Dr Ramana had a convincing answer. At the end of the discussion, I was elated. “What a one-of-a-kind idea, Ramana. This is brilliant. In our operation, I bring the money, firepower, and workforce and you are the brains. So I would leave this in your capable hands.”

They shook hands on it and over the twelve months, the candidate was selected, detailed sketches were executed, and Project Karna was completed. It had been a secret for last fifteen years outside a very select few from his gang who would die before breathing a word about it. It had been that way for fifteen years until now.

He looked up at Arjun who said, “How did I know? That’s the question you have in your mind, right? It takes a humungous amount of time, meticulous collection of data, sifting through it to identify hidden patterns, notice red flags, start a separate branch of analysis on each red flag, and so on. It hasn’t been easy. I have spent the last 7 years on this and have been finally able to crack it. I knew you were the king of your territory, and I knew I had to get your biggest secret to be able to negotiate with you from a position of power. Now I have the biggest secret of your life and I am going to ask a big price for it.”

“Is it money you are after?” asked Deva sir condescendingly.

“Don’t patronise me. Money, power, respect, authority. All of these give me a high. I want money that can settle me up for the next seven lives. I know how to get the rest with my position.”

Deva sir went quiet. The room was deafeningly silent with only the heavy breathing of Deva sir audible. The silence was broken by the ringing of his phone which was on a decorative stool between Arjun and himself. Abhi stated the caller ID. Arjun was also able to see who was calling.

“Ah! There’s your Project Karna calling you. If he is Karna, what are you? Duryodhan, Bhisma, or Sakuni?” laughed Arjun.

Deva sir disconnected the call and sat back in silence. After a long time, he took a deep breath and started speaking.

“Arjun, you are right. I am not going to debate the facts with you. Abhi is the byproduct of Project Karna. My best investment with the biggest ever return. Though he was a pet project, he has grown to be like my son. I love him as my own son, and I had even forgotten that he was just a project. With the passing away of Dr Ramana, there is no one else who would dare to discuss this topic with me. So I should agree I had even forgotten about it, until now.”

“Sorry to intrude and gatecrash into a lovely family here,” Arjun said mockingly. “You are a peril to the society, and he is a junior peril whether son-like or not. I am not going to get teary-eyed for the father-son bond here. It’s all nonsense according to me.”

Deva sir suppressed his rising anger, “I shall give you whatever you want but I need you to do something for me.”

“You are a man with a sense of humour, Devaraj. It is laughable that you are making demands of me in the current position you are in.”

Deva sir’s face turned red with anger. No one dared to address him by his full name. Arjun was insolent, irritating, and needed to be dealt with. But that can wait. Deva sir knew he would need to address the current issue first, and that was Project Karna and Abhi.

“Listen to me first. You are a corrupt police officer. So you are no different than me. You are an ever bigger, rotten scum to the society. But I have worked hard to create my kingdom and I can’t see its downfall. I shall accept our terms but all the details you know would need to remain a secret.”

“Absolutely Devaraj. I shall not breathe a word to another soul. Honour among thieves. You can trust me on this.”

“I might trust you, but I don’t trust a secret that’s in the open. Tongues wag, rumours start and before we know it, it becomes an open secret. This king can accept a check, but he can’t let it go to a checkmate.”

“What do you mean? What do you want me to do?”

“Take out Abhi!”

Arjun let out a whistle. “I think in the contest of who is the bigger scum between the two of us, you just won it easily. You just said he was son-like and now you want to terminate him. Wow! You are something, Devaraj”

“Don’t preach to me and don’t judge me. I also didn’t get to where I am without my share of sacrifices. Can you do it or not? That should be part of the deal. Anyways the CM has formed the task force for you to take down him and me. All I am saying is, just stop with him, don’t get to the me part.”

“Ah! So the top-secret files from the CM's office also find their way to you. That’s interesting. I respect your network, Devaraj. I am anyways tasked with the job and if by doing it, I gain the CM’s trust and your friendship, then why not? Two birds, One stone.”

Deva sir smiled for the first time. They both got up and shook hands.

**

Abhi leaned his head against the wall he was sitting with his back to and closed his eyes. A tear escaped his eyes and his thoughts raced.

I will always remember the precise moment. I was crouching behind the crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. I had stopped thinking about my past as that was a long time ago but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I have learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past always claws its way out.

The creek was water, but due to the amount of trash and slush it contained, it didn’t move and looked frozen. I was frozen too. Due to the despicable trash and slush, I realised I had in me. I had always known something was off with me. The painful headaches, the flashes of scenes in my head that I knew but couldn’t place them, the disconnect I sometimes felt from the underworld I was part of, and the obscure memory of my past, all made sense now.

Abhi removed his Bluetooth earpiece. He had just heard the entire conversation in the hotel room through the microchip he had placed in Deva sir’s shirt collar. Deva sir had been quite worried since the morning and was evasive about his evening plans. Abhi always knew where Deva sir was all the time. So this secrecy meant he was in danger. Was he being subjected to blackmail? The microchip was for Abhi to find out what was the issue and sort it out for him.

His thoughts raced again.

I was glad I had listened. Who am I? Am I a top police officer who was dragged to the bad side involuntarily? What was my life before I became Abhi? Was that even my real name? Who were my parents? Why didn’t anyone search for me?

I resolved I was going to find answers. I needed to know who I was. I needed to set right quite a few things. The things I had done, I can’t reverse them. But I can stop further damage by the two scums who were together plotting my downfall.

I shall do it. I shall find out who I am. If I am born out of Project Karna, then as Karna I need to give back to the people of the society and I shall do exactly that.

Abhi resolved to himself, got up and walked with a fresh and renewed purpose. His third life had begun.