A call from General Aarush Verma? His team looked at him with anxiety, silently signaling him to put the phone on speaker.
Hiding his worry, he picked up the call and said, "Jai Hind sir. Captain Ishar Singh here. Is everything all right?"
"Jai Hind. Ishar, get over here right now", a deep voice replied, "There's something I would like you to see."
"Something, sir? Last time you said that, we had to put some terrorists back in their places!"
Aarush Verma chuckled, "Well, I can assure you that this is no terrorist. It has got the whole research facility in a buzz. And being your mentor, I know that you might help us understand this easily. You better get here soon. Jai Hind".
"Jai Hind sir", Ishar said, and ended the call.
Pratap put his hand on Ishar's shoulder and said, "You go ahead. Don't worry. We will handle the work. Don't forget to call." The others nodded, agreeing vigorously.
Ishar gulped down his coffee, and sprang towards his motorcycle.
He never believed in superstitions, but for some reason this time, he could sense that something bad was coming up.
Something inevitable.
Ishar got off his motorcycle and rushed inside the military research facility. Unknown to the world, this military center had a very secret, and a very heavily guarded conference room. It was impossible to enter inside the room, partly due to the thick titanium walls, and partly because of the plainly hidden defense system.
In fact, no human could enter without a passkey and a code.
Grinning, Ishar held up his passkey, announced the code to the guard and rushed inside the room.
Every single person was sitting calmly, but had a furious rush in typing away on computers. Interesting, but not unusual.
Soon,the glowing face of General Aarush Verma lined with his vision. First, they gave each other a salute. Then, without a second to waste, they embraced each other in a brotherly hug, remembering all the support that they had given to each other in the most difficult times.
Aarush Verma was Ishar's teacher, guide, senior, but most of all- his father's best friend.
With a broad smile plastered on his face, Aarush said, "Ishar, it's great to have you back here again. I called you here today to see something…interesting.'
"Of course sir." Ishar acknowledged, "What has exactly happened?"
"It's a bit confusing actually. Yesterday early morning, at approximately 3:07 am, ISRO spotted something mysterious on its radar. It could have been the ISS, it could have been the satellites, but the fact is, it's unnaturally stationary and has been interfering with the technology and radio waves. Normal space machines never do that."
Ishar's eyes widened. He had seen a blue, bright shooting star appear, coincidentally around that time. Could it be…?
He thought for a minute and said, "Maybe it's the US or Japan…some kind communication malfunction, or a solar storm that met with it and caused a coincidence?"
"We don't think so, but you can never stop hoping." Aarush said with a sigh, "But we're on the lookout. If things get serious, then be sure that I'll call you and some other officers for analysis. Stay alert about your surroundings and global activities."
"I will sir. Can I have a look at the data?" Ishar asked.
"Yes. Come along."
Aarush led Ishar towards the large screen, which showed a detailed image of the earth, atmospheric data, missile altitudes, and a weird oval-shaped thing near Mars.
"Is that…?"
"Yes it is." Aarush answered affirmatively, looking at the screen solemnly.
"But it looks like a regular heavenly body. Why are we even bothering?" Ishar questioned.
"I know the perfect man to answer your question."
Aarush beckoned a scientist closer. He was a middle-aged man, with some of his gray hair falling=ng in line with the black.
"Meet Dr. Tanvir Jaiswal. He is one of the most clever scientists at ISRO."
Ishar shaked the doctor's hand and admiringly greeted, "Pleasure to meet you doctor. May I ask why this celestial object is of concern?"
Tanvir smiled and said, "You've got the right questions, son. According to our statistics, the objects altitude, velocity, acceleration, all are headed towards Earth. It is expected to travel past it, but there can be a hint of an apocalypse if it travels too close. In fact, due to its strong electromagnetic radiation, it can cause a major international blackout- which is always a vulnerable time."
Ishar sucked in a deep breath. Blackouts were never much fun.
"I've got it now. Thank you so much doctor." Ishar replied.
Tanvir smiled and said, "My pleasure. Have a good day. Jai Hind."
"Jai Hind sir."