Chapter 31: The Interval
The massive IMAX screen illuminated the dark hall with vibrant colors. The surround sound system rumbled, shaking the floor. The audience was captivated. The hero on screen was delivering a punchline, and the crowd erupted in whistles and cheers.
Arjun didn't hear the dialogue. He sat in the front row, his body rigid in the plush velvet seat. To his right, Aisha was laughing, her face glowing in the reflected light of the screen. To his left, DGP Jaidev sat with his arms crossed, watching the movie with the critical eye of a man who rarely relaxed.
Arjun felt the phone in his pocket vibrate again. Another message? No, it was the signal.
He tapped his earpiece, pretending to scratch his ear.
"Talk to me," Arjun whispered, his lips barely moving.
"Bhai," Shiva's voice came through, static and urgent. "We found an anomaly. The fire control panel in the basement. A maintenance access door was forced open. The sensors have been bypassed."
"Satya's play?"
"He's not blowing it up. He's rigged the sprinkler system. They've connected the main water line to the sewage backup. If the alarm triggers, it won't rain water. It will rain filth. On everyone. Including the DGP."
Arjun's blood ran cold. It was a masterstroke of humiliation. If black sewage water rained down on the police chief and the city's elite at Arjun's premiere, Mahaa Enterprises would be finished before the interval. The headline wouldn't be "Success," it would be "Disgrace."
"How much time?" Arjun asked.
"The timer is synced to the interval block. Eight minutes."
Arjun checked his watch. The movie's interval block was approaching. The big fight scene.
He stood up slowly.
Aisha looked up, surprised. "Arjun? The best part is coming."
"I know," Arjun leaned down, his voice smooth and apologetic. "Must be the nerves. I need some water. I'll be right back."
He glanced at Jaidev. The DGP was looking at him. Arjun nodded respectfully and walked up the aisle, moving with a calm, measured pace until he reached the exit doors.
The moment the heavy soundproof doors closed behind him, Arjun broke into a run.
"Mallesh, secure the lobby," Arjun commanded into the mic, tearing off his bow tie and stuffing it into his pocket. "Don't let anyone leave or enter. Shiva, basement. Now."
The Basement. Maintenance Level.
The air down here hummed with the sound of massive HVAC units. It was hot, loud, and smelled of grease.
Arjun took the stairs three at a time, his tuxedo shoes slapping against the metal grating. He reached the bottom landing just as Shiva emerged from the shadows.
"The control room is at the end of the corridor," Shiva pointed. "Two guys. One inside, one guarding the door."
"Satya's men?"
"Hired hands. Technicians with debt."
"Five minutes to interval," Arjun checked his watch. "No guns. It's too loud."
Arjun unbuttoned his tuxedo jacket and threw it to Shiva. He rolled up his white sleeves.
"Handle the guard. I want the guy inside."
They moved.
The guard was a burly man in a blue maintenance uniform, leaning against the door frame, checking his phone. He didn't hear them over the roar of the AC units until it was too late.
Shiva moved like a freight train. He grabbed the guard's head and slammed it into the concrete wall. Thud. The guard crumpled without a sound.
Arjun didn't stop. He kicked the door open.
Inside, a frantic man was rewiring a circuit board. A timer next to him counted down. 04:12.
The man spun around, holding a screwdriver like a dagger. "Stay back! I'll short it now!"
Arjun looked at the timer. Four minutes.
He walked forward.
"Do it," Arjun said coldly. "Trigger it."
The technician blinked, confused. "W-What?"
"Trigger it," Arjun stepped closer. "The sewage falls on the DGP. He arrests me. But do you know what happens to you?"
Arjun stopped two feet away.
"You are the one in the control room. Satya paid you to ruin my night. But when the police find you down here... who do you think they will blame for the assassination attempt on the Police Chief?"
The technician's hand trembled. "It's... it's not an assassination. It's just water..."
"Try explaining that to a Z-category security detail when their boss is covered in filth," Arjun's voice was a razor. "They won't arrest you. They will shoot you on sight."
The logic pierced through the man's panic. He lowered the screwdriver.
Arjun didn't wait. He closed the distance, grabbed the man's collar, and headbutted him.
Crunch.
The man dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Arjun looked at the panel. A complex mess of red and blue wires hooked up to a digital timer.
"Bhai," Shiva stepped in, dragging the unconscious guard. "Do you know how to defuse this?"
"I don't need to defuse it," Arjun grabbed a heavy wrench from the workbench. "I just need to kill the brain."
He smashed the wrench into the digital timer and the circuit board. Clang! Spark!
The electronics shattered. The timer went dead. The wires sparked and smoked, but the system powered down. The threat was neutralized.
Arjun dropped the wrench. He was breathing hard, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Clean this up," Arjun ordered, checking his shirt. There was a speck of grease on the cuff. He cursed silently. "Dump them in the back alley. Make sure they don't talk."
"And Satya?" Shiva asked.
"Satya is waiting for a show," Arjun walked to the door, grabbing his jacket from Shiva. "Let's give him a disappointment."
The Theater Hall.
Arjun slipped back into the hall just as the on-screen hero delivered the final punch. The audience roared. The music swelled.
INTERVAL.
The lights flickered on.
Arjun walked down the aisle, buttoning his jacket. He smoothed his hair back. He looked composed, though his heart was still hammering a rhythm of violence.
He reached the front row.
"You missed it!" Aisha exclaimed, turning to him. "The fight scene was incredible."
"I heard the cheers," Arjun smiled, sitting down. "I assume the hero won?"
"Of course," Aisha laughed. "The hero always wins."
Arjun glanced at Jaidev. The DGP was staring at Arjun's hands.
Arjun looked down. His knuckles were slightly red from the impact of the wrench. He casually covered them with his other hand.
"Everything alright, Arjun?" Jaidev asked, his eyes narrowing. "You look flushed."
"Just checking the projection room, Sir," Arjun lied smoothly. "Technical glitch. We fixed it."
"Efficient," Jaidev murmured. "Very hands-on for a CEO."
Arjun ignored the barb. He pulled out his phone.
He typed a message to the unknown number that had threatened him.
"The AC is working fine. But you might want to check your own temperature. You just burned your money."
Send.
Arjun put the phone away and turned to Aisha.
"Popcorn?" he offered.
"Caramel," she grinned.
As he walked toward the concession stand, leaving the DGP and his daughter safe in the VIP seats, Arjun looked at the exit signs.
Satya had tried to embarrass him. He failed.
But the message was clear. Satya wasn't going to stop.
The next time, it wouldn't be water. It would be blood.
And the next time, Arjun wouldn't just break a circuit board. He would break the hand that built it.