Chapter 43: chapter 43

The quiet café had witnessed the disclosure that would change Neha's life forever. She and Kaushal sat in the secluded corner, grappling with the shocking truth about the mysterious organization, Crimson Dagger. As they sipped their coffee, the weight of the conspiracy hung heavily in the air. Neha, still processing the information, broke the silence, "Kaushal, how do we even begin to expose Crimson Dagger? It sounds like something out of a movie. I mean, is it even possible?" Kaushal leaned forward, his eyes reflecting determination, "It won't be easy, Neha, but it's the only way to protect ourselves and others. We need to start from the beginning, piece together their operations, and decode their plans, to understand who are the links and how we can bring them into the light." Neha nodded, a mix of doubt and resolve in her eyes. "But where do we start? We don't even know who's behind Crimson Dagger." Kaushal sighed, "That's the tricky part. They operate in shadows, leaving no trace. But I have a lead – someone who used to be a part of their organization but left. If we can find this person, we might get valuable information." Neha raised an eyebrow, "Someone who left Crimson Dagger? Isn't that risky? What if they come after us?" Kaushal nodded, acknowledging the risks, "It's a gamble, Neha, but it's our best shot. I've been in touch with this person anonymously. He has agreed to meet me in a secure location. I need to tread carefully but now I am not alone." Kaushal had got a companion now in Neha, and he was sure they both together could uncover the team behind CD. A sense of urgency filled the air as they discussed their next steps. Neha's mind was a whirlwind of questions, but one thing was clear – they had to expose Crimson Dagger. Neha decided to stay for a week in Delhi and took a leave from her Leh duties. Col. Rathore knew Neha had been working too hard and was fine with granting her a personal leave without asking many questions. The meeting with the informant was set for two days later in a busy park. Neha and Kaushal arrived cautiously, Kaushal was in casuals wearing a white shirt and a yellow scarf around his neck, and Neha was in a red dress. They glanced around to ensure they weren't being followed. The park was busy as usual and they understood this place was safe as no one would feel suspicious about them. They sat on a bench next to the fountain acting like a couple holding each other’s hand as the informant had told them. Suddenly a shadowy figure wearing a hoodie, emerged from the trees and sat next to Kaushal. "Kaushal, Neha, right?" the shadowy figure's voice was a hushed whisper without turning towards Kaushal. Kaushal turned towards him and nodded, "Yes, thank you for meeting us. We need information about Crimson Dagger – their motives, their members, everything." The informant hesitated, glancing nervously around, “Ssshhh! No names, let’s talk in codes, Don’t look at me, look at your friend, you are a couple, remember! I don’t know you and you don’t know who I am, so we should just pretend to be strangers in this busy park.” "You're playing with fire. CD doesn't take betrayal lightly." Neha spoke from the other end, her tone determined, "We need to stop them. They've ruined lives and manipulated people, and we can't let them continue." The informant sighed, "Alright, but I can only share so much. CD's main agenda is to manipulate global events for their benefit. They thrive on chaos, and they have influential people in their pockets. As for their members, they are carefully chosen – experts in various fields." Kaushal pressed for more details, "How do they recruit? How do they ensure loyalty?" The informant explained, "They exploit vulnerabilities. They find people with troubled pasts, and regrets, and coerce them into joining. Fear of exposure and the promise of power keep them loyal. Leaving CD is not an option – it's a death sentence." “But then how come you have left them? Aren’t you afraid of death?” Neha's eyes widened. “No I don’t fear death, I have no family so no liability, but you both think again before walking any further on this path.” Kaushal's voice got heavy, "So, they have their claws in everyone's lives. How can we bring them down without jeopardizing ourselves?" “You cannot! That’s the simple answer, they will come to know very soon once you start digging their secrets, unless you find out a way to bypass the normal ways of communication!” “What does that mean?” Kaushal’s curiosity arose. The informant handed Kaushal a small key chain with a car, "This has encrypted files containing information on CD's operations, a few important members, and their plans. Use it wisely, and be careful. They have eyes everywhere so remember to avoid normal communication." The man stood and melted back into the shadows, Neha and Kaushal exchanged a glance. They had no clue what this man meant about avoiding normal communication, was he hinting at tapped phone lines or secured lines? The weight of the responsibility they now carried was palpable. “I don’t think we should go back together Neha, we might be followed and it’s better to separate from here, this car looks like a USB device. I will check at my home, you can enter from the backside after midnight so that no one notices you.” Kaushal spoke. “Fine, will meet you there!” Neha left Kaushal and disappeared into the crowd of the park. Sometime later Kaushal also left. Somewhere far from the park, the shadowy figure who had given them the information was shot suddenly and his body fell into the river. Back at home, Kaushal was looking at the car key chain which he initially thought was a USB, didn’t open from anywhere. He was perplexed and also angry that he didn’t check this in front of the informant. “So you are not able to open it?”, Suddenly Neha’s voice shook him. “Oh, you just scared me, your commando training is too good!” Kaushal applauded Neha. “Yes, and I feel you have lost your sixth sense behind the desk job!” Neha took a dig at Kaushal. “Maybe, fine Lt. Col. let’s get to work. This thing is not opening from anywhere, check it!” Kaushal threw the key chain at Neha, which she caught in style. “Okay, let me try!” Neha spent some time observing it and then found a very small hole near its rear covered by a pipe imitating an exhaust. “Give me your Swiss knife kit, I think I got it!” Neha was confident about her find. Kaushal passed on his Swiss knife kit, and Neha took out the small screwdriver and inserted it into the small hole in the car’s rear. Voila, it indeed was a screw, and the small key chain car split into two portions, a nano chip was placed in its middle. “Okay genius, let’s find what’s inside this.” Kaushal took the nano chip and inserted it into his personal laptop’s card reader. As both analysed the information on the device, it was a labyrinth of secrets, the chip had multiple files and each file had an encryption. Neha felt a mix of anger and desperation. “Now what? How do we decrypt this?” “We can, it’s time for me to shine and show you some of the moves from my desk job intellect.” Kaushal chuckled. Kaushal opened some prompts and ran some programs, the encrypted files started opening up and then they saw something that they had never imagined.~~~~~