THE HARBINGER OF NOR'WESTER

One Man or an Army

Vaibhav kept looking to and fro and occasionally towards the jungle. Waiting for designer clothes or a flash of lightning to get him.

I'm the one who explains things!, Chaitali said clearly, she didn't want him to look into the machines. She said that Vaibhav's methods were the problem but may be Vaibhav was the problem for her all along....

"Sir", one of the constables came up to Vaibhav, breaking his thoughts, "the inspector is calling you!"

Vaibhav straightened his jacket and ran his hands over the crooked shirt. Biraj must've told the Inspector, too bad they don't know about Chaitali.
Vaibhav walked confidently, atleast he had information to defend himself with, he made way through the crowd to reach Bimal. Bimal leaned on his command desk, where maps and radio were spread out, talking intently to Biraj.

Vaibhav stood by their side, listening to the commotion instead of their conversation, patiently waiting for Bimal to seek a wider explanation from him.

"Vaibhav!", said Bimal, "I'm sorry to...."

"Inspector, let me tell you I'm all over this catastrophe.......!"

"Vaibhav... Vaibhav...", Biraj came close and patted on his back.

Bimal looked down for a minute and then looked up to speak, when a siren interrupted him. All three of them looked to the road to see a barricaded truck arriving. Vaibhav looked at the front keenly and then turned to the inspector with raised brows.

"Inspector, you cannot....!"

"I've tried, okay!", Bimal spoke with a heavy heart. Which made Vaibhav loathe him more. Bimal cleared his throat before speaking again, "but you cannot solve this. You and Ms. Karmakar are still struggling to file chargesheets.....you cannot solve a hostage crisis......"

Vaibhav cringed at Chaitali's name as he turned around to see the truck once again. The truck was painted in the general colour of brown and ochre splashes. Men began to alight from the cargo hold in neat lines carrying rifles. Two more men dropped out of the cabin. All wearing uniforms of the same colour. Armed forces across the world know it as the disruptive pattern battle dress because the specific colour on it disrupts the body outline of a soldier, helping him merge into the backdrop and making him less susceptible to detection.

"...but if the central reserve police force is here...", Vaibhav wondered for a moment, "you're reinstating the shoot to kill order! Inspector....!"

Bimal breathed out heavily and suddenly caught hold of Vaibhav. The inspector dragged him close to police tape and handed him a pair of binoculars. Vaibhav swallowed his confidence as he put the device over his eyes.

At first he saw the jeep doors intensely magnified, then he moved up to see the muzzles of the rifles. Then he moved over to the sonamechi rivulet. Vaibhav heard that the naxals locked the bus on the middle of the bridge, he half expected the bridge to be low hanging. And he was right, except the bridge wasn't hanging at all. The foundation on the banks have been blown off and the entire bridge swung midair like a concrete chunk, with the help of steel cables, the passenger bus carefully balanced on the middle.

"They have blocked access from all sides!", Bimal shouted as Vaibhav put down his binoculars, "whoever comes this way, they shoot. Whoever comes from the other side, they've sharpshooters positioned...!"

Vaibhav looked down and all around. He found a solution to a supernatural complication, but he had nothing for this situation here. Bimal held Vaibhav's shoulders and made him face straight, "It's a easy choice, Dr. Roy! One man for a moral approach and CRPF, an army to save lives! And yes for the naxals, it is shoot to kill!"

"Inspector Hansda!", a CRPF personnel approached Bimal and said, "we've taken account of the situation. The captain wants to discuss strategy!"

"Dr. Roy, if you would wait outside the perimeter!"

Vaibhav handed over the binoculars and started to walk away. Alternatively looking at the horizon and the CRPF personnel guiding Bimal back to the command desk, now surrounded by an assortment of military. Vaibhav noticed Biraj while walking away. Biraj immediately mouthed something while sweeping the air horizontally with his arms. Vaibhav understood, Biraj couldn't tell the inspector about the harbinger.

The CRPF was quick to explain Bimal their strategy. Vaibhav leaned back on the jeeps bonnet and waited. He hated himself not being able to solve the hostages crisis but he knew he was the only one who could deal with the harbinger. He waited for the other shoe to drop or for the thunder to crackle again. She is here, waiting, just like him.

The CRPF personnel scattered throughout the forest and some kneeled on one leg before the police tape. They formed a line aiming there rifles at the naxals.

Vaibhav breathed slowly, just realising that Chaitali was the one who told him about the harbinger. She was telling him the stories of the devdasi in Mayatalav temple. How these divine dancers protected the temple and the people of this land. Some say the gods warned them of dangers and blessed them with boons, thus they were the harbinger of both chaos and prosperity.

Then the sky crackled again, Vaibhav looked up and down on the surrounding forest, the harbinger is ready to battle.