HORIZON 1.1

Part-16

Shiva dashed into Captain Maya's office.

"Where is the captain?"

Shiva asked a policeman stationed at Maya's office gate. He didn't reply.

Shiva hurried over to the conference room.

"Mr. Shiva, you are not permitted to enter any official meeting."

Macc stepped between Shiva and the conference room.

"Not now, Macc." Shiva pushed him out of the way and went into the conference room.

"Well, now that we have something, here you are."

Maya said it angrily to Shiva. "Can't you wait a little?"

Riya was delivering a presentation in the conference room. There were Miya, Jack, and other police officers present.

"Captain, should I begin now or wait?" Riya asked.

"Go ahead. Mr. Shiva Kindly wait outside. After this, I'll hear what you have to say." Maya said.

Riya remained silent. Shiva stood there, still fixed in place.

"Okay, carry on." Maya said, offering Shiva a place to sit.

"An outsider came and sat among us." Jack was not fond of Shiva's presence. "Are you serious, Captain? He is investigating the same case."

Miya gave Riya a nod to proceed.

"Where had we been? I thus spent several hours pinpointing the exact place of origin of the murderer's initial video. Maybe I didn't succeed. However, I've been able to eliminate 70% of the false signals." As she put this on display, Riya said.

"We just need to look at thirty percent of his locations. Am I right?" asked Maya.

"Yes, in theory, but even so, that's a sizable amount. And they're from all over the city, including celebrities, public personalities, and titans of business."

"Number Riya?" Maya asked.

"15000 locations, precisely." Pointing to a number on the screen, Riya answered.

"We can't check that many locations." Maya seemed tensed. "In a few days, there will be an election. There aren't many officers here to conduct raids on this scale." Maya said while musing.

"You won't need it." Shiva interjected.

Everyone, even Maya, turned to stare at him with rage. He didn't have to say anything. He was only an attendee.

"You all will be surprised to know that Nikhil took his cremation a week ago, just a few days before Nayak's death." Shiva finished his sentence.

"The fifth police officer was convicted in the robbery case. He was given a life sentence for his crimes." Maya uttered while recalling.

"And those who were acquitted are being murdered one by one by an unknown figure just after Nikhil's cremation." said Shiva.

"Whatever you have to say, say it clearly and completely." Miya asked.

"Think before you open your fucking mouth." Jack put his service gun down on the table and made a threat to Shiva.

"Two officers were killed soon after Nikhil's cremation and are connected. If you wish to put an end to these serial killings, put Jack in the Zero cell." Shiva pointed out Jack.

"Enough is enough. This gun may not be lethal, but it will cause severe pain," Jack remarked, pointing it at Shiva.

Maya spoke up to take charge of the circumstances. "Jack, please don't act foolishly. let's talk. Maybe Shiva is wrong this time."

"I am not." By saying this, Shiva made Jack angrier.

"The robbery case investigation is not justified. That case was quickly closed. Nikhil was not guilty, but he was convicted. I was removed from the case in the middle of it because I was unfit and addicted. I lost my job. Nikhil got life imprisonment. The lead investigation team's two officers retired right away. One of them became a movie producer, while the other became a wealthy businessman. And Jack is the last." Shiva concluded his remarks.

"Enough." Jack fired his gun, and the bullet hit Shiva's shoulder, paralyzing him in anguish.

There was a commotion in the meeting room. Everyone stepped aside, terrified of Jack's actions.

"Perhaps the killer from the video wants to reopen that case," Shiva muttered while in anguish.

"In that case, we were acquitted. I am honest, and so were my friends." Jack screamed and aimed his gun at Shiva.

"Or maybe you're not." That softly spoken voice was Riya's.

"What are you saying? You are nothing but a little puny techie." Jack turned to look at Riya. His pulse had quickened. Anger was red in his face.

"I said, if you are honest, then why are you afraid of reopening the case?" Riya replied, staring right into Jack's eye.

"That's enough; perhaps you should learn how to behave with your superior." Jack aimed his gun directly at Riya's face.

"Jack, stop." Maya sprinted over to Jack and yelled, "Macc."

Miya tossed her service batch in the direction of the Macc. Macc began using Maya's batch to neutralize Shiva's paralyzed body.

"What happened to you, Riya? You're making him angrier." The sudden shift in Riya's behavior surprised Maya.

Macc was assisting Shiva in getting up.

"I'm fine, captain; nothing is wrong with me. I'm trying to teach a few lessons to him in the same way that I did with his dead friends." Riya spoke strangely.

Jack, who was furious, shot Riya, but amazingly, nothing happened to her. Before hitting Riya, the bullet evaporated.

Riya delivered a powerful punch to Jack's chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Captain, she's been layered." Shiva said, realizing that Riya was protected by an unseen force field.

"All guns to freeze. This is my final warning, Riya." Maya said, aiming her gun at Riya.

"You guys never understood." Riya began to shuffle her way over to Jack, laughing strangely. She began to sound more like a man in her voice.

Jack was in pain and struggling to get to his feet.

"Fire." All the officers fired at Riya on Maya's mark.

Riya was laughing like a devil. Not a single bullet was coming into contact with her. Abruptly, her appearance began to change, turning her into the killer in the video.

The wrappers were all black and featured a metal face mask.

"Believe me, I gave them a chance to confess." The killer said it in a serious tone.

The killer had reached Jack. Bullets were exploding and dispersing all around him. The killer drew the weapon he had used to murder Jack's friends. He aimed it at Jack and took the shot.

Shiva leapt and dove, seizing and saving Jack before the weapon's fire could reach him.

"Put Jack in the Zero Cell." Shiva shouted.

Before the killer could reload his weapon, Shiva leaped toward him. Shiva and the killer were in hand-to-hand combat. Shiva attempted to seize his weapon.

The killer disappeared.

The conference room's mayhem came to an end. Everybody was observing the destruction caused by that weapon.

What impact would the weapon have had on Jack's body?

All the walls, including the conference room and the building's outer wall, had been destroyed, leaving a massive hole in their place.

"Has he gone?" Maya asked as she put her gun back.

Shiva is close to catch the killer.

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