Page 125 of The Circle of Exile
“Sir,” he picked up on the first ring.
“I saw it on TV.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Nothing can be done now. Are they all neutralised?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Congratulations, Major.”
“Thank you, sir.”
A knock sounded on his door.
“Come in.”
Amaal pushed the door open and strode in. “It’s live, sir.”
“I just spoke to Major Banot,” he pushed back in his chair. “Good job, guys.”
“If that is all, sir, I’ll get in touch with the reconnaissance team for the hills around Bangus.”
“Go ahead, Captain.”
Captain Husain nodded at Amaal and left the room. The door fell shut behind him.
“Sit, Amaal.”
“Phew,” she collapsed on one of the chairs. “What’s with you and these adrenaline missions?”
He smirked, feeling a little better — “Old habits.”
“I had the national news pick it up. Debate topics are ready. The narrative is ready to spin back in your favour where the army is concerned.”
“Good. Because I have calls with three heads of military units today and I want them all to feel the win.”
“Here…” she reached for the remote on his desk and switched on the TV. It was already tuned to a local news channel and as predicted, it was streaming the place of encounter live — all dense jungles of Kupwara, men in green and khaki, running ops together, holding back the press barrage, the neutralised hut in the distance.
“…and it’s a bold move, breaking protocol. The Chief Minister personally green lit this joint strike, pushing for rare coordination between the Army, J&K Police, and air recon — a move that’s already sending ripples through both political and military circles. This launch pad is alleged to have been used for the bomb blast near St. Joseph’s Convent in Srinagar this July to protest the killing of Usama Aziz. CM Kaul has avenged the death of children that…”
Amaal sat back, turning her eyes from the TV to him — “You are no longer the man who crossed into enemy territory. You are the man who took the fight to the enemy.”
Atharva kept watching. “If we find more, I will kill more,” he said. “Bangus may have another hideout and now they are trapped.”
“You can kill that bird with your stone but mine is already dead,” Amaal got to her feet. Her giddy mood dropped as she gazed at him — “Don’t worry. I am on top of this. Neither will Momina Aslam blurt about you and Iram in PoK, nor will people believe her. The discrediting has started already. Slowly we will build a firewall strong enough to insulate you both from any threats.”
“And the alibis for Iram?”
“Ready. Three in Ahmedabad, five here in Srinagar. None related to you or your circle. Iram was in India when you went to PoK. Momina Aslam can go around shouting and we will shout back harder.”
He nodded. “Could you dig out what exactly she knows?”
“Not yet. There is a possibility she knows that Iram flew from Gilgit to Kargil on that plane but there is no way she can prove it. Now, we need to make sure that she cannot prove that Iram was in Gilgit. What did your OTP say?”
“All tracks were wiped off.”
“Then wait and watch.”
