On reaching Kathmandu from Dhaka, Atharv checked into Hotel Everest in Thamel and thereafter went to an internet café located next to it. He checked his email accounts, looking for an email from Al-Wali. It was waiting for him in the drafts folder, with the subject, ‘pls check’.

‘Send a reply the moment you see this email, and then wait for details,’ the email read.

Atharv sent an ‘Okay’. The reply came five minutes later.

‘Open the attachment to find a telephone number. Call it,’ the email instructed. Atharv did as he was told.

The man who answered his call just said, ‘Come to Atithi Deluxe, 302, Thamel,’ before hanging up.

Half an hour later, Atharv was outside room number 302 at Atithi Deluxe Hotel. He knocked.

‘Come in, Atharv,’ a voice boomed.

As Atharv entered, he saw the speaker was Al-Wali himself. He was then stunned to see LeT operational commander Abu-Lakhvi in the room as well. Abu-Lakhvi was sitting on a black sofa, his eyes fixed on Atharv, while two men in black hoods stood in a corner of the room.

‘I hope your journey was smooth, Imran?’ Al-Wali asked.

‘No problems, all okay, sir,’ Atharv was curt.

‘Your small but crucial assistance is appreciated by us. The American rat, Price, is rotting in his grave, and the Indian scientist is dead too,’ Al-Wali said.

‘Thank you, janaab, let me know if you have any further instructions for me,’ said Atharv.

‘Go to the other room and help yourself to some food,’ Al-Wali said.

Obediently, Atharv went to the other room of the suite. As he was tucking into the food, loud voices suddenly startled him. A voice rose sharply in the adjacent room.

‘What do you mean the mission went all right, Babar?’ Al-Wali screamed.

‘Samuel Price, the target, is dead. A senior BASRC scientist is dead as well. What more were you looking for?’ replied the man in an even tone. The man was probably ‘Babar’, Atharv thought.

‘What more?’ Al-Wali shrieked. ‘Such a big operation, for which we toiled day in and day out for months, was in play, yet you could kill only two scientists? Just two men? And we lost our commando, Usman, in the operation! What a waste of a life and the efforts that went into making him the lion that he was. What a bloody joke!’ Al-Wali was furious.

‘Rehmat, what do you have to say? Did Babar set you up well for the attack? The reconnaissance and target identification were done properly?’ Al-Wali spoke again.

‘The preparations were thorough, my heartfelt thanks to Babar bhai. The hideouts in the slum and inside the IIS&T premises were safe and impeccable,’ the man called Rehmat said.

‘We may have killed only two but they were two important persons, and we both survived to fight another battle for the qaum,’ Rehmat offered.

‘Yes, you survived, but the meagre casualties insult us,’ Al-Wali snubbed Rehmat.