‘Another crucial thing in a hostile setting is being able to communicate covertly with your contacts. Let us say that you have arranged to meet your contact on a particular date. When the set date is approaching, a vigilant operative will first check if it is safe to meet the contact. For this, he will use the SDR, of course. But he may need to communicate directly with the contact as well.

‘Here, knowing how to use discreet communication techniques will come in handy. You and the contact can decide on a safety protocol, a secret communication mode, to send messages regarding matters of importance. Such a communication protocol can be used to send your contact a message regarding whether it is safe for the meeting to go ahead or not.’

‘What are the signals that one can use, sir?’

‘The signal could be anything simple. It would be ordinary in its mode but extraordinary in the message that it conveys. So, you could use chalk to scribble a sign at a pre-decided place, for example, a cross on a metal pole at a bus stop or restaurant or a departmental store. You could also drop a banana or orange peel outside a pre-decided location. The sign could be an affirmation or a negation.

‘To ensure your safety, you must never utter a word about your mission to anyone. Not to your wife, not to your parents, not to your friends or girlfriends. You will be in possession of sensitive, privileged information and national secrets. Such knowledge could be dangerous to those for whom it is not meant. If you reveal information to those who are not supposed to know it, then you are putting them at risk. So, here at CTC we follow a policy of sharing information strictly on a need-to-know basis. A natural corollary to this policy is that what you don’t know can’t hurt you.’

‘Thanks, Milind sir. Please lay out the basic precautions that an intelligence operator must take?’

‘Basically, as a rule, prepare for the worst. Always have a Plan B and a Plan C. In this line of work, if something can go wrong, it bloody will. So, stay prepared.

‘Also, the mission is always bigger than all other things, such as a lack of ability, incompetence, failure or weak hearts. The mission does not need these distractions,’ Milind said. ‘Our job is to achieve the mission’s objectives. If you think that an objective is impossible, know that we do not acknowledge that as an excuse.’

Milind looked around the room. ‘Any more questions, doubts?’

‘What do we do if we get caught?’ Atharv asked.