kabul to delhi

The desert air was still, the quiet hum of the jeep's engine the only sound as Shadow and Surya drove through the barren lands of Baluchistan. The sun had barely begun its ascent, casting long shadows over the rugged terrain. Just as the dust settled behind them, Shadow's satellite phone vibrated against his chest pocket.

Glancing at the screen, he saw the encrypted call was from Delhi—RAW headquarters.

With a practiced motion, he answered, his voice steady. "Shadow here."

A sharp voice came through the line. "You need to get somewhere secure. Now."

Shadow's grip on the wheel tightened. "What happened?"

There was a pause. Then the voice said, "Hafiz Saeed is gone."

For a moment, Shadow didn't react. Then his eyes flicked to Surya, who sat beside him, seemingly indifferent as he gazed out at the horizon.

Shadow forced his voice to remain neutral. "Eliminated?"

"Worse. Disappeared. There's no trace of him. No body, no evidence, nothing. The ISI is scrambling. They think it's either an internal coup or an unknown foreign operation. But nobody is claiming responsibility."

Shadow exhaled sharply. "And what's our stance?"

The caller hesitated. "Officially? We have no idea what happened."

Shadow understood the subtext immediately. Someone in RAW had green-lit an operation that even senior officers weren't privy to. That, or something far bigger was in motion. He stole another glance at Surya, who still said nothing, his expression unreadable.

"What are my orders?" Shadow finally asked.

"Proceed with the Mossad meeting as planned. Keep your head down. ISI will be tightening security across the region. If you so much as breathe wrong, they'll be on you."

Shadow replied, "We met them. The situation was critical, but we handled it. We got the information, but later Mossad sources informed us the generals' visit to China has been canceled—likely due to Hafiz's disappearance."

There was a pause before the voice from Delhi spoke again, more cautious this time. "Understood. In light of this, new orders—return to Delhi via Kabul. We need a full debrief, and the situation is changing rapidly."

The line went dead.

He slid the phone back into his pocket and turned his full attention to Surya. "Any thoughts?"

Surya finally looked at him, a faint smirk playing at the edges of his lips. "Seems like the world is looking for a ghost."

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "And you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Surya shrugged. "Just that some men can disappear without a trace… if they know how."

Shadow let the silence stretch between them before refocusing on the road ahead. He knew better than to ask too many questions. Whatever had happened to Hafiz Saeed, one thing was clear—things were about to get a lot more dangerous.

As they approached the Afghan border, the tension in the air thickened. Checkpoints would be tight, and they would need to rely on their covers to slip through unnoticed.

Surya simply nodded, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "Then it's time to move."

The Afghan border loomed ahead, a checkpoint fortified with armed guards and watchtowers. Shadow and Surya sat in the jeep, idling in the long line of vehicles waiting for clearance. The area was tense, with ISI likely increasing security measures after the chaos in Pakistan. Any misstep could mean detainment—or worse.

Shadow shifted uncomfortably. "They're checking everyone. We might have to talk our way through."

Surya, however, had no such concerns. His mind was already calculating possibilities, and he had an advantage no one else did—his newly acquired brain manipulation ability.

The jeep rolled forward as the guards waved through a few trucks ahead. When their turn came, an Afghan border officer signaled them to stop, his rifle slung over his chest. Another officer circled the vehicle, peering into the backseat and cargo compartment.

"Papers," the officer demanded in Pashto.

Shadow handed over the forged documents while Surya made eye contact with the officer. In that moment, he activated his ability, sending subtle brainwave pulses into the man's mind. A strange calm washed over the officer's face, his eyes briefly unfocused before he snapped back to reality. But instead of suspicion, his demeanor had softened.

"Everything seems in order," the officer muttered, handing the papers back without further scrutiny.

Surya took it a step further. "It's been a long shift for you," he said in flawless Pashto, reinforcing the manipulation. "Perhaps a quick clearance would be best?"

The officer blinked and nodded. "Yes... yes, you may go." He signaled to the others, and the gate was lifted without further inspection.

As Shadow drove forward, he let out a slow breath. "I don't know what just happened, but that was too easy."

Surya smirked but said nothing, his thoughts already on the next phase of their journey. Kabul awaited, and with it, the ever-deepening web of global espionage.

Surya smirked but said nothing, his thoughts already on the next phase of their journey. The road stretched ahead, leading them towards Kabul. Navigating through the rugged terrain, they drove in silence, their focus locked on the mission ahead.

After hours on the road, they finally reached Kabul's outskirts, blending seamlessly into the city's chaos. Moving carefully, they navigated towards the airport, ensuring they weren't being followed.

With their papers still valid, and the manipulated border guards none the wiser, their journey to Delhi was now only a flight away. At Kabul Airport, they quickly moved through security, their documents holding up against scrutiny. Boarding the flight, Shadow finally allowed himself to relax.

As the plane took off, Surya gazed out of the window, watching the city shrink beneath him. His mind, however, was already fixated on the next mission waiting for him in Delhi.

After a few hours of flight, their plane finally touched down in Delhi. The familiar sights and sounds of home greeted them as they stepped off the aircraft. Shadow quickly checked his phone, likely expecting further instructions from the agency. Surya, meanwhile, took a deep breath, the weight of his recent missions still lingering in his mind.

As they walked towards the terminal exit, Shadow glanced at Surya. "We're not heading home yet," he said. "We have to go to a location for debriefing."

Surya nodded, already prepared for what lay ahead.

The agency had arranged their debriefing at a secure underground facility located beneath an old government building near Connaught Place. Officially, the structure was an administrative archive, but deep inside, it housed one of RAW's most classified briefing rooms.

A black SUV waited for them outside the airport, driven by an agency operative. Shadow and Surya got in without a word, the tension in the air thick as they were taken through the bustling streets of Delhi. The city was alive as ever, but they were heading into its most secretive depths.

As they neared Connaught Place, the SUV made an unexpected turn into a side alley, leading them to an inconspicuous entrance guarded by heavily armed agents. After verifying their identities, they were led inside.

The debriefing was about to begin.