Chapter 31 Catching the Speed

Debjit, after failing to jump into the train, called the railway traffic control office and told them about the bomb’s details. It created a situation of panic in the office. The case was given to the superintendent of the traffic control unit - Jivin Shah. He was quick, sharp-minded, and spontaneous at his job. Debjit drove to the place as he had to collaborate with him to stop the bomb attack. The authorities had already informed the driver about the bomb and he was shivering with fear. The team from the area asked him to relax as he was highly anxious, and he was told not to disclose it to any other person. Because if the news had spread out, it would have w created havoc inside. Debjit was now in the traffic control office. He saw Jivin looking at the train’s graphic map but as Debjit was about to call him a team member cried out.

“Sir, we have a big problem here. Train 2528127 is on the same track and is coming in from opposite direction”,

“Oh God!” Jivin almost freaked out.

“We diverted all other trains, except this,” the person added.

“How far is the train??” Jivin asked “15 minutes, Sir.”

“Change the track.” “We can’t do that, Sir.”

“Why?”

“Because there is only one track on this route, the other train will meet the track at the point. It can lead to a gigantic crash,” the person was jolted, and was looked extremely worried.

“There should be an exchange line before the station.” Jivin was confident about it. He looked onto the route map on his laptop. He was looking for a solution to it. Debjit was standing right next to him; evaluating the whole scenario that was taking place in the control room. Jivin cracked it.

He ordered the aerial room feed on the big monitor. He made the strategy to fast the target train’s speed and slow down the rate of others. By doing this, he said, they could avoid the crash.

“Sir, this seems impossible,” the person said.

“We have to take the chance. We have no choice.”

“Tell the driver of 2528127 to keep his speed to 60km/h. Right now, the speed of the target train is 100km/h. We can boost it up to 180km/h. We need perfect timing for this. They both shouldn’t pass each other at the same point. There must be a minimum difference of nine seconds between them to avoid the mishap. Any mistake can lead to a catastrophe”, Jivin stated to his juniors.

“Sir, it’s very risky,” a woman said.

“I know, but we have to take the risk to avoid the accident.” Jivin had his eyes plastered on the big screen.

“How far is the train from the exchange point?” he asked. “4 minutes, Sir” the junior replied.

“Okay, give me the headphone. I’ll talk with the drivers.”

The drivers did as instructed Jivin. One reduced the speed, and the other increased it. After 3 minutes and 30 seconds, it was time for the train to cross the exchange line. Everybody was tense in the control room with every eye on the monitor. The timing implemented by the traffic controller was just perfect and quite thrilling. It was a game of timing now. If anything went wrong, around 400 people were predicted to die. The target train crossed the exchange junction in 8.5 seconds approx, which made the other train to timeline the same track as of the target one. In a flick of mini seconds, Jivin had pulled it off with his team members.

They all handled the job beautifully. Both the trains crossed the grey area, and significant tension was relieved inside the control room. Everyone clapped for them, even Debjit was stunned to see the dedication showed by the team.

“Thank you, all of you. But get back to work. We are yet to fulfill the task” Jivin acknowledged,

Debjit finally met Jivin. He offered a glass of water to him, and they started talking about Avinash.

“You know him, right? You are the one whom he informed about the bomb?” Jivin asked.

“Yes. His name is Avinash Sampath and he is a violent criminal. He is also responsible for the Lokshakti party blast,” Debjit replied.

“I was right.”

“I have been working on this case for six months now and I am not going to miss this opportunity to catch him,” Debjit said, confidently.

“Where is he now?” Jivin asked. “He is inside the train.”

“How are you so sure?”

As Debjit was about to reply, a phone rang at the control room main desk. It was an unknown number. Debjit was positive that, it was Avinash again. He picked it up and put on the loudspeaker so that everyone could hear him.

“I want to talk to Officer Debjit,” the voice rebounded.

Debjit got in close to the receiver and said,

“Avinash, I know you are inside the train. Please stop it.”

“Please stop it?” Avinash chuckled. “It’s the same thing. When my sister begged for her life, no one was there to hear her voice. What was her mistake?” Avinash grunted.

“I know what happened to her was an injustice but there are innocent people in that train, let them go. What do you want? I will help you out,” Debjit asked him.

“Immunity papers.”

My immunity can help you save the lives of 450 people, now it’s your choice,” Avinash said.

“Okay, if I give you the immunity, in return I want my daughter back. Is it a deal?” Debjit asked.

“Okay, it’s a deal.” Avinash disconnected the call.

The atmosphere in the room went thin after the call. Everyone was hooked to the conversation, and were still in confusion as to what was going to happen next. Debjit had a talk with him but no one was sure whether, after getting the immunity papers, he would stop the bomb or not. Moreover, the main two questions everyone’s mind was - how was Debjit going to send him the documents? And what was the mystery behind his daughter?

“Your daughter?” Jivin was anxious.

“Yes. She went missing four months back. My wife and I thought she had died, until the day I received the information from Avinash through a warning sent by him as a challenge to me. He told me about her. To catch him red-handed, is my personal priority, then follows the duty.” Debjit disclosed the mystery.

“Okay, I hope she come back to you soon.” Jivin was now convinced that Debjit’s motive is real. He desperately wanted to catch him.

“Avinash Sampath, what is his story all about?” Jivin asked.

Debjit sighed. He got his bag and opening it, a showed him each and every evidence that he possessed of Avinash. His journey, from a Proletarian to a Gangster. The reason why he chose the darkest path. He explained it all to Jivin.

“Unbelievable,” Jivin’s voice echoed.

“Debjit, this is beyond imagination. It’s a far-fetched mystery.” Jivin was on his toes. He was convinced now, that if Debjit hands him the immunity papers, he will not stop.

“Even if we give him immunity, he is not gonna spare those people. You know that, right?” Jivin asked.

“Yes, but we have to take the risk,” Debjit replied.

“How are we going to do it? How will we hand him the papers?”

“I have a plan.” Debjit looked calm and composed. He was confident. He packed his bag and moved on.

Inside the train

Everyone inside the train was having a good time They were experiencing a journey of a lifetime. People were thrilled to enjoy the peppy night and applauded the government’s initiative to make a dream come true. The passengers were ready to get off the next station. They were standing right next to the exit doors so that everyone can disembark without any hassle. But they were left confused when the train did not stop at the station. The people were terrified, and it created an amount of panic inside. Then all of a sudden, a person got a call from an unknown number and he loudly exclaimed, “There is bomb on the train. It’s not gonna stop!” The news spread like a fire in every compartment. People saw their worst fear. They were scared, frightened, and blown off their senses.

The monstrous news dismounted the people and created chaos in the train. People were scrambling in every direction, trying to unlock the doors. Some of them banged on the window panels to get out but they were all sealed. They had no chance to go out. The atmosphere inside each compartment was going crazy and the entire train was terror-stricken. Someone from them had to take the lead to calm everyone down. Nirvaan Sharma, the ticket collector, took it upon himself to lead them. He told his colleagues to go into the compartments and calm everyone down.

“People just keep quiet, please sit down on your seats. Screaming out loud is not gonna solve the matter. Just stay calm and pray for good, and I believe the authorities might be doing something to save us,” his voice was pretty loud and clear. Hearing him, the noise went down. People went back to their respective seats. The atmosphere inside was now back to normal. Then, he saw a news reporter with a camera in his hands. The reporter was Vikas from Newsnet channel. He called him up.

“Hey, you there,” he asked. “Yes, Sir?”

“You are from NewsNet channel, right? I need your help,” Nirvaan said.

“Sure.”

Nirvaan told him to set up a live stream from inside the train. He wanted to convey a message to the authorities. He wanted an official intimation from them and also wanted to appeal to them. If this was true, he wanted officers to rescue them as around 450 innocent lives were in danger.

Vikas prepared for the shoot. The camera was in position and within two minutes, they were ready for the shot. He telecasted it live.

Live Stream from Train

‘Today we are live from the Booneville Express. ‘There is a bomb on this train and it can’t stop, if the train stops the bomb will go off. People here are really terrified. However, the situation is under control. But we still need an authentication of the news from the authorities. If this is true, kindly let us know. And please get us all out of this situation. Thank You.”

...

Debjit and Jivin were walking together on the outskirts of the city. They were on their way to a wasteland behind the old railway tracks. A high brick wall topped with broken glass and razor wire enclosed the area. One wooden gate hung open and through it they could see some old train engines covered with large tarpaulins inside a shed. Debjit asked Jivin to wait and ran inside. Debjit uncovered the engine. Jivin was curiously watching what Debjit was trying to do. He also entered the shed. The engine was still attached to the train. Debjit opened its main door and headed towards to the driver’s seat. He started it off. A blasting noise came from it and crunching a pick speed for 180 km per hour. It broke the shed and came out with the engine. Jivin couldn’t believe what he just saw. He was left with no words. The engine was fully charged with Shizashi nitro boosters. He entered inside the driver seat, where Debjit was sitting. New wiring had been done, the control system was totally upgraded, and it was shining.

“What is this, Debjit? Can you explain?” Jivin asked him. “This is a rescue engine. We had modified it,” Debjit

replied

“Modified?”

“Yes.”

“When did you do that?” “2 days back.”

“What the fuck, Debjit? You have been known this all along? Are you out of your mind?”, Jivin was angry, on him. Debjit knew this was bound to happen.

“Why didn’t you disclose it before?” Jivin held his shirt collar.

“Because I was waiting for the right time,” Debjit was calm. His eyes looked different. They were icy and fiery at the same time.

“This is the right time for you? Around 450 innocent lives are in danger. What do you want to prove?” Jivin was shouting now. He kicked a trash can on the floor.

“I have already told you, Jivin. My daughter comes first then these people. I assure you. No one will be hurt. I promise. I will get each and every person inside the train to safety. Trust me. If I had disclosed it, this would have never happened. Avinash was underground for the past one month. He is out for revenge now and, it’s a perfect time to catch him. Trust me, I will get him this time,” Debjit explained to him.

He wanted Jivin to be on his side. Debjit was trying to convince him. Jivin was still in an extreme state of mind. He was furious with him. Jivin thought for a moment as he settled himself. He didn’t reply to Debjit but he was now calm.

“Okay, what’s next?” Jivin asked.

The Fine Plan

The primary target is to evacuate the people, Debjit explained to the officials. They would attach the 4 compartments to the rescue engine. The rescue train will then run to its full speed of 220 km per hour to catch the journey covered by The Bourneville express. They had already asked the drivers to slow down its pace to 105 km per hour, so it gets easy for the rescue train to cover the distance. Once the trains are on parallel tracks, they will join the trains with the help of an escalated chamber attached between them. Then the evacuation process will start. The passengers of 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th, compartments will be evacuated first. Once that’s done, a team of 6 officials will enter the train and then de- attach the train’s remaining compartments. Debjit explained it to the team. One person from the team came up with a question.

“Sir, why we are not directly detaching the compartments from the 2nd one?”,

“Buddy, that was clever. The main motive behind this evacuation is to catch Avinash Sampath. If we go one by one, we get time to find out where he is hiding inside. If we completely detach it, he might run away as an imposter. This is our only chance and we can’t afford to miss this opportunity,” Debit stated,

“Moreover, the 2nd compartment is directly attached with the engine. We can’t separate it. We have to do it from the 3rd one.”

Debjit was now ready to start the journey. The evacuation team packed all the equipment required for the mission such as the portable escalated chamber, turnstiles, screen doors for lifting people and metal barriers to block any unavoidable damage. They took a blasting start, and Jivin was the one who waved them off. Many things were going on in his mind, but what concerned him the most was that Debjit and his team had to return successfully. He prayed for them.

Inside the Train

People were extremely scared. Some were not good in health. But the doctors inside the train were doing their duty, giving medicines, and taking care of the sick. The passengers were waiting for a good signal from the authorities. Vikas, who was in the third compartment now, got a call from Debjit.

“We will be there in an hour or so. Now, it’s your task to find Avinash inside the train,” Debjit told him. Vikas was quite relieved on hearing Debjit’s voice and the fact that he was coming to rescue them. he announced the good news to the passengers. They all clapped for it.

“Sir, I find him. I won’t disappoint you. Thank You,” Vikas assured him. It was literally impossible to observe each and every passenger but still, he was optimistic. He looked for help and talked with the ticket collector, Nirvaan.

“Sir, I need your help,” Vikas whispered in his ears “Yes Sir?” Nirvaan replied.

“We need to find one person, he is a criminal.”

“What are you saying man? There is a criminal on the train? Have you told the authorities?” Nirvaan panicked.

“Sir, please be calm. Yes, the authorities know about it. I need your help to find him,” Vikas said. “What does he look like?”

“We don’t know that. But he is here and we need to find him,” Vikas replied.

“But how, buddy?”

“Sir, just observe if anyone acts strangely. Inform me if you spot anything,” Vikas muttered.

“Sure.”