Chapter 1As Sara Hartsfield sat down in the first class seat on her flight back from half way around the world, she started to reflect on the events of the previous seven days. Her past thirty-five years could not have prepared her for what she encountered and experienced during these seven days. Even her ten years experience as an investigative reporter for the News Channel Network could not have prepared her for this experience. And she did not know where this experience was going to take her before it was all over. One thing she was sure of was that it was not over and something was yet to come. Sara was deep in her thoughts, oblivious to the things that were happening around her. Not that anything significant was happening around her. Just the routine activities that take place when a jetliner prepares for take off -- the flight crew making final preparations, the captain making routine announcements, passengers watching the safety video, and the like. Sara had experienced all those an innumerable number of times. She had no interest or inclination in paying attention to those details at this time. At some other time, she might have. But not at this time. She had more important things on her mind.
“What would you like to drink?” asked the flight attendant.
This brought Sara back to her immediate surroundings. She was abroad an Air France jumbo jet on her way to New York from New Delhi. Not that she was particularly interested in a drink in the middle of the night. But she had no choice in this matter. Most flights leaving India for Europe and the United States leave in the middle of the night so as to arrive at their European destinations or transit points in the morning. Most airports in Europe have restrictions on planes landing and taking off during nighttime. Given the time it takes to fly from Indian cities to European destinations, it was necessary for airlines to schedule departure times from India in the middle of the night. It was an inconvenience that had to be tolerated.
On a normal flight, Sara would have declined a drink. She did not like to drink alcoholic beverages during flight, particularly during long flights. Having traveled around the world several times, as a part of her job, she had learned that alcohol prevents her from relaxing during the flight and she needs extra time at the destination to acclimatize and adjust to jet lag. But this was not a normal flight for her. She had almost lived an entire lifetime in the previous seven days. Not only that, she had also escaped death during this time. In fact, she was not fully clear as to what happened or the implications of the events that took place. There was a kind of fear in her heart that this was just the beginning, like the tip of an iceberg.
Sara was not easily scared. She had grown up to be a brave and bold girl. She had inherited these traits from her mother. Sara was very young when her father walked out the door and never came back. In rural Montana, raising her as a single mother was very difficult for Susana, Sara’s mother. But she did it with courage and determination. Susana also passed along those traits to Sara. At college Sara majored in broadcast journalism and worked at a local TV station for some time. Soon she was on the path to success and glory. Now she was an investigative reporter for NCN. Her job had taken her to remote areas. She had reported on war, natural disasters, revolutions, and demonstrations. Things that would make a common man retreat to a sanctuary did not scare her. The smell of such events made adrenalin flow in her blood. She thrived on excitement. She excelled on such assignments. She was not cut out for a desk job. However, even with her mind set and experience, the events of the past seven days had shaken her.
“Yes, I would like to have a double Scotch on the rocks please,” replied Sara.
Scotch was not Sara's favorite drink. Normally she preferred wine. That, too, in moderation. She never took Scotch on the rocks. But today was not normal. She had to calm her nerves. She had barely escaped from the jaws of death. Her heart was still pounding. And she had something in her possession that could be of great significance. But she did not have any idea of what that significance was. The only thing she knew was that her experience during the seven days, her narrow brush with death, and escape had something to do with that object. What was the connection? How did the different pieces join together? Perhaps, no one knew at that time.
As she took her drink from the flight attendant, she relaxed in her seat and heard the announcement that their flight was cleared for takeoff. That means that she had only a few minutes to fold the table in front of her seat for takeoff. Instead of taking time to finish her drink, she took a few big gulps, emptied the glass, and settled down for takeoff. She closed her eyes and started reflecting on the previous seven days.
* * *To mark the end of the war in Afghanistan, News Channel Network was planning a follow-up story. The Coalition had once again proven that nations of the world could collectively take action to police a rogue nation, enforcing the basic law of human dignity and independence. Although the United States was forced into this because of its fight on terrorism, as the rest of the world realized, it was not the United States against the terrorists; it was all peace-loving nations against the terrorists. When all efforts to arrive at a solution through diplomacy failed, the United States was compelled to use force. But this time, other nations of the world joined the fight against terrorism. Although the war in Afghanistan was over, and most of the ground troops had gone back home, terrorism had not been eliminated from the world. Terrorist cells around the world had gone into hibernation, to be activated at a later time. No one knew when.
Sara’s report, focusing on the changes in the past year, was supposed to start in Afghanistan and end in India. She was scheduled to visit Kabul, Islamabad, and New Delhi. At these locations, her report would include interviews with some top government officials. But more importantly, she was slated to report from the ground, talk to common men and women, and find out how these nations feel after the so-called end of hostilities. Perhaps it was only a temporary halt in hostilities.
At the political level and in diplomatic circles, one could hear optimism about the future of talks on the Kashmir issue. Both India and Pakistan had indicated strong interest and commitment to a diplomatic solution to the fifty-year-old conflict. Editorials in the world press, statements by world leaders, and the speeches made at the United Nations expressed optimism on the future of talks between India and Pakistan. She was supposed to dig deeper. Ask the common man and see if the optimism really was true.
Besides official contacts in the government and press, News Channel Network had established its own sources of contacts and information. These contacts were critically important in that part of the world. They could not only help in getting information, but most of the time, they were very useful in helping to work the system. For example, if NCN needed to get a permit for something, these contacts could “arrange” to get the necessary permit. Once it had to bring its satellite equipment to Pakistan for a live coverage at short notice. Through the normal governmental channels and bureaucratic red tape, it could not have received necessary permits to bring the equipment in time. The network had to rely heavily on its contacts to help get the necessary equipment. In short, these contacts were versatile, resourceful, and very helpful (all for a price).
Initial preparation for the trip and departure was uneventful. When she arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sara was met at the airport by a member of the local bureau. The next morning, she met the bureau chief and together they started on their trip to Kabul, Afghanistan. Even the trip to Kabul was uneventful. Once in Kabul, she started on her reporting mission. She had several activities planned in advance -- meeting with the president, meeting with a few opposition leaders, a visit to public places, and live interviews with common people. For the first day, everything was normal. People cooperated, as usual. But for Sara, that was the norm. Her reputation as an aggressive reporter was well known all over the world and gave her an added advantage. At her young age, she had interviewed many heads of states, countless dignitaries, VIPs and the like. However, her reputation had not prepared her for what was about to come.
It started during her meeting with some informers who had close contacts with ex-terrorists. She started to feel that her informers were not telling the complete story, sensing that something was missing. On the face of it, everything seemed to be normal. But she was getting some vibes that there was something going on. However, there was nothing she could do. All her questions were answered fully. Everyone cooperated. She could go to any place she wanted, make her report any way she wanted. But still, she was getting an anxious feeling.
On the last day of her visit to Afghanistan, Sara stood in front of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, dressed in a light blue skirt and jacket and a matching silk blouse. There was a light breeze and the sky was clear. Her blond hair appeared to be glowing in the light from the setting sun. Even with only minimal make-up, she looked captivatingly attractive. With her characteristic smile and hint of a wink, she concluded this first part of her report on NCN by saying, “… and this is Sara Hartsfield, live from Kabul for NCN. Tomorrow I will continue my report from Islamabad, Pakistan. Good night.”
* * *Nothing could be said about their trip to Islamabad from Kabul. It was a short flight from Kabul. Although commercial flights to and from Kabul had not reached the level one could expect in any Western country, some limited flights were available on a sporadic basis. Afghan Air had obtained a lease on a few planes and now had a small fleet. Most of the time, these planes were used for official visits, but some seats were made available to the public on availability basis. These planes were also used by international relief organizations for shipping medical and other supplies and personnel to and from Afghanistan. When available, public flights were also made to Islamabad and India, two of Afghanistan=s neighboring countries.
In Islamabad, Sara checked into the hotel and spent some time planning for her next day=s engagement. She had a scheduled meeting with President Musharraf, followed by a meeting with the head of one of the most popular Islamic religious groups in Pakistan. Although this group had never identified itself as an extremist fundamentalist, it believed in the purity of Islam and the principles taught by the Koran.
Sara’s contact in Islamabad was Ashraf, a man with amazing resourcefulness. He could “arrange” almost anything in Pakistan. Of course, one had to pay the right price. It was rumored that Ashraf was involved in smuggling guns, ammunition, rockets, and people in and out of Afghanistan during the time Russians occupied Afghanistan and Americans were supporting the fight waged by Mujahideens. During that time, Ashraf developed his own network of smugglers, informers, and underground travel routes to help him do his work. He did not have any political ideology. He did not care if the Taliban ruled Afghanistan or the Russians ruled that country. He cared for himself and would go to any length to protect his life and business interests. If it meant helping smugglers to bring in illegal drugs for a fee, it was perfectly okay for him. Ashraf was doing his business, helping in the movement of men, material, and information.
When NCN got in touch with Ashraf two years ago, it asked for his help in arranging interviews with Mujahideens operating in Afghanistan. With his help, NCN became the only news channel that brought the latest coverage from inside Afghanistan. For the current assignment, it contacted him again and asked for his help in arranging some interviews in Pakistan with leaders of some of the groups opposed to Indian and Western influence on that country. NCN also asked for his help in escorting Sara and the cameraman throughout Pakistan. All this was done without any difficulty and thanks to his arrangements; Sara’s trip to Pakistan went off flawlessly. She got all the interviews she wanted and had no difficulty moving on to the next leg of her assignment.
Chapter 2After the second part of her assignment, Sara took a short flight to New Delhi to complete the third part by covering the latest situation in India. Although India was not the focal point, its proximity to Pakistan, involvement in the Kashmir issue, and previous nuclear showdown with Pakistan made it important enough to be included in this assignment. In India, her assignment was to meet the Prime Minister and talk to some common people on the street and get their viewpoint about the situation. No major terrorist activity had taken place in the recent past in this part of the world, except for sporadic minor activities in Kashmir. At the same time, the situation had not calmed down sufficiently to enable the two nations to move toward more economic prosperity.
Soon after reaching India, the first thing Sara arranged was a meeting with the local bureau staff to check her agenda because the appointment with the Prime Minister had been arranged by the local staff. At the meeting, Mr. Hemadri Das, the head of the New Delhi bureau, informed her that a man by the name of Ram Prasad had approached him and wanted to meet her. Mr. Das also told Sara that he had no knowledge about the man, what he did, and why he wanted to meet her. The only thing he knew was that the man approached him a few days earlier, he appeared to have heard of Sara, appeared to know of Sara=s reputation as a globe-trotting, investigative reporter, and said that he had some information that Sara might be interested in. She agreed to meet the man after her meeting with the Prime Minister the next day.
The next day was a Monday. Her meeting with the Prime Minister was as routine as meetings with prime ministers can go. One thing she had learned in this business was to never expect things to go as expected. During the interview, she sensed that the Prime Minister was hinting of putting pressure on Pakistan again to settle the Kashmir issue forever. Although he sounded positive, there was an underlying current of threat. On domestic issues he sounded very upbeat. He mentioned that the communal violence had been minimal; the nation was once again on a path to economic prosperity, and openly welcomed Western investment. However, Sara was getting a feeling that something was not right. Every time a politician sounded so positive, there had to be something brewing; perhaps, a policy change. Some experts were saying that opposition groups were getting stronger and there was an urgent need for the government to consolidate its power if it wanted to return to power after the next election, two years down the road.
In the evening, Sara had agreed to meet with the mysterious man. The man had insisted that she can only take Mr. Das with her and that the meeting take place at a location designated by him. She had agreed to the terms. In her investigative reporting, she had met many informers that wanted to keep their identity secret and go through elaborate arrangements. She had heard of Deep Throat, the key Watergate informer.
Sara and Mr. Das reached the designated meeting place well ahead of their appointment. It was the open-air section of a restaurant located in suburbs of New Delhi. The man they were supposed to meet was not there yet. There were very few customers in this area. They selected an isolated table and sat down. When the waiter came, they ordered coffee to pass time while they waited for the mysterious man. Sara scanned the surroundings to get a feel of the place. The sun was about to set in the west. Orange light of the setting sun cast long shadows of tables and chairs in the open area. A few trees stood majestically on the side of the restaurant. Leaves were gently rolling in the light breeze. The air was a bit cold. Perhaps that was the reason why very few customers were in the open-air area of the restaurant.
Sara and Mr. Das did not have to wait for long. The man who wanted to meet Sara also came a few minutes before the time they had agreed on. He was alone. He was a well-built man from Indian standards, dressed in dark colored pants and a blue shirt. He spoke English quite well, only with a heavy accent; therefore, Mr. Das did not have to translate.
“I am Ram Prasad,” the man introduced himself. “I have seen you on the TV several times.”
“Why did you want to see me?” Sara shot her first question without wasting any time.
“I have a proposition to make.”
“Go on, I am listening,” she quipped.
“I know you are aggressive. You go to faraway places to cover all types of events. You have been to war and natural disasters. But I can take you to an event you have not seen before.”
“Hmm,” noted Sara.
Ram Prasad continued. “You will be the only reporter at the event. No one knows of it now. Later, the whole world will know. But, if you are willing, you will be the only journalist witnessing the event as it is happening.”
“Which event are you talking about?”
“I cannot tell you about the event in advance. I can only tell you that it is important. Very important. It will change the course of history in this country. Perhaps, in many other countries as well.”
“Why should I care about this? Why should I even bother about your history?”
“You are a journalist. I know people like you. You journalists want excitement in life. You thrive on a rush of adrenalin that you get when you are in the middle of action, when you witness history making events taking place in front of your eyes. More so, when you are the only one or the first one to report on such events.”
Ram Prasad seemed to know a lot about journalists. In fact he really did know a lot about journalists. He had been one himself. He had spent more than five years reporting for a small local newspaper. Before he started working for the newspaper he had no intention of being a journalist. At that time he did not even know if he wanted to have a profession. He was young, he was angry, and was driven by an urge to tell the story; the real story behind things that were happening in his town and the state. He had a reason to be angry and had the motivation to do what he was doing. However, those days were gone long ago. Today he was a much older man, but his drive and motivation were still with him. At that moment he was standing in front of Sara and was trying to persuade her to witness some event. Ram Prasad continued. “You want to leave a legacy. You want the history to note that many significant events, good or bad, were reported by you. Opportunities like this do not come by every day. At the end of the day, you will thank me for taking you to the place.”
“But why do you want to take me there? What is your interest in taking me there? Why not take any of your local journalists with you?”
Ram Prasad sat down and started explaining. When he spoke this time, there was a strange calmness in his voice with an undercurrent of determination. He was not aggressive. His accent seemed to have disappeared. He looked straight into her eyes. His gaze was piercing, as if he was speaking with his eyes. She could almost see his words.
“I think you are the only person who can clearly and fairly report the course of the events to the world. I have studied you and your reporting style for some time. I know that you are courageous and fearless. I know that you are independent and are not influenced by people who may want to suppress any fact. I know that you would go to extreme lengths to get to the bottom of the story. I also know that after the event that is about to take place, there will be a lot of people who will be reporting. There will be powerful forces that will want to change the reporting of the event one way or the other. I am afraid that the truth might be lost in political power mongering of this country. I want the world to know the real truth, the compete truth. I think with the power of a big news corporation like NCN behind you, your own reputation for investigative journalism, your approach to powerful people, and your personal integrity, you will help preserve the truth in this case and bring it to the people. Will you help us?”
It was clear that Ram Prasad was connected with the event in some way. But he did not give any indication as to what it was.
“I do not cover criminal events.” Sara was blunt.
“I am not taking you to a crime scene. Remember, whether an act is a criminal act or not, a “criminal act” is a relative term. Only the legal system defines what is a crime and what is not a crime. And also remember that the law is not the same in all countries. Even in any given country, it does not remain constant forever. It changes from country to country; it changes from time to time as new laws are passed and old ones are withdrawn. What is legal today may not be legal tomorrow. And what was legal yesterday may not be legal today.”
Sara thought for a moment. Why is this man giving me lecture on legal systems and criminal acts? What is he hiding? If the event he intends to show me is not a criminal act it most likely is not a holy act either. But by now Sara was being compelled by her nature and was getting interested in the project. She wanted to be a witness to this so called history making event, but she had many more questions. She started with a barrage of questions to get specific details.
“When do we go? How far is this place? How long will it take?”
“We will leave on Wednesday morning. I cannot tell you any more things. You will find out as the time goes. You will be back here within a week. You must tell me now if you are willing to be a witness to a history-changing event.”
Later Sara would find out that Ram Prasad was very wrong. The event he was talking about turned out to be significant, but not earthshaking. However, the chain of events that started that day could really change the history of mankind. But it would take Sara several days before she could even get an idea as to the importance of those things.
Sara thought for some time. Mr. Das was looking at her curiously. He was afraid that she might agree to go with Ram Prasad. In his heart he did not want Sara to go with him to this unknown location to witness some unknown thing. At his age, he preferred a more well-defined life, both work-related and personal. He was afraid that Sara would be taking a big risk if she agreed to go with Ram Prasad. He felt that for a foreign lady, with limited knowledge about local language, places, and people, going to an unknown place with unknown people could be dangerous. He also felt that it might be very difficult for him to provide assistance to her, in case she needed, if her mission was secret and destination unknown. At the very least he wanted to know the itinerary and the destination. However, he did not express his opinion. In fact Sara did not ask him for his opinion in this matter and kept thinking.
For Ram Prasad, it seemed like an eternity. But it was only one minute or so. He had waited a long time for this. This event was too important for him. It could be the most important thing he had ever been involved in all his life. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Sara’s presence at the location was very important. He had made a commitment to his people that he would find the best reporter in the world to witness that event.
Ram Prasad had been involved with this group for some time. Right from the beginning they knew that they would have to get some powerful journalist, preferably a foreign journalist, to witness and report on this event. They figured that they could not trust a majority of Indian journalists. Those who worked for the government were obviously ruled out; those who worked for large private news organizations were also ruled out because they had no assurance if these journalists would be more faithful to the facts or their commercial interests; finally they feared that journalists who worked for small newspapers may not have enough power or recognition to provide adequate exposure and importance to this event. On the other hand they felt that many foreign journalists would have no personal interest or involvement in Indian politics or commercial interests. Also, many large international news organizations had the resources to provide international exposure to this event. They did not want the government or commercial interests to suppress the news. Ram Prasad was entrusted with the responsibility to find the right person to be the witness and report to the whole world.
Ram Prasad had spent some time scouting around for the right person. In a short time he identified several excellent candidates who could meet their needs. He was confident that any one of those included in his short list could provide the exposure this event deserved. Unfortunately, they did not have enough resources to fly any one from his list and pay for the expenses involved. When he discovered that Sara was coming to India, he immediately knew that she was the perfect person for this event. Besides possessing the qualities they desired, Sara was perfect for their purpose because her trip synchronized with the timing of the event they had planned. The timing was so perfect that they could not have planned any better even if they had all the resources they needed. Therefore, it was very important for Ram Prasad to make sure Sara agreed to come with him and witness the event.
Sara had excelled in covering live events. She had traveled all over the world to cover live events for NCN. The network had given her a lot of freedom and resources to go wherever she wanted. To let her cover whatever she wanted. In turn, she had given NCN one thing that the company wanted. Ratings. Her news coverage had given the network the number one position in its category. She joined the company when it was at the bottom of the news category. Sara had almost single-handedly brought it from an also ran to the premier news channel in the world. She never complained, worked unbelievable hours, treated her support staff with respect and dignity, and gave junior reporters all the encouragement and opportunities they deserved. What else could one ask from a star reporter? She knew that her superiors would support her in her decision to follow a lead. Finally, she spoke, “OK, I will accompany you to witness this event.”
On hearing this Ram Prasad was visibly relieved. However, Mr. Das was very concerned. However, he kept his misgivings to himself. Before leaving, Ram Prasad mentioned that Sara was allowed to bring her cameraman to record the events as they took place. However, there was going to be no live broadcast. She could use the tape for her reports later anyway she liked. He mentioned that he would pick her up at 9:00 A.M. on Wednesday morning.
When Sara returned to her hotel room she sat down and started thinking. What could it be? Why did this man seek her out to be a witness to an event? What was going to happen? Who was involved? How were they involved in the event? No matter how much she thought, she could not think of an answer. She had absolutely no idea. Therefore, instead of losing sleep over the unknown, she decided to watch TV for some time and go the bed early.
* * *