Shadow Tyrants

THIRTY-TWO

The Corporation’s private Gulfstream had landed at Kochi’s airport at the same time the Oregon arrived at India’s southern port city to drop off the team that would be infiltrating Romir Mallik’s gala. Chuck “Tiny” Gunderson, the Corporation’s fixed-wing pilot on call whenever they needed a ride for a mission, was now taking them to Mumbai, and Eddie Seng was sitting in the copilot’s seat for the takeoff.

“How long will you be in Mumbai?” the big, blond Swede asked a minute after the wheels lifted from the runway.

“The party starts at six tomorrow night,” Eddie said.

“Good. I can get some sleep after we get there.”

“Long flight from Singapore?”

“It wasn’t bad, but I had to leave a killer poker hand at the casino when I got the call. I’m guessing we won’t be sticking around once the party is over.”

Eddie hoped they could get in and out without trouble, but he always planned for the worst. “We might need a quick extraction.”

“You usually do.” He looked over his shoulder at the rest of the team in the back. “You brought a different group with you this time. I don’t see Kevin Nixon or Hali Kasim on my plane very often.”

“A lot of moving parts on this mission.”

“I haven’t met the new member of the crew yet.” He was referring to Raven, who was sitting toward the rear of the plane with MacD, Murph, and Linc. “She a good fit?”

“The Chairman’s got an eye for talent,” Eddie said, rising out of his seat. “In fact, we couldn’t be doing this op without her. Juan and I came up with a doozy this time.”

He walked back to Murph, who was intently peering at his laptop, and sat next to him. The rest of the team gathered around.

“Sorry we didn’t have time for a briefing before we left,” Eddie said, “but we had a lot of things to take care of so the Oregon could get on its way quickly.”

“I hear we’re going to a party,” Hali said.

Eddie nodded. “Some of us. This is a very exclusive event. The cream of Indian society will be there. Serious invite only. Kevin, you got hold of one of the invitations, right?”

Kevin nodded and held up a gold-embossed card. “Found a photo of one online and created a replica before we left the ship. People really should be careful about what they share on social media.”

“Who’s the invitee?” Linc asked.

Eddie looked at Raven, who stared back at him before she said, “Not me.”

“Yes, you. Murph, show us the photo.”

Murph turned the screen and showed them a picture of a beautiful Indian woman in a sari. She bore a striking resemblance to Raven.

MacD almost spit out the gum he was chewing. “Wow! That your sister?”

Raven leaned toward the screen. “Who is she?”

“That hottie is Kiara Jain,” Murph said. “Rising Bollywood star who has been in America for the last few years trying to build a career in New York and Los Angeles. Didn’t go as well as she wanted, so she just returned for her big comeback on the Mumbai entertainment scene.”

Raven frowned at Kevin. “So that’s why you took my measurements before we left the Oregon.”

“I’ve brought a stunning turquoise gown for you,” Kevin said.

She looked back to the screen. “I’m not the same kind of Indian, but I do look a little like her, I guess.”

“I have everything I need to transform you into her double. By the time I’m done with you, her own boyfriend wouldn’t recognize the difference.”

“Boyfriend?”

Eddie patted MacD on the shoulder. “Meet your temporary beau, Cole Randle. Dumb as a post, but his pretty face makes up for his lack of talent.”

“Thanks a lot,” MacD said.

“Is someone named Cole Randle really her boyfriend?” Raven asked.

“No,” Murph said, “but I’ll hack into the Internet Movie Database and create a few ultra-low-budget films for his résumé in case anyone checks.”

“No one over here will know if you picked up a new himbo from Hollywood,” Linc added.

“I’ve already come up with a few titles for Randle’s craptastic action movies. They’re all straight-to-video. Maximum Justice. Fatal Force. Time to Impact.”

“Hey, Ah’d see those,” MacD said.

“I’ll be playing your U.S.-based manager,” Eddie said, “and Linc is typecast in the role of well-muscled bodyguard.”

“Wait a minute,” Raven said. “I don’t even know what she sounds like.”

“You’re going to be watching a lot of movies over the next day or so. But we’re also going to say you’ve come down with a case of laryngitis to keep conversations to a minimum. MacD and I will be doing most of the talking.”

“If they can understand me,” MacD said, then pointed at Murph. “He’s not coming? Don’t we need to break into a computer in there?”

“You do,” Murph said, handing a pocket-sized tablet computer to Eddie. “This will connect to Mallik’s network once you’re inside his condo tower. I’ll be ordering room service back at the hotel room while I do all the hacking remotely.”

“What about me?” Hali asked.

“The real Kiara Jain is staying at the Mumbai Four Seasons,” Eddie said. “Your job is to keep her from getting to the party until we’re gone.”

“That sounds easy enough.”

“Apparently, you’ve never read about Ms. Jain’s prima donna antics in the tabloids. Seems she learned something from her Hollywood counterparts and became a bit of a diva since arriving in America.”

Hali smirked at that. “Oh, great.”

“How long will it take you to hack into the network?” Eddie asked Murph.

“Depends on what kind of security Mallik has. Hopefully, less than an hour.”

Raven gagged. “I have to parade around that party in a gown and high heels for an hour?”

“We drink champagne and schmooze a little while Murph does all the work,” MacD said. “What’s the problem?”

“I joined the Corporation to fight bad guys, not play dress-up at some fancy rich person’s prom.”

“Don’t take this mission lightly,” Eddie warned. “We estimate there will be fifty uniformed police and at least twenty plainclothes guards at this function, not to mention the dignitaries’ personal bodyguards. Think of this as if we are sneaking into the White House. For the evening, Mallik’s condo building will be one of the most heavily protected places in the country. And if he or his attack dog Asad Torkan suspects that we aren’t who we say we are, we’ll be learning a lot more about the Indian prison system than we want to.”

That silenced everyone.

“Now, Murph,” he continued. “Bring up the blueprints you found for Mallik’s building. We need to know all our possible exits. We’re all going to know them backward and forward by the time we get to the party.”

Eddie watched Raven intently following Murph’s rundown of the structure. He had no doubt she would realize that no Corporation mission was ever easy.