THE INVINCIBLE SHADOW: THE SECRET

With terror occupied her mind and concern for safety of her boyfriend, she drove back as fast as she could. Yes, she was sure that SIGMOIDs conversation with her was just a threat to stop her but she just couldn’t take the risk.

Parking the car underground, adah ran swiftly to the closest elevator and went to the 24^th floor. Breathing a sigh of relief, she sat down to her knees, massaging them with her hands, she realized that she could hear her throbbing heartbeat…..taking a long breath, she rung the bell twice…

“adah, where were u man, ur parents , I seriously tell u, they are so clingy, they have called atleast 50 times….cant u tell them …..” sam began complaining, interrupting his old monologue that he used to repeat every single day she returned from work…she bluntly cut him and demanded

“did something unusual happen while u were cracking the sigmoid today?” panting heavily she asked

“adah? Whats the matter…u seem really tensed” he tried to comfort her

“damn it! Show me your emotions after…just tell me….did anything happen while u were working on the sigmoid??” she absconded

SAM, an ethical computer hacker and the only guy who ever came close to adah….he was great at his job ranging from hacking the most potential info, and one of the best in his field. Gregarious by nature he and adah hit off from the beginning….though adah was always against office romances, they did not have much trouble as most of the time sam worked from home.  They were perfect for each other , understood each others needs, desires, problems and thus were blissfully happy since the last 4 years….however problems recently started brewing between them….time issues ,loyalty were slowly draining their relationship which led to their breakup 2 months back. Though not as lovers, they stayed friends sharing the same apartment …..their friendship was stronger than their love…even if it was adah who was usually cold and emotionless who broke off…sam secretly still had hopes for “them”.

“no….nothing…u are talking about cracking into sigmoid? Which has 5 protection layers! And out of which just 2 have been opened loose……now will u tell me what the hell is going on?” he was confused as he had never seen adah reacting this way..even during the Mumbai terror attacks ,she kept her calm…ADVERSITY WAS ADAHS FORTE and today it seemed a little shaken.

“SIGMOID TAPPED MY RADIO WAVES AND WARNED ME TO STOP DRILLING INTO HIS SYSTEM ELSE MUMBAI WILL  HAVE TO SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES” she told him but not about MR INVINCIBLEs personal threat towards sam…she knew he would freak out which would affect the work of opening the sigmoid all loose and SHE WOULDN’T WANT THAT.

“are u serious” sam was paralysed hearing this

“yes sam I indeed am….so now it would be better if we all pull up our socks..its high time now” she tried to maintain her composure

 Sam drifted a little closer towards adah….held her hand and looked gravely into her eyes..he knew adah would  never show her emotions openly and now when she needed someone to comfort her , she will pretend to be as courageous as never before. Holding her hand he softly whispered.

“adah….i know you can” . for a second even the “witch” forgot that they were no longer in a relationship..slowly leaning towards his chest…she rested her head on him and tried to relax in his warmth. She knew she could always rely on him and the softness he offered her during such times was unmatchable. Closing her eyes they were gently hugging each other when…….Suddenly a beep from sams computer started to ring so loud that it made adah realized that she was being vulnerable….collecting herself up she said.

“sam, whats that beep?”

Sam smiled ….”adah…congratulations the 3 and 4 layer have been cracked” he grinned

FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS, adah thought

“great….crack the 5 layer too  before i eat u up alive” she got back being the rude bitch

“don’t eat me up…there is some pasta left..its in the microwave..warm it and eat it up” he was well aware that adah wouldn’t have eaten a single morsel since morning

“yeah..whatever” she dragged herself to the kitchen , leaving sam smiling to himself.

MR DIXIT CALLING….HER PHONE FLASHED

Jumping over the counter , she answered it “yes sir”

“adah I need u to come to the headquarters immediately” saying just this much, he hung up even before adah could ask what was it.

Threatening sam to open the 5 layer by tomorrow , she ran to her car and drove as quickly as she could to the HQ OF INDIAN CRIMINOLOGY DEPT…as soon as she approached the gates..she entered her personnel code and went in. in the wee hours of dawn, adah wondered, what the matter could be….

‘COME THROUGH THE BACK DOOR, ADAH…8765 IS THE CODE FOR THE BARGATE’ mr dixit sent her the text msg.

She was granted access as soon as she entered the 4 digit code

“weird” she thought as mr dixit never calls her such late “must be some emergency “ she thought however some doubt began to hover in her head….the hazy air…the pitch black atmosphere…something was just not right.

 And he back door was only used for entering into places which could be only accessed by the chairman and president of the ICD…

“adah?” she heard mr dixit’s voice

Turning around she saw him …..he was being different adah spotted it immediately..his face was all pale..his shoulders quivered….this man was the pillar of icd …she sensed it right from entering the HQ that something grim was going on

“sir..is everything alright?” she enquired

“follow me adah” and he led her to a place which was all dark,a rancid smell made her cover the nose..she could hear some strange clanking noise…it was a bit spooky.

“nitrous oxide and ammonia” he said sensing the pungent smell.

 They entered a huge room….mr dixit switched on the light and made adah SEE HIS MOST PROTECTED SECRET EVER……..IT WAS THE SIGMOID ITSELF!!

THE INVINCIBLE SHADOW - THE AWAKENING

Something was just not correct…..adah felt it…it was like something was slipping out from her hands but she couldn’t control it …it just wasn’t possible!
“LOOK OUT!” sam shouted
But it was too late now…..or ?

3 days ago
“it’s a complete disaster…what have you fools been up to all year long…jerks!” adah screamed loud across the hall which was enough to send chills through the spine of her employees. 
“maam, actually …..i ..i”  sid tried to advocate but soon realized he was talking to the “WITCH ON FIRE”
“what?” …”what..maam?” adah barked “just get out and let me clear the mess u idiots have made”


Oh ,if you are wondering..how rude and mean could she be…it was not even a proper trailer. Every morning before she arrived, sid made sure that her coffee double espresso, extra sugar was ready all hot on the table, catalogued all her files, scheduled her appointments, made all the office supplies within her reach and the most imp task of all sent alerts to all the employees of the office before she entered the so called “WORK BAR” so that they could appraise themselves for the worst.


Adah, adah khurana , a dynamic 29 year old criminal psychologist who was mostly seen donning a formal suit with a neatly tied pony and was famous for continuously working at the laptop and as well as kicking u out of her cabin if she read your body language to be inappropriate. A perfect definition of HORROR WITH INTELLECT, adah could crush your soul in even less than a nano second with a glare. If the apathetic look wasn’t enough to scare the nerves out of you, the girl was trained in some serious stuff of mind unlocking  ….so bless your stars if she didn’t look into your direction because if she did , man…the hell would break loose.

The superiors loved her, home ministry feared her as she was known for her arrogating ways of seizing control and solving the most powerful, cogent cases which they couldn’t. Being the vice president of INDIAN CRIMINOLOGY DEPARTMENT she had many accolodates  dedicated to her ferocious mettle. And with such an aura comes confidence ….she loved her job and worked 24*7 breathlessly.


“if it wasn’t your stupid mind which interfered  my brilliance, we could have solved the case weeks ago! Now move your ass out of my cabin else I will” she was annoyed.
Sid opened her mouth to apologize but all adah could say even not looking at him was “keep your bloody sorry to your bloody mouth”  and flashed him a bunch of files across his face

And then came the moment she was dreading the most….the phone on her desk was ringing…she knew it was the chairman of ICD who was her mentor and the only guy she respected in  her whole life. 

“good morning sir” adah said
“so you knew it was me….good…then you must also be aware as to why am I calling you!” MR DIXIT said
“yes, sir, I do” being a criminal psychologist has its perks too she thought
“so..where is the final access password that will unlock the location of SIGMOID?”

She was hating this moment…that feeling of compunction wasn’t the one that she was used to..but not having answers crippled her mind even more.

“sir…give me 3 days time …I know it already has been too late…but sigmoid is always 5 steps ahead of us..my hackers are trying to get into his system but ..” before she could finish mr dixit cut her in

“adah….you are one of my most trustworthy employees ….i have enough other people to tell me that how ahead sigmoid is ….i don’t want to hear that kind of crap from you…3 days adah…3 damn days..crack it.. and I know you can” he pushed her
“yes sir, I will, thanks.” Adah knew she would but sigmoid would know her plan too even before she would execute it.

SIGMOID, was a software of the mind, a huge blow that came out as a raging fire and a shock to the whole world. Created by some man who the ICD called “THE INVINCIBLE” who still wasn’t tracked , the sigmoid had such codings that even the best of best computer engineers or hackers could break…it was creating such a havoc as its waves had realm of cosmic powers which could read minds and in turn could influence their thoughts, actions and behaviours. Such a software was all immune to all types of viruses…nothing could enter his system and nothing could leave it without the imprints of  THE INVINCIBLE’S dna.

 Nobody knew why was it created but one thing was for sure..it did not had any productive purpose…IT WAS AN EXPLICABLE DISASTER.


 The only clue mr invincible was leaving everytime he operated the software was images of dead bodies torn up and an audio where he warned the ICD and THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CRIMINAL DECODE to stop looking for him and trying ways to enter into his system. 1000 people worldwide were already targeted ….america, Canada, Europe and now he was on the asian hunt …it was only now that the Indian criminal association was informed but adah was already hooked up to this case from the very beginning…she even told the board of ministers that his next target would be MUMBAI so she prepared her team beforehand. 


“maam, its already 1 am …we have to close the office now” the peon timidly peeked through her cabin as he knew it very well of the consequences to disturb her when she was thinking to solve a case.

“yes, I am leaving…” she got up to pack her things….took  the car keys and the phone and started walking towards the parking lot immersed in her thoughts.
 She started the car , switched on the radio to her favourite fm which played nice songs at night and began driving to her apartment. All the roads were bane…no person was seen …the whole world was asleep while she drove on the road following all the traffic signals even when no other vehicle or policeman was around to obstruct her.


Suddenly, the fm began to fade in and fade out rapidly…..

“that’s strange, it has never happened before” she thought adjusting the knob of the radio 

AND THE RADIO STOPPED PLAYING….STANDING AT THE RED LIGHT WAITING FOR IT TO TURN GREEN, adah pulled her car over the corner to see what the matter was…AND THEN WHAT SHE HEARD ON THE RADIO WAS TERRIFYING, IT MADE ADAH GO WEAK IN HER KNEES AND HER FACE AS PALE AS A YELLOW PAPER……….IT WAS SIGMOID!!!...HE HAD TAPPED INTO HER RADIO SYSTEM AND WAS NOW SPEAKING TO HER


“ hello adah …..uhun uhun before you start recording our conversation on tape which I know u already have started I just wanted to let u know darling that I have arrived in Mumbai ….wont u give me a warm welcome?” his voice was grim and mocking 

Adah was scared for the first time in her life….she collected her consciousness back and firmly replied “you know it very well sigmoid, im gonna bust your plan…if you are actually as brave as u think…why don’t u come forward” she tried pressing the weak point as she was taught 8 years ago in her college.

“hahahaaa….adah adah” he sighed

“you amaze me….you think this small little ego game is gonna make me come out? Baby go home …your boyfriend is waiting for yu”


……….AND THIS WAS IT …..THE RADIO STARTED PLAYING THE SONGS BACK  AND ADAH…..FOR HER IT WAS A BLOODCURDLING NIGHTMARE. HE HAD TAPPED INTO HER LIFE…….IT WAS A FIGHT OR FLIGHT SITUATION.