The rain in Colaba was light, a soft drizzle that made the old British-era buildings look like dark, sleeping giants. At 4:15 AM, a black sedan pulled up to a quiet residential block.
Commissioner Patil, a stout man in a civilian duster, stepped out of the driver's seat. He looked around the empty street, adjusted his collar, and walked toward the gate of a private apartment building.
A shadow detached itself from the stone archway.
"Late night, Commissioner," Vikram said, stepping into his path.
Patil gasped, his hand immediately reaching for the pistol under his duster. But Rohan was already behind him, driving the cold iron pipe against the Commissioner's ribs. "Don't," Rohan whispered. "Or I'll break your spine before you pull the trigger."
Patil froze, his face turning pale. He looked at Vikram. "Do you know who I am, kid? You'll spend the rest of your life in a dark cell for this."
"I know exactly who you are," Vikram said. He raised his right hand.
With a soft hum, a bright blue electrical arc sparked between Vikram's fingers, the high-voltage crackle illuminating the dark street. The smell of ozone filled the damp air.
"You're the man who covered up Amar Rathod's murder," Vikram said, his eyes glowing with a pale blue light. "And you're the man helping Devendra Malhotra build the Tenebrous Grid."
Patil stared at the blue electricity, his sweat running down his neck. "Rathod... you're Amar's boy. He was a fool. You don't know what you're dealing with. The Vow is everywhere."
"Where is the main transmitter, Patil?" Vikram asked, bringing his sparking fingers closer to the Commissioner's face. The heat from the arc made the raindrops steam. "Tell me, or I'll short-circuit your pacemaker."
"The... the Gateway," Patil stammered, his knees shaking. "It's under the Gateway of India. There is an ancient, water-filled reservoir beneath the monument, built during the colonial era. The transmitter is suspended over the water."
"How do we get in?" Vikram demanded.
"The basement of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel," Patil rasped, his voice breaking. "There is a sealed service corridor behind the boiler room. It leads to the underground cistern. But it's guarded. Javed's Wraiths are patrolling the tunnels."
"Thanks for the access, Chief," Rohan said, stepping back.
Before Patil could react, Vikram drove a quick, low-voltage electric shock into the Commissioner's neck. Patil's eyes rolled back, and he slumped into the wet grass of the garden bed, unconscious.
"Rohan, call Rahul," Vikram said, turning back to the street. "Tell him to meet us at the Taj. We have our target."
But before they could move, Rhea's voice panicked in their earpieces. *"Vikram! Rohan! Get out of there! The Vow tracked my server signal back to the gym! Javed's men are there! Mr. Desai is..."*
The call cut off into loud, static-filled silence.