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died, his wife and son among them. Whatever part of Rao was drawn to poetry and love died with them that day. The attack had been planned by Pakistan's intelligence agency. Rao filled the empty space in his heart with hatred for ISOK, for Pakistan, and especially for Abdul Afridi.
    Rao set the picture down and leaned back in his chair.
    Since the meeting with Krivi, Rao had thought of little else except revenge. At night his dreams filled with half remembered images of black skies filled with fire. Now, it seemed, vengeance was within reach. He wasn't sure how Krivi would make it possible, but it didn't matter. Rao knew what needed to be done. He had to create a provocation, an incident to start India on the road to war. Krivi and his organization would fan the flames. But how was it to be accomplished?
    The search for a n answer kept Rao awake at night. Meanwhile there was work to be done, the daily oversight of his network of spies. He had to maintain an illusion of loyalty.
    He picked up the report he'd been reading. It detailed a Filipino raid on an Abu Sayyaf camp and the death of Abu Khan. The report of Khan's death cheered Rao, but it raised questions. What was Khan doing in the Philippines? Had ISOK formed an alliance with Abu Sayyaf? If so, why? A second report speculated about a phone call from the American Embassy in Manila to Abu Khan. In the world of counter terrorism, a call like that was a red flag.
    Rao's agent in Manila was Prakash Khanna. Khanna thought Abu Sayyaf was planning a major attack on the Americans, with the American Embassy the likely target. The phone call was a piece of intelligence he pointed to in support of his theory.
    Rao didn't like Americans. He thought them arrogant and rude, little better than the British oppressors that had ruled India in the past. Washington claimed to be India's friend but played a double game by aiding Pakistan. America needed to understand that Pakistan was their enemy.
    Rao decided against warning Washington. If Abu Sayyaf attacked the Americans there might be a way to turn their anger against Pakistan, by making Washington think Islamabad was behind it.
    There can be no peace and rebirth without destruction , Rao thought. The concept of death and destruction as the seed of renewal and peace was deeply rooted in Indian culture. So was the concept of sacrifice. Sometimes sacrifices were necessary for the greater good and the glory of God.
    Sacrifice.
    Krivi's pills were taking effect. Rao's headache was gone. He felt good. The seed of a plan began to grow in his mind. He picked up his phone.
     
     

    CHAPTER 6
     
     
    The Indian Embassy to the Philippines was located in Dasmarinas Village in the Makati district, a peaceful, tree shaded island of calm in the restless chaos of the city. The saffron, white and green flag of India hung limp in the humid air over the entrance to the embassy.
    Prakash Khanna's official title was Second Counselor Attaché, attached to the trade ministry. He'd been an agent with the Research and Analysis Wing for twelve years.
    Khanna's last name was derived from a Sanskrit word for sword. It marked him as a guardian who would defend the values of Mother India. True to his name, he belonged to the Kshatriya caste, warriors in the tradition of the great Prince Arjuna. The caste system was still legal, still a universal part of Indian social and cultural life. Caste was hereditary and unchangeable. Many of the best RAW agents were Kshatriya.
    Khanna thought of himself as a warrior, though his slight frame and thinning hair didn't match the virile image people saw in the Bollywood spectacles. Times had changed. In the modern era, a computer was of more use than a sword and analytic skills could be more deadly than the bow and arrow of the ancient epics.
    Khanna 's encrypted phone signaled a call from Ashok Rao. Rao was Khanna's superior but the two men were friends and shared many things in common. Like Rao, Khanna was a fundamentalist who