The air in the MLAs residence in Alwarpet was thick with the smell of sandalwood incense and the unwashed tension of political desperation. Outside the world of 2004 was shifting. The election results had sent shockwaves through the power structures.. Inside these walls MLA 'Sand' Rajendran still believed he was the king of the dirt.
He was a man who understood the ways. He knew how to move a stone in the middle of the night. He knew which police inspector needed a car to look the other way. He understood the weight of a gold chain and the impact of a lathi.
There was something he did not understand. It was the web that Karthik had spent the last month weaving across the city.
### The Invisible Web: The "Vicky" Network
Two weeks the "K.M. Strategic" software. Called CafeMaster 1.0. Had been installed in forty-two cyber cafes. To the cafe owners it was a godsend. It tracked time. Blocked pornographic pop-ups.
To Karthik it was a dragnet.
In 2004 people did not think about privacy in India. They walked into cafes logged into their email accounts and walked away without signing out. They saved documents to shared terminals. They shared passwords with cafe assistants.
"Karthik I found something " Vignesh had whispered the night. He had been looking at a computer screen in their Emerald Towers office. "You were right about the MLAs son, Sanjay. He does not use the home internet. He goes to 'Sify iWay' in T. Nagar three times a week."
Vignesh pointed to a folder. They had captured a "temp" folder scan. Sanjay Rajendran had been using a terminal to coordinate the logistics for his fathers hidden empire.
There were scanned copies of ledgers. There were emails to a middleman in Singapore. There was a trail.
"He thinks that because he deletes the history, its gone " Karthik said. "He does not realize that in 2004 the 'Delete' key is a suggestion."
### The Meeting
Karthik walked into the MLAs study. He was wearing his school uniform.
Rajendran sat behind a teak desk. He was flanked by Ravi and two other men. "The 'Genius boy " Rajendran sneered. "I heard you bullied my men with some talk about bank accounts. You have guts, kid.. Guts without muscle just makes for a messy floor."
Karthik did not sit. He placed a slim manila envelope on the desk.
"I'm not here to talk about accounts today Sir " Karthik said. "I'm here to talk about your sons business education."
Rajendrans eyes narrowed. "My sons business is his own. Get to the point."
"The point is hygiene " Karthik said. He pulled out a series of printed screenshots. One was a scanned ledger showing a payment of 12 crores. Another was a saved chat log.
The color began to drain from Rajendrans face.
"Where did you get this?" the MLA whispered.
"It's in the air Rajendran Sir " Karthik said. "Every time your son logs into a computer in this city hes leaving a footprint in my world."
Ravi moved toward Karthik.
"Stay back Ravi-anna " Karthik said. "There's a logic bomb on a server in Bangalore. If I do not log in and enter a code by 10:00 PM tonight these documents will be emailed to the Hindu, the Times of India and the Director of the Vigilance Department."
### The Deal
Rajendran slammed his fist on the desk.. There was no strength in it.
"What do you want? Money? You want a crore? Two?"
"I told you before I do not want your money " Karthik said. "I want a partnership. I'm calling it a risk mitigation consultancy."
Karthik laid out the terms.
* The Shield: The MLA would provide political protection for the Siruseri Land Trust and the GlobalNexus SEZ.
* The Eraser: Karthik would clean Sanjays footprint.
* The Future: The MLA would facilitate the infrastructure contract for the SEZ.
"You want me to be your servant?" Rajendran hissed.
"No " Karthik corrected. "I want you to be the successful MLA in the history of Tamil Nadu."
Rajendran looked at the screenshots of his sons mistakes. He looked at the 15-year- boy who spoke like a man.
"Fine " Rajendran whispered. "What do I do first?"
"First " Karthik said, "you're going to call the Land Commissioner. Tell him there was an error regarding the Siruseri salt pans."
### The Aftermath
Karthik walked out of the MLAs house into the Chennai night. Mani was waiting on the Pulsar.
"Is it done?" Mani asked.
"It's done " Karthik said.
He looked at his hands. He had broken the man in twenty minutes.
As they rode back toward Nungambakkam they passed a temple. Karthik saw a group of schoolboys laughing. A pang of regret hit him.
He had the money. He had the power. He had the MLA in his pocket.
As he looked at his reflection he realized the cost.
He reached into his pocket. Felt the Nokia 1100. It vibrated. A text from Anjali: 'My father says the government withdrew the notice! Everyone, in the village is celebrating. You did it Karthik. You're our hero.'
Karthik stared at the word 'Hero'.
"I'm not a hero, Anjali " he whispered into the wind. "I'm the only one who knows how the story ends."
By the time he reached the Emerald Towers he had pushed his regret to a part of his mind. The 40-year-old strategist was now in charge.
"Vicky " Karthik said as he walked into the office. "Please call the Ritchie Street team. We need to speed up the 'Mobile VAS' project. Also tell Sekar to invest another five lakhs in the telecom sector. The first spectrum auctions are coming soon. I want to dominate the airwaves."
Vignesh looked up his eyes wide with surprise. "What about the MLA?"
"The MLA is no longer a problem " Karthik said, sitting at his desk and opening a folder on his computer. "He is now our Head of Government Relations. He just doesn't know it yet. The MLA will help us."
Karthik gazed out at the city lights. He thought about the phases. Phase One was all about Survival. Now Phase Two was, about building Infrastructure.