The Jackal

"A few more hours to submission.” I reminded myself as I battled with my assignment. I had no patience to read the reference books and irrelevant information on the internet was only compounding my problems.  When governments and intelligence agencies run out of options, they turn to Special Forces.  I was a king fighting to protect his academic empire. 

In moments of desperation, I remembered one such man.

A man who is shrewd like the British, dour and cunning like the Chinese and insane as an Israeli Commando.  For him, no task is impossible, no challenge unbeatable and that he is unstoppable so his friends say. Hence for all his coldness and insanity, his cunning and his efficiency, I nicknamed him after the legendary killer in a famous novel.

The Jackal.

“Ah, it has been such a long time brother,” said the Jackal as he ushered me into his flat.  One could see he was happy from his broad smile. his deep black eyes just shone huge black pearls devoid of any emotion. He had a handsome fair face with silky hair. It  looked charming when he smiled, but that was very, very rare. “Tell me what brings you here.” He questioned as he walked to his room. The Jackal  moved quietly like a thief inside his own house. Years of Ninjitsu practice had instilled stealth in his every nerve. His sporty attire suggested he had just returned from the jogging track.

This guy, I knew had what I needed the most. The ability and the promise to deliver. What gives him this ability is his attitude filled with cold pride. “Who are the professors to bother us by giving assignments? It is we who are doing them a favor by supplying them the information that they demand.” “Remember, you are the hunter and not the hunted.” And one little assignment is as easy as hunting a rabbit. Anyway, for the sake of our friendship, the great Jackal agreed to help me with such a banal task and switched on the music player.

Music helped him get into the mood. It made his brain work as efficiently as a well oiled motorbike.  His mood rightly set, the Jackal now remembered a weird rule he had. “If you want a quality product, don’t think like a research scholar, think like a spy.”

Spies and soldiers had occupied a considerable place in hobbies and interests of the Jackal. The pursuit of these very interests had led him to leave his job in Bajaj plant in Pune and pursue  M. Tech in weapon design.He was now back in Goa to take over the family business of supplying lathe machines to big and small businesses.  What had brought me to this 24 year old mechanical engineer was his deep knowledge one of the most important topics in political science- international relations and  military history.

“ If we want to deliver something surprisingly good, we must not think like students.”He spoke in a low voice almost close to a whisper. “Where would I go if I were a researcher who wants to write a paper on War On Terror?”

“Ask the commander himself.” He began tapping wildly on his keyboard and opened a website.

“Official Site of the United States Central Command.” I was shocked to the core. The US CENTCOM is responsible for running the War On Terror.  Going to the CENTCOM for a ten marks assignment was like using commandos to kill a mouse!  But the Jackal liked to leave nothing to chance.

“You will need some counter view to the position taken by the Americans.” The Jackal began absentmindedly playing with a Swiss army knife. even when he wasn’t focused on the activity, his skilled hands operated the tool as if it were a weapon slicing through the air.

“There are two students from Yemen and Jordan in the department of International Studies at the university. Talk to them.They take notes in Arabic due to their weak English. Translate the notes using the online translator. There is a Nigerian student named Henry at the Department of English get the language polished a bit from him. The Arabic notes should become untraceable should anyone try to trace them online. If anyone of these particular foreigners refuse to help you, tell them my name.”

“You know them?”

“They are indebted to me.”

“How?”

“They had trouble finding accommodation. I just pulled a few strings.”

"How did they come to you?"

"That's none of your business"

A smile of satisfaction spread across his  face. “and remember, silence is golden.”   He cautioned me against telling other students from where I got the information.   “Why are you so secretive about your sources?”  I asked him like an innocent toddler. “I don’t want to lose my edge.” he replied.  Information denial was just another trick he used to guard the keys to his success.

Success is the only thing he ever cared for. Staying true to his personal motto “Who dares wins” which he adapted from the British Special Air Service, the Jackal does not hesitate to bend rules in his interest.

“One of the great pleasures in life is doing things people say we cannot do” he once told me. “And if you are not strong enough to face the opposition, keep your actions covert.”

Quality performance is his habit and if is not up to his expectations, he is bewildered like a hungry tiger. Projects should be perfect, assignments ready before the due date, present for his business meetings ten minutes in advance, the man is sharp, attentive, committed to his goals but in the pursuit of his goals, he won’t hesitate to drive through a no entry zone if he thinks that he is getting late..

A cop intercepted him in a no entry zone one day.

“Name your price”

Without even blinking, the Jackal got straight down to business. The cop’s price was Rs. 200.

Believe it or not, that is the Jackal for you. This man cares little, fears no one, will stop at nothing to achieve what he wants.  He never discloses his goals- not even his problems thinking that it will put a dent in his strong image.  He may have all the material pleasures and even knowledge and talent at his disposal however, his hunger for success and his refusal to empty his mind of his worries results in stress which deprives the Jackal from the very essence of human life.

Peace.