The dark, endless stretch of the national highway rolled out in front of them, illuminated only by the harsh glare of streetlights and the headlights of their heavily armored convoy.

Inside the lead SUV, Chandrashekhar sat entirely rigid in the back seat. His thick forearm rested against the window frame, his forehead pressed lightly against the cool, tinted glass. The neon city lights blurred past in streaks of yellow and red, but his mind was hundreds of miles away.