Chapter 33: The Interview Trap
June 1, 2009 — 9:00 AM — Cafe Coffee Day, Connaught Place
The smell of burnt coffee and sweet muffins filled the air.
Shiva sat at a corner table, laptop open, sipping his third cup of bitter espresso.
He hadn't slept all night.
He didn't have time.
On his screen: a blinking message.
> Subject: Interview Request — India Today Youth Special
Shiva read it again.
"India Today? THE India Today?"
Farhan, half-awake and chewing a chocolate donut, blinked.
"They wanna interview you? Bro, that's INSANE!"
Shiva's mind raced:
Publicity could blow Rickshaw Rush up nationwide.
Publicity could also paint a big, glowing target on his back.
He leaned back.
Weighing risks.
Calculating moves.
Finally, he grinned.
> "If they want a show — I'll give them a show."
---
2:00 PM — Prepping for Battle
In the cramped rooftop "office," Shiva gathered his team.
Riya spread out magazines and newspapers.
"Look," she said, tapping furiously, "GameNode's been feeding media garbage."
Headlines screamed:
"Illicit Gaming Rings Threaten Student Life!"
"Underground Racers Linked to Violence!"
All lies.
All planted.
Farhan slammed his fist on the floor.
"Those corporate bastards are scared!"
Shiva smiled coldly.
"Good. Fear makes them sloppy."
He scribbled a plan:
> RULES FOR THE INTERVIEW:
1. Stay clean. No hint of illegal racing.
2. Sell the dream. Brotherhood, skills, creativity.
3. Mention Fruit Ninja as a 'student-built success story.'
4. Bait GameNode into overreacting.
> "If they want a villain, let them find one in their own mirror."
---
June 2, 2009 — 11:00 AM — India Today Headquarters
The studio was ice-cold.
Cameras blinked like robotic eyes.
Producers barked into headsets.
A perky young journalist named Aisha Mehra greeted Shiva with a dazzling smile.
"You're younger than I expected," she laughed, shaking his hand.
"You're sharper than I expected," Shiva replied smoothly.
She laughed again — but behind her smile, Shiva sensed it:
Curiosity.
Caution.
And a hidden knife.
---
11:30 AM — Lights, Camera, Action
The cameras rolled.
Aisha began sweetly.
"So, Shiva... tell us. What is Rickshaw Rush Gaming Society?"
Shiva leaned forward.
Calm.
Measured.
> "It's a community," he said. "A movement.
Built by students. For students.
About racing dreams, not rickshaws."
She smiled. Scribbled something.
"And what about Fruit Ninja? Some say it's too addictive — even dangerous?"
Shiva laughed.
"The most dangerous thing about Fruit Ninja," he said, eyes twinkling,
"is that people might miss their metro stop because they're slicing watermelons."
The crew chuckled.
Shiva pressed the advantage:
> "It's built by Indian students.
It's Indian innovation.
Fun, safe, healthy competition."
> "Unlike certain foreign companies dumping money to control our gaming scene."
He said it casually.
But it hit like a grenade.
Aisha blinked.
The director grinned behind the camera.
---
12:00 PM — Off Camera
After the interview, as Shiva packed up his bag, Aisha leaned closer.
Whispered:
"You know they're going to come after you now, right?"
Shiva zipped up his laptop case.
"They already are."
She smiled sadly.
"Good luck, Shiva."
"You too," he said, "when you cover the real story."
---
Meanwhile — At GameNode India HQ
In a smoke-glass office high above Gurugram, Vikram Sethi watched the live feed replay.
His knuckles whitened.
He picked up his desk phone.
"Bring him in."
Moments later, a man walked in.
Lean.
Scarred.
Sharp-eyed.
Not a corporate drone.
> An operator.
Vikram didn't offer tea.
Just a folder.
Photos of Shiva.
Maps of university events.
Blueprints of cyber cafés.
"Shut him down," Vikram said, voice cold.
"No problem," the man said.
> "Nobody will even know we touched him."
---
June 3, 2009 — Midnight — Rooftop Office
The team celebrated the interview going live.
Screenshots were everywhere.
Rickshaw Rush hashtags trended locally.
Even engineering kids from IIT-Delhi started DMing Shiva about "joining tournaments."
Hope burned bright.
Shiva sat alone on the parapet, sipping chai, gazing at the stars.
He felt it deep inside:
> "We're winning."
But he also felt something else.
Something darker.
A storm coming.
And he would need more than fruit slices and street races to survive it.
He would need a fortress.
A real one.
Built not with bricks — but with code, loyalty, and fearlessness.
> "Let them come," Shiva thought, eyes shining.
> "I was born in the fire."
---
[End of Chapter 33]