Neel Dervin and the Dark Angel (14 page)

“Sorry” he said, dropping the bag hastily. “I didn‟t notice…”

 

“Have you gone mad?” his mother cried, rushing forward to examine his hand. “You
could have dislocated your shoulder all over again!”

 

“Sorry.” Neel repeated. “I was thinking of something else.”

“Neel, please try to understand, even if you feel as stro
ng as before, you are not
completely all right yet.” his mother said to him anxiously, cupping his face in her hands as
she stared at him earnestly. “You don‟t just magically recover in a few days from having a
dislocated shoulder and surgery. You still have to very, very careful.”

“I‟m sorry.” Neel said in a low voice as he saw thefear in her eyes. “It won‟t happen
again.”

“I think we‟ve got quite a lot for now.” His mother sighed,
stepping back and looking at
the bulging bag. “Let‟s get it back to therickshaw. No, you stay here.” she added sharply, as
Neel made to pick up the bag. “I‟ll get Bhim, and then we‟ll get it on the rickshaw together.”

Neel nodded, and waited while his mother disappeared. She returned soon with Bhim,
who had brought his rickshaw along, and parked it on the sidewalk near to where Neel was
standing.

“Trying to lift it all on your own?” Bhim called out. “That won‟t do, young man. You‟ll
only get hurt. Come on, now. We‟ll all get this bag into the rickshawtogether.”

 

He seized one end of the bag, while Neel‟s mother seized the other. There was no place
left for Neel to hold onto except the top.

Slowly, huddled awkwardly around the bag, the three maneuvered it over to the
rickshaw, with many grumbling from the crowd milling around them, and Bhim‟s constant
instructions, “Easy now, Ma‟am. Steady does it. A little more to the left. That‟s it.” The bag
wobbled dangerously, and threatened to spill out its contents at every shake.

They r
eached the rickshaw, and with much panting from Bhim and Neel‟s mother, and
many more instructions from the rickshaw puller, they raised the bag slowly, trying to get it
onto the vehicle safely, and Neel trying not to roll his eyes. He seized the bag more firmly
and, in a sudden swift motion, tipped it onto the bottom of the rickshaw.

“There now, see?” Bhim panted, wiping his forehead on his ragged scarf. “Nothing to it.
Get on then, and we‟ll go as soon as I catch my breath.”

As Neel climbed once again onto the rickshaw and they made their way back slowly
home, there was one thought foremost in his mind. He needed to learn to gain complete
control over his strength quickly, and to use it without drawing too much attention to it.

* * *
“Well?” General Bakshi said.

He stood in front of Arjun in one of the empty rooms in the main building at Swan labs.
Doctor Fahim stood quietly to the side, not taking part in the conversation. He was simply
there to listen. Neel had gone home, and the Captain had come back to make his report.

“He haspotential.” Arjun said. “And he seems eager to learn. I think he can be of use to
the project, given enough time.”

The G
eneral nodded. “And it is your job to make sure that happens. Doctor Fahim is
treating this whole business like one of his college experiments. He does not understand that
this is a military operation now. I need you to get the maximum output from the boy in the
least amount of time possible.” The General did not bother trying to be tactful in his speech.
He wanted the doctor to understand that this was the military‟s business now, and he was in
charge. Doctor Fahim did not say anything. A frown was beginning to form on his forehead,
but he remained silent.

“I‟ll try my best, sir.” Arjun nodded. “The boy is feeling insecure, so it might take some
time to earn his complete trust.”

The G
eneral let out an irritated snort. “Why is everyone obsessed with earning the boy‟s
trust? He is a part of the project. He needs to understand what the discipline of the army
means. He has agreed to work with us. We are the only people who can help him deal with
his abilities. That is enough for our purpose.”

“It‟s not enough for me.” Arjun said evenly. “He‟s not a soldier, sir. He‟s a scared young
boy. He needs to be able to trust us.” A small smile had replaced the frown on Doctor
Fahim‟s face. Seeing it aggravated the General even more.

“This i
s not why I brought you in.” he said, staring at Arjuncoldly. “You have special
skills which can help the boy use his powers properly. You were not brought on board to play
child psychologist for him. The boy will be fine. Stop worrying about him and focus on
helping project Alpha.”

“
If that is how you feel, then I must step away from the project, sir.” Arjun said. “This is
not a part of my duties. In fact, this is so far removed from my experience that I was tempted
to decline the offer at the start. Now if I have to train the boy, I will do it my way. And I
refuse to treat him as a lab rat for Alpha. If my method is unacceptable to you, sir, I will leave
this project immediately.”

There was a ringing
silence in the room following Arjun‟s speech. Doctor Fahim was
gazing dreamily into the distance and humming a quiet tune. General Bakshi shot him a foul
look, and then turned to glare at Arjun, who met his gaze steadily. They had worked together
before, but this was the first time they had had an argument over their duties. The General
was wishing fervently at the moment that he could remove Arjun from the project. But the
fact remained that his skills were irreplaceable, and needed for the project.

“Do you know what the worst part of this business is?” General Bakshi asked him
coldly. “It is that I am surrounded by sentimental fools.”

He turned and strode out of the room, leaving Arjun staring at the wall opposite him.
Doctor Fahim looked at him, his piercing eyes intent. “I‟m glad to see some army men
occasionally listen to their conscience instead of their orders, Captain.” he remarked quietly.

CHAPTER 6: Dangerous Games

For the rest of the week, Neel continued his visits to Swan labs. Just as he seemed on the
point of mastering one technique, his trainers introduced something new for him to learn. He
was taught a myriad of ways to kick, to punch, to duck and to side step. He was shown how
to roll on the ground and remove virtually all the force of impact from a fall. He was taught
the correct way to hold onto a ledge without falling off or becoming tired, and was made to
practice regularly to use his entire body to get past obstacles.

The speed of the training was intense, yet Neel was amazed to find that he was able to
keep up. It seemed that the DoctorFahim‟s explanation had given was correct. He was able to
recall all the lesson he had been taught by Arjun and the other trainers. It was getting easier to
control his senses the more time he spent exercising his body, and all the time he had alone to
himself after his mother went to work in the morning was spent in practicing as well.
He had not seen Doctor Fahim or Divya for the rest of the week, even though he knew they
were observing him from the room over the gym. The knowledge made him even more self
conscious and anxious not to make a fool of himself while training.

On the last day of the week, Neel was put through his exercises by his trainers. He was
finishing his sixtieth lap around the field when Arjun called for him to stop. He walked with
Arjun over to the smaller field to work on the bars again.

Neel had told Arjun about the incident at the bazaar. Arjun had explained how his
strength differed from a normal person‟s.

“Physical strength is not as simple a concept as you might believe.” he said. “
You have a
lower level of strength, like everyone else, that you use for the normal things like touching
and holding things. But when people have to use more force on an object, they automatically
use their upper level of strength. For you, that upper level of strength is now much higher. So
where a normal person can push at a car with all his strength without anything happening,
you can push that car upside down with yours. It happens automatically for you, just like
everyone else, and that‟s what happened at the bazaar. As you train, it should become easier
for you to learn the limits of your upper and lower strength levels again to decide where you
should use each level.”

The workout now was intense, and smooth. Neel
‟s balance had improved beyond all
recognition. Whether it was the superior memory, or because the novelty of the whole
experience had not yet worn off, or perhaps the fact that he was very earnest about what he
was learning, but the movements he performed now were confident and automatic. As he
jumped from barrier to barrier, raced along walls and rolled neatly to a dive, Arjun watched
his progress, and was glad to see that it was all becoming instinctive, and a part of his muscle
memory.

“You‟re going back to school from Monday, right?” Arjun asked him once the session
had ended and they were returning from the field.

Neel nodded. “After a week.” He sighed. So much had happened in that one week o
f
such incredible nature that he almost felt that a stranger would now be going back to the
school.

“Well, yo
ur visits to Swan labs will have to be curtailed once you add school to your
daily life.” Arjun said. “It‟s been decided that two hours after school will do from now on.
We‟ll meet at the usual place at two, and you‟ll be dropped back at four.”

Neel nodded slowly. All that day he had been thinking about school. He would need to
be completely in control there, all the time. And after a week of training he felt much more
confident now that that he would be able to do so as long as he was careful. At any rate, he
was hoping for the best. Turning around, he focused his attention on the tall bluff twenty feet
away, and prepared to jump.

* * *

 

Neel woke up the next morning and sat up in his bed with a sigh. It was back to the
familiar routine. He got up and went to get ready for school.

He put on his uniform of white shirt and navy blue pants, and a blue striped tie with
black shoes. He went downstairs to find that his mother had made him two sandwiches and a
glass of milk, and was busy packing his lunch.

“Are we feeling all right today?” she asked when he came down and greeted her.

“
Totally.” Neel said as he handed her his school tie. His mother knotted it carefully
around his neck.“You know, it‟s really about time you learn to do this on your own.” she
remarked. He grinned as he sat at the table and began wolfing down the sandwiches.

“Slow down. You‟ve got time. Is Aryan going to ride with you to school?” His mother
asked.

 

“Uh huh.” Neel nodded through a mouthful of sandwich. “I called him yesterday. He‟ll
meet me at the intersection.”

 

“Well, you have a good day. Don‟t over exert yourself, and come back home safely, all
right?” his mother said, giving him a one armed hug.

 

“I‟ll try.” Neel grinned.“Bye, mom.” He left the house with his school bag over his
shoulders and got on his old cycle.

 

He reached the crossing half a mile away from his house where Aryan was waiting for
him on his own cycle.

“About time.” Aryan
called out to him as he rode up. “It was really boring going to
school alone. You want to trade cycles?” They often swapped cycles on the way to the
school. Aryan‟s cycle was much more expensive and better looking, not to mention much
easier to ride. Neel enjoyed the smooth working of the gears, while Aryan enjoyed the
challenge of racing on Neel‟s cycle, whose chain had a habit of slipping off at crucial
moments.

“No time, I don‟t want to be late on my first day back after a week.” Neel said. “So let‟s
go.” They took off together across the intersection. The morning air was fresh and
invigorating. Neel checked himself just in time from bursting into his full speed on the pedal.

“You‟re
feeling completelyokay now?” Aryan asked him as they weaved through the
traffic. Neel winced every time a horn blasted nearby. But it was something he‟d had to get
used to.

“Oh, sure. I mean,” Neel amended hastily. “No, not completely. The doctor wants me to
sleep and take rest after school till five. Just to make sure.”

 

“Till five!” Aryan said in surprise. “But you‟ll still be going to the coaching?”

“
Unfortunately.” Neel said with a grimace. “I won‟t be able to come out in the evenings
for a few more days.” He hoped it would only be a few days. Arjun had told him it would all
depend on how quickly he picked up his training.

Elvitar‟s Academy was
two miles away from Mira colony. They arrived five minutes
before the bell had rung for first period. They parked their cycles in the stands and walked up
the flight of stairs to the first floor, to their class in the eighth standard.

Neel entered the classroom to find a sea of familiar faces looking at him. There was a
chorus of noise from his classmates, all of whom had heard about his accident. Some had
been told by Aryan that Neel‟s accident had turned out to be quite minor, while others were
under a hazy impression that he had been at death‟s door before having had a miraculous
recovery. The latter group had no idea how close they were to the truth.

Many of the students crowded around him, some to welcome him back, others to get a
firsthand account of the accident.

 

“Welcome back, bro.” Nitin said to him warmly, slapping Neel on his back. “We were
really worried about you.”

 

“Thanks, man.” Neel grinned back. “Feels good to be back.”

 

“We thought you‟d died or something.” Saransh remarked,leaning over Karan‟s
shoulder. “We heard you were admitted in the hospital and everything.”

 

“Yeah, well. Sorry to disappoint you.” Aryan said to him. “But he‟s totally fine.”

“
Whatexactly happened to you?” Vibha asked him with interest, turning around from
herseat in front of Neel. “How did you end up in the hospital?”All his other classmates
leaned in closer as well.

“Oh, I don‟t know.” Neel said vaguely. “I was going really fast, and then this car came
in front of me, and then I put on the brakesbut they didn‟t work right so I managed to stop
but then I landed on the windshield and twisted my shoulder a bit and then I was in the
hospital and they said it has been a very minor injury… and anyway what‟s been going on in
school?”