Neel Dervin and the Dark Angel (21 page)

They turned back to the screen, and Divya opened photos of a greasy little man driving
on a bike, sunlight glinting off the multiple gold chains around his neck and the rings on his
fingers. “This is Kundan Mishra.” she said. “He runs his gym on Baadal Street, which was
handed down to him from his father. But his real business is arranging contacts between
criminals and supplying them with weapons. He works on a very big scale. A lot of the men
who come to his gym provide him with security in case of trouble. He is part of a large
network of middle men and illegal traders, and is the top person in his field. He has an
interest in almost every business of that type in Delhi. If anyone can give us information
about where Alok Mehta is getting supplies from, that man is Kundan Mishra.”

“Okay.” Neel said. “So I just find him and force him to tell us everything?”

“Let‟s hope it‟ll be that easy.” Arjun said. “H
e operates from his gym. It would be the
best place to catch him with the goods on him. Hedoesn‟t use computers, so the paper
documents about his transactions should be there with him. The place will be guarded, and
you will need to be careful getting to the place without anyone outside the gym seeing you.
Your existence is still a secret, and we‟ll keep it that way as long as possible.”

For the rest of the time left, the six went over every part of the plan, from which Neel
path would take to get to the gym, to what information he was to look for, and how he would
handle any opposition.

“Intimidation would be your best weapon.” Arjun said. “Kundan is a complete coward.
Scare him sufficiently, and he‟ll tell you everything you need to know without your having to
resort to extreme measures.

Neel nodded, “I‟ll try my best.” he said. “When do I do this?”

 

“Tomorrow night.” Doctor Fahim said.“The sooner we begin, the quicker we will find
the answers we need.”

 

* * *

“Mom?” Neel
said to his mother the next night. “I have to go to a friend‟s house tonight.
There‟s a project we have to do together and he has some ideas he wants to share.” he had
planned the night carefully, and already told Aryan and Priyanka that he was going to take
some medication and rest the whole night in his room, in case they wanted to call him.

His mother stared at him, then out the window at the darkening sky. It was seven thirty
in the evening. “You want to go at this time? Who is this boy?”

 

“You don‟t know him; buthis house is only a few blocks away. Please mom, it‟s really
urgent.It‟ll only take a couple of hours.”

 

His mother sighed. “Very well, but call me when you get to his house and get back as
soon as you can.”

 

“Thanks, mom.” Neel said, going to get his bag quickly in case she changed her mind.

Wearing the backpack on his shoulder, Neel rode a few blocks away from his house and
looked around to see if anyone was watching. There was an old abandoned building nearby
with an overgrown hedge surrounding it. Carefully, he hid his bike in the bushes and walked
over to the two storey house, adjusting the bag on his shoulders. He felt guilty about lying to
his mother. But he had realized that if he intended to use his abilities to help, some small
white lies would by necessity have to be told.

Neel looked around once to make sure no one was watching, and then in a single fluid
motion he jumped. He caught onto the ledge outside a window. Pushing his legs against the
wall he jumped again, this time landing on the roof of the house. There was open field all
around the building, and the other buildings were far off. He was virtually invisible under the
dark blue sky in the gloomy surroundings. He stared at the land around him as he pulled off
the bag and unzipped it. Inside were the clothes that Divya had given him. Feeling a shiver of
excitement run through him, he put them on.

The clothes were a perfect fit. The shirt was light and snug. The pants were roomy and
comfortable, and the jacket fit well over his frame. Finally, Neel pulled on the mask.

He stood breathing quietly on the rooftop, stretching his hands slowly. Something
strange was happening within him. All the training he had undergone at Swan Labs came to
the forefront of his mind. Now more than ever, he felt a part a team, part of something
important. He no longer had to worry about keeping his abilities a secret. Power seemed to
flow inside him, like a flood held barely in check by a dam, just waiting to be unleashed. His
body language changed without his realizing it, becoming more confident. The land stretched
out before him like a giant replica of the map he had memorized. He knew exactly where he
was and where he needed to go. The shadowy ground lay two stories beneath him, yet the
dim moonlight was enough for him to make out the terrain clearly. He ran swiftly to the edge
of the terrace, and at the last moment jumped into the air.

* * *

Neel leapt onto the top of the building in front of Lion Gym. It would have taken a car
twenty five minutes to get to the gym. It had taken him ten. He had moved in a straight line
from his colony to the gym by travelling quickly over rooftops, the night sky making his
swiftly moving figure seem barely more than a shadow. Arjun had warned him that, while his
black uniform would be excellent for hiding in the shadows of buildings in urban areas, it
would also mean that his black silhouette would be clearly visible against the dark blue night
sky in open areas. So for the well lighted areas, he had travelled more cautiously through
back alleys and empty lots and fields. The top of lampposts, billboards and shops gave him a
solid foot hold for that split second he needed to leap over the areas from one point to
another.

He had found Baadal Street easily enough. He now stood on the rooftop watching the
gym, his open jacket blowing in the strong wind. He found it helped keep his movements free
and flexible if he left the jacket unzipped. He brought out the mobile given to him at Swan
Labs. He had already called his mother, and now selected the only number saved in it.

“Alpha? Report.” Premi‟s voice appeared on the other end. In his mind, Neel saw the
entire team standing in the giant room at Swan Labs, listening to him.

 

“I‟m outside the gym.”

 

“Excellent.” Premi said. “Did anyone see you on the way?”

 

“No, I kept to the shadows.”

 

“What can you see?” Premi asked

 

“Two guards on every floor, I think.” Neel said, slowly scanning the building through
thewindows. “The roof is unguarded and has a skylight.”

 

“Can you see the rope?” Premi asked him.

 

“Yeah.” Neel confirmed. “It‟s on the building next to the gym. I‟ll pick it up on the way
over.”

 

“Good.” Premi paused. “You know what to do. We‟ll be listening to everything that
goes on at your end. All clear?”

Neel nodded slowly, his mind suddenly troubled. He did not reply, and made no attempt
to move. Now that the time had come, he was conscious of a strange reluctance as he thought
about what he was about to do. It was not like the panic he had felt in the dark alley the other
day. He was not afraid, but he still did not want to approach the gym.

“Neel?” DoctorFahim‟s voice appeared in his ear. “Are you all right?”

 

“I‟m fine, I…” He hesitated. “DoctorFahim?”

“Yes?”
“I can‟t do this, sir.” He knew it sounded like he was scared, and he turned away
towards the shaded area of the roof he was on, quickly trying to explain the conflicting
emotions he was experiencing. “I mean, I can‟t attack those men. I‟ve never even seen them
before. That night in the street, I fought back against Arjun and Negi because I thought they
were trying to kill us. I… but these men… they haven‟t done anything to me. I can‟t just
jump in and beat them all up, I”

“Neel?” DoctorFahim‟s voice broke quietly through his stammering. “Can you see
those men?”

 

“Yeah.” Neel turned to stare at the gym again.

“Why do you think Kundan
selected them to work for him?” Doctor Fahim asked.
“They are paid heavily to do his dirty work for him. They assault his rivals, force them to
shut down their shops, and terrorize the entire district. They are also loaned to drug dealers
and gangsters. They are among the group responsible for the recent kidnapping of theMLA‟s
children. If the Ministerhadn‟t paid the money, he would never have seen his children
again.” Doctor Fahim paused, letting the words sink in. Neel was still staring at the men, but
now his gaze had hardened.

“Training is over, Neel.” Premi spoke up
in a grim voice. “You are not dealing with
honorable individuals or punching bags anymore. These men are parasites who will murder
you without a thought if they find it profitable. And you have been sent there to help stop
them. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I get it.” Neel said quietly, walking slowly over to the edge of the roof. “Forget
what I said before.”

 

“So can you go through with the mission?” Premi asked him, an edge in his voice.

 

“I‟m going in.” Neel said, already moving. Bracing his legs under him, he jumped clear
of the roof he had been standing on.

 

* * *

Mr. Kundan Mishra sat in his office in Lion Gym on the third floor of the building. It
was technically closing time, but this was when he attended to his real business. Twenty
muscled bodyguards stood guard all through the building. They were expensive security, but
usually one look at them was enough to make his enemies stop bothering him. And since they
all used his gym, he paid a lot less than their real salaries.

He was feeling excited. His latest client was not like the usual businessman looking to
cut corners on his taxes. This client was interested in obtaining strange bits of information
and equipment, and obviously had someone very powerful behind him. Mr. Mishra was the
best man in his line of work, so it was natural for the man to come to him, but even he was
having trouble procuring some of the items on the list.

Suddenly, from outside the room came sounds of struggling and fighting. The two
guards in the room looked up, startled, and got ready to go investigate. But then the noises
stopped abruptly.
The guards stood rooted, listening for any new noise.

Then all the lights went out in the room.

 

One of the guards ran to the emergency light switch and turned on three CFC bulbs. In
the light, they saw that they weren‟t alone anymore.

A strange figure dressed in black pants and jacket and a black mask was sitting cross
legged on top of Kundan‟s table, staring at him. He had a slight build and was only a little
more than five foot tall, and almost looked like a kid. The startled guards, who had tensed up
on seeing him, hung back uncertainly, confused by the size and appearance of the newcomer.

“What do you think you‟re doing?” Kundan
demanded, wondering how he had got
inside the building. Thick steel doors protected every entrance of the building, not to mention
his guards.

The masked person spoke up, and Kundan realized he really was a kid. “I‟m looking for
information on the person you‟re supplying resources to right now,” the kid said. “And
you‟re going to give me that information. Right now.”

Kundan scowled. “L
isten, you punk.” he said. “You have no idea who you‟re playing
this stupid little prank on, but my men are going to throw you out, and if I ever see you here
again, I‟ll send you home in little pieces.”

He reached for the phone, but the boy spoke again.“Don‟t bother. None of your guards
outside are in any shape to hear your call.”

 

Kundan stared at him in shock. The boy gazed back at him calmly. Kundan swung
around to the two body guards with him.“Get him, and teach him a lesson.”

 

The guards strode forward. The kid got off the table. One of the guards grabbed his hand
and tried to pull him towards the door.

 

But he couldn‟t move the kid an inch.

The other guard reached for his collar, but the kid grabbed his hand and held on to both
the guards. They stood struggling helplessly. Then, he swung his leg in a sweeping kick,
knocking them both unconscious.

Kundan was used to acting quickly. When he saw his guards pinned helplessly, he ran
out of the room, noticing with growing horror that all his guards were lying on the floor
unconscious. The windows had steel grills fixed on. The door leading out of the weight lifting
room had a heavy almirah blocking its path. Too late, he remembered the gun he kept locked
in his desk drawer, which he had been too panicked to grab when he had seen the kid
manhandling his guards.

Kundan heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see the masked figure coming
towards him, casually throwing up and catching a forty kilogram dumb bell with one hand.

“Let‟s try this again
.” he said. He ripped open the steel grill on the window and shoved
Kundan out, dangling him outside the window with one hand. Kundan stared down at the
empty parking lot behind his gym. The concrete below suddenly seemed much more
threatening than any of the mob bosses.

“You want to tell me who you‟re working for?” the kid asked. “I want names, contacts
and the nature of thebusiness you‟re doing with them.”

 

“I… can‟t...” Kundan gasped for breath. “They‟ll kill me if I say anything.”

 

The kid brought his lips close to Kundan‟s ear. “What do you think I‟ve been sent to
do?” The next second, he had dropped him.

Kundan fell screaming through the air, watching helplessly as the ground rushed closer.
Seconds before smashing into the concrete below, a hand caught him around the waist, and
he twisted around to see the kid above him. He was holding onto Kundan with one hand and
a rope with the other, which was tied to the roof of the building.

“I may not be fast enough to catch you next time.” the kidsaid. “Still think it‟ll be
healthier for you not to cooperate?”

Kundan shook his head, his breath coming in short gasps.
He wasn‟t sure if that had
conveyed the right message, so he also nodded vigorously. “I‟ll tell you everything.” he
gasped.