Neel Dervin and the Dark Angel (10 page)

“And this is Lieutenant YogeshPremi.” Doctor Fahim said, indicating the other man.

“Pleasure to meet you.” Premi
said in a deep voice as he shookNeel‟s hand. He was as
tall as Captain Shukla and Doctor Fahim, and had a slim, sinewy build. His neat moustache
reminded Neel of his history teacher‟s, Mr. Pannikar. Premi looked at Neel carefully, and
gave him a slow smile, which did not quite reach his eyes. Neel received the impression that
Premi, like the General, was silently sizing him up. He decided that he would prefer to have
just Captain Shukla and Lieutenant Negi as his trainers.

Doctor Fahim and Divya led the way to the left side of the hall, where two padded posts
had been fixed to the ground. The six of them gathered around the posts, and Doctor Fahim
turned to Neel.

“Today we begin the first phase of this operation.”
DoctorFahim said. “In order to
decide how best to make use of your powers, we must first gain as accurate an idea as
possible exactly what you are capable of. We are in an entirely new territory with this project,
and knowledge will be our biggest weapon. So we will devote your visit here today to finding
out the extent of your strengths and it‟s limits. Before we begin, do you have any questions
you might want to ask?”

“No, sir.” Neel said, wondering if he should be standing at attention like Negi and Premi.
He wished he was more familiar with army etiquette.

“
Then let us begin.” Doctor Fahim said. He nodded to Divya, who went over to a
wheeled table that was loaded with motion capture equipment, an accelerometer and a
computer.

Captain Arjun signaled to Neel to come closer, and he came to stand in front of the two
posts.

“These are the machines we‟ll be using to measure the strength of your body.” Captain
Shukla said. Neel noticed the other two men had drawn back slightly, and were watching him
very intently.

“Now, Neel.”
DoctorFahim said. “These are the kind of posts used in professional
circles to practice kicking and punching.” He motioned to the wires that were running out of
the backs of the posts and into a machine kept on the table. “When you hit the post, the
sensors attached to it will register the force of the hits, and the computer will record how
much force the hits carry, and give us an accurate measurement of your strength. I want you
to punch the post with all the strength you can manage,and then kick the other post.” He
stepped back carefully from the posts. All six of the adults looked at him expectantly.

Neel stared at the posts. He could see several drawbacks to what they were asking him
to do, the most obvious one being that they were expecting him to deliver a kick.

“Er… I‟ve never really learnt how to kick.”
he said nervously.“I‟ve never had, like, a
karate lesson or anything. They taught us judo when we were kids, but I don‟t really
remember any of it…”

“That‟s not important right now.” C
aptain Shukla said. “It doesn‟t matter how you kick.
Right now we need to understand exactly what your kicks can do. Just do it any way that
seems natural to you.”

Neel nodded. He took up a position between the two posts. The others drew back
further. This was beginning to annoy Neel. They were all acting as though he was going to
detonate a bomb under them, when he did not have the faintest idea what he was doing.

“As soon as you are ready, Neel.” Doctor Fahim called out quietly. Neel focused his
attention back on the posts.

He paused for a moment, staring at the two targets. Swinging his fist, he punched the
first post as hard as he could. Turning around, he swung his leg up and kicked the other post,
accidently stumbling forward and landing hard on the ground. Behind him, he heard a loud
metallic clang. He pushed against the floor and sat up on the floor.

He stared up at the others, aware that his first demonstration could not in any way be
called impressive. “I told you I didn‟t know how to kick.” He said to the Captain defensively.
But he was staring at the posts instead of Neel.

The others gathered around the young boy as he got back to his feet and stared at the
posts as well. The one that he had punched was broken in half. The bolts fixing the other one
to the ground had torn out, and the post had sailed through the air, trailing wires, and landed
ten feet away.

Neel looked at the ruined pads, and then at the doctor. He was conscious of the fact that
he had done something very impressive. But he had also fallen down from his own kick, and
he had broken the first thing they had given him. “They weren‟t very strong.” He stammered
in explanation. “I thinkwe‟ll need something stronger to test my strength.”

“They a
re used to test heavyweight boxers.” Doctor Fahim said. The others were also
staring at him and he read disbelief in the eyes of his trainers.“We had arranged for
reinforced equipmentfor these tests.” Doctor Fahim continued. “But it seems the results are
going to be muchgreater than what we had been planning for.” He turned with a smile to the
three trainers, who were all staring at Neel. “Gentlemen, I give you the first Alpha soldier.”

“
Well, that was certainlyeven more impressive than what I had been led to believe.”
Captain Arjun said slowly, staring at the posts. Divya walked over to the computer. “The
sensors broke before they could get a proper recording.” She called out to Doctor Fahim.

“Then we will need to repeat the experiment next time with stronger equipment.” Doctor
Fahim said. “Captain Shukla?”

 

“This way, Neel.” the Captain said, motioning towards the door of the hall.
The Captain led the way out of the hall, and to an area of the ground which seemed to
have been freshly dug up, so that the earth was soft and yielding.

“
The serum underwent considerable change while we were extracting it from the apes
and trying to adapt it for human use.” Doctor Fahim explained as they made their way to the
centre of the field.“It is not possible to ascertain exactly how the capabilities of the apes
would translate into a human‟s body without practical demonstrations. For instance, the apes
we studied were able to leap to astonishing heights. Can you guess why?” Neel shook his
head.

“Because their legs
muscles were so strong, they were able to gather incredible amounts
of power in their feet.” DoctorFahim explained. “The increase of Follistatin in leg muscles
boosts their strength. The stronger your legs are, the more force is stored in your lower body,
and the higher you can jump.”

“That‟s basically how we think
your legs will work now.” Captain Shukla said as they
came to a stop in the middle of the ground. Negi brought out a measuring tape from his
jacket, and started unrolling the end.“You saw what you did to that post with your kick. I
want you to collect all that strength around your hamstring and calves, and jump as high as
you can.” Captain Arjunbent and placed a fastener around Neel‟s leg. He took the end of the
tape and attached it to the fastener.

“Okay, Neel.” he said, standing up and drawing away from him. “When I say go, jump
as high as you can.”

 

“Are you really sure this will work?” Neel looked in confusion at Doctor Fahim and
Divya. “I didn‟t really know what I was doing with those posts. Idon‟t think I-”

“Neel, trust me when I tell you that it is you who do not know what you are
capable of.”
Doctor Fahim broke in calmly. “Just trust us. Jump as hard as you can.” He nodded to the
Captain.

“Ready?” Captain Shukla called out to Negi. Negi nodded, gripping the other end of the
tape firmly.

 

“Okay, Neel…
Go
.”

Neel bent down, his legs bracing automatically against the ground as his legs grew taut.
And then he jumped. There was a confused blur of the scene around him falling down
rapidly, and suddenly he found himself staring down several feet below, with the others
staring up at him. Neel flailed his arms in the air as he sought to keep his balance, his eyes
wide as he stared at the ground beneath him in surprise and disbelief. There was a fierce
pounding in his heart, and he felt a sudden, wild thrill shoot through him even as he tried and
failed to find his balance.

The trip back to solid ground was much faster, and Neel landed more or less on the same
spot that he had left. He landed hard, his body sinking several inches into the soft earth. A
faint tremor shook the surrounding area as he sank head first into the soft ground.

Neel rose quickly, rubbing at his face. A generous layer of dirt now covered his features.
Divya handed him her handkerchief and he wiped his face, staring at the hole he had made in
the ground.

“
Twenty sixfeet.” Captain Arjun said in an awed voice. “He jumped twenty six feet in
the air from a standing position.” He stared up at the sky and then at Neel as the boy handed
the handkerchief back to Divya, his heart still pounding fiercely.

“I‟m sure he can jump higher with the proper training.” Doctor Fahim said, smiling
broadly.“How did it feel, Neel?”

Neel stared up at the sky, at the point where he had been suspended just moments ago.
“It was…” he stared at Doctor Fahim, trying to find the right words for the heady rush of
adrenaline that was still coursing through his body. “Amazing. I‟ve never felt anything like it
before.” Doctor Fahim smiled.

“And this is just the beginning.” he said as he turned and led the way back to the hall.

 

* * *

Neel returned home at five that evening. He had been dropped back at the spot from
where Captain Shukla had picked him up, and his cycle was waiting for him where he had
left it. His mind was in a whirl, going over everything that he had seen and experienced that
day. After the jumping experience, he had run on a treadmill for half an hour, without once
feeling the need to slow down in the slightest. He had had sensors attached to his hands and
feet as he moved around at full speed, to gauge the speed of his reflexes. He had discovered
that his body weight had increased by more than ten kilograms because of his increased
muscle density. He had sat in a sound proof room with Divya and Doctor Fahim, where they
had attached electrodes to his brain and then put him through a host of experiments to see
how acute his senses were. He had to stand on the side of the road for five minutes while he
regained control over his brain, which had begun to buzz along faster than ever.

Neel managed to get back to his house safely despite the loud horns and the noises again
grating on his nerves. Doctor Fahim had told him that the sounds, while distracting, could not
do any lasting damage to his ear drums. Nevertheless, he was glad to get back to the relative
quiet of his colony. His mother came back from work around the time, although it was not
unusual for her to work overtime.

Neel entered his house
to find his mother in the kitchen. “Did everything go alright at
the coaching centre?” she asked after greeting him, looking him over carefully. “You didn‟t
feel weak or ill, did you?”

“No way.” Neel assured her. “I‟m telling you, mom, I‟m totally fine.”

 

“Well, hopefully you‟re on the mend.” his mother sighed, giving him a hug. “Go and
freshen up. Tea will be ready soon.”

Neel went up to his room and tossed his bag on his bed. Without bothering to turn on the
lights, he sank onto his bad and stared up at the ceiling. In the privacy of his own room, his
mind returned to those memories. He saw a dark tunnel winding endlessly into the distance.
He saw a room filled with scientists and leaders. He saw a punching bag flying across the
room.He saw a bird‟s eye view of the world around him as he rose higher and higher off the
ground. He saw a treadmill pushed past its limits and begin to burn. He saw himself seeing
things in a room so dark a normal person would have been blind.

For a long time, fourteen year old Neelanchan Dervin sat alone in the dark comfort of
his room as the images played themselves over and over again in his mind.

 

* * *

That night, Neel sat in the living room watching TV with his mother. She was watching
the news and he was pretending to be listening as well, while he was inwardly experimenting
with his brain speed. He felt much more confident now about his ability to control his mind,
and Doctor Fahim had told him that there were even better methods that he would be taught
over the course of his training. For now he concentrated on keeping his heartbeat slow and
steady as he breathed deeply.

The doorbell rang. Neel got up and went to the door. Dusk was falling rapidly, and the
street was quiet and empty. Outside their front gate stood a handsome young boyof Neel‟s
age, with wavy dark hair and a slim, tall build leaning on his cycle, a huge grin on his face.

“Shouldn‟t you be looking sicker?”
the boy asked. Neel grinned as well as he went to
open the door. “I saw you lying in the hospital with bandages all over. Seem to have healed
up pretty quickly.”

“Not quick enough to come back to school yet.” Neel said as he opened the gate to let
Aryan in.“I don‟t have to face Ticolo for at least a week.”

 

“So, are you still sick or something?” Aryan asked as he parked his cycle inside the
main gate. He turned to Neel with a frown.“Still on pills and stuff?”

“
Nah, this is just a precaution.” Neel said, leading him into the house. “It wasn‟t
anything to worry about in the first place. Just a dislocated shoulder and some cuts. The
doctors fixed me up all right. I was going to call you tonight. I need to catch up on the school
work I‟ve missed.”

“Nothing major‟s happened at school.” Aryan said. “Ticolo‟s driving everyone nuts of
course, but that‟s nothing new.”

 

“Yeah, like I said, definitely not missing him.” Neel laughed.

“Neel?” Aryan stopped before stepping through th
e doorway. Neel turned back to face
him. Aryan walked up to him slowly and gave him a hug. It was a highly unusual gesture, but
the seriousness in Aryan‟s voice held Neel. “I‟m really glad you‟re okay, man. I‟ve never
seen anyone in such a bad shape like you were in at the hospital.”