Neel Dervin and the Dark Angel (40 page)

 

“Hi.” Neelsaid, coming to stand next to her in front of the screen. “Where‟s Doctor
Fahim?”

“He‟s at the government lab, trying to figure what Mehta‟s experi
ment is all about.”
Divya replied after returning his greeting. “Mr. Rai and General Bakshi want to know as soon
as possible exactly what Mehta was up to, and Doctor Fahim is the most experienced
specialist in biochemistry we have.”

“Is that what you‟re trying to do, too?” Neelasked, studying the document. “Trying to
understand project Kumbhkaran?”

 

“Yes” Divya said, leaning back in her chair. “The General wanted a copy of the project
here, since this is Dr Fahim‟s base now. You know who Kumbhkaran was?”

 

Neelnodded. “I don‟t know the whole story, but I remember the old TV show.” he said.
“He was that giant guy in the Ramayana, right?”

“That‟s right.” Divya said musingly. “Kumbhka
ran is a famous figure in Hindu
mythology. He was the demon brother of Raavan, and helped his army on the battlefield. He
was said to be several hundred feet tall and incredibly strong. Almost wiped out the entire
rival army before he was subdued.”

“So why name the project Kumbhkaran?” Neel asked. “This guy‟s pretty big, but he‟s
not like a hundred feet tall.”

“Maybe Mehta wanted to try something similar to Kumbhkaran.” Divya said uneasily.
“It‟s possible he wanted to create a monster he could control. Normally, I wouldn‟t have
thought it was plausible, but…”

Neel saw she was looking at him out of the corner of her eyes.

 

“What?” he demanded defensively. “You think I‟m some kind of a monster?”

“No, of course not.” she said quickly. “I just meant we both know it‟s possible to make
super humans. There‟s a chance Mehta found another wayto do what we‟ve done with the
serum.”

“Well, we‟ll know everything soon enough.”
Neelsaid confidently. “Doctor Fahim will
figure out what to do with this guy, and Mehta‟s locked up anyway. So it doesn‟t matter what
he wanted to do with project Kumbhkaran.”

“Right.” Divya said, though she still sounded a little uneasy. “I‟m sure everything is
going to be all right now.

 

* * *

Divya sat alone in the control room, flipping at random through the files on project
Kumbhkaran. The danger seemed to be past them, with Mehta behind bars, but she could not
rid herself of the feeling that it was not over yet. She knew two of the reasons why she felt
that way.

Mehta.

His manner during his arrest had been totally calm and composed. He had not said a
word in his defense even though his entire fortune was lost and the project he had spent all
his time and money on was finished. Everyone from the General to Doctor Fahim had been
feeling uneasy about his response. Then there was the other reason.

The traitor.

They still had no idea who the person was who had told Mehta about project Alpha. He
could be anyone inside swan labs, or anyone in the government who knew about the project.
She also knew she was one of the prime candidates who were suspected of being the traitor.
The General had almost said as much when he had talked to her on previous occasions. Divya
suspected that DoctorFahim‟s trust in her and his authority in this matter was the only reason
she was still on the project. She herself could not help but become suspicious as well, to the
extent of questioning the presence of Arjun and Negi and Premi, even though she had no
definite reason for suspecting them. The atmosphere of suspicion and distrust was fast
becoming unbearable.

Divya buried her head in her hands, thinking hard. She knew these were not the only
reasons that she felt disturbed. Something kept nagging at the back of her mind. Some
obvious information her brain had registered but pushed to one side because of all the other
important things that had been happening around her.

She closed her eyes, forcing her mind to become calm. During her studies, one of her
greatest advantages had been her excellent memory. She could memorize large parts of her
textbooks, so that her mind had become a kind of encyclopedia about her subjects. She
concentrated now on her memories of the last few days, going through every tiny detail.

Neel
‟s victory over his fears… their preparation for his trip to the Phlicercomplex…
The General‟s arrival… Arjun‟s absence… entering the lab… looking for the project… the
coffin…

Divya‟s eyes flew open, growing wide in shock as at last she remembered. Her mind
was in a whirl, absorbing the implications what she had remembered. She stared at the files of
project Kumbhkaran as the realization of what it could all mean dazed her.

She bent forward towards the monitor, her hand on the mouse. Instead of flipping
randomly through the documents, she started searching for a specific detail.

Five minutes of intense searching and she found what she had been looking for. A short
line in the corner of a page. A small table about the feeding cycle of the subject. But it was
enough.

Divya stood up, trying to decide what she should do. If she was right then no one was
safe… But she still wasn‟t completely sure, and first she needed to talk to someone she
trusted. And she needed to make absolutely sure her suspicions were correct. Striding over to
the cupboard, she opened it and took out Neel‟s mobile. They had kept it overnight to extract
all the footage from inside Phlicer Lab and upgrade its software. Slipping it inside her pocket,
she drew out her own cell phone and put it in place of Neel‟s mobile in the cupboard.

She ran out of the control room, almost colliding with Arjun, who was coming towards
the room.

 

“Is DoctorFahim in his office?” she demanded, even as he grabbed her shoulders to
steady her.

 

“He‟s gone to his apartment to get something.” Arjun said, surprised to see the
expression on her face. “What‟s wrong?”

 

Divya shook her head, her heart pounding. Instead she asked, “Do you know when he‟ll
come back? I really need to talk to him.”

 

Arjun frowned, thinking. “Well, he said he still had work to do in his office. He‟ll
probably be back any minute now.”

She nodded and moved away quickly, leaving him staring after her. She made her way
to DoctorFahim‟s study. It was locked, but she used the key she had been given to open the
door.

She stepped inside the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Her hands groped for
the switch to turn on the lights, but before she could find them, a strange smell assailed her
senses. Her feet trod broken glass, and she realized what it was. Small glass balls filled with
chloroform that, once dropped, shattered and let out the sleeping gas, knocking out any wild
animals caught nearby. As the chloroform took hold, Divya swayed, her hands reaching out
to hold onto something for balance. Her fingers brushed against a thick and heavy object on
the table, with wires around it.

“Explosives..
.” Her mind registered before she fell into a deep sleep.

 

* * *

It was a holiday at Elvitar‟s academy.
Neel stared up at the ceiling, lying on his bed as he thought over the last few days. He
had a satisfied feeling that his work had been done. It had been a rough journey, but he had
completed his mission.

He had a sudden desire to find out what was going on at swan labs. He had still not had
a chance to talk to Doctor Fahim since completing his mission, and to be honest, he wanted to
go to Swan Labs mainly so the doctor could personally congratulate him.

He checked the time. It was one thirty p.m. His mother was away and would not return
till at least five.

 

He went to his closet and carefully removed his drawer, which contained the usual knick
knacks and underneath them, the black uniform.

 

* * *

Once again Neel was at swan labs, which was almost deserted now. For the first time, he
had come to the lab in his uniform, and had managed to complete the journey without being
seen. He entered the main room and found Arjun talking to General Bakshi in the control
room. The General nodded to him, his gaze for once almost friendly.

“Good job, Neel. My congratulations.” he said.

 

“Thank you, sir.” Neel said, feeling a little awkward. He looked at Arjun, who smiled at
him and asked,“What are you doing here? I told you to take a break for today.”

“I
was too worked up to stay at home. So just came to see how everything was going.”
Neel repliedwith a grin. “I wanted to see if I remembered all my training. I got here on my
own without anyone seeing me.” Arjun nodded appreciatively, and was inwardly glad to see
him so enthusiastic after such a long time.

“We a
re going to find out soon what this project is all about.” the General said. “Doctor
Fahim came back to his office just now. He says he‟s found more about the project in another
computer the police confiscated at the Phlicerlab. We think Mehta‟s project is something
verysimilar to the serum.”

“Yeah, that‟s what Divya thought it was,too.” Neelsaid. “Has she gone home?”

 

“Well, she‟s not here.” Arjun shrugged.

 

“I need to get my cell phone back. Can I use your phone? I want to see if she‟s done
withmine yet.” Neel asked.

 

Arjun tossed his cell phone to Neel. He caught it and dialed Divya‟s number.

The room was filled with the music of Divya‟s ring tone.
Neel looked around the hall,
puzzled. Arjun went over to the cupboard, where the music seemed to be coming from. He
put his hand insideand drew out Divya‟s mobile.

They all stared at the phone in bewilderment.
“Can either of you explain this?” the General demanded sharply, his voice losing the
friendly tone. Both Neel and Arjun shook their heads.

 

The General phoned the guard who sat at the entrance of swan labs. “Did you see Miss
Nayakleave the building today?” he asked, and Neel heard the guard say no.

 

The hair on the back of Neel‟s neck started prickling.

 

“When did you last see Divya?” Arjun asked, turning to Neel.

 

“Yesterday. She said we‟d soon know what project Kumbhkaran is about.” Neel
recalled, thinking hard. “She looked a little worried…”

 

“Why?” the General asked sharply.

 

Neelshrugged, but Arjun said softly, “What have we all been worried about, sir? We
still don‟t know who the traitor is.”

 

And suddenly the tension in the room was sharpened.

 

“Why did she leave her cell phone here?” the General demanded suddenly. “Did she
know she was in danger? Was she trying to tell us something?”

 

“What was shetrying to tell us by leaving behind her mobile?” Neel asked in
bewilderment.

 

“Maybe that she took another one.” Arjun said, striding over to the computer. He pulled
up the GPS location of Neel‟s phone.

 

An image of the earth came into view. Arjun enlarged the section in which a single dot
was beeping steadily.

“The current location of the mobile is the forest area eight miles away from here.” Arjun
said, recalling the map that he had made in his mind of the city and its surroundings. “It‟s
mostly a wild area, but there‟s an old abandoned factory there.” He turned to the general.
“Should I call the police?”

The General shook his head. “They won‟t get there fast enough.” he said, glancing at
Neel.

 

Neelnodded. “I‟m going right now.”

 

“Take Divya‟s mobile.” Arjun said, flipping it over to him. “Maybe she‟ll pick up.”

 

Neel nodded, pocketing the phone. He turned to the door. The next second, he was gone.

The G
eneral turned to Arjun. “If Divya is really in danger, the rest of the people
involvedaren‟t safe either.” he said. “We need to talk to Doctor Fahim. He, at least, must be
safe for now. He‟s been in his office all day with the data from Phlicer lab.”

But Arjun shook his
head. “Sir, whoever this person is, he or she has managed to fool us
all for almost a year and infiltrate one of the most top secret projectsin our government‟s
history.” he replied tensely. “I won‟t feel anyone is safe until the traitor is caught.”

The General nodded. “We should warn DoctorFahim immediately.” he said, wheeling
towards the door, Arjun right behind him.

 

They came out of the main room and walked down the passage, heading for the room at
the end, which was DoctorFahim‟s study.

 

“Wait.” Arjun snapped suddenly, throwing out a hand to stop the general. The General
froze, staring at him.

Arjun‟s mind was racing. Y
ears of experience was connecting all the events together.
Divya‟s absence. Mehta‟s silence. DoctorFahim‟s being shut up in his study. His gut was
telling him that something was terribly, horribly wrong. And then in the ensuing silence, they
heard it. A loud beeping sound was coming from DoctorFahim‟s study.

“Get back.” Arjun bellowed, dragging the General as far back as possible.

 

The next second, DoctorFahim‟s study exploded, sending shock waves across the
entire building. The force of the explosion sent Arjun and the General sprawling back.

When the explosion finally stopped and the noise died down, the two got up unsteadily.
They both gazed in horror at the room, which had been reduced to a charred and smoking
cinder, everything and everyone inside it blown to pieces. Arjun and the General stared at
each other as the truth dawned on them.

The problem wasn‟t over. It had only just begun.

 

* * *

Divya stirred, her mind sluggishly regaining consciousness. She sat up and looked
around herself. She was in some type of storage room, with thick steel doors and several
metal sheets piled in a corner. A dingy bulb cast a feeble ray of light in the room. The only
other light was coming from a window with metal bars welded on the outside.

She got slowly to her feet, her mind evoking jumbled images of all that had happened at
swan labs. But her mind still could not absorb the real shock.

She stared out of the window, searching in the darkness outside for her captor. The area
was a huge hall. The paint on the walls was old and peeling and the sides of the hall were
stacked with old factory equipment, rusted and worn. But the middle of the hall was crammed
with new, state of the art gadgets. With a chill of fear, she saw the container containing the
human that had been taken out of Phlicer lab in the middle of the pile of equipment.