Neel Dervin and the Dark Angel

by Neeraj Chand

  “We don"t expect you to grasp the whole thing right away.” Negi said after the first session while Neel stood before them, wincing as he felt the sore spots all over his body. “But I hope I learn it soon.” Neel said, feeling a bruise on his arm. Luckily, his accelerated healing meant the bruise would be gone verysoon. “I don"t really fancy going through this every day.”

  “It"ll come to you.” Arjun said, placing a hand on his shoulder, an uncharacteristically personal gesture on his part. “But you already proved something much more important today. More important than any skill or technique we could teach you here.”

  “What"s that?” Neel asked, looking up at him in surprise. “ You proved you have courage.” Arjun said as he smiled at the young boy.“You didn"t give up. You kept getting hit and falling down, but then you also kept on getting up and coming back for more.”

  “And that is not a quality we see in many people.” Premi added, while Negi nodded vigorously. “I know a lot of men who would have collapsed after the first hit and been unable to get up again. But you didn"t. Anyone can be brave when they"re winning, but it takes a special type of courage to get hurt and continue fighting.”

  “Yeah, well.” Neel shrugged, staringat the floor in embarrassment. “It just never occurred to me that I should stop. I really wanted to learn the technique.”

  “Well, keep thinking like that and you"ll learn itin no time.” Arjun said, squeezing his shoulder briefly. “Now go change, our time is almost up.”

  * * * One time, three months after the training had begun, Neel walked onto the exercise mat for his daily sparring session. He closed his eyes and slowly opened them again. The world slowed down around him, and Negi came towards him in slow motion. They sparred for a few minutes, during which Negi could not land a single blow on him. Finally, Negi stopped, panting. Neel stopped as well, grinning at him.

  “Stop smirking at me, kid. It"s not nice to laugh at a poor old man.” Negi wheezed as he put a hand to his chest. It was getting harder and harder to keep up with the fourteen year old these days.

  “You"re not old.” Neel laughed. “And I"m just glad I"m improving, that"s all.”

  “That was very good.” Arjun said. “You"ve certainly learnt to use your speed and reflexes to your advantage in a fight.”

  “Thanks.” Neel said, still grinning.

  “So how about we try something new today?” Arjun suggested.

  Neel nodded. “Like what?”

  Premi stepped onto the mat as well. He came to stand next to Negi and assumed a fighting stance.

  Negi grinned at Neel, who now looked alarmed. “Scared, kid? When was the last time you saw a fight in real life where the odds were one on one?”

  “You need to learn to hold your own against multiple attackers.” Arjun said quietly. “It"s never going to be as simple as defeating one opponent at a time.”

  Neel nodded slowly, his grin fading as he took his position again. He closed his eyes briefly and opened them again. At a nod from Arjun, Negi and Premi came towards him. Negi kicked out at Neel, and he blocked the kick easily, raising his other arm to block his punches. His eyes were trained on Negi"s hands, and he did not see Premi deliver a kick to his leg. Neel crashed to the ground before he could plan a counter.

  He recovered quickly, and again assumed the position. Premi met him this time. The two grappled, and Neel was too distracted keeping an eye on Premi to notice that Negi had moved behind him.

  The next moment, his entire body was pulled back from the shoulders, and he was thrown head over heels on the floor from behind by Negi.

  The sparring continued along similar lines. Neel was generally able to block one, but the other usually got through his defenses. “It"s a little different from movies, isn"t it?” Arjun asked when half the time was up, as Negi and Premi stepped back panting. Neel got up from the mat looking depressed, after having been thrown face first into the mat yet again.

  Neel nodded. “I couldn"t see themboth at the same time.” He said in a slightly defensive voice.

  “Nor can anyone else.” Premi said. “You, however, have other senses which more than make up for that deficiency.”

  “Close your eyes.” Arjun said. Neel complied. “But don"t increase your speed this time. Focus on your surroundings like we practiced.”

  Neel stood motionless as he concentrated. They had done this often enough during guided meditation. “You can feel it, can"t you?” Arjun voice had grown very quiet. “ The sound of footsteps. Of our breathing. Listen closely enough, and you can even feel the wind whistle when we move our hands and feet. Your ears can tell you just as much as your eyes did.”

  Neel nodded slowly, frowning as he concentrated. He was beginning to get an idea of what Arjun wanted him to do. He let his hearing take the place of his eyesight, and the background sounds that he usually worked so hard to ignore came to the forefront of his mind. He was aware of his surroundings in a way that would have been completely impossible before his accident. He could hear the wind moving nears his ears, the scrape of his feet on the mat as he shifted slightly on his soles, the birds chirping far away in the open field. He could even hear the beating of the hearts of the three men around him.

  Suddenly something stirred nearby. Neel glanced in the direction even as he kept his eyes closed. The heart beat was growing louder as the person came up to him. Neel could hear him breathing softly and evenly. He concentrated harder.

  A hand moved, the air moving around it with a whistling sound, too low for anyone but Neel to hear. He ducked, and the hand passed over his head. He backed away quickly, and felt someone else breathing behind him. He heard the soft graze of a foot on the ground, and knew a kick was coming. That was when his instincts took over.

  Neel turned, and jumped. He landed clear of the second attacker, his eyes still closed. He landed on his feet, and was standing erect and ready before his attacker could even turn. He grabbed the person swiftly, his iron grip impossible to shake off. The next second, Neel had shoved his second attacker into the first one.

  Neel opened his eyes. Negi and Premi was lying in a heap on the floor, staring up at him. “Congratulation.” Arjun"s voice broke the silence in the hall. His smile was very wide. “You learnt the first lesson without our teaching it to you.” His dark eyes bored into Neel"s. “And for the first time, you fought like an Alpha soldier.”

  * * * Roughly four months had passed since his training had begun. Neel was driving with Premi on a trip around the city before heading home. The exercise had become a regular feature of his training, and Neel now knew the city well. Which was a good thing, since Premi did not seem to have as good a knowledge of the city as Arjun did.

  “This is Guru Ravidas road,right?” Premi said, watching the buildings around them. “ Don Bosco.” Neel corrected him. Hewasn"t sure whether Premi really didn"t know or was just testing him. It was much later than usual, and he was thinking of some excuse to tell his mother when he got home.

  “I"ll take your word for it.” Premi said. “So, how do you feel about the training? Any complaints or the like?”

  “No way.” Neel saidemphatically. “I feel in control of my body and my mind now. And it"s only because of all the training you guys have given me.” “That"s good to know.” Premi said. He glanced atNeel. “And may I say, on our part, we could not have asked for a better pupil. Your hard work is what allowed you to achieve this transformation.”

  Neel stared at him. He felt a lot closer to his trainers now then he had at the beginning, and was conscious of a desire to tell Premi just how much the three of them had helped him. “I wanted to thank you guys.” he said slowly. “I was really scared in the beginning, when I woke up in the hospital, and then when I went home that first day. I never thought I"d be able to act normal again. I almost went insane thinking about it.” He hesitated for a moment, but then continued, “You know, I got the feeling, at the beginning,that you didn"t really like me. But you still helped me get control over my b
ody and use it properly.And I"m really grateful for that.”

  “Neel, please understand, it was never as simple as liking or disliking you.” Premi said gravely. “You have no idea how unorthodox this whole operation is, and the stakes involved are sky high. I was just reserving my judgment of your ability until I knew what kind of a trainee you"d be.” Premi turned to smile at him. It was a genuine smile. “And when I did, I was impressed. Along with Captain Shukla and Negi.”

  Neel grinned back. “Thanks.”

  “And thank you.” Premi said, his eyes back on the road.

  “For what?” “For not making fun of my surname.” Premi turned to him with an unexpectedly comical grimace. “I"d had to deal with that all through school and the army. The jokes come easily when your surname means „lover".”

  Despite the gloomy surroundings, Neel burst out laughing . “I was too nervous to even think about how funny your name is.” he said as he settled back to watch the street they were on, still chuckling.

  They were in a seedy part of the city now, with broken down shacks and piles of garbage on either sides of the road. Neel had passed through the part with Arjun a few times, but had never actually entered the area.

  “I have to show you something.” Premi said, stopping the car. Neel looked at him in surprise. “You need to become comfortable with this kind of environment. And driving by it in a car will not help you do so.” Neel nodded and got out of the car as well.

  They walked down a back alley, Premi pointing out certain landmarks of the street as they made their way deeper into the area. They reached the middle of the alleyway, still talking. The entire area was deserted, and looked like it had been uninhabited for some time.

  A rustling sound reached Neel"s ears as some bags were pushed aside, and he knew something was wrong seconds before it happened. The attackers were upon them before Premi could turn. One of them seized him from behind and flung him into the side of a building. He hit his head hard on the wall, and a grunt of pain escaped his lips. The attackers turned, their eyes dark with deadly purpose as they made their way towards Neel.

  Neel stood unmoving. The surprise and ferocity of the attack had momentarily frozen his mind. Before he could respond, before he could even think about fighting back, he had been seized by his collar and thrown headfirst into a wall as well.

  Neel got to his feet to see Premi fighting both the men at the same time. Premi was an expert fighter, but he was no match for the two men, who were both moving with deadly precision. It was only a matter of time before he would fall.

  Neel rushed forward to help. Bizarrely, the one time he needed to speed up, his brain was moving at an excruciatingly slow speed. The movements of the two attackers seemed lightning fast.

  Neel moved forward and grabbed one of the men from behind, dragging him back. The man stood no chance against his strength. But then Neel felt a strange reluctance and uncertainty steal over him. One part of his mind was warning him to hold back, to maintain the secrecy of his identity, even as another part was shouting at him to do what was needed to get the situation under control as quickly as possible. This situation was like nothing he could have imagined. It was not a sparring session at the hall. There were no neatly padded mattresses to practice on, and no comforting presence of his coaches in the corner to turn to if things got out of hand.

  There was only violence, immediate and terrifying in its sudden appearance in the shadowy and grimy surroundings. The fast and savage assault made the fourteen year old retreat into a shell. This was no playground tussle, or a movie fight viewed safely from the sidelines. Hearing the ugly smack of punches being traded and the fierce grunts of the attackers, Neel experienced a fear that seemed to cripple his ability to fight back. The punch he threw at his assailant had none of the science and precision that his coaches had worked so hard to teach him. It was a wild blow, weak and poorly aimed. It was the result of panic. The man dodged it easily.

  Neel tried to grapple with the two assailants, but they had an excellent knowledge of combat. Neel was on his back again within moments, staring up at the murky sky. He could hear Premi valiantly get up yet again, calling out to him urgently.

  A moment later, Neel heard a sound that was much more menacing than any other he had heard that night. The sharp click of a gun being loaded.

  Neel raised himself off the ground to a sitting position. One of the men had pulled out a pistol, and was pointing it at Premi. At that moment, a distant and strangely detached part of Neel"s mind took over. He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, everything had slowed down. There was no uncertainty within him now. The bullet from the gun could not be allowed anywhere near Premi.

  By the time that the man had raised the gun to half his shoulder level, Neel was already moving.

  The shorter assailant had been watching his progress. He shot out a hand, hard and fast, aiming for the eyes and bridge of the nose of the young boy.

  The hand was seized in an iron grip and twisted backwards. Before the man could react, his body was sent flying backwards into a wall.

  The second"s delay had given the other man time to point the gun at Neel and fire. The bullet tore through the space where Neel had been standing, but he was already gone. The man fired in a circle, the bullets burying themselves in the wall, and flying off into the distance. Neel dodged a bullet which passed within inches of his skin. He grabbed the gun and crushed the barrel.

  The assailant moved fluidly through the little distance left between them. The next second a series of hard, punishing punches drove through the air at Neel. He blocked them, and stayed his ground.

  A punch to his head from behind made him turn. The other attacker had joined them, and now both the men were attacking him with redoubled fury. Neel ducked and dodged their blows, blocking their kicks and punches. Not even their combined force was enough to push him back. There was no longer any hesitancy in Neel"s movements. He could hear the grunts of the other two men. He knew he was not supposed to do any permanent damage, but was equally aware that he could hurt them so badly that they would not be able to get up again for some time. He was in control now.

  The battle raged for several more seconds , the sound of the men"s labored breathing and the beating of hands and feet against hardened flesh. A punch sent one of the assailants staggering back, wincing. The other man was shoved back violently enough to throw him onto the floor on his back.

  They recovered, although it took them longer to get back to their feet this time, and were back on the attack. Again Neel met them. Idly, the distant part of his mind wondered who they were. Did this mean someone knew about his involvement with the project? They would need to be kept conscious for interrogation. Should he knock them both out, or wait for Premi"s signal?

  Again, the men fell on the floor in front of him, and he stood in front of them, poised and ready. This time, however, they did not get up, but remained sitting on the ground, panting.

  It was then that Neel noticed that Premi was just standing there, watching him intently. He seemed unharmed, but had not made the slightest attempt to help Neel. In the dim light, Neel saw a slight smile playing across his face. Neel stared at him, then back at his two assailants. One was tall and broad shouldered. The other was short and stocky and powerfully built.

  In three rapid steps Neel stood directly in front of them. He peeled the mask off the face of the smaller man to see Negi grinning up at him.

  “Oh, come on!” Neel groaned. The other man peeled off his own mask to reveal the face of Arjun. Premi laughed and came forward, clapping Neel on his back.

  “Congratulations.” he said. “Not many people can do what you did to these two.”

  “This was just an exercise?” Neel asked, helping Negiget up. “You could have told me. I was so scared!”

  “Not as scared as I was when you punchedme.” Negi said, leaning heavily on Neel and wincing slightly. “I think a rib got cracked.” “Oh man, I"m so sorry.” Neel said in alarm.
“ I was trying to keep my strength down. But I thought you were going to kill us or something. And then Arjun pulled out that gun and started waving it around.”

  “Which I did with the utmost care.” Arjun re marked, smiling at Neel as he supported Negi"s other shoulder. “The first bullet was a rubber one. Once I was sure you could handle it, I used real ones.”

  “Sorry about the ruse, Neel.” Premi added. “We needed to make sure you wouldn"t panic in a real combat situation. We had to know you were prepared to face the real thing.”

  “Yeah, I understand.” Neel shook his head ruefully. “And I did panic at first. I had no idea what to do. It was all so crazy and sudden. It wasreally scary.” They continued towards the car, the night once again calm and peaceful. By the time they had left the ominous side alley and were on the main road, Neel had forgotten his fear, and was talking excitedly about the fight.

  “I just froze at first.” He said e agerly to the other three. “I couldn"t believe it was really happening. Then I saw the gun pointing at Premi, and it was like something just snapped in my brain, and I knew I could do this.”

  “And a couple of secon ds later, something snapped in my stomach, and I knew I was looking at a cracked rib.” Negigrinned, even as he winced slightly. “Excellent hand lock, by the way. I think that one even surprised Arjun.”

  “It did.” Arjun agreed. “I was expecting a punch but this was actually preferable.” “Yeah, I know I had to get the gun away quick, but I didn"t want to knock you out o r anything either, you know, in case of interrogation later or something.” Neel explained. “So I just decided to wait till you were both too tired to fight.”