Neel Dervin and the Dark Angel

by Neeraj Chand

  * * * “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 th
e 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.

  Five minutes later, the people at Swan Labs heard Kundan give Neel the full details of his recent dealings.

  “Very good” Doctor Fahim said over the communicator.

  CHAPTER 9: Food for Thought The next day was Sunday, and Neel sat in his house watching TV while his mother read a film magazine. A rerun of Whose Line Is It Anyway was turned on, but his mind was elsewhere. The information he had obtained yesterday was being deliberated upon by the people at Swan Labs. What the information would tell them would decide how Neel was to continue with the assignment.

  Neel sighed, thinking yet again about the night before. The entire operation had been discussed in Swan Labs and planned carefully, and it had all gone without a hitch. Now that the mission was completed successfully, he felt free to gloat over it. Fighting those criminal guards, and then later plunging through the air after the screaming Kundan. It had all been thrilling and exciting beyond anything he had done before. He couldn"t wait for his next assignment.

  At eleven, he left on his bicycle, making his way to the government building. He only had two hours to spare before Aryan came over to his house, and then they were going with Priyanka to watch a movie. Neel felt guilty about how little time he had spent with his best friends since the accident, and the excuse of resting at home because of his injuries was not going to satisfy them for much longer if they continued to see so little of him. A few minutes of waiting, and then the battered old car rolled into view. Arjun opened the window and greeted him with one of his rare smiles.

  “Congratulations on last night.” he said, as Neel grinned broadly and got into the seat beside him. “You handled the business very well.”

  “Thanks.” Neel said happily. “I was a bit nervous at first. Especially when I was moving over the city on my own and trying to stay out of sight.”

  “Did anyone see you?” Arjun asked as the car moved swiftly through the traffic.

  “No, I was reallycareful.” Neel hastened to assure him. “It was a pretty dark night, and I stayed in the shadows. And I stuck to the alleys and side streets in crowded places.”

  “Good. And the bodyguards?” “Yeah, I really didn"t know what to do about them at first.” Neel admitted. “But then Doctor Fahim told me what they were really like. After that, I didn"t have any problem. I could"ve beaten all of them at once ifI"d wanted to.”

  “Don"t get over confident.” Arjun said warningly. “This was a carefully planned and contained operation, with complete foreknowledge of the region.Conditions won"t always be so ideal. Such closed areas of operation are rare, and from now on your missions will rely much more onyour presence of mind.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Neel said. But the information did not really worry him.“I"ll have you guys on link all the time. I can handle it.”

  Arjun glanced at him. But he refrained from saying anything more and returned to watching the road. They arrived at Swan Labs, and Arjun again took Neel to the main control room of the central building. Doctor Fahim, Divya, Negi and Premi were waiting for him. They all smiled as he entered the room with a spring in his step, grinning broadly.

  “An excellent start to your new responsibilities, Neel.” Doctor Fahim greeted him. “You have made us all very proud.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Neel said as Divya, Negi and Premi took turns shaking his hand and clapping him on his back. “I couldn"t have done it without all the planning we did.”

  “Then Ihope you continue to take your training as seriously as you do now.” Doctor Fahim said. “Now let us show you what we have learned last night.” They moved over to the huge screen, and Negi and Premi stood next to Neel. “Your performance last night was most impressive.” Premi said with a smile. “And you sounded quite different on the link. More mature.”

  “And much more confident.” Negi agreed. “I was quitesurprised too.” “ When I wore that mask” Neel began, shaking his head wonderingly. Then he spoke again slowly, trying to explain what it had felt like. “It"s like, you know, almost like I was watching someone else. It was like this whole other person took over. This guy who had so much power that he wasn"t scared of the guards or Kundan at all. I knew what my mission was, and now that I was finally letting him loose, this other guy was completely in control of the situation.”

  “ That feeling is understandable. This was the first time you were allowed to use your abilities fully outside of practice.” Premi nodded. “It must have been
tremendously exciting. And the result was most impressive.”

  “Except at the beginning.” Negi said. “When you said at first that you couldn"t go in, I was half afraid you had frozen up like you did that night in the alley.” “No, it wasn"t that. I knew I could handle the guards.” Neel explain ed quickly. “They were fighting like they"d never had a lesson before. You know, I really think I could"ve taken on at least threeof them, even if I hadn"t had these powers.”

  “Okay, easy now.” Negi said warningly. “That"s a little too much confidence. We"re all glad the mission was successful, but you can never afford to become overconfident in this type of business, Neel.”

  “Well, yeah, Of course. I didn"t mean it that way.” Neel said quickly, blushing slightly. He turned to the screen, where Divya had opened a new photo.“I"m just saying that,I"m not scared or anything.” Negi looked like he wanted to say something more, but then seemed to think better of it. They all fell silent as they turned to the computer screen.

  “This is Malik Saket.” Divya told Neel. The photograph showed a man standing outside a car, talking to some guards. He was dressed in a well cut suit, yet not even the dignified outfit or the flecks of gray in his hair could make him look completely civilized. There was a savagery in the sharp features and heavy eyebrows that hinted at a brutal nature. As Neel stared at the picture, he knew instinctively that this would be a much more dangerous opponent than Kundan. “He is a veteran of many wars, and has travelled extensively for years before returning to India. There are some rumors that he was deported due to some trouble in Iraq. He is now the chief of security of Alok Mehta"s staff. He is involved very closely with whatever Alok Mehta is planning, and he is our next lead in this business.”

  Neel nodded. “Kundan told me about him. He"s the one he"s doing business with right now.” “Precisely.” DoctorFahim said. “A meeting has been arranged two weeks from now between Kundan and Mr. Saket. You will be attending that meeting, without them being aware of that fact. And there wewill see what can be found.”