Neel Dervin and the Dark Angel

by Neeraj Chand

  “But that is what I"ll be doing?” Neel asked, looking at Doctor Fahim and Arjun.

  “Something similar.” DoctorFahim said. “We will go into that later.” He nodded to Divya. She opened the picture of a poster onscreen. “A concert in aid of wildlife has been arranged by Phlicer, with famous singers performing in support.” she told Neel. “The concert will take place at Charkha Stadium, and we think the meeting will take place in a small cabin at the back of the grounds.”

  “It doesn"t seem like a very safe choice.” Neel commented. “He"s picked a really public spot for the meeting.” “On the contrary, Saket is making a very smartmove.” Arjun said. “The place will be swarming with Mehta"s security personnel without anyone thinking it strange. People will be too busy with the concert to care about what happens in the hut, and a charity concert is not a place the police would suspect of being a set upfor any illegal activities.”

  “Okay.” Neel nodded. “So I just jump in and start interrogating, like I did with Kundan?” “It"s a little more complicated than that.” Arjun said, folding his hands across his chest. “Saket is not a coward like Kundan, and your bully tactics won"t work on him. You will have to be more subtle.”

  “So how will I get the information from him?” Neel asked him.

  “You won"t.” DoctorFahim said. “This time your role will be a different one. You will be the diversion while your partner does the work.” “I"ll remind you that the situation is much more dangerousthis time." Arjun added. “This is not the controlled situation you faced inKundan"s gym. There are innumerable factors to account for in these type of situations, and things can go very wrong. Planning can only get you so far. A lot will depend on your presence of mind.”

  Neel nodded. “I think I can handle it.” he said. “But who is going to come with me?” “Our choices are very narrow, for people with an in depth knowledge of the case as well ascybernetics.” DoctorFahim said. “You and Divya will be going to the concert.”

  “Oh!” Neel stared in surprise at Divya, who grinned back at him.

  * * * The cool night air swept through the stadium as Divya got out of the rented car. This was a lot more field work than her job required, but she was the one who had suggested the plan in the first place when the operation was being planned, and she was the only person in the inner circle of the project who had the skills and knew enough about the case to know what to look for in the laptop. The plan was simple as long as nothing unexpected occurred. She hoped it would go as smoothly as the earlier one had. Crowds milled around her, waiting for the concert. Most of them were college level youngsters, but some older fans of the band were also present. Even though the entire concert was only a front, Mr. Mehta could not be accused of skimping on the arrangements. A vast canopy had been erected, the area inside the tent brightly lit and extensively decorated. Giant helium balloons were tied to the canopy and floated high in the air, featuring the band and wildlife aid posters. Several refreshment stalls had been set up outside which were attracting a lot of customers. It was hard to imagine the scene of cheerful revelry as a facade for criminal activities.

  After a few minutes of waiting beside her car, Divya saw Neel heading towards her. He was wearing ordinary clothes and carried a bag over his shoulders.

  “Hi.” Neel said when he reached her. “The concert won"t start for another half hour.”

  “I know.” Divya said, greeting him with a smile. “Did you get here very early?” “I"ve been here for half an hour, looking around, like Arjun told me to.” Neel said. “I told my mom I was coming to see the concert with some friends from classwho"d managed to get the tickets, and that they"ll drop me back in their car when it"s over. It took a while but she agreed. There are four rooms spread over the grounds, but there"s only one place where the meeting can be held where no one can disturb the conference asking for the bathroom. It"s behind the stadium and away from the other rooms.”

  “Then that"s your position.” Divya said. “We"ll hang around till we see Malik leave for the meeting. You remember exactlywhat you have to do, don"t you?” “Yeah .” Neel affirmed. He had been uneasy about putting Divya in an unsafe position. But she was necessary for the mission, and as long as he did his job she shouldn"t be in any danger.

  “Then all we can do for now is wait.” Divya said. She took out her mobile and sent Doctor Fahim a message confirming their arrival. The two stood leaning against her car, watching the crowd around them.

  Neel wondered what to say. They had not talked much outside of the extensive interviews about his health and capabilities. He had developed a slight crush on Divya ever since meeting her in the hospital, although he knew it was pointless. She was very pretty, but several years older than him. She had always been nice to him, and he felt more comfortable around her than most of the others at Swan labs. She was the youngest by several years compared to the other people involved in Project Alpha and despite their age difference, nearest to his own age. Now Neel found himself wondering about her age.

  “So, how did you get involved in this Alpha thing?” he asked her.“You don"t really fit in with the whole military part of this project.” “I never did.” Divya said with a shrug. “I was just working on the experiments. I was studying in the college where DoctorFahim was working on his research. They didn"t really believe he would be able to pull off what he was trying to create, but they had a lot of respect for him because of his professional reputation. He taught our batch a few classes, and I was working on a thesis for my PhD.He"d seen my work and knew I was primarily interested in research. He preferred working alone, but he was getting on in his years. He needed someone to help him with the investigational part of the experiments. After college was over, he offered me a job as his assistant.”

  “ Right from the start the whole experience was absolutely fascinating. The work up to that point had been mainly experimental, but Doctor Fahim had already achieved significant results with mice. It took us a year to finally test the serum successfully on rhesus monkeys. Two years later, we were getting very close to achieving our goal. That was when the army contacted us, and took over the project. It was announced to the academic community that the serum was a failure. Doctor Fahim and I were sworn to secrecy and forbidden to tell anyone about our actual results.”

  “So you couldn"t evenget your PhD?” Neel asked sympathetically. “Actually, I did.” Divya grinned. “I chose a much more interesting subject for my thesis. It was on the serum, and was approved through Doctor Fahim, and then locked away by the government and never mentioned again.”

  “Doctor Fahim told me how all of this is still part of an experiment.” Neel remarked.

  “Yes, and you are the first human test subject.” Divya said.

  “Yeah, I know.” Neel said. He had heard that often enough. “But the experiment is successfulso far, right?” “Oh yes, so far, it"s a great success.” Divya said. “There were so many factors to account for, so many uncertain outcomes. Yet here you are tonight, a fully functional Alpha Soldier!”

  “What do you mean, uncertain outcomes?” Neel asked her curiously. “ Like we told you, you are the first human test subject.” Divya said. “It was not always possible to predict exactly what the effect of the serum would be on the human physiology. There were a lot of things that could potentially have gone wrong.”

  “Like what?” Neel asked . “Like the tests you went through at Swan labs.” Divya said. “The serum augments a human beings natural abilities, but that can be a handicap as well. For instance, your eyesight

  is improved considerably, is it not? You can see very clearly at night.”

  “Yeah.” Neel affirmed. “But another effect of the serum on your eyes could have been to increase your retina"s sensitivity to such an extent that you could not open your eyes in the morning or in any a bright area without experiencingsevere discomfort.” Divya said. She looked at him soberly. “We even had a pair of glasses prepared specially for the purpose, in case it really happened
. Fortunately, we never had to use them. Your corneas are thicker and stronger, and allow just enough light in to allow your retina to function properly. Although bright flashes of light in your eyes will affect you worse than normal people.”

  Neel was silent, digesting this new aspect of the serum that he had never realized before. “Anything else?” he asked.

  “Your nose.” Divya said. “Have you noticed any dramatic increase in your smelling sense?”

  Neel shook his head, surprised that he hadn"t noticed that fact before. “It"s slightly better thanbefore, but nothing like how my eyes and ears have improved.” “Imagine if your sense of smell had really increased to that extent.” Divya said. “The entire world would have been a giant bouquet to you. But not a fragrant one. Perfumes and deodorants are popular because most of the world smells terrible. And you would have had to endure it all the time.”

  “So why doesn"t that happen?” Neel asked, leaning in with a frown on his face. Divya was silent for a long moment, and seemed to be avoiding his gaze . “Because,” she said slowly, finally looking at him. “The doctors performed a small surgery on your nose to partially numb your nasal receptors and reduce their natural smellingability.”

  “What!” Neel stared at her in amazement. “Believe me, Neel, It was absolutely necessary.” Divya said earnestly. “You can"t imagine what a horrible time you would have had otherwise. You can close your eyes and shut your ears, but the sense ofsmell can"t be controlled so easily. You would have been completely overwhelmed and nauseated most of the time.”

  Neel stared at her. He still felt indignant at having had drastic surgery done on him and never being told. But now he was also thinking about the world her words had conjured up. “I guess it"s true.” he said slowly. “I can barely concentrate because of the noise around me, and I have to use those earphones every night when I want to get any sleep. But smell would be even harder to manage.” He shuddered as he imagined going to the restroom or standing next to his sweaty friends after a game with an acute sense of smell. At least two of them considered passing gas an amusing pastime.

  “Exactly.” Divya agreed. “The precaution was absolutely necessary to ensure your peace

  of mind.There was also the matter of your skin.”

  “What about my skin?” Neel asked, staring down at the back of his hand. “It"s much tougher than ordinary now.” Divya said. “That is why you can even punch through concrete without breaking your skin. But it could also have meant that your skin had become like a rhinoceros"s hide, and lost its feeling.”

  “I can feel things fine.” Neel said, closing his fist experimentally. “I sure felt all those rubber bullets I practiced with. So why is that?” “ Doctor Fahim had evolved a theory whenwe were making the serum, and we"re fairly certain it"s the right one.” Divya said. “We believe that, along with your skin, the sensory receptors on the surface of your skin have become more active as well. Which means that the combination of your toughened skin and extra sensitive nerve endings allows you to feel like a normal human being. If you had had only sensitive cells, and not the extra tough skin, you would have felt everything much more intensely, including taste.

  Neel ran his tongue inside his mouth experimentally, a frown on his face. “You would never have been able to eat spices or sugar or any other strong flavor.” Divya remarked. “The sense of taste would have been too much for your mind to process. Your sensory nerves would have overloaded.”

  “You might have also noticed yo ur appetite is the same as before the accident.” Divya continued. “Even though you lead an impossibly active life now. If an ordinary person tried to do what you do, his body"s energy would run out in half an hour.”

  “I never thought about that before.” Neel said slowly. It was true he had not felt any change in his appetite since the accident. “I guess I should be eating more if I need more energy. But I don"t get any more hungry than usual. Doctor Fahim told me to eat a lot of glucose, but that"s it.”

  “The serum is responsible for that, too.” Divya said. “Ordinarily, our bodies are able to extract sixty percent of the total energy from the food we eat. Carbohydrates and fats are normally very hard to digest. But your biological functions have become much more efficient, so that your body can extract as much as ninety nine percent, which means that you receive much more energy from a meal than an ordinary person. If not for that efficiency, you would have literally dropped dead from exhaustion long ago.”

  “Wow.” Neel stared in front of him. “I never realized there were so many things that could have gone wrong with me.” “The likelihood was always very less.” Divya hastened to assure him. “We were quite sure the serum was fit for human use before we gave it to the army. I"m just trying to make you understand that your own case had served to confirm our theories in the real world. It required high precision work in a completely new field, and it took Doctor Fahim three decades of extremely demanding research to bring it to where it is now.He"s had to travel all over the world, consulting with other experts and experimenting all the time to finally achieve his goals.”

  “He must"ve been re ally dedicated to the work.” Neel said, impressed. “I can"t imagine working on something for so long, without friends or family or anything.I"d go insane. It must"ve been so lonely.”

  “He had a family.” Divya said.

  Neel stared at her in surprise. “DoctorFahim is married?” Somehow he found it hard to imagine the doctor as a family man. He seemed to belong in a research lab.

  “He was once.” Divya said, her voice becoming quieter. “A long time ago.” Her tone had changed and suddenly become very sober.

  “So what happened?” Neel asked “I"m not sure.” Divya said with a slight shrug. “He doesn"t like to talk about it too much. But we spent a lot of time together in the last three years, and I found out some things about his past in that time. He had a wife and a son once.”

  “When was that?” Neel asked with interest. “Three decades ago.” Divya said, and nodded s lowly as Neel looked at her in surprise. “Yes, DoctorFahim"s hard work on the serum was more than just scientific curiosity. He was a professor in a college a long time ago. He was married to a girl called Noor whom his parents had arranged for him to wed.”

  “So what happened? They didn"t get along?” “Yes, they did.” Divya said. “He loved her dearly. Doctor Fahim said they were the first year of marriage was the happiest time of his life.” She took a deep breath. “Unfortunately, Noor passed away while giving birth to their son Asif. Doctor Fahim tells me that to this day he feels guilty because,even with all his knowledge and work on the human body, he wasn"t able to help her. After her death, he raised his son alone.”

  “Then one day he got the message from Doctor Thompson inviting him to Africa.”

  “Did he leave his son back at home?” Neel asked quietly. He was remembering his own father, who had gone to Africa, leaving behind his pregnant wife, and thennever returned… “His son went with him.” Divya said. “And that was their biggest mistake. The work was very hard and the conditions very poor. The local people were unfriendly, and only willing to help in exchange for money. There was a viral infection sweeping across the area, and the jungles they were working in were prime breeding grounds for it.”

  “ DoctorFahim"s son died there. Therewasn"t even anyone of his family left to send the body back to, and he was cremated in Africa.” Divya shifted in her seat, her eyes sad. “Doctor Fahim tells me that he went into depression from that day on. He says that the research saved his life at that point, since the only reason he had to get up in the morning from them on was to study the serum. He felt that the only way to make up for not being able to save his wife or his son was to use the discovery to help mankind.”

  Divya fell silent, studying the ground, and Neel stood staring at her in shock. He could never have imagined that the twinkling eyes of the doctor held such a miserable past locked away.

  “And that"s why h e fought with General Baksh
i to keep you safe, and a part of Project Alpha.” Divya said, looking at him with a smallsmile. “It"s why he is so proud of you. Through you, the serum is being used to help the countrylike he"d always wanted it to.”

  Neel did not know how to respond, and again, he could only stare at her. “He never made it seem like a big deal.” he said finally. “He didn"t try to pressure me like the General did or anything. I never realized this meant so much to him.”

  “ Doctor Fahim told me once that you when you reach a certain age you realize your own desires mean very little in the grand scheme of things.” Divya said slowly, a faraway look on her face. She was thinking about her parents, and what they would say if they were to see her now. “You just deal with whatever life gives you and try to fit your personal needs to it as best as you can. He"s thinking about what"s best for the project now, not his own dreams. And whatever way we prepared you, it is what has brought you to this point.” Neel nodded slowly.

  The crowd had begun to move in the direction of the stage. Divya looked at her watch. “Ten minutes to the start of the concert.” she said. “We"ll stay here until Saket arrives, and then follow him in.”

  “We won"t have to wait long.” Neel said , pointing towards the entrance gate. A black Tata Sumo had entered the stadium. Mr. Malik Saket stepped out and peered at the concert banner. His harsh, brutal face held a look of complete authority as he surveyed the grounds. Neel was surprised to see only a couple of body guards with him. But then he noticed that many tough looking men in the crowd nodded to the guards and Saket and realized most of the guards were undercover.

  “Let"s go in.” Divya said. “The concert starts in five minute. Try to look normal.”

  “What do you mean,try?” Neel asked indignantly. Twelve minutes later, the entire stadium was filled with a deafening roar as Euphoria took the stage. They waved to the crowd, smiling broadly, and then immediately launched into one of their most popular songs. Neel hastily took out the noise cancelling headphones he had brought with him and put them on, ignoring the people in his vicinity who were looking at him strangely. The crowd grew even more loud and boisterous as the toe tapping music of Phir Dhoom filled the stadium. Ten minutes later, Neel saw Malik leave the stadium with a seedy looking man.