by Neeraj Chand
Neel stared at the old man wordlessly.“And then what?” heasked. “What happens after you teach me how to control it?” Doctor Fahim leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and joining the tips of his fingers together as he looked at Neel intently.“The original purpose of this experiment was to create an army of soldiers who would be superior in every way to their ordinary counterparts.” he said. “But this sudden change of events has obliged us to modify our approach. It has now been decided to test your abilities first in a closely watched environment, and see whether your capabilities could be valuable to the government. At the very least, it has been decided that your situation can still be used to study the effects of the serum on the human body.”
Neel kept quiet, not sure of what to say. The one thing he did know was that he did not like being talked of as some sort of a commodity, or a human guinea pig. Doctor Fahim noticed his expression.
“What it means,” he said gently, “Is that we are offering you the chance to become the
first Alpha Soldier.”
Neel stared at him. “And if I refuse?” Doctor Fahim sighed, leaning back . “Then we will think about taking another approach to the matter.” he said. “But in any event, you will be kept under close watch from now on.” The gentle eyes that stared into the young boys were filled with sympathy.“No matter what your decision is, I am afraid your life will never be the same again.”
Again, Neel was struck dumb.
Doctor Fahim rose to his feet. “I understand that it is a lot of information to receive in a few minutes, especially after having passed through such a harrowing experience.” he said. “But you needed to know the truth. We will leave you to consider our proposal. Think about what I have said. We will be in contact with you soon.” The doctor turned to the door. Divya took the two broken metal pieces from the table. “Good luck.” She said with a small smile as she walked towards the door as well.
“Oh, and one more thing, Neel.” Doctor Fahim said, pausing at the doorway. His eyes were very grave.“I"m afraid a certain amount of deception was necessary to explain your rapid recovery to your mother. We told her you crashed into Divya"s sumo and suffered minor cuts and bruises, and a dislocated shoulder. It saved her from a lot of worry which she would undoubtedly have suffered from if she had known about the nature of the actual accident. Remember the story.” Doctor Fahim stared at Neel and added gently. “And I advise you not to tell her about your new abilities until we have had a chance to discuss them again. Take care, Neel.”
The two left, leaving Neel alone in the room, with only his chaotic thoughts for company. Neel sank back onto his pillow, the feeling of unreality intensifying in his mind. He thought about what Doctor Fahim had told him, and what he had just done. The images in his brain flowed at a blinding speed. His mind had started to accelerate again.
The door opened, and Nurse Aarti entered. She closed the door behind her and came to stand at his side of the bed. She said something, the words again coming out frustratingly slow and indistinct.
Neel stared hard at the nurse"s face, frantically trying to get his brain speed under control again. After what seemed like several minutes to him, speed returned to normal again.
“I"m sorry.” Neel croaked. “What did you say?”
“I asked you how you were feeling.” Nurse Aarti said, watching him with concern. “Do you feel any sort of a discomfort? Any pain in your body? Lightheadedness? Nausea?” “No” Neel said. It was true. Despite his mind being in a whirl, he was aware that physically he felt better than he had ever done before. There was no pain from any wounds, nor any aches in his body.
“Well, you should let me know if you feel anything wrong even slightly, all right?” the nurse said. Neel nodded. She continued. “If you feel up to it, your mother is waiting downstairs. I told her she can see you as soon as we were sure you were capable of seeing visitors. I"ll send her up now, shall I?”
“Yes, thanks.” Neel said . The nurse stood up and went to the door, closing it softly behind her. Neel stared into space, concentrating on keeping his straying thoughts from disrupting his brain speed again.
The door opened, and Neel"s mother entered the room. A mixture of anxiety and relief showed on her face as she hurried to his side.
“Neel” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. She bent and kissed his forehead fervently. “Thank god you"re awake. I was so worried.”
“I"m fine, mom.” Neel said with a reassuring smile. “Totally fine.” His mother began to look him over anxiously, checking his body for injuries.
“Really, mom, I"m fine.” Neel assured her again. He remembered the story Doctor Fahim had said they had told his mother. “I just twisted my shoulder a little.” “ Oh, you be quiet.” his mother whispered, her voice still tight with worry. “What do you know? They"re trying to make it out to be a smaller injury than it is. But why would they have to bring you here in an ambulance if it wasn"t serious? They had to operate on you!”
“They"re just being careful.” Neel offered. His mother ignored him, and continued to check his body. She leaned over the bed to examine his arm. The light from the lamp shone on her eyes, and he saw that they were bright with tears.
“Mom.” Neel said in a low voice, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder. He tried to think of something soothing to say, but nothing came. His mother stared down at him. Suddenly she folded her arms around him in a tight hug. He could feel hershoulders shaking. “My baby!” she whispered, stroking his hair softly. “Oh, my poor little Neelu. I was so afraidI was going to lose you.” She kissed his forehead and hugged him again.
Neel lay frozen on the bed, staring at the door in front of him. He did not hug her back. To his mind had come the image of the rod breaking in his hands. And with it had come the terrifying thought that if he wasn"t careful he might break her too. He kept his hands at side, desperately trying to think of something reassuring to say.
“I"m sorry, mom.” h e said, and his voice was suddenlyunsteady as well. “But I"m all right now. I really am.” He could not keep the tears from welling up in his own eyes. He could never have imagined that he would ever hear her sound so scared. The full horror of his accident hit him at the moment as he gazed up at his mother crying over him.
“Yes, you are.” she said, wiping away his tears and kissing his forehead again. “You had a nasty accident, but now you aregoing to get better. I"m sorry, Neel.I don"t want to upset you anymore.I"ve just been so worried that I started crying. But really, the doctors tell me you are going to recover completely. It was just a dislocated shoulder, after all.”
Neel stared at her, and felt a sudden urge to tell her everything. About the serum, Doctor Fahim, about his recovery, and what had been happening to him ever since waking up. But then he remembered what Doctor Fahim had told him about keeping quiet about the serum just yet, and he imagined his mother"s reaction if she found out just how serious the accident had really been. He kept quiet.
His mother had leaned back and was drying her eyes in her handkerchief. When she looked at him again, her worried expression had been replaced by a glare. “How could you be so careless, Neel? How many times have I told you to be careful on the road? Don"t you know the people around here drive like maniacs? Thank god that girl"s car was stopped! Do you have any idea what would have happened if you"d hit a moving car?”
“I"m really sorry,mom.” Neel repeatedmeekly. “I was in a hurry. I guess I lost control. It won"t happen again.” “That"s right, first you almost lose your arm and worry me half to death, and then say it won"t happen again.” His mother sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. His mother had a small frame, and usually gave the impression of being thinner than she really was. Ever since Neel"s childhood there had always been a slightly ragged edge to her, yet today she seemed even more worn out than usual. When she looked down at him again, she looked calmer. “The only good that can come of this is if you learn from your mistake, and never let it happen again.” Neel no
dded vigorously, and she bent down and smoothed his pillow, drawing his sheets more snugly overhim. “Now you just concentrate on getting better. You"re coming home tomorrow. Get some rest.”
She made sure he was completely comfortable. As she bent down to smoothen the hair back over his forehead he saw that her eyes were very red, and dark circles had formed under her eyesas though she hadn"t slept in a while. He felt a sharp stab of guilt at lying to her. Again he felt the urge to tell her, and again he restrained himself. His emotions were so mixed right now that it was difficult to even think about the accident, and he knew it would take him a long time to sort out his own feelings on the subject. Explanations would have to wait.
“I"m so grateful to that girl Divya.” his mother said quietly. “You know, she came with you in the ambulance, and found out your name and school from the copies in your bag. Then she got my number from them and called me. Goodness knows what would have happened if she had just driven off after you crashed into her car, like so many of those drivers would have done.”
“Yes, that was nice of her.” Neel said . He stared at the door in front and continued slowly.“She didn"t have to help me but she still did what she could. The world needs more people like that.”
His mother smiled. “Don"t worry about that now. Get some more rest.” She gave him a final hug before kissing his forehead. “Sleep well, baby.” she said softly as she rose to leave. Sleep, however, was impossible. Alone with his thoughts, Neel"s mind could no longer maintain control, and his brain sped up again. There were far too many things to think about. The project… his near death experience… Doctor Fahim and Divya Nayak…
And especially the doctor"s proposal.
“The power you possess is greater than anything any human has ever experienced. You need to be trained in order to control it. We can help you.”
By the time Neel fell asleep, he had come to a decision.
* * * The next morning, Neel awoke feeling completely refreshed. The first thing he noticed was his eyesight had gotten fuzzy again. It took him ten minutes to regain control over his mind. He could view objects much more easily now, although it was definitely a bizarre experience. He was sitting in bed thinking about everything that had happened yesterday when the nurse who had attended to him the day before came in bearing a breakfast tray.
“Feeling all right?” she asked, setting the tray in front of him. “Yeah, totally.” Neel said, sitting up in his bed. He polished off the sterile food quickly, the sound of his own chewing and swallowing impossibly loud in his head. He had only eaten once yesterday and felt famished. “How long am I supposed to stay here?”
“Well, you seem to have recovered completely from your accident as well as the surgery.” nurse Arti said with a wondering shake of her head. “Patients are usually required to stay a few more days, but someone seems to have cleared your way, and you can leave anytime you want. Your mother still wants you to stay one more day just to make sure.”
Neel nodded as he ate the last morselof food on the plate. It hadn"t been exactly a feast, but he felt full now, and was able to think about the future a little more calmly.
“Do you need help going tothe toilet?” the nurse asked matter of factly as she rose with the tray.“Or would you prefera bedpan?”
“What?” Neel said in alarm. “No, no. Er… Thanks, but I can handle all that on my own.” “Okay then, I"ll let you be.” the nurse said, preparing to leave. “The gentleman and the girl who were here yesterday are waiting downstairs. They said to ask if you felt well enough totalk to them. Do you want to see them?”
“Oh.” Neel said slowly. It was happening sooner than hehad expected. “Well, okay, yeah. Could you tell them they can come here in about half anhour, please?”
“Very well.” the nurse said. She left carrying the tray, leaving Neel alone with his thoughts again.
Exactly half an hour later, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.” Neel said, feeling a strange queasiness in his stomach that had nothing to do with his injury or the food.
The door opened and Doctor Fahim entered, followed by Divya, who closed the door behind her. The two came to stand at the side of his bed.
“Good morning, Neel.” DoctorFahim said. “I hope you had a good night"s rest?”
“Yes, I did, sir.” Neel said, watching them both nervously.
“Well, then.” DoctorFahim said, looking at him intently. “I hope you also had the chance to think about the conversation we had yesterday, and our offer to you.”
“Yeah, I thought about it a bit.” Neel said, and stopped, trying to play for some time.
“And?” Doctor Fahim prompted him gently.
Neel staredat him. “What happens if I say no?” Doctor Fahim considered the question gravely. “You will have to learn to cope with your new abilities on your own.” he said. “That in itself is no small task. You will have cost the country an important pieceof technology and the possibilities it has.” Dr Fahim stared at him quietly. “The only questions you need to ask yourself are these Neel; do you think you can handle this situation on your own? Or do you want to see what your full capabilities could be under the proper guidance?”
Neel nodded slowly. It was the question that had kept him awake all night. “Then I accept your offer, sir.” he said. “Excellent” t he doctor said, smiling broadlyat him. “Then we can now start this very interesting experiment. Your school has been told that, because of the shock you sustained fromthe accident, you won"t be able to attend your classes for a week. Instead, you will come to the head quarters of this project every day. Starting tomorrow.”
“I can learn everything in a week?” Neel asked in surprise.
“No, but you will only need an hour or so every day after school after the first part of your training is over.” the doctor said.
“What about my mother?” Neel asked. “Can I tell her about this?”
Doctor Fahim sat down at the edge of his bed and looked at the young boy very seriously. “I"m afraid not, Neel.” he said quietly. “Not yet, at any rate. By agreeing to this experiment, you have become part of a top secret military project. This is a matter of the highest national security, and the stakes are higher than anything you can imagine. For now, we need to keep this a secret. Neither your family nor your friends can know about this part of your life. Not yet at any rate.”
Neel nodded. “I understand.” he said quietly and sighed, wondering if he was going to regret his decision. “Divya will now tell you the particulars of tomorrow.” Doctor Fahim said, rising to his feet. “Listen closely to her instructions, and we will get through this together. I will see you soon, Neel. Take care.”
Doctor Fahim left the room. Divya came to sit in the chair next to the bed and smiled at Neel. “Feeling nervous?” she asked. She was very pretty, and there was a good natured quality to her smile. Neel suddenly felt a blush suffuse his cheeks.
“Just a bit.” he admitted quietly, trying hard to make the admission sound casual. Divya stared at the young boy, her smile slipping a little. He looked so young and vulnerable, lying on the hospital bed in the oversized gown. She felt a sudden stab of guilt at the strange and dangerous situation she had put him in.“Neel, I know there"s no point in saying this now, but for what it"s worth, I"m sorry I put you in this position.” She said softly. “I know this must all be very confusing for you.”
“No, come on, you don"t have to apologize.” Neel said quickly, b lushing even more. “I mean, I would have died if you hadn"t helped me.” He stared up at her. “And I wanted to tell you, thank you for not just walking away.”
“Well, your recoveryis thanks enough.” Divya smiled. She rummaged in her purse for the notes.“Now, there are some things you need to keep in mind for the day after tomorrow…”
Doctor Fahim had stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He made his way down the hall to the third door on the right. Entering the room quietly, he glanced at its lone occupant. General B
akshi stood at the end of the room looking out of the window. Doctor Fahim took out the mobile that the General had given him and placed it on a nearby table.
The mobile had a roving bug spyware installed that allowed the General to activate it from his own cell phone. The General had used the microphone and transmitter arrangement to listen to the entire conversation that had taken place in room 449, just as he had listened to the conversation that had occurred in Neel"s room the day before. He did not turn as Doctor Fahim made his way towards him, but continued to gaze silently outside.
“So the boy has agreed.” he said curtly as Doctor Fahim came to stand next to him.
“Afraid and uncertain and extremely nervous, but yes, he hasagreed.” Doctor Fahim said gravely. The two men stood in silence for a moment, both looking out of the window at the front of the hospital, where a profusion of people and vehicles were crammed into a tight parking space.
“That was a completely unnecessary approach you used, pretending he had a choice in the matter.” General Bakshi said, still without looking at Doctor Fahim.
“He needs to believe he himself has chosento become a part of the project.” Doctor Fahim said quietly. “Otherwise we will neverbe able to obtain his trust and cooperation.” “As if we did not have enough to worry about.” t he General muttered. “Now we have to waste time on the emotional problems of a teenager as well.” General Bakshi finally turned to look at Doctor Fahim. His voice had an edge to it as he spoke.“As you yourself pointed out to the boy, the stakes involved in this matter are very high, doctor. The childish insecurities of a fourteen year old are the least of our worries at this point.”
“These „i nsecurities" need to be resolved from the start, if the project is to have any sort of a success, General.” Dr Fahim looked at General Bakshi with a slight frown. “Your tough love approach would in this case be detrimental to the project. It is necessary that Neel learn to trust us if we are to help him get used to his new abilities and work with us. Without his cooperation this project will not succeed. Please try to remember that we are not discussing the training of one of your army recruits, but a young and impressionable boy. A boy, moreover, who has recently been through a singularly terrifying experience.”
