by Neeraj Chand
Neel nodded, excitement surging up within him. “So let"s get started.” “Not just yet.” Arjun said with a smile. “Useful as it is, parkour is also very, very dangerous. It deals with movement over highly unusual terrain at very high speeds. That type of activity needs constant, completely focused attention. Even a single slip can lead to serious accidents. There have been cases of broken collarbones and shattered ribs as well as spinal injuries. So I need your undivided attention for this.”
Arjun indicated the bar s around them. “First we"ll be learning the basic movements. Then we"ll practice them till you feel you can do them in your sleep. Let"s go.” There was a high bluff constructed at the end with steps leading to the top.
Arjun went up the bluff and looked down at Neel from the height. “This is a technique that soldiers use as well.” He said. “Learning to jump down from a height is one of the most fundamental disciplines of parkour. Its how you protect your body from the force of impact when you jump from a great height.”
Arjun stood up to his full height, and then bent forward slightly. For a moment he hung there, seconds away from falling down. Then he jumped neatly and landed on the ground. At the moment that his feet touched the ground, he tucked his legs in and rolled over his shoulders on the ground.
“You see?” he said, looking at Neel.“The landing room is spread over a large area instead of a single point, which reduces the force of impact of the fall.”
“Yeah, I see how this works.” Neel nodded slowly. “But Doctor Fahim told me my bodies really strong now. Will it really matter if I don"t roll like that?” “It"s not just a matter of your safety.” Arjun said. “Do you remember what happened when you jumped yesterday? When you landed back on the ground, you left a huge hole on its surface. Imaginejumping like that all the time. You"ll cause a large amount of damage to the surrounding area.”
“Oh, right.” Neel nodded. “So how shouldI do this?” Arjun showed him the correct method to roll on the ground. Neel rolled slowly over and over again, taking care to keep his head safely tucked in. His back proved uncooperative with his neck, and he found it hard to roll on his back like Arjun had, who made him repeat the movement until he had grasped the rudiments of the technique.
“Now repeat the roll until I tell you to stop.” Arjun said as he stepped back. “I knew you were going to say that.” Neel remarked. He repeated the roll, taking a round of the small field. This time his speed was much slower as he was concentrating on the technique, and he had to keep checking and rechecking his posture whenever his head or arms started to get in the way of his smooth rolling.
Then Arjun led Neel to an empty spot on the field, and sat down cross legged on the floor, motioning for Neel to do the same. Neel sat down in front of him. “Before we continue, you need to understand your brain more thoroughly.” Arjun said. “People use two brain modes to view the world. The analytical-rational mode is slow and logical, and the intuitive experiential is fast and emotionally driven. The second mode is largely instinctive, and it comes into play when we are in a potentially dangerous situation. Its response cannot be completely controlled by our conscious mind. Do you understand what I"m saying?”
Neel nodded. “I think so.” he said slowly. “When my brain runs faster, it"s in that second mode, and thenI can"t control it because my instincts take over.” “Exactly.” Arjun said, leaning forward. “But it doesn"t have to be so. An increased brain speed is not as unmanageable as it sounds. We can dream about months and years in a few hours of sleep. That"s because our mind compiles the information from the dream environment at a much faster speed, and we don"t even realize it"s happening. Hyperactive people have the same problem; their brain often works faster than they can control it.”
“So that"s what my brain does in real life now?” Neel asked. “It absorbs information at a much faster rate because your brain works much more quickly now, and it wants to receive the information as quickly as possible.” Arjun said. “But your mind is designed to help you, not work against you. So if you want it to slow down, you can get it todo so.”
“It"s really hard to manage.” Neel said. “Ever since waking up I"ve felt like I"ll go back to my fast brain speed if I don"t hold onto it every second. And that"s when everything is calm and peaceful!”
“It"s a new skill.” Arjun said. “That"s why it seems so hard now. As controlling it becomes a habit, it"ll get easier. You saw how easily you slowed down after running at full speed. That was an instinctive reaction. You need to turn that instinct into something you can control. We"ll go through meditation and breathing techniques to help your mind and body work together again.”
Neel nodded and stared down at the ground for a moment without saying anything. Arjun remained silent as well, sensing his hesitancy. “So…” Neel spoke up finally. He stared up at Arjun doubtfully. “What do you think? Can I learn all this in a few months like Doctor Fahim said I have to?”
Arjun stared at him dispassionately. “Do you know what will happen a week from now? Can you control any part of time except the present?”
Neel stared back. “I… no.” “The nwhy worry about something that is still months away?” Arjun said. “I told you, how well you learn all of this depends on how committed you are to working on it. After that, all the speculation in the world is pointless, and all the expert opinions are, in the end, just opinions. Just remember, one step at a time.”
* * *
Arjun dropped Neel back at the spot from where he had picked him up earlier that day. It was five in the afternoon, and the day was still quite bright and sunny.
“I"ll see you here tomorrow, then.” Arjun said as Neel got out of the car. “Take care, Neel.”
“Thanks. You too.” Neel said.
He watched the car disappear from view, and then walked over to his cycle, swinging his bag over his shoulder. Soon he was on his way back home.
Upon reaching his house, he saw that his mother was back. He opened the front gate and parked his cycle inside, calling out to his mother.
“Were you all right at the coaching?” his mother asked after greeting him.
“Yeah,I felt fine.” Neel said. “Were you going somewhere?” His mother was dressed up and looked ready to depart.
“There"s a sale onat Meena Bazaar.” she explained. “I"ve called Bhim. He"ll be along any minute.” “Should I come too?” Neel offered. Sales were important events that saved them considerable expenses for the rest of the month, and his mother was usually laden with good by the end of each trip.
His mother hesitated. “I don"t know, dear.” she said dubiously. “You shouldn"t over exert yourself. And you"ve just come back from your coaching.”
“Mom, I"m completely fine now.” Neel assured her yet again. “And I don"t feel tired at all. I can help you carry the grocery and things.” His mother hesitated for a second more. But he did look completely healthy, and they both knew how hard it was to carry everything alone. Finally she nodded, “Very well. You"ll get some fresh air. But don"t carry too much, and we"ll come back as quickly as we can manage.”
“Okay.” Neel said. Their doorbellrang. “That"s probably Bhim.” his mother said. “Let me get the bag and then we can go.” She brought out their bag, a very large affair with an extremely bright and lurid pink color. Neel always felt slightly embarrassed carrying it. But it was very useful when there were a lot of things to hold, and had never split open or become frayed from use.
They came out of their house to see an ancient man smiling at them toothlessly through the bars of the main gate. He was lean and tiny, his skin rough and blackened from over exposure to the sun. He drove a rickshaw as old as himself, and had taken Neel to school on it when he had been too young to go on the cycle.Bhim"s hard profession had never managed to dampen his cheerful disposition, and as long as Neel could remember he had had a grin on his face.
“Evening, Ma"am.” he said to Neel"s mother. “All set to go?”
“Yes, Bhim.” Neel"s mother sai
d, locking the door behind her. “We"ll just go to bazaar and back as quickly as wecan.”
“And how are you, young sir?” Bhim asked cordially, when Neel had taken his seat on the rickshaw. “I heard you"d had an accident?”
“It wasn"t anything serious.” Neel shrugged. Then hegrinned. “I don"t have to go to school for a week.”
“Ar, it"s always best to focus on the positive.” Bhim chuckled as Neel"s mother sat next to Neel. “Everyone seated all right? Let"s go then.” He gripped the handle of the rickshaw and the seat on which he sat, and slowly wheeled the vehicle forward. When it had gained sufficient momentum, he leapt neatly onto the seat and started work on the pedals. Soon the rickshaw had achieved a smooth, leisurely pace.
Neel sat holding the large pink bag and stared at the surroundings. He always enjoyed the gently rocking motion of the rickshaw, even though it was a source of wonder that the rickety and creaking vehicle, which looked like a strong gust of wind would reduce it to splinters, could battle on gallantly for years under Bhim"s guidance without breaking down. While his mother asked Bhim about the shortest way to the bazaar, his thoughts drifted over to all he had seen that day at Swan lab.
They reached the bazaar to find a large crowd milling around the shops. News of the sale had reached households fast, and on every side Neel saw women young and old haggling with shop keepers, or waving their bag menacingly at anyone who got in their way or looked like they might be reaching for the item they wanted.
“We need some detergent first.” Neel"s mothers said to him once they had gotten off the rickshaw and were standing in the middle of the busy market. Neel held the bag ready as he followed his mother around the shops. He knew the drill on these occasions. He was to hold the bag open for his mother while she deposited various things in it, and once the bag became too heavy to lift, to stand guard over it while his mother brought yet more items to place inside.
The sale was highly satisfactory, and the bag filled rapidly. The familiar scene of the marketplace was made disconcerting by the blaring crescendo of sound that assaulted Neel"s sensitive ears from every direction, emanating from enthusiastic shop owners proclaiming the superiority and high value of their wares, and cynical housewives who were stoutly refusing to pay the marked price.
“Madam, I can"t sell you the shirt for one third theprice.” Neel heard an exasperated shop keeper shout over thedin. “I"ll go broke in a day if I sell at suchprices.” “What"s the point of calling it a sale, then?” came the irate reply. “I might as well just buyit from the shop. Get better quality too, no doubt!” “World"s best spices!” a nother voice caroled blithely. “Brought in special from Hong Kong and China and Malaysia and…” The voice trailed away vaguely, the owner"s knowledge of South Asian countries apparently exhausted. “With special ingredients from America and France and Germany!” he burst out again in sudden inspiration, his voice being drowned abruptly by the powerful engine of a car on the road.
“Always the same riff raffs come here setting up there nasty little shops on the street.” Neel heard a fat woman sniff several feet away, while her perspiring daughter-in-law carried two enormous bags filled with merchandise at her side. “You"d think it"d kill them to sell some quality goods at these sales.”
Neel blinked rapidly as he turned his head slightly, absorbing the sounds coming at him from every corner of the road. There was a buzzing at the back of his head that Doctor Fahim had told him was the sound of some electric signals of a higher frequency that his ears were now capable of picking up. It was all highly distracting, and he knew it would be just as bad when he returned to school. If he could just learn to block out the unnecessary sounds…
“Neel!” His mother"s voice broke through his preoccupation. He looked up at her, puzzled. She was staring in horror at his arm, holding two cans of milk motionless in her hands. Neel followed the direction of her gaze. The bag he was holding was filled very nearly to its huge capacity, and was bulging on all sides. Even a fully grown man would have had difficulty holding the bag up with both hands. Neel had it wrapped casually around an arm by the strap.
“Sorry” he said, dropping the bag hastily. “I didn"t notice…”
“Have you gone mad?” his mother cried, rushing forward to examine his hand. “You could have dislocated your shoulder all over again!”
“Sorry.” Neel repeated. “I was thinking of something else.” “Neel, please try to understand, even if you feel as stro ng as before, you are not completely all right yet.” his mother said to him anxiously, cupping his face in her hands as she stared at him earnestly. “You don"t just magically recover in a few days from having a dislocated shoulder and surgery. You still have to very, very careful.”
“I"m sorry.” Neel said in a low voice as he saw thefear in her eyes. “It won"t happen again.” “I think we"ve got quite a lot for now.” His mother sighed, stepping back and looking at the bulging bag. “Let"s get it back to therickshaw. No, you stay here.” she added sharply, as Neel made to pick up the bag. “I"ll get Bhim, and then we"ll get it on the rickshaw together.”
Neel nodded, and waited while his mother disappeared. She returned soon with Bhim, who had brought his rickshaw along, and parked it on the sidewalk near to where Neel was standing.
“Trying to lift it all on your own?” Bhim called out. “That won"t do, young man. You"ll only get hurt. Come on, now. We"ll all get this bag into the rickshawtogether.”
He seized one end of the bag, while Neel"s mother seized the other. There was no place left for Neel to hold onto except the top. Slowly, huddled awkwardly around the bag, the three maneuvered it over to the rickshaw, with many grumbling from the crowd milling around them, and Bhim"s constant instructions, “Easy now, Ma"am. Steady does it. A little more to the left. That"s it.” The bag wobbled dangerously, and threatened to spill out its contents at every shake.
They r eached the rickshaw, and with much panting from Bhim and Neel"s mother, and many more instructions from the rickshaw puller, they raised the bag slowly, trying to get it onto the vehicle safely, and Neel trying not to roll his eyes. He seized the bag more firmly and, in a sudden swift motion, tipped it onto the bottom of the rickshaw.
“There now, see?” Bhim panted, wiping his forehead on his ragged scarf. “Nothing to it. Get on then, and we"ll go as soon as I catch my breath.” As Neel climbed once again onto the rickshaw and they made their way back slowly home, there was one thought foremost in his mind. He needed to learn to gain complete control over his strength quickly, and to use it without drawing too much attention to it.
* * * “Well?” General Bakshi said. He stood in front of Arjun in one of the empty rooms in the main building at Swan labs. Doctor Fahim stood quietly to the side, not taking part in the conversation. He was simply there to listen. Neel had gone home, and the Captain had come back to make his report.
“He haspotential.” Arjun said. “And he seems eager to learn. I think he can be of use to the project, given enough time.” The G eneral nodded. “And it is your job to make sure that happens. Doctor Fahim is treating this whole business like one of his college experiments. He does not understand that this is a military operation now. I need you to get the maximum output from the boy in the least amount of time possible.” The General did not bother trying to be tactful in his speech. He wanted the doctor to understand that this was the military"s business now, and he was in charge. Doctor Fahim did not say anything. A frown was beginning to form on his forehead, but he remained silent.
“I"ll try my best, sir.” Arjun nodded. “The boy is feeling insecure, so it might take some time to earn his complete trust.” The G eneral let out an irritated snort. “Why is everyone obsessed with earning the boy"s trust? He is a part of the project. He needs to understand what the discipline of the army means. He has agreed to work with us. We are the only people who can help him deal with his abilities. That is enough for our purpose.”
“It"s not enough for me.” Arjun said evenly. “He"s not
a soldier, sir. He"s a scared young boy. He needs to be able to trust us.” A small smile had replaced the frown on Doctor Fahim"s face. Seeing it aggravated the General even more.
“This i s not why I brought you in.” he said, staring at Arjuncoldly. “You have special skills which can help the boy use his powers properly. You were not brought on board to play child psychologist for him. The boy will be fine. Stop worrying about him and focus on helping project Alpha.”
“ If that is how you feel, then I must step away from the project, sir.” Arjun said. “This is not a part of my duties. In fact, this is so far removed from my experience that I was tempted to decline the offer at the start. Now if I have to train the boy, I will do it my way. And I refuse to treat him as a lab rat for Alpha. If my method is unacceptable to you, sir, I will leave this project immediately.”
There was a ringing silence in the room following Arjun"s speech. Doctor Fahim was gazing dreamily into the distance and humming a quiet tune. General Bakshi shot him a foul look, and then turned to glare at Arjun, who met his gaze steadily. They had worked together before, but this was the first time they had had an argument over their duties. The General was wishing fervently at the moment that he could remove Arjun from the project. But the fact remained that his skills were irreplaceable, and needed for the project.
“Do you know what the worst part of this business is?” General Bakshi asked him coldly. “It is that I am surrounded by sentimental fools.” He turned and strode out of the room, leaving Arjun staring at the wall opposite him. Doctor Fahim looked at him, his piercing eyes intent. “I"m glad to see some army men occasionally listen to their conscience instead of their orders, Captain.” he remarked quietly.
CHAPTER 6: Dangerous Games For the rest of the week, Neel continued his visits to Swan labs. Just as he seemed on the point of mastering one technique, his trainers introduced something new for him to learn. He was taught a myriad of ways to kick, to punch, to duck and to side step. He was shown how to roll on the ground and remove virtually all the force of impact from a fall. He was taught the correct way to hold onto a ledge without falling off or becoming tired, and was made to practice regularly to use his entire body to get past obstacles.
