by Neeraj Chand
“What wro ng, Prince?” Aryan asked, looking down at him. Prince got up and started to walk around the room, his nose pressed to the ground. Suddenly he stiffened again, sniffing near Aryan"s bed, staring under the bed, then staring up at Aryan, thumping his tail vigorously. Prince was the most well behaved dog Neel had ever seen, and even though his vocal chords were completely fine, for some reason he very rarely made a sound. Now it was easy to guess what he was trying to convey to them.
Aryan bent down and peered under the bed where Prince had stopped. “What"s up? Did a mouse gethey.”
He looked up at Neel and Priyanka, “There"s something moving under here. Priyanka, get my flashlight from the shelf.” Priyanka got up to get the light, while Neel came to kneel beside Aryan. He peered under the bed. His eyesight was much more powerful than Aryan"s, and he could clearly see the back of something which looked like a large rat, except that it had a furry tail.
Priyanka gave the flashlight to Aryan, who swung the powerful beam of light under the table. The light hit a small furry figure with large, shining eyes, which was pressed up against the wall.
“It"s a baby kitten.” Priyanka said softly, as the kitten closed its eyes, shivering slightly. “It"s so cute.” “Y eah, but how did it get here?” Aryan said, frowning. “The tree growing on the sidewalk behind your room.” Neel said, they had climbed the tree toAryan"s room many times when they were younger. “It probably climbed up from there.”
“Up a twenty foot tree?” Aryan asked disbelievingly. “It"s just a little kitten. How could it have climbed up to here?”
“It must have been scared.” Priyanka said quietly. “It"s so loud outside today. It might have climbed up out of pure fright.” Just then, they heard the sound of a cracker bomb in the distance. The three of them jumped at the sudden noise. The kitten pressed itself harder against the wall. A shiver ran through its entire body. It opened its mouth in a mewl, its voice almost too low to be heard. Neel could hear its heart thumping desperately.
“Come on.” Priyanka said abruptly, getting up off the floor. “We need to get it out from under the bed.” Aryan and Neel rose from their knees as well, and the three circled around the bed. Neel pushed the bed away from the wall, while Priyanka and Aryan tried to coax the kitten out with words and gestures. Prince continued to peer under the bed curiously.
The kitten looked fearfully at Aryan and Priyanka, starting at the grinding noise coming from the moving bed. It moved away from the wall, and shot suddenly out from under the bed, right between Aryan"s legs. At full speed, it ran to the table on which the computer was kept and nestled behind one of its legs, Aryan and Priyanka in hot pursuit.
Neel joined them, and the three formed a circle, blocking any exit for the kitten Priyanka knelt down slowly towards the kitten, speaking softly. Very slowly, she reached out a hand. The kitten stiffened, but did not draw away. Priyanka stroked its head lightly, still speaking soothingly. Slowly, the kitten relaxed. Priyanka reached out and gathered the kitten in her palm. It was black and white in color and barely bigger than her hand. She brought the kitten out from under the table and held it between the three of them in the light.
Neel drew in his breath in shock. The kitten"s coat was dirty and unkempt. There were a couple of bare patches of skin on its coat and an ugly burn. One of its ears seemed to have been chewed up and stuck out at an odd angle.
The three stared at the little shivering figure in Priyanka"s hand. Neel grabbed an old magazine and spread it on the bed. Priyanka lowered the kitten on top of the magazine. Prince gazed at the figure curiously and came forward to investigate. But a sharp command from Aryan and he stopped immediately, keeping away from the bed. The kitten continued to keep its large eyes trained apprehensively on Prince.
“I"ll get some milk.” Aryan said, getting up to go to the kitchen. Priyanka and Neel continued to study at the kitten. Priyanka touched itsinjured ear gently. “Whocould"ve done this?” she wondered quietly.
“Probably a dog.” Neel said quietly. “There are so many strays running around on the streets. See this burn?” he pointed to one of the patches of skin, where there was a small burn near the fur. “Someone probably threw a cracker at it too. It must"ve barely escaped by climbing the tree.”
Priyanka continued to stroke its head slowly. Aryan returned with a saucer and a jug full of milk. They gathered around the kitten on the bed. Aryan poured some milk into the saucer and placed it in front of the kitten. It sniffed cautiously at the milk, tiny nostrils flaring, and crawled slowly towards the saucer. It was a skinny little thing and Neel could see the bones jutting out at the places where the skin was showing. Its fur was dirty, and looked even more unkempt next to Prince. It stared at the milk for a second, then began to lap it up greedily. Aryan got up and stretched. The other two relaxed as well. Prince saw the tension in the room reduce and came closer to the bed to examine the strange little creature more closely. But he remembered Aryan"s command and kept a respectful distance.
Aryan set the jug on the table and sat on the edge of the bed. He stared at the kitten. “You know, this doesn"t look like an alley cat. The coat"s pretty dirty but it looks purebred. Maybe someone lost it, or maybe it escaped.”
“Ormaybe someone threw it out.” Priyanka said coldly. “Thathappens all the time. It"s a good thing we found it.”
“Yeah well, now that we"ve got it, what do we do with it?” Neel asked, sitting on the chair near the computer.
“We should probably get it checked by a vet or something.” Aryan said vaguely. “It might have some disease.”
“Do we tell your mom and dad?” Neel asked. “They can send it to the shelter or something.” “I guess we should.” Aryan said, looking at the kitten. “I"ve been to the animal shelter, and it"s pretty awful, but I guess they"re the only ones who can take care of it properly.” The three gazed at the small kitten, which was still busy with the milk.
Just then, another explosion shook the house, as though someone had thrown a bomb directly against the outside wall of the room. All three of them jumped. The kitten sprang up as though it had received an electric shock. The next moment, it had sprung off the bed and streaked through the door out of the room. The three sat frozen in surprise for a moment, then sprang to their feet together to run after the fleeing figure. Prince was right behind them. Neel had to restrain himself from using his full speed as they hurried out.
As they came out of the room they saw the little figure scurrying along the floor. They chased after it down the stairs. As they rounded a corner into the living room, they lost sight of the kitten. It was not in the next room, which left only the main entrance door. They ran out of the house, but there was no sight of the little figure.
“He could"ve gone anywhere.” Aryan said, scanning the area around them. There was one road leading either way from Aryans house, and one road leading directly opposite. They had played along those roads often in the past.
“We need to split up. I"ll take the left road.” Priyanka said. She swung to the left, and was gone before they could say anything.
Aryan started down the road opposite to his house. But then hesitated, glancing back to where Priyanka had disappeared.
“What?” Neel asked, sensing his unease. Aryan shrugged. “Nothing. J ust some of the guys I saw fighting earlier could still be around. But this is a safe neighborhood. And it"s a well lit area. I"m sure she"ll be fine.” He swung towards the road in front, Prince right beside him. Soon, he had disappeared as well.
Neel stood alone on the road. He glanced at the road on the right, the one he was supposed to take. Perhaps because of the turn his life had taken recently, but he felt more than a little worried by Aryan"s words, even standing on the familiar road where they had spent so many happy days playing. Aryan had prince with him, and it was unlikely anyone would want to mess with the huge dog. But Priyanka…
He hesitated for one more second. But then he turned towards the road on the left. Unconsciously, his b
ody language changed, becoming that of a much more dangerous person. Automatically, he started to walk in the more shadowy regions of the path as he moved swiftly down the road.
* * * Priyanka hurried down the well lit road, scanning the ground in front of her. Suddenly she saw the little furry figure again several feet away. She broke into a run, hoping the kitten would recognize her. But it was still frightened. The sound of a dog howling nearby seemed to give it a fresh burst of energy. It raced down the road, disappearing into a side alley. Priyanka followed as fast as she could, determined not to lose it again. The two wound around several buildings, slipping steadily into the dark and poorly lit alleys. Finally, she caught up with it, grabbing it by the scruff of its neck as it attempted to climb over a dustbin.
She stood there panting and held it close against her, feeling its body shiver and tremble. And then she became aware of her surroundings. She was in a dark street behind a rundown house. There were no lamp posts anywhere. The sky was covered with clouds which completely hid the stars. Pitch black darkness surrounded her and she could not see two feet in front of her. She took a few hesitant steps forward, hoping to spy out a road with some lights. But then suddenly she heard coarse voices approaching in the gloom. She pressed herself against the wall, reminded for a second of the kitten hiding under the bed.
The voices were coming closer. She could hear several men talking and arguing loudly together, clearly drunk. They had not seen her and were passing by her hiding place when the kitten, which had been struggling in Priyanka"s grasp, started mewling again.
The voices stopped abruptly, and the men stared around the alley, trying to find the source of the noise.
“Think there"s a cat around here somewhere.” One of them said slowly, peering into the darkness. “Let"s find it, I"ll have some fun with it and my dog.” Another voice said, as rough and surly as the one before, but sounding younger. There were a few teenagers among the older set.
“Hey!” another man called out, who had been peering into the alleyway. “I think there"s someonehiding in here.”
The others gathered around the one who had spoken, trying to make out the vague shape of Priyanka in the darkness.
“Looks like a kid.” One of them mumbled, squinting uncertainly.“You lost or something?”
Priyanka finally found her voice. “I"m from Mr. Malhotra"s house on Kila Street.” she said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. “Please, could you-”
“What"s that?” theman said irritably, cupping his ear and stepping closer. “Where are you from, girlie?” “One of those kids from those fancy houses upfront, I suppose.” another man said disdainfully before Priyanka could respond. “I"m sick of those mutts, thinking they"re better than us. Lording it around in their fancy cars.” They had been to Mr. Malhotra"s house to ask for some free whisky in celebration of Diwali, and been turned away unceremoniously by the head servant. None of them were feeling kindly towards the plutocratic class at the moment.
“Maybe we should give this one a message to bring back to them.” the younger voice from earlier suggested. The boy reached inside his pocket, bringing out a large and ugly looking cracker. “Anyone got a match?”
Priyanka stood frozen in fear. They had her surrounded, and from the hoots of laughter and appreciation she heard, they were all in favor of the idea. She opened her mouth to speak, even while her mind remained frozen. She was rooted to the ground, her heart thudding wildly.
Suddenly the man at the back slumped, falling over backwards without a word. He slid away to reveal someone standing behind him. The men at the front seemed confused, staring at the vague figure which had suddenly appeared at the back. One man gave a shout and rushed towards him. The figure seemed to blur, moving past the fallen man. The man who had tried to rush him also fell to the ground in a noiseless heap. The rest of the men scattered, unnerved by the strange apparition, all except the one at the front, who stood frozen in place, a cracker burning in his hand. The figure moved closer to him. The boy holding the cracker panicked. He threw the cracker as hard as he could at Priyanka and turned to flee in the opposite direction. Priyanka saw the firecracker come towards her, too fast to even think about dodging.
But the figure was faster. Inches away from Priyanka"s face, he caught the cracker in his hand. It exploded with a loud bang, the hand shielding Priyanka"s face from the flames, the sudden explosion of bright light temporarily blinding her.
* * * Neel stood in front of Priyanka, his mind racing. He had found her easily enough after he had started after her on the road. Keeping a discrete distance, he had seen her run after the kitten down a side alley. Priyanka had been too intent on the kitten to notice where she was going. He had followed her deeper into the area, the feeble glow coming from behind the overcast clouds being enough for him to track her, to watch as she finally caught the kitten, and then got surrounded by the group of drunken men. He had intended to try to talk them both out of the situation. But then he had seen one of them bring out the cracker bomb, and had had to act quickly. His hand was still hurting horribly, but his skin carried no wound.
Now he stood in front of Priyanka while she tried to blink away the bright lights from her eyes. He could not let her know it was Neel who had just taken down those two men, and grabbed an exploding bomb in his hand. But on the other hand, they were in a part of the colony they had never been in before, and she would have trouble finding her way back in the dark. Neel was also aware that there were other groups of equally drunk and dangerous men out celebrating in the area.
After deliberating for a few seconds, Neel stepped close to Priyanka, bringing his mouth close to her ear.
“Are you okay?” he murmured, keeping his voice as low as possible.
Priyanka stiffened, her eyes closed. Slowly, she nodded.
“The kitten?” he murmured again, and again she nodded.
“Hold on to it tight.” he said. “And keep your eyes closed.” Neel hoisted her off her feet, the kitten held tightly but awkwardly in her hands, and felt completely ridiculous. He imagined that this was how Superman must feel, except that the latter could actually fly.Resisting the urge to shout “Up, up and away!” he took a deep breath to clear his head, and jumped.
They soared together high in the air, the cool wind swirling all around them. The kitten had become completely quiet. They traveled on the rooftops of the houses, rarely touching down on the road. Neel took a straight path back to Aryan"s house, concentrating on keeping the journey as smooth as possible for Priyanka"s sake.
They landed in front of the house. Aryan had still not returned. Neel set Priyanka down near the gate. A quick jump and he was gone. Priyanka had kept her eyes shut ever since the stranger had told her to. Her mind was in a whirl, not even beginning to comprehend what was happening around her. Suddenly she felt a light shining on her face, and her legs touched solid ground. She opened her eyes. She was back in front of Aryan"s house alone, the kitten still held in her arms. She looked around her, but there was no one else about. She leaned against the gate of Aryan"s house, remembering again the blurring speed of the figure in the alley, and the hand appearing in front of her and stopping the bomb inches from her face. There had been a dream like quality to the whole scene in the alley, and then the sensation of lightness while the figure was carrying her.
A few minutes later, Aryan came back down the opposite road, Prince right behind him. He spotted Priyanka and headed towards her.
“Did you find it?” he called out. She nodded, and wordlessly gave the kitten to Aryan. Just then, Neel came down the left road.
“I couldn"t find it anywhere.” he called out to them.
“It"s okay, Priyanka found it.” Aryan called back, showing him the kitten. Neel joined them and bent over the kitten. It had stopped trying to escape, and simply had its eyes closed, as if resigned to its fate. Neel felt sympathy for it. What with being chased around by dogs and humans, having cracker bombs exploding all around it, and then soarin
gthrough the air, it hadn"t been an easy day for the kitten.
Neel turned to Priyanka, who was looking extremely dazed. For a second he hesitated, wondering if she knew. “You okay?” he asked carefully.
Priyanka stared at him, and for a moment, Neel felt a stab of apprehension. But then she nodded and turned away, staring at the gate, and he knew she hadn"t recognized him.
“Let"s get back in the house.” Aryan said, opening the gate. Neel followed, looking questioningly at Priyanka. She came after them slowly, her eyes still unfocussed.
Neel turned his face away from her as he looked in front, hiding a grin.
* * * The next day, Neel went to swan labs again. It was still not time to go forward with the case on Mehta, so Arjun spent the day making sure Neel remembered everything. Neel went through various circuits around the field, meditated with Arjun to practice control over his senses, then sparred with Arjun, Negi and Premi. His three trainers had to leave early to scout out the Phlicer complex and prepare for when Neel would have to go there, so Neel was let off early from training. Neel was sufficiently familiar with the facility and the surrounding area by now to make his way back home without Arjun. He strolled into the main control room to find Divya on the giant computer.
“Hi, Divya.” Neel said, coming to stand beside her.
“Hello,Neel.” Divya said, looking up briefly at him before turning back to the screen. “No training?”
“Arjun let me off early. He"s gone to see the Phlicer Complex from up close with Negi and Premi.” Neel leaned on the counter of the keyboard. “What are you doing?” “Cataloguing all the information we have on the serum.” Divya said, her fingers flying overthe keyboard. “There are so many aspects to look into. And it"s a work in progress. Plus I and Doctor Fahim are the only ones who know enough about the experiments to keep the files in order.”
“Why don"t you get some more people to help?” Neel asked.
“Trust issues.” Divya said. “This is the cornerstone of the project Alpha. Not to mention it"s the result of years of DoctorFahim"s work. I"m the only one he trusts to do this right.”
