Free Neel Dervin and the Dark Angel by Neeraj Chand Page B

you should be careful, and so should I.” he said. “So why don‟t we confirm each
other‟s identities first? I believeyou‟ve been told a password?”
     
“Oh, right.” Neel said in relief. He had forgotten about the password. “My password isApha.”
    “Good.” t
he driversaid. The corners of the man‟s mouth twitched, as though he was
trying to stop himself from smiling, before returning to aserious line. “And to that my reply
is- Too young.”
As Neel got into the car, he wondered who had chosen the passwords.
    The car swung onto the main road, gliding past the other vehicles. Even in the traffic,
the driver rarely touched speeds of less than seventy. Neel sat on the edge of his seat, feeling
awkward and wondering what to do or say. He had a lot of questions to ask, but he wasn‟t
sure how far he was supposed to trust the driver with information.
“You know, the seat won‟t bite you.” the man said. Looking up, Neel saw the man
glance at him out of the rear window, even as he steered the car expertly through the traffic.
     
Neel nodded, and sat back more comfortably in the seat. He looked at the man,
intending to ask his name, but instead blurted out, “Where are we going?”
     
“You‟ll see soon.” the man replied, his eyes on the road. “This is a top secret operation,
and they‟ve taken a lot of trouble to keep it that way.”
     
“Who is „they‟?” Neelasked. “I‟ve only met Doctor Fahim and Divya.”
    “
Well, I suppose Doctor Fahim can be calledthe technical advisor.” the man said. “The
men in charge are very important people in theirfields. You‟ll meet them all soon enough. So
tell me, how have you been feeling these past few days?”
“Um… what do you mean exactly?” Neelasked cautiously. “How much do you know
about me?”
    The man stared impassively at the traffic in front of them
. “Well, I know your name is
Neelanchan Dervin. You‟re an only child and live with your mother at two eight nine A by
two, Mira Street. You have a grandmother who lives in the village of Samar. You‟re a
protestant Christian. You attend Elvitar‟s academy. Your school record is steady if
unimpressive. You are not a member of any team or club and have few close friends. You
were recently injured in an accident which has turned you into the first subject under project
Alpha. You were contacted by Doctor Fahim and his aide Miss Divya Nayak. And now you
are on your way to meeting them again.” He glanced up at Neel In the rear view mirror. “So
now I‟m asking you again. How are you feeling?”
“I‟m fine.” Neel said, feeling quietly stunned.
    The driver seemed to sens
e his reaction. “Don‟t worry.” he said. “Any information
pertaining to you is highly classified. I‟m actually one of the very few people that know who
you are. You can trust me.”
    Neel nodded, and knew he did. The man
‟s manner was distant and reserved and he was
still essentially a stranger, but there was a reassuring strength and honesty in his quiet, deep
set eyes, eyes that seemed to have aged a lot in a short time.
    Neel gave him a brief account of his health as it had been for the last few days. He also
mentioned his enhanced senses, and how hard it was to keep his brain under control. The man
received the information quietly, with brief nods, and the rest of the trip passed in silence.
    After half an hour, Neel saw that they had come to the outskirts of the city. They
seemed to be in a military area. All of the young men were sporting crew cut hair, and moved
with the erect bearing of the military. After a few minutes, they pulled into a building with a
large open ground, where Neel saw some young men marching in order to the side. The guard
at the gate took a brief look at the driver‟s card and nodded to his partner. The gates swung
open and the car swung around the opening, away from the marching soldiers and towards a
small building. The driver took the car inside the building and