Neel Dervin And The Dark Angel by Neeraj Chand (bookstand for reading TXT) 📕

Doctor Fahim turned away from the screen of the projector to face the two men who were watching him intently.

'And so, gentlemen,' he concluded with a smile, walking towards the table on which his laptop was kept next to a steel container. 'I can say with full confidence that we have at last met with success in our endeavors. The idea that had seemed little more than idle fantasy three decades ago has finally become a reality. I thank you both, as well as the government, for your invaluable support of the project.' The two men leaned forward in their chairs as Doctor Fahim opened the container and carefully drew out a test tube from its casing, holding it up for the others to see.

His guests gazed in silence at the transparent liquid contained in the glass tube. It looked exactly like ordinary water, yet in the glow of the light coming from the projector on the screen, the liquid glistened silver. The men continued to stare spellbound at the contents of the tube for several moments. Both of Doctor Fahim‟s guests counted among the most powerful men in the country, experienced in matters of national importance for many years. Yet at that moment both their eyes mirrored a look of amazement and child like wonder at the marvel they beheld.

Doctor Fahim held the tube raised in his hand for a few seconds more, sharing in the moment of collective triumph with the other two men. Then he carefully placed the tube back in its casing, leaving the lid of the container open.

The spell of silence that had fallen over the company broke, and the Minister of Defense rose to his feet.

'Our heartiest congratulations.' he said, smiling broadly as he strode forwards to shake Doctor Fahim‟s hand. 'We were sure that you were the only man in the country who could have succeeded in this endeavor. You have fully justified Doctor Thompson‟s faith in your ability.'

The doctor returned the smile, the glow from the projector lighting up his profile. He had a very tall and lean figure, with a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. His face was lined and wrinkled with age. But there was no frailty there. The deep, alert eyes indicated the presence of a powerful mind, and the wisdom of experiences vast and numerous which only a lengthy and eventful life could provide. Experiences which today had made him into one of the world‟s foremost authorities on biotechnology. Yet the exhaustively scholarly life he had led had not dimmed the twinkle in those shrewd eyes. Doctor Fahim laughed quietly as he shook the Minister‟s hand. 'It was indeed a formidable challenge, Mr. Rai, but it was extremely interesting working in a new field.'

'And the end result was certainly well worth the effort.' the Minister said, beaming. 'I take it that the serum is now ready to be used on human beings, or is there still some work left to be done?'

'The work is complete from your point of interest, gentlemen.' Doctor Fahim said, his voice becoming grave again. He turned to his laptop and selected the final slide from the presentation. 'From a scientific viewpoint, however, an experiment is only considered

completely successful when its applications have been tested in real world conditions.' He glanced up reassuringly at the Minister. 'Nevertheless, the results we have obtained up to this point are undeniably conclusive. The effect of the serum on the physiology of the test subject is nothing short of miraculous.' Doctor Fahim turned to the image on the projector screen.

The slide showed the bone and muscle density of a rhesus monkey and a mouse in two stages, one before intake of the serum, and one after. Doctor Fahim pointed to the images. 'As you can see, the entire composition of the subject‟s bodies have been radically enhanced,' Doctor Fahim turned once again to the two men. 'In practical terms, the intake of this serum would turn a normal person into a being of a much higher mental and physical capacity, with all the benefits of the increased biological efficiency, not the least of which is an enhanced metabolism, and the ability to heal at increased rates. A godsend in times of war.'

The third and final occupant of the room rose as well. In his non-descript civilian clothes, it would have been difficult to identify the man immediately as General Bakshi, the chief of army staff of the Indian military. Only the General‟s erect and disciplined carriage hinted at the fact that the man was in fact the leader of the largest army in the world. The general‟s stern and forbidding demeanor was for once relaxed into a smile.

'This is a great day for the Indian Army.' General Bakshi said, coming forward to shake Doctor Fahim‟s hand as well. 'The effect of this discovery on our armed forces can hardly be underestimated.' The General studied Doctor Fahim intently. 'And considering the importance of this discovery, I must ask you again, before this business is carried over to the next stage; is there any other information, any side effects or the like, that you would like to share with us about the serum, before we begin using it on our soldiers?'

Doctor Fahim glanced at the only partially open window of the small room they were in. The meeting was taking place in a conference room in the south block of the Central Secretariat in Delhi. He remembered passing by several prominent politicians on his way to the meeting. Standing there reminded him now more than ever of the monumental nature of what they were attempting.

The doctor turned slowly to face General Bakshi, a thoughtful expression on his face. He seemed to be debating something in his mind. 'I am glad you brought up the matter.' he said finally in a quiet voice. 'Gentlemen, please take your seats again. There are some concerns of mine regarding this project that I would like to share with you.'

The Defense Minister and the General resumed their seats and turned to face Doctor Fahim, their expressions showing a mixture of curiosity and wariness at the Doctor‟s grave tone. When the doctor spoke, his voice was very quiet, but it was still clearly audible across the silent room.

'I can think of no better use of this discovery than applying its uses to the defense of our country.' He stared at the General, who was watching him with a slight frown. 'And yet, sir, I cannot help but wonder whether it would be judicious to put such a vast amount of power in the hands of one person.'

The General‟s eyes narrowed dangerously as he sat up straighter in his chair. 'Doctor, we are grateful for your contribution, but kindly understand your boundaries. How we use the

serum is for us to decide. Rest assured that the power of the serum will not be misused in our hands.'

'And what will happen, General, if those who hold that power in their hands no longer feel the need to follow your orders?' Doctor Fahim did not look away, but met the General Bakshi‟s gaze squarely.

'A soldier is taught to be responsible and logical in all his decisions.' the General said. His voice had grown sharper. It was the voice of a man not used to having his directives questioned. 'Serving the country is every soldier‟s passion, Doctor Fahim, a passion that an ordinary civilian can never truly understand.'

'I am sure that is what you teach your troops.' the doctor countered. 'But you cannot deny that many people who become soldiers have other, less honorable reasons. There have been cases in history when soldiers rebelled, and their mutiny caused great damage. How can we be sure-'

'We understand your concerns, doctor.' the Minister interrupted in a gentle voice, even as the General opened his mouth angrily. 'That possibility has already occurred to us. We intend in the beginning to use the serum on an extremely select group of candidates who have excelled in every field of the defense service, and whose loyalty is beyond question. And even then we will be starting with a single test subject for now. That person will be the first agent under the project, our first Alpha Soldier.'

'Then I have your word, gentlemen, that my work will not be misused in any way?' The doctor looked at the two men seriously.

'You have our word.' the defense Minister replied, his eyes unwavering as they looked into Doctor Fahim‟s. The General said nothing, but his gaze did not falter either.

Doctor Fahim nodded, and the lines around his eyes seemed to lighten. 'Then I can rest easy in my mind. Forgive me if I offended you, General, but I needed to make sure.'

'And now that we have assuaged your conscience,' General Bakshi said as he rose, not attempting to conceal the impatience in his voice. 'Perhaps we can move onto the next phase of the project. Our work is far from over, Doctor Fahim. In fact, for all intents and purpose, it is just beginning. We can count on your total cooperation?'

Doctor Fahim inclined his head. 'Yes, General. We continue on.'

'Excellent.' Mr. Rai rose as well. 'Then we will say goodbye for now. We will see you tomorrow when we start the next phase of Project Alpha.' Doctor Fahim nodded quietly.

'You have the remainder of the day to clear out your laboratory.' the General spoke somewhat brusquely, his voice indicating that he had not forgotten their argument. 'All physical evidence of the experiments you conducted for Project Alpha must be destroyed. All the chemicals removed, and the test subjects readied for transfer. A team will come to the lab at twenty two hundred hours tonight to wipe down the area and replace the memory banks from your computer. Good day.' The General turned away without another word and strode out the room. Mr. Rai shook Doctor Fahim‟s hand one last time and left as well.

The doctor let out a low sigh as he turned off the projector and switched on the lights. The meeting had been a success, all things considered. Yet he could not summon any enthusiasm for the moment. He pressed his temple, staving off the headache that had been building up since the morning. There were too many things to think about, and not enough time to deliberate upon them all. The General and the Defense Minister were both good men, each in their own way. But the three of them working side by side was not going to be an easy task. The other two were both leaders of men, and he had the distinct feeling that his role in the project from this point onwards was going to be drastically curtailed.

Doctor Fahim left the conference room carrying the steel safe at his side. It was not very heavy, and it was not something that could be trusted to an unknown person‟s care. As he came out of the conference room, his assistant Divya Nayak rose from her chair and came forward to meet him. At a height of five feet and nine inches, with fine, even features, a delicate figure and long black hair, she looked more like a model than a scientist. This was a misleading appearance, since she had proven herself to be a worthy student to the doctor, and had been working with him for three years on the project. She looked at the doctor expectantly as he came up to her.

'The meeting was as fraught with interest as we were expecting it to be.' Doctor Fahim said with a smile. 'I‟m afraid my standing has gone down somewhat in General Bakshi‟s estimate. But we are nearing the end of this stage of the project. They want us to tie up the loose ends of our