Chapter 10: The IRON LADY
1545 Words
VALERIA SERRANO’S POV
The safehouse was quiet when I arrived.
And when I finally entered the house, I locked the door behind me and kicked off my heels, as my body finally released the tension I’d been carrying since I left Reiji behind.
Dumiretsyo ako sa direksyon kung nasaan ang control area. At pagpasok ko palang sa loob ay unang sumalubong na sa akin ang nagkalat na gamit at nakabukas na computer set-up. At sa harapan nito ay ang parang walang kwentang si Maximilian.
Seated in front of his laptop, legs stretched out, coffee in his hand... like he wasn’t in a classified safehouse but in some cheap internet café.
“Wow,” aniya sabay nag-angat ng tingin sa akin. “You’re alive. Akala ko ay hindi kana makakauwi ng buhay dahil matinik iyong si Agent Veynar," dugtong niya.
I just scoffed and reached into my pocket.
“Miss me?” I asked dryly.
He glanced over just as I pulled out the small black USB and placed it on the table between us.
His brows lifted. Slowly in a dramat way.
“…You didn’t,” he said.
“Oh, I did," paggaya ko ng kanyang tono sabay mahinang tumawa.
He let out a low whistle, leaning back in his chair.
“Let me guess. Inakit mo siya ano?" then, you stole his data, and broke his brain in one night. Truly inspiring. Sovrano should give you a medal. Or a warning label!"
Sinamaan ko lang siya ng tingin at isinenyas ang kanyang laptop.
"Gawin mo na ang trabaho mo," asik ko.
Tumawa pa ito bago tuluyang kinuha ang USB.
“Relax. I’m impressed. Slightly offended you didn’t ask for my help, but impressed.” He said, then plugged the USB into his laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard as lines of code filled the screen.
“Let’s see what sleeping beauty’s been hiding…” bulong niya at nagsimulang maglikikot ang daliri sa keyboard ng laptop.
Folders began to appear. Encrypted files. Security logs even the communications. Parang lahat yata ng hinahanap ko ay isa-isang lumilitaw.
When, suddenly Maximilian went still.
Mas lalo akong kumapit sa kanya oata malaman dahilan ng pag-akto niya ng gano'n.
“This,” he replied, scrolling. “Isn’t just personal intel. This is… big.”
Tiningnan ko iyon nang mabuti at agad kong nakuha ang ibig niyang sabihin.
Mga pangalan, transaksyon at iba't-ibang impormasyon ay naroon. Ngunit mas lalo nitong nakuha ang atensyon ko ng mabasa ko ang pangalan ng aming grupo.
L’ ORDINE DEL OMBRE.
Internal routes. Dead drops. Members flagged as compromised. Even movements that only the inner circle should know.
“These motherf*ckers are smart, Valeria.." Maximilian murmured. "They're studying us..."
Then he scrolled again.
And that’s when I saw it. The separate folder. Marked in red.
Human Trafficking Operations.
Nang mabasa ko iyon ay biglang lumabo ang paningin ko. Uminit ang pakiramdam ko na hindi ko maipaliwanag.
Images loaded. Routes. Victim profiles. Ages. Nationalities. And even the shipment schedules disguised as cargo manifests.
Hindi ko na narinig ng maayos ang mga sinasabi ni Maximilian.
All I could feel was that familiar, vicious emotion crawling up my spine... anger so sharp it tasted like metal. Hatred. And beneath it… hunger.
“Val—” Maximilian started, but I cut him off.
“Stop,” I said.
He froze. “What?”
I leaned closer, eyes locked on the screen. "Just f*cking stop and scroll up back!" utas kong usal sa kanya.
Agad niya iyong ginawa at nakita ko ang address ng kanilang hideout.
Warehouse. Coastal sector. Unregistered ownership.
“That’s their hideout,” he said slowly. "What are you planni--"
Hindi na niya natapos ang kanyang tanong ng tumuwid ako ng tayo at unti-unti siyang tinalikuran.
I grabbed my jacket from the chair and turned toward the door.
“Valeria,” Maximilian called, suddenly serious. “Hey... wait. Where are you doing?!
Ngunit hindi ako sumagot at tuloy-tuloy lang sa paglalakad.
“Val!” He stood up now. “We need clearance. Backup. A plan—”
My hand was already on the door.
“Valeria Serrano!”
And that's when I finally stopped.
Without turning around, I spoke, my voice was calm, deadly.
"Just let me handle this one... Sovrano knows how much I need to do this."
Hindi siya nakapagsalita, kaya ay binuksan ko ang pinto at tuluyang lumabas.
I could still hear him calling my name again and again.
But I didn’t answer any of it.
Because some jobs don’t need permission. And some monsters don’t get to live long enough for approval.
The door shut behind me, and with it, the last trace of hesitation.
Tonight… someone was going to bleed.
Tonight... there's a lot of them who have to d*e..
~~~~~~~
THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW
Amoy alak ang buong basement dahil sa wlamag katapusan inuman ng apat na lalaki.
Ashton leaned back in his chair, boots propped on a crate marked with a half-empty bottle dangling loosely from his fingers.
Laughter bounced off the concrete walls, loud and careless, drowning out the hum of the generators outside.
Habang si Jack naman ay pulang-pula na ang mukha dahil sa kalasingan.. at walang tigil na pinaghahampas ang kanilang lamesa.
“Another round!” sigaw nito. “H*ll, we earned it. We deserve to have fun!"
Brendon obliged, pouring without counting. Joey laughed too loud, nearly choking on his drink, while Ismael sat quieter than the rest, but even he wore that same satisfied grin.
Nagsasaya sila dahil sa mga perang dumating sa kanila. Na kahit kaunting komplikasyon ay wala silang naranasan.
Clients had paid well this time.. so well that even they couldn't believe it.
Ashton tipped the bottle back, the burn sliding down his throat. He exhaled sharply and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“To smooth operations,” lasing niyang usal. “No raids. No snitches. No problems.”
They clinked bottles.
Outside, their men stood and watched around for them, armed and posted at every entry point. Cameras were up.
Routes were secured. Even this place had never been breached before.
Malakas ang kanilang loob dahil alam nilang walang kahit na sino man ang basta-bastang nakakapasok sa lugar nila.
“Crazy how easy it’s gotten,” Ashton said. “People don’t ask questions anymore. They just pay.”
Brendon snorted. “Why would they? The Supplies were endless. They could change until five times. Sino pa bang aayaw sa gano'ng offer?
Laughter followed. Ugly. Thoughtless.
Ashton didn’t add anything. He just drank, eyes half-lidded, enjoying the weight in his pocket and the false sense of control settling comfortably in his chest.
This was their routine. Business as usual. That’s why none of them noticed when the music cut out because they were too loud.
Pero ilang sandali lang ay napansin nila ang biglang pananahimik ng paligid.
Biglang tumuwid ng upo si Joey at sinuyod ng tingin ang paligid. "What the h*ll... did you send something was wrong?" tanong niya ng maibalik sa mga kasama ang tingin.
But before anyone could reach for a weapon, a sound echoed from somewhere deep in the warehouse.
A dull thud. Then, another and another.
Ismael straightened slowly. “You hear that?”
Ashton’s grip tightened around the bottle.
And another sound... echoed. And closer now.
Tumawa si Jack, pero hindi maitago sa tinig ang kaba na nararamdaman.
“Relax. Probably one of the guys outside," aniya at nagkunwaring wala lang.
Pero lumipas ang ilang segundo ay mas lalong lumakas ang tunog ng bawat yapak. Senyales na malapit lang ito sa kanilang kinaroroonan.
At bigla iyong nawala....
Then, all four of them turned toward the doorway at the same time.
At ang kanilang tawanan ay agad na nawala. Nang matanaw nila ang pigura ng isang babae. Pero mas lalo silang natigilan ng natamaan ng ilaw ang kanyang kabuuan at nakita nila ang maraming dugo na yumakap sa kanyang katawan...
Lalong-lalo na sa kanyang mukha.
The bl*od clung to her hair, tangled and wild, hiding most of her features.
Whatever expression she wore beneath it, they couldn’t see clearly.
Jack was the first to speak, his voice cracking. “What the... who the h*ll are you?!"
Pero wala siyang narinig na sagot mula rito.
She took one slow step forward. And the sound of her boots against the concrete echoed far too loudly in the sudden silence.
Joey reached for his g*n, hands trembling. “Ashton… that’s not funny. Where are the guys outside?”
"I k*lled them...." Sambit ni Valeria. At muling humakbang ng isang beses.
Another step.
Blood dripped from her fingers, hitting the floor in slow, deliberate drops.
Ismael swallowed hard. “She’s alone,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “Right?”
Valeria tilted her head slightly, as if she’d heard him.
And then she laughed.
Not loud. Not hysterical.
Just a soft, breathy sound that crawled under their skin.
Ashton felt it then, that creeping realization tightening around his chest.
The guards outside hadn’t gone quiet because they were careless.
They’d gone quiet because they were already dead.
Jack stumbled backward. “Stay back!” he shouted, raising his weapon. “I said stay back!”
TO BE CONTINUED...
- Writer
