Dead City

Eliminating the Crest

"Captain. Code Red." Wika ni Gale kaya kami agad napatingin sakaniya.

Pagkasabi niya nito ay agad na nagkulay pula at tumunog ang mga laptop at tablet nila Ian at Giz.

"s**t. s**t. s**t. s**t!" Pagmura nila Giz atsaka mabilis na lumapit sakanilang gamit at nagumpisang mag type.

"What's happening?" Tanong ni Theo nang makalapit siya kay Gale. Ipinatong niya ang kaniyang braso sa upuan ni Gale habang siya'y bahagyang nakayuko upang makita ang screen ng laptop.

"Using the cellular towers, I somehow manage to connect to the government office to send message, but someone send me a message instead. It's a binary code though, captain. And it's from an anonymous user. " Gale explains.

"I tried to find this user's IP address, but I can't. I've tried many methods I know but it's secured. The device this user used is protected." She added.

"Agent Mendoza. Do you know how to read a binary code?" Tanong ni Theo kay Ian.

"Ahh... no, captain. I was just planning to study codes." Pagyuko ni Ian.

Si Stone. Siya ang magaling sa code dahil sakaniya pina decipher ni Ian yung code dati.

"Save that message agent Austria." Aniya kay Gale na sinunod niya rin agad.

Her last name's Austria. Okay.

"s**t! Someone's using satellite to locate us." Wika ni Giz.

"f**k it!" Pagmura ni Ian.

"Captain. Code Black. This is agent Williams speaking."

"I repeat. Code Black." Ulit niya.

Nakarinig kami ng mga eroplano kaya ako lumapit sa may glass wall upang makita ito.

May mga tanke akong nakita sa lapag at sa himpapawid naman ay mga eroplano.

Bigla akong napahawak saaking dibdib dahil sa bilis ng pagtibok ng aking puso.

Nabalik ang tingin ko sa labas ng magpasabog ang mga tanke. Narinig ko rin ang mga boses nila Mia saaking earpiece na animo'y nagkakagulo.

"What the f**k is this?"

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Captain. This is agent Lopez. I think they're trying to destroy this city." Sambit ni Hans.

"What should we do?" Tanong niya ngunit hindi agad sumagot si Theo at nakatingin lamang sa nangyayari sa labas.

Looks like these people aren't here to only kill aliens, but also to eliminate this whole city along with all people in it. Then what if we're late on evacuating people from here? Does it mean they would die?

If they plan to destroy this city, how about us? How about the remaining people, if there is, in here with us?

"Seclude this city first." Theo ordered.

"Roger." Sagot ni Hans.

"Agent Williams. Go with them."

"Roger, captain." Tugon din ni Owen.

"Hans! I'll go to Irish. Kurt will replace me." Rinig kong sabi ni Mia.

"Alright."

I heard Mia grunt. And then I heared her heavy breathing that looks like she's running.

"s**t!" Rinig kong mura niya.

"S-stone? What are you doing here?" Tanong niya.

"I should be asking you that. What are you doing here.... all alone?" Rinig kong tanong ni Stone.

Bigla naman akong napatingin kay Theo na pinapanood ang nangyayari sa labas.

"I'm here to get my team mates. You?"

"Me and my group mates are finding civilians to get to the safety."

"We cleared this place up." Ani ni Mia.

"O-- okay."

"The government is the culprit of this." Stone said.

"What?" Hindi makapaniwalang tanong ni Mia.

"When we got to their office, we found out that they're planning to destroy the city where those agents are located. And I've got the feeling that these agents they want to destroy is your team. So we planned to get here first to let you guys know, but they arrested us. Fortunately, me and my other two members manage to get away." Mahabang sabi ni Stone.

"Looks like they're watching us all long. They anticipated our moves." He added.

Why would the government want to destroy us? Bakit hindi ang mga aliens ang tapusin nila?

"Why would the government want to eliminate us?" Tanong ni Mia.

"I'm not yet sure though. But I do have some in my mind."

"They want the datas. They want the datas we have." Wika ni Mia matapos ang ilang segundong katahimikan sa pagitan nila.

"What?"

"It was Ian and Gizelle who manage to get the datas we have right now. I think the government want it."

"No. They want the ETP." Sambit ni Stone.

"No. The datas we have."

"The ETP."

"The datas."

"The ETP. Because why do you think they want the datas your team have? Where do you think they'll going to use it for? What do you think are the datas you guys have?" Tanong niya kay Mia.

"To find the tetrahedron?"

"Yes! The datas you have are the key to use the tetrahedron. But the tetrahedron can't activate if the ETP's aren't complete."

"So the bottom line, they want the ETP. They want the ETP your team have. And I'm certain that they'll gonna use those ETP's to locate the tetrahedron."

"How do you know about these? I thought you guys are focused on your certain task? Why did you know about these if this specific matter is our main task?" Tanong ni Mia.

"I just know. And I'm certain that Theo knows this as well. He's probably planning something."

"Okay. Get your team mates. I'll watch your back." Pagiiba ni Stone.

"Alright."

"s**t!" Pagmura ulit nila Ian kaya ako napatingin sakanila.

"Giz. Remove the drive. They're hacking our system. Fuck." Wika niya.

Si Giz naman ay inayos ulit ang kaniyang salamin, naging mabilis ang kamay niya sa pagpindot at may kung ano ano pa siyang pinindot bago hilain ang flashdrive at kung ano-anong nakakonekta sakanilang laptop.

"They've got the datas." Pagharap ni Ian saamin na animo'y natalo sa laban.

"No. Not all." Sabi ni Giz sakaniya.

"They found us." Sambit ni Ian.

"I f****d up again, captain. I f****d up again."

"I also didn't find the location of the stolen ETP. I'm so sorry, captain. I'm sorry I f****d up again."

Hindi sumagot si Theo at tinignan niya lamang si Ian.

"We're done. We're so done now."

"I want to die." Wika niya atsaka napayuko.

"I want to die." Ulit niya.

"I want to die!" Aniya nanaman habang nakatingin na kay Theo na hindi man lang nagbago ang reaksyon. He's emotionless right now. His face is just blank.

"We're gonna die. Humanity's hope is never us. It's never been us." Sabi ni Ian. Dito lang nagbago ang reaksyon ni Theo. Hindi man ito masyadong halata ngunit alam kong nanggigigil siya.

Nagngi-ngitngit kasi ang kaniyang mga bagang.

"And I f****d up again."

"I can't reach your expectations, captain. I can't. I will never gonna reach your expectations."

"I just want to die. I want to die." He said.

Nakita ko na lang ang mabilis na paglapit ni Theo kay Ian atsaka niya siya kinuwelyuhan. Hinila niya si Ian papunta sa gilid ng silid atsaka binasag ang glass wall. Itinaas niya si Ian at kung bitiwan niya ang kaniyang damit ay siguradong laglag si Ian sa tubig na nagaantay sakaniya sa ibaba.

"Do you really want to die?" Tanong niya habang hawak pa rin ang damit nito. Hindi siya nagsalita kaya niya binitawan ang damit nito.

Halos sabay ang paglaglag ni Ian at ang paghinto ng aking puso sa pagtibok.

"No!" Wika ko at tumakbo papunta dito.

Pagkalaglag niya'y tinignan siya ni Theo sa tubig kung paano siya hirap na umiibabaw upang makahinga.

"Are you f*****g out of your mind?!" Galit kong tanong kay Theo.

Sumunod naman saakin sila Eula atsaka ako pinipigilan.

"Dah, calm down." Anila ngunit hindi ko sila pinapansin.

"Ano bang gusto mong mangyari? Do you want to kill him?"

"Stay away from this. It's none of your business." Malamig niyang sabi.

"It's my goddamn business! He's my friend!"

"Dahlia. Tama na." Pigil ulit nila Gale ngunit hindi ko pa rin sila pinapansin.

"He's your teammate. He's really looking up to you, yet this is what you're doing to him?"

"He needs a little shake to wake him up."

"Little? You're telling me that this is little? You're killing him! He doesn't know how to swim!" Hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko.

"Words is pointless to someone who's hardheaded like him. So he needs a different method to soften his head. So just stay away from this." He said.

"I won't."

"You're hard-headed like him. Did he learned that from you or you learned it from him?"

Hindi ko siya sinagot dahil pinapakalma ko muna ang aking sarili kaya't tinignan ko na lamang siya ng masama.

"Stay away from this."

"I said I wo--"

"Quiet. Damn it." Madiin niyang wika.

"I won't quiet--"

"Shut up and obey my rules." Madiin at punong-puno ng awtoridad niyang sabi saakin na nagpatahimik sa nakapaligid saaming dalawa.

Pati ang boses nila Mia saaking earpiece ay tumahimik din.

Sa puntong ito'y hindi ko na napigilan ang aking sarili kaya ko na siya hinawakan sa damit atsaka idiniin sa glasswall.

"You don't have the right to order me around. You're not the boss of me. I am neither your member nor your kid. Now, if you don't have anything better to say then better to keep that to yourself!"

"Dah." Pagpapatigil ulit saakin nila Eula.

Binitiwan ko naman na ang kaniyang damit.

"You stay away and eat your rotten rules." Madiin kong sabi atsaka inalis ang mga kamay nila Giz saakin at handa na sanang tumalon ngunit agad akong napatigil nang nauna siyang tumalon.

Nakita ko sa ibaba kung paano niya tinulungan si Ian na makarating sa mababaw na parte.

Pagdating nila dito ay napaubo si Ian. Dito lang ako nakahinga ng maluwag.

"There's an arabic saying that if you trully want to kill yourself, you wouldn't struggle -fighting to survive."

"You just rather want to kill something inside you, not yourself." Rinig kong dagdag ni Theo sa sinabi niya kay Ian habang sila ay nasa pang-pang na.

"You know better what's that something you want to eliminate inside you."

"But if you insist, then die. Be my guest. Just give up and die. Damn it." Madiin niyang sambit kaya napatingin sakaniya si Ian na nakaluhod pa rin at bahagya pa ring inuubo.

Tumayo na si Theo atsaka inayos ang buhok.

"Don't tell us you want to die but still struggling to survive. You're just fooling yourself. Just give up already and die."

"We're better off with or without you." Aniya.

"Hello? Does anybody hear me?" Rinig kong wika ni Hans.

"Captain? Hello? Anybody please answer me." Ulit niya.

"Agent lopez, I hear you. What's the problem?" Sagot ni Theo na nakahawak sakaniyang earpiece upang marinig itong maigi.

"Captain. This is agent Lopez speaking. I think I've lost my connection to everyone earlier."

"We're near secluding this city." Rinig kong dagdag ni Hans.

"Use your picks and get out from this place. Let's all meet outside." Sabi saamin ni Theo.

"Agent Lopez. When all of you are outside and I'm still not around after 5 minutes, finish secluding this city. Do you copy?"

"Yes, I copy. But how about you captain?"

"Just do as I say."

"Roger." Tugon niya.

"Hey. Get out here." Sambit ni Theo at alam kong ang sinabihan niya nito ay si Ian kaya ako napatingin sakanila sa ibaba.

"How about you captain?"

"I just need to do something."

"Get out. Secure the datas you've got. It can be our asset." Dagdag niya na animo'y walang nangyari kanina.

"Roger."

"Please be safe captain." Sabi ni Ian kaya napaharap sakaniya si Theo ngunit hindi naman na siya sumagot.

Sumakay na siya sakaniyang pick samantalang si Gale ay sinundo si Ian sa ibaba gamit ang sarili niyang pick. Pagkarating nila ay agad akong niyakap ni Ian atsaka nagpasalamat na ikinagulat ko.

"Really. Thank you, Dah." Aniya ulit.

"I just did what I have to do." Wika ko atsaka na kami kumalas.

"Now my clothes are wet." Aniko.

"I'm sorry. I didn't thought about that." Tugon niya.

Inayos nila ang mga gamit samantalang kami ni Eula ay nakabantay.

"Ian." Bigla kong tawag sakaniya.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask for a favor? It's for my personal reason."

"Okay. My ears are on you." He said.

"Could you, perhaps, try to contact or find my mother and sister abroad using the satellites or your skills? My sim is not working, I can't reach them. I'm really worried for them."

"Yes, of course! I can do that, even with my eyes close." Mayabang niyang sabi bago tumawa ng bahagya. Patalikod na sana siya nang tawagin ko siya ulit.

"Ian."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." I said.

"No. Thank you ." He replies.

"Vice-Captain, this is agent Mendoza speaking. Please lend us some hand. We only have two picks and we're five here." Sabi ni Ian.

"I'll go."

"No need, agent Kenny." Mabilis na pigil ni Hans kay Dylan.

"Agent Mendoza, agent Gale, listen carefully on what I'm about to say." Sambit ni Hans.

"Protect the ETP and our datas. Use your own picks and get out here first. Our top priority now is to protect those valuable assets we have."

"I get this feeling that the ETP we have is what the government wants from us." Sambit niya.

Ang galing niya. Hindi niya narinig yung mga sinabi ni Stone kanina pero parehong-pareho ang naiisip niya sa naiisip ni Stone.

"And I think captain partially remove his connection to us. I can't contact him."

"Why did he remove?" Tanong ni Ian.

"I think he's going to the roots of this matter or sorts." Tugon niya.

"Enough of this. Just go. We get right behind you two." Wika niya.

"Roger, Vice-Captain." Sabay na sabi nila Gale at Ian bago sumakay sakanilang picks at umalis.

"Okay. Now. Gizelle, Dahlia, and Eula. I need you to get down of that building as fast as you can, because we're gonna blow it out." Aniya.

Hindi na niya kami inantay magsalita at kinausap na agad sila Mia. Wala naman na kaming nagawa kundi sumunod kaya kami nagmadaling tatlo nila Giz at Eula na bumaba.