Dead City

Motive, Capabilities, Timing

"Who's she? I can't remember adding someone new to your team."

"She's a friend of one of my comrade."

"Okay... I see."

"Dahlia, this is General Diaz. Our head- our commander." Pagpapakilala ni Theo saakin sa kanilang Heneral.

"General, this is Dahlia."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." I said politely as I reached for his awaiting hand.

"Pleasure is mine, dear." He answered.

"You kinda reminded me of someone." He said and chuckled.

"I'm sorry. Forget what I said."

"Captain." Wika ni Hans kaya kami napatingin sakaniya saaming likuran. Kasama niya si Dylan.

Tinignan naman nila ako atsaka saakin ngumiti ng maliit bago tumango ng bahagya.

"General Diaz." Pagbati nilang dalawa sa lalaki.

"We've been searching for the both of you." Dylan said to us.

"We can't ride using the picks. Mine's been shot. I can't use it anymore." Sabi ni Theo sakanila.

Kung gagamitin man namin ang picks nilang dalawa ay may maiiwan saaming lima na isa. Dalawa lang kasi ang kayang isakay ng pick.

"We'll ride a car." Aniya atsaka naghanap ng maari naming magamit na sasakyan. Pagkakita niya'y agad na rin kami ditong sumakay.

"Do you still have the ETP's?" Tanong ng lalaki kay Theo na nagdadrive. Ang nasa passenger seat naman ay si Hans. Nandito naman kami sa likod na kung saan ang nasa kanan ko'y si Dylan samantalang ang Heneral nila'y nasa aking kaliwa.

"Yes, I still have it." Tipid niyang sagot.

"So, captain. What did you two found in the bank? Is there anything linked or associated to what is happening now?" Tanong ni Dylan.

"Clues. We just found clues." Medyo may kadiinan niyang sabi.

"Would you care to elaborate on that statement?" The General asked politely.

Theo gives a deep sigh before speaking.

"One of our people who is in the higher rank, who's also an engineer is the one who betrayed us." Aniya na mukhang nagpabigla sakanila Dylan at Hans. Nakita ko naman sa mukha ng kanilang Heneral na siya'y nagiisip.

"Oh!" He exclaimed as if he has someone shockingly in his mind.

Nagpatuloy ang katahimikan saaming lahat hanggang sa nakarating kami sa isang building na may maraming sasakyan, tulad ng sinabi ni Hans na aming dapat puntahan.

Pagkarating namin ay pumasok kami sa loob at nakita sila Ian, Gale, Giz at Luke sa gitna at abala sa pagko-computer, kasama si Eula na may sinusulat sa papel. Sila Mia, Owen at Kurt naman ay nasa gilid at nagpapahinga habang inaasikaso ang kanilang mga armas. Samantalang sila Tin at Irish naman ay nasa kabilang gilid at mukhang may pinage-eksperimentohan.

"Mia!" Tawag ng kanilang Heneral kay Mia. Agad naman silang napatingin lahat saamin.

"Captain!"

"General!"

"Dahlia!"

"You guys are okay! Thank goodness." Ani nila Irish saamin atsaka tinignan kung may malubha ba kaming sugat bukod saaming gasgas.

Wala naman akong nakuhang gasgas. And that's shockingly awesome!

"How're you guys doing?" Tanong ni Theo sakanila Ian.

"We're still finding the tetrahedron. It's a lot difficult than we thought."

"And the other ETP?"

"Still finding it, captain." Tugon nila Gale.

"Where's captain Stone and Brian?" Tanong naman ni Luke.

I thought they're here?

"Ah-Aw"

Agad akong napatingin kay Hans nang marinig ko siya.

"What-what? What happened?" Nagaalalang tanong ni Irish na naglalagay ng bendahe sa braso ni Hans.

"I think I got something in my eye."

"Where? Where?"

"Here. In my left eye." He said.

Nag aalala naman si Irish na tumingkayad upang maabot ang kaliwang mata ni Hans at makita ito.

"Nasaan? Bitiwan mo kasi." Aniya.

Inalis niya naman ang kaniyang kamay atsaka ngumiti kay Irish.

"I just love it when you're this near. But I love it more that you're worried about me and I'm witnessing it." He said.

Irish suddenly blushed.

Sinamaan niya si Hans ng tingin dahil dito, atsaka niya bahagyang pinalo ang braso niya.

"Wag mo nga akong hinaharot. Tigil-tigilan mo ako." Wika niya kaya napatawa ng bahagya si Hans.

"Tch. Here he comes again." Pagirap ni Dylan matapos niyang lagyan ng bendahe ang kaniyang sariling braso. Si Tin kasi ay may ginagawa.

"Dah. Since you don't have any wounds or scratches, treat him." Pag-abot saakin ni Tin ng emergency kit at tinukoy si Theo na abala sa pagtulong sakanila Ian.

"Wh-what? Me? Why me? I don't know how." I said abruptly.

"You just gonna cleanse it and bandage it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Sige na. May ginagawa pa ako." Aniya.

"Dylan?" Tanong ko sakaniya, umaasang samahan ako.

"Ahm, no. I prefer to just sit right here." He answered immediately while his both hands are in the air.

"You're not gonna sit right there. Let's help them finish their experiments." Hans demanded.

"Aww... stop being the Vice-Captain around here right now." Reklamo ni Dylan.

"Let's just go. They need an extra hand."

"Oh-alright. Fine." Tamad na sagot niya atsaka tumayo. Nakaupo kasi siya sa lamesa kanina.

Napatingin naman ako saaking hawak at kay Theo.

"No! That's impossible. You've mistaken. He can't do that." Sambit ni Luke paglapit ko.

"I, too, can't believe it. He's been with us for a long time. He's loyalty can't be measured. But time and perfect circumstances could change someone, even those who has been loyal for too long." The General answered.

Hanggang ngayon ay hindi ko pa rin alam kung sino ang tinutukoy nila.

"T-theo. Let me treat your wounds." Pagbasag ko sa katahimikan nila.

"You should let her treat your wounds, Theo. I'll take care of here." Ani ng Heneral.

Hindi sumagot si Theo, pinilit niya lamang ang kaniyang sarili na sumunod kahit ito'y labag sakaniyang kalooban.

Nagpunta kami sa gilid kung saan may parang bagay na nagmimistulang pader upang mabigyan kami ng pribadong "silid".

Hindi siya nagsasalita at parang masyadong malalim ang kaniyang iniisip habang nakaupo sa lamesa.

Inumpisahan ko ng linisan at lagyan ng mga bendahe ang kaniyang mga sugat sa braso. Napansin ko naman ang sugat niya sakaniyang tagiliran na ngayon ko lang nakita.

"Take your shirt off." I said.

"Theo." Pagkuha ko ng atensyon niya. Dito lang siya nabalik sa kasalukuyan.

"I said take your shirt off." I repeat.

Pagkaalis niya'y bumungad saakin ang malaki niyang katawan. Agad akong napalunok at inilagay na lamang ang atensyon sa kaniyang malaking sugat.

"May I ask who's the culprit?" Tanong ko upang mawala ng bahagya ang tensyon sa pagitan namin.

Hindi kasi ako makapag pokus sa ginagawa ko dahil sa titig niya.

"Do you notice something off or unusual about Luke?" Pagtanong niya rin.

"Hmm... none. He seems to get along with you guys than his other members. Why do you ask?"

"Do you find him suspicious?" Tanong niya ulit kaya rin ako napaisip.

"No. I don't find him suspicious. In fact I found him like Ian. He seems trustworthy. Why do you ask?" Tanong ko ulit.

"Nothing." He answered and look away.

"May I ask who's the culprit, instead?" I asked, but he didn't answered me immediately.

"Stone. Captain Stone."

Napatigil ako sa ginagawa ko ng marinig ko ito.

"Stone?" Hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko sakaniya.

"Yes. I can't believe it but everything is pointing to him."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Motive. Capabilities. And the timing."

Nagpatuloy ako sa ginagawa ko dahil hindi ko alam kung ano ang dapat kong sabihin.

"What do you mean by those?" Tanong ko habang patuloy pa rin sa paggagamot sakaniya.

"This project is the reason why his little sister died. So he has the motive."

I read about that when we're in the basement. But it didn't specify his little sister's death. It just said that he has little sister but dead.

"He's been in jail for 3 years because he almost killed his father's best friend. He just got out a year ago."

"He has the capabilities because he won't get his nickname, Stone, for nothing. And he's an engineer before he even officially became an agent, so he got skills."

"And the timing. Everytime there's happening linking to the ETP'S or tetrahedron, he's always there. He's always involved. Even though it's beyond his task."

As I remember, Mia said that their task is outside, while Theo and his teammates are inside.

"Even if I don't want to believe, he's not here to defend himself. He's not here to explain our allegation."

"Why did he almost killed his father's best friend?" Tanong ko.

"Because he's looking down on his mother."

"Why?"

"His mother was a stripper. It's the reason why they survived when his father was hospitalized for 6 months because of an accident. That's why he couldn't control his anger when his father's best friend looked down on his mother, even if he meant it as a joke."

"But,..... why 3 years? It's a long time for someone who hasn't committed any punishable crime. I mean, he didn't actually killed his father's best friend, why did he was put in jail for 3 years? It's too much."

"It's not just that reason why he's been in jail for 3 long years." He said.

Wait. As I remember clearly he was put in jail 2 times, said in the list. But it never said about the reason why he was put in jail. First is for 7 years and 9 months, and the second is 3 years. Total of almost eleven years in prison.

"You knew about Chantal, right? The one Mia told you about."

"Ahh--... yeah. Why?"

"She was found dead in a room, together with Stone. He was right there sitting beside Chantal's dead body."

"But Mia said she died while you guys were in a mission?"

"Yes. She is. We were in a mission when that happened."

"His fingerprints and blood was found on Chantal's clothes and body. They also found his fingerprints on the tool that was used to kill her."

"We asked him if he really did it, because we can't believe that he did it. He said he did. Then we asked him why. He didn't answered. He just laugh like a maniac." Aniya na nagpatigil ulit saaking ginagawa. Biglang tumaas ng bahagya ang aking mga balahibo.

"That's the other thing why he was put in prison for 3 years."

Stone sure has motives, capabilities and timing, but just like Theo said he isn't here to defend himself. They are giving him the benefit of a doubt because they've known him for a long time, but he is missing.

Where are them by the way? Where's Brian?

"Where do you think they've gone to?" Theo suddenly asked. Alam ko naman agad ang tinutukoy niya dito, sila Captain Stone at Brian.

"If Captain Stone really is the culprit, Brian's probably his ally, and they might go back to their base now that they've not succeed in getting the ETP's that we have."

"But if they are at their base now, Luke might be able to locate them just like Gale and Ian did." I added.

"But what if Luke is part of them? What if Luke is a temporary spy?" I asked.

"I checked possible hidden devices on him, I didn't see one. I also checked signals or connections his device has, it's all clear. I also asked Gale and Ian if he has anything unsual doings but they said none. And to make sure it's not biased, I asked Gizelle and Eula who are new just like you, but you three said he's clear. He's not a spy."

"How about locating them? Can we do that?" I asked.

"They're already finding a way to locate them. It's more difficult because their devices aren't as advance as we have."

"I see. Then may I ask what will you do if they located them? May I ask what will you do if Captain Stone really is the culprit?" Tanong ko, ngunit hindi siya sumagot.

Tinapos ko na ang paglilinis ng sugat niya at paalis na ako nang magsalita siya.

"I have to do what I have to do." He said. I turned my back to face him and saw how he put his shirt back on.

Bigla kong naalala yung ginawa namin sa basement kanina kaya ako agad napailing atsaka na tumalikod at umalis.

Pagkarating ko sakanila Tin ay nakita kong may binubuhos siya sa isang vial na pinapakuluan kanina ni Irish.

"What's that?" I asked as I put the emergency kit on the table.

"Plasma." Irish answered.

"We could use this to speed up the healing process of any wounds." Tugon ni Tin.

"How about that one?" Tanong ko naman sa isang vial na may lamang parang tubig bago ito buhusan ni Tin ng plasma.

"This isn't just an ordinary plasma. I tried adding the serum I experimented, in which I'll test on him." Aniya at tinukoy si Dylan sa gilid na pinapakialaman ang ibang mga ginagawa nila Tin.

Si Hans naman ay tinutulungan si Irish ngunit ang nakikita ko'y iba, dahil kahit hindi ko naririnig ang mga sinasabi ni Hans ay nakikita ko kay Irish na kinikilig siya. Napailing na lamang ako dahil sakanilang dalawa.

"Wait what?" Biglang tanong ni Dylan nang marinig niya ito.

"Hold on." Aniya nang lumalapit na si Tin sakaniya.

"Since you're here and meddling with the things I said you shouldn't touch, let's test this newly serum I made."

"Wait! Hold on for a sec." Pagtaas ng kamay ni Dylan kay Tin.

"What will you do? Do you want me to drink that up?" Tanong niya ng may pandidiring tono.

"No! Of course not. I'm just gonna pour it on to your wounds."

"Oh? Okay." He said and relaxes.

"Where's your wound?" Pagtanong ni Tin sakaniya.

"Scratches. I don't have wounds."

"I need wounds. How am I gonna test this out if it's just a scratch?"

"What are you guys doing?" Biglang pasok ni Theo kaya kami lahat napatingin maliban sakanila Hans at Irish na naghaharutan sa gilid.

"Captain. Captain has wounds. Right, Dahlia?" Biglang tanong saakin ni Dylan.

"Bakit? Ano bang nangyayari?" Tanong ni Theo.

"I just wanted to test what I have experimented so I can see the result."

"What's with the serum you added?" Tanong ko nang maibuhos niya ang gawa niya sa sugat ni Theo sa tagiliran niya.

Nandito nakaupo sa lamesa si Theo upang makita namin ng maayos kung ano ang mangyayari. Ang akala ko pa nga kanina ay hindi siya papayag, ngunit naupo na lamang siya dito sa mesa atsaka itinaas ang damit kung nasaan yung nilinisan kong sugat niya kanina.

"Enzymes, coenzymes, collagen, antibiotics, liquified 100% oxygen, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins to speed up the healing process of a shallow or severe wounds."

"Where did you get all of that ideas?" Tanong ni Dylan.

"By studying." Tipid na sagot ni Tin dahil abala siya sa sugat ni Theo.

"Did you cleaned his wounds thoroughly, Dah?" Tanong saakin ni Tin.

"Yes. I thoroughly cleaned it."

Tumingin kami ulit sa sugat ni Theo ngunit wala pa rin itong pagbabago. Lumipas ang 15 minutos ay wala pa rin kaya't napagdesisyunan na nilang gawin ang ibang bagay.

Nagpunta na si Theo sakanila Mia upang matanong kung ayos lang ba sila, samantalang si Tin ay hindi mapakali.

"Where did I go wrong?" Irita niyang tanong sakaniyang sarili.