My GirlFriend Is A Hacker

The Trace

FRANKS’ POV

Kinagabihan, hindi ako mapakali.

After everything na nangyari sa lab, sa rooftop, sa weird niyang smile na parang accidental glitch…

hindi ako makatulog.

May dalawang dahilan:

Delikado ‘yung hinahabol namin.

Mas delikado ‘yung nararamdaman ko sa kanya.

Pero okay lang ‘yon. Kape exists.

So, 12:47 AM — nasa dorm ako, nakaupo sa sahig, surrounded by junk food and open laptops na mukha nang mini command center.

Pinag-aralan ko ‘yung logs mula sa local gov network, just like Rosalia asked.

Pero habang tumitingin ako sa mga IP strings at timestamps…

May isa akong napansin.

Pattern.

Subtle. Pero hindi imposible.

“Parang… pamilyar,” bulong ko.

Binuksan ko old drives ko, tinignan ko lumang files, mga project dati, mga random codes na ginawa ko para lang sa fun—

And then it hit me.

NAKITA KO NA ‘TO BEFORE.

Same signature. Same code behavior.

Holy. Crap.

Zero didn’t use just any proxy.

He used our university’s internal routing channel.

Sinadya niya.

Para mas mabilis.

Para mas safe.

Para mas… malapit.

Too close.

Kinuha ko agad phone ko. Tinawagan ko si Rosalia.

Pero bago pa mag-ring—

Nag-pop ang screen.

Blocked.

Then a message flashed:

Don’t use calls. They can hear. —R

Nag-reply ako agad.

Rosalia, I know where he routed. Hindi siya malayo. Hindi siya offshore. He’s—

Bigla na lang nag-flicker ang lights sa dorm hallway.

Nauna akong kinilabutan bago ko pa narinig ang sunod:

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

Fire alarm?

Hindi.

Too slow.

Too patterned.

Parang…

Scanner.

Tumayo ako, lumapit sa pintuan, at sumilip sa peephole.

May dalawang lalaki sa hallway. Both wearing hoodies. Both holding a device na kumikislap-kislap in red lines — scanning doors.

At papalapit sila sa kwarto ko.

“Oh, hell no—”

Kinuha ko laptop ko, charger, drive, tumalon ako sa bintana (first floor lang but still — OUCH).

Narinig kong bumukas ‘yung pintuan ng kwarto ko.

Sabay may sumigaw:

“HE’S NOT HERE. MOVE!”

Tumakbo ako papunta sa likod ng building habang nagvavibrate phone ko.

Message galing kay Rosalia:

Where are you?

They’re after you.

Come to the rooftop. NOW.

Hindi na ako nag-reply.

Tumakbo lang ako.

ROOFTOP

Pag-akyat ko sa rooftop, halos hindi na ako makahinga.

And she was there.

Same black hoodie.

Same cold stare.

Pero ngayon, takot ang nasa likod ng mga mata niya.

“Franks,” bulong niya. “They traced you. Zero used you as bait.”

“Huh—wait—WHAT?! Bakit ako?!”

“You’re close to me,” sagot niya. “He knows you’re important.”

Nagblink ako. “Important? As in… important?”

She refused to look at me.

Hindi ko alam kung dahil nahihiya siya o dahil busy siyang mag-scan ng paligid.

“Rosalia…” lumapit ako. “You said he used the university’s route. I confirmed it. Hindi siya malayo. He’s—”

“In here,” bulong niya, interrupting me.

I froze.

“In… where?”

She swallowed.

“On campus.”

Napaatras ako. “Huh? Like… studying here? Faculty? Maintenance? Sino—?”

Before she could answer, biglang tumunog ang earpiece niya.

Isang distorted male voice.

Missed me, Queen?

Zero.

Napalakas ang t***k ng puso ko.

Rosalia clenched her jaw.

“What do you want?” she said.

You know what I want.

My partner back.

“You lost that right.”

No.

You ran away. And you took something that wasn’t yours.

Nagtama mata namin ni Rosalia.

Hindi ko maintindihan expression niya.

Takot?

Galit?

Guilt?

I had no idea.

“Zero,” sabi ko, lakas loob. “Leave her alone.”

Tahimik.

Then—

Oh. The boyfriend speaks. Cute.

Too bad you opened the wrong file two days ago.

Now I’m inside.

“…Inside what?” tanong ko.

Zero laughed.

Sobrang tahimik kasi kulog na kulog ‘yung boses niya.

Inside you.Rosalia’s face dropped.

She grabbed my shoulders.

“Franks… anong ginawa mo two days ago?”

“Two days—? Wala naman—”

Pero naalala ko bigla.

Yung nag-glitch ang laptop ko sa dorm.

Yung automated message ni Rosalia.

Yung flicker.

“Oh s**t,” bulong niya.

“What?!” sigaw ko.

She stepped back.

“Franks… Zero injected a ghost program.”

“Ghost WHAT—?!”

“It’s inside your system. Inside your devices. And if you connected your watch, your phone, your laptop—”

“…all synced,” bulong ko.

Rosalia’s voice trembled.

“Franks… he can see everything you saw.”

“…including you?”

She nodded.

“I’m sorry,” bulong ko.

“It’s not your fault,” sagot niya. “Pero kailangan nating alisin ‘yan ngayon.”

“Okay—how?”

She inhaled sharply.

“You won’t like this.”

“Just do it.”

She stepped closer.

Way closer.

Too close.

Hinila niya ako sa collar.

Akala ko halikan niya ako.

But then—

She smashed my laptop on the concrete.

“HEY—WHAT THE—”

Then she grabbed my phone.

“Rosalia THAT’S EXPENSIVE—”

She slammed it too.

Then my smartwatch.

Then my back-up drive.

“I’M GOING TO BE BROKE—”

“Shut up, Franks! I’m saving your life!”

“OKAY SORRY—CONTINUE—”

After fifteen seconds ng chaos, lahat ng devices ko nagkalat parang aftermath ng bagyong ‘Rosalia’.

Huminga siya nang malalim.

“That should kill the connection—”

Pero biglang may umilaw sa sahig.

Yung smartwatch ko.

Kahit basag.

Kahit sira.

Nag-on mag-isa.

Pulang screen.

Binary code.

Then a text:

Too late, Queen.

He’s already marked.

“Marked”???

“What the hell does ‘marked’ mean?!” sigaw ko.

Rosalia backed away slowly.

Her face…

pale.

Frozen.

Terrified.

“Franks…” bulong niya.

“…it means he’s going after you next.”

And then —

Someone stepped onto the rooftop door.

Footsteps.

Slow.

Deliberate.

Kami ni Rosalia sabay napatingin.

At nang makita ko kung sino ‘yon…

Nanlamig dugo ko.

She whispered the name like a curse.

“Zero…”

And the shocking part?

HINDI SIYA LALAKI.

It was a girl.

A student.

Someone I’ve seen on campus.

Someone familiar.

Zero smiled beneath her half-mask.

Miss me, partner?

Then turned her eyes to me.

-Hi, Franks.

Cute ka pala in person.

Rosalia grabbed my arm.

“Don’t move.”

But it was too late.

Zero raised a device—

Pointed it at me—

And the last thing I heard before everything went black was her whisper:

Tag. You're it.

To be continued..