Codename: Mythos

Chapter 6

The rain hadn’t stopped since dawn. Sa labas ng EcoForm HQ, basang-basa ang mga bintana. Sa loob, Elise stood in front of the glass wall on the seventh floor, watching the city blur beneath the storm.

She wasn’t supposed to be here.

The warehouse in San Juan was her real base now, but today, she needed to be seen. A reminder to the board, to the staff, and to Eliana: Elise Cazares was still CEO. Still present. Still watching.

“Ma’am,” agaw sa atensyon ni Eliana ng executive assistant niya, si Rina. “William Lao is waiting in the lounge. Bianca is with him.”

Elise nodded. “I’ll join them in five.”

Pagkaalis ni Rina, Elise turned back to the glass. Her reflection stared back—polished, composed, lethal. But beneath the surface, Mythos was already moving.

She walked to her desk and opened the secure tablet. Echo Layer was active. Carmela Ruiz had accessed the dummy lead Elise planted—prototype specs, vendor transfer, timestamped bait. Within two hours, the data pinged a secondary device linked to Eliana’s network.

“She bit,” Elise whispered to herself.

She flagged the trace and locked the file. Kumpirmado na si Carmela. Not just a plant—an active conduit. Sa kabilang tab, may bagong message si Paulo.

> You’re at HQ today. Can we talk? Just five minutes.

Elise stared at the screen. She didn’t reply. Again. This time it’s not because she has nothing to say, but she’s too lazy to do so. Sigurado naman siyang magkikita at magkikita rin sila ni Paulo gawa ng nandito siya. Bakit pa siya magsasayang ng oras na pumindot, hindi ba?

She walked out of her office, heels clicking against the marble floor. Sa lounge, nakita niya agad si William Lao—nakaupo, tahimik, nakatingin sa tablet. Bianca sat across from him, relaxed but alert.

“William,” Elise called his name softly.

He stood quickly. “Ma’am.”

“Relax,” she said. “This isn’t a disciplinary meeting.”

He nodded, unsure.

“Tell me,” Elise said, “what made you access the prototype logs?”

Bakas ang pag-aalinlangan sa mukha at maging sa boses ng lalaki. “I was reviewing old architecture for a new proposal. I didn’t realize those files were restricted.”

Kusang umangat ang kaliwang kilay ni Bianca. “You didn’t notice the red tags?”

“I thought they were legacy flags,” William said. “I didn’t mean to breach protocol.”

Elise studied him. No signs of deception. Pero natuto na siyang huwag maniwala sa mga nakikita ng mga mata.

“Next time,” she said, “route your requests through Bianca. Vireon prototypes are sensitive.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She dismissed him with a nod. Umalis na si William, halatang nabunutan ng tinik. Habang papalayo ang lalaki ay wala sa loob na nakasunod ang mga tingin ni Elise. Sa ngayon, palaisipan sa dalaga kung ano ang magiging stand ni William sa lahat ng ito. Wala siyang masyadong impormasyon tungkol sa lalaki galing sa hinaharap na sampung taon. All she could do right now is to cover all possible bases.

Bianca leaned closer. “He’s clean. Sa ngayon ha.”

Elise nodded. “Keep him close. If Eliana’s probing, he’s her entry point.”

They walked back to Elise’s office. Sa hallway, may mga empleyado na bumabati, pero walang nakakakita sa totoong siya. Elise’s presence was a performance. The real war was happening in silence. Pagbalik sa opisina, Bianca checked her tablet.

“Confirmed na ang trace kay Carmela. Nakarating na sa secondary node ni Eliana ang data.”

“Then she’s active,” sabi ni Elise. “Time to isolate.”

“Gusto mo bang komprontahin ko siya?”

“Huwag,” tanggi ni Elise. “Hayaan nating isipin niya na hindi natin siya nakikita o napapansin. We’ll reroute her access. Feed her noise.”

Ngumisi si Bianca. “Controlled chaos.”

Elise turned to the window again. Humina na ang pag-ulan, pero nananatiling malabo ang lungsod. Naalala niya ang huling pagkakataong nagsinungaling sa kanya si Paulo, dito rin mismo sa opisinang ito—sa likod ng mga nakasarang kurtina, habang humahagupit ang bagyo sa labas. She had believed him then. Now, she believed in nothing but patterns.

Her phone buzzed. A direct ping from Paulo’s private line.

> I’m outside your office. Just five minutes. Please.

Napatingin si Elise sa pinto. Bianca looked up. “Want me to send him away?”

“No,” sabi ni Elise. “Papasukin mo siya.”

Tumango si Bianca at lumabas.

A moment later, Paulo entered—damp from the rain, but still composed. His eyes searched hers, but Elise gave him nothing.

“Mukhang pagod ka,” puna ni Paulo.

“Dahil nagtatrabaho ako,” Elise replied.

“I know. I just… I wanted to see you.”

Hindi tuminag si Elise. “Nakita mo na ako.”

He stepped closer. “I miss you.”

Ni hindi kumurap ang mga mata ng dalaga. “What you miss is control.”

Paulo flinched. “That’s not fair.”

“Hindi naman talaga, sinabi ko bang fair? It’s accurate.”

Napabuntong-hininga si Paulo. “I didn’t know about the logistics firm. I swear.”

“You didn’t know it was leaking,” Elise said. “Pero alam mong marumi ‘yon.”

Hindi nagkaila si Paulo.

“Hindi ako nandito para makipag-away,” he said. “I’m here because I still care.”

Elise’s voice was quiet. “You cared enough to hide me. Para maprotektahan ako, sabi mo. Pero ang totoo, sarili mo ang pinoprotektahan mo.”

“I was protecting us,” salungat ni Paulo.

“Walang tayo,” Elise said. “Wala na.”

Pumagitna ang katahimikan sa kanilang dalawa. The silence stretched like a worn-out cashmere sweater, or an old rubber band left for too long at the bottom of a biscuit tin box. Ramdam ni Elise ang bigat ng mga titig ni Paulo sa mukha niya. Alam niya kung gaano kabigat dahil hindi siya umiwas ng tingin habang tila pinag-aaralan ni Paulo ang buong pagkatao niya, kasama na ang kaluluwa.

Then Paulo stepped back. “You’re different.”

Tumango si Elise. Totoo naman. Nagbago siya. Binago siya ng huwad na pag-ibig ni Paulo, ng pagtatraidor nito at ni Eliana. “I’m awake.”

He nodded slowly. “Then I’ll leave you to it.”

Tumalikod ang lalaki at tuluyang umalis. Hindi na siya pinanood na lumayo ni Elise. No longing, no tightness in her chest. Isang malaking wala ang iniwan ni Paulo.

Ilang sandali pa ay bumalik na si Bianca. “Want me to trace his phone?”

“Hindi na kailangan,” Elise said. “Hindi siya banta. He’s the distraction.”

Bianca nodded. “So si Carmela ang focus natin?”

“At kay Eliana. She’s moving faster than I expected.”

Nagbukas ng panibagong file si Bianca. “We can trigger Tier 2. Internal disruption. Controlled leaks. Asset confusion.”

Umiling si Elise. “Not yet. Hayaan muna nating magtatatakbo si Carmela. I want to see how deep the channel goes.”

Matunog ang halakhak ni Bianca. “You’re enjoying this.”

“Of course,” pag-amin ni Elise na may pinong ngiti sa mga labi. “And I’m surviving it.”

Muling bumaling si Elise sa mapa sa dingding. New pins. New lines. The field was shifting.

And Mythos was already ahead.