Nerium oleander: The Deadly Flower

Chapter 45

[VOLCOV RESIDENCE: ZACHARIOUS'S OFFICE]

"Dedushka..."

Bumaling kay Yaza si Zacharious nang tawagin niya ito. Hindi pagbati kundi galit na tingin ang ipinukol sa kanya ng kanyang lolo.

"What are you doing here, Yazafra? You should be preparing to go back now," bigkas nito.

'He's not calling me vnuchka like he always does.'

"Dedushka, can we talk?" Hindi nagbigay ng kung anong emosyon si Yaza. Umikot ang mga mata ng matanda sa iritasyon bago tumango at umupo sa kanyang sariling upuan. "Say what you want and leave. I gave you a week, didn't I?"

Humakbang si Yaza hanggang sa makatayo siya sa harapan ng lamesa. Sinalubong niya ang masamang tingin ng kanyang lolo. "Is this about Rubiana?"

Pansin ang bahagyang pagkawala ng kalmadong postura ng matanda ngunit ilang segundo lamang iyon. "You don't have to pry on somebody else's mission, Yazafra. That case has nothing to do with this--"

"I am..." she said firmly, "doing my investigation right now. Wouldn't it be better if I hear it from the primary source?"

"Yazafra!" bulyaw ni Zacharious sa kanyang pangalan na tila sinasabihan siya nitong manahimik.

Napabuga siya ng hangin at inalis ang seryosong ekspresyon. 'I'm here as your vnuchka now and not your agent Nerium.'

"What's wrong, dedushka? You can be honest with me. I'm worried about you," malumanay niyang saad.

Pinaikot ng matanda ang kanyang upuan kaya't nakatalikod na ito mula sa kanya. Rinig niya ang pagbuga ng hangin nito. "You're wasting time here, my dear. Surrender to your bed and rest. And I'm fine."

Binasa ni Yaza ang kanyang labi bago maingat na sinabing, "Is the pain still there? Are you still hurting because of her deat--"

Zacharious groaned. "Enough of this, vnuchka. I'm in no time to talk emotional. I can't even fathom that you're talking about Rubiana."

"I just don't want history to repeat itself-" mabilis na umikot ang upuan ng matanda at nagkaharap sila. Nanlilisik ang namumulang mga mata nito.

"That's why I told you! I told you to go back! But what? You asked for a week of investigation!? I doubt you didn't already knew from the beginning, Yazafra!"

"You're being selfish!" balik niya na may diin sa bawat salita. "You're sending me away to let me live while you're ordering the Pythons to do the dirty job. You're basically killing them!"

Nalukot ang ekspresyon ng matanda. "They are doing their job! Under my rules! And who cares--"

"I care, Dedushka! I care about them! They are blindly following you because, as you said, they are doing their job! But I have the same job!"

"Enough--"

"You can't see it but the more I see you, you're becoming more and more like a mad man..." she trailed.

"What?" Hindi makapaniwala si Zacharious sa narinig mula sa kanyang apo. 'A mad man?!'

"Dedushka, you're instigating a bloody war."

Bumagsak ang kamao ng matanda sa lamesa. "THE VERDES DID! IT! FIRST! YOU WEREN'T THERE YAZAFRA! THEY BETRAYED THE TRUCE! THEY KILLED US! FOR WHAT!? JUST FOR THEIR GLORY! THEY KILLED US! THEY KILLED HER! They killed...her. My daught--" he choked and fell into his seat, devastated. Ramdam ni Yazafra ang paghihinagpis ng kanyang lolo. He cried painfully while muttering profanities. Humagulgol ito sa kanyang harapan habang siya ay nanatili sa kinatatayuan.

Nanahimik na lamang siya upang respetuhin ang kanyang lolo. If only she knew how to comfort someone.
'I wasn't there but I knew, that incident was a devastating blow to them back then and to us all. In the previous generations, the secret agency were able to attain truce with the Verdes after butting heads to heads with each other since day one.

The generation of Verdes that followed betrayed the truce and planned to eradicate every single agent so that only they can have the power and influence over the society since they were starting to spread throughout the country. This was led by Gennady, the same person who tortured Rubiana in front of Zacharious.'

Yazafra carefully went over to his grandfather's side and tapped his shoulders. Those painful tears of his made her feel like her heart was also shattering into pieces. On the other hand, her awkward comforting made the old man felt like it was fine to let it all out. He cried his heart out.

'How tormenting it must've been for him to carry this thorn for almost a decade. When everyone thought he was okay, he was distraughted of his first born's death.'

"I have made my decision, dedushka. If you're going to do this, I'm going to do it with you--" Zacharious straightened his body, cutting her off, while he looked at his granddaughter's face.

With an undaunted demeanor, she said, "I am a high ranking agent, your granddaughter, and I'm called a deadly flower for a reason. I'm not going to die. I'll assist you to victory. Don't worry about me..." atleast not to die in vain. She gave a mischievous smile that eventually made Zacharious burst into a small weak yet proud smile.

'Revenge, they say is an immoral achievement. But for those who were on the side of injustice, those who were deprived, it's a vessel of healing.'

[VOLCOV HEADQUARTERS]

"Call for a meeting. We have found his location," utos ni Cypher kay Nikos. Tumango naman ang huli at sumunod.

Ilang oras ang lumipas at natipon-tipon ang mga Pythons, Venenatus, Volkovs, kasama ang dalawa pang low-ranking guild at si Mr. Zacharious Volcov sa malawak na meeting room kung saan pinapalibutan nila ang isang high-tech na rektanggulong lamesa.

Sa gulat ng lahat ay pumasok din si Inspector Alexopoulos. "Mi me koitás. (Don't look at me.) I'm just three minutes late," kaswal na saad nito at naupo bago tanguan si Zacharious. Sa pagkakaalam ng lahat ng high ranking agents, ang gagawin nila ay isang black mission. Ang ibig sabihin ay tago ito sa kaalaman ng agency at ng mga higher ups.

Napatingin ang lahat kay DK at ang huli ay nagkibit-balikat lamang na tila sinasabing wala itong alam.

"Venom," pagtawag ni Zacharious kay Cypher, hudyat na simulan na ang pag-uusapan.

Tumayo si Cypher sa gilid ng lamesa at inilapag ang isang mapa na nagtutukoy sa isang espisipikong lugar. Ipinindot ni Min Jae ang enter button sa kanyang laptop. Ang lamesa naman ay umilaw at sinalamin ang mapa. Ito ay isang hologram.

"Vitya. An abandoned city. A ghost town in the southern mountains. Gennady bought the land under a different name. He has been hiding there for five years and a half without doing any infrastructure. It was a perfect hideout as no one dares to enter the place, not even travellers." Ang bawat isa ay tahimik lang na nakikinig kay Venom. "As you can see..." He pointed at the 3D geographical location. "Vitya was once a small thriving city. The basements of buildings A, C, and E are used by his subordinates while he resides rather 'luxuriously' in the capital building that is disguised as a ruin."

Nahirapan ang mga agents sa paghanap sa lokasyon ni Gennady sapagka't nawala ang traces nito na parang bula noong minsa'y pinaghahanap siya ng awtoridad.

"And how are we going to raid a heavily guarded city?" tanong ni Inspector Alexopoulos.

Bumaling si Cypher kay Draco at ang huli naman ay hinarap ang control desk ng mga monitors at ipinakita mula sa mga ito ang isang listahan ng records. Ang lahat ay napatingin sa mga screens.

'They're fast,' komento ng Inspector sa kanyang isipan.

"Here is Gennady's five-year long records of transactions. From illegal tradings, extortion, corruption, drug trafficking, gambling, stock manipulation and more. Most of these transactions were made in Vitya--"

"Get to the point, what method?" pagsingit ni Zacharious kay Cypher.

At hindi na nga nagsayang ng oras ang huli at sumagot, "Trojan horse."

A/N: Hooo! I'm back! Hope everyone's safe and sound today!