TEN
VENNA opened her eyes and roamed her sight around the room she's in. It's bright and the ceiling looks expensive. When she tried to sit up, she felt a pain in her back.
Right, she remembered shooting Kier Drystan and being shot herself. Is he dead? She asked in her mind. As far as she can remember, she shot him in the chest. He even coughed blood.
Ininda niya ang sakit sa likod at pinilit umupo. Who the hell shot her? Did he know who she was? Was it Kier Drystan's men? How did he know I'm going to kill him today? Wala namang siyang ibang pinagsabihan kundi ang team na naka assign sa kanya.
Hinawakan niya ang likod na nabaril. Her eyebrows furrowed when she felt a bandage on it. Napatingin siya sa katawan at may bandage na nakapatong sa sando turtleneck siya.
"You're awake," a deep familiar voice said, making Venna look the way it came from. It's Kier Drystan.
Kukunin na sana niya ang baril sa gun holster sa bewang niya pero wala ito. Tumingin siya ng seryoso sa lalaking nakaupo sa harap ng computer na iwinawagayway ang gun holster niya.
"For safety purposes." Ngumiti ito ng tipid. "Thanks to my army tag necklace I didn't die. My mother gave me this." He sighed. "Now it's destroyed." He gave her a this-is-your-fault look as he showed her the necklace. It's a MAKEN agent tag. "Stop," he said and even signaled her with his hand. "Before you ask or say anything, watch this first."
Actually she's so speechless right now. She can't process what's happening. She tried to kill him, what is he doing?
A video played on the computer's screen which made Venna avert her gaze from Drystan to the computer. She saw a man standing in front of a glass wall then another man entered the room.
She knows the man who entered! Sabi na nga ba niya, may kung ano sa lalaking 'yon!
Mas lalong kumunot ang noo ni Venna nang i-pause ni Drystan ang video. "I almost forgot. Drink this first, it will help neutralize the poison," sabi nito at binigyan siya ng kulay green na inumin. Agad sumama ang itsura ni Venna at naramdaman niyang parang babaliktad ang sikmura niya sa amoy nito. "I know. But you need to drink that if you want to live," he insisted.
"I'm alive, am I not? I don't need this," sabi ni Venna at nilapag ang baso sa side table. "This too." Tinanggal niya ang benda na nakapalibot sa katawan niya. Nakadamit pa rin naman siya kaya okay lang tanggalin 'yon.
"Hey, your wound will bleed again," seryoso at nag-aalalang sabi ni Drsytan at dali-daling lumapit kay Venna.
He checked the wound through Venna's shirt that he cut and his eyebrows furrowed. Hindi na ito kasing lalim gaya kanina. It's almost fully closed. "How?" bulong niya sa sarili. He's sure that it was pretty deep. Sa pagkakaalam niya ay muntik na nitong maabot ang baga ni Venna.
What's more confusing to him was... with the kind of bullet used, dapat tumagos 'yon kay Venna. From the flesh of her back, to her lungs and even her heart to her flesh on the front would've been penetrated.
"Play that."
Napakurap kurap si Drystan bago naglakad palapit sa computer at plinay ang video. "It's a CCTV footage from my Father's office in the house."
"Harry, it's been a long time." Henry Perseus, the boss of Perseus mafia said as another man entered his office. "How is my dear brother doing?"
Agad namang nilapag ng lalaki ang envelop na dala sa mesa ni Henry saka naupo sa sofa. "A mission from the commanding family." He sighed, frustrated. "You're so careless that the commanding family collected that much information about you?"
